Naval News’ Post

Congratulations to Thales and NAVAL GROUP on this significant achievement! This contract marks a pivotal step in advancing autonomous underwater vehicle technology. 🌊🔊 We believe that it is essential to approach the development of such sophisticated technology with incremental steps, embodying the principles of the lean and innovators' method. Drawing inspiration from trailblazers like Anduril and other modern defense startups, here are some thoughts on how to optimize this journey: User-Centric Design: Keep the end-users— mainly naval operators—in focus throughout the development process. Incorporate their feedback and insights to ensure the system meets operational needs and enhances mission effectiveness. Iterative Development: Start with a minimum viable product (MVP) and continuously improve based on real-world feedback. This approach allows for rapid adaptation and refinement, ensuring the final product is both robust and cutting-edge. Agile Processes: Implement agile methodologies to maintain flexibility and responsiveness throughout the project. This ensures that teams can quickly pivot in response to new challenges and opportunities, fostering innovation and efficiency. Collaborative Innovation: Foster a culture of collaboration between cross-functional teams. By leveraging diverse expertise and perspectives, we can drive groundbreaking advancements and overcome complex challenges more effectively. Data-Driven Decisions: Utilize data analytics and AI to inform decision-making processes. By continuously monitoring performance metrics and analyzing data, we can identify areas for improvement and optimize the sonar system’s capabilities. This contract not only propels Thales and NAVAL GROUP into the forefront of maritime innovation but also sets a new standard for the defense industry. Here's to pushing the boundaries of technology and strengthening our underwater defense capabilities! 🚢🔬⚓ #Innovation #DefenseTech #AutonomousVehicles #LeanMethodology #Agile #Thales #NAVALGROUP #UnderwaterTechnology #TechForGood

Underwater Drones: Shaping Future Naval Conflicts Advanced underwater drones are set to play a critical role in potential future conflicts, particularly in strategic regions like the Taiwan Strait.

EX2 HEADLINES - www.ex2.com.au  ·      Defence selects 11 Australian drone manufacturers for ADF demonstration ·      Exail partners with Aurizn to enhance RAN robotics capabilities ·      ELA completes Arnhem Space Centre HIF’s engineering design In Other News: ·      France orders XL-UUV demonstrator from Naval Group ·      LeoLabs wins TraCSS Pathfinder contract ·      Airbus purchases Eutelsat OneWeb’s share in satellite manufacturing ·      EOS sells Slinger counter-drone system to Diehl Defence ·      Five companies to build Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) for USAF ·      Australia and Japan sign undersea warfare research agreement ·      Defence Innovation Partnership awards $900K for six defence research projects ·      UK trials DragonFire laser-based DE weapon successfully ·      BAE Systems test C-UAS prototype in live-fire demonstration ·      General Atomics wins SDA contract to demonstrate optical communications terminals ·      RN Sea Viper upgrade to take on ballistic anti-ship threats ·      Thales Australia welcomes government commitment to long range strike ·      US Army to sole-source acquisition of 6,700 Coyote counter-UAS systems ·      IN DETAIL: Tier 1 options for the RAN’s surface combatant fleet ·      US Navy USV returns to base after 46,000nm Pacific trip ·      Raytheon completes technical review for US Navy’s HALO missile ·      Lockheed Martin to manufacture guided weapons in Australia ·      KBR provides Triton mission support for RAAF ·      Airbus Helicopters to acquire US UAV firm Aerovel ·      Aurora building full-scale active-flow control X-plane ·      US Government approves Tomahawk WSSSU sale to Australia Read these stories and more at EX2 - https://lnkd.in/gPatJwzE Innovation is all about new technologies and techniques that solve wicked problems; it’s about the R&D and innovation processes that develop these new technologies and techniques; it’s about the linkages, collaborations and inspiration that make them possible. It’s called thinking outside the square That’s what EX2 is all about.

