Sponsored By Oxley Developments
www.oxleygroup.com
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20 Jan 22. Intellisense Systems Introduces Its First 3ATI Avionics Display to Support a Variety of Operational Flight Programs. The new 3ATI display from Intellisense Systems delivers an active-matrix liquid crystal display and a customizable bezel to support expanded, repurposed, or upgraded avionics applications.
Intellisense Systems, Inc., a leading provider of multi-function avionics display systems, is now offering a 3ATI Standby Engine Display (3ATI SED) that features a high resolution active-matrix liquid crystal display and a customizable bezel. This 3ATI display is designed to help repurpose or expand cockpit functionality by aggregating, processing, and displaying engine and aircraft data from various avionics systems. The I/O modules supported by the 3ATI SED offer customers ease of integration and scalability for future equipment interfacing or field data loading over either Gigabit Ethernet or ARINC-429 interfaces. All input and output connections are protected against EMI, ESD, and lightning according to MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-464, and MIL-STD-704 standards.
The 3ATI comes with a completely modular bezel to support customers’ exact specifications and applications. The onboard system-in-package Arm® processor, power supply, I/O modules, and comprehensive set of software development tools deliver compact, rugged building blocks within the 3ATI system. This solution lends itself to interface swapping and future evolution at very low costs, enabling it to integrate with any operational flight program and provides the best overall value to aircraft manufacturers.
“This 3ATI display is the ideal replacement for any legacy system,” said Jack McParlane, Director of Business Development at Intellisense. “It delivers a low-cost, robust display hardware platform to support a variety of operational flight programs and provides customers with full flexibility in repurposing or expanding the 3ATI display’s role in the cockpit. As with all our displays, we want to enable future growth, offer a variety of interfaces, and lower lifecycle costs. Our 3ATI display achieves this with an open architecture and modularity, allowing our customers to integrate and program the display with ease.”
The 3ATI includes a proven, high-resolution display head assembly (DHA) with 480 x 480 pixels, or 200 pixels per inch density, providing pilots with acute symbology and graphics for improved situational awareness. It is sunlight-readable with display luminance greater than 350 foot-Lamberts in day mode and NVIS-compatible in night mode. This DHA has been in production for 5 years with over 1,000 units fielded on both military and commercial platforms.
About Intellisense Systems, Inc.
Intellisense Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of advanced sensing and display solutions supporting a data continuum from acquisition to visualization. Our hardware and software solutions turn raw data into useful information for improved decision making and process automation. Our services include research and development, design, systems integration, prototyping, production, testing, field support, and training. Headquartered in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, the company occupies 70,000 square feet within our Torrance campus. Our ISO9001:2015/AS9100D and AS9110 certified manufacturing facilities include electronics fabrication, unit qualification testing, and volume production with full quality assurance. (Source: PR Newswire)
18 Jan 22. DEFIANT Executes FLRAA Mission Profile with Unsurpassed Speed, Maneuverability and Agility in High-Speed, Low-Level Operations and Confined Area Landings. The Lockheed Martin Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 DEFIANT® successfully completed FLRAA mission profile test flights, including confined area landings and low-level flight operations. These flights validate DEFIANT’s relevancy to the Army’s mission, providing agility at the objective (also known as the “X”), and increased survivability, all while reducing pilot workload.
“We fully demonstrated DEFIANT’s ability to execute the FLRAA mission profile by flying 236 knots in level flight, then reducing thrust on the propulsor to rapidly decelerate as we approached the confined, and unimproved, landing zone,” said Bill Fell, DEFIANT chief flight test pilot at Sikorsky and a retired U.S. Army Master aviator. “This type of level body deceleration allowed us to maintain situational awareness and view the landing zone throughout the approach and landing without the typical nose-up helicopter deceleration. This confined area was extremely tight, requiring us to delay descent until nearly over the landing spot, followed by a near-vertical drop. We landed DEFIANT precisely on the objective with little effort as we descended into this narrow hole while maintaining clearance on all sides.”
SB>1 DEFIANT is the technology demonstrator proving out transformational capabilities for the DEFIANT X weapon system, the Sikorsky-Boeing team offering for the U.S. Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition as part of the Army’s Future Vertical Lift program. DEFIANT X will enable crews to fly low and fast through complex terrain, where Army aviators spend most of their time. It will extend capabilities of Army Aviation on the modern battlefield – and is designed to fit in the same footprint as a BLACK HAWK. With DEFIANT X, the U.S. Army will deliver troops and cargo in future combat at twice the range of the current fleet.
