• Northrop wins $2.63 billion DHS HQ IT contract

    In the largest federal construction project in Washington since the Pentagon was built in the early 1940s, Northrop Grumman won a $2.63 billion contract to build the IT and communications infrastructure for the consolidated DHS headquarters, currently under construction on the grounds of the vacated St. Elizabeth hospital in the Anacostia section of southeast Washington, D.C.

  • Space plane that takes off from runway ready in 10 years

    An unpiloted, air-breathing space plane that takes off from an airport runway and carries up to thirty passengers could be ready to fly in ten years; it will cost an estimated $12 billion to develop the space plane, and an additional $10 million per launch, compared to the approximately $150 million cost of a rocket launch; the company predicts that a trip to orbit for two weeks would cost tourists about $500,000 per seat

  • New detector tests for illegal drugs, superbugs in minutes

    A new method of detecting illegal drugs and super bugs will be used in a U.K. government-backed handheld device that analyzes saliva; the testing takes minutes and costs as little as £1.50 per test; it works by measuring the electric charge generated when the substances in the saliva react with an electrode coated with antibodies

  • Privacy-focused alternative to Facebook launched

    Four NYU students launch Diaspora — a privacy-sensitive alternative to Facebook; Diaspora is a decentralized social network that lets users control their personal data — photos, friend lists, statuses, etc. — by hosting it on their own computers, or on servers they have access to, which are called “seeds”

  • BAE buys L-1's Intelligence Services Group for $300 million

    L-1 Identity Solutions’ Intelligence Services Group is a highly regarded supplier to the U.S. intelligence and defense communities; the acquisition will complement BAE Systems’ growing Intelligence & Security sector, which focuses on four key customer missions —- intelligence and counterintelligence, homeland security, law enforcement, and support to military operations

  • Google Apps more secure with two-step verification

    More and more companies are migrating their e-mail and other cloud services over to Google Apps — but the doubts about whether making such a transition would put company security at risk linger; now the company is doing something about it: Google announced early Monday the availability of two-step verification, a more secure way for Google Apps users to sign into their accounts

  • Vehicle escape windows increase soldiers' safety

    BAE receives a $70 million contract to install Vehicle Emergency Escape (VEE) Windows to more than 39,000 U.S. Army vehicle, with more than 16,000 kits already shipped; the patent pending system features a simple, intuitive design that enables soldiers quickly to exit the vehicle in case of an emergency

  • Ford faces competition for next-generation cruiser

    Ford has long dominated the police car market with about 70 percent of the 75,000 police cars sold annually; the Dearborn automaker, however, will stop producing the Crown Victoria next August and is replacing it with the far more modern Police Interceptor; Ford is facing competition from a redesigned Dodge Charger Pursuit police car and the return of the General Motors’ Chevrolet Caprice police car

  • NYPD buys new portable fingerprint scanners

    The NYPD is armed with a portable fingerprint reader that allows cops immediately to confirm identities at crime scenes with the roll of a thumb; they can also be used to identify the dead at homicide and accident scenes; the NYPD has become increasingly dependent on technology, a move that has helped it offset a decrease in the size of the force; there are about 6,000 fewer officers than there were in 2001

  • Amidst a violent war, Mexico tries to remain safe, low-cost, competitive

    Mexico became attractive to manufacturers thanks, in part, to its inexpensive labor and proximity to the massive U.S. market; a steady increase in drug-related violence has increased the risks to businesses, and these risks are all leading to higher costs from heightened security; the issue for Mexico is at what point those added headaches and higher costs make a serious dent in the advantages companies see in operating there

  • New UAV to loiter the sky for five years without landing

    Boeing has been given $89 million to build Vulture — a large solar-powered UAV intended to cruise the stratosphere for five years without landing; the idea is to achieve a platform which combines the good qualities of both satellites and aircraft with none of the downsides of either

  • Boeing hints at interest in buying Northrop

    In the face of likely deep cuts in some areas of the U.S. defense budget, speculations circulate that Boeing is looking to purchase companies active in those areas of the defense budget which are growing — UAVs, cyber security, and intelligence and surveillance systems; a likely candidate for acquisition: Northrop Grumman, a key player in these fields

  • Vulnerable IT infrastructure means loss of revenue

    Europeans businesses are losing approximately 17 billion Euros a year in revenue owing to IT disruptions; on average, European businesses suffer IT failures lasting an average of fourteen hours per company a year, amounting to nearly one million hours of down-time costs

  • GTEC buys Zytel, bolstering cyber, intelligence capabilities

    GTEC pays $26.8 millions in cash for Maryland-based Zytel; little is known about Zytel’s actual products — all the company’s work is classified and all employees are cleared at the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information level — but it develops cybersecurity and mission systems in support of the critical intelligence, counterterrorism, and cyber-warfare missions of its national-security clients

  • 1st Detect in $735,000 contract for chemical detection in the field

    Phase II SBIR contract from the Joint Science & Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense will allow the company to design and develop a novel sample inlet system intended to improve the sensitivity of mass spectrometers used for chemical detection in the field