Eurocopter Capitalizes on Growth in Middle East Region

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Eurocopter, a world-leading helicopter manufacturer, today has a presence of more than 650 helicopters flying in the Arab world, be it with civil or military operators.

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Mirage-2000 Upgrade Will Plug Indias Combat Jet Gap

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

The Indian Air Force (IAF) can address the alarming dip in its operational capabilities by upgrading its fleet of Mirage-2000 fighter jets, even as it evaluates a global tender it has floated for purchasing 126 new combat aircraft, says French electronics major Thales, which is on the verge of inking the upgrade deal.

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F135 Completes Successful Engine Air Restart Testing on F-35

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine successfully completed engine restart testing at Edwards Air Force Base, CA. The engine air restart tests are a significant program milestone demonstrating the reliability of the F135 engine in flight. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. company.

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China Hacks White House Email?

Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Multiple sources are reporting that hackers have penetrated the email system of the White House.

People described as "US government cyber experts" are said to suspect the cyber raids were sponsored by the Chinese government. These sophisticated, targeted attacks repeatedly penetrated the unclassified network's defenses. The breaches seem to closely follow the "Grain of Sands" technique used by Chinese intelligence agencies.

The "Grain of Sands" is a methodology used to derive intelligence from disparate pieces of data no matter how seemingly trivial, as each data point might just be the final little piece that completes the puzzle. It is important to note that inside sources tell us that the classified network and system was NOT compromised.

This comes just days after Newsweek reported that both the Obama and McCain campaigns had their security breached by overseas hackers. Reportedly a significant amount of data had been exfiltrated. Intelligence Analysts at Spy-Ops believe that the hacks and data transfers were a concerted effort to track the candidates' policy positions which could aide in future negotiations with the United States. The FBI and U.S. Secret Service had notified both campaigns of the security breach in late August.

At first, the campaign security thought it was just another "phishing" attack, using common methods. One source said the FBI told them: "You have a problem way bigger than what you understand. You have been compromised, and a serious amount of files have been loaded off your system." Unofficial sources tell us that the attacks were traced back to Russia, China and an un-named third country.

This is at least cyber espionage or is it an act of cyber war? Are we at Cyber DefCom 1? A clear-cut cyber warfare doctrine is needed to answer these questions.

-- Kevin Coleman

[EDITOR: Please be sure to take a look at the transcript of last week's interview with Kevin on the DT Live Q&A]

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Monday -- Fire for Effect

Monday, 10 November 2008

The Iraq War is won, Afghanistan -- mmm not so much

Behind the scenes of an ICBM launch

A ballistic missile's newest enemy: mirrors

SOCOM gets the Hummingbird

Inside Israel's missile shield

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MRAP and JLTV vs. Reality

Monday, 10 November 2008

[NOTE: Here's another contribution from our friends at Breach Bang Clear. The author is a friend of mine, David Woroner of Survival Consultants International. He's a ballistics expert, former PSD contractor and all-around mad scientist who's come up with a novel new armor for newly built vehicles. This is part one of a multi-part series on new solutions for ballistic defeat.]

If it has a new gen armor system attached to it, then I’m in favor of the JLTV over the MRAP. Why? Well, a number of reasons.

The MRAP has some things going for it, and it’s saved some lives, no question. But it’s not the end-all be-all, ultimate solution to what’s going on in Iraq and Afghanistan—and it’s not going to be the solution in future wars that may be fought differently…and certainly will be fought in different terrain.

Let’s face it, the MRAP is a bank vault tipped on its side with wheels and a motor. A million dollar bank vault tipped on its side with wheels and a motor. Consider some of its weaknesses, and the financial burden to fix or repair. We’re talking about a serious chunk of change just in the case of blowing the undercarriage out. My opinion on this shouldn’t be misconstrued as some reticence on my part to help out the troops. Anyone that knows me or has served with me knows I am STAUNCHLY behind the protection of our troops. It can be done with the technology at hand, and it can be done more efficiently.

Consider the cost, operational relevance and troop transportation capability of the MRAP (and the coming MRAPII) vs. something like the JLTV. We’re in a war, and in a war, particularly conducted with blitzkrieg type operations, it’s always going to be better to put fewer men and less equipment into less expensive vehicles. Put simply, I’d rather attack anything with a million ants than a pair of elephants. When it comes to those vehicles, protection doesn’t have to be expensive, the vehicles can be more efficient to operate in a disparate variety of terrains, and let’s don’t forget the cost of fuel.

Let me explain further.

The concepts of blitzkrieg were known in other countries, albeit poorly developed (the British army had partially implemented it), by the end of the First World War, but the Germans had worked out the complexities of breaking through a front with highly concentrated resources. This technique failed the Germans in their offensives of March 1918, largely because the breakthrough elements were on foot and could not sustain the impetus of the initial attack. The deployment of motorized infantry was the key to sustaining a breakthrough, but this would have to wait until the 1930s to be realized.

Superimpose the realities of modern war and we can see that the Humvee has proven itself to be a woefully inadequate method of safely transporting troops into battle, even with all the so-called ‘hillbilly armor’, up-armor packages, etc. We should have done it right the first time, or not done it at all. We should still be doing things right the first time or not doing it at all...

Let’s scroll back a hundred years to see the appearance of the first true British/American tanks worthy of the name. These hunks of steel, bristling with machine guns and small guns, were long enough to accomplish what they were originally designed for—to bridge the gaps of trenches. In those days, this was perhaps a good idea. Review the realities of today again. Everything has changed. Virtually every fundamental tenet of modern warfare is different than it was in WWI. So why do we persist in reverting to brawn over brains?

In those days, all we had were metals and a cubic mentality. Today we understand there are lightweight materials perfectly suitable for making lighter and more maneuverable vehicles of war without sacrificing the protection necessary to make them worthy of deployment. Yet our powers that be have built and fielded a 21ST century version of the WWI tank.

Why?

There are some laws and rules that must be applied to the discussion. Obviously we know that our modern vehicles must be lightened. We have a multitude of materials now that weren’t dreamed of then. Most vehicles in this discussion use some type of composite armor, meaning a hybrid of several materials much stronger as an admixture than by themselves. To fully understand my contention, however, one must understand some basic ‘Laws of Physics and Materials’.

First of all we have Spectra, Dyneema and other lightweight ‘soft’ material that can take up some of the weight.

But there are two laws that must be obeyed:

First, any projectile (or spall) traveling over 2,000fps will liquefy and penetrate just about any type of material. Imagine if you will a 22.250 cartridge. Its velocity is in the 4,000fps range. Now envision an M249 or Minimi type weapon putting out that sort of high velocity projectile at an incredible rate of fire and you begin to see some of the problem.

The second rule pertains to the shape of the armor. If it has a poor deflection angle, the round will penetrate rather than deflect. Take a lesson from our stealth aircraft. Its angles do the same thing, only with radar instead of hostile fire. The same principle applies to ballistic trajectory impact.

The reason boron carbide is so widely used is that it is a ceramic, which is essentially a glass. The majority of heavy duty anti-penetration materials in hard armor utilize this form of material. There are alternatives in play, such as pressing with an applied resin on top of soft armor until it hardens, then sandwiching it between some hard armor. One thing that has always taken me aback, though, is the lack of geometry used in armor design. Why was it such a surprise that we eventually put v-shaped boat hulls on armored vehicles? Did our modern designers just completely disregard the successful work of their Rhodesian forebears? V-shaped hulls were part of the way they tamed the landmines employed against them to such good effect by SWAPO, ZIPRA, ZANU and assorted other acronym-happy Communist-backed insurgents.

If you’ve ever seen the holes an 88 would punch into a Sherman tank in WWII, it is pretty apparent that they were cold-rolling (to the best of the contemporary technology) the armor. Then came Chobham, which basically utilizes a mixture of ceramics and different metallurgy. However, a balance of materials, placement, spaced methodology and geometry is the key to a true winning formula.

When discussing armor, one would be remiss not to bring up the subject of conventional Reactive Armor. These devices are nothing more than high speed reactive chemical bombs designed to detonate upon the impact of a hypervelocity shell. It is really meant to defeat copper jet penetrating charges, be they from an RPG or another tank’s main gun round.

Although not specifically part of the subject matter at hand, it’s worth pointing out that anyone who appreciates what may become future armor will appreciate Electro-Magnetic Armor. EMA uses electricity to defeat shaped charge warheads such as those from RPGs. Repetitive live fire testing has proven not only the theoretical properties of EMA but the actual, demonstrated ability to defeat shaped charges.

