EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Leidos, science and technology company, has won a task order by Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) under the Responsive Strategic Sourcing for Services (RS3) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

When there is a market downturn, business jet aircraft owners look to breathe new life into their asset. Or, instead of buying new, they might consider a used aircraft and then take it in to personalize it. Air medical operators — so important in the current health crisis — are actively considering future projects. We talked to some key players in the mod market to see what interesting modifications they have recently made.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

An aerial combat simulation between an F-16 pilot and an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm is part of the government-sponsored "Alpha Dog Trials". Teams from eight defense contractors are scheduled to be involved in flying simulated F-16 fighter planes against AI-controlled planes in aerial combat, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), said Friday.

MIKE SOUTHWORTH, CURTISS-WRIGHT

Protecting a military platform’s secret data-in-motion as it’s routed over an Ethernet-based IP network has become significantly easier, more affordable, and faster to deploy in recent years, thanks to U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) support of commercial encryption technologies.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) II, the newest member of the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System family of products, is being flight tested aboard the Lockheed Martin F-16V aircraft in the United States. This follows the completion of JHMCS II safety qualification testing, including windblast, tower, and sled tests.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

Europe’s maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses have entered uncharted territory in 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic severely hobbles the aviation industry with plummeting aircraft capacity and shrinking fleets, experts agree Europe’s MROs will be among the hardest hit globally.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Wind River, company specializing in delivering software for the intelligent edge, announced that Wind River Linux has achieved conformance to the latest Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) Technical Standard, a standard of The Open Group. According to the company, Wind River Linux is the first and only General Purpose Profile (GPP) Operating System Segment (OSS) of any kind to conform to the FACE Technical Standard, Edition 3.0.

RAY ALDERMAN, VITA TECHNOLOGIES

In late 2013, Combat Aircraft Monthly magazine published an article about the Iranian military’s encounters with UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). The article states that in November 2004 and again in January 2012, the Iranian Air Force scrambled their fighter planes to intercept unidentified aircraft flying over their secret nuclear facilities.

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

L3Harris Technologies has received an eight-year, $380 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract from the Canadian government to procure additional WESCAM MX-Series electro-optic, infrared airborne technology products and services in support of U.S. Army surveillance and targeting operations around the world.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

AeroVironment, Inc., company specializing in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), announced the U.S. Army exercised the first of three options under the sole source Flight Control Systems (FCS) domain of the Army’s multi-year small UAS contract April 28, 2020.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Get SAT, company specializing in small, lightweight satellite communication (SATCOM) terminals for airborne, ground, and maritime applications and R4 Integration, Inc., provider of airborne roll-on/roll-off and shoulder mount communication systems for U.S. and partner government aircraft, announced the completion and airworthiness certification of their C-130 Multi-Purpose Hatch system (MPHS).

LISA DAIGLE, ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR

Aviation research firm Calspan has won a four-year, $14.1 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop full-scale air combat experimentation infrastructure for its Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program.

EMMA HELFRICH, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The U.S. Air Force this week concluded a test of tactics involving use of its highly classified RQ-170 surveillance drone with other stealth aircraft. The exercise, held Aug. 4 to Aug. 6 at Nellis Air Base, Nev., also included an Air Force B-2 bomber and F-22 and F-15 fighter planes, as well as the U.S. Navy's E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare plane, according to officials.

AVIATION MAINTENANCE MAGAZINE

Most of the aviation industry pundits are predicting a U-shaped rebound of the industry, which means a prolonged, stretched, slow recovery. As of today, more than 50 percent of commercial aircraft are parked, the number of people flying in the U. S. is down by 85 percent compared to last year this time and IATA forecasts a 70 percent year-over-year fall in RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometer) by end of this quarter.