WASHINGTON. An aerial combat simulation between an F-16 pilot and an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is part of the government-sponsored "Alpha Dog Trials". Teams from eight defense contractors are scheduled to be involved in flying simulated F-16 fighter planes against AI-controlled planes in aerial combat, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), said Friday.

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. The U.S. Air Force this week concluded a test of tactics involving use of its highly classified RQ-170 surveillance drone with other stealth aircraft. The exercise, held Aug. 4 to Aug. 6 at Nellis Air Base, Nev., also included an Air Force B-2 bomber and F-22 and F-15 fighter planes, as well as the U.S. Navy's E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare plane, according to officials.

SAN DIEGO. General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has won a contract to supply the U.S. Space Force Electro-Optical Infrared (EO/IR) Weather System (EWS) satellite program under the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC).

HAWTHORNE, Calif. Radar antenna maker ThinKom Solutions has won a seven-month contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to test and evaluate one of the company’s commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) aeronautical phased-array antenna systems as a solution for next-generation communications on U.S. Navy ships, for instance on the DDG-1000 naval destroyer.

RESTON, Va. Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has won a $950 million ceiling indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the maturation, demonstration, and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software, and algorithm development in order to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2).

NEW YORK and TYSONS CORNER, Va. Exiger, company specializing in technology-enabled regulatory, financial crime, risk, and compliance solutions, has won a $9.9 million subcontract award from prime contractor Alion Science & Technology (Alion) to combat the ever-evolving contemporary threat landscape of supply chain vulnerabilities within the national security enterprise.

LONDON. The worldwide market for military electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) systems, valued at $12.3 billion in 2020, will undergo an overall compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.32% to reach $15.5 billion by 2030, according to a new report from GlobalData, "The Global Electro-Optical/Infrared Systems Market 2020-2030."

MELBOURNE, Fla. L3Harris Technologies is on track to begin building the U.S. Air Force’s first Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) after completing the program’s critical design review. L3Harris will integrate the program’s experimental payload with an ESPAStar Platform, planned for launch in 2022. The system is designed to augment space-based position, navigation, and timing capabilities for warfighters.

INTERNATIONAL MICROWAVE SYMPOSIUM 2020. Altum RF -- an Eindhoven, Netherlands-based supplier of RF to millimeter-wave semiconductor solutions -- is introducing several new products at the virtual IMS 2020 conference that are aimed at use in radar, electronic warfare (EW), and test and measurement applications. 

INTERNATIONAL MICROWAVE SYMPOSIUM 2020. Three new wideband diode products -- the MASW-011111-DIE, the MAAV-011014-DIE and the MAAD-011038-DIE -- aimed at use in applications such as defense, aerospace, passive imaging, radiometry, and satellite communications -- were introduced by semiconductor maker MACOM  at the virtual International Microwave Symposium 2020. 

WALTHAM, Mass. Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, and RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., an Israeli-based defense technology company, have signed a joint venture to establish an Iron Dome Weapon System production facility in the United States.

TUCSON, Ariz. A team from Boeing and the U.S. Air Force completed the first QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target to undergo conversion from a modification line in Arizona. The aircraft was flown last month to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., where it will be used autonomously in future weapons training operations.

INTERNATIONAL MICROWAVE SYMPOSIUM 2020. Tower Semiconductor (Migdal Haemek, Israel) introduced a new radio frequency (RF) switch technology aimed at the high-performance and 5G RF switch markets at the virtual International Microwave Symposium 2020. 

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. Collins Aerospace Systems (a unit of Raytheon Technologies) has revealed that it is developing a software-programmable Open Mission Systems (OMS)-Compliant (SPOC) radio for the U.S. Air Force as part of a previously awarded $18.9 million contract. 

GERMANY. As part of the German Army's qualified air defense drone defense program, sensor specialist HENSOLDT is supplying the latest version of its Spexer 2000 3D radar to system integrator Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.