I won’t digress further by discussing other intelligent but somewhat whacky ideas such as Shear Thickening Fluids. From my understanding, development along these lines has been abjectly taken out with the garbage.

There are some good principles starting to come about that I believe originated with two or three different groups at once. These have to do with ‘spacing’, which in the light seem to make good ole’ fashioned sense.

Since we’ve all heard about how much Mine Resistant Vehicles weigh, its no wonder that scientists and material engineers continue to search for the elusive mixture of this and that necessary to reduce weight and retain the capacity to stop a hypervelocity round.

The offensive and defensive races for a defense-to-offense weapon is often elusive. This is NOT because the offensive weapon cannot be defeated. It is because nobody has grasped the necessary concepts or been given the green light to go ahead in reference to the consternating weapon.

Even if the JLTV is FCS compatible (which would be a big plus), the lightweight armor will still be of concern. The DoD is even now handing out massive contracts to the JLTV producers they feel best suited to construct them, but the armor problem has yet to really be solved.

There are a couple of things that must be brought into the overall picture:

1. The weight of the MRAP has already resulted in the “stranding with personnel inside” until reinforcements or flyboys arrive to bail them out. Still on the weight issue, you’d better have a nice paved road for the beast, otherwise you WILL be stuck in the mud or sand. These cost a MILLION USD apiece? It’s worth spending money to save troops, hell yes, but can we not do better? Could we design one that would crawl over rough terrain without tipping over?

2. Whatever the incarnation of the JLTV turns out to be, it will require the real and true next-gen armor. There are better answers than what is being considered now. They must eventually come into play because the majority of WIA and KIA suffered has been, horribly, due to a lack of thinking like good ole’ Heinz. Far better to put them into play now.

Look, military improvisation to deal with tactical problems isn't new to American war-making. Think about all they did when they hit the hedgerows in '44, or take a look at the pictures of sandbags held by chicken wire to the front glacis of Sherman tanks. My point here is that we should design our JLTVs, and whatever else we're going to go to besides the MRAPs, and make sure our troopers aren't having to improvise in some other faraway place to keep themselves whole.

Remember, do it right the first time...

To be continued...

-- Breach Bang Clear

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Tough Ethics Rules for Upcoming Obama Appointments

Monday, 10 November 2008

Colin has an excellent piece up on DoD Buzz that's generated a ton of conversation over there so I thought I might share it over here...

The Obama transition team has issued ethics guidelines that are likely to make it extremely difficult to attract qualified defense industry appointees.

“No political appointees would be able to work regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration,” the new guidelines say.

“You can understand the motivation behind it, but it’s not clear that you will get the best and brightest people who understand what needs to be done to serve in the government. As you know previous administrations have had great difficulty attracting people under the existing guidelines,” a procurement expert with experience in and out of government told me this morning.

The Aerospace Industries Association recently published a report, “Overcoming Barriers to Public Service,” on the difficulties of finding good people.

Three of the candidates for senior Pentagon positions — Paul Kaminski and Jacques Gansler for deputy secretary of Defense, and John Douglass for undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics — might well benefit from the Obama strictures. All three men are eminent in their field, none of them have worked for a defense company recently and all are old enough that they probably would not have to scramble for a high paying job in industry after they leave government.

-- Colin

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Iraq Clearly NOT a Distraction from bin Laden Hunt

Monday, 10 November 2008

So, let me get this straight. Bush critics have been whining for years that the president wasn't doing enough to kill bin Laden and his deputies -- that he should essentially invade Pakistan, Syria and other places to kill him or Zawahiri if US officials get the right intel.

And now the New York Times -- after Obama wins largely on an anti-Bush referendum -- decides to publish a story that shows all the way back in 2004, the much-maligned Donald Rumsfeld secured an executive order form the president to allow the same kind of commando raids administration critics have been saying should have been pursued all along? And don't tell me the NYT didn't have a good portion of this story a month ago...this is an evergreen piece that didn't have any news hook to it other than the recent Syria raid, which is probably when Mazzetti and Schmitt fleshed out most of the sourcing.

Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda in Many Countries

WASHINGTON — The United States military since 2004 has used broad, secret authority to carry out nearly a dozen previously undisclosed attacks against Al Qaeda and other militants in Syria, Pakistan and elsewhere, according to senior American officials.

These military raids, typically carried out by Special Operations forces, were authorized by a classified order that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed in the spring of 2004 with the approval of President Bush, the officials said. The secret order gave the military new authority to attack the Qaeda terrorist network anywhere in the world, and a more sweeping mandate to conduct operations in countries not at war with the United States.

In 2006, for example, a Navy Seal team raided a suspected militants’ compound in the Bajaur region of Pakistan, according to a former top official of the Central Intelligence Agency. Officials watched the entire mission — captured by the video camera of a remotely piloted Predator aircraft — in real time in the C.I.A.’s Counterterrorist Center at the agency’s headquarters in Virginia 7,000 miles away.

Some of the military missions have been conducted in close coordination with the C.I.A., according to senior American officials, who said that in others, like the Special Operations raid in Syria on Oct. 26 of this year, the military commandos acted in support of C.I.A.-directed operations.

But as many as a dozen additional operations have been canceled in the past four years, often to the dismay of military commanders, senior military officials said. They said senior administration officials had decided in these cases that the missions were too risky, were too diplomatically explosive or relied on insufficient evidence.

More than a half-dozen officials, including current and former military and intelligence officials as well as senior Bush administration policy makers, described details of the 2004 military order on the condition of anonymity because of its politically delicate nature. Spokesmen for the White House, the Defense Department and the military declined to comment.

Apart from the 2006 raid into Pakistan, the American officials refused to describe in detail what they said had been nearly a dozen previously undisclosed attacks, except to say they had been carried out in Syria, Pakistan and other countries. They made clear that there had been no raids into Iran using that authority, but they suggested that American forces had carried out reconnaissance missions in Iran using other classified directives.

According to a senior administration official, the new authority was spelled out in a classified document called “Al Qaeda Network Exord,” or execute order, that streamlined the approval process for the military to act outside officially declared war zones. Where in the past the Pentagon needed to get approval for missions on a case-by-case basis, which could take days when there were only hours to act, the new order specified a way for Pentagon planners to get the green light for a mission far more quickly, the official said.

Be sure to read the rest of the story HERE...

-- Christian

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Book Reveals Failed Delta Hunt for bin Laden

Friday, 07 November 2008

It was bitter cold. The harsh wind swept across their high mountain redoubt with only thin native blankets to shelter them from the bitter Afghan air. They were hours from resupply, carrying only what they could on their backs.

And that's just how they wanted it.

Peering through their high-tech spotting scopes and talking in low whispers to pilots above, the Delta Force operators high in the mountains of Tora Bora were warmed by the thought that they, more than anyone else in that desolate land, were killing more perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks than anyone else in the world.

For nearly a week, 40 of America's best trained, most elite Soldiers from the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta, or "Delta Force," combed the 14,000 foot peaks with wavering Afghan militia allies to hunt down the world's most wanted man: Osama bin Laden. In a first ever account, the man who shepherded those bearded warriors into Tora Bora's thin mountain air writes of the near misses, frustrated plans and weak-kneed guerrillas that stymied their quest for al Qaeda's top commanders.

Writing under the name "Dalton Fury," the Delta Force commander -- a major at the time - gives a detailed look in "Kill bin Laden: A Delta Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man" how the unit prepared for, planned and executed its complicated mission.

For Delta, it was an unprecedented task. A force best know for lightning-fast counterterrorism raids, long range reconnaissance and high value target snatches, the operators on the Tora Bora mission had to work a hybrid plan that combined unconventional warfare, intelligence collection, long-range logistics and close air support - all while waiting for the call to swoop down on an Osama hideout at a moment's notice.

"We went into a hellish land that was considered impregnable and controlled by al Qaeda leaders who had helped defeat the Soviet Union," Fury writes. "We killed them by the dozen. Many more surrendered. ... And we heard the demoralized -- bin Laden speak on the radio, pleading for women and children to fight for him."

"Then he abandoned them all and ran from the battlefield," Fury adds with some satisfaction. "Yes. He ran away."

(Though Defense Tech knows Fury's true name, we will honor his wishes and not reveal it here and I have updated my previous post with the redaction.)

