International Military Discussion

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member_20067
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by member_20067 »

Internet and Media is buzzed with the story of first female fighter pilot from UAE participating in raids against ISIS ---- keeping the obvious propaganda part aside--- looks refreshing to see UAE allowing female fighter pilots---- I thought that part of the world does not even allow females to drive a car...!!

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Austin
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Austin »

^^ Hopefully we would see Indian Female Jocks piloting a fighter some day.

Egypt reportedly orders S-300VM
Egypt has entered into an agreement to buy S-300VM long-range air defence systems for about USD500 million from Russia, the Russian business daily Vedomosti reported on 23 September, citing unidentified defence industry officials and a source close to the leadership of the state arms export agency Rosoboronexport.

The Vedomosti report came after St Petersburg's Fontanka newspaper reported on 11 September that the city's Kirov factory had an order to build 22 of the tracked vehicles used with the S-300VM system for an unidentified foreign customer. It published photographs showing one of the vehicles painted in a desert colour, although another was painted green. The GM-830 chassis is only used to carry the S-300V series.

Alexander Fomin, the head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, suggested that no such contract had been finalised when he said Cairo and Moscow had reached a preliminary agreement for a USD3.5 billion defence deal.

While Fomin provided no details of the deal, Egyptian officials have previously said they were interested in obtaining more air defence equipment from Russia. The Egyptian military already operates Russian/Soviet-made 2K12 Kub, S-125 Pechora-2M, Buk-M1-2 and Tor-M1 air defence systems, but does not have a long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM).

Also known as the Antey-2500, the S-300VM is the current export version of a family of air defence systems developed in parallel with the S-300P series. It can use two different missiles, one for intercepting medium-range ballistic missiles, the other for air-breathing targets.

Its manufacturer, Almaz Antey, says it can destroy all types of aircraft, including those with very low radar cross sections, cruise missiles, and tactical and medium-range ballistic missiles. It can simultaneously engage up to four targets out to a maximum range of 200 km and altitude of 25,000 m.

However, the S-300VM has not sold as well as the S-300P series, with Venezuela being the only known export customer.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by member_20067 »

Austin wrote:^^ Hopefully we would see Indian Female Jocks piloting a fighter some day.

Egypt reportedly orders S-300VM
Egypt has entered into an agreement to buy S-300VM long-range air defence systems for about USD500 million from Russia, the Russian business daily Vedomosti reported on 23 September, citing unidentified defence industry officials and a source close to the leadership of the state arms export agency Rosoboronexport.

The Vedomosti report came after St Petersburg's Fontanka newspaper reported on 11 September that the city's Kirov factory had an order to build 22 of the tracked vehicles used with the S-300VM system for an unidentified foreign customer. It published photographs showing one of the vehicles painted in a desert colour, although another was painted green. The GM-830 chassis is only used to carry the S-300V series.

Alexander Fomin, the head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, suggested that no such contract had been finalised when he said Cairo and Moscow had reached a preliminary agreement for a USD3.5 billion defence deal.

While Fomin provided no details of the deal, Egyptian officials have previously said they were interested in obtaining more air defence equipment from Russia. The Egyptian military already operates Russian/Soviet-made 2K12 Kub, S-125 Pechora-2M, Buk-M1-2 and Tor-M1 air defence systems, but does not have a long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM).

Also known as the Antey-2500, the S-300VM is the current export version of a family of air defence systems developed in parallel with the S-300P series. It can use two different missiles, one for intercepting medium-range ballistic missiles, the other for air-breathing targets.

Its manufacturer, Almaz Antey, says it can destroy all types of aircraft, including those with very low radar cross sections, cruise missiles, and tactical and medium-range ballistic missiles. It can simultaneously engage up to four targets out to a maximum range of 200 km and altitude of 25,000 m.

However, the S-300VM has not sold as well as the S-300P series, with Venezuela being the only known export customer.
500 Million seems to be too low for such a system...
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by NRao »

Much discussion on 5th gen, F-22/F-35/J-31/PAK-FA/AMCA/etc

March 6, 2014 :: The Top-Secret Aircraft That Roamed the Skies Over Area 51

A small write-up, followed by a UT (note towards the end the off shoots):

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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

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An illustrated guide to the Atomic Bombs
By Ryan Crierie

NOTES: A large number of these photos were assembled from the RG-77-BT collection in the Still Photo collection of the National Archives II building in College Park, MD.
http://www.alternatewars.com/Bomb_Loadi ... _Guide.htm

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“Thin Man” Plutonium Gun Type Bomb Casings in 1944. In the background you can see “Fat Man” casings. It is unknown whether they are the early Model 1222 “Fat Man” casings, which required 1,200 bolts to assemble, or the later Model 1561 casings which were substantially easier to assemble and which were used for the production versions.

