Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense

January 26, 2018

Qatar in talks for Russian S-400 missile systems

Moscow (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
Qatar is finalising a deal to buy Russian S-400 air defence systems, the isolated Gulf state's ambassador to Moscow said Thursday. "Negotiations in this direction are in an advanced stage," Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah told Russia's TASS state news agency. Talks were also ongoing for the purchase of "ground force technologies," he added. The announcement came after the historic visit of Saudi Arabia's King Salman to Moscow last year, when Riyadh signed preliminary agreements to buy S-400 ... read more

UN Security Council to inspect 'Iranian-made' missile debris
United Nations, United States (AFP) Jan 26, 2018
The UN Security Council will travel to Washington on Monday to inspect debris from missiles allegedly provided by Iran to Yemen's Huthi rebels and hold meetings at the White House, diplomats said. ... more

Nuclear N.Korea 'immediate challenge' of our time: Kissinger
Washington (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
North Korea poses the most immediate threat to global security, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger told Congress Thursday, stressing that denuclearization of the regime must be a "fundamental" American foreign policy goal. ... more

NATO takes Russian meddling in polls 'very seriously'
Madrid (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
NATO takes "very seriously" any Russian attempts to interfere in foreign elections, including during Spain's Catalonia crisis, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Madrid on Thursday. ... more

South Korea demands Japan close museum on disputed islands
Tokyo (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
South Korea on Thursday demanded the "immediate closure" of a new Tokyo museum devoted to two sets of disputed islands - just hours after it opened. ... more

Previous Issues

Jan 24

Jan 23

Jan 22

Jan 19

Trump touts 'America First' to sceptical Davos elite
Davos, Switzerland (AFP) Jan 26, 2018
US President Donald Trump strode into the lion's den to confront the world's political and business elite on Thursday, as his "America First" administration executes an anti-globalist manifesto in trade, taxes and currency rates. ... more

Northrop Grumman tapped to service Army's Hunter drones
Washington (UPI) Jan 25, 2018
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract for engineering services to the U.S. Army's Hunter unmanned aircraft systems. ... more

India seeks to reduce satellite launch cost
New Delhi (Sputnik) Jan 24, 2018
The GSAT-11 to be launched by Arianespace may be India's last communication satellite to use foreign boosters as the country's space agency is set to launch its own rockets with double the payload c ... more

Yang Liwei looks back at China's first manned space mission
Beijing (XNA) Jan 24, 2018
Yang Liwei felt everything vibrating violently. Experiencing acceleration of gravity at 8G, he thought his body was about to be torn apart. He couldn't move. He couldn't see. "I thought I'd di ... more

Russia infrastructure spying could cause 'total chaos': UK defence minister
London (AFP) Jan 26, 2018
Britain's Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has accused Russia of spying on its critical infrastructure as part of possible plans to create "total chaos" in the country that could "cause thousands and thousands of deaths". ... more

Canadian professor suspected of spying for China
Montreal (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
A researcher at McGill University in Montreal whose brother was charged in the United States with stealing technology and sending it to China is now also suspected in the case, a local newspaper said Thursday. ... more

Harper awarded $127.9M for F-35 hangar in San Diego
Washington (UPI) Jan 25, 2018
Harper Construction has been awarded a contract from the Navy to design and establish F-35 aircraft maintenance hangar and flight lines at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California. ... more

US, Turkey discuss Syria safe zone: Pentagon

Afrin urges Syria to intervene to stop Turkish planes overhead
Beirut (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
Syria should intervene to stop Turkish warplanes flying over the northern district of Afrin, the local authority told AFP Thursday, the sixth day of Ankara's assault on the Kurdish-controlled enclave. ... more

Erdogan vows no let-up in Syria campaign as US tensions rise
Antakya, Turkey (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday vowed Turkey's campaign against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria would press on for as long as required, after telephone talks with Donald Trump failed to douse soaring tensions with Washington. ... more

