Lost Fire Scout incident called ‘learning experience’
The flight of a U.S. Navy unmanned helicopter into restricted airspace near the nation’s capital after operators lost control of the aircraft was a “learning experience” that is unlikely to hurt efforts to integrate unmanned planes into commercial airspace, industry and military officials said.
August 27, 2010

More unmanned flights expected in Iraq
The withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq will not correlate to a reduction in flights of unmanned aircraft, and in fact the flight hours will rise, according to U.S. Army officials speaking at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference in Denver.
August 26, 2010

Allies test new role for AWACS
During this month’s Empire Challenge intelligence sharing demonstration in Arizona, the crew of a NATO E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft controlled a ScanEagle remotely controlled plane from a work station installed on the AWACS.
August 25, 2010

U.S. Navy, Marines choose next tactical UAV
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have chosen Insitu’s 135-pound Integrator unmanned aircraft as their next small tactical reconnaissance plane, ending an industry competition that had lasted almost a year longer than originally planned.
July 30, 2010

Boeing makes case for Phantom Eye
Boeing, which unveiled its hydrogen-fueled Phantom Eye unmanned aircraft in a ceremony in July, is beginning to lay out a strategic case for the larger, operational version it hopes to sell to prospective intelligence customers.
July 16, 2010

Ground truth
For nearly two decades, NATO members have dreamed of fielding a fleet of ground surveillance aircraft that would be similar to the U.S Air Force’s Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft in their ability to map features beneath the clouds and spot moving vehicles.
July 01, 2010

U.S. shifts Empire Challenge venue
Organizers of the multinational Empire Challenge intelligence sharing demonstration have moved the event’s 2010 headquarters to Fort Huachuca, Ariz., to better reflect conditions in Afghanistan, U.S. Joint Forces Command announced June 18 after concluding a planning conference.
June 18, 2010

Winner selected in American airship competition
The U.S. Army has selected Northrop Grumman to build the giant airships it plans to rush to Afghanistan as a new persistent surveillance technology, the Army confirmed today.
June 14, 2010

U.S. puts hold on video management upgrade
U.S. Central Command has said “no thanks” to a $29 million system of video management computers and software that Joint Forces Command had planned to start sending to Afghanistan in April.
May 26, 2010

Report: China, Russia could see X-37B as threat
An international think tank has published a report questioning the military usefulness of the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B military space plane and suggesting that the ongoing orbital experiment could inspire other space-faring nations to develop countermeasures.
May 21, 2010

Next-generation GPS satellite ready for launch
When the first of the Boeing-built Global Positioning System 2F satellites blasts off toward orbit May 21, the launch will close a long chapter of delays for Boeing and the U.S. Air Force on the program.
May 12, 2010

Companies announce larger unmanned helicopter
Northrop Grumman and Bell Helicopter announced today that they have designed an unmanned helicopter that would be capable of carrying five times more payload than the Fire Scout helicopters Northrop has sold to the U.S. Navy.
May 03, 2010

U.S. space plane starts orbital test
The U.S. Air Force launched its X-37B space plane April 22 atop an Atlas 5 rocket to test the spacecraft’s utility as a payload carrier.
April 23, 2010

U.S. general details intel failure in ambush
A U.S. general has described details of the intelligence and planning shortcomings he says contributed to the deadliness of a Taliban ambush at a remote outpost in Afghanistan in October.
April 16, 2010

New Aegis processor passes multi-target tracking test
Lockheed Martin has completed testing of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system’s ability to track multiple targets using the Multi-Mission Signal Processor (MMSP).
April 14, 2010

U.S. Navy takes delivery of first P-8A Poseidon
Boeing delivered the first P-8A Poseidon, slated to be the U.S. Navy’s new sub-hunter, to the Navy on April 10, according to the Navy.
April 13, 2010

Former U.S. intel director criticizes cyberdefense ‘baby steps’
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.: Former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell told an audience here that Defense Secretary Robert Gates turned aside a key cyberdefense management recommendation during McConnell's tenure, which ended days after President Obama took office.
April 12, 2010

USAF Liberty aircraft operating in Afghanistan
The U.S. Air Force has deployed an MC-12W Liberty ISR plane to southern Afghanistan for the first time.
April 12, 2010

New video computers to be sent to Afghanistan within weeks
The U.S. is about to send the first in a new line of video-crunching computers to Afghanistan for a real-world assessment, but the military has not yet identified a suitable site for the large bank of computers that would link the computers into a video-sharing online network, officials at Joint Forces Command said.
March 17, 2010

U.S. Air Force warns of increased launch costs
The U.S. Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office could face major increases in the cost of launching satellites as a result of the Obama administration’s decision to cancel NASA’s shuttle replacement program, a top Air Force official said.
March 12, 2010

U.S. officials nearly done with lessons-learned report from Christmas bombing
U.S. counterterrorism leaders are weeks away from delivering a report to the White House that will propose steps to prevent attacks like the failed Christmas day bombing in Detroit, said Timothy Healy, director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center.
March 10, 2010

U.S. Navy selects Lockheed, Northrop to compete for network upgrade effort
The U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Command (SPAWAR) selected Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman on March 4 to pursue the final phase of the billion-dollar competition to upgrade the computer networks on more than 200 ships and shore sites, Navy spokesman Steve Davis said.
March 05, 2010

Raytheon picked to modernize GPS control system
The U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center has selected Raytheon to upgrade the control segment of the GPS constellation, the service announced today.
February 26, 2010

U.S. Air Force cites SBIRS satellite progress
U.S. Air Force engineers have completed the first round of ground testing on the second Space-based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile-warning satellite, according to the Air Force.
February 24, 2010

L-3 rolls out first production Viking 400
L-3 Communications unveiled the first production model Viking 400 unmanned air vehicle (UAV) at its Easton, Md. facility, Feb. 19.
February 19, 2010

USAF space commander wants to be part of proposed tracking satellite program
The U.S. Air Force’s space commander wants his service to be part of a proposed new Missile Defense Agency program called the Precision Tracking Space System (PTSS).
February 18, 2010

Raytheon’s networked anti-ship bomb links with Joint STARS
Raytheon has demonstrated the ability of a datalink aboard its new maritime glider bomb to communicate with a Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft.
February 18, 2010

Thales common tactical radio to be installed on Swedish vehicles
The Swedish Armed Forces has selected Thales to provide its SOTAS IP-based vehicle intercom for tactical communications for several Swedish Army vehicles.
February 18, 2010

Boeing’s sub-hunter gets the shake-down
Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon, the sub-hunter set to begin replacing the U.S. Navy’s P-3 Orion in 2013, completed stores ground vibration testing Feb 5.
February 17, 2010

U.S. Navy close to awarding CANES contracts
The U.S. Navy is planning to award contracts as early as Feb. 19 to two companies to pursue the final phase of the billion-dollar competition to upgrade the computer networks on more than 200 ships, Navy spokesman Steve Davis said by e-mail.
February 16, 2010

Need an air strike? There’s an app for that
New offerings from Raytheon — militarized iPhones, iPod Touches, and Android-powered smartphones — can display full-motion video, store multiple applications and grant access to the Defense Department’s new Distributed Common Ground System intelligence-sharing network.
February 02, 2010

Modernized ship, aircraft radios pass review
Lockheed Martin recently completed a five-week critical design review for the aircraft-, ship- and shore-based radios it will manufacture under the U.S. Joint Tactical Radio System program, clearing the way for preparations for a hardware demonstration by the end of the year, the company reported.
January 11, 2010

