Five L3Harris missile tracking satellites were launched on 14 February. (Photo: L3Harris)
Five L3Harris Technologies’ missile tracking satellites were launched on 14 February as part of the MDA’s HBTSS programme and the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 0 (T0) Tracking Layer programme.
One of the L3Harris units, a HBTSS satellite, was an on-orbit prototype demonstration that can track manoeuvring hypersonic missiles flying beyond the range of today’s ballistic missile detection capabilities. A second HBTSS satellite was also launched.
The other four infrared satellites will support SDA’s Tracking Layer, which will demonstrate global indications, warning, tracking and targeting of advanced threats such as hypersonic missile and were the final satellites in the Tranche 0 program bringing the on-orbit constellation to 27.
The combined launch also supported SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture by integrating missile tracking and missile defence sensors.
The DoD will use a common set of data to adjust and modify the capabilities for the SDA’s Tranche 1 and 2 Tracking Layer constellation. Earlier this year, L3Harris received a US$919 million contract to develop an 18-vehicle constellation for the SDA’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellite programme.
Derek Tournear, director of SDA, said: “We'll be able to look at test targets from the same orbit at the same time, so that we can see how the two sensors work together.
“In Tranche 1, SDA will fly both sensor types as an operational system – medium-field-of-view demonstrating fire control, based on HBTSS design, and wide-field-of-view doing warning and tracking, based on T0 tracking design.”
The airborne three-domain, the two ground-based and the ¼ ATR OpenVPX-based cross-domain systems were engineered to provide real-time security across multi-domain operations.
DARPA’s Mission-Integrated Network Control (MINC) programme was set up to develop an autonomous tactical network and enable critical data flow in contested environments.
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Defence-secure mixed reality headsets can save hours, or even weeks, of travel time to fix defunct equipment or get subject experts effectively “on-site” where they are needed.
The Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) and Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) counter-UAS (CUAS) systems are mounted and dismounted RF jammers.
Adarga’s Vantage information analysis tool is in service with the UK MoD and individual UK forces. It builds on the company’s Knowledge Platform which processes, organises and analyses open source material, as well as information held by the user’s military, security and intelligence services.
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