Armada’s monthly round-up of all the latest electronic warfare news in the product, programme and operational domains.
Artemis and BlackFish for Linx
Airborne Technologies has completed integration of Smith Myers’ Artemis and Horizon Technologies’ BlackFish payloads into the company’s Airborne Linx mission management system. Artemis is a communications intelligence system which detects, locates and tracks cellphone transmissions. BlackFish performs similar tasks for satellite phones. Linx can be installed in rotary and fixed-wing aircraft and uninhabited aerial vehicles. It manages and consolidates the data from several disparate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payloads installed on the platform. Wolfgang Grumeth, Airborne Technologies’ chief executive officer, told Armada that integration of these payloads with existing Linx ensembles is possible. He continued that plans are afoot to deliver Linx systems configured for signals intelligence gathering to a non-disclosed Middle Eastern customer by the end of this year’s second quarter.
Submarine Spectrum Enhancements
The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth $19 million for the “design and qualification testing of submarine electronic warfare equipment” according to a press release. The work will be performed at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Syracuse, New York State. The press release said this will be completed by February 2024. A written statement from Lockheed Martin said the work concerns the company’s AN/BLQ-10(V) electronic support measure used widely across the US Navy’s submarine fleet. No details have been released on what the contract entails, but the company said the work “allows the navy to continue to stay ahead of the threat.” In January 2022, Armada reported that Progeny Systems was awarded a $8 million contract to upgrade the AN/BLQ-10(V). This covered the systems’ human-machine interfaces and was scheduled to be completed by 2023.
The Sting of the Scorpion
Allen-Vanguard disclosed that the company is supplying its Ancile counter-uninhabited aerial vehicle and Scorpion electronic countermeasure to the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) armed forces. The latter provides protection against radio-frequency activated improvised explosive devices. Both are supplied via the company’s local partner Trust International and are now in service with the UAE military. A press release announcing the news said that Ancile has also been developed in a vehicle-mounted configuration. It can be detached from the vehicle and used as a stand-alone system if desired. A written statement from Allen-Vanguard said both Ancile and Scorpion are deployed with other Gulf Cooperation Council nations. The company added that deliveries of both systems should conclude before the end of March.
Elettronica and Etimad’s Strategic Partnership
Elettronica and Etimad Holdings have signed a strategic partnership to establish an integrated logistics hub for Electronic Warfare (EW) systems in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). An Elettronica press release disclosed this will cover the repair and maintenance of Elettronica’s EW products locally. The news was announced during the recent IDEX defence exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The company told Armada via a written statement that, while the collaboration focuses on the UAE market, “it does not exclude the possibility to extend to other countries.” The statement described the partnership as an “evolution of the traditional offset approach, localising logistics services which shall be provided close to the end user.” Beyond this, it will allow both companies “to explore the provision of EW systems (and) solutions for surveillance and protection based on the sharing of Elettronica’s and Etimad Holdings’ capabilities, merging Elettronica’s long-standing experiences … (with) … Etimad’s experience in command and control, and system integration.”
Etienne-Lacroix Expands Presence in UAE
A strategic partnership between Etienne-Lacroix and Remah International Group has been concluded establishing a joint venture called Gulf ACM, explained a press release announcing the news. The agreement was signed during February’s IDEX defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The joint venture covers the construction of a factory for advanced countermeasures, the press release continued. Its core focus will be “on developing and supporting the local aerospace and defence industry” and serving the UAE armed forces. Sources close to the joint venture told Armada that production at the facility could start within the next two years.
by Dr. Thomas Withington
Read our other Electronic Warfare articles from the newsletter:
- Russian IADS Redux Part-1: Resonating with Resonance
- Famous Five
- Radioflash! Episode 3: Train as you fight!
