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    MiG-35 stalls in Indian fighter tender contract
    Erik
    By Erik,
        MiG-35 stalls in Indian fighter tender contract   10/08/2010 © RIA Novosti. Ilya Pitalev   Russia's MiG-35 multirole fighter aircraft has failed to make the short-list in a $10 billion international tender for 126 combat aircraft for the Indian air force, according to Indian media reports quoted by Kommersant daily.   The favorites to win the tender are the French Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, Indian media say.   Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), the holding company for most of the Russian aircraft industry, and its fighter subsidiary MiG, have not officially confirmed the reports.   "The official results of the tender have not yet been announced," said UAC's Press Secretary Konstantin Lantratov.   "The MiG-35 is not leaving the tender, and I have no official information about this," said UAC First Vice-President Mikhail Pogosyan.   A MiG source quoted by Kommersant said it was too early to say what the Indians had decided.   "The envelopes with the commercial proposals should be studied by the tender commission only this week," the source said.   Several sources quoted by the paper listed a raft of problems around the MiG-35 program, including a lack of financing to support it. One source said the lack of state funding to support the program had been noted by UAC President Aleksei Fyodorov as long ago as the end of 2008, but the issue was not resolved.   The MiG-35 is said to be a cheaper aircraft than its rivals but is said to have problems with engine life.   "Time between overhauls should be at least 2000 hours and overall life 4000 hours, but the RD-33 doesn't meet these parameters now," said one source.   India already operates the early model MiG-29A fighter aircraft and is taking delivery of the MiG-29K naval fighter, which it will operate from a Russian-built aircraft carrier which is currently under refit.   The selection of two favored aircraft for the Indian tender follows a long trials process, which also involved Sweden's SAAB Gripen, America's Lockheed Martin with the F-16, and Boeing's F-18 Super Hornet, as well as the Russian MiG-35.       MOSCOW, August 10 RIA Novosti  

    Experimental Scramjet in First Flight
    Erik
    By Erik,
        Lockheed Martin Hypersonic ATACMS Motor Boosts Experimental Scramjet in First Flight   DALLAS, TX and SACRAMENTO, CA, August 10th, 2010 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced today that its Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rocket motor successfully boosted the experimental X-51A WaveRider beyond Mach 4.5, the speed at which a scramjet will start and begin to provide thrust. The successful boost helped the X-51 hypersonic scramjet engine to accelerate to a historic Mach 5, a first for the vehicle.   The X-51 WaveRider is an unmanned aerial vehicle designed for extended hypersonic flight durations. The successful boost with the ATACMS rocket motor will allow for future advancements in hypersonic flight.   In this test, the modified ATACMS motor was air-launched from a B-52 aircraft at 50,000 feet, and data collected validates its performance well beyond the original design specifications. This was the first time an ATACMS rocket motor has been used as a booster for an air-launched vehicle. More tests using the ATACMS motor are planned.   The modified motor included a Boeing designed lightweight, high performance exit cone which was produced by Aerojet, a GenCorp [NYSE:GY] company, for Lockheed Martin. The program is managed by a Boeing and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne team for the U.S. Air Force and DARPA.   “The ATACMS rocket motor has proved its power in combat, and now we’re happy to see it performing a mission that advances hypervelocity flight technology,” said Scott Arnold, vice president of Precision Fires at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.   “We are proud to have played a part in this new milestone in hypersonic flight and to have been given the opportunity to demonstrate our ability to modify existing motor designs for future applications,” said John Myers, vice president of Tactical Programs for Aerojet.   Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company’s excess real estate assets.   Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.5 billion.               Lockheed Martin

    Chinese fighter jets train over Tibet
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Chinese fighter jets train over Tibet   (TibetanReview.net, Aug08, 2010) J-11 planes, the most modern Chinese jet fighters said to be pirated copies of Russia’s Su-27, have for the first time been shown in training over the Tibetan Plateau recently. While the Chinese media only showed a picture of some of these planes in the air, with a caption referring to the training flight, Strategy Page online Aug 6 said, reporting on it, that China had no combat aircraft stationed in Tibet, saying there were logistical and attitude problems in doing so.   However, it said, J-7s (cloned from older, MiG-21 Russian jets) had been flying in regularly for temporary duty at major commercial airports in Tibet.   The report said the J-11 jets had been appearing in more unexpected places (like the Chinese naval air force), although fewer than 150 had been built since they were introduced in the late 1990s.   1995 China paid $2.5 billion for the right to build 200 Su-27s. Russia was to supply the engines and electronics, with China building the other components according to Russian plans and specifications. But after China built 95 of these aircrafts Russia cancelled the agreement, saying the former was copying Su-27 to build their own aircraft, the J-11.   The report said the main reason for not stationing fighter squadrons in Tibet had probably to do with the high altitude of the area, and the expense of moving large quantities of fuel and other supplies needed to maintain air units. It pointed out that there was only one rail line into Tibet (recently built) and few heavy duty truck roads.   China also has a serious problem in Tibet with altitude sickness among its troops. The report said the Chinese military was spending a lot of time, effort and money trying to solve this problem. It said currently, most of the troops in the Chinese Chengdu Military Region were in the eastern, lowland half. In the western portion (Tibet), they had stationed the 52nd and 53rd Mountain Brigades, and were struggling to keep these 5,000 troops fit for duty.   In case of an emergency, as there was two years ago, the nearby 13th and 14th Group Armies can send troops from their lowland bases, the report said. Over 20 percent of these troops will be hampered by altitude sickness once they reach the highlands, and commanders are trained to deal with that, it added.   It said that given the alertness required of aircraft maintenance personnel, and pilots preparing for flights, plus the logistical problems, the Chinese air force had declared Tibet fit to visit, but not to base aircraft units in. However, because the Chinese air force may one day have to fight in the air space over Tibet, training up there was necessary.               Tibetan Review

