Industry News

Radar/EW

USAF signs $961 million contract to upgrade, sustain Sniper targeting pods - News

December 21, 2017

Lisa Daigle - Assistant Managing Editor, Military Embedded Systems Lockheed Martin

ORLANDO, Fla. The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to provide sustainment and upgrades for its fleet of 683 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP). The five-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract -- which is valued at up to $961 million -- enables the Air Force to place orders for logistics, spares, software, and sensor enhancements to the pods.

Radar/EW

USS Anzio will undergo modernization efforts under $45.3 million U.S. Navy contract - News

December 20, 2017

Mariana Iriarte - Technology Editor, Military Embedded Systems BAE Systems

ARLINGTON, Va. U.S. Navy officials tapped BAE Systems to modernize the guided missile cruiser, USS Anzio (CG 68), at the company's shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. The contract is worth $45.3 million, but has a cumulative value of $53.1 million if all options are exercised.

Cyber

Hack the Air Force 2.0 kicks off with live-hacking event - News

December 20, 2017

Mariana Iriarte - Technology Editor, Military Embedded Systems U.S. Air Force

NEW YORK. Members of the Defense Media Activity (DMA) and Defense Digital Service (DDS) joined forces to hack the U.S. Air Force in a live-hacking event in New York City as a kickoff to Hack the Air Force 2.0.

Radar/EW

NATO orders additional countermeasure systems for transport fleet - News

December 20, 2017

Lisa Daigle - Assistant Managing Editor, Military Embedded Systems Elbit Systems

HAIFA, Israel. Elbit Systems Ltd. has won a follow-on $46 million contract to supply additional J-Music Direct Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) self-protection systems to NATO for its Airbus A330 Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF) Program. NATO will also install Elbit's Infra-Red-based Passive Airborne Warning Systems (PAWS IR). Work on the contract will be performed over a four-year period.

Unmanned

Army Research Lab working with Marines on 3-D printed drones - News

December 20, 2017

Lisa Daigle - Assistant Managing Editor, Military Embedded Systems U.S. Army Research Laboratory

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Army researchers are working with a group of Marines to develop small 3-D printed unmanned aerial systems (UASs) for use on the battlefield and on different missions.

Unmanned

Techaya Ethernet switch on board chosen for UUV program - News

December 19, 2017

Lisa Daigle - Assistant Managing Editor, Military Embedded Systems MilSource

LOS ANGELES. MilSource recently announced that the Techaya MILTECH 309 Ethernet Switch on Board (ESoB) was chosen by a leading underwater, remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) manufacturer to provide Ethernet switching between on-board imaging sonar, positioning software and hardware, and other sensors.

Comms

Microchip releases COTS-based rad-tolerant solution - News

December 19, 2017

Mariana Iriarte - Technology Editor, Military Embedded Systems Microchip Technology

CHANDLER, Ariz. Microchip Technology Inc. officials released the ATmegaS64M1, an 8-bit megaAVR microcontroller (MCU) that uses a COTS-to-radiation-tolerant [commercial off-the-shelf] development approach in response to New Space and other critical aerospace applications that require faster development time and reduced cost.

Avionics

Dutch ministry of defense will upgrade six of its Chinook helicopters - News

December 19, 2017

Lisa Daigle - Assistant Managing Editor, Military Embedded Systems Boeing

RIDLEY PARK, Pa. Boeing and the Netherlands ministry of defense have signed an agreement that will upgrade six Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) Chinook helicopters to the latest F-model configuration, which the defense ministry believes will ensure commonality of systems for its entire fleet of 20 F-model Chinooks.

Unmanned

U.S. Air Force signs $64 million Bomber Armament Tester agreement - News

December 19, 2017

Lisa Daigle - Assistant Managing Editor, Military Embedded Systems BAE Systems

ARLINGTON, Va. The U.S. Air Force has signed a contract worth upwards of $64 million with BAE Systems to design, develop, manufacture, and sustain the Bomber Armament Tester (BAT) system for the Air Force's bomber fleet.

Comms

Strategic readiness review released by Navy officials - News

December 18, 2017

Mariana Iriarte - Technology Editor, Military Embedded Systems U.S. Navy

WASHINGTON. Navy officials released the Strategic Readiness Review (SRR) noting an emphasis on readiness as the primary enabler of warfighting capability and capacity must be re-energized, embedded, and continuously monitored throughout the Naval enterprise.

Radar/EW

Navy's USS Little Rock enters active service after commissioning ceremony - News

December 18, 2017

Mariana Iriarte - Technology Editor, Military Embedded Systems U.S. Navy

BUFFALO, N.Y. U.S. Navy representatives commissioned the fifth Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) -- USS Little Rock (LCS-9) -- on the Buffalo River on December 16. This milestone places the ship officially into active service.

Comms

USAF legacy systems to undergo study determining fit with EBS system - News

December 18, 2017

Mariana Iriarte - Technology Editor, Military Embedded Systems U.S. Air Force

SANTA CLARA, Calif. Officials at the United States Air Force (USAF) Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) selected Diligent Consulting Inc. and partner EvolveWare for the Legacy Systems Study at Joint Base Randolph Air Force Base (JBSA-Randolph).

Unmanned

Saab, Singapore university to collaborate on UUV, air-traffic research - News

December 18, 2017

Lisa Daigle - Assistant Managing Editor, Military Embedded Systems Saab

STOCKHOLM and SINGAPORE. Defense and security company Saab and research-focused institution Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) have signed a five-year master research collaboration agreement.

A.I.

AI pact aims to enhance satellite and spacecraft operations - News

December 18, 2017

Lisa Daigle - Assistant Managing Editor, Military Embedded Systems Lockheed Martin

BETHESDA, Md. and TOKYO, Japan. Aerospace and security company Lockheed Martin and IT/networking company NEC Corp. announced that Lockheed Martin will use NEC?s System Invariant Analysis Technology (SIAT) in the space domain.

Cyber

DARPA's SDR Hackfest tackles UAVs, electromagnetic spectrum, and communications challenges - News

December 15, 2017

Mariana Iriarte - Technology Editor, Military Embedded Systems U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. The Defense Advance Research Projects Agency?s (DARPA) Bay Area Software Defined Radio (SDR) Hackfest concluded last month displaying innovative ideas on the challenging communications issues that stem from the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum along with the propagation of wireless-enabled devices.