Avio Aero to develop hybrid propulsion system for UAVs
Rivalta Di Torino, Italy (UPI) Oct 22, 2015 -
A hybrid electric propulsion system for unmanned aerial vehicles is being developed by Avio Aero in partnership with Finmeccanica - Selex ES of Italy.
Avio Aero, part of GE Aviation, said the research project is part of an accord between Italy's Puglia regional government and the Italian Ministry for Universities and Research.
Funding for the two-year project is more than $5.6 mi ...
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Benchmark Electronics to acquire Secure Technology
Angleton, Texas (UPI) Oct 22, 2015 -
Benchmark Electronics announced it will acquire Secure Communication Systems, Inc. for $230 million.
Benchmark Electronics is a technology and communications manufacturer and solutions provider for aerospace and defense industries. Secure Communication Systems, Inc. and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to as Secure Technology, a leading engineering products provider. Benchmark ...
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U.S. Air Force awards $176 million for enhanced Sniper ATPs
Orlando, Fla. (UPI) Oct 22, 2015 -
The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin $176.1 million in contracts for Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod-Sensor Enhancement production.
The contracts also cover upgrades to bring Sniper ATPs to the enhanced ATP-SE configuration, which includes improved sensors, a two-way datalink, and algorithms designed to improve air-to-air and air-to-ground targeting capabilities. Deliveries are sche ...
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India paves way for women in army combat roles
New Delhi (AFP) Oct 24, 2015 -
The Indian government gave its nod Saturday for women to fly fighter jets, paving the way for them to assume combat roles for the first time in one of the world's largest militaries.
The federal defence ministry gave the green light to a proposal for recruiting female fighter pilots in the Indian Air Force (IAF), where women already fly transport aircraft and helicopters.
"With this deci ...
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Syria army battles to retake Aleppo supply line from IS
Beirut (AFP) Oct 24, 2015 -
Syrian troops backed by Russian air strikes battled Islamic State group fighters on Saturday in a bid to restore a key supply line to second city Aleppo, a monitoring group said.
At least 28 IS fighters and 21 troops and militia have been killed in the battle for the road that leads to the government-held sector of Aleppo city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The jihadists' ...
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Crowds mass in Iraq's Karbala for mourning ritual
Karbala, Iraq (AFP) Oct 24, 2015 -
Huge crowds of black-clad Shiite faithful massed in the Iraqi city of Karbala Saturday, crying and beating their chests to commemorate the 7th century killing of the prophet's grandson.
The holy day of Ashura was marred by attacks in Pakistan and Bangladesh but unfolded peacefully in southern Iraq, where last year's security fears have given way to political grievances.
Gathered under th ...
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U.S. Navy and Royal Canadian Navy begin exercise
Washington (UPI) Oct 23, 2015 -
Naval forces from both the United States and Canada began a Task Group Exercise off the coast of Southern California, the U.S. Navy announced Friday.
Vessels from the U.S. Navy's 3rd Fleet are taking part in the exercise to train in amphibious warfare, air defense, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. Royal Canadian Navy Commander Julian Elbourne says the training will help his f ...
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U.S. Navy awards Raytheon $159 million for Phalanx production
Tucson (UPI) Oct 23, 2015 -
The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon with a $159 million contract to produce and maintain Phalanx Close-in Weapon Systems, the company announced on Friday.
The contract includes support equipment for both the Phalanx and SeaRAM weapon systems, Block 1B radar upgrades, and an overhaul of four land-based Phalanx Weapon Systems. Rick Nelson, vice president of Raytheon's Naval and Area Missio ...
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U.S. military sales more than $47B in fiscal 2015
Washington (UPI) Oct 23, 2015 -
International sales of U.S. military equipment and services in fiscal 2015 reached an overall total of $47.085 billion.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which manages U.S. Security Cooperation programs, said the government-to-government Foreign Military Sales program accounted for $35.359 billion of the total.
The remainder - $11.726 billion – was the result of sales c ...
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Pentagon chief expects more anti-IS raids after captives freed
Washington (AFP) Oct 23, 2015 -
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday he expected more raids targeting the Islamic State group similar to the mission that freed dozens of captives but left an American commando dead in Iraq.
Carter's comments came as President Barack Obama tapped veteran Iraq expert Brett McGurk to coordinate the troubled US-led campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State group, replacing Ge ...
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Nearly 450 killed in Russian strikes on Syria
Beirut (AFP) Oct 23, 2015 -
Russian air strikes in Syria have killed at least 446 people, more than a third of them civilians, since they began end-September, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday.
Meanwhile, fresh attacks on a flashpoint town in the centre of the country by either Russian or regime planes killed at least 14 civilians, nearly half of them children, the Britain-based Observatory added.
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China's Xi leaves UK with EU call, Man City trip
Manchester, United Kingdom (AFP) Oct 23, 2015 -
Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his visit to Britain on Friday with a call for Britain to remain in the European Union and a trip to see the English Premier League leaders Manchester City.
After three days of banquets, processions and trade talks, Xi posed for a "selfie" picture with Sergio Aguero, City's Argentinian star striker, and British Prime Minister David Cameron at the footba ...
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Pakistan premier urges US to take its side against India
Washington (AFP) Oct 23, 2015 -
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif urged the United States on Friday to take Pakistan's side in its long-standing dispute with rival nuclear power India or run the risk of escalating conflict.
