Defense Tech

Congress orders F-35 Software Plan

Kris Osborn — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:39:34 +0000

Congress ordered the Pentagon to establish an independent team consisting of subject matter experts to review the development of software for the Joint Strike Fighter program. The House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee asked the Pentagon to submit a report by March 3, 2014 as part of the committee’s markup of the [...]

Congress to Army: Get Your Own Cargo Drone

Mike Hoffman — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:35:14 +0000

Congress has ordered the Army to reconsider its initial refusal to stand up a cargo drone program despite the success the Marine Corps has had flying Lockheed Martin’s K-MAX unmanned cargo helicopter in Afghanistan. The House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee commended the Marine Corps for the performance of the K-MAX cargo helicopters [...]

Video: Navy’s Triton UAS Achieves First Flight

Kris Osborn — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:36:49 +0000

The U.S. Navy successfully conducted a first test-flight of its MQ-4C Triton aircraft, a wide-spanning 47-foot long surveillance drone equipped with high-tech, next-generation sensors able to conduct surveillance, reconnaissance and communications-relay missions over thousands of miles ocean, service officials said. During the 80-minute flight in restricted airspace in Palmdale, Calif., the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, controlled [...]

Lawmakers Back Military’s Laser Weapon Programs

Brendan McGarry — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:17:58 +0000

Congressional Republicans say they support the U.S. military’s laser weapons and directed-energy programs designed to protect troops by zapping apart potential threats, from incoming rockets to drones flying overhead. A panel of the House Armed Services Committee singled out the Army’s Solid State Laser Testbed and the Navy’s Laser Weapon System as “items of special [...]

China’s Cyber Attacks Threaten Social Order: Analyst

Brendan McGarry — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:39:53 +0000

The U.S. president should tell the leader of China’s communist party that its cyber attacks against Western targets threaten to undermine the Chinese economy and social order, an analyst said. When asked what President Barack Obama should say to President Xi Jinping at their next meeting in June, James Mulvenon, a vice president at Defense [...]

Pentagon Approves Use of Apple iPhones, iPads

Brendan McGarry — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:10:13 +0000

The U.S. Defense Department has released a security guide for smart phones and tablet computers made by Apple Inc., setting the stage for their wider use on military networks. The Pentagon’s Defense Information Systems Agency last week approved a so-called Security Technical Implementation Guide, or STIG, for devices running the iOS 6 operating system. The [...]

Video: F-35B Conducts First Ever Vertical Take Off

Mike Hoffman — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:44:18 +0000

Lockheed Martin released the video of the first ever Vertical Take Off conducted by an F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) Lightning II test aircraft. The test was completed May 10 at Naval Air Station Patuxen River, Md. The historic, albeit brief, flight occurred just a month after the Joint Strike Fighter program completed the first ever [...]

Video: X-47B Performs Historic Touch and Go Aboard Carrier

Mike Hoffman — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:24:35 +0000

The X-47B continues to make aviation history during it’s round of tests aboard the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush. The carrier drone performed its first ever touch and go operation aboard a carrier on May 17. Just three days earlier, the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator became the first ever drone to be launched from a [...]

QinetiQ unveils Sea Scout UUV

Kris Osborn — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:51:00 +0000

TAMPA — QinetiQ North America unveiled a lightweight, air-launched prototype Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) engineered with three flexible antennas and the ability to accommodate two separate sensor payloads, company officials explained May 14 at the 2013 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference here. “It is designed to be deployed from a sonobuoy launch container which can [...]

Presidential Ospreys Get a Paint Job

Mike Hoffman — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:31:04 +0000

The first MV-22 Ospreys set to fly presidential support missions for Marine Helicopter Squadron One have arrived at Quantico, Va., and they received a new paint job. The Ospreys will not be white tops like the VH-3D Sea King and VH-60 White Hawks, which get their nickname from the white paint job up top. These are [...]

