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

Space surveillance satellite ready for July launch

Boeing Co. has shipped a spacecraft designed to significantly improve the way the United States tracks and monitors satellites and debris in space to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for scheduled launch on July 8, company officials said today

Defense Systems

Special Ops leads the charge for specialized data delivery

A new generation of technology is putting more agile and capable ISR systems in the hands of special operators and those who support them in the field. That holds promise for empowering regular forces as the technology is perfected and costs come down.

Defense Systems

Smart phones prepare for battle

Jason Sypniewski, branch chief of the Product Manager C4ISR On-the-Move's Integrated Event Design and Analysis branch, discusses how handheld devices will be integrated into the upcoming E10 exercise.

Defense Systems

Stratospheric UAVs could be next big thing

The need for a platform that can help combat IEDs and track terrorists and insurgents over large areas for long periods might spark a demand for so-called stratospheric unmanned aerial vehicles, reports Colin Clark at DOD Buzz.

Defense Systems

SatCom policies slammed by Inmarsat executive

Inmarsat Government Services President Rebecca Cowen-Hirsh voices concerns that the policies and structure of GSA and DISA's satellite communications procurement won't meet the needs of the warfighter.

Defense Systems

Four share $1.5 billion DOD award

Booz Allen, CACI, Jacobs and SRA to compete for task orders supporting the Special Operations Command under a $1.5 billion contract.

Defense Systems

Future UAVs must multitask, Air Force says

The next-generation of unmanned aerial vehicles will need to take on additional duties and be able to synchronize with other platforms, Defense Department officials said at an April summit.

Defense Systems

VADER radar to thwart roadside bombers

U.S. forces will soon have another tool to add to their growing arsenal of counter-improvised explosive device technologies with the introduction of recently developed man-hunting radar, reports William Matthews at Defense News.

Defense Systems

Battlefield broadband: Reinventing warfighters' communications

Wireless broadband that supports data, not just voice, is essential to battlefield operations and a key component in meeting the needs of the Defense Department's Quadrennial Defense Review.

Defense Systems

Collaborative tech morphs data into intelligence

Defense and intelligence analysts are looking for new ways to use technology to help share information more easily and meaningfully.

Defense Systems

CERDEC director shares vision for C4ISR innovations

Gary Blohm, director of the Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, on integration of C4ISR technologies with existing platforms, the upcoming C4ISR On-the-Move exercise and third-generation/fourth-generation networking technologies.

Defense Systems

Military seeks to disrupt the enemy's decision cycle

Success in battle is increasingly about making decisions more quickly than your adversary can.

Defense Systems

Army, Marine Corps rationalize robotics systems

Army and Marine Corps officials want to increase the number of robots in the battlefield but reduce the types of robots they buy to make robotic systems more interoperable.