| Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine, May 2007 Articles |
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May 2007
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Laser weapons: moving from promise to performance
The military’s laser weapons programs are making steady progress in their transition from the laboratory to the battlefield, with deployment of initial systems expected within the next three to five years.
Temperature’s rising: designers face myriad options to cool electronic systems
Never-ending demands for more electronic and electro-optic systems capability mean military and aerospace systems guzzle more electric power, and that means steadily increasing heat that engineers must get rid of-somehow.
Department of Defense invests in delivering augmented reality technology to foot soldiers
The Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) in San Diego has invested Department of Defense (DOD) money in head-mounted displays (HMDs) that deliver augmented reality to military and homeland security forces.
GEIA lead-free-solder guidelines to be released by early 2008
An aerospace industry group, working under the auspices of the Government Electronics Industries Association (GEIA), will release its guidelines on performance and qualification testing for lead-free solder during the first quarter of 2008, one of the group’s leaders announced in late March at the Military Technologies Conference (MTC) in Boston.
Technology refresh key for maintaining submarine fleet
U.S. Navy officials say that embracing commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology and shortening the technology refresh time for electronic payloads is crucial to maintaining the superiority of the fleet.
Military Technologies Conference a hit among attendees
I want to thank all of you who attended our Military Technologies Conference in Boston this year for supporting the event.
International Traffic in Arms Regulations discussed in depth at Military Technologies Conference
Adherence to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), although time-consuming, prevents costly mistakes that can lead to pricey fines and criminal prosecution.
DCGS Integrated Backbone deploys full year ahead of schedule
Next month the final of five core U.S. Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) sites will incorporate the DCGS Integrated Backbone (DIB), bringing on the DIB deployment one full year ahead of schedule and transforming common technologies into tools that bring added speed and lethality to intelligence data, say officials at the Air Force Electronic Systems Center (ESC).
In brief
Harris RF designers expand into networked sensors applications
Leaders of the Harris Corp. RF Communications Division in Rochester, N.Y., are making a strategic expansion into networked sensors applications to augment their state-of-the-art military radios that operate securely in bands ranging from HF to satellite communications.
Manned space missions, International Space station, get increases in 2008 NASA budget request
Officials at NASA are looking for increased funding for the International Space Station and manned space systems such as the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and other programs that fulfill President Bush’s goal of reaching the Moon by the end of the decade and then Mars and beyond.
Cisco develops smart robot nodes to maintain network connectivity while on the move
Engineers at networking expert Cisco Systems have developed small smart robots, which act as mobile communications relays, that sense when a wireless network user is moving out of range, and follow the user to maintain connectivity.
U.S. Navy officials announce milestones during Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition
U.S. Navy officials revealed several firsts at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition last month in Washington, including the acceptance and deployment of two new minesweeping warships and the debut of a research-and-development center.
Through with hydraulics? Think again
Just when you thought it was safe to start designing advanced aircraft without hydraulic fluid and its associated on-board plumbing systems, comes a pressing new need for other kinds of on-board aircraft fluids to deal with issues originally designed to make hydraulics a thing of the past.
Snecma uses Cedip Infrared camera to improve aircraft engine performance
Systems integrators at aircraft engine manufacturer Snecma in Villaroche, France, needed a camera for remote noncontact fatigue testing of engine turbine blades.
Lockheed Martin evaluating 360-degree surveillance camera from RemoteReality
Engineers at Lockheed Martin Corp. needed a smart surveillance camera with the ability to see 360 degrees horizontally in daylight or at night.
Electro-optics briefs
THE VIEW FROM EUROPE: European satellite navigation system loses its way as partners continue to squabble
Galileo, the satellite navigation system billed as Europe’s biggest joint technology project, has lost its way.
C-MAC MicroTechnology receives U.S. space electronics certification
C-MAC MicroTechnology, a high-reliability electronics provider in Wooburn Green, England, has earned the MIL-PRF-38534 Class K space accreditation from the U.S. Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) in Columbus, Ohio.
