2024-02-01
L3Harris: The Perfect Advanced Technology Partner
Gary W. Rosholt, Corporate Vice-President for Middle East Operations at L3Harris Technologies, outlined the key initiatives taken by his company at UMEX 2024 in an exclusive interview with Nation Shield.
Emphasising a major partnership with Al Seer Marine on the Arabian Fox Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV), he highlighted L3Harris’ Artificial Intelligence (AI) leadership, collaborations with BigBear.ai for advanced USV capabilities, and industry-standard features of the Viper Shield Electronic Warfare (EW) system. Rosholt also noted L3Harris’ commitment to tech advancement through tie-ups with local industries.
Excerpts:
Are there any specific areas of focus or potential collaborations L3Harris explored at UMEX 2024?
L3Harris highlighted our strategic partnership with Al Seer Marine on the Arabian Fox Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) that was featured at the USNAVCENT CTF-59 display at UMEX as well as our respective company booths. Custom designed and locally manufactured by Al Seer, the Arabian Fox USV integrates our L3Harris ASView control system technology, Falcon-III RF-7800W Multi-mission High-Capacity Line of Sight (HCLOS) radios and the WESCAM MX-10 MS electro-optical/infrared sensor system.
Al Seer and L3Harris have built and exported two Arabian Fox USVs that are now being employed by CTF-59 in various multinational and bilateral maritime exercises and operations in the Arabian Gulf as well as experimentation and testing of other specialised payloads such as EW technologies and loitering munitions.
L3Harris has agreed to support in country build of the ASView system for the long-term sustainability of the unmanned programme in the UAE.
How do you see the growing emphasis on artificial intelligence and data-driven technologies in the defence sector impacting L3Harris’ participation in future UMEX events?
Over the last four decades, L3Harris has developed and perfected its modelling and simulation analysis capabilities, which is why L3Harris is an artificial intelligence and machine learning industry leader in delivering mission-critical sensemaking solutions that understand and analyse big data. We recently received an Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity contract to provide technology, including modelling and simulation studies, that will help characterise and predict human mobility.
Supporting the Hidden Activity Signal and Trajectory Anomaly Characterisation programme, L3Harris will lay the groundwork for generating and analysing human activities that produce data captured by GPS, Bluetooth and other systems. The goal of the research is to help transform future autonomous systems.
Even more specific to UMEX, L3Harris has teamed with BigBear.ai to deliver advanced USV capabilities and artificial intelligence for current and future maritime defence programmes.
L3Harris’ ASView system will integrate BigBear.ai’s forecasting computer vision technology to better identify and classify vessels, enhance situational awareness and support manned-unmanned teaming missions.
This programme leverages resilient communications networking capability through Falcon III radios and antennas, delivering near-real-time data sharing with low latency to expedite threat identification-to-action decision cycles.
What makes Viper Shield stand out as a next-gen Electronic Warfare (EW) system?
Viper Shield AN/ALQ-254(V)1 is custom-designed to provide protection and offensive EW capabilities on the fourth-generation Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 multirole aircraft. Software-defined technology components create a virtual electronic shield around the aircraft, revealing advanced, complex radar threats while providing robust countermeasure capabilities in a fully integrated, internally mounted system.
Viper Shield sets a new standard as the highest-performing, cost-effective EW system for advanced F-16s, with lower costs, upgrades, reliability, and weight.
Can you elaborate on L3Harris’ collaboration with local industries, particularly with the EDGE Group and Calidus Aerospace?
As Tawazun announced during UMEX-22, L3Harris received approval for our offset programme with EDGE Group to enable technology transfer and contribute to the wider industry ecosystem.
The specific Electro-Optical Center of Excellence offset project was developed with Emirates Advanced Research and Technology Holding - an EDGE Group company.
This relationship is aimed at localising WESCAM MX-Series service capabilities under a WESCAM MX-Series Authorised Service Centre agreement through the transfer of knowledge supporting the expansion of the depot-level service capability into an advanced assembly facility.
L3Harris was selected by Calidus Aerospace LLC as their integrated mission systems provider for their B-250 Light Attack Aircraft programme.
Calidus selected L3Harris in 2021 as a key partner for supplying multiple B-250 system kits specially designed for the UAE’s B-250 mission, featuring an integrated suite of L3Harris’ Widow 2.0 mission management solution, the WESCAM MX-15D electro-optical/infrared sensor system; the VORTEXi data link; the Falcon III RF-7850A multichannel airborne networking radio; and other aircraft avionics products. L3Harris recently delivered the first of 12 kits to Calidus for integration into the aircraft.
Can you outline how the technology centres in the UAE, in collaboration with Tawazun, contribute to L3Harris’s commitment to the aerospace and defence sector?
L3Harris collaborates with ATRC subsidiaries, TII and Aspire, emphasising global leadership in Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control.
This addresses Tawazun’s secure integration needs, leveraging advanced technology for enhanced intelligence, communication, and situational awareness.
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