“It’s what we call building combat power rapidly, and aircraft like the DEFIANT X can do that,” said Tony Crutchfield, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General and now vice president of Army Systems at Boeing. “In the Pacific, it’s even more important because your lines of operation are going to be dispersed over a wide area; you’re going to have these small bases and supply lines that’ll be positioned either on ships or on islands. You’re going to want to move more assets, maneuver in confined terrain and survive to build that combat power faster than your adversary can – so you can win.”
DEFIANT X incorporates Sikorsky X2™ Technology to operate at high speeds while maintaining low-speed handling qualities. This critical capability provides pilots with increased maneuverability and survivability in high-threat environments, allowing them to penetrate enemy defenses while reducing exposure to enemy fire. DEFIANT X’s X2 coaxial rotor system and pusher prop allows for a high degree of maneuverability in and around the objective which is also directly linked to survivability.
DEFIANT achievements include:
- Greater than 60-degree banked turns.
- Demonstrating mission-relevant cargo capacity by lifting a 5,300-pound Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System external load.
- Exceeding 245 knots in level flight.
- Demonstrated Level 1 low-speed agility with fly-by-wire controls.
- Integration of U.S. Army test pilots into the Defiant program.
- Based on the Collier Award-winning X2 Technology. (Source: ASD Network)
19 Jan 22. Simplified Human/Machine Interfaces Top List of Critical DOD Technologies. A modern-day cell phone packs quite a wallop when it comes to computing technology and capability. But most cell phones barely come with a “quick start guide,” let alone an instruction manual that spells out how to use all the features.
Cell phone companies have mastered the interface between humans and technology, making their use entirely intuitive and rendering thick instruction manuals a thing of the past.
The same thing should be happening for weapons systems used by servicemembers, Heidi Shyu, who serves as the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said. During a virtual discussion today with the Potomac Officers Club near Washington, D.C., she said intuitive, easy-to-use human/machine interfaces is something that’s a priority for her and the Defense Department.
“When I Army before, one of the experiences I learned is with a lot of our weapons system, you really have to have a manual and go through weeks of training, if not months and years to be proficient, which is ridiculous,” she said. ” ought to be designed with the appropriate ease-of-use human/machine interface, so it will become much more intuitive.”
As the Defense Department’s chief technology officer, Shyu said she’s interested in developing better ways to simplify the way service members use the technology they are given in order to reduce the training burden and learning curve.
“I really would like to see how we can change our weapons systems’ human/machine interface to be a lot more intuitive, to ease the amount of training that’s required,” she said.
For most service members, combat means use of a weapon such as a rifle, an aircraft that can drop a bomb or launch a missile, or a ship or tank that fires a large gun that requires a round to be loaded. All of these kinetic weapons systems fire solid projectiles which need to be carried along with warfighters, and which may eventually run out. But a new generation of weapons systems, which uses directed energy rather than expendable ammunition or ordnance, is on the horizon, Shyu said.
“In the area of directed energy, we’re … finally at the cusp of developing laser technology,” she said. “After 30 years, we’re finally getting to the point of fielding the prototypes. So I’m thrilled. Army and Navy are fielding laser systems. I’m really happy to see that. We’re also developing high-power microwave systems as well.”
The Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy program, or ODIN for short, is a nonlethal weapons system used to confuse and perhaps render harmless an enemy drone — rather than shooting it down.
The ODIN system is already installed on multiple Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers within the Navy’s fleet, and there are plans to install additional systems as well.
The Army is also developing several directed energy systems. One of those is the Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense, or DE M-SHORAD system, which involves a 50kW-class laser to protect divisions and brigade combat teams from unmanned aerial systems, rotary-wing aircraft, and threats from rockets, artillery and mortars.
The department is also interested in the development of advanced materials, Shyu said.
“I’m certainly interested in materials that can handle higher heat, higher temperature, next-generation hypersonic materials,” she said. “I’m interested in material that’s stronger, but lighter weight. It certainly can help us reduce the logistics burden; and also materials that can have higher efficiency — materials that can potentially change properties. a lot of different areas within advanced materials we need to continue to push the research in.”
The department is also doing its part to bring the manufacture of microelectronics back to the U.S. to improve supply chain reliability, Shyu said.
“You guys have all heard about the situation that we’re in with the supply chain, where 70% of our chips are coming from Asia,” she said. “That poses a supply chain risk. You can see there’s a lot of interest on the Hill in terms of helping out the microelectronics foundries to try to onshore some of the capabilities.”
