Topic: Military Technology

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Pentagon budget: top 3 winners and losers

In Pentagon parlance, the word “cut” is a relative term. The Defense Department’s base budget decreases from $553 billion this year to $525 billion in 2013, but it rebounds steadily to $567 billion in 2017. With this in mind, here are the top three winners and losers:
In Pictures: War by remote control
In Pictures: Supersonic planes
In Pictures: Paris Air Show 2011
In Pictures: Russia's military might

All Content

Paralyzed woman masters mind-controlled robotic arm

Cathy Hutchinson is one of two patients undergoing a trial of the BrainGate neural interface, a system designed to transmit paralyzed patients' thoughts into commands.
F-22 safety questions remain despite Panetta's order

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the Air Force to take steps to address safety concerns surrounding the F-22 stealth fighter jet. But critics say his directive doesn't go far enough.
Why is the US considering F-16 sales to Taiwan?

Political shifts in China, Taiwan, and the US have revived the prospect of a US F-16 deal with Taiwan.
DARPA hypersonic glider skin peeled off, says Pentagon

Darpa Hypersonic Glider: The Pentagon has explained why it aborted the DARPA hypersonic glider last year. Apparently, the unmanned craft's skin started to peel off as it reached speeds of Mach 20.
How bravery on the ground won controller an Air Force Cross

Capt. Barry Crawford receives the rarely awarded Air Force Cross for coordinating airstrikes and medical evacuations while in the middle of a 14-hour Afghan firefight.
Window opens for North Korean rocket launch

The world is waiting to see if the launch will go forward.
Despite thawing relationship, China still spying on Taiwan

Four suspected spies have been detained in China during the last fourteen months.
Pentagon seeks cheap, disposable satellites to observe battlefields

The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency lab plans to launch a fleet of disposable satellites to provide images for troops fighting on the ground.
From DARPA to Google, the search for sources of innovation

Regina Dugan, the head of the Pentagon's research arm, is going to Google. What her move means in the global race for innovation.
Cheetah robot sets new speed record (+video)

However, a robot in the form of a cheetah and funded by the US military doesn't run as fast as the real thing.
Terrorism & Security
UN inspectors get rare access to suspected Iran nuclear site

Tehran confirmed today that UN inspectors can visit Parchin, a military complex where a chamber for explosives tests has raised concerns about Iran nuclear weapons development.
Navy railgun fires 40-lb. bullets at Mach 7 (+video)

Navy railgun: A Navy prototype of an electromagnetic railgun marks a major step in the process of installing the weapons on Navy vessels.
Drone pilots: Why war is also hard for remote soldiers

Drone pilots are far from the battlefield, but they show some of the same signs of stress as do soldiers fighting on the ground. Now a movement in the military is afoot to assist these techno-warriors.
Fatal helicopter crash underscores hazards of Marines' mission training (+video)

Thirteen Marines have died since October in serious aviation accidents during training, including seven killed late Wednesday when two helicopters collided in midair.
Loose cable could explain 'faster-than-light' neutrinos

Experiments conducted in Europe in September and November appeared to show neutrinos violating Einstein's theory of special relativity. But now scientists suspect it could be a faulty measurement caused by bad connection.
NASA's dazzling northern lights launch aims to study 'space weather'

The two-stage suborbital rocket was part of a NASA-funded study into how the northern lights can affect signals from GPS satellites and other spacecraft.
Pentagon budget: top 3 winners and losers

In Pentagon parlance, the word “cut” is a relative term. The Defense Department’s base budget decreases from $553 billion this year to $525 billion in 2013, but it rebounds steadily to $567 billion in 2017. With this in mind, here are the top three winners and losers:
Exclusive: Iran hijacked US drone, says Iranian engineer (Video)

In an exclusive interview, an engineer working to unlock the secrets of the captured RQ-170 Sentinel says they exploited a known vulnerability and tricked the US drone into landing in Iran.
Seychelles becomes site of another US drone crash

Seychelles became the latest foreign country to see a US drone crash. The US Embassy says the drone was unarmed.
Officials say US drone crashes on Seychelles

The US Embassy in Mauritius says the Air Force drone crashed at a Seychelles airport. No one was injured in the incident.
US considered missions to destroy RQ-170 Sentinel drone lost in Iran

The RQ-170 Sentinel drone lost over Iran is one of America's most valuable intelligence assets. It's unclear what brought it down - hostile fire or malfunction. Iran claims to have shot it down but has provided no photographs.
How often do US military drones 'disappear'?

The US military acknowledged that one of its unmanned aerial vehicles had gone missing over western Afghanistan last week. With no pilot in the cockpit, drones can be tricky to fly.
What secrets can Iran learn from intercepted US drone?

A missing US drone may indeed be in Iranian hands, experts say. Just studying its futuristic wedge shape could prove helpful for those trying to exploit US military technology.
Unmanned drone attacks and shape-shifting robots: War's remote-control future

The Pentagon already includes unmanned drone attacks in its arsenal. Next up: housefly-sized surveillance craft, shape-changing 'chemical robots,' and tracking agents sprayed from the sky. What does it mean to have soldiers so far removed from the battlefield?
What US manhunt for LRA leaders reveals about Obama's war strategy

Obama is sending 100 Special Operations Forces to central Africa to help track down leaders of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army), a brutal guerrilla group. Surgical strikes at enemy leaders are emerging as the preferred US strategy.