Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Bill Blair have released an updated defense policy that puts Ottawa on track to meet NATO’s goal of 2 percent military spending-to-GDP ratio, Canada’s Department of National Defence announced on Monday. The new policy, titled “Our North, Strong and Free,” aims for a defense spending of 1.76 percent...
Author: Arthur McMiler (Arthur McMiler)
Thales Australia to Integrate Sonar Tech Into Saildrone USV
Thales Australia has entered a partnership agreement to integrate its BlueSentry towed array sonar into Saildrone’s Surveyor uncrewed surface vehicle. The companies announced their partnership on the sidelines of Sea-Air-Space 2024 at National Harbor, Maryland, on Monday. According to Thales, the thin-line towed array provides enhanced surveillance and monitoring for open-ocean surveys and maritime domain...
Canberra Bares Three Defense Science Appointments to Support Warfighting Capabilities
The Australian Department of Defence has announced the appointment of Emily Hilder as head of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator, a new government agency formed in May 2023 to transition game-changing concepts into capabilities that provide a warfighting advantage to the Australian Defence Force. The department said Hilder brings 20 years of industry and academic...
Ultra I&C Lines Up Archer Troposcatter for Global Defense Market; Chris Bishop Quoted
Ultra Intelligence & Communications has introduced its Archer family of troposcatter beyond-line-of-sight communication systems for the global defense market. The company said Archer has demonstrated the capability of sustained communications beyond 185 kilometers and meets the U.S. Army’s standards for a secure communication platform. Chris Bishop, Ultra I&C chief growth officer and a Potomac Officers...
New Zealand Selects 12 Teams for Joint Earth Observation Research With NASA
New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has selected 12 research teams to conduct six-month Earth observation studies in partnership with NASA. The teams’ research projects cover a wide range of feasibility studies, including environmental monitoring, natural hazards and biodiversity, according to New Zealand Space Minister Judith Collins. The teams were chosen from proposals...
US, 4 Other Countries to Lead Work on Global Military AI Guardrails
The United States, Canada, Portugal, Bahrain and Austria will spearhead a one-year program to seek new safety standards for military use of artificial intelligence and automated systems. Breaking Defense reported that the countries were chosen during the inaugural plenary meeting of delegates from 46 out of the 53 countries that endorsed the U.S. Political Declaration...
Northrop Grumman Books $60M Contract to Upgrade US Navy, Australian EA-18G Aircraft Communication
The U.S. Department of Defense has announced a $60.34 million contract award to Northrop Grumman for the manufacture and supply of Airborne Electronic Attack System Enhancements B-Kits for Weapons Replacement Assemblies 7s and 8s and low-band dedicated receivers for the EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The...
Elbit Systems Books New Order for C4I Platform Installation in European Artillery Unit
Israeli defense company Elbit Systems announced that a European country has ordered its Artillery Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence solution. Under the C4I purchase order, Elbit will provide digital fires capabilities to the unnamed buyer’s 155 mm howitzer battalions through the integration of the company’s artillery suite featuring the Torch-X Fires solution and E-Lynx...
Defense Industry Seeks Clarification on Ottawa’s Arms Export Freeze to Israel
Canadian arms exporters to Israel with permits approved before Jan. 8 can proceed with the transaction, even as Canada’s House of Commons passed on March 18 a measure temporarily halting such sales over human rights concerns from Tel Aviv’s military actions in Gaza. The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, however, still wants specific...
BlackBerry Seeks to Grow Asia-Pacific Footprint With Malaysian Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Debut; John Giamatteo Quoted
BlackBerry has announced the inauguration of its Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Kuala Lumpur to support Malaysia and Indo-Pacific countries in strengthening their cyberthreat response. The CCoE, which officially opened on Tuesday, is the Canadian software company’s first such facility in Asia Pacific and will provide training under the new BlackBerry Cybersecurity Curriculum. The curriculum...