U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan at 2,015 As of Oct. 30, 2012, at least 2,015 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,680 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a result…

NASA is exploring options for larger payload fairings to enhance the cargo carrying capabilities of its Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, now in development, to carry cargo, crewed spacecraft and science payloads. In a Request for Information published Nov. 1, the agency is seeking information about payload adapters and fairings already available within commercial industry….

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. – Northrop Grumman has developed a line of gallium nitride Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits for military and commercial uses. These devices represent the first commercial availability of GaN-based components from the company. Initial engineering evaluation sampling is underway with quantities of three GaN MMIC products. They were developed for defense and commercial…

Lockheed Martin announced Nov. 1 that it has submitted its final proposal revision for the Medium-range Ballistic Missile Targets contract. The Lockheed Martin team delivered its final offer to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Targets and Countermeasures Program Office in Huntsville, Ala., yesterday, Oct. 31. The contract will provide Medium-range Ballistic Missile Targets to support…

Space Exploration Technologies has completed its first three performance milestones for NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative, which is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers. During the company’s first milestone, a technical baseline review, NASA and SpaceX reviewed the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket…

The C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program was recently awarded the 2012 Secretary of Defense “Gerald R. Beck” Performance Based Logistics system-level Award by the Secretary of Defense. The GISP team includes Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, and the U.S. Air Force. The award was presented at the Aerospace Industries Association Fall Product Support Conference in…

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and the U.S. Army Armament Research and Development Engineering Center have successfully demonstrated a GPS-guided munition for use on small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The testing consisted of three separate engagements using a Tiger Shark UAV launching an 81mm mortar equipped with General Dynamics’ Roll Control Fixed Canard control system…

NASA has selected Earth Resources Technology, Inc., of Laurel, Md., to receive a contract for safety, environmental, and medical support services at the agency’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. The contract has a maximum value of $55 million. This is a firm-fixed-price, time-and-materials indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity hybrid contract that begins Nov. 16. The contract…

Northrop Grumman and ITT Exelis are teaming to bring together the best of industry to offer unique solutions for the U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Jammer program. The two companies have been involved in electronic warfare and airborne electronic attack technological development since the 1960s, making them well positioned to compete for the next phase of…