NEW DELHI — India is exploring the possibility of building a 65,000-ton nuclear-powered carrier as it gains confidence in its warship-making capability. The Indian navy is undertaking a detailed study on the size, type of aircraft, aircraft launch and recovery systems, and propulsion. “All options are being considered, including nuclear propulsion ... However, no final decision has been taken,” Navy Vice-Chief Adm. R.K. Dhowan says.
LONDON — U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (Afsoc) is boosting its capabilities in Europe with the delivery of Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors and updated Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II support aircraft.
Northrop Grumman expects to be under contract with Lockheed Martin shortly after being selected to supply the active, electronically scanned array radar for an F-16 avionics upgrade under development for the U.S. Air Force and Taiwan.
Northrop Grumman and the German defense minister remain far apart when it comes to cost estimates of what it would take to certify the now-canceled Euro Hawk high-altitude UAV for flight in German airspace. A Bundestag commission investigating the Euro Hawk cancelation recently held a series of hearings to find out who knew what—and when—about cost overruns in the program and problems in obtaining certification for the system to fly in the country’s airspace. The German election campaign season only adds to the angst; general elections take place Sept. 22.
A more robust and maturing sensor network for the U.S. missile defense architecture is allowing planners to expand the options for an enhanced kill vehicle (KV).
The former chief of U.S. Africa Command (Africom) says Niger was willing to allow armed, as well as unarmed, U.S. unmanned aircraft to fly over neighboring Mali from an airfield in the North West African country but the request was not approved by higher U.S. authorities. Army Gen. Carter Ham (ret.) told the Aspen Security Forum last month that when the U.S. began flying unmanned aircraft surveillance missions out of Niger in February the Nigeriens “were certainly willing to have armed capability” as well.
Aviation could ultimately benefit from a new round of U.S. Energy Department awards for projects to accelerate the development of sustainable algae biofuels. The projects aim to boost algae productivity while cutting the capital and operating costs of commercial-scale production. Aviation sees algae as a promising feedstock for biofuel because it uses less land and water than growing energy crops and produces more oil. Airbus is backing algal biofuel and establishing a research center in Germany to advance the industrial production of kerosene from algae.
TEL AVIV — Undergoing a major force reduction, Israel is holding a garage sale. Fighter aircraft, helicopters, transport aircraft, tanks and missile boats may have helped build the nation’s military legacy, but now the military is ready to sell them off.
Prospects for abundant and inexpensive natural gas have aircraft manufacturers reassessing the options for future fuels, particularly for the military where both energy security and affordability could trump any desire to reduce emissions by moving away from fossil fuels.
Once hailed as a breakthrough weapon with the potential to reshape the close-quarters battlefield, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement system has fallen victim to U.S. budgetary woes.
The latest sensor to record the effects of roadside blasts on soldiers is the Integrated Blast Effect Sensor Suite (Ibess) from the Georgia Tech Research Institute. The system, worn by soldiers and installed in vehicles, acquires integrated, time-tagged blast data for analysis. Blasts cause injuries, but their exact effects can be unclear. The soldier system is in a pouch (see photo) that attaches to body armor between the shoulders. It has two sensors for the back and two for the front of the body that record directional data and other information.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel has unveiled an addition to its Spice series of aerial bomb-guidance systems. This time, however, the Spice 250 (Spice means smart, precise impact, cost-effective) is a unitary weapon that offers significantly enhanced standoff precision-strike capabilities. Weighing just 127 kg (248 lb.), the bomb is capable of penetrating hardened bunkers. Importantly, it allows attackers to engage targets while out of range of enemy missile defenses.
Defense Vehicle Dynamics, the U.K. Defense Ministry's annual land warfare event here for the military and contractors, was more about cost-savings and consolidation than new equipment, given the drawdown from Afghanistan and the ongoing recession.
Rear Adm. Thomas Rowden Director of Surface Warfare, U.S. Navy Age: 56 Birthplace: Washington Education: U.S. Naval Academy, 1982; M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies, U.S. Naval War College
Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of U.S. naval operations, exuded confidence as he assured U.S. and Asian media representatives that he is not concerned with development of the Chinese DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM). “It hasn't affected the way we operate in the region,” Greenert said during a briefing at the recent International Maritime and Defense Exhibition (Imdex) here.
U.S. Pacific Command (Pacom), in conjunction with Australia, has deployed a logistics tracking system that improves interoperability between their respective forces and helps assure faster, more coordinated responses to humanitarian crises and other contingencies. U.S. officials say the Pacific Radio Frequency Identification System also promotes collaboration and integration across the Asia-Pacific region. The system makes usse of radio frequency identification (RFID) to read bar codes, a technology that retailers and others routinely use to track goods, Air Force Brig.
The U.S. Defense Department's High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (Haarp) is closed, at least for right now, marking an end to one of the military's more notorious research facilities. Haarp—near Gakona, Alaska—was used by researchers to study the ionosphere. The facility, which comprises of 360 radio transmitters and 180 antennas, can accelerate electrons in the ionosphere, essentially “heating” the upper atmosphere and allowing scientists to conduct experiments.
Operational tactics that have been developed in the past decade among Western forces often owe their origins to asymmetric warfare. One such tactic—wide-area aerial persistent surveillance (Waaps)—evolved from U.S. Air Force missions in Afghanistan. Waaps is now finding acceptance among Israeli strategists. It leads efforts by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to provide air and ground elements with the ability to remotely monitor wide areas and use resulting intelligence to assess situations and act against enemies in timely and decisive ways.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) has achieved a milestone in fiber-optic design with development of a hollow air-filled core that forces light to move through channels of air instead of glass. As a result, light properties significantly increase. The hollow-core fiber is reportedly the first to maintain properties in three key areas.
Northrop Grumman demonstrated that a new active, electronically scanned array antenna it developed for the B-2 bomber can establish and maintain communications with an orbiting advanced, extremely high frequency communications satellite operated by the U.S. Air Force.
Israel fully expects Iran to deploy a long-range cruise missile, according to a leading Israeli expert on missile defense. Speaking in Washington on July 19, Israel Air Force Brig. Gen. (ret.) Uzi Rubin said that the weapon will be based on the technology of Russia's Kh-55 (see photo), several of which were illegally transferred to Iran from Ukraine in 2001. “The trick is developing a small jet engine with low fuel-consumption,” Rubin said, adding that Iran has options for a guidance system.
The U.S. Army has lead status in development of a Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation (DMDI) Institute that is expected to change how the military develops parts and equipment. The Army's Manufacturing Technology Program, managed by its Research, Development and Engineering Command of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is overseeing the DMDI initiative, with input from the Air Force, Navy, nine federal agencies and industry.
The Royal Navy laid the keel for the sixth Astute-class submarine at a ceremony July 18, at Barrow-in-Furness, Scotland, where the boats are built by prime contractor BAE Systems Maritime Submarines. The new submarine, HMS Agamemnon, is the sixth of seven boats in the class. Astute submarines will replace the Royal Navy's Trafalgar-class boats. Two are completing sea trials: HMS Astute, which was launched in 2007; and HMS Ambush, launched in 2011. Three others—Artful, Audacious and Ansom—are in various stages of construction.
