DEFENSE

Systems Digest

17 SEPTEMBER 2024

DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.

U.S. Navy photo courtesy of General Dynamics Electric Boat

2024 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD) STEELS SUMMIT

This summit brings together the defense, government, industry, and academic communities engaged in producing, using, and researching steel alloys for military applications. It is a two-day event involving technical briefings, poster presentations, and panel discussions. Active participation is encouraged, as advancements continue in developing and integrating steels to help the Warfighter.

Registration deadline is 18 October 2024. Click HERE to learn more and register.

FEATURED ARTICLE

What unclassified datasets train artificial intelligence models to detect military objects from small unmanned aerial system imagery?

The Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) is seeking information on datasets containing military objects to train artificial intelligence models in their detection capabilities. In particular, the datasets would ideally contain multiple views of these objects that vary in range, angle, lighting, atmospheric conditions, and location. Standard electro-optical images (daytime RGB color images) with a…

Rick Cross works on the Titan compressor system at the Jupiter Laser Facility. The gratings (rainbow reflection) allow the Titan laser to provide peak power while preserving the optical components of the system. (Photo: Garry McLeod/LLNL)

A Brighter Future for the Jupiter Laser Facility

Since the 1970s, the Janus laser, now part of the Jupiter Laser Facility (JLF), has served as an experimental proving ground to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) laser and fusion programs and the broader high-energy-density and laser science communities. Today, JLF is not only home to Janus — one of the world’s few hands-on laser…

X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Concludes Seventh Successful Mission

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) — The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-7 (OTV-7), the U.S. Space Force’s dynamic unmanned spaceplane, successfully deorbited and landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base (SFB), California, on March 7, 2025, at 02:22 a.m. EST. The U.S. Space Force landed the X-37B at Vandenberg SFB, California, to exercise its rapid ability…

A pilot trains in the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Patuxent River, Md. Tactical pilots from the Marine Corps and Air Force conducted the first-ever joint training exercise flying simulated combat missions together in F-35 and F-22 fifth-generation fighter jets in the JSE on March 24-27, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Terri Thomas)

Marines, Air Force Fight as a Joint Force for the First Time in the Navy’s Joint Simulation Environment

NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER AIRCRAFT DIVISION, Patuxent River, Md. — For the first time, U.S. Marine Corps F-35 and Air Force F-22 pilots trained as a joint fighting force in the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD’s) Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, on March 24-27. The training event brought…

Taking Quantum Sensors Out of the Lab and Into Defense Platforms

Quantum sensors, which have demonstrated unmatched precision in measuring magnetic fields, gravity, and motion, hold immense promise for advancing defense capabilities. However, these sensors face significant challenges when deployed in real-world settings – especially when placed on moving platforms. Vibrations, electromagnetic interference, and other environmental disturbances degrade their performance, limiting their operational utility. Current solutions,…

Gen. Randy A. George, Chief of Staff of the Army, receives a demonstration of next generation command and control (NGC2) experimental capabilities as part of Project Convergence - Capstone 4 at Fort Irwin, Calif., March 18, 2024. At this year’s Project Convergence – Capstone 5, also taking place at Fort Irwin, the Army conducted a Soldier-led NGC2 “proof of principle” for the Army to assess progress with the approach. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brahim Douglas)

Soldiers Experiment With Next-Generation C2 at Project Convergence

FORT IRWIN, Calif. (March 11, 2025) – The Army’s next-generation command and control effort is reaching a critical milestone at Project Convergence Capstone 5, where commanders and soldiers are employing new capabilities in realistic mission scenarios and conditions. Next-generation command and control, known as NGC2, aims to provide the integrated information framework that commanders need…

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, steps from the OA-1K Skyraider II as part of a delivery ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida, April 3, 2025. The ceremony recognized the delivery of the first missionized OA-1K Skyraider II to AFSOC. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Fiorilli)

Air Force Special Operations Command Accepts the First Missionized OA-1K Skyraider II

HURLBURT FIELD, FL – The Skyraider II officially joins the Air Force Special Operations Command fleet with the delivery of the first missionized aircraft here on April 3, 2025. U.S. Special Operations Command representatives and AFSOC leadership joined elected officials and community leaders in a ceremony marking the acceptance. The delivery marks the start of…

