PROVIDENCE, R.I. Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. company, announced the sale of 36 Shadow aircraft in the latest Block III configuration to the U.S. Army. The total contract award value of $66 million includes ongoing engineering services to continue fielding and supporting the new Block III system configuration.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Abaco Systems, Inc. has announced the SWE440S, an upgrade which builds on the capability of the SWE440A. This fully managed Ethernet switch is designed to align with the SOSA Technical Standard and provide greater interoperability and integration with SBCs, FPGAs, and Ethernet switches while providing cost reduction for customers.

BETHESDA, Md. Lockheed Martin announced the U.S. Space Force has determined the fifth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous Earth Orbit satellite (SBIRS GEO-5) is complete and ready for launch in 2021.

CAMARILLO, Calif. and BELLEVUE, Wash. Analog and mixed-signal semiconductor maker Semtech has joined forces with internet protocol (IP) networking company Ripl Networks to deploy an IP mesh, 3D tracking solution for foreign guest and fleet assets at naval ports under a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). 

ARLINGTON, Va and REDWOOD CITY, Calif. Raytheon Intelligence & Space (a Raytheon Technologies business unit) and enterprise AI [artificial intelligence] software provider C3.ai have joined forces to develop AI solutions for defense and aerospace missions for government customers, including the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. intelligence community.

ARLINGTON, Va. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) enacted on December 1, 2020 what it calls the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), a series of requirements that will become part of all DoD Requests for Information; the ability of contractors to bid on certain types of work with the DoD will depend on their CMMC status going forward.  

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) announced that a team of U.S. Army and academic researchers have developed a novel design to automatically adjust aircraft rotor blade positions while already in-flight, a tactic intended to improve turbine engine performance.

UNITED KINGDOM. Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Joint Threat Emitter (JTE) was deployed to assist Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Navy (RN), and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) F-35B aircrew training as a component of the Exercise Joint Warrior military exercise in Europe.

NORTHBROOK, Ill. The military satellite communications (SATCOM) systems segment is expected to hold the largest share of the military communications market between 2020 and 2025, according to a new study by MarketsandMarkets, "Military Communications Market -- Global Forecast to 2025."

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Abaco Systems announced that it has won orders from a major U.S. prime contractor to deploy the company's single board computer and avionics solutions as part of a next-generation, Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA)-aligned, 3U VPX embedded computer system for advanced electronic warfare (EW), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. According to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), the U.S. Army will help to guide research at a $7.5 million Department of Defense (DoD) center of excellence created to deliver artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

TAMPA, Fla. Core Avionics & Industrial (CoreAVI) has launched what it calls its "Safe AI and Computer Vision solution" that uses its newest product, VkCoreVX SC, a safety-critical implementation of the Khronos Group's OpenVX1.3 API.

BRAZIL. Embraer delivered the first modernized EMB 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C), designated E-99, to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). According to the company, four additional E-99 aircraft will be modernized as part of the contract.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. Collins Aerospace Systems (a unit of Raytheon Technologies) has received several orders for its updated visual display system (VDS), the Griffin-2, from two undisclosed fast-jet programs in the Asia-Pacific region.

POWAY, Calif. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.(GA-ASI) has won a $93.3 million contract from the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) to enhance the autonomous sensing capabilities of unmanned aircraft.