Airbus launches SmartForce – services bringing the power of data to military operations

NH90 FAMET (Spanish Army)
©Anthony Pecci/Airbus Helicopters

Farnborough, 16 July 2018 – Airbus is extending its highly successful introduction of advanced data analytics in the civil aviation community to the defence market with the launch of SmartForce.

Airbus Defence and Space together with Airbus Helicopters are launching the SmartForce suite of services to enable military operators to exploit the data gathered by their aircraft to enhance operational safety, boost mission availability and reduce maintenance support costs. Operators can benefit from services to improve troubleshooting, optimize maintenance effort, predict maintenance actions and plan smartly for material demand.

The system incorporates on-site private data clouds to support specific military security requirements but also lays the ground for operational data-sharing between willing allies. 
The resulting enhanced decision-making reduces the maintenance burden and boosts fleet availability.

It will enable substantially more efficient maintenance by drilling into the wealth of data acquired by new generation helicopters and aircraft such as the NH90, A400M and A330 MRTT resulting in new standards of aircraft availability and the freeing of resources to focus on mission execution.

Head of Military Aircraft Services at Airbus Defence and Space, Stephan Miegel said: “SmartForce helps military operators to accelerate their own digital transformation in order to allow them to improve their operational readiness. Our vision is to enable data-driven new capabilities to support our customers in extracting more value from our in-service products. By breaking information siloes, Airbus teams can more rapidly perform root-cause analysis and faster trouble shooting, providing our customers with more efficient customer support.

“Our digital analytics services support the goal of enhanced mission readiness of our operators’ aircraft. They optimise maintenance practices, enable better informed and data-driven decision-making, and provide predictive solutions which all contribute to reduced workload and costs.”

Airbus Helicopters EVP Support / Services Matthieu Louvot said: “SmartForce will play a key role in fulfilling our greater goal of supporting our customers by leveraging the value of data for simpler, safer and more efficient operations.

“Our Connected Services offer will now be able to encompass the diversity of our customers with both Skywise Connected Services for civil operators and SmartForce for military operators.”

SmartForce builds on the successful experience of Airbus with its Skywise open data platform for the civil sector which now hosts the data of more than 2,000 aircraft at over a dozen airlines following its launch last year.

To satisfy military security requirements, SmartForce incorporates robust security measures such as geographic isolation, the use of accredited personnel, and monitoring by national cyber-security authorities.

Airbus performs world’s first automatic air-to-air refuelling contact with large aircraft receiver

Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A acts as receiver from A310 tanker

Madrid, 12 July 2018 – Airbus Defence and Space has followed its earlier achievement in demonstrating Automatic Air-to-Air (A3R) refuelling of a fighter with another world-first – the same operation performed with a large receiver aircraft.

In a joint operation with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which is collaborating with Airbus in development of this pioneering technology, Airbus’ A310 company development tanker performed seven automatic contacts with a RAAF KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport, also made by Airbus.

The system requires no additional equipment on the receiver and is intended to reduce refuelling boom operator workload, improve safety, and optimise the rate of air-to-air refuelling (AAR) in operational conditions to maximise aerial superiority. Airbus has begun work towards introducing the system on the current production A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT).

During initial approach of the receiver, boom control is performed by the tanker’s Air Refuelling Operator (ARO) as usual. Innovative passive techniques such as image processing are then used to determine the receiver’s refuelling receptacle position and when the automated system is activated, a fully automated flight control system flies and maintains the boom aligned with the receiver’s receptacle. The telescopic beam inside the boom can be controlled in a range of ways including: manually by the ARO; a relative distance-keeping mode; or full auto-mode to perform the contact.

In the 20 June flight off the southern Spanish coast, the A310 tanker performed the scheduled seven contacts over a two-hour test period.

David Piatti, who again acted as Airbus Test ARO, or “boomer”, on the A310, said: “It was extremely impressive to see how accurately the A3R system tracks the receiver. It can be very useful to be able to refuel another tanker or transport, for example to extend its deployment range or to avoid taking fuel back to base, but it is also a challenging operation and this system has the potential to reduce workload and the risk involved.”

The trial was conducted in conjunction with Test Pilots and Flight Test Engineers from the RAAF’s Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU).

Squadron Leader Lawry Benier, Executive Officer for ARDU, said the RAAF were assisting  Airbus Defence & Space on the development of A3R and other technologies to increase the utility of the KC-30A within a battlespace.

“It’s very encouraging to come to Spain and see the progress that’s been made with A3R, and be able to witness it firsthand refuelling our KC-30A,” Squadron Leader Benier said.

“Refuelling large receivers is a role RAAF has conducted extensively on operations and exercises, allowing us to extend the reach and responsiveness of our air mobility fleet, as well as keep surveillance aircraft in the air for longer.”

