Industry News

Avionics

Army helicopter upgrades delayed, virtual training trending - News

February 22, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design U.S. Army

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 Lt. Gen. James Barclay III, , told audiences at the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) Winter Symposium today that fielding of all combat lift and attack helicopters will be delayed due to the completion of a new modernization strategy based sequestration. The Army’s AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 helicopter upgrade programs will be extended by as much as five years, as the Army prepares for a possible loss of $18 billion in maintenance and operations funding if the March 1 sequester takes effect.

Unmanned

Excalibur precision guided projectile to begin LRIP - News

February 20, 2013

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems Raytheon Company

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates. Raytheon engineers will produce Excalibur Increment Ib precision-guided projectiles under a U.S. Army fiscal year 2012 contract. This contract -- worth $56.6 million -- marks the beginning of Excalibur Ib low-rate initial production (LRIP).

Avionics

F-35 carrier variant production model completes first sortie - News

February 19, 2013

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems Lockheed Martin

FORT WORTH, Texas. Lockheed Martin's first F-35C carrier variant production model -- also known as CF-6 -- completed its first sortie. Once the jet fighter is delivered later this year, it will be assigned to U.S. Navy Fighter Attack Squadron 101 (VFA-101) located at Eglin AFB, FL.

Unmanned

FAA solicits SIR for UAS research and test sites, begins privacy policy comment period - News

February 15, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design

WASHINGTON. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) solicited Screening Information Requests (SIRs) yesterday to develop six Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) research and test sites around the United States. As part of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the program will conduct critical research on the integrating UAS platforms into national airspace in the coming years, as well as the navigation and certification requirements needed for such integration. The FAA’s technical evaluation of proposals will consider climactic and geographic diversity, research needs and location of ground infrastructure, and population and air traffic density, among other specific goals and objectives.

Radar/EW

Due Regard Radar successfully tested on Predator B by GA-ASI - News

February 15, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

SAN DIEGO. A flight test of the Due Regard Radar (DRR) aboard a Predator B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) has been completed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA ASI). The GA-ASI-funded air-to-air radar system supports the company’s airborne Sense and Avoid (SAA) architecture for the Predator B platform, and its integration and detection and tracking abilities were successfully tested on December 10, 2012 at the GA-ASI Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, CA.

Cyber

State agencies explain Cybersecurity Executive Order - News

February 14, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design

Experts from the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other government agencies met at the Commerce Department’s Washington, DC, headquarters on Wednesday to explain President Obama’s Cybersecutiy Executive Order (EO) in detail. Leaders from the primary government agencies stressed that the order, which is based on information sharing and a voluntary framework of cybersecurity best practices, will rely heavily on the willingness of private critical infrastructure industries to collaborate against cyber attacks.

Radar/EW

Electronic warfare for NRL to be developed by Mercury Systems - News

February 12, 2013

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems Mercury Systems

CHELMSFORD, MA. Officials at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Tactical Electronic Warfare Division (TEWD) selected Mercury Systems to supply advanced mixed signal digital receivers for prototype electronic warfare uses on airborne and surface shipboard applications. The award is a 3-year indefinite quantity/indefinite delivery (IDIQ) contract potentially worth as much $16.7 million.

Unmanned

Liquid-hydrogen powered Phantom Eye UAS finishes taxi tests - News

February 11, 2013

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems Boeing

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE. The Phantom Eye liquid hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft system (UAS) from Boeing finished taxi testing at getting ready for its second flight. During the taxi testing the UAS demonstrator aircraft sat atop its launch cart and reached speeds as fast as 40 knots, or about 46 miles per hour.

Unmanned

Northrop Grumman UAS Mission Management Control System completes successful flight demonstration - News

February 07, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Northrop Grumman

SAN DIEGO. The first successful flight of the RQ-4 Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) using Open Architecture (OA)-based Command and Control (C2) software and hardware has been completed by Northrop Grumman. Developed by Northrop’s Common Mission Management System (CMMS), the Mission Management Control System (MMCS) used in the demonstration is an open standards-based common hardware and software architecture intended for implementation across UAS platforms to ease training requirements and increase effectiveness. Held in December, the flight demonstration, was part of the Ground Station Technical Refresh contract and was sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Global Hawk Program Office.

Avionics

VectorNav IMU used in Autopilot solutions from Unmanned Innovations - News

February 06, 2013

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems VectorNav

DALLAS, TX. Engineers at Unmanned Innovation and VectorNav Technologies joined hands to integrate VectorNav's VN-100 iniature, calibrated MEMS-based, surface-mount measurement unit (IMU) into Unmanned Innovation's os-Series Autopilots. The autopilots enable rapid prototyping for helicopter, fixed-wing,, multi-rotor, and custom configuration Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs).

Comms

MIDS cryptographic module to be developed by ViaSat - News

February 05, 2013

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems ViaSat

CARLSBAD. ViaSat won a contract from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) for the design, development, and production of a cryptographic module (LCM) for the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Low Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT) Block Upgrade 2. SPAWAR officials awarded the contract on behalf of the MIDS Program Office (MPO) (JPEOJTRS10).

From The Editor

Proposed revision to Category XI of USML commented on by IPC - News

February 01, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design

BANNOCKBURN, IL. Global industry association IPC commented on the U.S. Department of State’s (DoS’s) proposed revision to Category XI (military electronics) of the U.S. Munitions List (USML) yesterday, urging the department to revise proposed language regarding controls on International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)-controlled PCBs for defense electronics. In the current draft of the proposed revision, the DoS states that controls for PCBs in “which the layout is ‘specially designed’ for defense articles,” verbiage that IPC believes could be articulated more clearly to address lasting confusion surrounding ITAR’s treatment of printed boards.

Comms

Dissolvable military electronics investigated by DARPA program - News

January 31, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has begun a program for the development of electronics that are capable of dissolving into the environment after use. The Vanishing Programmable Resources Program (VAPR) is aimed at developing transient electronics that are comparable in ruggedness in functionality to Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) systems currently used, but that can be triggered to self-destruct in a controlled manner.

Avionics

Partnership to deliver 1553 technology on FPGA-based ComExpress modules - News

January 30, 2013

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems Sealevel Systems, Inc.

SAN DIEGO. Officials at Sealevel Systems, Inc. and Sital Technology LTD, joined hands to manufacture and deliver MIL-STD-1553 IP cores, board-level products, and components as well as custom computer designs for avionics and military applications. The companies made the announcement at the AFCEA West show in San Diego this week.

Comms

FAB-T software qualification testing, AEHF and Milstar C2 demonstration completed by Boeing - News

January 29, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design U.S. Air Force

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA. Systems integration testing and software qualification testing of the U.S. Air Force Family of Advanced Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminal (FAB-T) development program have been completed at the Boeing plant in Huntington Beach, CA. Along with a demonstration of FAB-T integration with the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) and Milstar mission control subsystem constellations, the recent tests prove the FAB-T system’s abilities controlling strategic satellite communications payloads on orbit.