$5M for a Su-27UB
This is a newly overhauled unit, zero-houred. Not bad! $5M Buys the Ride of Your Life | Autopia | Wired.com.
Category: Military
Insurgent Attacks Follow Mathematical Pattern
It turns out that there is a universal human method for doing insurgency, when it comes down to the number of casualties and the timing of events. This pattern is distinct and is based on an approximate power law. Slashdot Science Story | Insurgent Attacks Follow Mathematical Pattern.
Predator UAV feeds unencrypted
It looks like the Iranians have found out that the video feeds from Predator drones are in some cases unencrypted and can be tapped into using a $26,- program called Skygrabber. FOXNews.com – Iranian-Backed Insurgents Hack U.S. Drones. Now it turns out that the ROVER system, a hand held video system for infantry, also recieves Read more about Predator UAV feeds unencrypted[…]
AO Eyewear, Inc.
These guys make the original US military flight sunglasses, starting at only $70,- AO Eyewear, Inc..
Angel Swords
The art of swordmaking has remained fundamentally unchanged for the past couple of centuries, but Dan Watson has gone and changed the way the steel is tempered, making for swords twice as tough and flexible as any of the old ways. He does this by making the molecular strands in the steel twist in a Read more about Angel Swords[…]
Xflex bomb proof wallpaper
A single sheet of this applied as sticky wallpaper is enough to stop a wrecking ball. Two sheets stop small projectiles. It stretches and catches the blast debris and then elastically returns the wall to its’ former state. Xflex Blast Protection Systems.
Mine detecting microbes
When sprayed over an area, after a while the bacteria covering mines start to glow grean, making cleanup a doddle. BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Edinburgh, East and Fife | Glowing bugs could find landmines.
V-22 Osprey melts ship landing pads
And it looks like the F-35 JSF will probably be even worse. This premature buckling of the landing pads by the hot exhaust fumes, mean that the pads (which you can’t just go and replace without capsizing the ship) will run out before the ship does. The USMC has issued DARPA a request to invent Read more about V-22 Osprey melts ship landing pads[…]
Flight International cover competition 2009
They have some awesome entrants allready Flight International cover competition 2009.
Channel 4 to crash passenger jet
A passenger jet is to be deliberately crash-landed as part of a scientific experiment on Channel 4 that the broadcaster hopes will be one of its biggest hits of next year. Two pilots will parachute from the 300-seat airliner after setting it on autopilot to crash at high speed into the desert. The plane will Read more about Channel 4 to crash passenger jet[…]
Dassault Rafale
This is a very comprehensive flight test review of the Rafale. FLIGHT TEST: Dassault Rafale – Rampant Rafale.
Fighter pilots face a dismal future
The U.S. Air Force has a morale problem with its combat pilots. The issue is lack of action for the pilots. That, plus the increased use of unmanned aircraft, and the very real prospect that the age of the manned combat aircraft may be coming to an end. http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmoral/articles/20091102.aspx
US Navy Swarm UAVs
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) recently demonstrated autonomous operations by multiple “swarms” of unmanned air and ground vehicles, unattended ground sensors, video cameras and other devices linked together in an intelligent network powered by EdgeFrontier platform technologies from Augusta Systems, Inc. via NAVAIR And Augusta Demo Operations Of Multiple Swarms Of UAVs And Read more about US Navy Swarm UAVs[…]
Why computers suck at maths
This article explores why computers can’t do floating point maths, which is what makes Excel and all those online calculators such lousy mathematicians – basically because computers are binary, they can’t calculate anything after a decimal point, so the workaround is to put the number including the decimal point in a register of a certain Read more about Why computers suck at maths[…]
DTIC
DTIC Online Access Controlled is the central facility for the acquisition, storage, retrieval and dissemination of scientific and technical information supporting the Research and Engineering needs of the Department of Defense. Maintained by the Defense Technical Information Center DTIC, a recognized leader in information and knowledge management. This site provides access to DTIC’s collections, online Read more about DTIC[…]
Eurojet proposes thrust-vectoring upgrade for Typhoon
This thing was proposed from the outset, but I have no idea what happened to it. Now finally they’ve got it going, and they’re claiming the new nozzles add 7% thrust and reduce fuel consumption by 5%. VIDEO: Eurojet proposes thrust-vectoring upgrade for Typhoon.
NATO’s Strategic Concept
NATO is looking towards the citizens of the alliance to contribute to a new understanding of NATO’s role and methodology. The new strategic concept is yet to be written and comments posted on their forum are fed to a panel of experts, who will have a hand in writing the new concept. NATO’s Strategic Concept Read more about NATO’s Strategic Concept[…]
First USAF Drone pilots graduated
A sad sad day indeed – pilots who will never fly in an actual plane, just remotely control a drone, that they will likely never see either. AF Class of 2009: Pilots Who Won’t Fly.
Soviet Doomsday Machine
Apparently the USSR actually went and built a doomsday machine – something that would launch command missles which would transmit coordinates to other ICBMs in the event that the Soviet Union was destroyed. The system, called ‘Perimiter’ and known as ‘Dead Hand’ basically ran through some checks and then delegated launch authority to whoever it Read more about Soviet Doomsday Machine[…]
Dutch JSF buy based on unreal figures
The Dutch ministry of defence has apparently known since 2005 that the budget reserved for the JSF buy (to replace the KLu F-16 fleet) was in nowhere near enough for the planned 85 F-35s they needed. The Dutch MOD has answered parliamentary questions about this with the statement that they expected a budget increase and Read more about Dutch JSF buy based on unreal figures[…]
US Senate axes F-35 alternate engine
And continuing on with the US military madness, the alternate Rolls Royce power source for the F-35 is to stop receiving funding from. This is a huge slap in the face to the UK. US Senate axes F-35 alternate engine -23/07/2009-Washington DC-Flightglobal.com.
F-22 chopped by US Senate
The US has just gone and done something I really can’t see the point of besides politics: they’ve gone and chopped their air dominance fighter after a production run of under 200 aircraft. Instead they want to lay their eggs in the F-35 JSF basket – which performs poorly against the current Australian F-18s and Read more about F-22 chopped by US Senate[…]
Navy Robots
The Moray Eel Hunter is a drone that seeks out single swimmers closing in stealthily on your coast at 8 kts. Once it finds you it lights up, makes noise, sends signals and swims around you. So how long before it gets armed?
The Mig Factory
Who’d have thought it? Pictures of the MiG factory online for all to see!