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After a decades-long streak of troubled weapon acquisitions, the Air Force is looking to get off on the right foot as it seeks to buy a new intercontinental stealth bomber. The Pentagon’s new budget proposal gives the Air Force the green light to begin designing a new bomber with a target date for starting production in the mid-2020s. The goal is to acquire up to 100 new aircraft at a cost of about $55 billion. But skeptics already are casting doubts on the plan. They consistently point to the B-2 batwing stealth bomber as a cautionary tale. The Pentagon spent...

AP Photo/Heather Deal, Cornell University Scientists demonstrate how they have have created a new invisibility technique that doesnt just cloak an object -- like in Harry Potter books and movies -- but masks an entire event by briefly bending the speed of light around an event. In this illustratio, an art thief walks into a museum and steasl a painting without setting off laser beam alarms or even showing up on surveillance cameras. WASHINGTON – It's one thing to make an object invisible, like Harry Potter's mythical cloak. But scientists have made an entire event impossible to see. They have...

The US Air Force has ordered the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator C Avenger for deployment to Afghanistan. A single aircraft is being procured, marking what may be the type's first order. Although termed a test aircraft, the order fulfils an urgent request by secretary of defense Leon Panetta for reconnaissance and strike assets. Several untested aircraft and systems have been purchased or deployed under urgent operational requirements, including the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout currently operating in Afghanistan. "This aircraft will be used as a test asset and will provide a significantly increased weapons and sensors payload capacity on...

One of President Barrack Obama’s few – very few – clear victories was the termination of Osama Bin Laden during a special warfare operation led by US Navy SEALS on May 1 this year. That one incident was said to have been a defining moment in his Presidency -- proof of his warrior credentials. The media was in full rapture mode. Pundits gushed ecstatic and waxed profoundly on the macho virtues of our cuddly young generalissimo. They chortled with glee and busily assured each other that Obama was now guaranteed reelection at a minimum. Yet, as satisfying as that mission...

National Review editors have rolled out their big gun, Mark Steyn, to take whacks at the much-whacked Newt Gingrich. Steyn's article was featured at Monday's National Review Online under the banner: "Big-Government Newt." Steyn spends four pages slicing and dicing the eminently sliceable and diceable former U.S. House speaker. But aside from Steyn's always enjoyable trenchant humor, there's really not a lot of there there in the article. By that is meant nothing groundbreaking on Gingrich. The article is a laundry-list recapitulation of the "Many Foibles of Newt." Newt is contradictory, we learn yet again -- here are the examples,...

The Japanese government made a formal decision on Tuesday to choose the F-35 stealth jet, which is being developed by the United States and eight other countries, as the country's next-generation fighter jets… Japanese Defense Minister Yasuo Ichikawa said Japan adopted F-35 mainly for its high performance and 42 F-35 fighters will be acquired. The government said Japanese companies would participate in building the new aircraft. Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, which had been reviewed along with Boeing's FA-18 Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon, will replace the country's 40-year-old fleet of F-4's.

Most of us have long understood that Obama is a traitor to our country and a mole whose not so covert mission is to destroy America. Update : We were right Obama gave Iran the drone There is simply no explanation that makes any kind of sense to explain this individual’s actions other than that. If you cringed at the cavalier attitude with which Obama treated the murder of protesting students at the hands of Iran’s dictatorial regime, if you watched, dumbfounded, pictures of Iranian war ships passing trough the Suez canal at Obama’s request, if you listened in disbelief...

Iranians who are able to flee their country are doing so, fearing an Israeli attack, Voice of Israel state radio reported Sunday. Iranian business people who hold dual citizenship with passports from European nations are allegedly leaving in droves. They apparently fear that Israel is preparing to attack Iran's nuclear facilities to eliminate President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's oft-repeated threat to annihilate the Jewish State. In a radio interview, a Palestinian Authority business owner with strong ties in Iran reported that many Iranians fear a “major attack” by Israel that would cause “terrible damage,” especially in Tehran. The source had returned to...

