"The RAVEN Countermeasure system is part of a layered defense, and is easily tailored to any vehicle, mission, or budget," said Ryan Edwards, business development manager for Soldier and Vehicle Electronics at BAE Systems. "Our vehicle protection systems improve crews' situational awareness and survivability, regardless of their vehicle or the threats they face."

The RAVEN Countermeasure system, is a rugged, reliable laser-based countermeasure capable of defeating a variety of guided missile threats. The system is lightweight, modular, and scalable, and provides armored forces with efficient vehicle protection in a small, cost-efficient package. It is specifically designed for capability growth to address future threats as they emerge.

RAVEN is compliant with the U.S. Army's Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) program and is designed to integrate directly with threat detection and countermeasure cueing systems, including BAE Systems' 360 Multifunction Vehicle Protection Sensor, a long-wave infrared situational awareness and warning system that serves as the eyes of the company's integrated VPS suite.

The 360 MVP Sensor can cue RAVEN to quickly and efficiently defeat threats and also provides 360-degree situational awareness for improved vehicle mobility, lethality, and integral survivability. As part of a layered vehicle defense system, RAVEN complements kinetic countermeasure systems with a virtually unlimited number of shots.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Army recommended the integration of the RAVEN Countermeasure system onto a Bradley Fighting Vehicle for the MAPS Program's Layered Active Protection Demonstration, which took place in September 2019. The recommendation followed the Soft Kill Rodeo, a series of tests to determine which non-kinetic active protection system technology has the most potential.

BAE Systems' integrated VPS suite builds on the company's extensive experience developing aircraft survivability equipment. With decades of experience designing, delivering, and sustaining electronic warfare systems, the company has a deep understanding of the evolving battlespace and the solutions warfighters need to address emerging threats.

The company's vehicle protections systems are developed at its manufacturing center of excellence in Austin, Texas.

Source:  BAE Systems
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On display will be a Wiesel/Weasel fighting vehicle, the platform that forms the basis for Rheinmetall's innovative "Wiesel Wingman" autonomous combat vehicle concept for the US Army Robotic Combat Vehicle - Light program. The Wiesel Wingman brings together capabilities of Rheinmetall's "Wiesel Digital" and Mission Master UGV vehicle platforms.

The Wiesel Wingman is based on Rheinmetall's Wiesel Digital, a fully digitalized version of the Wiesel that has been refined over the past years. This includes the full digitalization of the vehicle and the replacement of all mechanical and hydraulic transmission elements with a digitized transmission. In addition, the Wiesel Wingman is equipped with Drive by Wire (DbW) with triple redundancy. This DbW system has gone through rigorous testing, making the Wiesel Wingman the very first armored tracked vehicle certified for on-road use with DbW.

The vehicle retains the high mobility found in existing variants of the Wiesel, with a top speed of 43mph and excellent maneuverability on various terrain due to its low GVW and low ground pressure. The Wiesel Wingman armored hull protects all critical components against fragmentation and small arms fire.

The vehicle can be equipped with a variety of systems; for the RCV-L the Wiesel Wingman includes a CROWS-J; other lethal variants are also possible, based on the payload capability of the Wiesel chassis. The vehicle has outstanding reconnaissance capabilities due to its superior mobility and its integrated tethered drone, which highly increases its surveillance and target identification capabilities. The Wiesel Wingman can be air-transported in a CH-47 and a CH-53 as an internal or external load. Two of the vehicles can easily fit into a C-130.

This vehicle has been tested and proven during various exercises and trials by the U.S. and German Army. The Mission Master UGV, developed by Rheinmetall Canada, contributes its autonomous technologies to the Wiesel Wingman platform. This provides the Wiesel Wingman with a tried and true suite of sensors, universal platform control and navigation software.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) kit enables the vehicle to conduct semi-autonomous and autonomous operations, from remote-controlled steering to leader-follower operation and waypoint navigation. Obstacle avoidance, operation in environments lacking GPS and remote sensor/effector control make the Wiesel Wingman smartest, most robust vehicle in its class. Its open software architecture and the sizable internal volume provides the US Army with significant growth potential for future technology.

