Boeing Phantom Ray unmanned aircraft begins flight testing

Boeing has successfully kicked-off its test flight program for the Phantom Ray unmanned airborne system (UAS). The fighter-sized technology demonstrator reached an altitude of 7,500 feet and a speed of 178 knots in its first flight on April 27 in the skies above NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California. A second successful test flight followed on May 5.

In its maiden flight, the 50-foot wingspan unmanned aircraft flew for 17-minutes before nailing a pinpoint landing. The test demonstrated Pahantom Ray's basic airworthiness as well as showcasing the effectiveness of the company's "rapid prototyping" program, which saw the milestone reached after an incubation period of just two and a half years.

"The first flight moves us farther into the next phase of unmanned aircraft," said Craig Brown, Phantom Ray program manager for Boeing. "Autonomous, fighter-sized unmanned aircraft are real, and the UAS bar has been raised. Now I'm eager to see how high that bar will go."

The second outing on May 5 mirrored the first and further test flights are planned with a view to expanding the aircraft's flight envelope and researching different payload capabilities and multiple mission scenarios, which range from intelligence gathering and surveillance to electronic attack and autonomous air refueling.

You can see Phantom Ray in action in the Boeing video below.

Source: Boeing.

Low-Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCASS) successfully flight tested

The cost of armed, autonomous vehicles which can loiter over the battlefield and destroy enemy targets seems to be coming down fairly quickly, if recent flight tests are any indication. The Low-Cost Autonomous Attack System (LOCASS), is an autonomous, wide-area search, miniature munition equipped with a LADAR seeker and was successfully flight-tested at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, USA on October 21. Each LOCAAS carries a multi-mode explosively formed warhead which can be detonated as a long rod penetrator, an aerostable slug, or as fragments, based upon the hardness of the target. The Lockheed Martin-developed LADAR seeker can identify the target and determine the aim point and warhead mode.

The test LOCAAS was launched from a King Air 200 and flew 45 nautical miles in 15 minutes, powered by its 30-pound thrust class J45G turbo-jet engine, all the while using its laser radar (LADAR) seeker to search for, identify and report on targets in a preplanned mission search area.

While flying the planned mission, the operator-in-the-loop redirected the test vehicle to the location of a moving target elsewhere on the range. Once redirected, the test vehicle altered its predefined flight path to an optimal approach to the moving target as the new primary target of interest.

The Globalstar SATCOM system was used to link the LOCAAS test vehicle and the operator-in-the-loop with a detailed simulation of the Network Centric Collaborative Targeting (NCCT) system. NCCT fused track and identification information from simulated Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) platform sensors to provide the approximate location of the moving, time-sensitive target.

The test vehicle was also linked via data link to the Cooperative Attack Munitions Real-time Assessment (CAMRA) testbed, which simulated three “virtual” munitions cooperatively searching in flight paths adjacent to the test vehicle. Once cued by the operator-in-the-loop, the virtual munitions performed coordinated attack operations in concert with the flight test vehicle using real-time information received across the data link. The link to NCCT allowed the flight test vehicle to act as a non-traditional ISR sensor transmitting detected target vehicle identification, location, time, and weapon status information for use by other systems and operators.

An Air Force flight-rated operator, serving as the operator-in-the-loop, retargeted the LOCAAS flight test vehicle to “attack” the NCCT-tracked moving vehicle. During the test vehicle’s flight, the operator monitored real-time weapon state information, as well as, the near-real time location updates of detected targets provided by NCCT. The operator interface utilized a modified version of the Air Force’s Portable Flight Planning System (PFPS) FalconView map overlay application. The FalconView application was executed on a ruggedized laptop computer and enabled the operator to relay the relevant target track information, as well as break-off and/or abort commands to the LOCAAS flight test vehicle.

The LOCASS’s performance was flawless throughout the test, which including high-G turns, acceleration/decelerations, climbs/dives and maximum flight control deflections to verify vehicle stability.

The Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate sponsored the flight test which was the culmination of five successful flights including one with a live warhead.

“This test demonstrated the capability of LOCAAS to integrate automatic combat identification, global data links, operator-in-the-loop involvement, and successful redirect of the weapon,” said Randy Bigum, VP of Strike Weapons at Lockheed Martin.