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Implosion Sphere for Fat Man nearly assembled and about to be placed inside it's casing.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by rkhanna »

Interesting Read. How France defeated the Insurgents in Mali

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/doe ... isis-11337
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

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Germany's sorry state of military - after spending $40 Billion

http://online.wsj.com/articles/despite- ... 1411948771

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschla ... 87940.html

If Germany cannot afford to keep enough numbers available after spending in 'local' currency then how will our EURO imports fare?
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Post by Austin »

Pentagon: Russia and China want the revision of the world order that has been established over the past 70 years
China and Russia want to reconsider the world order established after the Second World War, but they should know that the United States can respond to the threat to its allies by military means. This was announced on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Defense Bob Vork, speaking at the American Council on Foreign Relations.

"Firstly, it is absolutely clear that these two countries (China and Russia) are strengthening their positions close to their borders. And it's one of the things on which we (USA) have to work the next few years in terms of what areas they feel they have vital "- said Vork.

According to him, Washington must find ways to ensure that the intent of Beijing and Moscow "will not lead them to the use of force, which will require from us (USA) response to the use of military force." "We have to figure it out and be sure that Russia and China feel safe in their communities," - he added.

According to the deputy minister, "the two countries just believe that some aspects of the world order that has been established over the past 70 years, they would like to change." "It requires close attention. At the strategic level (must specify), we're going to work with two very strong regional powers right now, "- said Vork.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

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Planet Labs

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What if you could take a high-resolution picture of the entire planet, every single day?

Would you monitor melting polar ice caps? Fight wildfires? Offer targeted aid in the aftermath of natural disasters?

Planet Labs, a San Francisco-based startup that has already launched more than 70 satellites into space, wants to find out.

Founded by a team of former NASA scientists, who launched the project in a Silicon Valley garage, Planet Labs is working toward that goal -- one tiny, low-cost satellite at a time.

Or, one flock of doves, if you prefer.

"We call our satellites 'Doves,' because they're on a humanitarian mission," says Will Marshall, Planet Labs’ co-founder and CEO. He and his co-founders met at a U.N. conference on using space exploration to improve life on Earth.

"We can monitor deforestation and urban sprawl, or provide insights for disaster management or help with agriculture,” Marshall says. “In general, (data from the satellites) allow us to see how our planet changes on a daily basis. We also hope it will change the way humans view their planet."

Planet Labs' commercial clients pay those Doves' way into space, deploying them for projects such as Internet mapping, agriculture monitoring and location-based services. Because the cube-shaped satellites -- or CubeSats -- are so small, Planet is able to launch them cheaply, sometimes hitching a ride on other companies' spacecraft.

In February, a group of the satellites -- each one is just 1 foot long, 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall -- was released from the International Space Station.

Major cities in the industrialized world are already well-documented via satellites. But many of the planet’s remote areas are not, because no one's had a reason or a financial incentive to do so.

By going smaller, faster and cheaper, Planet Labs believes it could be the one to change that. Although it won’t reveal exact figures, its shoe-box-sized satellites are much less expensive than NASA’s, which can cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

As it captures more and more imagery, Planet Labs plans to make the resulting data available to developers it hopes will find creative new uses for that information.

It's a natural union of space researchers and the computer-data communities, which was bound to happen as more and more private enterprises are entering space, says Planet Labs spokeswoman Shannon Spanhake.

