U.S. Central Command is planning to establish a new facility in Saudi Arabia that will test new military technologies designed to counter threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles, NBC reported Wednesday.

The military testing facility, which is still in the early planning stage, will be called Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center and is envisioned to support the development and testing of air and missile defense capabilities.

Defense officials familiar with the matter said the exact location of the facility has not been finalized but acknowledged that Saudi Arabia has the space needed to test signal-jamming, directed energy and other electronic warfare capabilities without interfering with the civilian population.

CENTCOM’s area of responsibility covers the Middle East and Iran, whose ballistic missile arsenal and drone fleet have grown in recent years.

The National Science Foundation has selected 16 multidisciplinary teams to develop secure 5G platforms designed to facilitate communication between the U.S. government and critical infrastructure operators as part of an accelerator program.

NSF said Wednesday it collaborated with the Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to invest $12 million in the Convergence Accelerator program’s innovation curriculum titled “Track G: Securely Operating Through 5G Infrastructure.”

The selected teams will work to turn their research ideas into a proof of concept over the next nine months and present formal proposals to be selected for the solution and sustainability development phase of the program that will run for two years.

The awardees are:

• AT&T 
• Blackberry 
• Florida International University 
• George Mason University 
• IBM 
• Novowi 
• Peraton Labs 
• Red Balloon Security 
• SRI International 
• Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station 
• University of California San Diego 
• University of Kansas 
• University of Michigan 
• University of Utah

“5G wireless networks are crucial components of the modern communication system and a key aspect of how we operate,” said Amanda Toman, acting principal director for 5G at DOD OUSD(R&E).

Air Force Global Strike Command held a test launch for an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile carrying reentry vehicles to showcase U.S. nuclear forces preparedness and nuclear deterrent lethality and effectiveness.

AFGSC said Tuesday command airmen fired the ICBM equipped with three test vehicles from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as part of the nuclear deterrent-focused routine and periodic activities of the military.

“These tests show the reliability of our deterrence weapons systems, showcase the continued reliability of the Minuteman III, and the incredible people who make it work,” said Maj. Natalie Quinn, Task Force Commander. “All of these components comprise a system that stands on continuous alert, defending the United States and our allies 24/7.”

The reentry vehicles made it to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, a travel distance of approximately 4,200 miles.

Airmen from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, and 91st Missile Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota, supported the test launch.

Pratt & Whitney has reached a new milestone with the 1,000th delivery of a company-built propulsion system used to power F-35 fighter jets.

The Raytheon Technologies division said Wednesday the F135 production engine was designated for the 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II fighters in support of the U.S. military.

The F135 produces over 40,000 pounds of thrust and features a low observable signature technology, advanced thermal management and an integrated engine control system.

The aircraft engine manufacturer is currently pushing for a block upgrade to the F135 called the Enhanced Engine Package. The EEP program aims to provide a faster and cost-efficient path to fully enable block 4 capability for all F-35 operators.

The Department of the Air Force plans to establish a university affiliated research center led by a Historically Black College and University that will carry out research on tactical autonomy.

The department expects the HBCU-led center to help promote autonomy research in science and engineering, provide opportunities for university faculty and students to work with the Department of Defense and component agencies to address challenges related to science and engineering and advance career development initiatives for STEM professionals, according to a solicitation notice published Tuesday.

The service plans to award a potential five-year, $90 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to the UARC, which is expected to receive annual funding of approximately $12 million. The center will undergo a recertification process every five years.

Interested institutions should state in their proposals their Carnegie Foundation Classification of R2 or higher; research and engineering capabilities in autonomy; plans to increase the number of graduates in DOD-relevant STEM disciplines; research and education consortium with defense organizations and other HBCUs; and plans to back the implementation of DOD’s Mentor-Protege program.

“Not only is there significant expertise embedded in these HBCUs … but they have historically been an untapped source of high potential talent, enabling us to create a recruitment pipeline. So this is a huge opportunity for all parties involved, not only the DAF and the HBCUs, but also AFRL who will interface tremendously regarding the research and development portion,” said Marcus Smith, diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility officer at the Air Force Research Laboratory.

DAF will accept UARC proposals through Nov. 7.