Text Fwd: Missile defense radar to enter Puget Sound (Washington state)

* Text fwd from Bruce Gagnon on May 10, 2011

http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/2011/05/09/missile-defense-radar-to-enter-strait-monday-sound-tuesday/

Missile defense radar to enter strait Monday, sound Tuesday

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Sea-Based X-band Radar vessel will enter the Strait of Juan de Fuca late Monday and the Puget Sound [Washington state] on Tuesday, according to the agency.

“The first view of the SBX for some residents in the Pacific Northwest will likely be when the vessel is just off shore before entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca tonight,” the agency said Monday. “It should be visible from Port Angeles on Tuesday morning. The vessel can be seen from various points as it makes its way through Puget Sound to Elliott Bay and to Vigor Shipyards Seattle, arriving late Tuesday night.”

Boeing won a $27.1 million contract to perform maintenance and upgrades on the huge system. The work is set to take about three months at Seattle’s Vigor Shipyards.
People are not allowed within 100 yards of SBX while it is in navigable U.S. waters and moored at Vigor Shipyard.
....................................................

Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) is a floating, self-propelled, mobile radar station designed to operate in high winds and heavy seas. It is part of the U.S. Defense Department Ballistic Missile Defense System.

The Sea-Based X-Band Radar is mounted on a fifth generation Norwegian-designed, Russian-built CS-50 semi-submersible twin-hulled oil-drilling platform. The hull was originally built at Vyborg Shipyard.

The radar is designed and built by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems for Boeing, the prime contractor on the project for MDA.
Cost: $900 million
More information found here


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Text Fwd: Boeing Phantom Ray Completes First Flight

* Text fwd by Bruce Gagnon on May 9, 2011
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Boeing_Phantom_Ray_Completes_First_Flight_999.html
Boeing Phantom Ray Completes First Flight
by Staff Writers
St. Louis MO (SPX) May 04, 2011

The Boeing Phantom Ray unmanned [satellite directed] airborne system (UAS) successfully completed its first flight April 27 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

The 17-minute flight took place following a series of high-speed taxi tests in March that validated ground guidance, navigation and control and verified mission planning, pilot interface and operational procedures. Phantom Ray flew to 7,500 feet and reached a speed of 178 knots.

"This day has been two-and-a-half years in the making," said Darryl Davis, president, Boeing Phantom Works.

"It's the beginning of providing our customers with a test bed to develop future unmanned systems technology, and a testament to the capabilities resident within Boeing. Just as follow-on tests will expand Phantom Ray's flight envelope, they also will help Boeing expand its presence in the unmanned systems market."

The flight demonstrated Phantom Ray's basic airworthiness, setting the stage for additional flights in the next few weeks.

These company-funded flights will prepare Phantom Ray to support potential missions that may include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses; electronic attack; strike; and autonomous air refueling.

"The first flight moves us farther into the next phase of unmanned aircraft," said Craig Brown, Phantom Ray program manager for Boeing. "Autonomous, fighter-sized unmanned aircraft are real, and the UAS bar has been raised. Now I'm eager to see how high that bar will go."

Phantom Ray is one of several programs in Phantom Works, including Phantom Eye, that is part of a rapid prototyping initiative to design, develop and build advanced aircraft and then demonstrate their capabilities.

Boeing's portfolio of UAS solutions also includes the A160T Hummingbird, Integrator, ScanEagle and SolarEagle.

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Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth. ~Henry David Thoreau

Text Fwd: General James Thurman to head USFK

Hankyoreh News Briefing
General James Thurman to head USFK
March 3, 2011

The United States has appointed the head of the US Army Forces Command, General James Thurman, as the new head of the US Forces in South Korea.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates appointed Thurman on Tuesday, replacing General Walter Sharp who is set to retire after assuming his post in 2008. Thurman has responsibility for more than 700-thousand soldiers in the continental United States and has experience in combat, including a stint as a division commander in Iraq.

South Korea’s military will soon deploy light attack helicopters on islands near the Yellow Sea border with North Korea as part of its efforts to bolster defense capability there, following North Korea’s deadly artillery attack, an official said Wednesday.

The planned deployment of 500MD helicopters is aimed at countering a possible hovercraft infiltration by North Korea’s special forces into one of the border islands, the official at the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

U.S. aircraft maker Boeing Co. will deliver the first of four airborne early warning aircraft to South Korea’s Air Force in July, a company official said Wednesday, a move that would beef up the South’s surveillance capabilities over North Korea.

Boeing won a US$1.6 billion order in 2006 to sell four Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) planes to South Korea. The three remaining aircraft are expected to be delivered to South Korea by the end of 2012　 (Yonhap News Agency)
____________________________
See also
Kyunghyang
US Says, "Regime Change in North Korea Is Not Our Goal"; Bosworth Hints at Food Assistance to North Korea
March 3, 2011

Text Fwd: S. Korea seeks to deploy stealth fighters in 2015

Korea Times
01-30-2011 16:10
S. Korea seeks to deploy stealth fighters in 2015
By Lee Tae-hoon

South Korea is seeking to purchase its first stealth fighter jets at an earlier date to replace aging Air Force fighters and to secure capabilities to counter North Korea's increasing provocations, government sources said Sunday.

Initially, the Air Force sought to launch the third and final phase of the F-X fighter acquisition program this year with the aim of obtaining fifth generation combat aircraft to be commissioned in 2016.

The sources said Seoul is now seeking to introduce and weaponize next generation stealth fighters ahead of schedule to enhance combat readiness to counter possible North Korean attacks.

"There is a growing consensus within the government that the third phase fighter acquisition program should be launched at the earliest date possible," a defense official said asking for anonymity.

"It usually takes about four years for the first shipment of aircraft after a contract is signed, which means the new fighter jets can start to be deployed as early as 2015."

He noted that there has been a growing call to speed up the fighter program since Pyongyang’s string of armed provocations last year near the maritime border in the West Sea.

The North’s March 26 torpedoing of the South’s warship Cheonan killed 46 of the sailors onboard and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island killed four people, including two civilians, on Nov. 23.

Some, however, remain skeptical about the move, given that the National Assembly has already slashed the Ministry of National Defense’s request for some 15.7 billion won ($14 million) to launch the new jet procurement program this year, granting only 300 million won.

"There is only 300 million won to fund research this year,” another official said.

He noted that the government will need to allocate additional funds from its defense budget if it wants to accelerate the project.

South Korea has purchased 60 F-15K fighter jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing under an earlier program.

Sources say Seoul is also considering purchasing fighter jets with partial stealth capabilities, such the semi-stealth version of Boeing's F-15 aircraft, the Silent Eagle (SE).

The new fighter jet program is expected to be worth some 10 trillion won with potential candidates for jets include the F-15SE, Lockheed Martin's F-35 and Eurofighter’s Typhoon.

한국, 스텔스 전투기도입 조기추진

한국이 노후 기종을 대체하고 점증하는 북한의 도발에 대처하기 위해 스텔스기 도입을 추진하고 있다고 정부소식통이 30일 전했다.

공군은 당초 2016년에 제5세대 전투기를 획득한다는 목표를 가지고 제3차 차세대 전투기 사업을 금년에 시작할 방침이었다.

이 소식통은 한국은 북한의 공격에 대처하기 위한 전투태세 강화를 위해 차
세대 스텔스기 전투화 사업을 예정보다 앞당기는 것을 모색하고 있다고 말했
다.

“정부 내에서 3차 차세대 전투기 사업을 빨리 추진해야 한다는 공감대가 형성되고 있다"고 익명을 요구하는 국방부의 한 관계자가 말했다.

