International Aerospace Discussion

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 18 Jun 2010 04:10

Russia to offer Turkey advanced surface-to-air missiles

Russia is ready to participate in a tender to offer Turkey S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, the state-controlled arms exporter said on Wednesday.

"The Turkish military has a great need for S-300 and S-400 long-range missile defense systems," Rosoboronexport CEO Anatoly Isaikin said. "Russia has expressed its readiness to participate in a tender for the delivery of such systems."

He said leading SAM manufacturers from Western countries would participate in the tender "on a par with Russia."

He gave no indication as to what specific SAM modifications would be offered or the timeframe for the tender.

Turkish military experts have said Ankara is interested in the Russian missiles, which could effectively protect the country's southern borders.

The advanced version of the S-300 missile system, called S-300PMU1, has a range of over 150 kilometers (over 100 miles) and can intercept ballistic missiles and aircraft at low and high altitudes, making it effective in warding off air strikes.

The S-300V/Antey 2500 (SA-12 Gladiator/Giant) consists of a new command vehicle, an array of advanced radars and up to six loader vehicles assigned to each launcher.

The S-400 (SA-21 Growler, show below) is capable of simultaneously engaging six targets to a range of 400 km (250 miles) and an altitude up to 30 kilometers, including aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 18 Jun 2010 09:13

SpaceX and Iridium: Deja Vu?
Will this be another bubble for the launch industry?

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/deltav/25344/

shukla · Post by **shukla** » 18 Jun 2010 18:48

F-22 Vs F-16 war games

F-22 Slaughters F-16 in War Games

This week, U.S. fighter jets are dueling about 90 miles off the coast of Hampton Roads in scenarios that pit F-22 Raptors from Langley Air Force Base against older F-16C fighters visiting from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

going up against the stealthy Raptor is killing them. Over and over again. "That's what is so phenomenal about this airplane," said Col. Matt Molloy, commander of the First Fighter Wing at Langley. "It's just a killing machine. I don't know how else to put it."

Still, the F-16 pilots are taking pride in forcing the Raptor to stretch its wings. "We're doing what we can to exploit their weaknesses," said Lt. Col. Bob Battema of Luke's 62nd Fighter Squadron. "We've done a good job of giving them tactical challenges."

These training exercises are not about nose-to-nose confrontations where pilots glare at each other from their cockpits. Frequently, the Raptor kills from a distance and the F-16 pilot receives a "you're dead" message.

No surprises there but this bit is interesting..

The F-16s still manage to make some kills even against the futuristic Raptor. That’s what I would expect, since part of what makes the U.S. Air Force the best in the world is not only our advanced hardware but the unmatched skills of our pilots. They are the best pilots in the world, flying the best aircraft in the world.

And these are just F-16c's.. proving the numbers game matters as well..

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 19 Jun 2010 08:34

How to avoid a space war

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... m?page=0,1

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 20 Jun 2010 08:34

The German equivalent of NASA's Robonaut:

In space, tele-operated manipulators like these will be essential

James B · Post by **James B** » 23 Jun 2010 00:51

7th-Graders Discover Mysterious Cave on Mars

The 16 students from teacher Dennis Mitchell's 7th-grade science class at Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood, Calif., found what looks to be a Martian skylight — a hole in the roof of a cave on Mars.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 23 Jun 2010 05:25

Israel launches spy satellite: Defence ministry

JERUSALEM: Israel has launched a spy satellite from a base in the south of the country, the defence ministry said, with the device reportedly capable of monitoring arch-foe Iran.

"A few minutes ago the State of Israel launched the Ofek-9 (Horizon-9) satellite from the Palmachim base," the ministry said on Tuesday. "The results of the launch are being examined by the technical team."

It gave no details on the satellite, but public radio said it, like its predecessors in the Ofek series, were cable of taking high resolution pictures and aimed at monitoring Iran's nuclear programme.

The radio said the satellite was developed by Israel Aircraft Industries and launched on a Shavit rocket.

Israel, which has the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, regards Iran as its principal threat after repeated predictions by the Islamic republic's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Jewish state's demise.

Along with the West, it suspects Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons under the guise of its nuclear programme, a claim Tehran denies.

