BAE Systems was awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the next generation of mixed-signal electronics that could enable new Department of Defense (DoD) applications including high capacity, robust communications, radars, and precision sensors, and lead to solutions that enhance situational awareness and survivability for the warfighter. Recognizing that […]

The US military had selected Boeing to enter into a collaborative venture to construct an Experimental Spaceplane called Phantom Express. The project, however, began to wane before being cancelled altogether. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has scrapped its proposed military spaceplane on Thursday after Boeing withdrew from the Experimental Spaceplane (XSP) program, which intended […]

DARPA’s Gremlins program has completed the first flight test of its X-61A vehicle. The test in late November at the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah included one captive-carry mission aboard a C-130A and an airborne launch and free flight lasting just over an hour-and-a-half. The goal for this third phase of the Gremlins […]

Integrated Weapon System continues development The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $31.9 million contract for the Operational Fires (OpFires) Phase 3 Weapon System Integration program. OpFires seeks to develop and demonstrate an innovative ground-launched system to enable a hypersonic boost glide missile system to penetrate modern enemy air […]

DefenceTalkDARPA’s Tactical Undersea Network Architecture (TUNA) program recently completed its initial phase, successfully developing concepts and technologies aimed at restoring connectivity for U.S. forces when traditional tactical networks are knocked offline or otherwise unavailable. The program now enters the next phase, which calls for the demonstration of a prototype of the system at sea. TUNA […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpas-networks-of-the-sea-enter-next-stage-68772/

DefenceTalkThe experimental low-cost XS-1 will be able to fly at escape-velocity speeds and catapult 3,000-pound payloads into orbit – and it’ll be able to do it again and again. This week the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) solicited design proposals for a satellite-launching robotic space plane, signaling that development of the futuristic aerospace […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpa-sets-sights-on-robotic-space-plane-for-next-generation-warfare-67559/

DefenceTalkJohnny Matheny’s handshake is friendly, confident and firm—though not in the bone-crushing manner favored by some of the alpha types here in the Pentagon. What is remarkable is that Matheny’s proffered hand is not actually his. It is part of a robotic prosthesis researchers hope one day could help transform the lives of countless amputees. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagons-research-agency-showcases-future-tech-67452/

DefenceTalkWith Phase 3 award, program aims to deliver embedded capabilities that have been on the U.S. Navy’s wish list since World War II Small-deck ships such as destroyers and frigates could greatly increase their effectiveness if they had their own unmanned air systems (UASs) to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and other capabilities at […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpa-northrop-develop-unmanned-vtol-flying-wing-small-us-navy-ships-66208/

DefenceTalkAcross the United States, 3200 separate organizations own and operate electrical infrastructure. The widely dispersed nature of the nation’s electrical grid and associated control systems has a number of advantages, including a reduced risk that any single accident or attack could create a widespread failure from which it might take weeks to recover. Since the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/darpa-protect-nations-electrical-grid-from-cyber-attack-66088/

DefenceTalkQinetiQ is to develop an electric hub-drive to improve survivability and mobility of future military ground vehicles for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The contract, worth $1.5m with an option for a further $2.7m, is part of DARPA’s Ground X-Vehicle Technologies (GXV-T) program. Under this program, participants will investigate technologies that could […]https://www.defencetalk.com/qinetiq-wins-darpa-electric-hub-drive-design-and-development-contract-65320/