이 관계자는“전투기사업의 첫번째 선적은 계약 체결 후 통상 4년이 걸린다”며 “이는 새로운 전투기가 빠르면 2015년부터 배치될 수 있다는 것을 의미한다”고 설명했다.

________________________________
See also Yonhap News
S. Korea seeking early purchase of stealth jets: sources
2011/01/30 14:36 KST

Text Fwd:[Vandenberg update] Minotaur IV Rocket goes up Sept 25, with Space Surveillance satellite [ 밴던버그 엎데이트]미노타르 IV 로켓, 우주 감시 위성을 싣고 9 월 25일 발사

From MacGregor Eddy's 'Peace Protests at Vandenberg Space Command / Air Force Base blog' on Sept. 25, 2010

http://www.satnews.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?number=734121147
The Minotaur IV rocket and an new
space surveillance satellite due to go up
from Vandenberg today, Saturday Sept 25, 2010

http://spaceflightnow.com/minotaur/sbss/status.html

__________________________________________________________
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/sbss.htm

Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS)
우주 기반 우주 감시 (SBSS)

With the great importance of space assets to the warfighter as a primary concern, in January 2001, the Rumsfeld Space Commission voiced great concern regarding the vulnerability of US space-based assets, and that a very real threat to these assets would eventually arise. The Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) project is a new start effort in FY02 to acquire a constellation of satellites to conduct Space Situation Awareness (SSA) using visible sensors. A constellation of space-based space surveillance satellites will provide timely space situation awareness to meet future space control operations.

전투자들로서 주요한 관심인 우주 자산의 큰 중요성과 함께 2001년 1월, 럼스펠드 우주 위원회는 미국 우주 기반 자산들의 치명성과 관련, 큰 우려와 함께 이 자산들에 대한 매우 실체적인 위협이 결국 일어나리라 표명했다. 우주 기반 우주 감시 (SBSS) 프로젝트는 시각적 탐지기들을 이용, 우주 상황 각성 Space Situation Awareness (SSA) 을 유도하기 위한 위성들의 무리를 습득하기 위한 회기 2002년 새로운 시작의 노력이다. 우주 기반 우주 감시 위성들의 무리는 미래 우주 통제 작전들을 충족시키기 위한 적시의 각성을 제공할 것이다.

__________________________________________________________

* Also check the http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/

http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123223752
Minotaur IV launch scheduled
미노타우르 IV 발사 예정되다.
Posted 9/25/2010 Updated 9/25/2010
2010년 9월 25일

30th Space Wing Public Affairs
30 우주 비행단 홍보국

9/25/2010 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Minotaur IV rocket is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex-8 here Sept. 25 at 9:41 p.m. PDT.

캘리포니아주 밴던버그 공군 기지—미노타우르 로켓 IV이 9월 25일 오후 9시 41분 우주 발사 단지에서 발사하기로 예정되었다.

The Minotaur IV will launch the Space-Based Space Surveillance satellite, a first-of-its-kind satellite that can detect and track orbiting space objects, including potential threats to our space assets and orbital debris. "This groundbreaking satellite is the first to track objects in space from space," said Lt. Col. Tim Harris, 1st Air and Space Test Squadron commander. "The launch of the SBSS satellite continues a tradition of successful teaming between the 30th Space Wing and its launch customers."

미노타우르 IV는 우리의 우주 자산들과 궤도 파편들에 대한 위험을 포함, 궤도를 도는 우주 물체들을 간파, 추적할 수 있는 우주 기반 우주 감시 위성 종류의 첫번째를 발사할 것이다. “이 개척적인 위성은 우주로부터 우주의 물체들을 추적하는 첫번째의 것이다.” 라고 중령 팀 해리스, 1 항공 및 우주 실험 비행 대대 사령관은 말했다. “우주 기반 우주 감시 위성” 발사는 30번째 우주 비행단과 그 발사 고객들의 성공적인 팀연합 전통을 계속한다.”

Existing tracking systems on the ground suffer distortion as they scan through the atmosphere. "SBSS won't suffer the same disadvantage," said Harris. In fact, orbit tracking capability is expected to be 10-times more accurate with this satellite."

지상의 존재하는 추적 시스템들은 그것들이 대기를 훑으면서 왜곡으로 괴로워한다. “우주 기반 우주 감시 위성은 그러한 같은 불리함을 갖게 되지 않을 것이다,’라고 해리스는 말했다. 사실, 궤도 추적 능력은 이 위성이 10배가 더 정확한 것으로 기대된다.

The Minotaur IV-Lite launch vehicle provides the ability to deliver payloads up to 3000 kilograms on long range, suborbital trajectories. It utilizes residual Peacekeeper solid rocket motors combined with Orbital's commercial launch vehicle technologies.

미노타우르 IV-라이트 발사 우주선은 장거리, (궤도에 오르지 않은) 탄도 비행에서 3천 킬로그램들의 유효 탑재량을 전달할 수 있는 능력을 제공한다. 그것은 오비탈 [기업의] 상업용 발사 우주선 기술들이 결합된, 잔여의 평화 감시자 고체 로켓 발동기들을 활용한다.

This launch is a combined effort between the 30th SW, Orbital, The Boeing Company, Ball Aerospace and the Space and Missile Systems Center.

이 발사는 30 우주 비행단, 오비탈 기업, 보잉 회사, 벨 항공 우주 회사 그리고 우주 및 미사일 시스템 센터 간 결합이다.

Col. Richard Boltz, 30th SW commander, is the launch decision authority.

리처드 볼츠, 30 번째 우주 비행단의 사령관이 발사 결정권을 쥐고 있다.
______________________________________________________

Saturday, September 4, 2010 2010년 9월 4일
[국문 번역Text Fwd: famoksaiyanfriends]
Protest against the Minuteman III high speed solid fuel ICBM, Vandenberg
밴던버그 미 우주 사령부 대륙간 탄도 미사일 발사 [실험]에 반대하는 시위

Space Warfare: Preparing the "Battlespace" for A New Imperial Adventure Secretive Mini-Shuttles and Spy Satellites
(by Tom Burghardt, Global Research Center, Aug. 23, 2010)
[국문 번역] 우주 전쟁: 새로운 제국 주의적 모험을 위한 전투 공간
비밀스러운 소형 왕복 우주선들과 스파이 위성들
(탐 버거트, 글로벌 리서치 센터, 2010년 8월 23일)

Text Fwd: Obama Going to India in November to Sell Weapons

* Text sent from Bruce Gagnon on Sept. 12, 2010

Global Times
India, US to ink huge military deal
July 13, 2010

US President Barack Obama's visit to New Delhi in November may secure $5 billion worth of arms sales to India, Russia's Vzglyad newspaper reported Monday.

The deal, if signed during Obama's visit, would make the US replace Russia as India's biggest arms supplier, the paper said, adding that the deal would also help India curb China's rise.

India's shortlist includes Patriot defense systems, Boeing mid-air refueling tankers and certain types of howitzers, and the total cost of the deal may exceed $10 billion, the paper added.

The report came a day after The Economic Times in New Delhi reported that talks are underway between Indian and US officials over a deal to sell 10 Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The talks focus on the price and onboard equipment of the T-tailed C-17 Globemaster-III, which has passed validation trials and meets the requirements of the IAF, the newspaper said.

According to an official Boeing statement, the C-17 can carry a maximum payload of 74,797 kilo-grams for 2,400 nautical miles (4,444.8 kilometers) without refueling, and 45,495 kilograms for 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 kilometers) without refueling, the paper added.

