ispace becomes the first private Chinese company to launch satellites to orbit. Weights 68K lbs and can carry around 575 lbs. Note that China had 38 space launches in 2018, the US only had 34.
Fact Check: China ‘Claims’ Massive Breakthrough in Stealth Technology. A slice: “That’s because the metasurface Luo is working on is just one example of type of metamaterial that has been the subject of research all over the world. It’s not terribly new.”
Special Access Programs And The Pentagon’s Ecosystem Of Secrecy. Thorough. Here a part: “… just how large is the sum of the money involved in these black programs? We really don’t know because it’s seemingly uncountable.“
In case you haven’t heard: New Marine Corps anti-drone system used to take down Iranian drone. ComNavOps asks some good questions about it.
More from ComNavOps: minesweeping needs to be a navy priority. Here’s RADM Smith on the Inchon landings in 1950: “We have lost control of the seas to a nation without a Navy, using pre-World War I weapons, laid by vessels that were utilized at the time of the birth of Christ.“
Supreme Court allows Trump to use disputed military funds for border wall. Trump was trying to move $2.5 billion, seems that only $1.375 was actually transferred. Now, in my mind there are a lot of rules and thresholds for reprogramming defense funds. MILCON funding is covered by the Military Constructions Act, but seems just as restrictive. But the border wall reprogram was apparently saved by Section 8005 of the DOD Appropriations Act of 2019.
Russia Is Jamming the Air Force’s F-35s and F-22s near Iran. Action and reaction: “The U.S Army is planning to test jam-resistant GPS systems in Europe as a potential step toward countering Russian electronic warfare.”
Air Force Wants More Money for Light Attack Aircraft Effort. That’s reprograming $56.7M from unobligated FY18 Light Attack RDT&E to Procurement. Then, that would combine with $100M of FY19 Procurement to support a purchase of aircraft for experimentation…. I’m surprised they’re moving forward considering the Air Force could back out by claiming, “Light Attack is only survivable in low-end conflict, and we’re gearing up for a peer conflict!” Perhaps the plan is to go ahead with funds Congress provided, but underfunding in future years and letting the program die. The current plan is $35 million in RDT&E for each of FY 2020-2022, then procurement picks up again for a total spend a little over $1 billion.
Budget deal: “The Pentagon topline for FY 2020 will be $738 billion, a 3% hike, which is closer to the $733 billion in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act than the Senate version, which called for $750 billion in defense spending for next year.”
U.S Army engineers lauded by international technical society for advancement of vertical flight. Contracting work out isn’t the only way to get innovation, as we’re starting to learn…
A congressman asking congress to fund operational testing of helo engine. You’d think that it is the politicians who are short-sighted… You’d think that it is the DOD who would want to make sure its equipment is safe and effective. But all they’d have to do is ask for it in the budget request. They didn’t. So testing isn’t a priority in this case, or many others. A good line: “I don’t think the Army should be making a commitment like this based on a paper proposal.”
When it rains, it pours: Air Force Gets Tough With Boeing, Withholds $360 Million From KC-46. Maybe the Air Force is only “getting tough” because Boeing as a company is on the defensive. Why isn’t the Air Force “getting tough” with Lockheed over the F-35, or any number of other programs?
Boeing drops out of massive Pentagon nuclear missile program (GBSD), citing unfair competition. A slice: “Loren Thompson, a defense consultant who works with Boeing, said Northrop Grumman is now “headed for a monopoly” on the air-, land- and sea-based legs of the United States’ nuclear strike capability.”
Secret weapons and new military equipment unveiled by French Army.
Related: To protect its satellites, France outlines ambitious space-weapons program. “I think there is a concerted effort by France, and other countries as well, to think of the space equivalent of ‘flares and chaff’ or electronic countermeasures used on airplanes to protect against anti-aircraft missiles, and see how such concepts might be applied to satellites,” Weeden said.
SpaceX successfully flies Mars prototype rocket for the first time.
Hmm curious how Northrop can be characterized as heading for monopoly for the sea-based component of the triad since GD builds the Columbia and Lockheed does the Trident missile. But I guess the quote is from a Boeing consultant so go figure.
Yes, dropping out of a major contract and crying monopoly is a good way to get people’s attention. This kind of behavior and protests are definitely on the rise. I’d guess the “winner-take-all” approach to once-in-a-generation programs is a major cause of the behavior.