Defense Systems

Drills test NMCI system

The Navy and a contractor hold drills to measure the capability of workers to maintain the continuity of operations of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet

Defense Systems

Wireless supply line

The Army is upgrading a wireless system designed to connect theater logisticians directly to their electronic ordering systems, which has been a Defense Department goal since Operation Desert Storm.

Defense Systems

Self-Healing Aircraft

Researchers develop a liquid healing agent for the skins of aircraft and missiles

Defense Systems

Return to sender

Air Force ICBM fuse mix-up prompts investigation, nuke inventory

Defense Systems

Back to the future

The future of the Army’s Future Combat Systems, from strictly a technical standpoint, would seem fairly certain at this point.

Defense Systems

A virtual plane for Navy techs

The Navy has found a better way to troubleshoot an aircraft. It commissioned American Systems to develop simulators for F/A-18C maintenance training.

Defense Systems

The risks of thinking big

There’s no crime in thinking big. However, as seen in the case of the Army’s gargantuan Future Combat Systems project, there are practical limits to how big a project can be.

Defense Systems

USAF spends on flexible microcircuits

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research is funding research on thin,flexible transistors that could be developed into high-performance optoelectronics.

Defense Systems

Switches with wings: UAVs as comm relays

Giant blimps are not the only vehicles capable of stratospheric flight. Fixed-wing aircraft such as the Lockheed U-2 have done it for decades.

Defense Systems

High Bandwidth

With mounting pressure for high-bandwidth connectivity for forces in the field, and concern about available satellite communications, a number of programs are seeking to revive an old technology — airships.

Defense Systems

DHS ‘virtual fence’ and Army’s FCS test limits of networked sensors

The core of Project 28 is a network of nine mobile towers that carry a range of radar systems, cameras, and satellite and wireless communications. Unattended ground sensors (UGS) scattered along the border are meant to catch movement and alert the towers for a more detailed look.

Defense Systems

On the fly

Pacific Command’s Alaskan range complex pushes the technology envelope in training.

Defense Systems

Interoperability path opens

Training range builds data bridge for joint exercises.

Defense Systems

Message convergence rolls on

As networking technology continues to improve and additional bandwidth becomes available, there will be the opportunity for additional consolidation.

Defense Systems

GAO says FCS threatened by software bloat

The centerpiece program of Army transformation, Future Combat Systems, could collapse under the weight of poor software design.

Defense Systems

Bootstrapping in Africa

Africom examines information sharing for nations short on infrastructure.

Defense Systems

The future of intelligence

New intell group wants researchers to bring back scientific breakthroughs

Defense Systems

Shifting frequencies: The Joint Tactical Radio System is a key element in DOD’s shift to network-centric operations

The changes made in the JTRS radio program have changed the game of development and procurement of communications gear — and might have provided a new model for joint systems development

Defense Systems

A helping hand with legs

It’s a bit of a mouthful: Sustainable Technologies, Accelerated Research-Transportable Infrastructures for Development and Emergency Support, or STAR-TIDES. But what is termed a research event for studying disaster mitigation is generating a lot of buzz in the United States and abroad.

Defense Systems

Building defense in depth

The Missile Defense Agency promises the reality of global missile defense will be greater than the sum of its parts – but the parts have a long way to go before they fit together