Sunday, August 18, 2013
US Navy Moves Ahead To Develop Unmanned Carrier Aircraft
One of the Navy's two X-47B concept demonstrator aircraft makes a landing aboard the aircraft carrier George H W Bush on July 10. The X-47Bs proved engineering concepts for designing unmanned carrier-based jet aircraft, the objective of the new UCLASS program. (Christopher P. Cavas / Staff)
WASHINGTON — As expected, the US Navy has awarded four development contracts to develop designs to compete for the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) Air Vehicle.
The contracts — each for $15 million — went to the Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo.; General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., Poway, Calif.; Lockheed Martin Corp., Palmdale, Calif.; and Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., El Segundo, Calif.
According to the contract announcements, the preliminary design review assessment is to support UCLASS, a system “to enhance aircraft carrier/air wing operations by providing a responsive, world-wide presence via an organic, sea-based unmanned aerial system, with persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting, and strike capabilities.”
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Mumbai Submarine Explosion Clouds India’s Naval Progress
The cause of the explosions is still being determined and sabotage has not yet been ruled out. "A board of inquiry will cover the entire spectrum of the incident, we cannot rule out sabotage at this stage but all the indicators at this point do not support that theory," Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi said.
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Boeing near decision on future of C-17 cargo plane
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Tech.
Sgt. Andrew Gravett walks along the top of a C-17 Globemaster III while
wearing a safety harness as he does a routine maintenance check of the
aircraft June 4, 2013, at Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
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ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Production of Boeing Co.’s C-17 military cargo plane has been winding down for years. Now the company could know by the end of the year if it’s winding down for good.
Boeing’s chief financial officer said Wednesday that the planemaker is nearing a choice on whether to slow, or even stop, manufacturing on the mammoth four-engine jet, which employs hundreds of people in St. Louis.
“We’ll have to make a decision sometime later this year,” Boeing CFO Greg Smith said at an investors conference in New York, according to a Bloomberg transcript of the event.
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The U.S. sends Egypt far more military aid than it needs
The United States gives Egypt about $1.3 billion in military aid each year.
And, so far this year, the Obama administration has been unwilling to
cut off those funds — even in the midst of a violent military crackdown
that has left more than 525 dead.
So here’s one question worth exploring: Just how important is all that aid to Egypt, anyway? NPR’s Julia Simon recently did some reporting on that exact question. It seems that in many cases, Egypt receives far more weaponry than it could possibly use:
The U.S. started sending M1A1 Abrams tanks to Egypt in the late ’80s. In all, the U.S. sent more than 1,000 tanks to Egypt since then — valued at some $3.9 billion — which Egypt maintains along with several thousand Soviet-era tanks.
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Egyptian Army soldiers in Cairo. (Hassan Ammar/AP)
The U.S. started sending M1A1 Abrams tanks to Egypt in the late ’80s. In all, the U.S. sent more than 1,000 tanks to Egypt since then — valued at some $3.9 billion — which Egypt maintains along with several thousand Soviet-era tanks.
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Uncle Sam's Yard Sale: Gov't looks to unload Afghanistan war hardware
It could be Uncle Sam’s biggest yard sale.
After 12 years of war in Afghanistan, officials are now pondering what to do with $50 billion in equipment half a world away — including combat vehicles, dining rooms, gyms, clothing and more.
“A lot of this stuff, you're not really concerned about bringing it back,” said Jim Hasik, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “I mean if a Coke machine falls into the hands of the Taliban, this is just not a big disaster.”
But eventually, much of the gear will trickle down to the public. With the click of a mouse the spoils of war can be yours on govliquidation.com
.
Each day, new items appear on the site – as bases around the country
release unneeded items – from rafts and trucks, to fire engines and
pretzel stands.
After 12 years of war in Afghanistan, officials are now pondering what to do with $50 billion in equipment half a world away — including combat vehicles, dining rooms, gyms, clothing and more.
“A lot of this stuff, you're not really concerned about bringing it back,” said Jim Hasik, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “I mean if a Coke machine falls into the hands of the Taliban, this is just not a big disaster.”
But eventually, much of the gear will trickle down to the public. With the click of a mouse the spoils of war can be yours on govliquidation.com
.
Each day, new items appear on the site – as bases around the country
release unneeded items – from rafts and trucks, to fire engines and
pretzel stands.
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