Nairobi hosts workshop on AI in the military
Kenya’s Ministry of Defence this week co-hosted an inaugural workshop on the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military.
Co-hosts of the two-day...
Military Academy launches centre for artificial intelligence excellence
The South African Military Academy overlooking Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape has formally launched the Defence Artificial Intelligence Research Unit (DAIRU) as a...
Kenya Defence College hosts autonomous weapons lecture
Senior officers from the Kenyan Air Force, Army and Navy along with National Defence College staff were given insight into autonomous weapons in an...
UCT develops way to measure Antarctic sea-ice using ship-mounted radar
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is investigating a way to use a type of continuous wave (CW) radar to measure Antarctica’s sea ice...
The next frontiers for defence in 2023: space, shipyards, sailing solo, and cybersecurity
Technology is at the forefront of the defence sector moving forward into 2023. New technologies such as 3D printing and Maritime 4.0 are increasing...
Aerospace and defence remain key CSIR focus areas
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) plays a significant role in developing the South African aerospace and defence industry, and in addition...
New AI solution for analysing ISR data
Kachila and Hercules Dynamics, two Canadian based technology companies, have launched a new artificial intelligence solution to analyse and present data from navigation and...
CSIR showcasing security innovations at AAD
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is developing a C-Band phased array synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload with support from the Department...
ISS: Are South Africa’s police jumping the gun on new technologies?
Emerging technologies are seen as critical tools for making South Africa safer. This includes a rise in spending on city surveillance systems (including CCTV...
Pentagon picks Northrop, Lockheed, Raytheon to develop hypersonic defense
The Pentagon on Friday said it selected Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to research and develop a missile system that would be able...
UAE, Israel to jointly develop unmanned military, commercial vessels
Emirati and Israeli state-owned weapons makers on Thursday signed a strategic agreement in Dubai to jointly design unmanned vessels capable of carrying out anti-submarine...
Direction Finding Antennas and Accuracy Part 3: The Art of Designing DF Antennas
In the previous two blog posts we discussed some of the effects that could influence the sensitivity of a DF antenna system. These were...
Chinese smart tech fraught with risk
Chinese technology firms have been peddling “safe city” and “smart city” packages of technology in Africa for years. Suites of interconnected products and services...
Direction Finding Antennas and Accuracy: Part 2
In the previous blog post we considered some of the ways in which we can express the performance of an DF antenna, and we...
CSIR EW simulation training tool to evaluate infrared missile threats
South Africa’s premier research and development agency – the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) - with commercialisation and industrialisation at the forefront...
Aerostat to protect German base in Niger
The German Bundeswehr has placed a €21 million order with Rheinmetall for an aerostat-based area reconnaissance system for protecting a forward operating base in...
Ugandan opposition, activists denounce digital car tracker plan
A move by Uganda's government to install digital tracking devices on vehicles to help fight rampant crime has been denounced by rights advocates and...
Radar to come under the spotlight at Radar Interest Group conference
The South African Radar Interest Group (SARIG) will be hosting its biennial Radar Conference on 20 October and in anticipation has issued a call...
Defence and defence industry applications for CSIR surveillance system
Surveillance and protection of assets, be they publicly or privately owned or managed, is ongoing with the brainpower of the Council for Scientific and...
Rolls-Royce partners with Shell in sustainable aviation fuel push
British engineering company Rolls-Royce said it would partner with oil company Shell to work on the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in line...
Nuclear science utilized to protect African rhino
On 13 May the innovative anti-poaching “Rhisotope Project” was launched. The project, based on nuclear science, seeks to introduce radioactive isotopes into a rhino’s...
Faraway NASA probe detects the eerie hum of interstellar space
The classic 1979 sci-fi horror film "Alien" was advertised with the memorable tagline, "In space no can hear you scream." It did not say...
NASA extracts breathable oxygen from thin Martian air
NASA has logged another extraterrestrial first on its latest mission to Mars: converting carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into pure, breathable oxygen, the...
Direction Finding Antennas and Accuracy – Part 1: Accuracy and Sensitivity
It is sometimes said that: “If you can’t convince them, confuse them!”. Nowhere is this more apparent than the minefield which is antenna datasheets...
Construction of space weather centre launched in Hermanus
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has officially started construction of a new 24-hour state-of-the-art Regional Space Weather Centre in Hermanus.
