Defense Systems

Ground mobile program worth the wait

JTRS Joint Ground Domain Program Manager Col. Daniel Hughes discusses the progress of engineering efforts to enhance wideband communications capabilities for Army and Marine vehicles.

Defense Systems

Industry Recon

Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle gets liquid-cooled enclosures to protect electronics; Nortel’s Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 is approved for mission-critical networks; and the military orders more friend-or-foe digital transponders and towed decoys for aircraft.

Defense Systems

Data Packets

Top defense officials are moving to cancel the FCS program and transfer spinouts to a another program. GAO has warned of problems with GPS satellites. Intell community CIOs report progress on technology integration. The Air Force Personnel Center plans to move its personnel support applications to a software-as-a-service model. And a Marine Corps general urges tailoring C4ISR to small units.

Defense Systems

Bid made on phase two of Army missile defense project

Northrop Grumman submitted a bid this month for the second round of a competition to serve as the prime contractor for an integrated Army air and missile defense system.

Defense Systems

Army to begin virtual support group for amputees

The Army wants to develop virtual technology for support groups for amputees and their families.

Defense Systems

Humans and robots bond on the battlefield

The U.S. military has deployed thousands of robots on modern battlefields where they are now fighting side by side with humans who have grown to depend heavily on them for their assistance, reports LiveScience.com.

Defense Systems

Administration to cancel FCS, establish new program

The Defense Department’s chief arms buyer, Ashton Carter, said May 18 the administration was on the verge of canceling the entire Army Future Combat Systems program in its present form, according to media reports.

Defense Systems

Two up for top information warfare posts

The Obama administration has nominated Maj. Gen. Dennis L. Via to head up Army C4 Systems and Gen. William T. Lord to serve as chief of warfighting integration for the Air Force.

Defense Systems

DOD to receive support for communications systems

Computer Sciences Corp. will furnish systems engineering and program support services to the Army project manager responsible for maintaining communications transmission systems under a contract potentially worth $226 million over three years.

Defense Systems

Possible budget cuts would restructure FCS

The budget request would cut funding by more than $600 million for the Future Combat Systems program.

Defense Systems

Army learning system provides small-biz contract opportunity

Services needed from small businesses for the Distributed Learning System include customer outreach communications, office information technology systems and technical document preparation.

Defense Systems

Soldiers gain combat edge with smart helmets

A number of developments under way to shooter location systems used by U.S. ground forces to track the source of enemy fire would produce even more sophisticated systems.

Defense Systems

Army finds communications on-the-move tech outside WIN-T

Officials want to address satellite communications needs with cost-effective commercial technologies.

Defense Systems

Justice touts open source for the Army

Army Maj. Gen. Nickolas Justice presides over a diverse group of Command, Control and Communications-Tactical programs. He talks with Defense Systems about his portfolio and about open-source technology, for which he has been a proponent.

Defense Systems

Energy conservation for battlefield operations

New approaches to regulating energy demand at forward operating bases hold considerable promise.

Defense Systems

Blue Force gets capacity boost

The existing Blue Force Tracking system is getting a major boost in capability as a result of changes at the back end of its satellite network.

Defense Systems

Military contractors receive new work for sensors, communications systems and satellites

New technologies for military systems include energy harvesters that power aircraft sensors, communications systems for combat vehicles and a radar receiver to help protect satellites from enemy attacks.

Defense Systems

WIN-T ushers in new dawn for battlefield communications

Army Col. William Hoppe oversees the WIN-T program, which was established to provide high-bandwidth, mobile, two-way satellite communications and ad hoc mesh radio connectivity to battlefield commanders.

Defense Systems

Panel predicts DOD contracting workforce to expand

Defense Department officials are expanding the contracting workforce to better handle the money DOD is spending.

Defense Systems

Army to strengthen contract management

While wrestling with a long history of major contracting issues, the service intends to spend more money on overseeing and managing its contracts.