Wang Mingzhi, a military strategist at the PLA Air Force Command College, told the Global Times that those reported military deals reflect Washington and New Delhi's needs in the region.

"To assist the Afghan war and the fight against the Pakistani Taliban, the US has been trying to improve its presence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean," Wang said. "Those arms sales will improve ties between Washington and New Delhi, and, intentionally or not, will have the effect of containing China's influence in the region."

"For example, once India gets the C-17 transport aircraft, the mobility of its forces stationed along the border with China will be improved. Mobility includes transportation, lifting, landing and deployment," he added.

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Text Fwd: Int'l aerospace forum opens in Gyeongju

Korea Times
09-08-2010
[Int'l aerospace forum opens in Gyeongju
By Jung Sung-ki

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province _ Scores of aerospace industry experts at home and abroad gathered in Gyeongju Sept. 7 to hold a forum on the future of the domestic aircraft industry.

The Gyeongbuk International Aero Forum 2010 opened at Gyeongju Hilton Hotel. The theme of the two-day forum is “Nurturing Strategy of Aero Parts Industry.”

“The forum will stimulate the interchange of the most modern technologies of the next-generation aerospace parts industry, helping to find mutual cooperation based on the ‘aero parts industry strategy,’” Governor Kim Kwan-yong of North Gyeongsang Province said in his welcoming message.

“The forum will establish opportunities for sharing political and technical information in the field of aerospace. Plus, the forum might help domestic and foreign industrial circles and academia to respond to the high oil price and dramatic climate change,” the governor said.

The forum is co-hosted by the province and Yeongcheon City. It is organized by Gyeongbuk Technopark, the Korea Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences and the Korea Defense & Security Forum.

“South Korea develops and produces lots of aircraft now, but most aircraft parts are imported from other nations,” Retired Maj. Gen. Lee Jin-hak, a head of the Aerospace Technology Innovation Center, told The Korea Times. “This forum, against that backdrop, will help come up with measures to boost the domestic aircraft parts industry.”

South Korea’s Air Force has often faced difficulties supplying aging aircraft with relevant spare parts, so that the government should spend about 500 to 600 billion won every year to obtain those from foreign nations, Lee said.

Once the domestic aircraft spare parts industry grows, such expenditures would be saved to a greater extent, which will then lead to a remarkable development in the aerospace industry, he added.

A roadmap to develop an indigenous fighter aircraft is also a key agenda item for the forum with four debate sessions.

The government plans to develop an F-16+ class KF-X jet by 2020 in partnership with foreign nations to replace the aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 aircraft.

Key participants at the forum include Joseph Song, vice president of Asia-Pacific international business development with Boeing Defense, Space and Security; Maj. Gen. Choi Cha-kyu, director general of DAPA’s aircraft programs’ bureau; Cho Jin-soo, dean of the college of engineering at Hanyang University in Seoul; Bryant C. Jublou, regional director of Pratt & Whitney Military Engine Program; Maj. Gen. Lee Sang-gil, commander of the Air Force Logistics Command; and Yoon Cha-young, vice president of the Korea Aerospace Industries Assocation.

Sponsors include the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and the Air Force Logistics Command.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: US, European firms vie for presidential jet deal in Korea

Korea Times
07-23-2010
US, European firms vie for presidential jet deal in Korea



By Jung Sung-ki
Staff reporter

Excerpts:

The competition between U.S. aerospace giant Boeing and its archrival Airbus, a company of the European Aeronautic Defence & Space (EADS) for South Korea’s presidential jet procurement, is moving into high gear.

Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration released a request for proposals in May for its “VC-X” program to buy a presidential plane. The rival companies plan to file their proposals with the agency by Aug. 3.

[...]

The National Assembly approved 14.2 billion won ($12.3 million) last December for the VC-X program after years of debate on the need for the VIP cargo jet.

____________________________________________________________

* The below comes from the original site

미국 보잉사와 에어버스사가 대통령 전용기 구매를 위해 경쟁을 하고 있다.

보잉은 747-8모델을 내 놓았고 에어버스는 A340 모델을 내 놓았다. 보잉 747-8 승객용 버전은 467명의 승객을 태울 수 있고 15,000 km 이상을 날아 갈 수 있다. A340 승객용 버전은 261~380명을 태울 수 있고 12,400~16,600km 를 날아 갈 수 있다.

지난 12월 국회는 VC-X프로그램에 142억 원을 승인했다. 현재 대통령 전용기는 1985년 도입된 보잉 737을 연초에 대여했으나 이는 41명 밖에 태우지 못하고 3,400km밖에 가질 못해 동북아 밖으로 나가려면 다시 주유해야 하는 불편함이 있다.

이번 계약이 끝나면 대통령 전용기는 2013년 들여오게 된다.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: Pentagon Tests GBI Missile; SM-3s On Way To Europe

* Text informed by Rick Rozoff on June 12, 2010

U.S. Military Test Launches New Missile Interceptor
By Turner Brinton
Space News
posted: 10 June 2010
11:02 pm ET

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) on June 6 successfully conducted the first flight test of a smaller version of its ground-based interceptor being developed as a backup option for a European missile shield, the agency said June 6.

The two-stage interceptor launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and delivered an operational kill vehicle to a target point in space, as opposed to actually intercepting a target missile, an MDA press release said. Program officials are still analyzing telemetry data from the test, but all indications are that it was a success, the release said.

The two-stage interceptor is derived from the three-stage Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptors now deployed in Alaska and California to defend the United States against long-range missiles. The MDA and GMD prime contractor Boeing Defense, Space & Security of St. Louis were developing the smaller variant to be deployed in Europe to defend allies and deployed forces there, but the White House has since changed course, relegating the interceptor to a backup option in favor of the Raytheon-built Standard Missile (SM)-3 interceptors.

Under a revised plan for European missile defense announced last year, U.S. Navy Aegis ships equipped with SM-3 interceptors will be deployed to European waters in 2011. Land-based SM-3 batteries will be developed and deployed in Poland and Romania in 2015. These interceptors have a successful test record against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

A larger and more capable version of the SM-3, known as block 2B, is needed to intercept long-range missiles and provide an additional layer of defense for the United States. It is being co-developed with Japan and is not expected to be ready until 2020. Development of the two-stage ground-based interceptor will continue as a hedge against technological problems with the larger SM-3 interceptor.

• The Most Destructive Space Weapons
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Text Fwd: Boeging Eyes India & Asia for Big Weapons Profits

* Text sent from Bruce Gagnon on June 8, 2010

Singapore Airfreight Directory
07 June 10
The Business Times
Boeing eyes Asia for its defence sales

(SINGAPORE) Faced with slumping demand and budget cuts in the United States, American aerospace giant Boeing's defence arm is looking to Asia to pick up the slack.

Dennis Muilenburg, president and chief executive of Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS), estimates that countries such as South Korea, Japan, India, Australia and South-east Asian partners such as Malaysia will be strong markets for its fighter jets, unmanned systems, helicopters, energy systems security and even cyber-warfare technology amid a slowdown in defence spending in its US home market.

'We are seeing some pressure in our core business in the US, such as missile defence, but growth will come from other markets, particularly in Asia,' he said.

About 16 per cent of BDS's US$34 billion business comes from international sales. Mr Muilenburg, who was in Singapore last week for the Asia Security Summit, sees international business share rising to 25 per cent in five years.

Asian markets account for about half the international sales. And this could grow sharply in the next three years.

