Aquaterro

Elistair Unveils KHRONOS Push-Button, Tethered Drone for Tactical ISR missions

November 14th, 2023

Drone-in-a-box solution designed for operation from vehicles and fixed platforms

PARIS—November 14, 2023—Elistair, a leader in long-endurance, tethered unmanned aircraft systems, announced today the unveiling of KHRONOS, a fully automated tethered drone system designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in challenging, GPS/GNSS-denied and RF-denied environments.

Deployed from a transportable dronebox in under two minutes, KHRONOS can operate from both fixed and mobile platforms with minimal human input, enabling operators on the move their own “pocket watchtower” without a heavy investment in training.

“KHRONOS represents a significant milestone for Elistair,” said company CEO Guilhem de Marliave. “Public safety agencies, border patrol units, military forces and even vehicle integrators have all been looking for a simple, organic, long-endurance ISR asset that can be launched at the push of a button—and now they finally have it.”

Elistair has been developing and delivering tethered drones to customers in more than 70 countries for close to a decade. The 66-pound KHRONOS leverages that experience. It is easily deployed from a dronebox to deliver a continuous, day/night aerial view extending over a 10-kilometer radius for 24 hours a stretch.

In addition to being ruggedized for operation off-road and in poor weather, KHRONOS can operate in both GPS/GNSS-Denied and RF-denied environments, thanks to its advanced positioning system and secured tethered communications. And with its small logistical footprint, and its open API, it can be easily integrated with vehicles.

“The aim behind KHRONOS was clear: we wanted to a tethered drone that’s straightforward to use, adaptable to various scenarios, integrates seamlessly, and is robust in construction for demanding environments,” said Elistair CTO Timothée Penet.

Powered by T-Planner 2, the newest version of Elistair mission software, KHRONOS benefits from the latest intelligent functions, such as target tracking, automated object categorization, and cued camera slewing to points of interests.

Elistair plans to deliver its first KHRONOS systems to customers in January 2024.

Integris Composites Launches Customizable Ballistic Shields and Vests at Milipol Paris

November 14th, 2023

Breakthrough survivability technology puts military and police users first

PARIS — Integris Composites, the global leader in armor protection for the world’s elite military and law-enforcement units, will display its new “make your own shield” concept and soft body armor vests at Milipol Paris 2023 Stand 5 F009, taking place Nov. 14–17 at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre.

“We are presenting two innovations,” said Jan Grimberg, the senior vice president of marketing and sales EMEA at Integris, “a new product line of body armor vests with our Rapid Don/Doff system that is an industry first and a new line of customizable ballistic shields.”

Integris, the new name for TenCate Advanced Armour, is continuing the company’s quarter-century emphasis on safety, reliability and survivability.

Make Your Own Shield Concept

The new shield line is designed to respond to law enforcement and military organizations, which frequently want designs tailored to their procedures.


Shields Up! Integris Composites – the new name for TenCate Advanced Armour — is introducing new police and military tactical shields at Milipol Paris 2023, Stand 5 F009, from Nov. 14-17 at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. Visitors can view a new line of customizable ballistic shields as well as a new version of the Integris Composites CXP Ergo Shield shown here.

“Bespoke solutions are nothing new for Integris Composites, but in the past, small-quantity, custom shield orders had to contend with the entire industry’s inherent need to tailor-make molds for every version—cost prohibitive for small orders,” said James Williamson, Integris Composite’s sales manager for France, Spain and Portugal.

The addition of new equipment in the past year enables Integris to make shields that are specific to a customer’s needs for shape, size and weight, but with a significantly shorter lead time and at a price like that of larger series. “Our new manufacturing capability reduces the nonrecurring costs (NRC) of molds. This makes one, two or a few handheld portable shields completely feasible,” explained Williamson.


Two operators standing before the autoclave at the Integris Composites facility in France inspecting a ballistic armor plate. Formerly TenCate Advanced Armour, the company is introducing new products at Stand 5 F009 Milipol Paris, Nov. 14-17 at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre.

A Dream Capability

“This is a dream capability. Now, as a customer, you have a choice. You can buy something off the shelf from our catalog. Or you can buy a customized solution that’s a lot more affordable than it was in the past,” said Williamson.

