Vice Adm. Thomas Moore, head of Naval Sea Systems Command, said the U.S. Navy plans to upgrade launchers on its Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers to accommodate hypersonic missiles, Defense News reported Sunday.

“Vertical launch system has been a real game-changer for us. We can shoot any number of things out of those launchers,” Moore said at a conference of naval engineers. “We’ll probably change those out and upgrade them for prompt strike weapons down the road.”

The report said equipping surface ships with hypersonic weapons would boost the service’s strike capabilities needed to counter Chinese and Russian air defenses. The military branch is also considering an upgrade to its air and missile defense radar system – AN/SPY-6 – aboard its DDG destroyer ships.

“We are looking at a scaled-back version of the Air and Missile Defense Radar to back-fit the Flight Is and Flight IIs, similar to how we are looking for a version of the [Enterprise Air Search Radar] developed for [the Ford-class aircraft carriers] to back-fit on some of the old Nimitz-class,” Moore said.

An infrared laser device developed for the Department of Defense could help authorities identify individuals from a distance through their unique cardiac signatures, the MIT Technology Review reported Thursday. The Jetson device uses the laser vibrometry technique to detect the heartbeat-linked surface movement from a distance of up to 219 yards or approximately 200 meters. It also uses algorithms to derive a cardiac signature from the laser signals. 

“I don’t want to say you could do it from space but longer ranges should be possible,” said Steward Remaly of the combating terrorism technical support office at DoD.

Remaly noted that the device can achieve an accuracy rate of more than 95 percent and could be used with facial recognition tools and other identification techniques.

Brian Thomas, a data scientist at NASA and program manager for Open Innovation, said the space agency is looking to advance the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in aeronautics, human capital, information technology support and operations, Federal Times reported Friday. Thomas said on Wednesday that NASA plans to use AI and ML technologies to help with antenna positioning operations in order to facilitate contact with satellites during the AI World Government Conference.

He discussed how NASA could leverage such technologies in workforce management. “Can we look at our position descriptions and analyze those using text analytics and try to classify that out and then make predictions about what we need to do or where our workforce is at,” he said.

Thomas also discussed how the agency addressed challenges related to data collection and processing and the potential use of AI and ML in preventing network intrusions.

The U.S. Air Force has engaged in a public-private partnership to address the supply needs for sustaining older aircraft. Air Force Research Laboratory leads the Maturation of Advanced Manufacturing for Low Cost Sustainment program to sustain older aircraft via advanced manufacturing and digital technologies, the service branch said Thursday.

The America Makes National Manufacturing Institute works to foster activities under the program, with more than 45 projects already initiated. The Air Force no longer has access to parts of aircraft whose supplier is no longer active in the industry, creating a need for alternative sources.

University of Dayton Research Institute and Bill Macy Consulting joined logistics personnel at Hill Air Force Base to repair a damaged F-16 aircraft tail. The team used reverse-engineering technologies including laser scanning and photogrammetry to digitally model the tail.

The resulting model served as a basis to determine drilling and milling points for the tail’s reassembly. Hill AFB’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex funded Bill Macy Consulting to aid in the processes needed to reassemble the F-16 tail.

“Through the MAMLS program, technologists were able to work directly with government personnel to demonstrate and train them on new digital technologies to innovate a process for reassembly of the tail,” said Marvin Gale, MAMLS program manager.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has created a new unit focused on the deployment of innovative technologies to the 17 intelligence community agencies as well as government entities. ODNI said on Wednesday that the Lateral Innovation division operates under the Transformation and Innovation Office within the agency’s Strategy and Engagement Component.

LI’s responsibilities include prototyping, user testing, ideation and stakeholder identification. The division also oversees an industry collaboration program that builds on ODNI’s Intelligence, Science, and Technology Partnership initiative and promotes technical exchanges with the private sector.

Previously, LI helped ODNI launch a prototyping effort for an updated records management approach within a week.

The Department of Homeland Security has announced the creation of an artificial intelligence platform designed to inform paramedic decision making. U.S. and Canadian organizations worked together to develop the Assistant for Understanding Data through Reasoning, Extraction and Synthesis or AUDREY, DHS said Thursday. Members and associates of Canada’s Hastings County Council demonstrated the application of AI and situational awareness technology in paramedic operations. 

“We are trying to enhance the experience of the paramedics by using artificial intelligence,” said Denis Gusty, program manager at DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate. “We’ve programmed that into AUDREY to see whether or not AUDREY can assimilate itself, and exercise or execute some of the steps or actions of the paramedic using artificial intelligence,” he added.

The partnership also held informative sessions and a presentation on AUDREY during the demonstration event. 

The Department of Energy will award $49.3 million in funding grants to support 58 nuclear technology projects. The projects range from nuclear energy research efforts, crosscutting technology development, facility access and infrastructure projects in 25 states, DOE said Thursday.

DOE will provide over $28.5 million to 40 university-led research and development projects to sustain U.S. nuclear efforts through the Nuclear Energy University Program. Five projects on the other hand will land $4.5 million in cumulative value to develop sensors, instrumentation and manufacturing methods for nuclear reactors and fuel usage. DOE will also provide $14.5 million for five projects to allow nuclear facility access, ion irradiation and experimental neutron tests. 

“Nuclear energy is a critical part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy, and early-stage research can help ensure it will continue to be a clean, reliable, and resilient source of electricity for a long time to come,” said Ed McGinnis, principal deputy assistant secretary for nuclear energy at DOE.