Military & Aerospace Electronics - November 2018

NOVEMBER 2018
RELEVANT. TRUSTED.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES.
New armored
vehicle
Researchers ask industry
for demonstrators
of a future Marine
Corps reconnaissance
armored vehicle. PAGE 6
Flight-
line test
Today’s flight-line
test systems are small
enough to fit in a
technician’s toolbox,
and offer new
features like Ethernet
and USB. PAGE 24
militaryaerospace.com
Counter-drone
technologyDefending against
enemy UAVs involves
electronic jamming,
nets, bullets, and
birds of prey. PAGE 14
1811MAE_C1 1 11/5/18 8:12 AM

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www.militaryaerospace.com MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 8 1
1811MAE_1 1 11/5/18 8:12 AM

trends BY JOHN KELLER, EDITOR IN CHIEF 
Is Buy American the solution to cyber

attacks like the Chinese spy chips?
There’s a serious cyber warfare problem Super Micro’s high-performance com- buy-American is perhaps the best place
that may be drawing-in deployed U.S. puter boards. The chips are small, and to start working these problems out.
military and aerospace mission-criti- hard to detect. Cummins penned an article titled “Cy-
cal embedded computing systems, and How many boards made it into the ber attack compromises trusted com-
few peple really want to talk about it. supply chain with the Chinese spy- puting, and raises questions about in-
It has to do with a computer chip no ware? It’s not clear. Exactly where were dustry’s secure supply chain.”
bigger than a grain of rice that’s sus- these boards installed? Also not clear, “As an industry, our need for dili-
pected of being surreptitiously installed and the companies using Super Micro gence in this area is paramount,” Cum-
by Chinese intelligence agencies on em- embedded server boards are silent on mins wrote. “Abaco Systems doesn’t
bedded servers made by San Jose, Ca- the topic. buy in commercial products and then
lif-based Super Micro Computer Inc. Some maintain that all boards and make them rugged after the fact; we
These tiny chips may be enabling Chi- components that go into U.S. military design and build rugged into our prod-
na and other U.S. adversaries to moni- systems be made in America, and ev- ucts from the ground-up. We manu-
tor the inner workings of military com- erything going into these systems be facture everything ourselves: we don’t
puters and the data they are processing. traceable to authorized U.S. suppliers. subcontract offshore.”
Super Micro embedded computer Hasn’t this been happening all along, Do Abaco Systems and General Mi-
servers are now, or in the past have what with regulations in place like the cro Systems have their own business
been in use by some of the world’s larg- International Traffic in Arms Regula- interests to support here? Sure ... but
est corporations, including Amazon tions (ITAR)? Apparently not. What reg- they also have a point. It’s a lot harder
and Apple. They also may now, or in ulations actually are in place may have for Chinese intelligence to gain access
the past have been in use by several allowed one of the biggest foreign in- to U.S.-based assembly lines than it is
companies that specialize in real-time telligence coups against U.S. national for them to access contract manufac-
mission-critical computing for military security interests ever. turing lines inside China.
and aerospace applications. “We believe the DOD [the U.S. De- Would there be such a risk to crucial
Are these Chinese spy chips actu- partment of Defense] should buy only U.S. military technology if the Penta-
ally out there today in deployed U.S. American-designed, -manufactured gon had been serious about buying all
military systems? Nobody’s talking. It and -owned servers from ITAR-ap- computer components only from secu-
could represent one of the biggest na- proved American suppliers,” said Ben rity-certified U.S. manufacturing lines?
tional security breaches in U.S. history. Sharfi, chief executive officer of Gener- It’s imperative for the Pentagon to
We need to find out how big the prob- al Micro Systems in Rancho Cucamon- get to the bottom of this, determine
lem is, and how to fix it. ga, Calif., in a commentary he wrote if Chinese spyware is inside any de-
How could this have happened? titled “Alleged China spy chips are an- ployed U.S. military computer systems,
Super Micro designs these embedded other wake-up call to buy only Amer- and rectify the problem, fast. As for the
servers in Silicon Valley and Taiwan, ican-manufactured servers.” future? It seems obvious that the Pen-
yet has them manufactured in China, Christopher Cummins, chief op- tagon needs to do a better job of rely-
where assembly lines were infiltrat- erating officer of Abaco Systems in ing exclusively on U.S.-manufactured
ed and spy chips installed on some of Huntsville, Ala., says he agrees that computer systems. 
2 N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 8 MILITARY & AEROSPACE ELECTRONICS www.militaryaerospace.com
1811MAE_2 2 11/5/18 8:12 AM

1811MAE_3 3 11/5/18 8:12 AM
news
Air Force asks Boeing to Boeing to build 17 new and rebuilt
provide 18 additional
KC-46 tanker aircraft AH-64E attack helicopters for UAE
U.S. Air Force aerial refueling experts are ask-
BY John Keller
ing the Boeing Co. to build 18 KC-46 Pegasus The AH-64E Apache Guardian fea-
twin-engine widebody tanker aircraft under REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — Military helicop- tures enhanced performance, joint
terms of a $2.9 billion order. Officials of the ter experts at the Boeing Co. will build digital operability, improved surviv-
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at 17 new and remanufactured AH-64E ability and cognitive decision aiding,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are Apache Guardian attack helicopters and reduced operating and support
asking the Boeing Defense, Space & Security for the government of the United Arab costs, Boeing officials say. The AH-64E
segment in Seattle for lot 4 KC-46 aircraft pro- Emirates (UAE) under terms of a $242.1 Apache, is being delivered to the U.S.
duction, initial spare parts, and support equip- million foreign military sales order. Army and has been selected by sever-
ment. The KC-46 is a military aerial refueling Officials of the Army Contracting al international defense forces.
and strategic military transport aircraft based Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., The AH-64E Longbow remanufacture
on the Boeing 767-200 widebody jet airliner. are asking the Boeing Defense, Space effort upgrades existing AH-64 Apach-
The multirole tanker can refuel all U.S., allied, & Security segment in Mesa, Ariz., to es to the AH-64E Apache Longbow
and coalition military aircraft compatible with
international aerial refueling procedures. In
addition to refueling other aircraft in midair,
the KC-46 also can carry passengers, cargo,
and medical patients. Boeing received its first
two production lots, for seven and 12 aircraft
in August 2016. The third lot for 15 aircraft
was awarded in January 2017. The KC-46
aircraft can detect, avoid, defeat and survive
threats using several layers of protection that
enable it to operate safely in medium-threat
environments. For more information contact
Boeing Defense, Space & Security online
at www.boeing.com/defense, or the Air
Force Life Cycle Management Center at
www.wpafb.af.mil/aflcmc.
The AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter is a sophisticated sensors and weapons
Lockheed Martin to provide platform that can fire a variety of munitions.
electro-optical targeting
systems for U.S. Marine provide nine new and eight rebuilt AH- Block IIIA configuration. It involves the
Corps attack helicopters
64E helicopters. Northrop Grumman AN/APG-78-milli-
Electro-optics experts at Lockheed Martin The AH-64 Apache is a multiro- meter wave fire-control radar, radar fre-
Corp. are building five multi-sensor elec- le combat helicopter with integrated quency interferometer, fire-and-forget
tro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) fire-con- avionics and weapons, as well as ad- radar-guided Hellfire missile capabili-
trol systems for U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z vanced digital communications to en- ty, and cockpit management and digi-
Viper attack helicopters. Officials of the able real-time, secure transfer of bat- tization enhancements.
Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind., tlefield information to air and ground The combination of the fire-control
forces. radar, radar frequency interferometer,
1811MAE_4 4 11/5/18 8:11 AM

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news
announced an $11.8 million order to the and the advanced navigation and avi- twin-engine attack helicopter with a
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control onics suite provides increased situa- tandem cockpit for a two-man crew.
segment in Orlando, Fla., for five AN/AAQ- tional awareness, lethality, and sur- It has a nose-mounted sensor suite
30 target sight systems (TSS). The TSS vivability, Army officials say. for target acquisition and night vision
equipment for Marine Corps Viper helicop- This program also installs the Lock- systems. It is armed with a 30-millime-
ter gunships is part of the Marine Corps H-1 heed Martin Apache Arrowhead Mod- ter M230 Chain Gun carried between
upgrades program for the remanufacture of ernized Target Acquisition Designation the main landing gear, under the air-
legacy aircraft with state-of-the-art designs Sight (M-TADS) and Pilot Night Vision craft’s forward fuselage.
to convert the Marine Corps’ existing fleet Sensors (PNVS) systems aboard reman- The attack helicopter has four hard-
of AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters ufactured AH-64E helicopters. points mounted on stub-wing pylons,
to the AH-1Z Viper, Navy officials say. The Formerly known as AH-64D Block III, typically carrying a mixture of AGM-
Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-30 TSS provides the AH-64E Guardian has improved dig- 114 Hellfire missiles and rockets. The
target identification and tracking, passive tar- ital connectivity, the joint tactical radio helicopter was designed to replace the
geting for integrated weapons — including system (JTRS), more powerful T700-GE- Bell AH-1 Cobra as the Army’s prima-
Hellfire missiles — and a laser designation 701D engines with upgraded transmis- ry attack helicopter. The U.S. Marine
for laser-guided weapons. TSS can identify sion to accommodate more power, ca- Corps still operates late-model ver-
and laser-designate targets at the maximum pability to control unmanned aerial sions of the AH-1 Cobra.
ranges of Viper helicopter weapons. The AN/ vehicles (UAVs), new composite rotor Boeing began deliveries of the AH-
AAQ-30 targeting system is a large-aperture blades, instrument flight rules (IFR) 64E model in October 2011. Seven cus-
midwave forward-looking infrared (FLIR) capability, and improved landing gear. tomers outside the U.S. have ordered
sensor, color TV, laser designator and range- The AH-64E is designed for armed this variant. Including this latest ver-
finder (with eye-safe mode), and on-gimbal reconnaissance, close combat, mobile sion, the U.S. and 15 other countries
inertial measurement unit integrated into a strike, and vertical maneuver missions have used the Apache during the past
stabilized turret on the nose of the helicopter. in day, night, obscured-battlefield, and three decades. On this order Boeing will
adverse-weather conditions. The he- do the work in Mesa, Ariz., and should
L-3 and Harris agree to licopter has self-diagnostic abilities, be finished by February 2023. 
merge, creating $33.5 billion Link-16 data linking, and updated Long-
military technology giant bow radar with oversea capacity that For more information contact Boeing Defense,
L-3 Technologies and Harris Corp. have could enable naval strikes. Space & Security online at www.boeing.com,
agreed to merge in an all-stock deal, the Versions of the AH-64 Apache attack or the Army Contracting Command at Red-
two companies announced in October, helicopter have been in service with the stone Arsenal at http://acc.army.mil/contracting-
creating a $33.5 billion military technol- U.S. Army since 1986. It is a four-blade, centers/acc-rsa.
ogy company. The combined company will
be called L-3 Harris Technologies and will
be based in Melbourne, Fla., the home of
Harris Corp. The deal is expected to close
next year, pending a review by the U.S.
Marine Corps goes to industry for armored
Department of Defense. Harris handles vehicle and open-architecture vetronics
complex military communications networks
for battlefield management and military air- BY John Keller and disseminate crucial intelligence in-
craft. It is also known for a brand of Stingray ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. Navy and Ma- formation from the battle front.
cell phone trackers used by U.S. law enforce- rine Corps researchers are asking in- Officials of the Office of Naval Re-
ment. New York-based L-3 Technologies dustry to build full-scale technology search (ONR) in Arlington, Va., re-
provides the 360-degree scanners that trav- demonstrators of a future reconnais- leased a broad agency announcement
elers encounter when they go through air- sance armored vehicle to enable Ma- last month (N00014-19-S-B002) for
port security, part of a $170 million line of rine battlefield reconnaissance units the Armored Reconnaissance Vehi-
to fight through the enemy to gather cle (ARV) Technology Demonstrator
1811MAE_6 6 11/5/18 8:11 AM

news
Design, Fabrication, Test & Demon- connectors, and Military Sealift Com- shore-to-shore water mobility; pas-
stration program. mand and commercial ships. sive & active force protection; direct
The future ARV will be able to fight The ARV will have persistent sur- and indirect weapons; be similar size
for information on a complex and con- veillance capability using manned and and weight to the legacy LAV; drive-
tested battlefield using an automat- unmanned vehicles; modern com- by-wire capability; and a modular in-
ic rapid-fire medium-caliber cannon, mand, control, communications, and teroperable open-systems architecture.
remotely operated medium-caliber computers (C4I) vetronics; cross-coun- The ARV will identify weapons and
machine gun, and open-architecture try and on-road land mobility with targets through obscurants, beyond
vetronics to include sensors, commu-
nications, and battlefield networking.
POWER YOUR
The project seeks to build two ARV
variants — a base model and an at-the-
edge model to evaluate technologies,
performance, and battlefield concepts.
Contractors will build two demonstra- CRITICAL
MISSION
tors of each variant.
The ARV demonstrators must be able
TODAY
to collect mobility data, determine re-
connaissance and sensing capabilities,
determine unmanned systems inte-
gration and operation, evaluate plat-
form lethality, determine platform
survivability, and evaluate overall
performance.
Technology demonstrators will have
modular open systems architectures,
with an eye to future integration of
third-party hardware and software and
will enable third-party repair.
The base variant and its vetronics
will have an average manufacturing
unit cost of $6 million per platform for High Reliability
500 units, with initial operating capa-
Solutions for High
bility (IOC) in 2027.
The ARV is a possible replacement Reliability Programs
for the U.S. Marine Corps legacy Light VPT provides proven DC-DC converters
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The vehicle will have new ways to
sense and communicate, will be able to
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1811MAE_7 7 11/5/18 8:11 AM

news
business with the Department of Homeland threat range, and beyond line of sight. The ARV will be survivable against
Security. It also makes night-vision equip- It also will be able to transmit sens- weapons as large as heavy machine
ment and sensor systems used in military ing and targeting information among guns, artillery fragmentation rounds,
aircraft. The company has established new the crew, the dismounted scout team, land mines, and improvised explosive
business units around next-generation mili- other ARV crews, and other Marine devices (IEDs). The Marine Corps is inter-
tary technologies such as undersea drones. Corps sensors, as well as collect, pro- ested in modular and upgradable armor.
cess, and exploit sensor information The ARV will achieve standoff with
Can China’s satellite lidar and disseminate it to other Marine active and passive protective systems
detect and track deep- Corps units. to sense, orient, classify, track, and
diving submarines?
Chinese scientists are working on a laser
satellite device they hope will be able to
detect from space the location of sub-
merged submarines located as deep as
1,600 feet below the ocean surface. It is the
latest addition to China’s expanding deep-
sea surveillance program, and aside from
targeting submarines — most submerged
submarines operate at a depth of less than
1,600 feet — it also could collect data
on the world’s oceans. Project Guanlan,
meaning “watching the big waves,” offi-
cially was launched in May at the Pilot
National Laboratory for Marine Science
and Technology in Qingdao, China, south-
east of Beijing. It aims to strengthen China’s
surveillance activities in the world’s oceans,
according to the laboratory’s Website.
The big hack: how China used The U.S. Marine Corps wants a new networked armored vehicle with open-systems
a tiny chip to infiltrate U.S. electronics to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance on the battlefield.
company computer servers
A cyber attack by Chinese spies reached
almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon The ARV also communicate voice, defeat incoming rocket-propelled gre-
and Apple, by compromising America’s tech- video, and data where sensors and nades, anti-tank guided missiles, and
nology supply chain, Bloomberg reported. communications are degraded. Its com- precision-guided munitions.
Amazon.com Inc. began quietly evaluating mand and control system will handle Companies interested were asked to
a startup called Elemental Technologies, a weapons fire control; secure voice, vid- submit proposals by 19 Nov. 2018. Con-
potential acquisition to help with a major eo, and data exchanges; battlefield sit- tract awards will be on or about 4 March
expansion of its streaming video service, uational awareness in GPS-denied en- 2019. Email technical questions to the
known today as Amazon Prime Video. vironments; and control unmanned Navy’s Jeff Bradel at jeff.bradel@navy.
Elemental’s national security contracts systems beyond line of sight. Its com- mil. Email business questions to Justin
weren’t the main reason for the proposed munications network suite also will be Fraser at [email protected]. 
acquisition, but they fit nicely with Amazon’s able to operate through cyber attacks,
government businesses, such as the highly and the vehicle will minimize its visu- More information is online at https://www.fbo.
secure cloud that Amazon Web [PAGE 12] al, infrared, RF emissions, radar cross gov/spg/DON/ONR/ONR/N00014-19-S-B002/list-
section, and acoustic signatures. ing.html.
1811MAE_8 8 11/5/18 8:11 AM

