Notable Technical Inquiry

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 20, 2021
New Army Computer Tool Will Give Commanders Detailed Risk Assessments of Their Soldiers
The U.S. Army has developed a new digital tool, the Commanders Risk Reduction Toolkit (CRRT). The CRRT is intended to provide a one-stop...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 20, 2021
AFRL Demonstrates First Collaborative Weapon Technologies
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) — The Air Force Golden Horde Vanguard program completed the first Air Force flight demonstration of collaborative...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 20, 2021
The U.S. Navy’s Distributed Lethality Strategy, Explained
This article discusses how the U.S. Navy’s Distributed Lethality Strategy is used to explain its fast-evolving maritime warfare strategy. According to the article,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 20, 2021
U.S. Army Works on Prototypes to Improve Network Transport for Armor Brigades
The U.S. Army has developed a prototype called Tactical Network Transport-On the Move. According to this article, this capability was created by the...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 20, 2021
Next-Generation Particle Beam Cooling Experiment Under Way at Fermilab Accelerator
Before researchers can smash together beams of particles to study high-energy particle interactions, they need to create those beams in particle accelerators. And...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 20, 2021
New Engine Capability Accelerates Advanced Vehicle Research
In the quest for advanced vehicles with higher energy efficiency and ultralow emissions, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers are accelerating a research...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 20, 2021
U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Autonomous Vessel Sails Through Transit Test, Participates in Exercise Dawn Blitz
A Ghost Fleet Overlord unmanned surface vessel (USV), part of a partnership between the DoD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) and the Navy, recently...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 05, 2021
Successful attritableONE (XQ-58 Valkyrie) Return to Flight Test Enables Formation Flight With Fifth-Generation Fighters
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Air Force Research Laboratory, along with partner Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., completed the successful fifth...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 05, 2021
Army-Funded Smart Fabric Collects Space Dust on International Space Station
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. –– An Army-funded smart fiber being tested on the International Space Station could be used to develop space dust...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 05, 2021
AF Says Lasers Are Being Field-Tested, but NOT THOR or Other Microwave Weapon
WASHINGTON: The Air Force yesterday said that it is not yet testing its prototype drone-killing microwave, the Tactical High Power Microwave Operational Responder...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 05, 2021
NGA Is Optimistic About Its Radio Frequency Data Pilot Program
So far, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s (NGA’s) pilot to assess how radio frequency (RF) geospatial data and analytical solutions from the commercial sector...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 05, 2021
AFRL Researchers, Partners Uncover Hidden Features in Two-Dimensional Materials
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE – Nanomaterials continue to amaze scientists and engineers with their astounding properties for future sensors and electronics, making them...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 05, 2021
Army Research Leads to More Effective Training Model for Robots
ADELPHI, Md. — Multidomain operations, the Army’s future operating concept, require autonomous agents with learning components to operate alongside the Warfighter. New Army...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 05, 2021
Defense Officials Discuss Special Operations, Irregular Warfare Initiatives
This year, the Defense Department released a declassified summary of its Irregular Warfare Annex to the 2018 National Defense Strategy. The annex details...

EXCLUSIVE WEB
DECEMBER 16, 2020
Controlling Surface Roughness to Enhance or Degrade Image Appearance in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
SUMMARY Surface roughness is one of the most important factors that contribute to the brightness or darkness of objects in a SAR image. ...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 08, 2020
DARPA Looks to Light up Integrated Photonics With Chip-Scale Laser Development
First demonstrated 60 years ago, the laser has become an essential technology in today’s world. It has transformed diverse fields, including communications, sensing,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 08, 2020
U.S. Marine Corps’ Light Armored Vehicles to Receive New Self-Sealing Fuel Tanks
The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, has released a request for information for contractors interested in Self-Sealing Fuel Tank (SSFT) for U.S....

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 08, 2020
Air Safety Panel Recommends Flight Hour Increase, Emphasis on Maintenance, Steady Funding
Years of budgetary indifference have severely impacted military aviation, causing degradation of readiness and — tragically — a loss of lives. The National Commission on...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 08, 2020
Army Gets Closer to Self-Adjusting Turbine Engines
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — It’s no secret the U.S. Army wants its small unmanned aerial systems to operate quietly in densely-populated regions,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 08, 2020
Wind Tunnel Tests Will Help Design Future Army Tiltrotor Aircraft
NORFOLK, Va. — After more than 3 years in development, a team of U.S. Army researchers and industry partners completed the construction of...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 08, 2020
NPS Researchers, Marines Explore the Trust Factor in Human-Machine Teaming
Trust in autonomous systems to do what they are designed to do, and meant to do, is paramount before these systems can be...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 08, 2020
Joint All-Domain Command and Control Framework Belongs to Warfighters
“The Joint All-Domain Command and Control framework is not just the bailiwick of communications personnel – it is warfighting business,” said Marine Corps...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 24, 2020
DTIC Publishes Special Edition of Peer-Reviewed Scientific Journal
The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) published its third issue this year of the Journal of DoD Research and Engineering (JDR&E) on October...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 24, 2020
Test Squadrons Reach Rocket Launch Milestone
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. —The 96th Test Wing answered the Warfighter’s call once again, completing developmental testing for the Advanced Precision Kill...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 24, 2020
Air Force Ups the Ante on Supersonic Rain Erosion Testing
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE Base, Ohio (AFRL) – The Supersonic Rain Erosion Test Rig (SuRE) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is experiencing a full...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 24, 2020
3-D-Printed Glass Enhances Optical Design Flexibility
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have used multimaterial, 3-D printing to create tailored gradient refractive index glass optics that could make for...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 24, 2020
Next-Generation Headset Preps Soldiers for Future Battlefield
FORT PICKETT, Va. – The third Capability Set of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) was tested at Fort Pickett by 82nd Airborne...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 24, 2020
The Rocket Engine That Proves Solar Thermal Propulsion Isn’t Just a Crazy Theory
This article discussed how engineers from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are prototyping a previously theoretical rocket architecture that could carry spacecraft...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 23, 2020
Army, MIT Explore Materials for Transforming Robots Made of Robots
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Scientists from the U.S. Army and MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms created a new way to link...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 23, 2020
Mission Engineering (ME): Ensuring Key Technologies Drive the Joint Warfighting Concept
To achieve its National Defense Strategy goals, defense officials have said the Defense Department must increase the pace by which critical technologies are...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 10, 2020
Winning the Gray Zone: The Importance of Intermediate Force Capabilities in Implementing the National Defense Strategy
“War is both timeless and ever-changing.” This edict is among the first sentences in Warfighting, the doctrinal publication every U.S. Marine Corps second...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 10, 2020
Small-Diameter Bomb (SDB) II Approved for Operational Use
The SDB II program reached a major milestone on September 23, when the weapon was approved for F-15E Strike Eagle operational flights. The...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 10, 2020
Army at Work on High-Tech Gear/New Rifle to Give Soldiers Winning Edge in Close Combat
FORT BENNING, Ga. – The Army is on track to equip its Soldiers with state-of-the-art gear that will give them a decisive edge...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 10, 2020
The Propulsion We’re Supplying, It’s Electrifying
Since the beginning of the space program, people have been captivated by big, powerful rockets—like NASA’s Saturn V rocket that sent Apollo to...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 10, 2020
Liquid Lasers Challenge Fiber Lasers as the Basis of Future High-Energy Weapons
This article explores how instead of laser weapons, a new liquid laser could be the mechanism to shoot down missiles in the near...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 10, 2020
Additive Manufacturing Facility Delivers on Modernization, Readiness
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – It’s a question Lance Hall asks of his U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center customers,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 10, 2020
New Spectrum Strategy Reveals DoD’s Plan to Master Airwaves
Short of face-to-face conversation, wired internet, or telephone landlines—a mystery to many young Americans—nearly every form of communication the U.S. Department of Defense...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 27, 2020
DARPA Project Strives for Off-Road Unmanned Vehicles That React Like Humans
The self-driving car industry has made great autonomy advances, but mostly for well-structured and highly predictable environments. In complex militarily-relevant settings, robotic vehicles...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 27, 2020
Work Begins on Starlink-Like Constellation of Small, Hypersonic, Missile-Tracking Satellites
As part of the Pentagon’s space strategy, the article discusses the U.S. military’s hiring of contractors to develop small satellites capable of detecting...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 27, 2020
Aircraft Availability, Readiness Increases at Three Bases Thanks to New Methodology
WASHINGTON (AFNS) —The U.S. Air Force is seeing success in new sustainment initiatives, resulting in increased aircraft availability and readiness across three of...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 27, 2020
Skyborg: Rise of the Autonomous Wingmen
Skyborg is an autonomy-focused capability that will enable the U.S. Air Force to operate and sustain low-cost, teamed aircraft driven by artificial intelligence...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 27, 2020
Army 3-D-Printed Holography Device Rapidly Detects, Characterizes Aerosols
ADELPHI, Md. — An Army researcher, along with university partners, developed a miniaturized holography instrument that is being used on unmanned aerial vehicles...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 27, 2020
Making History With VMM-163: Squadron Deploys Oceanographic Sensors
MIRAMAR, Calif. —The Marine Corps continuously works toward enhancing its operational capabilities while performing amphibious operations to save lives and ensure mission success....

EXCLUSIVE WEB
OCTOBER 27, 2020
Defense Science Board Counter Autonomy Report Executive Summary
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Science Board (DSB) Task Force on Counter Autonomy (CA) recently published their “Counter Autonomy Executive Summary”...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 13, 2020
NSWC Philadelphia Division Supports Additive Manufacturing in the Fleet
Following the successful one-year trial of additive manufacturing (AM) technology aboard aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Naval Surface Warfare Center,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 13, 2020
Non-Lethal Torpedoes, Rubber Octopus, and Super-Slime: The Weird World of Vessel-Stopping Weapons
This article discusses three advanced non-lethal weapons that were developed by the U.S. Navy (USN), which were intended to keep potentially dangerous harassers...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 13, 2020
Blasting the Air in Front of Hypersonic Vehicles With Lasers Could Unlock Unprecedented Speeds
With the goal of enabling unparalleled levels of speed for aerial weapons, this article discusses how the U.S. Department of Defense and its...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 13, 2020
Army Readies Charging Port for Autonomous Drone Swarms
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — A swarm of hundreds of unmanned air vehicles will soon descend on unmanned ground vehicles to autonomously recharge, thanks...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 13, 2020
DARPA Completes Key Milestone on Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapons Program
DARPA and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) today announced successful completion of captive carry tests of two variants of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 13, 2020
Sensor With 100,000 Times Higher Sensitivity Could Bolster Thermal Imaging
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Army-funded research developed a new microwave radiation sensor with 100,000 times higher sensitivity than currently available commercial sensors. Researchers...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 13, 2020
DoD Kicks Off World’s Largest Dual-Use 5G Testing Effort
Defense Department officials announced yesterday the awarding of $600 million in contracts to 15 prime contractors to perform testing and evaluation of 5G...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
Future Rocket Engines May Include Large-Scale 3-D Printing
As part of the Artemis program, NASA is returning astronauts to the Moon, where they will prepare for human exploration of Mars. Additive manufacturing,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
NRL-Built Argon Fluoride Laser Marks Breakthrough, Sets New Energy Record
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) research team set a new energy record on March 5 using an argon fluoride laser....

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
AFRL Repairs Next Generation Composite Materials With Light
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Scientists at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Hanyang University are developing smart structural composites...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
Landmark Discovery Could Improve Army Lasers, Precision Sensors
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — An Army-funded landmark discovery at New York University could change the way researchers develop and use optical technologies,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
For Fast, High-Resolution 3-D Printing, Visible Light Is Gaining on UV
This article discusses how researchers have now been able to utilize standard red, green, blue, and violet LEDs instead of ultraviolet (UV) light...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
Project Convergence: How The U.S. Army Prepares for War
What is Project Convergence? Project Convergence is the centerpiece of the Army’s campaign of learning, designed to aggressively advance and integrate Army’s contributions...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
DTIC-Led Information Analysis Centers to Set Record Facilitating FY20 R&D Work
DoD Information Analysis Centers set for a record-breaking year of research and development in 2020. By the end of fiscal year 2020, the...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2020
Air Force, Space Force Leading Charge to New Technologies
Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper Shares Comments at Air Force Association’s Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference “New technologies are fundamentally changing...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 21, 2020
Defense Department Awards $4 million to Eight Universities for Hypersonics Research
The Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded $4 million in grants to eight distinguished universities to support work on uniquely-complex hypersonics challenges. The...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
Air Force Research Team Awarded Patent for New Tunable Radio Frequency Filter
U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory scientists have patented a new tunable radio frequency filter design The new design is for a smaller, lighter,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
How the Air Force Is Making It Easier for Aircraft Maintainers to See at Night
We all know that working in the dark with insufficient lighting makes the task that much more cumbersome. Good quality lighting is critical...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
Eye on Innovation: NNSY Cold Spray Team Successfully Repairs Complex Component on Bush Project
The NNSY Mechanical Group (Code 930) Cold Spray Team performed another first for Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) – completing a complex cold spray...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
New Landmine Detection Method to Reduce False Alarm Rates
Landmines pose a serious threat in conflict areas, yet modern detection systems struggle to discriminate between explosives and clutter. A project funded by...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
Hybrid Nanomaterials Hold Promise for Improved Ceramic Composites
Researchers at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory are seeking to patent a novel process for manufacturing a type of material called preceramic...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
Project Convergence Aims to Accelerate Change in Modernization Efforts
Greater speed across several domains will be the key to winning future wars, Army Futures Command’s top leader said Thursday, as he unveiled...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
AFRL’s Transformational Capabilities Office Reaches Initial Operating Capability
U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Commander and Technology Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle announced September 11 that the Transformational Capabilities Office,...

EXCLUSIVE WEB
SEPTEMBER 04, 2020
A Three-Axis, Nonintrusive, EO Field Sensor for HPM, HPRF, and EMP T&E
1. Introduction For U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) directed-energy applications, nonintrusive electric and magnetic field probes can solve several technical problems associated with...

DSIAC JOURNAL
SEPTEMBER 02, 2020
Investigating Surface Structures for Infrared Signature Management
SUMMARY This article investigates the physics principles that govern the effects of type, smoothness, and surface structure of materials on a material’s emissivity....

DSIAC JOURNAL
SEPTEMBER 02, 2020
Daunting Challenge of Drone Defense
INTRODUCTION The proliferation of an unmanned aircraft/aerial system (UAS) spreads beyond military and remote control (R/C) hobbyist markets in the last decade, spearheaded...

DSIAC JOURNAL
SEPTEMBER 02, 2020
Systems Engineering of Autonomy: Frameworks for MUM-T Architecture
SUMMARY Do we design autonomous systems or systems with autonomy? This question will be explored and developed by first understanding the perspective of...

DSIAC JOURNAL
SEPTEMBER 02, 2020
Passive Coherent Location Radar – The Silent Threat
INTRODUCTION The future battlefield will be highly complex and congested. The electromagnetic (EM) environment will consist of a complicated mix of signals, both...

DSIAC JOURNAL
SEPTEMBER 02, 2020
Detection and Classification of Small UAS for Threat Neutralization
INTRODUCTION The recent emergence of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) into a broad sphere of commercialized applications has caused proliferation of easily, accessible...

DSIAC JOURNAL
SEPTEMBER 02, 2020
Predicting Hydrodynamic Ram Damage in Bonded Composite Tanks Using Progressive Damage Failure
INTRODUCTION Hydrodynamic ram (HRAM) occurs when a fluid-filled enclosure is penetrated with a high-velocity projectile. A classic case, and common occurrence, is when...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 01, 2020
DoD Developing Small, Unmanned Aerial System for Warfighters
For the first time, the Defense Department and the entire federal government will have access to secure, trusted, and American-made commercial drones on...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 01, 2020
SMDC Target Team Supports Army IBCS Tests
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – A U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) team helps the Army put a dagger in the heart...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 01, 2020
Simulations, High-Speed Videos Help Researchers See Crack Formation in 3-D-Printed Tungsten in Real Time
Boasting the highest melting and boiling points of all known elements, tungsten has become a popular choice for applications involving extreme temperatures, including...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 01, 2020
Army Researchers Develop Breakthrough Sensors for Small Drones
ADELPHI, Md. — Imagine a small aerial drone navigating a field with electrical power lines. How will it see them? More importantly, how will it avoid...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 01, 2020
Army Robo-Teammate Can Detect, Share 3-D Changes in Real Time
ADELPHI, Md. — Something is different, and you can’t quite put your finger on it. But your robot can. Even small changes in your...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 01, 2020
Air Force Top Leaders Witness First Agility Prime “Flying Car” Demo
AUSTIN, Texas (AFNS) — Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Barbara Barrett, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr., and Chief...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 01, 2020
Space Challenges Prompt DoD Response, Space Superiority
U.S. Space Command operations in space deter conflict; deliver space combat power for the joint force, allies, and partners; and defeat aggression if...

DSIAC JOURNAL
AUGUST 27, 2020
Characterization of Composite Spaced Armor Performance
SUMMARY Composite spaced armor is an unconventional armor system capable of stopping armor-piercing (AP) projectiles at lower areal density than possible with traditional...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 17, 2020
Shock-Dissipating Fractal Cubes Could Forge High-Tech Armor
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., July 7, 2020—Tiny, 3-D printed cubes of plastic, with intricate fractal voids built into them, have proven to be effective...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 17, 2020
Promising New Research Identifies Innovative Approach for Controlling Defects in 3-D Printing
With its ability to yield parts with complex shapes and minimal waste, additive manufacturing has the potential to revolutionize the production of metallic...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 17, 2020
Summer Fury Showcases Reach of 3rd MAW’s Lethal Weapons
MCAS MIRAMAR, Calif. —The character of warfighting is increasingly dynamic, and the rapid advance of new technology has led the Marine Corps to...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 17, 2020
Army Advances Learning Capabilities of Drone Swarms
ADELPHI, Md. — Army researchers developed a reinforcement learning approach that will allow swarms of unmanned aerial and ground vehicles to optimally accomplish various...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 17, 2020
Army Researchers Earn Patent for Secure Communications Invention
ADELPHI, Md. — Army researchers have been awarded a patent for inventing a practical method for Army wireless devices to covertly authenticate and communicate....

