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Sierra Space satellite passes milestone in Space Force program
January 16, 2025
A navigation satellite designed by Sierra Space for the U.S. Space Force has cleared an early review, the company announced Jan. 16,
Sierra Space, based in Colorado, is one of four companies selected for the Resilient Global Positioning System (R-GPS) program, aimed at bolstering the existing GPS satellite constellation with a fleet of smaller and more affordable satellites.
The other competitors are Astranis, Axient and L3Harris.
The Space Force plans to select up to two companies in 2026 to produce eight satellites, scheduled for launch by 2028.
These satellites will augment the 31-satellite GPS constellation currently in orbit, with the goal of ensuring global navigation coverage amid concerns about potential threats to space assets from rival nations.
Sierra Space said its R-GPS design successfully passed a “system requirements review” that determines if a satellite’s technical and operational specifications align with the program’s goals.
Erik Daehler, vice president of defense, satellites, and spacecraft systems at Sierra Space, said passing this milestone gives the company confidence as the program moves forward.
“We look forward to the next phase of our R-GPS program and getting our satellite technology into orbit,” Daehler said.
The R-GPS program was launched under an expedited “Quick Start” authority granted by Congress, which allows the Department of Defense to fast-track high-priority initiatives.
Spearheaded by outgoing Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, the program aims to deploy smaller satellites with fewer payloads to supplement the traditional GPS satellites built by Lockheed Martin, which carry a $500 million price tag.
R-GPS satellites are expected to cost between $50 million and $80 million each. The program could eventually expand to a total of 24 satellites.
Sierra Space is seeking to ramp up its military satellite business.
Beyond its R-GPS involvement, the company is fulfilling a contract for missile-tracking satellites as part of the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer.
The company has invested in a 60,000-square-foot production facility designed to support high-volume satellite manufacturing.
https://spacenews.com/sierra-space-satellite-passes-milestone-in-space-force-program/
Planet hires former Space Force chief to its board amid defense push
January 17, 2025
San Francisco-based satellite imaging company Planet has appointed retired U.S. Space Force General John “Jay” Raymond to its board of directors, as the company seeks to expand its footprint in the defense and intelligence markets.
Raymond, who served as the first Chief of Space Operations for the U.S. Space Force and is currently a senior managing director at private equity firm Cerberus, brings extensive military space expertise to Planet as it competes with established players like Maxar Intelligence and BlackSky for government contracts.
Planet operates one of the world’s largest commercial satellite constellations, with over 200 Earth observation satellites providing daily global coverage.
The company combines this imaging capability with artificial intelligence-driven analytics to provide insights to customers.
“Timely, high-resolution satellite imagery is now more critical than ever to help combat the world’s most pressing issues, from natural disasters to geopolitical conflict,” Raymond said in a statement Jan. 16.
Eyes on defense market
The appointment comes as Planet eyes a more aggressive push in the defense market.
During a December earnings call, CEO Will Marshall disclosed a new seven-figure Defense Department pilot program contract in the third quarter of fiscal 2024, marking the company’s third such pilot.
These programs allow government users to test Planet’s imagery and analytics capabilities, though Marshall emphasized the company’s focus on converting these short-term pilots into longer operational contracts.
Planet is also adapting its technology strategy to better serve defense customers.
Marshall revealed plans to potentially deploy its next-generation Pelican high-resolution imaging satellites in both sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits.
This dual-orbit approach, similar to competitor Maxar’s WorldView Legion constellation, would enhance coverage of populated areas between approximately 45 degrees north and south of the equator.
Earth observation satellites typically operate in sun-synchronous orbits, passing over any given point on Earth at the same local solar time each day. This consistency helps in monitoring changes over time.
Mid-inclination orbits, while covering a smaller area of Earth, provide more frequent passes over heavily populated middle latitudes, making them valuable for defense and intelligence applications.
Marshall expressed optimism about growth opportunities under the incoming administration, citing potential alignment between Planet’s capabilities and the administration’s focus on leveraging commercial technologies.
https://spacenews.com/planet-hires-former-space-force-chief-to-its-board-amid-defense-push/
Sweden unveils drone swarm to be paired with ground troops
Jan 17, 2025, 08:03 AM
Sweden has unveiled a cluster of swarming aerial drones envisioned to equip ground and air units of the Swedish Armed Forces for intelligence and surveillance applications.
The project was announced by Swedish Minister for Defense Pal Jonson during a Jan. 15 press conference.
In a demonstration video shared with Defense News, a formation of 10 quadcopters is seen taking off and relaying footage of their flight trajectory above snowy forests to ground operators.
A Swedish voice-over explains that the drones’ high-resolution imagery and artificial intelligence-driven analyses enable commanders to have immediate and actionable insights for faster decision-making – military lingo describing the advantage of having flying eyes and ears for securing a perimeter.
The initiative has involved the participation of the Swedish aerospace company Saab in cooperation with the Swedish military, the Swedish Defense Material Administration and the Swedish Defense Research Agency.
While Saab does not provide the drones themselves, for now, it worked alongside the other agencies to design a software for their command and control.
“The individual UAVs in the swarm are equipped with different capabilities, such as varying sensors, payload, and communication capacities – the swarms are controlled by a single operator who can assign … tasks to one or more swarms, for instance via a mobile phone,” a Saab spokesperson told Defense News in an email statement.
The Saab representative added that the drone swarm technology was developed in “a very short period,” and that additional NATO countries have already expressed interest in it.
The Scandinavian country borders the Baltic Sea, where NATO recently launched a maritime patrol mission, following a series of sabotage incidents against underwater infrastructure.
