The McHale Report Logo

December 2019

 
 
 
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The McHale Report, by mil-embedded.com Editorial Director John McHale, covers technology and procurement trends in the defense and aerospace electronics community.

View our archive of recent and past issues of the McHale Report e-mail newsletter.

 
 
Kontron
 
 
 
SPECIAL REPORT
 
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Robots can help the military – on land, at sea, in the sky, and in space – and the U.S. Department of Defense is slowly establishing some guidelines for their ethical use.
 
 
TOP STORY
 
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Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems won a $13.1 million contract for the U.S. Air Force to purchase and test an additional high-energy laser weapon system (HELWS), adding a third to be deployed for testing, the Department of Defense announced.
 
 
 
 
TOP STORY
 
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As the trend in the development of new radar systems shifts away from dish antennas and towards active electronically steered arrays (AESA), there is a growing need for high-power signal amplification distributed across the array. Whereas mechanically steered dish radars can use a single high-power amplifier to drive the antenna, AESA systems require multiple, compact power amplifiers. Achieving this level of high output power in a small space requires a solution with high power density and wide bandwidth – an ideal use case for gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology.
 
 
COLUMN
 
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The C4ISR/EW [electronic warfare] Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) is defined by the Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR (Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) Center. The suite of open architecture industry and U.S. Army standards included in CMOSS enables the reduction of C4ISR system size, weight, and power (SWaP) and facilitates commonality across multiple platforms by enabling the sharing of hardware and software components.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The RTR 2654 combines the power of a Pentek Talon Recording System with a 25.6 GHz RF tuner and Pentek's Sentinel intelligent signal scanning, monitoring and detection software. The RTR 2654 automatically scans the RF spectrum from 800 MHz to 26.5 GHz for signals of interest and monitor or record bandwidths up to 500 MHz wide, making it very suitable for military, security and government intelligence (SIGINT, COMINT and ELINT) applications.
 
 
 
 
 
TOP STORY
 
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CACI Inc.-Federal won a $9.9 million contract to develop prototypes for a combined-arms squad for the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense announced. The contract covers design, development, and validation of prototypes for a combined arms squad, the Pentagon said.
 
 
MARKETS
 
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The global counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) market -- estimated to stand at approximately $1.8 billion in 2020, is expected to grow to $5.47 billion by 2028, according to a new study from Market Forecast, "Global Counter-UAV (C-UAV) Systems -- Market and Technology Forecast to 2028."
 
 
 
 
EDITOR'S PERSPECTIVE
 
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Each year, my autumn is marked by the sight of falling leaves, quiet drives through Pennsylvania farmland visiting defense suppliers, and far-from-solitary walks through the Washington, D.C, convention center. I say “far from solitary” as I’m accompanied by the thousands that attend the October defense-industry shows in the nation’s capital. Thankfully, the quiet countryside drive follows the walk through the booths – a nice respite from the buzzing show floors.
 
 
GUEST BLOG
 
Today’s technology allows gamers to wage battles against players around the world through immersive, cross-platform play. Beyond entertainment, this type of cross-platform, virtual technology could revolutionize the way the U.S. Army trains.
 
 
 
 
TOP STORY
 
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The U.S. Army and Northrop Grumman Corp. report successful simultaneous engagement of two incoming target cruise missiles during a flight test using the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) battle command system (IBCS).

 
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MARKETS
 
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The global naval sonar market -- valued at $2.2 billion in 2019 -- is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.76% to reach a value of $2.9 billion by 2029, according to a recent report from GlobalData.
 
 
MIL TECH TRENDS
 
Power-supply designers for military applications face the same reduced cost, size, and weight challenges as other military electronics suppliers. These restrictions can make innovation complicated, but power supply experts innovate nonetheless – in areas like power efficiency, balancing standardization versus customization, intelligent power supplies, and – perhaps most importantly – securing the digital interfaces of modern power supplies.
 
 
 
 
TOP STORY
 
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Defense designers face many different challenges in developing directed-energy weaponry, which can employ either laser, particle-beam, or high-power microwave (HPM)/radio frequency (RF) technologies. One feature that these three directed-energy weaponry technology categories have in common is the need for high electric power following implementation of high-voltage solutions. Directed-energy weapon designers benefit by understanding the different challenges that high voltages impose on electrical interconnects and how to solve them.
 
 
TOP STORY
 
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The Russian military demonstrated its new hypersonic nuclear missile for a team of inspectors from the United States, as part of a bilateral arms control treaty, the Kremlin said. Officials also said the Avangard missile system was announced last year and has been in development for most of 2019. Military officials claim the missile is highly mobile and can outsmart U.S. missile defenses.
 
 
 
 
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
 
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The Sensor Open Systems Architecture'S (SOSA'S) goal is to make high-performance sensor platforms easier to design, more interoperable, and upgradable at the modular level throughout a platform’s life. Even though the standard is still under development, it is already having a substantial impact on the development of new sensor systems.
 
 
TOP STORY
 
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Bell Boeing announced that it has delivered the first modified MV-22 Osprey to the U.S. Marine Corps. Bell Boeing recently won a $146 million contract for upgrades and maintenance on the MV-22 aircraft.
 
 
 
Interface Concept
 
 
 
MARKETS
 
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Swarm technology is rising in popularity in the military drone or unmanned aerial system (UAS) market due to its cost efficiency and high capability for firepower, according to a new market report from The Business Research Company, "Military Drones Global Market Report 2019."
 
 
TOP STORY
 
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5G testing at Hill Air Force Base in Ogsen, Utah will focus on using the technology in congested environments with high-power, mid-band radars, the base announced. The base was selected for its ability to provide streamlined access to site spectrum bands, mature fiber, and wireless infrastructure, as well as support for new infrastructure requirements and the ability to conduct controlled experimentation with high-power radars, according to a news release.
 
 
 
 
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Aerojet Rocketdyne has finished a series of subscale propulsion-system test firings as part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) effort to develop a ground-launched hypersonic missile for tactical use.

 
 
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
 
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The recent tri-service memorandum requiring modular open system approaches (MOSAs) to be deployed in all future defense systems is aimed at putting the best technology into the hands of the warfighters faster. Take a look at how designers are meeting tri-service requirements by moving past commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) to MOSA.

 
 
 
 
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Solar technology startup, mPower Technology, announced that it won a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center. The award builds on a Phase I SBIR program and enables mPower Technology to develop and test solar modules for soldier portable and shelter power applications.

 
 
TOP STORY
 
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BAE Systems Land & Armaments received a $249.2 million contract to provide ammunition and support for self-propelled Howitzer vehicles for the U.S. Army. The new deal adds funds to an ongoing production contract, originally awarded in March 2017, to build and deliver M109A7s and M992A3s for the Army.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Expert Speaker: Expert Speaker: Dr. Ilya Lipkin, Steering Committee Chair, Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Consortium, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCM).
Sponsored by: Annapolis Micro Systems, Elma Electronic, Kontron, Pentek
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