With the launch of Ofek-9, Israel has six spy satellites in space.

An attempt to launch an Ofek-6 in 2004 failed with the satellite crashing into the Mediterranean Sea after a technical malfunction with the launcher.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 24 Jun 2010 03:54

Honeywell Tackles Limitations Of T-Hawk MAV

New uses that have emerged include deterrence and deception, says Prabha Gopinath, director of strategic campaigns for unmanned aircraft systems at Honeywell. Deterrence involves buzzing roads and using the MAV’s noisy presence to prevent insurgents from planting roadside bombs. Deception involves flying air vehicles along roads that are not then used by convoys.

T-Hawks are also being used for force protection. In urban combat, the MAVs are used to look down side streets and block access, preventing forces being outflanked, he says. France has completed an evaluation of the system that included a perimeter security mission, with air vehicles being launched when unattended ground sensors detect intruders to confirm a threat and call in fire support.

The IED detection and disposal mission is different in Afghanistan, says Gopinath. In Iraq, roadside bombs are made from unexploded ordnance containing metal that is relatively easy to detect. In Afghanistan all the leftover Soviet ordnance been used up, he says, and bombs are made from ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride fertilizer.

The biggest threat is from bombs as large as 2,000 lb. inside culverts under the roads. These are large enough to destroy an armored vehicle, and can take weeks of packing, but are hard to detect because compared with the flat terrain of Iraq, the mountain roads of Afghanistan can have a rock face on one side and a sheer drop on the other.

“Unmanned ground vehicles fall off the cliff and fixed-wing UAVs cannot circle,” says Gopinath. “You need to be able to hover and stare.” The U.S. has developed tactics to hover the MAV so it can look sideways into a culvert, he says, and use the downdraft from its ducted fan to blow away any brush blocking the entrance.

Kartik · Post by **Kartik** » 24 Jun 2010 04:35

Russian Kamov Ka-60 crashes

Helicopter goes down in Moscow region
Published 23 June, 2010, 15:13

Two pilots of a helicopter have been taken to an intensive care unit after the aircraft crashed in the Moscow region.

An experimental KA-60 helicopter was on a trial flight when it fell to the ground near a residential area. Investigators believe engine failure could have caused the accident.

Aviation experts say the pilots only survived because of the aircraft's efficient safety system.

article link

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 25 Jun 2010 13:01

Latest Russian bombers stand long-distance test

A wing of latest Russian Sukhoi-34 fighter bombers has successfully accomplished a non-stop 6-thousand-kilometre test flight from the region of Lipetsk south of Moscow to the region of Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East. The Sukhoi-34’s predecessor in the niche, the Sukhoi-24, cannot fly further than 3 thousand kilometres.

The Sukhoi-34 is a two-seater with a length of 22 metres and a wingspan of 14.7 metres. The maximum speed is 19 hundred kilometres an hour.

shukla · Post by **shukla** » 25 Jun 2010 16:03

Apples taking over the world..

iPhone-style avionics for Super Hornet

The company has set up a simulator mock-up featuring a single 11x19 inch digital touch-screen display, which will form the main instrument panel in the front and rear cockpits of the F/A-18F eliminating the need for separate display panels and display control units, helping to reduce weight.

Shown to journalists in St Louis on 23 June, the mock-up shows how the displays would give the crew, and in particular the weapons systems officer, an improved view of the information delivered by sensors both onboard and off-board the aircraft. The larger display means that maps fused with data such as that from Link 16 could be more closely examined than on smaller 6x6 inch displays used currently.

The displays revealed in St Louis allows operators to scroll maps by rubbing their figures across the screen pulling the map along, but engineers are working on a series of iPhone style controls, such as pinch and stretch, which would allow the crew to zoom in and out of maps and manipulate the cockpit display layout. Boeing Naval Programmes Flight Simulation manager John Keeven said: 'A generation of pilots are familiar with this style of interaction in everyday life on their phones and it could bring advantages to the cockpit as well.'

