DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program, which developed a self-steering bullet to increase hit rates for difficult, long-distance shots, completed in February its most successful round of live-fire tests to date. An experienced shooter using the technology demonstration system repeatedly hit moving and evading targets. Additionally, a novice shooter using the system for the Read more about EXACTO Guided Bullet Demonstrates Repeatable Performance against Moving Targets[…]

Tough Men for Hire: Ex-Special Forces in Demand for War on Terror | Military.com. A good look at how mercenaries are now at the forefront of training armies, since the collapse of Blackwater.

As well as several other officers, they were bribed to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars, allowing the company doing the bribing to overcharge for around $20 million dollars. 3 Rear Admirals Forced Out Amid Massive Navy Bribery Scandal | Military.com.

America’s $400 billion Joint Strike Fighter, or F-35, is slated to join fighter squadrons next year—but missing software will render its 25mm cannon useless. The Pentagon’s newest stealth jet, the nearly $400 billion Joint Strike Fighter, won’t be able to fire its gun during operational missions until 2019, three to four years after it becomes Read more about F-35 Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 – And even then hardly[…]

How Dumb Cluster Bombs Are Becoming Heinously Smart.

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the University of Notre Dame, has demonstrated the airworthiness of a new beam control turret being developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and AFRL to give 360-degree coverage for high-energy laser weapons operating on military aircraft. A research Read more about Lockheed Martin Conducts Flight Tests Of Aircraft Laser Turret[…]

Aside from using a mobile network, you can use low frequency radar to detect stealth aircraft. Chinese and Russian Radars On Track To See Through U.S. Stealth | USNI News.

The change, the most dramatic policy shift since Japan set up its post-war armed forces 60 years ago, will widen Japan’s military options by ending the ban on exercising "collective self-defense", or aiding a friendly country under attack. Abe’s cabinet adopted a resolution outlining the shift, which also relaxes limits on activities in U.N.-led peace-keeping Read more about Japan takes historic step from post-war pacifism, OKs fighting for allies | Reuters[…]

The ships will be 65,000 tonnes at full displacement – over three times the size of the current Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers. Range; 8,000 to 10,000 nautical miles. Each ship has two propellers which together will output 80MW of power – enough to run 1,000 family cars or 50 high speed trains. 56m from keel Read more about Queen Elizabeth UK Aircraft carrier Key Facts released[…]

Global Strategic Trends (GST) describes a strategic context for those in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and wider Government who are involved in developing long term plans, policies and capabilities. Without a strategic context there is a risk that planners, policymakers and capability developers may assume a future that adheres to preconceived thoughts and assumptions. Read more about Global Strategic Trends out to 2045[…]

The test that employed the Raytheon Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle Capability Enhancement II, or EKV CE-II, successfully collided and destroyed an incoming ballistic missile warhead high in space, identifying its targets amongst decoys and countermeasures representative of a long-range North Korean ballistic missile. The $200 million test was considered critical for the future of the US-based Read more about US ballistic missile defense interceptor scores a direct hit in space | Defense Update:[…]

Russia’s only aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov passed through the English Channel and into The Netherlands’ exclusive economic zone on May 8th. But the Dutch navy had no ships available for escort duty. via The Dutch Were Powerless When Russian Warships Entered Their Waters — War is Boring — Medium.

Just over half (92) of the 183 nuclear missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana have been implicated in a widening exam cheating scandal, the Air Force said on Thursday, acknowledging it had “systemic” problem within its ranks. The cheating was discovered during an investigation into illegal drug possession among airmen, when Read more about Drugs and cheating: Half of U.S. nuclear missile wing implicated![…]

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The only way for Europe to project the military might it needs to be able to protect its vast economic interests is by unifying the military and foreign policies of its member states. Only this will allow the economies of scale necessary to create an effective, non duplicated, expeditionary tool for politicians to use when Read more about NL pushes for closer European defence[…]

Specifically the qra (quick reactiin alert) and renegade tasks http://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2013/10/23/46208943/Nederland_en_Belgie_gaan_samen_luchtruim_bewaken Not only does this make economic sense, but also taking a wider view at European military cooperation, this is hopefully a first step towards many more far reaching integrated forces within the EU. Doing so will ease economic defense spending burdens, but also create a Read more about Netherlands and Belgium to share aerial protection[…]

All the documentation pertaining to the replacement of the Dutch F-16 fleet has been put online in a website. True transparent democracy! http://vervanging-f16.rekenkamer.nl/

Each Black Hornet system consists of two aircraft, with a single controller for the UAS and its payload and a base station. A tablet-sized monitor is also part of the package, which totals approximately 2kg (4.4lb). The UAS carries three cameras – one looking straight ahead, one straight down and one at 45˚ forward and Read more about British Army operators detail Black Hornet UAV attributes[…]

It looks like something from the movie “Firefox”. Iran's new Qaher-313 stealth fighter: No, it's not April fools day – The DEW Line.

This is an annual publication in Dutch concerning the armed forces. The main tasks are covered, as well as the ministry, materiel, locations, personnel and finances. Kerngegevens Defensie | Brochure | Rijksoverheid.nl.

The gun is coupled with it’s own ammunition, which is manufactured to tight tolerances. It then feeds video into a recitcle or ipad app with HUD information on it. You point a laser at the target and move the gun aimer to cover the pip. Once it does, the gun fires. This makes it extremely Read more about $17,000 Linux-powered rifle brings “auto-aim” to the real world | Ars Technica[…]

Two laser modules mounted onto Revolver Gun air defense turrets made by Oerlikon and attached to additional power modules. The laser modules are 30 kW and 20 kW, but a Beam Superimposing Technology (BST) combines two lasers to focus in a “superimposed, cumulative manner” that wreaks havoc on its targets. First, the system sliced through Read more about German Military Laser Destroys Targets Over 1Km Away[…]

This article has links to how the US uses simulators and what their capabilities are. They talk about training for UAV’s, the network centric way in which they’re trying to link up simulators globally, how they’re used to train for large force employments, using them to practice 4 ship formations and of course, the limitations Read more about How far can simulations go versus live flying?[…]

And all the experts were saying it would be years before they could do anything with it when it was delivered to the Navy on September 25th. It looks like the Chinese are serious about putting it in operation as soon as they possibly can. China Lands First Jet on Its Aircraft Carrier | Military.com.