BAE unveil plans to develop cyber defence capabilities for military aircraft

BAE Systems say they are developing cyber defence capabilities to help aircraft detect and mitigate cyber attacks in real time.

The defence giant say that the new capabilities — including system analysis, reverse engineering, and intrusion detection — will build upon the company’s ‘state-of-the-art threat management solutions and help protect warfighters and aircraft from a variety of cyber threats’.

Cheryl Paradis, director of Threat Management Solutions at BAE Systems said:

“We understand how the threats to military aircraft are evolving, and we’re focused on developing technology that protects warfighters from current and emerging cyber threats.

This work will help provide them with the tools they need to successfully complete their missions.”

The company’s new threat management capabilities include automated vulnerability assessment, subsystem hardening, and malicious system behaviour identification. They say that their new versatile cyber defence technology can be implemented on existing systems or as a stand-alone solution.

In a press release, BAE said:

“These cyber defense capabilities expand the company’s threat management portfolio, including the recently announced 3-Dimensional Advanced Warning System (3DAWS) product suite, which is designed to protect aircraft from first-encounter kinetic threats with layered countermeasures.

Based on more than 40 years of experience, BAE Systems’ threat management solutions have saved hundreds of lives in the field. The modular suite offers reliable and versatile survivability technology for airborne, ground, and maritime platforms that automatically senses, processes, and responds to a wide variety of threats, enabling warfighters to execute their missions in hostile environments and return home safely.”