Shyu said the Defense Department is working closely with the Department of Commerce and with foundry companies to make that happen.
“We also work very closely with intelligence communities to make sure we understand all the needs and figure out how we can leverage commercial processes which can evolve at a much faster rate than just the defense-unique foundry,” she said.
Finally, Shyu said, the department is interested in having the U.S. take the lead on the development of 5G technologies — and the advancement of the next-generation of radio communications as well.
“I call it the ‘next G’,” she said. “Namely, beyond 5G. What I don’t want to happen is for us to take our eyes off the ball and play catch-up. I’m interested in making sure we’re developing technologies on 6G and 7G, so we, the U.S., can shape the standards, as opposed to some other country shaping the standard and us playing catch-up.” (Source: US DoD)
18 Jan 22. Apellix Gets Nondestructive Testing Drone Patent. Apellix has announced that has been granted its sixth full patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE HAVING AN ELEVATED SURFACE SENSOR, US 11,235,890 for its aerial robotic systems with robotic arms and end effectors that perform physical work or tasks, during flight, while in contact with an elevated surface.
Bob Dahlstrom, CEO of Apellix, said, “This patent further establishes our advances in the use of autonomous and computer controlled aerial robotic systems that physically contact surfaces during flight to modify and do contact-based work on them”.
The patent is for uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) systems that perform various tasks to an object by maneuvering near a surface, contacting the surface with a sensor arm, and collecting contact and near contact-based measurements, data, and readings. Apellix utilizes this technology in its Opus X4 NDT (nondestructive testing) systems that take Ultrasonic Thickness (UT, wall thickness), Dry Film Thickness (DFT, paint thickness), and other measurements that fly under full computer control and can execute a series of measurements autonomously.
The Apellix precision-controlled aerial robotics systems are based on its patented software platform and enable moving workers from harm’s way. By adding a robotic arm and an end effector (i.e., a hand with tools) to a software-controlled aircraft we enable it to fly up to a structure, and under full computer control, touch or modify the structure. Thereby performing the dirty, dangerous, and expensive work that needs to be done while keeping workers safe on the ground.
The Apellix Opus X4 NDT systems can collect up to 200 spot measurements per hour, and can automatically feed the data into NDE 4.0, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS), Integrity Management Systems (IMS), as well as the secure Apellix Flight Logs data and report generation system.
Apellix does not change the underlying cleaning, coating, or testing and measurement technology, instead we integrate existing technology into our robotics platform and make it work better, safer, faster, and with more robust results. We create economic value by improving on human performance, by eliminating or reducing the need for scaffolding, man-lifts or workers suspended by ropes, by turning high-value assets around quicker, and by bringing science to the worksite through our introduction of computer control and data collection.
In certain applications, such as testing a 100-meter-tall refinery flare stack, our aircraft can save $5 or 10m dollars in down time, and up to a million dollars in scaffolding costs on a single project. (Source: UAS VISION)
18 Jan 22. New open architecture transceiver brings advanced EW performance to smaller platforms. Compact SOSA aligned module accelerates interoperability while maximizing spectrum processing performance.
Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com), a leader in trusted, secure mission-critical technologies for aerospace and defense, today announced the new RFM3202 sensor open systems architecture (SOSA) aligned wideband transceiver for demanding spectrum processing applications. With four high-bandwidth frequency-conversion channels, the new RFM3202 can achieve what previously required multiple products, enabling much-needed capabilities for smaller platforms.
Why It Matters: Smaller, lighter platforms such as unmanned vehicles, next-generation electronic attack pods and space-constrained seaborne vessels will be able to mitigate advanced electronic threats better.
“Given today’s pace of technology development, the traditional approach of custom-designed modules and subsystems is too slow,” said Kevin Beals, vice president and general manager, Mercury Microwave and Mixed Signal. “By adopting a modular open systems architecture approach like SOSA, we can deliver the latest capabilities at the speed of relevance. Our new purpose-built RFM3202 transceiver’s broadband technology delivers on these demands, enabling users to better mitigate electronic threats without sacrificing affordability, performance or scalability.”
Next-Generation Performance in a Compact and Standardized Form Factor
- Includes two up-conversion channels and two down-conversion channels
- Delivers 2 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth per channel
- Tunable frequency range of 2–18 GHz
- Integrated channel-independent local oscillators
- 3U OpenVPX™ compliant and SOSA aligned design
With multiple high bandwidth channels, the RFM3202 transceiver offers differentiating performance to electronic warfare, electronic intelligence, radar, and spectrum processing applications. The transceiver expands Mercury’s broad portfolio of RF processing and direct conversion modules, and when coupled with Mercury’s DCM3220 digitization module, it can digitize and process the selected 2 GHz for a full sensor-chain solution.