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 17, 2020
DoD Officials Discuss Framework for Advancing Directed Energy Weapons
The Defense Department is developing directed energy weapons — high-powered lasers and microwaves — in concert with industry in a way designed to...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 17, 2020
DoD Innovation Speed Must Increase to Modernize
Speaking on a panel at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado, yesterday, Michael Brown said while the 5-year-old DIU has been successful...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 10, 2020
NASA’s Next Laser Communications Demo Installed, Integrated on Spacecraft
On July 16, 2020, the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) payload was installed and integrated on the U.S. Department of Defense Space Test Program Satellite...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 10, 2020
SMDC Develops Cutting-Edge Technology to Support Warfighters
REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL – For the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, defending the high ground begins in research laboratories where engineers...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 10, 2020
Mitigating Vulnerability
Over the last few years, the Air Force has been taking proactive approaches to prepare for a proverbial “sucker punch” via cyber-attack. In...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 10, 2020
AFRL, Republic of Singapore Air Force Collaborate on Coating Systems
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OH – The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL’s) Coatings and Corrosion Teams are dedicated to providing the latest...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 10, 2020
Army Project Turns to Nature for Help With Self-Healing Material
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — An Army-funded project developed a self-healing material patterned after squid ring teeth protein. The biodegradable. biosynthetic polymer could...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 10, 2020
Researchers Improve Human-AI Interaction for Combat Vehicles
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD — Artificial intelligence, or AI-enabled systems, are a part of everyday life — people use AI software to figure out...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 10, 2020
Hypersonics, Counter-Hypersonics Are a Top Priority
Hypersonics and counter-hypersonics remain one of the Defense Department’s highest technical modernization priorities, Ellen M. Lord, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 22, 2020
National Defense Strategy
The National Defense Strategy (NDS) provides a clear roadmap for the Department of Defense to meet the challenges posed by a re-emergence of...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 21, 2020
AFRL and Compass Technology Group Collaborate on Specialty Material Techniques
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Compass Technology Group signed a cooperative agreement for two projects that have direct impact on Air...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 21, 2020
New Research Leads to Army Drones Changing Shape Mid-Flight
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Soon, the U.S. Army will be able to deploy autonomous air vehicles that can change shape during flight,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 21, 2020
Army Researchers Pursue Tactical Edge in Electronic Warfare
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — In the age of technology, the Army’s ability to dominate the electromagnetic spectrum can significantly influence the outcome of...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 21, 2020
Army Engineers Develop Greater Lethality, Speed to Support Future Combat Vehicle
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal have reached key milestones in developing an advanced armament system that integrates a medium-caliber weapon,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 21, 2020
Some Directed-Energy Weapons Show Promise While Others Slow
July 7, 2020 —U.S. Air Force officials are still looking to perfect directed-energy weapons to use against the low-tech threat of small drones...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 21, 2020
Pentagon Developing Electric Stun Grenade to Safely Disable Everyone in a Room
July 3, 2020 — Pentagon researchers are working on a weapon to temporarily disable everyone in a room with a TASER-like electric stun...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 15, 2020
Five Ways the U.S. Military Will Change After the Pandemic
The global pandemic is about to profoundly change the U.S. military’s role in defending the United States — even if Pentagon leaders don’t...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 14, 2020
Progress on Cruise Motors, Future Wing Sets Stage for All-Electric X-57 Ground Tests
Significant progress is being made in preparation for NASA’s first all-electric X-plane, the X-57 Maxwell. As NASA completes tasks for X-57’s functional ground...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 14, 2020
AFRL Partners With Florida State University to Develop Reinforced Ceramics 3-D Printing of Sensors
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.– The Air Force Research Laboratory recently partnered with Florida State University to develop reinforced ceramics 3-D printing of sensors....

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 14, 2020
Missile Defense Chief Looks to Handle Changing Threat
Navy Vice Adm. Jon Hill, the agency’s director, told the Hypersonic Weapons Systems webinar in London the agency is looking to adapt current...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 14, 2020
Army Researchers Augment Combat Vehicles With AI
ADELPHI, Md. — When Soldiers enter a new environment, their mission demands they stay one step ahead of the enemy; however, they may find it...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 14, 2020
Risk Aversion Impedes Hypersonics Development
Speeding ahead with the development of hypersonic weapons, both offensive and defensive, will require the Defense Department to look back to the 1960s...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 14, 2020
Future Autonomous Systems to Understand Surroundings
Army researchers developed a one-of-a-kind computational resource to enhance human-agent teaming and Soldier protection by allowing autonomous systems to understand both the world...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 07, 2020
New Research Shows Promising Future for Warfighter Communication
ADELPHI, Md. — Soldiers operate in remote wireless environments with limited bandwidth and unpredictable connectivity, making it challenging to receive timely and reliable information....

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment Trains and Fields New Gear
FORT POLK, La. — Throughout June, C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment is conducting in-class and field training with the latest in...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
ERDC’s Patented Tool Designed to Save Millions, Speed Acquisitions
VICKSBURG, Miss. — A trio of researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC’s) Environmental Laboratory created a unique tool that...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
The Commandant’s Guidance for the DoD Non-Lethal Weapons Program
May 31, 2020 — Many Marines may be surprised to learn that the Commandant of the Marine Corps serves as the Department of...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
The U.S. Military Is Getting Serious About Nuclear Thermal Propulsion
There are many ways to get around space, but most of them are pretty slow. This is why, even when launching at an...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
Navy Orders Laser-Based Missile Warning System From Leonardo DRS for Electro-Optical Helicopter Defense
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. – Airborne missile warning experts at Leonardo DRS in Melbourne, Fla., will provide the U.S. Navy with engineering models of the AN/AAQ-45...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
Army Researchers Find New Ways to Test Swarming Drones
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The U.S. Army has implemented a one-of-a-kind outdoor system to test swarming drones–with a capacity of more than 1,500...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
Hypersonics Testing Accelerates
The March 19 test of a hypersonic glide body at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii is just the start for the...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
Army Uses Innovative Process to 3-D Print Parts for Aircraft
Army aviation plays a critical role for Soldiers in battle. Helicopters are used to transport Soldiers and supplies to war zones, conduct reconnaissance...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 23, 2020
Bunch Reflects on First Year in Command, Outlines AFMC Future
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) — When Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr. took command of the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) on May 31, 2019,...

DSIAC JOURNAL
JUNE 19, 2020
Effects of Materials Properties on ISR for Synthetic Aperture Radar
SUMMARY This research looks at the various factors that affect image appearance of a target in microwave and radar frequencies. To better understand...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 12, 2020
SpaceX’s Next Starlink Launch Will Boost Three Hitchhiking Satellites to Orbit
In the coming weeks, satellite operator Planet will hitch a ride on one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, sending up three of its...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
Ensuring the Reliability of Munitions
YUMA PROVING GROUND, AZ– Whenever the U.S. military fires an artillery round, the reliability of that round was meticulously proven at U.S. Army...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
Army Begins Testing Advanced Seeker for Precision Strike Missile
WASHINGTON — The Army has successfully completed its first open-air testing of an advanced multimode seeker, an upgrade to the Precision Strike Missile...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
New Cloaking Material Could Protect Buildings, Soldiers
Stealth technology, the idea of reducing the ability of the enemy to detect an object, has driven advances in military research for decades....

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
What Is LRAD? The “Sound Cannon” Used by Police Explained
As protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd continue to roil the country, Twitter has been abuzz lately with reports that police...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier Deploys With Powerful New Infrared Sensor System
The supercarrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68), now America’s oldest operational aircraft carrier, just got an upgrade before she left port in Washington State to head to the...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
All-Electric Propulsion Payback Time Shorter Than Expected
Part of our ongoing series of webinars and the first in Riviera Maritime Media’s Maritime Hybrid, Electric and Fuel Cells Webinar Week, the webinar began...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
New Soliton Laser Pulses Deliver High Energy in a Trillionth of a Second
Scientists have developed a new type of laser that can deliver high amounts of energy in very short bursts of time, with potential...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
Small Robotic Mule, Other Unmanned Ground Systems on the Horizon
FORT MEADE, MD — The Army plans to award a contract this month to produce hundreds of robotic mules that will help light...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
Super Material Provides Surprising Test Results in New Study
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD — Imagine discovering a material in the future that is so resilient that it can withstand extreme pressures and temperatures...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 10, 2020
Pentagon Reshuffles R&D Priorities
HONOLULU, Hawaii — The Defense Department is shaking up its list of research-and-development priorities as the Pentagon builds new roadmaps for pursuing future capabilities....

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 04, 2020
Watch This Ship-Mounted Navy Laser Shoot Down a Drone
The future of naval warfare arrived earlier this month when a U.S. Navy laser stationed aboard a ship shot down an aerial drone....

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 04, 2020
Industry Fielding More Powerful, Flexible Radars
The defense industry is working alongside the Pentagon and allied nations to bring online new radar systems that can be used on land...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 01, 2020
After a Year of Successes, U.S. Air Force Continues to Advance S&T Strategy
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – In the spring of 2019, the Air Force released the Air Force Science and Technology (S&T) Strategy...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 01, 2020
AFRL Achieves Record-Setting Hypersonic Ground Test Milestone
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – A U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Air Force Test Center ground test team set a...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 01, 2020
Nanoscale Experiments Give Researchers Optimism for Stronger, Lighter Soldier Armor
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Soldier armor, such as bulletproof vests and helmets, depends upon high-performance ballistic fibers for its strength and effectiveness. U.S....

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 01, 2020
Wichita State Will Take Apart an Army Black Hawk Helicopter to 3-D Print New Parts
Researchers at Wichita State University will take apart an Army helicopter in order to create a “digital twin” that can help with maintaining...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 01, 2020
Electroshock Bullets Challenge TASER Dominance
A Turkish manufacturer aims to disrupt the worldwide market for less-lethal weapons with its new electroshock projectile, claimed to have been successfully tested...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 01, 2020
Army Researchers Develop Innovative Sensor Inspired by Elephants
ADELPHI, Md. — Throughout time, seismic sensing – biological as well as technology-based – have aided warfighters in making critical decisions in combat....

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JUNE 01, 2020
NRL Conducts First Test of Solar Power Satellite Hardware in Orbit
WASHINGTON – U.S. Naval Research Laboratory engineers launched PRAM, the Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module, aboard an Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle on...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Penn Engineers Develop First Tunable, Chip-Based “Vortex Microlaser” and Detector, Encode Information in Twisting Beams of Light
Vortex lasers are named for the way light spirals around their axis of travel, thanks to a property known as orbital angular momentum,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
U.S. Army Successfully Launches Spy Drone From Black Hawk
The U.S. Army has successfully deployed a fixed-wing drone from a helicopter that then was able to receive video from the unmanned vehicle,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Army ManTech Program Advances Materials for New Low-Profile Antenna
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD – Army scientists developed a first-of-its kind antenna that could change how ground vehicles and airborne systems communicate, transmit,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Five Ways the U.S. Military Will Change After the Pandemic
The global pandemic is about to profoundly change the U.S. military’s role in defending the United States — even if Pentagon leaders don’t...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
DoD Uses 3-D Printers to Ease COVID-19 Ventilator Shortage
Developers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) are collaborating with civilian partners to manufacture low-cost, emergency ventilators using 3-D printers. The handheld...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Here’s the DARPA Project It Says Could Pull the Navy a Decade Forward in Unmanned Technology
WASHINGTON – A project inside the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has the potential to pull the Navy’s unmanned surface vessel aspirations forward a decade,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Surprise: Navy Submarines Could Soon Shoot Lasers From Beneath the Waves
Here’s What You Need To Remember: If the Navy can develop electrical hull connectors, power generation, and other systems needed for a submarine-mounted laser...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
UCF Researchers Develop Groundbreaking New Rocket-Propulsion System
A University of Central Florida researcher and his team have developed an advanced new rocket-propulsion system once thought to be impossible. The system,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
US Army Plans To Develop Wearable COVID-19 Symptom Detector for Soldiers
The U.S. Army is planning to use wearable COVID-19 monitors to detect whether its personnel are displaying symptoms. For this purpose, U.S. Army medical...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Simulator to Train Police Use Lethal and Non-Lethal Weapons
The police have commissioned a simulator which will help armed officers hone their skills. The simulators has been installed at Ta’ Kandja complex,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
World-Unique Tire Testing Capability Saves Millions for Warfighters
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OH (AFNS) — The ability of an aircraft’s tires to endure a landing at high speeds is critical to an...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
In Modernization Push, Army Researches Integrated Power Cables for Soldiers
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD (May 4, 2020) — Army Futures Command (AFC) is bolstering dismounted Soldiers’ power capabilities by developing integrated, flexible cables for a...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
U.S. Special Operations Command to Use Precision-Strike Surveillance Aircraft
The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is planning to offer war commanders an armed surveillance aircraft option to support ground troops. The “armed...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
DoD Remains Flexible, Agile in Face of Coronavirus
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will continue its work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the governors across the country to...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
COVID-19 Response Team
Powered by the U.S. Air Force To kick off the effort, we are collecting information from both government and non-government personnel who are...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
New Space Fence Radar Is Officially Online
The Space Force announced on March 27 operational capability of its new radar technology that can track objects smaller than 10 centimeters in...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
The Air Force Just Fielded Its First High-Energy Laser Weapon Overseas
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, has delivered what it says is the Air Force’s first high-energy...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Future Army Vehicles Could See an Improvement in Structural Materials
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD — Materials used for a Soldier’s personal protection gear may be tough enough for vehicles too, according to a new...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Boeing Demonstrates S-100 Camcopter UAV Resupplying U.S. Army Soldiers
Boeing recently demonstrated the S-100 Camcopter unmanned air vehicle (UAV) resupplying soldiers with small cargo packages in an unnamed Army exercise. The S-100...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
The Air Force Mobilizes Its Laser and Microwave Weapons Abroad
The U.S. Air Force has sent three different directed energy weapon systems to protect air bases abroad. The HELWS, PHASER, and THOR weapons...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Tiny Nuclear Reactors Could Help Us Get to Mars
Elon Musk’s SpaceX may be dominating the public imagination in 2020, but countless companies around the world are also working on spaceflight, or even...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Marines Test New Night Vision Goggles in Realistic Setting
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VA — In January, a group of Marines assessed next-generation night vision goggles in a realistic setting. The Squad...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Training to Defend
March 22, 2020 — Standing watch is a large part of a deployed sailor’s life. At any given time, there will always be...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
JMC Delivers Global Munitions Readiness With Logistics Initiatives
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL — The Joint Munitions Command (JMC) continuously improves its processes to deliver munitions readiness at the right place and...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Orion “Passengers” on Artemis I to Test Radiation Vest for Deep Space Missions
As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) leads the way for human exploration at the Moon and beyond, space radiation is one of the...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Ray Touts “Clean-Sheet” Arsenal Plane, Hypersonics, B-1 Recovery, End of Bomber CAS
Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) Chief Gen. Timothy Ray believes the arsenal plane concept likely means a new, “clean sheet” design rather...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Despite COVID-19, U.S. Military Remains Ready to Fight
“To those who wish us harm, make no mistake: even with the challenges that this disease has brought to our shores, the Department...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Researchers Create Materials-by-Design for Future Army
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD — For centuries, the standard recipe for metals development has been to take useful metals and add a small amount of...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
Modernizing UAV Export Policy for Effective Coalition Forces
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are crucial technologies for modern military operations. Whether for persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or integrated overwatch and strike operations,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 29, 2020
AFRL Scientists Investigate: Can Microwaves Reduce Viability of Airborne Coronavirus Spread?
ARLINGTON, VA – U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory scientists draw on their academic and industrial connections in the science and technology ecosystem to investigate...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 28, 2020
COVID-19: Army IVAS Goggles Now Take Temperatures
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of soldiers at Fort Benning are now getting their temperatures checked using the Army’s prototype targeting goggles. The Army made this latest...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 28, 2020
435 SFS Recognized: Best Small Security Forces Unit
April 2, 2020 — The 435th Security Forces Squadron received the Best Small Security Forces Unit Award for 2019 in all of U.S....

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 28, 2020
Popular Training Program Increases Marine Survivability
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VA — Since 2008, deploying Marines have participated in a training course preparing them to survive emergency, underwater egress situations....

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 28, 2020
Hypersonics: DoD Wants “Hundreds of Weapons” ASAP
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has created a “war room” to ramp up production of hypersonic weapons from a handful of prototypes over the last decade...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Getting Serious About Interoperability
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan— Pacific Air Forces don’t have many F-35s. Yet. However, within 5 years, there will be more than 200 Joint strike...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
A Simulation Framework for Recreating Bat Behavior in Quad-Rotor UAVs
In recent years, researchers worldwide have been trying to develop computational techniques that reproduce behaviors of humans or animals in robots and machines....

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Expert Gives Inside Look at Effectiveness of Tasers
(WFSB) — So far this year, there have been three police-involved shootings in the state. Video from two of them have been released,...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Munitions Readiness in the Strategic Support Area Continues to Provide Lethality That Wins
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL — The Joint Munitions Command’s (JMC’s) approach to providing munitions readiness from the Strategic Support Area was the focus...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Powered JDAM: Boeing’s New Alternative to Cruise Missiles
ORLANDO, FL—Boeing is developing a long-range version of its Joint Direct Attack Munition called the Powered JDAM, adding an engine to extend its...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
United States, Allies Bolstering Electronic Warfare Systems
The global military airborne electronic warfare market offers major opportunities for equipment manufacturers as countries respond to growing threats, according to a recent...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Water-Free Way to Make MXenes Could Mean New Uses for the Promising Nanomaterials
Ten years after producing the first sample of the now widely studied family of nanomaterials, called MXenes, Drexel University researchers have discovered a...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Marines Ditch MUX Ship-Based Drone to Pursue Large Land-Based UAS, Smaller Shipboard Vehicle
The U.S. Marines have ditched their plan to field a very large drone on amphibious ships, instead breaking the 4-year-old MUX program into...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
The Air Force’s “Thor” Microwave Gun Is the Perfect Answer to Enemy Drone Swarms
U.S. military bases across the globe may soon have a New Mexico-made, high-powered microwave weapon at their disposal to instantaneously down swarms of...

DSIAC JOURNAL
MAY 27, 2020
The Importance of Early Prototyping in Defense Research, Engineering, Acquisition, and Sustainment
SUMMARY The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) operates across the entire life cycle of capability development, including exploratory science, research and development (R&D),...

