• For want of a nail: errant cat disables global control system of U.S. UAVs

    A wandering cat found its way into the control room at Creech Air Force Base outside Las Vegas, Nevada; the base is the location from which U.S. Air Force Predator and Reaper UAVs are controlled during missions overseas; one of the officer explained that the cat “climbed into one of the electronic nodes and fried everything”

  • Thales's Watchkeeper makes maiden voyage

    Watchkeeper is a multi-sensor, all-weather unmanned air system (UAS) designed to remain airborne for more than sixteen hours in a single mission. It includes automatic take-off and landing (ATOL), along with a de-icing capability, expanding its ability to operate in all-weather environments

  • Indiana companies benefit from UAV trend

    Last year, for the first time, the U.S. Air Force trained more pilots to operate unmanned vehicles than it did pilots for traditional fighter planes; UAV carry out more and more intelligence and operational missions; Indiana companies benefit

  • Camgian awarded DARPA UAV-UGS fusion contract

    Today’s soldiers rely on advanced ground and airborne sensors to identify, track, and monitor critical targets; as stand-along platforms, UAVs and unattended ground sensors (UGS) have operational limitations such as endurance, coverage, and target resolution; Camgian is teaming up with BAE Systems to exploit the fusion of these assets in an automated network architecture to provide powerful ISR capability

  • Swedish pension fund drops Elbit Systems over West Bank barrier

    A Swedish pension fund has decided to Elbit Sytems from its portfolio because Elbit provides surveillance equipment to the West Bank barrier Israel is building; the barrier does not follow the Green Line which marked the border between Israel and the West Bank until 1967, but rather extends eastward to include Jewish settlements built in the West Bank since then; Sweden, the EU, and others consider these settlements — and the barrier itself — to be in violation of international law

  • UAVs help CBP agents keep an eye on the border (when there are no clouds)

    The U.S. Customs and Border Protection currently operate six UAVs: there are three Predators in Arizona, two in North Dakota, and one is being tested for maritime anti-narcotics duty in Cape Canaveral, Florida; proponents say that supporters say that despite the high price tag — the Predator’s camera alone can cost more than $2 million — it is worth it

  • Underground intelligence satellite navigation will work off lightning strikes

    The U.S. ubiquitous eye-in-the-sky satellites have driven more and more people and things of interest to disappear underground (just think Iran’s nuclear weapons program); deep tunnel complex shields an organization from the prying eyes of satellites, and it is also good protection against a sudden bombing raid; the U.S. military wants to be able to peek and conduct operations underground

  • The last frontier: DARPA wants to make the Earth's crust transparent

    Seeing through the Earth’s would allow the development of tools to protect civilian populations from the ravages of natural disasters; these same tools could be used for military purposes against enemies — detecting, targeting, and destroying hard and buried underground facility (UGF) targets

  • Geospatial Corporation maps the world under the Earth's crust

    Pennsylvania-based Geospatial Corporation — company’s motto: “Mapping the underground / Managing the global infrastructure” — offers a solution which creates detailed 3D maps of underground regions; the Pentagon has already contracted Geospatial to create 3D maps of the deep earth beneath their “critical facilities”

  • Boeing develops Phantom Eye UAV, hopes for bigger share of UAV market

    The unmanned aircraft market is currently dominated by Northrop Grumman and General Atomic; Boeing wants to change that, and it is working on the Phantom Eye — a UAV with a 150-foot wingspan which will carry a payload of as much as 450 pounds up to 65,000 feet in altitude; the UAV will be powered by a hydrogen-fueled Ford compact truck engine

  • Unmanned helicopter to monitor the consequences of nuclear disasters

    Engineering students at Virginia Tech designed a UAV for flying into American cities blasted by a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb; the unmanned helicopter’s main mission would be to assist military investigators enter an American city after a nuclear attack in order to detect radiation level

  • Axis shows innovative and affordable HDTV Network Cameras

    AXIS M32 Series and P3304 offer a flexible and easy-to-install HDTV solution; M1054 is the smallest and smartest HDTV network camera on the market; at ISC West, Axis will provide conference attendees with product demonstrations and information, as well as insight into the latest video surveillance technologies

  • DSC continues to innovate in security monitoring, Internet security communications, and wireless security products

    DSC is a big player in electronic security, manufacturing control panels and IP alarm monitoring products; the Toronto-based company has manufacturing facilities in Canada and Italy, and its products are sold in 140 countries

  • Next Level believes in the integration of traditionally separate subsystems into a single appliance

    Next Level, founded by industry veteran Peter Jankowski, believes that the integration of traditionally separate subsystems into a single appliance can bring significant value to the entire market; the company’s flagship product, the NLSS Gateway, integrates traditionally separate subsystems into a completely unified networked solution from the ground up

  • Samsung, GVI Security to in collaboration which will lead to one product line

    Samsung, a manufacturer of video security products offering IP, thermal, and analog cameras, network and digital video recorders, establishes a strategic partnership with GVI Security, a provider of video security solutions to the homeland security, institutional, and commercial markets, to provide optimal security solutions to customers in North and Latin America