DefenceTalkThe MQ-8C Fire Scout completed a three week operational assessment period Nov. 20 at Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu, California. The OA included 11 flights totaling 83.4 flight hours where Fire Scout was tested against maritime and surveyed land targets to assess system performance, endurance and reliability of the unmanned helicopter. “MQ-8C is […]https://www.defencetalk.com/mq-8c-fire-scout-completes-operational-assessment-65946/

DefenceTalkClose air support (CAS)-delivery of airborne munitions to support ground forces-is difficult and dangerous because it requires intricate coordination between combat aircrews and dismounted ground forces (for example, joint terminal attack controllers, or JTACs). DARPA’s Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) program focuses on technologies to enable sharing of real-time situational awareness and weapons systems data […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpa-demos-persistent-close-air-support-system-63872/

DefenceTalkThe U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) a $354 million primarily firm-fixed-price contract to expand their RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) fleet by three aircraft. Global Hawk operates multiple sensors simultaneously to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) data. The new aircraft are Multi-INT models that carry sophisticated imaging and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-air-force-expands-rq-4-global-hawk-fleet-60587/

DefenceTalkResearchers at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center are developing a pocket-sized aerial surveillance device for Soldiers and small units operating in challenging ground environments. The Cargo Pocket Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance program, or CP-ISR, seeks to develop a mobile Soldier sensor to increase the situational awareness of dismounted Soldiers by […]https://www.defencetalk.com/army-researchers-develop-cargo-pocket-isr-60236/

DefenceTalkAccording to Air Force sources, the service is suffering from an inferiority complex. It doesn’t get enough respect and recognition for the things it likes to do – flying fighters and dropping ordnance – and receives too many demands for the things it must do but doesn’t like doing as much – airborne ISR, transportation, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/message-to-the-us-air-force-it-is-better-to-be-feared-than-loved-59737/

DefenceTalkTextron AirLand, LLC, a joint venture between Textron Inc. and AirLand Enterprises, LLC, today unveiled its Scorpion prototype, a versatile Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)/Strike aircraft platform. The aircraft was introduced during a press conference at the Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in National Harbor, Maryland. The demonstration aircraft is […]https://www.defencetalk.com/textron-airland-introduces-scorpion-isrstrike-aircraft-49081/

DefenceTalkFor Army units, fielding and resetting sophisticated mission command and situational awareness equipment is an intricate process. The interdependent capabilities include state-of-the-art communications systems, the network and all the enablers, which require training to take place in a logical order. But relieving some of the pressure on Soldiers is Unit Set Fielding, or USF, a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/armysfielding-complex-c4isr-soldiers-47367/

DefenceTalkCassidian, a leading global provider of cutting edge technology in defence and security, will showcase its innovative and high quality products and solutions at IDEX 2013. For the first time, Cassidian presents its Virtual Rock Drill (VRD) to the public in the Middle East. The VRD, an interactive terrain sand table that can be used […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cassidian-at-idex-2013-46726/