Industry News

General Motors aims to create a new defense industry unit as part of the vehicle maker’s efforts to expand business with the U.S. military, Automotive News reported Monday. The report said GM will establish the GM Defense unit within the company’s global product development arm. GM has initiated multiple defense projects and is in talks with the U.S. […] More

Boeing has selected Austest Laboratories to help evaluate the strength and durability of equipment used for Australia’s battlespace military communication system, Defence Connect reported Monday. Austest Laboratories will help assess the Project Currawong battlespace communication system designed to offer wideband voice, data and video services across wireless and wired infrastructure for deployed forces and land-based […] More

The U.S. Army has accepted the first of six production units of an updated Abrams main battle tank from the General Dynamics-operated Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio. The service branch said Monday production of the M1A2 System Enhancement Package Version 3 battle tank occurs at JSMC and Anniston Army Depot in Anniston, Alabama. General Dynamics’ […] More

Raytheon has mounted and tested a company-built air defense missile technology on a Stryker armored fighting vehicle as part of efforts to help address the U.S. Army‘s requirement for ground troop protection. The company said Monday it integrated the Stinger weapon with a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station and installed the system on the Stryker AFV […] More

Rockwell Collins has received a potential five-year, $30.7 million contract to repair a common avionics architecture system for the U.S. Special Operations Command. The company said Monday it will also provide CAAS logistics, field support and spares management support under the contract. CAAS is based on the Flight2 open systems architecture and consists of multiple navigation, communications and mission […] More

KBR has received a potential five-year, $80 million contract to help the U.K. ministry of defense manage the agency’s operational facilities in the Middle East. The company said Monday it will maintain existing MoD infrastructure assets in the region as well as provide grounds maintenance, reprographics, office machinery and government equipment support services. The contract has […] More

SES‘ government solutions business unit will deliver managed network and low latency Medium Earth Orbit satellite network services as part of contracts received from the U.S. government. The company said Monday that it will provide approximately 4 gigabits per second of managed O3b services to aid 13 sites around the world for customers including the Defense […] More

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has signed a memorandum of understanding with the General Services Administration to use the latter agency’s contract vehicles for professional services. GSA said Thursday CMS agreed to procure services through the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services and the OASIS Small Business indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts. The OASIS and OASIS […] More

Leonardo has received a contract of an undisclosed value to provide data management software for integration into six Collins-class submarines of the Australian navy. The company said Thursday it will provide the SmartIDMS platform under the Submarine Communication Information Exchange Management program that seeks to help the service branch transfer data from and to underwater vessels. Australia’s defense department […] More

NASA has started to perform wind-tunnel tests on a small-scale model of a supersonic passenger jet at the space agency’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, the Daily Press reported Thursday. Langley researchers have begun to subject the 15-percent-scale model of the Quiet Supersonic Technology X-plane to slower wind speeds at Langley’s subsonic wind tunnel in order […] More

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA have set a November launch date for the first of four polar-orbiting satellites designed to boost weather forecast accuracy. NASA said Saturday the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 is scheduled to lift off Nov. 10 at 4:47 a.m. Eastern time from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a […] More

A new survey from nonprofit technology association CompTIA says almost 75 percent of government officials are optimistic about the development of smart city technologies. The “Building Smarter Cities and Communities” report includes responses from 350 government personnel about their views regarding smart cities, CompTIA said Thursday. Respondents indicated expected benefits from smart city platforms such as operational efficiencies, […] More