Browse Topic: Defense industry
Security flaws in automotive software have significant consequences. Modern automotive engineers must assess software not only for performance and reliability but also for safety and security. This paper presents a tool to verify software for safety and security. The tool was originally developed for the Department of Defense (DoD) to detect cybersecurity vulnerabilities in legacy safety-critical software with tight performance constraints and a small memory footprint. We show how the tool and techniques developed for verifying legacy safety-critical software can be applied to automotive and embedded software using real-world case studies. We also discuss how this tool can be extended for software comprehension.
Over the decades, robotics deployments have been driven by the rapid in-parallel research advances in sensing, actuation, simulation, algorithmic control, communication, and high-performance computing among others. Collectively, their integration within a cyber-physical-systems framework has supercharged the increasingly complex realization of the real-time ‘sense-think-act’ robotics paradigm. Successful functioning of modern-day robots relies on seamless integration of increasingly complex systems (coming together at the component-, subsystem-, system- and system-of-system levels) as well as their systematic treatment throughout the life-cycle (from cradle to grave). As a consequence, ‘dependency management’ between the physical/algorithmic inter-dependencies of the multiple system elements is crucial for enabling synergistic (or managing adversarial) outcomes. Furthermore, the steep learning curve for customizing the technology for platform specific deployment discourages domain
Deliberate RF jamming of drones has become one of the most common battlefield tactics in Ukraine. But what is jamming, how does it work and how can it be countered by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the field? Radio frequency (RF) jamming of drones involves deliberate interference with the radio signals used for communication between drones and their operators.
The aerospace and defense industries demand the highest levels of reliability, durability, and performance from their electronic systems. Central to achieving these standards are laminate materials, which form the backbone of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible circuits used in a multitude of applications, from avionics to missile guidance systems. Building these systems, which are typically implemented in environments that experience both temperature extremes and wide variations of temperature over time, requires robust materials that can stand up to punishing environmental conditions. Laminates and films for circuit boards and flexible circuits are a vital component of this protective material profile.
Researchers and engineers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center have developed a prototype system for decontaminating military combat vehicles. U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) is paving the way and helping the Army transform into a multi-domain force through its modernization and priority research efforts that are linked to the National Defense Strategy and nation's goals. CBC continues to lead in the development of innovative defense technology, including autonomous chem-bio defense solutions designed to enhance accuracy and safety to the warfighter.
The final frontier in digital transformation is the analog edge, where apertures and actuators meet the mission. Buried behind layers of firmware and analog mitigation, open architecture has a new frontier to conquer, and the opportunity starts at the component level, where digital transformation and the miniaturization enabled by Moore's Law is having its biggest impact. Miniature, modular, and intelligent gateways can be embedded into analog components to replace and re-imagine old firmware and analog mitigation circuitry. These new, embedded gateways promise to bring open architecture deeper into the tactical edge and realize a new level of agility throughout the lifecycle of a system, from design through sustainment of hybrid digital and analog systems.
As “point of need” additive manufacturing emerges as a priority for the Department of Defense (DoD), Australian 3D printing provider SPEE3D is one of several companies demonstrating that its machines can rapidly produce castings, brackets, valves, mountings and other common replacement parts and devices that warfighters often need in an on-demand schedule when deployed near or directly within combat zones. DoD officials describe point of need manufacturing as a concept of operations where infantry and squadron have the equipment, machines, tools and processes to rapidly 3D print parts and devices that are being used in combat. Based in Melbourne, Australia, SPEE3D provides cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) machines that use a combination of robotics and high-speed kinetic energy to assemble and quickly bind metal together into 3D-printed parts without the need for specific environmental conditions or post-assembly cooling or temperature requirements. Over the last two years, the
Hypersonic propulsion would allow for air travel at speeds of Mach 6 to 17, or more than 4,600 to 13,000 miles per hour, and has applications in commercial and space travel.
