Industry News

Radar/EW

DARPA, Raytheon look to triple Gallium Nitride power handling ability - News

April 13, 2012

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

TEWKSBURY, Mass. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) officials tasked Raytheon engineers with developing next-generation Gallium Nitride devices bonded to diamond substrates ? or Thermally Enhanced Gallium Nitride (TEGaN). Under the the 18-month, $1.8 million contract Raytheon engineers will look to increase GaN device power handling capability of GaN devices by at least a factor of three.

Avionics

B-1 Lancer navigation system gets facelift - News

April 11, 2012

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

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. The Air Force awarded Boeing a $55.3 million contract to upgrade the B-1 Lancer aircraft?s navigation system a new ring laser gyro system.

Avionics

More than $1 Billion in avionics and sensors for Navy helicopters to be provided by Lockheed Martin - News

April 09, 2012

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

WASHINGTON. Lockheed Martin won a billion dollar Navy contract to deliver more than 200 digital avionics cockpits as well as sensors and integrated mission systems for the MH-60S Sierra and MH-60R Romeo helicopters ? both of which are manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft, in Stratford, Conn.

Avionics

Army Special Operations helicopters to continue upgrading avionics with Rockwell Collins parts - News

April 05, 2012

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

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. Rockwell Collins engineers will continue providing replacement avionics parts for Army Special Operations helicopter cockpits under a $17.2 million contract renewal.

Unmanned

Modernized Patriot missile defense system fires first PAC-3 Missiles during test flight - News

April 04, 2012

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

TEWKSBURY, Mass. The upgraded Patriot Patriot Air and Missile Defense System from Raytheon fired two PAC-3 missiles at a tactical ballistic missile (TBM) during a test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The test marked the first launch of PAC-3 missiles from the modernized Patriot system.

Comms

Missile warning satellite final tests completed by Air Force and Lockheed Martin - News

April 03, 2012

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

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. Air Force and Lockheed Martin engineers finished final systems tests for the U.S. Air Force?s second Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous satellite (GEO-2). The Final Integrated System Test (FIST) confirmed the spacecraft's functionality and performance prior to launch site delivery.

Avionics

Curtiss-Wright SBC adds safety-critical RTOS package from LynuxWorks - News

April 02, 2012

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

SAN JOSE, Calif. Officials at LynuxWorks, are providing its board support package (BSP) and DO178B Level C Artifacts for a single-board computer (SBC) from Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions. The SVME/DMV-183 SBC will make use of a new BSP that is a part of the LynxOS-178 2.2.2 real-time operating system (RTOS) release. LynuxWorks made the announcement at the Design West show last week in San Jose, Calif.

Radar/EW

New VME/VXS SBC for radar and C4ISR applications released by Emerson Network Power - News

March 30, 2012

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

SAN JOSE, Calif. Emerson Network Power engineers released a new VME/VXS single-board computer (SBC) at the DesignWest show in San Jose, Calif., this week. The MVME8100 device has a Freescale P5020 QorIQ processor and is targeted radar, sonar, and other C4ISR applications.

Radar/EW

High-performance radar systems enabled by new TI multicore DSPs - News

March 28, 2012

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

SAN JOSE, CALIF. Texas Instruments (TI) engineers (TI) released three new products built on its KeyStone multicore architecture that uses the TMS320C66x digital signal processor (DSP) generation at the DesignWest show in San Jose, Calif., this week. The devices are ideal for radar applications from portable to large-scale radar systems as well as software defined radio (SDR) applications, said Ramesh Kumar, business manager for multicore processors at TI.

Avionics

Brazilian combat jet upgrade leverages Ada technology from AdaCore - News

March 27, 2012

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

SAN JOSE, Calif. Embraer Defense and Security officials selected Ada software from AdaCore for an avionics upgrade. The GNAT Pro Ada development environment will be a primary tool set to help produce the Operation Flight Program for the Embraer AMX Jet Modernization program. Adacore made the announcement at the DesignWest show in San Jose, Calif., this week.

Radar/EW

Army sense and warn radar from Raytheon cuts down on cots and false alarms - News

March 23, 2012

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

MCKINNEY. U.S. Army officials have tasked Raytheon engineers to create a prototype design of the Ku Band Multi-Function RF System (MFRFS) Sense and Warn (S&W) radar.

Unmanned

Navy weaponizing Fire Scout unmanned helicopter - News

March 22, 2012

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) engineers are weaponizing the MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopter for an urgent request from the U.S. This is the first time the Navy has armed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Weapons planned for the Fire Scout include a laser-guided rocket, the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS).

Avionics

Laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket completes live fire testing by Marine helicopter aviators - News

March 21, 2012

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

NASHUA, N.H. U.S. Marine Corps pilots fired rounds against stationary and moving targets as part of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) program?s Initial Operational Test and Evaluation phase. APKWS, developed by BAE Systems, uses a semi-active laser-guided 2.75-inch rocket.

Radar/EW

First EA-18G Growler electronic attack fighter delivered to Navy under multi-year contract - News

March 20, 2012

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

ST. LOUIS. Boeing officials delivered the first EA-18G Growler to the U.S. Navy as part of the company?s multi-year contract to produce F/A-18E/Fs and EA-18Gs. The first airborne electronic attack aircraft ? dubbed Aircraft G-57 ? will be based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Radar/EW

Navy funds two more Littoral Combat Ships to be built by Lockheed Martin - News

March 19, 2012

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

WASHINGTON. U.S. Navy officials are adding funding for two Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) to be produced a Lockheed Martin-led industry team under a $715 million modification to an existing contract. The two ships will be the third and fourth vessels in a 10-ship contract awarded back in late 2010.