European briefs
MEMS-based gyros offer new options for precision guidance
Precision navigation aids are essential for aviation and smart munitions, as well as in autonomous land vehicles, robotics, and personal locators, to name just a few.
Flexible and wearable display technologies are critical to today’s dismounted soldiers
The U.S. Department of Defense is increasingly investing in the advancement of display technology for military applications.
VDC: Passive backplanes dominate, while active backplanes are on the rise
Passive backplane-based computer systems continue to dominate the embedded integrated computer systems market, say analysts at Venture Development Corp. (VDC) in Natick, Mass.
Silicon wafer shipments experience growth for the fifth consecutive year
Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased by 20 percent in 2006 when compared to 2005 area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in San Jose, Calif., in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry.
Mezzanine card market grows on strength of new form factors
The global market for merchant mezzanine/daughter cards will grow 13.3 percent annually through 2010 off the strength of several new form factors, say analysts at market researcher Venture Development Corp. (VDC) in Natick, Mass.
DDC announces MIL-STD-1553 PCI-104 card
Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y., is announcing a PCI-104 card with as many as four dual-redundant MIL-STD-1553 channels, five user-programmable digital discrete I/Os, selectable external or internal time-tag clock, and an IRIG-B time synchronization input.
North Atlantic offers single-slot multifunction 3U CompactPCI card
North Atlantic Industries (NAI) in Bohemia, N.Y., is offering an improved single-slot, 2-module, multifunction, 3U cPCI card that eliminates the complexity and size constraints of using multiple, independent, single-function cards.
5U MicroTCA shelf with pluggable fan trays
Elma Electronic Inc. in Fremont, Calif., is announcing a 5U MicroTCA shelf with pluggable fans trays and an air filter.
Hybricon offers high-power VPX REDI desktop chassis
Hybricon Corp. in Ayer, Mass., is releasing a VPX REDI desktop development platform for high-power VPX REDI boards.
FreeWave Technologies unveils FGRplus industrial digital radio
Officials of FreeWave Technologies in Boulder, Colo., are introducing the FGRplus digital radio system for systems integrators who need an industrial-grade high-speed Ethernet radio that operates in harsh and challenging RF environments.
Carlo Gavazzi offers Apollo and Saturn multiport serial controllers
Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions in Brockton, Mass., is announcing the latest versions of its multiport serial controllers, the Apollo (Model 4022P) and Saturn (Model 4522P).
MEN Micro offers FPGA-based development packages
MEN Micro Inc. in Ambler, Pa., is introducing development packages for M-Modules and PCI Mezzanine Cards (PMCs) that transform specialized I/O requirements into a series of standard products.
Barco introduces new line of avionics-grade mission display units
Barco in Kortrijk, Belgium, has brought out a new line of mission display units that combines the technology of high-performance cockpit displays with the cost-efficiency of cabin-grade airborne mission display solutions.
Curtiss-Wright PowerPC 3U CompactPCI single-board computer supports PMC I/O
Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing in Leesburg, Va., is introducing the SCP/DCP-124P rugged 3U CompactPCI (cPCI) single-board computer (SBC) that supports PICMG 2.3-compliant mapping of PMC I/O through the backplane.
Diversified Technology introduces ATCA node with second-generation AMD Opteron processor
Diversified Technology Inc. in Ridgeland, Miss., is offering the ATC6231 node board based on the dual-core second-generation AMD Opteron microprocessor.
VMETRO ships Virtex-5 LX FPGA-based PCI/PCI-X and PMC processor board
VMETRO in Houston is shipping Virtex-5 LX field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA)-based PCI/PCI-X and PMC reconfigurable computer boards for signal processing in applications from defense and signals intelligence to telecommunications infrastructure.