This document draws from, summarizes, and explains existing broadly accepted engineering best practices. This document defines the process and procedure for application of various best practice methods. This document is specifically intended as a standard for the engineering practice of development and execution of a link loss power budget for a general aerospace system related digital fiber optic link. It is not intended to specify the values associated with specific categories or implementations of digital fiber optic links. This document is intended to address both existing digital fiber optic link technology and accommodate new and emerging technologies. The proper application of various calculation methods is provided to determine link loss power budget(s), that depend on differing requirements on aerospace programs. A list of parameters is provided as guidance for aerospace fiber optics applications along with a check list to help assure that appropriate parameters and
This SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) describes a method of conducting an endurance test using contaminated air when the applicable specification requires non-recirculation of the contaminants. The objective of the test is to determine the resistance of the engine mounted components to wear or damage caused by the contaminated air. The method described herein calls for non-recirculation of the contaminants and is intended to provide a uniform distribution of the contaminant at the inlet to the Unit Under Test (UUT). The UUT may require the use of a hydraulic fluid for actuation of components within the test unit. Contamination of the test hydraulic fluid is not part of this recommended practice. If contaminated hydraulic fluid is required by the applicable test specification, refer to MAP749.
Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) -based image sensors accomplish several advantageous and unique features such as tailorable wavelength response via selection of dot size and material system, monolithic integration by processing directly onto the CMOS wafer surface thus avoiding hybridization cost and complexity, and scalability in pixel dimensions and density, whereby the limitations are primarily set by the resolution of the underlying CMOS process. Major efforts and successes have been reported in recent years by several academic groups and industrial entities in the research and development of CQD image sensors and their monolithic integration on CMOS platforms. To achieve uniform and defect-free imagers performing at high speed with low read-out noise, the entire system from ROIC front-end to wafer surface planarization to pixel stack structure, must be optimized as a whole; this is the approach Emberion has pursued with our in-house ROIC design and end-to-end fabrication process
In the increasingly connected and digital world, businesses are sprinting to integrate technological advancements into their corporate fabric. This is evident with the emerging concept of “digital twinning.” Digital twins are virtual representations of real-world objects or systems used to digitally model performance, identify inefficiencies, and design solutions. This helps improve the “real world” product, reduces costs, and increases efficiency. However, this replication of a physical entity in the digital space is not without its challenges. One of the challenges that will become increasingly prevalent is the processing, storing, and transmitting of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). If CUI is not protected properly, an idea to save time, money, and effort could result in the loss of critical data. The Department of Defense's (DoD) CUI Program website defines CUI as “government-created or owned unclassified information that allows for, or requires, safeguarding and
Kodiak Robotics launched its first autonomous military prototype vehicle in December 2023 - a Ford F-150 upfitted with the Kodiak Driver autonomous system. Developed for the Department of Defense (DoD), the vehicle runs the same software as Kodiak's autonomous long-haul trucks but with more robust DefensePod enclosures for the sensors. Now the company is collaborating with Textron Systems to develop a purpose-built uncrewed military vehicle designed without space for a driver and intended for advanced terrain environments. The companies plan to demonstrate driverless operations later in 2024. “The initial integration work is largely being done at a Textron Systems facility in Maine, with testing planned at Kodiak facilities,” Kodiak's chief technology officer Andreas Wendel told Truck & Off-Highway Engineering. He shared his thoughts on the “immense” potential for autonomous technology in tactical vehicles.
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists unveil the Cascaded Variational Quantum Eigensolver (CVQE) algorithm expected to become a powerful tool to investigate the physical properties in electronic systems for disruptive defense technologies. U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington D.C. U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) scientists published the Cascaded Variational Quantum Eigensolver (CVQE) algorithm in a recent Physical Review Research article, expected to become a powerful tool to investigate the physical properties in electronic systems. The CVQE algorithm is a variant of the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) algorithm that only requires the execution of a set of quantum circuits once rather than at every iteration during the parameter optimization process, thereby increasing the computational throughput.