The company is awaiting a Japanese tender for some 40 next-generation fighters to replace its ageing F4 Phantoms.

In Korea, where it has delivered 61 F15-K Eagle fighters, it is looking at an opportunity to clinch another deal for 60 more of the planes.

In Australia, where it has delivered the first five of 25 F18 Superhornets and five C17 transport planes, it sees interest for the P8 anti-submarine planes.

In Malaysia, it is currently in talks to sell its F18 Hornets to replace the air force's ageing Russian MiG fighters, while in Singapore, it is in the process of supplying the 24 F15 Eagles on order.

But it is India which Mr Muilenburg sees as the 'Jewel in the Crown'.

The signing of the nuclear agreement by former president US George W Bush two years ago, and the subsequent thawing of relations between the US and India, have finally opened up the country's US$30 billion defence market to Boeing.

'In the past, Boeing's relationship with India was purely on the commercial airplanes side,' he said. 'Now, relations encompass the defence side.'

India has already inked a deal to buy eight P8i anti-submarine aircraft and has expressed an interest in purchasing 10 C17 military transport aircraft. If that US$4 billion C17 deal comes through, it will be Boeing's single biggest for this aircraft type.

But the biggest competition now going on is India's request for the supply of 126 multi-role combat fighter planes. Besides Boeing, others in the battle for this US$10 billion deal include Eurofighter Typhoon, Sweden's Griffin, France's Rafale and Lockheed Martin of the US.

Besides fighters, the Indian army is also looking to buy Apache attack helicopters and the Chinook heavy-lift helicopters.

Text Fwd: US Defense Firms Considers Transparency Pledge

Korea Times
02-19-2010 18:08
[Exclusive] US Defense Firms Considers Transparency Pledge
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

Representatives from U.S. defense firms doing business here have discussed the idea of submitting a declaration of transparency to Cheong Wa Dae, amid Seoul's crackdown on irregular weapons acquisition deals, an industry source said Friday.

During a meeting at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in Korea in Seoul, Tuesday, some of the executive officers complained that the proposed policy to fight corruption in arms deals was too rigid and not realistic, the source said, requesting anonymity.

Participants included representatives from Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and General Electric, he said.

"The representatives were engaged in a debate over arms acquisition policy that has been proposed by the government," the source told The Korea Times.

"They put forward the idea of presenting a pledge of transparency to the presidential office as part of anti-corruption efforts but failed to reach an agreement."

In recent months, President Lee Myung-bak and other government officials have called for a new arms-buying mechanism, citing rampant corruption in arms contracts such as overblown commissions for purchasing arms overseas, inflated unit costs and the leakage of classified military information.

Against this backdrop, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said late last year in a report to President Lee that the government would reduce the amount of arms bought through the roughly 600 arms agents who do business in the country.

Instead of such commercial sales, which currently account for 65 percent of procurement, the ministry will encourage more government-to-government foreign military acquisition programs, the minister said.

Officially, the arms agents receive about 3-5 percent in commissions from procurement spending, but industry officials said their actual take is much higher, particularly in large deals. So the government wants to introduce a standard price cap on the payments.

"Most of the participants at the AMCHAM meeting discussed ways of meeting the new standards, but some of them complained of the Korean government's rigid approach to the issue," said the source.

A Lockheed Martin executive officer said the current commission payments rate is quite low, so agents sometimes engage in behind-the-scenes deals.

He argued that reducing the number of agents would not be a fundamental solution in that context.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

[국문 번역]Text Fwd: Laser Jet Blasts Ballistic Missile in Landmark Test 레이저 제트, 이정표가 되는 실험에서 탄도 미사일을 폭파시키다

* Image source: Joins, Dec. 12, 2008, 'Airborn laser'
(original photo: Boeing Press Release photo)

* Though the nose added in the plane, the laser works.


* Image source: Chosun, Feb. 17, 2010
*Chosun is the conservative Korean newspaper. It introduces the diagram of the airborne laser
whose successful test was on Feb. 11, 2010.
___________________________________________________________________________________

* Sent by Bruce Gagnon on Feb. 16, 2010 브루스 개그논, 2010년 2월 16일 보냄


WIRED
Laser Jet Blasts Ballistic Missile in Landmark Test
레이저 제트, 이정표가 되는 실험에서 탄도 미사일을 폭파시키다.
By Noah Shachtman 노아 섀치트맨 씀
February 12, 2010 2010년 2월 12일





The American military has been working since 1996 on a tricked-out [Boeing] 747 that could blast ballistic missiles out of the sky with a ultra-powerful laser. After 14 years of promising “the American people their first light saber,” the Missile Defense Agency finally pulled it off Thursday night [Feb 11] at 8:44 p.m.

미국 군대는 1996년 이후 하늘에서 초강력 레이저로 탄도 미사일을 폭팔할 수 있는 개조된 [보잉]747에 작업해왔다. ‘미국민들에게 첫 광선검’을 약속한 지 14년 후, 미사일 방어국 (Missile Defense Agency)은 목요일 밤[2월 11일] 8시 44분에 마침내 그것을 빼내었다.

It’s one of a number of steps forward for real-life ray guns in the past year or so. “Solid state” electric lasers finally hit what’s commonly considered battlefield strength. A laser-equipped Air Force gunship disabled a truck with its energy beam. A ground-mounted ray gun blasted drones out of the sky. But all of those energy weapons were weak — and the engineering challenges limited — compared to last night’s shoot-down.

이는 작년 등 실재 [이용할 수 있는] 광선총(ray guns)을 향한 여러 진일보된 발걸음들의 하나이다. “고체 상태” 전자 레이저는 마침내 통상적으로 고려되는 전장 [무기]를 맞춘다. 레이저로 장착된 공군 무장 헬리콥터 (gunship)는 에너지 빔으로 트럭을 못쓰게 했다. 지상에 탑재된 광선총은 하늘의 무인 비행기를 폭파시켰다. 그러나 이 모든 에너지 무기들은 지난 밤 명중에 비교하면 약했고 공학적 도전이 남아 있었다.

A short-range, Scud-like ballistic missile was launched from an at-sea mobile launch platform near the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center, off of the central California coast. “Within seconds, the Airborne Laser Test Bed [ALTB] used on-board sensors to detect the boosting missile and used a low-energy laser to track the target. The ALTB then fired a second low-energy laser to measure and compensate for atmospheric disturbance. Finally, the ALTB fired its megawatt-class High Energy Laser, heating the boosting ballistic missile to critical structural failure. The entire engagement occurred within two minutes of the target missile launch, while its rocket motors were still thrusting,” according to a statement from the Missile Defense Agency. [Update: That's the video of Thursday night's test, above.]

단거리, 스커드와 같은 탄도 미사일이 캘리포니아 중부 연안 포인트 무구 해군 공중 전쟁 센터(Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center) 근처 해안에서 떨어진 해상 이동 발사대에서 발사됐다. 미사일 방어국 (Missile Defense Agency, MDA )의 성명서에 따르면 “몇 초안에 공수 레이저 실험대 (Airborne Laser Test Bed [ALTB])는 기내 장치된 감지 장치를 이용, 추진 [단계]의 미사일을 간파하고 목표물을 맞추기 위해 저에너지를 사용했다. 그리고 나서 공수 레이저 실험대는 공전 장애 (atmospheric disturbance)를 측정하고 보충하기 위해 두번째 저 에너지를 발사했다. 마침내 공수 레이저 실험대는 메가와트급 고에너지를 발사하여 추진 [단계]의 탄도 미사일을 맞춰 그것의 결정적 구조적 실패로 까지 이어갔다. 전체 교전[실험]은 목표 미사일 발사 이 후 2분도 안돼 끝났는데 [목표 미사일의] 로켓 발동기는 아직도 세게 움직이고 있었다” 라고 한다. [엎데이트: 위의 비디오가 목요일 밤 실험의 엎데이트입니다.]