Germany steps up pressure on Turkey over Syria offensive
Berlin (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
Germany hardened its stance Thursday against Turkey over its military offensive against a Kurdish militia in Syria, which threatened to end a thaw in frosty relations between the NATO partners. ... more

NATO chief says Turkey has right to defend itself amid Syria campaign
Brussels (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that member state Turkey had a right to act in self-defence as Ankara presses a military operation against Kurdish-held positions in northern Syria. ... more

Interpol returns ex-minister wanted for corruption to Iraq
Baghdad (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
Interpol Thursday handed over to Iraq a former minister arrested in Beirut over a conviction for corruption, in a first such collaboration with the international police body, a government source said. ... more

Germany to end search for WWII missing
Berlin (AFP) Jan 23, 2018
Germany's Red Cross on Tuesday said it would end its search for missing persons from World War II in 2023, leaving the fate of 1.2 million people a mystery. ... more

Behind enemy lines: Vietnam's female spies who helped change the war
Hue, Vietnam (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
By day Nguyen Thi Hoa sold conical hats on the streets of Hue in southern Vietnam, at night she funnelled secrets to Communist army handlers who were poised to launch an audacious assault on the city that would reshape the Vietnam War. ... more

Tet Offensive: audacious attacks that changed the Vietnam War
Hue, Vietnam (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
On January 30, 1968 - the eve of Vietnam's Tet lunar new year holiday - communist soldiers from the north and Viet Cong rebels launched a shock offensive on more than 100 cities and outposts throughout southern Vietnam. ... more

Bazooka fire rocks the building: Tet from AFP's bureau
Paris (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
As Vietnam celebrated the 1968 Lunar New Year, tens of thousands of North Vietnamese communist troops and Viet Cong guerrillas launched attacks that changed the course of the war. ... more

Unearthing dark history in Vietnam's war tunnels
Quang Tri, Vietnam (AFP) Jan 25, 2018
American bombs rained overhead as Ho Thi Giu was born in an underground tunnel on January 1, 1968, where hundreds of Vietnamese villagers carved out subterranean lives to escape the bloodshed of the country's brutal civil war. ... more

New tactical nukes in US arsenal raise risks, experts warn

US sanctions N. Korean, Chinese firms aiding Pyongyang
Washington (AFP) Jan 24, 2018
The United States slapped new sanctions on North Korean and Chinese firms and individuals that it said support the Pyongyang regime of Kim Jong-Un and his nuclear weapons program. ... more

DARPA Seeks to Improve Military Communications with Digital Phased-Arrays at Millimeter Wave
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 25, 2018
There is increasing interest in making broader use of the millimeter wave frequency band for communications on small mobile platforms where narrow antenna beams from small radiating apertures provid ... more

Spain to up defence spending by 73 pct over seven years
Madrid (AFP) Jan 24, 2018
Spain is planning to boost defence spending by 73 percent to 18 billion euros ($22 billion) by 2024, an announcement that sparked outrage among opposition MPs who say social services will suffer. ... more

Alabama's PeopleTec awarded $33M for missile defense
Washington (UPI) Jan 17, 2018

Engineering and cybersecurity firm PeopleTec Inc. has been awarded a $33 million contract by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency for engineering and support of the agency's international programs. The contract, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, calls for advisory and assistance services on international engineering to support technical, engineering, advisory and management act ... more

+ Qatar in talks for Russian S-400 missile systems

+ SBIRS GEO Flight-4 Successfully Launched

+ Tokyo simulates first military attack since WWII amid N. Korea threat

+ US Air Force's newest SBIRS missile warning satellite responding to commands

+ Saudi Arabia intercepts new Yemen rebel missile attack

+ Raytheon awarded $641M for ballistic missile defense system testing

+ Air Force, ULA prepare to launch missile defense satellite SBIRS GEO 4

Philippines to deport Hamas 'rocket scientist'
Manila (AFP) Jan 22, 2018

The Philippines said Monday it would deport an elderly Iraqi man described as a scientist for Hamas and accused of helping the Palestinian militant group lob missiles at Israel. Iraq tipped off the Philippines about the presence of Taja Mohammad Al Jabori, who was arrested on Sunday, national police chief Ronald Dela Rosa told reporters. However, the arrest was due to visa problems rathe ... more

