The NBC recce vehicle is based on BMP-IIK Chassis for cross country capability. Its fitted with Nuclear, Chemical, Metrological and Positional Sensors for monitoring of nuclear and chemically contaminated areas. It enables demarcation of nuclear and chemically contaminated zones with Flag Marking System. The vehicle collects radiologically and chemically contaminated soil and water samples with Scooping device. The vehicle enables display and storage of NBC data in control console.

NBC recce vehicle can transmit data to command Hqr on request through Communication Link Controller and Star-V radio set. It has various nuclear and chemical monitors in dismount role for personal monitoring. The vehicle comprises of NBC Hazard Prediction Software for Prediction of Hazardous zone. The vehicle costs 4 times less w.r.t. similar imported vehicle. This vehicle provides adequate shielding to crew.

Army has given the Limited Series Production Order of eight NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle (NBC RV) to DRDO and the same are under production by OF, Medak and BEL, Pune by involving industry from private sector.

The first vehicle was flagged off on 27th June 2009 by Lt Gen Gautam Dutt, VSM, Engg in Chief, Army Hqrs, Shri M Natrajan, SA to RM & DG, DRDO; Dr D Banerjee CC R&D (AMS) & DS DRDO, Lt Gen A M Verma, GOC 12 Crops, General Managers of OF, Medak and BEL, Pune, Directors from R&D Hqrs and Directors and senior scientists of participating labs were presents. The key of this vehicle was handed over by CC R&D (AMS) to Engg. In Chief.

In addition 60 other products related to NBC defence have been developed by DRDO and introduced into the Service to make the country self reliant in this strategic area

The Northrop Grumman AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar was flown on board the company’s BAC 1-11 test aircraft and was integrated into what is considered the United States’ largest and most complex airborne electronic warfare (EW) exercise to date. Northrop Grumman demonstrated the electronic protection (EP) capabilities of the AN/APG-81, by successfully countering advanced electronic attacks (EA), which are intended to degrade, neutralize, or destroy friendly combat capability.

“This event represents a major milestone in electronic protection testing for the AN/APG-81 in an operationally representative environment. We have been able to prove a number of EP capabilities years ahead of normal development timelines,” said Teri Marconi, vice president of Combat Avionics for Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems sector. “The AN/APG-81 is the world’s most advanced fighter fire control radar. It has extremely robust electronic warfare capabilities, and these tests validate years of laboratory testing versus a wide array of threat systems.”

“The radar was subjected to a scale of scenarios that far exceeded typical developmental or operational test program requirements,” said Pete Bartos, a former U.S. Navy F/A-18 operational test director and currently Northrop Grumman program manager for fifth-generation fighter requirements, improvements and derivatives. “In the past, typical EP testing consisted of a few sorties versus a single or maybe two jammers at once. This test was unique in that it included flights versus multiple types of advanced jammers on several aircraft formations at once.”

The AN/APG-81 radar is currently undergoing integrated avionics flight testing aboard the Lockheed Martin Cooperative Avionics Test Bed (CATBird) aircraft, and is being installed in production F-35s on the aircraft assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas. The AN/APG-81 is designed and produced by Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems sector.

Northern Edge 2009 is a joint field training exercise incorporating over 9,000 warfighters supervised by the Joint Electronic Protection for Air Combat (JEPAC). NE09 provided an operationally representative training environment that integrated over a dozen types of U.S. fighter and bomber aircraft as well as an entire U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Large force air, land, and sea combat scenarios along with airborne interdiction of maritime target scenarios provided unparalleled opportunities for warfighters to ‘train-as-they-fight’ in a complex radio frequency environment.

Team members from JEPAC collaborated with the U.S. Air Force and Naval Warfare Centers as well as the military service research laboratories to present and integrate a realistic twenty-first century threat capabilities in NE09, effectively exposing over 700 aircrew service members to an unprecedented level of advanced electronic attack scenarios. This environment presented a rare and valuable opportunity to observe the performance of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s APG-81 radar.

The JEPAC is one of ten test projects under the Office of the Secretary of Defense-sponsored Joint Test and Evaluation (JT&E) Program that develops joint tactics techniques and procedures to improve combat effectiveness through the use of electronic protection via timely integration of specific target track generating capabilities with tactical shooters during combat employment through the use of enhanced testing methodologies such as Northern Edge. The NE09 exercise is approved by the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS); scheduled by the Commander, United States Pacific Command (USPACOM); and sponsored by the Alaskan Command (ALCOM).

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.

The operational evaluation took place during the “Operation Discrete Jury” exercise, which tested the ability of the 4th Wing to be deployed abroad for peace-keeping and peace-making missions.

The exercise involved many air wings’ activities, from rescue to telecommunication services, self-defence and survival capabilities and, more particularly, logistic support, maintenance and flight operations. It was in this very field that the operations of the Grosseto Base’s Typhoons were positively evaluated, having demonstrated excellent operational availability and compliance with national and NATO’s operational requirement.

