Digital Battlespace

Source: Lockheed Martin

To accelerate the fielding of the new Enhanced AN/TPQ-36 Counterfire Target Acquisition radar, the U.S. Army has exercised $152 million in contract options for 12 additional systems from Lockheed Martin. The EQ-36 radars will detect, classify, track and determine the location of enemy indirect fire such as mortars, artillery and rockets in either 90-degree or 360-degree modes. These systems will replace aging TPQ-36 and TPQ-37 medium-range radars, currently in the Army’s inventory.

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Source: DARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency announces plans to conduct a third powered flight of the Hypersonic Flight Demonstration (HyFly) flight vehicle in the summer of 2010. Initially a joint program with the Office of Naval Research, HyFly is a full-scale, strike missile demonstrator powered by a dual combustion ramjet. The objective of the HyFly program is to demonstrate that HyFly missile technology can accelerate to and sustain flight at Mach 6. HyFly missile technology could provide an advanced, long-range strike capability for the U.S. military.

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Source: MBDA

MBDA and Roxel are setting up a new hypersonic line called METHYLE (a test system for long-endurance hypersonic technologies) in the ramjet test facility of their Bourges-Subdray plant. The system has been developed with support from the European Union (FEDER fund), the Government, the Centre region, the Département of Cher and the city of Bourges.

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Source: US Department of Defense

The final phase of the Department of Defense (DoD) Wearable Power Prize competition began yesterday when 20 teams powered up their systems at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Large companies, small businesses and individual inventors are vying for a $1 million top prize for producing a system that will provide ground warfighters with lightweight, wearable power for their combat equipment.

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Source: UK Ministry of Defence

The first of the Royal Navy’s new powerful T45 Destroyers, HMS Daring, has completed her final set of contractor sea trials with great success.

During the five week trial, the 7,350 tonne vessel was put through her paces. In particular, the full range of communications equipment was tested to ensure that all elements of the system can talk to each other.
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Source: UK Ministry of Defence

The Trafalgar class attack submarine HMS Turbulent has left Devonport Naval Base with some of the most advanced communications links in the Royal Navy’s fleet of submarines thanks to an MoD update.

Several key upgrades, along with routine service and maintenance, were incorporated in the fifteen month package delivered by Babcock Marine at Devonport, which will extend the submarine’s operational life by two years.

An upgrade to the communications system will significantly improve interoperability with allied forces on deployed operations. Newly installed IT systems will provide ship to shore connectivity when she is in port.
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Source: Rockwell Collins

Data Link Solutions, a joint venture between Rockwell Collins and BAE Systems, will provide Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS)-on-ship systems to the U.S. Navy and international naval forces under a $32 million Navy contract. The systems will equip command-and-control platforms with time-critical targeting and Blue Force Tracking - a system of software and computers that links satellites, sensors, communications devices, vehicles, aircraft, and weapons in a digital network.
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Source: Barco

Shanghai, CHINA, 29 September 2008 — Barco, a world leader in visualization and display solutions joined in the Shenzhou VII space program in providing large screen projection for the command and control of its first spacewalk.

Shenzhou VII, China’s third manned spacecraft, successfully lifted off on Thursday, 25 September at 9:10pm at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province. The pride of China, the Shenzhou spacecraft, with astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng on board, orbited the earth for 68 hours over a three-day period.
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Source: Boeing

Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has used an operational, commercial communications satellite to demonstrate the maturity of its Internet-like, space-based packet-switching technology during a program review of the company’s proposed Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
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Source: Northrop Grumman

The U.S. Navy has ordered a fourth lot of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Improved Capability (ICAP) III airborne electronic attack systems for its fleet of EA-6B Prowlers under a firm, fixed-price, 31-month contract potentially valued at more than $125 million. This order is for nine complete systems, plus associated parts and spares. The first kit will be delivered in the third quarter of 2010.
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