Blue Canyon Technologies to design
SWaP-C-optimized military satellites
BY John Keller
ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. military researchers are looking to Blue

Canyon Technologies in Boulder, Colo., to help develop a
constellation of small, secure, and affordable military sat-
ellites that not only are able to operate in low-Earth orbit
(LEO), but also that capitalize on modern commercial sat-
ellite technologies.
Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Blue Canyon Technologies is helping develop a new generation of
Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., announced a $1.5 mil- military communications and reconnaissance satellites optimized for
lion contract to Blue Canyon last month for the Blackjack low size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP).
program to develop SWaP-optimized military communica-
tions and surveillance satellites designed to operate in LEO. Military satellites are critical to U.S. warfighting capa-
Blackjack seeks to develop low-cost space payloads and bilities. Traditionally they are placed in GEO to deliver per-
commoditized satellite buses with low size, weight, power, sistent overhead access to any point on the globe.
and cost (SWaP-C) with similar capabilities as today’s mili- Yet in the increasingly contested space environment,
tary communications satellites that operate at geosynchro- these costly and monolithic systems are vulnerable targets
nous orbit (GEO), but at a fraction of the cost. that would take years to replace if degraded or destroyed.
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1811MAE_9 9 11/5/18 8:11 AM

news
Moreover, their long development and subsystems are supporting LEO, sensing, signals, and communications
schedules make it difficult or impossi- geosynchronous orbit (GEO), lunar, and capabilities.
ble to respond quickly to new threats. interplanetary missions. Historically, U.S. Department of De-
Blue Canyon specializes in turn- For the first phase of the Black- fense (DOD) satellites have been cus-
key small satellite solutions for sur- jack program, Blue Canyon will define tom-designed, with lengthy and ex-
veillance and other applications, in- bus and payload requirements. Sub- pensive design and upgrade cycles. The
cluding nanosatellites, microsatellites, sequent phases will develop bus and evolution of commercial space, howev-
and Evolved Expendable Launch Vehi- payloads for a two satellite on-orbit er, has led to LEO broadband Internet
cle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapt- demonstration; and demonstrating a communications satellites that could
er (ESPA) satellite payloads, including two-plane system in low-Earth orbit offer attractive economies of scale.
spacecraft buses and custom ground for six months. The Blackjack program emphasiz-
software. A future Blackjack demonstration es a commoditized bus and low-cost
The company has expertise in pre- constellation will involve 20 spacecraft interchangeable payloads with short
cision pointing platforms based on in two planes with one or more pay- design cycles and frequent technolo-
high-performance attitude deter- loads on each satellite. gy upgrades, based on ‘good enough’
mination and control components. The DARPA Blackjack program is payloads optimized for more than one
Blue Canyon has developed low-cost developing enabling technologies for type of bus.
high-reliability spacecraft systems and a global high-speed network backbone Commoditized satellite buses
components to enable academic, com- in LEO that enables networked, resil- based on open-architecture electri-
mercial, and government small satellite ient, and persistent military payloads cal, software, and mesh network in-
applications. The company’s spacecraft that provide infinite over-the-horizon terface control are expected to provide
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news
a way for dozens or hundreds of dif- The goal is to develop a 60-to-200-sat- days. Blackjack payload data process-
ferent types of military satellite pay- ellite constellation operating at alti- ing will be performed on-orbit with-
loads to operate in low-Earth orbit, tudes of between 310.7 miles and 807.8 out the assistance of ground data pro-
DARPA officials say. miles above the Earth’s surface. One cessing. 
The Blackjack program has three operations center will cover all gov-
primary objectives: ernment satellites and payloads, and For more information contact Blue Canyon
• payload and mission-level autono- the constellation will be able to oper- Technologies online at http://bluecanyontech.
my software with on-orbit distribut- ate without the operations center for 30 com, or DARPA at www.darpa.mil.
ed decision processors that can op-
erate autonomously with on-board
data processing, and perform shared
tasks on-orbit;
• advanced commercial manufactur-
ing for military payloads and the
spacecraft bus, including high-rate
manufacturing using commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS)-like parts, re-
duced screening and acceptance
testing for individual spacecraft, and
reduced expectations for spacecraft
life; and
• satellite payloads in LEO that oper-
ate on par with current GEO systems
with the spacecraft at costs of less
than $6 million per satellite.
To reduce integration risk, Blackjack
is developing an avionics unit called
Pit Boss for each spacecraft with high-
speed processor and encryption devic-
es that will function as a common net-
work and electrical interfaces.
Not only will Pit Boss provide a com-
mon electrical interface to each pay-
load, but also will provide mission-level
autonomy, enable on-orbit edge com-
puting, manage communications be-
tween Blackjack satellites and ground
users, provide a command and telem-
etry link to the bus, and encrypt pay-
load data.
Every Blackjack satellite will con-
sist of one commoditized bus capable
of broadband-rate global communica-
tions to other nodes, one Pit Boss con-
trol unit, and one or more military pay-
loads that can operate autonomously
for more than 24 hours.
1811MAE_11 11 11/5/18 8:11 AM

news
[FROM PAGE 8] Services (AWS) was build-
ing for the CIA. To help with due diligence,
TSA eyes open-systems
AWS, which was overseeing the prospective explosives detection for rapid
acquisition, hired a third-party company to
scrutinize Elemental’s security. The first pass airport security upgrades
uncovered troubling issues, prompting AWS
BY John Keller
to take a closer look at Elemental’s main those made by Smiths Detection, L-3
product: the expensive servers that cus- ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. government airport Communications, and Leidos.
tomers installed in their networks to handle security experts are moving forward This sole-source contract would con-
the video compression. Nested on the serv- with a project to develop vendor-neu- tinue an effort with Stratovan, and ex-
ers’ motherboards, the testers found a tiny tral software for explosives detection pand development of the vendor-neu-
microchip, not much bigger than a grain of in baggage-screening systems at air- tral automated threat-recognition
rice, that wasn’t part of the boards’ original ports and other ports of entry. software, on which the company al-
design. The chips allowed the attackers to The idea is to develop open-systems ready has started development.
create a stealth doorway into any network explosives-detection software appli- Stratovan has developed an auto-
that included the altered machines. cations that can run on many differ- mated threat-recognition algorithm
ent baggage-screening systems to en- with machine learning capability that
Boeing to build Air Force able TSA to compete airport security uses computed tomography (CT) imag-
trainer jets for tomorrow’s technology widely through industry, ing technology, developed originally for
combat pilots and ensure passenger security systems medical applications, for explosives de-
The Boeing Co. has secured a hat-trick of have the latest technologies. tection in a Smiths Detection CTX-9800
Pentagon contract wins after it was awarded Officials of the U.S. Department of baggage-screening system. The idea was
a deal worth as much as $9.2 billion to build Homeland Security’s Transportation to determine if a third party could devel-
new trainer jets for the U.S. Air Force. The Security Administration (TSA) in Ar- op a vendor-neutral algorithm.
contract to build an initial 351 T-X jets and lington, Va., have announced plans to Stratovan has developed a soft-
supply training services is one of the largest award an estimated $3 million one-year ware-development kit (SDK) to con-
Defense Department programs awarded in contract to Stratovan Corp. in Davis, Ca- vert vendor-proprietary CT-formatted
recent years, with the work helping sustain lif., to develop explosives detection al- data into a standardized image format
engineers and production equipment while gorithms able to run on a variety of bag- for Digital Imaging and Communica-
the Pentagon considers the next generation gage-screening systems — especially tion in Security (DICOS), and created
of combat aircraft due to come into service
in the 2030s. Analysts had favored Boeing in
the long-running contest, expecting the aero-
space giant to bid aggressively to secure the
future of its main military jet plant in St. Louis
and position itself for future aircraft compe-
titions, such as the Air Force’s Penetrating
Counter Air plan. Boeing has triumphed
in two recent contests to provide refueling
drones for the U.S. Navy and helicopters for
the Air Force, and its defense arm is on track
to increase sales for the first time in four
years, but the larger T-X program was viewed
by analysts as a key test of its competitive-
ness. Boeing pitched an all-new plane built
in partnership with Sweden’s Saab AB.  TSA officials want open-systems software for airport baggage screening equipment to carry
out rapid technology upgrades in airport security.
1811MAE_12 12 11/5/18 8:11 AM

news
vendor-neutral automated threat rec- In addition, this contract asks Stra- TSA officials have determined that
ognition, TSA officials say. tovan engineers to enable the algo- the most effective way to enhance ex-
This contract asks Stratovan to up- rithm to detect home-made explosives plosives-detection algorithms while
date the company’s previously de- and integrate it into an explosives-de- mitigating the risk of a false alarm is
veloped SDK to the new DICOS 2.0A tection machine. If this works, TSA of- through machine learning technology,
standard, and provide software tools ficials will be able to select automated which Stratovan provides.
necessary for third-party development. threat recognition technologies inde- Updating the baggage-screening
The company will provide a software pendently of systems vendors. SDK, compliance checker, and certifi-
library and conformance testing suite In this way TSA can avoid beer to the most recent DICOS standard
to help convert native security vendor ing locked-in to explosives-detection will help TSA implement the DICOS
data to the new DICOS 2.0A standard. technologies that are specific to bag- format, which ultimately will enable
The DICOS standard, overseen by gage-screening system suppliers. In ad- third party algorithm development, al-
the National Electrical Manufacturers dition, TSA officials expect to upgrade low for full and open supplier compet-
Association (NEMA) in Arlington, Va., explosives-detection capability of bag- itive, TSA officials say. 
specifies an extensible, interoperable gage-screening devices quickly by go-
data format that enables the integra- ing to an industry-standard format. For more information contact Stratovan Corp.
tion of security screening technologies This should enable TSA to address online at www.stratovan.com, the Transporta-
across systems from several different emerging threats with more resilience tion Security Administration at www.tsa.gov,
vendors, and facilitates wide participa- and capitalize on innovative solutions or NEMA DICOS at www.nema.org/Standards/
tion in developing improved security in the open market quickly from third Pages/Digital-Imaging-and-Communications-in-Se-
screening technologies and algorithms. party developers. curity-Information-Object-Definitions.aspx.
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1811MAE_13 13 11/5/18 8:11 AM

S P EC I A L REPORT
The new world of

COUNTER-DRONE
TECHNOLOGY
Attempts to prevent unmanned aerial high demand by nearly every military and law-enforce-
ment agency on the planet. Unlike most critical military
vehicles (UAVs) from surveillance, terrorist, equipment, however, UAVs also have gone commercial,
or military attacks involve methods ranging equally sought by everyone from oil companies to ranch-
ers, to news media outlets, to environmentalists, forest-
from electronic jamming, to nets, to bullets, ry services, and fish and wildlife observers.
and even to birds of prey. By J.R. Wilson Darker forces are at work, too. UAVs also are on the
shopping lists of criminals ranging from drug cartels, to
human smugglers, to corporate spies.
Only a little more than a quarter century ago, unmanned As UAVs have become increasingly popular across many
aerial vehicles (UAVs) largely were just a curiosity, with little different user communities, their prices have dropped from
support from the operational military. That began to change
with the First Gulf War in 1991 and the successful use of the
Pioneer UAV, which by today’s standards, was a primitive
and limited-use surveillance aircraft. The need to defend
against UAVs rarely was even a consideration.
With the Second Gulf War a decade lat-
er, UAVs came into their own. Today, they
are an essential part
of U.S. military mis-
sions and opera-
tions and are in
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S PECIAL REPORT
government-budget levels to less than

that of a TV set. What the government
developed in sensor and weapons pay-
loads also has moved into those user
groups, albeit not as sophisticated or, in
the case of weapons, massively lethal.
UAVs now are considered a top threat
posed by terrorists, criminals, fanat-
ics, and others who never before had
such a versatile, stealthy, and cheap
airborne weapon.
This has made counter-UAV tech-
nologies and systems a top — and in-
creasingly classified — priority for the
military, Department of Homeland Se-
curity, major law enforcement agencies,
and the contractors producing them.
Seeking to maintain a time and tech- The Boeing laser on a heavy truck called the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator.
nology advantage over threat users,
those groups essentially have stopped Interdiction includes jamming RF and No perfect solutions
making public statements about C-UAV. GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Sys- There are no perfect detection meth-
This new topic of C-UAV is divided tem, which includes GPS and GLON- ods. Many affordable electro-optical
into two primary areas: detection and ASS), spoofing, lasers, physical nets to sensors are limited to daylight opera-
tracking systems; and interdiction. The entangle the target, projectiles, elec- tions and a direct line-of-sight to the
former includes radar, radio frequen- tromagnetic pulse (EMP), water pro- target (also true for IR and many RF
cy (RF), electro-optical (EO), infrared jectors, “suicide” drones, and combi- systems). RF and acoustic sensors use
(IR), acoustic, and combined sensors. nations of those. a library of known sounds and frequen-
cies to detect UAVs, but the rapid de-
velopment of new platforms makes it
impossible for those to be fully up-to-
date. Sensor sensitivity also is an issue;
too sensitive generates many false pos-
itives, while reduced sensitivity leads
to false negatives.
C-UAV systems, employing com-
bined data from several sensors, also
must be able to differentiate between
legitimate and hostile, allied, and ene-
my UAVs — something no known sys-
tem can do. This is where a human op-
erator must intervene to make what
often is a split-second assessment. In-
terdiction methods also all have poten-
tially negative outcomes, from being
blocked by electronic warfare counter-
Decades ago saw a flurry of activity in developing unmanned aircraft. Today just as much measures to falling onto civilian or
effort is going into new ways to counter UAVs. friendly forces.
1811MAE_16 16 11/5/18 8:10 AM