Custom products are especially appealing to law enforcement and military since many units require specifications in size, weight and shape to allow active members to perform their duties with a focus on safety and durability. “They don’t have to buy a million euros worth of product to get exactly what they want. They do not have to buy thousands of units to get exactly what they want. They can get exactly what they want when ordering a few units,” added Williamson.


Integris Composites CXP Ergo Shield in action.

Testing New Rapid Don/Doff Vests

Throughout the show, Integris invites active members of law enforcement and the military to try on Rapid Don/Doff armor vests, which are making their public debut here.

These vests use a magnetic buckle system. “They can take it off, put it on in two seconds without losing their settings,” said Stephen Jackson, regional director of Turkey, the Middle East and Africa. “This enhances safety, comfort and predictability.”

Special Pride

“There is a special pride in participating in Milipol,” said Grimberg. “We are a truly international company. With 25 percent of our workforce in France, we are proud to have the opportunity to display these two innovations in Paris under the banner of a new name,” said Grimberg.


Integris Composites Facility in France.

PEO Soldier Gets to Ground Truth on Soldier Equipment

November 14th, 2023

FORT BELVOIR, Va. – The Army is continuing its efforts to modernize the force and build towards the Army of 2030 and beyond. To support that effort, Program Executive Officer (PEO) Soldier is engaging with Soldiers at the ground level to get to the fundamental truth of how Soldiers are equipped in the operational environment and what gear they have modified or purchased for mission, environment, comfort and personal effect.

PEO Soldier’s Assistant Program Executive Officer (APEO) Soldier has been conducting Operational Kit (O.K.) Analysis with the operational force to collect this data.

O.K. Analysis seeks to address a multitude of objectives to help shape the Army of 2030 and the future Soldier. The effort looks to proactively identify opportunities utilizing the Soldier Enhancement Program (SEP), influence materiel change proposals, identify equipment training challenges and address installation Soldier equipment logistics challenges.

“The idea behind O.K. Analysis was hatched by APEO Soldier’s Senior Enlisted Advisor, MSG Josh Kaplan,” said COL Douglas Copeland, Assistant Program Executive Officer, PEO Soldier. “He identified the need to bridge the gap between what we think Soldiers and Squads carry as materiel developers and what is actually used out in the field.”

In launching the initiative, MSG Kaplan took a couple of key steps: First, he created a community of interest across various stakeholders. Second, he worked with SGM Daniel Rose, PEO Soldier Sergeant Major, to combine the O.K. Analysis event with the PEO Soldier Capabilities Demonstration, which informs the force of our current and emerging capabilities in the PEO Soldier portfolio. This strategy allows PEO Soldier to gain Soldier feedback about on operational needs and determine exactly how PEO capabilities are impacting the Force.

The goal is to provide operational context to the acquisition force, said SGM Rose. “We’re trying to explain to the acquisition professionals here at PEO Soldier and stakeholders in the Army enterprise how Soldiers are using the equipment that they are designing, procuring and fielding in the operational environment. What we found is that sometimes they won’t be using the equipment the way it was designed to be used. We try to bring that kind of context back to the acquisition force to help them as they’re designing and procuring new pieces of equipment.”

The O.K. Analysis team kicked off the program at USARCENT in Kuwait in March 2023 and has since engaged with the 11th Airborne and 25th Infantry Divisions. As a result, PEO Soldier has, to date, collected data from eight Squads and worked with senior leadership to establish an equipment baseline across the Army’s operational units.

The effort goes beyond simply questioning Soldiers about their thoughts and experience with PEO Soldier capabilities. MSG Kaplan explained, “We deploy a team of senior NCOs with extensive operational experience and extremely smart government contractors who carry out an array of responsibilities, such as data collection, statistics, logistics and photography. We collect several thousand lines of data, hundreds of photos and several hours of interviews that are analyzed as a part of an out-brief to communities of interest, then added to our holistic database for further analysis.”

