Russian ballistic missiles to be equipped with new warhead

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's land and sea-based ballistic missiles will be equipped with the same type of a new warhead, the defense minister said Monday commenting on a successful test launch conducted over the weekend.

Pentagon Officials Give Green Light to New KC-X Tanker Program

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

The U.S. Air Force's replacement tanker program has languished for two years while enduring a blizzard of analyses, but KC-X is finally being launched with a contract award expected in mid-2007. The program will contain a few surprises. The contract award date already involves a slid...

Input: RFP For Navy UAS Is Expected In Autumn

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

Input, a federal information technology consulting agency, expects a draft or even formal request for proposals for the U.S. Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial system in October or November, said Brian Haney, director of member services.

Pilot trapped for 5h in $135m F-22 Raptor Cockpit

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

A fire crew had to cut open the canopy of a US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor fighter with chainsaws on 10 April to free the pilot, who had been trapped inside for 5h. The Raptor stealth fighter, heralded as the most technologically-advanced fighter in the world, entered serv...

Russian Bombers Flew Undetected Across Arctic

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

Russian military planes flew undetected through the U.S. zone of the Arctic Ocean to Canada during recent military exercises, a senior Air Force commander said Saturday. The commander of the country's long-range strategic bombers, Lieutenant General Igor Khvorov, said the U.S. Air Fo...

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Hubble Telescope!

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

To celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope's 16 years of success, the two space agencies involved in the project, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), are releasing this image of the magnificent starburst galaxy, Messier 82 (M82). This mosaic image is the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained of...

Lawmakers support spaceport for Mojave

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

The California Legislature has moved a bill to invest $11 million in the Mojave Spaceport. Noting competition from other states and nations, the Senate Committee on Transportation voted on a bipartisan 8-1 vote in favor of Senate Bill 1671 by State Senator Roy Ashburn that will ensure a competitive ...

F-35's costs climb along with concerns

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

The maiden flight of the first F-35 joint strike fighter prototype is still months away, and Lockheed Martin's giant development program is already generating budget-busting headlines. Pentagon officials, in their most recent estimate of major weapons system costs, projected a $276.5 ...

Selling space exploration in uncertain times

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

Another cycle of congressional and presidential elections are coming up, ones that will again devote little attention to NASA's budget or R&D funding in general. Eric Hedman explains why voters should encourage politicians to pay more attention to this topic.

Iraq Air Force Needs More Than New Coat Of Paint

Posted at: Mon Apr 24th, 2006

Home to hundreds of aircraft under Saddam Hussein's ousted regime, the dusty Al-Muthana air base outside the Iraqi capital today hosts just three lonely cargo planes. After obliterating Saddam’s formidable air force in the 1991 Gulf war and the invasion of 2003, U.S. forces say they ar...