DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.
THE MIL & AERO COMMENTARY, 12 April 2016. A new order for advanced radar-spoofing electronic warfare (EW) equipment got me thinking: how well do U.S. air-to-air missiles fare against the world”s most advanced EW countermeasures? The answer appears to be not so well.For years, if not decades, U.S. military forces largely have neglected developing not
Popular science fiction fantasy literature and film fans have long read about and watched their heroes using lasers to disable or destroy large enemy targets. Yet, these lasers have taken years longer to develop than predicted, partially because the materials from which the lasers are constructed have been problematic. Manufacturing technology under development by the
The Navy has plans to boost its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler capabilities in the coming years to match an evolving threat, but plane manufacturer Boeing is still pushing for conformal fuel tanks, an advanced cockpit system and a new engine that the company says would add even more range and warfighting capability.Given tight
WASHINGTON — The military’s top weapons tester has been warning for months that the F-35 will not be ready for its final test phase until 2018 at the earliest. On Tuesday, the Pentagon officially acknowledged the schedule slip.“We reviewed the status of operational test planning, and there is consensus that that is likely to occur
As it has been in the past, technological and operational innovation will be the key to it.There’s been a lot of talk about a Third Offset Strategy at the Defense Department lately. It’s part of Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s plan to make sure the U.S. military remains the world’s finest fighting force.The Third Offset Strategy
U.S. Naval forces are going all in on unmanned technologies. As evidence, look no further than two recent appointments: retired Marine Gen. Frank Kelley as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Unmanned Systems and Rear Adm. Robert Girrier as Director of Unmanned Warfare Systems in the newly established N99 directorate, which will oversee development
The U.S. Air Force has no immediate plans to conduct hypersonic vehicle flight tests, the service”s chief scientist said May 17. Greg Zacharias said he “was not aware” of any set dates for a U.S. hypersonic flight test. Russia and China both conducted hypersonic missile flight tests in April, according to the Washington Free Beacon.There
ADELPHI, Md. (May 11, 2016) — Researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have developed a new system that will enhance the capabilities of U.S. Army Pathfinders as they conduct aerial operations.In response to a Request for Information from the U.S. Army-Africa to remove what is known as the pilot balloon from the battlefield, ARL
The Army has decided for the time being to use the new joint light tactical vehicle as the platform for its upcoming light reconnaissance vehicle program rather than procuring a new system, service officials said May 11.With few new truck procurement programs in the future, contractor executives at the National Defense Industrial Association”s Tactical Wheeled
The Navy is moving ahead with plans to deploy small drones from submarines and undersea robotic vehicles, further advancing the military’s push toward autonomous weapons systems. Underwater-launched drones have been tested for at least a decade by the Navy and U.S. Special Operations Command. After experimenting with several vehicles, the Navy selected the “Blackwing” miniature
DIUx 2.0 “will be a test-bed for new kinds of contracting with startup firms,” according to Carter”s prepared remarks.PALO ALTO, Calif. – Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will announce a major restructuring of the Pentagon”s high-profile Silicon Valley outpost, the Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental.DIUx was created in April 2015 to serve as a bridge between the Pentagon
WASHINGTON, 12 May 2016. Test and measurement experts at Lockheed Martin Corp. are fine-tuning long-range smart munitions for deployment aboard the U.S. Navy Zumwalt-class land-attack destroyer.The gun shell, when perfected, will be able to hit land targets from ships offshore at ranges as far as 63 miles with near-pinpoint accuracy, experts say.Officials of the Naval