[Surveillance persistante aéroportée]

[alexandreVBCI]

Un dirigeable de la marine américaine utilisé pour la surveillance de la marée noire.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4696761&c=AME&s=AIR

The aircraft presents several advantages over helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, including being cheaper to operate and being able to stay aloft longer, up to 12 hours.

The Unified Command said the commercial A-1-70 series blimp will "play an important role in achieving the goal of saving a way of life with the massive response." It began its flight to the Gulf last month in Yuma, Arizona.

"The airship will operate relatively close to shore, primarily supporting skimmers to maximize their effectiveness," said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Kevin Sareault, the deputy area commander for aviation.

"While different sensors are being considered, one of the primary means for locating oil will be by simple visual observation by the embarked aerial observers.

Built in 2006, the MZ-3A Airship has flown missions in Greece, where it contributed to security operations for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

It has also been used by U.S. government agencies for atmospheric testing and naval and marine mammal research.

[alexandreVBCI]

AFP - Un drone propulsé par énergie solaire a atterri vendredi en Arizona (sud-ouest des Etats-Unis) après un vol de 14 jours et 21 minutes, pulvérisant le record du monde de durée pour un vol sans pilote, a annoncé vendredi le groupe britannique QinetiQ, à l'origine du prototype.

Conçu en fibre de carbone, le Zephyr, d'une envergure de 22,5 mètres et d'un poids de 50 kilos, fonctionne grâce aux panneaux fixés sur ses ailes, qui captent l'énergie solaire pendant la journée. Le soleil du jour recharge également des batteries lithium-soufre, qui permettent au drone de continuer à voler la nuit.

Selon QinetiQ, le Zephyr peut être utilisé pour observer le sol ou servir de relais de communication pour des opérations militaires.

http://www.france24.com/fr/20100723-drone-bat-le-record-vol-pilote-apres-14-jours-le-ciel

[collectionneur]

La charge utile sur cette engin doit être très légère et son autonomie dans les zones comme l'Europe beaucoup moins ensoleillé sera plus réduite.

[g4lly]

High Altitude Long Endurance – Demonstrator (HALE-D). The HALE-D is a proof of concept for the U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command’s High Altitude Airship (HAA) program.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lockheedmartin/4882527983/in/set-72157606037992447/

[aviapics]

En Inde, frontiere pakistanaise :

[alexandreVBCI]

Le futur vu par Boeing : un avion solaire de surveillance volant pendant 5 ans

http://inhabitat.com/2010/09/20/boeings-solar-powered-spy-plane-could-fly-for-five-years-straight/

[Rob1]

Le Gorgon Stare est annoncé au combat pour décembre prochain.

Le Gorgon Stare est un système optronique transporté par un MQ-9 Reaper et disposant dans une seule boule de 5 caméros diurnes et 4 caméras IR. Ces caméras prennent des photos de 16 mégapixels à 2 images/s. L'ensemble permet une surveillance d'une zone étendue (4x4 km), avec une douzaine de liens Rover simultanés. Le Reaper garde en plus sa boule optronique de nez, permettant des vidéos pour suivre des cibles intéressantes.

Par contre, les pods externes empêchent de transporter de l'armement et réduisent quelque peu l'autonomie de l'engin.

Prochaine étape, le Gorgon Stare Increment II devrait multiplier le nombre de caméras transportées dans la boule...

DTI

[g4lly]

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/asd/2010/12/22/04.xml

Six months after contract award, elements of Northrop Grumman’s long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle (LEMV) hybrid airship are coming together.

The persistent-surveillance LEMV is designed to have an endurance when operating unmanned for 21 days at 20,000 ft. carrying a 2,500-lb. payload of sensors and communications equipment.

The critical design review was completed at the end of November, final assembly is to begin in February and first flight is planned for the end of July 2011.

“It’s a fast-moving train,” says Alan Metzger, LEMV program manager. Northrop won the $517 million U.S. Army demonstration contract in July. The first airship should be ready for deployment to Afghanistan at the end of 2011 for a military assessment.