DSIAC JOURNAL
MAY 27, 2020
A Computational Approach to Understanding Advanced Thermal Barrier Coatings’ Performance
SUMMARY Many advanced engine system designs result in significant increases in operating temperatures, which, in turn, require new thermal protection coatings (TBCs). In...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Industry Fielding More Powerful, Flexible Radars
The defense industry is working alongside the Pentagon and allied nations to bring online new radar systems that can be used on land...

DSIAC JOURNAL
MAY 27, 2020
Additive Manufacturing High-Performance Polymers for Space and Aerospace
INTRODUCTION Additive manufacturing (AM) has come a long way. However, there are still a number of problems to solve for AM of polymer...

DSIAC JOURNAL
MAY 27, 2020
Can Compressive Sensing Solve Your Sensor and Measurement Problems?
Summary Compressive sensing (CS) is a relatively new field that has generated a great deal of excitement in the signal-processing community. Research has...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Camp Lejeune Provost Marshal’s Office Conducts Law Enforcement Tactics Training
U.S. Marine and civilian military police officers with the Provost Marshal’s Office (PMO), Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC, conducted...

DSIAC JOURNAL
MAY 27, 2020
Inorganic Optical Components Using Additive Manufacturing
Introduction For almost two centuries, the optical community has been using the same method of producing refractive lenses and optically transparent windows. They...

DSIAC JOURNAL
MAY 27, 2020
Composite Overwrapped Pipe Burst Test
Summary With the emphasis on lightweighting, composites are being turned to help reduce weight while still maintaining strength and stiffness. However, composites...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Soldier-Centered Approach Helping Lead Ground Modernization Efforts
WASHINGTON — Nearly 2 years into its largest modernization overhaul in four decades, the Army looks to continue its momentum of developing new...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Red Flag 20–2: Maximizing Combat Readiness, Capability, and Survivability Between Forces
Nellis Air Force Base, NV–Deployed maintainers from all over the world flood the flight line turning wrenches to ensure their assigned aircraft are...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Space Force Just Received Its First New Offensive Weapon
The U.S. Space Force has begun operating a new offensive weapon system, an upgraded version of a ground-based satellite communications jamming system, for the...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
COVID-19 Health Care Needs and AM Capabilities Repository
Quickly Deploying Our Nation’s Additive Manufacturing Resources to Address the National Health Crisis America Makes has partnered with its member, the Food and...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Navy TRUAS Challenge Winners Announced
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, MD – The Department of the Navy successfully completed a tactical resupply unmanned aircraft system (UAS) fly-off competition...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
High-Frequency Rectification via Chiral Bloch Electrons
Rectification is a process that converts electromagnetic fields into a direct current. Such a process underlies a wide range of technologies, such as...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Making Satellites Safer: The Search for New Propellants
Developing new propellants for satellites to replace toxic hydrazine would make launching and handling satellites safer, but it also requires disrupting current systems,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Northrop Grumman Successfully Demonstrates “On-The-Move” Ground Radar Capability
Northrop Grumman has completed a successful government customer demonstration of the Highly-Adaptable, Multi-Mission Radar (HAMMR) system at Eglin Air Force Base, FL. During...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
178th Security Forces Squadron Leads Security Execution in Domestic Operations Exercise
March 8, 2020 —When disaster strikes, chaos can easily ensue. Protecting life and property can be a daunting task for local law enforcement...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
PEO, RIA-JMTC Partner on Husk to Improve Soldier Survivability
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) – Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (JMTC) is once again improving Soldier protection on...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Joint Team Ensures Hypersonic Test Success
“We had a great team executing this,” Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood said of the March 19 test. Thurgood, the Army’s director of hypersonics,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 27, 2020
Army Researchers Measure Reliability, Confidence for Next-Gen AI
ADELPHI, MD (March 30, 2020) – A team of Army and industry researchers has developed a metric for neural networks–computing systems modeled loosely...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 26, 2020
Highest-Throughput 3-D Printer Is the Future of Manufacturing
Northwestern University researchers have developed a new, futuristic 3-D printer that is so big and so fast it can print an object the...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 26, 2020
The U.S. Army Wants Pulsed Lasers to Slice Missiles in Half
The U.S. Army wants a deadlier laser weapon that won’t just burn a target but rather slice it up. Instead of low-power continuous wave lasers...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 21, 2020
SpaceX Gears Up for Next Starlink Satellite Megaconstellation Launch With Rocket Test
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL — SpaceX has fired up the rocket booster that will ferry the company”s fourth batch of Starlink satellites into space. Just over...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 21, 2020
Carbon Nanotubes to Boost Communications
The quantum technology may improve everything from 5G to tactical radios. High-frequency radios may be more resilient, military sensors more sensitive, and 5G...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 21, 2020
Maine Entrepreneur Developing “Less-Lethal” Projectiles, Launcher System
FRYEBURG, ME — A Fryeburg entrepreneur has received four Maine Technology Institute grants totaling almost $22,000 to develop a “less lethal” weapon: an...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 21, 2020
UH-60 Blackhawk Training Operations at Fort McCoy
FORT MCCOY, WI – An aircrew operated a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter at the Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport during training operations December 16, 2019, at...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 21, 2020
New Weapons System Completes First Live Mission
After 4 years of planning, the 752nd Operations Support Squadron (OSS) has successfully completed their first live mission on the AN/TYQ-23A weapons system...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 20, 2020
AEDC T-3 Engine Test Cell Receives Upgrades for Future Tests
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TN –The Arnold Engineering Development Complex T-3 turbine engine test cell at Arnold Air Force Base is undergoing several...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 20, 2020
Police to Consider Adding Tasers to Crime-Fighting Arsenal
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Law enforcement could soon be outfitted with tasers as the Royal Bahamas Police Force considers adding less-lethal force weapons to...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 20, 2020
U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army Conduct First “Real World” Test of Advanced Battle Management System
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL (AFNS) –In the first field test of a novel approach to warfighting, communicating, and decision-making, the U.S. Air...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 20, 2020
China Tests Micro Propulsion Technology for Space-Based, Gravitational-Wave Detection
Chinese space engineers have tested a micro propulsion technology on a recently launched satellite, which could be used in future space-based, gravitational-wave detection....

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 20, 2020
Fleet Commander Directs U.S. Navy’s Surface Force to Develop Concepts for Unmanned Ships
WASHINGTON — The head of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Forces Command has ordered the Service’s surface force to develop a concept of operations...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MAY 20, 2020
Neuro-Symbolic A.I. Is the Future of Artificial Intelligence
Picture a tray. On the tray is an assortment of shapes: Some cubes, others spheres. The shapes are made from a variety of...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
DoD Is Soliciting an RFI for Short Term Solutions to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic Through the Medical CBRN Defense Consortium
The purpose of this special notice is to obtain information via white papers from both MCDC members and other interested industry/academia partners in...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
Water-Free Way to Make MXenes Could Mean New Uses for the Promising Nanomaterials
Ten years after producing the first sample of the now widely studied family of nanomaterials, called MXenes, Drexel University researchers have discovered a...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
Marines Ditch MUX Ship-Based Drone to Pursue Large Land-Based UAS, Smaller Shipboard Vehicle
The U.S. Marines have ditched their plan to field a very large drone on amphibious ships, instead breaking the 4-year-old MUX program into...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
The Air Force’s “Thor” Microwave Gun Is the Perfect Answer to Enemy Drone Swarms
U.S. military bases across the globe may soon have a New Mexico-made, high-powered microwave weapon at their disposal to instantaneously down swarms of...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
Space Force SMC’s Multimanifest Satellite Vehicle Ready for Integration on AEHF-6 Mission
The Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center Launch Enterprise Mission Manifest Office delivered a fully tested and integrated multimanifest small satellite vehicle,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
Industry Fielding More Powerful, Flexible Radars
The defense industry is working alongside the Pentagon and allied nations to bring online new radar systems that can be used on land...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
Camp Lejeune Provost Marshal’s Office Conducts Law Enforcement Tactics Training
U.S. Marine and civilian military police officers with the Provost Marshal’s Office (PMO), Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, NC, conducted...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
Soldier-Centered Approach Helping Lead Ground Modernization Efforts
WASHINGTON — Nearly 2 years into its largest modernization overhaul in four decades, the Army looks to continue its momentum of developing new...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
Red Flag 20–2: Maximizing Combat Readiness, Capability, and Survivability Between Forces
Nellis Air Force Base, NV–Deployed maintainers from all over the world flood the flight line turning wrenches to ensure their assigned aircraft are...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 23, 2020
Space Force Just Received Its First New Offensive Weapon
The U.S. Space Force has begun operating a new offensive weapon system, an upgraded version of a ground-based satellite communications jamming system, for the...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
United States, Allies Bolstering Electronic Warfare Systems
The global military airborne electronic warfare market offers major opportunities for equipment manufacturers as countries respond to growing threats, according to a recent...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
Researchers Achieve a 10x Supercapacitor Energy Density Breakthrough
Supercapacitors can charge almost instantly and discharge enormous amounts of power if needed. They could completely erase the Achilles heel of electric vehicles...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
Powered JDAM: Boeing’s New Alternative to Cruise Missiles
ORLANDO, FL—Boeing is developing a long-range version of its Joint Direct Attack Munition called the Powered JDAM, adding an engine to extend its...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
Munitions Readiness in the Strategic Support Area Continues to Provide Lethality That Wins
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, IL — The Joint Munitions Command’s (JMC’s) approach to providing munitions readiness from the Strategic Support Area was the focus...

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
Future Soldiers May Get Improved Helmet Padding
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD — Army researchers and industry partners recently published a study showing how they developed new materials and manufacturing methods...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
Expert Gives Inside Look at Effectiveness of Tasers
(WFSB) — So far this year, there have been three police-involved shootings in the state. Video from two of them have been released,...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
Electric Solid Propellant – Can It Take the Heat?
Electric solid propellants are being explored as a safer option for pyrotechnics, mining, and in-space propulsion because they only ignite with an electric...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
A Simulation Framework for Recreating Bat Behavior in Quad-Rotor UAVs
In recent years, researchers worldwide have been trying to develop computational techniques that reproduce behaviors of humans or animals in robots and machines....

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
Raytheon Completes First Antenna for U.S. Army’s New Missile Defense Radar
WASHINGTON — Raytheon has completed the first radar antenna array for the U.S. Army’s new missile defense radar in less than 120 days after being selected...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
MARCH 12, 2020
America’s Future Battle Network Is Key to Multidomain Defense
When Americans think about military power, they often associate our wars with iconic commanders like Grant, Eisenhower, Nimitz, and Doolittle. They may also think about the famous weapons...

DSIAC JOURNAL
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
Augmented Target Recognition Display Recommendations
In light of the U.S. Army’s intent to leverage advances in artificial intelligence (AI) for augmenting dismounted Soldier lethality through developing in-scope and...

DSIAC JOURNAL
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
System Capabilities Analytic Process and Advanced Teaming Analyses
BACKGROUND Among the principal responsibilities of the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command/Data and Analysis Center (CCDC/DAC) is supporting many Army test and...

DSIAC JOURNAL
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
The Synthetic and Measured Paired and Labeled Experiment (SAMPLE) Dataset for SAR ATR Development
SUMMARY Developing automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithms for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is an important step toward effectively processing the amount of...

DSIAC JOURNAL
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
Flight Standards for UAS in the National Air Space
INTRODUCTION Proliferation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for military operations has proportionally increased the number of pilots trained to operate these systems. While...

DSIAC JOURNAL
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
Preventing Injuries Through Actionable Analysis

DSIAC JOURNAL
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
What Does Next-Generation, Passive RPG Protection Look Like?
INTRODUCTION Rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) are a well-known threat to tactical, reconnaissance, engineering, and combat vehicles that operate in hostile environments. Technologies designed to...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
U.S. Army Taps Persistent Systems to Develop Secure Comms for Robotic and Autonomous Systems
Persistent Systems, LLC (“Persistent”) announced today that it has been awarded a $5.4M contract by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR Center to develop Protected Communications for Manned-Unmanned Teams (MUM-T). The Army envisions a next-generation optionally manned fighting vehicle (OMFV) that can be networked with up to four unmanned remote combat vehicles (RCVs)

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
No Laser for You: The Pentagon Wants to Destroy Enemies” Laser Weapons
As militaries around the world race to develop powerful combat lasers, the Pentagon has something else in mind. It wants to destroy those lasers. The U.S. military worries that high-energy laser (appropriately known as HEL) weapons can destroy or damage surveillance satellites, sensors, aircraft, and vehicles or injure personnel. Despite challenges, such as generating sufficient

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Simple, Fuel-Efficient Rocket Engine Could Enable Cheaper, Lighter Spacecraft
It takes a lot of fuel to launch something into space. Sending NASA’s Space Shuttle into orbit required more than 3.5 million pounds of fuel, which is about 15 times heavier than a blue whale. But a new type of engine — called a rotating detonation engine — promises to make rockets not only more

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Air Force Ready to Recompete 3DELRR Air-Defense Radar Project to Defend Against Enemy Missiles and UAVs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, MA – U.S. Air Force tactical radar experts are moving forward with a quick-turnaround plan to recompete an air-defense radar system intended to detect, identify, and track enemy missiles, as well as manned and unmanned aircraft. Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hanscom Air Force Base issued

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
NDIA Policy Points: Sonic Devices Demand Greater Research
Throughout history, sound has been used to enhance the effectiveness of conventional and psychological military operations. Today, Warfighters use sonic devices for a wider variety of functions, including clear communication in the field at standoff distances, warning civilians away from bases, and nonviolently deterring potential enemy combatants. The Joint Nonlethal Weapons Program sees the near

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
The Senseless Danger of the Military’s New “Low-Yield” Nuclear Warhead
Sometime in the past 2 months, the U.S. Navy has deployed a new type of nuclear warhead in some of its Trident submarines. Called the W76-2, it is a “low-yield” warhead, which would explode with the blast power of about 8 kilotons—far less powerful than the Tridents’ other warheads, which have an explosive yield of

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Thousands of Army Bradleys Don”t Have the Power to Use New Active Protection Systems
The vast majority of the U.S. Army”s Bradley Fighting Vehicles cannot be fitted with a new Israeli-made active protection system for one simple reason—they cannot generate enough power to operate it. The Service is in the process of upgrading a number of Bradleys to a new configuration with an auxiliary power unit that will enable

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Rifle Designed for Aircrew Ejecting in Hostile Regions Delivered to the Air Force
Air Force gunsmiths recently completed delivery of a new M4-style carbine designed to break down small enough to fit under most pilot ejection seats. The Air Force Gunsmith Shop has completed delivery of the 2,700 GAU-5A Aircrew Self Defense Weapon, a 5.56-mm carbine that can be quickly assembled in emergency situations, according to a recent

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Leaders Discuss Nuclear Modernization, Hypersonics Development
The nuclear triad of intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines, and strategic bombers, as well as the nuclear command and control system, are at the core of U.S. defense strategy, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command told a Senate panel. “These capabilities are foundational to our survival as a nation,” Navy Adm. Charles A. Richard told

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
U.S. Army Developing Process for Using 3-D Printing at Depots and in the Field
WASHINGTON — “The U.S. Army has an overarching concept for how it wants to use 3-D printing and subtractive manufacturing, but now it must develop a process for using the capabilities across the Service from arsenals, depots, and plants and then down to the tactical level,” said Gen. Gus Perna, the head of the Army

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Army General to Lead New Pentagon Unit to Counter Drone Strikes on the Battlefield
WASHINGTON — U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey will lead a new 60-person team for the Defense Department to develop new methods to counter drone strikes, which are increasing on the battlefields of the Middle East and Afghanistan, Pentagon officials announced earlier this week. “The idea is to take all of the effort in terms

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
AFRL, Partners Develop Innovative Tools to Accelerate Composites Certification
In partnership with industry, a team of U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory/Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) personnel are developing the capability to accelerate certification of advanced manufactured composite structures. Creating a new materials characterization subfacility, known as the Materials Solutions Network, will drive composite manufacturing into a physics-based exact science that can be predicted

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
DARPA Is Testing Drones It Can Launch From a Plane—Then Collect Mid-Air
The news : The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has conducted the first test of a new type of drone that can be launched from a plane in a swarm and recovered in mid-air when it has done its job. How it works: A military transport or bomber plane releases a series of drones

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Assessing Israel’s Tactical Laser Breakthrough
Until recently, the military application of relatively high-energy lasers has been more science fiction than reality. That is starting to change. Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on January 8 a “breakthrough” in its development of laser technology to intercept aerial threats. This technological milestone promises to strengthen Israel’s lower-tier missile defense and provides another opportunity

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Aerojet Rocketdyne Delivers RL10 Engines That Will Help Send NASA Astronauts to Deep Space
Aerojet Rocketdyne recently delivered four RL10 upper stage engines to NASA’s Stennis Space Center that will help power NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket as it carries astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft to deep space. These missions are part of NASA’s Artemis program, which will land the first woman and next man on the Moon,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
U.S. Space Force Gets Upgraded Satellite Communications Jammers for “Offensive” Operations
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military will deploy a new version of a ground-based communications jammer used to block adversaries’ satellite transmissions. The Counter Communications System (CCS) was first introduced in 2004. An updated version, called CCS Block 10.2, has completed tests and will be ready for initial operations sometime in 2020, the Space and Missile

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Superhero-Like Technology Lets Law Officers Wrap up Suspect
A second local police department is considering buying new technology designed for officers to use when a suspect needs to be stopped but is not armed. It acts like a device typically used by fictional superheroes. Representatives of Wrap Technologies demonstrated the BolaWrap on Friday to more than a half-dozen central Ohio law-enforcement agencies at

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Navy, Industry Pursuing Autonomy Software, Reliable HM&E Systems for Unmanned Ships
ARLINGTON, VA – As the U.S. Navy moves forward with unmanned surface and undersea vessels in a range of sizes for myriad missions, some things remain constant among the vehicles: they will all need to continue making improvements in autonomy, the will all need parts that are reliable enough to go without human intervention for

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
Pentagon Report: DoD Needs to Test How Satellites Would Perform Under Attack
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense”s (DoD”s) Director of Operational Test and Evaluation warns in a new report that the military today is not able to assess the durability of its satellites if they came under attack. The DoD plans to invest at least $100 billion in space systems over the next decade, “and

