Military Satellite News (July & August 2009)Visit
www.satnews.com/military for today's military satellite news
August 31, 2009
Indian Ocean Pirates Could Well Reaper What They Deserve...
Mark Abramson of Stars & Stripes is report that U.S. officials plan to use MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the Indian Ocean as a way to combat piracy in the region.
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Totally Tubular, Dude! UAV Morphs For Tube Launch for USAF
An unmanned aerial vehicle small enough to launch from a plane or another UAV could be ready for the Air Force as soon as 2011, according to an expert with one of the five companies competing to produce the missile look-alike.
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USAF's Hunger For New UAV Technology Could Have Appetite Satisfied by U of Dayton
The Air Force, corporate and business partners could be just months away from starting up a center that will develop and test next-generation systems to improve the ability of unmanned aerial vehicles to track and attack America’s enemies.
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Truth or Dare? Iran's Air Force Lays Claim to Developing Homemade UAV
Reports in from several major news agencies indicate that Iran's Air Force commander Brigadier General Hassan Shahsafi declared on Sunday that Iran successfully tested its homemade drone, the official IRNA news agency reported.
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Pakistan Will DIY With UAVs
Pakistan has been unsuccessfully seeking drone technology from the United States, as a result they decided to make the pilotless plane on its own for its air force.
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August 27, 2009
Now Operational Is The Last Of the GPS IIR Sats
The last in the series of eight modernized Global Positioning System IIR satellites, GPS IIR-21(M), has been declared operational for military and civilian users worldwide, just 10 days after launching from Cape Canaveral AFS.
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SBIRS Secures Sign-Off By NGA
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has announced the certification and acceptance of the Space Based Infrared Systems, Highly Elliptical Orbit data for use in support of technical intelligence missions.
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Bringing Severe Weather Under The Watchful Eye Of UAVs
Mundus Group, Inc. has announced AirStar Weather Systems will continue VTOL UAV patrols for government agencies in the Gulf Coast States, providing real time data on "lookout" for hurricane Bill.
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Aerojet Plays A Thrusting Role FOr GPS IIR-21(M)
Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced that its second-stage liquid engine for the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket helped boost the final Air Force GPS satellite — GPS IIR-21(M) — to orbit for the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System.
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And Now for Something Completely Different — Hey! Who's Flying this Thing? Special Report
Just as I was putting the finishing touches on this month's update on flying model airplanes ... that kill, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a miniature airplane, towed by two … hulking journalists. And that, friends, is the reason for today's special report on developments in the burgeoning field of unmanned military aircraft.
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August 26, 2009
Seeing Red — Lockheed Martin's SBIRS Is Certifiable
Great news for Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] which announced today that the second Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO-2) payload and associated ground systems have been certified for missile warning operations by U.S. Strategic Command.
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UAVs Could Be A Tremendous Asset To Mexico In That Nation's War Against Drug Cartels
Michael Webster of Right Side News reports at the site that a high ranking Mexican military officer, who says he must remain anonymous, that Mexican President Calderon asked President Obama for armed drones to track down and kill the MDC's leadership and to help in surveillance of norco-traffing and have scensors on board that will be able to track targets as small as a human carrying a weapon.
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August 25, 2009
RaySat Keeps a Low Profile With StealthRay 5000
RaySat Antenna Systems has developed the StealthRay 5000 antenna to meet the demanding and diverse needs of SatCom on-the-move customers.
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Here's Looking @ Earth . . .On Fire! It All Looks Greek To Me
The scourge of droughts, and the terrifying threat to humans and historical locations — the wildfires threatening Athens have been beaten back by firefighters, but when it did threaten the Greek capital over the weekend, EUMETSAT’s Meteosat-9 satellite observed the smoke plumes.
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August 24, 2009
Patroller Passes Propitiously
The Patroller Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from Sagem and Stemme recently completed a series of eight test flights ending with a 10 hour flight.
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TacSat-3 Goes From Calibration To Validation Testing
Last Monday, Tactical Satellite-3 completed its critical calibration phase almost three months after launch, and the program team now prepares the 880-pound spacecraft for the crucial validation stage.
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Empire Challenge 09 No Game For Northrop Grumman's Interoperability Demo
Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully demonstrated Joint STARS and E-2 Hawkeye interoperability between manned and unmanned platforms during a recent virtual joint military demonstration involving U.S. and coalition forces.
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Flight Control AHC For UAVs With Crossbow
Crossbow Technology, Inc. announced the Company's single-card AHC525 Attitude Heading Reference is now available for integration within UAV flight control systems.
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Set To Expand Is Mobile Communication Acceleration
Expand Networks will exhibit the latest innovations in acceleration techniques for U.S. Air Force communications at AFITC 2009.
