Sunday, November 25, 2007

Iran "Ettehad-86", Japan Missile Drill, D.E.W. Test, +

Iran to launch military exercise
Iran's navy commander says Iran will launch a military maneuver in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman to exercise its naval capabilities. "The maneuver will test the latest Iranian warfare and military tactics," Commander of the Army Naval Force Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said Saturday. He said the seven-day 'Ettehad-86' maneuver is scheduled for February.

Japan To Conduct Missile Drills In Capital

John Concepcion - AHN News Writer
Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - Japan is planning on conducting anti-ballistic missile drills in 10 locations in Tokyo this December, according to local media on Sunday.
A report on Yomiuri, Japan's largest daily, said the country's defense ministry will conduct the Patriot Advanced Capacity-3 (PAC-3) missile deployment exercise to test the missile shield's adaptability to the capital.
The report quoted unnamed sources in the ministry, who said that the drills are also aimed at verifying whether locations have communications barriers in order to assess them fit for future deployment.
The country's PAC-3 missiles are currently deployed at the Iruma base in Saitama. The surface-to-air missiles are the last resort in case of incoming missiles not intercepted by U.S. or Japanese ships.
However, the report said in order to protect the capital from a missile attack, the PAC-3 missiles will have to be deployed in Tokyo. The Iruma base where the PAC-3 missiles now are deployed is some 17 miles away from the capital.

U.S. Tests Anti-IED Laser

Within three years, the U.S. Army hopes to field a solid-state, 1-kilowatt, vehicle-mounted laser that can destroy improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and UAVs, Army program managers said.
A prototype weapon called the Avenger performed well during a Boeing-Army test in September at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Ala.
Encouraged, Army officials are working with the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) to secure funding for more tests, build more prototypes and mount the laser onto a Cougar vehicle.
It was the first test of record for the solid-state laser.
“The laser propagates through a telescope built onto the AMW, focusing that kilowatt of power out at operational ranges, placing the hot, high-intensity thermal light beam on UXO [unexploded ordnance] and/or IEDs,” said Lee Gutheinz, Boeing’s high-energy laser and electro-optical program director. (cont...)

Radiation detection an arduous task at ports

Excerpt: "U.S. radiation monitoring equipment is running at eight foreign ports that send goods to the United States and at about 450 border crossings and airports around the world. Under federal law, 100% of cargo arriving legally at U.S. borders by 2012 will be scanned abroad and then again at U.S. ports. More sophisticated monitors, costing billions of dollars, are under development.Ultimately, federal officials envision a time when the nation will be ringed by radiation monitors at ports, along isolated sea coasts, plying the oceans, roving highways in police cars and even dotting checkpoints on routes into major cities -- all tied into a central national command center and staffed around the clock.Some scientists at the Department of Homeland Security are calling the effort Manhattan 2, referring to the massive project that developed the first atomic bomb. Vice President Dick Cheney has taken a special interest in the effort and backed the political appointment of a key ally to the job of developing the architecture for the system."

FRES (Future Rapid Effect System)

A team led by BAE Systems has been assembled to deliver a fleet of medium-weight armoured fighting vehicles for the British Army.
The team includes Cranfield University, GE Aviation, QinetiQ, SAIC and Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems. It will compete for the role of Vehicle Integrator for the ‘Utility’ family of FRES (Future Rapid Effect System), the first and largest element of the programme. The successful bidder is expected to take an overseas vehicle design, and customise, manufacture and support it through life to meet UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) requirements.
The vehicle will be based on an eight-wheeled design currently being selected by the MoD and is expected to enter service from 2012. Some 7000 jobs will be sustained by the overall FRES programme.
FRES is worth up to £16bn for the acquisition phase. It will provide the British Army with up to 17 vehicle variants in five families for a wide range of battlefield tasks. These vehicles will be heavily protected but light enough to be deployed by air

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