CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. Collins Aerospace (a unit of Raytheon Technologies) has been tasked by the U.S. Air Force with developing two software-defined radios (SDRs) that will connect and transmit airborne and ground radio data for the first time using a multinode network. The contracts are worth up to $21 million for the company.

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. The 96th Test Wing took part in a series of flight tests using a 19-foot unmanned aircraft launched from Tyndall Air Force Base from April 29 to May 5. Inside the aircraft, the Autonomy Core System (ACS), identified as the “brain” of the autonomous aircraft, made its first three flights for the Autonomous Attritable Aircraft Experiment.

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. Teams within the Force Protection and Special Programs Divisions supplied and integrated the 325th Security Forces Squadron with four prototype Quad-legged Unmanned Ground Vehicles, sometimes referred to as ‘robotic dogs’. They are semi-autonomous robots that can provide surveillance and perimeter security in difficult terrain or in harsh or unsafe conditions.

As the threat of weaponized drone swarms continues to escalate for U.S. forces, defense planners are considering high-energy laser and high-power microwave countermeasures to combat the threat of these groups of unmanned aerial systems (UASs).

PALO ALTO, Calif. Industrial security company Xage Security has won a contract with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to digitize and secure flightline maintenance operations.

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. The U.S. Air Force's Theater Battle Control Division, headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts, awarded an $8.4 million integration contract to Lockheed Martin March 26 as part of the Air Force's Three Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar Rapid Prototyping program.

Program officials said the main intent of the integration effort is to develop, test and field interfaces allowing the radar system to transmit data to other command and control nodes.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska. Tyonek Native Corp. has been tapped by the U.S. Air Force Mobility and Training Aircraft Directorate to install avionics modifications -- worth as much as $92.8 million -- on the Air Force's C-5 Galaxy aircraft fleet, under an Alternate Modification Installation (AMI) contract.