Envelope fabricator ILC Dover has begun seaming together components using fabric supplied by Warwick Mills, Metzger says. These will be delivered beginning in February to the final-assembly site, where the airship will be assembled, inflated and checked for leaks.

The U.K.’s Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), which is leading the vehicle’s design, has begun construction of the Group A equipment that will be integrated with the completed envelope. This includes mission and fuel modules, engines and hard structures.

HAV will begin assembly of the Group A equipment in mid-January, with integration of the air vehicle planned to begin in the U.S. in early May.

Prime contractor Northrop, meanwhile, has set up several LEMV test facilities at its Melbourne, Fla., plant. These include development environments for the air-vehicle control and sensor data processing, exploitation and dissemination systems.

A payload testbed has been constructed that mimics the “Murphy bay” infrastructure in the airship, Metzger says. Full-motion video, radar and communications-intelligence payloads provided off the shelf by the Army have been delivered to Melbourne.

Development of the autonomous control software is underway at Northrop’s unmanned systems operation in California. The LEMV will be operated using the Army’s One System ground-control station, developed by team member AAI.

A One System station at the launch and recovery site will operate the vehicle throughout its mission, Metzger says, while payload data will be processed and disseminated via the Army’s DCGS-A distributed common ground system.

After development flight tests of the first LEMV at the final-assembly site, conducted with a safety pilot on board, the airship is to be ferried to Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., in November 2011 for unmanned, long-endurance test flights.

Northrop has responded to requests for information on heavy-lift airships from U.S. Transportation Command and the Army. Metzger says LEMV is designed so the mission and fuel modules can be removed and replaced with cargo modules.

[alexandreVBCI]

L'armée américaine met au point un dirigeable bardé de caméras et de radars, chargé de détecter et d'analyser les mouvements en territoire ennemi.

D'après les plans détaillés par Wired, l'armée américaine souhaite centraliser sur ces dirigeables pilotés depuis le sol un arsenal de capteurs sonores et vidéo, qui surveilleront les territoires alentour. Contrairement aux drones conventionnels, qui nécessitent un traitement par des analystes au sol, un supercalculateur embarqué dans la nacelle devra délivrer les informations demandées par les soldats en moins de quinze secondes, durant leurs missions. «Cela pourrait changer la nature de la surveillance aérienne», vante au magazine le lieutenant-général David Deptula, responsable jusqu'en octobre 2010 du renseignement au sein de l'US Air Force.

Le projet «Blue Devil» doit bénéficier d'un budget de 211 millions de dollars. Si son développement aboutit, un premier vol est programmé pour le 15 octobre, indique Wired. Le contrat du LEMV a été attribué pour trois ans et 517 millions de dollars à Northrop Grumman, avec un objectif de vol sur le terrain (afghanistan) en décembre 2011, indique le groupe américain sur son site Internet.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/hightech/2011/01/24/01007-20110124ARTFIG00619-un-dirigeable-geant-americain-va-epier-l-afghanistan.php

[Rob1]

Nouvelles à propos du Gorgon Stare : alors que l'engin est en passe d'être déployé, un mémo de l'USAF a fuité. Gorgon Stare aurait un problème de lock "s'égarant", rendant l'imagerie inutilisable, des performances IR déficientes, des problèmes des compatibilité avec les terminaux à distance, une fiabilité "imprévisible", et un manque de documentation sur le système.

"DO NOT" Field Gorgon Stare, USAF Evaluation Says

[alexandreVBCI]

Le LEMV sera en afghanistan début 2012.

Feb 1/11: The LEMV program completes its Critical Design Review, about 6 months after signing the contract. This is the 4th major milestone achieved by the program since contract award. Hull inflation is set for spring 2011, with 1st flight by mid-to-late summer 2011. The final acceptance long endurance flight is still expected by the end of 2011, but the Army Joint Military Utility Assessment in Afghanistan will now take place in early 2012.

LEMV starting to get export promotion.

Northrop Grumman announces that its LEMV will be featured in its booth at Aero India.

