THE ART OF ELECTRONIC WARFARE - BAE Systems€¦ · BAE SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS THE EMPLOYEES...

BAE SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS THE EMPLOYEES BEHIND INNOVATION

VOLUME 18DECEMBER 2016

THE ART OF ELECTRONIC

WARFAREF–35 Electronic Warfare

Program Celebrates 250th Delivery

Page 8

18. COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITY

10. FINDING INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE

6. THE AUSTIN ADVANTAGE

TAKING ES TO A NEW LEVEL OF OPERATIONAL

EXCELLENCE

INSPIRED WORK IS MORE THAN A CATCH

PHRASE

EMPLOYEES SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT 2016

Electronic Systems employees have plenty about which to get excited. Our company is dedicated to meeting the

needs of our military and commercial transportation customers alike, working on products that operate from the outermost reaches of our solar system to far below Earth’s ocean surfaces.

Our employee base comprises forward thinkers, problem solvers and some of the greatest minds in the industry, all of whom share the same sense of pride that what we do makes a positive difference around the world. When this takes place in an inclusive, ethical and collaborative work environment such as we have, it is easy to say that Electronic Systems is a great place to be!

It could go without saying – but we’re going to say it anyway – that Electronic Systems is an exciting business with an exciting future. We are in the midst of unprecedented growth in our factories’ production and in our programs’ backlogs, which means there is ample opportunity to join the team.

As such, we are making a concerted effort to

attract and retain top talent in our industry as we ramp up our production

rates across the enterprise to support the commitments we have made for our military and commercial

customers.Earlier this year, we

reorganized our Talent Acquisition team to

enhance the group’s partnerships with hiring managers in each of our business areas and major functions; we have also aligned our recruiting team to focus its efforts on specific skill sets needed to ensure a stable and innovative workforce for years to come.

One early success in this effort can be seen in our Engineering organization in support of the Electronic Combat Solutions business area, which will see considerable growth in the next few years. The business area added five times as many systems engineers this year than in 2015.

We have expanded our recruiting efforts by adding recruiters and sourcing leads in the Northern New England region, and we have increased our number of college campus visits and our social media sourcing and presence. Long gone are the days when we simply post requisitions on job boards and hope candidates apply.

While year-to-date results from our efforts are promising – we have routed close to 20,000 resumes to hiring managers this year, conducted more than 5,000 interviews and hired over 1,050 new employees – we need employees’ help to guarantee our ultimate success.

Internal referrals are an essential sourcing strategy to connect us with future talent. Current employees are key to helping us make the connection with those who possess the proper skill sets and experience, and, as such, we offer bonuses for successful referrals that lead to hires. In fact, we have paid more than $140,000 in such bonuses already this year.

2017 will be another important year for Electronic Systems, and we will continue to partner with the business in attracting and retaining top talent to our organization. We also invite our employees to use their social networks to help us accelerate and expand our connection with highly qualified candidates; with your partnership, we will be well positioned to continue to serve our customers, to protect those who protect us and to innovate for those who move the world.

Branching out to growRay Bradshaw Vice President, Human Resources, BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector

Electronic Systems Pulse

2 • Electronic Systems Pulse

Explore available digital formats: intranet.ent.baesystems.com/

DisclaimerThe publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for any errors or omissions. Electronic Systems Pulse is produced by BAE Systems corporate and business unit internal communications teams. Editor, Jason Simpson, lead, Sector publications and media. Please send any comments and feedback to [email protected] or leave a message on (603) 885–8783. Email: [email protected] Articles or opinions expressed in this publication may not reflect company policy. All rights reserved. On no account may any part of this publication be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder, application for which should be made to [email protected]. Designed and produced by BAE Systems Electronic Systems Creative Services http//www.baesystems.com/es© BAE Systems 2016.

The Beacon

Inside this Edition: Electronic Systems Pulse highlights the innovation of BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector’s employees across the globe, the company’s initiatives to make ES a great workplace and its employees’ dedication to their local communities.

On the cover: The F-35 flight demonstrator is taken for a test drive during an event celebrating the 250th delivery of the Lightning II’s electronic warfare program.

Cover image by Vincent Ardizoni.

You can follow BAE Systems’ program milestones and other events in real-time by following or liking the company’s social media sites below:www.facebook.com/baesystemsincwww.twitter.com/baesystemsincwww.youtube.com/baeupcomingwww.flickr.com/baesystemsincwww.linkedin.com/company/bae-systems

FOLLOW BAE SYSTEMS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

For more information on Electronic Systems, contact Paul Roberts, Manager, External Engagement. E-mail: [email protected]

As our company continuously improves, our intention is that this newsletter will as well. If you have a story idea or suggestion for the newsletter, please contact an ES Communications representative or Pulse’s editor, Jason Simpson, at [email protected].

© BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., BAE Systems Controls Inc., BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd. 2016All rights Reserved

www.baesystems.com/pulse

Table of Contents • 3

Contents

Page 8 The art of Electronic Warfare

Page 4Connecting the uniforms

Page 10On the BeatFinding inspiration everywhere

Page 18CommunityCommitted to the community

Page 6 The Austin advantage

Page 14Expanding the geospatial horizon


4 • In the Key Markets

Interoperability is often challenging for U.S. forces and their coalition partners. The ability to pass information back and forth allows forces in the field to communicate with analysts and decision makers

in the command-and-control structure.BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector’s high-

assurance, cross-domain solution – XTS® Guard 5 – ensures the right information gets into the right hands at the right time, allowing actionable intelligence to go from sensor to shooter.

The XTS Guard 5 was recently put to the test as the information-sharing centerpiece at the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence’s Enterprise Challenge 2016 (EC16) exercise. The annual exercise evaluates intelligence systems in an operationally realistic setting and demonstrates their integration and interagency data-sharing capabilities.

XTS Guard 5 allowed the U.S. intelligence community’s (IC) agencies, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the United States’ “Five Eyes” partners – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom – to securely share files across security classifications and enclaves, something that had not been done in five years.

“The guard scans and filters different file types – it checks for viruses and specific words to determine if

the information can be shared,” said Crystal Creviston, BAE Systems’ cyber engineer for the EC16 project. “It’s very sensitive and even catches disguised or embedded information. It safeguards our higher classification networks from bugs, viruses and malware and prevents classified data from reaching unclassified domains.”

Even with a crowded cross-domain product market, the customer chose Electronic Systems’ XTS Guard 5 for its ease of use and the ability to rapidly adapt the solution to meet changing mission requirements.

“XTS Guard 5 is easier to work with than anything else in the industry due to the integration of third-party tools, which allows for a more-flexible, adaptable solution while reducing customers’ operational costs,” said John Murphy, BAE Systems’ Cybersecurity Products director. “Our business model is fundamentally different than others in the industry. By integrating with third-party instantiations, XTS Guard 5 is more-customizable and therefore reduces the overall accreditation costs, as well as ongoing maintenance and support requirements.”

The sector’s team worked with CA Technologies’ gateway and Concurrent Technologies Corporation’s Advanced Guard for Information Security to complete advanced integration, which ensures customers can make changes to the data that they are passing through the guard

CONNECTING the uniforms

By Brandee Beiriger, Communications, San Diego

XTS® Guard 5, Electronic Systems’ cross-domain information security solution, proves to safely and securely transfer information between government networks with differing security levels.


In the Key Markets • 5

much more efficiently than with other solutions. Changes can be made more readily using XTS Guard 5; the same changes could take up to six months with other cross-domain tools.

This combined solution has more flexibility than the competition because the product is commercial. The team can build and configure to requirements and deploy without government funding. Most of the other vendors’ offerings are government-off-the-shelf and require funding for configuring for new data types.

EC16 allowed participants to work through simulated situations to test the XTS Guard 5 and the passing of information.

During the scenarios, sensors collected data and shared it with other parties in the same battlespace. XTS Guard 5 fills a gap for sensor information sharing and search-and-discovery methodologies that our defense department has today.

EC16 gave XTS Guard 5 the opportunity to exchange data across domains over disparate geographic regions, which had not been done before. China Lake, California; Ft. Huachuca, Arizona; Ft. Meade, Maryland; Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, and international participants could not have shared information otherwise.

“Smooth transition of data is a huge advantage for our soldiers, for our marines,” said Creviston. “If your team’s collecting data on terrorist organizations out in the field and can send that data back to the right people, that’s a huge advantage. That’s what we succeeded in doing in EC16.”

The exercise provided ES with critical information and requirements regarding what capabilities should be introduced in the next XTS Guard product release and provided the other participants insight into how they can streamline their mission going forward.

“The exercise allowed us to research and develop data through operational security testing and evaluation,” said Angela Arrington, cyber engineer for the EC16 project, adding that cross-domain solutions must meet certain testing requirements, and data has to go through a certification, test and evaluation process prior to use. “We performed three testing and evaluation cycles for new data types in six months – that’s unheard of. Because we took a research-and-development approach, we are able to carry this over to operational networks. Some of the evaluation findings also helped form standards that the DOD and IC will use to try to bridge gaps between tactical and enterprise environments.”

Added Murphy: “EC16 gave us visibility into the DOD and IC than we’ve ever had. We interfaced with some really smart people who support very important functions – trying to protect our country from adversaries. We learned a lot about the concept of operations of the various uniforms. There are similarities and commonalities, but data types are vastly different. We can carry many types of data – sensor, measurement and signature intelligence, and so on.”

