Mentor Blogs

The military and aerospace (mil/aero) market has recently suffered some fiscal setbacks. It may come as a surprise that the economy was not to blame; rather, it was design and production delays. This interesting, and somewhat jarring, tidbit comes from Richard L. Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at Teal Group Corp., team of aerospace and defense industry analysts in Fairfax, Va. He shared several … Read More

Mentor, Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum, Mentor Graphics, Richard L. Aboulafia, Electric, Teal Group Corp, Warfighters, Aerospace, Mentor.com, Hardware, Mil-Aero, IESF, Milaero, electrical, Military, Geek

This geek loves the modern space race, as it is being called by many. I speak of the resurgence of interest in rockets, spacecraft, and virtually all things space-related. I enjoy all facets of it—whether private, public, international, or domestic. I love it all, as my fellow geeks likely already know. The recent decommissioning of the U.S. Space Shuttle program, after many decades of successful service, … Read More

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We can all learn how to tell a great story, revealed Aaron Shin, senior director of the transition to products at Raytheon Company in Waltham, Mass., in his IESF keynote, “The Art of Storytelling.” Okay, admittedly, many of us geeks and nerds may not be the best speakers. But, so what? Don’t get me wrong, I strive toward and aspire to be a phenomenal, thought-provoking speaker and, as a result, an … Read More

Software, Raytheon, Mentor.com, Aerospace, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Military, Aaron Shin, Electric, IESF, Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum, electrical, Mentor, Design Automation, Mentor Graphics, Geek, Engineer, Hardware, Technology, The Art of Storytelling

Developing a great story with which to “sell” our ideas is a facet of design work not all of us (we geek folk) are the best at pulling off; however, without a compelling and interesting story or pitch, many products and companies would not be where they are today. When it comes down to it, many successes can be attributed to a great storyteller. Aaron Shin, senior director of the transition … Read More

Software, Raytheon, Mentor.com, Aerospace, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Military, Aaron Shin, Electric, IESF, Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum, electrical, Mentor, Design Automation, Mentor Graphics, Geek, Engineer, Hardware, Technology, The Art of Storytelling

Mentor Graphics’ Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum (IESF) for the military/aerospace (mil/aero) industry—a free, one-day event that was just held in Long Beach, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2011—was fantastic this year, just as I had expected. The speakers were top-notch and I learned a wealth about not only the current status and future outlook of the mil/aero market, but also the many challenges mil/aero … Read More

Software, Raytheon, Mentor.com, Aerospace, Mil-Aero, Milaero, Military, Aaron Shin, Electric, IESF, Integrated Electrical Solutions Forum, electrical, Mentor, Design Automation, Mentor Graphics, Geek, Engineer, Hardware, Technology, The Art of Storytelling

Wanted: Engineers. Military and aerospace are among many industries concerned about the future availability of skilled workers. This challenge of ensuring a skilled workforce well into the future of the U.S. is ever-present in the minds of many people—heads of technology firms (especially in the mil/aero realm), higher-education faculty, scientists and researchers, economists, patriots, heads of state, … Read More

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The Northrop Grumman-built U.S. Navy X-47B, an Unmanned Combat Air System–Demonstration (UCAS-D) Next-gen Unmanned Fighter, took its maiden flight on a hazy California morning, Feb. 4, 2011 at Edwards Air Force Base. The flight began at 2:09 p.m. PST and lasted for 29 minutes. The goal of the program is to create a tailless, fighter-sized unmanned system capable of safely landing and taking off from … Read More

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Intel recently announced at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the introduction of the anticipated 2nd generation of the Intel Core series of processors. The chips are made on Intel’s 32nm manufacturing process on the company’s second-generation high-k metal gate transistors. These build technologies boost performance, reduce power consumption, and enable smaller designs at a lower … Read More

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Intel is making a splash, again, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Before I get to Intel’s news at the 2011 International CES, which opened its doors today, I wonder how well we all know Intel, its roots, and its relevance to the mil/aero market. Intel Corporation was founded in 1968 by Gordon E. Moore (the man behind Moore’s Law) and Robert Noyce (co-inventor of the integrated … Read More

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On September 23, 2010, the Department of the Army (U.S.) issued solicitation W9124D10IPADS for the purchase of 587 Apple iPads prepared to the following specification: “Item shall be equal to the salient characteristics of the Apple 32GB iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G.” Requirements include: - 32GB of storage that operates on skip-free flash memory eliminating the need for a hard drive and provides instant … Read More

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Mil-aero organizations the world over are investigating, and even already adopting, non-ruggedized, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computing and communications devices, including Apple’s popular iPad. It’s appealing: sleek, slim, compact, shiny. All good things. What it is not, not yet anyway, is rugged enough to withstand military and aerospace environments, missions, and applications. Some may recall … Read More

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In October, Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Group; New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson; staff of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA); and roughly 30 of the more than 380 Virgin Galactic future astronauts dedicated the world’s first spaceway at Spaceport America in New Mexico. The nearly two-mile-long runway was officially named the “Governor Bill Richardson Spaceway” at the event, at … Read More

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Out of all the places on planet Earth, where do you suppose the first commercial spaceport is going to be built? New Mexico, of course! It makes perfect sense because one of the most famous unidentified flying objects (UFOs) allegedly crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. The story goes that a “flying disc” crashed near Roswell and the military immediately took control of the site, revealing that … Read More

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What a difference a year makes in the military and aerospace (mil/aero) market. This time last year, I was listening to market research firms and industry pundits herald the military/defense segment for keeping the aerospace market afloat while the commercial aviation segment took a serious dip. Despite a woeful world economy, investments were being made at that time in military aircraft–manned … Read More

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Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, a division of Raytheon in Waltham, Mass., can lay claim to unveiling what is arguably the hottest news to come out of AUSA 2010, the annual meeting and exposition of the Association of the United States Army, held last week in Washington, DC. It’s RATS. I’m not kidding. The acronym is unfortunate, but the system may hold the key to greater mission effectiveness, … Read More

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