U.S. intelligence cites progress on Internet-like integration service
The Obama administration has concluded that a lack of “information sharing” was not a factor that allowed the Detroit bomber to get on a commercial airliner, but the administration only recently began establishing a searchable, Internet-like network for intelligence analysts and policy makers.
January 08, 2010

U.S. intel chief wants quicker distribution, stronger ‘technical performance’
A statement issued late Thursday by the top U.S. intelligence official suggests that technical shortcomings in the intelligence process might have contributed to the failure of analysis cited in the official White House review of the Detroit underwear bomber incident.
January 08, 2010

U.S. to improve GPS coverage of Afghanistan
The U.S. will reposition GPS satellites to maximize coverage and accuracy globally, but especially over Afghanistan, U.S. Strategic Command announced Jan. 7.
January 07, 2010

New IED sensors installed at Kandahar Airfield
NATO has delivered Advanced Counter Improvised Explosive Device sensors to security personnel at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, the alliance announced Jan. 5.
January 05, 2010

U.S. Afghanistan intelligence chief wants new focus
The top U.S. and allied intelligence commander in Afghanistan wants to establish district-level “Stability Operations Information Centers” to provide political decision makers with the kind of highly localized information he says is critical for waging a successful counterinsurgency in Afghanistan.
January 05, 2010

Experimental UAV sets endurance record
For 26 hours and one minute — that’s how long the Ion Tiger circled nonstop over Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
November 30, 2009

U.S. Navy accelerates setup of ISR organization
The U.S. Navy has been planning to establish a bureaucratically powerful “information dominance” organization since at least June, but a Navy document shows that key ISR positions within the new group remained unfilled shortly before its Nov. 2 official start-up.
November 23, 2009

Changes in store for Valiant Angel video effort
U.S. Joint Forces Command has reached a verbal agreement with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) to transfer responsibility for the Valiant Angel video management initiative to NGA sometime around 2012, with a formal agreement still to be negotiated and signed, a U.S. military official said.
November 09, 2009

BAE names partners in U.S. Navy competition
BAE Systems has announced the corporate team that will compete to improve the U.S. Navy’s ship and shore-based intelligence stations after the initial deployment of the equipment and software in 2010.
November 06, 2009

SBIRS program faces new 12- to 18-month delay
Omaha, Neb. — The U.S. Air Force’s embattled Space Based Infrared System program faces another delay — this time of 12 to 18 months, according to defense and industry officials.
November 03, 2009

Estonia offers cyber expertise, Afghanistan advice to Gates
Estonia plans to contribute some additional “niche capabilities” related to cyberspace and information operations to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan but no new troops, said Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo following a Pentagon meeting Nov. 3 with Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
November 03, 2009

Chilton: U.S. needs more ready-to-launch satellites
OMAHA, Neb. — U.S. Strategic Command chief Gen. Kevin Chilton said Nov. 3 he would give up new, state-of-the-art space systems to swell the number of satellites the military could launch as needs arise.
November 03, 2009

Lockheed tries to whet U.K. appetite for new IR sensor
Lockheed Martin has equipped one of its 8-pound Desert Hawk unmanned aircraft with an infrared detector capable of swiveling 360 degrees, and the company is demonstrating the aircraft to British officials at Camp Roberts, Calif.
October 08, 2009

Info-sharing PDA has multiple applications
Lockheed Martin has is featuring a new advanced information-sharing PDA system at its booth at AUSA 2009.
October 07, 2009

Cobham tests comms network in diamond mine
Cobham is in the final test phases of its IP Mesh network system and has successfully implemented Phase 1 of the system in a South African diamond mine.
October 07, 2009

Sniper detection systems en route to Iraq, Afghanistan
The U.S. Army has requested 235 additional sniper detection systems be delivered for use in Iraq and Afghanistan.
October 06, 2009

Army: Next night-vision goggle contract likely split 2 ways
The U.S. Army is likely to hire two contractors to manufacture the next batch of image-fusing night-vision goggles beyond the 13,000 the service plans to buy from ITT, said Wayde W. Thomka, the Army’s deputy product manager for sensors and lasers.
October 06, 2009

Jordan looks to fast-track networked border security system
The Jordanian government is seeking an accelerated program for the integration of its new border security network.
October 05, 2009

L-3 Communications pursues UAV market as prime
In a major new business strategy for the company, L-3 Communications is developing a family of unmanned aerial vehicles for which it will build and support the platforms as well as provide the onboard sensors.
October 05, 2009

Afghanistan video-sharing contract announced
NATO has hired Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems and Solutions to provide a full-motion-video (FMV) sharing service for allied forces in Afghanistan, NATO announced Oct. 2.
October 02, 2009

Anti-missile eyes reach orbit
The U.S. has launched a pair of satellites designed to demonstrate an ability to track missiles from space and feed the readings into the country’s anti-missile command-and-control system, the Missile Defense Agency announced Sept. 25.
September 25, 2009

Survey says: Computerized intelligence tools lag, and so does U.S.
Voice communications, e-mail, chat and instant messaging are more effective tools for international defense collaboration than intelligence applications; Canada and the United Kingdom are better coalition partners than the United States.
September 25, 2009

U.S. Air Force chief cool to proposed ISR command
The U.S. Air Force’s top uniformed leader said his “personal preference” runs against establishing an ISR major command within the service, a proposal revealed recently by the service’s intelligence chief, Lt. Gen. David Deptula.
September 22, 2009

Gates: No new cyber-eavesdropping agency
With the Obama administration’s cyber policy in limbo, Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed what he called a “personal opinion” that the United States does not have the money or people to set up a separate National Security Agency to secure cyberspace on the U.S. home front.
September 17, 2009

Northrop, U.S. Coast Guard prepare Fire Scout for radar demo
The U.S. Coast Guard plans to watch a demonstration of a radar-equipped Fire Scout helicopter to assess whether the unmanned aircraft might widen the reconnaissance circles around the guard’s new cutters, the Coast Guard’s acquisition chief said September 10.
September 10, 2009

Valiant Angel video contract announced
Lockheed Martin has won the competition to develop the Valiant Angel video system, the U.S. military’s answer to the entertainment industry’s ability to conjure up old videos instantly, Joint Forces Command announced Sept. 1.
September 01, 2009

U.S. Marine Corps requests throwable reconnaissance robot
The U.S. Marine Corps is requesting rapid fielding of a family of robots to include a 10-pound, throwable version for reconnaissance, a Marine Corps officer said Aug. 12 at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference in Washington, D.C.
August 13, 2009

Boeing, Schiebel team up to market unmanned Camcopter in U.S.
Boeing and Schiebel Industries have signed a teaming agreement to market Schiebel’s S-100 Camcopter to the U.S. military, company officials announced Aug. 11 at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Conference in Washington, D.C.
August 11, 2009

U.S. Air Force’s unmanned aircraft plan focuses on survivability
The U.S. Air Force wants the planned successor to its Reaper aircraft, called the MQ-X, to be capable of flying even when the U.S. does not have complete control of the airspace, Air Force officials said in releasing their long-term development plan for unmanned aircraft.
July 23, 2009

Empire Challenge organizers take on the high-definition problem
RIDGECREST, Calif. — For the first time, an airborne high-definition video camera is feeding imagery into the U.S. and NATO intelligence network as part of the annual Empire Challenge ISR interoperability demonstration based at the Navy’s China Lake range in the Mojave Desert.
July 21, 2009