The Austin advantage T his is not the Austin Business

Center’s first rodeo. Saddled up in east Austin, Texas, for more than 60 years, protecting the warfighter

is nothing new. But, with a new approach to its legacy

business, the business center is reining in a diverse strategy to leverage BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector’s strengths to support emerging programs and key pursuits.

“We’re strengthening what’s good in Austin and bringing that to other businesses

in order to introduce new and better solutions to our customers,” said Greg Zito, director of the Austin Business Center.

In the past, the facility found success in manufacturing a series of threat management and imaging and aiming products as its own product line. However, in 2009, it separated into three distinct product lines, and the campus began to disperse.

With no central leadership or unifying force, it was time for a change. Uniting the business under one leader with one

objective, the Austin Business Center repositioned itself to create strategic partnerships within Electronic Systems (ES) and add value to the programs.

Erasing its stigma as a manufacturing facility, Zito and the team have taken Austin’s new approach by the horns, and it has paid off. With a group of highly skilled engineers, a 10 percent lower-than-average bid rate and more than 200,000 borderless engineering hours, it continues to make an impact and add to its proven track record.

By Jessica Roy and Anthony DeAngelis , Communications, Merrimack, New Hampshire



The Austin advantage

The site refresh has not only brought the business together – it has also improved employee morale. The team is leading the way when it comes to innovation, and they are excited about the next big hit out of Austin. The team’s most-recent work relates to high-energy lasers and ground vehicle self-protection. The business sees an opening in these markets and looks to leverage their industry experience to create next-generation systems to meet customer needs.

“The folks here are truly excited about the work they’re doing and seeing how they contribute to the bigger enterprise,” said Steve Ford, a program director for ES’ Survivability, Targeting & Sensing Solutions business area. “They know what they do is important and impactful, and that shows in the way they work together to produce innovative products and technologies.”

Zito has a constant goal for the business: to provide superior services at a lower cost when it comes to engineering,

manufacturing and business winning. He constantly follows three main imperatives in working toward this goal – meet your commitments, create strategic partnerships and constantly innovate.

More recently acknowledged for its low-cost manufacturing, the Austin Business Center is still a one-stop shop with the ability to design, build, deliver and support a wide variety of programs.

Now it is ready for its next chapter, and one thing is for sure: it is ready for the ride.



The art of Electronic Warfare

By Nicole Gable, Communications, Nashua, New Hampshire


Ben Robinson waves to his F-35 program team from his deployment station in Kuwait.

After celebrating its 250th delivery, Electronic Systems’ F-35 Electronic Warfare program is facing a steady production ramp that will require every employee working together to deliver critical EW capability to the warfighter.


M ore than 6,000 miles away from home, BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector test technician Ben Robinson is deployed in Kuwait, taking a leave of absence from his

F-35 program team to join the Forward Support Company maintenance platoon in the 368th Engineer Battalion. Back in New Hampshire, the Radio Frequency Systems Common Build (RFSCB) Factory that supports the F-35 and F-15 has been busy putting together care packages to deliver to Robinson’s platoon.

“There was a lot of talk this week within my platoon about how awesome my coworkers are,” said Robinson in September. “I walk into the mailroom, and see four massive boxes. That seriously made everyone’s week. I miss everyone, and I hope everything is going well back home.”

Robinson’s story is just one of many that demonstrates the team mentality of Electronic Systems’ (ES) F-35 program. Tasked with delivering one of the world’s most-advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, teamwork is a necessity, and the warfighter is always top-of-mind.

The program recently celebrated the production and delivery of its 250th EW system, which protects the stealth fighter from threats in the field. The event drew the likes of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Lockheed Martin vice president Fred Ross.

“For me, the celebration of the 250th milestone is just the beginning,” said Kathy Boissonneault, a mechanical engineering assistant in the RFSCB factory. “We have some exciting times ahead. We are investing in our factories with soldering robots and process improvements. We have come a long way, but the team has some miles to go.”

Factory investments will be critical as the program increases its production rates. Currently delivering four systems per month, Electronic Systems will need to nearly triple its output by 2019 – with Lockheed Martin manufacturing 11 aircraft per month.

Dave Babonis, an electrical engineering assistant in ES’ microwave factory stressed how important team operations will continue to be as the program ramps to rate.

“The whole team has to perform from start to finish to reach the end goal,” said Babonis. “In microwave, we get the parts that go into the higher-level assemblies. If what we provide to the next level doesn’t work, the team isn’t going to be successful. For me, I like to think big picture. I am building a product that helps the pilot do his job. It’s about protecting him, but, overall, his mission might keep hundreds or thousands of other people safe.”