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August 23, 2009
iPhone In Control — Of A Drone
A team of 30 aeronautics students at MIT have written an app that allows users to control airborne drones via the iPhone’s accelerometer — simply turning the handheld device controls the drone.
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Make The MILCOM Move...
MILCOM is the premier international conference for military communications and attracts the best and brightest with high-level attendance from government, military, industry and academia.
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A Heckuva Airborne Hull For AESIR UAVs
Composite carbon prepreg materials from Advanced Composites Group Ltd. (ACG), part of the Composites Division of Umeco plc, are being used by Peterborough, U.K.-based AESIR Ltd. to manufacture the fuselage of its ODIN, HODER, and VIDAR Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs).
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WGS-2 Winning Ways For Warfighters
The U.S. Air Force' U.S. Strategic Command has accepted command and control of its second Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) communication satellite, WGS-2.
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L-3's GCS Gets into VSAT's For U.S. Forces
L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) and the Company's Global Communications Solutions (GCS) division has been awarded a follow-on contract by Eyak Technology for 970 combat service support Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs). The value of the award is $42.5 million.
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Falco UAV Finds Pakistan A Most Suitable Environment
The Pakistan Air force has initiated the start of the Falco UAV Co-Production Project.
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UAV Video Vagaries Eliminated By Enerdyne @ Webster Field
At the Unmanned System Demonstration?at Webster Field near Patuxent River Maryland, the Enerdyne division of ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq:VSAT) successfully received and displayed analog-transmitted NTSC video from a variety of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) using its digital EnerLinksIII Ground Modem Transceiver (GMT).
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August 21, 2009
Rockwell Is A Controlling Factor For Excalibur + SnowGoose
The Athena 511 flight control and navigation systems from Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, landed in two unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms this summer — the Excalibur UAV from Aurora Flight Sciences in Manassas, Va., and the CQ-10A SnowGoose Cargo UAV from Mist Mobility Integrated Systems Technology (MMIST) in Ottawa, Ontario.</font
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August 13, 2009
General Urges Faster Deployment Of UAVs
The Defense Department and unmanned systems developers must do a better job fielding unmanned capabilities to servicemembers on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior military officer said yesterday.
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Add In Another Acronym — OPV To Join UAV, UAS, + Others...
Aurora Flight Sciences announced today the launch of an Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) based on the popular Diamond Aircraft DA42M.
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Afghan Air Force Could Receive UAVs
The U.S. military is looking at eventually equipping Afghanistan's air corps with unmanned aircraft for surveillance missions, a general said on Wednesday.
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Getting Them SATCOMS + Services For The Feds Now In The Hands Of GSA
The General Services Administration will manage the purchase of $5 billion worth of commercial satellite services during the next 10 years for all federal agencies, including the Defense Department, under an agreement announced on Thursday.
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August 12, 2009
Losada From Hughes To Present @ SIA's SATCOM Workshop
Hughes Network Systems, LLC will participate in the Satellite Industry Association sponsored Army Commercial SATCOM Users Workshop, an adjunct event to LandWarNet 2009.
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Simply SATCOM Stupendous — SATCON In New York
Don't let your calendar avoid a most important entry — the SATCON Conference & Expo — October 14-15, 2009 — New York, New York.
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Assets Combine To Create Overwatch
Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, has combined Overwatch Geospatial Systems and Overwatch Tactical Operations into a single Operating Unit called Overwatch.
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Korea's Launch Luster Fast Fading — Another Delay!
South Korea's first independently built space rocket suffered further launch delays with today's liftoff canceled due to poor weather, according to the nation's national news agency.
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August 11, 2009
SIA + LandWarNet 2009 Offers General Strong As Keynote
The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) is pleased to announce that Major General Randolph P. Strong, Commanding General of the US Army Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command, CECOM LCMC, Fort Monmouth, NJ, will keynote the 2nd Army Commercial SATCOM Users’ Workshop.
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Camcopter UAS Team-Up 'Tween Boeing + Schiebel
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Schiebel Industries AG of Austria today announced they have signed a teaming agreement to pursue marketing and support opportunities for Schiebel's S-100 CAMCOPTER.
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Debut + Demos Of Draganflyer X4
The Draganflyer X4 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a computer-stabilized, miniature airborne platform with a wireless video downlink and remote flight control.</font
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Ariane 5 Has Everything Stacked In Its Favor
Every aspect of the preparation for Arianespace's next Ariane 5 mission is progressing smoothly including the build-up of the payload "stack" now underway at the Spaceport in French Guiana.
