The company has already delivered more than 40 ABE systems to the Air Force supporting more than 10 different aircraft platforms. In addition, SOCOM has utilized AAI Test and Training's ABE to align its fixed-wing aircraft fleet for more than five years.

"ABE's long-standing reliability for so many aircraft platforms speaks for itself," says Senior Vice President and General Manager Robert Peters of AAI Test and Training.

"More than 160 of our ABE systems have been fielded by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army and Marine Corps, as well as our allies around the world, in support of 24 different aircraft platforms."

ABE is a gyro-stabilized, electro-optical angular measurement system designed to align aircraft subsystems. Because the ABE system supports concurrent maintenance and does not require aircraft to be jacked and leveled during testing, both depot- and operational-level users can maintain schedules and reduce maintenance costs.

These features also support increased manufacturing throughput for original equipment manufacturers.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Ellicott City MD (SPX) Feb 09, 2012 - Lockheed Martin has been competitively awarded one of five Operations Support (OPS) Services Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM) in support of the Department of Defense's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO).

The anticipated period of performance is two years with three optional one year periods and an estimated cost ceiling of $900 million.

"Lockheed Martin is proud to continue our dedication to the JIEDDO mission, deploying highly-qualified personnel to serve as critical enablers for the warfighter's operations to identify and defeat the enemy networks employing IEDs against us and our Allies," said Bob Kramer, Lockheed Martin IS and GS-Defense vice president for Operational Systems and Services.

"We always remember that this work is about saving lives, it's in the forefront of what we do every day."

Through the contract's task orders, Lockheed Martin will provide in-theater and reach back support in four specialized categories that are critical to satisfying JIEDDO OPS' mission requirements to include: operations, analysis, combat support and IT support for the analytical team.

JIEDDO was established as a Deputy Secretary of Defense directed initiative with the mission to rapidly provide solutions to defeat the enemy's IED campaign, thus saving lives of service members fighting against insurgent networks that employ IEDs as a strategic weapon of choice.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Rolling Meadows IL (SPX) Feb 09, 2012 - The U.S. Army has awarded Northrop Grumman a $31.4 million contract for the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) Technical Demonstration (TD) program to develop the next generation of aircraft survivability equipment to defend helicopters against man-portable air-defense systems and other heat-seeking munitions.

CIRCM is a lightweight, low cost, highly reliable, laser-based countermeasure system designed to work with missile warning systems for rotary-wing, tilt-rotor and small, fixed-wing aircraft across the military services.

"We are honored to be selected by the U.S. Army for the CIRCM program. We are looking forward to working with the Army to rapidly demonstrate that Northrop Grumman has a superior IR countermeasure solution - a solution that will first and foremost protect our nation's warfighters," said Jeff Palombo, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division.

Under the terms of the program, Northrop Grumman and its industry partners, SELEX Galileo and Daylight Solutions, will deliver eight sets of test hardware in addition to three full ship sets for the Army's 21-month research, development, test and evaluation program that will include reliability testing, missile jamming tests and flight tests on an Army platform.

"Northrop Grumman's CIRCM program solution is a fifth-generation system based on our industry-leading laser-based IRCM experience," said Palombo. "Our solution provides the latest technologies, is based on our classic IRCM open architecture, and is more than 50 percent lighter than the currently deployed Army laser-based IRCM systems."

Northrop Grumman is an industry leader in Directional Infrared Countermeasures system design and manufacture. The company's IRCM systems have been installed on over 800 aircraft representing 50 different aircraft types, including large and small fixed-wing, rotary-wing and tilt-wing platforms. ]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Linthicum MD (SPX) Feb 08, 2012 - Northrop Grumman is participating in U.S. Fleet Forces Command's Joint/Coalition Amphibious Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, employing the company's BAC1-11 test aircraft to provide F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) sensor capabilities.

During Bold Alligator 2012, the BAC1-11 is being configured with the F-35's AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the AN/AAQ-37 infrared distributed aperture system (DAS). Systems will operate with future software blocks undergoing test as well as those delivered in current F-35 jets.

Bold Alligator is a large-scale, multinational Navy-Marine Corps amphibious exercise conducted by U.S. Fleet Forces and Marine Forces Command. It will be the Atlantic Fleet's largest amphibious exercise in 10 years.