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
FEBRUARY 11, 2020
AFMC, ACC Expand Weapons System Collaboration
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OH – A new weapons system collaboration program aims to synergize communication between program offices and operational wings, ensuring Warfighters have the right technology to meet current and future Warfighting needs. Gen. Arnold W. Bunch, Jr., Air Force Materiel Command Commander and Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command Commander, signed a

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
Dedrone Introduces Radio Frequency Sensor, RF-160 for sUAS Detection and Threat Mitigation
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Dedrone, a leading global provider of counter-small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) capabilities, announced the release of their radio frequency (RF) sensor, the Dedrone RF-160. The RF-160 is an upgraded version of the company”s RF sensor, the RF-100, and includes new and advanced features such as increased detection range, streamlined installation process,

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
UH-60 Blackhawk Training Operations at Fort McCoy
FORT MCCOY, WI – An aircrew operated a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter at the Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport during training operations December 16, 2019, at Fort McCoy. The UH-60 Blackhawk has been the Army”s frontline utility helicopter for the past 40 years, and it shows no signs of letting up, said service officials at Redstone Arsenal, AL.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
Maine Entrepreneur Developing “Less-Lethal” Projectiles, Launcher System
FRYEBURG, ME — A Fryeburg entrepreneur has received four Maine Technology Institute grants totaling almost $22,000 to develop a “less lethal” weapon: an air-powered grenade launcher that can shoot specialized projectiles at a safe velocity whether the target is 10 feet away or 300. Kurt Boeker is hoping it someday becomes a police department staple

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
Carbon Nanotubes to Boost Communications
The quantum technology may improve everything from 5G to tactical radios. High-frequency radios may be more resilient, military sensors more sensitive, and 5G communications more versatile because of a technological breakthrough initiated by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL). Carbon nanotubes, the exotic material that offers a broad scope of promises, can now be fabricated

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
SpaceX Gears Up for Next Starlink Satellite Megaconstellation Launch With Rocket Test
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL — SpaceX has fired up the rocket booster that will ferry the company”s fourth batch of Starlink satellites into space. Just over 24 hours after SpaceX aced an in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft, the company conducted a static-fire test of a Falcon 9 rocket at Space Launch Complex 40

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
The U.S. Army Wants Pulsed Lasers to Slice Missiles in Half
The U.S. Army wants a deadlier laser weapon that won’t just burn a target but rather slice it up. Instead of low-power continuous wave lasers that emit a steady stream of energy, the Army wants pulsed lasers that shoot intermittent, but intense, bursts that can quickly destroy a target. Pulsed lasers are already used commercially

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
Navy Acquires Underwater Drone for Mine Sweeping
The U.S. Navy and the Defense Innovation Unit selected L3Harris Technologies to provide an unmanned undersea vehicle for expeditionary undersea missions, particularly mine sweeping.The Next Generation, Small-Class, Maritime Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (MEMUUV) program took delivery of one Iver4-900 UUV for testing. Later will come two field-swappable modular payload sections to include real

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
Highest-Throughput 3-D Printer Is the Future of Manufacturing
Northwestern University researchers have developed a new, futuristic 3-D printer that is so big and so fast it can print an object the size of an adult human in just a couple of hours. Called HARP (high-area rapid printing), the new technology enables a record-breaking throughput that can manufacture products on demand. Over the last

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
Marines to Get New Lightweight Polymer Ammo for “Ma Deuce” Machine Gun
The Marine Corps has inked a $10 million contract with ammunition-maker MAC LLC for new lightweight polymer machine gun ammunition, a major step forward in an effort to lighten Marines” battlefield load. The contract was awarded to the Mississippi-based company Thursday, Marine Corps Systems Command officials said in a news release. According to the announcement,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 22, 2020
Navy Strategy Fast-Tracks New Weapons for “Offensive” Attack
Arlington, Va.- Senior Navy leaders say the service is fast-tracking a handful of key emerging weapons systems such as new destroyers, Tomahawk missiles, lasers and hypersonics as part of a new “offensive attack” maritime combat strategy. “Today we are moving to the offensive. We are already moving out on an increase in lethality,” Vice. Adm.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
Neuro-Symbolic A.I. Is the Future of Artificial Intelligence
Picture a tray. On the tray is an assortment of shapes: Some cubes, others spheres. The shapes are made from a variety of different materials and represent an assortment of sizes. In total, there are, perhaps, eight objects. My question: “Looking at the objects, are there an equal number of large things and metal spheres?”

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
Army Introduces Weld Automation for Next Generation Combat Vehicles
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD — To prepare for the future battlefield, the Army has defined a concept for its next generation of combat vehicles. These vehicles, encompassing a family of new platforms, will have advanced capabilities to ensure continued overmatch against adversaries for decades and beyond. Enhanced survivability is critical for these vehicles and will

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
Fleet Commander Directs U.S. Navy’s Surface Force to Develop Concepts for Unmanned Ships
WASHINGTON — The head of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Forces Command has ordered the Service’s surface force to develop a concept of operations for both the large and medium, unmanned surface vessels in development, according to a December 19 message seen by Defense News . The message, which was coordinated with U.S. Naval Forces Europe

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
Laser Pulse Creates Frequency Doubling in Amorphous Dielectric Material
Researchers have demonstrated a new all-optical technique for creating robust second-order nonlinear effects in materials that don”t normally support them. Using a laser pulse fired at an array of gold triangles on a titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) slab, the researchers created excited electrons that briefly doubled the frequency of a beam from a second

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
China Tests Micro Propulsion Technology for Space-Based, Gravitational-Wave Detection
Chinese space engineers have tested a micro propulsion technology on a recently launched satellite, which could be used in future space-based, gravitational-wave detection. Experts from the China Academy of Space Technology, under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said they tested the variable thrust propulsion at the micronewton level on the Tianqin-1 satellite, which

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army Conduct First “Real World” Test of Advanced Battle Management System
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, FL (AFNS) –In the first field test of a novel approach to warfighting, communicating, and decision-making, the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Army used new methods and technology on December 16-18 for collecting, analyzing, and sharing information in real time to identify and defeat a simulated cruise missile threat to the

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
Police to Consider Adding Tasers to Crime-Fighting Arsenal
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Law enforcement could soon be outfitted with tasers as the Royal Bahamas Police Force considers adding less-lethal force weapons to its arsenal. Minister of National Security Marvin Dames announced yesterday senior officials are preparing to meet with Arizona-based Axon Enterprise, formerly TASER International, an industry leader in weapons and technology development for

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
AEDC T-3 Engine Test Cell Receives Upgrades for Future Tests
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TN –The Arnold Engineering Development Complex T-3 turbine engine test cell at Arnold Air Force Base is undergoing several modifications to prepare it for future testing. Built as part of the Engine Test Facility, or ETF, at Arnold in the early 1950s, the T-3 test cell was designed for testing small

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
CCDC’s Road Map to Modernizing the Army: Soldier Lethality
Today’s soldiers require advanced capabilities to be effective on future battlefields. Advances in technology have produced better weapon optics, imaging devices, and body armor, as well as many other types of specialized protective and offensive gear. Body armor that could protect soldiers against rifle fire, for example, was not available during World War II, the

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JANUARY 14, 2020
New Weapons System Completes First Live Mission
After 4 years of planning, the 752nd Operations Support Squadron (OSS) has successfully completed their first live mission on the AN/TYQ-23A weapons system at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB). The 752nd OSS received the AN/TYQ-23A Tactical Air Operations Module weapons system in September 2019 after beginning the acquisition process in the summer of 2015. The

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
The Hyper-Enabled Operator
Recent technological, socioeconomic, and geopolitical trends, coupled with the reemergence of great power competition, complicate the future environment in which U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) must operate. SOF professionals will need to operate not only across traditional physical domains such as land, air, and sea but also in the virtual and cognitive domains. In particular,

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
Manufacturing—Layering on the Strength
A team, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and University of Tennessee researchers, demonstrated a novel 3-D printing approach called Z-pinning that can increase the material’s strength and toughness by more than three and a half times compared to conventional additive manufacturing processes. They demonstrated Z-pinning with polylactic acid, or PLA, and carbon fiber-reinforced PLA

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
Scaled Robotics Keeps an Autonomous Eye on Busy Construction Sites
Buildings under construction are a maze of half-completed structures, gantries, stacked materials, and busy workers — tracking what’s going on can be a nightmare. Scaled Robotics has designed a robot that can navigate this chaos and produce 3-D progress maps in minutes, precise enough to detect that a beam is just a centimeter or two

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
Boeing Achieves Significant Milestone With New Laser Weapon System
The world’s largest aerospace company, Boeing, announced that its Compact Laser Weapon System (CLWS) recently completed a series of key demonstrations with the U.S. Air Force and Army. The high-energy 5-kW CLWS successfully completed several demonstrations of its capabilities, validating its readiness for deployment, according to a recent company news release. Test operators used handheld,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
How the World’s First Solid State Aircraft Achieves Propulsion With No Moving Parts
Last year, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) made the first sustained flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft with no moving parts. It was propelled by electroaerodynamic propulsion, which requires no moving parts and was, by many definitions, the first ever solid state flight. This article explains exactly how it works and what the

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
DARPA’s Next-Gen Environmental Suits Could Be Inspired by Shark Skin
The Pentagon’s research arm wants a better suit for those responding to chemical and biological warfare attacks. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, says it wants a less clumsy suit that does an even better job of protecting soldiers, first responders, and researchers from deadly biological and chemical weapons. The suit could even

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
South Texas Police Chief Gets All Officers Less-Lethal Weapons to Help Save Lives
A South Texas police department added another weapon to its arsenal. Only this one was designed to cause less harm than a typical firearm. Rockport Police Chief Gregory Stevens showed off a 12-gauge shotgun, parts of which were bright orange, during a training session for the city”s police force. When fired, a bean bag-filled round

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
Blockchain Tech Has Numerous Applications for Defense
The use of blockchain technology is gaining traction in all industries. The federal government has taken notice and has been exploring ways in which the technology may be used for its benefit. While widespread use of blockchain in government likely will take time, it may be jumpstarted by the adoption of these capabilities by government

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
Argonne’s Advanced X-rays Are Beaming the Way to Smarter Helmets
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, and Northwestern University are collecting and deciphering data from high energy x-rays beamed onto human skulls to better grasp bone mechanics and develop smarter, more protective military helmets. Argonne’s X-ray Science Division group leader and physicist Jonathan Almer told Nextgov how the lab’s advanced photon

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 31, 2019
The Air Force Wants to Unleash a Robotic “Golden Horde” on Adversaries
Golden Horde is designed to incorporate to the Air Force’s three most urgent technologies: precision-guided weapons, artificial intelligence, and communications networking. Precision-guided weapons, united by secure communications links and endowed with artificial intelligence, would be launched en masse at the enemy, with missiles aimed at preplanned targets. If a target is assigned three incoming missiles

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
A New Electronic Warfare System for the Army Is Getting Closer
The Army is moving into the final phase of bringing its electronic warfare visualization and planning tool to the entire force. The system is a command-and-control planning capability that allows commanders and soldiers to visualize the potential effects of electronic warfare in the field. It also helps chart courses of action to prevent jammed capabilities.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Carnegie Mellon System Locates Shooters Using Smartphone Video
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a system that can accurately locate a shooter based on video recordings from as few as three smartphones. When demonstrated using three video recordings from the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead and hundreds wounded, the system correctly estimated the shooter”s actual location

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Weapons of Mass Control, Tactics of Mass Resistance
As the showdown between police and protesters in Hong Kong has intensified, officers have used increasing force, deploying an arsenal of crowd-control measures and weapons, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, sponge grenades, and bean bag rounds. Protesters have also stepped up their actions, hurling petrol bombs, vandalizing mainland Chinese banks and businesses believed

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Under Pressure, Navy’s Top official Pledges to Solve New Carrier”s Problems
The new acting secretary of the Navy said Thursday that President Donald Trump”s concerns over persistent problems with the first Ford-class aircraft carrier have prompted him to make fixing those problems one of his top priorities. “I was on the [carrier Gerald R. Ford] last week; the Ford is something the president is very concerned

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
How the Army Is Girding for Electronic Warfare
There’s no doubt that electronic warfare will become increasingly commonplace. That’s why the Army is vigorously testing its flying platforms, such as the Apache helicopter, to ensure they can withstand both current and evolving threats. FCW talked with Ralph Troisio, the division chief for Electronic Warfare, Air, and Ground Survivability at Army’s C5ISR Center in

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Just In: New Road-Mobile Missiles “Instrumental” for Army Strategy
SIMI VALLEY, CA — New road-mobile missiles that are under development will fundamentally change the Army’s offensive capabilities, the head of the Service said December 7. The types of systems in the works were previously banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia. The treaty was brokered in 1987 in the waning years of

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Navy Engineer Invents “Flash Corridor,” Improves Burn Profile of Ammo
A U.S. Navy engineer has invented a tiny plastic tube that adds a flash corridor to cartridge ammunition, giving the propellant an improved burn profile. In contrast to traditional rounds that burn back to front and forcing some propellant into the firearm’s barrel, when ammunition with a flash corridor is fired, the primer causes molten

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Cubicure Unveils New Flame-Retardant Material for Hot Lithography 3-D Printing
Cubicure, the Vienna-based startup behind Hot Lithography technology, has developed what is said to be the first flame-retardant material for SLA 3-D printing. Known as Evolution FR, the material is a halogen-free photopolymer that achieved a V0-classification in the UL 94 plastics flammability standard. Previously reserved for materials used in material extrusion or powder bed

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Army Scientists Work on Urban Combat Robot That Can Be Controlled With Hand Gestures
New technologies being developed by the United States and its partners seek to tackle age-old challenges that troops face when they enter the multidimensional nightmare that is urban combat. One such device that technicians put through its paces is a robotic platform that soldiers or Marines can guide by using hand and body movements to

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 17, 2019
Allison and U.S. Army to Upgrade Propulsion Systems of M113 Vehicles
Allison Transmission has partnered with the U.S. Army to equip the M113 armored personnel carrier family of vehicles with upgraded X200-4A propulsion systems. Under the partnership with the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), Allison will upgrade propulsion systems of the Army’s tracked military vehicles. The upgrade is intended to provide improved propulsion for the vehicles.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 10, 2019
New Data on Laser-Plasma Instabilities Could Improve Predictive Models for Fusion Experiments
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Dec. 3, 2019 — New research from the University of Rochester could lead to more accurate computer models for simulations of laser-driven implosions. Researchers at the the university’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), along with their colleagues at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, have demonstrated how

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
Army Project May Improve Military Communications by Boosting 5G Technology
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC (Nov. 21, 2019) — An Army-funded project may boost 5G and millimeter-wave technologies, improving military communications and sensing equipment. Carbonics, Inc., partnered with the University of Southern California to develop a carbon nanotube technology that, for the first time, achieved speeds exceeding 100 GHz in radio frequency applications. The milestone eclipses

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
Stunner: The U.S. Marines Want a Taser That Can Shoot Over 300 Feet
A bullet that zaps you with an electric jolt like a Taser.That’s what the U.S. Marine Corps wants as a non-lethal munition that can be fired from a regular small arm. The U.S. military has been trying to develop a Taser-like bullet for 12 years but has yet to succeed. This time, the Marines hope

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
The U.S. Navy Doesn’t Have Enough Spare Parts to Keep Its Fighter Jets in the Air
The U.S. Navy lacks the parts and materials it needs to keep hundreds of fighter jets operational, which could affect the nation’s ability to fight future wars. That’s the key takeaway from an audit released this week (pdf) by the Department of Defense Inspector General (DODIG), which is focused on the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet—the

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
Tubulane-Inspired Ultrahard Polymers Are Full of Holes, but Stop Bullets Better Than Solid Materials
Theoretical tubulanes inspire ultrahard polymers: Rice University-printed sample is full of holes but stops bullets better than solid materials. A lightweight material full of holes is nearly as hard as diamond. The mere dents left by speeding bullets prove it. Researchers at Rice University’s Brown School of Engineering and their colleagues are testing polymers based

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
The Air Force”s BLU-12 Bomb Is Like a Sniper in the Sky
Key point: This weapon brings additional attack flexibility to the battlefield. The Air Force is revving up production of the air-dropped, precision-guided BLU-129 bomb increasingly in demand by war zone commanders – so accurate, lethal, and precise, it is called “the world’s largest sniper accuracy.” The often-requested weapon, described as an adaptable carbon fiber bomb,

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
Threat From China Requires Innovative Approach, Says DoD Official
Alan Shaffer, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, and Sustainment, discussed the threat from China and what the U.S. must do to respond to the threat. He spoke at the Professional Services Council-sponsored Defense Services Conference in Arlington, Va., on 21 November 2019. ””We’ve been in conflict with China for 10 years and I”m not

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
Manufacturing Tungsten Carbide Is Hard. So the Army Research Lab Figured Out How to 3-D Print It.
To reduce the manufacturing costs of making tungsten carbide tools, a team of researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory has figured out how to 3-D print it into the exact size and shape they want, with little to no post-machining required, according to a U.S. patent application first made public on Thursday. Tungsten carbide

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
Soldiers Soon to See Robotic Mules and Tougher Bomb Bots in the Field
The Army recently picked a couple of new robots to help troops in the field. One is a new heavy robot designed to help bomb technicians and another “robotic mule” to carry a squad’s load on dismounted patrols. Both are some of a larger effort to bring robotics technology into nearly every area of Army

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
Terahertz Laser to Power “T-ray” Vision and High-Bandwidth Communications
As the military, science agencies, and communications firms compete for scarce spectrum resources, researchers at Harvard, MIT, and the Army have developed a compact, room temperature, widely tunable terahertz laser that offers the potential for high-bandwidth communications, ultrahigh-resolution imaging, and precise long-range sensing for radio astronomy. Until now, the terahertz section of the electromagnetic spectrum,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
DECEMBER 03, 2019
U.S. Air Force, for the First Time, Develops In-House Small, Expendable Turbine Engine
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), for the first time, designed, assembled, and tested exclusively in-house a small thrust class size expendable turbine engine. This propulsion system, the Responsive Open Source Engine (ROSE), responds to the U.S. Air Force”s (USAF”s) desire for rapid demonstration of new technologies and faster, less expensive prototypes, according to