Airbus is showcasing an array of innovative products for modern defence and security solutions at Eurosatory

Mock-ups of helicopters, drones and the latest in intelligence networks on show

Paris, Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Defence and Space will be showcasing an array of products, destined to providing defence and security solutions worldwide with their most innovative solutions, at their booth C158 in Hall 5A at Eurosatory this year.

Airbus Helicopters’ display includes a scale mock-up of the H160M that was selected in the frame of the French Joint Light Helicopter program (HIL) that aims at replacing six types of helicopters in service in the three French armies. A new generation aircraft, the H160 will enter into service in the French Armed Forces, giving them a modern and high performing helicopter that has a low logistical footprint and that will be operational for the next 30 years. A scale mock-up of the H145M, alongside an HForce demonstrator, will also be on show. The H145M equipped with HForce recently performed ballistic and laser guided rocket testing ahead of delivery to launch customer Serbia later this year. The aircraft also recently demonstrated the highest level of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capabilities further enhancing its operational capabilities.

Also on display, the VSR700 is Airbus Helicopters’ rotary wing unmanned aerial system designed to fulfil the demanding requirements of global navies. With the best coverage of any VUAS it can operate from small corvettes to major warships in the most demanding conditions.

Last but not least, Airbus Helicopters’ display is equipped with dedicated corners on its Fleet Availability Management, Material Management, and Hcare Services.

A scale mock-up of the Airbus Zephyr will be on show. Running exclusively on solar power and flying above the weather and above conventional air traffic, the Airbus Zephyr systems fill a capability gap and are complimentary to satellites, UAVs and manned aircraft providing affordable, persistent, local satellite-like services.

Full scale mock-ups of the Survey Copter mini tactical drones, DVF 2000 VT/ ALIACA and the DVF 2000 ER will be presented. The DVF 2000 VT / ALIACA provides a 360° panoramic coverage thanks to the positioning of its vertical turret, and can perform intelligence missions from 10 to 50 km range. The DVF 2000 VT / Aliaca in its previous version has been deployed by Special Forces worldwide and is perfectly adapted for maritime missions using a dedicated net landing solution. With its thermal propulsion with electronic fuel injection, the DVF 2000 ER is a high endurance versatile system allowing 8 hours missions over a 50 kilometers range.

Airbus will be presenting its solutions for land and satellite communication networks that are already in use by the most modern armed forces worldwide. For the first time at Eurosatory, Airbus will perform demonstrations of its Hybrid Networks solution. This new generation of intelligent network solutions enables the aggregation of all of the infrastructure or tactical networks regardless of whether they are land, mobile or satellite based.

Airbus Defence and Space will also showcase the ‘Holographic Tactical Sandbox’, a highly innovative tool designed to facilitate mission preparation by providing a 3D holographic map viewable in an augmented reality helmet. Integrated into the chain of command, this tool provides an accurate 3D representation of the battlefield using information supplied by Airbus’ Fortion® TacticalC2 application. Operators can view and create information, which is then shared with higher decision-making levels of command.

Furthermore, Airbus Defence and Space will exhibit its geospatial intelligence centre which allows its customers to manage the whole intelligence process from the collection and visualisation to the utilisation and distribution of information on one single intuitive and secure platform. This center provides its customers with the full capability and infrastructure to securely and effectively coordinate large-scale and complex defence missions with a large number of operators.

Airbus is Strategic Partner at KADEX-2018

Unit 19 of the total of 53 attendants delivered by Airbus to the Luftwaffe. ©Airbus

Astana, 21 May 2018 – Airbus will attend KADEX-2018 (Hall1), Kazakhstan’s V International Exhibition Weapons Systems and Military Equipment, as a “Strategic Partner” this year. The exhibition will take place in Astana, from 23th May to 26th May 2018, and, for the first time, it will encompass the International Forum "Space Days in Kazakhstan", which will become one of the central dialogue platforms of the exhibition.

Airbus Defence and Space division, the Europe’s largest defence enterprise and the world's number one telecommunications satellites manufacturer and observation satellites exporter, will have a robust line-up of Airbus and customer products on static display at the show. They include its defence products, such as A400M and C295 versatile airlifters, with the latter currently in active service in the Kazakh Air Force. The A400M will demonsrate its complementarity to the C295 fleet, allowing Kazakh Air Force to greatly expand its strategic and heavy tactical capabilities.

Kazakhstan is a growth market for Telecommunications and Earth observation (EO) satellites for Airbus Space Systems unit.Two EO satellites, KazEOSat-1 and KazEOSat-2, provided by Airbus, were successfully launched in 2014 and are operated by the Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS).

Airbus Defence and Space has continuously been a reliable partner to the Kazakh space companies in the last decade. “Ghalam”, a joint venture between Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS) and Airbus Defence and Space, is one of the success stories underlining Airbus’ commitment to skills development, research and technology focused projects and initatives in the country, thus contributing to the growth of the Kazakh industry. Launched in 2010 in Astana, “Ghalam” is piloting world-class facilities for satellite design, integration and tests.