Une idée du type de client pour l'export ?

[alexandreVBCI]

RC-12X SIGINT

Northrop Grumman just last month delivered first of the newest batch of what’s proven to be a very useful yet low-key weapon system over the last 20 years or so; the Army’s prop-driven RC-12 Guardrail signals intelligence planes.

http://defensetech.org/2011/02/08/first-rc-12x-sigint-spy-planes-making-their-way-downrange/

[alexandreVBCI]

Un nouvel appareil, le Firebird de Northrop Grumman :

http://defensetech.org/2011/05/09/northrop-grumman-unveils-latest-spy-plane/

[alexandreVBCI]

Un nouveau dirigeable d'Aeros : le PELICAN

Rather than wasting precious helium, Aeros has created a compression system, called Control of Static Heaviness, or COSH. The ships are built with a rigid airframe surrounded by a membrane. Within the membrane are pressurized helium tanks, which can vary weight by turning the pressure up or down to make them heavier or lighter.

Should this work, the pressurized tanks could diminish the need for the excess fuel that is burned to change a ship’s weight at variant intervals. Aeros’ Pelican ship, a 230 foot long, 600,000 cubic foot vehicle, will be tested with this pressurized COSH system in 2012-2013. Funded by the Pentagon’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office, the project c is likely to be used in the military.

http://inhabitat.com/amazing-aeros-pelican-airships-set-to-fly-by-2013/

[alexandreVBCI]

L'Egypte achète 2 King Air comme appareils de reconnaissance et de surveillance.

June 1 /11: Raytheon Co. receives a $24 million firm-fixed-price contract award to buy 2 used commercial Beechcraft airliners, then refurbish the airframes, add special mission equipment and components, and cover spare parts, accessories and other material and services for the Arab Republic of Egypt. Work will be performed in McKinney, TX, and Egypt, with an estimated completion date of July 31/12. One bid was solicited, with one bid received by the US Army’s AMCOM Contracting Center at Redstone Arsenal, AL (W58RGZ-11-C-0084).

Raytheon spinoff HawkerBeechcraft’s King Air twin-turboprops have found a niche as affordable, long endurance manned reconnaissance airplanes. Used commercial aircraft are likely to be the King Air B200/ 300, which have been bought and refurbished for Canadian use under the MARSS program, rather than the new King Air 350ERs in use by Iraq and the USA. Malta operates King Air B200s as maritime patrol craft, and private firms like ASSI (SkyEye 350) and Dynamic Aviation own King Air ISR planes that are available for lease.

[alexandreVBCI]

L'USAF commence à s'inquièter de la multiplication des appareils civils low cost modifiés en ISR.

http://defensetech.org/2011/06/22/civilian-looking-spy-planes/

[BPCs]

Qq détails sur le système de surveillance antimissile de croisière  par ballons captif JLENS

The helium inflation of the world's first 74 meter aerostat, manufacturing by TCOM, and flight test facilities took place in Elizabeth City, N.C. TCOM is a subcontractor to Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems Division. The JLENS aerostat is the first of its size and is the largest aerostat to be built. It anchored to the ground by a tether and connected to an 180,000 pound mobile mooring station, covers almost the length and width of a football field. It will be able to fly a 7,000 pound communications and radar payload up to 10,000 feet.

In December 2009, the aerostat will be transported to the Army's Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, to be mated with its surveillance radar. The second aerostat and its fire control radar will be mated at Dugway next May (2010), and the two platforms will be integrated as a system - or orbit - and begin limited testing in September 2010

We do not have the characteristics of the 74M (model for the army) but those of the 71M are rather similar :

The 71M® aerostat is the world's most modern and reliable aerostat incorporating decades of technological advancements and refinements (before 74M). It is the largest of TCOM aerostats providing unsurpassed performance at 15,000 feet and higher.