18 Jan 22. Shimifrez Inc., a Global Leader in Fabricating Thin Precision Photo Etched and Electroformed of Micro Metal Components, Announces Enhancing Expansion of Services in Super Thin Electroformed Masks for OLED and Semi-Conductor and Thin Film Display Industry. Shimifrez Inc. (www.shimifrez.com), a global leader in fabricating precision photo chemically etched and electroformed metal components, to provide shadow masks services to OLED, sputtering Solar and research institutions globally. Metal masks are often used in evaporation or sputtering processes of structured metal or oxide layers. With the increasing requirements on precision and structure resolution, electroformed masks become more prevalent. Electroformed masks are characterized by vertical, burr-free edges and super sharp corners “says Nojoumi”. The shadow masks are made in nickel which has the additional advantage of magnetic attraction to the substrate surface, so that the deposition of very sharp edges is possible. With the continuously increasing requirements on precision and pattern resolution, electroformed stencils are attracting more and more interest.
If you’re working on using vapor deposition to make OLEDs and other organic circuitry, our custom shadow masks are typically made from stainless steel but are also available in nickel and other alloys. In the printed circuit board, semiconductor and solar industry, screen printing stencils are used to print the conductor tracks.
“Although we recommend Invar or kovar for most applications because it holds up well to temperatures and most chemicals, we have experience fabricating shadow masks from other metals as well. Our capabilities allow for thicknesses of 0.0002″ and up, with the smallest opening being 10 to 15 microns, the smallest space between openings being 10-15 microns and critical feature tolerance of +/- 1-2 microns,” adds Hassan Nojoumi.
Shimifrez offers a rapid-response service to deliver micro components to several precision industries such as the aerospace/satellite, automotive, telecommunications, micro-electronics and defense sectors. The demand now exists for relatively thin between 0.0005″ (0.01mm) to 0.032″ (0.8mm) complex and intricate metal components where tooling is very inexpensive, and modification to photo tooling can be done quickly and economically. Shimifrez Inc. facility is located at 311 Rayette Rd #9-10 Concord, Ontario, just north of Toronto, Canada. Whether you are in the aerospace industry, medical device manufacturer, micro-electronics or telecommunications, we have the capabilities to help. For more information of how Shimifrez can help you enhance your product line please call 905-695-6898 or email or visit (http://www.shimifrez.com) (Source: PR Newswire)
18 Jan 22. Missile Defense Agency Updating Parts Of IT, Cyber Operations. The Missile Defense Agency, a subagency within the Department of Defense, is working to revamp parts of its information technology and cybersecurity systems with a new contract solicitation posted in late December. Called the Technical, Engineering, Advisory and Management Support-Next program, the new software is not an overhaul featuring a particular IT system. Rather, the MDA is looking for updates within its Advisory and Assistance Services, a category of contracted technical services that will work to streamline the logistics surrounding the department’s project management operations. Members of the MDA staff and workforce working within the IT and cybersecurity divisions of the agency will be the primary beneficiaries of the new technology, along with the chief information officer. This individual modernization plan speaks to the Defense Department’s and the federal government’s broader push for more resilient cybersecurity and business software. John Sherman, the chief information officer at Defense, testified in the summer of 2021 about his agency’s plans to implement advanced technologies like cloud services into the agency’s daily operations.
“We continue to deploy secure and agile solutions. All of these efforts must address cybersecurity from the start,” Sherman said at the time. (Source: Defense Systems)
18 Jan 22. Defense Microelectronics Activity Designated Center for Industrial Technical Excellence. Last week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III designated the Defense Microelectronics Activity as a center for industrial technical excellence, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told reporters today.
“This designation allows greater utilization of small runs of DOD-critical microelectronics and semiconductors both inside and outside the DOD,” he said. “It also allows the use of public-private partnerships that provide opportunities to promote partnering agreements between depots and private industry.”
The DMEA provides a stable, guaranteed supply of microelectronics to the Defense Department and U.S. government agencies by developing partnerships with defense contractors or by securing intellectual property license agreements from the nation’s leading technology providers.
