Defense Systems
Demand grows for tactical unmanned aircraft
The military services and industry are accelerating deliveries of small and medium-class unmanned aerial vehicles in response to a growing demand for their presence on the battlefield.
Defense Systems
Navy's Triton UAV fleet key to rebalancing Pacific
The U.S. Navy's MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle made its first official appearance June 14, and that is just the beginning.
Defense Systems
Phantom Eye holds promise, but has long way to go
Boeing's massive hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye UAV performed its first test flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center June 1 reaching an altitude of 4,080 feet and a cruising speed of 62 knots, which is short of the performance attributes the military wants it eventually to achieve.
Defense Systems
As war winds down, a shakeup lays ahead for the UAV fleet
As the U.S. winds down in Afghanistan, some unmanned aircraft will face sunset while others will endure in the future force, according to a top DOD official.
Defense Systems
Handling UAVs on crowded Navy carriers poses major challenge
As the Navy prepares to introduce its robotic jet-powered warplanes to the decks of its aircraft carriers in mid-2013, it must reassess how it choreographs the delicate dance of people, vehicles, and manned and unmanned aircraft in a highly dangerous environment.
Defense Systems
Cargo robots might be up for Afghan tour-of-duty extension
Four Lockheed Martin Squad Mission Support System unmanned ground vehicles might have their Afghan tour of duty extended for a second time in 2012.
Defense Systems
Common data sharing essential to AirSea Battle doctrine
The "AirSea Battle" concept championed by top Navy and Air Force brass has a long way to go since there is a noticeable lack of data-sharing protocol between the two military services.
Defense Systems
DARPA wants small satellites to test fractionated concept
The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency wants bids from contractors capable of furnishing four small satellites that would be able to demonstrate its fractionated spacecraft architecture in orbit.
Defense Systems
Marines extend use of cargo UAV in Afghanistan
The Marines have extended for two more months their use of a pair of Lockheed Martin's K-MAX unmanned cargo helicopters in Afghanistan in what might be a positive sign that there is a clear need for such equipment on the battlefield.
Defense Systems
DOD experiments with image services contracts to plug ISR gaps
Some parts of the Defense Department are now purchasing "pixels by the hour" from contractors operating unmanned aerial systems as a way to fill gaps in their intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Defense Systems
House adds additional funds for armed UAV programs
Despite Air Force officials' assertions that they need only minimal funding in fiscal 2013 to support key programs for armed unmanned aerial vehicles, the House Armed Services Committee has approved additional funding to keep the UAVs in peak condition and ensure there is an abundance of ammunition for their weapon systems.
Defense Systems
Australia deploys Shadow 200 UAS to Afghanistan
Australia has begun using the AAI Shadow 200 tactical unmanned aircraft system in Afghanistan.
Defense Systems
Air Force ISR success rides on common architecture, says deputy chief
A common architecture for ISR must be established that allows data to be moved from all domains and across dissimilar platforms rapidly and efficiently, says a top Air Force official.
Defense Systems
AEHF-2 satellite launch delayed due to rocket glitch
The United Launch Alliance launch of the Air Force's second Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite was scrubbed May 3 because of a lack of helium flow from the ground support equipment to the interstage adapter compartment on the launch vehicle.
Defense Systems
Navy wrestles with comm challenges in unmanned systems, cyber warfare
Navy leadership must think differently about how the service operates in the new era of defense.
Defense Systems
Army braces for aerial intel surge in Afghanistan
The Army must figure out new and efficient ways to process data gathered from unmanned aerial vehicle sensors and cameras as it begins operations in Afghanistan with its first medium-altitude, long endurance MQ-1C Gray Eagle and also its first full-spectrum combat aviation brigade with manned and unmanned aircraft.
Defense Systems
Naval IT Day to spotlight major enterprise initiatives
Defense Systems' staff will be on hand May 3 to furnish detailed coverage of the 11th Annual Naval IT Day.
Defense Systems
Military airship programs plagued by wide range of problems
The Defense Department has invested more than $1 billion in at least nine airship programs across the military services in an effort to provide persistent surveillance to ground troops, but so far has almost nothing to show in operational airships.
Defense Systems
Data tool would help alert Navy to high-seas threats
The Navy is seeking a real-time analytical tool that can sift through data from radars related to maritime traffic and alert naval officers to hostile threats at sea.
Defense Systems