The interest in drone swarms is not new, as militaries around the world have examined both the opportunities and threats they present.
In a recent publication for the U.S.-based Atlantic Council think-tank, the head of the Ukrainian defense-technology hub Brave1 listed drone swarms as a top priority for Kyiv in 2025.
“Ukrainian drone units are already moving beyond the initial concept of one drone, one operator and looking to transition towards drone swarms this year,” she wrote.
A key challenge swarms have presented is that they are typically composed of relatively small, short-range drones, which implies that their flight time is highly limited to around 30 minutes.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2025/01/17/sweden-unveils-drone-swarm-to-be-paired-with-ground-troops/
Drone crash injures one person in northern Duhok
January 17, 2025
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - One person was injured when an unidentified drone fell from the sky in the Amedi district of northern Duhok province, a local source told Rudaw.
“As the result of the drone crash, a 25-year-old man, Wahbi Sadiq, was injured and is currently being treated at Amedi hospital,” Karzan Mahdi, from Deraluk subdistrict in Amedi, told Rudaw's Ayub Nasri.
“We do not know who the drone belongs to but there is ongoing conflict between the Turkish army and the PKK in the area,” he added, referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Footage obtained by Rudaw English shows the moment of an explosion in an open area where many people are present.
Turkey often targets locations within Duhok’s borders claiming to strike PKK positions.
Numerous villages have been vacated and many villagers are not allowed to visit their orchards in these areas.
This is a developing story…
https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/17012025
Drone strike, explosion rock Kurdish city of Qamishlo
Jan. 17, 2025
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Two powerful explosions shook the Kurdish-controlled city of Qamishlo on Friday, including what officials confirmed was a drone strike targeting a building in the city's western district.
Preliminary reports suggest the first explosion originated from a fuel tank fire at a building near an ice factory in the Ain Kharba neighborhood.
The second blast, which struck the same location, was confirmed to be the result of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack.
The targeted building is located in a civilian-populated area that accommodates several important facilities, including the HAWAR News Agency headquarters and the Civil Defense Authority offices.
Residents reported hearing aircraft activity in the area prior to the explosions.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), which governs the region, has not yet issued information about possible casualties or exact details about the targeted facility.
This incident occurs against the backdrop of the ongoing tensions in northeastern Syria, where Kurdish forces maintain control but face episodic security challenges from various armed groups and state actors.
The region, also known as Rojava, has established a de facto autonomous administration since 2012 during the Syrian civil war.
The use of armed drones in the area has raised concerns about escalating military activities in the region, which has historically served as a comparatively stable part of war-torn Syria under the Kurdish administration.
Local authorities have begun an investigation into the incident, while security measures have been intensified across the city.
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/820234/drone-strike-explosion-rock-kurdish-city-of-qamishlo
China’s invention turns small drone into stadium-sized UFO on radar to fool enemies
Jan 17, 2025 08:03 AM EST
A team of scientists in China worked on a significant innovation that can be used to fool the country’s enemies during wars.
The team claims that its latest innovation can turn a drone with radar reflector – roughly the size of an iPad tablet – into an unidentified flying object (UFO) as big as a sports stadium on radars.
This is aimed at fooling enemy radar operators during wars and strengthen China’s position in electronic warfare technology.
Earlier, military researchers have focused on developing modern stealth technology to hide its flying objects from enemy radars.
However, the latest Chinese innovation can be effectively used to divert enemies and waste their crucial time during military conflicts.
Giant flying saucer in mid-air shows on radar
The latest study, published in Chinese-language journal Radar Science and Technology, maintains that tablets would appear on radar suddenly looking similar to a giant flying saucer in mid-air will shock enemy radar operators.
Researchers created a radar cross-section (RCS) – the echo produced by a target’s power output – for the tablet measuring 5,240 square metres (56,400 sq ft).
By powering up the radar reflector as it was carried by a drone, the researchers found it could “significantly increase RCS to mask the characteristics of real targets, effectively achieving tactical goals such as anti-reconnaissance and anti-attack”, reported SCMP.
Chen Qiang, associate researcher at the National University of Defence Technology’s School of Electronic Science and Technology who led the research team, stated that the effect was achieved with “unprecedented efficiency”.
Swarm of these drones can overwhelm radar screens
Scientists believe that a swarm of these drones can overwhelm radar screens, leaving their operators stunned and in a state of shock.
Researchers maintained that the RCS is measured by the amount of power generated by a target.
When scattered equally in all directions, the energy output produces an echo of the same size on the radar screen, according to scientists.
Scientists conducted various military tests of the prototype, which showed that it can effectively enhance and reflect electromagnetic waves coming from different directions.
Device displayed impressive performance when operating in the X-band
Researchers maintained that the device displayed a particularly impressive performance when operating in the X-band, which is commonly used for weapons control and target tracking.
They claimed that the method only requires powering the amplification module, eliminating the need for the generation and analysis of electromagnetic signals, thus offering the advantages of miniaturization and scalability, reported SCMP.
Innovation inspired by a patent filed in 1959
A patent filed in 1959 by Lester C. Van Atta, a radar expert at what was then the Hughes Aircraft Company, inspired the latest innovation.
Van Atta introduced a unique array antenna, designed to ensure that the waveform and path of incident coincided perfectly with the reflected waves.
To work, the array’s aperture needed to be much bigger, which is why the idea stayed on paper for 60 years.
By applying an electrical current to the Van Atta array, the Chinese scientists were able to significantly enhance the device’s RCS-boosting capabilities, according to the researchers.
https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-turn-drone-into-ufo-radar