"We came in peace for all mankind."
-Neil Armstrong, July 21, 1969
In his 1966 Hugo-winner The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, sci-fi author Robert Heinlein created a compelling image: a moon-based catapult for transporting mineral resources down to earth being instead used as a weapon, flinging kinetic-energy laden rocks down the gravity well at a domineering home planet.
...the narrator and Professor La Paz, a revolutionary hero and leader, travel to Earth to negotiate independence for Luna, but are rebuffed. They return to the moon, and utilise its position at the top of the Earth's gravity well to drop masses of rock onto targets on all the main land-masses below them.
Fortunately, it's only fiction; such a thing couldn't happen today. Particularly since there is a UN treaty, ratified by 98 countries and signed by an additional 27, whose language ensures that space is reserved exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Right?
To read more of this content at Newsvine, click here.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Canada to Double Defence Spending
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper plans to more than double defense spending over the next two decades to about C$30 billion ($30 billion) a year to increase troops and replace aging equipment.
Canada, benefiting from record prices for commodities, is raising automatic defense spending increases by an annual 2 percent in 2011, from the current pace of 1.5 percent.
``We've built in an escalating budget framework to allow us to replace over the next 20 years the full range of national defense equipment, to rebuild the personnel of the forces,'' Harper told reporters today in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Six of the military's core fleets, including destroyers, frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, fixed-wing and rescue aircraft, fighter aircraft and land combat vehicles, will need to be replaced over the next 20 years, Harper said. That's in addition to new and upgraded equipment purchases already announced, according to the prime minister.
To view more of this content at Bloomberg.com, click here.
Canada, benefiting from record prices for commodities, is raising automatic defense spending increases by an annual 2 percent in 2011, from the current pace of 1.5 percent.
``We've built in an escalating budget framework to allow us to replace over the next 20 years the full range of national defense equipment, to rebuild the personnel of the forces,'' Harper told reporters today in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Six of the military's core fleets, including destroyers, frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, fixed-wing and rescue aircraft, fighter aircraft and land combat vehicles, will need to be replaced over the next 20 years, Harper said. That's in addition to new and upgraded equipment purchases already announced, according to the prime minister.
To view more of this content at Bloomberg.com, click here.
Anti-Stress Dolls Cheer Deployed Troops
A South Carolina grandmother has become a sensation among stressed-out U.S. military men and women around the globe by sending the most incongruous of gifts: pliable, google-eye dolls.
Not that soldiers, Marines and airmen are doing much cuddling with her hand-stitched, foot-tall playthings. Carol Davis' "Dang-it-Dolls" are built to take punishment from homesick, frustrated troops and her work is getting rave reviews.
"The legs are shaped so you can grasp onto them," Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Staub wrote in a recent e-mail recalling her homesick days based in the United Arab Emirates. "It returned with me to the States with an eyeball missing and the stitching around the legs loose with some of the stuffing coming out."
To read more of this content at WTOP News, click here.
Not that soldiers, Marines and airmen are doing much cuddling with her hand-stitched, foot-tall playthings. Carol Davis' "Dang-it-Dolls" are built to take punishment from homesick, frustrated troops and her work is getting rave reviews.
"The legs are shaped so you can grasp onto them," Air Force Staff Sgt. Rachel Staub wrote in a recent e-mail recalling her homesick days based in the United Arab Emirates. "It returned with me to the States with an eyeball missing and the stitching around the legs loose with some of the stuffing coming out."
To read more of this content at WTOP News, click here.
EADS Opening Sourcing Office in India
EADS is opening a sourcing office in India, a part of its commitment to invest $600m in various projects in the country. The office will be based in New Delhi and Bangalore, it said. "Since our first procurement marketing initiatives in India two years ago, the importance of India as a sourcing destination has increased in the field of aerospace and defence," Hans Mundt, chief procurement officer for EADS said in a statement.
EADS is also expanding its engineering centre in Bangalore and will have an integrated technology park in the city by 2010. The EADS investments are a part of the offset for an order of 43 Airbus aircraft by state carrier Indian [IA.UL] in 2006. EADS expects the various projects will generate revenue of $1bn. (Source: Reuters)
Original content from Battlespace.
