McHale Report – October 2017
October 2017

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


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Feature

Software-defined networking: On-the-fly agility, security
Software-defined networking: On-the-fly agility, security

When it comes to securing the Department of Defense's massive networks, software-defined networking (SDN) can help protect vulnerable legacy and custom-developed network infrastructure.


New Module with 36 wideband & narrowband DDCs

The Jade Model 71862 includes four 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D channels and a unique combination of 36 programmable multiband DDCs for both wideband and narrowband frequency monitoring. This combination works best in applications that need to scan a wide spectrum but quickly adapt to frequencies of interest for further analysis.


Top Stories

First task order awarded on Army high-energy-laser contract
First task order awarded on Army high-energy-laser contract

QWK Integrated Solutions, a joint venture of defense contractor Vencore and engineering and IT provider Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, has won the High Energy Laser Technical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD) task order on the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (USASMDC/ARSTRAT), Design, Development, Demonstration and Integration (D3I) program Domain 1 contract.


U.S. Navy's first stealth fighter conducts operations on USS Carl Vinson
U.S. Navy's first stealth fighter conducts operations on USS Carl Vinson

USS CARL VINSON, off the coast of southern California. An F-35C Lightning II, the Navy variant of the Joint Strike Fighter and the Navy's first stealth fighter jet, landed on and launched from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during recent day and nighttime operations, the latest steps in its journey to becoming an operationally capable aircraft.


Nano-sized drone ordered by Australian army
Nano-sized drone ordered by Australian army

FLIR Systems has signed a $6.8 million firm-fixed-price order to deliver Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRSs) in support of the Australian Army. The nanodrone-sized units delivered under this contract will support platoon- and troop- level organic surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.


Hypersonic Advanced Full Range Engine contract awarded by DARPA
Hypersonic Advanced Full Range Engine contract awarded by DARPA

Aerojet Rocketdyne has signed an agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and ground-test an innovative propulsion system under DARPA's Advanced Full Range Engine (AFRE) program.


U.S. Navy orders multimode radars for Coast Guard patrol cutters
U.S. Navy orders multimode radars for Coast Guard patrol cutters

Saab Defense and Security has obtained a contract from the U.S. Navy to provide its Sea Giraffe Agile Multi Beam (AMB), Multi-Mode Radar (MMR) for deployment with the U.S. Coast Guard. The value of the initial order -- covering the procurement of two systems -- amounts to $16.8 million but with options for additional radars the contract may be worth as much as $118.5 million.


DARPA reports its new radar sensor captures real-time video in any weather
DARPA reports its new radar sensor captures real-time video in any weather

Officials from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) report that the agency's Video Synthetic Aperture Radar (ViSAR) program recently completed flight tests, successfully demonstrating a new sensor that can capture real-time video through clouds.


Missile sensor prototype will use Lockheed Martin's GaN transmitter technology
Missile sensor prototype will use Lockheed Martin's GaN transmitter technology

Department of Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) officials selected Lockheed Martin for the technology maturation of Lower Tier Air & Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) prototypes.


ST Kinetics, SAIC team up to develop ground combat vehicle prototype
ST Kinetics, SAIC team up to develop ground combat vehicle prototype

ST Kinetics and Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) are partnering to rapidly develop combat vehicle prototypes to meet the U.S. Army's need as part of the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) program. The goal is to develop and integrate a vehicle that offers the Army an innovative solution that provides infantry forces access to combat environments in 21st century operations.


Blogs & Columns

U.S. Army Research Laboratory models predict cyber intrusions
U.S. Army Research Laboratory models predict cyber intrusions

Researchers from the Army Research Laboratories (ARL) have found that the number of cyber intrusions into a system can be predicted, particularly if analysts are already observing activities on a company or government organization's computer network.


Visiting Old Ironsides
Visiting Old Ironsides

One of the benefits of living near Boston is the proximity to U.S. history, especially the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy. Visiting the ancient warship, also known as Old Ironsides, is an activity I prefer to do on a quiet Sunday morning before the tourists hit, as I did this August.


Military MRO: Solving the maintenance skills shortage with augmented reality
Military MRO: Solving the maintenance skills shortage with augmented reality

Maintaining sophisticated military equipment across land, sea, and air is a difficult enough challenge when the required resources are readily available. How can the military balance equipment availability with a reactive and compliant maintenance strategy and supply chain when the number of skilled engineers is limited? The use of augmented reality can help the military deliver maintenance expertise from and to anywhere in the world.