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 20, 2019
Robotic Submarines: How the Navy and Boeing Could Make History
The U.S. Navy has ordered from Boeing four huge robotic submarines, potentially signally an effort to deploy a large number of crewless undersea boats alongside traditional, manned submarines. The Navy”s $43 million purchase of four Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles, or XLUUVs, comes as the fleet struggles to build enough new manned submarines to

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
Physicists Look to Navigational “Rhumb Lines” to Study Polymer’s Unique Spindle Structure
From the intricate patterns of pollen grains to the logarithmic spirals of nautilus shells, biology is full of complex patterns, shapes, and geometries. Many of these intricate structures play important roles in biological function, but can be difficult to create in a lab without state-of-the-art equipment or expensive and energy-consuming processes and materials. A new

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
Air Force Considers Gaming-Developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning for Battle Management
ROME, NY – U.S. Air Force researchers are asking for industry”s help in developing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to planning systems that help commanders adapt quickly to changing conditions on the battlefield. Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory”s Rome Research Site in Rome, NY, issued a broad agency announcement (FA875020S7007) on Thursday

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
Should the Military Treat the Electromagnetic Spectrum as Its Own Domain?
Military leaders are reluctant to treat the electromagnetic spectrum as a separate domain of warfare as they do with air, land, sea, space, and cyber, even as the service increasingly recognize the importance of superiority in this area. At the Association of Old Crows conference on October 30, representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy, and

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
Kilometer-Long Space Tether Tests Fuel-Free Propulsion
A massive cloud of space junk—containing more than 23,000 pieces larger than 10 cm across—is currently zooming around Earth with an average speed of about 36,000 km per hour. And as companies such as SpaceX and OneWeb plan to launch tens of thousands of new satellites over the next few years, this hazardous clutter will

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
NASA Surveys Industry for Atmospheric Monitoring CubeSat That Will Push the Bounds of SWaP in Spacecraft
HAMPTON, VA – U.S. space researchers are surveying industry for companies able to build a small constellation of orbiting CubeSat satellites, each about the size of a shoebox, to monitor aerosols, ozone, and other components of the Earth”s atmosphere. Officials of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, issued

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
Marines Test Non-Lethal Mortar Round for Crowd Control
QUANTICO, VA — They may not be deadly, but some of the non-lethal weapons the Marine Corps is working on look pretty devastating. The Marine Corps Joint Nonlethal Weapons Directorate is currently testing an 81-mm mortar round that delivers a shower of flash-bang grenades to disperse troublemakers. There is also an electric vehicle-stopper that delivers

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
Old Airplanes Find New Life in Tucson”s Famed Boneyard
As boneyards go, this place is pretty lively. Before many Tucsonans have even started their morning commute, a pair of aircraft mechanics are already crouched over the open cockpit of an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet, disarming the ejector seat and removing the explosives. Nearby, a towing crew pulls a Navy P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft over

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
Making Soldiers Safer: Milwaukee Institutions Continue Developing “Blast-Test” Dummy
Three Milwaukee institutions — Marquette University, the Medical College of Wisconsin, and the VA Medical Center — are continuing their work on a “blast-test” dummy. The dummy could help reduce harm to U.S. armed forces caused by explosions under their military vehicles. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on or near roadways continue to kill or wound

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
Army Researchers Are Blasting Past Lasers to Find a New Way to Do Realistic Combat Training
NATICK, MA – Army researchers are developing a system that would replace the laser-shooting trainers that soldiers have used in the field since the 1980s to simulate firefights and instead find a way to replicate the effects of weapons from rifles to artillery to chemical and biological attack. And it all starts with an “ebullet.”

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
Will America’s Next Long-Range, Air-to-Air Missile Match up to China’s?
The U.S. military, and the U.S. Air Force (USAF) in particular, invests in and places considerable store by superior technology to prevail against peer rivals. The service is also disinclined to allow its near-allies to field capabilities it does not also have access to. In the Air Force’s slipstream, U.S. industry is often first to

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
German Tech Bends Glass Sheets at Right Angles
Ordinarily, if a window goes around the corner of a building, it”s made of two flat panes of glass that are joined together by a metal rail or glue. Now, though, German scientists have developed a method of bending a single sheet of glass to a 90-degree angle – without affecting its optical properties. Although

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
Army Developing Robotic Trauma Care System
The U.S. Army is working on an autonomous robotic trauma care system that can treat wounded soldiers on the battlefield. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Carnegie Mellon University were each awarded 4-year contracts totaling over $7.2 million to develop the system, according to a news release. The trauma care in a rucksack,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
Researchers Transmit Energy With Laser in “Historic” Power-Beaming Demonstration
It was the second day of a 3-day-long tech demonstration at the David Taylor Model Basin at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Bethesda, MD, where attendees had gathered to stand around in the dark to look at something they mostly couldn”t see. It was a long-range, free-space power beaming system—the first of its kind.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
Rocket Lab Aims for the Moon and Beyond With New Photon Satellite Platform
WASHINGTON — Rocket Lab is shooting for the moon, literally. The small-satellite launch startup announced today (October 21) that its new Photon satellite platform will be able to fly small spacecraft on deep-space missions to the moon and beyond. The plan will combine Rocket Lab”s workhorse Electron rocket with Photon, a vehicle designed to provide

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
The Small Sat Solution to Hypersonic Weapons Explained
Hypersonic weapons break all the rules of the missile defense game. With speeds surpassing Mach 5 and the ability to maneuver mid-flight, hypersonic weapons defy the missile defense status quo, potentially making the United States’ current defenses obsolete. China and Russia are vigorously pursuing hypersonic weapons, and the United States is desperate to neutralize them.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
WPD Unveils New Non-Lethal Tool to Stop Criminals
WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Wilmington police have a new non-lethal tool to stop criminals in their tracks called the BolaWrap. The handheld device discharges an 8-ft Kevlar cord which wraps around the subject’s body, anchors to their clothing, and prevents them from advancing toward police or running away. The BolaWrap offers a pain-free solution for

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
AUSA NEWS: Oshkosh Incorporates JLTV Upgrades Into Production
Oshkosh Defense has begun upgrading the joint light tactical vehicle (JLTV) in response to a critical Pentagon report issued earlier this year, a company executive said on October 15. The Defense Department”s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation Robert Behler said in his 2018 annual report published in January that the JLTV was “not operationally

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
NOVEMBER 05, 2019
Swarm Hell: Can the U.S. Army Stop Hundreds of Drones Armed With Explosives?
(Washington, DC) They can form swarms of hundreds of mini, precision-guided explosives, overwhelm radar, or simply blanket an area with targeting sensors. They can paint or light up air, ground or sea targets for enemy fighters, missiles, or armored vehicles, massively increasing warzone vulnerability. They can instantly emerge from behind mountains to fire missiles at

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Effect of Missile Launch Azimuth on the Magnitude of Simulated Point-of-Closest-Approach Miss Distances to Large Aircraft Systems
ABSTRACT Using selected principles in design of experiments, the researcher conducted a simulation-based missile hit-point study that explored the conventional practicality of a...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The PBL Guidebook: Practical Help for the Efficiency-Effectiveness Challenge
Few people would debate that the United States possesses one of the most effective militaries in the world. One could argue this effectiveness...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Use DSIAC to Do More & Spend Less
The Department of Defense (DoD) community continues to be driven to do more with less by embracing opportunities to improve efficiency and life-cycle...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
From the Battlefield to the Sports Field: Ballistics Test Lab Supports TBI R&D
Communications Manager Chesapeake Testing Traditionally a provider of ballistic and nondestructive testing of military and law enforcement equipment, Chesapeake Testing is a Maryland-based...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Biofuels in The DoD: Impact on System Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability
The growing concern over U.S. energy security has prompted a number of Government initiatives intended to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. Regardless...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Leveraging GPUs for Ballistic Simulation
Introduction Ballistic vulnerability can be difficult to understand in a timely and accurate fashion. Interactions between threats and targets are complex and unwieldy—and so...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Finding Needles in the ISR Haystack: MINT Program Helps Pinpoint Threats Contained in Intelligence Data
Introduction Everyday, U.S. military and security units receive vast amounts of data collected by intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors. Human analysts constantly...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Contemporary Methods for Repairing Composite Materials
Introduction Composite materials, especially those that exhibit high strength-to-weight ratios and thermal stability, continue to be of increased interest to the Defense industry....

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Navigating the Future Battlefield with Autonomous Ground Vehicles
Recently, Lockheed Martin and several Government and industry partners (including the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center [TARDEC]) achieved several...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
A Promising Future for US Navy: Vertical Launching Systems
INTRODUCTION For the past 30 years, shipboard vertical missile launching systems have transformed naval warfare by providing continually evolving launch capability to respond...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Book Review
DSIAC is pleased to announce the availability of “An Overview of Blast and its Effect on Combat Systems” as the introductory edition of...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Carbon Nanotubes: Small Structures with Big Promise
The unique physical, electrical, and molecular properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) cause them to be the focus of research for a wide range...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Synthetic Aperture Sonar: Improved Technology for Improved Mine Hunting
Over the last 60 years, sea mines (such as those pictured in Figure 1) have reportedly been responsible for damaging or sinking four...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Using Weibull Analysis to Guide Preventative Maintenance Strategy
INTRODUCTION As defined in NAVAIR 00-25-403, Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) is “an analytical process to determine appropriate failure management strategies, including Preventive Maintenance and...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
High-Power Microwave Directed Energy Weapons: A Model and Simulation Toolbox
INTRODUCTION With continued advances in high-power radio frequency (HPRF)/microwave (HPM) directed energy weapon (DEW) technology, HPM DEWs are of increasing interest to the...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Blast Data Visualization Part 1: Generating 2D Graphs with Python
PYTHON: SLITHERING REPTILE OR POWERFUL VISUALIZATION TOOL? Human tendency is to avoid or even fear what we don’t understand. All too often this...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Aircraft Engine Exhaust Plume Phenomenology Modeling Improvements for Better HITL Scene Generation & Missile Endgame Performance
BACKGROUND Various Department of Defense (DoD) modeling and simulation (M&S) groups perform digital and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) threat missile flyout and hit point analyses...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Director’s Welcome
We are pleased to introduce the Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) and the inaugural issue of the quarterly DSIAC Journal. This inaugural issue...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Message From the COR
I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity to become the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for the new Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC), which is...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The Better Buying Power Initiative: A New IAC Paradigm
In the current budgetary environment, the Department of Defense (DoD) continues to demonstrate its ability to sustain a high level of performance by...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Defense Applications of Auxetic Materials
INTRODUCTION During military operations, personnel and vehicles are often exposed to ballistic and blast threats. Lightweight armor systems are used in situations where...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Insensitive Munitions: Where Are We Now?
Anyone involved in weapons systems development during the past 30 years should be familiar with the seemingly contradictory term “Insensitive Munitions” (IMs). According...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The 96th Test Wing: Excelling in Seeker and Sensor Data Collection
The 96th Test Wing’s Seekers and Sensors Test Flight provides an end-to-end test and evaluation capability for electro-optic/infrared (IR) and radio frequency (RF)...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Advances in Combat Casualty Care for the Wounded Warrior
With recent advances in medical technology and combat casualty care, today’s wounded warrior (such as the one discussed in the companion article, “An...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Joint Integration Testing of Swarming Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
INTRODUCTION As technology improves, so does the capacity to expand a defensive perimeter to ever-increasing ranges, both horizontally and vertically. Identifying ways to...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Digital Technologies and Rapid Prototyping
The current digital revolution is affecting almost every aspect of our lives. Many of the revolutionary changes, such as our latest mobile phones...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Lightening the Load for the Modern Marine
INTRODUCTION Dismounted U.S. Marines perform some of the most physically demanding missions, often requiring extensive situational awareness, overwhelming firepower, and considerable quantities of...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The History, Trends, and Future of Infrared Technology
Introduction Infrared (IR) technology has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last century. Rooted in 19th and 20th century developments in photometry, colorimetry, and radiometry...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
TurboPK – An All-Inclusive, Ultra-Fast Vulnerability and Lethality Endgame Code
Introduction Parallel processing divides large problems into smaller problems that can be run simultaneously on multiple processors. Although the technique has been around...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
HIVE: An Integrating Environment for Simulation and Analysis
Introduction A decade of organic growth and adoption has given rise to a modern platform for simulation development, integration, and analysis. Built into...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Modeling Intelligence Ped With FOCUS: A Tactical-Level ISR Simulation
Introduction The increase in the use of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems over the past decade has created a significant increase of...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Safety Hazards in the Energetics Laboratory
Introduction During the research and development (R&D) of new and novel energetic materials, researchers face a myriad of technical and safety challenges in...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Hypervelocity Projectiles: A Technology Assessment
Introduction Long-range, gun-launched, high-velocity and hypervelocity projectile (HVP) technologies are highly desired as potential cost-effective solutions for force protection and ballistic missile defense...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
An Overview of Modern Metrology to Support Military Testing
Introduction Although the word “metrology” may be unfamiliar to many in the world of military equipment design and testing, it is a word...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Scanning Underwater with Smaller Lidars and UAVs
Bathymetric lidars, which are devices that employ powerful lasers to scan beneath the water’s surface, are used today primarily to map coastal waters. ...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Integrating Electromagnetic Railguns into the Navy of the Future
Introduction For many years, the U.S. Navy has held a distinct technological advantage over its adversaries in the area of large conventional guns...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
StingRay: High-Performance RF Energy Propagation Modeling in Complex Environments
Introduction Understanding the propagation of radio frequency (RF) energy in the presence of complex outdoor terrain features, such as in urban environments, is...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Opportunities and Challenges of Additive Manufacturing in the DoD
Introduction Additive Manufacturing (AM), often referred to as 3-D printing or rapid prototyping, presents a significant opportunity for the U.S. Department of Defense...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Combating Counterfeit Components in the DoD Supply Chain
Introduction In recent years, manufacturers supplying products to the Department of Defense (DoD) have encountered a dramatic increase in the numbers of counterfeit...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Directed Energy Weapons: From War of the Worlds to the Modern Battlefield
“An almost noiseless and blinding flash of light … this invisible, inevitable sword of heat”: When H. G. Wells first wrote these words...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Spectrum Supportability Risk Assessments: An Overview
INTRODUCTION As we ride on the cusp of a new age of electronic warfare, management and use of the electromagnetic spectrum are becoming...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Blast Data Visualization Part 2: Generating 3-D Animations with Python
Onward with 3D Animations In Part 1 of this two-part series on blast data visualization article (see the fall 2014 edition of the DSIAC...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Modeling the Mind: Using Finite Element Analysis to Predict Traumatic Brain Injury
Introduction Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a serious concern for both the military and the general civilian population. In particular, blast-related TBI has...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
In Situ Manufacturing of Polymer Nanocomposites for Energetic Applications
Introduction For many years, propellant and explosive formulators have investigated the use of nanomaterials to increase performance and modify reactivity of energetic materials and related...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The U.S. Rocket Propulsion Industrial Base: A Status Report
BACKGROUND Rocket propulsion industrial base issues have spanned virtually every facet of the industry, as many officials and workers in the Department of...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Improved Capabilities in Ground Target Tracking
BACKGROUND Ongoing research at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has resulted in the development of a ground-target tracking module (GTTM) for the...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Real-Time, In Situ Intelligent Video Analytics: Harnessing The Power of GPUs for Deep Learning Applications
A DATA EXPLOSION From the edges of the observable universe to medical image scanners on Earth, there is an ever-growing need to quickly...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Real-Time Tasking and Retasking of Multiple Coordinated UAVs
INTRODUCTION Both military missions and civilian applications have led to numerous investigations into using teams of collaborating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to accomplish...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Historical Overview of HTPB The Military’s Preferred Solid Propellant Binder for a Half Century
BEGINNINGS OF HTPB IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DoD) For nearly 60 years, and at least two generations of scientists and engineers, hydroxyl-terminated...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Free Space Laser Communications: A Historical Perspective
INTRODUCTION The potential for efficient high-data-rate communications using the laser has been recognized since its initial development more than 50 years ago. ...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
NDIA Science Engineering and Technology Briefing Update
On 4 August 2016, the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Science and Engineering Technology (S&ET) Division met at The Army and Navy Club,...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Countering the UAS Threat: A Joint Perspective
BACKGROUND As technology advances and the U.S. military touts the advantages of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) (such as that pictured in Figure 1)...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
A Modeling Framework for Coaxial-Rotor UAV System Swarms: Performance Analysis via System ID and Cognitive Physicomimetics Techniques
INTRODUCTION As evidenced by the significant current funding for advanced helicopter technologies [1], as well as the large quantity of technical papers available...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Advanced Composite Solutions for Dynamic Structural Applications
The selection and application of advanced composite materials play a critical role in the quest for improving performance of air and ground vehicles...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
A Historical Overview of a Half Century of U.S. Missile Development
Introduction Over the last 60 years or so, ongoing developments in missile technology have provided the Department of Defense (DoD) with a transformation...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Nondestructive Inspection of Additive Manufactured Parts in the Aerospace Industry
Introduction Recent advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) have allowed the technology to move from simple prototyping using plastics to creating fully formed metallic...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
NDIA Science and Technology Conference Review
This past April, DSIAC attended the 17th Annual National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Science & Engineering Technology Conference in Tampa, FL. Presenters included...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Advances in Self-Sealing Fuel Tank Technology
Introduction Pilots of World War I often called the aircraft they operated “flying coffins” (as shown in Figure 1). The grim nickname was...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Portable Deep-Ultraviolet Raman Spectroscopy for Standoff Threat Detection
INTRODUCTION The growing proliferation of concealed improvised threats (e.g., explosives and chemical warfare agents [CWAs]), has created a critical international need for systems...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Getting the Best Out of Light with Adaptive Optics
INTRODUCTION It’s hard to imagine a part of the military that does not use some kind of optical system to achieve its mission...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The Pursuit of Persistent ISR
INTRODUCTION The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Pennsylvania State University (PSU), and Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), in conjunction with the Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Better Buying Power 3.0 Integral to DoD’s FY17 Science & Technology Plan
On 24 February 2016, DSIAC attended a hearing of the U.S. House Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. The subcommittee discussed some...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
U.S. Military Eyeing Futuristic Hoverbike Technology
INTRODUCTION Sometimes science fiction has a way of becoming reality. From Buck Rodgers ray guns to Star Trek communicators, many technologies that were...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Two Arms are Better Than One: The Benefits of a Dual-Arm Robotic System
INTRODUCTION Already one of the most dangerous jobs in the military, the role of explosive ordnance technician has become even riskier in recent...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
A New Design for a Better Bunker Buster
INTRODUCTION The 5,000-lb class BLU-113 “Bunker Buster” bomb was designed to hit multilayered, hardened underground targets during Operation Desert Storm. During testing, the...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Grease is the Word: EcoFriendly Sailor-Safe Lubrication for Sea Systems
Figure 1: An Actuated Part Subjected to Extreme Seawater Environments, Requiring High-Performance Lubricants That Are Also Sailor-Safe (Source: © mrivserg-stock.adobe.com). INTRODUCTION Seawater...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Underbody Blast Methodology: A Modular Approach to Simulating Buried Blast Effects
INTRODUCTION With the proliferation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other buried mines and threats in and around today’s combat zones, underbody blast...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Expanding the Navy’s Unmanned Systems Portfolio: An Update
OVERVIEW Unmanned systems are a rapidly expanding warfare segment within the overall Program Executive Office (PEO) Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) portfolio. This segment...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Warfighter Trust in Autonomy
INTRODUCTION In response to rapid advancements in the fields of autonomy, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, the Department of Defense (DoD) has prioritized...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Affordable Access to Low Earth Orbit
A NEW VISION The last decade has seen a resurgence of NASA’s bold visions, from returning humans to the moon after a 50-year...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Strain Measurement as a Means of Predictive Life-Cycle Analysis
INTRODUCTION When considering catastrophic failures in structures, one often imagines the worst-case scenario, in which a large force can cause an immediate destruction....