9-9-9 Plan | Prejudiced and Convoluted?- By: Larry Walker, Jr. -"A tax loophole is something that benefits the other guy. If it benefits you, it is tax reform." ~Russell B. Long -Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 Plan, which involves eliminating the 15.3% payroll tax, of which every dime is presently committed to current Social Security and Medicare payments (and then some), fails to address the main problem with modern day governing – the budget. Since it was just barely 3 months ago when our nation faced its first ever credit downgrade, any tax reform proposal which doesn’t lead to a balanced...

The Vatican Said What? The important piece of news out of Rome today is that the Vatican has allegedly called for a "central world bank" in reponse to the continuing speculation and instability in the world financial system.  I say "allegedly" because the text in which this call appears is not by Pope Benedict, but by a Vatican office, the Council for Justice and Peace. Such an office can issue papers which do not bear the Pope's "seal of approval" in the same way that a papal encyclical would.  We are dealing here, then, with something on the order of...

SEOUL AIR SHOW: KF-X vision unveiled In a seminar today at the Seoul Air Show, South Korean government officials outlined the strategy and plans for the KF-X, a twin-engined stealth fighter with a design goal of achieving manoeuvrability, speed and range performance between a Lockheed Martin F-16 and a Boeing F-15. South Korea wants to develop the KF-X over the next nine years, with mass production beginning after 2020. Indonesia has already joined the programme, and talks with Turkey are continuing. If developing an all-new stealth fighter is not enough of a challenge, South Korea also intends to equip the...

Russian 'Stealth Destroyer' Just a Sales Gimmick? By Jeremy A. Kaplan Russia plans to begin constructing a new generation of "stealth" destroyers in 2012 that will form the backbone of the combat power of Russia's surface fleet, Russian newspaper Pravda reported. But since much of Russia's income comes from arms sales and exports, that new stealth technology might be simply hype designed to sell boats, Thomas Fedyszyn, director of the Europe-Russia Studies Group at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. said. "They're trying to sell this to India, Vietnam, Indonesia … as marketers, they would per force be...

Can Moscow regain superpower status? This fighter jet is key. Fred Weir [2]October 11, 2011 06:09 Russia’s military attempts to build a 21st century fighter. But can it? MOSCOW – Russia is desperate for the world to think of it as a superpower again. Last week, Vladimir Putin — the country’s once and presumed future president — proposed the formation of a “Eurasian Union” among former Soviet states. The move was widely seen as a challenge to the West, and a push to reestablish Moscow’s former empire. Putin floated his idea in the context of an unprecedented Russian military renaissance....

Navy eyes dozen new stealth destroyers Published: 10 October, 2011, 14:16 The Russian Navy is to deploy 14 to 16 new destroyer-class multipurpose warships over the next two decades. The desired vessel will be a natural naval killer of all sorts of targets from submarines to enemy missiles. Production of the first ship of the new series may begin as early as in 2012, a source in the defense industry told Izvestia newspaper. The military want a versatile tool capable to engage surface fleets, submarines and aerial targets, including missiles. “It will be a universal warship, which will be able...

BAE Systems Conjures Up Invisibility Cloak (Source: BAE Systems; issued September 5, 2011) ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK, Sweden. --- BAE Systems has tested an ‘invisibility cloak’ that allows a vehicle to blend into its surroundings. The system, which can work over infra-red and other frequencies, will be displayed in infra-red mode on a BAE Systems CV90 armoured vehicle at the UK Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition later this month. Known as "Adaptiv", the patented technology is based on sheets of hexagonal 'pixels' that can change temperature very rapidly. On-board cameras pick up the background scenery and display that infra-red image on the...

"Stealth" Boat Could Revolutionize Naval Warfare Designer is working with defense contractor on 150-foot model By Greg Wilson A stealth boat that moves through water at high speeds and with near invisibility could revolutionize the Navy's ability to carry out special operations on water. The craft, called The Ghost, moves by generating a layer of gas around submerged surfaces, greatly reducing friction. It's unique design makes it ideal for special operations, according to DiscoveryNews. The ship can reach speeds of 60 miles per hour and has a shape designed to reduce its visibility to radar, similar to the Navy's "Sea...