S PECIAL REPORT
“Compounding the effectiveness is- One impetus for this reclassifi- Homeland Security and Governmen-
sue is the fact that drone technology it- cation of information about count- tal Affairs Committee.
self is not standing still,” according to a er-UAV technologies and missions “While there has been no successful
February 2018 Counter-Drone Systems can be seen in FBI Director Christo- malicious use of UAS [unmanned aeri-
report from The Center for the Study pher Wray’s October comments about al systems] by terrorists in the United
of the Drone at Bard College in Annan- the “steadily escalating threat” of States to date, terrorist groups could
dale-on-Hudson, N.Y. “The C-UAS mar- UAVs by terrorists and criminal or- easily export their battlefield experi-
ket will therefore have to constantly re- ganizations at a hearing of the Senate ences to use weaponized UAS outside
spond to new advances in unmanned
aircraft technology. As the unmanned
aircraft systems market expands, count-
er-drone systems will need to be flexible
enough to detect and neutralize a grow-
ing variety of targets, ranging from large
unmanned aircraft capable of carrying
heavy payloads through to low-flying
micro surveillance drones that might
only weigh a few grams.”
Sometimes UAV technologies evolve
so quickly that counter-UAV systems
just can’t keep up. “The proliferation of
C-UAS technology might even acceler-
ate the development of technologies that O designer
Our d i friendlyy
will render C-UAS systems ineffective,

particularly in military environments,” can solve many of your
the article continues. “Drones might be application problems
programmed to operate in patterns that

make them difficult to detect, or rotors
might be modified to dampen a drone’s
engine noise so that it can evade acous-
tic detection. Drones might be designed
in such a way as to reduce their radar
signature. Counter-laser systems could
protect drones from directed-energy at-
tacks. Finally, forces might seek to de- Dawnís advancedd
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1811MAE_17 17 11/5/18 8:10 AM

S PECIAL REPORT
the conflict zone,” he told lawmakers

in written testimony.
“The FBI assesses that, given their
retail availability, lack of verified
identification requirement to pro-
cure, general ease of use and prior
use overseas, UAS will be used to fa-
cilitate an attack in the United States
against a vulnerable target, such as
a mass gathering.”
The UAVs available to and used by
such groups are several generations be-
hind the most advanced U.S. military
platforms. Still, their payload capaci-
ty, guidance and navigation, and range
are adequate for smuggling drugs, sur-
veilling routes for human traffickers, One of the drones shot down by a MEHEL-equipped Stryker in April at Fort Sill during MFIX-17.
or even attacking critical infrastructure Lessons learned during MFIX-17 will make the MEHEL easier for Soldiers to operate.
or mass public gatherings like sporting
events or concerts. inventories, but such parity is not nec- far more attractive than sending raw
The threat of such applications essary for their applications. UAV sensor data to a human operator.
grows almost exponentially with each The counter-UAV mission relies C-UAV can be airborne, fixed or mo-
new development in commercial UAVs heavily on advanced sensors; long-en- bile ground-based or even sea-based.
or those developed by and for foreign durance platforms; data fusion to For example, a high-speed mobile bat-
militaries that find their way onto the provide a view of the airspace being tlefield C-UAV system — the eXpedition-
black market. It is unlikely that terror- guarded; and some form of artificial ary Mobile Aerial Defense Integrated
ists or criminal organizations ever will intelligence (AI) to sort through and System (X-MADIS) — is being developed
be able to match UAVs in U.S. and allied analyze incoming data. This process is by Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, Nev.;
Ascent Vision Technologies LLC in Bel-
grade, Mont.; and RADA Electronic In-
dustries Ltd. in Netanya, Israel.
X-MADIS is capable of long-range
UAV detection, identification, and de-
feat while traversing rough terrain at
speeds to 30 miles per hour. Accord-
ing to Sierra Nevada, the C-UAV, ra-
dar and electro-optical/infrared (EO/
IR) equipment are integrated onto a
commercial off-road vehicle to de-
tect, locate, identify, track, exploit,
and defeat hostile UAVs threatening
airports, critical infrastructure, or en-
tering no-fly zones.
Enhanced counter-UAV sensors

Leonardo DRS is developing the vehicle-mounted Mobile Low, Slow Unmanned Aerial Sensors also have been advancing rap-
Vehicle Integrated Defense Systems (MLIDS) to disable small drones. idly in sensitivity, range, and reduced
1811MAE_18 18 11/5/18 8:10 AM

S PECIAL REPORT
size and power requirements. Com- to those being confronted along U.S. ground troops today,” Thomas Bussing,
bined with high-speed wireless net- borders and coastal areas. Future con- vice president of the Raytheon Co. Ad-
working, onboard data fusion, and AI, flicts may see the U.S. facing some- vanced Missile Systems segment in
they have significantly increased the thing it has not seen in the air for de- Tucson, Ariz., said in July while an-
capabilities of C-UAV systems. cades — peer or near-peer technologies nouncing a contract from the Army to
“Our security mission is architect- and capabilities. use Raytheon’s small, expendable Coy-
ed around multiple sensors to give the “Enemy unmanned aircraft are ote UAV and KRFS radar to combat en-
best picture of the airspace and low- among the biggest threats facing our emy UAVs in the battlespace.
est false alarm rate, looking for any-
thing moving in the airspace,” says Advancfid Capacitfffifi ffffi Dfimanding Applicatiffnfi
Craig Marcinkowski, director of the
SRC Inc. Gryphon Sensors business unit
in North Syracuse, N.Y. “But a large bird
and small drone could look the same
on radar, so you also look for commu-
nications links, at which point you may
have a camera that slews over to get
a better look.
“Today, there is an operator in the
loop at some level, assessing what is
on the screen, what kind of payload a
20fi8 Nfififiofififi
drone may be carrying,” Marcinkowski fiubfiofifififififiofi
of fififi Yfififi
continues. “We’re working on automat-
ic image lookup, where you can take
the operator out of the loop to identify
a bird from a drone. We’re focused on
deconflicting the low-altitude airspace
and safe airspace integration, enabling
beyond visual line-of-sight flying, us-
ing sensors that create an accurate 3D
DC Stfffiagfi ffffi Yfffffi
Shfid wfiight and
image of what’s out there. You also can
High-Pffwfifi Amplififififi fiizfi ffff fffffffi
• Qufifififififi fi fifi fififififififi fifififi fififi fifififi fi mffdfflfi!
use that data for security applications
around critical infrastructure.”
Afifiofipfififi fi Dfiffifififi Cofifififififiofifi
• fifififififififififi fifififi fififififififi fifi fififififi
Military challenges
Cfipfifififiofi fififififiofiofifififi
The other side of counter-UAV is more • Rufifififi Hfifimfififififififiy fifififififi
complex — military programs to count-
Hfi-Rfifi fififikfififi
er enemy UAVs, ranging from those per- • Low EfiR fi Ififiufifififififi
forming intelligence, surveillance and • Hfififi Cufififififi Hfififififififi
reconnaissance (ISR) missions against • Hfififi fifiofik fi Vfibfifififiofi
U.S. or allied forces to stopping hunt-
er-killer UAVs sent to attack such forces
or cripple critical infrastructure.
While the current adversaries en-
gaging U.S. forces are terrorist, insur-
gent, or would-be states (i.e., the Tali- 401.435.3555 • [email protected] • www.fivanficap.cffm
ban and ISIS), whose UAVs are similar
1811MAE_19 19 11/5/18 8:10 AM

S PECIAL REPORT
Raytheon’s Multispectral Targeting System (MTS) combines optical and infrared sensors to acquire and track airborne targets and direct the
laser beam it fires. For C-UAV, the MTS was modified to track Class-1 drones (under 20 pounds) and Class 2 drones (between 20 and 55
pounds), the most common sizes used by terrorists and insurgents.
The Army already has tested an an- and improving commercial develop- Sadowski continues. “The other piece,
ti-UAV defense system (AUDS) during ments to meet that threat. the auto industry, brings in high com-
the 2017 Maneuver Fires Integrated Ex- “Commercial is more leveraging puting capability for low cost and pow-
periment at Fort Sill, Okla. AUDS com- technologies that have been hardened er. Where a decade ago you might have
prises two 180-degree radars mounted for military applications,” Sadowski needed a supercomputer, today the
back-to-back to provide 360-degree re- says. “The range of temperatures they gaming industry has helped bring the
al-time coverage and a camera to con- operate under is a little more relaxed, cost and size of high-performance
firm the target’s identity. Once con- so that has to be ruggedized. The com- computing down.”
firmed as a hostile UAV, the operators mercial world has been really pushing In July, the Army announced a $13
can destroy it, or jam its communica- down the cost of sensors, which also million award to Leonardo DRS to
tions, causing the UAV to return home are getting smaller, enabling more sen- continue engineering and testing of
or crash. sors to be placed on existing UAVs. the Mobile Low, Slow UAV Integrat-
Dr. Robert W. Sadowski, the U.S. Ar- ed Defense System (MLIDS). In Octo-
my’s Chief Roboticist at the Tank Auto- Sensor fusion ber 2017, the company was awarded
motive Research, Development and En- “Sensor fusion is another area where a a $43 million production contract for
gineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, lot of work is being done on multi-mod- an undisclosed number of MLIDS to
Mich., says the military also is adapting al radars and camera imagery,” meet the Army’s need to counter small,
1811MAE_20 20 11/5/18 8:10 AM

S PECIAL REPORT
inexpensive UAVs — such as commercial quadcopters —

operating as airborne improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Innovation
MLIDS is mounted on two mine-resistant, ambush-pro- That Cuts Costs
tected all-terrain vehicles (M-ATVs), one carrying the DRS Modular tactical data center featuring
elevated mast-mounted surveillance and battlefield recon- Intel™ Xeon® scalable processors.
naissance equipment (EO/IR sensors), the other a recon-
figurable integrated-weapons platform (RIwP) developed
by Leonardo and Moog, capable of firing a range of kinetic
weapons, and a small UAV.
“Drones are becoming an increasingly dangerous threat
against our forward-deployed soldiers and we are proud to
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support this urgent requirement to protect them from po- or email [email protected]
tentially lethal small unmanned aerial vehicles,” Aaron
Hankins, vice president and general manager for DRS Land
Systems, said at the time. “We are working hard to deliver
the best capability to our soldiers as quickly as possible.”
Military C-UAV systems rely on multi-layered detection
technologies — EO/IR, RF scanners, radar. cameras, jam-
mers and tracking software. They also can include a vari-
ety of kill capabilities, from guns and rockets to lasers and
electronic warfare (EW). Themis RES-HD
Market analysts predict the global military market for
Mercury System’s Themis RES-HD servers reduce
C-UAV will grow from around $300 million today — pri-
the TCO with over six configurable “plug and
marily U.S. research, development, testing and evaluation
pull” compute, storage, networking, and NVIDIA®
(RDT&E) — to around $1 billion by the end of 2019. The com- Tesla™ modules.
mercial market has tripled in the past year, from around
$30 million to close to $100 million, although that is pre-
dicted to be limited by FAA regulations on UAV flight in the
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The Boeing High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD),

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rockets, mortars, and artillery shells, is yielding laser weapons Copyright © 2018 Mercury Systems is a trademark of Mercury Systems, Inc. - 3456
technology to counter unmanned aerial vehicles.

1811MAE_21 21 11/5/18 8:10 AM

S PECIAL REPORT
national airspace and a lack of proven the mechanical platform part of the are being done in that space. Start off
UAV attacks — including corporate es- team? There is a lot of work that with perception — is that a bird, a bal-
pionage — on U.S. targets. needs to be done on human/machine loon or a UAV; then prediction, taking
interface and cognitive load. These stuff between frames and stitching
The role of artificial intelligence are things under active pursuit in together a temporal message, which
AI is even more important to the fu- the labs now, how to do real-time up- leads to planning. Prediction has not
ture of military counter-UAV than it is dates, advanced situational aware- yet been done by neural nets. Some
to border protection. ness and solving the perception and of these things can be solved working
“[The key is] how to do real-time prediction problems. with machine learning or AI.”
processing of video feeds and cre- “Most of what we’re working on As with any military capability, ad-
ate effective perception in a com- now is more deterministic systems,” vances by one side are quickly chal-
plex electromagnetic environment, Sadowski continues. “AI is less de- lenged by advances on the other side.
synthesized so the commander can terministic. You have to train the ro- Rapid technological advances being
make decisions quickly,” says TAR- bot to do what it needs to do. That made on an almost daily basis by
DEC’s Sadowski. “How do we do rea- requires lots of training runs with rel- commercial and military scientists
soning at the tactical level, making evant data, but some amazing things and engineers have put additional
COUNTER-DRONE COMPANY LIST
Aaronia AG CINTEL LLC DroneShield MCTECH Technology Ltd.

