Military & Aerospace
Military Connectors: A Primer
April 1, 2010 9:28 am | by Keith Teichmann, Worldwide Director of Marketing & Product Management, ITT Interconnect Solutions | Articles | CommentsSimilar to technology trends in other arenas, reduced size and weight, highly reliable materials, and greater functionality are in the forefront of connector design trends for the military market. Deployed in a variety of modern and “future soldier” applications, such as sophisticated command, control, communications, computer, and intelligence (C41) systems...
Lockheed Martin tests precision-guided missile system
March 31, 2010 9:56 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsLockheed Martin has successfully tested a tri-mode seeker for its Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) system. The advent of “Fourth Generation Warfare” has put renewed emphasis on reducing collateral damage. Thus, precision weapons systems have taken on prime importance.
IR detector provides dual visibility in multiple micron wavebands
March 31, 2010 6:15 am | Product Releases | CommentsSofradir, a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced infrared detectors for military, space and industrial applications, announced today that it has released Altair, a new dual-band MW-MW IR detector. Altair MWIR-MWIR operates in two mid-wave bandwidths, 3 – 4 micron and 4 – 5 micron, allowing users to better identify objects and thereby reduce the number of false threats identified.
Seven-Segment Numeric LED Display Performs in High Temps
March 30, 2010 2:32 pm | Product Releases | CommentsLumex launched QuasarBrite High-Temperature Seven-Segment numeric LED Display technology capable of providing bright, crisp display performance in temperature ranges up to 105°C. The new ¼ Watt LED displays are
Card Enables Thermal Dynamics Testing in ATR Enclosures
March 29, 2010 1:20 pm | Product Releases | CommentsSIE Computing Solutions Inc., announced an ATR thermal load card designed for testing thermal dynamics in a conduction-cooled environment. The 3U x 160 mm SIE ATR thermal load card is configurable by power loads ranging from 12 W, 25 W, 50 W, and up to 200 W, and can accommodate
Space firms relaunch commercial rocket program
March 26, 2010 9:26 am | News | CommentsLockheed Martin and Alliant Techsystems Inc said on Thursday they were teaming up to build and sell a booster rocket known as Athena, hoping to tap into a growing market for small satellites. The joint venture restructures and re-introduces for commercial sale a booster that flew seven times between 1995 and 2001 with five successful missions...
NASA pays sky-high $66 a person for seminar snacks
March 26, 2010 9:09 am | News | CommentsThe nation's space agency paid the out-of-this-world price of $66 a person a day for bagels, cookies and juice at a conference, a new report found. The subject of the NASA conference? It was a training session for its procurement officials - the people who do the buying with taxpayer funds.
Faster, cheaper chips from space technology
March 26, 2010 9:05 am | News | CommentsOur world is full of integrated semiconductor circuits, commonly known as microchips. Today you find them in computers, cars, mobile phones and in almost every electrical device. Technology from ESA’s XMM-Newton space telescope will make these chips much smaller, faster and cheaper.
DARPA fields small arms detection system for helos
March 25, 2010 7:39 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is developing a system that will assist helicopter crews in pinpointing the source of small arms fire. HALTT uses advanced acoustic detection and data processing to “exploit the supersonic shock wave produced by a bullet in flight.” In other words, it would detect the “snap,” “hiss,” or “crack” of a bullet.
UK military incorporates Virtual Reality Parachute Trainers
March 24, 2010 10:34 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe UK’s Ministry of Defence has purchased Virtual Reality Parachute Trainers (VRPT) for the Parachute Training School at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. The contract with Gloucestershire-based Pennant Training Systems Limited is for the design, manufacture, and installation of eight Virtual Trainers.
ESA highlights online games as key future technology
March 24, 2010 7:30 am | News | CommentsVideo gaming has become one of the globe’s most popular pastimes. Fans say games are often educational, their detractors answer they are anything but. Might ESA have something to learn from gaming? A new Agency study says the answer is yes.
To Mars and back – as real as it gets
March 24, 2010 7:27 am | News | CommentsA crew of six, including two Europeans, will soon begin a simulated mission to Mars in a mockup that includes an interplanetary spaceship, Mars lander and martian landscape. The Mars500 experiment, as long as a real journey to Mars, is a test of human endurance.
