BAE Systems has been awarded a $43 million cooperative agreement extension to lead the Army Research Laboratory’s (ARL) Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) Collaborative Technology Alliance for an additional five years. As a result, the company will have a significant role working with the MAST Alliance’s team of scientists from the U.S. Army, academia, and industry as it advances bio-inspired micro-robotics technology to extend the remote sensing capability of U.S. ground forces. The goal of the research is to enable small robotic platforms – that would be used by individual soldiers – to remotely perform surveillance within complex urban environments and terrain.

“The technologies being developed under MAST will support products that extend soldiers’ capabilities while keeping them out of harm’s way,” said Bill Devine, MAST’s strategic development manager for BAE Systems. “We are proud to continue our successful collaboration with the ARL on the next phase of this exciting program.”

The second phase of the MAST program continues the research, development and integration of several key areas including micro-scale aeromechanics and ambulation; propulsion; sensing, autonomy, communications, navigation, and control; and microscale integration, among others, enabling several different mission-capable robotic platforms.

“Our recent review by the MAST Research Management Board received high marks for the quality and success of the research conducted over the past five years contributing greatly to the decision to award the five year option to extend the program,” said Dr. Brett Piekarski, ARL MAST Consortium manager.

Lockheed Martin  has been selected to apply its extensive experience with protected satellite communications to support a new generation of agile, commercially based military satellite communications technologies. The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) MILSATCOM Systems Directorate awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to demonstrate concepts that allow data to seamlessly flow between existing MILSATCOM legacy systems and future protected communications systems.

“We are excited to help lay the groundwork for the next generation of protected Military Satellite Communications,” said Robert F. Smith, Vice President of Space and Cyber for Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Solutions-Defense. “We will leverage this expertise to deliver an innovative, cost effective concept that expands MILSATCOM capacity for the growing needs of tactical forces.”

The 10-month contract is for the “Protected MILSATCOM Design for Affordability Risk Reduction Demonstration Study.” The ultimate objective of the initiative is to develop a flexible and agile system that focuses largely on serving MILSATCOM tactical users, whose needs for protected communications continue to grow. The first phase of the program is designed to determine the feasibility and affordability of using existing or narrowly modified commercial protected satellite communication systems to provide rapid development and low lifecycle costs in support of future MILSATCOM service demands.

Lockheed Martin was one of the contractors selected for the affordable gateway risk reduction and demonstration portion of the study. This portion of the system will ensure the compatibility of new, commercially based systems with legacy systems, including the Advanced Extremely High Frequency System, for which Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor. AEHF is a joint service satellite communications system that provides survivable, global, secure, protected, and jam-resistant communications for high-priority military ground, sea and air assets.

Work on the new gateway contract will be performed at multiple Lockheed Martin and subcontractor facilities across the country.

Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, has received an $8.7 million order for vehicular intercom systems from a nation in the Middle East.

The country’s armed forces will install the Harris RF-7800I in Main Battle Tanks and other armored vehicles. The system will allow crew members to talk with each other within vehicles, while also creating a network backbone that integrates vehicular and handheld tactical radio systems.

“The RF-7800I Vehicular Intercom System is a complete solution designed to integrate and interoperate with emerging tactical wideband networks,” said Brendan O’Connell, president, international business, Harris RF Communications. “The system is interoperable with the full family of Harris Falcon tactical radios as well as other military, government and commercial communication devices.”