After taking part in PEO Soldier’s O.K. Analysis engagement, SGM Brian Disque, G-3, 5 and 7 Sergeant Major, USARCENT, stated that he was very impressed with its effectiveness and potential benefits. He explained, “It is a very ambitious effort to answer an important question: What gear are Soldiers actually using and why? PEO Soldier took the idea of unit outreach and feedback to the next level with a meticulous approach to data collection to better understand the perspectives of Soldiers across the Army. The wealth of data collected will be very useful when informing future efforts to outfit our Soldiers. All of the Army should be grateful that this team was willing to roll up their sleeves and get out to all corners of our Army to answer these questions.”

This effort has already returned positive outcomes. Through the O.K. Analysis initiative, PEO Soldier has been able to strengthen critical partnerships with the Maneuver Center of Excellence, DEVCOM and several Army Corps. PEO Soldier has also been able to facilitate the establishment of Environmental Working Groups with these communities of interest, which include items discovered through the O.K. Analysis effort.

“The most important benefit of O.K. Analysis is to ensure that the Soldier’s voice is heard, including senior leaders in operational units who have important Soldier equipment insights,” Kaplan said. “We do this in the form of detailed equipment inventories, pictures and candid interviews that are shared with the enterprise. If someone asks, ‘Why is Soldier equipment getting heavier?’, our team can say, ‘Let me show you.’ There is a lot of power in that.”

Disque agreed, noting, “For USARCENT and our deployed force, the opportunity to provide our candid feedback to the professional data collection team is of immediate benefit. Innovation is one of our top priorities, and we are always searching for ways to bring innovative concepts to our Area of Responsibility (AOR). Soldier kit is one of those topics for which there is no shortage of great ideas out there, often based on real-world feedback from operating environments across the CENTCOM AOR – you just have to ask the right questions, which I am confident the PEO Soldier team executed to perfection.”

Through this effort, PEO Soldier began an Army-wide innovation synchronization effort that encompasses 18th Airborne Corps’ Eagle Works, I Corps’ Lightning Lab, USARCENT and PEO Soldier’s Soldier Integration Facility. This will allow stakeholders to collaborate and share data and integration solutions across the Close Combat Integration Enterprise (CCIE).

“Any opportunity to connect our modernization efforts to deployed Soldiers on a mission is valuable,” said Disque. “Some of the most innovative ideas come from operating in a deployed environment, and for the PEO team to have access to Soldiers that served recently in Syria and other areas is tremendous.”

Kaplan and his team have proactively submitted proposals for the Soldier Enhancement Program (SEP) on behalf of Soldiers through the O.K. Analysis. The SEP is a process designed to help the Army enhance Soldiers’ ability to execute their combat mission by evaluating prototypes and commercially available items submitted by Soldiers and industry. Since its inception six months ago, PEO Soldier has identified 23 potential SEP opportunities, which is an exponential increase relative to recent years. Soldiers, senior leaders and industry are also able to submit their own proposals utilizing PEO Soldier’s website.

“Soldiers are very innovative,” said Kaplan. “There is always that one Soldier in the Squad who can create ways for his unit to become more lethal. This initiative highlights innovative solutions so communities of interest can stay on pace with the operational force.”

CSM Joseph Gaskin, Command Sergeant Major, 1/11 Airborne Division, added to that assessment by stating, “Any effort the Army uses to better inform equipment requirements from the Soldier on the ground is value added to our formation. The O.K Analysis comprehensive program captured data that will assist leaders to better understand what risk the Soldier’s load presents as we operate in the extreme cold of our operational environment.”

PEO Soldier will continue its O.K. Analysis effort by visiting Soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division in October and engaging with U.S. Army Europe in the second quarter of 2024. This ongoing effort will collect and share data amongst the CCIE to help shape the Army’s modernization efforts moving into 2030 and beyond.

PEO Soldier is now encouraging other interested U.S. Army operational divisions to reach out and schedule an O.K. Analysis of their area of responsibility.

“We look forward to expanding our O.K. Analysis across the Army’s operational units to further collaboration, leverage creative innovation and enable proactive capability development for Soldier equipment,” said Copeland.