The U.S. Air Force (USAF) deploys flying units with readiness spares packages (RSPs) to try to ensure that the units are stocked with enough parts to be self-sufficient for 30 days. This report is the third in a five-volume series addressing how AI could be employed to assist warfighters in four distinct areas: cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, wargames, and mission planning, with predictive maintenance in focus. Predicting which parts are likely to fail - and, therefore, which parts should be included in the RSPs - is important because overstocking can be expensive and understocking can threaten mission readiness. This report presents a discussion of whether and when artificial intelligence (AI) methods could be used to improve parts failure analysis, which currently uses a model that assumes a probability distribution. To do this, several machine learning (ML) models were developed and tested on historical data to compare their performance with the optimization and prediction
This paper describes an approach to integrating high-fidelity vehicle dynamics with a high-fidelity gaming engine, specifically with respect to terrain. The work is motivated by the experimental need to have both high-fidelity visual content with high-fidelity vehicle dynamics to drive a motion base simulator. To utilize a single source of terrain information, the problem requires the just-in-time sharing of terrain content between the gaming engine and the dynamics model. The solution is implemented as a client-server with the gaming engine acting as a stateless server and the dynamics acting as the client. The client is designed to actively maintain a locally cashed terrain grid around the vehicle and actively refresh it by polling the server in an on-demand mode of operation. The paper discusses the overall architecture, the protocol, the server, and the client designs. A practical implementation is described and shown to effectively function in real-time. The benefit of the server
In recent years, the increasing complexity of modern aerospace systems has driven the rapid adoption of robust Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). MBSE is a development methodology centered around computational models, which are instrumental in supporting the design and analysis of intricate systems. In this context, the Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) and Systems Modeling Language (SysML) are two prominent modeling languages for specifying and analyzing the structure and behavior of a cyber-physical system. Both languages have their own specific use cases and tool environments and are typically employed to model different aspects of system design. Although multiple software tools are available for transforming models from one language to another, their effectiveness is limited by fundamental differences in the semantics of each language. The upcoming release of SysML Version 2 provides an opportunity to address these shortcomings thanks to several improvements
Rydberg Technologies, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based quantum technology startup, demonstrated the use of an atomic receiver for long-range RF applications during the NetModX23 event hosted by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) C5ISR Center in December. The 2023 edition of NetModX featured 10 weeks of experimentation spanning 62 different technologies across 17 focus areas and five modernization priorities including “Future Vertical Lift, Long-Range Precision Fires, Network, Next Generation Combat Vehicle and Soldier Lethality,” according to the Army. A major goal sought by the C5ISR Center with NetModX is to take technologies that are nearing maturity from research labs directly into operational environments for assessments by active warfighters.
In the ever-evolving landscape of electronic warfare (EW), the imperative for technological prowess has never been more pronounced. At the vanguard of this evolution stands a technological marvel-high-performance software defined radios (SDRs). This article provides on an in-depth exploration of the transformative potential embedded in SDRs, focusing on their remarkable attributes of very high bandwidths, wide tuning ranges, and high channel counts. From the foundational principles of SDRs to their nuanced applications in modern warfare, this narrative endeavors to unravel the complexities and possibilities presented by these cutting-edge systems.