It's easy to imagine crews controlling targeting pods such as Litening or Sniper with a tap on the screen to zoom onto a possible target.
The mock-up also showed a Google Earth-style image with fused data, which could be manipulated and viewed either from above or from the side to show the position of targets both horizontally and vertically, making crews more effective in the battle management and combat ISTAR roles that they increasingly find themselves involved in. The display is currently being tested but could fly in the back seat of a Super Hornet in less than four years, the company said.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 25 Jun 2010 22:52

Russian military to receive first An-70 transport planes by 2012

"We hope to start receiving the tested aircraft by 2012. We need this plane and the Russian Defense Ministry plans to buy it," Anatoly Serdyukov said during his visit to the Black Sea Fleet's base in Sevastopol on Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

There are up to 300 transport aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, including An-12 Cub, Il-76MD and An-124 Condor transport aircraft.

The An-70 is intended to replace Russia's An-12 military transport aircraft.

Russian Airborne Troops Commander Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov said in May that his service had ordered 40 An-70 planes under the new state arms procurement program for 2011-2020.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Jun 2010 17:01

L370-5 (PRESIDENT-S) - Infrared Countermeasures System

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Jun 2010 20:44

Backfire and Bear
( Photos from A. ZInchuk )

Backfire
Bear

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 29 Jun 2010 04:04

ViaSat Upgrades Airborne ISR Network Return Link to 1 Mbps

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq: VSAT) has upgraded transmission rates for its airborne broadband network to improve performance in the network being used by nearly 100 U.S. airborne military satcom systems. Customers include Special Operations Forces (SOF) C-130s and a variety of other aircraft in the Middle East. Operators can now send high-resolution video and broadband data off the aircraft at speeds up to 1 megabit per second. The higher speed enables intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions to supply full motion video and other mission capabilities that improve the accuracy of ISR, at greater distances from locations being observed.

The 1 Mbps network upgrade is part of an ongoing roadmap for increasing airborne broadband data rates on the ViaSat mobile broadband network, and is implemented by loading new software onto installed terminals. The communications on-the-move (COTM) terminals gain the advantages of the increased speed while continuing to operate using lightweight, 12-inch VR-12 airborne antennas. The mobile satellite network enables simultaneous operation of multiple aircraft at multiple data rates, which maximizes network capacity over the theater of operations.

The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was the first military organization to use the high-speed Ku-band network on its C-130 aircraft. The small C-130 terminal attaches to the aircraft emergency escape hatch, so that operators can configure an aircraft for specific missions within a few minutes, without any permanent aircraft alterations. Now a number of aircraft are tapping into the network.

ViaSat mobile broadband installations now total over 800 systems. Applications include a mix of systems operating on integrated networks for general aviation, COTM, maritime, and high-speed rail. The terminals use ViaSat patented ArcLight® technology, which enables a very small antenna to deliver improved speed and performance compared to other mobile satellite alternatives.

Wonder if the Indian C-130 J's would come equipped with a 1Mbps transmission stream....

Misraji · Post by **Misraji** » 29 Jun 2010 08:01

An old (circa 2008) but pretty cool video of an AAM taking out a ballistic missile.
NCADE - Fighter based ABM.

~Ashish

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 30 Jun 2010 16:21

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/06/143728.htm

National Space Policy

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 28, 2010

The President’s National Space Policy, released today, is a strong statement of our principles and goals regarding U.S. national interests and activities in space. It is a commitment that the United States will lead the way in preserving space for the benefits of all nations. Enhancing international cooperation and collaboration in space, both today and in the future, is a critical mission of the Department of State.

The U.S. National Space Policy calls on countries around the world to work together to adopt approaches for responsible activity in space in order to preserve this right for the benefit of future generations. Nations and organizations are increasingly using space to create wealth and prosperity, monitor the Earth's environment, maintain peace and security, and explore the mysteries of the furthest unknown reaches of the universe. The world's growing dependence on information collected from and transmitted through outer space means that irresponsible acts can have damaging and potentially long-term consequences for all.

Along with other U.S. departments and agencies, the Department of State will support this policy's call for cooperative action in several ways. We will expand our work in the United Nations and with other organizations to address the growing problem of orbital debris and to promote “best practices” for its sustainable use. The United States will also pursue pragmatic transparency and confidence-building measures to mitigate the risk of mishaps, misperceptions, and miscalculations. This policy reaffirms the longstanding and bipartisan U.S. policy that we are open to space-related confidence building and arms control concepts and proposals, provided they meet the rigorous criteria of equitability, effective verifiability, and consistency with our national security interests.

