International Military Discussion

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 25 Oct 2015 10:55

JAXA eyes electric thruster technology as satellite market heats up - JIJI, Japan Times

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is studying the feasibility of using electric propulsion in artificial satellites beginning in fiscal 2021 to save fuel and improve performance.

“We aim to make dramatic technological advances as satellites are important for Japan,” a JAXA official said.

Competition is intense for making communications and broadcast satellites, which take geostationary orbits about 36,000 km above Earth’s equator.

Satellites use their own engines to get into orbit and control themselves. Since their chemical propellants can account for as much as half a satellite’s weight, limiting equipment space, ion engine technology and other forms of electric propulsion are being pursued.

Electric thrusters are weaker than chemical-based engines but boast higher efficiency and consume only about one-fifth of the fuel. The Hayabusa spacecraft, which harvested particles from asteroid Itokawa and brought them back to Earth in June 2010, used an ion engine to complete the seven-year voyage.

U.S. and European manufacturers are leading the development of electric engines, but JAXA could start development in fiscal 2016 starting next April if its budget is approved.

“Without this technology, we will not be able to compete in the market,” said Yasushi Hatooka, planning manager at JAXA’s Research Strategy Department.

Boosting thruster propulsion is a major challenge. A geostationary satellite powered by a conventional chemical engine takes several days to place in orbit after separation from the rocket, but several months if powered by an electric thruster, according to Hatooka.

JAXA plans to adopt a type of ion engine called a “Hall effect” thruster, which can generate more power than typical ion thrusters. It wants to achieve one of the highest power levels in the world for this type of propulsion.

If all goes well, JAXA hopes to use electric propulsion in a satellite to be launched in fiscal 2021 on the next-generation H3 rocket, which is under development.

“Electric propulsion is a technology we have to acquire,” Hatooka said. “The mission to develop new technology is very challenging for an engineer.”

Thakur_B · Post by **Thakur_B** » 25 Oct 2015 18:28

The Koreans have made a light weight steel, stronger and cheaper than titanium. They made it by adding aluminium to steel with some nickel. Used to be that adding aluminium in steel made a strong yet brittle material, but they seem to have tweaked the mix to make it ductile as well. This should have massive implications down the line.
http://www.nature.com/news/blended-stru ... dy-1.16849

Viv S · Post by **Viv S** » 25 Oct 2015 22:00

Thakur_B wrote:The Koreans have made a light weight steel, stronger and cheaper than titanium. They made it by adding aluminium to steel with some nickel. Used to be that adding aluminium in steel made a stong yet brittle material, but they seem to have tweaked the mix to make it ductile as well. This should have massive implications down the line.
http://www.nature.com/news/blended-stru ... dy-1.16849

From link on the same page -

Russian secret service to vet research papers

Moscow biology department among the first to require that all manuscripts comply with law on state secrets.

Quirin Schiermeier
20 October 2015

A biology institute at Russia’s largest and most prestigious university has instructed its scientists to get all research manuscripts approved by the security service before submitting them to conferences or journals.

In 1993, the government passed a law obliging scientists in Russia to get permission from the Federal Security Service (FSB) before publishing results that might have military or industrial significance. This mainly covered work that related to building weapons, including nuclear, biological and chemical ones.

However, in May, President Vladimir Putin used a decree to expand the scope of the law to include any science that can be used to develop vaguely defined “new products”. The amendment was part of a broader crackdown that included declaring the deaths and wounding of soldiers during peacetime a secret; this was prompted by accusations that Russian soldiers are involved in conflict in Ukraine.

Scientists will need to seek permission from the university’s First Department — a branch of the FSB that exists at all Russian universities and research institutes , says Viacheslav Shuper, a geographer at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow and MSU. He says that MSU geographers have been given similar instructions.

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 27 Oct 2015 10:22

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 27 Oct 2015 12:15

Nick,can the Airbus attack helo also carry troops? If so it would appear to be a mini MI-35.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 27 Oct 2015 18:35

has free flowing water been found on Mars? Not so says the following link.....

http://www.vocativ.com/news/235199/brie ... e=outbrain

Did we just find water on Mars? NASA said on Monday it had the “strongest evidence yet” that liquid flows on Mars. The discovery of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks appear to ebb and flow over time suggests that water flows on Mars today, said the space agency. Yet finding evidence of water, and actually finding water, are two different things, and the latter still eludes us ever since the first satellite orbited the Red Planet in 1971.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Oct 2015 21:44

Iran's New Missiles Can Destroy Enemy Targets up to 2,000 km Away

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/military/2015102 ... z3psqldyKT

Iran’s Brigadier General Hossein Salami announced that Iran's new high-precision missiles are capable of destroying enemy targets up to 2,000 km away.