Strickscheid, Germany Peachtree City, Ga. Sydney, Australia Kfar Saba, Israel
https://www.aaronia.com http://cintelusa.com https://www.droneshield.com http://mctech-jammers.com/index.
html
Accipiter Radar Corp. Citadel Defense Co. Guard From Above
Orchard Park, N.Y. San Diego The Hague Sanad Academy
https://www.accipiterradar.com https://www.dronecitadel.com http://guardfromabove.com Dubai, UAE
http://www.sanadacademy.ae
Advanced Protection Systems LLC CTS Technology Co. Ltd. Hensoldt
Rutherford, N.J. Shenzhen, China Taufkirchen, Germany Securus Technologies
http://apsystems.tech/en/ https://ctstechnologys.com https://www.hensoldt.net Dallas
https://securustechnologies.tech
Airspace Systems Inc. Dedrone Inc. IACIT
San Leandro, Calif. San Francisco Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil Sensofusion
https://airspace.co https://www.dedrone.com http://www.iacit.com.br Vantaa, Finland
https://www.sensofusion.com
Alion Science & Technology Corp. Delft Dynamics Holding B.V. KB Radar Design Bureau
McLean, Va. Delft, The Netherlands Minsk, Belarus Sierra Nevada Corp.
https://www.alionscience.com https://www.delftdynamics.nl http://www.kbradar.by/en/ Sparks, Nev.
https://www.sncorp.com
Allen-Vanguard Corp. Department 13 International Ltd. L-3 Technologies
Ottawa Columbia, Md. New York Snake River Shooting Projects
http://www.allenvanguard.com https://department13.com https://www.l3t.com Emmett, Idaho
https://snakerivershootingproducts.
ApolloShield DeTect Inc. Liteye Systems Inc.
com
Palo Alto, Calif. Panama City, Fla. Centennial, Colo.
https://www.apolloshield.com https://detect-inc.com http://liteye.com SRC Gryphon Sensors
North Syracuse, N.Y.
Batelle DJI Lockheed Martin Corp.
https://www.srcinc.com
Columbus, Ohio Shenzhen, China Bethesda, Md.
https://www.battelle.org https://www.dji.com/aeroscope https://lockheedmartin.com Theiss UAV Solutions
North Benton, Ohio
Blighter Surveillance Systems Drone Defence MBDA Deutschland
http://www.theissuav.com
Great Chesterford, England London Schrobenhausen, Germany
http://www.blighter.com https://www.dronedefence.co.uk https://mbdainc.com UMS Aero Group
Mˆhlin, Switzerland
Chenega Europe Drone Major Ltd Meritis
https://umsskeldar.aero
Belfast, Norther Ireland London Cham, Switzerland
http://www.chenegaeurope.com https://dronemajor.net https://www.meritis.ch/index.html ZALA Aero
Izhevsk, Russia
http://zala.aero/
1811MAE_22 22 11/5/18 8:10 AM

S PECIAL REPORT
pressures on the development and fielding of UAVs and Surveillance, Boeing, CACI, Chenega Europe, Cintel, Cita-
counter-UAV systems. del Defense, CTS Technology, Dedrone, Delft Dynamics, De-
“AI is a really key area. China is making a strong push in partment 13 Intl., DeTect, DJI, Drone Defence, DroneShield,
AI, which is a serious concern. The U.S. is still in the lead, DRS/Moog, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, General Dynam-
but China has made this a national priority, with large in- ics, Groupe Assman, Gryphon Sensors, Guard From Above,
vestments and a huge focus, “says Phil Finnigan, UAV ana- Hensoldt, IACIT, Kalashnikov/ZALA Aero Group, KB Radar
lyst at the Teal Group market research firm in Fairfax, Va. Design Bureau, L3 Technologies, Liteye Systems, Lockheed
“Another revolutionary technology is low-cost HALE [high Martin, Malou Tech, MBDA Deutschland, Meritis, MCTech,
altitude, long endurance]. Some of the systems primarily Northrop Grumman, OpenWorks Engineering, Prime Consult-
being developed for the civil/commercial world, primar- ing & Technologies, Rafael, Raytheon, Saab, Sanad Academy,
ily by Airbus and AeroVironment, for example, offer tre- Securus Technologies, Sensofusion, Sierra Nevada, Skysec,
mendous potential for long-term surveillance or commu- Snake River Shooting Projects, SRC, Systems DroneShield,
nications at low cost. That is being driven by commercial SystemsGrok, Thales, Theiss UAV Solutions, UMS Aero Group.
programs, but will have a lot of defense and homeland se- According to the Counter-Drone Systems report, 155
curity applications.” companies in more than 30 nations were working on more
A HALE UAV offers wider coverage for an extended time than 230 C-UAV products; all three numbers almost cer-
during ISR missions, giving military and homeland security tainly have grown since then. Those do not include mili-
users a greater chance of detecting and identifying hostile tary labs such as DARPA, the Russian Foundation for Ad-
UAVs, sending back information in real-time to enable the vanced Research Projects and China’s Scientific Research
employment of appropriate counter-UAV measures. Those Steering Committee. 
range from guns and rockets to non-kinetic electronic sig-
nals to jam, spoof, destroy, or take over the target UAV’s
navigation and control systems. One option under inves-
tigation, for example, would cause the UAV to return to its
launch point, enabling authorities to locate and take ap-
propriate action against adversary ground-control stations
and personnel.
Cyber security
In a mirroring of the long-standing armor/anti-armor de-
velopment cycle, some companies have begun working on
counter-C-UAV, such as Raytheon’s Electronic Armor to pre-
vent UAVs from being hacked.
UAVs have demonstrated their value during the wars in
Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. First used by the U.S., then its
allies, they now are a common weapon of ISIS and other
non-state groups, primarily as flying IEDs.
Today, UAVs come in all types, sizes and prices, with
hundreds of manufacturers in most of the world’s nations.
That, in turn, has spurred an explosion in the number of
C-UAV manufacturers and systems in just the past year or
two and the start of yet another layer with counter-C-UAV.
Among those who have announced or demonstrated pro-
grams are: Advanced Ballistics Concepts, Aaronia AG, Ac-
cipter, Advanced Protection Systems, Airbus DS Electronics,
Airspace Systems, Alion Science & Technology, Allen-Van-
guard, ApolloShield, BAE Systems, Batelle, BATS, Blighter
1811MAE_23 23 11/5/18 8:10 AM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
SWaP-optimized Not only can it be difficult to use right

beside aircraft — especially in harsh
instruments for flight line operating conditions — but some of

these instruments also are falling be-
hind technologically as aircraft weap-
test and measurement onry evolves rapidly from dumb bombs

to smart munitions.
“The biggest thing driving our cus-
Today’s flight-line test systems are small enough to fit in a tomers is moving away from sustain-
ing legacy testing that was designed
technician’s toolbox, and offer new features like Ethernet and
before the era of smart weapons,” ex-
USB interconnects, as well as data and cyber security plains Stephen Sargeant, CEO of Mar-
vin Test Solutions Inc. in Irvine, Calif.
BY John Keller Marvin specializes in trouble-shoot-
ing the electronic connections between
Perhaps nowhere aircraft weapons racks and the weap-
else is avionics test ons themselves.
and measurement Sargeant makes a distinction be-
more crucial than tween what he terms the “old-old,” and
on the flight line. the “new-old,” when it comes to flight
This often is the fi- line test equipment. The “old-old,” he
nal check to ensure says, refers to antiquated test gear
that aircraft weap- that’s nearly impossible to keep work-
ons, navigation, ing, due to obsolete parts and hard-to-
communications, find batteries. The “new-old” describes
databuses, and oth- redesigned test equipment that takes
er mission-criti- The Abaco palm-sized BT3-USB-MON MIL-STD-1553 avionics databus care of obsolescence issues, but that
cal systems are in monitor is for flight line databus test applications. still has the same technological lim-
working order. The itations of the pre-smart-weapons era,
ability to detect potential faults at the cold; rain, fog, and salt spray; and in the namely, an ability to check for faults
last minute can spell the difference be- darkness of night. How many flight- in electrical signals, but not in digital
tween mission failure and mission suc- line techs tell stories about rendering data signals.
cess, and it’s up to the technicians on military aircraft mission-ready at 2:00 “Customers want not just to get the
the flight line — on the air base tarmac in the morning during a driving rain? old made new, but want new technol-
or on the aircraft carrier flight deck — The good news: flight-line test and ogy to enable the best testing of smart
to perform these last important checks. measurement equipment represents weapons,” Sargeant says. “We can look
These technicians need to be fast, one of the most promising opportuni- beyond the Mk 82 and Mk 84 bombs,
thorough, and well trained. Their ties for systems upgrades and technol- which are relatively dumb weapons,
equipment also needs to be reliable, ogy insertion. Never a top investment to JDAM [Joint Direct Attack Munition]
easy to use, and work in some of the priority compared to aircraft, avionics, and Small-Diameter Bomb. We can al-
most difficult and demanding condi- and weapons, flight-line test gear tends low technicians to test functionality
tions imaginable: extremes of heat and to be large, cumbersome, and dated. beyond just continuity.”
1811MAE_24 24 11/5/18 8:12 AM

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1811MAE_25 25 11/5/18 8:12 AM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
Flight line test today involves more than just testing air- the MTS-3060 SmartCan, an advanced tester for pylons,
craft cabling and connectors for their ability to carry electrical launchers, bomb racks, and pods. The hand-held device is
signals properly, Sargeant says. “Sure, you can test with that in the shape of a beer can that provides
Ohmmeter to test whether that lamp will function properly, measurement, loading, and stim-
but now take an airplane with MIL- uli functions for continuous squib
STD-1760 bus between the air- circuit monitoring, multiple load
craft and the weapon,” Sargeant channels, audio and video simu-
says. “We can test the functional- lation, and MIL-STD-1760 support.
ity of this 1760 bus with our hand- The SmartCan is compatible
held test system, and actually em- with legacy beer can testers, and
ulate the weapon. We allow for offers new adapters and cables
the ability of the airman to test to help reduce costs, improve reli-
the functionality, select the test ability, and provide a path forward from legacy
he wants to run, test whether it adapters and cables.
is properly communicating be-
tween the airplane and the weap- The MTS-3060 SmartCan Size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP)
on, and test the arm-and-release from Marvin Test Systems One of the chief advantages to the Marvin SmartCan is its
is an advanced tester for
sequence prior to loading-up the small size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP), com-
aircraft pylons, launchers,
weapons on the aircraft.” bomb racks, and pods, and pared to legacy flight line test gear. “Today when you look at
The flagship flight line test offers MIL-STD-1760 the F-16, F-15, A-10, F-22, and F-35 military aircraft, all have
instrument from Marvin Test is support. different-level test equipment supporting their armament,”
Sargeant says. “Now the Air Force can have the same hand-
held test set across all its fighters, manned and unmanned.”
NEW The Marvin SmartCan is 8.25 inches long, 3 inches in di-
MIL-STD-1553/1760 Terminal ICs ameter, has front and rear panels that measure 3.5 by 3.5
inches, and weighs 4.2 pounds — just right for a flight tech’s
Re-use existing legacy software toolbox. The SmartCan kit adds adapters, cables, and case,
and weighs 35 pounds.
Abaco Systems in Huntsville, Ala., offers the palm-sized
BT3-USB-MON MIL-STD-1553 avionics databus monitor for
flight line test and measurement applications. It interfaces
by USB port to laptop computers and oscilloscopes to pro-
vide flight techs with just the equipment they need, rather
than provide large integrated test and measurement gear.
The 1553 databus moves data at 1 megabit per second —
relatively slow for today’s standards — and is designed to
n Fully software compatible with competitor devices send digital instructions to aircraft control surfaces, weap-
n Cost and space saving over hybrid or multi-chip modules ons, and other flight- and mission-critical subsystems. It’s
n BC/RT/MT or RT-only device options ubiquitous, has been in service for decades, and should be
part of military avionics for many years to come. “I don’t
n 64K x 16-bit words ECC SRAM
see 1553 going away in any of our lifetimes; it will be out
n Integrated dual transceivers
there forever,” says Mike Hegarty, product line manager of
n High performance host interface
databus products at Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y.
For further information on these and other Holt products contact:
“The BT3-USB-MON plugs into a laptop with our soft-
Tel: (949) 859-8800
E-mail: [email protected] ware called Bustools 1553, and plugs into the aircraft 1553
Web: www.holtic.com
AS9100D:2016 Registered cabling at a coupler to record and analyze databus data,”
says Peter Gardiner, sales specialist for avionics at the Abaco
1811MAE_26 26 11/5/18 1:48 PM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
around since the 1970s,” says Abaco’s

Gardiner. “There are new communi-
cations protocols all the time, and it’s
highly likely that flight line test equip-
ment will move to Ethernet. I see a par-
allel set of tools that will emerge for
those kinds of applications,” he says.
“There is a need, because you must be
able to support these products in the
field at the flight-line level.”
Logistics and flexibility

Today’s flight line test equipment is
capitalizing on modern computer tech-
nology to offer advantages above and
The Marvin Test MTS-3060 flight line test system can operate on a variety of combat beyond SWaP. Marvin’s SmartCan test
aircraft, including the F-16 jet fighter and the A-10 ground-attack aircraft. system, for example, can accommodate
several different software profiles that
Systems Avionics Products segment in computing equipment “as things get represent different weapons and air-
Goleta, Calif. smaller, lighter, faster, and in portable craft to enable one system to handle a
When it comes to analyzing analog computing platforms as COTS build- wide variety of test scenarios.
electrical signals, the Abaco BT3-USB- ing blocks.” “We have loaded multiple airplanes
MON also plugs into an oscilloscope Future trends in flight line test with their weapons into one of our test
to help technicians see rise and fall equipment are extending beyond 1553 sets, and have deployed with one test
times, zero-crossing point violations, to higher-speed data networks like Eth- set loaded with as many as four air-
and message timing. “If the problem is ernet, experts say. “On the military craft, and have tested all the weapons
in the cabling infrastructure, that can side, 1553 is old technology; it’s been they carry,” says Marvin’s Sargeant.
change the 1553’s characteristics,” Gar-
diner says. “This is easy to use on the
flight line, and is a monitor-only de- COMPANY LIST
vice so it is very simple, and priced so
we can see this in the tool kit of an avi- Abaco Systems Kaman Precision Products Rohde & Schwarz
onics technician.” The BT3-USB-MON Huntsville, ala. Middletown, Conn. Columbia, Md.
http://www.abaco.com http://www.kamansensors.com http://www.rohde-schwarz.com
is designed to be rugged to withstand
Astronics Corp. Keysight Technologies Saelig Co. Ltd.
drops onto concrete by flight mainte-
East Aurora, N.Y. Santa Rosa, Calif. Fairport, N.Y.
nance personnel. http://www.astronics.com http://www.keysight.com http://www.saelig.com
The Abaco device is a simple and Behlman Electronics Marvin Test Solutions Tektronix
straightforward databus monitor. “To Hauppauge, N.Y. Irvine, Calif. Beaverton, Ore.
http://www.behlman.com http://www.marvintest.com http://www.tek.com
sniff 1553 data, you don’t need a high
Data Device Corp. (DDC) Meggitt Sensing Systems VIAVI Solutions Inc.
level of functionality,” Gardiner says.
Bohemia, N.Y. Irvine, Calif. San Jose, Calif.
“You just want to listen to the data, http://www.ddc-web.com http://www. https://www.viavisolutions.com
look at the data in real time, be able meggittsensingsystems.com
DTS Diversified Technical Vishay Precision Group
to record this data, and then analyze Systems National Instruments Malvern, Pal
Seal Beach, Calif. Austin, Texas http://vpgsensors.com
this data offline to look at and assess http://www.dtsweb.com http://www.ni.com
VTI Instruments
what’s happening in the data.”
Irvine, Calif
DDC’s Hegarty says flight line test http://www.vtiinstruments.com
equipment is following a trend like
1811MAE_27 27 11/5/18 8:12 AM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
“We haven’t maxed the can out yet. SmartCan’s utility. FPGAs, Sargeant when they are away from their home
The software is how we adjust adding says, “offer a lot of flexibility, and bases on extended deployments. Mod-
additional aircraft, matching the steps help us miniaturize the size and lo- ern test equipment typically is small
of the test to how the airplane talks to gistics footprint down to handheld enough to move easily to new facilities
the weapons and back.” size, and provide very ruggedized where maintenance personnel might
In addition to software, Marvin de- flight-line-qualified packaging.” not be familiar with newly arriving air-
signers are using field-programma- These advantages extend to main- craft, Sargeant points out. “DOD [the
ble gate arrays (FPGAs) to enhance the taining advanced military aircraft U.S. Department of Defense] is look-
ing to reduce the total cost of procure-
ment, sustainment, and ownership of
test equipment,” he says.”
This also can help lighten the bur-
den of training for aircraft maintenance
technicians. “Part of smaller and more
interoperable test equipment is ease of
training,” Sargeant points out. “If you
are an Air Force armament maintainer
on the F-16, you will have new equip-
RUGGED COMPUTING ment requiring more training when

you move to another aircraft. But if you
SOLUTIONS FOR
train on the SmartCan, you can switch
airplanes and not have to be retrained.
Just select a different airplane on the
MISSION SUCCESS SmartCan, and you’re ready.”
Data security
Increasingly, flight line test technicians
need the ability to separate classified
and unclassified data as they test for
the integrity of aircraft information and
communications links. DDC is partner-
ing with data security specialist Tresys
Technology LLC in Columbia, Md., to
enable separation of so-called red and
black data, Hegarty says.
“They have a data diode, where you
FULLY RUGGED have secure and unsecure network-

ing, and this controls what information
HIGH PERFORMANCE flows from the secure to the unsecure

network,” Hegarty says. “We are manu-
ULTRA-DENSE I/O facturing a system in partnership with
SWAP OPTIMIZED
them that does this in a 1U form factor
rackmount server setup. We have the
systelusa.com
capability to apply their algorithms to
our equipment, like the Avionics Inter-
[email protected] face Computer (AIC) — a small-form-
factor computing box that people can
888.645.8400 www.militaryaerospace.com
1811MAE_28 28 11/5/18 8:12 AM