Insitu’s Integrator UAV meant to capitalize on ScanEagle
Insitu has designed its forthcoming Integrator small UAV to carry a WiFi-style communications package on its wing tips together with more powerful versions of the video cameras carried by the smaller ScanEagles aircraft used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
July 09, 2009

Northrop Grumman reports progress on Advanced Hawkeyes
A U.S. Navy-Northrop Grumman flight crew delivered the second of two E-2D Advanced Hawkeye developmental planes July 2 to the U.S. Navy's Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland, Northrop Grumman reports.
July 09, 2009

U.S. border agency tests Predator Bs along northern border
U.S. officials are drafting an after-action assessment after patrolling a section of the U.S. border with Canada using Predator B unmanned aircraft equipped with radars and video cameras, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency reports.
July 09, 2009

U.S. Air Force to hold “summit” to weigh radar investments
Top U.S. Air Force officials are scheduled to gather at the Pentagon next week to weigh investments in the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft against spending on newer systems, including a radar unveiled last month aboard the Global Hawk UAV.
July 08, 2009

Thales tackles S. Korean radar bid with technology transfer
PARIS — Thales has offered extensive transfer of technology in efforts to beat a rival offer from Elta of Israel in South Korea’s international tender for a ground-based early warning radar, a company executive said at the Paris Air Show.
June 16, 2009

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program wins $432M RIP contract
PARIS — The Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program has signed a $432 million contract with the U.S. Navy to produce four Low Rate Initial Production aircraft, the firm said June 16 at the Paris Air Show.
June 16, 2009

Raytheon to bid prototype multi-control system for U.S. UAVs
PARIS — The U.S. Defense Department is expected to issue a request for proposals (RFP) late this year or early next for a prototype system that would be able to control three different unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) simultaneously.
June 16, 2009

U.S. radio waveform tested in suburban jungle
In the forested suburbs of Charleston, S.C., 30 users equipped with mobile radios were able to receive data and video over a new kind of radio signal shape, or waveform, the Navy said June 9.
June 10, 2009

Advanced European UAV project gets green light
Representatives of France, Germany and Spain have marked the end of the 15-month risk reduction study for the joint Advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) project, EADS Defence & Security announced May 28.
May 28, 2009

Sept. 11 commission deputy named to key intel post
The Obama administration has picked a former Democratic congressional staff member and veteran of the Bush State Department’s intelligence shop to chair the country’s National Intelligence Council.
May 22, 2009

Pentagon seeks $533.8b for 2010 baseline budget
The Obama administration sent Congress a $663.8 billion 2010 spending request May 7, a proposal composed of a $533.8 billion baseline budget and an additional $130 billion to fund ongoing military operations.
May 07, 2009

Raytheon, Northrop Grumman plan separate blended-wing-body UAVs
Northrop Grumman’s announcement that it will market a family of “Bat” unmanned aircraft based on the experimental KillerBee’s blended-wing-body design has sparked an unusual clarification from Raytheon.
May 05, 2009

Pentagon leaves door cracked for possible 2010 supplemental
The Obama administration is not closing the door on the possibility of a 2010 war supplemental as completely as comments by administration officials might suggest.
April 17, 2009

U.S. Air Force receives first ISR surge aircraft
Hawker Beechcraft has delivered the first of 37 planned MC-12 Project Liberty surveillance aircraft to the U.S. Air Force.
April 10, 2009

Survey results: Collaboration lags across U.S. intelligence agencies
U.S. efforts to increase collaboration and information sharing across intelligence agencies in the years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have not yet succeeded on a wide scale, according to a survey of employees released today.
April 09, 2009

White House gives go ahead for new spy sats

April 07, 2009

Gates: Ax FCS vehicles, maximize Predator production
The Pentagon should kill the U.S. Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) armored vehicles program and launch a competition to supply new vehicles, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters April 6.
April 06, 2009

White House to consider Pentagon-intelligence community satellite divorce
The Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community have presented the Obama administration with a proposal that would set defense and intelligence officials on largely separate courses in construction of next-generation electro-optical reconnaissance satellites, said current and former intelligence and defense officials.
April 03, 2009

U.S. senator reports network hacking, calls for ‘cybersecurity’ czar
The computer network of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has been hacked into three times over the last month by “cyber-invaders thought to be in China,” his office said in a March 20 press release.
March 20, 2009

U.S. official makes virtual border fence pledge
The U.S. official in charge of erecting a virtual fence of cameras, radars and ground sensors along America’s border with Mexico pledged at a congressional hearing March 10 that two initial segments of the fence would be set up this year in Arizona.
March 10, 2009

New European spy sat project moves forward
The European Defence Agency Steering Board said it will approve a project for next-generation military earth-observation satellites to ensure continuity of service from existing European space-based systems.
March 06, 2009

Mantis UAV makes 1st appearance in foreign market
BANGALORE — BAE Systems’ new Mantis unmanned aircraft has made its debut in the export market just months after the company took the wraps off the system at the Farnborough air show in July.
February 12, 2009

McCaffrey offers defense advice for Obama team
SAN DIEGO — In a panel discussion in front of defense executives, retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey warned the Obama administration about straying too far from nuclear deterrence and power projection, and disagreed with a fellow retired general who suggested there was a “moral” reason to limit the role of UAVs and robots in future forces.
February 12, 2009

EADS drops recon variant of Advanced UAV
PARIS — EADS has decisively shifted its Advanced UAV concept to a long-winged, high-altitude, long-loitering surveillance model, dropping consideration of a faster and short-winged recon variant, said Hervé Guillou, head of the Defense and Security France division.
February 12, 2009

Navy demonstrator UAV contributes to ISR surge
The Navy has dispatched one of its maritime demonstration Global Hawks to U.S. Central Command as the service’s contribution to the American ISR surge in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Navy Capt. Bob Dishman, program manager for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance program.
February 05, 2009

U.S. Air Force plans more wideband satellites
The U.S. Air Force is making preparations to buy additional Wideband Global Satcom satellites from Boeing to ensure full communications coverage for U.S. forces despite a two-year delay in the planned launch of the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite and a three-year delay in the planned first launch of a Transformational Satellite, which eventually would replace both constellations.
January 29, 2009

Obama opts for outsider atop CIA
President-elect Barack Obama has picked the leaders of his intelligence team, tapping former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta as CIA director and retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair as director of national intelligence, according to two senior Democrats.
January 06, 2009

AAI Corp hopes to pleasantly surprise U.S. Navy, Marine Corps
After a series of successful initial fights last month in Arizona, AAI Corp. is preparing a beefed up version of its Aerosonde unmanned aircraft for a series of more ambitious flights that would coincide with the upcoming U.S. Navy-Marine Corps small UAV competition.
January 05, 2009

New satellite system launch delayed by 6 years
The Air Force announced Tuesday that it will restructure the Transformational Satellite Communications System program, delaying by six years a satellite system designed to dramatically expand the military’s bandwidth.
December 30, 2008

Failed test delays Russian ICBM introduction
MOSCOW — A test launch of Russia’s new Bulava submarine-based intercontinental ballistic missile has failed, which will further delay this effort to revamp Moscow’s aging nuclear deterrent.
December 30, 2008

U.S. commission wants better anti-nuke intelligence
The U.S. must improve its ability to detect nuclear-weapons smuggling around the globe and continue improving the “forensic capabilities” investigators would rely on to assign responsibility in the event of a nuclear detonation, a congressional commission said Dec. 15.
December 16, 2008

