BROAD STRATEGIC APPRAISALS

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Yellow Jacket Fuses MASINT, IMINT, UAVs to Hunt IEDs

CenTauri Solutionshas been awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense to demonstrate an integrated UAV-based counter-IED technology. Known as “Yellow Jacket” the $11.7 million program is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, (AFRL) in Rome, New York. Such a capability could provide life saving services for military patrols and convoys, by scanning the roads and locations and identifing potential IED threats before the arrival of the forces.

Northrop Grumman Announces Successful G/ATOR AESA System Tests

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced a prototype partial array antenna representative of the U.S. Marine Corps Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) active electronic scanned array (AESA) has completed successful testing at a company antenna test range in Norwalk, Conn., where all planned test objectives were met. This provides a high degree of confidence that the first EDM fully populated array (currently under integration/test) will likewise be a success.

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NASA: Ares I-X rocket damaged in test flight

The booster rocket used in a test flight was badly dented when it fell into the Atlantic because of a deflated parachute, NASA said Thursday.

Asteroid explosion was a whopper for Earth

A space rock explosion earlier this month over an island region of Indonesia is now being viewed as perhaps the biggest object to tangle with the Earth in more than a decade.

Japanese Ship Conducts Successful BMD Test

A Japanese destroyer shot down a ballistic missile target during a seven-minute engagement off Hawaii on Tuesday night, becoming the third Japanese ship to demonstrate an engagement capability using the Aegis combat system.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Google reveals complimentary GPS navigation for cell phones

Google revealed a free navigation scheme for mobile phones on Wednesday in a progress seen as a prospective challenge to the makers of GPS navigation devices. US telecommunications carrier Verizon Wireless and US handset manufacturer Motorola announced in the meantime that latest smartphone will be available on sale in the United States next week, the Droid, would be the foremost to attribute Google Maps Navigation.

Scientists Discover Gene that 'Cancer-Proofs' Rodent's Cells

Despite a 30-year lifespan that gives ample time for cells to grow cancerous, a small rodent species called a naked mole rat has never been found with tumors of any kind—and now biologists at the University of Rochester think they know why.

Old Trick Threatens the Newest Weapons

Despite a six-year effort to build trusted computer chips for military systems, the Pentagon now manufactures in secure facilities run by American companies only about 2 percent of the more than $3.5 billion of integrated circuits bought annually for use in military gear.

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Russia Develops Spaceship with Nuclear Engine

The Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has developed a design for a piloted spacecraft powered by a nuclear engine, the head of the agency said on Wednesday.

Next-generation microcapsules deliver 'chemicals on demand'

Scientists in California are reporting development of a new generation of the microcapsules used in carbon-free copy paper, in which capsules burst and release ink with pressure from a pen. The new microcapsules burst when exposed to light, releasing their contents in ways that could have wide-ranging commercial uses from home and personal care to medicine.

Raytheon Moves Ahead in Competition for Next Gen Jammer Program

Having completed an initial technology maturation study in July, Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has entered the subsequent phase of the competition for the U.S. Navy's Next Generation Jammer program.

The study described new technological approaches to provide 21st century jamming capabilities for current and future threats in the airborne electronic-attack arena. The next-generation jammer is intended to replace the ALQ-99 jamming pods on the EA-18G Growler aircraft, providing a solid basis for 30 more years of airborne electronic-attack capability.

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Test Results Promising that Navy Hornet Can Fly on 'Green Fuel'

The Navy is one step closer to flying the "Green Hornet." Members of the NAVAIR Fuels team recently made a small, but very vital step toward changing the source of jet fuel the U.S. Navy uses. The team tested an F404 F/A-18 engine to determine if it could run on a jet fuel (JP-5) derived from a weed.

Google Closes the Loop on Music Search

Google Wednesday announced a widely anticipated addition to its popular search engine that reduces the number of steps one has to take between hearing about a piece of music and actually hearing it, thanks to partnerships with a bevy of music services: imeem, Lala, iLike, Pandora and Rhapsody.

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Self-driving technology on a roll

A new EU-funded project envisions future vehicles having the ability to drive themselves in long convoys on motorways.

The SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project, which will be led by engineering consultancy Ricardo UK, will develop technology that allows vehicles to control acceleration, braking and steering, and drive as part of a 'road train' of similarly controlled vehicles.

