SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean early Friday after launching a Japanese communications satellite into orbit.
Shouts of "USA, USA, USA" and applause from the ground control crew greeted the feat, only the second time it has been accomplished by SpaceX, the company headed by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk.The two-stage rocket lifted off on schedule at 1:21 am (0521 GMT) with a telecommunications satellite owned by Japanese operator SKY Perfect JSAT.As the second stage moved into orbital position, the first stage fell back for the landing, firing its engine to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. more
Friday, May 6, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Military Tests Unmanned Ship Designed to Cross Oceans
The military is launching tests on the world's largest unmanned surface vessel — a self-driving, 132-foot ship designed to travel thousands of miles out at sea without a single crew member on board.
The so-called "Sea Hunter" has the potential to revolutionize not only the military's maritime operations but commercial shipping, according to military officials. If successful, it could usher in the arrival of unmanned cargo vessels moving between countries.
Military officials showed off the ship in San Diego on Monday before it set sail to a nearby Naval base where the testing will be conducted. The sleek, futuristic-looking steel-gray vessel was docked at a maritime terminal in the heart of San Diego's shipbuilding district, where TV crews filmed the robotic craft. No media access was given to the inside of the vessel.
The Pentagon's research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, developed the ship along with Virginia-based Leidos. DARPA will test it in conjunction with the Navy over the next two years off California's coast. The tests will largely focus on its ability to react on its own to avoid collisions with seafaring traffic.
"For our military operations we want to make sure we have unmanned vessels like this to supplement the human mission so that we're not putting people unduly in harm's way," said DARPA spokesman Jared B. Adams.
During the testing phase, the ship will have human operators as a safety net, but once it proves to be reliable, the autonomous surface vessel will maneuver itself — able to go out at sea for months at a time. more
The so-called "Sea Hunter" has the potential to revolutionize not only the military's maritime operations but commercial shipping, according to military officials. If successful, it could usher in the arrival of unmanned cargo vessels moving between countries.
Military officials showed off the ship in San Diego on Monday before it set sail to a nearby Naval base where the testing will be conducted. The sleek, futuristic-looking steel-gray vessel was docked at a maritime terminal in the heart of San Diego's shipbuilding district, where TV crews filmed the robotic craft. No media access was given to the inside of the vessel.
The Pentagon's research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, developed the ship along with Virginia-based Leidos. DARPA will test it in conjunction with the Navy over the next two years off California's coast. The tests will largely focus on its ability to react on its own to avoid collisions with seafaring traffic.
"For our military operations we want to make sure we have unmanned vessels like this to supplement the human mission so that we're not putting people unduly in harm's way," said DARPA spokesman Jared B. Adams.
During the testing phase, the ship will have human operators as a safety net, but once it proves to be reliable, the autonomous surface vessel will maneuver itself — able to go out at sea for months at a time. more
Delayed Maintenance Threatens Navy's Ability to Meet Missions
After years of long and repeated deployments to the Middle East, the Navy's fleet of warships is behind on maintenance, possibly threatening the service's ability to meet future missions overseas.
That's according to a report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office, which found that the Navy bypassed some ship maintenance over the past 15 years to keep pace with the demands of multiple wars.
That's led to a backlog in work needed to keep the fleet going.
"These decisions have reduced the predictability of ship deployments for sailors and for the ship repair industrial base," the report said. "They have also resulted in declining ship conditions across the fleet and have increased the amount of time that ships require to complete maintenance in the shipyards."
The Navy has long been aware of the brewing problem. In 2014, it implemented a new training and maintenance cycle, starting with aircraft carriers, designed to ease the burden on its sailors and ships.
The strategy, known as the Optimized Fleet Response Plan, deploys ships less frequently -- once every 36 months instead of once every 32 months. The plan makes seven-month deployments the new standard, as opposed to six-month cruises that often stretched to eight months or longer. It also leaves more time for maintenance.
But the plan won't work if the Navy can't accurately predict how much work ships need or how long they'll need to spend in shipyards between deployments. more
That's according to a report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office, which found that the Navy bypassed some ship maintenance over the past 15 years to keep pace with the demands of multiple wars.
That's led to a backlog in work needed to keep the fleet going.
"These decisions have reduced the predictability of ship deployments for sailors and for the ship repair industrial base," the report said. "They have also resulted in declining ship conditions across the fleet and have increased the amount of time that ships require to complete maintenance in the shipyards."
The Navy has long been aware of the brewing problem. In 2014, it implemented a new training and maintenance cycle, starting with aircraft carriers, designed to ease the burden on its sailors and ships.
The strategy, known as the Optimized Fleet Response Plan, deploys ships less frequently -- once every 36 months instead of once every 32 months. The plan makes seven-month deployments the new standard, as opposed to six-month cruises that often stretched to eight months or longer. It also leaves more time for maintenance.
But the plan won't work if the Navy can't accurately predict how much work ships need or how long they'll need to spend in shipyards between deployments. more
The Marines Are Running Out of Fighter Jets
The service is running short of planes to fight wars and train its pilots. But the problem is one of the Marines’ own making.