With an overall length of 71 meters and a hull volume of 16,000 cubic meters the 71M® provides maximum payload capacity of 3,500 lbs, highest operational altitude and longest continuous on-station time. The 71M® easily accommodates today's high-power, long-range radars that provide continuous detection of surface targets and low flying aircraft out to 200 nautical miles.

http://www.carnetdevol.org/actualite-ballon/aerostat/usArmy.html

[g4lly]

Un ballon captif remplace un satelite comme relai de communication

http://www.dodbuzz.com/2011/07/07/the-armys-antennae-in-the-sky/

No satellites? No problem. Army officials say they can expand the range of their Joint Tactical Radio Systems by deputizing unmanned aerial vehicles as relay stations, according to an official story this week about the ongoing network test at White Sands, N.M. Blimps and the Army’s Shadow UAV both can carry JTRS equipment that increases the distance over which soldiers can talk to each other, keeping everyone on the battlefield connected without the need for a satellite link.

Per the Army’s story:

    The Aerostat blimps being used in the [Network Integration Evaluation] are carrying a four-channel, software-programmable JTRS Ground Mobile Radio as well as two-channel JTRS Handheld Manpack Small radios. The Shadow UAS are engineered to carry single-channel JTRS Rifleman Radios.

    The idea is to expand a terrestrial, JTRS-based communications network by adding aerial nodes designed to extend the ability to relay information across further distances through line-of-sight connections. The software-programmable JTRS radios, which can make use of encryption to safeguard information, are built to send IP packets of data, voice, video and images via multiple waveforms between static command centers, vehicles on-the-move and even dismounted individual soldiers on patrol.

    “The aerial layer allows RF [radio frequencies] to travel further and more freely. It gets you line-of-sight connections to additional nodes on the network,” said Jerry Tyree, deputy for material at Brigade Modernization Command. “We’re getting ranges greater than 60 kilometers with the aerial layer.”

    Part of the rationale for JTRS technology is to afford battlefield communications in an austere environment where satellite technology might not always be available.

Commanders hope that expanding the breadth of these networks will let everyone in the battle space — on foot, in vehicles, in the air or back at the FOB — stay on the same page.

[alexandreVBCI]

'Spydr' King Air :

L-3 Communications' work to modify a Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350ER for use as a multi-sensor surveillance aircraft will soon see the twin-turboprop's nose section removed.

In its place will be a new structure capable of carrying the weight of an electro-optical/infrared sensor in a ball turret, expected to be an L-3 Wescam MX-15.

The aircraft already has an MX-15 sensor installed beneath its rear fuselage, plus a large fairing above its cabin to accommodate satellite communication equipment.

Other systems could include a line-of-sight tactical common data link, self-protection equipment, signals intelligence-gathering sensors and a maritime search radar, all integrated with L-3's onboard processing, exploitation and dissemination system.

L-3 is offering potential customers the ability to pick and choose from this menu of options to support a range of military and civilian surveillance applications, from its use as a SIGINT platform to a maritime patrol and fisheries protection asset.

Article et photos :

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/07/22/359828/picture-how-l-3s-re-nosed-spydr-king-air-will-look.html

[alexandreVBCI]

Un dirigeable de surveillance à énergie solaire. Les photos :

http://inhabitat.com/lockheeds-hale-d-blimp-is-a-solar-powered-spy-satellite/

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/HighAltitudeAirship/

[BPCs]

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/07/28/360081/helium-anomaly-forces-lockheed-airship-down-on-maiden-flight.html

Je ne retrouve pas le fil sur les dirigeables de G4lly...

[alexandreVBCI]

Encore un dirigeable de surveillance mais avec un look un peu spécial (voir photo dans le lien) !

World Surveillance Group’s worm-like Argus One airship began flight demonstrations for the Pentagon at a Department of Energy-owned airstrip.  Argus One is meant to loiter for a long time at altitudes of 10,000 to 20,000-feet over targets while carrying 33-pounds of surveillance and communications in that little gondola that’s slung beneath the craft. Why the crazy looking design? Increased stability and maneuverability in the face of nasty winds and weather conditions.

http://defensetech.org/2012/01/23/a-stealthy-worm-shaped-spying-airship-what/

[Fenrir]

Il fonctionne en meute c'est ça??  :lol:

[BPCs]

Encore un dirigeable de surveillance mais avec un look un peu spécial (voir photo dans le lien) !

