UK Defence Forum

SW1 wrote:Personally I would like to see us getting involved with the Northrop Grumman Offering.

Why is that? I am curious.

Boeing Australia conducts engine start for Airpower Teaming System
By Greg Waldron14 September 2020, FlightGlobal

Boeing Australia has conducted the first engine run for its developmental Airpower Teaming System (ATS) unmanned ‘loyal wingman’ aircraft.

The work is part of ground testing pending preparations of the unmanned system’s first flight, says the company.

Boeing has yet to reveal the specific engine that powers the ATS vehicle, referring to it only as a “commercial turbofan engine”.

“This engine run gets us closer toward flying the first aircraft later this year and was successful thanks to the collaboration and dedication of our team,” says Shane Arnott, ATS programme director.

“We’ve been able to select a very light, off-the-shelf jet engine for the unmanned system as a result of the advanced manufacturing technologies applied to the aircraft.”

The ATS is being developed in partnership with the Australian government. Though initially designed with the Royal Australian Air Force in mind, Boeing describes ATS as an “artificial intelligence [AI]-powered teaming aircraft developed for the global defence market”.

The main surprise of the 2019 Avalon Airshow near Melbourne was Boeing’s public launch of the ATS project.

In addition to building the ATS vehicle, Boeing Australia has conducted extensive experimentation work locally that incorporates AI into small unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).

On 9 September, it announced that it had conducted successful experiments in which UAVs equipped with AI have been able to detect and act upon simulated targets.

Earlier work involved flight tests where three unmanned aircraft performed missions autonomously. This focused on testing mission system software for high performance unmanned jets.

From Janes article about the same event...

Looks good, would be interesting to see a aircraft next to it for a size comparison,

Quite impressive so far. Not hearing much about Bae involvement, and we know that they are working on it with information being fed back to the UK.

There’s more than Boeing doing the rounds

SW1 wrote:There’s more than Boeing doing the rounds

Yeah but the Aussie Boeing will be flying by the end of the year and they'll be cheap enough even the FAA can afford a few

Engine run turn up your sound...

Good spot from someone...RM's showing off a U-Vision Hero loitering munition. Presumably being trialled. Can't imagine they're too happy at it being advertised as, like Exactor, it's an Israeli system.

Looks like a Hero 30 (or possibly the 70)

https://uvisionuav.com/products/#category_id_21

Not seen this picture of a Protector (Sea Gaurdian) conducting ASW ops before posted by Air Marshall Andrew Turner on Twitter. Good complementary capability to the P8.

As I said, half of the will be given to the Navy (the other half to be armed and turned around by contractors)
... and just like with Predators, the last batch kept in a garage (for 'just in case')

So no need by the RAF to touch them at all
- and a wasted investment, when alternative systems in service, left, right and centre, are being culled

Timmymagic wrote:Good spot from someone...RM's showing off a U-Vision Hero loitering munition. Presumably being trialled. Can't imagine they're too happy at it being advertised as, like Exactor, it's an Israeli system.

Looks like a Hero 30 (or possibly the 70)

Timmymagic wrote:Good spot from someone...RM's showing off a U-Vision Hero loitering munition. Presumably being trialled. Can't imagine they're too happy at it being advertised as, like Exactor, it's an Israeli system.

Looks like a Hero 30 (or possibly the 70)

Hopefully if we're trialling Loitering munitions we'll be giving the US Switchblades a look, including this much larger version...55kg weight, warhead derived from Javelin. Thats a serious capability...anti-radiation capability being developed as well. If this can return to base safely if no target is selected it could be worth a look..

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news ... ile-system

Should have posted this here

viewtopic.php?f=41&t=1078

Timmymagic wrote:

Timmymagic wrote:Good spot from someone...RM's showing off a U-Vision Hero loitering munition. Presumably being trialled. Can't imagine they're too happy at it being advertised as, like Exactor, it's an Israeli system.

Looks like a Hero 30 (or possibly the 70)

Timmymagic wrote:Good spot from someone...RM's showing off a U-Vision Hero loitering munition. Presumably being trialled. Can't imagine they're too happy at it being advertised as, like Exactor, it's an Israeli system.

Looks like a Hero 30 (or possibly the 70)

Hopefully if we're trialling Loitering munitions we'll be giving the US Switchblades a look, including this much larger version...55kg weight, warhead derived from Javelin. Thats a serious capability...anti-radiation capability being developed as well. If this can return to base safely if no target is selected it could be worth a look..

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news ... ile-system

Timmymagic wrote:

Timmymagic wrote:Good spot from someone...RM's showing off a U-Vision Hero loitering munition. Presumably being trialled. Can't imagine they're too happy at it being advertised as, like Exactor, it's an Israeli system.

Looks like a Hero 30 (or possibly the 70)

Timmymagic wrote:Good spot from someone...RM's showing off a U-Vision Hero loitering munition. Presumably being trialled. Can't imagine they're too happy at it being advertised as, like Exactor, it's an Israeli system.

Looks like a Hero 30 (or possibly the 70)

Hopefully if we're trialling Loitering munitions we'll be giving the US Switchblades a look, including this much larger version...55kg weight, warhead derived from Javelin. Thats a serious capability...anti-radiation capability being developed as well. If this can return to base safely if no target is selected it could be worth a look..