"When our defense industries build missiles with a range of 2,000 km and a zero margin of error, this means that we can target any fixed and mobile base in this operational radius with 100% precision and a zero margin of error," Salami said in an interview with the state TV.

Emad Missile

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 01 Nov 2015 06:47

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/images/u ... arter1.jpg

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 01 Nov 2015 07:00

uh, Mods, something happened to the picture that I posted above. I can't edit it. Can you delete it for me? Many thanks.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 01 Nov 2015 09:14

TSJones wrote:

Not right to judge a book by its cover, but damm. I hope that things aren't as bad as they look.

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 01 Nov 2015 10:13

Dont go by such Gender discrimination. The ones who fight the ISIS are woman while many men do run away.

Our own PM Indira Gandhi was a woman who was able to do what no other PM's of India could achieve. Dismember Pakistan. So never judge a person by Gender.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 01 Nov 2015 12:44

Will OK, but all the same I'd bet my money on the Russian.

Ash Carter, a Harvard professor, is tightly controlled by Obama which is in the constitution.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 01 Nov 2015 12:47

The US military wants shoe box sized cube satellites; and they want them quickly on demand and with little fuss about it.

http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/10/29/fi ... in-hawaii/

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 01 Nov 2015 13:53

Interview: Maj. Gen. Guy Zur, Israel Ground Forces Command

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /74801140/

Wickberg · Post by **Wickberg** » 01 Nov 2015 14:05

Arun Menon wrote:
TSJones wrote:

Not right to judge a book by its cover, but damm. I hope that things aren't as bad as they look.

Don´t know why you think it looks bad but that´s up to you. The Swedish defense minister is btw a 57 year old man named Peter Hultqvist so...

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 01 Nov 2015 14:28

Defence ministers!

Someone with a sense of humour! Sexist, but humour nevertheless

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 01 Nov 2015 14:45

Wickberg wrote: Don´t know why you think it looks bad but that´s up to you. The Swedish defense minister is btw a 57 year old man named Peter Hultqvist so...

But why is he dressed like an aunty in that photo?

Looks like the Russians are two Jenner-ations behind you guys, thanks to constipation, while the Americans are just one Jenner-ation away, thanks to constitution

(Alright everyone, back to Bojitive News and brochure-labour)

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 01 Nov 2015 17:14

Karin Enstrom, Swedish Defense Minister 2012-2014

Thakur_B · Post by **Thakur_B** » 01 Nov 2015 17:32

Enough with it Jones. Its not even funny.

member_23694 · Post by **member_23694** » 01 Nov 2015 22:48

3rd Atlas launch in one month

As usual good launch video, with some shots fantastic

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 03 Nov 2015 02:51

Where future space development is headed.....

http://spacenews.com/hawthornes-other-rocket-company/

For the small-satellite market, Microcosm is developing NanoEye, a 1.4-meter-tall, hydrazine-fueled spacecraft designed to cost less than $2.5 million, launch within hours of demand and provide resolution of one-half meter or better using electro-optical and infrared sensors. The U.S. Army provided initial funding for NanoEye’s early development with Small Business Innovative Research contracts.

“NanoEye is fairly unique in terms of its cost and capability,” Wertz said. “Because of its exceptional agility, it can take and deliver more than 1,000 separate images on a pass over a given region.”

Wertz founded the company with his wife, Alice Wertz, Microcosm chief financial officer, to market attitude control components for Ithaco Inc., a major supplier of spacecraft sensors later acquired by Goodrich Corp. In 1992, Microcosm spun off its first business, Microcosm Astronautics Books, which sells technical works including Wertz’s “Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control,” originally published in 1978.

