Industry News

Radar/EW

Marines select QinetiQ's Dragon Runner 10 - News

August 09, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design QinetiQ North America

LAS VEGAS - The U.S. Marine Corps has placed an urgent $4.3 million order with QinitiQ North America for additional Dragon Runner 10 (DR-10) robots. The latest order for the ten-pound, throwable robots will provide near-term Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance support to dismounted Marines in Afghanistan.

Unmanned

ScanEagle and Shadow UAVs log over 1.3 Million Combat Hours with FreeWave Wireless Data Radios - News

August 09, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design FreeWave Technologies

LAS VEGAS ? AAI Unmanned Systems and Insitu Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, the Shadow and ScanEagle, respectively, have logged more than 1.3 million combat hours using wireless data radios from FreeWave Technologies. The radios, used in Command and Control (C2) applications, have assisted in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions for the duration of the flight hours logged by both platforms.

Unmanned

Robotic System for Remote Disarming IEDs Unveiled by Harris Corporation - News

August 08, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Harris Corporation

LAS VEGAS ? The RedHawk system used for remotely disarming Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) is being demonstrated by the Harris Corporation at AUVSI. RedHawk operators are able ?feel? objects remotely using the system?s intuitive haptic feedback, which leverages motion, force, and vibration to create the sensation of touch and dexterity for the operator, and allows disarmament from a safe distance.

Unmanned

Tactical Compact Communications Relay for UAVs Made Smaller and Lighter by Boeing - News

August 08, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Boeing

LAS VEGAS ? The Boeing Tactical Compact Communications Relay (TCCR) that allows Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to act as a range-extender for military handheld radios have been reduced in size and weight to 5? x 5? x 1? and 1 lb., respectively. Four production units were shipped to Initsu, and can be leveraged in the Initsu ScanEagle payload bay to extend the range of line-of-sight military handheld radios to more than 150 miles.

Unmanned

Raytheon Testing Proves Precision and Power of the Pyros Tactical Munition for UASs - News

August 08, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Raytheon Company

LAS VEGAS - A warhead and guidance system test of Raytheon?s Pyros tactical munition has been successfully completed, validating the system?s height-of-burst, electronic safe and arm device, GPS and semi-active guidance modes, and multi-effects warhead at the Yuma Proving Ground. Designed with small, tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) in mind, the 13.5 lb., 22? weapon was dropped from a Cobra UAS and detonated directly over its target at a predetermined height calculated by Pyros height-of-burst sensor.

Unmanned

First Outdoor Flight Test of Laser-Powered UAS Performed by Lockheed Martin - News

August 08, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Lockheed Martin

LAS VEGAS ? The first-ever outdoor flight tests validating the performance of a laser-powered Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) have been completed on the Stalker UAS by Lockheed Martin and LaserMotive, Inc. Proof-of-concept testing of a Stalker system retrofitted with an on-board power management hardware and lightweight photovoltaic receiver took place both day and night at an undisclosed desert location in constant wind and heat conditions. Results demonstrated net positive power to the in-flight system at up to 600 meters, that the attached LaserMotive laser receiver did not impact normal flight operations, and that no damage was caused to the Stalker as a result of the laser itself.

Comms

First Advanced Encryption Long-Range Wireless Radio Solution Introduced by FreeWave Technologies - News

August 07, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design FreeWave Technologies

LAS VEGAS - The Spartan Series of wireless radios with advanced FIPS 140-2 encryption technology for secure long-range communications for the government and defense sectors was unveiled today by FreeWave Technologies at AUVSI. With a small footprint, the Spartan Series provides a highly reliable, real-time communications data link that ensures the secure transmission/reception of encrypted data, and is an ideal solution for applications such as the Command and Control (C2) of Unmanned Systems (USs).

Unmanned

BAE Systems’ 3U CompactPCI SBC at Home on Mars in Curiosity Rover - News

August 07, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design BAE Systems

The Curiosity rover landed on Mars late Sunday evening after traveling 36 weeks and across a 352 million mile expanse of space. Now safely at the base of Gale Crater on the Red Planet, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will begin a two-year scientific ...

Unmanned

Nightlighter Airborne Imaging System Successfully Tested by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - News

August 07, 2012

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

LAS VEGAS ? Successful flight testing and demonstration of the Nightlighter airborne imaging system, a night-time Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detection instrument, was announced today by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA?ASI) at AUVSI. The prototype Nightlighter system completed testing on a Twin Otter aircraft during the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO)-sponsored Olympus Flight Test at Cactus Flats in China Lake, California in September of 2011, and is scheduled for deployment in the King Air 350 aircraft.

Unmanned

Quad Rotor Vertical Take-off And Landing UAS unveiled by Lockheed Martin at AUVSI - News

August 07, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Lockheed Martin

LAS VEGAS ? The Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), introduced by Lockheed Martin Procerus Technologies at AUVSI, is a rugged, quad-rotor, dual-sensor platform that featuring perch, stare, and extended hover capabilities for space-constrained reconnaissance applications. The five-pound collapsible system leverages a gimbal mount equipped with a laser illuminator and infrared and electro-optical sensors to provide 360-degree aerial reconnaissance in areas unreachable by fixed-wing systems.

Radar/EW

More Navy Dual Band Radar contracts awarded to Raytheon - News

August 03, 2012

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

TEWKSBURY, Mass. The U.S. Navy awarded Raytheon contracts for the multimission air defense radar -- Dual Band Radar -- for the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) next-generation aircraft carrier. Raytheon engineers will improve the radar system's software to maximize power efficiency and prepare the radar suite for the next testing and evaluation phase.

Unmanned

Unmanned Cargo helicopter gets second deployment extension from U.S. Marine Corps - News

August 02, 2012

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

WEBSTER FIELD, Md. U.S. Marine Corps officials extended the deployment the of K-MAX Cargo Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) for the second time this year in theater. K-MAX -- a joint effort by Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace ? was to stay in theater through September 30, the end of this fiscal year. Now its service in Afghanistan will extended for an additional six months with an option to extend through September 2013.

Comms

New software defined radio released by DRS Signal Solutions - News

August 01, 2012

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

ARLINGTON, VA. A new software-defined radio (SDR ? the Picoflexor ? was announced by officials at DRS Signal Solutions, a business unit of DRS Technologies. It uses digital signal processing (DSP) technology such as Xilinx Zynq-7000 EPP devices and iVeia?s Atlas small form factor, low-power processing modules

Radar/EW

Mobile air traffic control radar system for Air Force proposed by ARINC and Lockheed Martin - News

July 31, 2012

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

SYRACUSE, N.Y. A proposal for a transportable air traffic control (ATC) radar system designed to enable U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard units to quickly establish tactical military or disaster-relief airfield operations was submitted by officials at ARINC and Lockheed Martin.

Comms

Two new rad-hard ICs from Texas Instruments enable power savings - News

July 30, 2012

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

DALLAS. Engineers at Texas Instruments have developed two new radiation-hardened ICS ? a floating point digital signal processor (DSP) and a 16M SRAM ? that produce power savings and improve FPGA efficiency.