We intend to promote suitable commercial space regulations, international standards that promote fair market competition, and the international use of U.S. capabilities such as launch vehicles, commercial remote sensing services, and the civil services of the Global Positioning System. Finally, we will pursue enhanced cooperative programs with other space faring nations in space science, human and robotic space exploration, and in the use of Earth observation satellites to support weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, and sustainable development worldwide.

As long as humankind has dreamed, we have looked to the heavens. For millennia, the planets and stars have been our signposts and inspirations, our irresistible call to exploration and the spark to human creativity. Today, they help us to unlock the potential of our planet and the universe. As a young girl growing up fascinated by the beginnings of space exploration, I imagined not only a career as an astronaut, but also a world in which anything was possible. We must do all we can to preserve space’s limitless promise for future generations who gaze skyward.

###

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Jun 2010 20:44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1T70bPZ ... re=related

how come in red flag they let these civilians stand and photograph right next to the runway as awacs, bombers and fighters take off and land by the dozen?
I could only see two police (with just pistols probably) in the distance.

can anyone walk in ? or its only for media photographers ?

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 30 Jun 2010 22:18

Singha sir,
I believe you need permission to photograph that close. But it is common. This thread is a place where many who frequent Red Flag exercises post pictures and discuss about it - Link. But yes, you can get very close to the runway.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 01 Jul 2010 07:28

x-posted from the "Leapfrog and Disruptive Technologies" thread:

Has anybody ever heard of Pulse Detonation Engines? Constant-volume/supersonic combustion through detonation rather than conventional deflagration.
NASA and GE are researching a hybrid version of PDEs combined with turbofans

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/RT/2006/RX/RX45S-reddy.html

It's interesting to see what the hybrid actually looks/sounds like:

No boom-boom-boom staccato, but instead the softer sounds of rapid flaring.
Could PDEs even be combined with scramjets?
Is it possible to imagine "flare propulsion" for spaceflight and air travel?

Are ISRO or DRDO researching PDEs of any kind?
If they've managed to do scram engines in the lab (as Americans and Soviets had even done 50 years ago), then why don't they move onto PDEs in the lab? Practical flight is a different matter, but doing PDEs in the lab should be cheaper to attempt than even doing scramjets in the lab.

We all know that pulse-jets have been in use since the German V-1 "buzz bomb" of WW2 infamy. PDEs use roughly the same hardware, so it shouldn't be too difficult for Indians to at least attempt to research the concept in the lab.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Jul 2010 18:04

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20008972-52.html

new carrier being constructed - ford class

Surya · Post by **Surya** » 02 Jul 2010 18:42

And, it should help Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding construct the USS Ford for less than the cost of the last Nimitz-class carrier.

HA HA sales and marketing guys are sure funny.

wonder how much fudging will go on to show this old number

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 Jul 2010 21:00

yes its always leaner/smarter/greener/cheaper

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 03 Jul 2010 11:07

Found an interesting page on boron-gel fuels:

http://www.islandone.org/Launch/boron-sharp-article.htm

Looks to be a promising propellant fuel for aerospace applications

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 03 Jul 2010 13:18

Ah, here I found a bit more:

Gel and Tactical Propulsion

Bayern-Chemie Tests Gel-fueled Rocket Flights

Researchers cooking up new gelled rocket fuels

They talk about using gels for tactical missiles, but what about using it for space launch vehicles? Couldn't gel propellants be useful there too?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Jul 2010 16:59

From what I read Gel Propulsion has slightly better Isp when compared to solid fuel but inferior to liquid fuel.

So for space launch vehicle it does not have much appeal when you can get better performance with liquid fuel.

Though for military purpose it sounds promising.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 03 Jul 2010 20:30

Austin wrote:From what I read Gel Propulsion has slightly better Isp when compared to solid fuel but inferior to liquid fuel.

So for space launch vehicle it does not have much appeal when you can get better performance with liquid fuel.

Though for military purpose it sounds promising.

