Laser Detect Systems Ltd. (LDS), an Israeli company, is launching two laser-based scanners that reportedly detect all types of explosives, including liquids, in seconds. The LDS 5500D (see photo) is a tabletop device that uses a patented laser spectroscopy system and algorithms to detect explosives accurately and rapidly, the company says. The unit detects materials in liquid, powder or gel form, in sealed glass or plastic containers, or diluted with substances designed to mask their presence. It also detects explosive residue.
The NATO summit in Chicago on May 21-22 will be dominated by Afghanistan and the trans-atlantic relationship, but improving allied capabilities will also be an important topic of discussion.
As work proceeds on the first of the Royal Navy's two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, authorities at what will be their home port, HMNB Portsmouth, England, have approved a design for the Portsmouth Approach Channel, the body of water through which the 65,000-tonne (71,630-ton) ships will transit. The carriers will be the largest vessels ever docked at Portsmouth. As a result, based on a design developed by BMT Isis Ltd., the Royal Navy will dredge a new approach that is 30 ft. deeper than the current one. The draft of both ships is 36 ft.
The Australian Defense Material Organization (DMO) selected Supacat Ltd. of the U.K. as preferred bidder for a new family of special operations vehicles. Supacat received a contract to supply the Project Definition and Evaluation (PD&E) phase of the program—known as JP2097 Ph 1B (Redfin)—with the latest version of its HMT Extenda vehicle, which has been designed for use by special forces. On completion of the PD&E phase, the DMO is expected to acquire a fleet of vehicles under a separate contract.
The Pentagon plans to spend $250 million per year to find new ways of mining data, an investment that its top engineer, Zachary Lemnios, calls a “big bet on big data.” Of that amount, $60 million will go to military research projects.
The failure of North Korea's much-publicized rocket launch on April 13 occurred as Japan readied its ballistic missile defense force to destroy the rocket if it fell toward its territory.
Tank: Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments Location: Washington Profile: Moderately hawkish, well-connected, future-focused Directed-energy weapons (DEW) don't have a good reputation, associated as they are with over-promised and under-delivered programs. It is therefore brave to make a pro-DEW case at a time of budget cuts, but that's what the CSBA's new report does.
The ScanEagle mini-UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), in use by the U.S. Navy, has logged its first flight powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The UAV, developed by Boeing subsidiary Insitu Inc. of Bingen, Wash., flew 2.5 hr. with the propulsion module. The flight test is significant since the U.S. Defense Department expects fuel cells to play an increasingly important role in improving the mission capability of UAVs and other platforms. One benefit of fuel cells for UAVs such as ScanEagle is reduced weight.
Not trying to say that all the 'molly-coddling' of N.K. that's been happening is getting us anywhere, but shooting down one of their test missiles just seems a little too dangerous—sort of like smoking in the powder magazine. —Pappy on a post about possibly shooting down North Korea's latest rocket
The U.S. Air Force is looking for one good aluminum alloy. The service wants a higher-strength alternative to alloy 2014, which is widely used in aerospace components and fittings, as well as military vehicles and weapons, due to its machining and forming properties. It also wants an alternative to alloy 2040, developed and produced by Alcoa. This material has enhanced properties compared with 2014 that reduce landing-gear weight, but it's a single-source metal, and costly.
The U.S. Navy's new robotics lab in Washington features realistic replicas of a Southeast Asian rain forest, sandstorm-swept desert and choppy coastal waters. Opened this spring, the Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research (LASR) boasts 50,000 sq. ft. of space, and is designed to simulate real-world environs in which to test unmanned systems. The lab, which cost $18 million to build, isn't a substitute for operational testing of robots in the field, but can be used to avoid costly trips for environmental testing in places such as Hawaii.
Reviewed By Pat Toensmeier Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth By Frederick Kempe Berkeley Books, 2011 579 pp.; $29.95 The Berlin Wall symbolized the Cold War. Frederick Kempe writes of the events that led to its construction in 1961, sealing the division of Germany.
Gen. Jean-Paul PalomerosFrench Air Force Chief of Staff Age: 58 Birthplace: Paris Education: Graduate of the Ecole de l'Air in Salon-de-Provence, the university-level school which trains air force officers; studied for one year as an exchange student at the Royal Air Force Staff College in Bracknell, England.
