In Brief

MultiGen-Paradigm unveils new image-generation tools for simulated terrainMultiGen-Paradigm in San Jose, Calif., is introducing the MultiGen Creator 2.5 toolset for the rapid generation of optimized object models, high-fidelity terrain, and synthetic environments. These environments are for real-time visual simulation, urban simulation, and other visualization applications, company officials say. Multigen also is unveiling Creator Model Studio to bridge the gap between model creation and scene assembly of those models in the runtime system. MultiGen Creator 2.5 contains reintegration of the Texture Editor and the Custom Tool Palette. These particular features were hallmarks of high productivity in historical MultiGen modeling tools. Creator Model Studio helps users perform organized modeling practices by supporting the full modeling lifecycle, including specification, creation, and verification. Creator Model Studio also provides a runtime visual validation tool to "exercise" the models in a Vega preview application, company officials say. For more information contact MultiGen-Paradigm by phone at 408-261-4100, by fax at 408-261-4103, by post at 550 South Winchester Blvd., Suite 500, San Jose, Calif. 95128, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.multigen.com/.Microsemi to supply military-grade electronic power components to European defense companyMicrosemi Corp. of Irvine, Calif., will supply military-grade power-conditioning discretes, power management, transient protection, and RF/microwave components to a European-based global systems, defense, and aerospace company under terms of a $4.5 million contract. The two-year contract is for parts used in air, land, sea, and space defense applications. No further details were released. Top Pentagon leaders are urging their military suppliers to be extraordinarily cautions about releasing contract information after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "Microsemi sees long term military/aerospace spending increasing at an above average rate," says Jim Peterson, chief executive officer of Microsemi. "This contract comes at a time when some sobering news is needed. This newly awarded contract comes on the heels of a tragic event which has spurred long term activity in our military/aerospace customer base." For more information contact Microsemi by phone at 949-221-7100, by post at 2381 Morse Ave., Irvine, Calif. 92614, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.microsemi.com/.Philippine, French airport security experts choose InVision explosives-detection systemsCounter-terrorism experts at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, needed explosives-detection systems to screen passenger baggage. They found their solution from InVision Technologies Inc. in Newark, Calif. Philippines airport-security officials are ordering the InVision CTX 9000DSi explosive detection system. The purchase comes through Crisplant a/s, a Danish company that specializes in baggage and materials handling. InVision also received orders under an existing contract for CTX 2500 systems from the French Service Technique des Bases Aeriennes (STBA). The value of the orders is about $3.4 million, company officials say. In the Philippines, the InVision CTX 9000DSi will be integrated into the airport's baggage system, company official says. "They will serve as the core of a fully automated security solution designed by Crisplant. Our project partners also include Takenaka Corp. (Japan) and PIATCO, the Philippines based company responsible for the airport development," says Sergio Magistri, president and chief executive officer of InVision. For more information contact InVision by phone at 510-739-2400, by fax at 510-739-6400, by post at 7151 Gateway Blvd., Newark, Calif. 94560, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.invision-tech.com/.Dauphin surveillance docking station targets military, counter-terrorism applicationsEngineers at Dauphin Technology Inc. of Palatine, Ill., are offering a patented Vehicle Mountable Docking Station (VMDS) for the company's tablet PC-based security and surveillance system. The VMDS integrates Dauphin's Orasis line of Tablet PCs with other technologies to create a complete security/surveillance mobile solution. The system provides time-critical secure wireless data retrieval and inquiries from the field to the operations center, company officials say. The VMDS unit holds a Tablet PC, a wireless keyboard, a supplemental 12-inch thin-film transistor touch screen, printer, and a digital camera for surveillance video (still/video imaging). It also enables users to remove the Tablet PC with its camera from the vehicle while maintaining wireless connectivity with the VMDS inside the vehicle. For more information contact Dauphin by phone at 847-358-4406, by fax at 847-358-4407, by e-mail at sales@ dauphintech.com, by post at 800 East Northwest Highway, Suite 950, Palatine. Ill. 60067, or on the World Wide Web at http://www. dauphintech.com/.Motorola selected as vendor Base Radio System programOfficials at the