Microcosm supplements its staff of about 30 employees by hiring consultants, subcontracting work to large aerospace companies and drawing on NASA expertise. Using Space Act Agreements, Microcosm has brought in help from the NASA Ames Research Center and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Company officials declined to specify the type of work performed by NASA personnel.

jayasimha · Post by **jayasimha** » 04 Nov 2015 15:26

http://www.spacetechexpo.eu/?gclid=CM3m ... vAodL_UIFA

17-19 November, 2015 Bremen, Germany

Space Tech Expo Europe, November 17-19 in Bremen, Germany.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 05 Nov 2015 12:48

F-35 program forces the US to give allies access to MUOS.

http://spacenews.com/u-s-policy-change- ... s-to-muos/

The U.S. government has agreed to allow allied nations to use the high-performance payload on the U.S. Navy’s next-generation narrowband communications satellite system, which is now expected to enter into full service in the summer of 2016, a U.S. Strategic Command official said Nov. 4.

The decision comes after years of allied complaints, especially from nations that had purchased U.S.-built Joint Strike Fighter aircraft on the assumption that they would be fitted with Mobile User Objective System communications pods.

The policy provides a dose of credibility to the U.S. Defense Department’s long-repeated assertion — especially since the June 2010 U.S. National Space Policy document — that interoperability and capacity sharing with allies is indispensable as all militaries seek to extend their reach while containing costs.

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 06 Nov 2015 19:08

Singha wrote:by going slow on the Barak8 to fund its own iron dome/david sling, israel missed a huge opportunity with the Barak MR which is surely DOA.

^The IDF appropriated finances for priorities that were higher plus for export the Iron Dome system is very well suited as a back-up for many nations looking at a complement to the Pac-3MSE and I think Poland may even be exploring that option for the evolution of WISLA where the iron dome will compete with the likes of AMRAAM-ER, and IRIS-T based solutions as a complement to the MSE. US funding of course doesn't hurt them and Raytheon has shown interest in absorbing iron dome to its upgrade plans for the US Army's patriot batteries after full MEADS adoption was deemed unaffordable. Looking ahead both the Evolved Patriot, and the MEADS are fully open systems and have an interface that can with a bit of work absorb a sensor, C2C, or a weapon developed by any OEM. Same applies to the THAAD/TPY-2 + AEGIS combination which has plug and play capability when it comes to non US sensors...I see huge potential for iron dome and significantly more than a Barak MR when particularly the west would rather deal with air breathing threats at medium or long ranges by using its fighter force..

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 06 Nov 2015 19:16

Its not just that... they killed their hard won credibility thanks to the Barak and squandered it over Barak-8.. the result is their proposal to develop a national missile defence system for India (which would have meant a competitor to the S-400) was clearly rejected, and the S-400 selected instead..

brar_w · Post by **brar_w** » 08 Nov 2015 07:16

15 F-22A's

http://s28.postimg.org/5y2jlsi2l/2270358.jpg

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 08 Nov 2015 08:03

Audi 3D printer works in metal

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 08 Nov 2015 09:36

Russia & China are ‘challenging the world order’ – US Defense Sec

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 08 Nov 2015 13:13

U.S. jets intercept Russian planes near aircraft carrier in Pacific Ocean.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/politics/ ... encounter/

The U.S. Navy launched four armed fighter jets to intercept two Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft that were flying near the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Pacific Ocean, the Navy said Thursday.

The four F/A-18 fighter jets were sent as "standard operating procedure" to escort planes flying near Navy ships, according to a Navy statement.

The Russian aircraft came within one nautical mile and were flying at 500 feet in altitude while the 100,000-ton warship was participating in a bilateral training exercise with South Korea on Tuesday.

The Navy said a ship escorting the Reagan during exercises near the Korean Peninsula hailed the Russian planes but did not get a response.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 08 Nov 2015 18:40

Austin wrote:Russia & China are ‘challenging the world order’ – US Defense Sec

Shouldn't that be in the humor thread?

chaitanya · Post by **chaitanya** » 13 Nov 2015 05:40

I don't know if this has been posted here before, but came across this photo tour of the french ballistic missile sub the Le Redoutable. Check out the officer's mess!

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 13 Nov 2015 08:44

^^ this is a boat from 1967.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 15 Nov 2015 22:45

Japan's first commercial jet in 50 years takes a test flight

rkhanna · Post by **rkhanna** » 21 Nov 2015 12:55

Didnt know where to post. Fig this thread is as good as any.

The CT/HRT Op done in Mali by Malinese Security Forces with French GIGN and American SF - Seems to have been done extremely professionally and quickly.