The 2012 exercise is centralizing planning and execution of a brigade-sized amphibious assault from a seabase in a medium threat environment. Following a decade of ground war, this event is intended to revitalize, refine and strengthen core amphibious competencies of the Navy and Marine Corps.

"With JSF being delivered to training commands in 2012, the Navy-Marine Corps team is poised to start using our radar and DAS in an operational context, much like U.S. Pacific Command did during Northern Edge 2011. Northrop Grumman's commitment to deliver new capabilities to the war fighter remains a priority. This exercise is another opportunity to demonstrate operational utility to the fleet," said Jeff Leavitt, Northrop Grumman's vice president of Combat Avionics Systems.

"F-35 sensor capabilities are unprecedented. Their performance continues to meet or exceed expectations."

Building upon successful F-35 sensor deployments during Exercise Northern Edge in 2009 and 2011 in Alaska, Northrop Grumman's BAC1-11 test aircraft is flying air-to-air and air-to-ground reconnaissance missions during Bold Alligator's large naval and ground force maneuvers on the Atlantic coast. Participating naval forces include an aircraft carrier strike group, amphibious ready group, NATO alliance ships from eight partner nations, and Marine landing forces.

The F-35 AN/APG-81 AESA radar and AN/AAQ-37 DAS have demonstrated exceptional maturity well in advance of formal operational testing timelines. Participation in Bold Alligator is integrating these advanced capabilities in the maritime domain.

The AN/APG-81 AESA radar is a multifunction aperture capable of the full range of air-to-air and air-to-surface functions complemented by significant electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The AN/AAQ-37 DAS provides passive spherical awareness for the F-35, simultaneously detecting and tracking aircraft and missiles in every direction, and providing visual imagery for day/night navigation and targeting purposes. The F-35 JSF's role as an invaluable future component of the Navy, Marine Corps and international defense team is being demonstrated in all phases of amphibious operations as exercised in Bold Alligator.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Huntsville AL (SPX) Feb 08, 2012 - Northrop Grumman has received a $122 million contract to install and sustain Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) systems at forward operating bases (FOBs) supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and the ongoing United States Mission in Iraq (USM-I).

The contract includes options that, if fully exercised, would raise the potential value of the contract to $311 million.

Since initial fielding more than six years ago, the C-RAM system is credited with saving hundreds of lives through its ability to provide early warning of incoming indirect fire.

C-RAM is a capability that integrates existing field artillery and air defense sensors, a commercial off-the-shelf warning system and a U.S. Navy-developed interceptor to protect U.S. and coalition personnel from indirect fire threat.

Working closely with the U.S. Army, Northrop Grumman helped to take the C-RAM capability from concept to reality in less than 18 months.

"C-RAM is exemplary for smart integration of existing technology to serve critical needs," said Mike Twyman, vice president and general manager of the Defense Systems Division, Northrop Grumman Information Systems.

"We will continue our collaboration with the Army to enhance this system that has provided timely warning of more than 2,000 rocket and mortar attacks against our FOBs."

Under this contract, Northrop Grumman will provide systems engineering, production, deployment and logistics support for the C-RAM systems. The contract was awarded by the Army Contracting Command-Redstone at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.

Program management and technical direction will come from the Program Director, C-RAM, in the Army's Program Executive Office, Missiles and Space.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST London (AFP) Feb 9, 2012 - Britain's Prince Harry has qualified as an Apache attack helicopter pilot, St James's Palace said Thursday, adding that he had won a prize for shooting skills.

The 27-year-old received an award for being the best co-pilot gunner at a dinner Wednesday to celebrate the completion of 18 months of rigorous training by some 20 pilots.

The third in line to the British throne was given a polished 30-milimetre round from an Apache canon, mounted on a stand, at the dinner at Wattisham Air Station in Suffolk, eastern England, where he has been training.

He had also trained in the United States for two months last year at bases in California and Arizona.

Harry, a captain with the Army Air Corps, is reported to be keen to return to combat in Afghanistan after he was hastily withdrawn from his first tour of duty in 2008 when a media blackout was broken.

The state-of-the-art Apache helicopters are designed to destroy tanks using a formidable array of weapons, which include rockets and Hellfire missiles.