World Surveillance Group’s worm-like Argus One airship began flight demonstrations for the Pentagon at a Department of Energy-owned airstrip.  Argus One is meant to loiter for a long time at altitudes of 10,000 to 20,000-feet over targets while carrying 33-pounds of surveillance and communications in that little gondola that’s slung beneath the craft. Why the crazy looking design? Increased stability and maneuverability in the face of nasty winds and weather conditions.

http://defensetech.org/2012/01/23/a-stealthy-worm-shaped-spying-airship-what/

Je veux un truc comme cela au dessus de mon Frappeur !

The Argus One has a low radar footprint making it virtual stealth since the payload bay located on the forward module of the airship is the only radar reflecting material on the airship.

[alexandreVBCI]

Multiplication des capteurs :

Une synthèse des chiffres publiés par différents médias américains spécialisés donne une idée de l’explosion des moyens ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) dans les forces armées occidentales ; les voici, en vrac. Actuellement, l’OTAN effectue quotidiennement environ 85 sorties ISR dans les cieux afghans (22 en 2009) pour un total de 22 800 missions sur les 9 premiers mois de 2011. Tout cela génère un flot continu d’informations de plus en plus difficile à gérer. Outre-Atlantique, on souligne ainsi que le volume acquis tant par les moyens aériens que spatiaux a augmenté de 1 500 % sur les cinq dernières années tandis que, dans le même temps, les capacités de traitement gouvernementales n’ont progressé que de 30 %. Si l’on en croit Michael VICKERS, Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, le volume des données généré actuellement en Afghanistan est égal à cinq fois celui généré par la guerre en Irak à son apogée. Chaque jour, 53 téraoctets sont produits, soit l’équivalent de 2,5 millions de films. Au cours de la seule année 2009, les drones américains tous conflits confondus ont livré l’équivalent de 24 années de vidéo ; on s’attend à ce que le total soit multiplié par 30 en 2011. Toujours en ce qui concerne les drones mais dans un autre ordre d’idées, l’omniprésence des engins inhabités mène à des raccourcis tactiques auparavant difficilement imaginables. C’est ainsi que récemment, un bombardier B-1 a délivré une bombe JDAM guidée par GPS sur la seule foi des coordonnées transmises par un simple Puma, engin léger conçu par AeroVironment et lancé à la main...

http://www.opex-presse.fr/chronique/0244.html

Tous les ans, l’équipe rédactionnelle du média américain C4ISR Journal (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) présélectionne vingt-cinq technologies, programmes ou organismes qui se sont distingués. La liste des nominés mouture 2011 évoque quelques systèmes sinon secrets du moins discrets. C’est le cas s’agissant des MicroObserver Unattended Ground Sensors (senseurs abandonnés terrestres miniaturisés développés par Textron Defense Systems d’ores et déjà déployés en Afghanistan. Les deux versions existantes seraient capables d’une autonomie respective de 33 jours et de 3 ans), du Shadow Harvest (système de surveillance multicapteurs packagé de manière à être rapidement monté et démonté sur un avion cargo C-130 afin de le transformer en avion-espion), du Firebird (appareil léger ISR multicapteurs optionnellement pilotable, c’est-à-dire qu’il peut être employé soit en tant qu’aéronef soit en tant que drone) ou encore du SoldierEyes (applications permettant à un “smartphone” connecté en réseau de partager des images, des séquences vidéo ou des rapports de renseignement). Le Satellite Sentinel Project a également été mis à l’honneur. Il s’agit d’une initiative privée de collecte et d’analyse des informations (y compris imagerie satellitaire) lancée par l’acteur George CLOONEY dans le but de prévenir les crises tant que faire se peut ; il a notamment joué un rôle non négligeable dans le cadre des événements au Sud-Soudan.

http://www.opex-presse.fr/chronique/0243.html