This is a test the MDA was hoping to conduct in 2002, after spending about a billion dollars. But the Airborne Laser ran into all kinds of problems along the way. The chemicals the jet depended on to generate its high-strength laser weighed down the 747. Getting the laser to accurately zap through the atmosphere proved tougher than anticipated. The Airborne Laser eventually ballooned into a $7.3 billion project. Finally, Defense Secretary Robert Gates got so fed up, he told the MDA to end the Airborne Laser program after a single jet.

이는 미사일 방어국이 10억 달러를 쓴 이 후 2002년에 행하려 희망했던 실험이었다. 그러나 공수 레이저는 그 길에서 많은 문제들에 부딪혔다. 제트기가 고강력 에너지를 발생시키기 위해 의존했던 화학용품은 747을 내리눌렀다. 대기를 뚫고 정확한 사격을 하는 레이저를 획득하는 것은 예상했던 것보다 힒듬이 드러났다. 공수 레이저는 결국 73억 달러 프로젝트로 부풀었다. 마침내 국방 장관 로버트 게이츠는 싫증이 나서 미사일 방어국에 단 한번 [레이저] 제트기 [분출] 후 공수 레이저 프로그렘을 그만두라 말했다.

“I don’t know anybody at the Department of Defense who thinks that this program should, or would, ever be operationally deployed,” Gates told Congress last year. “The reality is that you would need a laser something like 20 to 30 times more powerful than the chemical laser in the plane right now to be able to get any distance from the launch site to fire.”

“저는 국방부에서 이 프로그램이 작전에서 배치되어야 한다고, 또는 하리라고 생각하는 사람을 알지 못합니다,” 라고 게이츠는 작년에 미국회에서 말했다. “현실은 당신이 발사 장소에서 발사까지 거리에 도달할 수 있기 위해서는 현재 비행기의 화학 레이저보다 20~30배 더 강한 레이저를 필요로 한다는 사실입니다.”

So, right now the [jet] would have to orbit inside the borders of Iran in order to be able to try and use its laser to shoot down that missile in the boost phase. And if you were to operationalize this you would be looking at 10 to 20 747s, at a billion-and-a-half dollars apiece, and $100 million a year to operate. And there’s nobody in uniform that I know who believes that this is a workable concept.

그러므로 현재 레이저 [제트기]로 추진 단계의 미사일을 맞추기 위해 레이저를 시도나 사용할 수 있도록 하려면 이란의 국경 안을 회전해야 한다. 그리고 여러분이 이것을 실제 작전으로 하려 한다면 개당 15억 달러가 들고 운영할려면 1년에 1억 달러가 드는 가운데 [성공률은] 20747 횟수중 10번인 것을 보게 된다. 내가 아는 한 군복을 입은 사람가운데 이것이 작동할 수 있는 개념이라 믿는 사람은 아무도 없다.

But Gates did add that the concept of using laser and other speed-of-light “directed energy” weapons to knock down missiles still had promise. It might be the only way to stop missiles in “boost phase” — when they were just getting off of the ground.

그러나 게이츠는 미사일을 맞출 수 있는 레이저및 다른 광속 “유도 에너지 directed energy” 사용 개념들이 아직도 약속할 수 있는 것이라는 것을 덧붙였다. 그것만이 “추진 단계’의 미사일-그것들이 지상에서 막 떠날때-을 멈추게 하는 유일한 길일지 모른다.

That’s why many in the military will be excited about Thursday night’s test. As the MDA notes, it’s the first time a laser in the sky has successfully downed a missile. And even if this particular weapon doesn’t work out, the technology developed can be used for later systems. “The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers, and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies,” the agency notes.

그것이 왜 군대의 많은 이들이 목요일 밤 실험에 흥분할 이유이다. 미사일 방어국이 주목하듯 하늘의 레이저가 성공적으로 미사일을 맞춰 떨어뜨린 것은 이번이 첫번째이다. 그리고 이 특별한 무기가 작동되지 않는다 하더라도 개발된 기술은 레이저 시스템으로 사용될 수 있다. 방어국은 “이 유도 에너지의 혁명적 사용은 현재 기술과 비교할 때 요격 시도당 저렴한 가격으로 광속으로 수백 킬로 미터 떨어진 무수한 목표물들을 공격할 수 있는 잠재성을 갖춘, 미사일 방어망에 매우 매력적인 것이다.” 라고 쓴다.

“Less than one hour later,” there was a second test, with another missile. The Airborne Laser lit it up. But didn’t destroy the thing. That test was for another day.

“1시간도 지나지 않아,” 또 다른 미사일로 두 번째 실험이 있었다. 공수 레이저가 그것을 환히 밝혔다. 그러나 그 것을 파괴하진 못했다. 그 실험은 또 다른 날을 위한 것이었다.

Read More 더 자세한 내용


Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
우주의 무기와 핵을 반대하는 글로벌 넷워크
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
globalnet@mindspring.com
www.space4peace.org
http://space4peace.blogspot.com/ (blog)

Text Fwd: 1st Early Warning Aircraft Arrives in S. Korea

* Image source: 737 airborne early warning and control aircraft

Korea Times
02-09-2010 17:48
[Exclusive]1st Early Warning Aircraft Arrives in S. Korea
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

The first of four 737 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft built by Boeing Integrated Defense System (IDS) has arrived in South Korea.

Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) accepted the first "E-737" airplane for modifications Tuesday, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.

A ceremony to mark the beginning of the modification work was held at the Sacheon facility with representatives from DAPA, KAI and Boeing attending, it said.

KAI will equip the plane with Northrop Grumman’s L-band Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar before handing it over to the Air Force next year. The modification work is part of offset deals from the AEW&C contract signed in 2006.

Under the $1.6 billion contract, Boeing IDS will deliver four 737 AEW&C aircraft to South Korea by 2012 when the nation will take over wartime operational control of their troops from the U.S. military.

The 737 AEW&C has six common console stations for the mission crew and boasts of its commonality with commercial airline fleets for flexibility and support. The aircraft can fly at a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet and top speed of 340 knots.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: DRONE DEBATE CONTINUES IN OREGON

Bruce Gagnon blog
Wednesday, December 23, 2009

DRONE DEBATE CONTINUES IN OREGON

You might recall that I was recently in Hood River, Oregon to speak about drones which are being made there by a local company called Insitu (now bought up by Boeing Corp). I just learned that these drones made by Insitu have been sold to the Colombian military and are likely the ones that have been detected flying into Venezuelan airspace (probably as proxy for the US military).

The letters to the Hood River News have been raging on the drone issue since I spoke there. Here is a negative one below that trashes me.

Drones for America

I would like to thank Terri Hansen for her clear, unflinching appraisal of the “surrender monkeys” advocating the evisceration of our military infrastructure (Another Voice, Dec. 5).

It is clear to any compassionate human being that if the drones Insitu is building save just one American soldier’s life then there is no honorable position in opposition.

To me, Bruce Gagnon is simply a modern-day Jane Fonda. He and his followers deserve the same scorn from patriotic Americans as Fonda received when she returned from her infamous trip to Hanoi.