Airbus Helicopter has been a strategic partner of Kazakhshtan Engineering (ECKE) since 2010, with 26 locally assembled EC145 operated by the Ministry of Defense and the Committee for Emergency situations. ECKE has also developed maintenance and training capabilities, and operates a state-of-the-art flight simulator.

A 1:5 scale mock-up of the H145M from Airbus Helicopters will be on display. The H145M is a medium-sized military multirole helicopter capable of performing a wide spectrum of missions. This high-performance, versatile, rugged and reliable helicopter can be equipped with a large range of equipment and provides outstanding mission flexibility to military operators. Customers for the H145M include Germany, the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of Thailand, and the US Army which operate its UH-72A Lakota version.

With the two JVs based in Astana, and all its divisions involved in the country, Airbus has been a long-term strategic partner to the Kazakh aerospace industry for nearly 10 years. Airbus and its suppliers are involved in multiple cooperation projects with Kazakhstan offering world-class technologies and products, including satellites, helicopters and advanced civilian and military aircraft. In close collaboration with local actors to support the development of advanced industry concepts, Airbus is successfully contributing to Kazakhstan’s technological independence and growth.

SpaceDataHighway: 10,000 successful laser connections - Reliability of 99.8 per cent

Munich, 18 May 2018 – The SpaceDataHighway system – the world’s first ‘optical fibre in the sky’ based on cutting-edge laser technology – has achieved 10,000 successful laser connections. The reliability rate has reached 99.8 percent, and during the first one and a half years of routine operations these successful connections have downloaded more than 500 terabytes of data.

The system’s satellites are designed to lock on to low-orbiting satellites via laser and collect their data as they travel in low Earth orbit scanning the Earth. From its position in geostationary orbit, the SpaceDataHighway acts as a relay, transmitting the large quantities of data acquired by these observation satellites down to Earth in near-real time at a speed of 1.8 Gbit/s, instead of storing the data on board until the satellites pass over their own ground station.

The establishment of the laser connections is controlled by the SpaceDataHighway’s Mission Operation Centre which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Airbus premises near Munich. Operators receive transmission requests from customers, programme the space and ground segment and monitor the performance of communications.

“While 2017 has been a year of ramp-up for the system, we have now reached more than 1,000 connections per month in 2018 with a very high level of reliability,” said 
Hughes Boulnois, Head of the SpaceDataHighway programme at Airbus Defence and Space. “The total amount of data transferred is equivalent to around 100 million MP3 music files, but the transmission capacity of the SpaceDataHighway goes far beyond that.”

Each day, the SpaceDataHighway is capable to relay up to 40 terabytes of data acquired by observation satellites, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or aircraft, to Earth. It is currently used by the European Union’s Copernicus programme, but its capacities could be used by many more customers.

In 2019, the system will also relay information from the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS). From 2020 the Pleiades Neo satellites will begin to use the SpaceDataHighway.

The SpaceDataHighway is a public-private partnership between the European Space Agency and Airbus, which today owns and operates the system, with the laser communication terminals developed by Tesat-Spacecom and the DLR German Space Administration. EDRS-A, the first SpaceDataHighway relay satellite launched in 2016, offers coverage from the American East Coast to India. A second satellite, EDRS-C, will be launched in 2019. It will double the system’s capacity and extend the coverage and redundancy of the system. Airbus intends to expand the SpaceDataHighway with a third node, ERDS-D, to be positioned over the Asia-Pacific region.

Future air power

Making manned and unmanned platforms smarter

By connecting a range of manned and unmanned platforms, the Future Combat Air System can help secure European sovereignty and technological leadership in the military aviation sector.

In the past, combat pilots had to do a lot of things by themselves. But times are changing: future air power will be based on a network of intelligent, connected platforms, delivering highly accurate, real-time information.

Airbus and Dassault Aviation have joined forces with the intention of developing and producing Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The forward-looking solution will aim to secure European sovereignty and technological leadership in the military aviation sector for the coming decades.

FCAS explained

The FCAS concept comprises a system of systems to connects manned and unmanned air platforms, including a next-generation fighter aircraft, Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the existing fleet of aircraft such as the A400M and Eurofighter, future cruise missiles, and combat drones flying in swarms. Each component is made smarter by connecting them via satellite constellations and cyber-secured networks. The new fighter aircraft would be at the heart of FCAS, able to control unmanned platforms to autonomously carry out multiple tasks .

Ready for future threats

The global environment is increasingly unpredictable, as are challenges to security. Nations must be able to respond at home, abroad and online against a variety of threats. With FCAS, France and Germany are leading the way by jointly developing the next generation of capabilities.