The 4th Fighter Wing, together with the 5th Wing of Cervia, the 36th of Gioia del Colle and the 37th of Trapani, is one of the Italian Air Force units assigned to the control of Italian airspace 24 hours a day all year round.

Within the 4th Fighter Wing, the 20 Squadron is also active with its twin-seat Typhoons which are tasked with the “transition” of Italian pilots assigned to the Eurofighter Squadrons.

The 50kg vessel, called Talisman L, uses high-definition forward and sideways looking sonars, as well as a host of multi-view cameras. It has a high degree of manoeuvrability and can turn within its own length and is able to operate at depths of 100 metres for anything up to 12 hours. With a top speed of more than five knots, it can hover and move around in any direction.

Talisman L

“While open water threats remain significant, there is an increasing need for a threat detection capability in confined coastal areas. With our new Talisman L we are providing a way of protecting our service men and women in these port and harbour environments.

“Talisman L can be deployed from almost any vessel, including rigid inflatable boats, and can be controlled either from a stand-alone console or integrated into a command ship’s Combat Management System, saving space and increasing operational effectiveness.”

The submarine can operate autonomously, using pre-set mission parameters, but operators can assume manual control at any time giving it significant tactical flexibility and command oversight.

Talisman L is one of a range of Talisman Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles that share open platform architectures, mission system components and command and training infrastructures.

One of the key features of the Talisman L is its ability to become a payload for the much larger ‘mother ship’ Talisman M unmanned submarine. This unique combination of systems allows a fully integrated approach to Mine Counter Measures to be undertaken, from detection through to neutralisation.

The 600 American soldiers, sailors and airmen based at Soto Cano Air Base are staying on the base and not conducting exercises with the Honduran military, said Robert Appin, deputy director for public information and outreach at Southern Command in Miami.

The Honduran military reportedly ousted President Manuel Zelaya on June 28. President Barack Obama has expressed concern over the development and said the Hondurans need to work the problem out.

The last off-base operation was June 26 when U.S. servicemembers concluded a medical readiness exercise, Appin said.

Army Col. Richard A. Juergens, commander of Soto Cano, ordered the air base closed following Zelaya’s ouster. “No one is allowed off base except for emergency situations,” Appin said. “All travel is restricted.”

U.S. forces have served in Honduras since the early 1980s. A mix of active and reserve component servicemembers work with local forces and local institutions. Servicemembers deploy for either six months or a year to Soto Cano, Appin said.

By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service

The study published the results of an extensive environmental analysis associated with the establishment of an instrumented sonar training range off the East Coast of the United States for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training.

The preferred alternative identified in the EIS would locate a USWTR approximately 50 nautical miles offshore of northeastern Florida in the Jacksonville operating area.

The Navy’s use of sonar, and the ability to test and train with it, is critical to U.S. operational readiness and national defense. The Navy needs this range because it increasingly operates in littoral, or near-shore, environments. A major potential threat to Sailors and ships are very quiet diesel-electric submarines that operate in such waters. USWTR’s proposed 500-square-nautical mile range would directly improve the readiness of Sailors who detect underwater threats by allowing them to train in shallow, littoral waters.

ASW is a perishable skill that must be continually honed, both by the technicians who operate the sonar systems and the fleet assets that deploy the technology. Sailors must be ready to defend themselves and the nation on the first day of combat. Having an instrumented training range on the East Coast will ensure that Sailors can conduct realistic training in all the scenarios they may face in future combat operations.

The completion of first flight paves the way for continued operations to validate the functionality of all system elements leading to the execution of operationally relevant mission scenarios that demonstrate Fire Scout’s unprecedented capability in support of the warfighter.

“Being a Vertical Unmanned Aerial System, Fire Scout brings many tactical advantages to the fight,” said Mike Howell, Business Development Manager for Army systems at Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems sector. “It goes where the warfighter goes, is not tied to airfields or recovery sites, and provides enhanced, direct support for the ground commander.”

After successfully completing fully autonomous flight operations onboard the USS McInerney (FFG-8) frigate in May, Fire Scout is well poised to demonstrate capabilities in reconnaissance surveillance and target acquisition/ intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (RSTA/ISR), communications relay, logistics resupply, and other key missions uniquely suited to vertical UAS. “Fire Scout’s ability to perch and stare allows it to readily acquire and track targets in the urban and complex terrains America’s warfighters are engaged,” Howell said. “Its capacity at the tactical level allows it to carry larger more capable payloads, including communications relay, than other tactical UAS, giving the commander more options and greater flexibility when planning and executing operations.”

The P7’s capability demonstrations will continue throughout the summer, with missions in support of land-based operations as a priority. In conjunction with continued flight operations of P6, P7 underscores Fire Scout’s joint role as a program of record within both the Navy and the Army.

CANES, the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services, will streamline and update shipboard network systems to improve interoperability and affordability across the fleet, significantly reducing development, deployment and lifecycle costs.