Next Gen Body Armor, ISR sensors, Nigh Vision Make SOCOM’s Wish List

Kris Osborn — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:07:12 +0000

TAMPA – Experimental light weight body armor, the latest in infrared sensors, and next-generation night-vision technology are all among a series of key areas of focus for the U.S. Special Operations Command’s Science and Technology community, service officials said May 14 at the 2013 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference here. Special Operations leaders have made developing [...]

Navy Preps Drone for First Carrier Landing

Brendan McGarry — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:58:43 +0000

The U.S. Navy plans to fly the drone that was the first unmanned jet to take off from an aircraft carrier on a series of tests that will culminate in its first-ever landing aboard a ship this summer, an official said. The batwing-shaped craft, known as the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System, or UCAS, with [...]

Detection System Protects FOBs from Cameras, Rifle Scopes

Kris Osborn — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:28:54 +0000

TAMPA — A San Diego-based small business called Torrey Pines Logic displayed a small, mobile optical detection system at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference here. It emits a laser pulse to detect nearby surveillance gear such as cameras, rifle scopes or various observation lenses. The Beam 100 Optical Detection System is engineered to detect [...]

Video: Navy Launches First Ever Drone From Carrier

Brendan McGarry — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:29:57 +0000

The U.S. Navy for the first time launched a drone from an aircraft carrier in what officials hailed as a historic milestone in naval aviation. The batwing-shaped craft, known as the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System, or UCAS, on May 14 was catapulted 11:18 a.m. local time from the deck of the USS George H.W. [...]

Video: Air Force Sees Hypersonic Weapons in 2025

Brendan McGarry — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:11:28 +0000

The U.S. military may be able to deploy unmanned hypersonic weapons as early as 2025, an official said. The Air Force on May 1 successfully flew the X-51 WaveRider, an experimental “scramjet” made by Boeing Co., reaching up to five times the speed of sound for a record three and a half minutes. The service called [...]

China Seeks ‘Information Dominance,’ Pentagon Says

Brendan McGarry — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:30:30 +0000

China wants to be able to control the flow of information in the event of a war to thwart data-hungry adversaries such as the U.S., according to a Defense Department report released this week. The People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, considers the strategy of “information dominance” a critical form of defense against countries that it [...]

Report: SOF Must Develop ‘New Magic’ To Keep Up With Threats

Kris Osborn — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:59:25 +0000

In future years, U.S. Special Operations Forces must utilize next generation technologies and strategic partnerships to counter the threats posed by extremist groups, weapons of mass destruction proliferation and Anti-Access/Area-Denial challenges. Highlighting a handful of impactful global technological and geo-political trends, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments also emphasized that while SOF forces will [...]

Army Ships Precision Guidance Kits to Artillery Units in Afghanistan

Matt Cox — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:16:40 +0000

U.S. Army artillery units in Afghanistan now have a screw-on fuze that converts standard 155mm howitzer rounds into precision-guided indirect firepower. The Army recently fielded the XM1156 Precision Guidance Kit, or PGK, to A and B batteries of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment in Regional Command East. PGK allows for more precise artillery [...]

Watchdog Group Slams Army’s Battlefield Intel System

Brendan McGarry — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:49:44 +0000

A government watchdog group has come out against the U.S. Army’s system for collecting battlefield intelligence and recommended that lawmakers consider funding alternatives. Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., criticized the service’s Distributed Common Ground System, known as DCGS-A, for having “numerous problems,” including poor reliability, according to a May 9 letter from [...]

Navy Leaders Temper China Rhetoric

Kris Osborn — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:34:52 +0000

U.S. Navy leaders told lawmakers they are “vigilant,” but not necessarily “worried” about the Chinese military build-up in the Pacific. “We need to pay attention and understand their intent, and challenge them on their intent,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert told the House Appropriations’ Defense Subcommittee. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., asked Navy and [...]