As Fury tells it, his Delta colleagues racked up an impressive body count and thought for a while they had actually killed the al Qaeda leader or his deputy. But a reader can clearly see between the lines of "Kill bin Laden" that Fury was frustrated with his unit's lack of success in killing their key target. While dropping JDAMs on terrorist caves was gratifying, Fury never mentions a single shot fired by his operators in the entire early December 2001 engagement -- cold comfort to some of the best combat marksmen in the world who were itching for an up-close fight.

Fury is also disappointed by his commanders' reluctance to engage his operators more into the fight, mandating the reliance on Afghan militias to do most of the heavy lifting. His unit proposed two plans to corner bin Laden. One involved a backdoor, high-altitude mountaineering assault from the Pakistan border, the other called for sowing GATOR anti-personnel mines along the most likely approaches and escape routes to stymie an al Qaeda escape long enough for a commando assault.

Both plans were rejected by higher headquarters -- or the White House -- and Fury was left to the worst possible alternative: a frontal assault.

"Kill bin Laden" is one of the most detailed and informative descriptions of a battle forgotten by most Americans, but one that was truly the closest the West gotten to bin Laden since 9/11. It's not the "tell all" of Eric Haney's "Inside Delta Force" but compares well with Gary Bernsten's "Jawbreaker" in it's revelation of black ops.

And that's where Fury has bumped into the most controversy. Some in the Army Special Force community have rejected Fury for his breach of Delta's code of silence - a written and un-written rule among operators that one never speaks to outsiders of their endeavors. Credible online forums have already revealed Fury's true name, ignoring his pleas for anonymity for fear of endangering his family.

Fury declined several requests for an interview with Defense Tech to discuss this issue and details of his book.

Revealing his missions and opening Delta to the world in even this small way has earned "Kill bin Laden" scorn from portions of the special operations community. But Fury's critics never dispute his facts.

So give "Kill bin Laden" a read; the author did the American public a service by explaining to the victims of 9/11 how America tried to kill the mastermind behind that horrifying day, and it could serve to remind us all that "enemy number one" is still out there - and so is Delta, hunting him to the ends of the Earth.

-- Christian

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Say Hello to Soldier Systems Daily and the FR Shemagh

Friday, 07 November 2008

Defense Tech is proud to announce the arrival of a new regular contributor to our blog.

You've seen a couple of his posts pimped here, but we've just brought on board Eric from Soldier Systems Industry Daily blog to help us get the word out on technical developments in the personal military and tactical equipment arena.

Eric brings 20 years of military experience to the Web -- split evenly between the Army and Air Force -- and much of that in the special operations world. Soldier Systems is a tapped in crew, pulling gouge from the industry and the services way before the competition.

We're thrilled to have them join us in a collaborative effort to bring the most relevant and cutting-edge gear innovations to Defense Tech readers -- stuff we all hope will help you folks in your worldly endeavors.

Here's another from our new bros at Soldier Systems Daily:

Manufactured from lightweight Acclimate® FR 100% Flame Resistant no melt cotton, the new XGO is the first FR Shemagh ever. The material passed the American Society for Testing and Materials vertical flame resistance test (ASTM 6413-99). What is just as fantastic is that the Shemagh is treated with Ag47 Silver Antimicrobial treatment to fight odor that builds up from using the Shemagh day after day in a hot dusty environment. It exceeds the standard for antimicrobial resistance in accordance with American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists test for determination of antimicrobial effect (AATCC 100).

This isn't some cheapo shemagh you buy down the souk, these are 100% American made. They have barely hit the market and have already been adopted as part of the BAMS kit.

Currently available in Tan and Coyote versions, XGO is capable of doing custom runs of colors and patterns. For more info, contact XGO on the web.

Again, please welcome Eric from Soldier Systems Daily to our growing list of contributors.

-- Christian

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Iraqi Military Builds Up Combat Power, Logistics

Wednesday, 05 November 2008

The number of attacks in Iraq is at its lowest level since January 2004, and this is proof of the growing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, the vice chief of staff of the Iraqi Joint Forces said yesterday.

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Light Military Sector Expected to Be Most Dynamic Rotorcraft Market Segment

Wednesday, 05 November 2008

In a new study, “The Market for Light Military Rotorcraft,” Forecast International projects that 2,176 light rotorcraft will be produced for military use during the 10-year period from 2008 through 2107.

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Boeing Rolls Out First F-15SG to Singapore

Wednesday, 05 November 2008

The Boeing Company today rolled out the first F-15SG jet fighter to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). The F-15SG is a variant of the highly capable, combat-proven F-15E.

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RSAF Rolls Out First F-15SG Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft

Wednesday, 05 November 2008

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) rolled out its first F-15SG multi-role fighter aircraft at a ceremony on 3 Nov at St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The F-15SG roll-out marks yet another significant milestone in the transformation of the RSAF into a 3rd Generation Air Force.

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US Army Awards Contract to Procure and Modify Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Wednesday, 05 November 2008

The U.S. Army has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $97 million contract to procure, modify and deliver 12 Hunter MQ-5B Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) aircraft; six One-System Block II ground control stations; eight tactical common data link, ground data link terminal sets; two sets of ground support equipment; and four sets of spare parts.

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Detecting Dirty Bomb Material with ESA Gamma-Ray Technology

Monday, 03 November 2008

Thanks to ESA and UK technology transfer support, a British company has developed a device based on the gamma-ray detection equipment used in ESA’s Integral astronomy satellite to detect and identify the radioactive material mixed with conventional explosives in ‘dirty bombs’.

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Defense secretary: Nuke capability critical to deterrence

Wednesday, 29 October 2008

Calling nuclear weapons one of the world's "messy realities," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here Oct. 28 that as long as others who could potentially threaten the United States possess or seek them, it's critical that the United States does as well, and that they be kept safe, secure and reliable.

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ACC Team Effort Vital to Nuclear Evaluation Mission

Monday, 27 October 2008

A three-month process, planned a year in advance, involving hundreds of man-hours of detailed coordination with people at more than four Air Force bases funnels down to one aircraft, one missile, one sortie and the push of a button.

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RAF Gets First of Its New Typhoon Combat Aircraft

Thursday, 23 October 2008

The RAF has taken delivery of the first of 91 new Typhoon combat aircraft, ordered four years ago and delivered on time and to cost. The new Defence Equipment and Support Minister Quentin Davies was at RAF Coningsby to witness the arrival of the second generation Typhoons.

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Skylite B UAS Breaks World Records in High Altitude and Extended Range Flight

Thursday, 23 October 2008

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. together with Bluebird Aero Systems Ltd., announces that the SkyLite B, mini-UAV, reached the remarkable flight ceiling of 36,000 ft during recent demonstrations of operational flight capabilities for a tactical reconnaissance team operating in mountainous areas.

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Radioactive Indian items found in Sweden: nuclear agency

Thursday, 23 October 2008

Steel items imported from India showing faint traces of radioactivity were found in Sweden, before the same substance was traced on Indian-made lift buttons in France, officials said Wednesday.

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Army unit growing to combat WMD

Thursday, 23 October 2008

An Army unit originally formed to counter weapons of mass destruction in the United States now has more than 6,000 members and will continue to grow, said Brig. Gen. Jeffrey J. Snow.

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Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center Receives Units First F/A-18F Super Hornet

Thursday, 23 October 2008

The commander of Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) landed the unit's first F/A-18F Super Hornet at it's new home at Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, Nev. Oct. 21.

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US updating military plans after Georgia conflict

Thursday, 23 October 2008

The United States is updating its plans to defend Baltic allies against attack, its military chief said Wednesday, calling Russia's invasion of Georgia a "stark reminder" of NATO's responsibilities.

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Language company first in Army

Thursday, 23 October 2008

The recently formed 51st Translator Interpreter Company at Fort Irwin, Calif., is the first unit of its kind in the Army.

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Iraq says will not be bullied into signing US pact

Thursday, 23 October 2008

Iraq warned on Wednesday it would not be bullied into signing a security pact with the United States despite US leaders warning of potentially dire consequences if it failed to approve the deal.

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Kyrgyz rally against US air base

Thursday, 23 October 2008

Some 100 activists from two Kyrgyz political groups rallied Tuesday in capital Bishkek, calling for withdrawal of the US air base from Kyrgyzstan.

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The Royal Moroccan Navy Orders Three SIGMA Class Frigates

Thursday, 23 October 2008

The Royal Moroccan Navy has given Schelde Naval Shipbuilding of the DAMEN Shipyards Group the order for the design, build and delivery of three SIGMA-class Multi-Mission Frigates.

