Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense

December 13, 2013

US military reveals laser can down drones, mortars
Washington (AFP) Dec 12, 2013
The US Army has for the first time successfully tested a vehicle-mounted laser that managed to shoot down incoming mortar rounds and drone aircraft, officials said Thursday. Installed in a dome-shaped turret atop a military vehicle, the high-energy laser hit more than 90 mortar bombs and several small unmanned planes over a six-week test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The experimental weapon, dubbed the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD), likely would not be operational ... read more

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China loses N.K. link but may welcome Kim purge: analyst China has lost its key North Korean interlocutor with the purging of Kim Jong-Un's uncle, but analysts say the young leader's tightening grip on power may be welcomed by Beijing, which prizes stability in its wayward nuclear-armed ally. ... more		Japan to boost military amid row with China Pacifist Japan will adopt new defence guidelines next week paving the way for its military to respond more quickly and forcefully to perceived threats from China and North Korea, officials said Thursday. ... more		Lawmakers stall new Iran sanctions as US blacklists violators Washington on Thursday blacklisted a dozen overseas companies and individuals for evading sanctions on Iran in a clear warning to Tehran to comply with a nuclear deal, and persuading US lawmakers to hold off on new punitive measures. ... more
				India's Tejas fighter passes air-to-air missile firing test India's long-awaited light combat aircraft Tejas cleared a critical test point Saturday, accurately test-firing an infrared missile. ... more		Ukrainian sent to US prison in cybercrime case A Ukrainian national who admitted to setting up a huge online marketplace for stolen financial data was sentenced to serve 18 years in a US prison Thursday, officials said. ... more

U.S. Army holds online development event The U.S. Army has been holding a crowd-sourcing event this week to develop a mobile command post mounted on a lightweight tactical all-terrain vehicle. ... more		Financial groups pour billions into cluster bomb trade: NGO Investment in cluster bomb producers fell this year after a US defence contractor stopped making the weapons, but major financial firms continued to back the trade, an NGO said Thursday. ... more		Perseverance rover cleared for long distance Mars exploration Possible "superkilonova" exploded not once but twice Origami style lunar rover wheel expands to climb steep caves		Japan looks for ASEAN backing on China at summit Japan will this weekend play host to Southeast Asian leaders as it looks to strengthen friendships in a region increasingly dominated by China, and as it squares off with Beijing over disputed islands. ... more
				Karzai to discuss troubled US troop deal with India PM Afghan President Hamid Karzai was to hold talks with Indian leaders Friday, with Washington hoping that New Delhi can help persuade him to sign a deal allowing US troops to stay on post-2014. ... more		'Close Guantanamo' says US general who opened camp The general who opened the US military's Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba when its first detainees arrived in 2002 on Thursday called for the facility to be closed. ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

International Conference on Protection of Materials and Structures From Space Environment

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Kerry back in search of elusive Mideast peace deal US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived on his second Middle East trip in less than a week Thursday in yet another bid to promote a so far elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. ... more		Iraq signs $1.1 bn deal to buy S. Korean fighters Iraq signed a $1.1 billion deal on Thursday to buy 24 multi-role light fighters from South Korea, as it seeks to build its fledgling air force amid rising violence. ... more		Philosopher argues AI consciousness may remain unknowable Climate driven model explores Neanderthal and modern human overlap in Iberia Economic losses from natural disasters down by a third in 2025: Swiss Re		End looms for US Air Force's 'Warthog' ground-attack jet Long disliked by the US Air Force, the A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack jet may finally be heading for the chopping block due to budget constraints. ... more
				German police build 'Nazi Shazam' to track banned music German police are touting a new high-tech tool to identify illegal neo-Nazi songs in seconds, dubbed "Nazi Shazam" after popular music identification software. ... more		Rightwingers seeking to derail peace: Israel negotiator Israel's chief peace negotiator on Thursday accused a key coalition partner of deliberately seeking to sabotage talks with the Palestinians by ramping up settlement construction. ... more

Astrium, Raytheon team to compete for NATO ballistic missile defense work

U.S. to boost Israel defense missile funding by $173M

Iran nuclear accord means NATO missile defence unnecessary: Russia

Turkey says no new bids to rival China missile offer

Kongsberg seals Penguin missile deal with New Zealand

US Navy deploys Standard Missile-6 for first time

Northrop starts production of Global Hawk UAS for NATO

Pentagon chief talks drones with Pakistan PM

US Air Force has secretly built a new stealth drone

US Navy Accepts MUOS-2 Satellite, Ground Stations After On-Orbit Testing

Boeing Tests Validate Performance of FAB-T Satellite Communications Program

Intelsat General To Provide Satellite Services To US Marines

	Years later, kidnapped Iraqi's family finds no closure It took several years after his father's kidnapping in Baghdad, but at a certain point - he cannot remember precisely when - Ali al-Saffar began referring to him in the past tense. ... more		Syria opposition in fuel appeal as two children 'die of cold' The Syrian opposition appealed Thursday for emergency fuel deliveries to rebel-held areas, saying two children had "died of cold" as a winter storm gripped the region. ... more		Colombia turns down rebels' cease-fire offer Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he won't halt a military crackdown on Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebels until a peace deal is clinched. ... more		Engility joins $4B project to counter weapons of mass destruction High-end consulting firm Engility is joining a $4 billion U.S. defense program aimed at advancing research into ways of combating weapons of mass destruction. ... more

The Quantum Age will be Powered by Fusion

Physicists map axion production paths inside deuterium tritium fusion reactors

Hybrid excitons speed ultrafast energy transfer at 2D organic interface

Outside View: Newtonian physics and international politics		Gulf states hail Iran's 'new orientation'		French troops meet resistance in Central African Republic		Canada shipbuilding projects create, save jobs		Iran, UN nuclear watchdog to discuss new 'practical steps'
Three nations close to joining Chemical Weapons Convention: OPCW		EADS details restructuring effect on jobs		Survey: US, China distrust each other, but mildly		Mexico recovers radioactive material from stolen truck		Iraq president on 'road to full recovery': statement

White House dismisses critics over Obama-Castro handshake

NATO leader's term extended by two months

Germany urges Karzai to sign post-2014 forces pact

Taiwan ex-captain gets life term for spying for China

German court rejects Afghan air strike victims' claim

Snow, rain lash Syria refugees in Lebanon

Suicide bomb targets NATO convoy outside Kabul airport

German state vows to block reprints of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf'

U.S. to boost Israel defense missile funding by $173M

Astrium, Raytheon team to compete for NATO ballistic missile defense work

Putin says Russia will upgrade its weaponry

Raytheon, Chemring Group complete first live-fire test of CENTURION launcher

Raytheon BBN Technologies and GrammaTech collaborate to help U.S. government prevent malware in IT devices

Researchers Develop World's Highest Quantum Efficiency UV Photodetectors

Raytheon demonstrates unparalleled precision in live-fire testing of self-propelled howitzer

Lavrov due in Iran for nuclear talks, Syria

Enhancing Competitiveness - EADS Outlines Plan for Defence and Space Restructuring

Al-Qaida stakes out 'jihadist emirate' in Iraq, Syria

Forecast: Growth ahead in military helicopter market

US hopes India will persuade Karzai on troops

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