DENVER, 24 Aug. 2010. QinetiQ has filed for three world records for Zephyr , its solar powered high-altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), with the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI). Zephyr stayed aloft for 14 nights -- or 336 hours and 22 minutes -- above the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, before being brought safely back to earth having achieved all the objectives of the trial.

WARREN, Mich., 18 Aug. 2010. Officials of the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, Mich., are looking to Smith Electric Vehicles in Kansas City for research to improve the range, battery technology, and intelligent power management of military electric vehicles, as well as to investigate military electric vehicle use on the public electric power grid.

PARSIPPANY, N.J., 17 Aug. 2010. DRS Technologies Inc. won a Phase II contract for On-Board Vehicle Power for 15 Hybrid Electric High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs or Humvees). The award is the result of a down-select by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) from two competing designs, reveals a company representative.

TORRANCE, Calif., 6 Aug. 2010. Leaders of power supply specialist Martek Power Inc. in Torrance, Calif., are boosting their company's expertise in laser and lighting power supply applications with their acquisition of Laser Drive Inc. in Gibsonia, Pa. The newly acquired company has been renamed Martek Power Laser Drive LLC. "Our customers will greatly benefit from the combining of Laser Drive's technology with Martek Power's manufacturing expertise," says Market Power President Mike Innab.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., 5 Aug. 2010. Pioneer Magnetics introduces the PM33216B programmable 15-to-70-volt power factor correction (PFC) power supply for renewable energy applications such as solar, wind, fuel cell, and flywheel uses. Designed to support stand-alone and parallel configurations, these models are configured in standard non-plug and hot plug I/O interface. The 5-by-5-inch units have internal forced air cooling and built-in protection from electrical overloads.

CARLSBAD, Calif., 30 July 2010. Emerson Network Power in Carlsbad, Calif., is introducing the DS460S-3 bulk front-end AC-DC power supply for applications that use distributed power architectures, such as computing, storage, networking, data communications, as well as test and measurement. The DS460S-3 is 92 percent at 50 percent full load. With a 1U-by-2U form factor and 7.75 inches long, the DS460S-3 is for length-limited applications and mid-plane design configurations and, at a height of 1.6 inches is for use in 1U rack-mounting equipment.

MANSFIELD, Mass., 29 July 2010. Murata Power Solutions Inc. in Mansfield, Mass., is introducing the HPQ-12/25-D48 300-Watt high power quarter-brick isolated DC-DC converter with 12-volt output for applications ranging from industrial and instrumentation to computers and office equipment. Ripple and noise specifications for the power electronics device assure compatibility with circuits using CPUs, ASICs, programmable logic and FPGAs. For battery-powered and telecommunications equipment, applications for the HPQ-12/25-D48 include small instruments, area-limited microcontrollers, data communications equipment, remote sensor systems, vehicle and portable electronics.

Technology focus -- Technologies for the warfighter must run a cruel gauntlet of size, weight, and power consumption, as well as enhanced capability and affordability, before they can take their places alongside the most promising network-centric systems on the digital battlefield. For the boots-on-the-ground combat soldier, size and weight is everything. Each combat soldier can carry only a finite amount of gear into battle -- loads that often approach 100 pounds per warfighter. This means he and his commanders need to strike the right balance of weapons, sensors, communications, food, water, and survival equipment to give him the best chance of achieving the mission and getting back alive.

PETERSON AFB, Colo., 25 July 2010. U.S. Air Force officials will brief industry on a program to transmit high-resolution data from newly installed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors on the Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during an industry day on 9 Aug. in Colorado Springs, Colo. The industry day briefings concern the High Data Rate Airborne Terminal (HDRAT) program in support of a milestone A decision planned for 2011. The HDRAT will receive ISR sensor data from the Global Hawk UAV at rates as fast as 274 megabits per second.

FARNBOROUGH, England, 23 July 2010. Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) selected avionics and power provider Air Data Inc, in Montreal to design, manufacture, and service aircraft engines powering business, general aviation, and regional aircraft and helicopters.

WARDPARK NORTH, Scotland, 12 July 2010. Teledyne Relays Europe in Wardpark North, Scotland, is introducing the RF300D/RF303D & RF300DD/RF303DD series ultraminiature broadband TO-5 relays for test and measurement, low-power switching matrices, low-power wireless, and semiconductor test and load boards. These relays have internal discrete silicon diodes for coil transient suppression (D) and polarity reversal protection (DD). The diodes are built in to the relay to reduce the number of external components necessary to drive the relays, and keep the circuit board space needed to mount the relays to a minimum.

JOPLIN, Mo., 6 July 2010. EaglePicher Technologies LLC has supplied two nickel-hydrogen batteries to Boeing in support of the GPS IIF Space Vehicle 1 (SV-1) satellite. The SV-1 satellite, which launched from Cape Canaveral on May 27, 2010, is the first in a series of 12 next-generation GPS Block IIF satellites, and EaglePicher is contracted to supply batteries for all the series.

MANSFIELD, Mass., 4 July 2010. Murata Power Solutions Inc. in Mansfield, Mass., is introducing the UEI25-120-D48 series isolated DC-DC converters for remote sensor systems, area-limited microcontrollers, data communications, vehicle electronics, small instruments, and portable electronics. This power electronics device offers 25-Watt out output, a 2:1 input range, 12-volt output, and high efficiency.

ANDOVER, Mass., 29 June 2010. Vicor Corp. in Andover, Mass., is introducing a family of 28-volt DC-DC converters called the DC Mini Series for MIL-COTS and industrial applications in harsh environments that operate from 12-or 24-volt inputs, which are typical for battery systems in vehicles. These encapsulated power supplies have input ranges of 9 to 36 volts, and use a proprietary spin-fill process for void-free encapsulation. The 28-volt DC Mini Series power electronics models offer eight different output voltages ranging from 3.3 to 48 volts with a maximum power of 150 Watts, and four operating temperature grades, including -55 degrees Celsius.

PARSIPPANY, N.J., 23 June 2010. Curtiss-Wright Corp. (NYSE: CW) announced that it has acquired Specialist Electronics Services, Ltd. (SES) in Camberley, United Kingdom for 15 million pounds Sterling, or approximately $22 million. SES designs and manufactures rugged, security encrypted data recorders, processors, display media, and software for aerospace and defense applications. SES will operate within the Integrated Sensing division of Curtiss-Wright's Motion Control segment.