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Boeing Partner Selected for Saudi Air Force C-130 Maintenance Contract

Thursday, 23 October 2008

Boeing partner Alsalam Aircraft Co. was recently awarded a three-year, $29 million contract to provide programmed depot maintenance (PDM) for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) C-130 fleet.

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Say Hello To SERPA

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

We spent quite a bit of time on the range here at Blackhawk and one of the things they've put a lot of R&D and manufacturing effort into is their SERPA holster system.

Ever since thigh rigs became the carrier of choice for deployed troops, the need for an easy to release yet secure holster increased. The old nylon piece of junk that used to hold your M9 wouldn't cut it anymore.

The SERPA takes a little getting used to, but at the end of the day, it's probably the most logical solution for the constantly evolving pistol tactics in the military. Thigh rigs have given way to chest setups and the SERPA mounts just as comfortably on the front of your body armor as it does on a thigh rig, belt holster or shoulder holster. They've even designed a quick release system that allows you to mount the basic holster on any different carrier -- switching back and forth at will.

As you can see from the videos, the SERPA is a pretty good piece of gear even though it took this tactically deficient reporter a bit of muscle memory repetition to get the release point memorized.

-- Christian

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Pouches, Pouches Everywhere

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

It's been two days drinking from the tactical gear fire hose here at Blackhawk's corporate HQ in Norfolk.

When people think of Blackhawk, they usually think about pouches, belts, holsters and packs. And that's not surprising because the vast majority of what Blackhawk does is design and manufacture a pouch or attachment for just about everything you could possibly need -- or imagine you need -- in a fighting situation.

Tom O'Sullivan, the company's product director for Nylon gear explains that they can take an idea out of thin air and in some cases have a working prototype within a few hours. They can make custom products for elite units with specific needs, adapt existing products from, say, the outdoor market and ruggedize them for military use or they can imitate military issue to satisfy a trooper's preference to keep his own gear the way he wants it.

The sheer amount of pouches, packs and web gear -- including attachment systems -- is down right intimidating. How O'Sullivan and his crew keep these products straight is beyond me.

Clearly the Urgent Needs Statement money and discretionary funds available to units for their own gear needs has helped companies like Blackhawk carve out quite a niche in the military market. Company officials declined to say how much they make since they're a private company, but from the looks of their HQ with its glass facade, lunch room, well-appointed gym and pro shop, there's money coming in.

It's also interesting that Blackhawk has carved out quite a bit of international business as well. O'Sullivan is on his way to Australia to chat with their military about some upcoming contracts. They've built products for Tier One units for both the U.S. military and, interestingly, the Brits, Italians, Aussies and Germans.

I guess in the end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have really helped create huge business opportunities for companies like this that were started by a couple guys in specialized units -- in this case SEALs -- who wanted more out of the gear they were issued and found themselves in a market that's just exploded since 9/11.

-- Christian

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Iraqi air force pilots take flight into history

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

The first three pilots graduated from Iraq's only fixed-wing flight training school at Kirkuk Regional Air Base Oct. 13.

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Welcome to Our Brothers Across the Pond

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Just a heads up to all out international readers here at Defense Tech...Monster.com (Military.com's parent company) just launched its new operation that givesmilitary folks in the United Kingdom a place to go along the lines of Military.com.

Monster is proud to announce the creation of HMForces.co.uk, a new online space designed exclusively for the UK military community to connect and develop their careers.

Do you need advice on landing a great civilian job once you leave the Forces? Curious if you’re claiming all the benefits you’re entitled to receive?

Or, just want to banter about which Service really works the hardest?

Check out our discussion forums, videos, benefits overview, plus much more, it’s clear – HMForces is going to be at ground zero for the military community to meet up and share.

However, since the site will always be a work in progress and as it is entirely about and for members of the Armed Forces – your feedback is crucial.

Please drop us a line if you have an idea for a new feature, want us to investigate something, or even if you’ve found a broken link.

We're proud to extend our services, news and member resources to a military community that has recently participated in a lot of U.S. operations and shares a close alliance with American forces.

I hope you all will take some time to check out the new site and feel free to throw some feedback our way on things you think could be improved.

-- Christian

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E-9A crews survey gulf, track missiles

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Tyndall Air Force Base aircrews flying the twin-turbo-propped E-9A help ensure the Gulf of Mexico waters are clear of boats and aircraft for live-fire missile launches during Air Force exercises.

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Army terminates Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

The Army announced Thursday night that the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program, which had been awarded to Bell Helicopter, has been scrapped because development costs had almost tripled from $359 million to $942 million.

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DCNS Achieves Automatic UAV Landing On Frigate

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

DCNS has successfully landed a rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in automatic mode on French Navy frigate Montcalm while the ship was under way in the Mediterranean.

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Successful Live-Fire Testing Of Shadow TUAS

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

AAI has announced that the U.S. Army has successfully completed live-fire testing of laser designation capability for the RQ-7 Shadow Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (TUAS).

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Depot Efforts Continue to Keep T-38s Flying

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Members of the 573rd Commodities Maintenance Squadron here continue to put in long hours to make sure Air Force pilot training doesn't come to a halt.

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F-35 Environmental Impact Statement Released

Wednesday, 22 October 2008

Air Force officials have announced that the final environmental impact statement addressing the beddown of the Joint Strike Fighter and 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) is available for public review.

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On the Range with a Legend

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Well folks, I've been down all day at tactical gear manufacturer Blackhawk! down in Norfolk participating in a writer's workshop to get smart on their gear and the techniques to use it.

I'm ripping through the material I got throughout the day: tactical nylon products like web gear and pouches, holsters, knives and knife fighting, tactical lights and their employment in low-light situations. So real quick, I'll post a clip from tactical pistol guru Todd Jarrett who's got probably some of the best technique in the business. It's a real honor to have even an hour of instruction with Jarrett, and it's the first time I've ever done transition work from M4 to Glock and back.

I may not be that great at it, but at least I know I've learned the fundamentals from one of the best.

-- Christian

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USAF Cyber Command Winnows Base List

Monday, 20 October 2008

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The New Powell Doctrine

Monday, 20 October 2008

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The Cyber Attack Danger

Monday, 20 October 2008

Many nations are under constant cyber attack. The United States seems to be ground zero for the vast majority of the cyber attacks launched be their digital enemies around the world. A former CIA official provided the following statistics. In 2007 there were 37,000 reported breaches of government and private systems. In addition, there were nearly 13,000 direct assaults on federal agencies and 80,000 attempted computer network attacks on Defense Department systems.

In addition who could forget the U.S. Air Force commercial showing a picture of the pentagon and saying this building gets 6 million cyber attacks a day.

Cyber attacks are now expected to cause maximum damage because of the professional tools being used by the attackers. According to the cyber threat report released by Intelomics, the following list identifies the cyber attack techniques that have seen a significant increase in their level of sophistication.

• Internet social engineering attacks
• Wireless and wired network sniffers
• Packet spoofing
• Hijacking sessions
• Automated probes and scans
• GUI intruder tools
• Automated widespread attacks
• Widespread denial-of-service attacks
• Executable code attacks (against browsers)
• Techniques to analyze code to identify vulnerabilities
• Widespread attacks on DNS infrastructure
• Widespread attacks using NNTP to distribute attack
• "Stealth" and other advanced scanning techniques
• Windows-based remote controllable Trojans (Back Orifice)
• Email propagation of malicious code
• Wide-scale Trojan distribution
• Distributed attack tools
• Distributed denial of service attacks
• BotNets and Zombies
• Anti-forensic techniques
• Wide-scale use of worms
• Man-in-the Middle plus Man-in-the-Browser exploitation

Cyber threats are now demanding immediate attention because of the increased dangers they pose to commercial and government entities and national security. The Congressional Research Service study found the economic impact of cyber attacks on businesses has grown to over $226 billion annually. Despite the significant impact, there is no clear framework for business executives to assess the financial impact of their cyber risks. According to two new surveys, the threat to corporate computer systems from cyber attacks is getting worse, despite stronger corporate defenses. Some cyber security measures might include more restrictive hiring practices, restricting remote working arrangements, increasing monitoring of flexible work hours and telecommuting as well as restriction on access by trading partners, vendors and consultants. In addition, organizations must also increase computer security awareness training for information technology workers as well as the general systems/computer user community.

A cyber attack special investigator at Intelomics said, "the reports of attacks, breaches and system compromises that make the news are only the tip of the iceberg. The vast majority of these attacks go undisclosed and thus are not covered by the media."