By David Jordan

DroneShield and Lockheed Martin Collaboration

November 13th, 2023

• DroneShield and Lockheed Martin Australia collaborate on Agile Shield Program

• DroneShield’s DroneCannon Mk2 wide area non-kinetic effector integrated into Lockheed Martin’s architecture

DroneShield (“DroneShield” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its collaboration with Lockheed Martin Australia’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Leadership and Research Laboratory (STELaRLab).

As part of this collaboration, DroneCannon Mk2, DroneShield’s wide area non-kinetic effector, has been integrated into Lockheed Martin Australia’s Agile Shield Program.

Agile Shield has been developed under the Next Generation Technologies Fund framework, as part of DST Group’s Counter Improvised Threats Grand Challenge and is initially designed to counter uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS).

Kevin McDonald, STELaRLab’s Integrated Systems Lead for Agile Shield, commented: “The system brings together a number of Australian sensors and effectors with an open mission architecture to provide a rapid, scalable and flexible response to airborne threats. STELaRLab’s contribution included development of the open mission systems architecture and acting as the prime systems integrator.”

“The addition of proven C-UAS jammers, such as DroneCannon Mk2, is part of Agile Shield’s planned transition from the virtual world to field demonstrations which occurred in October 2023.”

DroneCannon Mk2, DroneShield’s wide area non-kinetic effector

Red McClintock, DroneShield Sales Director, added: “DroneCannon Mk2 is a globally recognised effector, in use both in the eastern-European theatre as well as being selected and recommended by the U.S. DoD for base protection requirements. We are excited to be working with Lockheed Martin and DST Group’s Agile Shield program and are looking forward to growing this business relationship.”

Safariland Launches New Customer Loyalty Program

November 13th, 2023

Jacksonville, Florida – Safariland®, a brand of The Safariland Group®, a leading global provider of safety products designed for the public safety, military, professional and outdoor markets and one of Cadre Holdings, Inc.’s (NYSE: CDRE) (“Cadre”) key brands announces the launch of its new online loyalty program. Designed to reward and show appreciation to its loyal customers, the Safariland Loyalty Program offers a range of benefits and exclusive discounts.

“We are constantly looking for ways to give back to our loyal customers,” said Tim Drnec, VP of Marketing for Safariland. “We understand the importance of building strong relationships with our customer base, and this new loyalty program is our way of saying thank you for their continued support.”

The Safariland Loyalty Program is free to join, making it accessible to all. Customers with existing Safariland accounts will automatically be enrolled in the loyalty program and receive 100 free points. New customers can easily register on the Safariland website to earn points towards discounts on future purchases.

For every dollar spent, customers will earn points. Additionally, by participating in Safariland’s promotions and through referring friends, customers can earn extra points. The “Earn Points” section on the website will provide an overview of current opportunities for customers to accumulate points.

Through point accumulation, customers can redeem various discounts on purchases and future giveaway items. Points redemption is simple, and customers select the desired reward at checkout. Customers can track their progress in their account on the Safariland website. Points earned through the loyalty program will never expire, providing customers with the flexibility to use them whenever they choose.

With the launch of its new loyalty program, Safariland aims to give back to those customers who continuously support them by providing exclusive benefits and discounts. Join the Safariland Loyalty Program today and start earning rewards for your continued support.

For more information about The Safariland Group, please visit www.safariland.com.

Improving ISR Missions Success Rates: The Growing Role of Change-Bitrate-on-the-Fly Technology

November 13th, 2023

Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions are rarely executed in controlled laboratory environments — quite the opposite. The platforms — from airborne drones to terrestrial and underwater remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) — that carry ISR payloads are often deployed in the harshest conditions and connected to users and operators over wildly inconsistent communication networks.

The ability to ensure high-quality images, regardless of network conditions in a theatre of operations, has emerged as a critical success factor for ISR activities that depend on video-based intelligence to establish situational awareness and support effective decision-making.

This is where Change-Bitrate-on-the-Fly technology comes in.

Here, Mark Rushton, Global Defense and Security Lead at VITEC: a global technology leader in the IPTV space, shares his insights on how Change-Bitrate-on-the-Fly technology improves ISR mission success rates.

Change-Bit-Rate-on-the-Fly technology: what is it and why is it essential to the ISR mission?

