The United States Department of Defense (USDOD) announced just three military contracts Tuesday, highlighted by a $43.7 million Air Force deal to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the delivery of France’s second MQ-9 system. Typically developed for the U.S. Air Force, the MQ-9 Reaper is an armed, multi-mission UAV mostly used to destroy dynamic execution…
Lockheed Martin Lands Contract for War Simulation Trainer
The United States Department of Defense’s Friday publication of military contracts contained three deals involving Lockheed Martin, including a $15 million agreement for a “digital battle staff trainer, war simulation trainer.” Lockheed Martin was the only company to place a bid for the foreign military sales contract, which will benefit Saudi Arabia. The labor will…
DoD Awards $500M Renewable Energy Contract
Virginia-based small business Apex Clean Energy was given a $497.3 million Defense Logistics Agency contract for renewable energy, the United States Department of Defense announced Friday. The electricity will be produced by an on-site solar and off-site wind energy production facility, and also by other traditional energy sources. The U.S. government received nine bids for…
SpaceX Rocket Explodes in Attempt to Land on a Barge
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket exploded upon landing Sunday after returning from a trip in which it successfully delivered a satellite to space. The rocket’s launch occurred without issue and it was able to deliver the Jason-3 science satellite to low-Earth orbit in a mission supporting NASA, the NOAA, the French space agency Centre National d’Etudes…
American Society for Engineering Education Awarded $111M DoD Contract
The American Society for Engineering Education will be given a $111.4 million contract to provide administrative aid to the Department of Defense Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service program. According to the United States Department of Defense, which announced the contract during its Thursday summary of labor agreements, much of the…
Astronaut Becomes First Briton to Walk in Space
British spaceman Timothy Peake joined NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra Friday morning outside the International Space Station to repair a failed voltage regulator. In doing so, Peake became the first British person to ever conduct a spacewalk. It is the 192nd spacewalk benefitting the ISS. The roughly six and a half hour excursion, which began at…
SpaceX, Orbital ATK Tapped by DoD to Create Rocket Engine Prototypes
SpaceX and Orbital ATK have both been awarded United States Air Force contracts to develop rocket propulsion system prototypes, the United States Department of Defense announced in its Thursday publication of military deals. The contracts are part of an effort to wean the military from its propensity for using the Russian-developed RD-180 engine. Worth $46.9…
Defense Department Announces Contracts for Missiles
Raytheon has been given an $85.5 million contract for Griffin missiles, the United States Department of Defense announced in its Wednesday publication of military deals. In addition to producing the A and B Block II/III missiles, the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity Air Force contract tasks Raytheon with providing test and support equipment and engineering aid. More than $27…
Pentagon Awards $71M Contract for Aircraft Stabilizers
The United States Department of Defense announced a relatively small number of military contracts Tuesday, including a $71.3 million Defense Logistics Agency delivery order given to Boeing for aircraft vertical stabilizers. The firm-fixed-price order is worth the maximum possible value. The U.S. Air Force will benefit from the contract. The labor will be conducted in Missouri,…
Aegis Combat System Updates Certified By U.S. Military
The United States Navy and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have certified the latest update of the Aegis Combat System for the military’s destroyer fleet. The upgrade, known as Baseline 9.C1 was built by Lockheed Martin. Due to the changes, the destroyer fleet’s defensive capabilities will be improved, and it will be easier to assimilate the…
Manufacturing Employment in U.S. Expected to Drop
Manufacturing employment in the United States is expected to decline at an annual rate of 0.7 percent between 2014 and 2024, according to projections made by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While industries relating to health care and social assistance, construction, and mining sectors are expected to experience solid job growth, the manufacturing sector…
Engineering Professor Develops Drone Catcher
Misbehaving hobby drones are an issue. They and their operators have continuously endangered fans at sporting events, came too close to politicians, nearly caused havoc for airplanes, and interrupted personnel attempting to thwart the impact of wildfires. Mo Rastagaar, an associate professor at Michigan Technological University, decided that something had to be done after watching…
Smart Bottle Reminds Patients to Take Medication