EADS is also expanding its engineering centre in Bangalore and will have an integrated technology park in the city by 2010. The EADS investments are a part of the offset for an order of 43 Airbus aircraft by state carrier Indian [IA.UL] in 2006. EADS expects the various projects will generate revenue of $1bn. (Source: Reuters)
Original content from Battlespace.
Technology Opportunities in Defence
Despite a growing trend in the west to 'streamline' and 'right-size' armed forces, defence budgets – although subject to some cuts – remain sizeable, particularly in the technology sector. Both the face of the battlefield and styles of engagement have undergone a rapid evolution over the opening years of the 21st century, creating an environment with an ever-growing demand for innovative solutions and defence departments seem more than ready to pay for it.
"The UK Ministry of Defence funds the second largest programme of R&D after the US."In 2007, according to the US National Science Foundation, some $56bn – accounting for around half of all Federal R&D – was funded by the Pentagon, while the White House proposes increasing the military IT budget to $33.3bn for 2009. In Britain too, a similar pattern emerges. Although the UK's military spending per capita ranks sixth in the world, the Ministry of Defence funds the second largest programme of R&D after the US and has an additional annual budget of more than £6bn to procure military technology.
To read more of this content at Army-Technology.com, click here.
"The UK Ministry of Defence funds the second largest programme of R&D after the US."In 2007, according to the US National Science Foundation, some $56bn – accounting for around half of all Federal R&D – was funded by the Pentagon, while the White House proposes increasing the military IT budget to $33.3bn for 2009. In Britain too, a similar pattern emerges. Although the UK's military spending per capita ranks sixth in the world, the Ministry of Defence funds the second largest programme of R&D after the US and has an additional annual budget of more than £6bn to procure military technology.
To read more of this content at Army-Technology.com, click here.
Some New-ish DARPA Goodies
The Washington Post’s Tom Ricks, best known for his scoops from his contacts at the top of the Pentagon food chain and writing excellent books like Fiasco and Making the Corps, gets tech-y today in a small piece buried in the back pages of the Post.
Seems Ricks has been poking around the DARPA Web site, since he highlights a few technologies that the agency has developed which have started to trickle their way onto the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, including DARPA’s Tactical Ground Reporting System (TIGR), which he describes as a “computerized map” on which soldiers “outline the area where they will operate. Then they watch as icons emerge, showing, in grim detail, the lurking dangers.
By clicking on those, they can bring up not only sites of past hostile action but also photos and background on local leaders -- some to see and others to avoid -- videos of hostile and safe places, and reports from previous patrols… ”
To read more of this content at Aviation Week's ARES blog, click here.
Seems Ricks has been poking around the DARPA Web site, since he highlights a few technologies that the agency has developed which have started to trickle their way onto the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, including DARPA’s Tactical Ground Reporting System (TIGR), which he describes as a “computerized map” on which soldiers “outline the area where they will operate. Then they watch as icons emerge, showing, in grim detail, the lurking dangers.
By clicking on those, they can bring up not only sites of past hostile action but also photos and background on local leaders -- some to see and others to avoid -- videos of hostile and safe places, and reports from previous patrols… ”
To read more of this content at Aviation Week's ARES blog, click here.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Ten Best Never-Used Weapon Systems
Ten Best Never-Used Weapon Systems, From the USSR Ekranoplane to the Puckle Gun
1. Ekranoplan
Dubbed the Caspian Sea Monster, the USSR's top-secret ekranoplan skimmed on a pocket of air just above the water's surface and well below radar. Only a handful were built, and the behemoth never made it out of trials.
2. Marine Corps Space Plane
A few years ago, the Marine Corps proposed Sustain — the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion project — which would put boots on the ground anywhere in the world within two hours. It made a great PowerPoint presentation.
3. Atomic Airplane
In the 1950s, a rumor spread that the Soviets were working on a nuclear-powered aircraft. Alarmed, the US rushed to finish its own. The hitch: The crew would be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. One solution offered was to use older pilots.
