BAE Systems boosts defence apps with advanced electronics
BAE Systems, Inc. has announced a strategic business agreement that will result in the BAE SystemsÂ’ FAST Labs research and development organisation having early access to select Intel technologies.
Image courtesy BAE Systems
The agreement will enable BAE Systems to develop and more quickly field next-generation defence applications based on Intel’s most advanced technology.
While commercial off-the-shelf semiconductor technology has increasingly been incorporated into US defence applications, military-grade technology requires domestically developed custom capabilities that go beyond commercially available technology. To date, this development lag of customising commercial technology has resulted in significant time gaps between chip-level technology and defence applications being fielded.
“We are excited to extend our existing relationship with BAE Systems and look forward to working with them to protect national security, critical infrastructure, and vital information,” said Frank Ferrante, senior director of Military Aerospace and Defense Division at Intel.
“Early access to Intel’s developing technology can speed the timetable of producing defence applications and maintain our country’s technological edge,” said Chris Rappa, director at BAE Systems’ FAST Labs. “Closing the development gap – potentially by years in some cases – will deliver a critical advantage to our country.”
This announcement comes on the heels of other new collaborations between BAE Systems and Intel, including on Intel’s recently launched Field Programmable Gate Array technology and on the SHIP-Digital programme, which will extend Intel’s wideband radio frequency signal processing platform to the most size, weight, and power-constrained defense applications. This collaboration will result in BAE Systems continuing to deliver the most advanced capabilities at significantly lower costs.