India’s attempt to intercept a target ballistic missile at an altitude of 120 km "attained mission objectives," a senior defense scientist says. "In a significant milestone achieved in developing a two-layered Ballistic Missile Defense system, the Defense Research and Development Organization [DRDO] successfully carried out the maiden ‘Prithvi Defense Vehicle’ [PDV] mission, meeting the objectives perfectly," a DRDO scientist says.
Draft legislation circulating in the U.S. House of Representatives would bar the use of Russian rocket technology in launching Pentagon payloads as early as this year. The language — drafted this month as the U.S. considers additional sanctions against Moscow over aggression in Ukraine — aims squarely at the NPO Energomash-built RD-180 engine that powers the first stage of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5, a Lockheed Martin-built rocket that launches most U.S. government missions.
Dassault said available cash amounted to €3.5 billion at the end of the first quarter, compared to €3.7 billion for the same period in 2013, down €205 million.
HOUSTON — The Earth is randomly struck by uncharted but potentially destructive asteroids with perhaps three to 10 times the frequency previously estimated, according to a visual Earth Day presentation unveiled by the nonprofit B612 Foundation that features records of 26 high-altitude detonations triggered by impacts over the last dozen years.
Recent Naval War College wargames underscore the importance of developing robust and efficient command-and-control (C2) operations for air-sea battle (ASB), but also warn against depending too much on technology to do the job. Wargaming leaders at U.S. Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, R.I., released the chief of naval operations’ (CNO) annual Title 10 War Game (Global ’13) series report earlier this month, following six months of post-wargaming analysis.
Peru’s defense ministry has awarded a contract to Airbus Defense and Space for construction and launch of Lima’s first Earth observation satellite, according to the French defense ministry. The bilateral agreement signed April 24 between Peru and France covers supply of the optical high-resolution spacecraft, a ground control segment for data reception and image processing, as well as a comprehensive training program.
LONDON — Politicians representing Sweden’s center-right Alliance have said they will boost the number of JAS 39E Gripens ordered for the Swedish air force from 60 to 70 aircraft if it gets into power in the next general election. Prompted by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, and writing in the Dagens Nyheter daily newspaper on April 22, politicians from each of the four parties making up Alliance say they want to increase annual defense spending by an additional 5.5 billion Swedish Krona ($840 million).
LONDON — Airbus Helicopter has completed the redesign and certification of the bevel gear vertical shaft fitted in its EC225 heavy helicopters. Failure of the component — a critical part inside the main gearbox — caused the ditching of two EC225s into the North Sea in May and October 2012, prompting a nine-month halt in operations for both the EC225 and the military version, known as the EC725. The stopping of operations over hostile environments created issues for oil and gas operators across the globe.
