SAN DIEGO. BAE Systems has been awarded a $48 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to further advance the Insight system, an advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) exploitation and resource-management system that uses machine learning (ML) and autonomy-based solutions to help analysts process massive volumes of complex data and quickly translate it into actionable intelligence.

ARLINGTON, Va. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) reports that a partnership under its Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase II (SBIR Phase II) program completed its $1.25 million contract to deliver innovative software to enhance transmission of mission-critical intelligence to the edge and support next-generation communcations technology.

ARLINGTON, Va. The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force launched an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, with encouragement to service members to initially experiment with using the AI tool for routine tasks including producing reports, assisting with IT issues, and computer coding.

AUSTIN, Tex. SparkCognition Government Systems (SGS), which provides artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for defense and national security, announced that it signed a contract with the Ohio Aerospace Institute through the Digital, Research, Innovation and Experimentation (D.R.I.V.E.) Consortium that aims to leverage AI to optimize the U.S. Air Force's supply chain.

SEATTLE. Space-based imagery company BlackSky received a $2 million defense contract to provide data to train artificial intelligence (AI) models; the contract was awarded by engineering/test firm Axient on behalf of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

GERMANTOWN, Md. Hughes Network Systems (an EchoStar company) announced that it won a contract with SES Space & Defense to provide a flexible, software-defined, multi-orbit, auto-PACE [primary, alternate, contingency and emergency] solution and associated modems in support of SES Space & Defense's and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. DornerWorks reports that AFWERX [a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory and the innovation arm of the Air Force] granted it a $1.2 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award focused on a virtualization solution to address pressing cybersecurity challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).