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news ... ile-system

The Royal Artillery already has MBDA's Fire Shadow loitering (100km range, 6 hours loiter) available. Once it was ready for deployment in 2014(?) everything went quiet?

Old RN wrote:The Royal Artillery already has MBDA's Fire Shadow loitering (100km range, 6 hours loiter) available. Once it was ready for deployment in 2014(?) everything went quiet?

Got cancelled....technically was in service, typical really all the hard work done...
One thing it didn't have was the ability to return 'unused'. Wouldn't be that hard to modify it to do that however, parachute return or slow speed stall at the last second with airbags.

I often wonder if with the recent flare up in the Caucasus if someone in the RA is not picking up the phone to MBDA and asking where all the kit is....and about the plans to add the Fury to Watchkeeper...

Timmymagic wrote:with the recent flare up in the Caucasus

There is a chance of a glaring capability gap in the OpFor's 'armoury' being exploited to the max, but the same (types of) drones actually took out also Syrian air defences (in that country), which is more telling as to how the threats have changed.

New Update from BAE on Phasa 35. This was a soak test. Not flight. It's worth noting that although Phasa 35 has really progressed rapidly, its still a long, long way behind Zephyr.

Nothing heard on Zephyr recently (although thats not unusual in itself)..

Timmymagic wrote:This was a soak teat.

Say what?

PS is this the one that keeps crashing in Australia?

Ron5 wrote:Say what?

PS is this the one that keeps crashing in Australia?

Yep...I've edited that...

No, thats Zephyr. 1 hard landing and 1 crash. Both appear to have been 'learning opportunities'...I do wonder, given that they both happened following the transfer to a new location, is there was a change of personnel when they did that, from the original test team to a more 'operational' team. They managed all of the trials over a couple of years without issue. Although it may have just been the inevitable problems that happen when you try and extend the envelope. It is very, very quiet around it though. Nothing from the MoD.

There may be reasons for that

Related?

Prior Information Notice on C-UAS

https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTIC ... HTML&src=0

II.4)
Short description of nature and scope of works or nature and quantity or value of supplies or services:
The misuse of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) represents a significant and growing risk to operations and day-to-day Defence activity both in the UK and overseas.
The Rapid Innovation Cell (RIC), endorsed by the Military Capability Board, has been established as part of the UAS Capability Development Centre (UASCDC) to test and evaluate (T&E) mature C-sUAS capabilities and generate a managed Defence database of available capabilities. Through a regular programme of T&E events, the RIC will establish the efficacy of commercially available capabilities. It will also increase broader awareness of the C-sUAS market and support a more agile method of delivering capability to the front line.
To prevent capability gaps and ensure interoperability, it is intended that Defence C-sUAS systems will use the ‘SAPIENT’ open architecture. This will also ensure that our systems can evolve at the component level enabling the spiral development of capability.
RIC Test Cycle #2
The RIC has established a series of Test Cycles. Each Test Cycle will focus on a particular subset of C-sUAS systems. Test Cycles are scheduled for every 6 months, nominally in the spring and autumn of each year.
Suppliers of mature C-sUAS Cyber Effector products are invited to apply to have their product’s performance assessed by the RIC. To apply you must complete an online questionnaire for your product. The product questionnaire will be available from 11 a.m. Monday 14 December, 2020, and responses must be fully completed and submitted by 11 a.m. Monday 25 January, 2021. Please complete a separate product questionnaire for each product that you wish to put forward for assessment.
Test Cycle #2, will focus on mature C-sUAS Cyber Effectors. Your product must have an interface that conforms to the UK MoD C-sUAS ICD, version 1.1 available on the UK C-sUAS Defence Portal.
Your product must be capable of conducting cyber effects against one or more drone protocols. It must not apply a jamming waveform or any other effect type but will provide alternative ways to manipulate, disrupt, deny, degrade, or destruct Unmanned Air Systems (UAS), inhibiting them from completing their mission by accessing their controllers, computers, information or communications systems, networks, or any other UAS resident information remotely.

BlueD954 wrote:Prior Information Notice on C-UAS

Expect we will be hearing more about these systems in the future, as they will be needed to protect our troops and bases.

https://www.dailysabah.com/business/def ... r-guardian

UK to buy Turkish Drones to complement Protector?!

BlueD954 wrote:https://www.dailysabah.com/business/def ... r-guardian

UK to buy Turkish Drones to complement Protector?!

The uk will be designing and manufacturing its own “drones” to compliment a range of aircraft

SW1 wrote: The uk will be designing and manufacturing its own “drones” to compliment a range of aircraft

I wonder how much our (now cancelled) loitering 'munition' was to cost? Cfr.
"The Guardian also touched upon the Bayraktar TB2 drones’ affordability, saying that each one of them costs between $1 million to $2 million while other drones previously procured by the British military cost around $20 million each."

ArmChairCivvy wrote:

SW1 wrote: The uk will be designing and manufacturing its own “drones” to compliment a range of aircraft

I wonder how much our (now cancelled) loitering 'munition' was to cost? Cfr.
"The Guardian also touched upon the Bayraktar TB2 drones’ affordability, saying that each one of them costs between $1 million to $2 million while other drones previously procured by the British military cost around $20 million each."

Fire shadow is in a long list of programs we were ahead of the curve on and gave it away.

Which is what the light weight novel combat aircraft is intending to address