The contracted work will be performed in Arlington, Texas, and is expected to be completed July 21, 2023.

The Air Force is obligating nearly the full $9.6 million in Fiscal Year 2021 Aircraft Procurement funds at the time of the award. Air force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

Source:  U.S. Department of Defense

The MoU, between HENSOLDT Australia, the Tasmanian Government (represented by the Department of State Growth [DSG]), and the University of Tasmania, establishes the TEAM Tasmania initiative to take the next step in establishing Tasmania as the center for Space Domain Awareness in Australia.

"Tasmania is a collective of first-class capability," said Scott Reeman, Vice President Tasmania and General Manager Strategy ANZ. "We are excited to be opening our Hobart office to work closely with TEAM Tasmania on Australia's sovereign Space Domain Awareness capability and other local partners to realize opportunities in the Space, Maritime, Defense, and Clean Energy domains together."

The founding members of TEAM Tasmania each bring a unique competitive advantage to the partnership; HENSOLDT, as a global leader in space radar technology and systems development; the University of Tasmania as a world-renowned research institution, with significant expertise and infrastructure in space observation and tracking; and the Tasmanian Government, in funding and building on the MOU with the Australian Space Agency in 2019, positioning Tasmania as the center for space research, development and commercialization. TEAM Tasmania will create the Southern Guardian Space Domain Awareness System (Southern Guardian) to develop a sovereign competitive advantage for the state and the nation.

"Tasmania's southern location makes it ideally positioned to observe and track space objects, like satellites and space debris, in polar orbits," said Reeman. "We have already commenced working with researchers at the University of Tasmania to refine approaches to object tracking and orbit projections and are very proud to fund a PhD candidate in this endeavor."

The University of Tasmania manages an array of space infrastructure, capable of observing near-Earth orbiting objects, satellites and space debris and further afield objects including the tracking of distant space missions and asteroids. Southern Guardian will capture and analyze this space observation data to track, categorize and identify objects and potential threats. HENSOLDT Australia's Hobart facility will be the center for the Southern Guardian systems integration and data analysis, which will further fuel innovation and opportunities for both defense and commercial space operations.

In addition to space, HENSOLDT Australia provides technology solutions across maritime, defense, and clean energy, aligning closely with Tasmania's key industry sectors. HENSOLDT's Hobart office cements the TEAM Tasmania partnership with a local base to develop connections and build a local workforce to support space, maritime, clean energy, and defense opportunities. The company is currently recruiting, seeking a range of skillsets including systems engineering, electronics, project management, radar, technicians, repair, maintenance, and calibration skills.

Source:  HENSOLDT

From reconnaissance to air defense and precision strike missions, the Rafale has helped ensure the success of countless military operations. But future aircrews will have to analyze more data in less time on combat missions carried out in increasingly complex environments. Coupled with the aircraft's weapon systems, the Scorpion helmet-mounted sight and display enhances tactical situational awareness and enables crews to respond more quickly and with greater agility to a whole range of threats. Its progressive rollout on the Rafale F4 standard will be a decisive advantage in ensuring the success of airborne missions and protecting populations.

The helmet-mounted display symbology brings together information from the aircraft's onboard sensors to help pilots perform their missions even in the most challenging situations. It creates a continuum between the cockpit and the outside world to radically improve awareness of the tactical situation. Coupled with the weapon system, the display can be used to designate and track targets anywhere in the crew's field of view in daylight and at night.

Scorpion delivers all of these capability enhancements in addition to the protection and survivability functions of a conventional flight helmet. It is optimized for weight and balance to maximize pilot comfort and mission effectiveness.

The 400 digital multi-function displays on order will replace the lateral displays on France's in-service Rafale aircraft, which are primarily used to inform the pilot about the status of the aircraft's systems and provide imagery from its onboard sensors. The new equipment offers a larger display area, an improved touchscreen interface and greater processing power.

"When the success of a mission is decided in a fraction of a second, aircrews must be able to understand the tactical environment quickly and interact intuitively with the aircraft's systems. We are delighted to have this opportunity to provide future Rafale F4 crews with an operational advantage that will be critical to the success of their missions, thanks to latest-generation equipment offering advanced display capabilities and enhanced interaction with the weapon systems," said Jean-Paul Ebanga, Vice President, Flight Avionics, Thales.

Source:  Thales