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News August 19, 2026 Lisa Daigle Assistant Managing Editor Military Embedded Systems Stock image GLAND, Switzerland. Swiss electronic design company IOxOS Technologies launched a product that combines FPGA [field-programmable gate array] mezzanine card (FMC) modules built on the open VITA 57.1 standard, with high-end FPGA carrier boards as a way to accomplish development of scalable radar front ends. The IOxOS Technologies announcement states that the product, as a standardized mechanical and electrical interface between FMC modules and carrier boards, enables interoperability across vendors and reduces integration risk; can be obtained in hgh pin count and low pin count connector variants, which enables I/O density…

Snowbird Technologies announced the successful production and machining of a 316L stainless steel component aboard the USS Essex (LHD-2) during Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2026 (RIMPAC 2026), demonstrating expeditionary manufacturing capabilities in an operational maritime environment.  Snowbird Technologies press release As part of the Naval Postgraduate School’s Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE) distributed manufacturing experiment, Snowbird’s SAMM Tech (Snowbird Additive Mobile Manufacturing Technology) system was deployed aboard USS Essex while underway from San Diego to Hawaii in support of RIMPAC 2026. During transit, the system successfully additively manufactured components from 316L stainless steel using laser-wire Directed…

A Brief Introduction to the Middle Ages The Middle Ages are a fascinating time. This was a period that lasted for over one thousand years! The Western Roman Empire had come to its inevitable end during the 5th century Anno Domini (AD), and for a couple of centuries, Europe plunged into a cultural, economic, and military decline. Or did it? At least, that’s what 19th-century historiography and historians wrote. A sort of historical myth that still lives in popular culture in the world of today- is that people who lived during the Middle Ages lived a life of ignorance, despair, servitude, never-ending…

During the German Air Force exercise Timber Express 2026 in Manching, Rheinmetall Air Defence and Hensoldt achieved a milestone for future networked air defence. During a German Air Force exercise, the air picture generated by Hensoldt’s Twinvis passive radar was successfully integrated into Rheinmetall’s Skymaster command and weapon engagement system, which was directing the Skynex Air Defence battery deployed in the scenario. The integration took place under realistic NATO networking conditions and demonstrated the high flexibility and open architecture of the Skymaster system. A common air picture could be generated by fusing and correlating sensor data within NATO’s Link 16…

Private equity firms could face increased congressional scrutiny come November as lawmakers focus more closely on the industry’s growing presence in the defense sector, legal experts said. While lawmakers will continue examining private equity’s involvement in the defense industry during the final months of the 119th U.S. Congress regardless of the outcome of the midterm elections, congressional investigations could increase should Democrats flip control of the House or the Senate. “Democratic control would bring not only greater focus on private-sector oversight, but also committee chairs with subpoena authority and the ability to compel documents and testimony,” Holland & Knight legal…

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org The joint U.S.-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise will end Aug. 21, a week earlier than previously planned, at the behest of President Donald Trump—a move that comes as U.S Air Force is already reviewing its exercise schedule in the Pacific. Both the U.S. and South Korean militaries confirmed the schedule change Aug. 19, after Trump directed the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the exercise in an Aug. 16 social media post,…

Rheinmetall Electronics UK will deliver a major share of the British Army Collective Training Service (ACTS) programme. (Rheinmetall)Rheinmetall Electronics UK will deliver a major share of the British Army’s future collective-training system under the £2 billion Army Collective Training Service (ACTS) contract awarded in July 2026 to the Raytheon UK-led Omnia consortium consisting of Capita, Cervus, Rheinmetall UK and Skyral. The 15-year programme will give commanders and combat units a connected training environment that can replicate complex, high-threat operations without the cost and safety limits of large conventional exercises.Rheinmetall’s share of the contract is worth just under €1 billion to…

This diagram illustrates how the MCHMR capability will provide links to the Combat Cloud for the US Army manoeuvre force at the tactical edge. The capability forms a one part of the army’s operational and tactical level Next Generation Command and Control system. (Thomas Withington)The Mobile Ad Hoc Network Cloud High Mobility Radio system has achieved an important milestone with a deployment in a major multinational exercise.The United States Army’s Mobile Ad Hoc Network Cloud High Mobility Radio (MCHMR) system is better known as ‘MC Hammer’ (yes, really). MCHMR forms a key part of the US Army’s Next Generation Command…

Medicare has long valued and paid for surgical procedures using global surgical packages that reflect the time and work involved in the procedures themselves, as well as pre- and post-operative care over specified time frames known as global periods. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) collects data on the post-operative care furnished during global periods and has, over several years, sought public comment on approaches to use these data and other inputs to improve global surgical package valuation. This report presents findings from four analyses of claims data related to global surgical services conducted from September 2023 to…

At extreme distances, a fraction of a degree can turn a carefully aimed shot into a complete miss. That is what makes the search for the most accurate sniper rifle so fascinating: once a target is hundreds or even thousands of meters away, tiny differences in precision become enormous.But there’s a catch. The rifle with the longest advertised range isn’t automatically the most accurate. Range and accuracy are related, but they are not the same thing.A rifle can reach an extraordinary distance, while another produces tighter, more repeatable groups. Think of it like comparing a sports car’s top speed with…