FCS changes

Future Combat Systems (FCS) has come under a lot of examination and editorializing recently. In response the Army has indicated the program will be taking a new direction, or rather, moving program emphasis around.

The Army has announced that it will accelerate the delivery of FCS capabilities to infantry brigade combat teams (IBCTs). These technologies will include "Unattended Ground Sensors, the Non Line of Sight-Launch System and network kits for the HMMWV platform. Additionally, the Class I Block 0 Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) and the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV)".

More details here.

Source: U.S. Army

SAIC Awarded $47 Million to Support Distributed Common Ground System - Army

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has announced it has been awarded a subcontract by Sensor Technologies, Inc. to provide advanced analytical and technical support on a task order for the Distributed Common Ground System - Army (DCGS-A). The task order, awarded under the Army's Strategic Services Sourcing (S3) contract, has a two-year period of performance. SAIC's subcontract has a value of more than $47 million.

DCGS-A provides the U.S. Army with fully integrated and timely intelligence on the battlefield. SAIC will continue to support current DCGS-A system users while integrating new tactics, techniques and procedures and processes to help improve customer capabilities. Throughout the task order, SAIC will provide embedded mentor services to Army and DoD forces around the globe.

SAIC has previously provided system development and analytical support for the Army under a different contract vehicle.

Source: SAIC

Thales opens EW lab in Leicester

Thales UK today announces the opening of its new Joint Electronic Warfare Experimentation Laboratory (JEWEL). The JEWEL laboratory combines a fully operational Electronic Warfare Operation Centre (EWOC) to provide a complete simulation of land electronic warfare (EW) scenarios, support tools and mission planning and reporting.

Its ability to simultaneously simulate up to nine sensors, including two live sensors, allows Thales to demonstrate the capability and flexibility of sensor remote control. This will enable customers to carry out training and operational modelling of the battlespace under realistic conditions.

"The JEWEL is an extremely powerful tool and a breakthrough in our research, development and testing capability," says Richard Deakin, Managing Director of Thales' aerospace business in the UK. "It allows us to work hand in hand with our customers to model, test and refine their land EW operational requirements, thereby leading to refined solutions that save development time and - crucially - reduce costs."

The laboratory adds to Thales' impressive EW capability. In the UK alone more than 400 people are dedicated to the research, development and delivery of Thales' integrated EW systems.

Long-term plans include the ability to link the JEWEL with Thales' existing Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition And Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Theatre in Crawley to conduct even more extensive modelling and simulation exercises.

Source: Press Release

Empire Challenge challenge

Exercise Empire Challenge (EC) is always one of the most interesting events of the year. It's joint, multinational, multidisciplinary, and high tech. These are some of our favourite things. The bottom line, however, is its' focus. How can new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies help or hinder the commander?

Empire Challenge will be hosted again this July by the United States Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA). All the big "players" will be there from different Forces, Branches, nations, and industry. Each will be showing off their own developments. Each will be trying to demonstrate how they can be part of the commander's solution. It's a fascinating process.

Historically one of a commander's most important tools is the map. He wants the best possible terrain information coupled with the most up-to-date intelligence. The bridge over the river is in place. It can support five tons. That's good to know. In this day of joint operations additional knowledge coming from an allied force's UAV, for example, could be invaluable. At 0900 hrs dismounted Red forces were detected five kilometres away moving toward the bridge on the south shore.

There have always been impediments to sharing information even between allies. The first is a culture of secrecy and that is, perhaps, a topic for another time. However, where some level of trust has been established incompatible technologies have often stood between commanders and the latest ISR.

The major GIS companies all make excellent products but in their ideal world you use their kit and their kit only. So imagine your nation uses only one company's GIS software (not that this happens). What does the UK, Germany, or The Netherlands use? Can they communicate with each other and you? Bottom line thinking these days is that you own your data - not the supplier. You use their software to manipulate and display it as you want. Change is in the wind.

Of course an effort like this requires standards and "buy in". Fortunately there is already a group dedicated to this. "The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is a non-profit, international, (and) voluntary consensus standards organization that is leading the development of standards for geospatial and location based services." The OGC 's presence has begun to be felt in a variety of industries. There's no reason this can't happen in a military environment with the ultimate winner being that commander somewhere trying to make the best decision. To this end the OGC is soliciting potential Empire Challenge participants.

"The EC08 OGC Pilot will examine the suitability and performance of OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) and OGC Web Services (OWS) standards for providing open management of and access to sensors of varied types and Web service access by analysts to the resulting data and products. Several use cases and supporting workflows are provided to enable understanding of the design of the pilot. The use cases involve both sensor management and exploitation by a targeting analyst."

Sources: As cited