Aerospace & Defence

Via EDRS-A and EDRS-C communication relay satellites, the SpaceDataHighway will be able to transfer information (images, video, data collected by sensors) from Earth observation satellites, UAVs and surveillance aircraft, or even from a space station such as the ISS.

A team from NOAA and Raytheon successfully demonstrated recent advancements of the Coyote Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) while completing a mid-flight launch from the NOAA P-3 Hurricane Hunter aircraft on January 7th. The successful flight verified new technology designed to improve Coyote’s ability to collect vital weather data to improve hurricane forecasts.

ODU AMC is a range of advanced miniature connectors designed for harsh environments. Used extensively in soldier communications systems that require significant weight and space reduction, such as: tactical radios, portable computers, navigation and surveillance systems, night vision, digital scopes, UAVs and airborne vehicles.

Airbus Defence and Space and Atos have agreed to join forces in response to the growing demand for cyber security solutions. The two companies have signed a strategic partnership agreement on research and development and the provision of a complementary range of products, services and solutions designed to counteract cyber-attacks.

Nowhere is the progress of technology more evident than in the defence sector. In this article Electronic Specifier Design Editor Joe Bush talks to Paul Currie, Sales and Marketing Director of MPE, a manufacturer of EMC filters and capacitors, about the current dangers in the industry and the role his company plays in mitigating these risks.

Electronic Specifier Editor Joe Bush talks to Graham Grose and Espen Olsen of IFS Aerospace & Defence, about the company’s IFS Applications enterprise software and how it is assisting clients in the aerospace and defence sector to improve the management of their assets.

Electrical overstress, where excessive voltage or current is applied to an integrated circuit, is one of the main causes of IC failure and can also lead to a so-called ‘walking wounded’ product that continues to operate but constitutes a reliability hazard and may cause premature system failure. Steve Munns, Mil-Aero Marketing Manager, Linear Technology Corporation, explains how the military sector can protect against this.

With the increasing use of electronics to control every aspect of modern life, from smart grids to driverless cars, Intentional ElectroMagnetic Interference (IEMI) is a growing threat. Various initiatives have been set-up to address the needs of specific market areas, and new standards are being worked on. William Turner, Senior Design Engineer, MPE, explains.

As acknowledged by the Shield Act in the US and the recent Electric Infrastructure Security Summits, the intense electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from a single nuclear weapon detonated between 25 and 500 miles above the Earth, possibly delivered by rogue nuclear states, could disable civil and commercial infrastructures as well as defence computer and communications networks. 

MPE, a manufacturer of EMC/EMP filters and capacitors, has supplied many thousands of EMC filters for the multi-national European military Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. The Typhoon was introduced into operational service in 2003. Currently, the type has entered service with the Royal Air Force as well as the Austrian, German, Italian, Royal Saudi and Spanish Air Forces.