Latest news with #StarTrekShield
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
No signal, no problem: Intelligence firm debuts drone tech equipped to beat GPS jammers
A key geospatial intelligence firm on Tuesday announced a new product that can operate drones even in areas where the GPS signal has been jammed - cutting through modern defenses in the age of unmanned vehicular warfare. The war between Russia and Ukraine presented a unique problem: each military had learned how to jam the other's GPS signals, meaning their drones would be flying blind. This prompted the latest innovation from Maxar Intelligence, a drone-guiding technology that does not rely on satellite signals from space. Now, Maxar, a global satellite imagery and geospatial intelligence provider, has the capability to counter GPS-jamming technology through its Raptor system. "We're giving the drones a 3D map, allowing them to use that 3D map of the world to compare it to the video feed and position themselves," Peter Wilczynski, chief product officer at Maxar, told Fox News Digital. Lasers, Space Radars, Missile Interceptors: Defense Leaders Lay Out Vision For Trump's 'Golden Dome' Project The company's new camera-based recognition software, Raptor, allows drones to navigate and identify ground coordinates in contested regions where Global Positioning System (GPS) signals have been cut or remote areas where they do not exist. Read On The Fox News App Raptor can be installed to use a drone's existing camera and Maxar's 90 million-plus square kilometer of global 3D terrain data to helps the platform navigate terrain and extract ground coordinates. While other prototypes of terrain-based positioning preceded Raptor, Maxar believes it has the largest global collection of high-resolution terrain. "We're able to get the accuracy down to the best you can without GPS," said Wilczynski. The software builds off a 3D representation of the terrain it glides over, able to provide an accurate picture at night and at altitudes of 120 meters. "This is really the seminal thing that the Ukraine war did for battlefield technology," Wilczynski said. 'Star Trek Shield' Technology Gets $250M Boost To Knock Drone Swarms From The Sky With High-powered Microwave Around the world nations have been developing their GPS signal-jamming technologies to fend off autonomous vehicle attacks. Much of Ukraine is GPS-denied, as are large swaths in Europe and the Middle East. Experts believe that one of the first things China would do if it were to invade Taiwan would be to cut off the GPS signal to isolate the island. Maxar's data has been key for Ukraine in fending off Russia – when the U.S. cut off intelligence-sharing, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's forces lost access to Maxar's tracking of the movement of Russian troops and ability to assess damage. "From a military planning perspective, the assumption going forward is that in any conflict, GPS is not going to be a reliable positioning system anymore," Wilczynski said In the western hemisphere, GPS jamming has been used by drug traffickers to evade detection and other organized criminal operations. America's GPS, once considered cutting-edge, is now at risk of becoming outdated as Chinese, Russian and European systems modernize. The Pentagon, together with Space Force and Army, have in recent years been scrambling in search of alternatives for when GPS signal is unavailable on the battlefield. The issue has become acutely pressing as adversaries like China and Russia develop their anti-satellite capabilities. The threat is not contained to far-off conflict zones but also everyday life in the U.S.: financial systems, emergency services and air traffic could all face dire emergencies without access to their satellite systems. Maxar plans to employ its Raptor technology for both commercial and defense purposes as nations across the globe search for a cutting-edge alternative to GPS article source: No signal, no problem: Intelligence firm debuts drone tech equipped to beat GPS jammers
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
U.S. Military trains service members to counter growing drone threat
As drones become an increasing threat on the battlefield, the U.S. Military is training service members to neutralize them before they can strike. At Fort Sill, service members from across the military are undergoing counter-drone training at the Joint C-sUAS (Counter small Unmanned Aircraft System) University (JCU), also known as "drone university." The program has become a critical part of the Military's efforts to combat the rapidly growing use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by adversaries. "It's the Army's premier Counter-Small UAS training institution," said Col. Moseph Sauda, the program's director. "Our mission is to prepare and train the joint force to counter the threat, to be able to understand that threat, how they operate, and how they attack us… We can then develop not only tactics, techniques, and procedures, but also the employment methodology that maximizes the capabilities of our existing systems." 'Star Trek Shield' Tech Gets $250M Boost To Knock Drone Swarms At Oklahoma's Fort Sill, Ukrainian Soldier Finish Patriot Missile Training Read On The Fox News App The training includes real-life scenarios and advanced weapons to help Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen defend against enemy drone threats. Service members engage in immersive exercises that simulate real-world drone incursions and hostile UAV threats. "We can train using simulations across different systems and platforms to provide real, rigorous training — similar to what you would expect in a real-world situation," Sauda said. "We focus on making sure our service members are exposed to various scenarios that they might face in a contested environment." Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have highlighted the growing role of drone warfare, with adversaries using drones for surveillance, reconnaissance, and direct attacks. The U.S. military is working to stay ahead of these threats by integrating cost-effective training methods, including the use of balloons instead of drones for target practice and 3D-printed drone replicas that allow for repeated use and modifications. It gives trainees a realistic experience while minimizing costs. "We're talking about a 91% reduction in what it would cost the U.S. government," said Sauda. Ukraine Launches Biggest Drone Attack On Moscow "We employ a multitude of capabilities here in order to provide the most realistic training possible… That means our service members train using simulations across different systems and platforms, giving them the opportunity to engage with threats in real-time environments while also being mindful of the impact of these technologies in combat." As drone technology continues to evolve, the military is preparing service members to meet the challenge—ensuring they are ready to defend against airborne threats on the battlefield. "This is not a problem to take lightly," Sauda said. "There's been a significant investment — from personnel to funding — to make sure we're addressing this. It's not just about technology… It's about having the right people and the right expertise on the ground to respond."Original article source: U.S. Military trains service members to counter growing drone threat