Pentagon wants more Wideband Global Satcom spacecraft
The Pentagon plans to direct the U.S. Air Force to buy two additional Wideband Global Satcom spacecraft as a result of its decision to scale-back and delay the country’s Transformational Satellite (TSAT) program, meant to deliver high-bandwidth intelligence feeds to troops and commanders while they are on the move.
December 15, 2008

U.S. intel community seeks money to close ‘shocking’ gaps
The U.S. intelligence community plans to present the Obama administration with a spending plan that would define the hardware, software, security procedures and services necessary to give intelligence analysts and policy makers searchable, Internet-like access to information from across the American intelligence agencies.
November 11, 2008

Three years later, failed satellite plan brings fresh pain to U.S. intel community
The collapse of America’s plan to replace its school-bus-sized imaging spy satellites with smaller and cheaper versions “cratered” the intelligence budget and leaves U.S. coverage of the globe in a precarious position, said Al Munson, the intelligence community’s acquisition chief.
October 31, 2008

General: Anti-IED task force needs improvement for Afghanistan
The U.S. Army’s Task Force ODIN must be integrated into the U.S. intelligence network if is to successfully expand its counter-improvised explosive device work to Afghanistan, said Army Maj. Gen. John Custer, commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center in Arizona.
October 29, 2008

Surprise cancellation: Congress overrules Pentagon, intel chief on mapping sats
Defense analysts see merit in the decision by Congress to pull funds for construction of two broad-area mapping satellites whose construction commercial-imagery firms had lobbied intensely against.
October 23, 2008

New ISR equipment on the way for Reapers, C-12s
Sierra Nevada Corp. is scheduled to deliver a new, wide-area surveillance pod for the Reaper unmanned aircraft within 12 months, and L-3 Communications is in talks with the U.S. Air Force over installing signals-intelligence-cued full-motion-video cameras on 37 C-12 aircraft over the next year.
October 21, 2008

C4ISR Journal names annual award winners
Five diverse ISR efforts — a UAV video system, an automated flight-control system, a battlefield communications node, fast submarines and an anti-IED task force — now have something in common. They are winners of the C4ISR Journal awards for 2008.
October 16, 2008

Pentagon might divide Predator, Reaper fleets

October 16, 2008

JFCom deputy looks toward the ‘tactical edge’
U.S. Joint Forces Command plans to publish an updated doctrine governing C4ISR approaches to irregular warfare within one to two months, said Army Lt. Gen. John Wood, the command’s deputy commander in his Oct. 16 keynote address to the 8th annual C4ISR Integration Conference in Arlington, Va.,
October 16, 2008

U.S. Army gets tough on ISR networking issues
The U.S. Army’s push to get its networking house in order includes a threat to commanders whose networks are not officially approved for security.
October 08, 2008

U.S. space protection strategy emphasizes cooperation
The director of the new U.S. Space Protection Program hopes to glean advice from NASA about establishing cooperative contacts with countries such as China, something the U.S. space agency is known for.
October 02, 2008

Report: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems falls behind war needs
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s plan to put more unmanned aerial vehicles in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan as a critical weapon against insurgents relies on a company that government investigators and military analysts say has not met the skyrocketing demand for the aircraft.
September 23, 2008

U.S. Air Force, Navy agree to share Global Hawk resources
The U.S. Air Force has signed an agreement with the Navy to streamline Global Hawk acquisition.
September 18, 2008

USAF chief pledges to remake unmanned ISR culture
Near the end of the U.S. Air Force’s annual “Four Star Forum” session Sept. 17, one of the 13 assembled generals made a quip that summed up the challenge the Air Force will face as it attempts to reclaim what Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz called its “ass-kicking good” performance status.
September 18, 2008

USAF UPT grads to start careers flying UAVs
Three hundred pilots fresh out of undergraduate pilot training will ship off to Creech Air Force Base, Nev., over the next three years for their first assignments — as Predator and Reaper pilots.
September 17, 2008

National Guard to train RC-12 pilots, sensor operators
Crews for the U.S. Air Force’s newest intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft will be trained up by the National Guard.
September 17, 2008

USAF chief announces new career track for UAV pilots
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz announced a new career track for unmanned aerial vehicle pilots during his speech Sept. 16 at the Air Force Association’s annual conference in Washington D.C.
September 16, 2008

Raytheon gets more money for low-cost missile defense option
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has awarded Raytheon $10 million to continue working on its concept for using air-to-air missiles launched from fighters to knock down Scud-class missiles, Raytheon announced Sept. 15.
September 16, 2008

Cost growth triggers review of U.S. satcom plan
A busted budget on the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite program will force the Pentagon to re-examine its long-range strategy for ensuring protected, jam-resistant communications between the U.S. civilian leadership and commanders around the world.
September 11, 2008

DIA official defends Russia-Georgia reporting
The Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA’s) top analyst says the U.S. agency provided Bush administration officials with ample warning that the simmering tensions between Georgia and Russia could erupt in fighting.
September 02, 2008

Indian air force buys Spyder air-defense missiles
NEW DELHI — Israeli company Rafael has been awarded a $260 million contract by the Indian Air Force for 18 Spyder Low Level Quick Reaction Missiles (LLQRM). The contract was inked Sept. 1, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said.
September 02, 2008

Thales signs two maritime safety deals
PARIS – French systems company Thales said Sept. 1 it is buying a software development unit specialised in maritime safety and surveillance from Barco and signed a sales and marketing agreement with Zenitel for maritime safety systems.
September 01, 2008

CACI gets $36M U.S. Army deal to aid C4ISR training
The U.S. Army has given CACI International a $36 million contract to aid in C4ISR-related training for the Modeling and Simulation Division of the U.S. Army’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD).
August 28, 2008

Gates OKs new chief for Pentagon’s ISR Task Force
Army Lt. Gen. Richard Zahner, deputy undersecretary of defense for joint and coalition warfighter support, will lead the U.S. ISR Task Force as it tries to deliver more intelligence to forces in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next year.
August 21, 2008

New U.K. UAV tests auto takeoff, landing system
LONDON — Britain’s Watchkeeper unmanned air vehicle program has passed a key development milestone with the validation of an automatic takeoff and landing system designed by platform prime contractor Thales.
August 12, 2008

Robots designed to ease sailors’ workload
Take a good look at that sailor next to you, because he won’t be there in tomorrow’s Navy, according to scientists and industry exhibitors at the Office of Naval Research’s annual Science and Technology conference in Washington Tuesday.
August 12, 2008

Pentagon: ISR funding shift approved; More Needed in Theater
The four congressional defense panels have approved a Department of Defense plan to pull $1.3 billion from fiscal 2008 coffers to purchase a list of ISR systems and speed them into the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, a Pentagon spokesman said Aug. 7.
August 07, 2008

Royal Navy selects detection radar
Britain’s Ministry of Defence has selected BAE’s Artisan 3D radar as the new medium-range radar to be carried by its surface fleet for the next 30 years.
August 06, 2008

House intel panel ‘conditionally supports’ cyber effort
A powerful House panel has given its “conditional support” to President Bush’s new unprecedented cyber security initiative, despite its concerns about cost and government-industry collaboration.
July 29, 2008

GD gets contract for LCS boat-launch robot
The U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ships, already designed to be the most automated surface ships ever, could get yet another unmanned system — a boat-launching robot.
July 23, 2008

Boeing to buy Insitu, its ScanEagle UAV partner
Insitu, the 360-person company specializing in tactical UAVs, has agreed to be purchased by Boeing, a decision motivated in part by the U.S. Navy’s search for a contractor to supply a fleet of tactical UAVs to be flown by sailors and Marines.
July 22, 2008