GE Fanuc unveils Intel Core Duo-based VME single-board computer
GE Fanuc Embedded Systems in Albuquerque, N.M., is introducing the 2 GHz V7865 Intel Core Duo Processor-based single-board computer (SBC).
Vicor offers line of V-I chip evaluation and validation boards
Vicor Corp. in Andover, Mass., is offering a line of 52 factorized-power-architecture (FPA) customer-evaluation and -validation boards, featuring BCM, PRM, and VTM V-I Chip power components.
LEA offers power-distribution panel for mobile satellite communications
LEA International in Tampa, Fla., is offering a power-distribution panel (PDP) that can accept three different voltage configurations.
COTS remote power controller
Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia, N.Y., is releasing a remote power controller (RPC) for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications.
V-I Chip power family in full production
Vicor Corp. in Andover, Mass., is offering a family of V-I Chip components, enabling complete power systems using Factorized Power Architecture (FPA), which separates or “factorizes” regulation and voltage transformation functions into flexible, high-performance building blocks.
PrismTech and Green Hills announce software-defined radio operating environment
PrismTech Corp. in Burlington, Mass., and Green Hills Software in Santa Barbara, Calif., announced a small, fast operating environment for software-defined radio (SDR).
Aonix enhances ObjectAda real-time software tools
Aonix in San Diego is releasing ObjectAda Real-Time RAVEN V8.3 for Windows platforms targeting PowerPC.
EAO offers rugged, vandal-proof pushbutton switch
EAO Switch Corp. in Milford, Conn., is offering the Series 56 rugged, vandal-proof pushbutton switch.
Boeing chooses Expand Networks’s Compass Platform for Orbital Express demonstration
Engineers at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems-Advanced Systems in St. Louis required a solution with which to test and optimize Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and telemetry data for satellite networks, in support the Orbital Express demonstration mission.
Trace Systems delivers systems integration and IT support to Army satellite systems program
Managers at D&S Consultants Inc. (D&SCI) of Freehold, N.J., were tasked with finding a technology company capable delivering information technology and tactical edge network services for the U.S. Army’s worldwide satellite systems (WWSS) program.
DHS selects Govplace IT offerings for FirstSource program
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s new FirstSource program is designed to consolidate information technology (IT) procurement across the department’s agencies.
ITT Corp. delivers high-resolution imagery for Army ISR applications
U.S. Air Force personnel needed a means for quickly locating and accessing critical imagery, both on the battlefield and off.
Ultra Electronics chooses Green Hills Integrity RTOS for line-of-sight radio
Ultra Electronics’ engineers sought a secure, reliable software platform upon which to upgrade the U.S. Army’s Area Common User System, Joint Network Node high-capacity line-of-sight radio, known as the AN/GRC-254(V) HCLOS.
Artel to provide satellite services to U.S. Central Command
Executives at the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) needed to furnish satellite services to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in support of U.S warfighters in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
Aero Simulation partners with Quantum3D to upgrade Navy training and mission-rehearsal tool
Executives at Aero Simulation Inc. (ASI) in Tampa, Fla., tasked with updating the U.S. Navy’s landing signal officer trainer (LSOT), partnered with Quantum3D Inc., a provider of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS), open-architecture, real-time 3D visual computing solutions based in San Jose, Calif.
Raytheon chooses RTI real-time middleware for U.S. Navy Destroyer program
Raytheon Company Integrated Defense Systems engineers in Tewksbury, Mass., required a solution to power the shipboard computing environment aboard the DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer.
Spectrum Signal Processing selected for French communication equipment test initiative
Engineers at the Centre D’ELectronique de l’Armement (CELAR)-an organization within the French Ministry of Defence and a technical test and evaluation center for communications, information security, and electronic warfare-sought products and services to help them advance their software defined radio (SDR) technology and software communication architecture (SCA) capabilities.
BAE Australia selects Synthetic Vision from Mercury for brownout landing system
BAE Systems Australia engineers investigated display solutions in the development of a rotorcraft brownout landing system.
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