| Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine, November 2006 Articles |
| View Archives |
November 2006
|
| |
|
War Games
Increasingly, businesses are tapping commercial gaming technologies to enhance precision and realism for military training, simulation, and mission rehearsal systems.
Patching in the warfighter
Today’s warfighters are all becoming cogs or nodes in one digitized network force, and wearable computers patch them into the network.
Boeing manned/unmanned light helicopter uses latest digital technology
Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in St. Louis recently flew its newly designed A/MH-6X light-turbine helicopter for the first time.
Defense industry upbeat; military spending to stay healthy over next decade
Key leaders of the U.S. defense industry are upbeat about continued prospects for healthy military spending after predictions were released last month that U.S. defense spending will grow to an annual $609.4 billion over the next decade.
Engenuity acquires AcuSoft, expands training and simulation portfolio
Simulation company Engenuity Technologies Inc. in Montreal has acquired AcuSoft Inc. in Orlando, Fla., a software company specializing in simulation, training, visualization, and automation.
New IR motor drive eliminates software development and cuts down DO-178B hassles
Engineers at International Rectifier (IR) introduced a hybrid motor-control module for aircraft applications that does not need software development to run, cutting out hours of code development and removing DO-178B certification burdens.
The America’s Army development team introduces new version, new partner
The America’s Army development team has announced America’s Army: Special Forces (AA:SF), a new version of the military training tool and popular online action game, as well as a new technology partner in 3Dsolve Inc., a simulation learning company in Cary, N.C.
In Brief
VITA and VME technology mark 25-year milestone
VITA, the trade association for the critical embedded computing industry, is marking the 25th anniversary of VME technology open-systems standards.
VMETRO to deliver board-level solutions based on Xilinx Virtex-5 LXT FPGAs
VMETRO executives have announced plans to augment the company’s VXS, XMC, and PMC board-level product families to include platforms based on the new Virtex-5 LXT FPGA platform from Xilinx Inc. in San Jose, Calif.
Regal demonstrates evacuation guidance system prototype at Pentagon
The Pentagon and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contracted Regal Decision Systems of Linthicum, Md., to develop a prototype system for the Pentagon to detect chemical and biological agents, as well as identify evacuation routes for its 20,000-plus occupants to minimize exposure to the detected hazards and get people out of the building quickly and safely.
BAE Systems acquires National Sensor Systems, expands technology portfolio
BAE Systems has completed its acquisition of National Sensor Systems (NSS) in Acton, Mass., a manufacturer of advanced optical systems for the aerospace and defense industry.
Blazing speed is the goal of embedded passives
The term “three-dimensional integration” sounds as though it were simply another logical step in the miniaturization of devices and systems.
FPGA Market to reach $2.75 billion by decade’s end
The market for field-programmable gate-arrays (FPGAs), with their rapidly expanding array of uses, is on a roll, reports market research firm In-Stat in Scottsdale, Ariz.
A COTS response to the IED threat
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the specific name for many of the roadside bombs that commonly kill soldiers and civilians alike in dangerous regions of the world, have been among the most dangerous threats in contested areas of the Middle East.
Air Force seeks to improve battlefield logistics with recycled laser fuel
Scientists from the U.S. Air Force and the Boeing Co. test fired a laser for the first time using recycled fuel last August at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
FLIR Systems multisensor device to help Army soldiers with urban warfare
FLIR Systems Inc. in Portland, Ore., is providing a multisensor airborne thermal imaging system that may help U.S. Army ground forces anticipate the behavior of terrorist and irregular militia forces who are fighting in urban terrain like Baghdad.
Electro-optics Briefs
Migrating safety-critical systems raises software issues
Migrating a safety-critical system can be a costly, risky process that developers avoid whenever possible.
Digital and multispectral technologies are poised to improve military night-vision systems
Night-vision equipment represents one of the crucial capabilities that help the U.S. military own the night when engaging the enemy, yet digital technology and multispectral imaging are on the verge of giving fighting forces an even keener edge while operating under the cover of darkness.
New market opportunities emerge for electric motors in Russia and Ukraine
Revenues in the Russian electric-motors market will rise to $1.5 billion by 2012, while the Ukrainian electric-motors market will expand to $287.8 million over the same period, say analysts at Frost & Sullivan in London.
MEMS in mobile handsets will top $1 billion by 2010
Spending for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) in mobile handsets reached $157 million in 2005, and will exceed $1 billion by 2010, predict analysts at In-Stat in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Enclosures with advanced shielding options
Optima EPS in Tucker, Ga., is offering cabinet enclosures with advanced shielding options.
Rugged ultra-mobile personal computer with hot-swap battery
Black Diamond Advanced Technology in Tempe, Ariz., is offering the SwitchBack rugged ultra-mobile personal computer, which measures 7.5 by 5.5 by 2 inches and uses a 1.0 GHz Intel Celeron M processor.
