Defense Science News

The U.K. Royal Navy recently trialed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies at sea to counter supersonic missile threats.The operational experiment was carried out on the Type 45 Destroyer (HMS Dragon) and Type 23 Frigate (HMS Lancaster), using the AI applications Startle and Sycoiea as part of Exercise Formidable Shield, which wrapped up on Thursday off the coast of Scotland.As part of the Above Water Systems program, led by Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) scientists…

The British Royal Navy has taken delivery of a new autonomous vessel as the service examines the use of cutting-edge unmanned craft across a range of military operations including surveillance and force protection. The new vessel, named Madfox (short for maritime demonstrator for operational experimentation), was officially handed over to the Navy's experimentation innovator NavyX, who is working toward preparing the uncrewed surface vessel (USV) for a demanding year of testing at sea."With Madfox now directly in the hands of NavyX…

L3Harris Technologies delivered a new class of Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) with advanced capabilities to serve the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy.The Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST) 13 is a 13-meter (41-ft.) long high-speed system capable of fully autonomous navigation. The ASV uses L3Harris’ ASView proprietary autonomous control system and advanced algorithms developed for the U.K.’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).Designed, built and commissioned by L3Harris’ Unmanned Maritime Systems team based on the south coast of the UK…

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has launched at the Kiel shipyard the the largest ever built in Germany submarine. Named Invincible, the submarine will be part of the ongoing submarine program in the Republic of Singapore.Prof. Ivy Ng, wife of Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defense of the Republic of Singapore, named the boat in the presence of high-level representatives from the Singapore government and Navy, as well as high-ranking German officials.In addition to representatives from Thyssenkrupp, there were also representatives from suppliers in attendance for the ceremony. After construction and outfitting is completed, Invincible will undergo intensive testing before being handed over in 2021.Dr.

L3 ASV announced the completion of a series of demonstrations at the Australian Defense Showcase, Autonomous Warrior 18.In support of the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), L3 ASV operated a 9-m vessel outfitted with autonomous navigation capability for reconnaissance, interdiction and patrol tasks.The vessel, dubbed MAST-9, operated in fully autonomous mode, including COLREG aware collision avoidance, navigating the waterways at speeds of up to 40 knots, for over 80 hours, across the two-week event.

Cohort plc companies MASS and SEA have been selected to form part of a new UK Ministry of Defense maritime research and development program being managed by defense technology company QinetiQ. QinetiQ has been awarded a contract by the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to manage the Progeny Maritime Research Framework contract to enhance the effect of technology in the maritime defense environment. Under the contract, QinetiQ will build and manage a community of interest who will contribute ideas to maximise the impact of science and technology for UK maritime defense.

Thales is set to play a key role in a major U.K. Royal Navy exercise later this year to understand how unmanned systems might add real innovative operational capability in a military maritime environment. Exercise Unmanned Warrior will bring together the Royal Navy and 40 organizations from defense, industry and academia in October, representing the largest exercise of its kind. More than 50 vehicles, sensors and systems from across defense and industry will be deployed the Ministry of Defense exercise centered around the U.K. coast of Scotland and West Wales.

Shipping companies are being sought to assist the ‘VoyagOR’ project, which aims use route optimization systems to make shipping operations more cost-effective. The VoyagOR project team is keen to engage with businesses that stand to benefit from improved route Optimization. A better understanding of such companies will help the project develop VoyagOR to best meet user requirements. VoyagOR utilizes a cloud-based voyage optimization system to provide a support tool to achieve fuel and emissions savings on short sea routes as well as improved scheduling.

The final phase of a competition to develop novel adaptive autonomous ocean sampling network (AAOSN) management systems for the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is now underway. Two UK consortia will move forward to develop systems capable of coordinating a suite of marine autonomous vehicles gathering data from the ocean over periods of months, and tracking and sampling dynamic features. The two-phase competition was launched last September by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in partnership with the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and Innovate UK…

A milestone has been achieved in the Anti-Ship Missile Defense (ASMD) Upgrade Program with HMAS Arunta setting sail for her sea acceptance trials this week. Chief Executive Officer, Defense Materiel Organization (DMO) Warren King and the Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, AO, CSC, RAN, together congratulated all those involved in the program. King said the ASMD Project will deliver a capability providing an improved level of self defense against modern anti-ship missiles for the Royal Australian Navy’s ANZAC Class frigates.

The Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) and Lockheed Martin Australia have signed a new strategic alliance to collaborate on a range of technologies for strengthening defense and national security. The agreement was signed for DSTO by the Chief Defence Scientist Dr. Alex Zelinsky and for Lockheed Martin Australia by Chief Executive Raydon Gates. “This ten year agreement with Lockheed Martin Australia reaffirms DSTO’s commitment to enter into long term partnerships with industry for enhancing Australia’s current and future defense capability,” Dr. Zelinsky said.