4. Psychedelics
For years, the US military experimented on its own soldiers with LSD, pot, and 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate, hoping to learn how to give foreign armies a bad trip.
5. Sun Gun
The Nazis developed plans to build a space-based reflector that would redirect sunlight into a devastating heat beam. Allied engineers doubted the Germans could do it. They were right.
To read about the next five at Wired Magazine, click here.
1. Ekranoplan
Dubbed the Caspian Sea Monster, the USSR's top-secret ekranoplan skimmed on a pocket of air just above the water's surface and well below radar. Only a handful were built, and the behemoth never made it out of trials.
2. Marine Corps Space Plane
A few years ago, the Marine Corps proposed Sustain — the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion project — which would put boots on the ground anywhere in the world within two hours. It made a great PowerPoint presentation.
3. Atomic Airplane
In the 1950s, a rumor spread that the Soviets were working on a nuclear-powered aircraft. Alarmed, the US rushed to finish its own. The hitch: The crew would be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. One solution offered was to use older pilots.
4. Psychedelics
For years, the US military experimented on its own soldiers with LSD, pot, and 3-quinuclidinyl benzilate, hoping to learn how to give foreign armies a bad trip.
5. Sun Gun
The Nazis developed plans to build a space-based reflector that would redirect sunlight into a devastating heat beam. Allied engineers doubted the Germans could do it. They were right.
To read about the next five at Wired Magazine, click here.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Future of Military Technology is the Size of a Molecule
Nanoscale materials and components, including some of the tiniest products ever manufactured, have already found their way into communications systems and weapons being used in the war in Iraq. But the role of nanotechnology is still so limited that the Iraq war will more likely be remembered as the last to be fought without its benefits than the first that fully deployed it.
''Most of the materials that would really make a difference are still in the research stage,'' said James Ellenbogen, a nanotechnology analyst for the MITRE Corporation, a leading consultant company for the Defense Department.
To read more of this content at the New York Times, click here.
''Most of the materials that would really make a difference are still in the research stage,'' said James Ellenbogen, a nanotechnology analyst for the MITRE Corporation, a leading consultant company for the Defense Department.
To read more of this content at the New York Times, click here.
Sea Life Being Investigated as Potential Source of New Armour Material
Marine snails, sea urchins, and other animals from the sea are teaching researchers in UC Riverside's Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering how to make the world a better place. Consider, for example, the possibilities of designing a lightweight armor that would protect U.S. soldiers in Iraq from Improvised Explosive Devices. Or, what flexible ceramics might offer industry. Or, how everyone could benefit from new ways of producing and storing energy.
Nature holds these secrets and the answers to the questions that Prof. David Kisailus's research group is learning how to ask. "My hope," Kisailus said, "is that we can truly learn from these organisms how to design, optimize, and synthesize engineering materials that display properties that we as engineers can only dream of."
To read more of this content at Space War's MilTech site, click here.
Nature holds these secrets and the answers to the questions that Prof. David Kisailus's research group is learning how to ask. "My hope," Kisailus said, "is that we can truly learn from these organisms how to design, optimize, and synthesize engineering materials that display properties that we as engineers can only dream of."
To read more of this content at Space War's MilTech site, click here.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Dude, Never Mind Flying Cars, Where's My Flying Humvee?
Editor's Note: The following pair of articles appeared recently on the Social News site Newsvine, prompting Threat Centre personnel to wonder, if we can make a prototype flying car, why can't we make a flying humvee? That would be a novel way of dealing with the IED threat in Iraq.
Is Your Flying Car Just Around the Corner? Part 1: Back to the Retro Future.
Is Your Flying Car Just Around the Corner? Part 2: Gernsback's Revenge.
Is Your Flying Car Just Around the Corner? Part 1: Back to the Retro Future.
Is Your Flying Car Just Around the Corner? Part 2: Gernsback's Revenge.
Successful Test Flight for India's Lakshya Microlight UAV
BALASORE: DEFENCE scientists test-flown an advanced version of pilotless target aircraft (PTA) - Lakshya- from the Chandipur defence base, 15 km from here, on Wednesday.