Most nations do not have adequate IT security to protect against targeted cyber attacks. Technolytics have warned before that these cyber attackers are well financed and have an arsenal of highly sophisticated weapons that not only circumvent current security controls, but leverage anti-forensic techniques that remove evidence of their attacks. The United States, European Union, United Nations and NATO must act and act now. In view of the current situation I would like to suggest they seriously consider the following actions and move immediately to adopt and implement these measures.

1. Establish a cyber threat operating committee under the United Nations Security Council.
a. This cyber threat operating committee must be closely linked in a collaborative relationship with the Counter-Terrorism Committee.
2. Create a framework to determine what constitutes an act of cyber war and create a legal framework that addresses international criminal cyber acts.
3. Proactively create a framework of actions that can quickly be levied against cyber aggressors.
a. These actions must include both economic and military sanctions as well as suspension of connectivity to the Internet backbone by both physical communications cables and via satellite.
4. Create a cyber peacekeeping force that is a rapid response asset to assist in repelling any offensive cyber-based aggression.

In the interest of global peace, economic integrity and stability, I believe that the United States, European Union, United Nations and NATO must proactively send a stern warning to those who choose to use cyber weapons against other nations, that there will be severe consequences of such actions.

-- Kevin Coleman

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Free Reverse Number Lookup

Sunday, 19 October 2008

We've all seen 800notes where you can complain about a telemarketer, but how about a website where you can post anything on any phone number at all? It's called CallWiki.com and it's a user-built free reverse phone number lookup tool. Did you know that more and more people are googling the caller-id before they answer the ringing phone? Have you googled your phone number? Does anything come up? Callwiki.com is really handy for listing your cell phone so that when people google your call-id they know who you are and won't just send you to voicemail. Or for listing all the people who call you so you can just google them and remember who they are. You can even upload an image in the Wiki Box section. Maybe your logo or a your facebook profile pic? It’s the phone book of the future. Speaking of phone books, when was the last time you actually opened up a phone book? So go enter your phone number at Free Reverse Number Lookup and see if anyone has posted about you yet. If not, fill in your wiki box so you can be known when your phone number is googled.

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DoD Cancels Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter

Friday, 17 October 2008

Fed up with schedule delays and soaring costs, the Defense Department late Thursday axed the Army’s Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program that was to provide a replacement for the service’s ageing OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. The Army’s contract with Bell-Textron was valued at more than $6 billion for some 500 new lightly armed scout aircraft. The Army’s Kiowa Warriors have seen heavy use in Iraq and are valued among aviators for their exceptional maneuverability at low altitudes.

In a press release, John Young, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer said, “Rather than continue this program, I have decided that the best course of action is to provide the Army with an opportunity to define a coherent, disciplined Kiowa Warrior helicopter replacement program, and to obtain more rigorous contract terms for its development.”

The ARH was originally projected to cost $8.56 million per aircraft with delivery to begin next year. DoD now estimates the helicopter will cost $14.48 million per copy and the initial delivery date had slipped to 2013.

In the same Pentagon statement, Secretary of the Army Pete Geren stated, “The cost and schedule that were the focus of the decision to award the contract to Bell Helicopter are no longer valid. We have a duty to the Army and the taxpayer to move ahead with an alternative course of action to meet this critical capability for our Soldiers at the best price and as soon as possible.”

In an Army press release, Lt. Gen James Thurman, Army operations director said, “the war-fighting capability for a manned, armed, reconnaissance helicopter is crucial to supporting our ground combat commanders and remains a critical requirement for the Army. To this end, we will rapidly pursue a re-validation of the particular characteristics needed for this capability so that we can restart the process of acquiring a manned, armed reconnaissance helicopter.”

The Army has been upgrading its Kiowa fleet with new avionics and electronic countermeasures.

-- Greg Grant

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Making the Best of the M9

Friday, 17 October 2008

I received an e-mail last week from a young man who'd had some issues with his M9 over in the Big Sandbox. As a complaint, this isn't a terribly new or unusual one. I'm pretty sure that if you did a survey of every military related blog and all the various tactical- or military-type magazines out there, you'd find numerous mentions of M9 problems in the desert.

But it was particularly important to me to answer the young man's query, since just a couple weeks ago I was talking to Slim about some Cav scouts we'd trained with previously. They'd also mentioned their M9 problems, and were also pretty disgruntled that they weren't given more time on the range with it before deploying. One of said he'd only fired it a couple times for qualification, never for proficiency or on a combat course. With the subject coming up twice in a month, once from the Marines and once from the Army, it seemed time to see what we could do to help.

So. The M9, 9mm Beretta. Civilian-wise we call it the 92F or 92FS, et al. Some guys love it, some hate it. There are civilian cops that swear by it, which baffles me personally, but guns are like boots and beer. Everyone has a favorite, usually held with a devoted certainty that says anyone that prefers a different model is a dumbass. you know what I'm talking about. 1911 guys (of any breed) make fun of Glock guys, who shake their heads at Sig guys, who just can't understand the S&W guys.

For myself, I prefer the M9 as a boat anchor if a Ruger isn't available but that's just me.

Anyway your opinion doesn't really matter in the military, as you're not given a choice. TO make matters worse, most of the guys that carry one aren't all that well trained with it. Trained, I said, not familiarized. I've been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time on the range with a lot of different folks, and with some exceptions it's been pretty clear that most military trigger-pullers are competent at best with the handgun. I don't equate competent with true proficiency. Keep in mind I'm not passing judgment. It's not the troops' fault. There's only so much training time and so many training rounds, but that doesn't excuse training NCOs and rangemasters from putting their people through some good drills to really promote mastery of the weapon.

Anyway, this isn't about training or courses of fire. This will be just a few quick hints we've found to be helpful when you have to carry one. So, Jeremy, here you go.

First off know how to do your own inspection for BMCLS (Broken, Missing, Worn, Clean, Lubed, Serviceable) as best as you can. Spend any extra time you can on the range and pay attention to guys that know more than you do. You never know when you might pick something up.

The firstest, mostest importanest thing after keeping it cleaned and lubed (which should be obvious unless you're one of my handlers, who cleans his guns once a year religiously on his birthday whether they need it or not) is your magazines. By far the most common feed failures experienced (that I'm aware of anyway) with the M9 pistol has been due to magazines. Check yours and make sure they're good to go. Oh, and you know how there are black ones and gray ones issued out? They gray ones are after-market, and usually they suck. The springs aren't as good and they're nowhere near as durable. If you've ever dropped one of the after-market gray ones on a hard surface you've probably watched it explode into its component pieces or have at least seen the rounds drop back until their noses are all pointed straight up.

Check the grips, especially if your magazine isn't wanting to seat. If it's an older M9, the grips were attached to the weapon with screws. There are/were washers inside the grips that spaced it properly so the screws held the grips on without intruding into the magazine wells. Depending upon who cleaned it last, or just got bored and took it apart, there's a good chance those washers are gone. With the washers gone the screws can sometimes protrude and get in the way of the magazine when you go to seat it.

The newer M9s (I think it's the M9A1, but I could be behind the curve here) uses allen wrenches to hold the grips on, so you don't have to worry about that. They're the ones with different rear sights and the half moon hammer pin showing, and depending upon attrition and replacement their recoil spring guide will be polymer instead of metal.

Oh, also, even if you don't have time to clean it or brush it out, always check the feed ramp for debris. If anything builds up there, even just a little bit, the front of the projectile can catch on it and prevent a good chambering of the round.

That's pretty much all I've got. Perhaps some of our readers can help out as well, or correct me if I gorked something up here. Remember, FATS or CATS or whatever is good, real range time is better, and it never hurts to dry fire. You can improve your skills just by drawing, presenting, aiming and pulling the trigger of an unloaded weapon. I've never heard of a police course or academy that didn't hound is students mercilessly to dryfire.

Now, remember: PRACTICE doesn't make perfect. Practice just makes you rehearsed. PERFECT practice makes perfect. Make sure you've got a good grip and you're doing it right every time you train. One last thing you might consider - if a shooter is going to have trouble with the M9's trigger pull, it will usually be the first one (double-action). This is natural, a double action shot trigger pull is typically going to be less accurate than a single action trigger pull (for most people). If you have the money and the inclination (and you don't live in the People's Republic of California) you might think about going and buying one of the civilian model 92s with the bobbed hammer. It's a pain in the ass, but all you can shoot with it is double action. Spend some time on the range with that in order to get used to that first trigger squeeze after you drag iron.