Loss of Life has been Minimal (140+ Hostages rescued). Only 2 Terrorist it seems but nonetheless its a big property. +1 for the Good Guys.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Nov 2015 13:14

it was over before the french gign could reach there. maybe some soldiers from american(usmc,dss) and french consulates came to help. by nature of their job they would have some prior training in HRT.

rkhanna · Post by **rkhanna** » 21 Nov 2015 14:22

^^ Could be. news coming in is very fragmented. But I read somewhere there were a there were about 25 US SF soldiers present and about 40 French troops who were part of the Counter Assault.

Dont want to put anybody down but honestly dont know the quality of Malinese SF.

Nonetheless. The Takedown was nicely done.

Photo of Mali Sec Forces

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 22 Nov 2015 05:28

http://www.nasa.gov/ames/feature/nasa-i ... to-experts
NASA Invites Media to Tour Quantum Computing Lab, Talk to Experts

Following the panel briefing, media will be given a tour of the NAS facility that houses the 1,097-qubit D-Wave 2X™ quantum computer. The team extensively retrofitted the facility to provide isolation from noise and vibration, as well as the infrastructure required to cool the system to its near-absolute-zero operating temperature.

Researchers on NASA’s QuAIL team are using the system to investigate areas where quantum algorithms might someday dramatically improve the agency's ability to solve difficult optimization problems in aeronautics, Earth and space sciences, and space exploration.

Panelists will include:
Rupak Biswas, director of Exploration Technology at Ames
...

also see: http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 0#p1889322

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Nov 2015 14:14

JANES: Iran reveals range of Emad ballistic missile

The Emad 'guided ballistic missile' that was unveiled on 11 October has a range of 1,700 km, the Fars News Agency cited Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, as saying on 12 November.

When the Emad was unveiled, it was clear it is not an all-new missile, but a steerable RV that could be fitted to existing Shahab-3/Ghadr-series rockets to turn them into more accurate weapons. The unveiling also included footage of an Emad being test fired that was dated to 10 October.

Fars also cited Gen Hajizadeh as saying that a video of an earlier Emad test had been released more than a month before the official unveiling.

This appears to be a reference to footage aired by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) showing a missile with a steerable RV being fired from a transporter-erector launcher (TEL). The RV appeared to be a different size and shape to the one unveiled on 11 October.

The earlier footage also showed at least two TELs carrying Emad RVs fitted to Shahab-3-class rockets inside an underground facility, suggesting the new RV had already been issued to operational units.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 22 Nov 2015 14:24

The RV Design of Emad is like mix of Agni-2/3 RV with high beta RV like A3 alluding to higher re-entry speed but with rear control surface ( Skirt ) boost-gliding it also Carbon Fiber RV , Iran has clearly moved to MaRV ladder

Could Tehran’s EMAD Missile Outsmart Israel’s Arrow 3?

Iran has successfully test fired a new, domestically-produced, medium-range ballistic missile, named Emad (pillar, in Farsi). “This is Iran’s first medium-range missile that can be guided and controlled until hitting the target,” Iran’s Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan was quoted as saying. According to analyst estimates the new missile could be ready for service next year.

The Islamic Republic of Iran already has surface-to-surface missiles with ranges of up to 2,000 kilometers that can hit Israel and US military bases in the region. The new missile seems to be a derivative of these liquid-propelled Ghadr and Shahab missiles. This Medium-Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) is also powered by liquid-fuel and; according to unconfirmed sources, it has a range of up to 1,700 km., (1,060 miles) carrying a payload of 750 kg (1,650 pounds). Its accuracy is estimated at 500 meters (1,650 ft), compared of 2,000 meters (1.2 miles) accuracy achieved by the current Shahab 3 missile.

Unlike its predecessors, the new model is equipped with a re-entry vehicle which integrates a guidance system that controls four aerodynamic surfaces for endo-atmospheric flight, and thrusters which can adjust the vehicle’s exo-atmospheric trajectory, before it re-enters the earth’s atmosphere.

In order to gain higher precision, EMAD likely integrates inertial and satellite navigation systems with aerodynamic and propulsion control to guide the re-entry vehicle to its target. Potentially, with these capabilities also enable the reentry vehicle to dodge interceptors, posing a new challenge for missile defenses

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 22 Nov 2015 19:57

Interesting concept.