Britain to set up new space agency
March 23, 2010 8:39 am | News | CommentsBritain will set up a new space agency next month to exploit an industry that appears to have defied the recession and shows huge potential for growth, the government said on Tuesday. The UK Space Agency will oversee the development of satellites, robotics and other advanced technology and may one day join international missions to explore Mars, the Moon and asteroids.
Army goes “green” with electric vehicles
March 23, 2010 8:17 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsFort Sam Houston received 20 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) in January as part of a larger plan to replace petroleum-based DoD vehicles with more “energy-efficient” transportation. The Army plans on replacing up to 28,000 gas-powered ground support vehicles with electric vehicles at more than 155 Army installations worldwide.
VSS Enterprise takes first captive test flight
March 23, 2010 5:20 am | News | CommentsVirgin Galactic announced that VSS Enterprise has completed her inaugural captive carry flight from Mojave Air and Spaceport.
ESA and Thales Alenia Space enter negotiations for MTG
March 22, 2010 7:37 am | News | CommentsThe tendering process that will result in the supply of Europe's next series of meteorological satellites, Meteosat Third Generation, has reached an advanced stage as ESA invites Thales Alenia Space to enter formal contract negotiations.
France obtains micro UAVs
March 22, 2010 6:43 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe French Special Forces Command is now equipped with an unspecified number of Skylark 1 and Wasp Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The French Armament Procurement Agency (Direction générale de l'armement, DGA) made the handoff on March 8th...
Indian Army develops chili grenade
March 19, 2010 10:06 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsNow here’s some news tailor-made for a Friday: the Indian Army is developing a “chili grenade.” Packed with bhut jolokia peppers (aka the world’s hottest chili pepper), these special grenades will be used as non-lethal munition. Check your calendars, folks. It isn’t April 1st yet.
Transit Rack Cases Comply to MIL-STD 810F
March 17, 2010 6:39 am | Product Releases | CommentsOptima EPS, an Elma Company, has announced transit rack cases for safe and reliable transport of electronic systems in rugged environments. The first in the line of the company’s E-TR cases come in 4U and 12U heights. The cases feature
Do gamers make better soldiers?
March 17, 2010 5:54 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsFindings by the Office of Naval Research indicate that video games improve overall perceptual and cognitive abilities. While nothing new—the claim is nearly as old as Pac-Man, the irregular warfare we face today makes it more relevant than ever. Since Pong, video games have been castigated for everything from school truancy, to school shootings, to even global warming.
Army to hit one million unmanned flight hours
March 10, 2010 12:30 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsTraditionally pegged as a ground force, the Army is approaching an historic milestone: one million flight hours for its Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). According to COL Christopher Carlile, director, U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence, the Army will hit one million UAS flight hours some time next month.
Video games and the military: Engaging the “tech generation”
March 9, 2010 9:10 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsFor good or ill, the military is often indistinguishable from a large corporation. While “employees” must conform to the company’s modus operandi, the company must engage its employees on their terms. In this day and age, that means technology. Thus, the military increasingly relies on video games and computers to recruit and train its “employees.”
Scientists wowed by Mars orbiter performance
March 5, 2010 9:42 am | News | CommentsScientists are impressed with the flood of data beamed back by NASA's most advanced Mars orbiter. The space agency said Wednesday the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has sent back 100 terabits of information since 2006. That's equal to about 3 million songs in MP3 format.
Compact Enclosures Suit a Wide Range of Applications
March 5, 2010 6:42 am | Product Releases | CommentsElma Electronic Inc. offers a family of modular enclosures in a compact size. The MiniBox 34 serves a wide range of applications including medical, communications, industrial, test and measurement, military/aerospace, and other markets. Its construction allows
Secure Interconnects Are Designed for Defense Forces
March 4, 2010 12:48 pm | Product Releases | CommentsFischer Connectors announced secure interconnect solutions designed for Defense Forces: Fischer UltiMate Military Connectors Line. First within this line, the new Fischer LandForce Series offers compact, rugged, lightweight circular connectors for an improved protection of
