http://www.spacewar.com/index.html Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST en-us Three decades after Ronald Reagan launched his "Star Wars" project, the costly missile defense program has become a pillar of US strategy despite lingering doubts about its technology. No longer designed to counter a Soviet nuclear attack, the anti-missile network is supposed to thwart a "limited attack" from North Korea or Iran. But numerous experts question if the system even works. Wh]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST The Northrop Grumman-built MQ-4C Triton high-altitude unmanned aircraft successfully completed its first flight from the company's manufacturing facility in Palmdale. Triton is specially designed to fly surveillance missions up to 24 hours at altitudes of more than 10 miles - allowing coverage out to 2,000 nautical miles. The advanced suite of sensors can detect and automatically classify ]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST Lockheed Martin has completed a program milestone for the integrating system that links the numerous sensors, weapons and systems currently operational in the U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System. The Lockheed Martin-led Missile Defense National Team successfully completed the preliminary design review for a major upgrade to the training component of the Command, Control, Battle Management and ]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST The U.S. Army awarded a contract to General Dynamics C4 Systems for 10 vehicle-mounted Tactical Ground Station (TGS) Lot D systems with an option for 11 additional systems. The TGS system is part of the Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A), the Army's primary deployed system for posting, processing and distributing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information in real]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST Lockheed Martin has conducted the first Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) flight of the new Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Launched from a HIMARS mobile launcher, the GMLRS rocket flew 35 kilometers to the target, where the warhead detonated. This flight followed a successful ground-based test of the Altern]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST A Defense Acquisition Board approved full-rate production of Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Standard Missile-6. Once operational in 2013, the SM-6 will provide U.S. Navy vessels extended range protection against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. "SM-6 is a game-changing, transformational fleet defense missile, and we're on track to reach initial]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST Success on the battlefield requires warfighters to know as much as possible about themselves, their surrounding environment and the potential threats around them. Dismounted infantry squads in particular risk surprise and loss of tactical advantage over opponents when information is lacking. While squads use many different technologies to gather and share information, the current piecemeal]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST A Soldier carries a 61-pound load while walking in a prototype DARPA Warrior Web system during an independent evaluation by the U.S. Army. Warrior Web seeks to create a soft, lightweight under-suit that would help reduce injuries and fatigue common for Soldiers, who often carry 100-pound loads for extended periods over rough terrain. DARPA envisions Warrior Web augmenting the work of Soldi]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST A Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) Lightning II test aircraft recently completed the first-ever Vertical Takeoff (VTO) on May 10. VTOs are one of the many capabilities required for the fielding an F-35B aircraft. While not a combat capability, VTOs are required for repositioning of the STOVL in environments where a jet could not perform a short takeo]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST Peace between Israel and the Palestinians is a "priority," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on a visit to the region on Thursday, warning that time was running out for a two-state solution. "The prospects of a two-state solution cannot be kept alive forever as the situation changes," he told reporters from the seat of the Palestinian presidency in the West Bank city Ramallah. ]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST The Philippines on Thursday warned that territorial rows in Asia are "causing considerable tension that could lead to conflict" as several countries face off with China over island claims. Philippine secretary of foreign affairs Albert del Rosario, speaking at a Tokyo business conference, said China's "nine-dash line claim encompassing almost the entire South China Sea" is "excessive." "]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST The two men suspected of butchering a soldier on a London street in a gruesome Islamist attack were known to security agents, government sources suggested on Thursday. Prime Minister David Cameron hinted that intelligence agencies would face probes into how the attackers slipped under the radar, but said police and security services "will not rest" until they bring those responsible to justi]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST A bomb planted in a rickshaw tore through a truck used by security forces in southwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 13 people, police said. The remotely detonated bomb containing around 100 kg (220 pounds) of explosives targeted a truck carrying members of a government paramilitary force on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of restive Baluchistan province. Baluchistan, Pakis]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST Japan on Thursday accused a South Korean newspaper of "dishonourable" behaviour for publishing an editorial suggesting the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were "divine punishment". The editorial in the Korean and English versions of the Joongang Ilbo daily on Monday said the 1945 nuclear bombs dropped by US planes, which together killed more than 200,000 people, were justified. ]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST New Zealand will boost defense spending from $318 million to $583 million in fiscal 2013 thanks to a payback from austerity measures. "In the year to July 2013 the (military) will deliver $190 million in savings after achieving $140 million in the year prior," New Zealand Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman said. "These savings free up resources to improve the defense force's milit]]> Fri, 24 MAY 2013 11:54:32 AEST