The indigenously developed microlight unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was flown from the integrated test range (ITR) at about 12 noon.
Defence sources said Lakshya’s trial was undertaken with an improved engine and other sub-systems to check the viability of the improved version of the engine and its duration enhancement. The engine and sub-systems have been developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bangalore, a wing of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the sources informed.
To read more of this content at NewIndPress.Com, click here.
The indigenously developed microlight unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was flown from the integrated test range (ITR) at about 12 noon.
Defence sources said Lakshya’s trial was undertaken with an improved engine and other sub-systems to check the viability of the improved version of the engine and its duration enhancement. The engine and sub-systems have been developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bangalore, a wing of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the sources informed.
To read more of this content at NewIndPress.Com, click here.
Anjani to Supply Lightweight Dyneema Panels for Mine Protection Vehicles
Anjani Technoplast Press Release
New Delhi – Anjani Technoplast of Noida, India, recently won a keenly contested $4.6 million global tender from Ordnance Factory Medak, India, for the supply of lightweight dyneema panels for mine protection vehicles. The dyneema panels have to be supplied before the end of September this year.
With a large number of high-capacity presses and water-jet cutting machines for accurate profile cutting, Anjani is one of the few companies in the world which can execute a project of this size within the timeframe given by Ordnance Factory Medak. Anjani is proud to be a part of this prestigious development project.
Anjani is a leading manufacturer of ballistic protection products and has been actively engaged with various defence organisations in India in developing personal and vehicle armouring solutions for Indian paramilitary, police and defence forces.
For more information on this company:
Anjani Technoplast - Bulletproof Vests, Bulletproof Helmets, Composite Panels, Hard Armour Panels and Bomb Blankets
New Delhi – Anjani Technoplast of Noida, India, recently won a keenly contested $4.6 million global tender from Ordnance Factory Medak, India, for the supply of lightweight dyneema panels for mine protection vehicles. The dyneema panels have to be supplied before the end of September this year.
With a large number of high-capacity presses and water-jet cutting machines for accurate profile cutting, Anjani is one of the few companies in the world which can execute a project of this size within the timeframe given by Ordnance Factory Medak. Anjani is proud to be a part of this prestigious development project.
Anjani is a leading manufacturer of ballistic protection products and has been actively engaged with various defence organisations in India in developing personal and vehicle armouring solutions for Indian paramilitary, police and defence forces.
For more information on this company:
Anjani Technoplast - Bulletproof Vests, Bulletproof Helmets, Composite Panels, Hard Armour Panels and Bomb Blankets
Raytheon Brings 'Iron Man' Suit to Life
"Raytheon is bringing 'Iron Man' to life, according to EETimes. 'The movie opens in theaters worldwide today, but the real "iron man" has already been under construction at Raytheon Company (Salt Lake City, Utah) since 2000. Raytheon's Exoskeleton project is the brainchild of project leader Stephen Jacobsen and is being funded by the U.S. Army. The project, according to the company, permits soldiers to don an Exoskeleton suit that amplifies their strength — enabling them to lift 200-pound payloads without tiring.'"
To read similar content at Slashdot, click here.
Editor's Note: for additional reading, check out Wired's Danger Room article, "How to: Build Your Own Iron Man Armor"
To read similar content at Slashdot, click here.
Editor's Note: for additional reading, check out Wired's Danger Room article, "How to: Build Your Own Iron Man Armor"
India's BEML Opens Office in China
New Delhi, May 1: Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), a defence PSU under the ministry of defence (MoD), has broken new ground by opening an overseas office in Shanghai, China.
BEML, which initially was engaged with earth-moving equipment for construction projects, is also now engaged in rail and metro projects, technological services, contract mining and trading of company products. The office, meant to strengthen BEML’s mining equipment manufacturing operations, was opened on Wednesday in the presence of the Indian Consul General in China.
