Aerospace & Defence news

NEWS

New developments in the Aerospace & Defence

How Fujitsu Is Helping Clean Up Space Junk

by Steven Gislam

Less than a year after the UK Space Agency committed £1 million in funding to combat the growing problem of space junk, Fujitsu UK has announced the successful combination of quantum-inspired computing and Artificial Intelligence to transform space debris removal.

Fujitsu’s prototype, which was created in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Astroscale UK, and the University of Glasgow, will improve mission planning so that a single spacecraft can efficiently select which pieces of space debris to remove in one mission, and at a much faster rate than is currently possible. The removal of space debris is key to sustainability in space, reducing, or even preventing, the risk of obsolete spacecraft colliding with new and existing satellites.

Fujistu also claims that its technology will help to reduce the risk of catastrophic collisions in orbit which could create thousands of other pieces of new debris, all of which pose a very real threat to working satellites in orbit.

By carefully deciding which debris is collected and when, the quantum-inspired technology, powered by Digital Annealer, optimises the mission plan to determine the minimum fuel and minimum time required to bring inoperable spacecraft or satellites safely back to the disposal orbit. Finding the optimal route to collect the space debris will save significant time and cost during the mission planning phase, and also as a consequence will improve commercial viability.

With 2,350 non-working satellites currently in orbit, and more than 28,000 pieces of debris being tracked by Space Surveillance networks, Fujitsu says its technology will help the UK to grow its market share in the space sector, and further support the UK Government’s commitment to a more sustainable future overall.

The research has been carried out as part of the UK Space Agency grant “Advancing Research into Space Surveillance and Tracking”. The project, which was developed over six months in accordance with Government Digital Services guidelines, leverages both Artificial Neural Network (ANN)based rapid trajectory design algorithms, developed by the University of Glasgow, alongside Fujitsu’s Digital Annealer and Quantum Inspired Optimisation Services to solve some of the main optimisation problems associated with ADR (Active Debris Removal) mission planning design.

Ellen Devereux, Digital Annealer Consultant at Fujitsu UK & Ireland, said: "All space debris poses a potential collision risk to the operational systems many of us take for granted – from weather forecasting to telecommunications... We’ve designed a solution to optimise the mission planning of a servicing craft before it is sent into space – meaning organisations like Astroscale UK can pick up more debris, more quickly than ever before."

Amazon Web Services provided the Cloud and AI and ML tools and services to support the project. The Amazon Sagemaker toolset was used to rapidly develop the ANNs that accurately predict the costs of orbital transfers in a fraction of the time it would take to calculate them in full.

Astroscale UK is the world’s first commercial company to start a demonstration mission to remove debris from the lower Earth orbit. The company is providing the end-use case as a representative user of multi-target mission optimisation.

Fujitsu, who spearheaded the project, is one of just seven UK companies to be awarded a share of over £1 million from the UK Space Agency to help track debris in space.

Jacob Geer, Head of Space Surveillance and Tracking, UK Space Agency, said: "Monitoring hazardous space objects is vital for the protection of services we all rely on - from communications devices to satellite navigation. "This project is one of the first examples of quantum-inspired computing working with artificial intelligence to solve the problems space debris causes, but it's unlikely to be the last." Visit: www.fujitsu.com/uk

An artist's impression of the space debris in Earth's orbit. Photo: ESA–P. Carril

Cobham And Ultra Electronics Reach £2.6bn Deal

by Ash Jones

English aerospace company Cobham has agreed to buy fellow UK rival defence company Ultra Electronics after agreeing to a £2.6 billion (€3.05 billion) takeover deal following several weeks of deliberations.

The purchase, which caused both parties to agree to a 3,500p per share deal, led to national security concerns from Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, but Cobham's owner has promised to safeguard UK jobs and "protect national security" in an attempt to allay any fears the government may raise over the acquisition.

Cobham issued a statement to the London Stock Exchange on Monday morning saying it would "invest in Ultra’s UK workforce by protecting existing and creating new UK manufacturing and engineering jobs and apprenticeships and maintaining a UK headquarters”.

It added it “recognises the specific importance of Ultra’s contribution to the UK’s economy and national security”.