Raytheon debuts multiple UAV control system
FARNBOROUGH, England — The U.S. Navy’s Tactical Control System (TCS) has been certified as the first unmanned ground control system that conforms to the NATO STANAG (standardization agreement) 4586 standard.
July 17, 2008

Alenia Wants Role in New European UAV Plans
FARNBOROUGH, England — Alenia Aeronautica wants in on one of the new pan-European UAV efforts recently announced, CEO Giovanni Bertolone said July 16.
July 16, 2008

Britain, BAE to develop armed Mantis unmanned plane
FARNBOROUGH, England — The U.K. Ministry of Defence signed an agreement with BAE Systems July 14 to jointly develop an armed, unmanned aircraft known as Mantis, officials announced at the international airshow here.
July 15, 2008

Thales buys encryption firm nCipher
Thales has paid 50 million pounds to bolster its security business in the U.K. with the purchase of encryption specialist nCipher.
July 11, 2008

Taiwan arrests analyst on espionage charges
Taiwan arrested a former Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) analyst on charges of spying for Beijing.
June 20, 2008

European UAV demo craft to fly by end of year
EADS plans to begin flight testing its Barracuda 2 unmanned aircraft by the end of the year over the Goose Bay range in Canada.
June 13, 2008

Army UAV manager: Drones help defeat IEDs, but need better reliability
Insurgents in Iraq used to pay $300 to persuade someone to plant an improvised explosive device. Now the cost has soared to $10,000, said U.S. Army Col. Donald Hazelwood, head of the U.S. Army’s unmanned air system project office in Alabama.
June 12, 2008

U.S. border agency wants maritime Predator Bs
U.S. homeland security officials seeking a maritime unmanned aircraft prefer the medium-altitude Predator B over the higher-flying Global Hawk that the Navy selected for ocean surveillance.
June 11, 2008

Analysts: Treaty would protect sats better than sensors
Amid concern that China can threaten U.S. satellites with missiles, lasers and possibly other satellites, the U.S. Air Force has announced it wants to fit future satellites with defensive sensors.
June 10, 2008

Gates names choices for Air Force secretary, chief
Gen. Norton Schwartz, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, will be nominated to become the 19th U.S. Air Force chief of staff, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced June 9.
June 09, 2008

U.S. gives rationale for noncommercial imagery satellite
For months, American news outlets and intelligence watchers have debated what might become of the U.S. private imaging companies, DigitalGlobe and GeoEye, if the U.S. government were to build a new fine-resolution mapping satellite. The government’s proposal was so secret that no one could say for certain what the system’s proposed name, BASIC, stood for or why the system had been proposed by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the nation’s secretive mapping organization.
June 06, 2008

U.S. Air Force secretary, chief forced out
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Secretary Michael W. Wynne were forced to resign Thursday during hastily arranged meetings with their Pentagon bosses.
June 05, 2008

U.S. Air Force Predator crashes in Iraq.
An MQ-1 Predator crashed about a mile away from Balad Air Base, Iraq, shortly after takeoff Monday because of what appears to be “mechanical failures,” Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Paula Kurtz said.
June 03, 2008

Lockheed wins GPS 3 contract
Lockheed Martin has defeated Boeing in the competition to build the first of the new GPS 3 satellites the Air Force plans to start launching in 2014 to improve the system’s resistance to jamming for military users, said Air Force Col. Dave Madden, the service’s GPS wing commander, in teleconference with reporters May 15.
May 15, 2008

U.S. Air Force pulls controversial TV spot
The U.S. Air Force has temporarily pulled a television advertisement depicting a missile destroying an American satellite.
May 15, 2008

Lawmakers move to limit intel contractors’ role
U.S. lawmakers want to cut back on the number of contractors that carry out intelligence work.
May 12, 2008

Lockheed protests U.S. Navy’s BAMS award
Lockheed Martin has filed an official protest against the U. S. Navy’s decision to award Northrop Grumman the contract to build a long-range drone aircraft.
May 05, 2008

Lockheed joins Northrop’s GPS ground-segment team
Lockheed Martin knows how to make lemonade. When the U.S. Air Force passed over the company in the early competition to build the ground equipment for the forthcoming GPS III satellites, Lockheed started talking to one of its erstwhile competitors, Northrop Grumman. After three or four weeks of negotiations, Northrop Grumman announced April 28 that Lockheed Martin has joined the Northrop team that is competing against Raytheon for the right to build the GPS III Operational Control segment (OCX).
April 29, 2008

Report says Pentagon lacks cohesive ISR vision
The Defense Department lacks a clear vision for the future of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and the integration of its ISR agencies is not adequate to ensure their efforts are coordinated, effective and efficient, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.
April 23, 2008

Northrop Wins U.S. Navy’s BAMS
Northrop Grumman will build the Navy’s much-anticipated Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) drone, snagging a contract expected to be worth $2 billion or more.
April 22, 2008

U.S. plans enhanced Loran navigation system
The debate is over between the U.S. Congress and the Bush administration over whether to modernize the aging Loran network of ground-based navigation antennas as a backup to the Global Positioning System. The question now is who will pay for it.
April 17, 2008

U.S. wideband satellite ready for Pacific operation
After months of on-orbit tests and drills, the first U.S. Wideband Global Satcom spacecraft, launched last October, is ready to be used operationally by U.S. forces in the Pacific region, the Air Force announced.
April 17, 2008

U.K. drops Listener, weighs ISTAR options
Britain has canceled a key network-enabled capability program intended to fuse data from various platforms and provide the military with nearly instant, precise location of enemy electronic signals.
April 14, 2008

Petraeus: ISR gear is key to success
When asked to name his top hardware priority in Iraq, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said sophisticated ISR equipment has become the key to many units’ success on the battlefield.
April 14, 2008

Intel assessment will address rising sea levels
U.S. intelligence officials are drafting a national intelligence assessment that will list those countries thought to be most vulnerable to sea-level rises and political instability resulting from global warming, said Michele Brunngraber, an intelligence official in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
April 10, 2008

Raytheon to upgrade U.S. Marine surveillance
The U.S. Marine Corps has given Raytheon a $60 million contract to help forces in Iraq detect hostile troop movements through development of the Ground Based Operational Surveillance System (GBOSS).
April 09, 2008

Raytheon adapts air-to-air weapons for missile defense
Missile-maker Raytheon has released a video of one of its air-to-air-missiles clipping an Orion sounding rocket in a December test over the New Mexico desert. Previously, the company had said only that the missile had shown it could “acquire and track” a boosting rocket.
April 01, 2008

Miniature SAR to be tested on ScanEagle
Developers of the tiny ScanEagle UAV flown by U.S. and Australian forces in Iraq and Afghanistan report they are in discussions with an unnamed U.S. government customer for a field test of the miniature synthetic aperture radar the companies hope to add to the craft’s lineup of optical and infrared sensors.
March 19, 2008

Teaming details emerge for modular satellite competition
U.S. aerospace companies have begun sharing details of the teaming arrangements they will rely on in their competition to show the Pentagon how a single, large satellite might be divided into free-flying communications and sensor modules that would fly as a cluster linked by wireless communications.
March 06, 2008

U.S. Air Force raises profile of UAV pilots
The U.S. Air Force’s Weapons School will stand up its first UAV squadron this summer as part of a push by senior Air Force leadership to raise the profile of UAV pilots and sensor operators.
February 28, 2008