The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, has announced that the Navy will progressively change the color of its surface fleet to meet modern war-fighting and regional environmental conditions. While not normally apparent to the bystander, the recent International Fleet Review with 17 international ships visibly demonstrated that color schemes do vary significantly between nations. These are mainly due to the regional environmental conditions faced by national navies such as the percentage of cloud cover or sunlight.

The Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program conducted its first Capability Demonstration, Jan. 14-27. The initial demonstration was hosted for the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) off the Virginia coast near the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va. The Capability Demonstration provided NECC Sailors an opportunity to observe new technologies developed by industry in a realistic military maritime environment. The program also provided the 15 participating industry partners an opportunity to receive immediate end-user feedback toward increasing technology readiness levels. “Warfighting needs are rapidly changing…

The Stiletto Maritime Demonstration Program has conducted its first capability demonstration for the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC). The Stiletto is a unique, maritime demonstration craft developed by the Defense Department to test littoral warfare concepts. Engineers and technicians with specialized expertise in maritime technology from Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock's Norfolk detachment maintain and operate the 88-foot-long, composite-bodied, m-shaped vessel.

VideoRay has been awarded a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in conjunction with its recent General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule award. The agreement expires in September, 2010, and involved a VideoRay Port Security configuration that has been deployed in nine Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) locations over the last two years. The BPA allows for advantageous pricing based on the quantity of units purchased. With the BPA the USCG placed its first task order, which involves the remaining MSST units and the first Port Security Unit (PSU) deployment. The task order includes training and maintenance services with each system, and at the completion of this task order all MSST units will be equipped with VideoRay systems.

NEW YORK – J.F. Lehman & Company, a leading middle-market private equity firm focused on the defense, aerospace and maritime sectors, is pleased to announce the addition of the Honorable Michael J. Bayer, General John D.W. Corley, USAF (Ret.) and Mr. Dean M. Flatt to its Operating Executive Board ("OEB"). The OEB is a group of seasoned industry and government executives who have significant experience in the firm's target industries. Through key relationships and sector-specific knowledge…

Stratos Global Corporation announced that Sir Robert Walmsley and Mr. Michael Bayer were elected as new members of the Corporation's Board of Directors at its annual general meeting held May 11, 2006. Sir Robert Walmsley was Chief of Defence Procurement at the UK Ministry of Defense ("MoD") from 1996 until his retirement from public service in 2003. Prior to his MoD appointment, Sir Robert was a career officer in the Royal Navy, where he rose to the rank of Vice Admiral in 1994 and served for two years as Controller of the Navy. Sir Robert is also currently on the Board of Directors of British Energy Group plc., Cohort plc, EDO Corporation and General Dynamics Corporation.

8 Minutes ... Pause for eight minutes, and experience how long it feels. Now imagine that same eight minutes spent pinned down by someone trying to kill you. The next-generation of aircraft carrier must fulfill old and new roles alike. The question now: what will it look like, and how much will it cost? Strategic air superiority is invaluable in every single future war scenario, crucial to hitting land-based targets and field troop support. Army planners reckon that eight minutes is the maximum amount of time from initial target call to weapons on target. As the U.S. Navy literally reinvents itself over the next decade, questions turn to the role of the premier symbol of U.S.

The Honorable Gordon R. England, right, receives the oath of office during a short swearing in ceremony as the 73rd Secretary of the Navy. Administering the oath is Mr. John H. La Raia, Assistant for Administration to the Under Secretary of the Navy. Secretary England becomes only the second person in history to serve twice as the leader of the Navy Marine Corps Team and the first to serve in back to back terms. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Journalist Craig P. Strawser. England becomes…

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defense, Senator the Hon. Sandy Macdonald, recently unveiled a new class of highly advanced sea mine sweeping technology being developed by Australia's Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO). During a visit to DSTO Sydney, Senator Macdonald witnessed a demonstration of the new technology. The new system is based around high temperature superconducting magnet technology and represents a leap forward in magnetic mine sweeping. Australia is believed to be the only country in the world currently investigating the application of high temperature superconductors to sea mine warfare. Minesweepers are vital for keeping sea-lanes safe for naval and commercial shipping. Australia is already a leading exporter of mine sweeping equipment.

Austal and Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) today signed a five-year Industry Alliance that will strengthen Australia's maritime defenses. The purpose of this Alliance is to formalize and strengthen links between DSTO's maritime research and development activities and Austal's expertise in high speed vessel design, construction and systems integration. Through this alliance DSTO will gain a greater understanding of the long term performance and cost of ownership of high speed aluminum vessels, which will also assist it to provide whole-of-life support for the Australian Navy's Armidale Class patrol boats, and strengthen our maritime defenses.