TECHNOLOGY F CUS
use to host all kinds of applications,” One way Marvin defends against cy- The SmartCan “can do all the work,
he says. “It has avionics-specific I/Os, ber threats is providing no connection like downloading test logs, from a
and people can use it as a router or gate- between the SmartCan and the Inter- stand-alone computer system,” he says.
way, as a flight-line tester, or as part of net. Plus, the latest version of the in- “The interface has been USB. That is
a flight-line test setup.” strument has built-in cyber security. still available, and some customers are
There is more to data security than The device also has a removable SD saying they need to block USB and add
separating red and black data, howev- memory card that users physically can Ethernet, which is less susceptible than
er, and avionics test and measurement lock away, if necessary. USB to malware attacks.” 
experts are extending their expertise
to include future cyber security threats
like software malware and other kinds AcroPacks ® = S W a P - C
of data corruption.
Cyber security
“There is a lot of activity related to cy-
ber security,” Hegarty says. “In flight
line equipment, that is one area of vul-
nerability because it does offer poten-
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1811MAE_29 29 11/5/18 8:12 AM

RF&
m i crowave
Army’s new electronic
warfare (EW) tactical vehicle Enhancing positioning,
is first of its kind in years
Elements of the U.S. Army’s 1st Cavalry
navigation, and timing (PNT) for
Division have begun testing a new BACN command and control
armored vehicle for electronic warfare
BY John Keller
(EW) that can jam enemy communications The BACN is an electronic payload
systems and other emitters. As potential HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. — Military aboard the E-11A and Air Force RQ-4
opponents — especially Russia — invest communications experts at Northrop Global Hawk large unmanned aerial ve-
heavily in similar systems, the service is Grumman Corp. are providing satel- hicle (UAV). The E-11A is based on the
looking to reinvigorate its own EW capa- lite navigation capabilities for a major Bombardier Global Express business jet.
bilities, which largely eroded after the airborne battlefield communications BACN uses the Airborne Executive
end of the Cold War. Earlier in September system to enhance the system’s posi- Processor (AEP) to enable a persistent
2018, the 1st Cavalry Division’s 3rd tioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). voice and data gateway in the sky that
Brigade Combat Team sent personnel Officials of the U.S. Air Force Life receives, bridges, and distributes com-
to the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona Cycle Management Center at Hanscom munications among all participants in
for a two-week course in operating the Air Force Base, Mass., have announced a battle.
new system, known as the Electronic
Warfare Tactical Vehicle (EWTV). The
Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) first
announced plans to build the EWTVs
on a prototype basis for field testing in
the United States, as well as potentially
Europe and South Korea.
GATR Technologies
lands $522 million Army
contract for inflatable
satellite antennas
GATR Technologies Inc. in Huntsville, Ala.,
won a $522 million U.S. Army order on
Friday for inflatable satellite antenna sys-
tems. These antennas are mobile, light-
weight, and quick to set up in the field
for on-the-spot satellite communications RF and microwave upgrades are expected to enhance positioning, navigation, and timing
(SATCOM) the antennas look like giant (PNT) of the Air Force Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN).
rubber balls, and can survive and operate
through several hits from small-arms fire. an $80.2 million order to the Northrop The BACN payload aboard the E-11A
GATR’s ground-mounted antennas have tie- Grumman Corp. Mission Systems and Global Hawk helps enable diverse
downs to point them in the right direction. segment in Middle River, Md., to pro- battlefield weapon systems to com-
The antenna inside is reflective fabric. Fans vide military Global Positioning Sys- municate with each other during
keep the air pressure in the top half slightly tem (GPS) for the Battlefield Airborne in-theater operations where moun-
higher than in the bottom half, pushing the Communications Node (BACN) aboard tainous terrain, large buildings, or oth-
fabric down into the right shape.  the Air Force Bombardier E-11A com- er obstructions inhibit line-of-sight
mand-and-control aircraft. communications.
1811MAE_30 30 11/5/18 8:12 AM

Military leaders found that such ob- radio- and platform-agnostic, Northrop
structions could limit operating units Grumman officials say.
to see only a limited set of the complete
picture of the battlefield. The BACN
On this order Northrop Grum-
man will do the work installation Transformers
command and control network is de-
signed to provide situational aware-
and testing at the Bombardier facili-
ty in Wichita, Kan., and military test-
and Inductors
ll!
ness from small ground units in con-
tact up to the highest command levels,
ing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
The job should be finished by Sep- ...think PICO sma
Northrop Grumman officials say. tember 2020. 
BACN’s AEP provides translator and
gateway interfaces among all support- For more information contact Northrop Grum- think...
ed communications systems, and for- man Space & Mission Systems online at low profile
from
.18"
wards intelligence information to the www.northropgrumman.com, or the Air Force
Global Information Grid. By controlling Life Cycle Management Center at www.
Over 5000 Std.
the AEP via a ground station, BACN is wpafb.af.mil/aflcmc. ht.
Ultra Miniature
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Electronic warfare (EW) upgrades to
boost EA-18G electronic attack Audio 400Hz Pulse
Multiplex Data Bus
BY John Keller
The system provides airborne situ- DC-DC Converter
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. — U.S. Navy air- ational awareness and signals intelli- Transformers Power
borne electronic warfare (EW) experts gence (SIGINT) by detecting, identify-
& EMI Inductors
are working together with the Boeing ing, locating, and analyzing sources of
m e d ia te ly
ta lo g im
’s fu ll C a m
S e e P ic o o n ic s .c o
Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. to radio frequency (RF) emissions.
o e le c t r
upgrade the AN/ALQ-218 signals intelli- The AN/ALQ-218 is aboard the EA- w w w .p ic
gence (SIGINT) system aboard the Boeing 18G electronic warfare (EW) jet and the
EA-18G Growler aircraft to provide the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, PICO unit manufactured
system with electronic attack capability. and is being considered in the future and te ted to MIL-PRF-27
Officials of the Naval Air Systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) requirement . QPL unit are
available. Delivery tock to one
Command at Patuxent River Naval Air and submarines.
week for ample quantitie .
Station, Md., have announced a $24.4 The Navy EA-18G carrier-based elec-
million order to the Boeing Defense, tronic warfare aircraft carries multi- VISIT OUR EXCITING
Space & Security segment in St. Louis mode radar detection, suppression, and
NEW WEBSITE
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date future planned functional growth nications countermeasures system in- 143 Sparks Ave, Pelham, NY 10 03
and enhancements. stalled in the plane’s gun bay. Call Toll Free: 800-431-1064
The AN/ALQ-218 from the Northrop Electronic warfare experts from Boe- E Mail: [email protected]
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Grumman Mission Systems segment ing and Northrop Grumman aim to
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tem that functions as a radar warning to communications among the Growl-
MILITARY•COTS•INDUSTRIAL
receiver, electronic support measures, er’s jammers and RF receivers to en-
TRANSFORMERS & INDUCTORS
and electronic intelligence. able future capabilities like automatic
1811MAE_31 31 11/5/18 8:12 AM

RF&
m i crowave
The Growler’s EW gear includes

the AN/ALQ-218 wideband receivers
on the wingtips, and ALQ-99 high-
and low-band tactical jamming pods.
The ALQ-218 and ALQ-99 form an EW
suite that provides detection and
jamming against all known surface-
to-air missiles. The aircraft is be-
ing readied for future threats with
the Raytheon Next-Generation Jam-
mer (NGJ).
The Growler can carry as many as
five ALQ-99 jamming pods and two
AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles
or AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles.
It uses an interference cancellation sys-
Boeing is making upgrades to the U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft to tem that allows radio voice communi-
enhance its offensive electronic-attack capability. cation during jamming.
The Growler has a crew of two, is
jamming of enemy radar and communi- in late 2009 with the U.S. Navy. The EA- 60 feet long with a 45-foot wingspan,
cations systems quickly once detected. 18G aircraft are based at Whidbey Island and 16 feet high. The twin-engine jet
The AN/ALQ-218 can operate on RF Naval Air Station in Oak Harbor, Wash. can fly as fast as Mach 1.8, higher than
bands 0, 1, 2, and band 3, with pulsed The growler is designed for suppres- 50,000 feet, and can fly 1,275 miles be-
and continuous-wave radar with op- sion of enemy air defenses; stand-off tween refueling.
tional communications support, while and escort jamming; non-traditional Boeing is the overall systems in-
providing specific emitter identification. electronic attack by integrating with tegrator for the EA-18G Growler com-
It offers enhanced fine frequency mea- ground EW operations; self-protect bat jet. The plane’s electronic war-
surement to support electronic jamming. and time-critical strike support; and fare equipment comes primarily from
The contract calls for Boeing to mod- cost-effective technology insertion and Northrop Grumman Corp. Its future
ify 13 sets of WRA-7, WRA-8, WRA-9, system upgrades. Next-Generation Jammer equipment
as well as 18 AEA gun bay pallets. Boe- The Growler’s flight performance will come from Raytheon Co., and the
ing also will write technical directives is like that of the F/A-18E/F Super Hor- jet’s onboard mission computers come
for the Navy and the government of net, which enables the Growler to per- from the General Dynamics Corp. Ad-
Australia. form escort RF jamming as well as tra- vanced Information Systems segment
The Boeing EA-18G Growler is a spe- ditional standoff radar jamming and in Minneapolis.
cialized version of the two-seat carri- deception. The aircraft has more than On this order Boeing and its subcon-
er-based F/A-18F Super Hornet jet fight- 90 percent in common with the stan- tractors will do the work in Baltimore;
er bomber that is adapted for electronic dard Super Hornet, sharing airframe, St. Louis; St. Augustine, Fla.; Bethpage,
warfare — specifically jamming en- Raytheon AN/APG-79 AESA radar, and N.Y.; Patuxent River, Md.; and China
emy radar and communications, as weapons like the AN/AYK-22 stores Lake, Calif., and should be finished by
well as attacking enemy radar instal- management system. December 2020. 
lations with missiles that home-in on Most of the Growler’s EW attack
radar signals. equipment is mounted on the aircraft’s For more information contact Boeing Defense,
The Grower, which is replacing the wing tips and in the space that on the Su- Space & Security online www.boeing.com/de-
Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler car- per Hornet houses a 20-millimeter can- fense, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems
rier-based EW aircraft, began production non. The Growler has nine weapons sta- at www.northropgrumman.com, or Naval Air
in 2007 and entered operational service tions for weapons and jamming pods. Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil.
1811MAE_32 32 11/5/18 8:12 AM

UN M A N N ED
vehicles
Lockheed Martin to improve GPS IIIF A Reaper UAV shot down
another drone last year in first
navigation satellite accuracy and reliability known unmanned air-to-air kill
A U.S. Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
BY John Keller The GPS III satellites will replace ag- shot down another drone with a missile, the
LOS ANGELES AFB, Calif. — Navigation satel- ing on-orbit GPS spacecraft, and will Air Force revealed. The incident, which took
lite designers at Lockheed Martin Corp. improve satellite navigation accuracy, place last year and involved an unmanned
are moving forward with the nation’s as well as GPS ability to resist attempts target drone, was the first case of a drone
latest satellite navigation spacecraft to jam their signals to degrade or dis- shooting down another aircraft. The event is
— the Global Positioning System (GPS) able the system’s capability. The exist- a watershed moment in the history of aerial
Block IIIF. ing GPS satellite constellation has been warfare, as the nation’s UAV force begins to
Officials of the U.S. Air Force Space operating in orbit since 1995. muscle in on air-to-air combat—previously the
and Missile Systems Center at Los An- This GPS IIIF contract to Lockheed exclusive domain of manned aircraft. The test
geles Air Force Base, Calif., have an- Martin includes non-recurring engi- showed the U.S. Air Force that a UAV like the
neering, space vehicle test bed MQ-9 can conduct air-to-air combat, much like
and simulators, production of its manned fighter brethren such as an F-15
GPS IIIF satellites 11 and 12, Eagle or F-22 Raptor, says Col. Julian Cheater,
options to build as many as 22 commander of the 432nd Wing at Creech Air
GPS III space vehicles, as well Force Base, Nev. The effort is key to prepar-
as satellite storage, launch, ing for the next big aerial war against near-
and on-orbit support. peer threats such as Russia or China, who are
The GPS-III satellites also advancing their skills not only in their own
will extend each satellite’s dedrone forces but also in hypersonics, elec-
sign life and add a new civ- tronic warfare (EW), lasers, and missile test-
il signal that is interoperable ing, Cheater says.
with international global nav-
igation satellite systems. Air Hypersonic missile intended
Force leaders plan to buy as for Russian SU-57 jet fighter
many as 32 GPS III satellites. has range of 200 miles
Lockheed Martin is designing the new generation of
GPS navigation satellites with improved accuracy and The GPS III program is part Russia is set to add a hypersonic missile to
reliability of a U.S. positioning, naviga- its arsenal which can hit targets almost 200
tion, and timing (PNT) up- miles away, Moscow’s official media outlet
nounced a $1.4 billion contract to the grade. The new GPS III constellation has reported. The R-37M missile is designed
Lockheed Martin Corp. Space Systems will have 500 times the transmission to target enemy aircraft and can travel at Mach
Co. in Littleton, Colo., for costs related power of the existing GPS system, and 6 — more than 4,500 miles per hour. It is an
to the GPS IIIF satellites — including will have faster clock update rates. upgrade on a Soviet-era weapon first launched
options to build as many as 22 GPS IIIF GPS Block IIIA will have the first 10 in 1985. The latest missile, which will be fired
spacecraft in future years. GPS III satellites, which will be used from the planned Russian SU-57 stealth jets,
The GPS IIIF satellites will be the to keep the Navstar Global Position- is said to be equipped with an active-seeker
most sophisticated spacecraft in the ing System operational. GPS IIIF, mean- homing system to blast enemy planes out of
GPS constellation. The Air Force al- while, is the second set of GPS III satel- the sky. The new air-to-air missile is intended
ready is working with Lockheed Mar- lites, and will have 22 space vehicles. to target enemy fighter jets as well as Airborne
tin to build GPS III Block A satellites, The GPS IIIA satellites will have Warning and Control System (AWACS) planes
the first of which is set for launch this a fourth civil signal on L1 channel, such as those deployed by the U.S. 
December. enhanced reliability, accuracy, and
1811MAE_33 33 11/5/18 8:12 AM