"It's a really exciting time as these two worlds are being brought together," she says. "We're definitely not the only ones doing this. It's like this space renaissance is happening."
Last edited by NRao on 03 Oct 2014 02:04, edited 1 time in total.
Karan M
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Karan M »

nik wrote:Germany's sorry state of military - after spending $40 Billion

http://online.wsj.com/articles/despite- ... 1411948771

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschla ... 87940.html

If Germany cannot afford to keep enough numbers available after spending in 'local' currency then how will our EURO imports fare?
I remember attending some event where a self proclaimed India's foremost expert on offsets and procurement was going on and on about how professional European military's were in procurement and sustainment plus cited the EF as a perfect example of globalisation, Joint effort etc. oh well...
Karan M
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Karan M »

nik wrote:Germany's sorry state of military - after spending $40 Billion

http://online.wsj.com/articles/despite- ... 1411948771

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschla ... 87940.html

If Germany cannot afford to keep enough numbers available after spending in 'local' currency then how will our EURO imports fare?
I remember attending some event where a self proclaimed India's foremost expert on offsets and procurement was going on and on about how professional European military's were in procurement and sustainment plus cited the EF as a perfect example of globalisation, Joint effort etc. oh well...
member_20067
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by member_20067 »

nik wrote:Germany's sorry state of military - after spending $40 Billion

http://online.wsj.com/articles/despite- ... 1411948771

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschla ... 87940.html

If Germany cannot afford to keep enough numbers available after spending in 'local' currency then how will our EURO imports fare?
Who will attack Germany? Russia..? I mean Western European Countries just don't have natural conventional enemy--who are going to launch an attack --- the economic reality is different-- Russian ruble is a mess.. notwithstanding Putin's show of force..--- plus NATO is a powerful deterrent. India does not have that luxury... Europe's biggest threat is internal security ... radicalization--- so I guess they have priorities on intelligence and counter terrorism more than buying subs and fighters
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by NRao »

nik wrote:Germany's sorry state of military - after spending $40 Billion

http://online.wsj.com/articles/despite- ... 1411948771

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschla ... 87940.html

If Germany cannot afford to keep enough numbers available after spending in 'local' currency then how will our EURO imports fare?
I think this is an impact on their secondary/tertiary systems, not their core stuff. ????? And it is an issue of funds, not something else.

The gripe against the Germans has always been that they under spend (1.3% vs. the NATO required 2.0%).

India should be fine in the def sector. IF at all funding shortages may come up elsewhere.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by NRao »

Who will attack Germany?
That is not the point (although it makes perfect sense). NATO has certain expectations and that has not changed: 1.3 vs. 2.0% spending. That generates a certain set of discussions.

In addition, in recent times, the Germans (like India) want to be a global player. The concerns that are arising in the press are those that are typically related to such global issues. Planes headed to Africa being grounded, planes to Iraq not having permissions, delivery of arms to Kurds not reaching on time, plane picking up Germans from A'stan being grounded, etc. This too is mostly due to funding.

Undercurrent - as far as Germany is concerned - has always been underspending. IF they were to spend the expected 2.0% things should smooth out - some new problems may arise, but that is to be expected.

But funding is the issue.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

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Karan M wrote: I remember attending some event where a self proclaimed India's foremost expert on offsets and procurement was going on and on about how professional European military's were in procurement and sustainment plus cited the EF as a perfect example of globalisation, Joint effort etc. oh well...
that is bull of the highest order, EF2K is an exampleof how Not to run a fighter program. Only the JSF rival this as a bigger Cluster ****... Germany and most other European nations have pared their forces to the bone, they dont have economy of scale. Even though they are dependant on uncle for everything, they still dont have enough to equip the troops
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Iran's Ya Ali cruise missile can be air-launched

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Iran's 700 km range Ya Ali cruise missile can be air-launched, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force stated on 28 August. Iran has also developed "another land-based cruise missile", he added.

First unveiled at an exhibition in May, the Ya Ali was originally described as a ground-launched system.

In its displayed form, the missile has a number of unusual features. Its wings, which are located about half-way along the fuselage, are slightly swept, but seem to be fixed rather than being folding, while the tail-mounted booster section is also winged. It is not clear why the booster requires wings, but like the wings on the missile fuselage, these features would prevent it from being launched from a storage container.
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Post by John »

Bell IA 407 was shot down in Iraq with a Manpad.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/world ... .html?_r=0
Islamic State fighters apparently used a shoulder-fired missile on Wednesday morning to bring down the helicopter, which was on a surveillance mission northeast of Baiji, a town about 120 miles north of Baghdad and the site of the country’s largest oil refinery, officials said. The Associated Press reported that the aircraft was a Bell 407, primarily used for surveillance.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Singha »

http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2014 ... /guns-hire

a fascinating article on the australian pvt security contractor industry
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

