Web Page sponsor Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
———————————————————————
11 Nov 14. US Army completes field testing of WIN-T Inc 2 communications system. The US Army’s Brigade Modernization Command has completed field testing of the second increment of the warfighter information network-tactical (WIN-T) communication system at Fort Bliss, Texas, US. Undertaken as part of the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) 15.1 semi-annual field exercise, the testing evaluated simplicity and interoperability of the WIN-T Inc 2 system. A central component of the army’s existing and future capability sets, the WIN-T Inc 2 is a network of computers and radios, and provides combatant commanders with situational awareness and the ability to command from anywhere on the battlefield. It is designated as the army’s mobile battlefield network at company level and above, and forms part of the service’s Force 2025 initiative. The new network is expected to provide actionable information in an easy-to-process manner, enabling commanders on the ground to have greater awareness of the battlefield around them and the assets at their disposal, which will in turn make the unit more agile and flexible. White Sands Missile Range commanding general brigadier general Timothy Coffin said the network is designed to easily work with current systems and adapt to the technology of US allies and future equipment. The systems should communicate with as little human interface as possible, so that soldiers can focus their attention on completing the mission, Coffin added. Available in three increments, WIN-T provides soldiers with mission-critical voice, video and data to improve battlefield awareness. NIE 15.5 involved 3,900 soldiers and 1,200 government employees, and takes the number of systems evaluated by NIE series of exercises to date to more than 200.(Source: army-technology.com)
11 Nov 14. NNL researchers develop nano-material to remove stink from submarine air. Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a nano-material that can remove the stink from submarine air and make breathing easier for sailors. Called self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports (SAMMS), the prototype ventilation system integrates material resembling sand that is filled with molecules that extract CO2 out of the air stream. Researchers noted that the pores develop nooks and crannies that allow even a minute amount of the material to absorb a large amount of CO2. PNNL engineer Ken Rappe was quoted by Wired as saying: “With a slight amount of heat, you can also open that molecule back up and release the CO2, making it possible to use the same material over and over again.” SAMMS can also remove amines that are highly corrosive and can damage anything not manufactured with stainless steel. Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NAVSSES) Naval Ships Engineering Station engineer Jay Smith said: “When you go from a liquid to a solid, you’re able to get rid of all the pumps and tanks. “It’s also safer and more environmentally friendly to dispose of.” The system is currently being tested with lab-simulated sub air and could be deployed on future submarines. It has already completed sea assessments through small-scale test units. (Source: naval-technology.com)
11 Nov 14. The international technology group SCHOTT is offering its HermeS® wafers with hermetically sealed solid “Through Glass Vias” (TGV). HermeS® glass substrates enable fully gastight and therefore long-term robust enclosures for MEMS devices. The fine pitched vias allow the reliable conduction of electrical signals and power into and out of the MEMS device. Since HermeS® glass can be placed directly under the silicon MEMS, it makes miniaturized, fully hermetic 3D Wafer Level Chip Size Packaging (WLCSP) possible. Thanks to the extremely high reliability, HermeS® wafer provides advantages in particular for MEMS devices