The art of Electronic Warfare


For those working the program, creating EW systems to protect U.S. troops in the field weighs heavily. Angela Moschen, a mechanical technician and team lead for ES’ Advanced Composite Manufacturing Factory, refers to her team’s work as technical arts and crafts.

“I am a crafty person, so working on a difficult, detailed product is a good fit for me,” said Moschen. “These are complicated products, and we have to be very hands on. I realize that a person’s life is in my hands, and it can be stressful – it’s a big responsibility. Although it’s hard work, we find time to come together, strengthen that team bond, and, in the end, build a product that works every time.”

As a team lead on the F-35 program, Moschen’s No. 1 goal is to remind people that they are human.

“I like to promote activities that remind us that we are human,” said Moschen. “It’s good to take a step back from our work and have a little fun. We will do everything from chili cook-offs to making F-35 cakes to boost morale. When you are on a program that’s as demanding and important as the F-35, you can’t forget about the relationships that are going to get you to the end. Doing these things allows us to laugh, recharge and refocus on our work.”

It is that focus and teamwork that creates a successful environment, according to Operations program manager Sharon Metras. The program is going to require every supplier working together to deliver the aircraft’s capability to the warfighter on time.

“Last year, I was able to visit Lockheed Martin’s production floor in Fort Worth, and it was very impressive,” said Metras. “When you are there, you can tell how seriously the operators take their work, and the customers stressed to us the need for our systems to work at first test. We got to go right up to the cockpit, and you felt like you were being watched. It shows the pride they take in what they do.”

Metras took what she learned after the visit and brought it back to her staff.

“I do my best to instill the mission at all levels of our program,” said Metras. “On the floor, we have employees building cables, but they aren’t just cables – the cables they are building are part of a system that saves lives. Our mission and instilling it in the folks in our organization is why I come to work every day.”

F-35 Product Line Director Deb Norton thanks employees at the 250th delivery celebration.

Angela Moschen’s F-35 holiday team celebration cake is one example of how her crafty attention to detail contributes in her day-to-day role.


Finding inspiration everywhere


By Jason Simpson, Communications, Hudson, New Hampshire

Inspired Work is more than a catch phrase. Thousands of Electronic Systems employees come to work each day motivated to do their best because of a devotion to the company’s missions, its customers, the technology or their fellow coworkers.

10 • On the Beat

Somit Mathur has not experienced full-time employment outside of BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems sector. A project technical lead for the sector’s Survivability, Targeting & Sensing Solutions

business area, Mathur started his career with the company two weeks after graduating from Stanford with a master’s in Electrical Engineering; he will celebrate his 15th year with Electronic Systems (ES) in April 2017.

“What surprises a lot of folks is the tenure here; there’s a lot of folks who have been here for decades,” Mathur said. “It’s a fun, dynamic environment.”

One would be hard-pressed to find individuals who say their dream job is working on monotonous assignments with uncooperative coworkers in a company about which they care little; luckily for ES employees, that is not the case at BAE Systems.

ES employees can always find something to galvanize them into working hard for something bigger than themselves. For some, it is knowing what they do goes to saving the lives of military servicemen and women or helping commuters safely get to where they want to go. For others, it is working on complex and innovative technology and equipment or having the opportunity to give back to their local communities.

For Mathur, it has been the people with whom and the programs on which he has worked.

“When you’re working with a group of people who you enjoy working with personally and professionally, you’re going to put your best foot forward,” he said. “I also have the opportunity to interface with customers directly. A lot of engineers, in many situations, don’t interface with the customer directly, but, when you do, it puts a lot of gravity and context behind what you’re doing.”

Last July, Mathur was part of a team conducting a maritime situational awareness demonstration on a Navy test platform. With Naval science advisors onboard, Mathur’s team demonstrated the capability of an ES product with results better than they had predicted.

“It was, by far, the best-quality demo I’ve ever seen us do; that demo was pivotal for the Navy in its evaluation to award BAE Systems with a program called CESARS,” Mathur said. “What you’re doing, in terms of [ES’ defense mission] ‘We Protect Those Who Protect Us®,’ is helping them define the requirements that are going to protect them. Last year, there was a lot of risk on how we were going to do, but what that showed them is what is ‘the art of possible.’”

Working at ES has also afforded Mathur the ability to stay local to his home base of Austin, Texas. The idea of working for BAE Systems actually came from Mathur’s father, who was working for the company – called Tracor at the time – when Mathur graduated from Stanford and still lives in the area, as does Mathur’s brother; Mathur worked for his father as a technical contributor for his first five years with the company.

