DTN News: General Dynamics’ Warrior Antenna Terminals Certified To Operate On Wideband Global SATCOM Network

DTN News: General Dynamics’ Warrior Antenna Terminals Certified To Operate On Wideband Global SATCOM Network

* Ka-band certification enables greater use of Warrior antenna terminals by the U.S. Marine Corps as part of the Support Wide Area Network (SWAN) program

Source: DTN News / General Dynamics

(NSI News Source Info) SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - August 27, 2010: – Two General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies’ Warrior antenna terminals are now certified by the U.S. Army to use the Ka-band frequency to access the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) network, enabling warfighters to transmit and receive video, multimedia imagery and data faster and more securely.

Certification ensures that the General Dynamics Warrior 1.2 and 1.8 meter, Ka-band enabled terminals meet stringent performance and operational control requirements needed to operate on the WGS network.

The WGS network comprises a constellation of six U.S. Department of Defense satellites that provide flexible communications connectivity for U.S. military forces. Certification, completed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT), enables Warrior terminals currently used by the U.S. Marine Corps as part of the Support Wide Area Network (SWAN) program to access the WGS network.

The SWAN program provides the Marines with secure and non-secure commercial-off-the-shelf satellite communications equipment that can quickly accommodate technology insertions and upgrades like the Ka-band capability.

The higher transmit and receive operating frequencies inherent to Ka-Band allow the SWAN terminals to use smaller, lighter, and more highly integrated communications capabilities than those used at Ku-Band. In addition to a smaller footprint and reduced weight, other benefits of Ka-band over Ku-band for satellite communications include: *Higher data-rate throughput for improved quality of video, voice and data communications *Reduced space segment cost through the use of the WGS system *Reduced communications interference issues due to dedicated WGS satellite access "The Warrior 1.2 and 1.8 meter terminals are composed of Very Small Aperture (VSAT) antenna subsystems, power amplifiers, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) modems, automatic tracking control and other related electronic subsystems.

Marvin Shoemake, vice president of sales for General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies, said, “The successful completion of the SMDC/ARSTRAT testing represents a major Ka-band upgrade for the SWAN program. The certification also opens the door for other government agencies, including homeland security, to have robust, beyond-line-of-sight communications using the WGS network.”

General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies, part of General Dynamics C4 Systems, is a leading supplier of emergency, strategic and tactical satellite ground terminals for reachback and range extension, including complete communications interoperability and control of fixed and mobile terminals.

Additional information about SATCOM Technology’s products and services is available on the Internet at www.gdsatcom.com.

General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 91,000 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies.

More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail

DTN News: Elbit Systems Launches Two New Robots, Creating A VIPeR Family

DTN News: Elbit Systems Launches Two New Robots, Creating A VIPeR Family

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 10, 2010: During Elbit Systems' latest exhibition displaying advanced land and C4I solutions, the Company launched two new members of the VIPeR family of intelligent and portable robots: Mini-VIPeR and Maxi-VIPeR, which join the combat-proven VIPeR robot, already operational in the Israel Defense Forces under the Hebrew name "Pazit." Building on Elbit Systems' extensive experience and know-how in the unmanned systems field, and using a common control system, the robots feature intuitive operation and enable real-time reconnaissance, in addition to arena clearing, in-building mapping, decoy and screening functions. The Mini-VIPeR robot is an extremely light-weight one-person portable system (weighing approximately 3.5 kg), equipped with advanced sensors that allow full operation in various adverse terrains, as well as allowing ground forces to survey structures before entering by literally throwing the robot through the window or into a dark tunnel. The larger compact robot, Maxi-VIPeR, allows the disarming of explosives and handling radioactive materials using its robotic arm and the various advanced sensors. Designed to reduce the danger to the dismounted force during different phases of combat, the VIPeR family of robots can take on many of the challenges faced by land warriors engaged in today's low intensity conflicts (LIC). Portable and highly mobile, the robots are configurable for multiple types of missions by add-on sensors, modules and payloads, tailored to specific tasks.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Airborne Intelligence Test-Bed Completes Maiden Flight; Receives FAA Certification

