Industry News

Unmanned

5D Robotics showcases plug-and-play robotics technology at U.S. Army Robotics Demonstration - News

October 17, 2013

SAN DIEGO. 5D Robotics, Inc. demonstrated its Lighten the Load software kit plug-and-play technology at the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence Robotics Limited Demonstration on October 7-11, at Fort Benning, GA. The Lighten the Load technology is designed to carry warfighters’ equipment for them on long walking journeys.

Radar/EW

French navy E-2C Hawkeye aircraft getting upgrade from Northrop Grumman - News

October 16, 2013

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

BETHPAGE, N.Y. Northrop Grumman engineers will be upgrading the three E-2C Hawkeyes owned and operated by the French navy as part of a $34.5 million U.S. Navy contract. Modifications will include an upgraded Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system to increase commonality and interoperability with the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft of the U.S. Navy

Comms

Protected tactical waveform demonstrated on small, lightweight, modem by Raytheon - News

October 15, 2013

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

MARLBOROUGH, MA. Raytheon engineers demonstrated a new unclassified waveform that enables sensitive data to be passed through small, low-cost satellite terminals. Tactical users such as forward deployed forces or remotely piloted aircraft, would be able to use this technology to operate missions more securely and reliably than in environments where communications can be jammed.

Avionics

F-35 alternate helmet development halted - News

October 14, 2013

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

FORT WORTH, TX. The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) officials halted development of the alternate F-35 helmet and will now focus only on maturing the Vision Systems Generation 2 (Gen 2) helmet from Rockwell Collins Elbit Systems of America that is currently used in F-35 training and testing. The program will recoup about $45 million in funds that it had originally set aside for developing the alternate helmet.

Avionics

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II surpasses 10,000 flight hours, will replace U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy fighters - News

October 11, 2013

Lockheed Martin

FORT WORTH. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II 5th generation fighter has surpassed 10,000 flight hours. Three types of F-35s were included in the program milestone: the F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL), the F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL), and the F-35C Carrier Variant (CV). The F-35s underwent 10,077 flight hours over 6,492 test flights, surpassing the 10,000 flight hours in September 2013. This new milestone doubles the safe flight operations of the F-35s in a year, compared to reaching only 5,000 flight hours in the last six years.

Avionics

First Canadian CH-147 Chinook uses glass cockpit from Rockwell Collins - News

October 10, 2013

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

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA. The first CH-147 Chinook helicopter for Canada's armed forces features a Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) cockpit from Rockwell Collins. Its configuration has an enhanced system architecture and custom pilot-vehicle interface that meets the Canadian DND certification requirements.

Radar/EW

Korean Demilitarised Zone monitored by radar systems from Blighter Surveillance Systems - News

October 09, 2013

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

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom. South Korean armed forces officials selected Blighter Surveillance Systems to supply the company's Blighter B400 electronic-scanning radars to monitor the Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) -- the buffer zone that stretches 250 kilometers across the Korean peninsula and divides North and South Korea.

Unmanned

Electronic seeker technology for Tomahawk Block IV missile demonstrated by Raytheon - News

October 08, 2013

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

POINT LOMA, CA. Raytheon engineers finished field testing an advanced Electronic Support Measure (ESM) seeker that is installed in a Block IV Tomahawk missile as part Raytheon's new product improvement program. The ESM uses an antenna and a state-of-the-art processor to find and track moving and fixed emitting targets.

Avionics

Navy F-35C Squadron officially active at Eglin AFB - News

October 03, 2013

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

FORT WORTH, TX. U.S. Navy officials and members of the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, FL., officially stood up t VFA-101 Grim Reapers Squadron during ceremonies held this week. VFA-101 pilots will fly the Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Lightning II carrier variant.

Avionics

Curtiss-Wright Controls buys Parvus from Eurotech - News

October 01, 2013

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

SALT LAKE CITY. Officials at Curtiss-Wright Controls in Charlotte, NC, are adding PC/104 technology to their portfolio with the purchase of Parvus Corp. in Salt Lake City from Italian embedded computer maker Eurotech in Amaro, Italy.

Comms

Lockheed Martin Havoc 8x8 AMV passes Marine Corps protection systems testing - News

September 27, 2013

Lockheed Martin

DALLAS. Lockheed Martin’s Havoc 8x8 Armored Modular Vehicle (AMV) has successfully passed the Marine Corps protection systems testing during a series of blast tests this summer. During the protection systems testing, the instrumentation indicated that the crew would not have suffered any disabling injuries.

Radar/EW

Boeing delivers Plug and Fight processors to Northrop Grumman for U.S. Army air, missile defenses - News

September 26, 2013

Boeing

HUNTSVILLE. Boeing recently delivered an excess of 40 Plug and Fight Computer Processing Units (CPUs) to prime contractor Northrop Grumman. The Plug and Fight processors are the main computing assets that link together various U.S. Army weapons and sensor platforms with the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command Systems (IBCS), a single network with common command and control.

Radar/EW

U.S. Army, UAE award $3.9 billion THAAD contract to Lockheed Martin - News

September 25, 2013

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

DALLAS. Lockheed Martin engineers will produce elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapons System for the Missile Defense Agency and the United Arab Emirates under a $3.9 billion production contract.

Unmanned

Ground sensor network designed by Rockwell Collins for Australian military - News

September 24, 2013

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

SYDNEY, Australia. Officials at the Australian Defence Forces tasked Rockwell Collins engineers to provide the Patrol Persistent Surveillance System (PPSS) -- made up of imaging, sound, and vibration sensors -- to enable constant monitoring of threats targeting military bases, forward observation posts, and other secure facilities.

Radar/EW

AN/TPY-2 BMD radar's Antenna Equipment Unit completed by Raytheon - News

September 23, 2013

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

TEWKSBURY, MA. Raytheon engineers finished manufacturing an Antenna Equipment Unit (AEU) for the AN/TPY-2 ballistic missile defense radar. The AN/TPY-2 searches, discriminates between threats and non-threats then acquires and tracks threat ballistic missiles as part of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS).