Category Archives: Defense News
Navy Railgun bites the dust
Despite limited success in testing, the Navy railgun program has been fallen to budget cuts. The weapon was not slated to reach operation status until the 2020s, but congress has decided to kill the program. “With the Electromagnetic Railgun, the … Continue reading
Beriev A-60 armed with…A LASER TURRET!?!
As the US scales back its airborne laser program due budget constraints and performance issues, the Russians are moving ahead with their airborne attack laser which has the capability to blind and possibly disable American satellites. The A-60’s nose … Continue reading
Crazy Soviet Superplane- Lun Ekranoplan
Sometimes I think the former Soviet Union would fund any crazy idea their scientists could conceive of. The latest example is the Lun Ekranoplan, an aircraft so large and bizarre that the US officials created a special drone just to … Continue reading
Phantom Eye- long endurance flight capable drone
This is Boeing’s “Phantom Eye,” a hydrogen-powered, unmanned spy plane that flies 65,000 feet above the ground and can fly for four days straight. Boeing hails it as the “first of its kind” — its looks alone set it apart … Continue reading
Will the military get to take a shot at a wayward satellite?
Will the military need to be called in to blow up the rogue Intelsat satellite meandering through Earth’s orbit? Or maybe a NASA Space Shuttle could swing by and grab it? You may recall that in 2008, rather than risk … Continue reading
How much is enough? Gates takes aim at the Pentagon
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is calling the Pentagon out on spending. “For example, should we really be up in arms over a temporary projected shortfall of about 100 Navy and Marine strike fighters relative to the number of carrier … Continue reading
Army Spy Plane May Have Snooped on Bomber
Investigators were able to track wannabe terrorist Faisal Shahzad through his anonymous, pre-paid cell phone — exactly how, they won’t say. But there was a tantalizing explanation posted — and then quickly yanked — from the website of WCBS TV. … Continue reading
To drone or not to drone
Congress delved Wednesday into the politically explosive issue of unmanned drone attacks, questioning the legality of operations increasingly used to combat al Qaeda and Taliban militants in countries such as Pakistan. In the eight years of George W. Bush’s presidency, … Continue reading
Navy goes green?
It’s the new secret weapon fueling the US military. A hardy plant capable of growing in poor soil, camelina sativa produces a bio-fuel that’s now the focus of the US Navy’s drive for alternative fuels in its planes. Last week … Continue reading
F-14 still flying in Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) says it currently possesses a new generation of F-14 fighter aircraft with domestically-built radars and refurbished engines. The Iranian fleet of Grumman F-14 Tomcat aircraft was purchased from the United States during … Continue reading