Latest Stories
Articles Aerospace
Electrically Driven General Systems for UAVs
General systems are defined as all of the flight safety critical systems of an aircraft, excluding the engine and flight control computing. Usually, the main subsystems in a general system include...
Articles Aerospace
Tactical Lab Trains Warfighters in Space Hardware and Software Control Tasks
A Training and Tactical ORS Operations (TATOO) Laboratory is being developed by Star Technologies Corp. under the direction of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)...
Articles RF & Microwave Electronics
Demodulating Over-the-Air Communications
Today, modern radio designs have made a predominant shift to the software-defined radio architecture. From cellular handsets to military communications devices, the flexibility to use multiple wireless...
Articles Aerospace
Middleware Offers Integration Framework for Dynamic UAV Applications
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) like the MQ-1 Predator have excelled in the theaters of war in which they have been deployed. However, the ability of those controlling the UAV...
Articles Aerospace
Interaction Methods for Virtual Reality Applications
The potential of Virtual Reality (VR) technology has not been fully realized because the user interfaces are not designed to effectively support the user. One of the most critical interface...
Articles Aerospace
2D Laser Profiling Scanner for Detecting Targets
The Radiometric Sensor Development and Applications Team of the Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate (SEDD) at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has developed a 2D laser profiling...
Articles Aerospace
Active Thermal Management for Cooler Body Armor
The military places greater demands on its equipment — electronic and otherwise — than any other market segment. It is also true that it places its greatest thermal demands on the men and...
Articles Aerospace
Detecting Improvised Explosive Devices in Urban Areas
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are rudimentary bombs that generally consist of commonly found non-military materials. Although common IED threats include roadside bombs, suicide bombers...
Articles Aerospace
Weapon and Armor System Power in Future Combat Vehicles
Future combat vehicles will require unconventional weapons and armor systems such as electromagnetic (EM) or electrothermal chemical (ETC) guns, electromagnetic (EM) armor, and directed-...
Articles Aerospace
Today’s Gigabit Ethernet Modules: Realizing the Netcentric Vision
To realize the Depart ment of Defense's (DoD) vision of a ubiquitous, netcentric battlefield — connecting the warfighter with critical data in real time — embedded...
Articles Sensors/Data Acquisition
Man-Wearable Control Units for Military Robotics
It is no secret that robots are rapidly asserting themselves in today's military applications. For the duration of the Iraq War, robots have roamed the streets of Baghdad, Fallujah, and other...
Articles Sensors/Data Acquisition
Digital Light Control Simplifies Focal Plane Array Testing and Image Sensor Production
Characterization of the performance of image sensors and image sensor systems is critical to success in many defense and security applications. From image...
Articles Defense
Applying Reconfigurable Computing to Acoustic Sensors
There is growing interest in the U.S. Armed Forces in the development of microsensor systems that are easily deployed and that support reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition...
Articles Defense
On-Board Vehicle Power for Mobile Forces
Current threats on our military forces have created a tremendous requirement for mobility as it relates to mission specifications. The objectives of onboard vehicle power (OBVP) are to develop,...
Articles Propulsion
The Future of Space Propulsion
Significant challenges and advances in space propulsion have occurred over the past ten years. The end of the Cold War had significant impacts, both positive and negative. Operational systems now have to operate...
Articles Defense
Multi-Robot Operator Control Unit for Unmanned Systems
The U.S. military has incorporated many robotic systems into battlefield scenarios over the past several years, ranging from a single vehicle or unattended sensor to multiple vehicles and...
Articles Imaging
GigE Vision and Video Transmission in Military Vehicles
Video plays a crucial role in defense and security, and video streams are now used in armored vehicles for target acquisition, Local Situation Awareness, and other military applications....
Articles Electronics & Computers
Rugged Computing Power for Small Platforms
Sensor-based imaging systems generate invaluable information for modern warfare, but a serious challenge exists to the timely use of that information. Data links that provide the transmission backbone...
Articles Electronics & Computers
Considerations for Thermal Management of Printed Wiring Boards
Remaining at the forefront of technological advancements in the printed wiring industry requires a proven combination of process methodology, state-of-the-art processing equipment,...
Articles RF & Microwave Electronics
Role and Performance of the Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager Instrument
The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission will initiate a new era in precipitation measurement in terms of its global extent and frequency of...
Articles RF & Microwave Electronics
Prototyping Advanced Military Radar Systems
Radar receiver design is seeing an increase in the number of digital tuning and digital signal processing (DSP) functions moved from back-end single-board computers into fixed front-end hardware...
Articles Electronics & Computers
Data-Based Paradigm for Rapid Development of Advanced Avionics Displays
The database concepts, tools, and runtime software described in this article provide a methodology for creating advanced avionics human-machine interfaces (HMIs), such as...
Articles Electronics & Computers
Thermal Trends and Improvements for Rugged COTS Cards
Thermal management of rugged COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) cards destined for defense applications has always been a challenge due to the high operating temperatures and other harsh...
Articles Communications
Network Keeps Line of Communication Open to Convoys
An airman riding as part of a convoy escort team in Iraq keys his radio microphone to check in with his base, and hears nothing but dead air. The U.S. Air Force is leading a joint...
Articles Robotics, Automation & Control
Micro Air Vehicles Serve as Eyes in the Sky for Ground Troops
Honeywell Aerospace has developed the Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on ducted-fan technology that recently was deployed in Iraq to identify...
Articles Software
Data-Centric Distributed Application Architecture for Shipboard Systems
System architects design distributed applications leveraging computer resources connected by a network infrastructure: CPU-intensive tasks may be located on powerful core...
Articles Aerospace
The Ballistic Missile Defense System: An Integrated Approach to Global Defense
Although the end of the Cold War signaled a reduction in the likelihood of global nuclear conflict, the threat from ballistic missiles has grown steadily as...
Articles Aerospace
SpaceWire: The Standard for Aerospace Communications
Developed in 1999 under the auspices of the European Space Agency, SpaceWire answered a longstanding spaceflight problem: no standard, high-speed communications protocol existed for flight...
Articles Aerospace
Update on NASA’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
In the August issue of Defense Tech Briefs, we highlighted NASA’s Altair/Predator B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for Earth science missions. A lot has happened in the past two months, so we’re...
Top Stories
NewsRF & Microwave Electronics
Microvision Aquires Luminar, Plans Relationship Restoration, Multi-industry Push
INSIDERAerospace
A Next Generation Helmet System for Navy Pilots
INSIDERDesign
New Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Agreements Expand Missile Defense Production
INSIDERMaterials
How Airbus is Using w-DED to 3D Print Larger Titanium Airplane Parts
NewsPower
Ford Announces 48-Volt Architecture for Future Electric Truck
ArticlesAR/AI
Webcasts
Electronics & Computers
Cooling a New Generation of Aerospace and Defense Embedded...
Automotive
Battery Abuse Testing: Pushing to Failure
Power
A FREE Two-Day Event Dedicated to Connected Mobility
Unmanned Systems
Quiet, Please: NVH Improvement Opportunities in the Early Design Cycle
Automotive
Advantages of Smart Power Distribution Unit Design for Automotive &...
Energy
Sesame Solar's Nanogrid Tech Promises Major Gains in Drone Endurance