The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is halfway through the first phase of a program that conducts human-machine collaborative dogfighting to advance the development of a scalable, trusted artificial intelligence-driven autonomy for air combat.

DARPA said Thursday that the Air Combat Evolution program has made several achievements including live flights of an L-29 jet trainer to measure a pilot’s trust in AI and virtual AI dogfights within and beyond visual range multi-aircraft scenarios.

“Our biggest focus at the end of Phase 1 is on the simulation-to-real transition of the AI algorithms as we prepare for live-fly sub-scale aircraft scenarios in late 2021,” said Col. Dan “Animal” Javorsek, program manager at DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office. “Managing this transition to the real world is a critical test for most AI algorithms.”

In Feb. 2020, the program’s algorithm development teams introduced a missile and a gun for longer- and shorter-range targets into the first AI scrimmage to demonstrate simulated 2-v-1 aerial dogfights at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. 

In August 2020, APL conducted the AlphaDogfight Trials in which an AI ‘pilot’ on an F-16 Viper jet came out undefeated against a human Air Force fighter pilot in five rounds of simulated air combat.

“Adding more weapon options and multiple aircraft introduces a lot of the dynamics that we were unable to push and explore in the AlphaDogfight Trials,” Javorsek said. “These new engagements represent an important step in building trust in the algorithms since they allow us to assess how the AI agents handle clear avenue of fire restrictions set up to prevent fratricide.”

To register for this virtual summit, visit the Potomac Officers Club Events page.

A panel of experts stated at a hearing before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems that the U.S. military must better integrate electromagnetic spectrum operations throughout its ranks to succeed against U.S. adversaries. C4ISRNET reported the panel’s statements on Monday. 

“While the United States focused on counterterrorism operations over the last 20-plus years, China and Russia were working to advance their peer-to-peer military capabilities. That includes the [electromagnetic] spectrum operations,” commented Joseph Kirschbaum, director of defense capabilities and management at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). 

Kirschbaum and other panelists told Congress that in the past 30 years, American adversaries have significantly invested in technology that disrupts communication channels between units of every size and purpose. 

As a result, the U.S. is on the worse end of an electromagnetic spectrum capability gap. The panelist made clear the DOD has failed to achieve electromagnetic spectrum superiority because of a lack of organization and bureaucratic weaknesses. 

The electromagnetic spectrum is a strategic asset that is critical at all levels of conflict. The U.S. has historically used the electromagnetic spectrum only to achieve short-term tactical outcomes for warfighters. 

Bill Conley, a former Department of Defense (DOD) electronic warfare specialist, said that what the Chinese have achieved operationally is really pretty darn impressive.” Conley also noted that one of the best strategic offensives the U.S. could invest in is the electromagnetic spectrum, increasing commanders’ ability to maneuver their forces. 

“This is a dramatic departure from our platform and program-centric legacy investment strategy that we have pursued. Electromagnetic battle management, the dynamic reconfiguration of our sensors, of our networks, as well as our electromagnetic attacks in real-time, may become the preferred way to achieve power projection when compared to the defensive utilization of the electromagnetic spectrum … instead of viewing capability gaps and shortfalls, (electromagnetic spectrum operations) can actually create opportunities for us,” Conley concluded. 

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) broke ground at Kirtland Air Force Base to mark the construction of a new 3,500-square-foot facility for space environment research. The $3.5 million Skywave Technology Laboratory will allow researchers to test large antennas and sensor systems outdoors before deployment, Kirtland AFB said Thursday.

“The Skywave Lab will provide the work space our team needs for space environment research, which involves developing and testing new instrumentation, preparing for field experiments around the globe, as well as collecting and processing data to support ionospheric and radio frequency research,” said Todd Parris, leader of AFRL's geospace environment impacts and applications branch at Kirtland AFB.

AFRL's team of field testers deploy technologies designed to forecast the ionosphere and how changes in space weather can affect space systems. These tests involve the use of optical and radio diagnostics to generate more data on the ionosphere.

The Department of Energy (DOE) intends to award a total of $34.5 million in funds to support research efforts on data science and computation-based approaches that could forecast harsh weather patterns, address scientific gaps and accelerate clean energy technology development. 

DOE said Friday it will provide up to $21 million across a three-year period to research projects that will explore the use of data science methods for chemical and material science matters such as chemical processes for energy storage.