Speaking in Washington a day after talks with President Barack Obama, Sharif said Pakistan was ready to help Afghanistan revive peace talks with Taliban rebels.
But he made it clear that his main priority ...
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Ukraine to receive U.S. radars by mid-November
Washington (UPI) Oct 22, 2015 -
The U.S. will supply Ukraine with long-range counter-battery radar stations by mid-November as the country continues to fight Russian-backed militants.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke about the matter in a speech delivered at the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas, according to Ukrinform.
"I am proud that we are finally beginning to obtain mil ...
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US expert questions ban on Russian rocket engine purchases
Moscow (Sputnik) Oct 23, 2015 -
The United States should immediately lift the ban on the purchases of Russian-made rocket engines "for strategic security purposes," according to The Diplomat magazine.
In an article published by The Diplomat Magazine, US Defense expert Kent Johnson urged Washington to immediately revoke the ban on the purchases of Russian rocket engines in order to boost America's strategic security.
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China's hi-res mapping satellite sends back more visual data
Beijing (XNA) Oct 23, 2015 -
The Ziyuan III satellite, China's first high-resolution stereo mapping satellite for civilian use, has sent back visual data covering 69.45 million square km of the globe since it was launched in January 2012.
The satellite produced images of 190 million square km of fields for mapping, land, mining and water conservancy, ridding the country of its reliance on imports of hi-res satellite i ...
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U.K. Defense Secretary: New submarines can't be late
London (UPI) Oct 22, 2015 -
U.K. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon called for British lawmakers to support the Royal Navy's submarine programs during a speech on Wednesday.
Citing emerging security threats around the world including Russian expansionism, weapons proliferation, an increase in nuclear states, and the desire by "rogue nations" to acquire nuclear capabilities, Fallon asserted Britain and its partners c ...
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New Israeli anti-drone counter-measure makes debut
Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel (UPI) Oct 23, 2015 -
A counter-measure system that detects, identifies and disrupts small drones has been debuted by Israel Aerospace Industries.
Drone Guard, displayed at an aeropace exhibition in South Korea this week, combines adapted 3-D radars, electro-optical sensors and dedicated electronic attack jamming systems and comes from IAI subsidiary Elta Systems Ltd.
"We have begun demonstrating thes ...
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Study: Cadaver arms suggest human fists evolved for punching, too
Salt Lake City (UPI) Oct 22, 2015 -
Most researchers agree the human hand evolved for tool creation and manipulation, but some scientists say violence played a role too.
To test the hypothesis that human fists are uniquely designed for fist fighting, researchers at the University of Utah tested the mechanics of punching using human cadaver arms.
After rigging the arms with fishing wire and guitar tuning tabs to con ...
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Revamped DNA analysis kit gets US nod
San Francisco (AFP) Oct 21, 2015 -
Two years after personal genetics startup 23andMe was ordered by US authorities to stop selling its DNA test kits, a revamped product has gained market approval, the company said Wednesday.
The California-based firm announced the launch of its new "Personal Genome Service," which will test for mutations that could lead to disease.
"We've worked with the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) ...
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Will climate change make the world lazier?
Berkeley, Calif. (UPI) Oct 23, 2015 -
Sometimes it's just too hot to do anything, let alone work. If climate change continues, that might be the case more often.
Researchers think rising temperatures could diminish global economic productivity - not because people will stop working altogether, but because productivity slows down when the mercury rises.
In a new study published in Nature, scientists from Stanford and ...
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El Nino to cause 80% rise in East Africans needing aid: UN
Nairobi (AFP) Oct 23, 2015 -
Heavy floods and drought sparked by the El Nino weather phenomenon in East Africa in coming weeks could see the number of people needing aid soar by over 80 percent, the UN warned Friday.
El Nino is sparked by a warming in sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific, setting off changing weather patterns across the world, and can cause unusually heavy rains in some areas, and drought ...
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Climate pact: The rocky road to Paris... and beyond
Bonn (AFP) Oct 23, 2015 -
Diplomats crafting a global pact to defuse climate change are under no illusion that the quest will end in Paris in December.
If anything, the latest haggle to prepare for the vaunted UN summit, now just weeks away, has strengthened awareness that reining in carbon emissions is a very long-term problem indeed.
The key, say negotiators, is to enshrine measures in the accord so that, for m ...
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Indonesia readies warships for haze evacuation
Jakarta (AFP) Oct 24, 2015 -
Indonesia has put warships on standby to evacuate people affected by acrid haze from forest fires which has killed at least 10 and caused respiratory illnesses in half a million, officials said Saturday.
For nearly two months, thousands of fires caused by slash-and-burn farming in Indonesia have choked vast expanses of Southeast Asia, forcing schools to close and scores of flights and some i ...
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Hurricane flattens Mexico homes, but major disaster averted
Chamela, Mexico (AFP) Oct 24, 2015 -
Patricia flattened dozens of homes on Mexico's Pacific coast, but authorities said Saturday the record-breaking hurricane largely spared the country and weakened into a remnant low as it moved north.
The modest homes of 40 families in the fishing village of Chamela were blown away by Patricia's powerful winds after it made landfall as a Category Five monster in Jalisco state late Friday.
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