But Isp is only useful as a way to reduce overall mass-fraction of the launch vehicle. Colloidal gel-based fuel may have inferior gravimetric energy-density, but it has superior volumetric energy-density, which means that it you can fit more of it into a smaller fuel tank. Since fuel tankage has weight, then reducing the size of the fuel tank gives you weight savings.

The question is, does the weight-savings in tank size more than offset the weight penalty from lower Isp?
Fuel weight would scale up cubically, since it's volumetric, while tank weight would scale up on a square law, since it's a bounding surface. So the larger your rocket is, the more that fuel weight (hence Isp) matters over tank weight.

So perhaps gel-based fuel only offers significant advantages for smaller vehicles - ie. military rockets or aircraft.
Still, it would be interesting to know where the threshold is where one supercedes the other.

Likewise, kerosene has lower Isp than LH2, but everybody still wants to go with it because of cheaper fuel-handling costs.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 03 Jul 2010 20:55

Russian wargame Vostok 2010 aimed at China?

03 Jul 2010 8ak: Watch the video of the Sukhoi Su-34 with a Glosnass guided missile and simulator with summarised translation by Igor here. The Su-34 are among the 70 fighter jets in the ongoing Russian war games “Vostok-2010” in Siberia and Russian Far East and in what will be most disturbing to the Chinese, in the sea of Japan. In March 2010, it was reported that China had leased a port from North Korea giving it direct access to the Sea of Japan for the first time in a hundred years.

The 30 ships participating in the 10 day exercise includes the missile cruisers 'Moskva' and the nuclear-powered 'Pyotr Veliky'. Compared to 2008's 8,000 troops, this years exercise has 20,000. Singaporean Straits Times reflects the view of some analysts who say that Russia is increasingly concerned over a possible future Chinese occupation of the sparsely populated land bordering the two neighbours especially beyond the Ural mountains in Russia. Given that the games are being held on the borders China and Mongolia and the fact that a Chinese military delegation was invited to observe the war games, it may be that Russia wants to make China subtly aware of its capabilities to defend its territory.

However, interesting article from Jamestown Foundation that says that in a Russia-China confrontation, Russia may not be able to achieve air-superiorty (with China having illegally copied Russian fighters!) and hence will have to fast resort to nuclear weapons, and not conventional war, as the key deterrent. Russian officials deny that the wargames are in response to China or tensions/exercises or the US-South Korea exercises in the Yellow Sea to which China has voiced strong opposition as per Reuters.

On a separate note, Russian 'sleeper cell' spies arrested in the U.S., Newsweek reports what has baffled most experts is how little this type of espionage achieved and shockingly, the U.S. agents following these spies learnt more about Russian espionage than the Russians did about the U.S.!

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Jul 2010 22:21

Sanjay M wrote:But Isp is only useful as a way to reduce overall mass-fraction of the launch vehicle. Colloidal gel-based fuel may have inferior gravimetric energy-density, but it has superior volumetric energy-density, which means that it you can fit more of it into a smaller fuel tank. Since fuel tankage has weight, then reducing the size of the fuel tank gives you weight savings.

A higher Isp also allows you to throw up larger payload , one of the key reason why Liquid ICBM have higher throw up weight.

Now liquid fuel can be very generic name for different type of liquid fuel engine from cheap kerosene to cryogenic each offering its own Isp.

As far as weight saving goes that can equally apply for liquid fuel engine possibly using composite casing and composites for liquid fuel storage ?

I am not too sure if gel will practically make to to military application unless it can show significant weight reduction viz a via solid fuel , Isp wise there is not much to choose between the two.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 03 Jul 2010 22:23

Evolution of Russian Long Range Aviation

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 03 Jul 2010 23:23

Austin wrote:A higher Isp also allows you to throw up larger payload , one of the key reason why Liquid ICBM have higher throw up weight.

Now liquid fuel can be very generic name for different type of liquid fuel engine from cheap kerosene to cryogenic each offering its own Isp.

As far as weight saving goes that can equally apply for liquid fuel engine possibly using composite casing and composites for liquid fuel storage ?

I am not too sure if gel will practically make to to military application unless it can show significant weight reduction viz a via solid fuel , Isp wise there is not much to choose between the two.

