U.S. military seeks new UAV perception technology
Washington (UPI) Dec 31, 2014 -
The U.S. military is seeking the development of enhanced unmanned aerial vehicle technology for autonomous operations within complex indoor spaces.
The technologies would allow small UAVs - small enough to fit through a window - to fly as fast as 45 miles per hour and navigate without the communications from operators while within a building.
"Birds of prey and flying insects e ...
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USAF inactivating two C-17 squadrons
Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (UPI) Dec 31, 2014 -
Two Air Force squadrons of C-17 transport aircraft are being inactivated over the next two years as a cost-saving measure, the service announced.
The two squadrons - 16 planes in all - are located at Joint Base Charleston, S.C., and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
The inactivation, the Air Force said, is based on President Barack Obama's defense budget for fiscal 2015.
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US aims to quickly train Iraq forces for anti-IS fight
Taji Base, Iraq (AFP) Jan 01, 2015 -
American and allied soldiers are aiming to rapidly train thousands of Iraqi security personnel in the "bare minimum basics" needed to join the fight against militants who swept Baghdad's troops aside.
The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group spearheaded a major June offensive that overran much of Iraq's Sunni Arab heartland, and while pro-government forces have since regained some ground, swath ...
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76,000 killed in Syria's deadliest year yet
Beirut (AFP) Jan 01, 2015 -
More than 76,000 people were killed in Syria's brutal conflict in 2014, making it the bloodiest year since the country's war erupted in March 2011, a monitoring group said Thursday.
The almost four-year-old conflict shows no sign of abating, with President Bashar al-Assad making a rare public appearance on a front line for New Year's Eve to bolster the morale of soldiers and pro-government f ...
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Iraq violence killed 15,000 in 2014, worst in 7 years: govt
Baghdad (AFP) Jan 01, 2015 -
Violence in Iraq killed more than 15,000 civilians and security personnel in 2014, government figures showed Thursday, making it one of the deadliest years since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Figures compiled by the health, interior and defence ministries put the death toll at 15,538, compared with 17,956 killed in 2007 during the height of Sunni-Shiite sectarian killings.
Last year's toll w ...
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France wants firm signs of Ukraine peace before warship delivery
Paris (AFP) Jan 01, 2015 -
France would only deliver two warships ordered by Russia if there were concrete signs of lasting peace in Ukraine, the French defence minister said Thursday.
Russia has been accused by the West of arming and bankrolling a rebellion in eastern Ukraine, a charge Moscow denies.
But sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States on Russia have complicated France's commitment t ...
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Pakistan, India swap lists of nuclear facilities, prisoners
Islamabad (AFP) Jan 01, 2015 -
Pakistan and India on Thursday exchanged lists of their nuclear sites under an agreement barring them from attacking each other's atomic facilities in the event of war, officials said.
The annual New Year's Day exchange was established under a 1988 agreement. The neighbours, who have fought three wars, have also set up a telephone hotline to prevent accidential nuclear conflict.
The list ...
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