"By opening up its China office, Bharat Earth Movers Ltd would be sourcing critical components and machinery parts required for the manufacturing of its mining and constructions equipments as also for the manufacture of wagons and railcoaches, taking best advantage of the position of China as the low-cost centre for global outsourcing of engineering parts and aggregates," BEML stated.
To read more of this content at Bengal's Howrah News Service, click here.
BEML, which initially was engaged with earth-moving equipment for construction projects, is also now engaged in rail and metro projects, technological services, contract mining and trading of company products. The office, meant to strengthen BEML’s mining equipment manufacturing operations, was opened on Wednesday in the presence of the Indian Consul General in China.
"By opening up its China office, Bharat Earth Movers Ltd would be sourcing critical components and machinery parts required for the manufacturing of its mining and constructions equipments as also for the manufacture of wagons and railcoaches, taking best advantage of the position of China as the low-cost centre for global outsourcing of engineering parts and aggregates," BEML stated.
To read more of this content at Bengal's Howrah News Service, click here.
BAE Technology May Have Been Compromised, Says Pentagon
A war of words has broken out between BAE Systems and the US government after a report by the Pentagon inspector general found that sensitive weapons technology linked to a major fighter jet programme may have been "compromised" due to allegedly lax oversight by the UK defence company.
The report didn't cite a single instance of leaks from the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, the largest defence project in the world. It is being led by Lockheed Martin, the US defence giant, along with several foreign groups, including BAE. But the report said: "The advanced aviation and weapons technology for the JSF programme may have been compromised by unauthorised access at facilities and in computers at BAE Systems, and incomplete contractor oversight may have increased the risk of unintended or deliberate release of information to foreign competitors."
To read more of this content at The Independent, click here.
The report didn't cite a single instance of leaks from the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme, the largest defence project in the world. It is being led by Lockheed Martin, the US defence giant, along with several foreign groups, including BAE. But the report said: "The advanced aviation and weapons technology for the JSF programme may have been compromised by unauthorised access at facilities and in computers at BAE Systems, and incomplete contractor oversight may have increased the risk of unintended or deliberate release of information to foreign competitors."
To read more of this content at The Independent, click here.
Israeli Defence Minister: Iran Within Two Years of a Nuclear Bomb
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Friday he believed Iran could be within two years of developing a nuclear bomb.
'It's possible that it may take another two years, maybe four ... it's all the same if international pressure and other possibilities don't stop the process,' Barak was quoted as saying in Friday's online edition of the Israeli newspaper the Jediot Achronot.
When asked whether Israel 'was prepared to be alone with the problem,' Barak said, 'The State of Israel is the strongest country in the entire region, even at a range of 1,500 kilometres.'
To read more of this content at Monsters & Critics News, click here.
'It's possible that it may take another two years, maybe four ... it's all the same if international pressure and other possibilities don't stop the process,' Barak was quoted as saying in Friday's online edition of the Israeli newspaper the Jediot Achronot.
When asked whether Israel 'was prepared to be alone with the problem,' Barak said, 'The State of Israel is the strongest country in the entire region, even at a range of 1,500 kilometres.'
To read more of this content at Monsters & Critics News, click here.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
FCS: Costly Weapons Upgrade Faces Big Hurdles
The U.S. Army is in the early stages of developing the most expensive weapons program in its history, but the project could already be in jeopardy because it largely depends on three separate military programs that have been plagued by cost overruns, immature technologies and timetable delays.
At stake is what the Army calls its most ambitious modernization since World War II -- Future Combat Systems, a new generation of weapons, combat vehicles, robots and sensors connected to a wireless network. Imagine, for instance, a battlefield on which soldiers use remote-control devices to position hovering drones over an enemy encampment, then send those coordinates to a box of rockets that can launch and strike a moving target.
It's a costly vision: In the complicated math of the military, the Army said the program will cost $124 billion, or $162 billion including inflation. Independent estimates from the office of the Secretary of Defense price the project at $203 billion to $234 billion.
But none of those figures takes into account the expense of three complementary military programs that are supposed to serve as a critical communications network for Future Combat Systems. The three projects -- the development of high-speed radios, a wireless network and satellites -- are expected to be used by different parts of the military and cost about $80 billion combined, a figure that has risen by about $29 billion in recent years.