Taking medications can be difficult to remember, causing some to skip dosages that are vital to their well-being. A solution to the issue has come in the form of a “smart” pill bottle. AdhereTech’s IoT-empowered pill bottle can let a patient or their caregiver know they skipped a dosage via a text message, by illuminating…
Boeing Distributed Record Amount of Airplanes in 2015
Boeing delivered more commercial airplanes in 2015 than it did any other year in its 99-year history, according to figures announced by the company Thursday. The 762 airplanes delivered by the Chicago-based company were 39 more than it delivered in a successful 2014 campaign. The company also received 768 net orders in 2015. Based off of current…
Small Business Receives $81M Army Contract for Practice Bombs
Tennessee-based small business Delfasco scored a big win recently, as it landed an $81.6 million contract for practice bombs, the United States Department of Defense announced Thursday. In addition to the practice bombs, Delfasco will also provide related fixtures, all of which will benefit the Saudi Arabian government. Including Delfasco, three companies submitted bids for…
Army Contract Awarded for 120 Humvees
The United States Department of Defense’s (DoD) Wednesday listing of military contracts was scant in comparison to average days. Just three contracts were announced, most notably a $24.9 million modification to an Army contract for 120 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, or Humvees. The winner of the contract, AM General, will manufacture the vehicles for…
Chinese Company Unveils World’s First Passenger Drone
Sick of driving to work for your daily commute? How does the notion of flying in sound? Chinese drone company EHang believes it has the solution for the quicker, and perhaps even enjoyable, commute. At the Wednesday edition of CES 2016, the company revealed the fully electric EHang 184, which it claims is the first-ever…
Company Creates Lego Figure Heads Emulating Real People
Founded in 1932, the Lego Group–favorite toy of millions of children worldwide and the cause of pain for their barefooted parents–has staying power. What it doesn’t have is realistic depictions of humans atop its toy human bodies. To make the figure more aesthetically pleasing, one company is offering shockingly accurate 3D printed heads that mirror…
DoD Announces $66M Guided Missile Contract
Raytheon Missile Systems has been awarded a $66.5 million Navy contract for Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) block 2 guided missile round pack requirements, the United States Department of Defense announced Tuesday in a publication relating to military deals. The firm-fixed-price contract, which had been awarded on Dec. 31, would be worth up to $142.8 million if…
Boeing Wins $855M Air Force Contract
Boeing has been given an $855 million Air Force contract for “avionics component integration and contractor logistics support” for T-38C aircraft, the United States Department of Defense announced in its Monday digest of military contracts. The aircraft manufacturer will conduct the work in St. Louis, and also at U.S. Air Force and Navy bases in…
How IIoT Is Impacting Design Engineers
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is furthering its reach into engineering and design. Connected machines will give plant engineering operations the opportunity to identify points of inefficiency, improve upon those points, and in turn, improve profitability. To further discuss how IIoT is impacting work for design engineers, Product Design & Development spoke with Mark…
Intel Acquires German Drone Maker
Intel has made a move that it hopes will aid the development of increasingly capable drones. The technology giant announced in a Monday blog post that it has come to an agreement to obtain German drone and drone software developer Ascending Technologies for an undisclosed amount. Intel, which claims to be making a push toward integrating…
Raytheon Lands $255M Contract for Work on Destroyer Ship
Raytheon was the big winner of the United States Department of Defense’s (DoD) Thursday publication of military contracts, tallying three deals worth a combined $310.4 million. The money brought in by Raytheon will be chiefly represented by a $255.2 million modification to a Navy contract given to its subsidiary Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. Under the…
Boeing Awarded Air Force Contracts for Gunship Sustainment, Flight Training
The United States Department of Defense announced a number of Air Force contracts Thursday, including a $317.7 modification given to United Technologies for F119 fighter engine sustainment. The F119 engine powers the F-22 Raptor More than $100 million in fiscal 2016 funds will be assigned with the contract, which was announced Thursday by the United…
Lockheed Martin to Receive $528M Interceptor Contract
Lockheed Martin will be given a $528.4 million contract modification for interceptors, one-shot devices, and production aid that will benefit the Missile Defense Agency Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Project Office, the United States Department of Defense announced Monday. The labor will be conducted at locations in Texas, Alabama, and Arkansas. The performance period is…