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Aerospace

New Copper Alloy Could Provide Breakthrough in Durability for Military Systems

U.S. Army researchers, in collaboration with academic partners, invented a stronger copper that could help advance defense, energy and aerospace industries thanks to its ability to endure unprecedented temperature and pressure extremes. Read on to learn more.

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Products
Aerospace

New Products

See the new products, including Microchip's BR235 and BR235D series of 25A QPL hermetically sealed electromechanical power relays; PIC Wire & Cable’s new Single Pair Ethernet; Galleon Embedded Computing's high performance recorder (HPR); Pixus Technologies' new SOSA aligned ATR enclosures utilizing the 3U OpenVPX form factor; and more.

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Articles
RF & Microwave Electronics

Pushing the Boundaries of Rapid Production of Spacecraft: Flight Results from NearSpace Launch’s TROOP and ThinSat Platforms

NearSpace Launch is actively redefining the boundaries of responsive spaceflight through its development and deployment of the Train Rapid on Orbit Payload (TROOP) and ThinSat platforms. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
RF & Microwave Electronics

Transforming Satellite Antenna Technology for the Next Era of Aerospace and Defense

The global satellite communications sector is undergoing profound transformation. Read on to learn more about it.

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Articles
Defense

Legacy in Action: The Enduring Role of MIL-STD-1553B

In an industry where failure is not an option, the enduring strength of MIL-STD-1553B — and the innovations keeping it relevant — serve as a powerful reminder that sometimes, the best way forward is to build on the foundations that have already proven their worth. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
RF & Microwave Electronics

Are Defense Satellites Ready for Space-Based Laser Communications?

The Department of Defense is developing technology for satellites to communicate via lasers. Laser communications could transmit data faster and more securely than traditional radio frequency communications. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Photonics/Optics

Microcomb Chips Could Improve Accuracy of GPS Systems

The optical atomic clocks that exist today are bulky and require complex laboratories with specific laser settings and optical components, making it difficult to use them outside lab environments, such as in satellites, remote research stations, or drones. Now, a research team has developed a technology that makes optical atomic clocks significantly smaller and accessible for more widespread use in society. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Aerospace

IQSat: Aitech’s AI-Enabled Picosatellite for Earth Observation and Imaging Applications

Aitech introduced its new AI-enabled picosatellite constellation platform, IQSat, at the 40th annual Space Symposium in April. The platform is designed to bring ready to use COTS embedded computing to data heavy earth imaging and pattern recognition applications. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellites for UK Defense

Airbus has been awarded the U.K. Ministry of Defense’s Oberon contract to design and build two Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites with day-and-night, all-weather, space-based ‘Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance’ (ISR) capability. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Manned Systems

Breakthrough in Long-Haul Laser Communication Capabilities

BlueHalo announced the successful milestone demonstration of its two-terminal long-haul, multi-orbit laser communication system. The achievement marks a significant breakthrough in the development of space-based laser communication technology with far-reaching implications for national security and commercial sectors. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
RF & Microwave Electronics

Electronically Steered Array Antennas for E2 Jets

Embraer has finalized an agreement with Intelsat to install its high-speed in-flight connectivity system on their E-Jet E2s during aircraft production. The system, with transmission speeds up to 275 Mbps, gives passengers a similar in-flight streaming and surfing experience to their home networks. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
RF & Microwave Electronics

In-Orbit Commercial Spacecraft Undocking

A Mission Extension Vehicle developed by Northrop Grumman’s Space Logistics LLC has successfully undocked with Intelsat’s IS-901 satellite, completing its life extension service. This marks the first undocking between two commercial spacecraft in the geosynchronous earth orbit graveyard. Read on to learn more.

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Briefs
Green Design & Manufacturing

Thermoelectric Generators Could Convert Waste Heat to Clean Energy in Jet Engines and Spacecraft

Thermoelectric generators that can convert waste heat to clean energy could soon be as efficient as other renewable energy sources, like solar, according to a team led by Penn State scientists. Using high-entropy materials, the researchers created more efficient thermoelectric materials than previously possible, an advancement that they said could even help make long-distance space exploration possible. Read on to learn more.

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Briefs
Power

Improving Electric Propulsion Thrusters for Future Spacecraft Missions

Go faster, farther, more efficiently. That’s the goal driving spacecraft propulsion engineers like Chen Cui, a new assistant professor at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science. Cui is exploring ways to improve electric propulsion thrusters — a key technology for future space missions. Read on to learn more.

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Briefs
Aerospace

A Satellite to Detect Short Gamma-Ray Burst Emissions

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in partnership with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), has developed StarBurst, a small satellite (SmallSat) instrument for NASA’s StarBurst Multimessenger Pioneer mission, which will detect the emission of short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), a key electromagnetic (EM) signature that will contribute to the understanding of neutron star (NS) mergers. Read on to learn more.