To read more of this content at The Washington Post, click here
At stake is what the Army calls its most ambitious modernization since World War II -- Future Combat Systems, a new generation of weapons, combat vehicles, robots and sensors connected to a wireless network. Imagine, for instance, a battlefield on which soldiers use remote-control devices to position hovering drones over an enemy encampment, then send those coordinates to a box of rockets that can launch and strike a moving target.
It's a costly vision: In the complicated math of the military, the Army said the program will cost $124 billion, or $162 billion including inflation. Independent estimates from the office of the Secretary of Defense price the project at $203 billion to $234 billion.
But none of those figures takes into account the expense of three complementary military programs that are supposed to serve as a critical communications network for Future Combat Systems. The three projects -- the development of high-speed radios, a wireless network and satellites -- are expected to be used by different parts of the military and cost about $80 billion combined, a figure that has risen by about $29 billion in recent years.
To read more of this content at The Washington Post, click here
Shuttle Extension Plan Won't Fly With Safety Group
Independent safety experts say it would be dangerous to fly NASA shuttles beyond 2010, and doing so could lengthen a five-year gap in the nation's ability to launch American astronauts, NASA warns.
But some argue the 6,400 job cuts projected for Kennedy Space Center could be reduced by flying shuttles twice a year until replacement rockets and spaceships are ready.
U.S. Reps. Dave Weldon and Tom Feeney say it could be done by giving NASA about $2 billion more a year to pay for the added shuttle flights and speed up development of spacecraft for missions to the moon and Mars.
To read more of this content at Space.Com, click here.
But some argue the 6,400 job cuts projected for Kennedy Space Center could be reduced by flying shuttles twice a year until replacement rockets and spaceships are ready.
U.S. Reps. Dave Weldon and Tom Feeney say it could be done by giving NASA about $2 billion more a year to pay for the added shuttle flights and speed up development of spacecraft for missions to the moon and Mars.
To read more of this content at Space.Com, click here.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Russian Rockets: Reliability Risks?
April 5, 2008: For the third time in two years, a Russian satellite launcher failed to put a foreign satellite into orbit. This time, it got the American AMC-14 satellite most of the way there, but left the bird 8,000 kilometers short of its 36,000 kilometer stationary orbit.
To read more of this content at The Strategy Page, click here.
To read more of this content at The Strategy Page, click here.
Lawsuit Against Lightning Gun Makers Moves Ahead
A law firm representing pissed-off investors in a lightning weapons maker scored what looks like an early victory in a lawsuit against the company. Scott+ Scott LLP announced that a judge rejected an attempt by the company formerly known as Ionatron to dismiss a class action lawsuit claiming officials in the firm knew their anti-IED lighting weapon was little more than jury-rigged mess:
To read more of this content at Wired's Danger Room, click here.
To read more of this content at Wired's Danger Room, click here.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Ruling on sale of Canadarm, Radarsat to U.S. arms-maker delayed 30 days
OTTAWA — The controversy over whether cutting-edge, taxpayer-subsidized Canadian space technology should be sold to an American arms-maker will rage for another month.
Industry Minister Jim Prentice, facing a Saturday deadline to approve or reject the sale of the Radarsat 2 satellite and the iconic Canadarm, has decided to exercise a 30-day extension.
The move delays but does not avert a politically volatile decision over whether to permit Vancouver-based MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX:MDA) to sell its space technology division to Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) of Minneapolis.
ATK is a major contractor to the U.S. military, supplying munitions, mines and booster rockets.
To read more of this content at the Canadian Press, click here.
Industry Minister Jim Prentice, facing a Saturday deadline to approve or reject the sale of the Radarsat 2 satellite and the iconic Canadarm, has decided to exercise a 30-day extension.
The move delays but does not avert a politically volatile decision over whether to permit Vancouver-based MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX:MDA) to sell its space technology division to Alliant Techsystems (NYSE:ATK) of Minneapolis.
ATK is a major contractor to the U.S. military, supplying munitions, mines and booster rockets.