This standard covers Manpower and Personnel (M&P) processes throughout planning, design, development, test, production, use, and disposal of a system. Depending on contract phase and/or complexity of the program, tailoring can be applied. The scope of this standard includes Prime and Subcontractor M&P activities; it does not include Government M&P activities. The primary goals of a contractor M&P program typically include: Ensuring that the system design complies with the latest customer Manpower estimates (numbers and mix of personnel, plus availability) and that discrepancies are reported to management and the customer. Ensuring that the system design is regularly compared to the latest customer personnel estimates (capabilities and limitations) and that discrepancies are reported to management and the customer. Identifying, coordinating, tracking, and resolving M&P risks and issues and ensuring that they are: ○ Reflected in the contractor proposal, budgets, and plans. ○ Raised at
This SAE Standard identifies contractor activities for planning and conducting HSI as part of procurement activities on Department of Defense (DoD) system acquisition programs. This standard covers HSI processes throughout system design, development, test, production, use, and disposal. Depending on contract phase, type of the program and/or complexity of the program, tailoring of this standard should be applied. Appendix A lists the requrememts (“shall” statements) in this standard along with unique numbers to facilitate tailoring. In addition, Appendix D provides tailoring guidance to better match requirememts in this standard to the DoD’s Adaptive Acquisition Framework pathways. The scope of this standard includes prime and subcontractor HSI activities; it does not include Government HSI activities, which are covered by DoD and service-level regulations and guidelines. HSI programs should use the latest version of standards and handbooks listed below, unless a particular revision is
Modern armed forces require advanced signal transmission systems for mission success. Military operations, including those utilizing aircraft and warships, are reliant on receiving and transmitting high-speed data at RF and millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies. In today's battlefield, high-speed cables must perform to specification under any condition, which in turn necessitates innovative test solutions that can conduct accurate and repeatable measurements. Mission success, aircraft survivability, and troop safety depend on critical defense systems. Signals intelligence (SIGINT), electronic warfare (EW), Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR), and other systems must reliably provide global situational awareness. System interference can be caused by multiple factors - intentional and unintentional. Advancing EW technologies have led to an increase in nefarious acts by adversaries with the goal of intentionally creating
In 2014, Airbus made history when it introduced a small metal bracket through additive manufacturing (AM) to secure an engine on one of its commercial jetliners. This milestone marked the beginning of an era of innovation in aerospace, pushing the boundaries of technology. The journey from that first AM experiment to today's transformative landscape in the aerospace and defense industries has been nothing short of remarkable. The capabilities of AM have redefined the sector, offering unprecedented efficiencies and reshaping how we understand and approach manufacturing. Aerospace and defense has emerged as a trailblazer in the adoption of AM. While aerospace and defense AM demand was negatively impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the global aerospace and defense additive manufacturing market is projected to grow from $3.73 billion in 2021 to $13.01 billion in 2028.
More than five years ago, then-U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Michael Griffin, announced the department's future Defense Digital Engineering Strategy. That long-term strategy, still ongoing, aims to “formalize the development, integration, and use of models to inform enterprise and program decision making,” and provide “an enduring, authoritative source of truth” for improved innovation and culture-wide collaboration in making weapons systems and parts. Within U.S. and Allied defense departments, there is increasing awareness that additive manufacturing (AM, aka 3D printing) as a means for achieving digitalized, on-demand, production agility, has a significant role to play in realizing these strategic goals. AM is already providing faster and more flexible part turnaround and cost reduction of some low- and even mid-volume military parts. In compliance with Department of Defense (DoD) objectives, AM is a model-based, integrated, and enterprise-ready
During her recent remarks at the National Defense Industrial Association's (NDIA) Emerging Technologies for Defense conference, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks outlined the agency's new “Replicator” initiative. Under the new Replicator initiative, over the next 18 to 24 months, the Defense Department will deploy thousands of low cost autonomous systems across multiple domains. DoD officials are limiting the amount of information they will release around technology or platform specifics for Replicator. Hicks did confirm however that Replicator has been established to counter the rapid buildup of the People's Republic of China's (PRC) armed forces, weapons and new technologies.
Under DARPA's Synergistic Discovery and Design program, a team composed of scientists from Duke, Rutgers, Montana State, and Florida Atlantic Universities, as well as Geometric Data Analytics, and Netrias, Inc., broadly researched and developed data driven techniques for scientific discovery and robust design, proving feasibility through program challenge problems with Yeast States, Novel Chassis, Protein Stability, and Perovskite. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, NY The Duke Team, composed of scientists from Duke University, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey (Rutgers), Montana State University, Florida Atlantic University, Geometric Data Analytics (GDA), and Netrias, Inc., has worked broadly within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Synergistic Discovery and Design (SD2) program, contributing to efforts in the Yeast States, Novel Chassis, Protein Stability, and Perovskite challenge problems (CP). The SD2 program was structured across five technical
Developing embedded application software is an expensive business, especially when the software is to be used in a critical application. Composable modularity can streamline development through the reuse of software modules, making it a highly desirable attribute in the architecture of embedded software. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has embraced this concept with the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA). This strategic standardization initiative highlights how interoperable modular components built by different companies across different programs or procurements can perform together. The Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE™) Consortium, a collaboration between government and industry entities, has developed the FACE technical standard to fulfil the requirements of a MOSA for military aviation software development. However, there is nothing about the principles of the FACE technical standard and MOSA that makes them applicable only to military systems. They therefore
The Duke Team, composed of scientists from Duke University, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey (Rutgers), Montana State University, Florida Atlantic University, Geometric Data Analytics (GDA), and Netrias, Inc., has worked broadly within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Synergistic Discovery and Design (SD2) program, contributing to efforts in the Yeast States, Novel Chassis, Protein Stability, and Perovskite challenge problems (CP).