Much like Mathur, Priti Shah, a senior manager for Import/Export compliance, has spent her 35-year career in the same company. Shah began her career with ES’ legacy company General Electric

aircraft in Cincinnati and transferred to Fort Wayne, Indiana, three years later. While still conducting many of the same tasks as she was in Cincinnati, but without an on-site Import/Export team, her original manager offered Shah the opportunity to establish a full-fledged Import/Export function at Fort Wayne. Using best practices from the first location and her own insight, she stood up the organization

at the site and now has four people reporting to her.“What I really enjoy is that, on a daily basis, it’s

interesting, challenging and diverse,” Shah said. “There’s never a dull day – it’s like piecing together a giant jigsaw puzzle. It’s very nice to be able to reach out to people in different functions and ask for help.”

Shah was raised in Japan and said the philosophy in that country is that “you have undying loyalty to the company you work for; the thought of leaving a company was unheard of.” At ES, that loyalty goes both ways; Shah’s longevity within the company has helped her win the confidence and trust of company leadership, allowing her to move forward on initiatives that are being mirrored company-wide, such as the establishment of “technical data focal points” – Engineering employees who act as an extension of the Import/Export function within Engineering, ensuring that Engineering practices keep in mind key Import/Export policies.

Initially, Shah’s Import/Export role in Fort Wayne was part-time, which allowed her to learn more about the products worked on at the site.

On the Beat • 11


“What I really enjoy is that, on a daily basis, it’s interesting, challenging and diverse.”

Priti ShahSenior manager for Import/Export Compliance

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“When you’re working with a group of people who you enjoy working with personally and professionally, you’re going to put your best foot forward.” Somit Mathur

Engineering project technical lead

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Ron Waugaman, a geospatial product lead who has worked at BAE Systems’ Pittsburgh site for 14 years, holds a bachelor’s in city planning, but used his minor in GIS/cartography to start his career with the company. “The work that we do has tremendous purpose; though we’re not on the front lines, the products and services we provide help those who are on the front lines do their jobs smarter, faster, more-efficient, and, in the end, that saves lives and gets them home safe,” he said.

“I have been truly blessed to tinker with the non-Export part of the world, and I’ve met some really great people and used that expertise in my day-to-day Export stuff,” she said.

Shah, who works primarily for the Controls & Avionics Solutions and Power & Propulsion Solutions business areas, can relate to ES’ commercial mission, “We Innovate for Those Who Move the World,” anytime she looks to the sky and sees an airplane, knowing products manufactured at her site are most likely onboard; Gerard Quintanar, who has spent the majority of his 30-year career working on defense-related programs, has a more-personal connection to the defense mission, “We Protect Those Who Protect Us.®”

Along with his family, Quintanar grew up taking care of a national cemetery on evenings and weekends; his father was in the U.S. Air Force, his uncles served in the U.S. Army, and his father’s first cousin was a POW in Bataan during World War II.

“Working in the cemetery and recognizing at that time – as an 11-year-old boy in the early ‘70s – that some of the most-recent burial sites were for those returning from Vietnam, and the sacrifices of those young soldiers… anyone would be influenced by that,” Quintanar, a director of ES Engineering, said. “Those experiences in my youth made me admire and respect all who have fought and died in defense of our freedoms. It made me want to spend my career in the defense industry. I’ve worked on a lot of programs, on a lot of products, and I am thankful to know that what I have worked on has helped the warfighter. I’ve never served in the military, but I’ve served my country my way as an engineer and putting my time and energy into products that will make a difference.”

Like Quintanar, Ron Waugaman, a geospatial product lead, has former military in his family – his brother served in the U.S. Marine Corps and volunteered to deploy in Iraq

early into Operation Iraqi Freedom, right when Waugaman started with the company 14 years ago.

“Our company mission, ‘We Protect Those Who Protect Us,’ means something very special to me - knowing that the services we provide and the products we produce are


12 • On the Beat

“I’ve never served in the military, but I’ve served my country my way as an engineer and putting my time and energy into products that will make a difference.” Gerard Quintanar

Director of ES Engineering

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being utilized by the U.S. warfighters who are protecting us every day, that’s all the inspiration I need,” he said. “It’s a job with a lot of purpose.”

Quintanar spent his first 19 years with BAE Systems’ legacy companies in San Diego. Learning early in his career as an electrical engineer that his true passion was in software engineering, Quintanar studied at the University of California-San Diego. It was at this time, stuck in traffic one day trying to make it to an exam, that he thought there had to be a better way for employees to get the training they need to advance their career without interfering with their work responsibilities. As the director of Software Engineering in 2003, he started fulfilling his vision by bringing in classes from the University of California-San Diego and San Diego State University on-site for the benefit of employees. Years later, this would lead to Quintanar establishing ES University, a broad resource for ES employees to enhance their job-related skills in a number of ways, including internal courses and university-provided degree programs.

“My role has taken quite a number of twists and turns from very technical to running projects to managing large organizations and now to running a variety of different programs that comprise our talent pipeline,” he said. “With the breadth of technologies and opportunities that are afforded to people in a company like this, one person could have 30 careers here and never get bored.”

