Government Applications News

Iridium Communications Inc. announced the commercially availability of its Iridium Certus 100 "midband" service for maritime, land mobile, IoT, aviation and government customers. Iridium Certus 100 provides a blend of capabilities for satellite connectivity, enabling small, low-profile antennas and battery-powered devices designed for maximum mobility, but with IP data speeds that efficiently support sending important pictures, emails and other vital information from remote places…

Sea Machines Robotics, a Boston-based developer of autonomous technology for marine vessels, said its introductory line of intelligent command and control systems has successfully completed product sea trials.The two new products, SM300 and SM200, unlock task-driven, computer-guided vessel operations, bringing advanced autonomy within reach for small- and large-scale operators, the company said. Already in use in North America and Europe, Sea Machines' products for offshore commercial…

Anything but unconventional, Viega piping products and systems provide uncommon time savings and safer repairs, leading to a better bottom line. The maritime industry, over time, has been unusually resistant to change in many aspects of how it operates. Arguably, the ‘biggest’ advances on the water spanning a five decade period leading up to the beginning of the new millennium could be measured in terms of deadweight tonnage and/or the length of a particular class of hulls. Nowhere is that reality more evident than in the shipyard, and looking at what equipment and hardware is used to build and repair marine vessels – now and in the past. Marine piping systems are a perfect example.

Mercury Marine informs it has signed a supply agreement with FPT Industrial to make the FPT 6.7L mechanically fuel injected NEF engines available for sale in global markets. The 6.7L diesel engine, branded Mercury Diesel, offers power for single application (22’ to 30’) sterndrive and inboard boats such as passenger ferries, taxi boats and other government applications, as well as dual applications such as passenger ferries, taxi boats, boats with water jet propulsion and displacement trawlers (30’-50’). The 6.7L midrange engine will become available in the marketplace in the first quarter of 2016, following its official launch at the 2016 China International Boat show in Shanghai.

Unmanned Revolution: USVs Set to Conquer the Seas. According to Frost & Sullivan, replacing manned systems with USV is not a question of if but when. Unmanned surface vessels (USV) still lag far behind their aerial equivalents in terms of technical capabilities, technology and deployment. However, new threats, cost-benefit calculations, operational experiences in the past decade and new technological developments are driving rapid growth in the market. A USV may be used instead of manned vessels not only for defense but also in Homeland Security (HLS), security, and civil applications such as vessel monitoring, law enforcement (drugs, piracy) and enforcement of fishing and environmental laws.

Makai Ocean Engineering received ISO 9001:2008 certification which is the internationally recognized quality management standard that helps monitor and optimize an organization’s overall performance. The certification standards published by the International Organization for Standardization provide a rigorous system for measuring and evaluating quality management systems (QMS) by an accredited, independent agency with periodic audits to ensure ongoing compliance to the QMS standards. ISO 9001 certified organizations are distinguished by the quality of their products, services and processes.

Teekay Shipping Australia boosts towage services in Port Hedland to meet growing throughput at Australia’s busiest port. The 80+ tonne bollard pull tugs 'RT Rotation', 'RT Sensation' and 'RT Inspiration', supplied under contract from KOTUG International, will join three powerful Rotor®Tugs already operating in the port, which the mining industry now regards as the busiest in Australia. The Port Hedland Port Authority is forecasting an increase in throughput results from 247 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) in 2012, to nearly 500 mtpa by 2017.

Intelsat S.A  has introduced the Intelsat EpicNG satellite platform, a new series of satellites based upon a high performance, open architecture design. Intelsat EpicNG will be deployed for wireless and fixed telecommunications, enterprise, mobility, video and government applications requiring broadband infrastructure across the major continents. The Intelsat EpicNG platform is an innovative approach to satellite and network architecture utilizing multiple frequency bands, wide beams, spot beams and frequency reuse technology. A complementary overlay, Intelsat EpicNG will be fully integrated with Intelsat's existing satellite fleet and global IntelsatONESM terrestrial network.

80W X-Band Amplifier Supports Military and Government Operations. Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Wavestream(R) introduced a new 80W X-band Matchbox solid state power amplifier to address the needs of military and government applications. The 80W X-band offers both efficiency and performance that make it particularly well suited for mobile SATCOM, flyaway and VSAT satellite communication systems. "Staying connected and delivering content reliably is critical to military and government operations," stated Gary Echo, Vice President of Business Development at Wavestream. "The 80W X-band product is the latest addition to our growing family of X…

Brunswick Commercial and Government Products (BCGP) has entered into a supply agreement with MetalCraft Marine, Inc (MCM) to promote a series of high-performance aluminum boats. BCGP currently offers 16 models of commercialized Boston Whaler fiberglass boats, and eight Impact rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs). Under the agreement with MCM, BCGP’s product offering will be expanded to include five aluminum models ranging from 28 ─ 45 ft. “MetalCraft has a solid history of building superior quality aluminum boats for commercial and government applications,” said Jeremy Davis, BCGP’s sales manager. “They are particularly adept at producing high-performance boats, which is critical in this arena.

In October 2008, Viking Welding of Kensington, NH delivered a 26.5 ft trailerable survey boat to the EPA’s Narragansett Laboratory. After performing nearly a year of pre-bid research and specification writing, the EPA ultimately awarded the contract to Viking Welding. The welded aluminum vessel was designed by Bill Lincoln at Response Marine. Lincoln said, “They liked the ride of our boat, but wanted to try to increase the loitering stability while maintaining an 8.5 ft beam.