FourBlock
FourBlock

Each issue in this section, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems will highlight a different charity that benefits military veterans and their families. This issue we are highlighting FourBlock, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to act as the country's local network for leading veteran professionals.


Artificial intelligence (AI)…and artificial stupidity (AS)
Artificial intelligence (AI)…and artificial stupidity (AS)

Isaac Asimov first published the three laws for super-intelligent robots in 1942, and we are ignoring them. Although Department of Defense (DoD) directive 3000.09, dated November 2012, says that a human must always pull the trigger or press the button on our weapons, we violated that when we created the Phalanx CIWS and the Aegis missile defense system, although those weapons are defensive. Now, everybody with a lot of money, or a lot of education, is claiming that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will take us to a "singularity," sometime between 2020 and 2040, where machines become exponentially smarter than humans. At that point, the machines and killer robots will eliminate humans and take over the world.



Modernization, COTS, and open standards hot in growing U.S. Army electronics market
Modernization, COTS, and open standards hot in growing U.S. Army electronics market

Every month the McHale Report will host an online roundtable with experts from the defense electronics industry – from major prime contractors to defense component suppliers. Each roundtable will explore topics important to the military embedded electronics market. This month we discuss the upturn in the defense market, hot application and technology areas for the U.S. Army, and COTS procurement with exhibitors from the Association of the U.S. Army's (AUSA) Annual Meeting held earlier this month in Washington.



Markets & Business Deals

General Atomics acquires electromechanical technologies company></a></td>
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General Atomics acquires electromechanical technologies company

General Atomics announced that it has acquired Syntronics (Fredericksburg, Virginia), a developer and manufacturer of custom electromechanical technologies including projectile and missile guidance systems, in-flight and ground-based shock-resistant instrumentation, and related software technologies. The acquired company will become part of General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS).






Army invites companies to sign on to VICTORY C4ISR/EW interoperability drive></a></td>
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Army invites companies to sign on to VICTORY C4ISR/EW interoperability drive

The U.S. Army has issued a special notice inviting nonmembers to join the Vehicular Integration for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance/Electronic Warfare interoperability (VICTORY) standards program.


Small solar UAS deemed compliant, says Canadian transport authority></a></td>
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Small solar UAS deemed compliant, says Canadian transport authority

The Silent Falcon small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) from Silent Falcon UAS Technologies has been added to Transport Canada's list of "Compliant Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)", a distinction allowing Silent Falcon to issue Statements of Conformity to its Canadian customers seeking to become what Canada calls Compliant UAV Operators.


Microsemi agrees to acquire Vectron, a high-performance timing business></a></td>
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Microsemi agrees to acquire Vectron, a high-performance timing business

Officials at Microsemi Corp. entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the high-performance timing business of Vectron International, a Knowles company, for $130 million.


Market study: Defense industry responsible for growth in UGV market></a></td>
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Market study: Defense industry responsible for growth in UGV market

The highest demand for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) has come from the defense industry in the last several years, according to a recent market analysis from ASDReports titled "Global Unmanned Ground Vehicle Market - Analysis and Forecast (2016-2023)," a comprehensive study of the of the key development strategies and market-trend dynamics occurring in the UGV market.


MACOM sells its compute business from its recent acquisition of AppliedMicro></a></td>
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MACOM sells its compute business from its recent acquisition of AppliedMicro

Officials at MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc. entered into an agreement to sell the compute business it acquired in its AppliedMicro acquisition earlier this year to Project Denver Holdings LLC (NewCo), a new company backed by The Carlyle Group. Under the terms of the sale, MACOM will be issued a minority equity ownership interest in NewCo.


Webcast: Safety certification for unmanned aircraft Nov 15, 2pm Est></a></td>
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Webcast: Safety certification for unmanned aircraft Nov 15, 2pm Est

Avionics safety certification experts are gathering next week for a webcast titled "Safety Certification Key to Sharing the Sky for Avionics and UAVs." These speakers will look at the challenges involved in enabling the same safety certification of hardware and software for unmanned aircraft that manned aircraft meet. The webcast, hosted by Military Embedded Systems online and OpenSystems Media, will be held on November 15 at 2 pm Est.


Advanced Microelectronics Center open house highlights defense security and job growth></a></td>
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Advanced Microelectronics Center open house highlights defense security and job growth

Mercury Systems recently celebrated the opening of its fourth Advanced Microelectronics Center (AMC), located in Phoenix, Arizona. The open house event highlighted the continuing security challenges in the defense arena, as well as the job growth that the center promises to provide Phoenician residents.




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