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It has come out recently that Apache copters saved Baghdad airport. How can this be? ISIS has manpads, the bane of copters existence. The answer is that copters work both ways. just as it is sheer folly to send copters against a well armed dug in enemy, it is also folly for an enemy to send a deep thrust into copter defended territory. The Apaches knew ISIS was coming down the main highway chasing the collapsing Iraqi military to Baghdad. In the fog of war ISIS could not see the copters waiting for them but the copters could see ISIS. They then put the 30 mm chain guns to work along with hellfire missiles. ISIS never saw it coming and the highway was turned into a meat grinder. No manpad problems. Baghdad airport was saved.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by member_23370 »

Too early to say Baghdad or Kobane is safe. Qatar, Saudi and UAE keep these ******** well funded. The trio along with turkey have to be dealt with before ISIS is eliminated.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

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TSJones wrote:It has come out recently that Apache copters saved Baghdad airport. How can this be? ISIS has manpads, the bane of copters existence. The answer is that copters work both ways. just as it is sheer folly to send copters against a well armed dug in enemy, it is also folly for an enemy to send a deep thrust into copter defended territory. The Apaches knew ISIS was coming down the main highway chasing the collapsing Iraqi military to Baghdad. In the fog of war ISIS could not see the copters waiting for them but the copters could see ISIS. They then put the 30 mm chain guns to work along with hellfire missiles. ISIS never saw it coming and the highway was turned into a meat grinder. No manpad problems. Baghdad airport was saved.
How many AH-64's have been lost to MANPADS using IR targeting throughout the helicopters operational life?

http://www.gizmag.com/go/7461/ ;)
http://www.terma.com/media/90427/terma_ ... y_2006.pdf
http://investor.northropgrumman.com/pho ... highlight=
TSJones
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by TSJones »

brar_w wrote:
TSJones wrote:It has come out recently that Apache copters saved Baghdad airport. How can this be? ISIS has manpads, the bane of copters existence. The answer is that copters work both ways. just as it is sheer folly to send copters against a well armed dug in enemy, it is also folly for an enemy to send a deep thrust into copter defended territory. The Apaches knew ISIS was coming down the main highway chasing the collapsing Iraqi military to Baghdad. In the fog of war ISIS could not see the copters waiting for them but the copters could see ISIS. They then put the 30 mm chain guns to work along with hellfire missiles. ISIS never saw it coming and the highway was turned into a meat grinder. No manpad problems. Baghdad airport was saved.
How many AH-64's have been lost to MANPADS using IR targeting throughout the helicopters operational life?

http://www.gizmag.com/go/7461/ ;)
http://www.terma.com/media/90427/terma_ ... y_2006.pdf
http://investor.northropgrumman.com/pho ... highlight=
...also dig this.... from the all knowing, all seeing wiki:
The AH-64E Apache has the ability to control unmanned aerial vehicles, used by the U.S. Army to perform aerial scouting missions previously performed by the OH-58 Kiowa. Apaches can request to take control of an RQ-7 Shadow or MQ-1C Grey Eagle from ground control stations to safely scout via datalink communications. There are four levels of UAV interoperability (LOI): LOI 1 indirectly receives payload data; LOI 2 receives payload data through direct communication; LOI 3 deploys the UAV's armaments; and LOI 4 takes over flight control. UAVs can search for enemies and, if equipped with a laser designator, target them for the Apache or other friendly aircraft.[69][70
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Post by Philip »

Rogue op?

http://rt.com/usa/195664-navy-directora ... ct-trials/

Clandestine Navy directorate's officers go on trial over secret weapons program
Published time: October 13, 2014

Trials are set to begin this month for two men accused of conspiring to manufacture untraceable automatic-rifle silencers for a clandestine Navy office. The directorate is suspected of running a secret weapons program.

A little-known Navy intelligence office at the Pentagon called the Directorate for Plans, Policy, Oversight and Integration paid $1.6 million for 349 silencers from a hot-rod auto mechanic in California ‒ who is the brother of the directorate’s boss, according to charging documents. The untraceable weapons attachments cost only $10,000 in parts and labor to manufacture.

