Defense Technology Monitor No. 103

SEEKING INNOVATIONS IN QUANTUM MATERIAL
While quantum computing captures the lion share of the headlines, physicists at Purdue University's Quantum Science Research Institute are working on another application of quantum particles – quantum materials – that could be truly game changing. One project (IQ-PARC), which is funded by the Department of Defense, explores how exotic new particles inside quantum materials can be utilized. Mathematical models being used to study these new quantum materials are predicting novel applications like coating the outsides of spaceships and enabling new innovations that would seemingly defy the physics restricting our engineers today. (Purdue University, June 6, 2024)

AN AI SATELLITE INVESTIGATOR
Within the next two decades, the number of satellites orbiting the Earth will go from more than 5,000 to over 50,000, making it increasingly difficult for the defense community to detect hostile behavior in space. The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking to address that anticipated problem. In collaboration with Slingshot Aerospace, DARPA researchers have designed a novel AI-based tracking system to detect unusual satellite behavior and provide information about these anomalous satellites – including their potential intentions. The new system, known as Agatha, may pay dividends beyond protecting the space domain as well. The AI system has been trained through a process known as inverse reinforcement learning, which allows it to sift through large amounts of data and detect outliers, something that could be applicable to the medical field, genomics, and even agriculture. (The Debrief, June 12, 2024)

THE NEXT GENERATION OF LOITERING MUNITIONS
With no shortage of ongoing global conflicts, drone warfare continues to evolve. In a recent development, Israel's Aeronautics Group introduced Orbiter 2 LM, a new loitering munition designed to work in tandem with surveillance drones, enhancing battlefield intelligence and strike capabilities. According to IAG Vice President Eyal Assenhaym, the system "combines the lethality of the loitering munition with the ISR capabilities of the unmanned aerial system [UAS]. It can stay in the sky for two hours. It's electric so It’s very quiet... [providing a] low detection probability due to low acoustic, optic and radar signature." He notes: "This is the shortest and most efficient way to close sensor-to-shooter circle and also gives you bomb damage assessment (BDA). Because the ISR [drone] is following [and viewing the results of the attack]. You can follow up with another attack." (Breaking Defense, June 14, 2024)

THE AIR FORCE STREAMLINES ITS EW UPDATES
Dominance of the electric spectrum can have an outsized effect on the outcome of a conflict, and the Air Force is working to keep the U.S. at a competitive advantage. The service's 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing is pioneering a rapid update approach to electronic warfare (EW), reducing the time required to update systems to just three hours. This is being achieved through a combination of streamlining bureaucratic processes designed to transfer information faster, and by using new advancements in AI to detect and analyze unfamiliar signals. The Wing successfully demonstrated this capability by updating over 35 Air Force systems within the three-hour window in an exercise dubbed "Rapid Raven." The effort is part of a broader push toward "cognitive electronic warfare," which would allow for the deployment of on-the-spot EW updates using artificial intelligence. Full implementation of this capability, however, remains years away. (Breaking Defense, June 7, 2024)

A SUCCESS FOR SPACE TRACKING
As Russia and China continue to advance their respective hypersonic weapons programs, the U.S. faces the tough task of engineering technology to identify and track these swift and maneuverable systems. To that end, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) developed and recently deployed the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS), which has now successfully tracked its first hypersonic test launch. Deployed in February, these satellites provide early warning capabilities and mark a significant milestone in hypersonic defense. HBTSS tracked a hypersonic weapon fired from the testbed known as HTB-1, which supports hypersonic experiments that help U.S. track and identify threats. (Interesting Engineering, June 16, 2024)