Defense Systems
Do UAVs really need HD cameras?
Industry seems to have solved the problem of how to outfit unmanned aerial vehicles with high-definition video, but the big question is what specific missions require such video clarity, reports Michael Hoffman at Defense News.
Defense Systems
Special operations forces to get manpack satcom systems
The U.S. Special Operations Command has awarded a five-year, $170 million contract to a unit of L-3 Communications for portable satellite communications systems that will give special operations forces high-speed transmission capacity for voice and data communications.
Defense Systems
Inmarsat addresses expanding military broadband needs
Inmarsat plans to construct a substantially faster broadband service in response to the needs of government and other customers, reports Michael A. Taverna at Aviation Week.
Defense Systems
New sensors hunt for fertilizer bombs in Afghanistan
A new military program under way in Afghanistan seeks to track fertilizer-based improvised explosive devices by sniffing them out from the air, reports Spencer Ackerman at Wired's Danger Room blog.
Defense Systems
Multisource intelligence empowers battlefield superiority
Dan Allen, of Northrop Grumman Information Systems, makes the case for why multisource intelligence solutions, which include sensors and fused data, should be aligned with winning the war, not just high-value targets.
Defense Systems
The making of a stealth UAV
The next-generation of unmanned aerial vehicles will have stealth attributes and other capabilities that would give them a higher chance of survivability against ground and air threats on long-range strike missions, reports Colin Clark at DOD Buzz.
Defense Systems
The shift to net-enabled warfare
Defense Systems adopts a more strategically targeted tagline beginning this month, as the defense magazine for knowledge technologies and net-enabled warfare rather than net-centric warfare.
Defense Systems
Advanced radio key to on-the-move comms
The Warfighter Information Network-Tactical program is developing technology that would provide backup on-the-move communications support through unmanned aerial systems. The JC4ISR radio under development is a key component of that effort.
Defense Systems
Boeing gains C4ISR systems specialist with Argon ST purchase
Boeing Co. has completed its $775 million acquisition of Argon ST Inc., a Fairfax, Va., developer of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance systems as well as combat systems.
Defense Systems
Navy readies RQ-4 Global Hawk for maritime demo
Northrop Grumman Corp. will continue testing a maritime version of the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system under a $29.7 million Navy contract.
Defense Systems
DOD moves to shift $3.9B to pressing wartime needs
Defense Department planners want to shift a significant chunk of funding away from programs that are struggling or of low priority to more pressing needs to support the war effort in Afghanistan, reports Kate Brannan at Defense News.
Defense Systems
JTRS business model opens door to innovation
The Enterprise Business Model will pay dividends in reducing the military's reliance on sole-source and proprietary solutions, according to military planners.
Defense Systems
Global Hawk veers off course, official says
The official responsible for overseeing Air Force acquisition programs has singled out the Global Hawk program as one that has proved particularly troublesome from a number of angles, reports Colin Clark at DOD Buzz.
Defense Systems
Air Force lines up ISR support for weapon system
General Dynamics Information Technology will support the Air Force's Distributed Common Ground System and Project Liberty under a three-year, $49 million contract.
Defense Systems
Is there a place for smart phones on the battlefield? Readers fire back.
Some of our readers see the possibilities of using smart phones in the battlefield, while others aren't so sure. And is the military missing the bigger picture if it eliminates the iPhone?
Defense Systems
Special Ops orders imaging systems for vehicles
The U.S. Special Operations Command has awarded a contract to FLIR Systems Inc. to furnish thermal imaging systems for its ground vehicles.
Defense Systems
Space sensor will help uncover insurgent activity
The Air Force is getting ready to deploy a hyperspectral imaging sensor in space that will boost the amount of real-time tactical surveillance data available to battlefield commanders.
Defense Systems
Army orders more surveillance airships
Lockheed Martin Corp. will furnish additional aerostat surveillance systems to the Army for use in detecting threats to ground forces from roadside bombs and other means under a $142 million contract.
Defense Systems
Marines look to refuelers for more eyes on battlefield
In an effort to aid in the gathering of information on insurgent activities, the Marine Corps plans to outfit KC-130J aerial refueling planes operating in Afghanistan with kits containing high-powered cameras and sensors, reports Dave Majumdar at Defense News.
Defense Systems