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New Post: Parrott to Help Develop Next-Gen Army Recon Drone - https://lnkd.in/eZCfpnSq U.S. Army Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Aviation’s Project Manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence to identify and prototype new drone capabilities with commercial companies that specialize in on-demand, “eye in the sky” technologies. In this process, the U.S. Army is partnering with the Pentagon’s internal startup accelerator to adapt small commercial drones for the battlefield. Parrot, the leading European drone group, is one of the 6 companies1 that have met the standards set in the solicitation issued in November 20182 to develop and prototype the next generation of small-unit surveillance drone. The […]

#Defense news we're reading today: Marines expect ‘big year’ for drone, ship and logistics testing C4ISRNet What's new: The Corps has been working with industry on medium and large tactical autonomous drones for aerial resupply and recently experimented with the autonomous low-profile vessel, a semi-submersible maritime drone. Why it matters: Part of Force Design 2030 concepts includes using multiple unmanned, cheap, disposable systems that won’t risk pricey platforms and human pilots. The approaches are part of the Corps’ larger effort to find ways to get supplies to troops across vast distances. The service will continue to use its legacy platforms but needs more maritime and aerial options for contested areas.

New-generation aerial drones developed by Australian companies will be showcased as part of an Australian Government initiative aimed at supporting innovation and delivering capabilities for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). A total of 11 companies have signed contracts to provide a prototype of a drone, known as an uncrewed aerial system (UAS), for demonstration in April along with a production plan detailing how they would rapidly deliver their drones at scale for potential use by Defence and the Commonwealth. Companies including AMSL Aero, Autonomous Technology, Bask Aerospace, Boresight, Crystalaid Manufacture, DefendTex Military Products, Edinburgh Drone Company, Geodrones Australia, Ichor Autonomy, SYPAQ Systems and V-TOL Aerospace have all signed on to develop a prototype UAS and production plan. The contracts, worth $1,210,000 in total, are part of Defence’s Sovereign UAS Challenge, run by the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA). Small UASs are versatile and cost-effective platforms that provide near-real-time situational awareness at lower altitudes than larger surveillance alternatives, in an expendable and general?purpose frame. Defence and other Commonwealth agencies use them for training, photography and survey tasks. In May 2023, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon Richard Marles MP and the Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Pat Conroy MP announced the establishment of the ASCA, delivering on the Government’s election commitment to drive innovation that creates new capability for the Australian Defence Force. #military #defense #defence #militaryleak https://lnkd.in/gYfwEpM8

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is seeking industry feedback for a “Swarm Carrier” uncrewed aircraft system capable of launching from a C-130 and deploying drones of it own, according to a new notice published Wednesday. AFSOC eventually plans to seek input on drones in sizes between Group 2 and Group 3, Pentagon parlance for small- to mid-size UAS. One drone would be a Group 2 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) drone, which could be internally carried and launched by the Group 3 “Swarm Carrier.” The Swarm Carrier itself should be capable of launching as a palletized effect from a C-130. And a separate Group 3 drone would be “signature managed” — denoting stealth qualities that could hide it from detection — and deployed from a Group 5 UAS, the largest drone class, to act as a command node for a swarm and relay data back from a contested or denied environment.

New Post: Parrott to Help Develop Next-Gen Army Recon Drone - https://lnkd.in/eZCfpnSq U.S. Army Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Aviation’s Project Manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence to identify and prototype new drone capabilities with commercial companies that specialize in on-demand, “eye in the sky” technologies. In this process, the U.S. Army is partnering with the Pentagon’s internal startup accelerator to adapt small commercial drones for the battlefield. Parrot, the leading European drone group, is one of the 6 companies1 that have met the standards set in the solicitation issued in November 20182 to develop and prototype the next generation of small-unit surveillance drone. The […]

New Post: Parrott to Help Develop Next-Gen Army Recon Drone - https://lnkd.in/eZCfpnSq U.S. Army Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Aviation’s Project Manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence to identify and prototype new drone capabilities with commercial companies that specialize in on-demand, “eye in the sky” technologies. In this process, the U.S. Army is partnering with the Pentagon’s internal startup accelerator to adapt small commercial drones for the battlefield. Parrot, the leading European drone group, is one of the 6 companies1 that have met the standards set in the solicitation issued in November 20182 to develop and prototype the next generation of small-unit surveillance drone. The […]

Contracts worth $1,210,000 in total have been awarded as part of Defence’s Sovereign UAS Challenge, run by the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA). Aerial drones developed by Australian companies will be showcased as part of an Australian Government initiative aimed at supporting innovation and delivering capabilities for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). A total of 11 companies have signed contracts to provide a prototype of a drone, known as an uncrewed aerial system (UAS), for demonstration in April along with a production plan detailing how they would rapidly deliver their drones at scale for potential use by Defence and the Commonwealth. The following companies have all signed on to develop a prototype UAS and production plan. • AMSL Aero, • Autonomous Technology, • Bask Aerospace, • Boresight Pty Ltd, • Crystalaid Manufacture, • DefendTex Military Products, • Edinburgh Drone Company, • Geodrones Australia , • Ichor Autonomy, • SYPAQ Systems, and • V-TOL Aerospace Small UASs are versatile and cost-effective platforms that provide near-real-time situational awareness at lower altitudes than larger surveillance alternatives, in an expendable and general‑purpose frame. Defence and other Commonwealth agencies use them for training, photography and survey tasks. “ASCA’s first Innovation Incubation Challenge will support some of our brightest minds in developing sovereign drone technology that can advance the future capabilities of the ADF." said Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy. ASCA are a supporting organisation of this year's Indian Ocean Defence & Security Conference & Exhibition. (Image: Defence. RAAF No. 2 Security Forces Squadron, conduct a post-flight inspection of the Sky Ranger R70 Unmanned Aerial System at RAAF Base Darwin in the Northern Territory.)