The U.S. Marine Corps has got an air force problem. Its current fleet of fighter jets, purchased from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, is in poor repair. And a new fleet of of vertical-launching F-35 stealth fighters that the Marines have been waiting years to put into action is coming on-line too slowly to keep up flying units’ strength.
The slow-motion collapse of the combat squadrons could, in some future conflict, expose Marine infantry on the ground to enemy air attack—something that hasn’t happened in generations.
The Marines’ air fleet isn’t small, at least on paper. It consists of 276 F/A-18 Hornet fighters, more than two-thirds of the Marines’ combat-capable jets. But on April 20, Lt. Gen. Jon Davis, the Marines’ deputy commandant for aviation, told the Senate that just 87 of those Hornets were flightworthy—a mere 32 percent. more
Monday, May 2, 2016
Marines are using 3-D printing to make their own parts
West Coast Marines are tapping into 3-D printing technology that has the potential to cut the wait for some replacement parts from months to hours.
Over the last month, members of 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group have had 3-D printing technology, said Lt. Col. Gregory Pace, the battalion commander.
The gear is on loan from a company called Inventor Cloud, Applied Systems and Technology Transfer. The Camp Pendleton, California-based unit will try it out for six months while the Marine Corps evaluates its potential use and cost savings. more
Over the last month, members of 1st Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group have had 3-D printing technology, said Lt. Col. Gregory Pace, the battalion commander.
The gear is on loan from a company called Inventor Cloud, Applied Systems and Technology Transfer. The Camp Pendleton, California-based unit will try it out for six months while the Marine Corps evaluates its potential use and cost savings. more
First Future Vertical Lift Helicopters Will Be Medium-Lift
The first Future Vertical Lift aircraft to be fielded by the Army will come in the medium-lift category, where attack and cargo lift helicopters reside, according to Maj. Gen. William Gayler, the new Army Aviation Center of Excellence commander at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Gayler, who spoke at the Aviation Association of America’s Mission Solutions Summit on Friday, said that since Congress required the Army to consider the FVL program as a joint program to include the Marine Corps and the Air Force, the need to be joint is driving the decision on which type of helicopter will be built first. The Army is still leading the effort.
The Army’s acquisition approach divides up the type of helicopters to be built as a family of helicopters to replace the service’s current fleet into five “capability sets.” The first set is the lightest variant while the fifth is the heaviest. Capability set 3 refers to the medium-lift variant. more
Gayler, who spoke at the Aviation Association of America’s Mission Solutions Summit on Friday, said that since Congress required the Army to consider the FVL program as a joint program to include the Marine Corps and the Air Force, the need to be joint is driving the decision on which type of helicopter will be built first. The Army is still leading the effort.
The Army’s acquisition approach divides up the type of helicopters to be built as a family of helicopters to replace the service’s current fleet into five “capability sets.” The first set is the lightest variant while the fifth is the heaviest. Capability set 3 refers to the medium-lift variant. more
Army testing air defense system integration
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. -- A series of tests here is demonstrating the capabilities of a new air defense system in development by the U.S. Army.
The Integrated Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-Intercept, IFPC Inc 2-I, is a defense system in development to protect Soldiers from aircraft, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial systems, as well as artillery weapons like cannons, rockets and mortars.
"If you go back and take a look at what has happened in terms of the threat over the last couple years you'll find that UAS systems and cruise missiles have really become a problem," said Col. Terrence Howard, program manager for Cruise Missile Defense Systems. "So we've got to introduce materiel solutions that can address multiple threats."
As an emerging Army air defense system, not only does it have the requirement to defend against a wide variety of threats, but it also must integrate into the Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense system. AIAMD is a networked air defense control system also currently going through testing on WSMR.
"The idea behind that is 'plug and fight,' take multiple systems, multiple radars, and put it on a network and solve whatever threat situation we have out there," Howard said.
This March and April, IFPC Inc 2-I is conducting several launches to test the systems ability to launch various missile types, and demonstrate its ability to connect to the AIAMD system and utilize its Integrated Battle Command System, IBCS, a computer system that allows a small number of Soldiers to better manage and control a complex air defense network composed of different radars and missile systems.
"(It's about) integration of a lot of existing capability," said Tamera Adams, chief engineer with the Army's Cruise Missile Defense Systems projects. "It's kind of like if you're trying to put together a new stereo system in your house. You're buying speakers from this vendor, a turntable from another and a DVD player from another. You're trying to put them together to get the best capability for your house."
One of the most visible features of the IFPC Inc 2-I system is its Multi-Mission Launcher, MML. The launcher, mounted on a medium tactical truck similar in size to a delivery truck, carries 15 modular missile launch tubes on a turret system allowing the missiles to be launched in almost any direction. The vehicle's size allows it to be placed in nearly any location, and the tube system will allow the launcher to customize its missile loadout, to meet the requirements of many different missions.