Roadmap for development

The roadmap is a work in progress. Some technologies will mature earlier and be brought into the current aircraft (Eurofighter and Rafale), some will be tested on prototypes and demonstrators, and implemented when fully mature in the final system. The next generation of fighter aircraft are expected to enter service between 2035 and 2040.  

ESA´s BepiColombo takes to the Air

The first elements of the BepiColombo hardware were loaded into an Antonov An-124 cargo plane

Airbus-built Mercury-Mission is on its way to Kourou Launch Base

Amsterdam, 23/04/2018 - After years of development the BepiColombo spacecraft which will be heading to Mercury from autumn 2018 has at last taken to the air. On 23 April 2018 the first elements of the BepiColombo hardware were loaded into an Antonov An-124 cargo plane for transport from Amsterdam´s Schiphol Airport to the European Spaceport Kourou in French Guiana. After a fuelling stop in the Azores Islands the Antonov will arrive early on 24 April. This Antonov flight was the first of four flights needed to transport the spacecraft and all handling and test equipment to Kourou. The flights are supported by three transports by ship for further items.

Having completed a comprehensive test programme at European Space Agency´s Technology Centre ESTEC in Noordwijk (The Netherlands) the BepiColombo spacecraft is almost ready for launch. Between May and October 2018 the final launch preparations will be performed so that the spacecraft can then be launched aboard an Ariane 5 ECA.

BepiColombo is Europe's first mission to Mercury. It will set off in autumn 2018 (launch window is open from 5 October to 29 November) on a journey to the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System. When it arrives at Mercury in late 2025, it will endure temperatures in excess of 350 °C and gather data during its one year nominal mission, with a possible 1-year extension.

BepiColombo is an interdisciplinary mission performed in a partnership between ESA (European Space Agency) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). The BepiColombo mission involves the delivery of the MPO (Mercury Planetary Orbiter) and the MMO (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter) to complementary orbits around the planet Mercury. JAXA provides the MMO, whilst Airbus is prime contractor for ESA, providing the MPO and all other spacecraft hardware. The scientific payload is provided by national agencies.

Airbus incorpora precisión adicional a la altimetría del satélite Sentinel-3

El radiómetro de microondas de Airbus ofrecerá una mayor precisión al corregir las imprecisiones que crea el vapor de agua de la atmósfera

Madrid, 19/04/2018 - Un nuevo radiómetro de microondas (MWR) de alta precisión construido por Airbus está preparado para comenzar su operación tras el lanzamiento del satélite Sentinel-3B, construido por Thales Alenia Space como contratista principal de este programa. Se trata de uno de los instrumentos esenciales de la nave espacial Sentinel-3 midiendo la humedad atmosférica como información auxiliar para la corrección troposférica de la señal del altímetro. Además, los datos del MWR sirven para medir la emisividad de la superficie terrestre y la humedad del suelo, hacer investigaciones sobre el balance energético de la Tierra para apoyar estudios atmosféricos y para la caracterización del hielo.

Estas medidas corregidas, junto con un modelo digital de elevación, contribuyen al funcionamiento del altímetro radar en modo SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), que es mucho más preciso y proporciona una resolución espacial significativamente mayor.

Los datos recopilados permitirán a los científicos vigilar los cambios en el nivel del mar y en la temperatura de su superficie y hacer un seguimiento de la calidad del agua, de la contaminación marina y de la productividad biológica. También ofrecerá un servicio de supervisión de la superficie terrestre con detección de incendios, cartografía de la cubierta vegetal y supervisión del estado de la vegetación. Todo ello proporcionará datos adicionales a la misión óptica multiespectral de Sentinel-2.

Airbus también es responsable de la arquitectura térmica de los satélites Sentinel-3, que garantizará el funcionamiento correcto ante los cambios extremos de temperatura a los que estará sometido el satélite en órbita, así como del sistema de refrigeración criogénica del radiómetro SLSTR que detecta la temperatura de las superficies marítima y terrestre.

Sentinel-3 es la misión operativa de amplio barrido y media resolución para el océano y la superficie terrestre del programa Copernicus. Se ha diseñado con el fin de ofrecer continuidad a los datos ópticos y de altimetría de la misión Envisat construida por Airbus y a los datos de vegetación de las misiones ERS y SPOT. De esta manera se garantiza la obtención y el suministro operativo a largo plazo de mediciones de alta calidad para servicios de vigilancia de océanos, de la superficie terrestre y de la atmósfera.

Sentinel-3B tiene el tamaño y el peso de un coche pequeño y se ha diseñado para permanecer operativo en el espacio durante siete años, igual que su satélite gemelo Sentinel-3A, que se lanzó hace dos años. El MWR de éste último está funcionando actualmente en condiciones nominales y estables tras superar con éxito su fase de verificación en órbita.