Industry News

Technical organization IEEE and the IEEE Standards Association have launched the IEEE Aerial Network Communications Working Group to structure standards for aircraft systems. Group members will work to establish the IEEE P1920.1 project designed to develop standards for air-to-air communications in an ad hoc aerial network and situational awareness for commercial, civil manned and unmanned aircraft […] More

MBDA‘s Italian subsidiary has been awarded a potential $1.11 billion contract to build  three kinds of missile for installation on Qatar’s naval ships. The Qatar Emiri Naval Forces will receive Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles and  Aster 30 Block 1 and Vertical Launch MICA air defense missile systems from MBDA Italia, the company said Wednesday. The weapons will be built to […] More

Erickson has received a purchase order from the U.S. Coast Guard to transport USCG Research and Development Center staff and equipment aboard Bell 212 helicopters to locations in Nome, Alaska. The Portland, Oregon-headquartered aviation services provider said Monday the purchase order carries into August and the contract work started on June 13. Erickson was also selected to provide helicopter support for the Alaska […] More

A British defense support organization has partnered with BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman to compete for the rights to be Europe’s F-35 avionics sustainment hub, Defense News reported Wednesday. Andrew Chuter writes the U.K.’s Defense Electronics and Components Agency, BAE and Northrop aim to propose a joint framework for maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services provision to the F-35 Joint Program Office by August. DECA […] More

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to launch two contracts worth approximately $21.5 million for software development support services under its Hallmark program that aims to provide real-time visualization of space operations, Space News reported Monday. Mike Gruss writes DARPA released an initial solicitation on June 17 to acquire a proof of concept effort that would serve as the foundation of a software […] More

The Office of Naval Research is close to the third phase of its program to develop a vehicle-mounted laser weapon system for efforts to counter adversaries’ unmanned aerial vehicles, USNI News reported Thursday. Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, U.S. Marine Corps deputy commandant for combat development and integration, said the third phase of the Ground-Based Air Defense Directed Energy […] More

QTS Realty Trust will open a 317,000-square-foot data center in downtown Chicago Friday to provide a range of information technology infrastructure services to government and enterprise customers. QTS said Tuesday it collaborated Mortenson Construction and consulting-engineering firm ESD to design and build the mega data center on the former Chicago Sun-Times  complex. The facility is built to offer direct access to long-haul fiber networks for organizations located in Chicago’s central […] More

Mitre has expanded its partnership with Allied Minds to provide the latter company exclusive access to some of the nonprofit’s patented inventions and related technical information. The new agreement allows the Allied Minds Federal Innovations organization to review Mitre’s intellectual property portfolio and to potentially license technology into companies established by AMFI, Allied Minds said Tuesday. AMFI-formed companies will be given capital, central management and startup […] More

The Department of Homeland Security will hold an industry day Wednesday in Washington to discuss its planned department-wide contract vehicle for “agile” information technology support services. The event will feature a networking session for contractors and non-traditional vendors who aim to do business with the federal government, DHS said in a notice posted on FedBizOpps. DHS originally released a request for information in […] More

Esri has teamed up with the National Geographic Society to launch an initiative that aims to identify, link and protect natural resources and cultural places before development planning starts. The company has unveiled a set of geographic information systems and data as part of the Green Infrastructure for the U.S. program in an effort to […] More