UNMANNED
vehicles
integrity, no intentional signal degradation for national The GPS III team is led by the Global Positioning Systems
security (also called selective availability), and a 15-year Directorate at the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Cen-
life span. The GPS IIIF satellites will have all the GPS IIIA ter. Lockheed Martin is the GPS III prime contractor with
features, including laser reflectors and search-and-rescue teammates Harris Corp. (formerly Exelis), General Dynam-
payloads. ics, Infinity Systems Engineering, Honeywell, ATK, and oth-
The enhanced reliability and anti-jam features of the GPS er subcontractors.
III satellites are expected to benefit U.S. and allied military Air Force Space Command’s 2nd Space Operations Squad-
forces, which increasingly rely on satellite-guided muni- ron (2SOPS), based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., man-
tions, as well as civilian agencies and private business. U.S. ages and operates the GPS constellation for civil and mil-
and European aviation authorities have big plans to base fu- itary users. On this contract Lockheed Martin will do the
ture commercial aircraft navigation and guidance on signals work on GPS IIIF in Littleton, Colo., and should be finished
from the GPS and other satellite-based positioning systems. by August 2027. 
Future upgrades to GPS IIIF satellites could include
cross-linking capabilities and spot beams to enable op- For more information contact Lockheed Martin Corp. Space Systems on-
erators to boost the power of satellite signals so that the line at www.lockheedmartin.com, or the Air Force Space and Missile Sys-
spacecraft can provide reliable service even in difficult or tems Center at www.afspc.af.mil.
degraded conditions.
GPS IIIF satellites may receive upgrades with spacecraft
numbers 1 to 6, more upgrades with satellites 7 to 12, up-
grades in satellites 13 to 18, and additional upgrades in sat-
ellites 19 to 22. Northrop Grumman to provide
components for MQ-4C
complete maritime search radar
package BY John Keller

PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. — Northrop Grumman Corp. will pro-
vide crucial electronic components for the U.S. Navy’s mar-
itime search radar aboard the MQ-4C Triton long-range
ocean patrol unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under terms
of a $64.8 million order.
MULTI-WIDEBAND
PORTABLE ANTENNA
Radiall leverages industry leading expertise to optimize Size, Weight
and Power (SWaP) for mission-critical environments.
Northrop Grumman will provide important components for the

https://www.radiall.com
MQ-4C Triton’s Multi-Function Active Sensor (MFAS) radar to keep
the maritime patrol UAV in the air.
1811MAE_34 34 11/5/18 8:12 AM

UNMANNED
vehicles
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent The MQ-4C Triton’s ability to perform persistent ISR with-
River Naval Air Station, Md., are asking the Northrop Grum- in a practical range of 2,000 nautical miles enables the P-8A
man Mission Systems segment in Linthicum Heights, Md., aircraft to focus on anti-surface ship warfare, anti-subma-
to provide components for the Triton UAV’s Multi-Function rine warfare (ASW), and multi-intelligence. The Triton can
Active Sensor (MFAS). fly as far as 8,200 nautical miles without refueling.
The MFAS is the Triton’s maritime search radar that pro- Triton aircraft and support facilities are being based
vides the UAV with a 360-degree view of a large geograph- domestically at Point Mugu Naval Air Station near Ventu-
ic area while providing all-weather coverage for detecting, ra, Calif., and at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Fla. Triton
classifying, tracking, and identifying points of interest. MFAS UAVs also will be forward-deployed to Kadena Air Base, Ja-
is separate from the Triton’s air-to-air radar. pan; Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; Sigonella Naval Air
The Triton performs maritime surveillance missions for Station, Italy; as well as at installations on the islands of
as long as 24 hours at altitudes of more than 10 miles to en- Hawaii and Diego Garcia.
able coverage out to 2,000 nautical miles. The UAV’s suite On this order Northrop Grumman will do the work in
of sensors can detect and classify different types of ships Linthicum, Baltimore, Annapolis, and Hampstead, Md.; An-
automatically. dover, Mass.; Exeter, N.H.; San Diego; and Stafford Springs,
The Triton is a crucial component of the Navy’s 21st Conn.; as well as other locations inside and outside of the
century strategy for conducting surveillance of surface Continental U.S., and should be finished by June 2022. 
ship and submarine traffic in the vast Pacific and other
oceans around the globe. The MQ-4C Triton UAV works For more information contact Northrop Grumman Mission Systems on-
together with the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon manned mari- line at www.northropgrumman.com, or Naval Air Systems Command at
time patrol aircraft. www.navair.navy.mil.
Northrop Grumman will prove six antenna group as-
semblies, six wideband receivers and exciters, 10 radar sig-
nal processors (RSP), two antenna drive electronics, and
LED INDICATORS
FOR AEROSPACE & DEFENSE APPLICATIONS
two RSP external power supplies for the MFAS. This order Robust and Sealed to IP67
supports low-rate initial production 3 organizational level
maintenance for the Triton MFAS. Wide Selection
of Colors and
Along with the air-to-air and MFAS radar systems, the Sizes
MQ-4C also will carry an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) Daylight Readable,

NVIS, UV and
sensor that will provide still imagery and full-motion video IR Options
of potential threats; an electronic support measures pack- Chrome or Black

Housings
age to identify and geolocate radar threat signals; and an
Front or Rear
Automatic Identification System (AIS) that will detect and Panel Mounting
track vessels equipped with AIS transponders. Accommodates
The MQ-4C Triton is designed to provide combat infor- Thicker Panels
mation to military authorities like the expeditionary strike

group, carrier strike group, and the joint forces maritime
component commander. The Triton air vehicle is based on
the U.S. Air Force RQ-4B Global Hawk, while its sensors are
based on components and systems already fielded in the
U.S. military.
The large unmanned aircraft provides intelligence for
large ocean areas to maintain the common operational and
tactical picture of the maritime battle space. The Triton feeds
Wilbrecht LEDCO, Inc.
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data to
1400 Energy Park Drive #20 (651) 659-0919 - [email protected]
the Global Information Grid (GIG), and can work alone or to- St. Paul, MN 55108 USA www.wilbrechtledco.com
a Microprecision company
gether with other aircraft and surface ships.
1811MAE_35 35 11/5/18 8:12 AM

ELECTRO
O
watch
c
OPTICS
Thermal imaging used in

Planet Earth II could be used Northrop Grumman to provide LAIRCM
by British Army tanks laser-based missile-defense for large aircraft
In the BBC’s Planet Earth II nature doc-
umentary series, David Attenborough’s BY John Keller
team used advanced thermal imaging PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. — Missile-defense
cameras developed by aerospace com- experts at Northrop Grumman Corp.
pany Leonardo to track a pack of leop- will install laser-based missile-defense
ards hunting in the darkened streets of systems for large military aircraft under
Mumbai. Now, that exact same tech- terms of a $210.5 million U.S. Navy order.
nology could be built into the British Officials of the Naval Air Systems
Army’s main battle tank. BAE Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air
is bidding for a contract to upgrade the Station, Md., are asking engineers at the Northrop Grumman is providing the U.S.
Challenger II battle tanks, and Leonardo’s Northrop Grumman Mission Systems Navy with the electro-optical Large Aircraft
advanced night vision tech is a key part segment in Rolling Meadows, Ill., to pro- Infrared Counter Measures (LAIRCM) for
of its plan. Instead of detecting light, vide the electro-optical Large Aircraft
large military aircraft like the P-8A
Poseidon, shown above.
Leonardo’s cameras sense heat emitted Infrared Counter Measures (LAIRCM)
by all objects with a temperature above for a variety of U.S. military aircraft.
absolute zero (-273C). Each pixel in the LAIRCM automatically detects a assemblies; 20 multi-role electro-optical
sensor is 1/12 the thickness of a human missile launch, determines if it is a end-to-end test sets; 125 shipping con-
hair, and can detect changes as small as threat, and activates a high-intensity tainers; 56 high-capacity cards; 16 smart
1/50 of a centigrade, producing extremely laser-based countermeasure system to connector assemblies; 381 personal com-
sharp images. Leonardo’s electro-optical track and defeat the missile, Northrop puter memory cards; international asso-
thermal imaging technology has found Grumman officials say. ciation cards; and 11 battery kits.
a wealth of uses – both military and This order covers LAIRCM produc- LAIRCM focuses its high-intensity
civilian. In addition to other nature pro- tion for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, laser energy at the infrared seeker head
grams, including Autumnwatch and The Special Operations Command, and gov- of incoming missiles to blind the mis-
Great British Year, it’s proved valuable ernment of the United Kingdom. sile and force it off its target. The sys-
in international sports. During the Ashes The system is for large aircraft like tem is designed to protect large aircraft
Test Series in Australia, it was used to the U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime from shoulder-fired, vehicle-launched,
determine whether the ball had struck the patrol jet and the Marine Corps CH-53 and other infrared-guided missiles
batsman, bat, or pads by detecting the Super Stallion large helicopter. LAIR- when the planes are operating close
friction of impact. CM also can go aboard the U.S. Air to the ground, such as during takeoffs,
Force C-5, C-17, C-37, and C-40 cargo landings, and low-level operations like
Next-gen electro-optical and utility jets; C-130H and MC-130W aerial refueling.
tracking sensor could four-engine utility turboprop aircraft, Initial LAIRCM systems equipped
help avoid friendly fire the CV-22 tiltrotor aircraft, and the KC- C-17 and C-130 aircraft as a stop-gap
target accidents
46 aerial refueling jet. measure, using an ultraviolet sensor, a
There may soon be a new infrared detec- The order involves 466 advanced countermeasure processor, and a small
tion sensor on the market that can bet- threat warning sensors; 15 LAIRCM sig- laser turret assembly.
ter scrutinize friendly forces on the ground nal processor replacements; 30 control Later-model LAIRCM systems use
and shrink the time it takes to identify indicator units; 62 replaceable control a smaller laser turret, and operate
targets of opportunity. UTC Aerospace indicator units; 114 to 2,103 signal pro- in the infrared region. Compared to
Systems in Westford, Mass., is testing cessors; 161 infrared missile warning first-phase LAIRCM systems, the new-
sensors; 245 Guardian laser transmitter er models provide better resolution,
1811MAE_36 36 11/5/18 8:13 AM

better performance in optical clutter, Ill.; Goleta, Calif.; Longmont, Colo.; Co- a next-generation short-wave infrared
and increased range of detection. lombia, Md.; and at various locations (SWIR) camera sensor that can see laser
In the future military leaders are within and outside of the continental strobes in real time. The electro-optical
trying to develop aircraft-protection U.S., and should be finished by Octo- system — already deployed with U.S. mili-
infrared countermeasures able to de- ber 2020.  tary testing units — is a multi-mode track-
tect and classify incoming missiles, ing SWIR sensor. The company developed
then emit a custom jamming energy For more information contact Northrop Grum- the sensor to prevent fratricide, reduce talk
to defeat them. man Mission Systems online at www.northrop- on target, and promote covert communi-
On this order Northrop Grumman grumman.com, or Naval Air Systems Com- cations. UTC’s multi-mode tracking sensor
will do the work in Rolling Meadows, mand at www.navair.navy.mil. can pick up designators as well as mark-
ers from friendly forces. The more plat-
forms equipped with the sensor — from
Army surveys industry for persistent tanks, to fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters,
and even ships — the more streamlined
surveillance multispectral sensor target identification becomes.
BY John Keller
Raytheon delivers first
FORT BELVOIR, Va. — U.S. Army elec- of SeeMe small satellites
tro-optics researchers are survey- for launch this year
from SpaceX rocket
ing industry to find companies
able to design a multispectral sen- Ray theon delivered the first Space
sor from existing products for per- Enabled Effects for Military Engagements
sistent surveillance to identify walk- (SeeMe), satellite to the U.S. Defense
ing humans and vehicles at mid- to
Army researchers are looking for Advanced Research Projects Agency
long ranges. companies able to design a multispectral (DARPA). Assembled on the compa-
Officials of the Army Contract- sensor able to identify walking humans ny’s missile production lines, the new
ing Command at Aberdeen Proving and vehicles at mid- to long ranges. SeeMe satellite aims to provide greater
Ground, Md., have issued a sourc- situational awareness to soldiers on
es-sought notice (W909MY-19- on behalf of the Product Manage- the ground. DARPA’s SeeMe program is
R-E001) for the EO/IR Sensor Charac- ment Force Protection Systems designed to show that small satellites can
terization for Persistent Surveillance segment of the Army Night Vision be built affordably to give small squads
System–Ground (PSS-G) component and Electronic Sensors Directorate timely tactical imagery directly from a
of the Army’s Ground-Based Opera- (NVESD) at Fort Belvoir, Va., for this small satellite. A future constellation of
tional Surveillance System (Expedi- electro-optical sensor project. small satellites could deliver high-resolu-
tionary) (G-BOSS(E)) project. From industry, the Army wants tion images of precise locations of inter-
Army researchers want to find to the know the maximum range of est to the soldier’s handheld device. Using
companies able to design a gim- each sensor in the integrated elec- its automated missile production lines,
bal-mounted integrated electro-op- tro-optical sensor payload at a stan- Raytheon can build large numbers of
tical sensor payload that blends dard atmosphere in which a human these small satellites quickly and afford-
mid-wave and short-wave infrared and vehicle can be identified with ably. DARPA will integrate the Raytheon-
sensors, laser range finder, and la- 90-percent probability. built SeeMe satellite onto a Spaceflight
ser pointer. Researchers also want to know Industries payload that will be launched
The Army Contracting Command about the zoom field of view of each into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on a SpaceX
is issuing the sources-sought notice persistent surveillance [PAGE 38] rocket later this year. 
1811MAE_37 37 11/5/18 8:13 AM