Well, these days it's cost which trumps everything, so perhaps the best solution is the one that makes most use of commoditized goods and services.

Here's an older one that's still interesting:

Biodiesel powers Atlas rocket engine

Maybe if India could develop a cheap turbopump with dual-use purpose, then manufacturers could mass-produce it and bring the costs down.

"Dual-use" has always been used to deny things to India, but it could conceivably be turned around to open up cost savings.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 04 Jul 2010 01:03

DTI reported that they were able to use biodiesel on an A-10!!!!!!

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 04 Jul 2010 12:06

NASA Plans to Land a Robot on the Moon in 2013

Just about the same time as Chandrayaan-2.... gee, what a coincidence

According to NASA's Project M white paper:

The humanoid will travel to the moon on a small lander fueled by green propellants, liquid methane and liquid oxygen. It will perform a precision, autonomous landing, avoiding any hazards or obstacles on the surface. Upon landing the robot will deploy and walk on the surface performing a multitude of tasks focused on demonstrating engineering tasks such as maintenance and construction; performing science of opportunity (i.e. using existing sensors on the robot or small science instruments); and simple student experiments.

amit · Post by **amit** » 04 Jul 2010 15:37

U.S. Aerospace and Antonov to bid for U.S. tanker

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 04 Jul 2010 20:09

How? The Deadly Question for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 04 Jul 2010 20:16

Russian fighter jets make first ever nonstop flight across Russia to Far East

"For the first time ever, we have tested a possibility for fighter jets to fly from aerodromes in the European part of Russia to eastern airfields in the Far Eastern district without landing, with in-flight refueling and the delivery of strikes according to assignments received during the flight," Makarov said.

The exercises, which have entered their naval phase in the Sea of Okhotsk in the Russian Far East, are being overseen by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on board the heavy nuclear-powered cruiser Pyotr Veliky.

When asked by the president about how many refuelings had been required for the fighter jets, Russia's top military commander answered that it had taken Su-24M Fencer fighter-bombers three refuelings and for new Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft two refuelings.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 05 Jul 2010 21:36

Seems like technology giant Russia is facing competition from reverse engineering giant China, well in a way they deserve and hopefully learn from their past mistakes

Russian combat aircraft makers fear competition with China

Russian aircraft makers MiG and Sukhoi have spoken against the sale of RD-93 jet engines to China citing the threat of strong competition from cheaper Chinese models of fighter aircraft.

Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport planned to sign a contract with China on the delivery of 100 RD-93 engines for FC-1 fighters, which are direct competitors of the famed MiG-29 Fulcrum aircraft.

Mikhail Pogosyan, the head of the MiG and Sukhoi corporations, said the re-export of technologies must be approved by the original manufacturers to avoid unfair competition.

The FC-1 Xiaolong (Fierce Dragon) is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft developed jointly by China and Pakistan. It is designated as JF-17 Thunder by Pakistan.

A Russian aircraft industry source said the FC-1 is inferior to MiG-29 in performance, but sells for about $10 million, while the price of a MiG-29 is about $35 mln.

MiG-29s are currently competing with FC-1s in an Egyptian tender on the delivery of 32 fighters. In addition, Egypt has launched negotiations with Pakistan on the licensed production of FC-1 aircraft.

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 06 Jul 2010 01:07

Voyager spacecraft are leaving the solar system and going to enter true interstellar space.

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/07/go ... ar-system/

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 07 Jul 2010 03:03

DARPA evaluating the designs for it's Flying submarine project.They want an aircraft which can fly for about 1800 kms and then dive into ocean and proceed stealthily towards the target like a submarine under water.Seems like some progress is being made as far as designs are concerned.Some of the designs have been submitted.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2 ... ?full=true

http://alfin2100.blogspot.com/2010/07/c ... html#links

Just look at what the Private sector led Defense R&D is capable of.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 07 Jul 2010 06:48

No doubt the US is giving away this tech to the Pakis:

War zone drone crashes add up

Thirty-eight Predator and Reaper drones have crashed during combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and nine more during training on bases in the U.S. — with each crash costing between $3.7 million and $5 million. Altogether, the Air Force says there have been 79 drone accidents costing at least $1 million each.