U.S. Navy shoots down crippled spy satellite
A fireball, vapor cloud and debris spotted at the fringes of space have made U.S. defense officials “80, 90 percent” confident that a Navy kill vehicle successfully pierced the hydrazine propellant tank of an out-of-control U.S. spy satellite, Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright told reporters at the Pentagon, according to a broadcast of the Feb.21 briefing.
February 21, 2008

U.S. plans enhanced Loran navigation system
The debate is over between the U.S. Congress and the Bush administration over whether to modernize the aging Loran network of ground-based navigation antennas as a backup to the Global Positioning System. The question now is who will pay for it.
February 18, 2008

U.S. will try to shoot down crippled NRO satellite
The U.S. will attempt to shoot down a wayward National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) intelligence satellite using a Navy Standard Missile 3 fired from an Aegis ship, U.S. officials announced at a Pentagon briefing Feb. 14.
February 14, 2008

Northrop makes more management room for C4ISR work
Northrop Grumman officials are realigning their corporate reporting chains to place more emphasis on the growing C4ISR market.
January 31, 2008

Rumsfeld: U.S. needs online strategic-communications agency
The U.S. military can’t fight the war on terrorism alone. It needs help from a host of other U.S. government agencies, including a new one that should be created to use the Internet to wage an information offensive against Muslim extremists, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Jan. 23.
January 23, 2008

European consortium gets deal to develop UAV road map
The European Defence Agency has awarded a contract worth 500,000 euros ($736,000) to a consortium of defense and aerospace companies to develop a detailed road map for integrating UAVs into European airspace by 2015.
January 08, 2008

U.K. set to buy 10 Reapers
LONDON — Britain is set to spend more than $1 billion to buy 10 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.
January 04, 2008

U.S. Air Force approves full-scale production of Wasp III
The U.S. Air Force has approved full-rate production of the backpack-sized Wasp III unmanned aerial vehicle, the aircraft’s manufacturer, AeroVironment Inc., announced Jan. 3.
January 03, 2008

Lockheed to upgrade P-3Cs for Portuguese Air Force
The Portuguese Ministry of Defense has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth $141 million to upgrade the mission system avionics on five P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft.
January 03, 2008

Link to upgrade Predator UAV training devices
The U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center has awarded L-3 Link Simulations and Training a contract to upgrade the service’s Predator Mission Aircrew Training System (PMATS) used on the unmanned aerial vehicle program.
December 21, 2007

U.S. DoD UAV plan: evolution, not revolution
Unmanned weapons will continue to take on more of the “dull, dirty and dangerous” military jobs, but the most demanding tasks will be reserved for humans for the foreseeable future, the Defense Department says.
December 19, 2007

Cobham buys BAE’s surveillance and attack business
BAE Systems has sold its U.S. surveillance and attack business unit to fellow British company Cobham for $240 million. Subject to regulatory approval, the acquisition should be complete in the first quarter of 2008, Cobham said in a statement Dec 19.
December 19, 2007

Elbit to supply Skylark II UAVs to South Korea
South Korean has selected Elbit to supply its Skylark II unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and the accompanying ground control station to the country’s military.
December 17, 2007

AAI wins deal for more Shadow UAS to U.S. Army
The U.S. Army has awarded AAI Corp. a contract that could clear $153 million to supply another 20 Shadow 200 tactical unmanned aerial systems (TUAS).
December 17, 2007

General Dynamics to support U.S. cyber-defense team
General Dynamics has received a $48.2 million task order to provide situational awareness support to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s cyber-security efforts.
December 07, 2007

Holograms may project real-time view of battle
Air Force-funded scientists are developing hologram displays that could offer commanders an overhead view of battle space terrain in nearly real time.
December 06, 2007

Air-launched missile defense system passes test
A key component of an air-launched missile defense system demonstrated its ability to acquire and track a ballistic missile target in the boost phase, according to Raytheon.
December 04, 2007

Lockheed Martin micro-UAVs sold to Britain
Britain is set to acquire additional Desert Hawk III UAVs from Lockheed Martin in a 2.4 million-pound ($4.8 million) deal for the hand-launched system announced Nov 28.
November 28, 2007

Falco UAV completes operational tests
Officials with Italian firm Galileo Avionica have said its Falco UAV has completed operational validation tests with its launch customer.
November 28, 2007

EADS to equip future Swiss soldiers
EADS Defense and Security on Nov. 26 signed a contract with Switzerand’s Armasuisse procurement office to develop prototype high-tech infantry gear for the Swiss army, with an option for full-scale production worth over 120 million euros ($178 million).
November 26, 2007

NATO Axes Airbus From AGS System
NATO has quietly dropped a planned Airbus 321 sensor aircraft and its yet-to-be-developed radar from its Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) eye-in-the-sky program, more than halving the planned price tag and relying solely on American-built, high-altitude, long-endurance Global Hawk UAVs, a NATO official said.
November 19, 2007

Saudi choice for targeting pod won’t be Israeli
Typhoon combat aircraft destined for Saudi Arabia are set to be fitted with a French-made targeting pod rather than the Israeli system fitted by the British Royal Air Force.
November 14, 2007

Lockheed continues layered U.S. missile defense development
Following a successful Oct. 19 test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, Lockheed Martin is setting up for two more complex tests of the system for 2008.
November 14, 2007

Israel Air Force buys improved Hermes 450s
By early next decade, the Israel Air Force plans to deploy new, longer-endurance versions of the indigenous Hermes 450 and to convert dozens of existing UAVs to the latest block-model configuration.
November 12, 2007

Boeing shows off Turkish air force 737 AEW&C aircraft
At the Dubai Airshow this week, Boeing unveiled a 737 airborne early warning and communications (AEW&C) aircraft, dubbed Peace Eagle, built for the Turkish Air Force.
November 12, 2007

In-theater testing of HERTI preparing UK for operational deployment
A BAE Systems unmanned autonomous air vehicle being flown in Afghanistan by the Royal Air Force to help develop tactics and procedures is being shown to potential customers at the Dubai Air Show for the first time.
November 11, 2007

Change of UAE management doesn’t ground Camcopter
UAE and Austrian-based Schiebel are moving forward on the co-production of the S-100 Camcopter vertical takeoff and landing UAV despite recent surprise managerial changes in the UAE.
November 11, 2007

U.S. high-tech trade associations to merge
The boards of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the Government Electronics and Information Technology Association (GEIA) have decided to merge, a marriage that will create one information technology-focused trade association, the two outfits announced Nov. 7.
November 08, 2007

PLA division gathers for electronic warfare drill
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) concluded a weeklong live-fire exercise, dubbed “Iron Fist-2007,” on Nov. 2 in central China’s Henan province. The exercise included a division of 10,000 troops from the Jinan Military Region. The exercise involved testing command and control, long-range maneuvers and electromagnetic warfare exercises.
November 06, 2007

Raytheon tapped for F-15E radar upgrade
Raytheon has edged out Northrop Grumman as Boeing’s choice to provide Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar systems for the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of 224 F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bombers.
November 02, 2007

Northrop Grumman unveils radar test facility
Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems (NGES) has opened a new, $13.7-million antenna test complex in Linthicum, Md., in anticipation of work with large-scale, complex, multifunction military sensor systems.
October 31, 2007

U.S. releases intel budget details
The U.S. spent $43.5 billion on one chunk of national intelligence efforts in 2007, according to an Oct. 30 statement by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
October 30, 2007