Raytheon Awarded $81.1 Million for Airborne Low Frequency Sonar

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has received an $81.1 million U.S. Navy contract for the AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS), the primary undersea warfare sensor for the Navy's MH-60R multi-mission helicopter.

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Air Force Uses Airborne Lasers to Create High-Speed Data Links

Manned Air Force jets and drones could soon send high quality video and audio by using ultra-high bandwidth lasers, transmitting critical battlefield data faster than ever. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research has conducted experiments that transmit data without interference across almost 22 miles, both in the air and on the ground.

Light Peak Technology

Light Peak is the code-name for a new high-speed optical cable technology designed to connect your electronic devices to each other. Light Peak delivers high bandwidth starting at 10Gb/s with the potential ability to scale to 100Gb/s over the next decade.

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Mantis Shrimp's Eyes Hold Key to New Optics

Scientists have discovered the mechanism behind the eyes of the only animal that can detect a certain kind of polarized light: the mantis shrimp, native to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Optical devices can manipulate the polarization of light for research and for commercial products like CD and DVD players and digital cameras. However, these devices can't manipulate light nearly as well as the mantis shrimp can.

NASA launches test rocket on second try

A one-of-a-kind NASA rocket soared into the Florida sky Wednesday in a brief but critical test flight of a new booster slated to launch astronauts into space and, eventually, toward the moon.

'Father of Su-27' Simonov: F-15 hater

Mikhail Petrovich Simonov, designer of the iconic Su-27 Flanker, realized after the 1977 first flight that the T-10 prototype was a dog, a fact he explained to the aviation minister in Moscow.

LockMart's New HELLFIRE II Missile Design Up And Away

Lockheed Martin's new multi-functional AGM-114R HELLFIRE II missile scored a direct hit during its first proof-of-principle (POP) flight test recently at Eglin Air Force Base, FL.

Mounted laser weapon passes two key tests

A laser weapon mounted on a vehicle that is set to enter U.S. Army service in a few years passed two key tests at the Boeing Co.'s review sites, the company announced.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Desktop Supercomputer by Asus

Asustek teams with Nvidia on 1.1 Teraflop supercomputer.

Asustek Computer unveiled its first supercomputer on Monday, the desktop computer-sized ESC 1000, which uses Nvidia graphics processors to attain speeds up to 1.1 teraflops.

Xerox Develops Silver Ink for Cheap Printable Electronics

Xerox has invented a silver ink that conducts electricity, and could be used to build flexible electronics cheaply and easily.

US Army uncovers successful results for AIDS vaccine

The fight against one of the deadliest virus known may have met its match against the United States Army.
The Army in conjunction with the Thai Ministry of Public Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the National Institutes of Health, Sanofi Pasteur and Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases have uncovered successful results for an AIDS vaccination.

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New All-Terrain Vehicles Arrive in Afghanistan

The first mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles designated for southern Afghanistan arrived here, Oct. 22 by air transport.After months of government testing, the Defense Department awarded a contract in June to Oshkosh Corp. to supply an initial order valued at $1.05 billion for more than 2,000 of the vehicles, known as M-ATVs.

Liquid granite reduces fire risk

Scientists have developed a new building material made largely from recycled material that that is fire resistant to temperatures in excess of 1,100oC.

The so-called 'liquid granite' can reduce the fire risk in buildings as, unlike concrete, it doesn't explode at high temperatures. It can also withstand high temperatures for longer periods of time.

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Toshiba launches consumer fuel cell

Japanese electronics consumer giant Toshiba has launched its first direct methanol fuel-cell (DMFC) product for consumer use.

Called the Dynario, it can be used as an external power source to power mobile-digital consumer products.

Coming Soon: Non-Latin Character URLs

Since its inception, the World Wide Web has been dominated by English. Even websites that use a different language still use the Latin-character "www" format, with a URL spelled out with the English alphabet. Well, that domination will soon come to an end, as Icann, the committee that regulates the Internet, has begun finalizing steps towards approving web addresses in non-Latin characters.

Fastest Supercomputer in the World Models Dark Matter, HIV Family Tree Simultaneously

n November of last year, scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory switched on Roadrunner, the world's fastest computer. IBM and the Department of Energy built the machine to model nuclear explosions, but two new studies, both released today, are proof that the computer's massive power has been at least as devoted to peaceful science as to simulating thermonuclear weapons.

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