Electronic Military & Defense Annual Resource

2nd Edition

Electronic Military & Defense magazine was developed for engineers, program managers, project managers, and those involved in the design and development of electronic and electro-optic systems for military, defense, and aerospace applications.

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Feature Case Study funds to operate the 18 UAVs in service, which would effectively eliminate the U-2's planned replacement in 2015. The House Armed Services Committee tried to preserve this ISR capability by designating $260 million of its markup in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2013; however, their counterparts in the Senate disagreed, so the future of the program is in question. detection and identification of targets. The MQ-4C will also have the Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS- B), which integrates an EO camera, IR sensors, a laser illuminator, and a laser range finder/designator to provide auto-target tracking and high-resolution, full- motion video. In addition, the BAMS will have AN/ ZLQ-1 electronic support measures (EMSs), giving it the capability for specific emitter identification (SEI), and an automatic identification system (AIS) that provides maritime vessel movement information from VHF broadcasts. Finally, the MQ-4C is specified to have radar capabilities for maintaining safe separation from other airborne assets. U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk Good news for the Global Hawk platform came in the form of a $1.7 billion contract for five Block 40 Global Hawks for the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) aircraft program and $657.5 million in the FY2013 budget for the U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstration (BAMS-D) program, which consists of five Global Hawks that the U.S. Navy acquired from the U.S. Air Force as a test platform for the development of the MQ-4C UAV. Initial operational capability (IOC) for the NATO AGS is projected for 2014, and the first MQ-4C BAMS was scheduled for June 2012 delivery with IOC expected in 2015. In terms of payload, RQ-4 Block 40 incorporates the BAN/ZPY-2 MP-RTIP (Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program), which uses AESA technology to deliver long-range, very high-resolution SAR images, ground moving target indicator (GMTI), and new air target tracking capabilities. The RQ-4 will communicate through wideband Ku SATCOM and line-of-sight connectivity. A future battle management and control (BMC2) system will direct weapons to attack stationary and moving targets using the Global Hawk's radar cues from its SAR and GMTI radars. The MQ-4C BAMS UAV sensor payload provides ISR and tactical information over a mission radius of 2,000 nautical miles (nm) and will leverage several advanced technologies to accomplish this mission. The Multifunction Active Sensor Active Electronically Scanned Array (MFAS AESA) radar provides long-range 10 Electronic Military & Defense ■ www.vertmarkets.com/electronics MALE UAVs: Predator/Reaper/Grey Eagle The MQ-9 Reaper MALE UAV continues to build on the reputation of its predecessor, the MQ-1 Predator, and is the clear choice of the U.S. Air Force for long- endurance UAVs with strike capability. The Air Force spent most of the money earmarked for UAV spending in FY2012 to procure 48 MQ-9 Reapers, and although the quantity of Reapers is reduced to 24 for FY2013, the budget still has $885.4 million for the procurement of the MQ-9. The FY2013 budget also provides $749.6 million to continue deployment of the U.S. Army MQ -1C Grey Eagle, a variant in the predator family. The strategic goal is to procure enough UAVs and ground stations to support 65 combat action patrols (CAPs) by FY2017. U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper In addition to its SIGINT payload, data links, and beyond-line-of-sight communications equipment, the Reaper boasts the Raytheon AN/DAS-1 MTS-B Multi- Spectral Targeting System, which integrates an EO camera and IR sensors, a laser illuminator, and a laser range finder/designator. MTS-B is capable of full-motion video, day or night, and provides the tracking and targeting required for precision laser-guided munitions.

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