The Raytheon ground element can process data from OPIR space vehicles. (Image: Raytheon)
Raytheon’s system to process, exploit and disseminate information from the US Space Force's Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) constellation, used to provide space-based missile warning, has been declared as operational.
FORGE MDPAF is used to process Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) satellite data from both the SBIRS constellation and the future Next Gen OPIR constellation, as well as processing data from other civil and environmental sensors.
In January this year, Raytheon Intelligence & Space was awarded a contract to develop a prototype Missile Track Custody (MTC) system, the service’s first medium Earth orbit (MEO) missile tracking capability, this will also use FORGE MDPAF.
In 2020 Raytheon was awarded a US$197 million contract from USAF contract to design the system which generates warnings, alerts and other information for combatants and eventually, civilian first responders and researchers.
At the time of the 2020 contract award, a company official noted that “the US government's global satellite network produces a constant flood of data — petabytes and petabytes of it every day.
“Essentially, this is a smartphone model,” the official said. “We've built an operating system that everyone can build applications for – from Raytheon to the USAF to universities to small companies. These applications allow the system to process specific types of data.”
An example noted by the company is that an application could be built that would allow civil agencies to use the same satellite data to help detect forest fires, volcanic activity, agricultural changes and even surges in electric power consumption.
Clavister CyberArmour, an integrated defence cybersecurity system, will be used on BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 platform in deployments with a Scandinavian country, as well as in an eastern European nation.
The tactical satellite (TacSat) is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system and will participate in exercises in 2025.
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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