Military Embedded Systems

FAIRVIEW, Penn. Spectrum Control Inc. officials announced a new Direct RF extension to the company's SCi Blocks family of miniature, modular, and intelligent RF+Digital system building blocks. This 3U VPX SOSA aligned module enables users to rapidly deploy configurable mission-ready RF front ends and high-speed digital signal conversion.

Welcome to the 2024 SOSA Special Edition! Our fourth annual SOSA Special Edition highlights editorial content covering The Open Group Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Technical Standard from the pages and website of Military Embedded Systems magazine, as well as the products aligned and conformant to the standard – all put together exclusively by our staff.

It’s been nearly three years since ratification of the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Technical Standard 1.0 and its impact is being felt across the services as requests for SOSA aligned products are finding their way into program requirements. SOSA, an example of the modular open systems approach (MOSA) mandated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), is also changing the way government leverages commercial technology and existing open standards like VPX. To learn more, I gathered a roundtable of SOSA Consortium members to discuss SOSA’s impact on the community, business practices, common misconceptions, and the future of what SOSA may look like five or 10 years down the road.

MIL-STD-1553 designers are still winning new contracts for their products based on the venerable standard. Meanwhile, faster protocols such as Ethernet, ARINC 429, and Fibre channel also play important roles in military systems.

SOF WEEK 2024, TAMPA, Fla. Engineers from Boston Dynamics showed off the abilities of the Spot robot, which in some ways mimics a large dog, at SOF Week 2024 at the Tampa Convention Center.

SOF WEEK 2024 -- TAMPA, Fla. Engineers at MVRsimulation, PAR Government, and Battlespace Simulations teamed up this week to showcase how they enable operators to train realistically with equipment that matches the gear and accessories they deploy with in battle.

SOF WEEK 2024, TAMPA, Florida. Engineers at Paradigm SRP are showcasing their TALON 135 gyro-stabilized weapon platform at SOF Week 2024 at the Tampa Convention Center on the Zodiac boat in the South Docks, #11.

SOF WEEK 2024, TAMPA, Florida. Engineers at L3Harris are showcasing their Vehicle-Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment (VAMPIRE) iat SOF Week 2024 in the Tampa Convention Center. VAMPIRE s a portable kit that can be installed on most vehicles with a cargo bed for launching of the advanced precision kill weapons system (APKWS) or other laser-guided munitions.

SOF WEEK 2024--TAMPA, Fla. Dominance in the spectrum domain is goal of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and especially of USSOCOM [United States Special Operations Command]. In an interview I did with Pete Gallagher, Maj. Gen., U.S. Army (Ret.) and Senior Vice President for Technology and Solutions, CACI International Inc. at SOF Week 2024 in Tampa, he and I discussed the capabilities CACI delivers to USSOCOM for dominating the electromagnetic spectrum. Pete also covered the counter-UAS [uncrewed aerial system] solutions his team is showcasing at SOF Week. Edited excerpts follow.

SOF WEEK 2024 - TAMPA, Florida. Galvion is demonstrating its new soldier systems wireless charging concept, BATLCHRG, at SOF Week 2024 along with the company's wider systems and solutions on booth 948. The BATLCHRG capability will be demonstrated in two battlefield scenarios: integrated into a vehicle seat and wall-mounted mat in a ready-room scenario.

SOF WEEK 2024 - TAMPA, Fla. – General Bryan P. Fenton, 13th commander of USSOCOM, will deliver the keynote address at SOF Week 2024 on Tuesday morning, May 7, and share his vision for SOF Week 2024 and the USSOCOM enterprise.

TAMPA, Florida. Shield AI engineers are working to change the way the U.S. military and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) leverage artificial intelligence (AI) capability. In an interview I did with Brandon Tseng, co-founder and president of Shield AI, for the SOF Week Show Daily, he and I discussed why USSOCOM is the best customer to deal with when introducing new technology, the tech Shield AI is showcasing at SOF Week in Tampa, and how AI pilots will enable small groups of warfighters to command the same combat power as a carrier strike group. Brandon also shared experiences from his years as a U.S. Navy SEAL. Edited excerpts follow.

WASHINGTON. U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Army, Navy, and Air Force leaders highlight the ineup at the MOSA Industry and Government Summit & Expo taking place at the Gaylord Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., June 17 -18.

ANDOVER, Mass. BlueHalo selected digital signal processing (DSP) hardware from Mercury Systems to support the U.S. Space Force (USSF)’s Satellite Communication Augmentation Resource (SCAR) program.

RESTON, Va. -- Metron Inc. and Cellula Robotics, USA Inc. joined hands in a partnership to expand uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) capabilities for advanced operations in dynamic environments. Company officials say the new agreement will leverage the expertise of each company and address specific technical gaps in the UUV defense and offshore energy markets especially for long duration, multi-payload mission operations where communications are often denied or restricted.

ARLINGTON, Va. AeroVironment (AV) engineers unveiled the company’s Autonomy Retrofit Kit (ARK) and AVACORE software to increase autonomous system effectiveness and reduce operator workload.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have teamed up to accelerate adoption of commercial dual-use technology solutions, while enhancing the advanced education of defense leaders necessary to employ them.

OWEGO, N.Y. Lockheed Martin, Intel Corp., and Altera, an Intel Company, are joining hands to support the Stimulating Transition for Advanced Microelectronics Packaging (STAMP) program for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E). Lockheed Martin will develop a low size, weight, and power (SWaP), Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) aligned airborne electronic defense system, leveraging the Altera Multi-Chip Package (MCP2) for expected use on the U.S. Navy’s MH-60R multi-mission helicopter. 

MANAMA, Bahrain. U.S. and the United Kingdom Naval Forces conducted a bilateral mine countermeasures exercise called Poseidon's Chalice in the Arabian Sea from Feb. 24 - March 16. The exercise’s primary focus was to maximize training opportunities in mine warfare and explosive ordinance disposal training, according to a U.S. Navy release.

WASHINGTON. BAE Systems won an additional $25 million firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded $181 million contract from the U.S. Marine Corps for more Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs) under the Marine Corps’ fourth order for full-rate production (FRP).