“According to the records that have been made public, the crux of the case is whether the silencers were properly purchased for an authorized secret mission or were assembled for a rogue operation,” the Washington Post’s Craig Whitlock reported.
‘Wanna-be spook-cops’

The directorate has fewer than 10 civilian employees, most of whom are retired military personnel. Its mission is to provide back-office support and oversight for Navy and Marine intelligence operations. But at some point, prosecutors say, the office shifted into a grey area of “wanna-be spook-cops,” a former senior Navy official familiar with the investigation told the Post.

“I know it sounds goofy, but it was like they were building their own mini law enforcement and intelligence agency,” he added.


A former senior Defense Department official agreed with that assessment.

“By design, that office is supposed to do a little more than policy and programmatic oversight,” the former defense official said. “But something happened and it lost its way. It became a case of the fox guarding the henhouse, and I suspect deeper issues might be in play.”
No-bid contract for untraceable silencers

In March, prosecutors charged Lee Hall, 52, of northern Virginia, and Mark Landersman, 53, of California, with conspiracy to illegally manufacture firearms, transport unregistered firearms in interstate commerce and commit mail fraud. Hall was also charged with theft of government money, according to a Justice Department statement.

Based on the recommendation of David W. Landersman, the senior director for the Navy office, Hall, a directorate employee, initiated a no-bid (or single source) contract with Landersman’s company, Advanced Machining and Engineering (AME), for the purchase of the silencers, which AME was not licensed to manufacture or sell. The attachments were manufactured and shipped without serial numbers, according to court records.

Prosecutors have said the silencers were acquired for a highly secretive military operation codenamed UPSTAIRS. The only information about the “special access program” in the prosecution’s court papers is that a directorate official told an unnamed witness that the silencers were intended for Navy SEAL Team 6, the elite commando unit that killed Osama bin Laden. But representatives for SEAL Team 6 told federal investigators they had not ordered the silencers and did not know anything about them, according to the court papers, the Post reported.
The badge that sparked an investigation

The investigation into the contract began in January 2013 when a directorate official Tedd Shellenbarger, showed up at a Defense Intelligence Agency office in Arlington and asked for a badge that would allow him to carry weapons on military property, according to prosecutorial statements. The request ‒ which raised suspicious because the Navy office dealt primarily with policy matters and lacked law enforcement powers ‒ prompted Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) to obtain a warrant to search the directorate’s offices at the Pentagon. Agents found badge materials and other documentation that led them to broaden their investigation, the Post reported.

As NCIS delved deeper into the directorate’s workings, the Navy’s investigative arm discovered emails and a paper trail pertaining to the $1.6 million, no-bid contract to buy the silencers from Landersman.
Destruction of evidence

The trials have been made more convoluted by the destruction of potential evidence. At a pretrial hearing, one of Mark Landersman’s defense attorneys accused the Navy of impeding the investigation by destroying a secret stash of automatic rifles that the silencers were designed to fit. Indeed, a stockpile of 1,600 AK-47-style rifles (collected overseas and stored in Pennsylvania) were destroyed, the Post reported. Those weapons, along with the untraceable silencers, could have been used by American or foreign forces without being linked to the United States, one source said.

Hall’s lawyers have also complained about the destruction of evidence, after two Navy security officers testified that they burned directorate papers in November 2013, just three days after Whitlock’s first article on the investigation was published. Francine Cox, one of the security officers, acknowledged that she was aware the Navy directorate was under scrutiny and that she had read the Post article shortly before burning the documents. But she said she did not think the papers were important.

“I didn’t think the information we had was pertinent,” Cox testified at a pretrial hearing in July. “If you don’t tell me to hold onto something, I don’t have to hold onto it.”

Hall said the burned documents were crucial to his defense, as they included handwritten notes and other papers showing he received approval for the purchase of the silencers from an undersecretary of the Navy.

“My notes would show I acted in good faith,” Hall testified at the July hearing.

District Court Judge Leonie M. Brinkema refused to drop the charges against the directorate employee, but chastised the Navy for destroying the documents.

“I don’t find any nefarious evidence, or evidence of bad intent, but it sure does look to the court like negligence,” she said.
Other conspirators?

So far, Hall and Mark Landersman are the only two who have been charged. Prosecutors have referred to David Landersman in court papers as a conspirator in the case, but he has not been charged. Shellenbarger and three other directorate officials were placed on leave due to the badge incident, but have not been indicted. Shellenbarger has cooperated with the investigation and may be called as a witness in Hall’s trial. He has since returned to work for the department.