+ Israel says India to restart talks on missile sales

+ India likely to revive mega missile deal with Israel

+ State Department approves $133.3M missile sale to Japan

+ Navy awards Raytheon with $27M contract for SM-2 missiles

+ Raytheon to support Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile for U.S., NATO partners

+ Raytheon awarded contracts for missiles in support of foreign countries

+ India buys Israeli missiles ahead of Netanyahu visit

Drones learn to navigate autonomously by imitating cars and bicycles
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Jan 24, 2018

All today's commercial drones use GPS, which works fine above building roofs and in high alti-tudes. But what, when the drones have to navigate autonomously at low altitude among tall buildings or in the dense, unstructured city streets with cars, cyclists or pedestrians suddenly crossing their way? Until now, commercial drones are not able to quickly react to such unforeseen events. Resea ... more

+ Northrop Grumman tapped to service Army's Hunter drones

+ Australia lifesaving drone makes first rescue

+ Boeing unveils UAV prototype for cargo, logistics use

+ Russia's army warns of 'terrorist' drones after attacks

+ Air Force to upgrade Reaper drone fleet as the Predator begins retirement

+ DARPA working on collaborative autonomy for UAVs and Drones

+ Drone attack on Russian bases in Syria, no casualties: Moscow

DARPA Seeks to Improve Military Communications with Digital Phased-Arrays at Millimeter Wave
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 25, 2018

There is increasing interest in making broader use of the millimeter wave frequency band for communications on small mobile platforms where narrow antenna beams from small radiating apertures provide enhanced communication security. Today's millimeter wave systems, however, are not user friendly and are designed to be platform specific, lacking interoperability and are thus reserved for only the ... more

+ Map of ionospheric disturbances to help improve radio network systems

+ Grumman to support BACN airborne communications system

+ Military defense market faces new challenges to acquiring SatCom platforms

+ Harris contracted by Army for radios for security force assistance brigades

+ Joint Hellas-Sat-4 and SaudiGeoSat-1 satellite ready for environmental tests

+ Government outsourcing disrupts space as SatComm services commercialised

+ A better way for governments to acquire the latest in satellite technologies

New BAE bridging system tested with weight of Main Battle Tank
Washington (UPI) Jan 23, 2018

BAE Systems on Tuesday said they have successfully demonstrated 22,000 crossings of the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank on their new Modular Bridging System. The milestone is a major achievement for the company and supports their bid to provide a new bridge system for the British Army and other export customers, the company said in a press release. BAE says the Modular Bridging Sys ... more

+ NIOA awarded $100M for 155mm Howitzer ammo for Australian army

+ Army researchers make explosive discovery

+ Navy contracts with BAE Systems for four more Mk 45 guns

+ Parachute training suspended after Marine killed in Arizona accident

+ Dyncorp to provide aviation field services to U.S. Army in Germany, Iraq, Afghanistan

+ India to buy guns worth $553 mn for border troops

+ France, Italy, Britain renew arms contract with Eurosam

Spain to up defence spending by 73 pct over seven years
Madrid (AFP) Jan 24, 2018

Spain is planning to boost defence spending by 73 percent to 18 billion euros ($22 billion) by 2024, an announcement that sparked outrage among opposition MPs who say social services will suffer. Speaking at a parliamentary defence commission on Wednesday, Defence Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal said the conservative government planned to increase the military budget to "around 1.53 perce ... more

+ UK launches fraud probe into defence firm Chemring

+ Russia to create bank for sanctions-hit defence industry

+ Rolls-Royce deepens restructuring, may sell marine unit

+ Norway wealth fund bans 9 groups, including BAE Systems

+ N. Korea steps up tunnelling at nuclear test site: monitor

+ Airbus fined 104 mn euros over Taiwan missile affair

+ Congress to receive update from Pentagon as agency audit begins

Exiled Maldives leader warns over China, radical Islam
Colombo (AFP) Jan 22, 2018