Army Chief Compares Intel Database to iPhone

Brendan McGarry — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:18:23 +0000

The U.S. Army’s top officer sought to clarify a long-simmering dispute with a lawmaker over battlefield intelligence programs in simple terms. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno and Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., got into a heated exchange last month during a hearing on Capitol Hill. Hunter, a former Marine who served in Iraq and [...]

Video: X-47B Executes Shore Based Arrested Landing

Mike Hoffman — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:20:06 +0000

Naval Air Systems Command posted a video on Sunday of the X-47B’s first shore based arrested landing. It’s one of the initial steps prior to the drone’s first landing aboard an aircraft carrier. Navy officials plan to award four development contracts this summer for the service’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program. Northrop [...]

Video: Army to Test Battlefield Network

Brendan McGarry — Fri, 03 May 2013 23:33:08 +0000

The U.S. Army plans to conduct a key test of the next installment of a battlefield communications network made by General Dynamics Corp. this month at Fort Bliss, Texas. The system, known in military parlance as Warfighter Information Network — Tactical, or WIN-T, Increment 2, is a high-speed, high-capacity communications network for the war zone. [...]

First Osprey Arrives at Marine One Squadron

Mike Hoffman — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:00:28 +0000

The President’s Marine helicopter squadron received the first of 12 MV-22 Ospreys on April 5, although the president will not be traveling aboard the tilt-rotor aircraft with the checkered early flight history. The Ospreys that join the Marine Helicopter Squadron One fleet will carry presidential support staff and the media rather than the President of [...]

Marines Indefinitely Extend K-MAX’s Afghanistan Mission

Kris Osborn — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:09:59 +0000

The U.S. Marine Corps has indefinitely extended service for its autonomous K-MAX aircraft, an unmanned cargo helicopter that can fly with or without a pilot and deliver up to 6,000-pounds of supplies to forward-positioned soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan, service officials said. Two K-MAX helicopters have been in Afghanistan hauling cargo since November 2011 in [...]

Video of Bagram Plane Crash Emerges

Mike Hoffman — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:15:40 +0000

An unidentified individual has allegedly captured Monday’s cargo plane crash near Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, that killed its seven crew members. The video was posted to Live Leak and You Tube Tuesday. Pentagon officials have seen the video and are working to confirm its authenticity. The plane was not a U.S. military aircraft. It was [...]

L-3 Offers Miniature Infrared Camera

Brendan McGarry — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:30:13 +0000

A division of L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. has developed a small infrared camera for drones, sniper rifles and ground vehicles. L-3 Cincinnati Electronics, part of New York-based L-3, said its NightWarrior 640 is among the smallest, high-resolution, mid-wave infrared cooled cameras. About the size of a baseball, the device weighs less than a pound and [...]

Congress to Army: Why buy Apaches that can’t fly?

Matt Cox — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:37:40 +0000

Top Army acquisition officials had some explaining to do Friday when a House Armed Services Committee member accused the service of buying helicopters that don’t fly and withholding details about major field radio program. “It appears the Army has been paying for [AH-64] Apaches … without transmissions,” said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, the ranking member of [...]

Army Details Next-Gen Helicopter Timeline

Kris Osborn — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:58:50 +0000

U.S. Army officials plan to award up to four design contracts by the end of fiscal year 2013 for vendors to build the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) demonstrator aircraft, a next generation helicopter fleet, Army leaders said Thursday. Current plans call for two JMR technology demonstrator aircraft to be designed and built for a first flight [...]

Concerns Linger Over F-35 Software Delays

Brendan McGarry — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 03:58:27 +0000

Top U.S. Defense Department officials say they’re concerned the slow pace of software development may delay the delivery of the most lethal version of the F-35 fighter jet beyond 2017. The program manager, Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, told lawmakers today the issue was his top priority. “My biggest concern in development is software,” [...]