    Russia's missile forces chief to inspect Teikovo division
    Erik
    By Erik,
    The Topol-M mobile ballistic missile system   Russia's missile forces chief to inspect Teikovo division   01:37 10/08/2010 RIA Novosti By: Ilia Pytalev   New commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) will inspect on August 10-12 the rearmament of a missile division in central Russia with new mobile missile systems.   During his first inspection as Russia's missile forces chief, Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev will visit the 54th Strategic Missile Division in the town of Teikovo about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Moscow.   The division, which had Topol (SS-25 Sickle) mobile ballistic missile systems on combat duty since 1988, has been recently rearmed with 18 Topol-M (SS-27 Stalin) mobile systems and at least three RS-24 mobile systems.   According to SMF, Topol-M and RS-24 missiles will be the mainstay of the ground-based component of Russia's nuclear triad and account for not less than 80% of the SMF's arsenal by 2016.   As of June 2010, the SMF operated at least 50 silo-based and 18 road-mobile Topol-M missile systems. The RS-24 was commissioned in 2010 after successful testing.   The Topol-M missile, with a range of about 7,000 miles (11,000 km), is said to be immune to any current and future U.S. ABM defense. It is capable of making evasive maneuvers to avoid a kill using terminal phase interceptors, and carries targeting countermeasures and decoys.   It is also shielded against radiation, electromagnetic pulse, nuclear blasts, and is designed to survive a hit from any form of laser technology.   The RS-24 is heavier than Topol-M, and was created in response to the missile shield that the United States was planning to deploy in Europe.   The missile, equipped with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warhead, is expected to replace the older SS-18 and SS-19 missiles by 2050 and greatly strengthen the SMF's strike capability.       MOSCOW, August 10 (RIA Novosti)

    Stephen Hawking: Abandon the Earth
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Stephen Hawking: Abandon the Earth   (CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has some advice for the people of Earth - it's time to get off. "I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space," Hawking said to Big Think , a global forum that includes interviews with experts.   "It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load."   The physicist called humankind's survival "a question of touch and go" and referred to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963 as one time people narrowly avoided extinction. He also referred to the 22,600 stockpiled nuclear weapons, including 7,770 still operational, scattered around the planet.   If that doesn't drive us off, University of Sussex astrophysicist Dr. Robert Smith said global warming may reach a point "where all of Earth's water will simply evaporate." He said life will disappear on Earth long before the 7.6 billion years some say the aging sun will expand and destroy Earth.   CNet news said that Hawking has concerns about how humans "are eating up finite resources" and has claimed man's genetic code "carries selfish and aggressive instincts" that have helped humanity survive in the past.   Hawking suggests that if man can avoid disaster for the next two centuries "our species should be safe as we spread into space."   According to the Daily Mail , Hawking warned earlier this year that humans should be cautious in trying to contact other alien life forms because there is no way to know if they will be friendly.   "If we are the only intelligent beings in the galaxy we should make sure we survive and continue," he said.   Vernos Branco, a Las Vegas Sun reader, suggested in a letter to the editor that it may not be that easy to escape. He wrote about how humans have continued to move from one place to another as they settle in an area, use all the resources, pollute the area and move on.   He said now that man has technology that can destroy the environment faster, we are running out of space to live in.   "The planet will be fine and heal; it is man who will vanish," he wrote. "... If we develop the technology for space travel, we will do the same to that environment, until we learn not to. Man will become extinct due to his greed."   It may not be that easy anyway to just hop to another planet. University of Michigan astrophysicist Katherine Freese told Big Think that the closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri. That's 4.2 light years away, which means man could reach the star in 4.2 years - if man could travel at the speed of light.   At this point man travels at about ten thousandth of light speed, which would make that journey about 50,000 years.   There is also the cosmic radiation danger unless man creates a warp drive or cryogenic freezing technology.   If man can develop the technology needed, she said, man could travel into the future.   Watch the clip of Hawking.     http://www.myfoxnepa.com/dpps/news/stephen-hawking-abandon-the-earth-dpgoha-20100809-fc_9088678#ooid=F5ZTltMTrEofc-JoHGJQmfcQgxx4P8R0

