Do you miss the U.S. defense budgets of yore, where costs for programs skyrocketed into the billions and overall defense spending reached into the trillions? Where cost was not a concern, only a capability? If you’re pining for those days, then you probably don’t want to read this issue.

The U.S. Army’s Mounted Assured PNT System (MAPS) program was initiated to replace existing GPS receivers and antennas in most of the Army’s ground vehicle variants, eliminating redundancy. The program is overseen by PM-PNT at the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where mounted and dismounted position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies for the Army are developed and managed.

It is no surprise that GPS/GNSS [Global Positioning System/ Global Navigation Satellite System] is remarkably important in modern society, with applications ranging from mobile phones to missile guidance systems. Particularly in the military, these signals can often dictate the difference between life and death.

Power is a key consideration for modern open architecture initiatives such as the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Technical Standard, says John Sturm, Vice President of Business Development for the Aerospace & Defense business unit of Vicor, when I interviewed him just before Thanksgiving.

It’s been said before that the best plans tend to be the simple ones. While it’s not clear whether that’s ever been said about digital transformation, the Air Force’s recently released interim Chief Information Officer (CIO) strategy could serve as an example of this truism, focusing on straightforward goals to modernize and secure the organization’s information technology environment.

The most popular stories on MilitaryEmbedded.com throughout 2022 covered subjects such as hypersonic missile detection, a 10-year contract for a fire-control system, the future battlefield, and more.

When your system fails MIL-STD-461 compliance, it can mean major timeline and budget setbacks – but traditional aftermarket filter solutions cause additional weight and functionality changes. “How to Select the Right Type of EMI Filter for Harsh Environment Operation” provides you with EMI filter options that can withstand tough environments and won’t alter your product’s functionality.

Edge applications need support for more powerful, deployable computing subsystems that can process extremely high bandwidth, ever-growing sensor data streams and exploit the rapidly emerging capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Emerging cognitive-based capabilities offer tremendous promise for dealing with the increasingly challenging battlespace. To be effective in the field, AI-driven capabilities require reliable, near-real time operation in electronically contested environments. 

Planar magnetics are one of the most reliable and cost-effective board-level solutions to address high-frequency circuits with high power density. Learn how and why in Standex’s whitepaper, Using Planar Magnetics to Enhance Performance in Advanced Mil/Aero Electronics.