Peregrine Semiconductor to provide rad-hard capability for DMEA
Leaders of the U.S. Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) in Sacramento, Calif., are tapping Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. of San Diego to provide radiation-hardened integrated circuit manufacturing capability. Under terms of a $4.8 million contract, DMEA officials are asking Peregrine to develop, implement, and demonstrate a sub-micron radiation-hardened ultra-thin silicon-on-sapphire semiconductor manufacturing process for use within the DMEA foundry in Sacramento. — J.K.
L3 bolsters missile-defense capability with acquisition of Coleman Research
Leaders of L3 Communications in New York are boosting their capabilities in missile defense, simulation, and space instrumentation with their acquisition of Coleman Research Corp. of Orlando, Fla. Coleman Research provides communications and signal processing, intelligence and space instrumentation equipment, and simulation, training, modeling, and exercise support to military customers. The company has operations in Orlando, Fla., Fairfax, Va., and Huntsville, Ala. For more information contact L3 by phone at 212-697-1111, by fax at 212-805-5353, by post at 600 3rd Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.L-3Com.com/. — J.K.
Alliant Techsystems to provide lithium batteries for new artillery fuze
Leaders of fuze maker KDI Precision Products Inc. in Cincinnati are looking to Alliant Techsystems of Hopkins, Minn., to supply lithium reserve batteries for the U.S. Army's Multi-Option Fuze for Artillery — better known as MOFA. KDI awarded Alliant Techsystems — also known as ATK — a $14 million contract for the MOFA batteries. MOFA is the U.S. Army's next-generation, NATO-standard all-purpose artillery fuze for bursting munitions. For more information contact Alliant Techsystems by phone at 612-931-6000, by fax at 612-931-5920,l by post at 600 2nd St. NE, Hopkins, Minn. 55343, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.atk.com/. — J.K.
BEI buys out Boeing's digital inertial measurement unit product lines
Sensor manufacturer BEI Technologies Inc. in San Francisco acquired the Digital Quartz Inertial Measurement Unit (DQI) and the MIGITS (Miniature Integrated GPS/INS Tactical Systems) product lines of the Boeing Co. The DQI product line was a result of a co-development program begun in the early 1990's by Systron Donner (a division of BEI Technologies) and the Autonetics Division of Rockwell International, which since has become a part of Boeing. The DQI and MIGITS product lines will be manufactured at BEI's Systron Donner facility in Concord, Calif. — J.K.
Filtronic Solid State to upgrade ALQ-131 jamming pods
Engineers from Filtronic Solid State division in Santa Clara, Calif., are updating and repairing the U.S. Air Force ALQ-131 airborne self-protection jammer — otherwise known as the ASPJ. Filtronic experts are to do the work on the ALQ-131's signal processor and micro integrated network control subsystems under terms of a $10 million contract from the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. The ALQ-131 Block II adapts to various mission requirements using an interface and control module, two or three band modules that cover a portion of the pod's total frequency range, and the receiver/processor (R/P) module. For more information contact Filtronic by phone at 408-988-1845, by fax at 408-970-9950, by post at 3251 Olcott St., Santa Clara, Calif. 95054, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.filss.com/. — J.K.
Trimble to sell air transport GPS product lines to Honeywell
Leaders of Trimble Navigation Ltd., a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based designer and integrator of global positioning system (GPS) navigation devices, are selling their air transport systems business to Honeywell International Inc. of Morristown, N.J. Honeywell will purchase the Trimble's Air Transport Systems product lines, which include the HT 1000, HT 9000, HT 9100, and Trimble's TNL 8100 GPS subsystems. For more information contact Trimble by phone at 408-481-8000, by fax at 408-481-2000, by post at 645 N. Mary Ave., Sunnyvale, Calif. 94086, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.trimble.com/. — J.K.
Link Simulation to upgrade Navy T-45 aircraft flight trainer
Engineers at the L3 Communications Link Simulation & Training division in Arlington, Texas, are set to upgrade and reconfigure a U.S. Navy T-45C instrument flight trainer to a T-45C operational flight trainer. Link will add a functional heads-up display, image generation system and a visual display system. This will enable the trainer to join other T-45C operational flight trainers that have been designed to support intermediate and advanced strike fighter simulator training. For more information contact Jon Foster at Link Simulation & Training by phone at 817-619-3754, by fax at 817-619-3777, by post at P.O. Box 6171, Arlington, Texas 76005-6171, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.link.com/. — J.K.
Mercury extends RACE++ architecture to CompactPCI standard
Engineers at Mercury Computer Systems Inc. of Chelmsford, Mass., are unveiling RACE++ series multicomputer products that support the CompactPCI architecture, adding to their VME- and PCI-based RACE++ computers. CompactPCI is a 6U and 3U Eurocard implementation of the standard PCI bus specification. Mercury's initial CompactPCI product is a 6U CompactPCI system in which each motherboard can accept Mercury's current PowerPC 7400 microprocessor daughter cards. Each CompactPCI board can support as many as four "G4" microprocessors, and can exchange data with other motherboards via the RACE++ communications architecture, Mercury officials say. For more information contact Mercury by phone at 978-256-1300, by fax at 978-256-3599, by post at 199 Riverneck Road, Chelmsford, Mass. 01824, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.mc.com/. — J.K.
VisiCom to develop satellite communications management tool
U.S. Navy researchers are looking to two defense companies to build a management-planning tool for Navy satellite communications systems. The companies, Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) in San Diego, and VisiCom Services, a division of Titan Systems Corp. in San Diego, will build the planning system called the Automated Communication Management System (ACMS). SAIC and VisiCom each won indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts from the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) in San Diego. SAIC won a $27.5 million contract, and VisiCom won a $24 million contract. For SPAWAR, engineers from SAIC and VisiCom will provide technical and software engineering services in support of satellite communications systems improvements. The job not only calls for developing the ACMS tool, but also to provide satellite communications hardware and software engineering design and development, configuration and data management, and field support for SPAWAR, Navy officials say. — J.K.
