Jane Edwards

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity has chosen five companies to help the agency develop portable laser-based technology for the detection of biological agents, chemical weapons, narcotics and explosives at a range of up to 100 feet, Nextgov reported Friday. Frank Konkel writes IARPA will award funds to Leidos, LGS Innovations, Block Engineering, Physical Sciences and Photonics through […] More

A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer left a General Dynamics Bath Iron Works subsidiary shipyard in Maine to begin a series of tests to evaluate the vessel’s navigation, propulsion and other systems, Scout Warrior reported Wednesday. Matthew Leonard, a spokesman for the Navy, told Scout Warrior that the acceptance trials of USS Zumwalt seek to demonstrate the […] More

A team of scientists and engineers at Battelle has developed a process that works to convert biomass-derived coal into jet fuel through a cost-sharing initiative backed by the Energy Department. Battelle said Wednesday its hybrid process facilitated the production of syncrude from coal solvents at low pressure without using a catalyst or gaseous hydrogen. The […] More

Orbital ATK has announced plans to procure parts of the Defense Department’s Cold War-era intercontinental ballistic missiles and use them for commercial satellite launches, The Washington Post reported Monday. Christian Davenport writes the company’s plan comes ahead of the Tuesday hearing in Congress on a two-decade ban on the sale of DoD’s stockpile of ICBMs for commercial use. “It’s […] More

NASA plans to demonstrate detect-and-avoid platforms onboard a General Atomics-built Ikhana unmanned aerial system by end of April in support of the Federal Aviation Administration’s efforts to develop policies on the integration of UAS with the national airspace system. The planned demonstration will run through June at the space agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California and will be the fourth […] More