05 Sep 06. Thales Avionics S.A., Diehl Aerospace and Esterel Technologies, the leading worldwide supplier of model-based design, validation and code generation tools for safety-critical embedded software, announced today the signature of a strategic technology transfer agreement, that results in the acquisition by Esterel Technologies of an exclusive source code license of Thales Avionics and Diehl Aerospace internally developped IMAGE Embedded Graphical Display Design Environment. IMAGE is already in operational use on large-scale avionics programs, such as the Cockpit Display Systems of the Airbus A380 and A400M, the Sukhoi Russian Regional Jet and the Dassault Aviation Rafale program. IMAGE will be fully integrated within Esterel Technologies’ SCADE product line, that is already the current market leader for the design of safety-critical software applications in aerospace and defense, rail transportation, automotive and heavy duty industries, under the SCADE Display brand name. The SCADE Display family of tools will feature:
* the SCADE Display Modeller, an advanced symbology drawing and simulation tool,
* the SCADE Display Ergonomy Checker, a unique tool enabling the automated checking of human factors and ergonomy design rules,
* and the SCADE Display DO-178B Qualified C Code Generator, that automatically generates highly portable and efficient C code, and includes a DO-178B Certification Kit. Thales Avionics, Diehl Aerospace and Esterel Technologies already partner in several joint collaborative R&D projects, within the 6th Framework Research Programme of the European Union, the ITEA Eureka framework and the System@tic Competitiveness Cluster (Pôle de Compétitivité) within the “Software Factory” project as well as the Aerospace Valley Competitiveness Cluster. Thales Avionics and Esterel Technologies are also actively involved in the ARTEMIS European Technology Platform initiative. “By partnering with Esterel Technologies, Thales Avionics demonstrates its commitment towards the development of an effective high tech SME ecosystem in Europe, while facilitating the emergence of the worldwide leader of safety-critical software development tools, for the benefits of its aircrafts customers. It is also an innovative way of leveraging internal intellectual property assets and benefitting from their exploitation on a worldwide basis,“ said Dominique Pons, Vice President Strategy of Thales Aerospace Division.
06 Sep 06. A handful of Washington-area companies are part of a Northrop Grumman-led team that will continue providing technology support to the Joint
Warfighting Center under a new contract worth up to $686m. The two-year, $218m contract would reach $686m over six years if all options are exercised. Northrop Grumman and its partners were selected by the U.S. Joint Forces Command to provide tech support to the Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk, Va., which prepares armed forces and coalition partners to fight as an integrated joint force in current operations and for future contingencies. Northrop Grumman’s team includes McLean-based Booz Allen Hamilton, Alexandria-based Capstone, Reston-based Coker Logistics Solutions, Arlington-based General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT – News) and Alexandria-based MPRI. These companies and others on the Northrop contract will conduct large-scale warfighting exercises for a collection of networked training sites, using computer simulations, modeling and other technologies that link to actual command and control systems.
05 Sep 06. Eurocopter Signs Cooperation Deal with Poland’s Bumar. The Eurocopter subsidiary of European aviation group EADS has signed a cooperation deal with defense equipment manufacturer Bumar of Poland, the Polish company said Sept. 5.
”The deal aims to create lasting industrial and trade ties,” Bumar said in a
statement. ”Our cooperation could include the NH-90 helicopter,” Bumar spokeswoman Roma Sarz