Beyond the challenging, rewarding work and working side-by-side with

“individuals who are at the top of their game,” Quintanar appreciates how the company and individual employees provide their time and talent to community outreach programs “without wearing it on their sleeves – just involved and focused on giving back to the community and the younger generations.”

One such employee is Happy Tkacz, an administrative assistant and activities director for the downtown Nashua, New Hampshire, facility.

“I’m inspired because of knowing that all of what we do here as a whole

makes a difference for our servicemen, servicewomen, the environment, our families and our friends” Tkacz, an eight-year employee said. “I really think that’s exciting knowing I’m a part of this.”

There is a great deal of gratification, as well, when a group’s diligence during a bid proposal – working long days and through weekends – results in a contract award, but the real satisfaction has come from the extra-curricular aspects of her roles.

“We’ve been able to do many fundraisers that support the troops and

veterans; in the past, ‘Stockings for the

Troops,’” she said. “We would hand-write letters that would go into stockings we had filled, and, to hear back from the troops thanking us – saying they arrived Christmas morning for their deployment, and, when they arrived, they were given a stocking that was done by us. This year’s focus has been on

Building Homes for Heroes and

NEADS [National Education for

Assistance Dog Services] to raise funds for service dogs for Veterans and helping build homes for veterans. I feel blessed to be able to help others and to know that all the things we do are appreciated.”

On the Beat • 13


“I’m inspired because of knowing that all of what we do here as a whole makes a difference for our servicemen, servicewomen, the environment, our families and our friends.” Happy Tkacz

Administrative assistant

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By Greg Good, Product Marketing, San Diego

Expanding the geospatial horizon

Specializing in the discovery and exploitation of geospatial data, Electronic Systems’ Advanced GEOINT Systems (AGS) is enhancing its core capabilities while positioning itself for the future with new technologies, including advanced tracking analytics and mobile applications that enable coordinated mission planning and crisis response.

Deep in sub-Saharan Africa, migrating Savanah elephants are automatically detected and counted by

visual profiling technology via satellite imagery to determine the effects of illegal poaching and agricultural development on their population. Meanwhile, more than 34 million miles away, the unmanned Mars Curiosity rover is adeptly navigating Martian terrain as it approaches the optimal point within Gale Crater to transmit geological data back to Earth.

Both of these missions use BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector’s Geospatial eXploitation Products™ (GXP®) to ensure success. Specifically, GXP Xplorer®, a web-based data management application, allows access,

management and sharing capabilities for geospatial content while SOCET GXP® can use satellite imagery to monitor herd-size trends in Africa or identify obstacles and optimal rover landing sites on the red planet.

GXP Xplorer crawls an organization’s entire federated network, identifying relevant files and creating a convenient in-place online catalog for geospatial data discovery while visualizing content in a convenient map view. This frees up analysts’ time to examine the data, as they can easily spend up to half of their time attempting to locate data across different systems, networks and geographical locations. Once discovered through GXP Xplorer, imagery of interest – typically from aerial sources – can be opened in SOCET GXP, which is used to identify,

analyze and extract ground features, allowing for the development of enhanced geospatial intelligence.

“After using GXP exploitation software at ASU to create ortho-mosaics of craters and inactive volcanoes on the moon, it’s really exciting to get to work on the development of these tools and witness firsthand the evolution of SOCET GXP capabilities,” Megan Henriksen, an Engineering intern on sabbatical from the Lunar Reconnaissance team at Arizona State University, said. “Because I’ve always had such a strong interest in photogrammetry, it’s rewarding to be at the forefront of the conversation on how to solve our world’s geospatial challenges.”

Simple measurements such as distance between points, elevation and line of sight, as well as more-complex

Through Visual Profiler technology, SOCET GXP® utilizes remote satellite imagery to automatically detect and provide accurate counts of elephants while monitoring trends in herd sizes throughout the region.



analysis, including terrain extraction, LiDAR visualization and multi-spectral analysis, are all enabled by SOCET GXP. This broad spectrum of capabilities enables image analysts to rapidly develop accurate and effective geospatial analysis while eliminating the need for multiple software packages.

Further differentiating GXP from its competition, these solutions are being enhanced with a variety of multi-source movement intelligence (MOVINT) capabilities, providing a solution to the manually intensive process of video surveillance. Built upon the Tracking Analytics Software Suite (TASS) – a recent

addition through the acquisition of the Signal Innovations Group – these solutions enable automated processing and editing of video and motion imagery while delivering real-time intelligence on the movement of vehicles and people.

“Unlike other tracking tools, TASS can ingest multiple sources of movement intelligence, including full motion video, wide-area motion imagery, GMTI radar and many others,” Colin Kubera, GXP product manager, said. “This provides more streamlined queries and workflows, allowing for significant time savings and greater persistence in detecting changes over time.”