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Linking Up UAS For U.S. Army
AAI Corporation, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has received a $32 million award from the U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, for engineering and manufacturing activities to enhance the Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (TUAS) with the tactical common data link (TCDL).</font
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A Hummingbird With Plenty Of Lift
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] received a $500,000 contract from the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory on Aug. 5 to demo the company's A160T (YMQ-18A) Hummingbird for the Marines' Immediate Cargo Unmanned Aerial System Demonstration Program.
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Yuma Proving Ground Proves MQ-8B For NGC
A Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) owned, land-based MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Aircraft System (VUAS), designated P7, successfully demo'd its reconnaissance surveillance and target acquisition/intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (RSTA/ISR) capabilities this week at Yuma Proving Ground, Yuma, Arizona.
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NASA's New Crew Drawn Magnetically Together
Always in forward motion, NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission STS-134 to the International Space Station who will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, to the station.
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August 10, 2009
New Links From TS2 For Int'l SatMarket
TS2 Satellite Technologies company is introducing new satellite link products to the international market.
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Telespazio Gains Polish Agreement
The Ministry of Defense of Poland and Telespazio, a Finmeccanica/Thales company, have signed a 10-year contract worth approximately 30 million euros to provide Italian Sicral 1B space capacity in UHF frequency band.
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Drilling For Spatial Details — Starting Speakers Slate Stupendous!
An impressive slate of featured speakers has been confirmed for the Strategic Space Symposium,? November 2nd thorugh 4th, 2009, at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska...
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Cubic's CDLs To Catch Conference Attendee Eyes (UAV/UAS)
Cubic Defense Applications will showcase a range of common data link (CDL) systems for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations during the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) conference this week in Washington, D.C.
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A Gathering Of UAVs/UAS
Bruce V. Bigelow in Xconomy reports on the upcoming AUVSI conference in Washington, D.C., which is the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. Live demos of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and UGVs (Unmanned Ground Vehicles) occurred at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in St. Inigoes, MD. The rest of the conference returns tomorrow to the Washington Convention Center.
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Aero-SB Lite Makes the PMA Grade + Makes Appearance @ AUVSI 2009
Thrane & Thrane has recently received Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) for its latest SwiftBroadband solution, Aero-SB Lite.
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Better – Faster – Cheaper @ IDGA’s 4th Air Launched Weapons Conference
From August 24-25, in Vienna, Virginia at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner Hotel, IDGA’s 4th Air Launched Weapons conference will delve into the challenges faced by all branches of the services when it comes to making weapons cheaper and more efficient.
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August 7, 2009
Lockheed Martin Demos SmartPhone Ops For Warfighters @ CWID
Warfighters operating in theatre may soon have greater situational awareness with the added ability to download high-value tactical data anywhere in the field on smartphones loaded with new applications from Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT].
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August 6, 2009
Fury UAV With Thunderstorm Aboard Demos Electronic Attack System
A Chesapeake Technology International Corporation (CTI) / AeroMech Engineering, Incorporated (AME) team has successfully demo'd an unmanned airborne medium power communications Electronic Attack (EA) capability during two successful flights conducted at an airfield in California during the week of July 27th, 2009.
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Northrop Grumman Bets On A Bat's Better Comms Relay Payload
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has successfully demo'd a communications relay payload for a government customer during multiple flights of its Bat unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
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25K + Counting For Global Hawk UAS
Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) recently reached a major milestone —25,000 combat hours — during an operational sortie July 8-9 from a deployed location.
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A Microwave Moment For AML Communications + UAVs
AML Communications, Inc. (OTCBB: AMLJ - News) has received a $2.2 million order for integrated microwave assemblies to be deployed in UAVs.
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August 5, 2009
Going ISR 3D For UAVs Is Scientific Systems With USAF SBIR Grant
Scientific Systems Company, Inc. (SSCI) has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Air Force to develop high-quality, three-dimensional (3-D) imaging technologies for use in automated surveillance systems.
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Investment Infusion Of Healthy Proportions For UAV Manufacturer Aeronautics
Viola Private Equity will invest $20 million in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd.
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Italy's Predator-A Proves Remote Control Is In Hand
The first satellite-guided flight of a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Predator-A of the Italian Air Force between two of its bases (Amendola, Foggia and Decimomannu, Cagliari) has been successfully completed.
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Tracking Antenna Is Both Portable + Ku-band Effective For UAV MILCOM
TECOM Industries, Inc., a Smiths Interconnect business, has announced the commercial launch of the GDT-2100 Ku-band Ground Data Terminal Antenna (GDT) System.
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TS2 Set To Link The World
TS2 Satellite Technologies company is introducing new satellite link products to the international market.
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August 4, 2009
Crucial Data Delivery For UAVs To Be On Display From Elisra
Elisra is showcasing the Company's avionics data link technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) next week at the AUVSI Unmanned Systems North America 2009 conference and exhibition in Washington.