Another Hall witness may be Robert C. Martinage, a former acting undersecretary of the Navy, who reportedly gave Hall verbal approval for the secret program. Martinage was forced to resign in January after investigators uncovered evidence that he engaged in personal misconduct unrelated to ‒ but discovered during ‒ the investigation into the silencers.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by TSJones »

This article seems to think the Apaches are doomed ISIS meat:

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/islami ... e99fca1611

I hope the Apaches who are working over Anbar province even as I write this message know the danger they are in according to this arrticle.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Singha »

the ISIS have nothing to detect, track and target the Apaches at night which I think is when they will mostly operate.
neither can they even see the loitering drones at 20,000ft armed with hellfires.

ofcourse they might try to play a smart game and bait the apaches using toyota convoys carrying manpads rather than HMGs....there is always a risk, but is very hard for a fast flying apache to be tracked by a manpad shooter accurately enough to get a lock when he is bouncing around the back of a moving truck.
they dont have the stabilized power operated humraam kind of kit.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by SaiK »

Image
1. spot yourself in this picture.
2. what do you think is the temperature at the point where this picture is taken from?
3. name the objects you see in the pic.

:)
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Shalav »

^^^ Cassini's picture of the Earth from Saturn, its rings are in the picture. Venus and Mars are missing in that cropped image.


writeup: http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/november ... D3Ae-dN2E8

image: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/pia17172
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Nikhil T »

Groundbreaking! This could end up powering our cities and ships in the future!

Lockheed Martin says makes breakthrough on fusion energy project
(Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp said on Wednesday it had made a technological breakthrough in developing a power source based on nuclear fusion, and the first reactors, small enough to fit on the back of a truck, could be ready for use in a decade.

Tom McGuire, who heads the project, said he and a small team had been working on fusion energy at Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works for about four years, but were now going public to find potential partners in industry and government for their work.

Initial work demonstrated the feasibility of building a 100-megawatt reactor measuring seven feet by 10 feet, which could fit on the back of a large truck, and is about 10 times smaller than current reactors, McGuire told reporters.

In a statement, the company, the Pentagon's largest supplier, said it would build and test a compact fusion reactor in less than a year, and build a prototype in five years.

In recent years, Lockheed has gotten increasingly involved in a variety of alternate energy projects, including several ocean energy projects, as it looks to offset a decline in U.S. and European military spending.

Lockheed's work on fusion energy could help in developing new power sources amid increasing global conflicts over energy, and as projections show there will be a 40 percent to 50 percent increase in energy use over the next generation, McGuire said.

If it proves feasible, Lockheed's work would mark a key breakthrough in a field that scientists have long eyed as promising, but which has not yet yielded viable power systems. The effort seeks to harness the energy released during nuclear fusion, when atoms combine into more stable forms.

"We can make a big difference on the energy front," McGuire said, noting Lockheed's 60 years of research on nuclear fusion as a potential energy source that is safer and more efficient than current reactors based on nuclear fission.

Lockheed sees the project as part of a comprehensive approach to solving global energy and climate change problems.

Compact nuclear fusion would produce far less waste than coal-powered plants since it would use deuterium-tritium fuel, which can generate nearly 10 million times more energy than the same amount of fossil fuels, the company said.

Ultra-dense deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen, is found in the earth's oceans, and tritium is made from natural lithium deposits.

It said future reactors could use a different fuel and eliminate radioactive waste completely.

McGuire said the company had several patents pending for the work and was looking for partners in academia, industry and among government laboratories to advance the work.

Lockheed said it had shown it could complete a design, build and test it in as little as a year, which should produce an operational reactor in 10 years, McGuire said. A small reactor could power a U.S. Navy warship, and eliminate the need for other fuel sources that pose logistical challenges.

U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers run on nuclear power, but they have large fission reactors on board that have to be replaced on a regular cycle.

"What makes our project really interesting and feasible is that timeline as a potential solution," McGuire said.