Microelectronics enable many key weapon systems, Kirby said, adding that the department considers the designation to be a positive step toward ensuring that critical mission areas stay relevant and invaluable into the future. (Source: US DoD)
18 Jan 22. Innoscience Technology, the company founded to create a global energy ecosystem based on high performance, low-cost Gallium-Nitride-on-Silicon (GaN-on-Si) power solutions, today announced the official launch of its international operations in the USA and Europe. Headquartered in Suzhou, China, Innoscience is now poised to support customers through the addition of design and sales support facilities in Santa Clara, California, and Leuven, Belgium.
Founded in December 2015, Innoscience is already the largest Integrated Device Manufacture (IDM) that is fully focused on GaN technology. The company has two wafer fabs including the world’s largest dedicated 8-inch GaN-on-Si site, featuring the latest, advanced, high-throughput manufacturing equipment. Currently the company has a capacity of 10,000 8-inch wafers per month which will ramp up to 14,000 8-inch wafers per month later this year and 70,000 8-inch wafers per month by 2025. The company has a wide portfolio of devices from 30V to 650V and has shipped more than 35 m parts for use in applications including USB PD chargers/adapters, data centers, mobile phones and LED drivers.
Innoscience produces high-performance, normally-off e-mode GaN FETs. By introducing a stress enhancement layer, the company has significantly reduced RDS(on) without affecting other parameters including threshold voltage and leakage. Both epitaxy as well as device processing have been optimized to obtain high reproducibility and yield. Parts have passed quality and reliability tests in excess of JEDEC standards.
Comments Dr. Denis Marcon, General Manager, Innoscience Europe: “The time is right for GaN, and Innoscience is ready to supply the world. We will surpass anyone on price for an equivalent device and our huge manufacturing capacity means that our customers are assured of security of supply, which is often uppermost in people’s minds given the shortage of chips at the moment. We look forward to working with any company in order to proliferate GaN throughout the global electronics industry.”
Yi Sun, General Manager, Innoscience USA, explained: “This is an exciting time for our customers, who can benefit from Innoscience’s applications understanding and demo boards to develop their unique solutions. This will allow us to better support our customers in the USA, and in particular, the Bay area”.
17 Jan 22. Silex to manufacture Zero-Spin silicon for Quantum computing. The second stage of Silex Systems Pty Limited’s Zero-Spin Silicon (ZS-Si) project, supported by collaboration partners Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) Pty Limited and UNSW with funding from the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects, is on track for completion in early 2022. ZS-Si is a key enabling material for the next generation of processor chips to power silicon quantum computers. The second stage of the project aims to demonstrate scaled-up production of ZS-Si using a prototype facility constructed earlier in 2021. The ZS-Si project remains on schedule with the overall goal of developing the SILEX Laser Isotope Separation (LIS) technology for production of high-purity enriched silicon in the form of ZS-Si, a key enabling material for the emerging quantum computing industry. The key stage 2 activities achieved during the year include construction and operation of the prototype demonstration facility, including a fully integrated high powered SILEX laser system, prototype process reactor and the associated gas handling system; deployment of the prototype facility to conduct rigorous enrichment testing focusing on characterising performance, optimising throughput and improving the efficiency of the SILEX LIS technology for the production of ZS-Si; and accumulation of positive test results to date, which confirm the functionality and scalability of the facility to produce ZS-Si, and provide a firm basis to proceed to stage 3, subject to project partner approvals. The third stage of the ZS-Si project involves industrial-scale process verification with a commercial demonstration plant and the potential production of initial commercial quantities of ZS-Si from 2023 onwards Planning and resourcing for the third stage is underway and includes the modification of the prototype facility to increase process throughput and incorporate design improvements for pilot production activities. (Source: Rumour Control)
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Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley offer a range of Military Marine NVG friendly LED lighting that includes navigation lights and controls, flight deck landing lights and interior compartment lighting. Our lighting products are used by Navies around the world including our own Royal Navy on UK Aircraft Carriers, Canadian Frigates, Swedish Submarines, Australian Surface vessels and Submarines, on board French Naval Carriers and in Naval Gun Turrets.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-r/
The technology is extremely energy efficient and built robustly, with proven long life. The lighting is NVG friendly, dimmable and programmable to allow for operations with aircraft pilots using military night vision goggles. They offer superior design giving high reliability for the most demanding environments with high sealing and the ability to meet the most stringent EMC standards.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-y/
Oxley are proud to say that we are working in partnership with SeaKing to enable a control panel to be offered with our LED Navigation Lighting. All of Oxley navigation lights have been specifically developed for vessels over 50 metres.
Contact Marcus Goad on 07850 917 263 for more information or to arrange samples.
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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