Cliff Mansfield
Odell, Oregon

The letter goes on much longer but I will spare you. If you wish to read the whole thing, and others from that paper, just click here

Text fwd: [nousbases] Activist: 'Don't dote on drones'

* Image source: Insitu

'ScanEagle'

* Image source: Insitu

'Integrtaor'

* Image source: Insitu

'Night Eagle'

From Bruce Gagnon(globalnet@mindspring.com) on Nov 22, 2009

Activist: 'Don't dote on drones'
By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
Hood River (Oregon) News editor

Insitu is not a bad company, but it has chosen the wrong fight.

That’s the message brought to Hood River Friday by Bruce Gagnon, in a speech in opposition to the manufacture by Bingen-based Insitu, and other companies, of unmanned drone aircraft.

“Drones are a manifestation of the growing U.S. military culture,” said Gagnon, co-founder and coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space.

Gagnon, 57, spoke to a capacity audience of about 200 people at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Columbia Peace Fellowship sponsored the talk, held to observe Armistice Day, as Veterans Day was known prior to World War II.

About 60 people attended a potluck at the church just before his talk, and about 40 attended a candlelight vigil, in the drizzle, at Overlook Memorial Park.

“We honor veterans by speaking out for peace,” said Linda Short of CRPF.

Gagnon has spent most of the past 20 years opposing space-based military technology and the past five years in full-time study of unmanned aircraft and its growing use by military branches in the U.S., and other nations.

He talked for nearly 10 minutes before ever mentioning Insitu, the Boeing-owned firm that designs and manufactures unmanned aircraft and their supporting technology.

Insitu now has more than 700 employees at offices in plants throughout Klickitat, Hood River and Skamania counties, and has asked Gorge public agencies to present proposals for creating an Insitu campus.

Gagnon stressed that communities can seek ways to develop jobs without relying either on military purposes for tax money or on war applications for technology, he said.

“When people say ‘drones mean jobs,’ your job is to tell them that’s not the whole story,” he told the audience.

Gagnon argued that investments in drone technology would be better directed at a fight not in the Middle East but in the greater, urgent problem of global warming.

“What do drones do to help solve the biggest threat to the planet today? As they say in New York – bupkis.

“Converting the military industrial complex to things such as sustainable technology would help solve global warming. It would be a step in the right direction.”

Gagnon said investing in military technologies is a self-perpetuating cycle that communities should avoid.

He said economists have found that $1 billion spent on drone research and manufacture results in 9,000 jobs while the same expenditure on home weatherization or mass transportation yields between 12,000 and 19,000 jobs.

The drone issue is not limited to the Gorge and the Insitu question; drones are manufactured in at least seven states. Gagnon said that in his travels he has seen many communities where the economic stimulus prospects were drawn as drones-or-nothing.

“People tell me, ‘We’d rather have (other) jobs but no one ever told us that before.’”

He said city, county and business leaders need to be challenged to seek out “an alternative economic vision” for the people they serve.

“People in America today are job-scared, and job-hungry,” Gagnon said. “We need to educate the U.S. public that it is not getting the biggest bang for its buck.”

Turning drone millions into “pure science” research that will help Americans find ways to reduce its dependence on petroleum will serve America’s national security and natural resource dilemmas, according to Gagnon.

Gagnon said his opposition to military technology does not match his upbringing in Florida. Gagnon was vice president of the Okaloosa County (Florida) Young Republican Club in the 1960s and he volunteered in Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign.

He once sat at a fish dinner next to conservative Sen. Strom Thurmond, and when Gagnon flunked his Air Force entry physical, he would not take no for an answer.

“I got a waiver to get in,” he said.

Being in the military proved the foundation of his life-long doubts about the American government’s military tendencies.

He thanked the Vietnam-era soldiers who saw the protests outside the gates of the Travis, Calif., Air Force base and openly discussed it inside.

“They created a dynamic inside the base that forever changed my life. I am grateful to them.” That was 1971.

He said that in 2009 he senses an active sense of dissent in Hood River. Columbia Fellowship for Peace has sent him newspaper clippings from the editorial page, giving him a glimpse into the regional debate over Insitu’s growing presence here.

“I read all your letters, and created my speech out of them.

“You have created a raging debate about drones,” he said, noting that a similar debate is occurring in his hometown of Bath, Maine, where some locals are protesting the rendition of an Navy air base, set for decommissioning, into a cold-weather testing facility for drone aircraft. He said it has led to a statewide campaign to oppose the plan.

“You have succeeded here in creating positive non-violent conflict,” he said.

The level of opposition to drones might be larger, but different, than many in the audience think, according to Gagnon.

“Not everyone is against drones from the peace perspective. Some people don’t like it because of what it will do to our right of privacy.

“They (manufacturers) are increasingly developing technology so they can watch us and control our lives,” Gagnon said.

But his main concern is that drones, used in hundreds of air strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq in the past three years, are an example of what he calls “an increasingly militarized culture.”

Gagnon said that “the civilian uses argument is basically a lie.

“They speak of ‘civilian use’ as a way to try to calm people down, to divert them from the fact that these are war machines.”

He claimed that machines that have killed civilians cannot be described as “clean.”

“They are dirty, and they are creating more enemies all the time.

“The more enemies the drones create, the longer the fight goes on, and the more drones you need to build.”

He said the evidence is in the steady addition of permanent bases being built in Afghanistan.

Gagnon asked if residents of the Gorge want to be a part of an industry creating these weapons.

“Do you want to live in an increasingly militarized culture? We are becoming a killer nation. There are no other manufacturing jobs so we are creating jobs by building weapons for endless war. What does it say about us when we need to build weapons to feed our families?

“It’s the ongoing militarization of our culture. This is what is happening, but fortunately particularly here in this community, thank God there are people who care.”


Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
globalnet@mindspring.com
www.space4peace.org
http://space4peace.blogspot.com/ (blog)


* Related blogs

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/11/text-fwd-coordinator-trip-report.html
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Text Fwd: Coordinator Trip Report - Talking Drones in Oregon

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/11/video-fwd-bruce-gagnon-portland-rally.html
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Video Fwd: [Bruce Gagnon] Portland Rally

Text fwd: S. Korea Reconsidering Stealth Fighter Plans

*Image Source/ Description: Same as below
'Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle prototype'

Korea Times
S. Korea Reconsidering Stealth Fighter Plans
Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle prototype
By Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter, 07-27-2009

The South Korean military is having second thoughts about introducing so-called fifth-generation stealth fighters due to technical and budgetary problems.

Last week, the Weapon Systems Concept Development and Application Research Center at Konkuk University in Seoul submitted its interim report on the feasibility of the KF-X indigenous fighter development project to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

The agency commissioned a six-month final feasibility study on the KF-X program in April.

The report suggests major changes in required operational capabilities (ROCs) for the KF-X aircraft. In particular, the report says the KF-X jet should be an F-16-class fighter to be developed by foreign aircraft manufacturers.

Initiated in 2001, the KF-X program had originally been aimed at developing and producing by 2020 about 120 fifth-generation fighters stealthier than Dassault's Rafale or the Eurofighter Typhoon, though not as much as Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightening II.

``The KF-X ROCs have been readjusted to a realistic level after consultations among parties concerned, as developing a full stealth fighter has already been assessed as technically and economically nonviable,'' a procurement official said on condition of anonymity.

The official was referring to an earlier feasibility report in 2007 that concluded that the KF-X project would cost at least $10 billion but could be expected to reap only $3 billion in economic benefits.

``The (Konkuk University) center is discussing ways to develop the KF-X with potential foreign partners, and it will report the outcome of its study to the DAPA and the Ministry of National Defense by the year's end for final approval,'' the official said.