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Briefs
Test & Measurement

In-Orbit Testing of Autonomous ‘Swarm’ Satellites

Someday, instead of large, expensive individual space satellites, teams of smaller satellites – known by scientists as a “swarm” – will work in collaboration, enabling greater accuracy, agility, and autonomy. Among the scientists working to make these teams a reality are researchers at Stanford University’s Space Rendezvous Lab, who recently completed the first-ever in-orbit test of a prototype system. Read on to learn more.

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Briefs
RF & Microwave Electronics

NanoAvionics Satellite Suffers Space Debris Impact, Selfie Image Shows Damage

The MP42 satellite, which launched into low Earth orbit two and a half years ago aboard the SpaceX Transporter-4 mission, recently took an unexpected hit from a small piece of space debris or micrometeoroid. The impact created a 6 mm hole, roughly the size of a chickpea, in one of its solar panels. Read on to learn more.

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Products
RF & Microwave Electronics

New Products

See the new products, including L3Harris Technologies' AMORPHOUS™, its new software that features a single user interface to operate thousands of autonomous assets simultaneously; Rohde & Schwarz's new R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor; SBG Systems' expansion of its high-performance inertial navigation systems, Ekinox, Apogee, and Navsight, with new GNSS receiver options; Supermicro, Inc.'s wide range of new systems which are fully optimized for edge and embedded workloads; and much more.

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Articles
Manned Systems

Swarm Robotics: A Requiem for the Assembly Line

Aircraft manufacturing is on the cusp of its most profound transformation since the dawn of powered flight. The assembly line — a staple of industrial production for over a century — is about to be replaced by a far more efficient and cost-effective alternative: Swarm Robotics. Read on to learn more about it.

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Articles
AR/AI

The Evolution of Autonomous Systems in UAV Technology

So, let’s talk about it: What’s happening in 2025? Well, the sky is no longer the limit — it’s just the beginning of a new era in autonomous UAV technology. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
RF & Microwave Electronics

Reverse Engineering the Security Risks of the AeroScope Drone Detection Module

Da Jiang Innovations' AeroScope drone detection platform has proven to be an effective security tool for military and law enforcement. It identifies and tracks drones in real time, providing AeroScope users with information like flight status, path and pilot location for drones up to 50 kilometers away. Read on to learn more about it.

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Articles
Weapons Systems

AI Automates Drone Defense With High Energy Lasers

To counter the rapidly mounting threats posed by the proliferation of inexpensive uncrewed autonomous systems, or drones, Naval Postgraduate School researchers and collaborators are applying AI to automate critical parts of the tracking system used by laser weapon systems. Read on to learn more about it.

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Articles
Manned Systems

3D Printing Parts for Ships, Submarines and Underwater Vehicles

Additive manufacturing has been a game-changer in helping to create parts and equipment for the Department of Defense’s industrial base. A naval facility in Washington state has become a leader in implementing additive manufacturing and repair technologies using various processes and materials to quickly create much-needed parts for submarines and ships. Read on to learn more.

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Briefs
Aerospace

Lasers Destroy Drones as Additive Manufacturing Builds Them

In February, the Joint Interagency Field Experimentation team at the Naval Postgraduate School executed another highly collaborative week of rapid prototyping and defense demonstrations with dozens of emerging technology companies. Read on to learn more about it.

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Application Briefs
Robotics, Automation & Control

The Marines New Installation Counter UAS System

The U.S. Marine Corps awarded a 10-year, $642 million program of record to Anduril Industries to develop and sustain their new Installation-Counter small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (I-CsUAS) technology. I-CsUAS is a platform powered by machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to protect Marine Corps installations globally by detecting, identifying, tracking and defeating small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Photonics/Optics

GOKBERK C-UAS Testing

Turkish defense company Aselsan completed testing of its mobile laser counter unmanned aircraft system platform GÖKBERK against first-person view drones in March. Previously proven effective against rotary- and fixed-wing kamikaze drones, GÖKBERK has now demonstrated its capabilities for detecting, autonomously tracking, and eliminating FPV drones across multiple test scenarios. Read on to learn more.

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Application Briefs
Test & Measurement

BlueHalo Completes Test of Next Generation C-UAS Missile

BlueHalo, the company transforming the future of global defense with actively deployed and operationally proven Counter-Uncrewed Aerial System (C-UAS) solutions, announced the successful live fire demonstration of its Next-Generation C-UAS Missile (NGCM) – Freedom Eagle-1 (FE-1), addressing the critical need for munitions industrial base expansion to meet the rapidly evolving advanced aerial threats. Read on to learn more.

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Briefs
Manned Systems

Human-Focused Research Aims to Enhance UAS Effectiveness, Readiness

As the capabilities of unmanned aerial systems continue to evolve rapidly in response to the tactical and strategic necessities of the modern battlefield, the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory is exploring a unique approach to improving their operational effectiveness – by focusing on the protection and performance of UAS operators. Read on to learn more about it.

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Briefs
RF & Microwave Electronics

Engineers Enable a Drone to Determine Its Position in the Dark and Indoors

MIT researchers have introduced a new approach that enables a drone to self-localize, or determine its position, in indoor, dark, and low-visibility environments. Self-localization is a key step in autonomous navigation. Read on to learn more about it.

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