BAE Systems receives funding as part of US drive to boost chip manufacture
BAE Systems Microelectronics Center makes six-inch Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) wafers. (Photo: BAE Systems)
The US Government has been pushing to improve semiconductor and micro-chip manufacture within its borders – a key policy of the Biden government – and the funding will boost BAE Systems’ capabilities in the field.
BAE Systems will modernise its Microelectronics Center (MEC) in Nashua, New Hampshire, through US$35 million in initial funding provided by the US Department of Commerce (DoC), quadrupling the number of chips the facility can produce.
The funding will come from the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act of 2022. The project will replace aging tools and quadruple the production of chips necessary for critical defence programs including the F-35 fighter aircraft programme, according to the DoC.
MEC has been developing advanced semiconductor technologies beyond those available commercially to meet military standards and has been among one of the few US defence-centric six-inch Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) wafer foundries.
Related Articles
Honeywell gains contract to sustain radiation-hardened military microelectronics
3D-printed equipment with integrated chipset improves military training
The funding will be coupled with ongoing investment in modernisation and research and development by BAE Systems.
According to the company, ‘the funding will help purchase new, more efficient manufacturing tools to mitigate supply chain risk, increase production capacity, and reduce time-to-build product’.
‘The increased efficiency will enable a scale-up in production to meet increasing demand for DoD technology and provide critical microelectronics to non-defence industries including satellite communications, and test and measurement equipment markets,’ the company claimed.
Tom Arseneault, president and CEO of BAE Systems said the funding would improve the manufacture of microelectronics which will be vital for ‘next-generation aircraft and satellites to military-grade GPS and secure communications’.
‘This funding will help modernise [the MEC and increase] our capacity to serve national defence programmes, growing our technical workforce, and helping to strengthen the nation’s onshore supply chain,’ Arseneault noted.
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![British Army’s ISR commander warns of new challenges facing defence forces]()
British Army’s ISR commander warns of new challenges facing defence forces
The race between using ISR and resisting the use of it by enemies has accelerated, leading to new methods and systems being required, according to the British Army’s lead on its ISR efforts.
-
![Push for greater use of open source data, says senior British officer]()
Push for greater use of open source data, says senior British officer
The huge amount of open source data available may not carry the weight of secret sources but it does carry substantial value, according to speakers at Defence IQ C4ISR Global conference in London.
-
![Jacobs wins MoD cyber-security support contract]()
Jacobs wins MoD cyber-security support contract
The deal with Jacobs will run until November 2027 and will see the company deliver a range of digital and IT specialist professional services to Defence Digital.
-
![Orbit upgrades two multi-purpose terminals and carries out land testing]()
Orbit upgrades two multi-purpose terminals and carries out land testing
The communications company has upgraded two of its Beyond Line-of-Sight Multi-Purpose Terminals (MBTs) by introducing advancements in satellite communication technology and AI-driven maintenance capabilities.
-
![Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg]()
Norway to receive maritime surveillance satellite data from Kongsberg
Norway's Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace has announced that its subsidiary Kongsberg NanoAvionics will produce three satellites and launch them in 2025.
-
![First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched]()
First South Korean 425 Project observation satellite launched
In 2015, South Korea named a consortium of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hanwha Systems, along with Thales Alenia Space providing the SAR payload derived from its HE-R1000 product, as preferred bidder to develop new Korea 425 Project reconnaissance satellites.