According to the interim report, the KF-X will be an F-16 Block 50 level multi-role fighter jet with an engine thrust of 50,000 pounds. The aircraft would have either one or two engines, but a twin-engine system is preferred, it says.

The indigenous aircraft will be equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an electronic warfare suite and infrared search-and-track system, and data link systems fit for a network-centric environment, the report states.

The report says the KF-X program now aims to develop and produce 120 aircraft after 2010 in the first phase to replace older F-4s and F-5s and manufacture 130 more after the first phase models reach initial operational capabilities.

In a related move, a chief researcher at the state-funded Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) said the nation could delay the purchase of foreign stealth fighters under the F-X multi-phase fighter procurement program.

The F-X aims to buy 120 high-end fighter jets by 2020 in an effort to modernize the Air Force's fighter fleet. Boeing won the previous two deals in 2002 and 2008 to provide a total of 41 F-15Ks.

Seoul officials had said the third phase program, expected to begin by 2012, would focus on obtaining fifth-generation stealth fighters. The Lockheed Martin-built F-35 was referred to as a front-runner for the deal.

``At the request of the MND, a KIDA team began a comprehensive review of the Air Force's operational requirements and the effectiveness of the Air Force's current operational structure of high-, medium- and low-class aircraft,'' the researcher, who leads the feasibility study said, requesting to remain anonymous.

The researcher noted the procurement of the F-35 would be a key topic.

``South Korea, for sure, should purchase and operate stealth fighters as the radar-evading aircraft are expected to dominate the skies in the coming years. But as far as the timing is concerned, we need to think more and make a wise decision,'' he said.

Adopting early versions of the F-35 could cause operational risks, he said, so that Seoul should delay buying the aircraft by 2020 when its performances will be proved and upgraded.

He suggested introducing more ``4.5-generation'' fighters, such as Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle, before the procurement of stealth-fighters could be an option to fill the Air Force's possible operational gap.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Text Fwd: US Air Force, Boeing To Launch Unmanned Military Space Plane

* Text informed by StopNATO * on June 6, 2009

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/us-air-force-and-boeing-all-set-to-launch-unpiloted-military-space-plane_100201554.html
Asian News International, June 6, 2009
US Air Force and Boeing all set to launch unpiloted military space plane

Washington - The US Air Force and Boeing are all set to launch the X-37B - an unpiloted military space plane.

According to a report by Fox News, the winged craft, tucked inside the shroud of an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), will be boosted out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, orbit the Earth and then make an auto-pilot landing in California.

The X-37B OTV-1 (Orbital Test Vehicle 1) is currently on the launch manifest for January 2010, explained US Air Force Captain Elizabeth Aptekar, who works in media operations for the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C.

“The vehicle is ready for the shipping process, which includes minor close-out activities,” said Aptekar. “The vehicle will ship at the conclusion of the pre-ship activities, which should be approximately 60 days before its launch date,” she added.

Years ago, the X-37B was originally slated to be deployed from the payload bay of a space shuttle.

But, following the tragic Columbia accident, the craft was transferred to a Delta rocket, and then later geared to be sent aloft via the Atlas V EELV.

While next year’s flight profile remains a bit hazy, reports have the X-37B under auto-pilot control zooming into Vandenberg Air Force Base for a landing, or perhaps at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

As a reusable space plane, the intent of the craft is to serve as a test bed for dozens of technologies in airframe, propulsion and operation, and other items in the hopes of making space transportation and operations significantly more affordable.

According to earlier press releases issued by Boeing, the X-37 orbital craft is capable of circling Earth for up to three weeks.

“Potential new commercial and military reusable space vehicle market applications for these technologies range from on-orbit satellite repair to the next-generation of totally reusable launch vehicles,” explained past Boeing-issued material.

The intent of the X-37B mission is to try out a wide variety of experiments and technologies, including a highly durable, high-temperature thermal protection system; storable, non-toxic liquid propellants; and important new aerodynamic features - all of which are applicable to future reusable space vehicles.

The vehicle is about 27.5 feet long with a roughly 15-foot wingspan and tips the scales at about 5 tons at liftoff.
===========================
Stop NATO

Boeing Develops and Perfects Portable 'Death-Ray' Laser For The U.S

* Text informed in StopNATO*

Boeing Develops and Perfects Portable 'Death-Ray' Laser For The U.S
Posted by: "martmns" mart2mns@sympatico.ca freightlinerflc120
Fri Apr 3, 2009 6:09 am (PDT)
Forward from mart
Please Distribute Widely

This is *not* science fiction from a Jules Vern novel or an old 'Buck Rogers' movie. This *is*
21st century U.S. military reality! - mart

=================================================
Army Technology.Com - "The website for the defence industries"
www.army-technology.com
April 2, 2009

http://www.army-technology.com/news/news52011.html
Boeing Laser Shows Huge Potential in Testing
By Daniel Garrun 26 March 2009

Boeing has successfully demonstrated its redeployable high-energy laser system (RHELS) by quickly relocating the prototype weapon system from its Albuquerque development site to a test range, where it tracked ground and airborne targets and fired at a ground target.

RHELS integrates a solid-state, thin-disk laser; an acquisition, pointing and tracking capability; beam control, fire control and thermal management systems; and a weapons operator console into a modified 40ft-long shipping container transportable on a semitrailer.

Boeing began the two-week-long test on 23 February by packing up RHELS at its Albuquerque facility, moving it to a local government facility in Albuquerque and setting it up there, all in only a few hours.

With the system status re-established, RHELS then tracked in-flight aircraft and moving and stationary ground vehicles, and successfully fired its laser, hitting a remote target board on the ground. The only reason the system did not fire at moving targets was due to limits at the testing range.

Vice president and programme director of Boeing Directed Energy Systems, Garry Fitzmire said that RHELS demonstrates that a solid-state, high-energy laser weapon system can be transportable, rugged, supportable and affordable.

"RHELS transportability means developers and warfighters have the opportunity to test this
transformational, ultra-precision directed-energy weapon system at a number of ranges under varying conditions and against a diverse set of targets," Fitzmire said.

In future tests, RHELS will fire its laser at in-flight targets and moving ground vehicles. RHELS is designed to engage rocket, artillery and mortar (RAM) projectiles, shoulder-fired missiles and unmanned aircraft, as well as a variety of ground-mobile tactical targets.

RHELS is a Boeing-funded initiative to show that directed energy weapons are maturing and are relevant to today's battlefield. It also provides key lessons for the high-energy laser technology demonstrator (HEL TD), a truck-mounted, high-energy laser, counter-RAM weapon system that Boeing is developing for the US Army.

Text Fwd: 1) Star Wars! - US Military Calls for More Space Data;

* Text informed in StopNATO *

1) Star Wars! - US Military Calls for More Space Data;

Fri Apr 3, 2009 5:53 am (PDT)
Forward from mart
Please Distribute Widely

1) Star Wars! - US Military Calls for More Space Data;
2) Bonanza For Arms Makers! - Nearly Seven in Ten
Major US Arms Programmes over Budget!
==========================================
Army Technology.Com - "The website for the defence industries"
www.army-technology.com
April 2, 2009

1) US Military Calls for More Space Data

2) Nearly Seven in Ten Major US Arms
Programmes over Budget
------------------------
1) http://www.army-technology.com/news/news52542.html
US Military Calls for More Space Data
By Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters.
02 April 2009

US officials, poised to closely monitor North Korea's planned launch of a communications
satellite, this week underlined the need for improved data about what is going on in space.