Shown is a graphical artist rendering of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform. The rendering highlights the Air Force’s sixth generation fighter, the F-47. The NGAD Platform will bring lethal, next-generation technologies to ensure air superiority for the Joint Force in any conflict. (U.S. Air Force graphic)

Air Force Awards Contract for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, F-47

WASHINGTON (AFNS) — The U.S. Department of the Air Force recently announced the contract award for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform, marking a major milestone in the advancement of air superiority. The contract, awarded to Boeing, will lead to the development of the F-47, the world’s…

A Neros Archer first-person view drone sits on a case during a demonstration range at Weapons Training Battalion on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, March 7, 2025. The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team used the Neros Archer FPV drone to engage targets on the range to showcase the drone’s capabilities on the battlefield. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Barker)

Marine Corps Launches Attack Drone Team

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – On January 3, 2025, the Commanding Generals of the Training Command, Maj. Gen. Anthony M. Henderson, and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Brig. Gen. Simon M. Doran, established the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team (MCADT) in response to the rapid proliferation of armed first-person-view (FPV) drone technology and tactics….

Many tiny fibers twisted together into one larger strand

Computational Tools to Predict the Response of UHMWPE Composites to Impact

Ultra-high, molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites are advanced materials that lack experimentally driven, physics-based computational tools for predicting their response. This challenge exists for traditional fiber-based UHMWPE composites in a softer matrix material as well as the newer subclass based on films. Hybrid experimental-modeling-computational (HEMC) concepts for computational prediction of fiber- and film-based UHMWPE composites’…

Notable Technical Inquiry

Qualification and Certification of Powder Bed Fusion Additively Manufactured Components

Additive manufacturing (AM) is, and has been, a technology gaining traction for replacement parts and optimally designed structures throughout industry. However, with the lack of military or U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)-approved qualification and certification (Q&C) processes (outside of NASA standards), the utilization of AM throughout the Services and DoD certainly is not as trusted when compared to traditional manufacturing processes. Due to the lack…

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FUTURE WEBINARS

The Effects of Corrosion on Ballistic Protection of Armor and Methods to Prevent and Treat Corrosion in Armored Vehicles

Hosted by: Carson Bouchelle

September 25, 2024 12:00 pm

DID YOU MISS OUR LAST WEBINAR?

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FEATURED WEBINAR

A rusted and corroded military ground vehicle is shown

The Effects of Corrosion on Ballistic Protection of Armor and Methods to Prevent and Treat Corrosion in Armored Vehicles

Hosted by: Carson Bouchelle

September 25, 2024 12:00 pm

The Defensive Equipment and Armored Vehicle Division (DEAV) of the Department of State (DoS) has seen repeated and extensive corrosion on armored vehicles (AVs) at various posts, affecting both armor and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. It was unknown how quickly corrosion reduces armors’ protection capability, including opaque armor. Further, although armoring contractors used various…

4th Annual Future Force Capabilities Conference & Exhibition

September 24, 2024 - September 27, 2024

Join NDIA at the 4th Annual Future Force Capabilities (FFC) Conference and Exhibition hosted by NDIA’s Armaments, Robotics, Munitions Technology, Fuze, and Integrated Precision Warfare divisions. Convening thought leaders and subject matter experts from around…

Military Tactical Communications Summit

September 21, 2022 - September 22, 2022

The 2022 Military Tactical Communications Summit will focus on the strategies, technologies, and policies that enable reliable and efficient communication networks in expeditionary environments to ensure continued battlefield success. Event topics for discussion will include:…

2024 Aircraft Survivability Symposium

November 5, 2024 - November 7, 2024

The 2024 Aircraft Survivability Symposium is a SECRET//NOFORN event; attendees must hold at least a Secret clearance and be U.S. citizens. Please review the security clearance and gate access information page when available and submit…

Voice From the Community

Tim Allen

Wargaming Systems Engineer

Tim Allen is a U.S. Air Force veteran providing systems engineering and technical assistance to Space Force Headquarters and the senior engineer in a software development effort to integrate operational energy into military wargaming. He delivers programming, planning, budget, and execution inputs for space-based power beaming and recommends investments to improve technology readiness. His engineering team has developed a wargame augmentation tool to help wargamers visualize operational energy considerations in the space domain.