Industry News

Unmanned

U.S. Navy picks up option for additional Nixie torpedo defense systems from Boeing - News

January 04, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Boeing

FAIRFAX, VA. Boeing subsidiary Argon ST will continue to supply the U.S. Navy with AN/SLQ-25C torpedo defense countermeasures under a recently exercised option on the system’s contract. Under the $8 million contract extension, eight new AN/SLQ-25C systems will provide countermeasures that imitate a vessel’s propulsion system to draw incoming torpedoes away from Navy surface ships.

Comms

Cubic mesh asset tracking technology to be deployed to Afghanistan for withdrawal - News

January 03, 2013

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Cubic

SAN DIEGO, CA. Cubic Global Tracking Solutions has been awarded three U.S. Army and GSA Schedule orders to expand its Mesh Asset Tag (MAT) tracking technology to two U.S. bases located in Afghanistan. The orders, worth roughly $4.8 million, will deliver thousands of MATs to bases in Kandahar and Bagram, where they will be used to process and track equipment being returned to the U.S. or redeployed as the withdrawal from Afghanistan begins to take effect.

Unmanned

Unmanned vehicle control software firm acquired by Lockheed Martin - News

January 02, 2013

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

BETHESDA, MD. Lockheed Martin acquired the assets of CDL Systems Ltd., a firm that develops software for vehicle control stations for unmanned systems. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed by the companies.

Unmanned

Australian forces in Afghanistan use digital video exploitation system from General Dynamics - News

December 28, 2012

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

CANBERRA, Australia. General Dynamics Mediaware engineers designed two video capture and exploitation D-VEX systems for Australian army personnel operating the Shadow 200 Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (TUAS) in Afghanistan. The technology enhances how mission-critical, actionable intelligence is distributed among Australian troops and coalition forces.

Avionics

Navy orders two more C-40A transport aircraft from Boeing - News

December 27, 2012

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

Radar/EW

Airborne Low Frequency Sonar systems to be produced by Raytheon for NAVAIR - News

December 26, 2012

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

PATUXENT RIVER, MD. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) officials awarded Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems in Portsmouth, R.I., a $158,571,809 contract for the 48 MH-60R Full Rate Production Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS) systems as well as associated program management support.

Radar/EW

QML Class V and Q Qualifications achieved by Microsemi RTAX-DSP FPGAs - News

December 21, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Microsemi

ALISO VIEJO, CA. The Microsemi RTAX-DSP Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have achieved Class V and Class Q Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) qualification. After 2,000 hours of life testing on each wafer lot and destructive physical analysis on assembly lots, achieving Class V and Class Q QML qualification signifies that the high-reliability FPGAs have achieved the highest level of qualification for space Integrated Circuits (ICs).

Unmanned

Northrop Grumman X-47B UCAS completes carrier-based testing - News

December 20, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Northrop Grumman

NAPLES, Italy. The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) experimental naval drone has completed its first tests aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. After a two-week series of tests aboard the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, the X-47B proved engineering and mechanical compatibility with nuclear-powered aircraft-bearing vessels. The drone and similar Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) could eventually transport cargo to ships deployed at sea, carry out surveillance and reconnaissance runs, and conduct aerial assault missions. It is expected to conduct land-and-launch exercises in early 2013, which would be the first UAV flight from a carrier.

Avionics

Ada 2012 language revision approved and published by ISO - News

December 19, 2012

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

GENEVA, Switzerland. Officials at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approved and published the latest version of the Ada programming language – Ada 2012. New features include enhancements in contract-based programming. The announcement was made by officials at Ada Resource Association (ARA) and Ada-Europe.

Radar/EW

General Dynamics to perform LAV Reconnaissance Surveillance Suite upgrade - News

December 18, 2012

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

LONDON, Ontario. Canadian government officials selected General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada to upgrade an enhanced surveillance suite for the Canadian LAV III Upgrade vehicles.

Radar/EW

Missile Defense Agency selects Raytheon for AN/TPY-2 radar contract modification - News

December 17, 2012

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

TEWKSBURY, MA. Raytheon won a contract modification from the Missile Defense Agency in Huntsville, Ala., to produce and deliver the AN/TPY-2 Radar #11 with associated spares and three forward-based prime power units with associated spares.

Avionics

DO-178C Model-Based Design support released by MathWorks - News

December 14, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design MathWorks

NATICK, MA. Release 2012b (R2012b) of the DO Qualification Kit has been announced by MathWorks. The Model-Based Design (MBD) kit assists engineers in qualifying the Polyspace and Simulink verification tools for DO-178C, as well as supplements including DO-331. The support provides a standardized global framework for quickening embedded aerospace system certification using MBD.

Comms

Production-rate DARPA SeeMe satellite contract awarded to Raytheon - News

December 13, 2012

Brandon Lewis - Technology Editor, Embedded Computing Design Raytheon Company

TUCSON, AZ. A $1.5 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract for the first phase of the Space enabled effects for Military engagements (SeeMe) program has been awarded to Raytheon Company. The nine-month contract will have Raytheon design small satellites capable of delivering on-demand imagery and information directly to the warfighter to enhance battlefield situational awareness.

Radar/EW

New portable RF/IF high-bandwidth signal recorder released by Pentek - News

December 12, 2012

John M. McHale III - Editorial Director, Military Embedded Systems Pentek, now part of Mercury

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J. Pentek engineers released a new rugged, portable RF/IF signal recording and playback system called Talon RTR 2727 for military applications.

Radar/EW

Version 2.0 of Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense BCS software released - News

December 11, 2012

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

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Northrop Grumman Corp. engineers unleashed Version 2.0 of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) software for the U.S. Army.