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Reliability Research for a Maintenance-Free Operation Period
INTRODUCTION Maintenance requirements for the rotorcraft fleet of the U.S. Army are sizable. Specifically, for the fiscal year 2016 budget, 35% of Army...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Breakthroughs in Engine Propulsion Research with High-Performance Computing
INTRODUCTION From the automotive diesel engine to on-board naval power generators to the aircraft jet engines, liquid atomization of hydrocarbon fuels is at...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Recent Advancements in Ultrashort Pulse Lasers Shed New Light on Directed Energy Applications
INTRODUCTION Researchers from across the U.S. DoD seek to use the unique properties of ultrashort pulse lasers (USPLs) for directed energy applications. While...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Developing and Fielding Non-Lethal Weapons: The Marine Corps and Army Approach
INTRODUCTION Changes in modern warfare have included a remarkable shift in the international security mosaic. While threats from traditional state actors still exist,...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Gaussian Mixture Measurement Modeling for Long-Range Radars
Introduction Long-range radar systems designed to provide precise range measurements may, in certain cases, experience degraded tracking performance in range, which tends to...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Estimating Endgame Effectiveness of Air-to-Air Missles: An Overview of the Major Tools and Techniques
BACKGROUND How well an air-to-air missile performs against a foreign target has long been of interest to military planners, designers, manufacturers, analysts, and...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
HPM DEWs and Their Effects on Electronic Targets
Directed-energy weapons (DEWs) show great promise for the U.S. Warfighter in that they are a speed-of-light, all-weather weapon that can generate a relatively...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Space Travel Aided by Plasma Thrusters: Past, Present and Future
Introduction Like other contemporary energetic and propulsion technologies, electric propulsion—of which plasma thrusters are a subset—has been around for nearly a century. As...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Reliability of UAVs and Drones
Introduction Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as those pictured in Figure 1, have been the subject of active development and use...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
UAS Threats, Solutions, and the Collaboration Imperative
Background Department of Defense (DoD)leadership, academic experts, and industry professionals agree that the threat that unmanned aerial systems (UASs) pose to U.S. military...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The JLTV Applies Lessons Learned in Underbody Blast Protection
Introduction The prolific use of the improvised explosive device (IED) in recent years by enemy combatants has forced U.S. combat vehicle designers, testers,...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The MX/Peacekeeper and SICBM: A Search for Survivable Basing
INTRODUCTION During the mid-1960s, the aggressive efforts of the Soviet Union to expand its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force, improve its accuracy, and...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
American “Astrologistics”
INTRODUCTION When addressing the National Space Council on June 18, 2018, President Trump made clear his spacefaring vision for America when he said:...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Additive Manufacturing in the DoD
INTRODUCTION The global advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) are far reaching. From a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) perspective, all the Services (U.S....

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Overcoming the Barriers to Human-Machine Teams
INTRODUCTION One of the inescapable features of the modern technical landscape is the ubiquity with which human-machine interactions occur. In warfighting, these interactions...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Fire Risks with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites
SUMMARY Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have a wide range of use in military applications, including portable shelters, aircraft structures, ship structures, and some...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Radio Frequency, Directed Energy Weapon Design Tool
INTRODUCTION High-power microwave (HPM), radio frequency (RF), directed energy weapons (DEWs) provide the Warfighter with several advantages over conventional kinetic energy weapons. Due...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Optimizing Armament Systems With Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
INTRODUCTION In the war of words, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) currently rank among the top listed. This is due to...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Corrosion Protection for Cost Savings on Pacific Bases
INTRODUCTION Mission readiness at a U.S. Air Force base involves more than just the aircraft. It encompasses everything involved in getting the aircraft...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Manufacturing at the Point of Need Using Recycled, Reclaimed, and/or Indigenous Materials
INTRODUCTION The ability to manufacture at the point of need in austere environments is a very important concept for the military. Research at...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Characterizing Cyber Intelligence as an All-Source Intelligence Product
INTRODUCTION Gathering overt and covert information and its analysis and evaluation to produce an intelligence product is critical for assessing vulnerability and assuring...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
To Use or Not to Use Mobile Robots
INTRODUCTION The modern world surrounds us with the products of artificial intelligence (AI) research. These AI systems mainly work behind the scenes, in...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Testing Gas-Turbine Aircraft Engines
INTRODUCTION Gas-turbine aircraft engines, such as those used in nearly all modern aircraft (fighters, attack, helicopters, and transports), must be tested by the...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Detecting Bullets Through Electric Fields
INTRODUCTION Imagine detecting a passing bullet and its origination through an electric field (E-field) instead of an acoustic one. This is exactly what...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Cyber-Physical Command-Guided Swarm
OVERVIEW The Department of the Navy (DON) 30-Year Research and Development (R&D) Plan (distribution D), approved in January 2017, projects the key battlespace...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
How the Military UAV Community Can Learn from the Commercial Drone World (and Vice Versa)
INTRODUCTION The commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) marketplace is large and growing. Estimates of its worldwide size vary: a typical number is $5.6...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Power Generation and Storage for Directed Energy Systems
INTRODUCTION For many years, antiship missiles have represented an ongoing threat to U.S. military operators, as well as a challenge to U.S. defense...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
ACES: Developments in Corrosion Prediction, Testing, and Validation
Because military assets of the past, present, and future remain in use for decades after their initial production, corrosion will continue to be...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
DEW Countermeasures: A Notional Example of Hardening A System Against HPMs
INTRODUCTION Directed energy weapons (DEW)— which include high-energy lasers (HELs), high-power radio-frequency (RF)/ microwaves (HPMs) and particle beam weapons—pose a potentially high-risk threat...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Graphene: A Miracle Material With Promising Military Applications
Though the name might not be familiar to many, graphene has been heralded as a “miracle material,” the application of which includes: Touchscreens...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Soft Coatings for Armor Enhancement
INTRODUCTION Conflict dates to the beginning of mankind, and along with it has come the need for protective systems. Archeological records show that, from...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
3-D-Printed Weapons: Challenges and Opportunities in Advanced Manufacturing
INTRODUCTION Three-dimensional (3-D) printing—or “additive manufacturing,” the preferred production-focused term for industrial-quality 3-D printing—is expected to revolutionize manufacturing processes as the technology moves...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
High-Strength, Corrosion-Resistant Steel Over Titanium Alloy for Aircraft Critical Components
INTRODUCTION Aircraft landing gears, structures, and turbine components (“aircraft critical components”) are subjected to severe loading, corrosion, and adverse environmental conditions and have...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Vehicle Protection: Underpinning Advanced Armor Research and Impact on Survivability
BACKGROUND The U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC) has been established to lead the Army’s future force modernization enterprise. Within AFC, the U.S. Army...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Zero-Bias Broadband Ultraviolet Photoconductor Based on Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Nanowire Arrays
SUMMARY This article focuses on developing a broadband ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) based on superflat, boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) nanowire (NW) arrays functionalized with...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Change Detection in Satellite Imagery With Region Proposal Networks
SUMMARY This article presents a deep learning approach called Proposal-based Efficient Adaptive Region Learning (PEARL) to change detection (CD) in satellite imagery based...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
The Green Monopropellant: Developing and Flight Testing AF-M315E, a Hydrazine Replacement
INTRODUCTION Hydrazine has been the go-to propellant for spacecraft and satellites for more than half a century. While effective and proven, its use...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
A Multisensor System for Measuring the Light Output and Velocity of Live-Fired, Red Light-Emitting Pyrotechnic Tracers
SUMMARY This article describes a multisensor system for measuring the light output and ballistic velocity of pyrotechnic tracers fired from a weapon. The sensors...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Disposal of Insensitive Munitions
SUMMARY This article addresses some of the challenges associated with explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) techniques when applied to insensitive munitions (IMs). The established...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Computational and Experimental Characterization of an Improvised, Explosively Formed Penetrator
INTRODUCTION Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have proven to be highly lethal tools frequently used in asymmetric warfare. This has been particularly true of...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Investigating Friction Stir Welding in Aluminum Hull Structures
BACKGROUND The military has shown an increased interest in developing lightweight technology solutions for current and future platforms. A large portion of this work...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Additively Manufactured, Solvent-Loaded AP Composite Propellant – Printer Parameter Optimization
INTRODUCTION The benefit of additive manufacturing is being realized in industries where custom parts can be made when traditional manufacturing methods and economics...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
A Titanium-Based Igniter System for Hand-Grenade Fuzes
SUMMARY The A-1A and titanium/potassium perchlorate (TPP) igniter compositions have been used in hand grenade fuzes for many years. However, producing or sourcing acceptable-quality...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace Maintenance and Sustainment
INTRODUCTION Additive manufacturing (AM) is causing a fundamental manufacturing paradigm shift that is changing how aircraft are now maintained and sustained. Sustaining an...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Microdiode Lasers: A Safer Alternative for Electrically-Fired Energetic Devices
INTRODUCTION The world has seen a spiraling increase in electromagnetic devices that enhance communications capabilities and place a plethora of information at any user’s...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Laser Power Beaming
INTRODUCTION Methods of wireless delivery of electric power have been discussed for over a century. Only in the last decade have such systems been...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Random Error in Small-Caliber Dispersion
OVERVIEW Dispersion is the scatter in fall of shot at the target due to processes which may or may not be under the...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Sustainable Mobile Electrical Infrastructure
INTRODUCTION Energy is a fundamental enabler of military capability. However, world population growth, increase in developed populations requiring greater demand on energy, rebalancing...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Active Electronically Steered Array (AESA) Antenna Testing
INTRODUCTION Active electronically steered array antennas are replacing conventional single-beam antennas in many of the new and emerging weapons systems. AESA antennas are...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Measuring Combustion Products in Small Arms Blowback Gases
INTRODUCTION Because no standardized method of measuring “blowback” in a small arms system exists, there is a desire to develop one. When a...

DSIAC JOURNAL
NOVEMBER 02, 2019
Modular Human Surrogate for Non-Lethal Weapons (NLW) Testing
INTRODUCTION Non-lethal weapons provide operating forces the needed capabilities to clear personnel, control group movements, target selected individuals, and secure areas without destroying...

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 30, 2019
For the Marines, a New Commandant Sees a New Corps, in a New Era of Warfare
The Marine Corps’ new commandant, Gen. David Berger, is breaking china, figuratively, to enable the Marines to break China, literally, should a conflict erupt in East Asia. As the only service whose forces are mandated by law — three divisions and three air wings — the Marines have relied on their traditional hold over Congress

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
NASA Engineer Proposes “Helical Engine” for Interstellar Travel With No Propellant
An engineer who works for NASA has put forward a proposal for a new way to travel through interstellar space—a “helical engine” that could, potentially, push a spacecraft forward without the need for any propellant at all. David Burns, from NASA”s Marshall Space Flight Center, presented his idea on the space agency”s Technical Reports Server,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
Why the Navy Needs to Speed Backfit its SPY-6 Super Radar on Destroyers
Earlier this year, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral P. S. Davidson, sent a letter to Congress and the Pentagon urging accelerated modernization of warfighting technology in his area of responsibility. That area encompasses 52{1f71c8e63fc312dbb7e68cbee9f84746085cdcbce567c037f7e85e4e98c84910} of the Earth’s surface, including the Pacific Ocean, parts of the Indian Ocean, and Australia. However, Davidson made

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
Navy, Marines Express Interest in “Stackable” Modular Offensive Grenades for the Future
Several new types of grenades, including one that can be stacked to create a larger explosion, have garnered interest from the U.S. Department of the Navy. The Crane, Indiana-based Naval Surface Warfare Center issued a request for information about the modular grenades last month, along with several other early-stage procurement notices about several flash-bang grenade

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
3-D Printing for Ecological Sustainability in Marine Applications
In the recently published “Recycled Sustainable 3D Printing Materials for Marine Environments,” the authors—involved in the Bio-Shelters Project—venture into the realm of sustainability and recycling in 3-D printing, but they also heavily explore the ever-growing science of materials during a three-phase project made up of not only designers and architects but also experts in materials

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
BAE Systems Develops New Countermeasure System to Shield Ground Vehicles From Missiles
BAE Systems, a global leader in electronic warfare, unveiled the new RAVEN countermeasure system designed to protect ground vehicles from anti-tank missiles. The RAVEN is a proven directable, infrared countermeasure capable of defeating anti-tank guided missiles, protecting ground vehicles and their crews, and improving mission effectiveness without the use of kinetic countermeasures. The new laser-based

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
U.S. Army Research Uncovers Pattern in Progression of Weapons Technologies
Anticipating the technology and weapon systems of our future Army might not be entirely daunting, new Army research finds. Trends in the progression of weapon systems from the early crossbowman to a musket to a military tank might help predict our future systems, according to a new study to be published in the Journal of

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
SPECIAL REPORT: ARL Director Focused on Top 10 R&D Priorities
This is part 1 of a 2-part special report on Army R&D. The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is zeroed in on key initiatives aimed at giving soldiers an edge on future battlefields against advanced adversaries. There are only 10 efforts that have been deemed essential research programs, ARL Director Philip Perconti noted in an

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
Controlling Complex Pattern of Superconductivity Within an Exotic Metal
Superconductivity has fascinated scientists for many years since it offers the potential to revolutionize current technologies. Materials only become superconductors — meaning that electrons can travel in them with no resistance — at very low temperatures. These days, this unique zero resistance superconductivity is commonly found in a number of technologies, such as magnetic resonance

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 22, 2019
Sink or Swim? Us Navy Codes Swarm-Tac Decision Support for Hostile Fast-Attack Craft
The U.S. Navy has patented a new software system called SWARM-Tac that can help ships decide to evade or destroy swarms of small boats like those used by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy in the Persian Gulf. Matt Ward, researcher at the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Port Hueneme Division, developed the SWARM-Tac software, which is

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
DARPA’s Mosaic Warfare — Multi Domain Ops, But Faster
WASHINGTON: Just when you thought you understood Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), along comes the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s “Mosaic Warfare.” It’s sort of MDO on steroids: an all-encompassing “force design” — that includes everything from military organization to operational concepts to weapon systems to tactics — to underpin a new U.S. way of war targeted

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
Basalt Fiber-Reinforced ABS: Researchers Develop Thermoplastic Composite for Use in Space
In the recently published “Development and Mechanical Properties of Basalt Fiber-Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene for In-Space Manufacturing Applications,” we learn more about materials necessary for building in space; for example, a habitat on Mars would most likely be built out of a combination of materials from Earth as well as what is naturally found there,

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
SOCOM Ramps Up Efforts to Develop “Cutting-Edge Data Techniques,” Opens New Data Engineering Lab
U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is ramping up its efforts to develop “cutting-edge data techniques” like artificial intelligence (AI) to boost readiness and minimize costs. As part of that initiative, the Command unveiled its new Data Engineering Lab located at the SOFWERX facility in Tampa, FL, on Wednesday. SOFWERX was established under a partnership intermediary

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
Counter-Swarm Electromagnetic Weapon Developed by AFRL
A Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR) is a counter-swarm electromagnetic weapon that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) developed for airbase defense. The system provides non-kinetic defeat of multiple targets. It operates from ground power and uses energy to disable unmanned systems. A demonstration system has been built and tested on military test ranges

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
NASA Wants to Send Nuclear Rockets to the Moon and Mars
Just north of the Tennessee River near Huntsville, AL, there’s a six-story rocket test stand in a small clearing of loblolly pines. It’s here, in a secluded corner of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, that the U.S. Army and NASA performed critical tests during the development of the Redstone rocket. In 1958, this rocket became

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
Researchers Testing Method to Build Temperature, Heat-Flux Sensors for Hypersonic Vehicles
Harsh environmental conditions—such as surface temperatures reaching thousands of degrees Fahrenheit—make it challenging to accurately measure temperatures and heat flux on hypersonic flight systems. But a mechanical engineering associate professor at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) believes a new additive manufacturing technology can withstand those conditions and may be used to provide reliable

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
Pentagon’s Non-Lethal Weapons Office Pushing Gray-Zone Warfare Tools
MARINE CORPS BASE, QUANTICO, VA – The Pentagon’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate is hoping to reframe the talk about non-lethal weapons amid a push by the Defense Department to boost lethality for high-end warfare. The office’s director, Marine Corps Col. Wendell Leimbach, instead wants to talk about capability gaps in an era of gray zone

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
U.S. to Spend Hundreds of Millions to Replace a $5 Part in Revamped Nuclear Weapons
Concerns about the reliability of commercial-off-the-shelf capacitors, each of which cost just $5, and that the Department of Energy had been planning to use in two future nuclear warhead designs will delay both programs by at least a year and a half and could result in up to a whopping $850 million in additional costs.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
The U.S. Army”s Legendary M1 Abrams Tank: RIP or Ready for War?
Back in the 1990s, I recall reading Tom Clancy’s loving paean to the M1 Abrams, Armored Cav, in which he related that the unkillable tank had never been knocked out by hostile fire. The Abrams’ 120-mm cannon effortlessly peeled the turrets off of T-72 tanks in the Gulf War, while Russian anti-tank missiles and 125-mm

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
OCTOBER 08, 2019
U.S. Army Seeks New Ruggedized Displays for Remote Weapon Systems
The U.S. Army Contracting Command has released a draft request for proposals for contractors interested in new functional ruggedized displays for a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Stations. In a recent Federal Opportunities notice, the Army announced plans to modify the M153 Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS). United States military operations take place worldwide and

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
U.S. Army Begins Testing New BLADE Counter-Drone System
The U.S. Army has begun testing the newest ballistic, Low-Altitude Drone Enga gement, or BLADE, prototypes mounted on a Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle, according to a recent U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center news release. The BLADE can detect, track, identify, and take down drones with electronic attack, according to the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
U.S. Navy Looks to Replace or Improve F/A-18 Super Hornet”s ATFLIR Targeting Pod
The U.S. Navy is seeking qualified sources that can provide an Electro Optic/Infrared ( EO/IR) air-to-air and air-to-surface targeting pod capability focused on reducing the overall operating and support cost on its Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters. According to the post of Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), “In an effort to enhance sustainment capabilities

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Army Eyes Pearls in Innovative Project to Bolster Body Armor
Could pearls help save a soldier’s life? Scientists are looking at pearls in an innovative U.S. Army research project to bolster body armor. Researchers at the University of Buffalo have simulated mother of pearl, or the outer coating of pearls, to create a lightweight plastic described as 14 times stronger and 8 times lighter than

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Ammo Firm Unveils 6.8mm Cartridge for Army’s Next-Gen Squad Weapon
A Texas-based ammunition company recently unveiled its new 6.8mm cartridge, which the Army will consider for the Next-Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) effort designed to replace the 5.56mm M4A1 carbine and M249 squad automatic weapon in close-combat units. True Velocity”s 6.8mm composite-cased cartridge will be part of the NGSW auto-rifle, rifle and ammo prototype package being

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
NEWS FROM ASC: Global Strike Command to Prepare New Force Development Concept
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Air Force Global Strike Command will help modernize the Pentagon’s nuclear command-and-control architecture by creating a new force development concept, according to a senior official. The Pentagon is concerned that peer adversaries such as China and Russia could put today’s systems at risk with anti-satellite weapons, electronic warfare tools, and other

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Engineers Develop Multimaterial Fiber “Ink” for 3-D-Printed Devices
A new method developed by MIT researchers uses standard 3-D printers to produce functioning devices with the electronics already embedded inside. The devices are made of fibers containing multiple interconnected materials, which can light up, sense their surroundings, store energy, or perform other actions. The new 3-D printing method is described in the journal Nature

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
The Army Is Already Building Robot Vehicles, Futuristic Helos Into Its Battle Simulations
The U.S. Army just completed a large-scale simulation that revealed the service must find ways to train and equip combat leaders to stay ahead of the enemy if units are to survive the new, fast-paced age of warfare on the horizon. From Aug. 5-23, officials from the Maneuver Battle Lab at Fort Benning, Georgia, oversaw

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Most Powerful Laser in the US to Be Built at U-M
ANN ARBOR—The United States is upgrading its laser capabilities with ZEUS, a new three-petawatt system to be built at the University of Michigan. Three petawatts is equal to three quadrillion watts, or a 3 followed by 15 zeros. Funded with $16 million from the National Science Foundation, the facility will enable both basic and applied

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Researcher Calculates Optimal Trajectories to Mars and Mercury for a Spacecraft With Electric Propulsion
RUDN University mathematician has proposed a method for calculating the optimal trajectory of spacecraft with electric propulsion, whose thrust is thousands times less than chemical one has, but it is able to work for years. These motors are best suited for interplanetary missions. Mathematicians calculated the flight parameters of the space probe with such motor

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Quantum Radar a Game Changer for Offensive Stealth Operations
Military radar has remained largely unchanged since its development over 100 years ago. Working as an active-duty airman in the U.S. Air Force, my primary responsibility was the repair and maintenance of the complex radar system onboard the E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft. The radar lessons I learned in tech school, however, were exceedingly simple: a

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Police Test “Spider-Man” Device as Alternative to Taser
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – With 49 people killed last year after being shocked by Tasers, police departments across the United States are trying out a “Spider-Man”-like device that fires a tether that entangles and restrains the suspect. Called Bolawrap, the device fires an 8-ft (2.4-m) bola-style tether at a suspect to entangle his legs and

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2019
Quantum Magnetometer Senses Its Place
Scientists continue to search for new technologies to serve the positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) mission. One novel way to augment GPS comes from a newly developed technology involving a quantum magnetometer. Researchers at Lockheed Martin call it Dark Ice; it uses magnetic sensing as an alternative means of determining location without use of satellite

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2019
CAE’s MAD-XR Next-Gen Magnetic Anomaly Detection System Enters Production
CAE announced the company has started production of the CAE Magnetic Anomaly Detection-Extended Role (MAD-XR) system. CAE also announced that the government of Canada has purchased the first unit under the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP). CAE MAD-XR is a highly sensitive magnetometer designed to sense changes in the earth’s magnetic field. Because of

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2019
Aerojet Rocketdyne Opens New Facility
Aerojet Rocketdyne has opened a new advanced manufacturing center to produce rocket propulsion products for missile defense programs. The 136,000-square-foot facility in Huntsville, AL, was declared operational in June, according to the company. It will be used to produce hardware for military programs such as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD. Additionally,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
These Tactical Glasses Could Give Marine Grunts an F-35 Pilot”s View of the Battlefield
Marine infantrymen may soon be able to see through the floor of an MV-22 Osprey and track terrain features as they approach their attack objective. It sounds like science fiction, but Marine Lt. Col. Rory Quinn of the Pentagon”s Close Combat Lethality Task Force says it could become reality if the Marine Corps decides to

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
Astrobotic Is Going to Use a Vulcan Rocket for Its Lunar Lander in 2021
In May of 2019, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) selected Astrobotic to fulfill a contract to deliver 14 payloads to the Moon by 2021. The Pittsburgh-based aerospace company plans to do this using their Peregrine Lander, a robotic lunar spacecraft that is capable of delivering payloads to the Moon for the competitive price of

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
Non-Lethal Weapons? Will Marines Ever Use This Capability?
Aug. 1, 2019 (Col. Wendell Leimbach) — I used to believe that a question had an obvious answer. The United States military is the world’s most feared and lethal fighting force, with the Marines being among the most aggressive warriors within that force. Beyond crowd control during peacekeeping in lieu of (ILO) operations, considering the

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
Alerts Sound on Maritime Logistics: Several Experts See Seriously Lacking Sealift Capability
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are aggressively changing course and refocusing their resources and training to prepare the fleet and expeditionary forces for a “Great Power Competition” with China and Russia. But a growing number of Navy officers and defense analysts are warning that current and planned maritime logistics capabilities are seriously inadequate to

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
ANTI-RPG Warhead Phases II and III: An Aircraft Protection Solution
This article, which is an update to work previously published in the summer 2018 issue of Aircraft Survivability [1], presents test and analysis results for warheads designed to dismember and/or dud incoming rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) while simultaneously meeting stringent active protection system (APS) collateral damage requirements. As discussed [1], the near-field-velocity liner warhead technologies previously

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
The Next Generation of High-Performance Explosives Developed by LANL and Army Research Lab
For more than 100 years, trinitrotoluene (TNT) has been the go-to explosive for military, construction, demolition, and mining uses. But during TNT’s long reign, concerns have arisen over its toxicity, safety, and performance. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared the removal of TNT a priority. Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
Soldiers Shape the Battlefield With Next Generation of Terrain-Shaping Munitions
PICATINNY ARSENAL, NJ — Shaping the battlefield, and thus shaping the terrain, has been doctrine for how to execute large-scale ground operations. Obstacles play a vital role in this process, providing friendly forces the freedom of maneuver while limiting the enemy”s ability to do the same. The Product Manager for Terrain Shaping Obstacles (PdM TSO),

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
AFRL, Boeing, Thermwood Apply Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing to Autoclave Tools
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Manufacturing and Industrial Technology Division (ManTech) is collaborating with Boeing and Indiana-based machinery manufacturer Thermwood to produce low-cost responsive tooling using additive manufacturing. As part of AFRL’s Low-Cost Attributable Technology (LCAAT) program, the partners are leveraging Thermwood’s Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) machine to 3-D print autoclave tools for

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
DARPA to Develop Advanced Tiny Chip-Scale Atomic Clocks for Military PNT Applications
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is presently working on an advanced version of its first-generation, battery-powered, miniature chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) with 1000x performance improvements for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) applications. DARPA’s Atomic Clock with Enhanced Stability (ACES) program aims to build the next-generation atomic clock owing to the limitations of the now

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
Air Force Looking Into DE Weapon Prototypes for Counter-Cruise Missile Experiment
The Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office is exploring fieldable prototypes of directed-energy (DE) weapon systems that can participate in an anticipated demonstration for counter-cruise missile airbase defense. The office released a notice on Federal Business Opportunities today requesting information from the Pentagon, other government agencies, and industry on high-energy lasers or high-powered

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SEPTEMBER 09, 2019
Russia, China Alliance on Navigation Satellites Threatens GPS
Russia and China have been increasingly moving toward greater synergies between their respective satellite navigation systems since at least 2015. The stated goals of the two powers have been ensuring compatibility and interoperability of GLONASS and BeiDou navigation systems; augmentations, including mutual allocation of measuring stations within the territories of Russia and China; global navigation

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 07, 2019
Directorate Wants to Change View of Nonlethal Weapons
Modern warfare is often characterized by heavy firepower such as guns, tanks, and attack aircraft. But as the United States faces operations in the “gray zone” — actions that remain below the level of conventional armed conflict — there is an increasing need for nonlethal options. In charge of the Pentagon’s effort to develop such

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 06, 2019
Army Tests Multi-Function AR Goggles
With a year under its belt and a full staff, the Army Futures Command showed off some of its most promising projects. The Synthetic Training Environment cross-functional team has developed an all-in-one heads-up display for the tactical environment. The Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) looks like a pair of heavy-duty goggles, but it is a

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 04, 2019
DARPA Solicitation: CRANE – Control of Revolutionary Aircraft With Novel Effectors
Military Researchers Consider New Active Flow Control to Eliminate Control Surfaces on Military Aircraft Active flow control has no moving parts, adds energy or momentum to air flow in a regulated manner, and can be turned on or off as necessary. Arlington, VA – U.S. military researchers are trying to push the bounds of future

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 04, 2019
DARPA Solicitation: FOcal arrays for Curved Infrared Imagers (FOCII)
DARPA Eyes Curved High-Performance Infrared Focal Plane Array Sensors for Military and Aerospace Uses The FOCII project seeks to curve large- and small-format, cryogenically cooled, medium-wave and long-wave infrared imagers with extreme radii of curvature. Arlington, VA – U.S. military researchers are asking industry to develop curved, large-format, cryogenically cooled, infrared focal plane array electro-optical

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 04, 2019
Library of Spider Silk Could Hold Secrets for New Materials
With two pairs of fine-tipped tweezers and the hands of a surgeon, Cheryl Hayashi began dissecting the body of a silver garden spider under her microscope. In just a few minutes, she found what she was seeking: hundreds of silk glands, the organs spiders use to make their webs. Some looked like mashed potatoes, others

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SEPTEMBER 02, 2019
Marines Use Armored Vehicle to Defend Navy Ship From Small Boats Off Iranian Coast
As sailors and Marines are sailing in more contested waters, the blue-green team is getting creative about how to defend amphibious assault ships from enemy small boats and drones. Members of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit were photographed sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf this week with a light armored vehicle

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
SEPTEMBER 01, 2019
Cessna-Turned-Drone Foreshadows Future Unmanned Opportunities
A recent successful Air Force Research Laboratory flight demonstration brings the service closer to a future that could rely more heavily on machines than human pilots. For the first time on August 9, AFRL and DZYNE Technologies flew a real plane—a 1968 Cessna 206—equipped with ROBOpilot, a system that can temporarily convert a manned aircraft

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 31, 2019
South Korea to Acquire More Anti-Missile Radars, Aegis Destroyers to Counter North Korea
South Korea has unveiled plans to acquire two more ground-based, anti-missile, early-warning radars and three Aegis-equipped destroyers as a part of its five-year defense blueprint for 2020-2024. The announcement comes amid heightened tensions, with North Korea test firing a series of new missiles in the past week. According to the defense ministry, the new acquisitions,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 30, 2019
Innolith Claims Energy Dense Battery Tech Breakthrough
As more systems look toward better electricity storage, a harmless, durable, and non-flammable battery could be the way forward, Stuart Nathan reports. We are living in an electric age. Our energy carrier of choice is the zipping electron in a conductor. And this trend is increasing. As we develop more and more systems which rely

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 28, 2019
Small Businesses Sought for Space Accelerator Program
The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate is reaching out to small businesses to explore space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technologies. The service is looking for companies that can fill technology gaps by working alongside the Catalyst Space Accelerator program, which is a public-private partnership. KiMar Gartman, director of the accelerator, said the research

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
Why China Can”t Target U.S. Aircraft Carriers
Critics of U.S. aircraft carriers have been arguing for decades that the survival of the world’s biggest warships will increasingly be at risk in an era of long-range, precision-guided, anti-ship missiles. In recent years, China has typically been identified as the military power most likely to drive U.S. carriers from the sea. But the U.S.

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
DoD Conducts Ground Launch Cruise Missile Test
On Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) conducted a flight test of a conventionally-configured, ground-launched cruise missile at San Nicolas Island, CA. The test missile exited its ground mobile launcher and accurately impacted its target after more than 500 kilometers of flight. Data collected and

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
Revolutionary Way to Bend Metals Could Lead to Stronger Military Vehicles
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — A U.S. Army project discovery upends previous notions about how metals deform and could help guide the creation of stronger, more durable materials for military vehicles. For nearly 100 years, scientists thought they understood everything there was to know about how metals bend. They were wrong. Materials science and engineering

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
The U.S. Army Is Creating Artillery Rounds Guided By AI
The U.S. Army is working on a new artillery shell capable of locating enemy targets, including moving tanks and armored vehicles. The shell, called Cannon-Delivered Area Effects Munition (C-DAEM), is designed to replace older weapons that leave behind unexploded cluster bomblets on the battlefield that might pose a threat to civilians. The shell is designed

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
Digital Arsenal: Army Inches Forward on Electronic Warfare
The Army wants to jam, spoof, and hack enemy electronics with such subtlety the target doesn’t even realize what’s going wrong. That takes both high-tech equipment and highly trained personnel to use it. But the Army largely disbanded its electronic warfare (EW) corps after the Cold War, and the rebuilding takes time. The service is

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
NASA”s Orion Spacecraft Has Passed a Critical Propulsion Test
What happens if a spacecraft encounters problems in the vacuum of space? While space travel can be very dangerous, there are plenty of fail-safes. NASA, in fact, is carrying out tests to make sure the Orion spacecraft is ready to safely carry crew on an alternate mission profile in the unlikely event that problems occur.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
To Prevent Cyber Snooping, the U.S. Navy Is Relying on WWII-Era Communications
The U.S. Navy, anticipating a future when a high-tech enemy could read its electronic communications, is going back to a hack-proof means of sending messages between ships: bean bags. Weighted bags with messages inside are passed among ships at sea by helicopters. In a future conflict with a tech-savvy opponent, the U.S. military could discover

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
Military Researchers See Non-Lethal Role for Talking Lasers
Say what? Laser plasma balls that can talk? The Pentagon? How, and for what? The answer is that instead of beaming a flashing light or shouting over a loudspeaker to keep people away from sensitive areas, new technology is being developed that could allow troops to fire a laser that can form a “plasma ball”

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
The Corps’ JLTV Achieves Initial Operational Capability
QUANTICO, VA — The Marine Corps’ joint light tactical vehicle (JLTV) is officially ready to deploy and support missions of the naval expeditionary force-in-readiness worldwide. Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Combat Development and Integration declared the JLTV program—part of the Light Tactical Vehicle portfolio at Program Executive Officer Land Systems—reached initial operational capability, or IOC,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 27, 2019
New Army Small Arms to Boost Soldier Lethality
FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A slew of new weapons that will increase the lethality of troops is coming down the pipeline, according to Army officials. “The systems — which include everything from the next-generation squad weapon to machine guns — are within sight,” said Lt. Col. Steven Power, the Army’s product manager for individual weapons. Speaking

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 21, 2019
Great Power Competition Extends to Arctic
This is part 1 of a 2-part special report on the Pentagon”s Arctic strategy. For years the Arctic’s harsh environment has prevented countries from mining its rich natural resources and accessing prime shipping routes. But as the climate warms and thick barriers of ice continue to melt, the region is now becoming a hot spot

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 19, 2019
Israel Unveils New Ground Forces Concept: Fast & Very High Tech
The first demonstration of Carmel was held Aug. 4 before the Ministry of Defense Director General, the IDF Deputy Chief of General Staff, commander of the Ground Forces, the head of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development, and other senior defense officials. TEL AVIV: A version of the F-35 pilot’s helmet in a fighting

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 18, 2019
Conflict and Diplomacy in the Middle East: External Actors and Regional Rivalries
The Middle East’s geographical and strategic uniqueness has made every great power in history to seek to advance its interests in the region. Yet, the region constitutes the greatest single reserve of oil in the world, which has made it a regular source of foreign interference in the post-World War II era. In addition to

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 17, 2019
Astro Robo-Dog Packs an AI-Enabled “Brain” in its 3D-Printed Head
Astro utilizes a deep neural network to learn new tasks through a process of trial and errors and could find use in applications such as the detection of guns and explosives, guiding the blind, exploring hazardous environments, or assisting soldiers on the battlefield. We”ve already seen several dog-like quadruped robots, which move by walking with