U.S. Army Communications — Electronics Command recently selected Motorola in Schaumburg, Ill., to provide U.S. federal agencies access to the company's range of land mobile radio (LMR) products and services under a Base Radio System (BRS) contract. BRS is a program that enables federal agencies to purchase products and services that comply with applicable Department of Defense Guidance and National Telecommunication and Information Administration narrow banding mandates, Motorola officials say. Those products and services can range from full, turnkey wireless communications systems to site preparation, technical support, system design/site analysis, and maintenance services. "We believe the BRS program offers the most comprehensive contracting vehicle ever issued by the federal government to facilitate implementation of land mobile radio systems, " says Bill Turkaly, Motorola vice president and general manager, United States Federal Government Markets Division (USFGMD). "We're excited about our selection because it enables us to focus all of our resources, expertise and specific land mobile radio systems and technologies on creating innovative communications solutions for our federal customers." For more information on the Motorola BRS Program Office contact the office by phone at 877-873-4668, ext. 6277, by e-mail to [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.motorola.com/.CMC Electronics to supply SHF satellite antennas for Qantas jetlinersOfficials of Australian commercial air carrier Qantas Airways are choosing CMC Electronics Inc. to provide its CMA-2102 high-gain satellite communications (Satcom) antenna for six new Qantas Boeing 747-438ER jetliners and 13 Airbus A330-200/300 jetliners. The advent of Inmarsat's latest service offering of high-speed data will extend the life of the CMA-2102 high gain satcom antenna, company officials say. This latest service will offer 64 kilobits per second of throughput, which will improve passengers' access to e-mail and the Internet as well as increase the speed at which airline operations data is transmitted to and from the aircraft while in flight. For more information contact CMC Electronics by phone at 514-748-3148, 514-748-3100, by post at 600 Dr. Frederik Philips Blvd., Ville Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada H4M 2S9, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.cmcelectronics.ca/.DRS takes control of former Boeing sensors division in Anaheim, Calif.Leaders of DRS Technologies Inc. of Parsippany, N.J., completed their acquisition of the Boeing Sensors and Electronic Systems business unit, an electronic surveillance powerhouse in Anaheim, Calif. Boeing Sensors, formerly the Rockwell Autonetics Systems Division, specializes in electro-optical airborne and naval surveillance and targeting systems, cooled and uncooled military infrared sensor systems, helicopter and surface-ship surveillance and targeting systems, and focal plane array sensors for space and airborne applications. DRS bought Boeing Sensors for approximately $67 million, subject to adjustment, DRS officials announced Oct. 1. DRS executives are renaming the Anaheim business the DRS Sensors & Targeting Systems Inc., and are blending it into the DRS Electro-Optical Systems Group. For more information contact DRS by phone at 973-898-1500, by fax at 973-898-4730, by post at 5 Sylvan Way, Parsippany, N.J. 07054, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.drs.com/.ITT Gilfillan looks to BAE for digital interrogators on mobile ATC radar systemRadar systems integrators at the ITT Industries Gilfillan Division in Van Nuys, Calif., needed digital interrogators for their new U.S. Air Force Mobile Approach Control System (MACS). They found their solution from BAE Advanced Systems (formerly Hazeltine) in Greenlawn, N.Y. ITT Gilfillan awarded BAE a $500,000 initial contract to provide the AN/UPX-37 identification: friend-or-foe (IFF) digital interrogator, BAE announced Sept. 4. This marks the first U.S. Air Force use of the AN/UPX-37. The MACS system provides reliable, robust air traffic control capability for remotely deployed air operations. AN/UPX-37 is in full production for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps as well as with several international navies. Within the U.S. Navy, the AN/UPX-37 is now being installed fleet-wide as the standard IFF interrogator, BAE officials say. For more information contact BAE Advanced Systems by phone at 631-261-8220, by fax at 631-262-8002, by post at One Hazeltine Way, Greenlawn, N.Y. 11740-1600, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.baesystems.com/.NASA selects Logicon FDC for SEWP III contractOfficials at NASA in Washington recently selected the Logicon's FDC unit for NASA's Scientific and Engineering Workstation Procurement III (SEWP III) contract. Logicon was selected for two classes of the contract, Class 11 (high-end networking devices) and Class 13 (mass storage devices). Logicon officials estimate that the value of SEWP III to the company will be $160 million in the first year and $800 