Defense Systems

Future hostilities to begin with cyber attacks, NATO official says

Some members of the strategic community believe that cyber attacks will now serve the same role in starting hostilities as air campaigns played in past conflicts, reports Julian Hale at Defense Systems.

Defense Systems

Transportation Command fine-tunes business processes

Science Applications International Corp. will help the U.S. Transportation Command boost its business process management development capabilities under a newly awarded contract.

Defense Systems

Army awards contract for sniper detection gear

Under a two-year, $19.5 million contract, QinetiQ North America will deliver equipment that Army soldiers can use to help identify the location of hostile enemy fire.

Defense Systems

U-2 spy plane played key role in Afghanistan operation

U.S., NATO and Afghan forces recently involved in the largest joint military operation of the eight-year war in Afghanistan received a helping hand locating improvised explosive devices from the U-2 spy plane, reports Christopher Drew at the New York Times.

Defense Systems

Valiant Angel ships out for Afghanistan

In less than two weeks troops in Afghanistan will receive a video system capable of moving massive amounts of still and video imagery gathered from unmanned aerial vehicles and other aircraft patrolling the mountainous country, reports Greg Grant at DOD Buzz.

Defense Systems

NavAir admiral to lead Joint Strike Fighter program

Vice Adm. David Venlet has been nominated to serve as the new director of the troubled Joint Strike Fighter program, the staff from Defense News reports.

Defense Systems

DOD seeks robot that can dig into its targets

A request for information from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency brings to mind technology portrayed in the 1960s British television series the Thunderbirds, reports Graham Warwick at Aviation Week’s Ares Blog.

Defense Systems

Two get orders for multifunctional communications terminals

Data Link Solutions Inc. and ViaSat Inc. recently received orders for Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Low Volume Terminals that will be used on Army, Air Force and Navy platforms.

Defense Systems

Boeing readies UAS flight demonstrations

Boeing Co. will conduct a first flight to two different unmanned aircraft systems in the next 10 months as part of the company’s initiative to get its UAS business back on track, reports Amy Butler at Aviation Week.

Defense Systems

Burroughs to direct Navy PEO C4I

Rear Adm. Jerry K. Burroughs will take over as program executive officer for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) San Diego.

Defense Systems

Marines take automated logistics to next level

The Office of Naval Research has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin Corp. to embark on phase two of an automated logistics designed to enhance Marine Corps mission planning and execution.

Defense Systems

Air Force wants to fuse C2 across domains

The Air Force Research Laboratory is inviting contractors to submit white papers on revolutionary information technologies that can advance the integration of command and control capabilities across cyber, air and space domains.

Defense Systems

Navy gets assistance with submarine satellite connectivity

The Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin Corp. a new $10.2 million task order through the Integrated Topside program to help develop advanced satellite communications systems for submarines.

Defense Systems

Planners mull air-sea warfare in unmanned age

Nobody's quite sure how to wage and win an air-sea battle,and that's emerged as a topic of discussion by military planners and budget officials, reports Bill Sweetman in Aviation Week’s Ares Blog.

Defense Systems

Army plans leadership center of excellence

The U.S. Army will establish a Mission Command Center of Excellence at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., to prepare leaders for battle command and associated functions, reports Kate Brannen at Defense News.

Defense Systems

DARPA wants razor sharp optics for satellite surveillance

DARPA is looking to fund a new program that would develop a diffractive optics membrane and related equipment and structures for use in a geosynchronous orbit telescope.

Defense Systems

Competition heats up over cargo UAVs

The U.S. military is keenly interested in employing unmanned aerial vehicles to support cargo delivery and contractors are scrambling to position themselves to win contracts to produce such systems, reports William Matthews at Defense News.

Defense Systems

Army rolls forward with networked combat systems

The Army has awarded a contract to Boeing Co. to outfit its a brigade combat team with networked gear designed to improve intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities on the battlefield.

Defense Systems

Army wants to soup up Shadow UAV

Army officials are contemplating issuing a solicitation to boost the capabilities of the Shadow RQ-7C unmanned aerial vehicle, reports Kate Brannen at Defense News.

Defense Systems

GSA, DISA launch commercial satellite solicitation

The General Services Administration has added two new special item numbers for commercial satellite communications services to Federal Supply Schedule 70.