Pentagon S&T strategy emphasizes cyber, space, EW

Kris Osborn — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:38:33 +0000

Pentagon Science & Technology leaders said government, academic and industrial innovators must embrace an investment strategy aimed at advancing key “thrust” areas such as electronic warfare (EW), cyber, counter-space and counter– weapons of mass destruction. Alan R. Shaffer, acting assistant secretary of defense for Research and Engineering, outlined these priorities as something specifically designed to [...]

Afghan Air Force Waits on Light Attack Aircraft

Richard Sisk — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:21:17 +0000

Despite years of effort by U.S. trainers, the fledgling Afghan Air Force still lacks the planes and the pilots to bomb and strafe in support of its own ground forces and won’t have that ability anytime soon, the top U.S. air commander in Afghanistan said Tuesday. “They don’t,” Air Force Maj. Gen. H.D. “Jake” Polumbo [...]

Next Generation Bomber Survives Budget Tightening

Kris Osborn — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:38:29 +0000

The U.S. Air Force continues work on designs for a stealthy, high-tech, next-generation Long Range Strike-Bomber ready for initial operating capability sometime during the 2020s and able to replace portions of the aging fleet of B-2s and B-52s, service officials confirmed. The Air Force acquisition strategy for the next generation bomber, for which the service [...]

Orbital Successfully Launches New Rocket

Brendan McGarry — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:39:32 +0000

Orbital Sciences Corp. successfully launched its new rocket as part of a test flight for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The two-stage rocket lifted off at 5 p.m. local time on April 21 from Wallops Island, Virginia. About 10 minutes later, it delivered a dummy payload into orbit. The booster, called Antares, is the [...]

Air Force testing laser-guided rockets on A-10s, F-16s

Kris Osborn — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:12:31 +0000

The U.S. Air Force is working to mount the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) to the A-10 Thunderbolt II and F-16 fighter jet, a service official said. Air Force engineers are experimenting with additional applications the laser-guided precision 2.75-inch folding fin Hydra-70 rocket able to pinpoint targets not suitable for larger Hellfire missiles or [...]

Ospreys to Israel in Major Arms Deal

Richard Sisk — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:08:00 +0000

Israel will receive the MV-22 Osprey in the first foreign sale of the tilt-rotor aircraft as part of major arms deals with Mideast allies to guard against the threat from Iran, senior Defense Department officials said Friday. The Ospreys were the “most significant” assets in the total arms package and were “for the first time [...]

F-22s Make Precautionary Landings in Kadena

Mike Hoffman — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 05:27:01 +0000

Three F-22s deployed to Kadena Air Base in Japan made precautionary landings over the period of three days in April for various reasons. However, none of the pilots complained of breathing problems that previous pilots had experienced in the fifth generation fighters, Air Force officials said. It’s unclear what caused these precautionary landings, but the [...]

GAO: F-35 Program Has ‘Stabilized’

Matt Cox — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:26:17 +0000

The Pentagon’s F-35 Lighting II is now twice as expensive as program officials originally envisioned, but a long-time critic of the program still praised the joint strike fighter’s recent successes. Over the past 12 years, the F-35 program’s estimated cost has grown from an estimated $231 billion in 2001 to $390 billion. The estimated cost [...]

Orbital Scrubs Rocket Launch Minutes Before Liftoff

Brendan McGarry — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:45:09 +0000

Orbital Sciences Corp. scrubbed the first attempted launch of its new Antares rocket minutes before liftoff after a hose prematurely detached from the booster. The April 17 liftoff from Wallops Island, Virginia, was set for 5 p.m. local time. It was aborted with slightly more than 10 minutes left in the countdown due to a [...]

Pentagon Research Arms Focus on Cyber, ISR, Lasers

Kris Osborn — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:19:01 +0000

Military leaders from within the science and technology community told lawmakers Tuesday on Capitol Hill that emerging anti-access/area-denial threats and a rapidly changing global technological environment have shaped investments in Pentagon scientific research and next-generation weapons development. Officials from across the services and the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency said the Pentagon plans to boost [...]