A presentation of work comparing efficacy of a traditional IR method used as a standard within the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) and by international collaborators with that of an emerging technology, cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS). Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD A threat in the form of chemical vapor may not be visible, but rapid detection is critical for preservation of life and property. In addition, understanding the surrounding environment informs the posture that the warfighter will need to take. The field of chemical vapor detection spans far beyond the warfighter and is rich in research. A search in SciFinder for “chemical vapor detection” provides over 400,000 results with over 3,000 books, 26,000 reviews, and nearly 300,000 journal articles. The focus of this document will be with an eye towards perimeter monitoring for a wide range of gas-phase chemicals. To accomplish such sensing, compound
As geopolitical threats intensify around the globe, there are several defense-related modernization efforts underway that address the need for improved mission effectiveness while also increasing energy resilience and reducing fossil fuel dependency. At the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks has been championing energy innovation. She has publicly stated “it has to do with national security and what it takes to have the capabilities we need for the warfighter today and going forward. That alignment with climate goals is excellent for us.” Commercial industry is already answering the call for energy resilience by investing billions of dollars in alternative propulsion technologies that can also increase tactical capabilities and provide a more efficient use of energy in many operating environments, ultimately reducing fuel logistics. GM Defense, for example, is leveraging the $35 billion investments in electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle technology by
As geopolitical threats intensify around the globe, there are several defense-related modernization efforts underway that address the need for improved mission effectiveness while also increasing energy resilience and reducing fossil fuel dependency. At the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks has been championing energy innovation. She has publicly stated “it has to do with national security and what it takes to have the capabilities we need for the warfighter today and going forward. That alignment with climate goals is excellent for us.”
Radio is a well-established technology. For over 100 years, it has been widely used: in communication, radar, navigation, remote control, remote sensing, and other respects. It is popular because it works; it is reliable. And yet laser has shown itself to be a superior medium of communication. Indeed, the laser-vs-radio debate is already getting old. What is new - and what will truly change the debate - are the transformations currently taking place in laser telecommunications - transformations which will drive innovation in defense. It is perhaps worth pausing to remind ourselves of what laser's existing advantages over radio are. Laser communications offer faster data transfer, and greater data capacity. And by virtue of their structure and size, lasers are almost impossible to detect, intercept, or jam. Interference is also rare. Lasers do not ‘leak’ in the same way radio does, and, as against the broad transmission style of radio, they transfer information along a very narrow beam
Recent years have demonstrated the fragility of both military and nonmilitary supply chains. Through biotechnology and biomanufacturing, the Department of Defense (DoD) can use readily available feedstocks to onshore manufacturing of chemicals and materials critical to defense needs and to create advanced materials with enhanced capabilities. Development of DoD’s biotechnology and biomanufacturing capabilities will help secure the defense supply chain and contribute to a force that is sustainable, resilient, survivable, agile, and responsive. To accelerate the advancement of biotechnology and biomanufactured products, the Department launched the Tri-Service Biotechnology for a Resilient Supply Chain (T-BRSC) program in Fiscal Year 2022. T-BRSC is creating a pipeline for advanced development and transition of biomanufactured materials to support defense supply chain resilience. The effort brings together Joint Service partners to leverage significant advances made over the last decade
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