-- Breach-Bang-Clear

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Pak Navy Capable of Deploying Strategic Weapons At Sea

Friday, 17 October 2008

The Pakistan Navy has claimed that it is capable of deploying strategic weapons at sea if and when the government makes a decision to do so.

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New Player Enters Flexible Armor Battle

Friday, 17 October 2008

A top designer of flexible body armor similar to the much-vaunted Dragon Skin says he has just tested a new type of ballistic material that is far harder than current plates and can defeat one of the most deadly armor piercing rounds in the world.

And it can do all this at the same weight as a standard Enhanced Small Arms Protective Plate, but in a more flexible and comfortable package, developer Allan Bain claims.

Bain, who body armor experts agree was a founding father -- with Dragon Skin maker Murray Neal -- of the so-called "scalar" armor concept, has developed a new way to forge the ceramic that goes into the bullet-blocking plates, giving it greater density and the ability to be bent into odd shapes.

"This is probably about as cutting edge as it gets," Bain told Military.com during an October 15 phone interview about the new armor, "Skaalar Exoskin Gen 4+". "An E-SAPI plate is an inch thick. Then you've got the vest … This [SEG4+] is an inch thick with everything included."

With the help of experts at Georgia Tech University, Bain produces his armored disks in an oven that reaches nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit - nearly half the surface temperature of the sun - to make the ceramic stronger, smaller and without sacrificing weight.

SEG4+ body armor wraps around the wearer like Dragon Skin, weighs about 7.5 pounds per square foot of coverage -- about the same as a standard-issue E-SAPI plate -- but delivers far more protection with "gapless, seamless" coverage for high-powered armor piercing rounds.

The military's current body armor system, with two rigid front and back pates and two side plates, leaves open areas with no defense against rifle rounds.

But don't get your hopes up that SEG4+ will be on order anytime soon for troops.

Manufacturing costs is one reason. Army caution is another.

Bain said the armor is currently so expensive to make that only the most elite units would likely be able to afford it. Special Forces may order and use armor the regular Army doesn't get, and is currently testing this to see of it's something they want.

And officials with the Army's Program Executive Office Soldier confirmed to Military.com that the service was putting its search for flexible armor on hold because it deemed the scalar technology too immature.

But don't tell Bain his armor isn't ready.

"At this point in time, if someone wanted 100 of these we could deliver them," he said.

The best known scalar system, Dragon Skin, is manufactured by Fresno, Calif.-based Pinnacle Armor. However Dragon Skin has a shaky reputation within the Army - which does the majority of armor testing, design and procurement for the services - after Pinnacle's feisty president, Murray Neal, launched a full-scale public relations war touting his vest's superiority after ballistics tests conducted by the Army in May 2006 showed Dragon Skin failing basic ballistics and durability tests.

Neal's public campaign got Congress got involved, with hearings on Capitol Hill to get to the bottom of the controversy. Lawmakers ordered the Army to do further tests and the service asked industry to submit samples of flexible systems and armor that could withstand rounds more powerful than the current E-SAPI plate.

The Army planned to test the armor concepts later that year but had to postpone the evaluation after manufacturers asked for more time to acquire the exotic materials and do more testing of their own.

PEO Soldier officials at Fort Belvoir, Va., said the service will begin testing in November on new E-SAPI and X-SAPI designs - more than a year after the Army had originally intended to shoot the experimental plates.

Officials also said the flexible-system test will not go ahead as planned because "an F-SAPI capability has not reached the level [of] technical maturity to protect Soldiers in combat," PEO Soldier said in an email response to Military.com.

Bain was cagey about the specific design and shape of his armor components but said it makes heavy use of lightweight polymers such as Dyneema and Kevlar fabric to achieve its ballistic resistance capability. The super-hardened ceramic retains 100 percent of its density after manufacture, as compared to a standard plate with 93 percent density, he added.

"It's still some type of a disk," Bain said. "But we've made interlocks. We've eliminated weak spots. We've made it very difficult for a bullet to hit a flat surface."

"Everything's geared toward getting that bullet to hit a severe angle," he added.

In September, Bain subjected his armor to ballistic tests with shots from a Swiss-made armor piercing round that is more powerful than the one specified by the Army for its X-SAPI capability (for security reasons Military.com has declined to name the specific round the Army wants to beat).

The round shattered the tile, penetrated nine layers of Kevlar but was largely stopped by the Dyneema backing.

"That's a really good stop," Bain said. "And that's a phase-one tile. We've already redesigned it."

With more support from industry, Bain thinks he can cut down on the cost of the vest - currently, each tile costs about $50 to make - and with continued design improvements, he might be able to shave off some weight.

But for now, the Exoskin Gen 4+ is reserved for special operations troops and other high-risk forces, though Bain feels he's demonstrated that the technology is there for flexible armor that defeats the meanest threats.

"This is the kind of process that can lend itself to making the 'Star Wars' style armor … with lots of different segmented shapes," Bain said. "It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see what you can do with that."

-- Christian

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DEVELOPING: Army Abandons Flexible Armor Search -- For Now

Thursday, 16 October 2008

The Army has postponed its attempt to find a flexible body armor system similar to Dragon Skin after determining that the technology hasn't matured enough to be fielded to troops.

While working on a story that will be the lead headline on tomorrow morning's Military.com homepage, I queried PEO Soldier about the progress of ballistic tests on X-SAPI and F-SAPI armor submitted by manufacturers after the June 2007 solicitation asking for new armor concepts. As you all might remember, the Army postponed tests after I spoke with BGN Brown because manufacturers were short on materials (probably Dyneema/Spectra and B4C) and needed to do more testing of their own.

I then spoke with Murray Neal at an industry event several months later and he wondered where the testing stood as well, saying he'd submitted samples but heard nothing in reply. Brown had told me tests were supposed to start in March 2008.

Remember, the Army solicitation (which has been removed from their server but was described in a June 2007 posting) called for X-SAPI to defeat "future" AP threats -- namely the M993 -- and also asked for submission of "flexible" systems to be designated "F-SAPI?" This, in part, answered the mail after hearings in the House regarding the Dragon Skin tests by Army officials and the NBC program that broke it all wide open. These were supposed to be the "head-to-head" tests -- or something loosely approximating that -- Neal was asking for and lawmakers acquiesced to.

Well, the Army has deemed the technology too immature, telling me only E-SAPI and X-SAPI vendors qualified, including Ceradyne, BAE, Protective Group and Armacel, for the tests.

"An F-SAPI capability has not reached the level [of] technical maturity to protect Soldiers in combat," PEO Soldier said.

Ooooh, really!? Wonder if Mr. Neal has anything to say about that? (And we'll show you someone else who'd like to debate that point in our story tomorrow AM)...

-- Christian

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Thursday, 16 October 2008

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New Army PEO on the way

Wednesday, 15 October 2008

A tipster told me this morning and I have confirmed with the Army that Brig. Gen. Mark Brown will soon be leaving as the commanding general of PEO Soldier to be replaced by Brig. Gen. Pete N. Fuller.

[Brown is pictured left]

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Martin Downie told me Brown will soon become Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) in Washington, though Downie wasn't able to tell me when this would all go down.

Fuller, currently the Deputy Commander for Systems of Systems Integration, United States Army Research, Development and Engineering Command at Fort Belvoir, will take Brown's place.

I don't know Fuller, but I've chatting with Brig. Gen. Brown a bit over the short time he's been PEO Soldier and he seems like a technically proficient acquisition officer who's a straight shooter. He told me during an interview about the Dragon Skin testing that he wanted his relations with the media to be "open kimono" -- a far stretch from the edicts of his predecessors who kept information about programs that effect almost every Joe to themselves.

I wish BGN Brown the best of luck and look forward to keeping the spirit of openness going when Fuller takes the helm as PEO Soldier. He's going to have tighter budgets, a changing administration and lots of recapitalization issues hitting him full force when he arrives, and we'll look forward to talking with him as he decides how to re-equip the force for a new paradigm.

-- Christian

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At Least Someone Gets to be Camouflaged

Wednesday, 15 October 2008

Calling the Army's new "universal" digital camouflage scheme for its field uniforms controversial is an understatement. People tend to fall into two camps: some grudgingly tolerate it, particularly in an urban, desert or urban/desert environment and others (most) just flat out hate it and can't understand why the Army went the way of loden greens and grays.

Why not Multi-cam (which almost everyone likes)? That's a whole 'nother subject...

