Tracking wildfires through open-source data
27 August 2021
by Wim Zwijnenburg
Large wildfires have spread throughout the world in mid-2021, in part attributed to climate change and the direct and long-term risk that it poses to lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems. Tens of thousands of people have had to flee their homes and firefighters have struggled to contain outbreaks in Algeria, Canada, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Mozambique, Russia (Siberia), Turkey, and the United States.
Early warning and monitoring systems are crucial for local authorities, citizens, researchers, and media outlets to rapidly identify and track these wildfires. With the growing availability of open-data remote-sensing platforms, there is a wealth of information available that can be used by interested parties to support their efforts. For open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts seeking to qualify or quantify both wildfires and burned areas, a knowledge of the most important open-source platforms and datasets – and how to use the data – is therefore crucial.
Trees burn on a hillside behind Honey Lake campground during the Dixie wildfire on 18 August 2021 in Milford, California. The wildfire had burnt more than 626,000 acres of land. (Patrick T Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Creating the perfect firestorm
Special Report: Australia to accentuate maritime capabilities amid China's coercion
25 April 2024
by Ridzwan Rahmat
A Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class guided-missile destroyer fires a Harpoon surface-to-surface missile during Exercise ‘Pacific Vanguard' 2022. The class will be equipped with the Naval Strike Missile in the future. (Commonwealth of Australia)
The Australian government has released two more policy documents that outline its defence development intentions over the next few years. The two documents – National Defence Strategy (NDS) 2024 and Integrated Investment Program (IIP) 2024 – were unveiled by Australia's Minister of Defence Richard Marles on 17 April.
The new policies follow Australia's Defence Strategic Review (DSR) – issued in April 2023 – and its evaluation of surface combatant capabilities, which was released earlier in 2024.
As outlined in the IIP 2024, the Australian government is projected to spend AUD765 billion (USD496 billion) in the decade between 2024 and 2034 on defence programmes. This amount includes an additional AUD56 billion above the previous trajectory that was forecast for this period.
Brazilian Army seeks 12 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters
25 April 2024
by Victor Barreira
A Brazilian Air Force UH-60L Black Hawk. The Brazilian Army is set to replace its HM-2 Black Hawk fleet with newer examples. (Leandro Maldonado)
The Brazilian Army is to acquire 12 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters to replace its eight HM-3 Cougar and four HM-2 Black Hawk helicopters, said Army Commander General Tomás Miguel Miné Ribeiro Paiva during a 17 April presentation to the Brazilian Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense.
Gen Tomás noted that the fleet is to be purchased through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme and entails purchasing surplus helicopters, which will be refurbished before transfer to the Brazilian Army Aviation Command (CAvEx).
The acquisition is being carried out as part of the Army Strategic Program Army Aviation (Prg EE Av Ex). The phasing out of the Cougar and Black Hawk helicopters was approved in December 2023.
The HM-3 is fielded by the 2nd Army Aviation Battalion and the 3rd Army Aviation Battalion, and the HM-2 is deployed by the 4th Army Aviation Battalion.
General Atomics tests podded guns on Mojave UAV
24 April 2024
by Zach Rosenberg
A GA-ASI Mojave UAV performs a gun-run with a Dillon DAP-6 podded minigun. (GA-ASI)
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc (GA-ASI) has tested a podded gun on its Mojave short take-off and landing (STOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the company said in a 23 April release.
GA-ASI mounted two Dillon DAP-6 podded miniguns to the Mojave and tested the combination at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona on 13 April. The Mojave performed seven gun-runs during two flights, expending around 10,000 rounds of ammunition against “a variety of targets”, according to GA-ASI. A video accompanying the release showed the UAV destroying a pickup truck.
“For this live-fire demonstration, our goal was to validate the [Mojave's] battlefield relevance,” GA-ASI told Janes on 23 April. “As such, the effort was done completely using GA-ASI's [internal research and development funding], but we believe that successfully demonstrating this capability is of considerable interest to potential customers.”
Integrating the gun pods took “about 70 business days” to complete, added the company.
Large wildfires have spread throughout the world in mid-2021, in part attributed to climate change a...
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