Honeywell backs growth drive with $1.9 bln aerospace and defense deal

On the same subject

• 

  August 21, 2023 | International, Naval

  US Navy shipbuilders’ union approves labor pact at Bath Iron Works

  Workers are receiving an increase in contributions to their national pension plan while health insurance costs will grow.

• 

  August 9, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land

  Military researchers think spider silk may keep US troops lighter and cooler in combat

  Christopher Woody\ Researchers are looking at ways to lighten the load troops carry in the field and better regulate their temperatures. Synthetics like artificial spider silk are one material they're looking at for that purpose. Scientists have often found military applications in strange substances found in nature or made in labs. The silk spiders produce is tougher than Kevlar and more flexible than nylon, and Air Force researchers think it could it could be key to creating new materials that take the load and heat off troops in the field. Scientists at the Air Force Research Lab and Purdue University have been examining natural silk to get a sense of its ability to regulate temperature — silk can drop 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit through passive radiative cooling, which means radiating more heat than it absorbs, according to an Air Force news release. Those researchers want to apply that property to synthetics, like artificial spider silk, which is stronger than Kevlar, the polymer typically used in body armor, and more flexible than nylon. Enhancing body armor and adding comfort for troops is one of many improvements hoped for by a team led by Dr. Augustine Urbas, a researcher in the Functional Materials Division of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. "Understanding natural silk will enable us to engineer multifunctional fibers with exponential possibilities. The ultra-strong fibers outperform the mechanical characteristics of many synthetic materials as well as steel," Urbas said in the release. "These materials could be the future in comfort and strength in body armor and parachute material for the warfighter." https://www.businessinsider.com/military-scientists-want-to-use-spider-silk-for-body-armor-parachutes-2018-8

• 

  December 3, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, C4ISR

  Raytheon wins pair of Air Force and Navy IT contracts

  Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — Raytheon's intelligence and space business announced Wednesday it was awarded a five-year basic ordering agreement for software services by LevelUP, a U.S. Air Force software factory. The award to the defense giant comes after the company announced a $70 million contract for submarine communications sustainment with the Navy. A Raytheon spokesperson was unable to provide a contract value for the Air Force deal. According to Raytheon, the basic ordering agreement will be the “primary avenue” for the Air Force's Platform One system, which serves as the service's primary platform for software development. The deal also impacts the development of the Advanced Battle Management System, the Air Force's platform to enable the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept. “To combat increasingly fast, capable and agile threats, we must be able to deliver services within hours, or even minutes,” said David Appel, vice president of defense and civil solutions for space and C2 systems with Raytheon Intelligence and Space. “This agreement provides an avenue for the Air Force to achieve that. We're now positioned to rapidly deliver agile cyber solutions to the Air Force and the Department of Defense.” The Air Force decided to create the LevelUP factory after its work developing U.S. Cyber Command's Unified Platform, the combatant command's first major weapons system. The Air Force wanted the factory to help other components with similar software projects. Submarine communications Meanwhile, below sea level, Raytheon was awarded a $70 million contract to provide sustainment services to Navy submarines, the defense giant announced Dec. 1. Under the five-year, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, Raytheon will provide test, inspection, evaluation and restoration services of Submarine High-Data Rate, or SubHDR, mast components. SubHDR connects submarines to the Defense Department's Global Broadcast Service, a network that allows for one-way communication of data and video files. The SubHDR systems relies on a special mast antenna that connects the subs to networks above the sea. The Global Broadcast Service relies on the Milstar satellite constellation and Defense Satellite Communication System. According to a Raytheon news release, SubHDR “vastly improves a submarine's mission capability and the quality of life for submariners by affording them high-data rate communications with the world outside of the sub.” “The SubHDR system was created to support protected high-data rate communications for submarines,” said Denis Donohue, vice president for communications and airspace modernization systems for Raytheon Intelligence and Space. “SubHDR mast is a protected, secure and survivable system to support all communications needs, from day-to-day messaging to ensuring the commander-in-chief can stay connected with his commanders.” Naval Undersea Warfare Center awarded the contract. https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/12/02/raytheon-wins-pair-of-air-force-and-navy-it-contracts/