Boeing tested new anti-jamming technology on WGS-6, the Air Force’s sixth Wideband Global Satellite Communications spacecraft, announced the company on Monday. During the mid December test, Boeing sent a US government-developed, protected signal through WGS-6; engineers confirmed that the signal met the accuracy and strength targets, states the company’s Jan. 13 release. “This technology boosts the ability of warfighters to send protected information without enemy data interference by using currently available satellites that do not have anti-jamming technology of their own,” said Craig Cooning, general manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. The demonstration with WGS-6 built upon the test Boeing conducted using this technology with a commercial satellite in July, states the release. “The two demonstrations show the technology is flexible and able to be quickly deployed at a much lower cost than building a new satellite,” said Cooning. (See also WGS Operational Constellation Grows.)
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…