Russian stealth fighter aborts takeoff at air show By MIKHAIL METZEL, Associated Press – 1 hour ago ZHUKOVSKY, Russia (AP) — Russia's first stealth fighter jet had to abort a takeoff at Moscow's International Aviation and Space Show on Sunday because of what officials said was a malfunction in the right engine. The T-50 did not leave the runway and was slowed by a brake parachute. The twin-engined jet was traveling at 60 miles per hour (100 kph) when the pilot decided to abort takeoff because of a right engine malfunction, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a representative...

Pakistan gave China access to the previously unknown "stealth" helicopter that crashed during the commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May despite explicit requests from the CIA not to... The revelation, if confirmed, is likely to further shake the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, which has been improving slightly after hitting its lowest point in decades following the May 2 bin Laden raid. ... "The US now has information that Pakistan, particularly the ISI, gave access to the Chinese military to the downed helicopter in Abbottabad," ... Pakistan, which enjoys a close relationship with China, allowed Chinese intelligence officials to take...

Report: Pakistan Gave China Access To 'Stealth' Chopper In bin Laden Raid Chinese military allowed to take photographs, samples of aircraft's 'skin', despite CIA objections, Financial Times reports ISLAMABAD — Pakistan gave China access to the previously unknown "stealth" helicopter that crashed during the commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May despite explicit requests from the CIA not to, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The revelation, if confirmed, is likely to further shake the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, which has been improving slightly after hitting its lowest point in decades following the May 2 bin Laden raid. During the...

Chinese military allowed to take photographs, samples of aircraft's 'skin', despite CIA objections, Financial Times reports

In past few decades, the U.S. Air Force has spent untold billions researching and developing a family of stealth fighter jets that are supposed to be generations ahead of any dogfighters in the sky. But after building more than 170 F-22 Raptors and a handful of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, not a single one is available for service. The Air Force currently has zero flyable stealth fighters. None.

S. Korea, Indonesia to launch partnership for Seoul's fighter jet project By Yoo Jee-ho SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Indonesia will this week launch their partnership for Seoul's project to develop new stealth fighter jets, local procurement officials said Monday. According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), defense and procurement officials from the two countries will mark the beginning of their partnership in an opening ceremony of their new joint research center on Tuesday in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul. Noh Dae-rae, head of DAPA, and Eris Herryanto, secretary general of the Indonesian defense...

Russia enters S. Korean tender with 5th-generation fighter Russia's Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter has been placed on a short list of a South Korean tender for the delivery of advanced fighter jets, a Russian arms industry think-tank said on Monday. Korea is seeking to buy 60 fighters with advanced stealth capability from a foreign aircraft maker in the biggest arms-procurement deal ever for the country with an estimated budget of $7.86 billion under a program code-named FX-III. Russia's Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade cited South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) as saying that Sukhoi's fighter would...

Taiwan in stealth technology breakthrough: Report TAIPEI - TAIWAN has developed a radar-absorbent material in a breakthrough in the island's development of stealth technology, local media reported on Monday. Tests showed that a navy 50-tonne Seagull-class missile boat painted with the material was not spotted on a radar screen until it could be seen with the naked eye, the United Daily News said. It is the first time Taiwan has developed such material. The navy declined to comment on the report. It was not immediately clear if the material would be used in the navy's fleet of 10 locally manufactured...

Courtesy of the recently declassified Fed discount window documents, we now know that the biggest beneficiaries of the Fed's generosity during the peak of the credit crisis were foreign banks, among which Belgium's Dexia was the most troubled, and thus most lent to, bank. Having been thus exposed, many speculated that going forward the US central bank would primarily focus its "rescue" efforts on US banks, not US-based (or local branches) of foreign (read European) banks: after all that's what the ECB is for, while the Fed's role is to stimulate US employment and to keep US inflation modest. And...

