L-3 to give Navy "Internet in the sky"

The U.S. military on Tuesday said that L-3 Communications will provide the Navy with airborne communications as part of a contract with its Naval Battleforce Network program. L-3 was given $1.5 million as part of the contract. The program will have a value of $8.7 million once projects are completed over a 4-year term. L-3 will give the Navy and the Marines "Internet in the sky" capabilities, allowing them to communicate with manned and unmanned aircraft. The technology will also help the Navy solve problems with routing and convergence of wireless communications, the company said.

KVH Industries also inked a deal with the U.S. military on Tuesday. The contract, of undisclosed value, calls for the Middletown, R.I.-based company to supply FOGs (fiber-optic gyros) that provide motion tracking and image synchronization to the military's virtual-reality simulators used in training. The FOGs allow the simulator's image to correspond exactly to a soldier's motion, enabling soldiers to practice skills such as missile firing without engaging in live combat.