The department also plans to award $13.5 million to projects that will focus on helping research facilities speed up scientific discovery through networking infrastructure and computer-based models.

DOE will obligate a cumulative sum of $11.5 million for the two funding opportunities within the current fiscal year.

Lt. Gen. B. Chance Sdaltzman, deputy chief of space operations at the U.S. Space Force, said the service branch must lead efforts to establish and promote regulations on orbital safety, SpaceNews reported Friday.

Saltzman said at a Brookings Institution event that the Space Force should have a central role in addressing space junk and debris that could impact international space operations in the long run.

He noted that the Space Force needs to drive the conversation on preventing interference between satellites in addition to “helping devise rules and tenets of responsible behavior in space”.

“It’s about working with partners to come up with what the right rules of the road are,” said Saltzman.

Lt. Gen. Duane Gamble, deputy chief of staff, G-4, at the U.S. Army, said the service branch is investing $800 million to update its arsenals, ammunition plants and depots, DOD News reported Friday.

Gamble said at a hearing with the House Appropriations Subcommittee that the Army must work with the organic industrial base to lead efforts to modernize manufacturing facilities.

He noted that the service has executed workforce rejuvenation efforts and is looking into establishing a nitric acid complex within the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Tennessee.

Vice Adm. William Galinis, commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, said at the hearing that the service is continuing efforts to execute its Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program and roll out its analytics-driven Naval Sustainment System-Shipyard effort.

Lt. Gen. Donald Kirkland, commander of the U.S. Air Force Sustainment Center, noted that the service has allocated over $2 billion over the past four fiscal years for depot modernization and is now looking to execute its 20-year OIB optimization plan.

Maj. Gen. Joseph Shrader, commanding general of the U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Command, testified that the service is working with the Department of Defense to leverage 5G for OIB modernization and supply-chain development.

AMERICAN SYSTEMS  announced Monday it was awarded ISO 27001:2013 and ISO 20000-1:2018 certificates from Intertek. The certifications confirm AMERICAN SYSTEMS  information security management system for business services and service management services adhere to internationally-recognized standards.

“As part of our continuous improvement and quality assurance initiatives, the impetus for AMERICAN SYSTEMS and its dedicated employee-owners to attain these certifications was to ensure consistency in the way we handle our data and deliver our services,” commented a previous Wash 100 Award recipient Peter Smith, AMERICAN SYSTEMS’ president and CEO.

The certifications were presented by Intertek, a total quality assurance provider for industries around the world. The ISO 27001:2013 certification proves AMERICAN’s information security management systems for business functions are highly efficient. The ISO 20000-1:2018 relates to the company’s service management services.

The two certifications coincided with AMERICAN’s quality management system’s recertification for selected programs and corporate managed processes under ISO 9001:2015 standard in December of 2020.

“We realize the growing importance of information security and top-notch service delivery, both of which are vital to our customers. To be certified under both standards virtually simultaneously is a landmark achievement that our employee-owners can take pride in accomplishing,” concluded Smith.

About AMERICAN SYSTEMS 

Founded in 1975, AMERICAN SYSTEMS is a government engineering and IT solutions provider and one of the top 100 employee-owned companies in the United States, with approximately 1,475 employees nationwide. Based in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Chantilly, VA, the company provides Enterprise IT, Acquisition and Lifecycle Support, Engineering and Analysis, Test & Evaluation, and Training Solutions to DOD, Intel, and civilian government customers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the growth of the global defense industry as governments increase spending on efforts aimed at countering the public health and economic effects of the coronavirus, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Economic and logistical challenges due to the pandemic have disrupted defense sales, manufacturing and development, resulting in production irregularities and increasing costs for many defense contractors.

Some analysts say the contracting cycle’s multiyear nature appears to shield the defense industry from major volatility despite the challenges.

“Demand over the next two years is unlikely to be affected, since budgets for these projects had been allocated prior to the pandemic, and the projects are critical to national defense,” according to a Deloitte report.

Amid the slowdown, some U.S. companies continue to secure new defense contracts. The current administration cleared defense contracts in February, including an $85 million sale of Raytheon Technologies-made missiles to Chile and a $60 million transaction with Jordan for the procurement of Lockheed Martin-built F-16 jets.

The Pentagon increased its Defense Production Act spending from $64 million in 2019 to $135 million in 2020 to support U.S. contractors during the health crisis, according to the report.