When talking about video streaming, we often focus on bitrates, which are measured by considering how many frames are taken every second, along with the size of each frame. The higher the video quality, the more images are needed to process for each second of video, which, of course, results in higher bitrate requirements.

Change-Bit-Rate-on-the-Fly technology is an increasingly important feature for the ISR community because it directly affects the quality and timeliness of tactical field intelligence. Receiving information too late because of network latency or being unable to understand what is being analyzed because of dropped packets that result in fuzzy or pixelated images can mean the difference between life and death.

In many ways, the need for Change-Bit-Rate-on-the-Fly capabilities reflects the technological progress that has allowed more sensors with greater capacity to be loaded on ISR platforms — such as drones or helicopters. Innovations around ISR have led to cameras that capture video images in stunning detail and sensors capable of detecting subtle temperature changes in the environment, including ground-penetrating radar. As a result, more information can be shared from a single ISR platform than before.

It does, however, create a challenge.

While devices to capture this wide array of data are becoming increasingly advanced, there are still challenges associated with the wireless networks used to access the data in terms of bandwidth, capability and change.

Change-Bit-Rate-on-the-Fly is a technology can help address network constraints by adapting the bitrate as it changes.

What challenges leads to network constraints or variability?

The ISR community has done a lot of excellent work in adopting standards across the technical elements needed to capture, share and act on digital intelligence. As a result, most platform and payload technologies can use almost any wireless network in the field to maintain connectivity — and, therefore, the flow of intelligence.

The agility and flexibility that enable drones and other RPVs to use multiple networks means these platforms can dynamically switch from a cellular network to a satellite link and then to a terrestrial mesh network.

However, as these platforms shift from one data carrier to another, they will likely experience a difference in bandwidth available to support the data traffic. Sometimes, that delta can be quite significant. A cellular network might deliver up to 100 megabits in connectivity only to switch to a satellite signal that supports a fraction of that capacity.

The other challenge revolves around the roving nature of ISR platforms. The quality and strength of wireless signals are better when platforms are near antennas. The signals weaken as the distance from antennas grows.

While the connectivity environment is highly dynamic – with bandwidth fluctuating from total capacity, only to be cut by half and then a third of capacity — the overall ISR objective of sharing the highest quality image possible remains the same.

That’s why Change-Bitrate-on-the-Fly is a differentiator for IP video applications on ISR platforms. With it, we can make changes dynamically in real-time to ensure the continuity of images at the highest possible quality. This can’t be underscored enough because video in a live environment is crucial for ISR. It represents a major improvement over the previous ISR video capabilities. With Change-Bitrate-on-the-Fly, ISR teams can execute their missions with confidence.

Mark Rushton is the Global Defence and Security Lead at VITEC.

VITEC is a global technology leader in the IPTV space, working within the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) arena for over 20 years.

Cellebrite’s 2024 Industry Trends Survey Reveals Urgent Digital Challenges in Law Enforcement

November 13th, 2023

Annual Public Sector Survey Highlights Growing Need for Digital Intelligence Integration and Solutions
TYSONS CORNER, VA and PETAH TIKVA, Israel – November 13, 2023 – Cellebrite DI Ltd. (Nasdaq: CLBT), a global leader in Digital Intelligence (DI) solutions, unveils the critical insights from its 2024 Industry Trends Survey for the Public Sector. Now in its fifth year, the survey findings reveal the urgent need for agencies to digitally transform key workflows to address severe staffing shortages and a growing volume of evidence.   

The survey, gathering insights from 2,000 law enforcement leaders and practitioners, underscores challenges in device access, data extraction, evidence management and analysis. A notable majority report increased overtime and insufficient training to tackle digitally driven crimes. Disturbingly, many still rely on outdated paper-based reviews or manual digital tools, resulting in a staggering 45 hours typically spent reviewing digital evidence per case. With three out of four practitioners agreeing digital evidence is pivotal in case resolution, it is critical for agencies to adopt technologies that will transform their workflows, increase productivity and create efficiencies to solve cases faster, smarter and more defensibly.  