Rheinmetall Canada's Mission Master UGV will be on display along with the Wiesel at AUSA, in both cargo and protection (armed) configurations. The Mission Master platform is a world-leading autonomously operating UGV showcasing

Rheinmetall's advanced developments in autonomous combat vehicle operating capabilities. The Mission Master features all-terrain and amphibious mobility, as well as silent drive mode. It can operate autonomously or semi-autonomously. In addition to a flexible storage system, the Mission Master -- Cargo can be fitted to suit both high and low-profile operations. Its robust design can shoulder over a half-ton payload of supplies, equipment, and materials. The Mission Master - Protection will feature the unique

Rheinmetall Fieldranger Multi weapon station, armed with a 70 mm rocket launcher from Thales that recently demonstrated the ability to fire a salvo of 14 rockets, delivering 60 kg of explosives on objective in 1.6 seconds. The Mission Master - Protection can also support .50 cal. machine guns and 40 mm grenade launchers. For more details about how Rheinmetall is developing robotic, remote and autonomous vehicles and its proposal for the US Army RCV-L program, meet our team of specialists on Rheinmetall’s booth No. 6618 at AUSA 2019.

Source:  Rheinmetall Defense
Associated URL: Click here to visit

"The three power plants are important milestones for Bolivia 2025, an ambitious energy project designed to increase power generation capacity to 6000 megawatts (MW) by 2025. This will establish energy independence for Bolivia while also boosting the capacity to export electricity to Bolivia’s neighboring countries," explained Ramiro Becerra Flores, project director at ENDE Andina. "The process of converting gas into energy is now more efficient, the country has the opportunity to find a use for surplus or residual amounts of gas that will be produced as a result of the integration of the new, much more efficient Siemens technologies."

"Siemens has developed a unique solution to support Bolivia’s ongoing efforts to improve access to electricity for its growing population and developing economy," said Karim Amin, CEO of Power Generation at Siemens Gas and Power. "Every society has its own unique needs. Our diverse energy portfolio can address these various needs for the benefit of societies everywhere."

The three thermal power plants were already equipped with 13 Siemens gas turbines and the associated generators for operation in simple-cycle mode to provide Bolivia with fast generation of electricity. During the expansion phase that began in 2016, Siemens added 14 SGT-800 gas turbines, 11 SST-400 steam turbines with condensers, 22 steam generators, and the SPPA-T3000 instrumentation and control system to the three power plants. In combined cycle mode, it was possible to increase the plant efficiency from 40 to 51 percent.

The Termoeléctrica del Sur thermal power plant in southern Bolivia, near the border with Argentina was inaugurated on August 8, 2019. The expansion increased the plant’s peak capacity from 160 to 480 MW. The Entre Ríos plant, inaugurated on September 11, 2019, is located in the department of Cochabamba, situated 220 kilometers southeast of La Paz. Thanks to the inclusion of three new blocks, the plant has been able to increase its generation capacity from 120 to 480 MW. The Warnes plant is located in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz department and was inaugurated on September 16, 2019. With the new equipment, the plant’s generation capacity rose from 200 to 520 MW. This expansion of its energy network will help Bolivia continue with its energy development plan and help the country meet its goal of becoming the energy heart of South America.

From May 2017 to August 2018, the power plant equipment for the expansion phase was shipped to Bolivia from three different continents. In a global effort that covered thousands of miles, the equipment arrived in Bolivia from Sweden, China, Germany, Italy, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brazil. The project faced some special challenges in the Andes Mountains. Up to 400 heavy load transports crossed the Andes to bring equipment to the three power plant construction sites. The trucks covered a distance of 1,800 kilometers on steep and sometimes muddy roads, traversed as many as 180 bridges and tunnels, and overcame an elevation difference of 4,680 meters above sea level. The deliveries included what logistician experts describe as 83 'heavy lifts” ' meaning single loads of 50 tons or more. Forty to fifty out of 180 bridges along the original route had to be reinforced or bypassed due to structural concerns. "I’ve worked for Siemens for more than a decade, and I have never had such a huge transport, nothing even comparable," says Marcus Koerber, Siemens Project Manager of Material Logistics.

Investing in the country Siemens is building a new Service and Training Center in Warnes, where Bolivian technicians will be trained to maintain, monitor, and repair power plant turbines and other components. "The center is designed to provide our traditional and digital services to energy customers in Bolivia and South America. It will feature digital solutions with our remote monitoring and diagnostics technologies, data analytics, as well as specialized classrooms and hands-on training sessions, parts supply, and engineering and project management," said John Prado, CEO Siemens Bolivia. "Moreover, it will offer job opportunities for more than 100 people."

Source:  Siemens
Associated URL: Click here to visit