24 Jun 03. Melbourne-based GKN Aerospace Services has won the country’s first contract to help develop the F-35 JSF, Defense Minister Robert Hill said Tuesday. The company has signed a “multimillion dollar” deal with one of the project’s prime contractors, U.S. firm Northrop Grumman Corp., Hill said. His office wouldn’t disclose the contract’s exact value.
25 Jun 03. BAE SYSTEMS has initiated worldwide distribution of SOCET SET, its premier photogrammetric software for digital mapping, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and three dimensional (3D) visualization or simulation applications. BAE SYSTEMS opened two new international offices June 19 to provide support for international customers. The Cambridge, U.K. office will be responsible for all SOCET SET sales and support in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The Canberra, Australia office will have the same responsibility for Asia and the Pacific Rim countries.
24 Jun 03. The Pentagon is working on an amendment to the proposed fiscal 2004 defense budget as a result of its plan to lease 100 Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA – News) 767s as refuelling tankers, a top Air Force official said. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Zettler, deputy chief of staff for installations and logistics, gave no details about the amount of the request when he testified to the House Armed Forces Committee’s subcommittee on projection forces.
17 Jun 03. Cambridge Consultants Ltd (CCL) has successfully demonstrated a radical new type of radar technology that can ‘see through walls’. The low frequency radar has the ability to detect the location and movement of people inside buildings, or simply breathing beneath rubble. A unique detection technology can provide plan and elevation views of internal spaces, in a form which is optimized for portability. CCL now plans to turn its proof-of-concept demonstrator into products for military personnel and emergency services in situations such as sieges, urban warfare, fire and rescue.
23 Jun 03. Multiple branches of the military were able to communicate in real-time during Operation Iraqi Freedom as a result of the new Improved Data Modem, IDM Technology(tm) from Innovative Concepts, Inc. IDM Technology(tm) is powered by LynuxWorks, LynxOS(r) operating system and allows all aspects of the battlefield, including aviation units, ground forces and shipborne systems to communicate digitally in real-time without relying solely on voice to voice communication. The IDM played an integral role in Iraq as it was utilised in the Apache Longbow, Chinook, Kiowa Warrior, and Blackhawk Army helicopters and ground forces.
24 Jun 03. TUV Product Service has successfully completed environmental and EMC qualification testing on EMPAR (European Multifunction Phased Array Radar), which is to be installed as part of missile defence systems onboard frigates for the French and Italian navies. TUV Product Service has performed vibration, climatic and EMC testing of EMPAR in accordance with MIL Standards. Worst-case testing has been used to prove the environmental and EMC performance of the EMPAR system Receiver Chain.
12 Jun 03. The world’s largest peacetime communication exercise, Grecian Firebolt ’03, was held on June 9-20, testing new communication capabilities, systems and initiatives to protect the U.S. homeland and win the Global War on Terrorism. Through the use of reliable, high-quality, voice-and-data communications, GF ’03 is providing secure and flexible communications for the Army Reserve, National Guard, and it’s sister services. It also is providing a platform for testing interoperability with other federal agencies such as FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. Typical communications include unclassified (NIPR) and classified (SIPR) voice and data, High Frequency (HF), and video teleconferencing.
Jun 03. As a result of the earlier SARS epidemic in the Far East, which caused IMDEX Asia to delay its planned May event, the Organisers of IMDEX Asia 20