Defense Technology News

U.S. research is advancing on the potential to change fuel for nuclear reactors on Navy submarines and aircraft carriers from bomb-grade uranium to a safer option, documents showed Wednesday, even as the program's funding is at risk in Congress.In order to lower proliferation risks of keeping stockpiles of highly-enriched uranium, the U.S. government has been exploring since 2018 how to use low-enriched fuel that cannot be used as fissile material in weapons.The U.S. research…

Eric Chewning, former chief of staff to the U.S. Secretary of Defense and deputy assistant secretary for industrial policy, is joining HII as executive vice president, Strategy & Development, reporting directly to HII President and CEO Chris Kastner. Chewning assumes the role on Jan. 30.Chewning joins HII as it grows its customer set across the armed forces and executes on its significant shipbuilding backlog for its primary customer, the U.S. Navy. HII is the nation’s only builder of aircraft carriers and its largest military shipbuilder…

In August, 2021, after years of delays, cost overruns, and rising tensions, the Australian government canceled a A$90 billion order with France’s Naval Group for 12 conventionally powered submarines intended to replace the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)’s aging fleet of six Collins-class attack subs. Overnight, the future of the RAN’s undersea warfare capability was cast into uncertainty. The very next month, however, the United States and the United Kingdom announced a plan to help Australia fill the void…

Fincantieri Marinette Marine and its board of directors announced that Mark Vandroff will be taking over as CEO effective July 7, replacing Jan Allman who has led the Wisconsin shipyard since 2014.“Our company’s continued growth afforded us an opportunity to expand our senior leadership team and to better organize to exceed our customer’s needs,” said Dario Deste, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group. “Jan [Allman] has done a tremendous job working with partner Lockheed Martin and the Navy on the Littoral Combat Ship and Multi-mission Surface Combatant programs…

Boatbuilder Brix Marine (formerly Armstrong Marine USA) has been contracted by aerospace and defense technology company, Northrop Grumman, to build a catamaran survey-research vessel, slated for fall 2021 completion.The 44- by 16-foot vessel is Brix’s third IPS-drive catamaran; the first two were 4216-CTC models, both delivered in 2019, to UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography (R/V Bob and Betty Beyster) and Orca Maritime, Inc. (R/V Benthic Cat), respectively.Northrop Grumman said they will utilize the vessel for testing commercial navigation systems…

Thyssenkrupp is exploring several strategic options for its warship unit, ranging from combining it with Italy’s Fincantieri to creating a national champion with German peers, a person familiar with the matter said.The talks are aimed at creating economies of scale for the division, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), which builds submarines and surface ships and operates in a highly fragmented sector driven by political decisions, the source said.As part of the deliberations…

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MOD) has selected France's Naval Group to enter the next phase in the selection process for the Submarine Replacement program."Naval Group looks forward to entering an in-depth technical cooperation with DMO to conduct this joint-design phase in close association with the involved stakeholders. The Group strongly believes that the envisaged operational profile is very much in line with the mission capabilities of the conventionally powered Barracuda family submarine," said a press note from"Naval Group thankfully acknowledges this new phase, which will allow the joint in-depth design process to be translated into a full industrial solution…

The Department of the Navy (DoN) Forum for SBIR/STTR Transition (FST) will be held April 10-11, 2019 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass., co-hosted by the UMass Lowell Research Institute (UML RI).Lowell’s heart and soul is innovation. It’s a city where some of the first major textile mills opened in the mid-1800s, triggering America’s industrial revolution. Today Lowell is situated in one of the nation’s largest technology clusters. UML RI, located near Hanscom AFB in Lincoln, Mass., is emerging as a leader in bridging the gap between research and solutions that change people’s lives and provide world-class, cutting-edge technology to our warfighters.“This is a significant area for technology and innovation,” said Matthew McSwain, UML RI’s executive director.

Cohort plc companies MASS and SEA have been selected to form part of a new UK Ministry of Defense maritime research and development program being managed by defense technology company QinetiQ. QinetiQ has been awarded a contract by the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to manage the Progeny Maritime Research Framework contract to enhance the effect of technology in the maritime defense environment. Under the contract, QinetiQ will build and manage a community of interest who will contribute ideas to maximise the impact of science and technology for UK maritime defense.

Defense technology company Naval Group and helicopter manufacturer Airbus Helicopters will together lead an effort to develop warship based aerial drones for the French Navy. The French companies were recently contracted by the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) to perform a “de-risking” study ahead of future construction of tactical helicopter drones. The demonstration project will eventually lead to trials of the drone launch system, mission system and airborne rotary-wing vehicle, conducted from a French Navy vessel.

Gnostech president James Espino weighs in on the trends in combating the plague of the industry. Please tell us your background. I was a career Coast Guard Officer until I retired in 2013. Upon retiring from the Coast Guard I joined Gnostech as the chief operating officer and became president in late 2014. The majority of my career was spent in either maritime law enforcement and defense operations or as a specialist in the Coast Guard’s technology community primarily working in and around command…

For the past 15 years, the Department of the Navy’s “Forum for SBIR/STTR Transition” (FST) – the nation’s premier small business technology venue – takes a major step forward in allying with the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition (S-A-S) on 16-18 May 2016 at the Gaylord National Harbor near Washington, D.C. “Our collaboration with the Navy League marries the most significant large and small business marketplaces for defense technology, with our respective policy venues that have consistently attracted top Congressional leaders…

A report in the Economic Times say that Russia wants to make India a global hub for the upgrade, maintenance and repair of conventional submarines and its leading shipyard is in final talks to select an Indian joint venture partner for a mega project to set up facilities. India and Russia have already decided to accelerate bilateral civil nuclear energy cooperation as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to take their strategic bilateral ties forward. "The Russian side is open to negotiations with Indian partners on various projects, including cooperation and JV [joint ventures] to manufacture modern defense equipment," said an official.