To read more of this content at the Canadian Press, click here.
U.S. Report Details Ray Gun and Microwave Weapons
A ONCE TOP SECRET US Military report on the biological effects of non lethal weaponry has been made public and discloses bizarre plans for "ray guns", laser dazzlers and fever inducing microwave beams.
The report, by US Army Intelligence and Security Command, is called Bioeffects Of Selected Nonlethal Weapons and was released under the US Freedom of Information Act. It deals with subjects like the development of directed energy weapons and "maturing non-lethal technologies" using microwaves, lasers and sound.
To read more of this content at The Inquirer, click here
The report, by US Army Intelligence and Security Command, is called Bioeffects Of Selected Nonlethal Weapons and was released under the US Freedom of Information Act. It deals with subjects like the development of directed energy weapons and "maturing non-lethal technologies" using microwaves, lasers and sound.
To read more of this content at The Inquirer, click here
RFID Tech Turned into Spy Chips for Clandestine Surveillance
March 20, 2008 (Computerworld) An employee looking to steal confidential information from his employer sneaks into what should be a secure back room after hours. He pulls charts and files from a top-level financial meeting and slides them into his briefcase before heading back out.
What the insider doesn't know is that his shoes picked up hundreds of tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) chips that had been scattered across the floor. As he passes by an RFID reader near the front door of his office building, security will be alerted that he had accessed a secure area. The evidence is all over the soles of his shoes.
Sound a little like a scene from a James Bond movie? It's not.
To read more of this content a Computer World, click here.
What the insider doesn't know is that his shoes picked up hundreds of tiny radio frequency identification (RFID) chips that had been scattered across the floor. As he passes by an RFID reader near the front door of his office building, security will be alerted that he had accessed a secure area. The evidence is all over the soles of his shoes.
Sound a little like a scene from a James Bond movie? It's not.
To read more of this content a Computer World, click here.
Israel to Equip Airliners With Rocket Defence System
(Canadian Press) JERUSALEM — Defence officials say Israel will begin outfitting some of its passenger aircraft with rocket defence systems within weeks.
The plans have been in the works since 2002, when an Israeli passenger jet was targeted after takeoff by militants firing rockets in Mombasa, Kenya.
The rockets missed, but the attack spurred Israel to consider equipping passenger aircraft with defence systems similar to those already used by the air force.
The officials say the system fires flares that disrupt an incoming rocket's heat-seeking mechanism.
It will be installed first on airplanes flying to destinations considered dangerous, especially in Africa and parts of Asia.
The officials say the plans were held up until this month by arguments between government ministries over who would foot the bill.
The plans have been in the works since 2002, when an Israeli passenger jet was targeted after takeoff by militants firing rockets in Mombasa, Kenya.
The rockets missed, but the attack spurred Israel to consider equipping passenger aircraft with defence systems similar to those already used by the air force.
The officials say the system fires flares that disrupt an incoming rocket's heat-seeking mechanism.
It will be installed first on airplanes flying to destinations considered dangerous, especially in Africa and parts of Asia.
The officials say the plans were held up until this month by arguments between government ministries over who would foot the bill.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Invisible Cloak
Black is getting blacker.
Researchers in New York reported this month that they have created a paper-thin material that absorbs 99.955 percent of the light that hits it, making it by far the darkest substance ever made -- about 30 times as dark as the government's current standard for blackest black.
The material, made of hollow fibers, is a Roach Motel for photons -- light checks in, but it never checks out. By voraciously sucking up all surrounding illumination, it can give those who gaze on it a dizzying sensation of nothingness.
"It's very deep, like in a forest on the darkest night," said Shawn-Yu Lin, a scientist who helped create the material at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. "Nothing comes back to you. It's very, very, very dark."
But scientists are not satisfied. Using other new materials, some are trying to manufacture rudimentary Harry Potter-like cloaks that make objects inside of them literally invisible under the right conditions -- the pinnacle of stealthy technology.
