Defense Systems

F-35s, UAVs may be caught in budget battle

With limited money, the Air Force may have to choose how much to spend for unmanned aerial vehicles and funding its advanced fighter.

Defense Systems

France wants to provide NATO with Heron UAV

France has offered to furnish the Heron TP unmanned aerial vehicle to NATO for ground surveillance operations despite technical and financial problems related to the purchase of the Israeli-made UAV.

Defense Systems

Army taps BAE for head mounted displays

The Army's Program Executive Office Soldier has awarded BAE Systems a contract to furnish head mounted displays.

Defense Systems

Powerful sensor on unmanned helos headed for Afghanistan

By spring, soldiers will remotely pilot a helicopter to see across major portions of Afghanistan through the Autonomous Real-time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System.

Defense Systems

5 nations expected to join wideband satellite program

The United States is close to wrapping up an agreement with five more nations to support the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) constellation program.

Defense Systems

NATO aircraft in Afghanistan increase surveillance flights

NATO has drastically scaled back the number of air strikes it conducts in Afghanistan while boosting the number of aircraft surveillance missions.

Defense Systems

Air Force shifts UAS operating systems to Linux

The Air Force might have switched the control systems from its unmanned aircraft systems from Windows to Linux in the wake of a virus outbreak with the the former, according to security professionals.

Defense Systems

Air Force awards contract for third and fourth GPS III satellites

The Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $238 million contract to build the third and fourth satellites in the Global Positioning System III constellation.

Defense Systems

Boeing plans EMARSS aircraft delivery to Army in December

The company plans to deliver four EMARSS intelligence-gathering aircraft in December, an official says.

Defense Systems

Army seeks new technology submissions for fall NIE

The Army has issued a sources sought document to attract new technologies for inclusion into this fall's Network Integration Evaluation.

Defense Systems

Navy wants self-navigating unmanned cargo aircraft

The Navy is soliciting bids for an unmanned vertical takeoff and landing program that would produce an aircraft capable of resupplying Marine units in isolated parts of Afghanistan.

Defense Systems

3 pressing needs of next-gen electronic warfare

The next generation of warfare will require sophisticated electronic and directed energy weapons.

Defense Systems

US military increasingly relies on unmanned aircraft, report says

The military has 7,494 unmanned aircraft while the number of manned aircraft is 10,767, Congressional Research Service reports.

Defense Systems

Navy's tiny Cicada drone designed to avoid enemy detection

The Navy's tiny Cicada unmanned aerial vehicle is designed to glide undetected through hostile territory as it collects data.

Defense Systems

Marines push forward with unmanned helo testing in Afghanistan

A team comprised of 16 Kaman technicians and eight Marines are conducting a six-month evaluation of two of the company’s K-Max unmanned cargo helicopters at Camp Dwyer in Helmand Province.

Defense Systems

Air Force, Raytheon team on UAS electro-optical sensor work

Raytheon will improve the resolution of a key electro-optical sensor payload used for unmanned aircraft systems, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft under a new Air Force contract.

Defense Systems

A glimpse into future UAS warfare

The Pentagon and the defense industry are working quietly on future strategies for how to best deploy unmanned aircraft systems in a way that minimizes the risk of losing the valuable assets to enemy fire or malfunction.

Defense Systems

Navy's 5th Fleet begins testing long-range UAV

The Navy has begun testing a prototype of its high-altitude, long-range unmanned aerial vehicle with its 5th Fleet.

Defense Systems

Increasing number of civilians work in the UAS kill chain

Some senior military officials are questioning whether direct contractor support of unmanned aircraft systems is appropriate.

Defense Systems

Army to test Hummingbird unmanned helos in Afghanistan

The Army plans to send three of Boeing’s A160 Hummingbird unmanned helicopters to Afghanistan this spring to boost the service’s reconnaissance capabilities.