Military Embedded Systems
Op-Eds
Unmanned
BAM Blog: Who is watching out for your repair needs? - Blog
May 21, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog: Most markets don’t realize a key product is in short supply until an OEM places an order that can’t be fulfilled. Shortages usually occur because of a spike in demand or something that interrupts production such as a natural disaster.
Comms
BAM Blog: Back to Basics: Why a legitimate Certificate of Conformance (C of C) matters - Blog
April 23, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: In simple terms, a Certificate of Conformance -- commonly referred to as the ‘”C of C” -- is a document put into place to assure that the product being procured, and ultimately used in an application, meets a specific set of standards and regulations. In the semiconductor industry, the C of C is distributed mostly with military-grade components, and allows the end user to prove that the devices are authentic. Unfortunately, there is a large gap in the acquisition process relating to the C of C, which in turn also leads to a gap in the procurement of fully-authorized components.
Comms
BAM Blog: long life applications require high-rel components - Blog
April 09, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog: Before you begin diving into this blog piece, take a moment to step out of your comfort zone and into the shoes of a warfighter on the frontlines in a battle. This specific person you have become has been using mission-critical equipment that must operate under some of the most severe conditions in their current environment, including operating in 100+ degree temperatures for eight or more hours each day. In this moment you realize just how much you rely on the proper functionality of your equipment, as you cannot afford to waste any time fixing defects because it puts your life at risk. These types of scenarios need to be considered every time the procurement of mission-critical, high-reliability (high-rel) devices takes place.
Radar/EW
Embedded Vanguard Blog: Optimizing deployed system design begins with dialogue - Blog
March 27, 2014
Today, defense and aerospace system integrators are under increasing schedule and budget pressure. While funding for new programs is harder to come by, the technical requirements for deployed systems continues to increase as platforms become more digitally connected and sensor rich. One frequently overlooked strategy that can significantly aid a system integrator’s efforts to develop an optimal system solution, especially when confronted with space, weight and power (SWaP) constraints, is to engage COTS hardware vendors early in their design process.
Comms
Reviewing DMSMS 2013: Collaboration brings new beginnings - Blog
March 25, 2014
Hurricane Isaac’s interruption of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) 2012 and subsequent rescheduling instigated the pairing of DMSMS with the Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC) for the 2013 event, located in Kissimmee, FL and hosted by the Navy. Bringing together these two complementary aspects of Department of Defense (DoD) operations created a unique opportunity for raising cross-disciplinary collaborations. Looking back, the pairing of DMSMS and DMC is a natural progression. The overlap of the two conferences provided a logical platform for discussion around balancing affordability and obsolescence risk amongst active defense programs: a threat currently facing every facet of the military's manufacturing and sustainment mission.
Comms
BAM BLOG: De-mystifying semiconductor IP - Blog
March 19, 2014
Before & After Market (BAM) Blog: Nowadays, it’s called IP. Decades ago, it was just called software. By either name, it is the programming inside a chip that makes the chip unique. Software/IP is also a big factor in product lifecycle management (PLM).
Comms
BAM Blog: chip makers respond to mil-spec market pressures - Blog
February 24, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: The military market is renowned for developing and implementing the most advanced technology available. However, a device that’s central to most of this technology – the semiconductor – is lagging in the military-market design space.
Comms
BAM Blog: How packaging issues accelerate EOL - Blog
February 06, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: Nobody likes to be duped. Anyone who has ever bought a “designer” handbag on the street at a huge discount quickly figures out the deal was too good to be true. Something that looked genuine on the outside turns out to be fake.
Comms
BAM BLOG: When buying based on cost doesn?t make sense - Blog
January 15, 2014
Before & AfterMarket (BAM) Blog: Most of the public debate about onshore versus offshore manufacturing has to do with the cost of production and domestic-market competitiveness. But in many cases, the debate should not be exclusively about cost – it should be about trust.