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Airborne Intelligence Test-Bed Completes Maiden Flight; Receives FAA Certification *Flying Laboratory Will Accelerate Delivery of C4ISR Capabilities *Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin (NSI News Source Info) DENVER, Colo., - August 28, 2009: Warfighters will receive critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities sooner, now that the airborne test-bed developed by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received its Experimental Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. This Airborne Multi-Intelligence Laboratory (AML) will be used to tailor advanced sensor combinations to resolve specific military, strategic intelligence and homeland security mission needs. “We’ve designed the AML so that we can easily test a myriad of sensors to advance the science and art of correlating diverse types of intelligence – with the goal of rapidly providing high-quality data,” said Jim Quinn, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services-Defense’s vice president of C4ISR Systems. A reconfigured Gulfstream III business jet, this multi-INT test-bed will be used for the development of new sensors and processing capabilities for both Lockheed Martin and its customers to expedite the flow of C4ISR capability to warfighters in theater. A wide array of features on board the aircraft will facilitate this experimentation, including a computing capability that supports most commercial operating systems, a radome on the belly of the aircraft with ample volume for a range of sensors, and four workstations. In addition, the AML can process data both onboard and on the ground to accommodate a variety of experiments. While the AML is equipped with a robust suite of sensors as well as wideband and narrowband data links, the intent is to rotate sensors as necessary to answer specific requirements. To achieve that goal, the AML incorporates an easily reconfigurable architecture designed to allow different sensors and equipment to be rapidly integrated into the aircraft’s mission systems. This architecture also allows for future testing of innovative techniques for multi-INT mission planning, intelligence gathering, processing, exploitation and dissemination for a wide variety of missions across the spectrum of operations. Near-term experimentation includes participation in the U.S. Army's upcoming C4ISR On-the-Move exercise, slated for the end of August at Fort Dix, N.J. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

Israel Tests New C4I System in Gaza Fighting / Israel Aerospace Industries' Command and Control System Installed in Urban Situation Room in Ashkelon

Israel Tests New C4I System in Gaza Fighting / Israel Aerospace Industries' Command and Control System Installed in Urban Situation Room in Ashkelon (NSI News Source Info) BEN GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Israel - January 6, 2009: The MC4 System (MLM Command and Control Communication Center) has been activated in the city of Ashkelon's Urban Situation Room since the beginning of operation "Cast Lead" in Gaza. The MC4 is produced by the MLM Division of the Systems, Missiles and Space Group of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The MC4 uses data flow obtained from sensors, cameras and on-the-ground personnel. It is based on a Global Positioning System (GPS), to assist rescue forces and local authorities both during emergency situations and on a day-to-day basis. Benny Vaknin, the mayor of Ashkelon, gave an update from the situation room to Eli Yishay, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment, Yitzhak Cohen, Minister of Religious Affairs and Shraga Brosh, President of the Manufacturers’ Association, during their visit to Ashkelon on Monday, December 29th: "The Situation Room is in use thanks to IAI's system. This is an excellent and accurate system that allows us to immediately dispatch forces to areas targeted by missiles. The situation room has been working very well in real-time during the last few days as missiles hit Ashkelon." Uri Sinai, General Manager of IAI's MLM Division said: "The system was installed in Ashkelon and was checked last week during the Home Front Command's successful drill. It is operational helps municipal personnel find and deal all issues that require their intervention. The Ashkelon municipality teams currently in charge of operating the system were briefed by IAI’s MLM. The system is easy to operate and displays a virtual picture of the entire city, including such basic information such as location of schools, kindergartens, shopping centers and others." In his visit in Ashkelon's situation room said Sinai: "From the moment we are aware of a missile hitting the city, Ashkelon personnel know which relevant teams to send to the area – whether police, engineers, ambulance services, social workers, or others, to ensure that the city can continue to function quickly and smoothly in response to an emergency situation." Yossi Greenfeld of Ashkelon's security office said: "The City of Ashkelon is assisted by computerized .information gathering and processing so that decisions can be made quickly and accurately. The city is split into sections on the map so that during any given situation, everyone involved has the same picture and can refer to the same details. This allows for rapid information transmission, processing, and better execution." In the past few weeks, IAI’s MLM Division has been awarded contracts worth $48 million to supply a command and control system to the Israel Ministry of Defense and to supply an advanced Joint Training Capability System to a foreign customer.