To date the program has launched a Hellfire Longbow and a pair of AIM-9X Sidewinders utilizing the IBCS and sensor data from a Sentinel radar unit, as well as conducting a ballistic test of the Miniature Hit-to-Kill missile, a compact missile intended for use against rocket, artillery and mortar threats. In most of these tests the IFPC Inc 2-I system is being used against targets representing cruise missile or UAS threats to allow the IFPC Inc 2-I test to evaluate not just the systems compatibility with the IBCS and missiles, but also evaluate how it performs against those threats.
"We're firing the entire kill chain and seeing what the end product looks like as we shoot at unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles," Howard said.
IFPC Inc 2-I is a joint collaborative effort between the Army's Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space's Cruise Missile Defense Systems Project Office and the Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Produced largely in house by the Army, the program has seen rapid progress, going from concept, to demonstrator, to its current full featured prototype form in only a few years.
"We've been working for the past 24 months, on maturing the design of our new launcher and integrating with three major existing programs: AIAMD, the sentinel radar system and the AIM-9X missile," Adams said.
As the Army's premiere location for the test of complex missile and air defense systems, as well as the existing presences of the AIAMD program, WSMR was the logical choice for this test series. WSMR has supported the IFPC demonstrator in previous testing, and is able to provide not only the space, but also the targets, telemetry, staff and infrastructure needed for testing counter cruise missile and UAS systems.
"(WSMR has) the technical expertise to run these ranges and really provide the data we need to get out of the test and the test results," Howard said. "So we can go back and do our analysis and say 'did we get this right?'"
More firings are scheduled at WSMR to continue testing the launchers capabilities and compatibility with other missiles and systems.
The Integrated Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-Intercept, IFPC Inc 2-I, is a defense system in development to protect Soldiers from aircraft, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial systems, as well as artillery weapons like cannons, rockets and mortars.
"If you go back and take a look at what has happened in terms of the threat over the last couple years you'll find that UAS systems and cruise missiles have really become a problem," said Col. Terrence Howard, program manager for Cruise Missile Defense Systems. "So we've got to introduce materiel solutions that can address multiple threats."
As an emerging Army air defense system, not only does it have the requirement to defend against a wide variety of threats, but it also must integrate into the Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense system. AIAMD is a networked air defense control system also currently going through testing on WSMR.
"The idea behind that is 'plug and fight,' take multiple systems, multiple radars, and put it on a network and solve whatever threat situation we have out there," Howard said.
This March and April, IFPC Inc 2-I is conducting several launches to test the systems ability to launch various missile types, and demonstrate its ability to connect to the AIAMD system and utilize its Integrated Battle Command System, IBCS, a computer system that allows a small number of Soldiers to better manage and control a complex air defense network composed of different radars and missile systems.
"(It's about) integration of a lot of existing capability," said Tamera Adams, chief engineer with the Army's Cruise Missile Defense Systems projects. "It's kind of like if you're trying to put together a new stereo system in your house. You're buying speakers from this vendor, a turntable from another and a DVD player from another. You're trying to put them together to get the best capability for your house."
One of the most visible features of the IFPC Inc 2-I system is its Multi-Mission Launcher, MML. The launcher, mounted on a medium tactical truck similar in size to a delivery truck, carries 15 modular missile launch tubes on a turret system allowing the missiles to be launched in almost any direction. The vehicle's size allows it to be placed in nearly any location, and the tube system will allow the launcher to customize its missile loadout, to meet the requirements of many different missions.
To date the program has launched a Hellfire Longbow and a pair of AIM-9X Sidewinders utilizing the IBCS and sensor data from a Sentinel radar unit, as well as conducting a ballistic test of the Miniature Hit-to-Kill missile, a compact missile intended for use against rocket, artillery and mortar threats. In most of these tests the IFPC Inc 2-I system is being used against targets representing cruise missile or UAS threats to allow the IFPC Inc 2-I test to evaluate not just the systems compatibility with the IBCS and missiles, but also evaluate how it performs against those threats.
"We're firing the entire kill chain and seeing what the end product looks like as we shoot at unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles," Howard said.
IFPC Inc 2-I is a joint collaborative effort between the Army's Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space's Cruise Missile Defense Systems Project Office and the Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Produced largely in house by the Army, the program has seen rapid progress, going from concept, to demonstrator, to its current full featured prototype form in only a few years.
"We've been working for the past 24 months, on maturing the design of our new launcher and integrating with three major existing programs: AIAMD, the sentinel radar system and the AIM-9X missile," Adams said.
As the Army's premiere location for the test of complex missile and air defense systems, as well as the existing presences of the AIAMD program, WSMR was the logical choice for this test series. WSMR has supported the IFPC demonstrator in previous testing, and is able to provide not only the space, but also the targets, telemetry, staff and infrastructure needed for testing counter cruise missile and UAS systems.
"(WSMR has) the technical expertise to run these ranges and really provide the data we need to get out of the test and the test results," Howard said. "So we can go back and do our analysis and say 'did we get this right?'"
More firings are scheduled at WSMR to continue testing the launchers capabilities and compatibility with other missiles and systems.
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