Military officials said the United States needed to beef up its 'space situational awareness', or
ability to monitor satellites and debris floating around in space, but they gave few details on
any spending plans.

Boeing and other US defence contractors are anxiously awaiting the release of the Obama
administration's fiscal 2010 budget, probably in early May, to see how much funding it will include for space programmes.

"We must find better ways to learn what's in space," Navy Vice Admiral Carl Mauney, deputy
commander of US Strategic Command, told the Space Foundation's National Space Symposium.

He said improving the military's space surveillance capability was one of his top priorities,
and advocates an expansion of the country's current capabilities.

The effort would require more collaboration among government agencies, industry and
foreign countries, he said, as well as international guidelines for satellite operators.

US concerns about the safety of its satellites and the International Space Station escalated
after the February collision of a dead Russian communications satellite and a US commercial
communications satellite owned by Iridium, as well as China's useof a missile to destroy one
of its own defunct satellites in 2007, Mauney said.

He also mentioned the close pass of some space debris by the International Space Station last month and said ensuring the safety of human spaceflight was the command's top priority when tracking possible collisions in space.

The United States already operates surveillance satellites in space, and can use ground-based
equipment and other satellites to track missile launches.

Boeing surveillance satellite

But the growing number of satellites and countries that can launch them, including Iran, has heightened demand for better monitoring of the vast reaches of space.

The Pentagon's budget request last fall included an increase in funds for space programmes, mainly to address the increased surveillance needs, said a senior defence official, who was not authorised to speak on the record.

Top Pentagon officials have already briefed military commanders on the fiscal 2010 budget proposal and should turn over their plans to the White House soon, said the official.

Boeing is working on the space-based surveillance system (SBSS) satellite programme, and said it expects to launch the one satellite already ordered around mid-year.

A launch had been expected in March or April, but the date has slipped while Orbital Sciences
investigates the failed launch of its Taurus XL rocket in February.

Boeing said it is ready to build more satellites for the US military and says the satellite has '
tremendous capacity' to do even more than intended.

The air force initially had plans to order four SBSS satellites, but officials say they are still documenting the military requirements.

The cost of the first SBSS satellite, built by Boeing and its partner Ball Aerospace, including launch costs, ground systems and maintenance through 2011, is around $800m, according to air force officials.

Mauney said US Strategic Command would use its existing sensors to monitor the expected launch of a North Korean communications satellite between 4 and 8 April. Washington and its allies see the plan as a disguised missile test.

Text fwd: US Merchants Of Death Hold Symposium On "New Space Age"

Informed in StopNATO
US Merchants Of Death Hold Symposium On "New Space Age"
March 27, 2009


http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/industrials/raytheon-showcase-innovation-space-age-national-space-symposium/
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Raytheon to Showcase Innovation for 'The Next Space Age' at National Space Symposium 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., March 25, 2009, 2009 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN: 39.4, -0.73, -1.82%) will highlight several government defense, space and environmental system technologies at the 25th National Space Symposium: "The Next Space Age." The conference will be held at the Broadmoor Resort and Conference Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., March 30-April 2, 2009.

Raytheon will host an exhibit (Booth #503) featuring innovative capabilities in the areas of weather and climate monitoring; space navigation and integrated ground control; space protection; advanced missile warning and missile defense; and responsive space solutions. Key technologies to be highlighted at the show include Raytheon's Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, the Global Broadcast Service, the 3rd Generation Infrared missile warning sensor and rapidly deployable space solutions that help military commanders meet urgent tactical needs.

At the event, Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Services President Lynn Dugle will host the Raytheon-sponsored James E. Hill Lifetime Achievement Award luncheon. Jon Jones, president of Space and Airborne Systems, will participate on an executive panel titled "Today's Top Space Companies Look at the Next Space Age," with fellow space industry leaders.

"Raytheon has been offering innovative space solutions to civil, military and intelligence leaders for more than 40 years," said Garnett Stowe, vice president of National Intelligence Programs in the company's Business Development organization. "From data gathering capabilities in orbit to data retrieval and processing systems on the ground, Raytheon's industry-leading technology will be on full display at this year's National Space Symposium."

The Raytheon Global Positioning System Operational Ground Control Segment team will be on site to demonstrate the ability to command GPS signals, provide situational awareness, and expose data.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

Contacts:
Keith Little
703.849.1675

John Barksdale
310.647.8224

SOURCE Raytheon Company
http://www.raytheon.com

Copyright (C: 2.64, -0.17, -6.05%) 2009 PR Newswire. All rights reserved



http://pressmediawire.com/article.cfm?articleID=20927
Boeing to Spotlight Advanced Capabilities at National Space Symposium
Published 03/24/2009 - 2:13 p.m. EST

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., March 24, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] will spotlight its satellite programs, missile defense systems, human spaceflight programs, operationally responsive space systems and network-centric capabilities at the Space Foundation's 25th National Space Symposium. The annual event will take place March 30 to April 2 in Colorado Springs.

"In partnership with our military, civil government and commercial customers, we're advancing U.S. leadership in space with network-based solutions that can dramatically increase mission effectiveness," said Roger Krone, president of the Network and Space Systems business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. "Our presence at the Space Symposium highlights the vital role our core aerospace engineering and manufacturing expertise plays in delivering system solutions, both in space and around the world."

The Boeing exhibit will feature demonstrations of the company's support for NASA's Constellation programs, including the Ares I crew launch vehicle, satellite operations and ground control systems. The exhibit also contains interactive displays of the Wideband Global SATCOM system, the Airborne Laser program and space hardware that is advancing the architecture and application of small satellites.

Boeing executives will participate in two panel discussions at the conference: Joy Bryant, vice president and program manager of the International Space Station Program, speaks on an international panel at 2:30 p.m. local time on April 1; Krone speaks on a senior industry leader panel at 10:45 a.m. on April 2.

Boeing plans a series of news briefings on key programs and issues. Interested reporters are asked to confirm their attendance at each of these events with the contacts listed below no later than Friday, March 27. All times listed below are local to Colorado Springs, which observes Mountain Daylight Time.

TUESDAY, March 31 -- the Broadmoor Hotel

7:15 a.m. MDT
Breakfast Briefing: Overview of Boeing Human Spaceflight Programs
Brewster Shaw, a former NASA astronaut and vice president and general manager of Boeing Space Exploration, is joined by human spaceflight program leaders who oversee the company's contributions to the International Space Station, Space Shuttle and Ares rocket programs.

10:45 a.m. MDT
Space Based Space Surveillance System
Todd Citron, director of Space Superiority and Special Missions, and Fred Doyle, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. vice president and general manager for National Defense, provide an update on the development and upcoming launch of the U.S. Air Force Space Based Space Surveillance System satellite project. SBSS will consist of a constellation of satellites that can detect and track orbiting space objects, including orbital debris and potential threats to the United States' space assets.
WEDNESDAY, April 1 -- the Broadmoor Hotel

10 a.m. MDT
Military Communication Satellites
Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Space and Intelligence Systems, provides an update on military satellite programs including the Wideband Global SATCOM system and the Global Positioning System.

1:30 p.m. MDT
Operationally Responsive Space,
Alex Lopez, vice president of Advanced Network and Space Systems, briefs reporters on Boeing's work on the X-51A WaveRider. He will also discuss Boeing's accomplishments on Operationally Responsive Space-related activities, including NanoSats, High Integrity Global Positioning System, Plug-n-Play spacecraft and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Fast Access Spacecraft Testbed program.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

###

SOURCE: The Boeing Company