Enhanced data-acquisition equipment complies with IRIG106 chapter 10
Heim Data Systems Inc. in Belmar, N.J., is offering a version of the D5000 series for applications requiring compatibility with the IRIG106 Chapter10 standard, which defines the data formatting, control interfaces, and media directories of airborne data acquisition systems such as flight test recorders.
Digital receiver board with high-speed A-D and FPGA dual-channel digital downconverter
Pentek Inc. in Upper Saddle River, N.J., is offering a digital receiver board with high-speed A-D and field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) dual-channel digital downconverter.
Single-board computer with two dual-core IntelXeon Processors
Mercury Computer Systems Inc. in Chelmsford, Mass., is announcing a family of single-board computers (SBCs) with two dual-core Intel Xeon processors ULV on a 6U single-slot module for symmetric multiprocessing that enables any processor to work on any task and move tasks between processors.
LEON3 microprocessor core available on Actel FPGAs
Actel Corp. in Mountain View, Calif., is offering a LEON3 processor-based application optimized for the Actel RTAX-S field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
New member of radiation-hardened clock family for space applications
Aeroflex Colorado Springs in Colorado Springs, Colo., is offering an addition to the RadHard Clock Family-the UT54ALVC2525 RadHard clock driver for satellite applications.
COTS military and avionics DC-DC converters
XP Power plc in Pangbourne, England, is offering the MTC, a series of 4-to-35-watt DC-DC converters for defense, avionics, communications, industrial, or transportation applications.
Addition of eight mid-power DC-DC converters
Vicor Corp. in Andover, Mass., is adding eight mid-power Maxi DC-DC converters to the 24-volt DC input family: a 3.3-volt, 200-watt model and 300-watt models at 5, 12, 15, 24, 28, 36, and 48-volt output.
Design software released for microwave antenna, radar, and radome test
MI Technologies in Atlanta released version 3.3 of its MI-3000 data acquisition and analysis software with new features to enhance microwave antenna, radar, and radome test and measurement acquisition, plotting, and data-file analysis.
Enhanced real-time messaging quality of service with messaging and integration software
Real-Time Innovation in Santa Clara, Calif., is offering the RTI Data Distribution Service (formerly NDDS) version 4.1 messaging and integration software for real-time applications.
Rack-mount digital-signal processors for ground and air radar
Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing in Leesburg, Va., is offering the PowerMatrix family of high-performance/high-density multiprocessor rack-mount computer systems for radar, sonar, signals intelligence, and mobile applications.
Real-time operating system with time and space partitioning
LynuxWorks in San Jose, Calif., is offering LynxOS-SE time-space partitioned hard real time operating system (RTOS) with Posix and Linux application support for performance and safety-critical environments in military and aerospace applications.
Eclipse-based integrated development environment for real-time operating system
Enea in Stockholm, Sweden, is offering the Optima Eclipse-based integrated development environment for the OSE real-time operating system, which uses Eclipse version 3.1.2 and C/C++ Development Toolkit version 3.1.1.
Latest version of integrated software-development environment
Green Hills Software in Santa Barbara, Calif., is offering version 5.0 of the company’s MULTI integrated development environment.
Form-fit-function function generator replacement
Geote4st-Martin Test Systems Inc. in Irvine, Calif., is offering the GP1616 form-fit-function replacement for the obsolete HP8116 function generator, company officials say.
Elbit Systems to provide avionics systems for Colombia’s Super Tucano aircraft
The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has contracted Elbit Systems Ltd. of Haifa, Israel, to supply avionic systems for the Colombian Air Force’s Super Tucano aircraft.
Sikorsky selects Rockwell Collins’ avionics management system for CH-53K
Sikorsky of Stratford, Conn., was in the market for an avionics management system for the U.S. Marine Corps’ new CH-53K Heavy Lift Replacement helicopter.
Raytheon contracts LaBarge to provide F-22 Raptor backplane assembly
LaBarge Inc. in St. Louis has manufactured backplane assemblies for Raytheon since 2002.
EDO receives orders for fighter-jet test units totaling $19.4 million
Fighter-jet pilots need to be confident that their defensive electronics are functional before they embark on a mission.
U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane adopts FLIR Systems enhanced targeting sight systems
Decision makers at the U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane in Crane, Ind., sought a solution to improve the accuracy and precision in the fleet’s field operations.
Coast Guard orders nonlethal antiterrorism weapon from Foster-Miller Inc.
Recent assessments of U.S. port security reveal vulnerability to terrorists using speedboats in an attack, making port security a central issue in the global war on terror.
U.S. military adopts Falcon Electric rugged power protection for its air-traffic-control systems
A systems integrator sought for its U.S. military customers a power-protection solution capable of ensuring the constant availability and reliability of their air-traffic-control systems.
ITT awarded GCA-2000 radar contract for Sweden
Försvarets Materielverk (FMV) of Sweden required a precision radar and landing solution for a radar destined for the Swedish Armed Forces.
U.S. Navy adopts Planet LLC 3-D physics simulation tools
The U.S. Navy, as part of its training and mission rehearsal efforts, requires the ability to mimic realistic behaviors and physical phenomenon in 3-D training simulations.
|
Community 