Autonomous swarm drones are the new face of global warfare (land, sea and air). Militaries around the world are scrambling to get their hands on effective, counter-drone systems that can defeat these UAS swarms. The most promising is high-power microwave (HPM) technologies that can not only down drones at very low per-shot cost, but can reduce the risk of collateral damage by not intercepting the drones kinetically. HPM has the added advantage of distributing a large area of effect that can knock down several drones at once, which will be essential as the scale of attacks increases and more "bad actors" field ever-increasing deadly drone swarms.

UAS “Motherships” (Group 3) aka “Swarm Carriers” of ALEs meets Rapid Dragon, Gremlins & HMT all from a C-130J! This supports that Group 3 “sweet spot” Sensor to Effector (S2E) “mothership” of Group 3 carrying Group 1 & 2 ALEs concept & supports the RAPID DRAGON concept of large transports launching UAS with sensors & long range precision strike effects. This combination applies 4 airborne effects concepts actually into a brilliant HMT Force Multiplier using Tech all in existence and proven, albeit all “stacked” together for optimal effects. 1. Human Machine Teaming + 2. Rapid Dragon + 3. UAS “motherships” aka Swarm Carrier (Group 3 + Group 1 &2) + 4. Gremlins style UAS/ALE Recovery. C-130J or C-17 offboards Group 3 carrying Group 1 &2 UAS (ALEs) with ISR&T + EW penetrates covertly deep into A2AD and conducts Detect | Locate | ID | Report (DLIR) and reports back thru the Group 3 “Motherships” (Swarm Carriers). The data gets relayed back to the C130J (where all UAS Operations are run from) standing off in safer airspace from A2AD threats. The great thing about the J is that Operators could conduct para insertion missions after the ALEs most forward confirm all threats to the jumpers. The standoff strike from Group 3 teaming with Group 1 & 2 ALEs could “soften” the threats, close to neutralization or add diversions to help protect the jumpers. Once targets discovered by the most forward offboarded ALEs with the ISR&T (Laser T Designators) and EW sensors, the UAS Motherships launch the Loitering Munitions and other longer range PGMs onto Ts that the ALEs designate. Some LMs are EO guided and do not require the designation. If these Group 3 Motherships (Swarm Carriers) are Fixed Wing + VTOL, as well as the ALEs, then ALL can be launched off back ramp of the J & landed post missions in an area safer for collection or be retrieved via the “Gremlins” re-connect process with the C-130J tail boom method just adjusted to connect to avoid the rotors turned into props for fastest speed post missions into en territory. The J could reduce speed for collecting the UAS to 100 (slowest possible speed) knots in that short period to collect all UAS, essentially creating a Supreme HMT “Hive” as all the data is collected & fused into ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE from all UAS to this crewed fleet and it collects the offboarded “swarm” of UAS/ALEs as well. This would be ideal as no UAS on ground putting soldiers at risk of collecting them in A2AD.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has highlighted the strategic importance of drones in modern combat, and U.S. company AeroVironment has emerged as a key player in this new era of unmanned warfare. The company’s compact drones, such as the Puma electric surveillance aircraft, have been deployed extensively in Ukraine, with 1,300 units delivered at a cost of $318 million. These drones are equipped with advanced computer vision, enabling them to navigate autonomously by matching visual landmarks to internal maps and zero in on targets like tanks or rocket launchers. This capability is particularly valuable in contested environments where GPS and communication signals are often disrupted by Russian jamming. AeroVironment’s drone technology has garnered significant interest from investors and the Pentagon, with both parties seeing the potential for scalable production of lethal, portable drones. The company’s compact drone systems, which can fit in a backpack, allow for easy deployment and rapid adaptability on the battlefield, making them ideal for the highly dynamic nature of the conflict in Ukraine. This versatility and proven effectiveness in combat have positioned AeroVironment to capitalize on the growing demand for unmanned systems in military operations. Wahid Nawabi, CEO of AeroVironment, has led the company’s push to adapt its drone technology to meet the needs of the Ukrainian military. The drones’ autonomous navigation capabilities, coupled with their resistance to electronic warfare, represent a significant advancement in drone technology. By integrating features like computer vision and internal mapping, AeroVironment has been able to overcome the limitations of traditional GPS-based navigation systems, which are vulnerable to jamming. This has allowed Ukrainian forces to maintain a tactical edge against Russian military assets despite the challenging electronic warfare conditions. The implication is that AeroVironment is poised for continued growth as the demand for advanced drone systems rises, not just for the Ukraine conflict but for broader military applications. The company’s ability to deliver effective solutions at scale could make it a dominant player in the drone warfare market, reshaping the landscape of modern military technology and setting new standards for the use of unmanned systems in combat.