[caption id="attachment_14105" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="UAV Crash (Credit: http://deepbluehorizon.blogspot.com/2009/04/no-one-dies-in-unmanned-uav-crash.html)"][/caption] 01/02/2011 - UAVs are key tools in the toolbox to support ground forces and to augment and or supplement manned aircraft. Whether they are able to operate in the contested airspaces of post-Afghan military environments or even the threats posed by a…
01/02/2011 - The Office of Naval Research Electromagnetic Railgun located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, fired a world-record setting 33 mega-joule shot, breaking the previous record established Jan. 31, 2008. The railgun is a long-range, high-energy gun launch system that uses electricity rather than gunpowder or rocket motors…
01/02/2011 - An MQ-9 Reaper makes its final approach to the runway at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, following a mission, Dec. 16. The MQ-9 Reaper is an unmanned aerial system with primary missions of close-air support, air interdictions, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The Reaper is assigned to the 451st Air…
[caption id="attachment_14313" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Dr. Richard Weitz (Credit: The Hudson Institute)"][/caption] By Dr. Richard Weitz 01/02/2011 - Although the concept of a rail gun is not a novel idea, and has been considered by militaries and science fiction writers for decades, only in the last few years has the technology…
Building an Unmanned Cargo Vehicle: The Case of the AirMule An Interview With Rafi Yoeli 12/22/2010 - In a recent visit to Urban Aeronautics, a small Israeli company with significant experience in unmanned vehicles, Rafi Yoeli, CEO of the company outlined their basic cargo UAV offerings, built around variants of…
Budget Decisions and the Future of the Martial Enterprise By Vince Martinez Budget Freeze: the F-22 Raptor has been one of the first victims Credit photo: www.flightgear.org 11/23/2010 - Decisions, Dollars and the Future It is no surprise that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the MV-22 Osprey are…
United States Is On The Verge Of Losing Its Aerospace Industry, Analyst Warns By Richard McCormack This article was originally published in Manufacturing & Technology News on September 30th, 2010. All graphs come from: "A Case for Repayable Launch Aid," a study by David Pritchard *** 11/05/2010 - The U.S.…
An Interview with Senior Master Sgt. Steven Wehrle and Master Sgt. David Freeman 11/05/2010 - In September 2010, Second Line of Defense sat down with maintainers at Langley AFB to talk about F-22 experiences and preparation for the F-35. As the maintainers described it, a significant cultural change was underway…