The start of...
SANDF concludes 2020 Defence Engineering, Science and Technology conference
The annual Defence Engineering, Science and Technology Conference (DESTC) 2020 held last month in Thaba Tshwane saw members from all South African National Defence...
CSIR marks 75 years of improving South African lives
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) reached a significant milestone as 5 October marked 75 years of existence.
Establish in 1945, the CSIR...
Praise for Limpopo learner who invented anti-GBV tool
Limpopo Education MEC Polly Boshielo has commended a learner who has invented a device to help curb human trafficking and gender-based violence (GBV).
Bohlale Mphahlele,...
AlphaDogfight trials foreshadow future of human-machine symbiosis
A small Maryland company took first place in August's AlphaDogfight Trials Final event, a three-day competition designed to demonstrate advanced algorithms capable of performing...
Scientific imaging association launched in SA
The rapid technological growth in the field of scientific imaging and an increasing need to understand its complexities has seen a specialist association established...
Protecting vehicles with water
Ever wondered what happens if you blow up a fluid-filled container? Creative thinkers from Australia's Department of Defence have shown that water can help...
Hydrogen fuel cell systems power COVID-19 field hospital
Government, in collaboration with the private sector, is putting plans in place to roll out hydrogen fuel cell technologies in various parts of South...
Hydrogen fuel cell systems to be launched at 1 Military Hospital
The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) will today unveil seven hydrogen fuel cell systems that are being used as the primary power source...
New Lockheed CEO says 5G networks key to military vehicle autonomy
James Taiclet, the new chief executive at Lockheed Martin the Pentagon’s largest weapons supplier, is keen to use 5G networks to bolster the militaries’...
ISS: Future of facial recognition technology in Africa
When several United States (US) companies withdrew their facial recognition software products amid concerns about flaws, biases and misuse in the wake of the killing of...
China puts final satellite into orbit to try to rival GPS network
China on Tuesday successfully put into orbit its final Beidou satellite, completing a navigation network years in the making and setting the stage to...
US Navy, industry developing fire-resistant biotech materials
US Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, headquartered in China Lake, California, and Berkeley-based Cambium Biomaterials, Inc. are collaborating to develop and produce new,...
Future military vehicles could see an improvement in structural materials
Materials used for a soldier's personal protection gear may be tough enough for vehicles too, according to a new US Army study.
Findings, released April...
CSIR data contributing to SA’s COVID-19 fight
President Cyril Ramaphosa is confident Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) technology and data will enable South Africa to fight the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
“As...
UCT develops app to track coronavirus patients
After South Africans commenced a 21-day lockdown on 26 March, a group of researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) continued working on...
CSIR’s Cmore tapped for COVID-19 situational awareness
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR’s) Cmore situational awareness system is being customised to service the COVID-19 coronavirus response in South Africa.
This...
US Army scientists create innovative quantum sensor that could revolutionise communications
A quantum sensor could give soldiers a way to detect communication signals over the entire radio frequency spectrum, from 0 to 100 GHz, said...
US tests unarmed hypersonic weapon
The Pentagon said it tested an unarmed hypersonic weapon in Hawaii, as both China and Russia develop similar military and defence capabilities.
The Department of...
Innovative add-on armour package for military vehicles
Skills in disciplines including ballistics and detonics at the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) were utilised to develop a cost-effective protection solution...
The truth about the polygraph
The Polygraph Test has become both famous and infamous through the popularity of its presence in crime dramas, dramatised on TV and in movies....
SANSA helping SANDF’s secure communications
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) has for several years been providing space weather data to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)...
Peralex passive radar system up and running at Square Kilometre Array site
Peralex has installed two passive radar stations in the Northern Cape to monitor air traffic for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope in...
Quantum computing set to alter aerospace and defence technology
The computer that will be available in the coming decades will have nothing to do with the one you are using to read this...
Artificial intelligence supercharges surveillance, enabling access to petabytes of untapped data
Surveillance has reached the next level, with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) supercharging this technology. The use...
Teaching excellence honour for Military Science Faculty lecturer
A member of the lecturing staff at the Stellenbosch University Military Science Faculty Lieutenant Colonel Andre Pretorius was honoured with a teaching excellence award...