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pentagon losing cutting edge on weapons innovation, needs 'massive kick in the pants,' say defense leaders
America's defenses will not be able to keep up with its peer adversaries if the Pentagon continues to take years to innovate its weapons systems, experts agreed at a security summit last week. The Pentagon's modernization was given a "D" by the National Security Innovation Base Summit this week, a near-failing letter grade that national security leaders in Congress agreed was a fair assessment. "Progress lives in the private sector, and we're not seeing enough progress in the public sector," said Govini CEO Tara Dougherty. "The department needs a massive kick in the pants in this area, and should be held accountable for catching up in progress to match what is happening among the investor community and among the technology sector." "I think the score is a deserved score, unfortunately," House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Rob Wittman said. Us Continues To Share Data To Protect Ukrainians Against Russian Strikes, Despite Intel Pause: Sources "The Pentagon is the Ford Motor Company of the 1950s. I mean, they the way they operate, slow, stoic," Wittman explained. "'Let's spend years to write a requirement, then let's spend years to go to a program or record, let's spend years to acquire.' By the time we acquire something, guess what? The threat's way ahead of us." Read On The Fox News App "We want them to reflect the Apple 2025 model." Nowhere is this clearer to defense leaders than in the nation's shipbuilding capabilities. The Navy currently has 295 deployable ships, though its shipbuilding plan calls for that number to be increased to 390 by 2054. The Maritime Security Program, which maintains privately owned, military-useful ships to deploy in wartime, is down to 60 in its fleet. "It's precipitously low. We could not get to where we need to be in the Pacific right now if we needed to," Wittman told Fox News Digital. The issue seemingly keeps President Donald Trump awake at night. John Phelan, Trump's nominee for Navy secretary, quipped during his confirmation hearing that the president texts him late at night, "sometimes after 1 a.m." about "rusty ships or ships in a yard, asking me, what am I doing about it?" Phelan added that he has told the president, "I'm not confirmed yet and have not been able to do anything about it, but I will be very focused on it." 'Star Trek Shield' Technology Gets $250M Boost To Knock Drone Swarms From The Sky With High-powered Microwave "We used to make so many ships," Trump lamented during a speech to a joint Congress on Tuesday. "We don't make them anymore very much, but we're going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact." He announced he had establish a White House Office of Shipbuilding. With the Pentagon, "it's process, process, process, not outcomes," said Wittman, who announced he would be co-chairing a defense modernization caucus in Congress. "We're operating off of an innovation cycle right now that, you know, used to be a decade, and it used to be five years. Then it used to be three years, and now it's a year or less innovation cycle," said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. "In Ukraine, they're actually operating off of week-long innovation cycles." Crow said it is up to Congress to give the Pentagon the "kick in the pants" it needs to move faster. "There are simply no demand signals being sent. So that requires a very real conversation about political will, which is actually bipartisan right now on this issue." The Pentagon began work on the F-35 fighter jet 25 years ago, and it is "just now getting into full scale production," noted Wittman. "The capability of that aircraft, the modernization that it needs to keep up with the Chinese threat, it's just not where it has to be." Even the newest F-35s need to be taken back to the assembly line to be fitted with 360-degree motion sensors known as the digital aperture system and the other latest technology in radars, Wittman said. "We're still not going to deliver the current jets coming off the line with technical refresh three hardware and have that software enabled until probably early next year." Under a new DOGE memo, the Pentagon has kicked off a review of its contracting procedures. "Each Agency Head, in consultation with the agency's DOGE Team Lead, shall conduct a comprehensive review of each agency's contracting policies, procedures, and personnel," a memo circulated this week read. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., told Fox News Digital she worries most about the military being prepared to defend against a cyberattack. "China specifically is better at cybersecurity than we are," she said. "It only takes one or two incursions that we don't see coming or that we aren't responsive to, to make an enormous difference here." Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., suggested that the U.S. may need to start thinking about offensive cyber missions. "When it comes to cyber, we've got to change the rules of engagement," he said. "China is eating our boxed lunch in the energy area, in our cellular phone infrastructure, they're trying to get into Wall Street, they're trying to get into agriculture." "We're really good on cyberintelligence but we have [rules of engagement] that do not let us do nearly what China or Russia does," he continued. "I don't think it's like taking punches to the face, saying 'can I have another.'" "We've got to be able to allow cyber command to fight fire with fire. I wouldn't even advertise it that much. Just carry a big stick and, get them back." Original article source: Pentagon losing cutting edge on weapons innovation, needs 'massive kick in the pants,' say defense leaders