ELECTRO
O
watch
c
OPTICS
L-3 EO Sonoma to integrate large-area

UAV sensor payloads for small platforms
BY John Keller The TNWAS infrared sensor inte-
STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. — Electro-op- grates components like the optics and
tical sensors experts at the L-3 Tech- pointing mirror assembly from the Of-
nologies Sonoma EO segment in Santa fice of Naval Research (ONR) UltraW-
Rosa, Calif., are developing high-reso- ide Optics program; and the integrat- L-3 EO Sonoma is developing wide-area
electro-optical sensor payloads suitable for
lution day and nighttime sensor pay- ed Dewar cooler assembly (IDCA) from
even hand-launched unmanned aircraft.
loads for small unmanned aerial vehi- the ONR 8K Focal Plane Array program.
cles (UAVs) under terms of a U.S. Navy Now L-3 EO Sonoma experts will find This involves completing the L-3-devel-
research contract. ways to stabilize the sensor’s sight line oped TNWAS sensor controller comput-
Officials of the U.S. Naval Research against effects of UAV motion and vi- er to communicate with the NRL pay-
Laboratory (NRL) at Stennis Space Cen- bration; provide precise measurement load system computer.
ter, Miss., are asking L-3 EO Sonoma to of sight line direction to support geolo- If these tests satisfy Navy require-
build and test a large-area airborne sen- cation of ground objects; and integrate ments, then L-3 EO Sonoma engineers
sor that can operate even from hand- the sensor with the NRL video proces- will integrated the sensor system
launched UAVs. It’s part of NRL’s Tacti- sor. Then company experts will demon- aboard a remotely operated aircraft
cal Infrared Night Surveillance System strate the integrated system in truck- that functions vial data links. 
(TNWAS) project. based and airborne tests.
L-3 EO Sonoma engineers will devel- The contract’s first phase focuses For more information contact L-3 EO Sonoma
op a UAV sensor payload able to conduct on collecting high-quality imagery and online at www2.l3t.com/sonomaeo, or the Na-
precise, large-area, high-resolution day determining sight line pointing direc- val Research Lab at Stennis Space Center at
and nighttime surveillance of large ar- tion in a mobile ground environment. www.nrl.navy.mil/field-sites/stennis.
eas in a configuration meeting the ex-
tremely tight size, weight, and power
constraints of the Navy and U.S. Ma- [FROM PAGE 37] sensor; imagery and infrared, and long-wave infrared
rine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned video standards to which the sen- spectral bands into one image.
Air System (STUAS) aircraft. The con- sor conforms; integrated sensor The military typically uses multi-
tract is for $930,110. packaging; whether it has an ac- spectral sensors for target tracking,
STUAS aircraft include the 2.8-pound tive illuminator; cooling methods; land mine detection, ballistic missile
AeroVironment RQ-12A Wasp IV; the spectral ranges; hardware control detection, and space-based imaging.
4.7-pound AeroVironment RQ-11B Ra- and data interfaces; system size Companies interested were asked
ven; the 13.5-pound AeroVironment RQ- and weight; levels of ruggedization; to email responses no later than 16
20B Puma; the 48-pound Boeing Insitu cyber security standards; built-in Oct 2018 to the Army’s Crystal Press-
ScanEagle; the 75-pound Textron AAI test; and reliability, availability, and ley, contract specialist, at crystal.d.
Aerosonde; and the 135-pound Boeing maintainability. [email protected]. For questions
Insitu RQ-21A Blackjack. A multispectral sensor captures or concerns contact Crystal Press-
NRL already has sponsored devel- image data in 3 to 15 separate wave- ley by email at crystal.d.pressley.
opment of the TNWAS infrared sen- lengths to extract information the [email protected], or by phone at 703-
sor, which is designed to operate to- human eye fails to capture with its 704-0860. 
gether with an NRL-developed video receptors for red, green and blue. It
processor to comprise the TNWAS usually provides a combination of im- More information is online at https://www.fbo.
airborne surveillance system, which aging in the visible-light, near infra- gov/notices/938d0006915990c918b9da7e-
went through ground testing last red, short-wave infrared, mid-wave 46c2b8ca.
December.
1811MAE_38 38 11/5/18 8:13 AM

PRODUCT WEAPONS SIGHTS
Navy picks Nightforce Optics
applic at ions daylight rifle sights for U.S.

Special Operations
U.S. Navy special operations experts are ask-
ing electro-optics engineers at Nightforce Optics
UNMANNED VEHICLES Inc. in Orofino, Idaho, to provide U.S. Special
AeroVironment to build It can be operated manually or pro- Operations Command with rifle scopes for near-
small UAVs with surveillance grammed for autonomous operation, using range engagements out to and beyond the max-
unmanned sensor payloads the system’s advanced avionics and GPS imum effective range of the weapons.
U.S. Southern Command warfighters needed navigation to provide aerial observation, day Officials of the Naval Surface Warfare Center
small hand-launched unmanned aerial vehi- or night, at line-of-sight ranges to six miles. in Crane, Ind., are awarding a potential $21.2
cles (UAVs) for a variety of reconnaissance and The Raven is available with an optional million contract to Nightforce to build Squad-
intelligence missions. They found their solu- stabilized gimbaled payload, and deliv- Variable Powered Scopes (S-VPS) in support of
tion from AeroVironment Inc. Monrovia, Calif. ers real-time color or infrared imagery to U.S. Special Operations Command. The initial
Officials of the U.S. Air Force Acquisition ground control and remote viewing sta-
Management and Integration Center at Joint tions. The Raven is the most widely used
Base Langley-Eustis, Va., have announced unmanned aircraft system in the world
a $13 million contract to AeroVironment today, AeroVironment officials say.
for Raven RQ-11B small unmanned aircraft Raven unmanned sensor payloads include
systems. dual forward- and side-look electro-optical
camera nose, elec-
tronic pan, tilt, and
zoom with stabili-
zation, forward and
side-look infrared
camera nose.
The UAV has a
maximum range of contract is for $15.8 million, and includes the
6.2 miles, mission S-VPS, spare parts, and training.
duration of 60 to 90 The S-VPS is the Nightforce ATACR 1-8X24
minutes, operates at F1 low-power electro-optical variable rifle scope
speeds of 17 to 44 that includes ED glass, daylight illumination, an
knots at altitudes of intelligent reticle, low-profile adjustments, and a
100 to 500 feet. The field of view at 1x equivalent to open sights, yet
These unmanned systems are for the U.S. unmanned aircraft is 3 feet long, has a wing- more precise, company officials say.
Southern Command Area of Responsibility, span of 4.5 feet, and weighs 4.2 pounds. It is The rifle sight is slightly longer than 10
which includes Central America, South hand-launched and has a deep-stall landing. inches, and weighs 21 ounces. Its daylight visi-
America and Caribbean nations. The con- On this contract AeroVironment will do ble center red dot allows for rapid engagements.
tract includes UAVs, spares kits, ancillary the work in the U.S. Southern Command The sight provides as much as 8x zoom to
equipment, and recurring training. Area of Responsibility, and should be finished help locate, identify, and engage targets at the
The RQ-11B Raven small hand-launched by September 2028. For more information maximum effective range of most rifles. Its intel-
UAV is designed for rapid deployment contact AeroVironment online at www. ligent FC-DM first focal plane reticle provides
and high mobility for military applications avinc.com, or the Air Force Acquisition precise hold and hold-off points.
requiring low-altitude surveillance and Management and Integration Center at The rifle sight low-profile turrets are capped
reconnaissance. www.facebook.com/AirForceAMIC. to prevent accidental adjustment and offer
0.1 mil-radian adjustment. The sight has an
1811MAE_39 39 11/5/18 8:13 AM

PRODUCT
applic at ions
integrated power throw lever to aid in fast mag- The XMC-FGX2-SDI-8IO is WOLF’s sec- Military, commercial, and general-aviation
nification adjustments. ond-generation Frame Grabber eXtreme (FGX). aircraft pilots in recent years have come under
On this contract Nightforce will do the work The embedded computing module enables as increasing threats from ground-based lasers,
in Orofino, Idaho, and should be finished by many as eight 3G/HD-SDI or four 12G-SDI inputs ranging from common laser pointers to sophis-
September 2023. For more information con- and outputs; two analog inputs and outputs; a ticated laser dazzlers from hostile military forces.
tact Nightforce online at www.nightforce- PCI Express Gen4 interface that can handle data Sometimes these lasers cause temporary
optics.com, or the Naval Surface Warfare as fast as 15.75 gigabytes per second; ultra-low- blindness and disorientation — particularly at
Center-Crane at www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/ latency H.265 encoding; and support for direct night — when the eyesight of air crews has
Warfare-Centers/NSWC-Crane. user access to FPGA HDL logic for encryption, adjusted to darkness. Other cases can cause
analysis, and image recognition. A 10-Gigabit permanent blindness or eye injury, depending
Ethernet LAN interface is also supported. on the type and strength of the laser.
EMBEDDED COMPUTING “The X-59 QueSST aircraft will represent a Several recent examples attest to the laser
WOLF video graphics modules step forward in supersonic aircraft flight, and the threats that military and civil aircraft pilots face.
help design windowless products we’ve chosen from WOLF will help us Earlier this spring U.S. military officials reported
supersonic aircraft cockpit deliver the visual data our pilots require to meet that personnel at a Chinese military base in
Supersonic aircraft designers at the U.S. National our mission criteria,” says Trey Arthur, aero- Djibouti in Eastern Africa used lasers to interfere
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space engineer at NASA. For more information with U.S. military aircraft at a nearby American
needed rugged video graphics embedded com- contact WOLF Advanced Technology online base, causing injuries to U.S. pilots and prompt-
puting modules to help develop the NASA X-59 at https://wolfadvancedtechnology.com, or the ing the U.S. to launch a formal diplomatic protest.
Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft. NASA Armstrong Research Center at www. Last June U.S. officials reported that U.S. mil-
They found their solution from WOLF Advanced nasa.gov/centers/armstrong. itary pilots flying over the East China Sea had
Technology in Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario. been targeted by blinding laser attacks from
Researchers at the NASA Armstrong Research shore sites and from fishing boats more than
Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., have LASER EYE PROTECTION 20 times over the previous 10 months.
chosen two WOLF video graphics modules to pro- Air Force orders pilot eye protection In fact, the number of laser attacks on U.S.
vide video capture, processing, encoding, and dis- from military and civil laser attacks pilots in the Middle East and South China Sea areas
U.S. Air Force flight safety experts needed laser could top the roughly 600 incidents reported in
eye protection for aircraft pilots and air crews 2016 and match 2015, when about 700 incidents
against dazzling and blinding laser weapons. were reported in the Middle East, officials say.
They found their solution from Gentex Corp. Gentex makes the dazzle laser defense visor
in Carbondale, Pa., and Teledyne Scientific & for mounting to flight helmets to protect civil and
Imaging LLC in Thousand Oaks, Calif. military pilots from a variety of laser attacks. These
Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle visors are designed to protect pilots from low-in-
play capabilities to help enable NASA’s window- Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air tensity lasers without compromising visual acuity.
less cockpit display system. The X-59 is designed Force Base, Ohio, announced contracts each Teledyne Scientific, meanwhile, makes the
to reduce sonic boom noise. worth as much as $98.3 million to the two com- aircrew laser eye protection (ALEP) devices, of
NASA experts are using the WOLF XMC- panies for laser eye protection. which more than 10,000 have been delivered to
E9171-VO (WOLF-3196) and the XMC-FGX2- the Air Force, company officials say.
SDI-8IO (WOLF-3180), video graphics modules On these contracts, Gentex will do the work
in the QueSST initiative to replace a front wind- in Simpson, Pa.; and Teledyne Scientific will to
shield with video display technology. the work in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Both com-
The XMC-E9171-VO features an AMD panies should be finished by September 2024.
Radeon graphics processing unit (GPU), a chip- Gentex and Teledyne Scientific will develop and For more information contact Gentex Corp.
down rugged design that meets the MIL-810 build different variants and sizes of laser eye pro- online at https://gentexcorp.com, Teledyne
specification, can handle as many as five 4K dis- tection to safeguard air crews against emerging Scientific & Imaging at www.teledyne-si.com,
plays using Display Port 1.4, and supports high laser attacks like laser dazzlers and lasers intended or the Air Force Life Cycle Management
dynamic range video with 10-bit color depth. to blind or cause permanent eye injury. Center at www.wpafb.af.mil/aflcmc. 
1811MAE_40 40 11/5/18 8:13 AM

To submit new products for consideration,
new products
contact John Keller at [email protected].
SPACE ELECTRONICS units (GPGPU), and bring the CUDA soft-