A while back there was a video of a cat that seemed to have a ninja quality about it. Whoever owned the cat, recorded it sneaking up to him in a stealthy almost ninja like manner. Well, that is what the dog in this video is doing as it sneaks up on an unsuspecting feline. You will notice from the dog's teats, that she recently had puppies. This could be the reason the dog feels the need to sneak up upon the cat as it did. It's my guess that the dog is either thinking she must defend her...

Pakistan to Return U.S. Chopper Tail By TOM WRIGHT and MATTHEW ROSENBERG ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has agreed to return the tail section of a U.S. helicopter used in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden earlier this month. Sen. John Kerry, who met Monday with senior Pakistani civilian and military officials in Islamabad, said the gesture was among a number of steps both countries had agreed to take to rebuild shattered relations. Pakistan is angered over the unilateral raid that targeted bin Laden in Abbottabad, a military garrison town 40 miles from Islamabad.

Secrets: Good news of bin Laden's death may be followed by bad news of Pakistan giving China a peek at our downed helicopter. Will we be threatened by our own technology? They are something out of the latest Batman flick, the modified Black Hawk helicopters that were used in the raid on Osama bin Laden's Pakistani compound. With a curious hublike housing around the unusually configured rear-rotor, among other things, it was clearly designed to be as quiet and stealthy as possible. When one of the copters clipped a wall in bin Laden's compound, it had to be destroyed, leaving...

Changing Needs Influence Warship Design May 9, 2011 By Bill Sweetman, Andy Nativi, Francis Tusa, David Eshel Washington, Genoa, London, Tel Aviv Warship design in much of the world may be entering a new era, with requirements driven less by peer-on-peer sea battles and more by lessons of the past decade, combined with economic constraints. Brazil, Canada, Israel and the U.K. are among the nations looking at new surface combatant programs. The first three represent markets for EuropeÂ’s shipbuilders (and possibly South Korea) while the U.K. is trying to break back into the global warship business. Success will involve anticipating...

An Initial Assessment of China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Publication: China Brief Volume: 11 Issue: 8May 6, 2011 By: Carlo Kopp J-20 Radius The maiden test flight in January 2011 of China's J-20 stealth fighter prototype is an important strategic milestone in several different respects, and is part of an ongoing effort by China to develop advanced military technology [1]. The J-20 is the first combat aircraft developed by China that qualifies as "state of the art" by Western measures. It also shows that China has mastered "stealth shaping" technology—the essential prerequisite for developing stealth aircraft. Finally it shows that China...

Osama bin Laden dead: hi-tech secret may end up in China There are growing fears that top-secret stealth technology taken from the helicopter that crashed during the raid on the home of Osama bin Laden could be smuggled into China and cause a diplomatic row. By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent 05 May 2011 It has become clear that US special forces used a previously unseen stealth helicopter for the mission in order to evade Pakistani radar or being heard on the final approach to the home of the al-Qaeda terrorist. The American troops used thermite grenades to destroy the helicopter’s...

Stealth Blackhawk Used In Bin Laden Raid? May 4, 2011 By Glenn Pew, Contributing Editor, Video Editor Images of what appears to be the tail-rotor of one the helicopters used in Sunday's raid on Osama bin Laden's compound at Abbottabad, Pakistan, are hitting the internet, and may be a glimpse at something special. The parts don't appear to come from the standard military catalogue. According to the Army Times, the aircraft "were a radar-evading variant of the special operations MH-60 Blackhawk." That aircraft has hard edges like those on the F-117 Nighthawk and incorporates similar low-observable technology.

I’m still skeptical, but Army Times’ ace reporter on all things special ops, Sean Naylor, used his very good source base to produce this piece saying that the secret helicopter that crashed during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden was indeed a stealth version of the MH-60 Black Hawk. The helicopters that flew the Navy SEALs on the mission to kill Osama bin Laden were a radar-evading variant of the special operations MH-60 Black Hawk, according to a retired special operations aviator. The helicopter’s low-observable technology is similar to that of the F-117 Stealth Fighter the retired special operations...