U.S. Army halts robot deal after iRobot protest
The U.S. Army has temporarily stopped a $280 million contract given to Robotic Fx to build up to 3,000 bomb-clearing combat robots, after rival robot-maker iRobot filed two lawsuits and protested the award with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), claiming Robotic Fx stole patented designs and ripped off its proprietary materials.
October 29, 2007

India seeks micro UAVs
The Indian Army is on a global hunt to buy unspecified numbers of micro UAVs to fly surveillance missions in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir and for anti-insurgency operations in the country’s northeast.
October 26, 2007

UAVs launched against California wildfires
NASA and the U.S. Air Force plan to fly over Southern California with UAVs in a bid to help firefighters combat raging wildfires that have devastated the region.
October 24, 2007

Global Hawk eyed for Pacific Rim package deal
The U.S. Air Force plans to host 11 friends and allies in Hawaii next spring to pitch the idea of working together to put more eyes in the skies over the Pacific.
October 22, 2007

Industry called to task for weak data security
Defense industry suppliers must work harder to protect sensitive, unclassified information, and can expect tougher security requirements as part of future, big-ticket contracts, according to the Pentagon’s chief information officer.
October 19, 2007

Elder: Protect physical, virtual assets of Cyber Command
Securing both the electronic and physical segments of the U.S. Air Force’s new Cyber Command fights has to be taken just as seriously as protecting the air, land, sea and space domains, said Gen. Robert Elder, commander of the 8th Air Force and Cyber Command, at a C4ISR Journal-sponsored conference Thursday in Arlington, Va..
October 18, 2007

Rep. Sestak: Joint Agency Should Take Cyberwar Cash From Services
The U.S. Congress should create a joint military agency to invest in cyberwarfare capabilities for all of the services, and the agency should have its own budget and buying authority, said Rep. Joseph Sestak, D-Pa.
October 18, 2007

U.S. satnav boosted with fourth GPS IIR launch
The fourth of eight GPS II satellites was launched in the early-morning hours of Oct. 17 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, an incremental step in bridging the gap between the current constellation and the next generation of the U.S. Global Positioning System.
October 17, 2007

Next-gen Apaches will be networked
Circling hundreds of feet in the air during an August test flight at the U.S. Army’s Fort Dix, N.J., a surrogate AH-64D Apache Block III attack helicopter beamed live video images back and forth with dismounted soldiers on the ground for the first time, said Army and Boeing officials.
October 17, 2007

Combat-tested Land Warrior loses weight
The U.S. Army’s high-tech Land Warrior gear — once in danger of cancellation, now battle-tested — is being upgraded to make it 3 pounds lighter and more capable for soldiers deploying next summer.
October 17, 2007

U.S. OKs Israel-China spy sat deal
Israel’s Ministry of Defense has secured tacit U.S. government consent for a prospective remote sensing deal with China based on the Eros B, a commercial, high-resolution satellite nearly identical to the Israeli military’s Ofeq-5.
October 16, 2007

Saudi Arabia picks Thales for electronic umbrella
Thales has won a 125 million-euro ($177.2 million) contract to provide the Al Madhallah (Umbrella) electronic defense system to the Saudi Arabian air force.
October 11, 2007

FCS team moves from design to ‘production mode’
Despite an uncertain funding picture, the government-industry team working on the U.S. Army Future Combat Systems program said the effort is moving from its initial design stages to a “production mode” slated to begin next year.
October 09, 2007

Textron acquires AAI parent United Industrial
United Industrial, which owns UAV-maker AAI, announced Oct. 8 that it signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Textron in a $1.1 billion deal.
October 09, 2007

L-3 to upgrade NEXRAD radar
L-3 Communications has won a $43 million contract to upgrade the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) program run by the U.S. National Weather Service. Baron Services, a provider of weather radar services, will partner on the deal.
October 05, 2007

Kawasaki flies the XP-1 MPA prototype
Kawasaki’s XP-1 maritime patrol aircraft — a four-engine jet first unveiled as the P-X — completed an hour-long first flight Sept. 28 from the Gifu military airbase in Japan.
October 01, 2007

NATO pushes for common UAV technical standards
A NATO working group has established common standards for the design and construction of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.
September 26, 2007

Lord to oversee USAF cyber command
Maj. Gen. William T. Lord has been tapped to lead the Air Force’s provisional cyber command, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne announced Sept. 24.
September 25, 2007

Suppliers gear up for EP-X showdown
Any day now, the U.S. Navy is expected to issue a request for proposals for a new turbofan-powered aircraft designed to replace the service’s dozen or so aging EP-3E Aries II signals intelligence (SigInt) aircraft.
September 25, 2007

GD wins U.S. Coast Guard support contract
The Department of Homeland Security has awarded General Dynamics a contract to provide information technology and program management support services to the U.S. Coast Guard Incident Response Team.
September 25, 2007

Boeing to upgrade Saudi AWACS aircraft
Boeing has won a $49.2 million contract to upgrade communications aboard Saudi Arabia’s fleet of five E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft.
September 21, 2007

China unveils ‘digital soldier’ system
China revealed its version of the “digital soldier” concept at its annual North Sword 0709 live-fire exercise, begun Sept. 18 at the Zhurihe training base in northern Inner Mongolia. According to a Xinhua press report, the exercise involved 2,000 soldiers, tanks and other vehicles equipped with electronic devices that instantly relayed data about battlefield conditions back to the command center. The system collected data on casualties, food, ammunition and supplies.
September 20, 2007

Civil GPS accuracy guaranteed, for now
The U.S. Defense Department said next-generation Global Positioning System III satellites now in the procurement pipeline will not have selective availability (SA), a feature allowing intentional degradation of GPS accuracy.
September 19, 2007

WIN-T program receives billion-dollar boost
The U.S. Army has awarded the General Dynamics-Lockheed Martin Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) team contract modifications valued at up to $921 million to continue development of the system and accelerate delivery.
September 18, 2007

ITT acquires EDO, wins night-vision deal
ITT has agreed to acquire New York-based defense contractor EDO Corp. in a stock deal worth $1.7 billion.
September 18, 2007

Robotic FX gets Army $280M bomb-detector contract
Just a few weeks after hosting a “drive-off” competition between dozens of robot makers at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., the U.S. Army has awarded a $280 million contract to Robotic FX of Alsip, Ill., asking them to produce up to 3,000 small, tactical robots able to clear caves and search for explosives in the warzone.
September 14, 2007

Pentagon to outsource $15 billion war on ‘narcoterrorism’
The U.S. Defense Department has invited five contractors to bid on elements of a new, multibillion dollar effort to combat the global flow of illegal drugs allegedly used to finance terrorism.
September 14, 2007

FLIR Systems acquires camera maker Cedip
FLIR Systems has agreed to acquire a controlling interest in Cedip Infrared Systems, a France-based provider of infared cameras and supporting hardware, in a stock deal worth approximately $57.1 million.
September 14, 2007

Taiwan to acquire 12 P-3Cs in $2B ISR upgrade
Taiwan is seeking to acquire a dozen P-3C Orion maritime patrol/anti-submarine warfare aircraft from U.S. Navy surplus stocks and other ISR systems that could be worth as much as $2 billion.
September 13, 2007

Boeing envisions ‘maritime ISR triad’
With downselect for the U.S. Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program just weeks away, Boeing is seeking to raise awareness of its entry — an optionally manned Gulfstream 550 business jet — by stressing its commonality with other Boeing-built naval aircraft.
September 12, 2007