The simultaneous tracking and indexing of

all movement in a region enables analysts and cloud-based analytics to discover anomalies, key patterns and emerging threats often concealed in normal patterns of life. Supporting a variety of missions from counter-terrorism and force protection, to smuggling interdiction and border security, GXP’s evolving MOVINT and video exploitation capabilities ensure the effectiveness of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations.

GXP solutions extend into the field with mobile applications supporting remote image discovery, rapid communication of field data and tactical collaboration between enterprise and field personnel. Through customizable Common Response Graphics (CRG), which overlay Cartesian coordinates on top of a tactical map, GXP OnScene delivers a common operating picture for emergency response personnel, including law enforcement and fire response, while tracking the location of all field operatives via their mobile phone GPS.

At the 2016 Vice Presidential debate in Virginia, GXP OnScene was used to support security for participants, facilities personnel and attendees.

“Using the GXP OnScene technology, we were able to map out perimeters, define helicopter landing zones and develop CRGs for each of the buildings in order to better prepare for a potential situation,” Scott Deitrich, GXP sales manager, said. “In addition, we were able to track security personnel in real-time on the big screen at Mission Command. The unique combination of blue force tracking along with a common operating picture for crisis response provides an industry solution that has been missing until now.”

The BXP® sensor models and software solutions enable terrain analysis and efficient routing of the Mars Curiosity rover. Through exploitation of satellite imagery, SOCET GXP® capabilities are leveraged to calculate ground slopes and identify obstacles in order to determine optimal rover landing sites and navigation to areas of interest.

Supporting a variety of missions including counter-terrorism and drug enforcement, GXP®’s MOVINT Solutions are used to automatically monitor and index the movement of all vehicles in a region. GXP enables rapid discovery of anomalies, trends and emerging threats often concealed in normal patterns of life.


BAE Systems Electronic Systems sector celebrated its 7,000th delivery of a series hybrid-electric system for buses by meeting orders from a transit agency in Canada. The delivery marks a major milestone towards greater vehicle electrification of the transit bus market.

Global demand for hybrid-electric and fully electric transit solutions is increasing as more legislation is passed setting clean air regulations and transit agencies continue to establish goals for greener fleets. Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC) in Quebec has, for instance, a goal to operate a fully electric fleet and is using hybrid technology as a bridge to all-electric buses. In order to help RTC reach its goal, the 7,000th system was delivered to manufacturer Nova Bus to meet RTC bus orders.

“The trend toward increased use of hybrid technology in cities and states around the world has been bolstered by political action,”

said Bob Lamanna, director of Global Transit Accounts at Electronic Systems (ES). “Transit agencies are seeking more electric transit solutions, and our hybrid technology is a proven, viable option to help these organizations reduce their carbon footprint.”

Added Alain Mercier, general manager of RTC: “RTC, along with the province of Quebec, has signed up for very aggressive emissions goals. BAE Systems’ Series-E system is an important step toward our goals in lowering fuel usage and emissions. We plan to integrate these systems until fully electric buses are a viable solution for us.”

To date, RTC has received more than 50 40-foot and 60-foot articulated buses powered by BAE Systems’ electric power and drive systems, and it is continuing to receive hybrid-electric powered buses to help reach its clean air goals. RTC and many heavily populated cities use the longer, 60-foot articulated bus, which joins an extra 20-foot

section to a 40-foot bus, to accommodate more passengers during peak periods.

The company’s Series-E system is configured to power buses with hybrid-electric power, and the same system components can also be configured to drive on pure-electric power by adding more batteries and removing the diesel engine. The Series-E system enables transit agencies, as well as maintenance and training staff, to transition to electric systems from their known mechanical systems and diesel power. Today, BAE Systems has fully-electric buses in operation in cities such as Palm Springs, California; Flint, Michigan; Boston, London, and Paris.

With 7,000 HybriDrive propulsion systems operating around the world, more than 1 billion passengers are helping to save 15 million gallons of fuel each year while eliminating 160,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

BAE Systems Delivers its

7,000thHybrid-Electric System for Buses




T he U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems sector a $13.3 million contract modification to extend its work on the Adaptive

Radar Countermeasures (ARC) project. The ARC program’s goal is to enable airborne electronic warfare (EW) systems to counter new, unknown and adaptive radars in real-time.

Current EW systems are limited in their ability to quickly adapt to new and advanced threats because they rely on a database of known threats with predefined countermeasures. To ensure mission success in future anti-access/area denial environments, EW systems will need to isolate unknown hostile radar signals in dense electromagnetic environments and then rapidly generate effective electronic countermeasures. The cognitive EW technologies developed for the ARC program employ advanced signal processing, intelligent algorithms and machine learning techniques.