Exiled Maldives opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed accused China on Monday of seizing land in the politically-troubled Indian Ocean archipelago and undermining its sovereignty. Nasheed, on a visit to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo where his Maldivian Democratic Party activists are based, also warned of the rise of radical Islamists in the holiday paradise. Nasheed said Chinese interests ... more

+ NATO takes Russian meddling in polls 'very seriously'

+ Trump touts 'America First' to sceptical Davos elite

+ Mattis heads to Asia to draw a contrast with assertive China

+ Egypt military accuses Sisi presidential rival of committing crimes

+ South Korea demands Japan close museum on disputed islands

+ Clamour of calls for more UK military funds amid Russia, cyber threat

+ Mattis warns of 'growing threats' from Russia, China

On the rebound as nanoparticles self-heal
Lemont IL (SPX) Jan 25, 2018

Our bodies have a remarkable ability to heal from broken ankles or dislocated wrists. Now, a new study has shown that some nanoparticles can also "self-heal" after experiencing intense strain, once that strain is removed. New research from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Stanford University has found that palladium nanoparticles can repair atomic dislo ... more

+ Ultra-thin optical fibers offer new way to 3-D print microstructures

+ Nanowrinkles could save billions in shipping and aquaculture

+ Building molecular wires, one atom at a time

+ Nanotube fibers in a jiffy

+ Silver nanoparticles take spectroscopy to new dimension

+ Researchers find simpler way to deposit magnetic iron oxide onto gold nanorods

+ Discovery sets new world standard in nano generators

Interpol returns ex-minister wanted for corruption to Iraq
Baghdad (AFP) Jan 25, 2018

Interpol Thursday handed over to Iraq a former minister arrested in Beirut over a conviction for corruption, in a first such collaboration with the international police body, a government source said. "Former trade minister Abdel Falah al-Sudani has landed in Baghdad after having been handed over by Interpol," the source told AFP. "It's the first time that Interpol responds to a governme ... more

+ Facing death in Iraq, European jihadists won't get help from home

+ Three French female jihadists risk death sentence in Iraq

+ Tribal feuds spread fear in Iraq's Basra

+ IS poses threat to Iraq one month after 'liberation'

+ Iraq PM seeks allies online to join election list

+ Minorities in north Iraq look to post-jihadist future

CIA: North Korea intent on building reliable nuclear arsenal
Washington (AFP) Jan 23, 2018

CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that North Korea is intent on developing a reliable arsenal of nuclear weapons to threaten America, not just "a showpiece" to preserve Kim Jong-Un's regime. "Kim Jong-Un will not rest with a single successful test," Pompeo said in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute. "The logical next step would be to develop an arsenal of weapons that is n ... more

+ US will 'never allow' Iran to have a nuclear weapon: Pence

+ Defector soldier 'committed murder in North': report

+ US hopes for progress with Europeans on Iran: Tillerson

+ UN Security Council to inspect 'Iranian-made' missile debris

+ New tactical nukes in US arsenal raise risks, experts warn

+ China's doorway to N. Korea feels sanctions pinch

+ Nuclear N.Korea 'immediate challenge' of our time: Kissinger

Trump trade crackdown gathering steam, China a target
Washington (AFP) Jan 23, 2018

President Donald Trump begins 2018 making good on his aggressive "America First" trade agenda, with China as a primary target. As he prepares to mingle this week with global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a traditional cheerleader of free trade, Trump has again ruffled feathers from Beijing to Berlin after imposing steep tariffs on imported washing machines and so ... more

+ US 'erred' in supporting WTO membership for China, Russia: USTR

+ Trump angers China, South Korea with new trade tariffs

+ China economy rebounds in 2017 with 6.9% growth

+ China economy beat expectations in 2017: AFP survey

+ Juncker says would like Britain to rejoin EU after Brexit

+ Bangladesh blacklists Chinese firm over alleged bribe

+ Trump tells Xi US trade deficit with China 'not sustainable': W.House

Climate engineering, once started, would have severe impacts if stopped
New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Jan 24, 2018