The LOCAAS can be dispensed from the Air Force SUU-64 tactical munition dispenser, an internal weapons bay carriage, a munition ejector rack, or external pylons. Each can be dispensed also from a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) rocket or an Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile.

‘Fire-and-forget’ LCITS technology

At the 63rd annual Naval Helicopter Association (NHA) Symposium in San Diego last week the Office of Naval Research (ONR) unveiled a new weapons technology designed to give helicopters, such as the MH-60 and the AH-1 Cobra, the ability to combat the threat of a small boat swarm. The Low-Cost Imaging Terminal Seeker (LCITS) system equips existing unguided Hydra-70, 2.75-inch rockets with a low-cost guidance capability that allows pilots to essentially "fire-and-forget," thereby allowing them to engage multiple, fast attack seaborne targets in a shorter period.

Unlike laser-designated weapons, the LCITS system provides pilots with the ability to respond faster to threats by relieving them of the responsibility of guiding the weapon to the target while it is in flight. The system comprises three main components; the algorithms that calculate targeting and transfer alignment data; a digital smart launcher that transmits targeting data to the weapon; and the LCITS weapon itself.

Once the target is designated by the helicopter's forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, targeting data including position, size, velocity and contrast are passed through the digital smart launcher to the guided rocket. The rocket then calculates an inertial guidance point and flies to where it will acquire the target with its imaging infrared seeker. This is not a hot-spot detector but a low-cost focal plane array that feeds an image to on-board algorithms that separate the target from the background. The infrared seeker then guides the rocket to hone in on the center of the target.

The ONR says the LCITS system will potentially reduce the target engagement timeline to less than 15 seconds, thereby allowing pilots to increase the number of targets they can engage within a short period of time. This will give naval forces a cost effective tactical advantage over small swarming boats and allow them to be engaged before they can get close to their target.

"The LCITs program is considered 'low cost' because it is an augmentation or upgrade to a pre-existing 2.75-inch rocket system," said Michael Deitchman, director of ONR's Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department. "Instead of relying on costly parts, sensors and guidance systems, it relies on the aircraft systems to provide the targeting information."

The system is the result of a collaborative effort between the ONR and partners including South Korea, DARPA, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Navy International Program Office.

A final demonstration of the LCITS technology took place on May 1, 2010, when an LCITS rocket fired from an AH-1 Cobra helicopter scored a direct hit on a moving maritime target that represented a small boat threat. The technology is now undergoing further testing as part of the Medusa Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD), with the goal of integrating the rocket onto the MH-60 aircraft platform.

KUBU BAWAH TANAH SINGAPURA

Sumber : Bro Shah
5/5/2011

1.Sejarah, kubu perlindungan ini untuk orang awam Singapura. Program ini diperkenalkan pada tahun 1983 dengan mendua fungsikan stesyen-stesyen Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) sebagai stesyen keretapi bawah tanah dan pusat perlindungan.

2.Kuasa mendiri atau mengusahakan pusat-pusat perlindungan ini terletak di bawah Civil Defence atau macam Jabatan Pertahanan Awam (JPAM) kita, kuasa ini bukan di bawah bomba atau tentera.

3.Pada awalnya ada 9 stesyen MRT yang terletak di bawah tanah telah dijadikan pusat perlindungan dan ada di antara stesyen ini dilengkapi dengan pintu kalis bom, kesemua stesyen ini sudah saya pergi untuk tinjau-tinjau, hari ini jumlah itu telah bertambah.

4.Pusat perlindungan untuk rakyat Singapura juga terletak di flet-flet HDB, universiti, sekolah, pusat masyarakat dan banyak lagi.

5.Jumlah kubu pelindungan serangan udara Singapura hari ini berjumlah lebih dari 500 buah di bawah tanah dan mampu menempatkan lebih kurang 900,000 nyawa (jumlah keseluruhan penduduk Singapura adalah 4.8 juta mengikut bancian pada 2008).

6.Jika anda melawat republik itu, cuba cari papantanda yang bertulis CD (Civil Defence) dan huruf SHELTER dalam rekabentuk tigasegi bewarna kuning, itulah kubu bawah tanah mereka.