Before an elite team of U.S. Navy SEALs executed a daring raid that took down Osama bin Laden, the commandos were able to silently sneak up on their elusive target thanks to what aviation analysts said were top secret, never-before-seen stealth-modified helicopters. In the course of the operation that cost the al Qaeda leader his life, one of the two Blackhawk helicopters that carried the SEALs into bin Laden's Pakistani compound grazed one of the compound's wall and was forced to make a hard landing. With the chopper inoperable, at the end of the mission the SEALs destroyed it with...

Super Hornet international version testing anticipated By Zach Rosenberg Any decisions about flight testing further variations of the F/A-18E/F will take place in 2012, says Boeing. Wind tunnel testing of the upgraded Super Hornet, called the International Roadmap version, is anticipated later this year. Flight testing is contingent on customer interest; thus far no nations have purchased the new version, unveiled last year. "We have offered in some instances," says Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft, "so for example, the enhanced performance engine is baseline in our offer in India, because that aligns with what they want this aircraft...

Anti-gun activist Sarah Brady claims President Barack Obama is committed to stealth gun control according to a report in The Washington Post. Recounting a March 30 meeting between Brady, her husband Jim and White House Press secretary Jay Carney, The Post reports: During the meeting, President Obama dropped in and, according to Sarah Brady, brought up the issue of gun control, “to fill us in that it was very much on his agenda,” she said. “I just want you to know that we are working on it,” Brady recalled the president telling them. “We have to go through a few...

Taiwan to build new 'stealth' warship TAIPEI - TAIWAN plans to build a new 'stealth' warship armed with guided-missiles next year in response to China's naval build-up, a top military officer and a lawmaker said on Monday. Construction of the prototype of the 500-tonne corvette is due to start in 2012 for completion in 2014, deputy defence minister Lin Yu-pao said in answer to a question by Kuomintang party legislator Lin Yu-fang at parliament. The warship, which the navy says is harder to detect on radar, is expected to emerge after China puts into service its first battle carrier group,...

Here's the direct link. It's pretty amazing.

Russia floats out 3rd stealth corvette St. Petersburg's Severnaya Verf shipyard floated out a new corvette for the Russian Navy featuring stealth technology on Friday. The Boiky is the third Steregushchy class (Project 20380) corvette designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau. The first Project 20380 corvette, the Steregushchy, was put into service with Russia's Baltic Fleet in October 2008, and the second ship in the series, the Soobrazitelny, is expected to join the Russian Navy in 2011. The Project 20380 corvette can be deployed to destroy enemy surface ships, submarines and aircraft, and to provide artillery support for...

A USAF B-2 Spirit stealth bomber sits on the ramp at Andersen AFB in Guam "Tip of the Spear" USA. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20060917.htm (medium, large) The Photographer Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III, United States Air Force   Food For Thought From the September 2007 article "The Plane That Would Bomb Iran" by Robert D. Kaplan  http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2007/09/the-plane-that-would-bomb-iran/6133/   "The B-2 makes a statement. And that statement is, 'We mean business!'" He [U.S. Air Force Colonel Robert "Wheels" Wheeler] banged his fist on the table. Wheeler is the classic intense Air Force intellectual. He has degrees in both engineering and strategic studies and...

Defense: As Russia invests in new weapons and China increases military spending by double digits, the administration conducts a new review looking to cut our nuclear arsenal even beyond misguided treaty obligations. The F-15 Eagle that lay smoldering in the Libyan desert was downed not by hostile fire but by "mechanical failure." It's a perfect metaphor for the current administration's downgrading of national defense from a constitutional imperative to an optional budget item. The F-22 Raptor was designed to replace our aging F-15 fleet, which is older than the pilots who fly them and whose wings are almost literally falling...