To read more of this content at the Washington Post, click here
here
Researchers in New York reported this month that they have created a paper-thin material that absorbs 99.955 percent of the light that hits it, making it by far the darkest substance ever made -- about 30 times as dark as the government's current standard for blackest black.
The material, made of hollow fibers, is a Roach Motel for photons -- light checks in, but it never checks out. By voraciously sucking up all surrounding illumination, it can give those who gaze on it a dizzying sensation of nothingness.
"It's very deep, like in a forest on the darkest night," said Shawn-Yu Lin, a scientist who helped create the material at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. "Nothing comes back to you. It's very, very, very dark."
But scientists are not satisfied. Using other new materials, some are trying to manufacture rudimentary Harry Potter-like cloaks that make objects inside of them literally invisible under the right conditions -- the pinnacle of stealthy technology.
To read more of this content at the Washington Post, click here
here
BEML displays new technology driven products at DEFEXPO 2008
Land and ground support equipments major Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) has displayed an array of technology-driven products at the Defence Exposition (DEFEXPO) 2008 here. From its wide range of products, the company displayed a command post vehicle, BEML-Tatra driving simulator, armoured recovery vehicle, aircraft-towing tractor and weapon loading system (BHIMA) at the Feb 16-19 DEFEXPO at Pragati Maidan.
To read more of this content, click here
To read more of this content, click here
Stealth Fleet Grounded
America's entire B-2 stealth bombing fleet, which has played a crucial part in all major conflicts since 1999, has been grounded after one of the jets crashed near a military base in Guam.
The crash - the first involving the £610 million plane - was the most expensive single aircraft accident in history.
A senior US military source told The Sunday Telegraph that all remaining B-2 stealth bombers were on a "no-fly" order and that there would be no further take-offs until the initial investigation into the crash had been completed.
To read more of this content at The Daily Telegraph, click here.
The crash - the first involving the £610 million plane - was the most expensive single aircraft accident in history.
A senior US military source told The Sunday Telegraph that all remaining B-2 stealth bombers were on a "no-fly" order and that there would be no further take-offs until the initial investigation into the crash had been completed.
To read more of this content at The Daily Telegraph, click here.
First-Ever B2 Crash
The first ever crash of a U.S. Air Force B-2 occurred this morning at 10:30 local time shortly after the stealthy bomber took off at Andersen AFB, Guam.
No munitions were onboard the B-2, which was manufactured by Northrop Grumman, at the time of the crash, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Both pilots ejected prior to the crash and survived. One has been released and the other is in stable condition at Guam Naval Hospital.
To read more of this content at the ARES Aviation Week Blog, click here.
No munitions were onboard the B-2, which was manufactured by Northrop Grumman, at the time of the crash, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Both pilots ejected prior to the crash and survived. One has been released and the other is in stable condition at Guam Naval Hospital.
To read more of this content at the ARES Aviation Week Blog, click here.
Cyber-Terror: Behind the Keyboard With Hassan Abu-jihaad
If appearance matters, Hassan Abu-jihaad is an improbable holy warrior.
His demeanor has been painfully meek during the legal proceedings leading up to his trial Monday in federal court in New Haven, where he is charged with transmitting military secrets to terrorists. Mostly, he has been a bewildered-looking man in an oversize prison jumpsuit.
Little is known about him. He was born Paul R. Hall and lived in Southern California. He converted to Islam, changed his name and joined the Navy. Later, he would be recorded by the FBI laughing with a friend at an al-Qaida propaganda video showing an insurgent known as the Juba sniper killing American soldiers in Iraq.
To read more of this content at the Courant.Com, click here
His demeanor has been painfully meek during the legal proceedings leading up to his trial Monday in federal court in New Haven, where he is charged with transmitting military secrets to terrorists. Mostly, he has been a bewildered-looking man in an oversize prison jumpsuit.
Little is known about him. He was born Paul R. Hall and lived in Southern California. He converted to Islam, changed his name and joined the Navy. Later, he would be recorded by the FBI laughing with a friend at an al-Qaida propaganda video showing an insurgent known as the Juba sniper killing American soldiers in Iraq.
To read more of this content at the Courant.Com, click here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
