CAMBRIDGE, England. Blighter Surveillance Systems, British designer and manufacturer of electronic-scanning radars and surveillance solutions, has announced the launch of the latest in its range of counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) radars, the A800 3D drone detection radar for land, air, and sea surveillance.

RESTON, Va. and READING, U.K. SES Government Solutions (SES GS -- a fully-owned affiliate of SES) and broadband terminal company Isotropic Systems have signed a two-phased antenna evaluation contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), working together with the U.S. Army Research Engineering Team, to test the Isotropic Systems multibeam terminal over SES’s O3b medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation; it is hoped that the results of the test will lead to implementation of next-generation connectivity across the battlefield.

ASHBURN, Va. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division announced that it intends to acquire the stock of Pacific Star Communications (PacStar -- Portland, Oregon), in a move that Curtiss-Wright officials say will boost its position in and commitment to the U.S. and global battlefield network operations (NetOps) markets. 

CHANDLER, Ariz. Microchip Technology Inc. announced its new VSC8540/41ET Gigabit Ethernet PHY RMII / RGMII Transceiver – a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS)-based device upgraded for avionics and military applications.

PORTLAND, Ore. PacStar, developer and supplier of advanced communications solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), announced that it has won a tactical network communications contract by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T).

FALLS CHURCH, Va. BAE Systems has added to its unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) portfolio by revealing the new Riptide UUV-12.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. Saab will fulfill a $36.7 million order to supply components and subsystems for the U.S. Marine Corps installation of the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR); Saab received the order from Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor for G/ATOR.

WESTMINSTER, Colo. Maxar Technologies, company specializing in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure, announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Army Geospatial Center to deliver multiple highly portable, direct-downlink tactical ground systems intended to provide critical geospatial intelligence to users in remote locations.

ARLINGTON, Texas. The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and Ansys are developing an advanced design and analysis workflow for validating system models in the U.S. government's current and next-generation hypersonic vehicles. The workflow is intended to fast-track certification of simulation software codes, help decrease hypersonic technology development spending, and increase engineering productivity.

UNITED KINGDOM. BAE Systems has won a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to develop, manufacture, and deliver sensor-based Archerfish mine neutralizers for the U.S. Navy. The contract is worth up to $110 million (£87 million).

RESTON, Va. Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) was won a contract with the U.S. Army worth $185 million (single-award, cost-plus fixed-fee) to support the Decision Support Division for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) in the areas of space, space control, high altitude, air and missile defense, and associated cyberspace operations.

BETHESDA, Md. Lockheed Martin will provide a study for a proven, integrated, and capable payload ship, able to patrol for extended durations, as part of the U.S. Navy’s Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV) competition.

WOKING, England. Performance-critical electronics engineering firm TT Electronics will acquire Torotel (Olathe, Kansas), a U.S-based designer and manufacturer of high-reliability power and electromagnetic assemblies and components for defense and aerospace, in an agreement worth $43.4 million. 

POWAY, Calif. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) concluded a set of maritime test flights over the sea-lanes off the coast of Southern California Sept. 11, using the MQ-9B SeaGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS). This was the first MQ-9B configured for surveillance operations over open-water, and served to demonstrate MQ-9B capabilities in the maritime environment.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Abaco announced that it has received orders from a major U.S. prime contractor that will see the company's XVR19 rugged 6U VME single board computers deployed on board several of the U.S. Navy's highest profile destroyers as part of a comprehensive upgrade of the ships' computing capability. The value of the program to Abaco is more than $4 million.