Facing a climate crisis, we may someday spray sulfur dioxide into the upper atmosphere to form a cloud that cools the Earth, but suddenly stopping the spraying would have a severe global impact on animals and plants, according to the first study on the potential biological impacts of geoengineering, or climate intervention. The study was published online in Nature Ecology and Evolution. Th ... more

+ Jihadist corpses poison life in Iraq's Mosul

+ Nuclear concerns push 'Doomsday Clock' closer to midnight

+ World Bank signs $300m loan for Nepal quake reconstruction

+ 10 Syrians die of cold trying to flee into Lebanon: officials

+ Assad regime promotes Syria as a 'tourist' destination

+ Fukushima operator releases fresh images of reactor wreckage

+ Astrosat and DroneSAR form partnership to enhance Search and Rescue capabilities

Space agency to pick those with the right stuff
Beijing (XNA) Jan 23, 2018

China will begin its selection process this year for the next generation of astronauts who will train to work on the country's planned space station, a senior official said. Yang Liwei, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency and the first Chinese astronaut in space, said the selection work will begin soon and that Chinese scientists and engineers will be eligible to apply. ... more

+ China to select astronauts for its space station

+ No space for China's stay-at-home taikonauts

+ China Focus: The making of heroes - the women and men of China's space program

+ Yang Liwei looks back at China's first manned space mission

+ China to launch first student satellite for scientific education

+ Scientist reveals what is so special about Chines's next moon mission

+ China's Kuaizhou-11 rocket scheduled to launch in first half of 2018

Chinese officials staging 'takeover' of Tibetan Buddhist academy: HRW
Beijing (AFP) Jan 25, 2018

Chinese authorities are staging a "takeover" of the world's largest institution for Tibetan Buddhist learning, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Wednesday, the latest move to bring religion under strict Communist control. The monastic encampment of Larung Gar was once home to more than 10,000 devotees, their self-built red wooden homes sprawled across a valley in a remote corner of the southwest ... more

+ Anger over second 'snatching' of bookseller in China

+ Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong released on bail

+ China to enshrine Xi's name in state constitution

+ China sees births fall despite push for second child

+ Chinese human rights lawyer's detention 'absurd': attorney

+ Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong jailed over protest

Now defeated, Iraq's most feared jihadists await their fate
Baghdad (AFP) Jan 25, 2018

Their names spread terror across the Islamic State group's cross-border "caliphate", but senior jihadists now languish in Iraqi prisons, subjects of mockery for the populace they ruled. Once boasting nicknames like the Black Box and the Butcher of Mosul, the defeated IS commanders now draw vitriol on social media while news outlets have published selfies taken by Iraqi soldiers of them being ... more

+ US-led strikes kill up to 150 IS fighters in Syria: coalition

+ Iraq condemns German woman to death for belonging to IS

+ Facebook, Twitter, YouTube pressed over terror content

+ Four Shabaab militants killed in Somalia; Boko Haram attack kills 7 in Niger

+ Macron sees IS military defeat in Syria, Iraq within 'weeks'

+ Armenia recognises genocide of Yazidis in Iraq

+ German defence minister warns against IS 'safe havens'

Lockheed Martin to develop compact airborne high energy laser capabilities
Bothell WA (SPX) Nov 07, 2017

The US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) has awarded Lockheed Martin $26.3 million for the design, development and production of a high power fiber laser. AFRL plans to test the laser on a tactical fighter jet by 2021. The contract is part of AFRL's Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program, and is a major step forward in the maturation of protective airborne laser systems. ... more

+ Lockheed Martin developing technology to intercept missile threats with Directed Energy

+ Upgraded Lockheed Martin Laser Outguns Threat in Half the Time

+ ATHENA laser testbed system successfully shoots down drones

+ DOD to invest $17M on laser weapons research in New Mexico

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