Did you know that in October 2017 Insitu Pacific and the Royal Australian Navy completed Navys first Crewed - Uncrewed teaming event from HMAS NEWCASTLE. The ScanEagle UAS was fully integrated into the ship’s combat system which enabled live streaming of data and information to the operations room for immediate analysis and exploitation. Due to the longer endurance of the ScanEagle, and a need to ensure simultaneous operations with crewed aircraft from a single flight deck vessel, ScanEagle was the “First to launch and Last to recover each day” without numerous recoveries to permit fuelling and replenishment seen with other UAS systems each day. During the teaming sortie, the #ScanEagle was operating an imaging payload as well as an airborne persistent wide-area maritime search payload to automatically detect surface contacts, increasing operator situational awareness and search capacity. “The cooperative employment of both aviation platforms allows Newcastle to effectively conduct wide-area search and persistent surveillance by employing the appropriate asset,” stated the ship’s commanding officer. Read more below: https://lnkd.in/gawivHhN #Trusted #Proven #Ready #ExpeditionaryRedefined #EnduranceMatters

Witness the remarkable moment as the Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) soars into the skies, propelled by its booster rocket engine on a rocket sled. A product of the United States Air Force's innovative Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator (LCASD) initiative, the XQ-58 showcases its versatility by achieving takeoffs from both land and sea using a rocket engine. Once it reaches a specific altitude, it seamlessly transitions to its own engine. Engineered to function as a steadfast wingman, the UCAV operates under the guidance of a parent aircraft, excelling in diverse missions such as reconnaissance, defensive maneuvers, and absorbing enemy attacks. Weighing approximately 1.1 tons and capable of reaching altitudes of up to 45,000 feet, this UCAV is equipped with a turbofan engine, embodying cutting-edge design and technology.

Two times in the past month I have had conversations about unmanned vehicle (drone) warfare with military concepts teams (Navy and Joint). In both meetings, the impact of drones on future combat were ridiculed, due to their limited range, small payload, etc. It reminded me of the development of air warfare. The top left picture shows a Fokker D.VII, widely considered the best aircraft of WWI. It flew 117 mph and had a range of 165 miles. Many military planners mocked the thought that the airplane would be a crucial part of future war. The Ju-87 "Stuka" (top right) was put in use just 18 years after the end of WWI. It wasn't the improved performance that surprised everyone. It was the tight integration of combined arms firepower, which reestablished maneuver warfare, that shocked the world. Five years later, a still sleeping France would be overrun in days. And just another five years later, the world would be shocked again when a B-29 (bottom left) would fly 1,500 miles at 30,000 feet and destroy an entire city with a single bomb. Most people in 1918 could not envision the airplane's impact in 1936 and 1945. And I would wager no one foresaw the awesome combat power of today's airplanes like the B-2 Spirit (bottom right). This is why we should not mock drone warfare. We are looking at version 1, modification 0 of what a drone can do. We need to look past these early drone shortcomings and try to envision what they will look like in 5, 10, or 50 years from now. We cannot afford to learn the lesson the hard way.

A really interesting post from Mike with some data from the Covert Shores team. Single use AUVs. Smart, persistent (loitering?) underwater drones with torpedo level performance. A new weapons class entering service with all the bad guys (and not entering service quickly enough with western militaries). What is the DS solution to defend against this kind of thing ? Do you attack the system itself ? Do you attack it’s launch platform ? It’s like defending against torpedos with out the submarine to focus on. Is that an anti-submarine task ? Is that a mine sweeper task ? Is a whole new maritime counter technology required ?

Ai halves the time needed to identify hard-to-find mines for the US Navy. The U.S. Navy uses AI-equipped underwater drones to scan for threats, including mines and submarines. Autonomous drones can navigate and map ocean floors, identifying potential hazards more efficiently than traditional methods. AI allows drones to process vast amounts of data, enhancing their ability to detect and classify underwater objects. This advancement in naval technology aims to improve maritime security and operational effectiveness. https://lnkd.in/gJBke65j

From #Hamas Al-Asef to Putin’s Poseidon the Covert Shores family of Maritime Threats. #ChokePoints #RedSea #SouthChinaSea #Malaca #Aqaba #Suez #BlackSea #PanamaChanel #GibraltarStrait World Survey Of Underwater Attack Drones (#OWA-#AUVs) "A new trend in naval warfare are one-way-attack autonomous underwater vehicles (OWA-AUVs). In general OWA-AUVs are weaponized underwater vehicles which combine the range and autonomy of AUVs with a warhead like a torpedo. They are slow so mainly to be used against relatively static targets, such as ships in port or at anchor, or offshore infrastructure." Link: https://lnkd.in/eWN8qrDg #maritime #military

A step into the analysis of naval drones revolution in today's complex seascape.