DARPA developmentsDARPA can help slumping U.S. economy

Since we are talking about DARPA, here are two recent stories:

Helicopter protection
DARPA has contracted Cambridge, Massachusetts-based BBN Technologies to continue development of a small arms countermeasure for helicopters. BBN was awarded $1.4 million in new funding from DARPA to demonstrate that its Boomerang shooter technology can be integrated into Blackhawk helicopters.

With the loud operation of a helicopter in flight, troops are often vulnerable to ground fire. Originally designed to help protect the U.S. military’s ground vehicles from enemy fire in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Boomerang acoustically detects the firing of small arms, giving troops a chance to react to the incoming threat. “The goal here is to give helicopter crews the same critical seconds that our Boomerang shooter detection system provides for troops on the ground, because those seconds can save lives by giving them time to respond appropriately,” Tad Elmer, BBN chief executive officer and president, said in a statement (see 24 January 2009 HS Daily Wire).

DARPA, In-Q-Tel should expand efforts for U.S.
DARPA should be used in expanded ways to help the U.S. economy and American society, an official of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) wrote to President Obama. In an open letter to Obama published in Aviation Week & Space Technology, Pedro Rustan wrote that “Expanding this entrepreneurial and innovative agency’s role beyond traditional defense-related industries will help you rebuild the U.S. economy and create jobs.”