U.S. Troops Faced Pressure Cooker IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan

Richard Sisk — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 04:10:15 +0000

The crude explosive devices used against runners and spectators at the Boston Marathon were similar to the kitchen pot bombs aimed at U.S. troops on foot patrol in Afghanistan, law enforcement and Congressional officials said Tuesday. For nearly 10 years, presidential directives, Homeland Security Department reports and local law enforcement officials have warned of the [...]

Intel Chief Dodges Questions on North Korea Report

Brendan McGarry — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:16:28 +0000

The Pentagon’s top intelligence officer declined to answer questions about the revelation last week of a classified report that concluded North Korea may be able to launch a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, which authored the classified assessment, appeared at an event hosted by [...]

Russia Approves Plans for Next Generation Bomber

Mike Hoffman — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:18:35 +0000

The Russian air force is developing a next generation bomber similar to the efforts by their U.S. counterparts. Russia’s effort took a step forward April 11 when Russian Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev signed off on the conceptual design and specification for the PAK-DA strategic bomber, according to a report by the state owned [...]

Lawmaker: Restore missile-defense funding

Brendan McGarry — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:12:11 +0000

The U.S. congressman who stirred debate this week about North Korea’s potential to launch a nuclear attack says he will work to restore funding for missile defense that was cut from the Pentagon’s budget request for next year. In an interview with Military.com, Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., criticized the Obama administration’s decision to reduce the [...]

Navy loads laser-guided rockets to Fire Scout

Kris Osborn — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:02:29 +0000

The U.S. Navy is adding laser-guided, precision-fire rockets to its vertical take-off and landing Fire Scout Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), service officials said. The helicopter-like reconnaissance drone is currently being configured with Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS), a precision-guidance weapons technology program providing 2.75 folding-fin hydra-70 rockets with laser-guided pinpoint accuracy. “An armed Fire [...]

Navy delays Triton UAS development

Kris Osborn — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:54:53 +0000

Development of the U.S. Navy’s maritime variant of the Air Force’s Global Hawk, the Triton UAS Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) , will be delayed, senior Navy officials explained when rolling out the service’s FY 14 budget proposal. About $25 million was taken from production of the system in the BAMS budget for fiscal year [...]

Navy: Upgrades Required for Trident Launch System

Bryant Jordan — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:47:24 +0000

Navy leaders said Wednesday the service must ensure the Pentagon remains committed to upgrades to the Trident missile launch system in line with the development of the replacement for the Ohio-class nuclear submarine fleet. Rear Adm. Terry Benedict, director of the Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs, said it is necessary to revitalize and qualify the launch [...]

Railguns remain in Navy’s future plans

Matt Cox — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:53:29 +0000

They may not be ready to punch holes in Decepticons, but the Navy is banking on electromagnetic railguns one day arming its newest ships. Directed energy weapons have created quite a buzz at this year’s Sea Air Space Expo at National Harbor, Md. They have always been a popular prop in science fiction movies; now the Navy is [...]

Sequestration poses minimal threat to Ohio-class replacement subs

Kris Osborn — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:32:24 +0000

Navy officials said Tuesday the budget cuts associated with sequestration will have a minimal effect on the Ohio-class submarine replacement program. The service is in the early phases of developing a class of high-tech, next-generation Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. Budget adjustments due to sequestration will for the Navy to synchronize elements of the technology [...]

Navy builds DDG 1000 with next-generation precision gun

Kris Osborn — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:15:27 +0000

The U.S. Navy’s DDG 1000 next-generation land-attack destroyer is being engineered with a stealthy, precision strike Advanced Gun System (AGS) that can pinpoint land-targets with GPS precision at ranges up to 63-nautical miles, service and industry officials said at the Sea Air Space Expo at National Harbor, Md. The AGS consists of a range of [...]