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 16, 2019
Liveness Detection Can Help Defense and Other Agencies Improve Detection and Tracking of Threat Personnel
Liveness detection using techniques such as eye or lip movement analysis is a detection/sensing/security feature that can ensure biological identifiers are from the proper user or target of interest and not from someone else. As biometric authentication slowly becomes incorporated into security and law enforcement applications, increasing attention has been paid to the quality and

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 14, 2019
Navy Preps Littoral Combat Ship for Massive ”Blue Water” Warfare
Destroying enemy helicopters on the open sea, hitting attacking enemy drones and countering opposing surface ships from safer stand-off distances are all combat missions now being emphasized by the Navy as it prepares its Littoral Combat Ship for massive “blue water” warfare – an effort designed to widen the ship’s attack potential and build upon

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
Boeing Opens V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft Factory
Boeing has opened a new facility outside Philadelphia to build fuselages for the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and modernize the MV-22 fleet for the U.S. Marines (USMC). The company has invested $115M in the new 350,000 ft² facility to improve safety and productivity as well as reduce operating costs. Boeing Vertical Lift Vice President and

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
Navy Improves Helicopter-Fired Laser Weapons to Counter Mines
The U.S. Navy is looking at ways to improve its now operational airborne laser system designed to track enemy mines from low-flying helicopters and expand the surface area from which mine detection takes place and no longer rely purely upon more narrowly configured, mechanized, or towed mine detection systems. The system, called Airborne Laser Mine

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
New U.S./Japanese Missile Readying for New Generation of Threats
WASHINGTON: Raytheon is hoping to wrap up several multiyear contracts for the Standard Missile 6 and SM-3 Block IB interceptors in the coming weeks, deals that would give the industrial base some stability and lock in production pipelines for missile interceptors at a critical time, even as North Korea and Iran test new medium-range ballistic

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
A Novel Robotic Jellyfish Able to Perform 3-D Jet Propulsion and Maneuvers
As a source of inspiration, aquatic creatures such as fish, cetaceans, and jellyfish could inspire innovative designs to improve the ways that manmade systems operate in and interact with aquatic environments. Jellyfishes in nature propel themselves through their surroundings by radially expanding and contracting their bell-shaped bodies to push water behind them, which is called

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
AFRL Achieves Record-Setting Hypersonic Ground Test Milestone
A U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Air Force Test Center ground test team set a record for the highest thrust produced by an air-breathing hypersonic engine in Air Force history. “AFRL, in conjunction with Arnold Engineering Development Complex and Northrop Grumman, achieved over 13,000 pounds of thrust from a scramjet engine during testing

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
3D Printed Body Armor: An Upcoming Invention of the U.S Army Research Laboratory
With this 3D printing body armor innovation, the U.S. Army will be able to print custom-made armor on the spot. According to a recent research on 3D printing technology, it is believed that the U.S. military would be able to print body armor for soldiers in the near future. The new technology would enable army

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
Army Tests Robot-Force Attack on Enemy “Tank Ditch, Minefield”
Surging into heavy enemy fire, navigating rigorous terrain, and forward-placing sensors and weapons close to enemy targets, teams of U.S. Army robots conducted a “deep assault through a breach” during an exercise intended to prepare the service for a new kind of man-machine drone warfare. Fox News reports the Army exercise, which pitted groups of

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
Air Force to Deploy Ground-Based Lasers in First Field Test of “Directed Energy” Weapon
The Air Force announced Friday it will soon deploy two ground-based laser weapons to an undisclosed location to test how they can be used against small drones, the Service’s first “operational field test” of an experimental “directed energy” weapon. On Friday afternoon, the Air Force announced a $23 million sole-source contract for two of Raytheon’s

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
AFRL Investigating Space Weather Effects on Satellite Materials
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), in partnership with several universities, has investigated the effects of space weather damage to polyimides, materials used extensively in spacecraft construction due to their high heat resistance. The researchers determined the previously unknown chemical and physical effects of electron bombardment in Earth”s

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
Military Working to Make Its Autonomous Technology Smarter
Keeping soldiers safe continues to be the main reason the military enlists unmanned vehicles into its ranks, especially for resupply missions. The U.S. Army has been tinkering with ground robotics and automated technologies for decades, yet there are still no real systems in the military field that are fully autonomous. Nevertheless, the Army wants to

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 13, 2019
“Talking Lasers” That Beam Messages to Our Ears in the Works: Pentagon
Hold on to your tinfoil hats because there’s certainly a conspiracy theory a-brewin’ here. The Pentagon has confirmed it’s testing lasers that can talk. Huh? Weapons researchers at the U.S. Department of Defense have been working on less deadly means of warfare, including this laser weapon that can send brief messages — in the form

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 12, 2019
LightSail 2 Just Deployed Its Sails in Space, and It”s a Glorious Moment for Science
LightSail 2 has successfully deployed its solar sails. Shortly after 12:00 pm PST (19:00 UTC) The Planetary Society tweeted that the sails were deployed, and that the spacecraft was sailing with sunlight. We can all enjoy their success and start to wonder how solar sails will fit into humanity”s plans for space exploration. This is

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
AUGUST 07, 2019
U.S. Withdraws From Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
The United States has officially withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, an agreement with the Russian Federation that limited the types of weapons systems the nations involved could pursue. “Russia has failed to comply with its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and as such, the United States has withdrawn from the INF

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 31, 2019
Marines Test AI, Autonomous Systems for Battlefield Intel
Operationalizing AI and autonomous systems as true warfighter partners to augment complex combat decision making. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency took some of its Squad X equipment to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., for a test run. The Squad X program aims to provide warfighters with lightweight, intuitive

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 30, 2019
Pentagon Scientists Are Making Talking Plasma Laser Balls for Use as Non-Lethal Weapons
Instead of beaming a flashing light or shouting over a loudspeaker to keep people away from sensitive areas, new technology being developed could allow troops to fire a laser that can form a “plasma ball” that talks to the potential intruders. The Laser-Induced Plasma Effect program is part of the Joint Non-lethal Weapons Directorate program

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 30, 2019
The F-35 Has a New Problem That Won’t Be Easy to Solve
The U.S. military”s growing fleet of F-35 stealth fighters will fall short of the 80 percent readiness goal that former Defense Secretary James Mattis instituted before quitting in protest of President Donald Trump”s foreign policy in January 2019. Former Secretary of the Army Mark Esper, who is Trump”s nominee to replace Mattis, in mid-July 2019

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 30, 2019
How 3-D Printed Body Armor Is Useful for Both American Forces and Terrorists
U.S. Army researchers have devised a method to produce ceramic body armor, lightweight but strong, from a 3-D printer. Except that 3-D printers are meant to print out knickknacks, not flak jackets. Which meant that engineers had to hack into the printer to get the job done. Ceramic armor, light but hard, provides great protection

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 30, 2019
“Intelligent-Rail” Software Destined for Next-Gen Squad Weapon
The Army has approved an upgraded software and hardware system that will be integrated into its next-generation squad weapon. “T-Worx, a technology innovation company based in Sterling, Virginia, is a component supplier and provides the I-Rail to all of the next-generation squad weapon competitors,” said Ben Feldman, the company’s chief engineer and I-Rail developer. “The

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 30, 2019
Army Futures Command Is Already Testing Some of Its Next-Generation Tech Downrange
The Army may be celebrating its prized Army Futures Command (AFC) reaching full operational capability, but the organization”s leaders still have quite a to-do list in front of them. For example, the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) that returned from a 9-month deployment to Afghanistan in November was the first to test out the

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 30, 2019
U.S. Army Wants World’s Largest, Fastest Metal Powder 3-D Printer
3D Systems has been awarded a $15 million contract by the Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, also known as ARL, to create the world”s largest, fastest, most precise metal 3-D printer. This printer will revolutionize key supply chains associated with long-range munitions, next-generation combat vehicles, helicopters, and air and missile defense capabilities. 3D

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 30, 2019
Quantum Tech Developments by NRL Could Advance Lasers and Sensing
WASHINGTON. Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) developed a new technique that could enable future advancements in quantum technology.The technique squeezes quantum dots, tiny particles made of thousands of atoms, to emit single photons (individual particles of light) with precisely the same wavelength and with positions that can be less than a millionth

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 29, 2019
Why Nuclear is an Emerging Technology for the Space Economy
Nuclear energy has played a key supporting role in historic missions to Mars, Pluto, and across the Solar System for the last 50 years. On January 1 2019, the nuclear-powered New Horizons flew by the most distant object ever observed up close – Ultima Thule, after it having already flown by Pluto in 2015. Nuclear

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 25, 2019
Deep Learning Research by NSWC Crane Engineer to Help Electronic Warfare Capabilities
CRANE, Indiana. – Research on how to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for electronic warfare applications was completed by a Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) employee. David Emerson, a NSWC Crane engineer, defended his research that makes use of deep learning to process images and determine distances between objects in a scene. “Self-driving

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 25, 2019
The Air Force’s Five Principles to Advance Artificial Intelligence
“The Air Force has been on an almost 3-year journey to integrate artificial intelligence into operations, and that effort will soon be more apparent as the Service plans to declassify its artificial intelligence strategy,” Capt. Michael Kanaan, the service’s co-chair for artificial intelligence, said June 26 at the AI World Government Conference in Washington, DC.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 24, 2019
Parachute Validation: An Unlikely New Step On the Road to Drone Delivery
Here”s a scenario for you: It”s ten years in the future and you”re walking down the street when a delivery drone malfunctions while toting a five-pound package. The high-pitched whine overhead changes octaves, you look up, and it”s clear this hurdling projectile is going down. Unfortunately, it”s a scenario that”s bound to play out. As

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
The U.S. Navy’s Riverines Are Up-Gunned, High Tech and Ready to Lean Into Great Power Competition
JOINT EXPEDITIONARY BASE LITTLE CREEK, Va. — The Mark VI patrol boat bristles with heavy automatic weapons, and that’s the way its crews like it. “I tell the crews that you want to look like a porcupine,” said U.S. Navy Senior Chief Derrick Cox, who trains the sailors that man the Mark VI as part

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
Just In: Navy Chief Anticipates 3-D-Printed Nuclear Weapons
Other nations could use 3-D printing to develop atomic arsenals, according to the Chief of Naval Operations. “Much is changing here in the nuclear world,” Adm. John Richardson said July 2 during remarks at a breakfast in Washington, DC, hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “There are more nations seeking to join the

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
Algorithmic Warfare: DARPA’s “AI Next” Program Bearing Fruit
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) made headlines last fall when it announced that it was pledging $2 billion for a multiyear effort to develop new artificial intelligence (AI) technology. “Months later, DARPA’s ”AI Next” program is already bearing fruit,” said Peter Highnam, the agency’s Deputy Director. “DARPA — which has, for decades, fostered

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
Navy Arms Destroyers With New High-Powered Laser – Changes War Tactics
(Washington, DC) If swarms of enemy small attack boats armed with guns and explosives approached a Navy ship, alongside missile-armed drones and helicopters closing into strike range, ship commanders would instantly begin weighing defensive options – to include interceptor missiles, electronic warfare, deck-mounted guns, or area weapons such as Close-in-Weapons System. Now, attacks such as

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
AFRL Puts New Technologies Into Space Aboard World’s Most Powerful Launch Vehicle
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) — The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) successfully put new technologies into space, June 25, as part of the Department of Defense Space Test Program (STP-2) mission, managed by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
Warfighters Need Trusted Sensors
More and more warfighters around the globe are starting to carry commercial smartphones. Helping to fuel this widespread adoption are a number of apps for warfighting and individual soldier support, many of which leverage the smartphone’s sensors to provide features ranging from blue force tracking to encrypted calling. But as we’ve learned from the Pentagon’s

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
Army Futures Takes Key Step in Enabling Interoperability of Multinational Power Systems
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (June 26, 2019) — Army Futures Command, or AFC, has developed an intelligent power and energy architecture that enables the interoperability of multinational power systems during coalition operations. AFC”s subordinate command, the Combat Capabilities Development Command, integrated a tactical microgrid with Italy and Canada this June during Capable Logistician 2019, a

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
U.S. Navy Began Testing Advanced Version of Long-Range Electromagnetic Weapon
The U.S. Navy has confirmed that it began testing an advanced version of long-range electromagnetic weapon at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), NM. The new weapon system is a long-range electromagnetic railgun that fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants. Last month, the U.S. Navy has reported that engineers and technicians at the Naval

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
Designs of Experiments (DOE) in Survivability Testing
The purpose of survivability testing is to provide decision-makers with relevant, credible evidence, conveyed with some degree of certainty or inferential weight, about the survivability of an aircraft. In developing an experiment to accomplish this goal, a test planner faces numerous questions: What critical issues are being addressed? What data are needed to address them?

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 16, 2019
Meet “THOR,” the Air Force”s New Drone-Killing Microwave Gun
It”s built to negate swarms of drones,” said Program Manager Amber Anderson. “We want to drop many of them at one time without a single leaker getting through.” U.S. military bases across the globe may soon have a New Mexico-made, high-powered microwave weapon at their disposal to instantaneously down swarms of enemy drones. The U.S.

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 12, 2019
QinetiQ chooses ad-hoc networking from Persistent Systems for Army Common Robotic System-Individual UGVs
U.S. Army ground robots integrate the Persistent Systems network Wave Relay MANET module as communication network on QinetiQ robot for CRS(I) program. Unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) experts at QinetiQ North America in Waltham, Mass., needed mobile ad-hoc networking capability for the company”s involvement in the U.S. Army Common Robotic System-Individual program. They found their solution

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 10, 2019
FAA Moves Ahead on Commercial Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration has signed off on two approvals for key commercial unmanned aircraft projects. On June 5, the agency granted a “special airworthy certificate” to Amazon for its Prime Air drone-based package delivery service, an FAA spokesperson said in a statement emailed to FCW. The certificate allows Amazon to “operate its MK27 unmanned

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 08, 2019
A Polar-Bear-Inspired Material for Heat Insulation
For polar bears, the insulation provided by their fat, skin, and fur is a matter of survival in the frigid Arctic. For engineers, polar bear hair is a dream template for synthetic materials that might lock in heat just as well as the natural version. Now, materials scientists in China have developed such an insulator,

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 06, 2019
Russia Plans to Build Four Submarines Armed with Nuclear Drone-Torpedoes
For decades, submarine nuclear deterrence has been uniquely provided by the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), designed to loft missiles from beneath the waves into space before releasing multiple nuclear warheads that rain hellfire on cities and military bases below. SSBNs can remain submerged basically indefinitely thanks to their nuclear reactors, and are thus unlikely

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 05, 2019
Four-Winged Flying Insect Robot Weighs Under a Gram
Solar-powered winged robot has become the lightest machine capable of flying without being attached to a power source. Weighing just 259 milligrams, the insect-inspired RoboBee X-Wing has four wings that flap 170 times per second. It has a wingspan of 3.5 centimeters and stands 6.5 centimeters high. The flying robot was developed by Noah Jafferis

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 03, 2019
DOD Builds Jetson Laser Vibrometry System to ID Remote Subjects by Heartbeat
The Jetson prototype can pick up on a unique cardiac signature from 200 meters away, even through clothes. Everyone’s heart is different. Like the iris or fingerprint, our unique cardiac signature can be used as a way to tell us apart. Crucially, it can be done from a distance. It’s that last point that has

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
Sailors Get a Firsthand Look at the Navy”s New SPY-6 Radar System
It took two cranes and a flatbed truck to deliver it, but sailors and other spectators got an up-close look at the new air- and missile-defense radar being added to Navy ships. Raytheon”s SPY-6 next-generation scalable radar system was on display at this year”s Sea-Air-Space expo outside Washington, DC. The radar was transported from Portsmouth,

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
Here’s How the Army Wants to Stop Bad Guys Without Killing Them
Picture this: a tank commander is challenged by a protestor blocking the tank’s path. The tank must move forward but the protestor maneuvers left and right, blocking the tank’s path. Using the large gun against the protestor is foolish, and so is driving over the protestor, as PLA tanks did at the 1989 Tiananmen Square

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
Pentagon, Lockheed Martin Failed to Ensure Proper Parts for F-35
A major contractor and the Pentagon’s top management office came in for criticism from an inspector general for cutting corners in assuring that the massive Joint-Service F-35 stealth fighter is equipped with ready-for-issue parts. In a report dated June 13, the Defense Department watchdog found that parts for the department’s largest acquisition—with an estimated $406

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
Nearly 40 Percent Lighter Body Armor Coming to Marines in 2020
The Corps is gearing up to field its new lightweight body armor plates, designed to be worn in the Corps’ low intensity or counterinsurgency style conflicts. On Friday, the Defense Department announced the Navy awarded a nearly $216 million contract to Point Blank Enterprises for the purchase of up to 680,706 of the new lightweight

EXTERNAL GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
SOCOM Wants a New Armor-Piercing Sniper Bullet. Here’s One Option Engineers Are Developing
As the U.S. military shifts its focus back to fighting more traditional, near-peer adversaries like Russian or Chinese troops, the Services are building out plans to revamp their gear to deal with better-equipped forces backed by money and technology from world powers. That extends all the way down to the clothing and equipment each of

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
SpaceX Set to Launch Defense Department Space Experiments On Board Florida Falcon Heavy
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy spacecraft surged into space late Monday night, June 24, carrying 24 satellites on a mission considered among the Hawthorne-based rocket builder’s most challenging missions yet. Lift-off occurred at 11:30 p.m. (2:30 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday) from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. The mission, called STP-2, is led by the U.S. Air Force

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
Hypersonic Missiles Are Unstoppable. And They’re Starting a New Global Arms Race.
The new weapons — which could travel at more than 15 times the speed of sound with terrifying accuracy — threaten to change the nature of warfare. On March 6, 2018, the grand ballroom at the Sphinx Club in Washington was packed with aerospace-industry executives waiting to hear from Michael D. Griffin. Weeks earlier, Secretary

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
Researchers Can Now Predict Properties of Disordered Polymers
In a new study, scientists used a combination of theory, experiment, and simulation to read patterns on long chains of molecules to understand and predict the behavior of disordered strands of proteins and polymers. The work offers detailed insights on the physics behind the precise sequence of charged monomers along the chain and how it

EXTERNAL NON-GOVERNMENT SOURCE
JULY 02, 2019
Air Force’s Future Stealthy Combat Drone Could Use AI to Learn
SALON DU BOURGET, PARIS — The company working with the U.