LCS LUCAS Launch. The Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) on launched the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) in the Arabian Sea, marking the first successful launch of the one-way attack drone from sea. Earlier this month, U.S. Central Command said it had deployed its first one-way attack drone squadron to the Middle East, consisting of the autonomy-enabled LUCAS (Defense Daily, Dec. 3). The long-range drones, made by SpektreWorks, can be launched by catapult, rocket-assist, and mobile and ground vehicle systems. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59 conducted the LUCAS launch.
European Reconnaissance. Germany’s Rheinmetall and Finland’s ICEYE have formed Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions in Neuss, Germany–a joint venture to supply the German military with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, ground station management, and artificial intelligence analysis of the up to 16 cm resolution images under a nearly $2 billion contract through 2030. “The satellite constellation remains the property of Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions,” the companies said. “The space-based reconnaissance data will be used, primarily, to protect the ‘Lithuania Brigade’ and secure NATO’s eastern flank.” Rafal Modrzewski, ICEYE’s CEO, said that the new constellation will support “the security of Europe.” Production of the joint venture SAR satellites will begin in the third quarter of 2026.
…Gen-3. BlackSky Technology says that its third Gen-3 satellite with 35 cm resolution is collecting imagery three weeks after the satellite’s launch from New Zealand aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket on Nov. 20. “When we launched our first Gen-3, we received first light imagery in 5 days with our second and third units delivering imagery in as fast as twelve hours,” says BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole.
Rivet Joint and Compass Call. U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command said this month that the venerable RC-135 Rivet Joint and the new EA-37B Compass Call by BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies are to conduct four sorties per month together between Offutt AFB, Neb., and Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. Rivet Joint aircrews from the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 343rd Reconnaissance Squadron will pair with Compass Call aircrews from the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron and the 41st Electronic Combat Squadron. The first test run of the integrated flights was in September. Beside Rivet Joint, the EA-37B “has never had sustained integrated sorties with any other asset,” ACC said.
Phantom Strike. RTX’s Raytheon said that it has received an Air Force contract to build the company’s PhantomStrike radar for the autonomous X-62A Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft (VISTA)—an F-16D Block 30 test aircraft upgraded with Block 40 avionics. “PhantomStrike is a first-of-its-kind, air-cooled and compact fire-control radar that is smaller, lighter and requires less power than modern AESA radars, Raytheon said. “It’s designed for a wide range of platforms, including uncrewed aerial vehicles, light-attack aircraft, and rotary-wing aircraft.” The company projects the radar will cost about half that of traditional fire control radars. “Autonomous aircraft are poised to play a key role in helping the U.S. maintain air superiority, and Raytheon’s PhantomStrike radar is uniquely designed to help them do it,” said Dan Theisen, president of Raytheon’s advanced products and solutions business. “This radar is revolutionary in its use of GaN [Gallium Nitride], completely air-cooled technology, and innovation in how we manufacture it – at a lower cost than other modern-day radars.”
Bullfrog Award. The Army Applications Laboratory has awarded Allen Control Systems a potential $4.5 million contract to integrate the company’s Bullfrog autonomous weapon station across five of the service’s most deployed combat vehicles. The Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center and the 1st Cavalry Division’s Transformation in Contact brigade are leading the effort. The Bullfrog platform includes kinetic fires, electro-optical sensors and autonomous fire control to automatically defeat single and swarming drone attacks.
JLTV-Equipped LOCUST. AeroVironment last week said it delivered to the Army Rapid Capabilities Office its LOCUST Laser Weapon System integrated into an Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), part of the second increment of the service’s Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) prototyping effort. The 20 kilowatt-class LOCUST directed energy system is designed to defeat drones. AV in September delivered the first increment of AMP-HEL, which was integrated on the General Motors Infantry Squad Vehicle. Increment two features a larger aperture beam director for improved lethality performance. LOCUST has been used operationally by the Army.
Stinger Support FMS. The State Department last Thursday okayed a $136.1 million Foreign Military Sale to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency for a service life extension program for the Stinger air defense weapon. The NATO agency manages the life extension program for Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, and seeks to buy more booster pellets, flight motors, gas generator cartridges, warhead sections and support services. PTI Technologies and L3Harris Technologies are the principal contractors for the proposed sale.
CMMC Credentialing. ISACA, the global professional association focused on information technology governance, has been named as the exclusive Cybersecurity Assessor and Instructor Certification Organization (CAICO) for the Defense Department’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. The CMMC program is aimed at ensuring best practices are being implemented to secure federal information on the networks of defense contractors. The Cyber AB previous administered the CAICO. “This will be one of the largest cybersecurity certification programs in the world,” Chris Dimitriadis, chief global strategy officer at ISACA, told Defense Daily. “ISACA currently has more than 170,000 certification holders and brings five decades of global credentialing experience and robust certification and customer experience teams to mee the needs of the CMMC credential holders.”
Tungsten Mine Operations. Tungsten producer Almonty Industries has begun commercial mining operations at its mine Sangdon Mine in South Korea, a key step toward meeting all U.S. defense demand for the metal. The first ore has been delivered to the Run of Mine pad, marking the transition from early stage development to active mining operations. Phase 1 of the Sangdong Mine is complete and Phase 2 will be finished in about a year, which is when the mine will have the capacity to meet U.S. defense demand. “The resumption of production at the Sangdong Mine forms the foundation for securing reliable, non-China tungsten supply to key sectors such as defense, semiconductors, AI hardware, aerospace and other high-technology industries,” Lewis Black, Almonty’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