Lockheed shares fell 0.6 percent to $175.02 amid a broad market selloff.
TSJones
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by TSJones »

....that Lockheed..what an F troop they are....build short stubby aircraft and now miniature fusion power plants...and expensive space capsules/vehicles....why don't they just hang their heads in shame or something?
alexis
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by alexis »

^^^
If this comes to fruition, a lot of problems in the world can be solved!
Prem
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Prem »

Secretive X-37B space plane returns to Earth, two years on
http://www.cnet.com/news/secretive-x-37 ... -years-on/
The intriguingly long mission of the unmanned X-37B has come to a conclusion at last. But the mystery of the mission lingers on.

The US Air Force space plane, one of just two X-37B vehicles in the Pentagon's inventory, landed Friday morning under the auspices of the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California after 674 days in space -- that is, 22 months.And that's about all that the space plane's handlers would say about the mission, aside from the terse statement that it "conducted on-orbit experiments.""The mission is our longest to date and we're pleased with the incremental progress we've seen in our testing of the reusable space plane," the Air Force said in a statement.The Air Force has said precious little -- ever -- about its X-37B missions, leading to wide-ranging speculation about what the diminutive space vehicle has been up to up there, or is building toward. Theories hit on everything from terrestrial surveillance to satellite launches (or, conversely, satellite killing) to weapons platform aimed at ground targets.The boilerplate description on the Air Force's fact sheet is not exactly illuminating: "The primary objectives of the X-37B are twofold: reusable spacecraft technologies for America's future in space and operating experiments which can be returned to, and examined, on Earth.Measuring 29 feet long, with a wingspan of less than 15 feet and a cargo bay equivalent to that of a pickup truck, the 11,000-pound X-37B looks like a junior version of NASA's space shuttles. That's not really a coincidence, since both trace their roots to the space agency's research into lifting-body flying machines. In fact, the X-37B program was a NASA project until 2004, before it was shifted first to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and then on to the Air Force.This was the third spaceflight of an X-37B, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, since missions began five years ago. The first, which ended in December 2010, lasted 224 days, and the second, which ended in June 2012, endured for 469 days, or a year and four months.This latest mission began December 11, 2012, when an Atlas V rocket carrying the space plane lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.There are two OTV craft in the X-37B fleet. The one that flew on the just-ended mission is OTV-1, which also carried out the first of the flights to date. Confusingly the numbers in the the OT-x designations seem to be used loosely both for the spacecraft (-1 and -2) and for the missions (-1, -2, and now -3).But the flights of the X-37B -- however many eventually take place -- could just be the groundwork for the next generation of space plane.In July, DARPA took a first step back into the game, announcing the start of design work toward the XS-1, which also would be a reusable unmanned vehicle for "aircraft-like access to space." The agency didn't mind mentioning potential payloads: "XS-1 seeks to deploy small satellites faster and more affordably, and develop technology for next-generation hypersonic vehicles."
TSJones
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by TSJones »

Dedicated comet spotting program in Australia shut down. NASA cut funds last year so OZ shut it down. Not worth it anymore apparently....

http://nasawatch.com/archives/2014/10/e ... et-hu.html
kit
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by kit »

http://investing.businessweek.com/resea ... Id=1828859


Israel Government in 2015 will seek to sell a minority stake in Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., Israel Railways Corporation Ltd., Israel Electric Corporation Limited, Mekorot Water Co. Ltd., The Israel Postal Company Ltd., Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., Israel Military Industries Ltd, Haifa Port Company Ltd., Ashdod Port Company LTD and Israel Natural Gas Lines Ltd. with proceeds expected at ILS 4 billion. The ministry said some companies would be sold through the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange while others would be sold at one time or in stages in a private sale.
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Zynda »

While we are still deciding on MTA or whatever the latest avatar of it, Embraer has rolled out its first prototype of its KC-390 cargo plane.

Embraer Preparing KC-390 First Flight by Year's End
Embraer is preparing for a first flight of the KC-390 military transport before year’s end, following the rollout of the first prototype.

The aircraft, registered PT-ZNR, was presented to factory workers and Brazilian and foreign air force officials during a ceremony at Embraer’s Gaviao Peixoto site near Sao Paulo on Oct. 21.
The aircraft will replace the Brazilian air force’s current fleet of C-130 transport and KC-130 aerial refuelers, with missions ranging from search and rescue to the Antarctic research support mission.

