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.
Thales’ Identification friend or foe (IFF) equipment will be installed on the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and the two French Horizon-class frigates under contracts awarded by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA).
The equipment – part of Thales' BlueGate product family - was selected by DCNS for the vessels, to overcome the limitations of the systems currently in use.
The IFF system will provide the vessels with an effective Mode 5/Mode S capability. The upgrade to the latest NATO IFF standard will enable the warships to perform military missions with advanced levels of security, dependability and integrity (Mode 5), and better identify civil aircraft (Mode S).
The BlueGate IFF system was tested and validated during the international Bold Quest exercise in June 2013 in the US. The exercise provided the opportunity to demonstrate BlueGate's interoperability with allied systems.
Hervé Derrey, vice president for Thales's Radiocommunications business, said: 'We are delighted that DCNS has once again decided to work with Thales to equip these vessels. Thales offers a fully validated long-range Mode 5 / Mode S IFF system that is perfectly tailored to the French Navy's requirements. This latest success is a further endorsement of Thales's BlueGate IFF products and their exceptional performance, demonstrated during the Bold Quest exercise last year, and the ability of our identification systems to meet the operational requirements of the world's leading naval forces, including the navies of NATO member states.'
Thales’ BlueGate IFF systems are already installed on the French Navy's Jean-Bart anti-aircraft frigate and successfully passed Sea Acceptance Tests in October 2013.
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.