Under the contract modification, for Phase 3 of the ARC program, Electronic Systems (ES) will perform work that

includes the planned completion of algorithm development, advanced readiness testing and key milestones for transitioning the ARC technologies to critical airborne warfare platforms, such as fifth-generation fighter jets.

“The Phase-3 award from DARPA recognizes the progress our team delivered at the end of Phase 2,” said Louis Trebaol, ES’ ARC program manager. “In Phase 2, we successfully demonstrated the ability to characterize and adaptively counter advanced threats in a closed-loop test environment. We will now continue to mature the technology and test it against the most-advanced radars in the U.S. inventory in order to successfully transition this important technology to the warfighter.”

DARPA’s contract modification for Phase 3 brings the cumulative value of BAE Systems’ ARC contract to $35.5 million. The program is being developed within BAE Systems, which researches, develops and deploys cutting-edge technology across multiple warfare and intelligence domains. Work will be performed at the company’s facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire, and Burlington, Massachusetts.

BAE Systems Extends Cognitive Electronic Warfare Development for DARPA

Committed to the community


18 • Community

Electronic Systems employees continue to find ways to showcase their support for the company’s local communities through fundraising, donations and volunteerism in 2016.

By Laurel Skiff, Community, Nashua, New Hampshire

As we wind down 2016, the last several months of the year are sometimes the busiest in terms of how people engage with their communities and local non-profits. Holiday sales, collections and events fill agendas as the “season of giving” nears.

Electronic Systems (ES) worked with charitable organizations in many ways over the past 12 months, including organizations assisting in the care and support of our active military, veterans and their families; those seeking to cure and prevent disease; and non-profits and schools spearheading educational efforts for our future generations. ES is able to do this through the help of many volunteers and a generous workforce that continues to contribute to events and activities aimed at supporting the communities where they live and work.

ES’ charity giving program thrived this year in supporting Building Homes for Heroes, an organization whose mission is to provide customized mortgage-free homes to injured military members throughout the country. As an employee-chosen charity partner for

Jerry Wohletz, Technology Solutions’ vice president and general manager, presents a special BAE Systems vest to a Navy veteran and her service dog, who was sponsored by the Burlington, Massachusetts, facility.


Community • 19

the second year in a row, Building Homes for Heroes (BHFH) expressed extreme gratitude for the generosity employees have shown to them through fundraising efforts around the sector. Events including chili-cook offs, sales of waffles, baked goods, pizza and flowers, along with golf outings and poker runs, helped raise more than $30,000 for BHFH this year. That funding, along with employee donations made through the Workplace Giving tool, matching funds and corporate gifts totaled more than $100,000 to support the organization in 2016.

In Rochester, ES’ charity partner was the Royal British Legion, and an employee-led campaign raised more than £5,500 to support the organization, which provides lifelong support for the armed forces community and their families.

To say ES takes supporting our military serious is an understatement. From the work the sector does in its factories and facilities to the activities employees participate in on their own time, ES’ workforce is dedicated to those who serve in the United States and England. This year, employees packaged care boxes, ran 5Ks and 9Ks in the heat of the summer and perfected their golf swings – all to support organizations that assist service members at home and abroad. ES partnered with Veterans Count, Operation Homefront and the Home Base program, among others, to get military families the support they need and deserve. Many ES sites also stepped up to help fund service dogs for injured veterans – through

partnerships with organizations including Operation Delta Dog and K9 Soldiers, culminating in emotional “leashing” ceremonies this past Veterans Day. ES wrapped up the year with many employees coming out to volunteer for holiday events hosted and sponsored by BAE Systems for military families.

On the local front, sites coordinated a number of donation and collection drives to benefit other community members in need – whether it was collecting coats and clothing for the

homeless or donating more than 2,700 pounds of goods to food pantries.

The sector had employees, family and friends show up by the hundreds for this year’s annual Together! Day. In addition to showing their support for more than 16 charities across the country, they also showed support for each other – helping one another with projects including painting, planting, cleaning and packaging. Friends were made and teams were

formed as employees came together to show how our collaboration can lead to stronger, healthier communities for us all.

Some unique partnerships have bloomed over the past year as well. BAE Systems became the first corporate partner of the Monarch Wrangler Project, a Texan By Nature effort aimed to help preserve the monarch butterfly population in the United States. While this type of support is not typical for a defense company, the need was great, and

the involvement and excitement of employees to be involved in this effort was its driving force.

Perhaps most telling of the generosity of this employee population is the outstanding number of contributions being made to many non-profits via the Workplace Giving Program. Many sites held rallies this year to share information about the program, leading to generous donations exceeding $1 million.

Employees in San Diego have partnered with Operation Homefront on drives to support military families throughout the year.

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, employees helped package food for organizations combating hunger and homelessness.

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