Avionics
BAM Blog: obsoleted semiconductors and DO-254 - Blog
December 18, 2013
Before and Aftermarket (BAM) Blog: As semiconductors become more and more complex, guaranteeing that they can still function correctly in safety-critical applications is proving increasingly difficult; and in many cases, system testing to assure correct operation under all foreseeable equipment operating conditions is often impossible. The avionics industry has recognized this problem and introduced guidelines for manufacturers to follow to overcome the testing dilemma.
Avionics
BAM Blog: heads up on components availability for heads-up displays - Blog
November 27, 2013
BEFORE & AFTER MARKET (BAM) BLOG: Jet fighters and the family car will have several things in common in the near future. When a disruptive technology is developed, prior generations of similar technologies are significantly impacted. In the consumer market, customers can generally adopt new technologies rapidly if the price point is right. Conversely, higher-value equipment with long operating life times does not have this luxury. Manufacturers of prior generations of military, space, and aerospace equipment may find their supply chain disrupted as cost-conscious vendors adapt to a more volatile market cycle.
From The Editor
John Rynearson named first VITA Hall of Fame inductee - Blog
November 20, 2013
John Rynearson, technical director of VITA, is the first person to be inducted into the newly created VITA Technologies Hall of Fame. The news took him by pleasant surprise, announced during today’s VITA Standards Organization (VSO) meeting in Scottsdale, AZ, in front of his friends and peers in the industry. After the announcement was given by John McHale, editorial director of Military Embedded Systems magazine, the room filled with applause and congratulations.
Comms
BAM BLOG: Counterfeits: the 2,000 versus 200 Equation - Blog
November 13, 2013
Before & AfterMarket Blog (BAM). At first glance, having 2,000 component suppliers to choose from -- versus 200 – is a good thing. Competition drives down prices and component selection appears bountiful. In the electronics supply chain, though, things don’t always work that way. In fact, the “2,000 vs. 200” equation is downright dangerous. Almost any vendor can sell a component, but not all vendors are authorized to do so. This is a big distinction.
Radar/EW
Six customized computers myths that you should know - Blog
November 04, 2013
One of the most common problems executives face is making business decisions about technologies with which they are not familiar. As they survey the crowded marketplace, corporate leaders often rely on information from self-interested vendors, or so-called conventional wisdom.
Comms
Collecting semiconductor products - Blog
October 21, 2013
NEWBURYPORT, MA. I've found where they put the Lost Ark at the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" -- it's in an aftermarket semiconductor warehouse in Newburyport, MA. Seriously, Rochester Electronics has a storage area for products going back decades that is eerily similar to the one in the movie (see photo).
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KC-46 tanker upgrades to be accelerated by U.S. Air Force, Boeing
May 13, 2026
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Night vision goggles to be supplied to U.S. Army by Elbit America
May 12, 2026
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Advanced T-7A Red Hawk jet trainer cleared for production by U.S. Air Force
May 08, 2026
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Closing the adoption gap in MOSA-driven avionics modernization
May 07, 2026
Unmanned
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Special Operations and drone tech
May 19, 2026
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SNC and Fairlead partner to produce AEGIR uncrewed surface vessels
May 19, 2026
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AFSOC unveils 'Havoc Spear' cruise missile at SOF Week
May 19, 2026
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BlackSea Technologies brings Comet unmanned surface vessel to SOF Week
May 19, 2026
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How holographic 3D radar technology can improve C-UAS efforts
May 13, 2026
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Dual-band RF transceiver released by Analog Devices
May 13, 2026
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Best In Show awards at XPONENTIAL 2026 show: Excellence in RF & microwave, AI/ML
May 13, 2026
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J-Squared Technologies expanding Ottawa site with 26K sq.ft. of new space for defense manufacturing and testing
May 11, 2026
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SOF Week 2026 Preview | Aviation, Drones & the Future of Special Operations (video)
May 18, 2026
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2026 USSOCOM Capability Demonstration live, May 20 in Tampa
May 18, 2026
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USSOCOM Commander Bradley to keynote SOF Week 2026
May 15, 2026
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Wireless networking technology for autonomous systems to be showcased by Doodle Labs at SOF Week
May 15, 2026