Textron‘s AAI Corp.subsidiary has received a $41.9 million contract modification for the delivery of 36 Block III kits for the U.S. Army‘s Shadow tactical unmanned aircraft systems. The service branch obligated the full modification amount at the time of award from its fiscal 2017 other procurement funds, the Defense Department said Monday. AAI will perform work in Hunt Valley, Maryland, through Dec. […] More

Transparency is the name of the game: clear conversations with customers, industry and other stakeholders is a rock in the foundation of the ongoing effort to procure new information technology in line with promoting partnership with the private sector for innovative solutions through programs like the Presidential Innovation Fellows and other efforts employing teamwork in […] More

Falls Church, Virginia-based Vanilla Aircraft has developed and demonstrated a small unmanned aerial vehicle as part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-sponsored small business project. The VA001 drone took off on Nov. 30 and flew for 56 hours near Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico before it landed on Dec. 2 containing at […] More

James McGowan, former vice president of FLIR System‘s surveillance segment, has been named president of California-based helicopter services provider Helinet Aviation. He oversaw the development and execution of commercial sales and distribution strategies for FLIR’s portfolio of handheld and weapon-mounted thermal imaging products, Helinet Aviation said Thursday. The more than 20-year industry veteran previously held leadership roles at Pilatus Business Aircraft and Envirovac. […] More

The Orbital ATK-built Cygnus spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station to deliver approximately 5,300 pounds of crew supplies, scientific experiments and laboratory equipment. The S.S. Alan Poindexter space vehicle reached ISS Sunday and completed berthing procedures seven days after it launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to mark Orbital ATK’s sixth cargo delivery mission […] More

An MBDA subsidiary has submitted its bid to Germany’s government in pursuit of a contract to develop that country’s future ground-based air defense system. MBDA Deutschland GmbH said Thursday TLVS will be based on the Medium Extended Air Defence System and equipped with 360-degree coverage, open system architecture and a plug and flight function to support civilians and warfighters during local and international missions. “The […] More

Textron subsidiary AAI Corp. has received a $7.4 million contract modification to produce universal test sets for the U.S. Navy’s Joint Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare program. AAI will also provide UTS  system engineering and program and configuration management services to the Navy, the Defense Department said Tuesday. DoD noted the modification exercises the second option […] More

The Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft launched by NASA Tuesday has arrived at the International Space Station to deliver 7,900 pounds of cargo that includes crew supplies and scientific experiments. S.S. Rick Husband Cygnus‘ arrival marks the company’s fourth berthing with ISS under the space agency’s Commercial Resupply Services contract, Orbital ATK said Saturday. “As we accomplish our fifth Cygnus […] More

A Custom Market Insights report predicts the military unmanned aerial vehicle market will reach $11 billion in value by 2021 from $3 billion in 2014. “Quantities of fielded military and commercial systems of every size and description are set to increase,” Custom Market Insights said Feb. 3. According to the report, persistent military drones will account […] More

A subsidiary of Textron (NYSE: TXT) has received a potential five-year, $49.8 million contract to modernize a technology platform that the U.S. Navy uses to conduct electronic warfare systems integration tests. AAI Corp. will perform EW systems integration test environment upgrades for the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s electronic combat simulation and evaluation laboratory, the Defense Department said […] More

Huntington Ingalls Industries unveiled its new submersible named Proteus, which was developed in partnership with Battelle and Bluefin Robotics, at the recent Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Maryland, the Daily Press reported April 13. Hugh Lessig writes that HII highlighted Proteus’s “flexible” design as the company seeks to potentially deploy the submersible to support the U.S. Navy‘s undersea naval operations and warfare. […] More

A Northrop Grumman subsidiary has been awarded a contract to produce air traffic control communication radios for India’s national airports agency. Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems will supply T6 transmitters and receivers, S4 remote control units, filters, multicouplers and antennas under the contract, Northrop said Friday. “We are pleased to be involved from the outset in AAI’s […] More