“Technology has changed the nature of crime,” says Steve Foster, Special Agent in Charge at the Georgia Bureau of Investigations whose unit utilizes Cellebrite technology to solve crimes. “We need the tools and people in place to be able to work through the challenges.”  

“Digital evidence continues to play an important role in modern investigations. As criminal technology evolves, it is that much more critical agencies are equipped with the tools, solutions and training needed to identify and analyze all case data,” said Leeor Ben-Peretz, Chief Strategy Officer, Cellebrite. “This year’s survey validates our commitment to supporting agencies through their digital transformations, help them manage their growing caseloads, and reduce investigator and examiner fatigue.”   

Key survey revelations include:  

·       Increase in evidence sources: significant YoY increase from cryptocurrency, car infotainment systems and wearables 

·       Examiner reports to investigators: In 2021, it took an average of six days for investigators to receive an extraction report from examiners, which has now increased to 14 days 

·       Evidence Handling: 75-80% agencies use portable drives or USB sticks for evidence, risking chain-of-custody breaches 

·       Growing Backlogs: 52% see worsening case backlogs year-on-year 

·       Evidence Sources Expand: Smartphones dominate, but cryptocurrency, cars and wearables are on the rise 

·       Digital Evidence Power: 60% of practitioners deem digital evidence has more impact on case resolution than DNA 

·       Evidence Delays: 75% of investigators note device analysis can exceed two weeks, even in high profile cases  

·       Tech’s Role: 65% of agency managers believe technology can alleviate staffing strains  

The annual survey includes respondents from North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. To view the full survey results, please click here

New Name Announced for a Trusted Brand in the Tactical Industry: Mehler Systems

November 13th, 2023

Fulda, Germany, 13.11.2023

Mehler Vario System today introduced Mehler Systems, a significant milestone in the journey that brings all the company’s brands under one roof. This new name—Mehler Systems—unites the already renowned brands of UF PRO and Lindnerhof with that of Mehler Protection, itself a new brand that combines all existing ballistic-protection activities of Mehler Systems into one entity.

The move harmonises the name, image, and branding of the entire Group as a leading provider of high-end protection and tactical-equipment systems for worldwide defence and law enforcement customers.

The new brand-name Mehler Systems captures the essence of the total Group’s purpose as a provider of comprehensive solutions for defence and security missions of a challenging nature, but it does more than that. It also speaks to a commitment to continuously evolve and innovate to even better serve clients. “Under Mehler Systems, our new Group brand, we will present a new, unified, and comprehensive Group face to the market. The Mehler Systems brand stresses the breadth and depth of our complementary and corresponding capabilities throughout the Group in each of our companies, under one common roof”, said Mehler Systems CEO Thomas Homberg.

In a step parallel to the adoption of the new brand-name Mehler Systems and the Group-level uniting resulting from it, Mehler Systems has created Mehler Protection through a brand-blending of Mehler Vario System, Mehler Engineered Defence, and Mehler Law Enforcement. This new sub-brand specialises in providing body and platform armour.

Christian Vahldiek, Managing Director of Mehler Engineered Defence, expressed enthusiasm for this collaborative branding effort. “We are excited about this joint initiative and the opportunity to combine our expertise in platform protection with the body armour offerings under a single brand,” he said.

Importantly, however, the brand-blending of the three companies does not alter their individual legal structures.

Although Mehler Systems is now the Group’s overall brand, Mehler Protection, UF PRO, and Lindnerhof will continue as specialised sub-brands, according to UF PRO Managing Director Jože Kastelic and Linderhof Managing Director Jakob Kolbeck. “Each sub-brand brings its unique skillset and established reputation as a provider of integrated, top-quality solutions,” they said in a joint statement.

“Every sub-brand under Mehler Systems is committed to delivering excellence,” Homberg said. “We continuously utilise our combined strengths to ensure that you receive the best. Our dedicated customer group, who risk their health and lives for society’s security, is the reason we continuously strive for innovation. We are persistent in our efforts to enhance equipment and system performance that match the ever-changing mission- and threat-environments of our customers.”

Learn more about this transformation and the Group’s wide range of offerings by visiting the Mehler Systems website.