October 5, 2023 | International, Aerospace
Beta Technologies, which developed the fast charger now being built at Duke Field, will deliver its first ALIA electric aircraft to the Air Force in fall.
April 3, 2024 | International, Aerospace
ATHENS, April 3 (Reuters) - Greece has approved the purchase of 35 UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters from U.S defence contractor Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), opens new tab in an effort to modernize its armed forces, two people with knowledge of the deal told Reuters.
July 4, 2019 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – July 3, 2019 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been awarded an $82 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to facilitate military satellite communications in the Earth's north polar region through its Enhanced Polar System Recapitalization (EPS-R) Control and Planning Segment (CAPS) program. Northrop Grumman is the provider for all three major components of the EPS-R CAPS program demonstrating the company's industry-leading end-to-end capabilities. The U.S. Air Force's EPS provides secure, jam-resistant satellite communications coverage to forces in the North Polar Region (above 65 degrees north latitude) in support of national objectives. CAPS is a next-generation ground system that receives telemetry and supplies configuration commands, mission planning and cryptographic planning for the EPS and EPS-R polar-orbiting payloads. Northrop Grumman successfully developed, built and delivered the EPS CAPS for the U.S. Air Force Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate (MILSATCOM) on a previous contract. The Authority to Proceed granted by this contract award includes the development of software for the EPS-R CAPS taking the program from requirements analysis to test and delivery. The contract also addresses international host accommodations provided by Space Norway for new out of band link functions, cyber architecture, orbit planning, and the capability for controlling two additional EPS-R Payloads on a single software baseline in addition to the two existing EPS Payloads. “Northrop Grumman is committed to delivering the critical ground segment technologies that support the important mission of U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Command," said Rob Fleming, vice president, strategic force programs, Northrop Grumman. “We demonstrate through this contract and in close collaboration with Space and Missile Command that existing ground design and software can be successfully modified to support new and advancing mission requirements, an important strategic priority for our customer.” Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, California and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by September 30, 2023. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-awarded-recapitalization-contract-to-provide-continuous-secure-communication-in-polar-region
July 24, 2020 | International, C4ISR
Nathan Strout WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense wants better batteries for its war fighters, and it's partnering with NanoGraf to develop them. “Just like we civilians are increasingly relying on cell phones and tablets and everything else, the modern soldier is also transitioning towards these really power heavy devices in the field, [like] night vision goggles, weapon optics, all of the communications devices, GPS,” said Chip Breitenkamp, NanoGraf vice president of business development. “All of those things require more and more power. “If you take a look at what the soldier has to bring on the field already, between guns, ammunition, water, food, right now the best estimate that I've seen [...] is that every soldier for ever mission goes out with somewhere between 15 and 25 pounds of batteries just to power all of this stuff,” he continued. NanoGraf wants to build energy dense batteries that reduce that weight while allowing war fighters to operate longer without replacing or recharging their batteries. The company recently announced that DoD had awarded the company a $1.65 million Small Business Innovation Research grant to develop silicon anode-based lithion-ion portable batteries to replace the graphite anode lithium-ion batteries currently used by the military. The goal is to develop batteries with a 50-100 percent increase in runtime. “The technology that we have can be applied to any lithium-ion battery, and what it does is it basically gives the soldier more energy, longer runtime, less weight,” said Breitenkamp. He added that better batteries could enable emerging technologies like small drones and augmented reality devices. He noted that the company can currently get about 30 percent more energy density out of their batteries, and their technology is about 12 months away from being available commercially. Under their contract, NanoGraf will be working directly with the U.S. Army over the next two years to improve their technology and prepare to begin manufacturing batteries for use by soldiers. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/2020/07/22/the-department-of-defense-wants-better-batteries/