Current Events in the Americas

Navy Sinks Former Frigate USS Reuben James in Test of New Supersonic Anti-Surface Missile (USNI News)

Future US Air Force Missile: Speeds Up To Mach 6.5 The X-51A program could mean that long-range strikes take a fraction of the time needed now. By Gordon Lubold, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor In the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other individuals the military considers high-value targets, the US Air Force is pursuing a new program that could put a missile on a target in minutes instead of hours. The Air Force is developing a "hypersonic" engine designed to fly bombs at Mach 6.5 speed, or more than 4,000 miles per hour, allowing commanders a chance to conduct long-range strikes on targets in a fraction of the time it takes now. The program, k…

Why We Still Need a Nuclear-Armed Cruise Missile (War on the Rocks)

From Flight International DATE:11/05/07 SOURCE:Flight International Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter recovers from in-flight power failure By Craig Hoyle Lockheed Martin has launched a planned software modification to its lone F-35 test asset, after suffering an unexpected power failure during the aircraft’s 19th and most recent test flight on 3 May. “We had some very unusual electrical transient through the airplane,” says Joint Strike Fighter programme executive officer US Air Force Brig Gen Charles Davis. “All the electrics dropped offline and came back after a few milliseconds.” Lockheed confirms: “The test pilot observed a partial fai…

[This one's for you Brad] Chavez’s Bid For Russian Arms Pains U.S. By C. J. Chivers MOSCOW, Aug. 15 — A proposed contract between Russia and Venezuela that could transfer thousands of sniper rifles to Venezuela has raised concerns in the United States about the potential use or regional distribution of the weapons by the socialist-inspired government of President Hugo Chávez. The rifles are the latest variant of the Dragunov, a long-barreled, semiautomatic design with a telescopic sight. It is derived in part from the much more widely circulated Kalashnikov assault rifle. First manufactured in 1963 for use by militaries and intelligence agencies in the…

From Flight International DATE: 17/10/07 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com EXCLUSIVE: US considers Airbus A380 as Air Force One and potentially a C-5 replacement By Stephen Trimble The Airbus A380 has attracted interest from the US Air Force (USAF) as a cargo freighter and as a large VIP transport in the Air Force One class, says an industry source. EADS last summer responded to two separate inquiries by the USAF’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) about the A380, which is a double-decker jet delivered to Singapore Airlines on 15 October after a long delay. AMC’s first request asked EADS to submit data about the A380F Freighter for potential use as a military airlifter…

From AOL Defense [excerpt]

F-22 Raptors need helmet-mounted cueing system to take full advantage of AIM-9X (Flight Global)

Navy Quietly Downscales Destroyer Upgrades (USNI News)

Team Tests Pod at 'Litening' Speed Find It Here (Source: US Air Force; issued April 18, 2006) EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --- Three Air Force units have started accelerated testing of a Litening-AT targeting pod. The 416th Flight Test Squadron here is working with the 85th Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and the 422nd OTES at Nellis AFB, Nev., to update the existing Litening pod with several new capabilities for warfighters, including a video downlink transmitter currently used in the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. "The transmitter, called the ROVER Module, was pulled out of the Predator and allows …

From DefenseNews Pentagon Cancels Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter By GINA CAVALLARO Published: 16 Oct 19:39 EDT (23:39 GMT) The Defense Department late today scrapped the $6.2 billion program to replace the aging OH-58D Kiowa Warrior with the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, citing cost overruns. The Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter was to replace the Kiowa Warrior, pictured. (M. Scott Mahaskey / Staff) The Army announced in July that the contract with Bell-Textron was then more than 40 percent over cost, triggering a program reviewunder legislation know as the Nunn-McCurdy statute. John Young, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and lo…

Next Large Combatant Might Be a Flight IV Destroyer (Seapower)

Why Is the PLAN Near Alaska? (The Diplomat) Scenario fodder (complete with OOB) for the under utilized Bering Strait battleset!

Winning The Salvo Competition: Rebalancing America's Air And Missile Defenses (CBSA)

Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Demonstrates Network Capability in Multiple JDAM Drop here (Source: Boeing Co.; issued April 18, 2006) ST. LOUIS --- Boeing has successfully demonstrated the capability of an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to provide targeting coordinates to other aircraft using the Raytheon APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system. During the test at the Naval Air Weapons Center at China Lake, Calif., an AESA-equipped F/A-18F created a long-range, high resolution synthetic aperture radar map and designated four closely-spaced stationary targets. The aircraft then data-linked two target designations to non-AESA equipped Super…

From Defense Aerospace Raytheon's Laser-Guided Maverick Missile Meets Urgent Air Force Need (Source: Raytheon Co.; issued Aug. 16, 2007) TUCSON, Ariz. --- Having published an urgent operational need for a close air support weapon to defeat high-speed moving targets with minimal collateral damage, the U.S. Air Force has expressed interest in re-establishing production of Raytheon Company's laser-guided Maverick. The laser-guided AGM-65E Maverick missile is an air-to-ground weapon that can meet the service's needs in the near-term. The Air Force currently operates with television- and infrared-guided versions of Maverick. Until now, only the Navy and Ma…

From Defence Aerospace Quadrennial Defense Review Focuses on Future (Source: US Air Force; issued April 25, 2005) WASHINGTON -- The four capabilities the Air Force brings to the joint warfighting environment will be the focus of the service's contribution to the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review. Officials in the office of the secretary of defense produce the Quadrennial Defense Review every four years with input from the services. The report details to Congress the anticipated needs of the Defense Department out to about the year 2020. "The QDR is important to all of the services, … because it looks at what capabilities we have today verses what capabi…

From Air Force Times [The beginning of the end for the "Wobbly Goblin" ... ] October 25, 2006 F-117 pilot school closes Staff report The F-117 Nighthawk pilot school has closed its canopy. The last class of F-117 pilots graduated from the school on Oct. 13, according to 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The closure of the formal training unit was the latest sign that the F-117 is being phased out at Holloman and will eventually be replaced by the F-22A Raptor. The school was overseen by the 7th Fighter Squadron, which will be deactivated in December. Once the 7th closes, a sister unit, the 8th Fighter Squadron, will handle many of remain…

Only one scenario for the PlayersDB currently exists for the high Arctic, "The True North Strong and Free". Looks like here's an opportunity to explore the area, again. Ottawa to proceed with plan to acquire six Arctic patrol ships Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press Published: Sunday, May 13, 2007 Victoria Times Colonist OTTAWA -- A key federal cabinet committee has given the go-ahead for a plan to construct six corvette-sized Arctic patrol vessels, The Canadian Press has learned. The cabinet priorities and planning committee approved the program to build the 100-metre-long, 6,000-tonne warships within the last 10 days, according to defence and politica…