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Dozor-3 Development For Russian Military
Russia's Kronshtadt defense company has developed a new-generation heavy unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for military purposes, a senior company official said on Tuesday.
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Only Have Analog Transmitters For Your UAV? Enerdyne Can Move All To Digital
The Enerdyne division of ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq:VSAT) has added a new operating mode for its EnerLinksIII Ground Modem Transceiver (GMT) that enables it to interoperate with airborne vehicles that use analog FM technology to transmit NTSC, PAL, or RS170 sensor video over a line-of-sight, air-to-ground communications link.
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Astrium Terminals Talking Turkey
Astrium Services’ Secure Satcom Systems division has delivered the first set of SATCOM equipments to Aselsan for the first of class MILGEM, the prestigious Turkish National corvette program.
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Rockwell Collins' DAGR Does GPS Right For USAF
Rockwell Collins has received a $20.2 million contract modification to provide 81,622 DAGR hand-held GPS receivers and accessories to the U.S. Air Force GPS Wing (GPSW/PK) in El Segundo, CA.
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August 3, 2009
Malaysian UAV Climbs New Heights
The ALUDRA (Allianced Unmanned Developmental Research Aircraft) UAV, deployed by the Malaysian Joint Forces in Ops Pasir at Pandanan and Sipadan Resorts, will be launched early next year.
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God Speed — As ULA Launches AF Delta II Bringing the End of An Era
The launch of the ULA Delta II GPS IIR-21 satellite is set for August 17, 6:35 a.m. EDT, from Space Launch Complex-17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
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Arresting Demonstration for Brazilian Police of IAI's Heron UAV
Described as a successful demonstration of Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) System took place last week in Brazil at the request of the Brazilian federal police who are testing UAV use for several purposes.
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August 2, 2009
Indian Armed Forces Getting What They've Asked For — UAVs
The Indian Defence ministry has approved another major induction of UAVs for armed forces, with surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions becoming critical on the western and eastern fronts as well as along the huge coastline.
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U.S. Air Force to Host Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium at U of N. Dakota
Air Force officials will host the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium August 4 to 6 at the University of North Dakota, in which participants will address representatives of academic institutions and industry as well as local military leaders regarding the Air Force UAS vision.
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MILSTAR Reception Via EHF Small Antenna Passes USAF Flight Test
Electronic Systems Center and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory personnel demo'd the powerful capabilities of a small antenna during a flight test conducted earlier this summer here.
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South Korea Ramps Up For Third Try @ First Rocket Launch
South Korea will launch its first space rocket from its territory on August 11, following repeated delays due to technical problems, officials reported on Saturday.
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Cheers! UK Ministry of Defence Reveals Latest UAS
A gathering on July 30, at an exhibiton at the UK Ministry of Defence's London headquarters revealed the latest Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) providing an opportunity of both military and civilian to gather their own intelligence on the future of military aviation.
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August 1, 2009
X-47B UCAS Does Northrop Grumman Proud — Receives Navy Bureau Number
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) recently completed a series of static and dynamic proof load tests to validate the design and structural integrity of the U.S. Navy's first X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) for aircraft carrier launches, recoveries and at-sea operations under the UCAS Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program.
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No Image Problem For Sensors Unlimited + Cloud Cap Technology
Sensors Unlimited, Inc., part of Goodrich Corporation, and Cloud Cap Technology, acquired by Goodrich Corporation in May, 2009, are teaming together to provide specialized imaging solutions for military, security and surveillance markets.
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IDF Can Now Take Offensive and Defensive Looks At... Everything!
The Israeli army has unveiled its latest tactical weapon — a miniature spy-in-the-sky that can be launched by an infantry unit in the battlefield to see over hills up to 10 miles away — in an article published by All Headline News.
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Particularly Adept @ Interdiction Is The Predator...
Chris Batcheller, at Aero-News.Net, authored an interesting article entitled "U.S. Customs Predator UAV Operates in National Airspace."
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New Intelligence Options For German MoD With EuroHawk UAS
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has finished assembling the first Euro Hawk(r) UAS for the German Ministry of Defence (MoD).
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SMC's SBIRS Software Success
The U.S. Air Force’s Space Based Infrared Systems Wing has successfully completed development of its Flight Software Subsystem, July 29, at the Lockheed Martin site in Sunnyvale, Calif.
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Warfighter Secure Comm Demo'd By Ratheon + SafeNet
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and SafeNet Inc. recently partnered to demo a new technology that secures radio communication among warfighters.
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Concentrated UAV Roles In Afghanistan
The U.S. military plans to use more drone aircraft to target Taliban militants in Afghanistan while focusing less on hunting down Al-Qaeda figures, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday.
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