During the live demonstration observed by the NCIA on 9 March, multiple laptop devices were connected to OneWeb's LEO constellation via Kymeta's Hawk u8 user terminal, which was mounted onboard a 4×4 Land Rover Discovery vehicle. (OneWeb)

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has disclosed details regarding its most recent evaluation of commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications (satcom).

The event, which was conducted on 9 March at Eutelsat's teleport facility in Rambouillet, France, featured a live demonstration of OneWeb's Global Connectivity Platform (GCP).

Speaking to Janes on 2 June , an NCIA spokesperson said that usage of LEO satellites is dramatically increasing in satcom because of their advantages compared with geostationary ones.

“NATO has used LEO services for a long time in different flavours [and] the NCIA has been following the developments in LEO technologies closely,” the spokesperson said. “We are currently investigating potential use of the advanced capabilities in LEO satcom, such as lower latency, higher data rates, wider coverage, or smaller terminals.

A diorama of ship crew operating a VTOL UAV from the flight deck of a corvette on display at IAI's booth in MADEX 2023. The company is developing a new type of radar that can be fitted onboard VTOL UAVs. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is developing a compact radar that will convert ship-based vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into more capable maritime surveillance platforms.

The matter was revealed by an IAI representative who spoke to Janes at the International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX) 2023 in Busan, South Korea.

“Shipborne VTOL UAVs are now equipped with electro-optical sensors that are useful for tactical purposes, but are limited for maritime patrol missions,” said Oren Guter, who is in charge of marketing and business development for IAI's naval programmes, in the meeting with Janes.

“The new radar will be compact enough such that it can be fitted on VTOL UAVs found even on ships like corvettes and offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). This means that more comprehensive airborne maritime surveillance missions can soon be conducted from these smaller vessels,” said Guter.

Northrop Grumman's Forward Area Air Defense system provides C2 for SHORAD missions and supports C-UAS operations. (Janes/Patrick Allen)

Northrop Grumman has successfully modernised Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania's air-defence capabilities, ensuring interoperability with NATO and US forces.

According to a company announcement on 5 June, Northrop Grumman has successfully fielded its Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) system and provided training to the Baltics' armed forces.

In December 2021 the US Army – in support of US European Command (EUCOM) – awarded the company a USD14.3 million contract to provide FAAD C2 to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. In addition to modernising the countries' air-defence and counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capabilities, the agreement was intended to form as a framework for integration into EUCOM Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) Plan to support the NATO air-defence system architecture.

FAAD C2 provides command and control for collective short-range air defence (SHORAD) systems and receives air track data from multiple sources, including local sensors and external datalinks to create a common integrated air picture, the company said.

According to Janes C4ISR & Mission Systems