Industry News

Avionics

First flight for Boeing AH-6i attack/recon helicopter - News

May 01, 2014

Boeing

MESA, AZ. The Boeing AH-6i light attack/reconnaissance helicopter was flown in its product configuration for the first time during a recent test flight. Boeing pilots flew the aircraft for approximately 20 minutes at low speeds in forward, rearward, and sideward flight at low elevations. Future tests are soon to follow to improve the helicopter’s attack capabilities and close-air support.

Radar/EW

Software modules for radar-camera sensor integration released by Cambridge Pixel - News

April 30, 2014

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

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom. Cambridge Pixel engineers announced a new line of software modules for radar and camera security designers to integrate different sensor types into their solutions to reduce development cost and time.

Radar/EW

New multi-function processor enhances Tomahawk Block IV guidance system - News

April 29, 2014

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

TUCSON, AZ. A new multi-function processor from Raytheon was demonstrated to enable the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile to navigate to and track moving targets that emit radio frequency signals. Raytheon engineers conducted this passive seeker test using a modified Tomahawk Block IV missile nosecone.

Unmanned

Enhanced UAS automation enabled by Lockheed Martin GCS software - News

April 28, 2014

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

OWEGO, N.Y. Lockheed Martin engineers have developed enhanced automation for their Kestrel flight control systems used in the company's Group 1 family of unmanned aircraft systems. Kestrel works in tandem with Lockheed Martin's mobile Ground Control Station (mGCS) software, which now enables operators to have an intuitive interface, user-friendly touchscreen, and joystick options, and a, that all help to reduce their workload.

Unmanned

Lockheed Martin to construct 60-kilowatt electric laser for U.S. Army - News

April 24, 2014

Lockheed Martin

BOTHELL, WA. Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $25 million contract from the U.S. Army to design, build, and test a 60-kilowatt electric laser to be integrated and tested on the truck-mounted High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD).

Unmanned

Weather satellite's Solar Ultraviolet Imager payload delivered by Lockheed Martin - News

April 22, 2014

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

PALO ALTO, CA. Lockheed Martin engineers deployed a new solar analysis payload for scientists to measure and forecast space weather, which can seriously damage satellites, electrical grids, and communications systems back on Earth. Dubbed the Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) instrument, the payload was integrated with the first flight vehicle for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, better known as GOES-R.

Radar/EW

Mercury Systems receives order for DSP modules for unmanned SAR applications - News

April 17, 2014

Mercury Systems

CHELMSFORD, MA. Mercury Systems, Inc. has received a $3.2 million follow-on order for high-performance Digital Signal Processing (DSP) modules for unmanned Surveillance Aperture Radar (SAR) applications. The DSP modules are expected to be shipped by the third quarter in fiscal 2015.

Unmanned

Google beats out Facebook, acquires Titan Aerospace - News

April 16, 2014

Google

NEW MEXICO. Google has successfully acquired Titan Aerospace, a start-up manufacturer of solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Google will use these drones to connect remote users to the Internet.

Unmanned

James Webb Space Telescope gets its Near Infrared Camera - News

April 14, 2014

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

PALO ALTO, CA. Lockheed Martin engineers and experts at the University of Arizona deployed the primary imaging instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The new Near Infrared Camera, or NIRCam, is now integrated within the heart of the telescope, which is known as the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM).

Comms

Boeing will showcase new satellite technologies at GEOINT symposium - News

April 11, 2014

Boeing

SPRINGFIELD, VA. Boeing is set to exhibit scale models of the 502 Phoenix and Wideband Global SATCOM satellites at the GEOINT Symposium in Tampa, FL, April 14-17 at booth 5007.

Unmanned

Oshkosh Defense's TerraMax UGV demonstrated at AUVSI Hill Day in D.C. - News

April 10, 2014

Oshkosh Defense

OSHKOSH, WI. A division of Oshkosh Corporation, Oshkosh Defense, demonstrated the TerraMax Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) at the AUVSI “Hill Day” at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. The TerraMax is designed to reduce military troops’ exposure to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and to optimize the number of troops needed to complete ground missions.

Unmanned

Navy to get five more Fire Scout UAVs from Northrop Grumman - News

April 08, 2014

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

SAN DIEGO. Northrop Grumman engineers have been tasked to build five more U.S. Navy MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters. The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) enable ship commanders to extend ship intelligence-gathering capabilities well beyond the typical horizon.

Avionics

New, FACE-compliant airborne autonomy system demonstrated by Navy, Lockheed Martin - News

April 07, 2014

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

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. Engineers at Lockheed Martin and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) completed a demonstration of an unmanned rotorcraft completing an autonomous approach and landing in an unprepared environment via the OPTIMUS mission system from Lockheed Martin. The system improves the aircraft's onboard intelligence enabling it to have advanced mission planning capability that can then be applied to current and future unmanned rotary wing aircraft. It does so by using an open architecture set up for Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) compliance.

Unmanned

Haivision announces Kraken HEVC transcoder platform for optimal video over constricted networks - News

April 04, 2014

Haivision

MONTREAL, CANADA. Haivision has announced the Kraken High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) baseband encoding and H.264 transcoding solution, which provides better video quality for backhaul over constricted networks for enterprise and government applications.

Radar/EW

Boeing to showcase advanced technologies for EW, ISR at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition - News

April 03, 2014

Boeing

ST. LOUIS. Boeing is set to feature a variety of new technologies, including advances in Electronic Warfare (EW) and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) at the 2014 Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition on April 7-9 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.