No matter how you feel about it, sure seems like Joes are going to be stuck with the new pattern for a while since the Army spent gobs of money replacing its classic woodland scheme only within the last few years. But it turns out not everybody in the Army has to stick with the unpopular mandate.

Over at a blog I like to keep tabs on for gear news, it looks at if the Army's made an exception to the rule for, you guessed it, special operations troops.

According to the "Soldier Systems" blog, the Army G1 recently sent out guidance that allows special operations troops the option of wearing the old-school woodland cammies in jungle environments. The message states that USASOC troops can wear the old BDUs in the Pacific theater, Southern command area and Africa Command while "conducting operational training and contingency missions" there.

The order calls for logistics to keep the woodland items in the supply system for the snake eaters until otherwise notified.

Here's the message Soldier Systems pasted on its site:

SUBJECT: EXCEPTION TO POLICY FOR WEAR OF THE ENHANCED HOT WEATHER BATTLE DRESS UNIFORM (EHWBDU), AVIATION BATTLE DRESS UNIFORM (ABDU), AVIATION FLIGHT SUIT, AND ACCESSORY ITEMS

1. THIS MESSAGE SERVES AS AUTHORIZATION FOR WEAR OF THE EHWBDU, ABDU, AND ACCESSORY ITEMS AFTER THE MANDATORY WEAR OUT DATES FOR SOLDIERS ASSIGNED TO UNITED STATES ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND (USASOC) CONDUCTING OPERATIONAL TRAINING AND CONTINGECY MISSIONS IN THE FOLLOWING OCONUS THEATERS:

A. PACIFIC COMMAND
B. SOUTH COMMAND
C. AFRICA COMMAND

2. THE FOLLOWING WOODLAND ORGANIZATIONAL CLOTHING AND INDIVIDUAL EQUIPMENT (OCIE) ITEMS WILL BE MAINTAINED AS ISSUE IN THE ARMY SUPPLY SYSTEM:

UNIFORM ITEMS
BOI
A. EHWBDUs (COAT AND TROUSERS) 4
B. ABDUs (COAT AND TROUSERS) 4
C. GEN I GORTEX (COAT AND TROUSERS) 1
D. BDU, SUN HAT 1
E. BROWN T-SHIRTS 4
F. PATROL CAP 1
G. AVIATION FLIGHT SUIT 2
H. ARMY COMBAT HELMET COVER 1
I. BLACK BOOTS (HOT WEATHER, SPEED LACE) 2

3. POC FOR UNIFORM POLICY IS XXX.

4. THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE DCS, G-1.

5. EXPIRATION DATE CANNOT BE DETERMINED.

Isn't that just like the Army? Can't have the HK416 or the SCAR...nope, you gotta stick to your M4. And now, you're being forced to stick out like a sore thumb in the jungle, but the commandos can stay nice and concealed. Thanks...

-- Christian

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Defense Spending vs. Economy

Wednesday, 15 October 2008

One of the most interesting undercurrents at last week’s Association of the US Army conference was worried talk about whether the recession or downturn or whatever we’re calling it will affect defense spending.

Army Secretary Pete Geren was relatively hopeful. Congress, he told reporters, understands what the Army is trying to do and largely supports it. FCS, the Army’s premier modernization effort, is in good shape and has strong congressional support. As you can tell, Geren was all about Congress and declined to talk about the larger economic issues.

As I went from display to display on the floor I spoke with about a dozen industry sources about the economy and the budget. Most were gravely concerned about their 401Ks and a bit less worried about the budget. Still, they all expressed concern that the Army will have to begin choosing between so-called reset choices and those of modernization. This is one of several major friction points in the coming budget. First, the services have all made noises about how they are going to build the spending that has been in supplementals into their regular budget baselines. That’s one place for tradeoffs. Then there is the squeeze that will probably result from lower government revenue figures. There will be political pressure to withdraw from Iraq and thus lower operational costs. Operational and maintenance money has been very important to the Army, in particular. And then there is the normal budget wrangling. That offers an awful lot of places where Army — or any other service’s — spending can be whittled away.

And the Army is going to face skepticism over FCS even if the economy does hold relatively firm during first three months of next year. For example, when I asked Maj, Gen. Charles Cartwright during the big FCS briefing whether House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) supported the Army’s approach on FCS, the general offered all sorts of explanations about how the program was on track and, in the best tradition of message management, avoided issuing a potentially damaging statement. To his credit, Cartwright did it with style and humor, even when pressed. The problem is that Skelton made clear after the Army scrambled to restructure the program and get more FCS components to troops as quickly as possible that he (and Airland Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Neil Abercrombie D-Hi.) worries the Army may be rushing the testing on the programs. Included among them are: Tactical and Urban Unattended Ground Sensors; the Non Line of Sight-Launch System, network kits for Humvees; the Class I Unmanned Air Vehicle; and the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle.

Of course, during AUSA reporters were watching the world’s stock markets plummet day after day and no one knew whether there would be an upside any time soon. With the encouraging ballistic trajectories in the market so far this week, one could argue it’s all moot except that the US economy already appeared headed to rough waters before the market plunges.

-- Colin Clark

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NKorea vows to disable nuclear plants after deal with US

Monday, 13 October 2008

North Korea said Sunday it would resume work to disable plutonium-producing nuclear plants and readmit UN inspectors after the United States removed it from a terrorism blacklist.

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Affordable Home Insurance

Tuesday, 07 October 2008

When it comes to home insurance, you can never be too prepared. That's why it's important to find a local San Diego insurance agent to help with your home, health, and apartment building insurance needs. By working with a local agent, they can help with all of your insurance needs. home insurance california

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The Osprey Gun

Wednesday, 01 October 2008

Went to the 2008 Modern Day Marine expo today down at Quantico and got a ton of good material I'll be shooting your way over the next couple days.

First, I attended a breakfast meeting with the folks from BAE Systems. There was an interesting brief on the Remote Guardian System, that underbelly Gatling gun the company is developing for the MV and CV-22.

I've posted a video of Biz Dev director Dave Adamiak explaining the components and I'll post another soon after that shows the system in use on a simulator. I did press Dave on the issue of the Corps' reluctance to use powered defensive weapons on their rotorcraft for fear that a loss of power would leave the aircraft vulnerable. That's why for years the Corps had rejected rotary cannon on their helos in favor of the trusted, Marine-proof "Ma Deuce."

Dave, rightly I think, admitted the Corps was leery but explained that there is no better solution based on the Osprey's design. The tail gun will probably stay, he said, since the Guardian has to be retracted when the V-22 lands.

He said BAE has flown the Guardian on an AFSOC CV-22 and all is going well there. Clearly the Osprey needs a defensive weapon, but will this complex system prove itself Marine-proof enough to be cost-effective in the long run?

-- Christian

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Gripen Delivers Fighters To South Africa

Wednesday, 01 October 2008

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Indo-Russian Defence Ties Bound to Grow Manifold

Wednesday, 01 October 2008

The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has described the outcome of the 8th Meeting of IRIGC-MTC in New Delhi on Monday as 'a landmark event in the close and strategic bilateral relations between India and Russia'.

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Find the Cyberweapons Complex

Tuesday, 30 September 2008

Many countries have now assessed their vulnerability and overall risk of being the target of a cyber attack. Inside sources have leaked information to the media stating the heightened state of concern they now have after being briefed on the results of the vulnerability and risk assessments. These results have put pressure on the military and intelligence leaders to address the growing threat. Military and intelligence leaders around the world are struggling with the new reality of cyber warfare. While there are a few hot spots where conventional conflict might erupt, there is growing concern among this group about the new reality of cyber war.

One foreign Intelligence analyst told me that "we face only a remote chance of major conventional military threat involving his country through 2025." She went on to say "Asymmetric capabilities like cyber warfare might threaten the security we have gained over the past two decades."

The cyber intelligence challenge for Intel agencies manifests themselves in the fundamental characteristics of cyber weapons. A cruise missile costs between $1 and $2 million and requires a large manufacturing facility and a substantial amount of infrastructure. A cyber weapon on the other hand costs between a few hundred dollars up to $50,000 and next to no infrastructure. The only infrastructure is a computer and an Internet connection. A cyber weapons manufacturing facility can be located in a single family home.