7.Rakyat Singapura juga sentiasa bersedia untuk peperangan, mereka dilatih secara berdisiplin untuk memasuki kubu-kubu bawah tanah, diajar dan diberi informasi untuk hidup semasa peperangan melalui buku-buku panduan atau di laman web agensi berkaitan malahan kerajaan Singapura sudah mewujudkan sistem catuan bekalan makanan dan minuman untuk bekal semasa negara itu bermasalah.

8.Sebarang arahan latihan atau peperangan akan disalurkan melalui sisipan beberapa saat pada skrin televisyen Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).

9.Sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini, kubu-kubu ini telah diperluaskan ke dalam unit-unit pangsapuri Housing Development Board (HDB).

10.Umum mengetahui bahawa standard rumah flet HDB mesti ada sekurang-kurang 3 bilik+1 Stor.

11.Flet sepupu saya di Singapura mempunyai lif peribadi dan lif awam, lif peribadi akan berhenti di dalam dapur rumah beliau.

12.Stor-stor ini pada waktu aman menjadi tempat simpan barang tetapi sebenarnya ia lebih kukuh dari mana-mana bilik dalam pangsapuri beliau.

13.Rakyat Singapura hanya perlu mengeluarkan belanja lebih kurang RM10,000 untuk memperkuatkan stor-stor ini sebagai kubu.

14.Kajian awal mendapati jika berlaku pengeboman, flet-flet HDB ini tidak akan runtuh kerana bom udara bukan direka untuk meruntuhkan flet dan ini terbukti dalam peperangan di Beirut serta Sarajevo di mana banyak bangunan tinggi masih terpacak.

15.Stor-stor ini walaupun bukan jaminan keselamatan yang baik tetapi impak psikologinya cukup untuk membuatkan penghuninya berasa selamat, malangnya, stor-stor ini bukan kalis api.

16.Bukan sekadar kubu, bandaraya Singapura dari Woodland sehinggalah ke Jurong mempunyai siren amaran serangan udara yang diletakkan di tempat-tempat strategik.

17.Kemudahan seperti ini terdapat juga di Manila tetapi ibukota Asia yang lain seperti Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta dan Bangkok tidak mempunyai sistem ini, mungkin KL misalnya terlalu yakin bahawa ibunegara Malaysia ini tidak akan menghadapi serangan udara.

18.Jika terjadi pun, mungkin pihak berkuasa hanya perlu menghantar SMS supaya penduduk KL mencari tempat perlindungan.

19.Pihak berkuasa Singapura biasanya menguji sistem siren amaran serangan udara ini pada minggu pertama setiap bulan iaitu tepat pada pukul 12 tengahari.

20.Saya tidak pasti jika ianya merupakan ujian atau menghantar message kerana sistem siren ini mempunyai mesej-mesej tertentu berdasarkan bunyi yang dipancarkan, ada juga sistem siren yang mampu menghantar bunyi “morse Kod”.

21.Sistem siren Singapura biasanya menghantar mesej-mesej seperti :

Signal Sound Situation What it Means

“Alarm” Signal- wailing blasts air raid threat-imminent go to shelter

“All Clear” Signal- continual blast -air raid threat over can leave shelter

“Important Message”-pulsating blast- important broadcast mesg tune into FM radio

SINGAPORE TUNNEL MILITARY BASE CAMP

SUMBER : BRO SHAH

Beliau menemubual seorang kenalan komando berpangkat Kapten berusia lingkungan 50an.

Pernah dipinjamkan ke Kor Risik dan beroperasi di Seluruh rantau Asia, German dan Hawaii
————————————————————————————————————————————–
13/04/2011

Shah : Betul ke komando kita pernah terlibat masa perang Vietnam?
Komando : Entah. Aku ada dengar cerita tapi unit lain, aku jadi komando awal tahun 80an, peristiwa itu sudah lama

Shah : Citer lah sikit pengalaman saudara komando menjadi komando?

Komando : Aku dilatih di Kem Sungai Udang, Melaka. Yang tauliahkan aku masa itu Ketua Polis Negeri Melaka
Shah : Apasal pulak Ketua Polis Negeri Melaka tauliahkan saudara komando

Komando : Untuk mencapai status komando, kami berempat diminta untuk mengempur Balai Polis Tengkera di Melaka.