MacArtney Underwater Technology supplied SubConn underwater connectivity solutions for the bow mounted sonar systems that are essential to the impressive undersea threat detection and response capability of the advanced FREMM frigates currently operated by the French, Italian and Moroccan navies. In close cooperation with naval defense technology contractors; Thales (France) and WASS (Italy), MacArtney has designed and delivered the outboard and inboard cable and connector solutions that interface all sonar elements and connect these to the on board communications and power network.

Today, on his historic visit to India, President Obama and Prime Minister Modi announced new, ground-breaking agreements on defense cooperation between India and the United States that promise to open a new chapter in our defense relationship and mark an important milestone in the U.S.-India strategic partnership. By finalizing the renewal of our 10-year framework for the U.S.-India Defense Relationship, we will continue to build on the growing momentum in our defense cooperation over the last decade. This renewed framework will support stronger military-to-military engagement, including deeper maritime cooperation and increased opportunities in technology and trade.

Australia and Japan will create a framework pact to cooperate on military technology, the two countries said on Wednesday, a move that could pave the way for Japan to supply stealth submarine designs and components to Australia. The agreement came during talks between Australian Defence Minister David Johnston and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and their Japanese counterparts, Itsunori Onodera and Fumio Kishida, in Tokyo. "Ministers confirmed the substantial conclusion of negotiations on an agreement for cooperation in the field of defence equipment and technology," the countries said in a joint statement. "We see ourselves as natural partners in many ways," Australia's Bishop told reporters after the meetings.

A TEAM of technology visionaries has today unveiled what it believes is the most effective way to end maritime piracy, and save lives and billions of dollars each year. The WatchStander system was originally developed for the US naval fleet but has been modified and adapted over the past two years for use by commercial vessels, cruise ships and yachts. A significant advance in anti-pirate technology, WatchStander is a fully automated and integrated system that detects and identifies pirates before launching a series of non-lethal but highly effective counter measures. It is currently undergoing an Audit and Performance Assessment by maritime security and operations consultants from Flag Victor.

On March 5th the working group for “Defense Technology” held its sixtieth conference at the premises of Raytheon Anschütz. The working group is an organization of companies from German federal state Schleswig-Holstein, who are engaged in the defense business. The stated aim of the working group is to point out on the technological, economical and security-political relevance of defense technology. In order to share information, the working group gets together regularly. Based on its reputation as manufacturer of navigation systems for world-wide navies…

Northrop Grumman Corporation announced today that its board of directors has elected Ronald D. Sugar, the company's president and chief operating officer, as Northrop Grumman's next chief executive officer. nation's second largest defense contractor effective April 1, 2003. president. age of 65 for senior executives. until Oct. 1, 2003. understanding of our business, our strategy and our potential," said Kresa. Industries, Ron and I have worked closely together. commitment to excellence. look forward to leading Northrop Grumman. lifetime. sheet. vision and leadership he provided over the past decade. past 13 years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. defense companies in the world. we have a wonderful future ahead of us.

Despite a sliding stock market, bidders for 's Daewoo Shipbuilding may have to pay a hefty premium and large fees to snap up the coveted $4 billion asset amid upbeat prospects for the sector. Slow progress in the bidding process due to union protests and delays in selecting a lead manager, which coincided with a retreat in global stocks and a decision to exclude foreign bidders, has benefited potential buyers by reducing competition and the value of the deal by $2 billion from a year ago. But a global credit squeeze and recent warnings from Korean regulators against debt-financed buyouts mean a successful buyer will have to give up some of their assets or pay hefty fees to win the world's third-largest shipbuilder.

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport will become the first Department of the Navy command with a virtual world presence when it launches Virtual NUWC on Linden Labs’s 3D online world Second Life at the Undersea Defense Technology (UDT) Pacific Conference in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday, November 5. A virtual research and development facility covering 128 virtual acres representing the NUWC Newport campus dotted with recognizable Newport landmarks, Virtual NUWC is capable of supporting more than 500 avatars at any one time. The campus features replicas of many NUWC laboratories actually located on the NUWC campus, as well as additional facilities, including a visitors’ center, movie theaters, submarine replicas, an electronic library, and underwater exhibits.

From Commander, Naval Forces Europe-Commander, U.S. The commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples/U.S. Naval Forces Europe addressed participants of the Undersea Defense Technology (UDT) Europe 2007 conference and exhibition June 5. “Someone here may be responsible for the technology that changes the face of undersea warfare,” said Adm. Harry Ulrich during his address. UDT Europe 2007 is the largest established underwater defense event in Europe, bringing together key military leaders, scientists and technologists with defense manufacturers and suppliers. The event is designed to support the strategic priorities to improve maritime security and safety and respond to any contingency or consequence through raising awareness of undersea warfare missions and operations in the region.