The demonstrations, held June 17 and 18 at the Northrop Grumman Command and Control Futures Lab, were designed to exercise the capabilities of the Northrop Grumman CANES prototype during typical operations aboard ships and at network operations centers ashore.

The Navy will evaluate the results of the demonstrations as part of the ongoing competition for a CANES solution.

The CANES Surface Platform Prototype is an integral part of the Northrop Grumman Command and Control (C2) Futures Lab in San Diego. The laboratory was designed by Northrop Grumman’s strategic partner, Applied Minds, Inc., a Glendale, Calif., company that invents, designs and prototypes breakthrough products, technologies and solutions for both industry and government.

“The C2 Futures Lab is part of a company-wide network of research and development nodes across the country that link capabilities in state-of-the-art cyber security, command and control applications, information systems, ship system design, and business innovation,” said Michael Twyman, vice president for Integrated Command and Control Systems at Northrop Grumman. “The physical and virtual environment created by this connected community brings Northrop Grumman, our teammates, and our customers together in new ways to solve challenging problems.”

“Every design detail in the C2 Futures Lab aims to bring engineering models and decision-making tools to life, with the ultimate goal of fostering the kind of innovative thinking that leads to the best solutions,” said Bran Ferren, co-chairman and chief creative officer of Applied Minds.

Northrop Grumman is teamed with IBM as its major technology and services partner on CANES. The Northrop Grumman-led team also includes key small-business partners Atlas Technologies, Charleston, S.C.; Beatty and Company Computing, Juno Technologies, and Syzygy Technologies, Inc., all based in San Diego; and CenterBeam Inc., San Jose, Calif.

The goal of CANES is to consolidate and replace numerous legacy systems and deliver an open, common network to every ship, submarine and shore-based command and control center in the Navy. A subprogram of CANES, Afloat Core Services, decouples development of software so that it is modular, reusable and interoperable and can be updated more quickly and frequently.

This award is part of a long-term program designed to meet the requirements of U.S. and allied forces for real-time situational awareness among airborne, shipboard and ground forces. The terminals will be installed on U.S. and international platforms that include the F/A-18, F-16, Typhoon, Command and Control and other aircraft. Additionally, the MIDS-LVT is used for shipboard applications as part of the MIDS-On-Ship for both high- and low-power requirements. Future LVT sustainment for the MIDS terminals may include enhanced throughput, frequency remapping and crypto replacement.

The MIDS-LVT-2/11 is specifically designed for U.S. Army Patriot Information Coordination Central and Battery Command Posts, Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control Units and surface launched missiles, along with U.S. Air Force Air Operations Centers and Joint Interface Control Officer Support Systems. DLS was selected for 50% of the LVT2/11 terminals competitively awarded by the U.S. Government.

“This award marks the tenth year of production for the MIDS family of products. We are proud to be able to play a role in providing the U.S. and our partners for peace with the family of MIDS products and ancillary equipment,” said DLS Director Bob Gabel. “Since the inception of the product, DLS has been the premier manufacturer, integrator and service support provider of all MIDS-LVT variants. DLS is committed to providing the warfighter assured, protected access to the time-critical information they need to efficiently complete their missions anywhere in the world.”

The MIDS-LVT terminals will be used on U.S. platforms and, through Foreign Military Sales, in Japan, Korea, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Canada, Poland, Switzerland, and Finland. MIDS LVT terminals provide a secure, high-capacity, jam-resistant digital data and voice communications capability.

Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed by December 2010. The MIDS program is managed by the U.S. Navy MIDS Program Office in San Diego, Calif.

MIDS-LVT was developed by a multinational consortium to provide Link 16 capability at a lower weight, volume and cost. Link 16 provides real-time data communications, situational awareness and navigation, and in some cases, digital voice, all in a jam-resistant, crypto-secured package. DLS is the only company today that provides all LVT configurations within a complete Link 16 systems portfolio.

The firm-fixed-price contract will provide the U.S. military and its allies with AIM-9X Block I missiles and introduce into the inventory the new AIM-9X Block II captive air training missile (CATM). The contract will provide more than 250 jobs for Raytheon employees and create work for more than 10 major suppliers in eight states.

“Lot 9 continues to add to the inventory of the very successful Block I while setting the stage for AIM-9X Block II,” said Capt. Jeffrey Penfield, the U.S. Navy’s air-to-air missile program manager. “The delivery of these CATM rounds is a critical first step in delivering a revolutionary new capability to the warfighter.”

Raytheon has delivered more than 3,600 AIM-9X Block I missiles to eight countries and is on contract to deliver missiles to two additional countries. In 2008 the U.S. Navy test fired the first AIM-9X Block II as part of developmental testing.

“By leveraging our experience building the AIM-9X Block I, we plan to begin production of AIM-9X Block II in late 2010,” said Dave Adams, Raytheon’s AIM-9X program director. “Test after test has demonstrated the reliability of the AIM-9X Block I, and we intend to continue delivering this level of performance to the warfighter with AIM-9X Block II.”

This contract award was originally announced by the Department of Defense June 15, 2009.