RF and Microwave Power Amplifier Accessories

Pasternack (Irvine, CA) has released a new series of RF and microwave power amplifier accessories that includes heat sinks, heat sinks with cooling fans, and power control cable assemblies. Pasternack offers eight different heat sink models that feature finned extrusion profiles with large baseplate mounting surfaces and AC or DC power supply options for models that support integrated cooling fans.

The effective distribution of offensive weapon capabilities to naval units at the tactical edge is a critical focus for Navy leaders. A direct byproduct of this priority is the need to employ sensor and data collection systems that can effectively guide the targeting of that offensive capability. In the recent past, wireless sensor networks have received limited use in the maritime domain due to the exploratory nature of technology, high system complexity and the high cost of system deployment. With the Internet-of-Things revolution, commercially available hardware and software components can be used to build low-cost, reliable, disposable wireless sensor networks that can leverage in-network processing schemes to greatly expand the intelligence collection footprint.

The aerospace sector places some uniquely challenging demands on electronics designers. For a start, the environments that the electronics are exposed to are much harsher than in almost every other scenario. Moreover, the life expectancy of the products is much higher, while the accepted failure rate is easily an order of magnitude lower than typical commercial products.

Seastema SpA, a company owned by Fincantieri (Genova, Italy), designs, develops, and supplies integrated automation systems for different areas of the marine industry. The company established an Innovation Division in Rome to verify the feasibility of an unconventional radar system by means of a demonstrator built as much as possible with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices.

Marvin Test Solutions, Inc.
Irvine, CA
888-837-8297
www.MarvinTest.com

Marvin Test Solutions, Inc., a company that specializes in globally-deployed test solutions for military, aerospace, and manufacturing organizations, announced that it has received new contracts for its MTS-3060 SmartCan™ from multiple international customers to support armament systems testing on different platforms. When deployed, the Smart-Can's international customer list will grow to 12 countries using 8 different aircraft of various types and blocks. The new SmartCan contracts cover F/A-18, Hawk, F-16, and F-15, as well as the first Army test application.

Pulsed signals are widespread in radar and other electronic warfare (EW) applications, and they must be accurately measured for manufacturing, design of countermeasures, and threat assessment; however, pulse measurements are an especially challenging area for signal analysis due to these factors:

Additive manufacturing was invented more than 30 years ago and, from small beginnings in prototyping, has developed and grown into a $6 billion industry. While additive manufacturing for aerospace and defense has seen slower adoption than some other industries, the velocity is now visibly increasing. This has been enabled by the ongoing development of additive technologies that apply more increasingly to aerospace and defense -namely better plastics materials, faster 3D printing technologies, focused development of metals materials, and resulting technologies and processes that are increasingly easier to get qualified.

Aerospace industry component manufacturing is in a large growth cycle. Advancements to materials and engine efficiency have created clear benefits for replacing a surplus of older aircraft equipment. The advancements cover both engine and structural components. The demand is so significant that machine tool makers are challenged to supply equipment fast enough.

To the passing optical signals, fiberoptic rotary joints (FORJs) are nothing more than fiber connectors, which provide connection between one or multiple fibers. Their unrestricted ability to rotate, however, gives them a critical role in many sensing, mobile, and robotic fiber systems such as ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), aerostat radars, submarines, satellite antennae, OCT (optical coherence tomography), mining vehicles, cranes, wind turbines, robotic vehicles, broadcasting (mobile cameras), etc. This article discusses some of the applications where optical rotary joints are indispensable.

www.princetel.com

DO-254, the design assurance guideline for airborne electronic hardware, is considered by many to be a simple cut/paste of DO-178, its avionics software sibling. Surely, as with wine and beer, both are fermented liquids which become increasingly expensive with increased complexity. While similarities abound, so do their many differences. And truly, DO-254 is the benefactor, or bane, of avionics projects the world over. But is DO-254 really unduly expensive? Does it add value? Will it improve safety and reliability? Does it have benefits? What are the true costs versus benefits? These important questions are answered herein.