48 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2024
Launch Vehicle Telemetry Expected to
Become Commercially Available Faster
as InRange Moves to Market E
InRange uses Viasat's global L-band satellite
fleet—which Viasat now operates following
the acquisition of Inmarsat in May—to provide
real-time telemetry data for launch missions. By
using space-based communications, InRange
will allow launch mission controllers to mon-
itor the performance of missions beyond the
line of sight, without the need for ground com-
munications infrastructure.
Rheinmetall Modernizes Romania's
Air Defense System E
e Romanian ministry of defence has con-
tracted with Rheinmetall to thoroughly modern-
ize the country's Oerlikon GDF 103 air defence
artillery systems. For the Düsseldorf-based
technology enterprise, this is the first ever major
order from Romania, a NATO and EU member
state. Worth around €328 million, the contract
encompasses the delivery of four systems as well
as training, spare parts and other services.
Boeing Delivers First Orca Extra
Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle
to U.S. Navy E
Boeing has delivered the first Orca Extra Large
Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) to the
U.S Navy following acceptance testing com-
pletion this month. e XLUUV, designated
by the Navy as "Orca," is a new class of auton-
omous submarine that can perform long dura-
tion critical missions to achieve undersea mari-
time dominance in changing environments and
contested waters.
Second Successful Live-fire for
RTX's Raytheon Lower Tier Air
and Missile Defense Sensor E
Raytheon completed another successful
live-fire demonstration of the advanced,
360-degree Lower Tier Air and Missile
Defense Sensor, known as LTAMDS. is
tactical ballistic missile live fire represents
the latest in a series of test event successes,
closely following the cruise missile live-fire
test and the recently completed contractor
verification testing.
Boeing-built X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle
Embarks on Seventh Mission E
e Boeing-built X-37B autonomous space-
plane launched yesterday aboard a SpaceX
Falcon Heavy rocket, marking the beginning
of its seventh mission. On this seventh flight,
the X-37B will test future space domain aware-
ness technology experiments that are integral
in ensuring safe, stable and secure operations
in space for all users of the domain.
A Progress Report: Investing in
U.S. PCB Fabricators E
In the geopolitical arena, the supply chain les-
sons learned during the pandemic continue to
be addressed with long-range plans as well as
short-term stopgaps. In this conversation, David
Schild, executive director of the Printed Circuit
Board Association of America (PCBAA), pro-
vides a progress update on the U.S. CHIPS Act,
and some of the fan-out dynamics already play-
ing out. As David explains, there is new invest-
ment in PCB fabrication that has nothing to do
with the CHIPS Act.
