Af/Pak & Other News (5/24/2013)

[dump...@hotmail.com]

Suicide Bomb Hits Kabul as Taliban Battle Police:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/explosion-hits-heart-afghan-capital-19248079



U.N. investigator seeks moratorium on 'killer robots':

http://news.msn.com/world/un-investigator-seeks-moratorium-on-killer-robots



C.I.A. to Focus More on Spying, a Difficult Shift:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/24/us/politics/plan-would-orient-cia-back-toward-spying.html?pagewanted=all



White House Quietly Shifts Armed Drone Program from CIA to DoD:

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20130524/DEFREG02/305240010/White-House-Quietly-Shifts-Armed-Drone-Program-from-CIA-DoD



Gorgon Stare:

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htecm/articles/20130524.aspx



No new bomb planned for RAF Reapers, MoD confirms:

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/no-new-bomb-planned-for-raf-reapers-mod-confirms-386319/



Royal Navy Lynx Crews Leave Helmand for Last Time:

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/145245/royal-navy-ends-lynx-ops-in-helmand.html



Congress to Army: Get Your Own Cargo Drone:

http://defensetech.org/2013/05/23/congress-to-army-get-your-own-cargo-drone/



Obama Just Made Himself a Prisoner of His Own Gitmo Policy:

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/05/detention-fubar/



Is Terrorizing Terrorists A War Crime?:

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htterr/articles/20130524.aspx






Near Iran, U.S. Hosts Huge Persian Gulf Wargame; 35 Ships, 41
Countries:

http://breakingdefense.com/2013/05/23/near-iran-u-s-hosts-huge-persian-gulf-wargame-35-ships-41-countries/





Iraq Seeks Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters:

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/iraq-seeks-armed-reconnaissance-helicopters-05010/#





Turkey nears acceptance of delayed 737 AEW fleet:

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/turkey-nears-acceptance-of-delayed-737-aew-fleet-386324/






Russia says Syrian government agreed to Geneva peace conference:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/05/24/russia-syria-govt-agreed-to-take-part-in-us-russia-proposed-conference-in/





Israel to field lightweight Spice 250 bombs:

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/israel-to-field-lightweight-spice-250-bombs-386326/





With French help, Niger kills last jihadists in Agadez attack, frees
hostages:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/terrorist-moktar-belmoktar-claims-responsibility-for-deadly-niger-attack/2013/05/23/51281b10-c408-11e2-9642-a56177f1cdf7_story.html




Group linked to Algeria gas plant attack claims Niger raids:

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30615:group-linked-to-algeria-gas-plant-attack-claims-niger-raids&catid=49:National%20Security&Itemid=115




RAF Sentinel R1 back from mission in Mali:

http://alert5.com/2013/05/24/raf-sentinel-r1-back-from-mission-in-mali/






Two held after RAF Typhoon jets escort Pakistan plane over UK:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22658979




Britain braces for possible copycat attacks:

http://news.msn.com/world/britain-braces-for-possible-copycat-attacks





Sukhoi Delivers the First Su-34 Frontline Bomber to the Russian Air
Force:

http://www.defencetalk.com/sukhoi-delivers-su-34-frontline-bomber-russian-air-force-47876/




Sweden riots: Cops seek reinforcements, US citizens warned:

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/24/18466766-sweden-riots-cops-seek-reinforcements-us-citizens-warned?lite=&gt1-43001=




Northrop to Equip German Planes With Anti-Missile Systems:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/05/23/northrop-to-equip-german-planes-with-anti-missile/





Churchill, Stalin boozed it up all night, secret files say:

http://news.msn.com/world/churchill-stalin-boozed-it-up-all-night-secret-files-say






CNO: Pacific Pivot Works; Full Speed Ahead On Chinese Relations:

http://breakingdefense.com/2013/05/24/cno-pacific-pivot-works-full-speed-ahead-on-chinese-relations/




Report urges US to go on offense on China hacking:

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Report_urges_US_to_go_on_offense_on_China_hacking_999.html






Army Carbine Competition Faces Delay, Possible Cancellation:

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=1154



Small manpackable UAV for military surveillance and reconnaissance
introduced by Aeryon:

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2013/05/Small-unmanned-helicopter.html



Boeing eyes further international sales for C-17:

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-eyes-further-international-sales-for-c-17-386325/



DARPA Seeks Technology to Radically Improve Dismounted Squad
Situational Awareness, Communication Effectiveness:

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/DARPA_Seeks_Technology_to_Radically_Improve_Dismounted_Squad_Situational_Awareness_Communication_Effectiveness_999.html



Ricardo-led Technology Demonstrator Delivers 72 Percent Improved Fuel
Economy:

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/145246/demonstrator-vehicle-has-72-better-fuel-economy.html



Advocates Tout Small Nuclear Reactors for Military Installations:

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2013/June/Pages/AdvocatesToutSmallNuclearReactorsforMilitaryInstallations.aspx



Warrior Web Prototype Takes Its First Steps:

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Warrior_Web_Prototype_Takes_Its_First_Steps_999.html



Navy recommends Bluefin 21 underwater drone for next-generation Black
Pearl research:

http://www.militaryaerospace.com/articles/2013/05/navy-recommends-bluefin-21-uuv-for-next-generation-black-pearl-r.html




A-10 struck power lines:

http://alert5.com/2013/05/24/a-10-struck-power-line/




Lockheed Martin Conducts First EMD Flight Test of New GMLRS Warhead:

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Lockheed_Martin_Conducts_First_EMD_Flight_Test_of_New_GMLRS_Warhead_999.html



Skunk Works Transformer:

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/145250/lockheed-offers-peek-at-skunk-works%E2%80%99-transformer.html



The Warplane You Have:

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Digital-Library/Articles/Detail/?lng=en&id=164146

[Yeff]

On Fri, 24 May 2013 10:09:44 -0700 (PDT), dump...@hotmail.com wrote:

> Gorgon Stare:
>
> http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htecm/articles/20130524.aspx

From the article,

"Sent to Afghanistan three years, air force users quickly found
that the equipment was too unreliable and poorly thought out to
do what it was supposed to do in a combat zone. After over a year
of tinkering the manufacturer and users got it to work reliably
and now Gorgon Stare works so over 90 percent of the time (which
is very good for systems like this)."

While in we had a piece of equipment that was supposed to fuse different
intelligence sources for display. Worked great in the labs at E-Systems
but, once it got to field sites, the MTBF turned atrocious. E-Systems
techs came out and couldn't figure the problem out at first. They
pulled all of the maintenance records and compared them to what they had
at their labs.

Turns out that the Air Force maintainers were faithfully doing their
PMI's (preventive maintenance inspections) while, at E-Systems, they
simply turned on the equipment and left it.

Turning off the equipment every four months and blowing out the dust
made it fail more often then if they'd just left it alone.

--

-Jeff B.
zoo...@fastmail.fm

"Excuse me.
I don't mean to impose,
but I am the Ocean."

~ The Salton Sea