Col. Sergio Carneiro, the Brazilian air force’s KC-390 program manager, told Aviation Week the air arm hopes to achieve an interim operating capability with the delivery of four or five aircraft in late 2016 and early 2017. But these will have limited operational clearances, with initial ability to carry cargo and troops. But Carneiro says new capabilities will be added quickly, with the most challenging being aerial refueling, in particular the buddy-buddy refueling of KC-390s from the wing-tip hose-drogue units.
Image

More pictures here
Thakur_B
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by Thakur_B »

https://twitter.com/vkthakur/status/523348008537038849

Vijainder K Thakur
‏@vkthakur
MTA Preliminary Design completed. Awaiting IAF approval.

10:41 pm - 17 Oct 2014
chaanakya
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by chaanakya »

World
China launches first mission to moon and back
China launched its first space mission to the moon and back early on Friday, authorities said, the latest step forward for Beijing's ambitious programme to one day land a Chinese citizen on the Earth's only natural satellite.

The unnamed, unmanned probe will travel to the moon, fly around it and head back to Earth, re-entering the atmosphere and landing, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) said in a statement.

"The first stage of the first return journey test in China's moon probe programme has been successful," it said after the launch, from the Xichang space base in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

The module will be 413,000 kilometres from Earth at its furthest point on the eight-day mission, it added.


The official Xinhua news agency said it would re-enter the atmosphere at 11.2 kilometres per second (25,000 mph) before slowing down -- a process that generates extremely high temperatures -- and landing in northern China's Inner Mongolia region.

The mission is intended to test technology to be used in the Chang'e-5, China's fourth lunar probe, which aims to gather samples from the moon's surface and will be launched around 2017, SASTIND said previously.

Beijing sees its multi-billion-dollar space programme as a marker of its rising global stature and mounting technical expertise, as well as evidence of the ruling Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

The military-run project has plans for a permanent orbiting station by 2020 and eventually to send a human to the moon.

China currently has a rover, the Jade Rabbit, on the surface of the moon.

The craft, launched as part of the Chang'e-3 lunar mission late last year, has been declared a success by Chinese authorities, although it has been beset by mechanical troubles.
- See more at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-new ... 9vYsq.dpuf
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

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Russia to spend around $50 billion on space program in 2016-2025
MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Russia’s Roscosmos space agency estimates the costs of most ambitious space projects in the federal space program for 2016-2025 at about $7.5 billion, a source in the space rocket industry told TASS.

Roscosmos has requested about $50 billion from the federal budget for the program, while another $6 billion is to be spent from manufacturers’ own funds and incomes from commercial projects. In contrast to the previous program (for 2006-2015) Roscosmos hopes to draw thrice as much funds from the treasury and extra-budgetary sources.

Most of the money is to be invested in research and development - about $36 billion, the agency’s source said. The money will be enough to implement the innovative option. The conservative one, according to Roscosmos, will cost about $7 billion less for the budget, the source said.

“However, the conservative option reserves no funding to devise technologies for a manned mission to the Moon, and the overall share of ambitious projects is close to zero,” he warned. The source did not mention any of the projects he was referring to, though.

As for the economic effects of the program, Roscosmos estimates it at about $31 billion - a similar parameter in the draft of the previous program stood at less.
member_20067
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Re: International Military & Space Discussion

Post by member_20067 »

Austin wrote:Russia to spend around $50 billion on space program in 2016-2025
MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Russia’s Roscosmos space agency estimates the costs of most ambitious space projects in the federal space program for 2016-2025 at about $7.5 billion, a source in the space rocket industry told TASS.

Roscosmos has requested about $50 billion from the federal budget for the program, while another $6 billion is to be spent from manufacturers’ own funds and incomes from commercial projects. In contrast to the previous program (for 2006-2015) Roscosmos hopes to draw thrice as much funds from the treasury and extra-budgetary sources.

Most of the money is to be invested in research and development - about $36 billion, the agency’s source said. The money will be enough to implement the innovative option. The conservative one, according to Roscosmos, will cost about $7 billion less for the budget, the source said.

“However, the conservative option reserves no funding to devise technologies for a manned mission to the Moon, and the overall share of ambitious projects is close to zero,” he warned. The source did not mention any of the projects he was referring to, though.

As for the economic effects of the program, Roscosmos estimates it at about $31 billion - a similar parameter in the draft of the previous program stood at less.
The numbers are all over the place and full of inaccuracies... even NASA does not spend 50 billion dollar a year :D
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