Britain has used the two-man helicopters in Afghanistan to hunt Taliban fighters, gather intelligence and provide cover for larger Chinook helicopters.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Washington (AFP) Feb 7, 2012 - US President Barack Obama tested a new prototype Tuesday for his commander-in-chief's arsenal -- a high-powered marshmallow gun that sent a tasty missile screaming through the White House.

Watched over by a brooding portrait of his hero Abraham Lincoln, the US president fired the launcher and marveled at other inventions on display at a White House youth Science Fair.

Obama gleefully examined a "Skype on wheels" robot that allows elderly people use the Internet to talk to far away relatives and a unique sugar sachet that dissolves in a cup of coffee, to avoid creating garbage. But he could not resist the marshmallow launcher.

"The Secret Service is going to be mad at me about this," Obama said, before energetically pumping a compressor and shooting the marshmallow gun, invented by 14-year-old Joe Huddy.

Obama watched open-mouthed as the candy shot across the room before crashing into the wall near the entrance to the Red Room, an elegant state parlor which stuffed with rare 19th century French furniture.

All the fun of the science fair had a serious purpose. Obama wanted to highlight the importance he places on innovation, science and education -- which will be reflected in his budget to be unveiled next week.

The president says that Republican budget cuts would dry up the kind of government spending that is necessary to inspire a new generation of scientists and visionaries to build a competitive 21st century economy.

"The young people I met today... you guys inspire me. It's young people like you that make me so confident that America's best days are still to come," he said.

"When you work and study and excel at what you doing in math and science, when you compete in something like this, you're not just trying to win a prize today; you're getting America in shape to win the future."

Obama said that the budget he unveils next week will include programs to prepare new math and science teachers and to qualify one million more US graduates in science, technology, engineering and math over 10 years.

He also had some advice for journalists and editors currently obsessing over campaign trail fireworks and his chances of winning a second term in November.

"I'm going to make a special plea to the press -- not just the folks who are here, but also your editors -- give this some attention," he said.

"I mean, this is the kind of stuff, what these young people are doing, that's going to make a bigger difference in the life of our country over the long term than just about anything."

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Arlington VA (SPX) Feb 07, 2012 - As sophisticated as the human eye is, it does not compare to what the latest scientific achievement has to offer in enhancing what can be visually perceived.

Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the development of a new circular polarization filter by a collaborative team of scientists at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) and ITN Energy Systems has the potential to aid in early cancer detection, enhance vision through dust and clouds and to even improve a moviegoer's 3D experience.

Polarization is the process wherein rays of light exhibit different properties in different directions, but especially the state in which all the vibration or frequency of the light takes place in one visual plane.

When measuring the different properties of light, the human eye can, of course, see in color but it cannot differentiate between the inherently different polarizations of light emanating from an object. This new filter allows users to measure the polarization state of light quickly and efficiently. As Colorado School of Mines Professor Dr. David Flammer notes, "A wealth of knowledge is contained in the polarization information of light and accurately measuring this state of light has a number of interesting applications."

What makes getting that wealth of information relatively effortless is what this new filter is all about according to ITN researcher Dr. Russell Hollingsworth: "This is by far the easiest circular micropolarizer to fabricate, which lets us measure all of the properties of light using a simple camera."

To better understand this new technique, consider the modern digital camera. Color digital cameras are made possible because of the development of micro-color filters that are put directly on the charge-coupled device chip within the camera, where each "pixel" is actually 3 or 4 independent pixels that detect a different discreet color.

The same concept is employed for this new approach to polarization--also using a simple digital camera-but there is also an added benefit. Not only does this new filter distinguish colors, it also measures both linear and circular polarized light.

Photographers are familiar with polarization filters you attach in front of your camera lens to decrease glare. But being able to make micropolarizers right on top of the detector array would result in a "polarization camera" that collects information in the same way color digital cameras do.

While linear polarizer filters are easy to make, circular polarizers, up to this point, have been very difficult to fabricate, but this problem may have been solved. The CSM/ITN research team developed a micro-structure that accurately measures circularly polarized light, the key to making a true polarization camera. On top of that, the new structure can be made to filter for both color and polarization, allowing for a combination color/polarization camera that measures everything about the light.

It is those specific light measurements that provide the unique benefits of this new technology. By measuring the polarization state of a light source, you arrive at a number of interesting applications.