Harris debuts field command center
Harris Corp has launched its new “border security shelter,” a self-contained field command center geared toward the detection of illegal border crossings.
September 11, 2007

QinetiQ UAV claims new endurance record
QinetiQ’s Zephyr UAV set a new, but unofficial, endurance record with a 54-hour flight over White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
September 10, 2007

BAE Systems wins U.S. Navy sensor contract
BAE Systems has received a $49 million U.S. Navy contract to develop a system that can rapidly identify and track camouflaged or concealed objects and targets, including submarines.
September 07, 2007

Israeli Digital Army Program moves forward
The U.S. government has approved approximately $300 million for the foreign military financing (FMF) portion of the Israeli Digital Army Program (DAP), a future soldier initiative launched in 2004.
September 06, 2007

U.S. Army Guardrail aircraft receive late-life extension
Northrop Grumman, prime contractor for the U.S. Army’s fleet of 33 RC-12 Guardrail aircraft, has won a five-year contract designed to keep the aging intelligence platforms viable beyond 2020.
September 05, 2007

ABL could engage air and ground targets: Boeing
Airborne Laser (ABL), a U.S. Air Force program aimed at destroying enemy ballistic missiles as they rise off their launch pads, could be deployed against conventional aircraft and even ground targets, according to prime contractor Boeing.
September 04, 2007

Defense Department pays $1 billion to outside analysts
The Defense Department is paying private contractors more than $1 billion in more than 30 separate contracts to collect and analyze intelligence for the four military services and its own Defense Intelligence Agency, according to contract documents and a Pentagon spokesman.
August 30, 2007

Intel needs drive ‘black budget’ boost
Increased demand for intelligence and ISR systems has prompted a significant increase in the U.S. Defense Department’s spending on classified, or “black,” programs, according to a leading defense budget analyst.
August 30, 2007

U.S. Air Force board blames Predator crashes on mechanical issues
Mechanical problems led to the crashes of two remote-controlled MQ-1 Predators earlier this year while on missions over Iraq and Afghanistan, Air Force accident investigation boards found.
August 29, 2007

NFIRE satellite collects missile data in experiment

August 24, 2007

U.S. DoD Edges Toward UAV Decision
Gordon England, U.S. deputy defense secretary, is expected to decide by month’s end which service should control the Pentagon’s growing fleet of medium- to high-altitude UAVs.
August 19, 2007

IRobot Files Suit
PackBot-maker iRobot has filed two lawsuits against competitor Robotic Fx and its founder, Jameel Ahed, charging that the company ripped-off its proprietary design and violated two U.S. patents.
August 18, 2007

SAIC gets U.S. Navy deal for C4I
The U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego has awarded Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) a contract worth up to $473 million over five years to provide C4I work on programs involving shipboard, shore and air systems and foreign military sales.
August 16, 2007

Army Corps awards deal for new NGA campus
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a contract worth $334 million to the Clark/Balfour Beatty NGA joint venture to construct a new campus for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) at the Engineer Proving Grounds at Fort Belvoir, Va.
August 15, 2007

Rockwell Collins buys ITAC
Rockwell Collins has purchased Information Technology and Applications Corp. (ITAC), a Reston, Va.-based company that supplies ISR products to the military and for homeland security, in a cash deal for about $38 million.
August 14, 2007

DARPA chooses Urban Challenge competitors
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected 36 teams as semi-finalists for its Urban Challenge National Qualification Event (NQE), scheduled for Oct. 26-31 at the former George Air Force Base in Victorville, Calif.
August 09, 2007

Thai Air Force buys Lockheed radar
Lockheed Martin has won a contract from the Royal Thai Air Force for the TPS-77 3-D long-range, solid-state air surveillance radar, which will complete a multiphase national air defense system for Thailand.
August 09, 2007

Rockwell-Cubic team flies common data link
A Mini-Common Data Link developed by Rockwell Collins and Cubic Defense Applications system has been flight-tested on a King Air aircraft and a Killer Bee UAV, according to Cubic Corp.
August 08, 2007

Navy strike drone will demo shipboard ops only
Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Aerial System (UCAS) will be a “proof-of-concept” vehicle designed to prove the feasibility of unmanned aircraft in carrier operations, according to the U.S. Navy official overseeing the program.
August 06, 2007

NGA chief seeks to protect R&D funding
With many in Washington predicting U.S. defense spending will soon flatten, the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) said his organization must resist slashing funds from research–and-development efforts.
August 06, 2007

Northrop Wins UCAS Competition
Northrop Grumman has beaten a Boeing team as the Navy’s choice to develop the Unmanned Combat Air System Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) — intended to prove the technology to provide the fleet’s aircraft carriers with a long-range pilotless jet strike aircraft.
August 02, 2007

TSAT space segment proposals are in
Boeing and Lockheed Martin have each submitted proposals outlining their respective plans for the space segment of the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT), a U.S. Air Force initiative that is expected to replace the Milstar and Advanced EHF satcom programs.
July 31, 2007

U.S. Navy invests in future submarines
Northrop Grumman has received new U.S. Navy funding for the research and development of advanced technologies that could enhance the ISR capability of submarines.
July 27, 2007

Spain joins ‘Advanced UAV’ team
Spain has agreed to join France and Germany on the risk reduction phase for the Advanced UAV, a large unmanned aerial vehicle for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance missions, the French procurement office said.
July 25, 2007

U.S. Navy signs for three more Advanced Hawkeyes
Northrop Grumman has won a $408 million contract to produce the next three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft for the U.S. Navy from 2007 to 2010.
July 23, 2007

JROC supports Air Force bid for UAV control
The Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) approved the U.S. Air Force’s request for executive agency over medium- and high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles in a July 16 memo signed by Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Adm. Edmund Giambastiani.
July 20, 2007

Thales Alenia to merge satellite programs
CANNES, France — Thales Alenia Space plans to merge its radar and optical observation satellites into a single product line that can be used for either mission, company officials said. As is the case now, export business will be sought by either the French or the Italian side of the company, depending on whether France or Italy has the best relations with the prospective customer.
July 17, 2007

UCAS rivals await U.S. Navy decision
A decision could come as soon as July 19 on which of two competitors will continue to develop a new unmanned, carrier-based strike aircraft for the U.S. Navy.
July 13, 2007

First flight for Turkish maritime surveillance program
Thales reports the successful first flight of the initial maritime surveillance-configured CASA CN-235 aircraft ordered under Turkey’s Meltem II program. Awarded in 2003, the contract covers the procurement of 19 ISR aircraft for Turkey’s navy and coast guard.
July 12, 2007

European panel says intel oversight lacking
National military intelligence services lack sufficient oversight and thus pose a potential risk to human rights in the fight against terrorism, a panel of international jurists argues in a recent review of European counterterrorism efforts.
July 09, 2007

‘Happy Hooligans’ fly first Predator mission
The “Happy Hooligans” of the 119th Wing, North Dakota Air National Guard, are officially in the unmanned systems business after controlling their first MQ-1 Predator mission from their base in Fargo.
July 03, 2007

BAE Systems wins TWS-II contract extension
BAE Systems plans to produce Thermal Weapon Sight II (TWS-II) units at the rate of 3,000 per month under a new contract from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Valued at $183 million, the deal re-affirms BAE Systems’ long-term standing as one of three TWS-II providers, along with DRS Corp and Raytheon.
July 02, 2007

U.S. Army to combine SATCOM programs
The U.S. Army is combining two similar satellite communications programs to reduce costs and streamline acquisition efforts, said service spokesman Tim Rider.
July 02, 2007