Airborne laser ready for flight tests

IT SHOULD be the moment of truth for the Airborne Laser (ABL). In the coming months, the multibillion-dollar laser built into a customised Boeing 747 will try to shoot a ballistic missile as it rises above the clouds.

Don't expect instant reports of success, though. Instead, if all goes to plan, we're likely to hear about a series of incremental improvements.

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Researchers using parallel processing computing could save thousands by using an Xbox

A new study by a University of Warwick researcher has demonstrated that researchers trying to model a range of processes could use the power and capabilities of a particular XBox chip as a much cheaper alternative to other forms of parallel processing hardware.

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Motorola introduces Two New WiMAX Devices: CPEi 725 and USBw 200

Motorola announced the two new additions to its portfolio of WiMAX devices that deliver superior radio performance and throughput.

The CPEi 725 is a desktop unit that provides fixed and nomadic access and also supports Voice over IP (VoIP) capability. The USBw 200 adaptor (dongle) enables broadband on the go.

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USAF Awards Raytheon $77 M for Infrared-Guided Maverick Missiles

The U.S. Air Force awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a $77.4 million Foreign Military Sales contract to produce AGM-65D and AGM-65G2 infrared-guided Maverick air-to-surface missiles for Korea and Taiwan.

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Algae finds use in batteries

These algae have a special cellulose structure characterised by a very large surface area,' said Gustav Nyström, a doctoral student in nanotechnology. 'By coating this structure with a thin layer of conducting polymer, we have succeeded in producing a battery that weighs almost nothing and that has set new charge-time and capacity records for polymer-cellulose-based batteries.'

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Ferromagnetic fridges

Advances in magnetic refrigeration technology could help the average household cut energy consumption by up to 10 per cent, according to researchers at BASF.The German chemical company has been working alongside power supply manufacturer Delta Electronics to develop ferromagnetic materials that could be used to replace existing compressor technology in refrigerators and cooling systems.

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Feds push new national identification card program after "Real ID" flops

Four years ago, President Bush signed a law requiring states to create driver's licenses that meet national standards, store related information in nationally connected databases and foot the bill for most of this nearly $4-billion project. Now, after the 2005 Real ID Act has alienated state governments and privacy advocates alike, the federal government is considering a replacement measure called Pass ID that it hopes will improve national security while being less expensive and less intrusive on privacy.

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UCSB Scientists Create Cancer-Stopping Nanoparticle-and-Laser Treatment

Nanotechnology, lasers, genetics, and cancer? If there was also something about space, this story might have been a PopSci full house. Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), have figured out a way to deliver cancer-stopping RNA directly into the nucleus of a diseased cell. To get into the nucleus, the RNA is wrapped in special gold nanoshells which are then selectively opened by a laser.

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Insta-Dimming, Bullet-Resistant Windows for VIP Cars

A good bullet-resistant ride can do the trick for most VIPs, leaving aside physics-defying assassins and impossible curving bullets. But the U.S. Department of Defense also wants controllable protection against the sun's vicious ultraviolet rays, not to mention prying eyes and sniper scopes.

The DOD has awarded a $425,000 contract to GKN Aerospace for a product that embeds electronically dimming films within armored glass. Such a "SmartShade" would help hide VIPs riding inside armored vehicles.

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Take an Orbital Vacation on a Surplus Soviet Military Spacecraft

Space tourists with deep pockets and dreams of recapturing Cold War nostalgia need look no further than Excalibur Almaz. The new company is asking $35 million for a weeklong stay aboard a Soviet-era military spacecraft.

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BAE Laser Dazzle System enlisted to stop Somali pirates

The United Kingdom's Daily Express reported that a new Laser Dazzle System from BAE Systems (Farnborough, Hampshire, England) was unveiled at DSEi 2009, the Defence Systems & Equipment International show in London, England. The Laser Dazzle system is one of several technologies designed to counter the threat posed by Somali pirates off East Africa.

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Segway inventor takes aim at thirst with Slingshot

If you listen to inventor Dean Kamen, the biggest health problem facing the world today is not AIDS, obesity or malnutrition. It's a shortage of water.

the forward-thinking inventor and his team at DEKA Research in Manchester, New Hampshire, aren't sitting around waiting for the world's wells to dry up. They've been working on an invention they say can tap into 97 percent of the world's undrinkable water.

It's called the Slingshot, and it's a portable, low energy machine that is designed to purify water in remote villages.

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Fate Of Second F-35 Engine Nears

The fate of the F136 alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be the central issue of debate when House and Senate negotiators meet in conference late this month or early in October to finalize the fiscal 2010 U.S. defense budget.

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Eliminating Punctures in Military Tyres

OKO Puncture Free Tyre sealant is the most cost effective method for eliminating the puncture threat to Military tyres.OKO Puncture Free Concentrate seals larger holesand is capable of sealing several holes simultaneously. Essentially, punctures are sealed instantaneously, permanently – as you drive. There is no need for the vehicle to stop, whether it is a Land Rover, a Snatch or Drops vehicle.

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Superfast Wi-Fi Standard 'n' Official

A new standard for Wi-Fi communication, 802.11n, is now official paving the way for faster, more reliable, and more efficient wireless networks. That means improvements to streaming of HD content, better performance for applications running on a Wi-Fi network such as VoIP, and longer laptop batter life given 802.11n chips use less power.

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So Long CPU Wars

The Great Chip Wars, as we’ve come to know them, ended this week — courtesy of a new marketing campaign from Advanced Micro Devices.

AMD has decided to sell its products under the Vision banner, a slogan that emphasizes the strengths of its graphics chip instead of promoting the abilities of its CPUs, or traditional workhorse chips. PC makers and retailers will promote three flavors of AMD-based computers, called See, Share and Create models.

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Lunar lander rising again

Video-game millionaire John Carmack is aiming to wina million dollars of NASA's money when he and his Armadillo Aerospace teammates take the field this weekend for the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. And the way he sees it, the biggest thing standing in his way is an obstacle that's become quite familiar to NASA's space jockeys of late: the weather.

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Boeing pitches OV-10X Bronco for USAF light attack

Boeing confirms it has proposed building new OV-10s with upgraded avionics and weapons for the US Air Force light attack contract.

The OV-10 could face competition from other Vietnam-era light attack aircraft, such as the Piper Aircraft PA-48 Enforcer. A new class of turboprop fighter-trainers, such as the AT-6 and the Embraer Super Tucano are also vying for the contract.

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NIST creates new trace explosives standard

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology says it has created a new trace explosives standard designed for homeland security use.

Officials said the new standard consists of four different test substances designed to simulate trace residues of C-4 plastic, gunpowder and TNT explosives.

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