    Former enemies US, Vietnam now military mates
    Erik
    By Erik,
    American fighter jets prepare to take off from the USS George Washington, cruising waters about 320 kilometers (200 miles) off Vietnam's central coast in the South China Sea on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010. Cold War enemies the United States and Vietnam demonstrated their blossoming military relations Sunday as the U.S. nuclear supercarrier cruised in waters off the Southeast Asian nation's coast, sending a message that China is not the region's only big player. (AP Photo/Margie Mason) Former enemies US, Vietnam now military mates   By MARGIE MASON (AP)   ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON — Cold War enemies the United States and Vietnam demonstrated their blossoming military relations Sunday as a U.S. nuclear supercarrier cruised in waters off the Southeast Asian nation's coast — sending a message that China is not the region's only big player.   The visit comes 35 years after the Vietnam War as Washington and Hanoi are cozying up in a number of areas, from negotiating a controversial deal to share civilian nuclear fuel and technology to agreeing that China needs to work with its neighbors to resolve territorial claims in the South China Sea.   The USS George Washington's stop is officially billed as a commemoration of last month's 15th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between the former foes. But the timing also reflects Washington's heightened interest in maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific amid tensions following the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, which killed 46 sailors. North Korea has been blamed for the attack, but has vehemently denied any involvement.   Last month during an Asian security meeting in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also angered China by unexpectedly calling on the Communist powerhouse to resolve territorial claims with neighboring Southeast Asian countries over islands in the South China Sea.   "The strategic implications and importance of the waters of the South China Sea and the freedom of navigation is vital to both Vietnam and the United States," Capt. Ross Myers, commander of the George Washington's air wing, said aboard the ship Sunday as fighter jets thundered off the flight deck above.   "I'm certain that the Chinese government and the Chinese people are trying to protect their interests," he added when asked about China's increased aggressiveness within the area. "It is more important for Vietnam (and) its partners to establish that they have an equal right to economic prosperity and peace within the region as well."   Chinese navy ships were seen shadowing the USS George Washington at a distance over the past several days as the supercarrier made its way throught the South China Sea along Vietnam's eastern coast, U.S. Navy officials said Sunday.   China claims the entire sea and the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands over which it exercises complete sovereignty. But Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines also have staked claims on all or some of the territory, which straddles vital shipping lanes, important fishing grounds and is believed rich in oil and natural gas reserves. Clinton announced that the U.S. has a national interest in seeing the claims resolved.   "The problem is that China has now committed herself, publicly, to sovereignty of the South China Sea and to push that back, if only to the status of a claim that is not enforced, is going to be very difficult," said Arthur Waldron, an international relations specialist at the University of Pennsylvania. "So we are playing catch up, reminding the Chinese that we have not collapsed into post-great powerdom yet, and that we have other friends in the region."   Vietnam has long been vocal about the issue, protesting China's plans to bring tourists to the islands and most recently seismic studies conducted near the Paracels. Last month China also held naval drills in the South China Sea.   "Vietnam does not support containing China, but like most other ASEAN members would like to see each major power offset the other," Carl Thayer, a Vietnam expert at the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra, said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. "Quite simply, these are not too subtle signals that Vietnam wants the United States to stay engaged in the region to balance China."   The formidable USS George Washington is a permanent presence in the Pacific, based in Japan. As one of the world's biggest warships, it is a floating city that can carry up to 70 aircraft, more than 5,000 sailors and aviators and about 4 million pounds (1.8 million kilograms) of bombs. It lurked Sunday about 200 miles (320 kilometers) off the central coast of Danang, Vietnam's jumping-off point for the disputed islands.   A group of high-ranking Vietnamese military officials was flown onto the carrier Sunday along with other Vietnamese government officials and the U.S. ambassador to the country.   The supercarrier came to Vietnam following four days of high-profile military exercises last month with South Korea aimed at showing solidarity following the sinking of the 1,200-ton Cheonan navy ship. The drills enraged Pyongyang and drew repeated criticism from its Chinese ally.   A Chinese newspaper ran a front-page story last week strongly hinting that China also is not happy about reports that Vietnam and the U.S. are negotiating a civilian nuclear fuel and technology deal that could allow Vietnam to enrich uranium on its own soil.   U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said China had not been consulted about the talks, but he would not discuss the specifics of the enrichment provision. Congressional aides have said the agreement will likely not contain a no-enrichment pledge, which the U.S. promotes as the "gold standard" for civilian nuclear cooperation accords to ensure materials are not being used to build a nuclear weapon.   Vietnam has denied having any plans to enrich uranium on its own soil.   The aircraft carrier's visit is particularly symbolic as it cruises off the coast of central Danang, once the site of a bustling U.S. military base during the Vietnam War, which ended April 30, 1975, when northern communist forces seized control of the U.S.-backed capital of South Vietnam, reuniting the country.   Some 58,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese were killed during the war.   Relations have thrived since the former foes shook hands in 1995. The U.S. is Vietnam's top export market and Americans are the country's No. 1 foreign investor. Two-way trade reached $15.4 billion in 2009.   Military ties have also grown since the first U.S. warship ship visited Ho Chi Minh City in 2003, including high-level defense talks and training.   The USS John McCain destroyer will pay a port call to Vietnam later this week. The two navies are expected to have cultural exchanges along with training exercises, such as search and rescue operations.   Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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