The company is noteworthy owing to its pioneering of air-to-air refuelling techniques. Its acquisition by US equity firm Advent in 2020 introduced it to the private sector.

It added it would seek to work with officials to ensure the deal does not hinder Ultra's current commitments, provided any terms of the deal are not vetoed by shareholders and open a forum to enable “ongoing dialogue, co-operation and monitoring” to ensure transparency for the deal, the company claims.

However, the UK government says it will continue to monitor the situation, with Kwarteng reportedly launching a national security investigation under the Enterprise Act - a law protecting fair competition for UK businesses in the face of acquisitions.

Under the law, he could theoretically intervene in mergers and acquisitions in case of a national security threat.

Ultra provides a number of useful services to the UK government, such as radar tech for the Royal Navy or control systems for Trident - the country's nuclear arsenal.

The company's shareholders are set to receive £35 per share, in line with the price announced in July, up from an initial offer of £28 per share.

The deal will help Cobham break into the maritime defence market. Visit: www.cobham.com

NEWS

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems Receives Its Largest Order

German shipbuilding company Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has officially been commissioned to build six identical Type 212CD submarines for the Norwegian and German navies.

The two countries will receive the most advanced submarines in the world by integrating advanced technologies to expand the U212 family of submarines in Europe.

The order is worth approximately €5.5 billion and includes the delivery of two submarines to the German Navy and four to the Norwegian Navy. According to Thyssenkrupp, this is the largest order in the company's history of 180 years.

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems CEO Dr Rolf Wirtz said: “The 212CD order is a major milestone. The Norwegian and German navies are getting the most modern submarines in the world, international and industrial teamwork will permanently shape cooperation in the maritime sector, and we have created capacity utilisation for our company."

Construction of the first submarine will begin in 2023. The delivery of the first submarine for the Norwegian Navy is expected in 2029, while the delivery of two submarines for the German Navy is scheduled for 2032 and 2034.

In preparation for the order, Thyssenkrupp has already initiated investments of around €250 million in 2019. The aim is to further develop Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems at the Kiel location into an international centre of competence for the construction of conventional submarines.

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is one of the leading shipbuilding companies in the world with about 6,000 employees and is active as a supplier of systems for subsea and surface shipbuilding, as well as marine electronics and safety engineering.

INDUSTRYNEWS

Visit: www.thyssenkrupp.com/en/home

EU Drafts Aviation Fuel Tax In Greater Push For Green Travel

by Ash Jones

An aviation fuel tax that will set limits on the amount of pollution airliners can put out has been drafted by the European Commission, according to documents released on Sunday.

The documents, which were seen by Reuters, come as Brussels looks to an EU-wide minimum tax rate for the aviation sector in order to help it meet its climate goals.

The proposals are expected to form part of a package set for reveal on July 14 overhauling the bloc's energy taxation systems as part of its agenda to reduce global greenhouse emissions by 55% by 2030, based on 1990 levels.

The aviation sector currently manages to evade EU tax laws. The new bill hopes to rectify this.

Bloc officials claim current taxation measures are not in line with the EU's climate goals, adding that EU tax rules promote fossil fuels over green energy sources and need rewriting to support the bloc's climate goals.

If successful, the new proposal would impose an EU-wide minimum level of tax on energy products supplied as aircraft fuel for flights within the EU.

The new tax is set to come into effect in 2023 and start at zero, increasing over a tenyear period.

There has been no confirmation as to what the final rate will be, only that it will reach its maximum amount after a decade.

The EU confirmed any sustainable fuels, including hydrogen or any renewable biofuels, will not be subject to the same taxes over this 10-year period.

The bloc hopes this will encourage airliners to seek greener fuels once demand gets back up and running coming out of the pandemic.

Current application for fuels such as e-kerosene has been slow, partly due to higher costs, the bloc confirmed. Certain fuels operate a less-than 1% market share in aviation.

This may also inspire methods to bring down costs of these fuels to prevent a massive burden of loss on the airliner, which is particularly crucial owing to the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on travel demand and airliner profits.

Member states are currently responsible for setting tax rates. Changes in tax at a central level will require unanimous support from the 27 member states. Should one state chose to veto the bill, implementation could be difficult.

The levies would be based on a fuel's energy content and environmental performance, meaning polluting fuels would become more expensive.