The challenge for the intelligence community is significant. Perhaps even the greatest challenge in history. While cyber intelligence is rather new, there is some information sources in this area that are actively being used to collect information about attacks that have or are taking place as well as those that are planned. Intel agencies often times are unable to share information they have about planned or current cyber attacks against companies. This is primarily due to the very real possibility that the disclosure would or could jeopardize the source of the intelligence. Many argue what good is the intelligence if we do not use it. This is a very sticky situation that must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Cyber weapons proliferation requires all countries to rethink intelligence collection from the ground up. New sources of intelligence and data are required along with augmentation of our human intelligence sources if we are to reduce the risk of cyber attacks as well as a cyber war.

-- Kevin Coleman

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Potential Russian Launch Base in Cuba

Tuesday, 30 September 2008

Even as a Russian naval task force enters the Caribbean for joint exercises with Venezuelan forces, and a pair of Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers fly from a base in the Kola Peninsula to Venezuela, the Russian government is discussing the possibility of a satellite launch facility in Cuba.

Revelation of the interest in Cuba came from Anatoly Perminov, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, in a September statement. This may be the latest move by Russian prime minister (and former president) Vladimir Putin to reestablish Russia as a key "player" on the world political-military scene.

The Russian interest in the Caribbean-South America region is reflected in the high-level Russian delegation visiting the area, led by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin. Perminov is part of the Sechin delegation.

(Sechin had visited Cuba on 30-31 July of this year for talks with Raul Castro and, possibly, the ailing Fidel Castro.Putin followed up Sechin's visit with a 5 August announcement that Russia should "restore [its] position in Cuba and other countries.")

The Soviet Union-Russia was the principal political and economic supporter of Cuba from the early 1960s through the demise of the USSR in December 1991. Indeed, Soviet attempts to establish Cuba as a strategic missile and military base led to the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 when the United States and Soviet union came closer to a nuclear exchange than at any other time during the 45-year Cold War. After the demise of the USSR support for Cuba ended, causing considerable economic hardship in Cuba.

A major satellite launch facility in Cuba would permit placing satellites in certain orbits that cannot be done from Russian launch sites: Easterly launches close to the equator are the most efficient because of the earth's rotation, maximizing the payload that a launch vehicle can boost into orbit. Such a launch facility and its support infrastructure would be a major source of employment and foreign investment for the Cuban economy.

From the Russian perspective, beyond the political impact of having a major technical facility less than 100 miles from the U.S. coast, it easily enables the reestablishment of a major intelligence collection capability in Cuba. (From the mid-1960s until 2002 the Soviet military intelligence agency -- the GRU -- operated a massive collection facility at Lourdes, Cuba. At its peak operation it was manned by more than 2,000 technicians, both military and civilian.)

Russia's interest in the Western Hemisphere far exceeds Cuba and Venezuela, as the Moscow regime seeks to sell arms to other South American countries, gain access to South American resources (which is now subject to major Chinese efforts), and to develop improved commercial ties to an area that many feel has long been ignored by the United States.

While some Americans will see a satellite launch facility in Cuba as a "cover" for the possible use of such launch stands for military missiles, that concern is a non-starter. U.S. satellite surveillance and the presence of numerous American technicians and businessmen in Cuba, as well as visiting educational groups, would make such a clandestine effort impossible.

Further, because of the non-military nature of such a facility -- which would take several years to establish -- the U.S. government would be hard pressed to claim that it violated the 1962 agreements between Moscow and Washington that prohibited strategic weapons -- missiles and bombers -- from being installed in Cuba.

As the Russian government reacts to American anger over Russian intervention in Georgia, the continuing expansion of NATO, and U.S. plans to install ballistic missile defense systems in Eastern Europe, a non-military satellite launch installation in Cuba could be considered a valid action by the Moscow regime. Of more concern to American leaders should be the arms sales to Venezuela, especially the expected sale of up to five advanced diesel-electric submarines of the Project 877EKM or Varshavyanka series, known in the West as the improved Kilo class.

These submarines and other arms sales -- and joint Russian-indigenous weapon programs -- will enhance Russia's influence and access to resources in South America. And that situation could greatly harm U.S. interests.

-- Norman Polmar

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Developing: Hydraulic Failure Caused Nov. Osprey Fire

Monday, 29 September 2008

I've gotten my hands on an investigation report into the fire that nearly destroyed an MV-22 back in November during an NVG training flight near New River, N.C.

[NOTE: Picture is a scan from one provided in the investigation report]

Turns out, the fire sparked after the #3 hydraulic system ruptured due to pressure spikes from the engine air particle separator which filters inlet air before it is ingested by the engine. The hydraulic fluid spilled all over the IR suppression system, igniting the left nacelle into a ball of flame. The pilots and crew landed safely but the nacelle was a melted, twisted hulk. It caused $16 million in damages.

The crazy part is that this is a known problem. Our friend Bob Cox of the Ft. Worth Star Telegram has reported this same rupture before and his sources in the maintenance community indicate to him the problem is much worse than the Corps admits. In fact, the report shows a Airframe Change notice (#88) that calls for the installation of thicker hydraulic tubing in the EAPS system because of known pressure spikes that can cause a "catastrophic failure." That notice came out in August, three months before the November incident.

The Corps (an Navy) told us not to worry, this was a problem on the Block A aircraft and the retrofits would go on those. Problem is, the November fire happened on a Block B Osprey [CORRECTION: Corps PA says the mishap aircraft was indeed a Block A bird].

I'm working more sources on this and giving the Corps a chance to respond, so you won't see the final version of the story for another 36 hours. But I'll scan some of the docs and try to post them when I push this one live so you can determine for yourselves what's going on...

-- Christian

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The Next Generation of Drone Pilots

Monday, 29 September 2008

I just couldn't resist...

-- Christian

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Bring in the CPP

Monday, 29 September 2008

Multiple countries are now discussing the need to establish a comprehensive cyber protection program given the continued increase in the threat of cyber attacks and cyber warfare. The attack on Estonia and the more recent attack on Georgia are being viewed as the harbinger of what is to come. I was recently asked what might a comprehensive Cyber Protection Program (CPP) look like. So I thought I would put down my top ten areas that I think would be critical to include in a CPP.

1. Mandatory requirement to have up-to-date protection software on any device connecting to the Internet that includes:

• a. Anti-Virus
• b. Anti-Spyware
• c. Anti-Malwared.
• d. Anti-Adware

This software will automatically upload attack data to a central reporting center.

2. Mandatory isolating capability on every system with high processing capabilities and a firewall on every device connecting to the Internet with the following functionality.

• a. Cannot be disabled other than for a few seconds
• b. Has pre-configuration for mandatory protection
• c. Automatically uploads attack data to a central reporting center
• d. Automatic disconnection when massive outbound DDoS traffic from compromised computer systems is detected

3. Legislation mandating software vendors comply with the following:

a. Report to authorities within 24 hours of discovery malware software vulnerabilities
b. Minimum security testing requirements that must be met prior to release of any software program.

4. Criminal laws specifically addressing the unique characteristics of cyber attacks, malicious code and system compromise including language that addresses the threat of DDos attacks.

5. Criminal laws specifically addressing the development and sale of cyber weapons.

6. Criminal and civil laws that address organizations who fail to immediately report cyber attacks or data breaches that include those who destroy evidence of cyber attacks, systems compromise and data theft.

7. Establishment of a quasi government/business entity that coordinates defensive and protective capabilities of the information infrastructure. This would also include a cyber attack and threat alerting system.

8. Establishing an Intelligence Center that is charged with cyber intelligence collection, analysis, trend reporting as well as collaboration across the other intelligence agencies.

9. A federal cyber attack investigation unit that is the center of excellence and develops tools and techniques as well as works with all other agencies and law enforcement to dissect cyber attacks and malicious code and assist with investigations.

10. Implement within the federal cyber attack investigation unit a division that provides sufficient audit and control measures to ensure the laws are being followed. The private sector has already proven self governance is unreliable to ensure adherence to the protection necessary for cyber defense.

Now I know there will be many comments about "big brother" and "big government," but given what has taken place thus far, I am not sure we have any other choice. It is deeply concerning that 85 percent of organizations have admitted they have had systems and data breaches. A significantly smaller number have actually reported them in accordance with the 40 data breach notification laws that are currently in place.

An improperly protected computer or other device connected to the Internet is a cyber weapon waiting to be loaded and used.

-- Kevin Coleman

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Pakistan military fires at US choppers

Friday, 26 September 2008

Pakistani troops fired at two US helicopters from the NATO-led force in Afghanistan Thursday, causing no damage but accusing them of crossing the border amid escalating tensions in the area.

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