US Space Force increases efforts to plug training capabilities gaps
The service has been seeking simulation and emulation solutions capable of reproducing multiple in-orbit threats.
Rohde & Schwarz has won a contract from the German Federal Ministry of Defense to equip German armed forces command vehicles with the joint radio system known as SVFuA, the company announced on 11 July.
The order will see 50 vehicles equipped initially, including Puma infantry fighting vehicles and Boxer armoured transport vehicles.
The SVFuA is a software defined radio (SDR) that provides communications up to the classification level SECRET.
The radio has been certified in line with the internationally recognized Software Communications Architecture (SCA) standard for SDR radio systems making it possible to port current and future national and international waveforms onto the radio system as long as these waveforms also meet the requirements set out in the SCA standard. It can also interface with allies during joint missions.
The radios have been ordered as part of Germany's Mobile Tactical Communications programme - known as MoTaKo - to digitise tactical communications.
This first instalment will be delivered by 2020. The contract’s framework agreement allows the German armed forces to order additional SVFuA systems within a seven-year timeframe.
The service has been seeking simulation and emulation solutions capable of reproducing multiple in-orbit threats.
The service has been conducting several acquisition and upgrading efforts involving artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve communication, data analysis and ISR systems.
The Syracuse 4B communications satellite, developed by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, was launched last year, bolstering secure military satellite communications for the French Armed Forces. Thales has now been selected to provide terminals for vehicles.
The growing importance of space in modern warfare, advancements in satellite technology, and increasing threats from rivals like China and Russia were among the topics of a Eurosatory 2024 panel on military space operations.
AN/ARC-232A is a Starfire radio that provides VHF/UHF communications to airborne platforms and the transceiver is software-programmable, allowing for multiple waveform support as well as optional national electronic counter counter-measure (ECCM) capability.
During the 18-month period of the contract, Lockheed Martin will apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to create surrogate models of aircraft, sensors, electronic warfare and weapons within dynamic and operationally representative environments.