million to $900 million over the five-year term of the contract. NASA SEWP III is the third generation of this government-wide acquisition contract. Under this program, Logicon FDC offers products from 152 vendors and more than 58,000 contract line item numbers for both classes, Logicon officials say. Work on the SEWP III program will be performed in Greenbelt, Md. For more information on Logicon FDC contact the company on the World Wide Web at http://www.logicon.com/.Boeing Electron ships first linearized TWTAs to Orbital SciencesCommunications systems designers at Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va., needed linearized traveling wave tube amplifiers (LTWTAs) for a C-band commercial geosynchronous satellite they are building for PanAmSat Corporation. They found their solution from Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices in Torrance, Calif. Communication satellites use traveling wave tube (TWT) amplifiers as the final amplifier to transmit very low level radio frequency signals back to Earth for a variety of applications including voice, TV and data. On satellites that carry many signals, a linearizer added to the TWT cancels the amplifier distortion. The final assembly is the LWTA. For more information contact Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices by phone at 310-517-5400, by fax at 310-517-6451, by post 3100 W. Lomita Blvd., Torrance, Calif. 90505, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.Boeing.com/.TRW to develop Guardrail information nodeTRW Inc. in Sunnyvale, Calif., won a $13 million U.S. Army contract to build a mobile ground station called the Guardrail Information Node (GRIFN) that will control and process data for the Army Guardrail Common Sensor (GR/CS) system. GR/CS, which is the Army's premier airborne signals-intelligence system, provides near-real-time targeting information to corps-level tactical commanders. GRIFN replaces the current Guardrail System 1 with a truck-mounted station. The two-year contract came from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Most of the technical tasks and work effort will be performed in Sunnyvale, Calif., supported by TRW's Sacramento, Calif., facility.Harris wins $10 million electronic warfare simulation contractsHarris Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., won a $10 million U.S. Air Force contract to build two Miniature-Multiple Threat Emitter Systems — better known as Mini-MUTES. The contract came Sept. 10 from the Air Force Ogden Air Logistics Center in Ogden, Utah. Mini-MUTES is an electronic warfare training system that simulates radar emissions used for testing combat aircraft and aircrew responses to threats that might be encountered during actual air combat. The Mini-MUTES system simulates the radiation of several different realistic threat signals such as those in an integrated air defense system. Mini-MUTES produces an authentic radio frequency (RF) environment in which officials can monitor and rehearse aircrew and aircraft responses under measurable conditions. The mobile systems are configured for transport and operation onboard flatbed trailers towed by semi tractors for deployment to remote training ranges. Once in place, a five-system range configuration requires only one operator to set the threats, review the scenario, and monitor system status during rehearsals. For more information contact the Harris Government Communications Systems division by phone at 321-727-6963, 321-727-4500, by post at 2400 Palm Bay Road, N.E., Palm Bay, Fla. 32905, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.Harris.com/.U.S. Army turns to Harris for lightweight tactical satellite terminalsU.S. Army communications officials needed mobile, rugged, lightweight satellite communications terminals for regular and Special Forces units. They found their solution from the Harris Corp. Government Communications Systems Division (GCSD) in Palm Bay, Fla. Leaders of the Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) at Fort Monmouth, N.J., awarded Harris a $222 million contract to build 205 Lightweight Multiband Satellite Terminals (LMSTs). The Lightweight Multiband Satellite Terminal is a non-developmental, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) tri-band terminal for long-haul communications to forward-deployed forces. The LMST is operable with all U.S. and NATO X-band and commercial C and Ku-band satellites; has simultaneous dual-band and dual-satellite operations; moves multi-channel data as fast as 8.216 megabits per second; and is air deployable on C-130, C-141, C-5, and C-17 cargo aircraft. The terminal also provides deployed military forces with military X- and Ka-band, and commercial C- and Ku-band access for satellite-based, voice, video, and data communications connectivity with headquarters operations, Harris officials say. For more information contact Harris Government Communications Systems by phone at 321-727-6963, by fax at 321-727-4500, by post at 2400 Palm Bay Road, N.E., Palm Bay, Fla. 32905, or on the World Wide Web at http:// www.harris.com/.