A USAF B-2 Spirit stealth bomber soars over the Pacific Ocean. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20061021.htm (medium, large) The Photographer Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo, United States Air Force  

Crisis May Scuttle Japan Fighter March 16, 2011By David Axe Will the earthquake and tsunami, and the resulting economic pain, scuttle plans for the Shinshin stealthy fighter? The full implications for Japan of Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami, as well as the ongoing problems at the Fukushima nuclear plant, remain unclear. But an ambitious and likely pricey military programme could be one of the first political casualties as Tokyo weighs the cost of recovery. In the early 2000s the forerunner to the Japanese Defense Ministry began developing a new, stealthy fighter jet under the auspices of the Advanced Technologies Demonstrator...

New Shape shifting design allows Chinese women to fly under the radar of the bamboo curtain. See video at link. (Another example of Chinese entrepreneurial success of capitalism.)

New Details on China's J-20 Fighter Provide More Nuanced View of Threat (Source: Lexington Institute; issued March 2, 2011) (© Lexington Institute; reproduced by permission Aerospace experts scrutinizing images of the Chinese J-20 fighter that first began appearing on the internet in late December have developed a more nuanced view of the plane's features than what was available in early reports. Although the J-20 resembles the outline of the stealthy F-22 Raptor when viewed head-on in its forward aspect, the plane clearly lacks many of the features that make Raptor the most capable air-to-air combat system in history. On the...

Seoul accelerates stealth fighter program 2011-03-02 19:18 BoeingÂ’s F-15SE, Lockheed MartinÂ’s F-35 likely candidates for FX-III project South Korea is accelerating moves to purchase a high-end fleet of stealth fighter jets to counter North KoreaÂ’s asymmetrical threats and keep pace with neighboring countries seeking to secure their own radar-evading combat aircraft. Under the FX-III acquisition project worth around 10 trillion won ($8.86 billion), the Seoul government is seeking to purchase some 60 next-generation fighters with an aim to have them delivered for operational deployment to begin in 2016. The government is expected to draw up an acquisition strategy in the...

India re-imagines the F-35? By Stephen Trimble on March 1, 2011 As more details emerge of India's stealth fighter project -- advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) -- I have started to wonder something. Is the project of India's Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) based substantially on re-imagining the F-35C with two engines rather than one? The Indian forum Bharat Rakshak has posted new briefing slides by the ADA. Take a look at them below, and tell me what you think.

Japan's Roadmap To An Indigenous Fighter By Bradley Perrett Beijing Japanese industry is urging the government to keep the country’s planned F-X fighter in production until 2028, raising the stakes for the three Western companies competing for the program. Full-scale development of an indigenous follow-on fighter, meanwhile, should begin between 2015 and 2017, the industry’s Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies recommends. The industry thus envisages two parallel, long-term projects, one for the factories and one for the development teams, to sustain the country’s fighter industrial base after deliveries of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries F-2s end this year. There is a sign...

“I think we have succumbed on the F-35 program to adding too many things too quickly,” says a veteran Pentagon program manager. Moreover, the Joint Strike Fighter’s problems have been compounded because the development effort was launched without a complete test plan. Paul Kaminski, speaking as a private citizen, picked out three aircraft programs – the F-16, the F-117 and the F-35, all products of Lockheed Martin – to show how some programs function smoothly, others become delayed and some are repaired along the way. He is CEO of Technovation, Inc., a former under sec. of defense for acquisition and...

Should China-Pakistan Counter the Indian-Russian Fighter Tie-Up? Posted by Robert Wall at 2/8/2011 11:44 AM CST India's decision to effectively bar Chinese and Pakistani entities from the Aero India air show in Bengalaru once again puts into sharp focus the strategic gulf that exists in the region. Now, with India cementing relations with western powers -- through the MMRCA competition and other programs -- as well as with Russia -- in the guise of the fifth generation fighter effort and a future airlifter -- the question becomes whether the two countries left on the outside looking in -- Pakistan and...