One significant capability would be to enhance one's vision through dust/clouds. When light passes through dust or clouds, it typically is polarized in a certain way. A polarization camera can significantly improve the ability to "see through" these obscurants and more accurately determine one's target, thus both improving target tracking and reducing targeting errors.

Another important application is biological detection which exploits the concept of chirality, wherein an object does not look the same if you rotate it 180 degrees. With the ability to exploit the circular polarization of certain biological materials, such as DNA, the helix structure can be exploited via its chirality characteristics, to readily image and identify its properties-friend or foe?

Polarized light can also aid in biological detection, identifying tissue anomalies such as cervical cancer. Polarized light, which focuses its energy in one direction, can enable physicians to better see beneath the surface of the cervix for signs of trouble.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST St. Louis MO (SPX) Feb 06, 2012 - Boeing has announced that it has started production of the new Distributed Targeting System (DTS) for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter.

DTS provides enhanced targeting capability for the Super Hornet. It is part of the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F Network Centric Warfare Upgrades program and the F/A-18E/F Flight Plan, which will ensure that the Super Hornet remains ahead of emerging threats in coming decades.

The Navy granted approval for Low Rate Initial Production of DTS following successful completion of initial operational assessment flight testing at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif., and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., between September 2010 and March 2011. Air Test and Evaluation Squadrons VX-31 and VX-23 conducted the tests.

"Distributed targeting is going to be a real game-changer for Super Hornet aircrews," said Kevin Fogarty, Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18G Mission Systems director.

"DTS increases pilot and aircrew situational awareness and precision targeting when engaging air-to-ground targets, in part by using geo-registration technology."

Geo-registration technology compares images taken from tactical sensors with an onboard imagery database to produce highly accurate target coordinates.

DTS is on schedule to achieve Initial Operational Capability in January 2013.

The Boeing Super Hornet is a multirole aircraft, able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum, including air superiority, day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy air defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control and tanker missions.

Boeing has delivered more than 480 F/A-18E/Fs to the U.S. Navy. Every Super Hornet produced has been delivered ahead of schedule and on budget.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Tucson AZ (SPX) Feb 06, 2012 - The U.S. Navy completed developmental testing (DT) of the Raytheon Joint Standoff Weapon C-1. The conclusion of DT brings U.S. and allied warfighters one step closer to being able to engage moving ships as far as 60 nautical miles (70 statute miles) away with an air-launched weapon.

Developmental testing finished when the JSOW C-1 struck a small, fast-moving ship target during the weapon's second flight test.

"The JSOW C-1 is a network-enabled weapon which will be capable of receiving third party target updates in-flight and strike a precise point on a moving ship using its autonomous terminal seeker," said Cmdr. Samuel Hanaki of the U.S. Navy's Precision Strike Weapons program office.

"In addition to marking the completion of DT, this test keeps the program on track for reaching initial operational capability in 2013."

During the test, which met all objectives, the JSOW C-1 was released from an F/A-18F Super Hornet and guided to a small, fast moving ship target located 25 nautical miles (approximately 29 statute miles) from the launch point. The JSOW C-1 provided weapon in-flight track and bomb hit indication status messages via the Link-16 network.

The weapon also incorporated in-flight target updates provided by a second Super Hornet's Raytheon APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar that was 10 nautical miles behind the Super Hornet that launched the weapon.

"The 280 Raytheon employees in Tucson, Ariz., and hundreds of supplier employees across the U.S. worked hard to make this test a success and demonstrate JSOW C-1's ability to operate on the Link-16 network," said Phyllis McEnroe, JSOW program director for Raytheon Missile Systems.

Joint Standoff Weapon
JSOW is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground weapons that employs an integrated GPS- inertial navigation system and terminal imaging infrared seeker. JSOW C-1 adds moving maritime target capability and the two-way Strike Common Weapon Datalink to the combat-proven weapon.

JSOW C-1 is the world's first networked weapon, and has a range of more than 100 kilometers (more than 60 nautical miles).

The U.S. Navy completed the first free-flight test of JSOW C-1 on July 26, 2011, and the second test on Nov. 30, 2011.

Raytheon is using company funding to develop a powered version of the JSOW that has the potential to fly more than 300 nautical miles.

]]> Thu, 09 FEB 2012 09:07:16 AEST Subscribe to our daily selection of space, military, environment and energy newsletters responseText http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0016gbbKsaiGSpQFojVO8ZoHw%3D%3D