Radiation-tolerant motor controller ware-development platform to small package
for space introduced by Microsemi XMCs to deliver 2.3 trillion floating point oper-
Microsemi Corp. in Aliso Viejo, Calif., is introduc-
ing production prototypes of the LX7720 radia-
tion-tolerant motor controller for satellite manu- form factor (SFF) supercomputer has 256 CUDA
facturers sensitive to area and weight challenges. cores to reach more than 1 trillion floating
The LX7720 radiation-tolerant motor controller point operations per second (teraFLOPS). It con-
sumes 17 Watts of power, weighs less than 2.2
pounds, and measures 5.9 by 5.8 by 2.5 inches.
The embedded computing system is designed to
ations per second (teraFLOPs) of processing bring local processing in closer with a system’s
power. EIZO’s XMC cards feature H.265/H.264 sensors. Its IP67-rated and fanless design also
hardware encode/decode capability and provide is for rugged and remote outdoor applications
a minimum 7-year life cycle support to custom- like security and surveillance systems, mining
can help reduce weight and board space rela- ers. The boards can be factory configured to a and excavating operations, and complex marine
tive to conventional discrete motor control cir- power rating between 25 and 50 Watts. While and boating applications like weather condition
cuits. As the second member of the SSM family, the current variants feature DisplayPort++, EIZO analysis and navigation. For more information
the LX7720 works with a field programmable also can customize cards to support DVI, SDI, contact Aitech online at www.rugged.com.
gate array (FPGA) and complements Microsemi’s Composite, STANAG 3350, RS-170, RS-343,
other components for demanding space appli- and VGA outputs. For more information con-
cations. Additional target applications include tact EIZO Rugged Solutions online at www. SIGNAL PROCESSING
motor driver servo control, linear actuator servo eizorugged.com. RF system-on-chip (RFSoC) for signal
control and driving stepper, brushless direct cur- processing introduced by Pentek
rent (BLDC), and permanent-magnet synchro- Pentek Inc. in Upper Saddle River, N.J., is intro-
nous (PMSM) motors on satellite buses for solar GPGPU EMBEDDED COMPUTING ducing the Quartz model 5950 Zynq UltraScale+
panel deployment and driving reaction wheels. GPGPU embedded computing radio frequency system-on-chip (RFSoC) 3U VPX
For more information contact Microsemi online for video and machine autonomy board and the model 6001 Zynq UltraScale+
at www.microsemi.com. introduced by Aitech QuartzXM eXpress module for aerospace and
Aitech Defense Systems Inc. in Chatsworth, defense applications. The Quartz model 5950
Calif., is introducing the A177 Twister ultra-com- Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC 3U VPX board and the
GPGPU PROCESSING pact rugged embedded computing system model 6001 Zynq UltraScale+ QuartzXM eXpress
GPGPU XMC embedded based on general-purpose graphics process- module support wideband RF analog I/O signals
computing modules for harsh ing unit (GPGPU) technology for video cap-
environments introduced by EIZO ture, processing, and overlay uses in industrial
EIZO Rugged Solutions Inc. in Altamonte Springs, environments. The compact supercomputer is
Fla., is introducing a family of chip-down NVIDIA for autonomous aircraft, military ground vehi-
Quadro P2000 (GP107) based switched mezza- cles, robotics, automation, and optical inspec-
nine card (XMC) graphics/GPGPU embedded tion systems. Based on the powerful NVIDIA
computing cards for harsh environments in mil- Jetson TX2 system-on-module (SoM), the A177
itary and avionics applications. The MIL-STD- Twister uses the CUDA programming language
810G-certified Condor NVP2000x modules are and deep learning acceleration to handle man-
based on general-purpose graphics-processing aging several data and video streams. The small
1811MAE_41 41 11/5/18 8:14 AM

new products
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT,
AND CIRCULATION
1. Publication title: Military & Aerospace Electronics. 2. Publi- with eight 4 GHz A/D converters, eight 6.4 GHz GPGPU Processor, features one Tesla P6 GPU
cation number: 005-901 3. Filing date: October 1, 2018.
4. Issue frequency: Monthly. 5. Number of issues published D/A converters, and multi-core ARM processors. and delivers 6.2 teraFLOPs performance. For
annually: 12. 6. Annual subscription price: $185.00.
7. Complete mailing address of known office of publica- For 3U VPX systems, the Quartz model 5950 uses more demanding signal processing applications,
tion: PennWell Corporation, 1421 South Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK
74112, Tulsa County. 7a. Contact person: Traci Huntsman. Pentek’s Navigator design suite to speed software the 6U form factor VPX6-4944 deploys dual
7b. Telephone: 918-831-9435. 8. Complete mailing address
of headquarters or general business office of publisher: and IP development. For small- or high-density Tesla P6s, doubling available compute power to
PennWell Corporation, 61 Spit Brook Rd., Ste. 501, Nashua,
NH 03060. 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses deployed systems, the same IP and software can 12.4 teraFLOPs. For more information contact
of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: Alan
Bergstein, 61 Spit Brook Rd., Ste. 501, Nashua, NH 03060.
transfer to the model 6001 QuartzXM eXpress Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions online at
Editor: John Keller, 61 Spit Brook Rd., Ste. 501, Nashua, NH embedded computing module to support applica- www.curtisswrightds.com.
03060. Managing Editor: John Keller, 61 Spit Brook Rd., Ste.
501, Nashua, NH 03060. 10. Owner: PennWell Corporation, tions that require custom-form-factors and small
1421 South Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74112, Tulsa County.
11. Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP). The
Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total
Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. Pentek Quartz architecture embodies a stream- BOARD CONNECTORS
12. N/A. 13. Publication Title: Military & Aerospace
Electronics. 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: September lined approach to field-programmable gate array Rugged connector for cable
2018. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation:
(FPGA) boards, simplifying the design to reduce terminations and quick connects
Average No. No. copies of
copies each single issue power and cost, while still providing high-per- introduced by Mill-Max
issue during published
preceding nearest to formance FPGA resources. For more information Mill-Max Manufacturing Co. in Oyster Bay, N.Y.,
12 months: filing date:
a. Total number of copies 22,292 23,015 contact Pentek online at www.pentek.com. is introducing the 868-series rugged 4-milli-
b. Legitimate paid and/or requested distribution meter-pitch connector with wire termination
1. Outside county paid/requested 19,291 19,983
mail subscriptions stated spring-loaded and target connectors for mount-
on PS form 3541
2. In-county paid/requested mail 0 0 EMBEDDED COMPUTING ing into product housings for docking stations,
subscriptions stated on PS form 3541
3. Sales through dealers and 107 118 VPX boards for radar and electronic cable terminations, heavy-duty quick connects,
carriers, street vendors, counter
sales, and other paid or requested warfare introduced by Curtiss-Wright and panel mount equipment. The 868 connec-
distribution outside USPS®
4. Requested copies distributed 0 0 The Curtiss-Wright Corp. Defense Solutions divi- tors include solder-cups to accommodate wire
by other mail classes
through the USPS ® sion in Ashburn, Va., is introducing the rugged
c. Total paid and/or 19,398 20,101
requested circulation
VPX3-4924 and VPX6-4944 open-architecture
d. Non-requested distribution high performance embedded computing (HPEC)
1. Outside county nonrequested 1,217 1,221
copies stated on PS form 3541 processors for use in compute intensive intel-
2. In-county nonrequested copies 0 0
stated on PS form 3541 ligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)
3. Nonreqeusted copies distributed 0 0
through the USPS by other and electronic warfare (EW) systems. The NVIDIA
classes of mail
4. Nonrequested copies distributed 201 205 Tesla Pascal. (P6) 16-nanometer general-pur-
outside the mail
e. Total nonrequested distribution 1,418 1,426
pose graphics processing unit (GPGPU)-based
f. Total Distribution 20,816 21,527 OpenVPX modules are for sensor fusion or large
g. Copies not Distributed 1,476 1,488
h. Total 22,292 23,015 swath video mapping, that require teraFLOPs of and cable attachment along with flanged insu-
i. Percent paid and/or requested 93.19% 93.38%
circulation accelerated processing. With their on-device sup- lators and fastening options. They are for wire
16. Electronic Copy Circulation port for NVIDIA high-performance compute (HPC) termination, with uniformly aligned solder-cup
a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies 16,145 15,069
b. Total requested and paid print copies 35,543 35,170 mode, these high-performance embedded com- pins to facilitate efficient soldering of wires as
+ requested/paid electronic copies
c. Total requested copy distribution + 36,961 36,596
puting (HPEC) engines can ingest data generated thick as 16 AWG. The 868-22-00X-00-0X1101
requested/paid electronic copies by modern radar, SIGINT, and EO/IR sensors. spring-loaded connectors have heavy-duty
d. Percent paid and/or requested 96.16% 96.10%
circulation The VPX3-4924 module, a 3U OpenVPX spring pins with 0.05-inch-diameter plung-

✔
I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic and print)
are legitimate requests or paid copies. ers that resist bending and binding during the
17. Publication of Statement of Ownership: Will be printed application of side loads. The gold-plated stain-
in the November 2018 issue of this publication.
less-steel spring on the connector ensures reli-
18. Signature and title of Editor, Publisher, Business
Manager, or Owner: Traci Huntsman, Manager Corporate Assets able operation to 1 million cycles and is less
and Postal Compliance. Date: 10/01/2018.
prone to stress relaxation when operating at
I certify that all information furnished on this form is true
and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false high temperatures over time (to 260 degrees
or misleading information on this form or who omits material
or information requested on the form may be subject to Celsius for one hour, to 180 C for 24 hours).
criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or
civil sanctions (including civil penalties).
For more information contact Mill-Max online
at www.mill-max.com/PR688.
1811MAE_42 42 11/5/18 8:14 AM

RF AND MICROWAVE
Flexible RF and microwave waveguides for

antennas introduced by Pasternack
Pasternack Enterprises Inc. in Irvine, Calif., is introducing a line of twistable and
SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES
seamless flexible RF and microwave waveguides for DAS systems, base stations, Phone: 1-800-869-6882 / International Callers: +1 512-982-4277
antennas, and test instrumentation. The waveguides operate in the 5.85-to-50-GHz E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.mae-subscribe.com
frequency range and cover 10 frequency bands from WR-137 to WR-22. These flex-
ible waveguides have GROUP PUBLISHER Alan Bergstein
78 total models — 603 891-9447 ⁄ [email protected]

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF John Keller
39 seamless and 39 603 891-9117 ⁄ [email protected]
twistable. All models CONTRIBUTING EDITOR WESTERN BUREAU J. R. Wilson
702 434-3903 ⁄ [email protected]
operate in the same
ART DIRECTOR Meg Fuschetti
RF and microwave PRODUCTION MANAGER Sheila Ward
frequency range, are SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Chris Hipp
available in lengths of AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Debbie Bouley

6 to 36 inches and with
AD SERVICES MANAGER Glenda Van Duyne
UG-style square/round 918 831-9473 ⁄ [email protected]
MARKETING MANAGER Adrienne Adler
cover and CPR-style flanges. The twistable models can twist in different directions
using wound twist flex material. Interlocking brass enables it to slide on itself. These
flexible waveguides provide voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) as low as 1.05:1,
insertion loss as low as 0.15 decibels, and max power as high as 1.5 kilowatts. For www.pennwell.com
more information contact Pasternack online at www.pasternack.com.  EDITORIAL OFFICES
PennWell Corporation,
Military & Aerospace Electronics
61 Spit Brook Road, Suite 501, Nashua, NH 03060
603 891-0123 ⁄ www.milaero.com
A DV E R T I S E RS I N D E X SALES OFFICES
EASTERN US & EASTERN CANADA & UK
ADVERTISER PAGE Bob Collopy, Sales Manager
Acromag ..............................................................................................................29 603 891-9398 ⁄ Cell 603 233-7698
FAX 603 686-7580 ⁄ [email protected]
Cobham Semiconductor Solutions ..................................................................9
WESTERN CANADA & WEST OF MISSISSIPPI
Crystal Group Inc. ............................................................................................ C2 Jay Mendelson, Sales Manager
Dawn VME ..........................................................................................................17 4957 Chiles Drive, San Jose, CA 95136
ETM Electromatic..............................................................................................11
REPRINTS Jessica Stremmel
Evans Capacitor Company ..............................................................................19 717 505-9701 x2205 ⁄ [email protected]
Gemstar Manufacturing ..................................................................................10 DIRECTOR LIST RENTAL Kelli Berry
General Micro Systems ......................................................................................3
For assistance with marketing strategy or ad creation,
Holt Integrated Circuits ...................................................................................26 please contact PennWell Marketing Solutions
Master Bond Inc.................................................................................................23 Kaci Wheeler
Mercury Systems ..............................................................................................21
Microprecision/Wilbrecht Ledco....................................................................35 CORPORATE OFFICERS
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mark C. Wilmoth
Milpower Source................................................................................................13
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT
Pasternack Enterprises .................................................................. 5, 15, 25, C3 AND STRATEGY Jayne A. Gilsinger
Pentek ................................................................................................................. C4 CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, PENNWELL MEDIA Robert Brighouse
Phoenix International...................................................................................... 44
TECHNOLOGY GROUP
Pico Electronics Inc. ..........................................................................................31 SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/PUBLISHING DIRECTOR & CMO June Griffin
Radiall..................................................................................................................34
RGB Spectrum................................................................................................... 44
Southwest Microwave Inc. ................................................................................1
Systel Inc. ............................................................................................................28
VPT Inc. .................................................................................................................7
1811MAE_43 43 11/5/18 8:14 AM

PRODUCT & LITERATURE SHOWCASE
AS 9100D / ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
PHALANX II:
THE ULTIMATE NAS
Supports AES-256 and FIPS140-2 encryption
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for all the latest
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Small Form Factor (SSF) Network Attached Storage (NAS)
file server designed for manned and unmanned airborne,
Aerospace news.
undersea and ground mobile applications.
w w w . p h e n x i n t . c o m
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1811MAE_44 44 11/5/18 8:14 AM

Largest In-Stock Selection of
Waveguide
Components
All Available for
Same-Day Shipping
RF Solutions
From RF Engineers
Pasternack’s RF Engineering team has assembled the largest selection of in-stock and ready to ship waveguide
components covering RF, microwave and millimeter-wave bands up to 110 GHz. With 20 different waveguide categories
and over 500 designs including adapters, power ampliﬁers, detectors, bandpass ﬁlters, PIN diode switches, attenuators,
horn antennas and more, Pasternack has the waveguide components you are looking for. Whether it’s waveguide
products or any of the other 40,000 in-stock components we carry, our Application Engineers stand ready to deliver
solutions for all your RF project needs.
866.727.8376
visit pasternack.com today!
1811MAE_C3 3 11/5/18 8:12 AM

We didn’t break the mold.
We shattered it.
RFSoC Unparalleled Performance Unbelievably Fast Integration
The combination of Pentek’s new Quartz™

architecture, and the processing power packed
into the new Zynq® UltraScale+™ RFSoC FPGA,
smashes the boundaries of high-performance
embedded computing.
Pre-loaded with a host of IP modules, this OpenVPX
board is ready for out-of-the-box integration into
high-performance systems. Optical streaming
interfaces, a unique modular design and the
Navigator™ development platform means fast,
high-speed deployment.
• Powerful Zynq Ultrascale+ FPGA with built-in

wideband A/Ds, D/As & ARM processors
• Dual Optical 100 GigE interfaces for extreme
system connectivity
• Robust Factory-installed IP for DRFM,radar range
gate engine, waveform and chirp generation, real-time
data acquisition and more
• QuartzXM™ eXpress Module speeds migration to Model 5950
other form factors Eight-Channel A/D
& D/A RFSoC in
• Board Resources include PCIe Gen.3 x8 and 3U VPX Conduction
18 GB DDR4 SDRAM Cooled
Unleash the Power of the RFSoC.
• Navigator Design Suite BSP and FPGA design kit Download the FREE White Paper!
for seamless integration with Xilinx Vivado® https:/www.pentek.com/go/marfsoc
All this plus FREE lifetime applications support!
Pentek, Inc., One Park Way, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458

Phone: 201-818-5900 • Fax: 201-818-5904 • email: [email protected] • www.pentek.com
Worldwide Distribution & Support, Copyright © 2018 Pentek, Inc. Pentek, Quartz and Navigator are trademarks of Pentek, Inc. Other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
1811MAE_C4 4 11/5/18 8:12 AM

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NOVEMBER 2018

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Enhanced counter-UAV sensors

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