Shah : Ok Continue…

Komando : Kami berempat, diminta untuk m

enawan Balai Polis Tengkera. Ada lebih kurang 25 orang anggota polis dalam balai itu. Sebelum gempur, kami buat model balai dan mengenalpasti setiap bilik dalam balai. Ini merupakan kejadian sebenar, bukan lakonan. Anggota polis disitu tidak tahu kami akan menggempur mereka, kamu merangkak ikut longkang.

Komando : Kami memakai pakaian serba hitam, tidak ada senjata kecuali cecair chloroform. Kami mulakan dengan pengawal di guard house, dari belakang aku tangkap pengawal. Letak cecair pada mulut pengawal sehingga pengsan dan kemudian gari mereka.
Komando : Satu persatu anggota polis kami tawan, selepas pengsan kami tarik mereka masuk ke dalam lokap.

Komando : Selepas kesemua 25 anggota polis kami tawan, kami membuat satu panggilan. Ketua Polis Melaka kemudian datang dan menandatangani kad kami. Dengan tandatangan dari Ketua Polis, sah kami sudah berjaya dan ditauliahkan sebagai komando.

Shah : Perghh, Ketua polis tauliahkan komando. Apa pandangan saudara komando tentang polis?

Komando : Special Branch (Polis) sangat cekap, ada hal-hal tertentu yang kami belajar dari unit SB terutama hal-hal yang mempunyai kaitan dengan psikologi manusia seperti teknik mengorek maklumat.
Shah : Sebagai contoh?

Komando : Manusia bila mabuk akan bercerita banyak perkara.

Shah : HAHAHAHAHA…polis kita macam CIA ke?

Komando : Ya…malah lebih cekap

Shah : Mengapa?
Komando : Sebuah negara yang berjaya mesti mempunyai jaringan risikan yang cekap cuma tugas mereka terbatas di dalam negara

Komando : Selepas beberapa tahun ditauliahkan sebagai komando, aku dipinjam ke dalam Kor Risik
Shah : Apa beza Kor Risik dengan UCIS

Komando : UCIS merupakan pegawai risikan dalam batalion. Setiap batalion ada lebih kurang 10 pegawai UCIS, mereka merisik satu-satu kawasan sebelum digempur. Mereka cuma terhad peringkat batalion, tugas mereka tidak sampai ke arena antarabangsa

Shah : Saudara masuk risik sebagai apa?
Komando : Ada macam-macam unit dalam risik tetapi aku duduk buat espionage.

Shah : Bestnya nak masuk unit espionage, macam James Bond. Macam mana nak masuk dan bagaimana mereka dipilih?
Komando : Semasa latihan lagi, melalui ujian bertulis. Siapa yang mencapai markah yang baik dan IQ yang bagus akan terpilih memasuki unit risikan (espionage). Sabotaj ini sesiapa boleh buat, janji kreatif main alat letupan tak payah IQ tinggi

Shah : Kah Kah kah….ok sat, eden nak bom rokok sat…

Shah : Betul ke Singapura ada base bawah tanah?

Komando : Tahun 80an dahulu, ada khabar angin Singapura beli kereta kebal Centurion

Shah : Eden pun dengar cerita ini banyak kali tapi tak comfirm, orang Singapura pun kata takde

Komando : Comfirm, mereka sudah ada Main Battle Tank sejak dari tahun 80an lagi

Shah : Kalau ada mesti dah heboh

Komando : Mereka simpan dalam base bawah tanah, siap ada alat pendingin udara dan ruang buat pandu uji. Besar ruangnya macam bandar Seremban

Shah : Mana saudara komando tauu?

Komando : Aku dah masuk…

Shah : SUDAH DIPOTONG (CENSORED)

Komando : DI POTONG (CENSORED)

Shah : Yang terlibat dengan ops curi dokumen pasal Sabah kat Manila tu ke?

Komando : Aku tak tahu

Shah : Berbalik pasal kereta kebal Centurion tu…untuk apa mereka beli Main Battle Tank macam itu, bukan mereka cuma pakai kereta kebal ringan jenis AMX ke?

Komando : Mereka ini proksi Zionis dan Zionis amat berminat dengan negara kita.

Shah : Berapa banyak kereta kebal?

Komando : Banyak…cukup banyakbal. Itu aku kira sendiri. Memang disimpan di base bawah tanah, mereka mengikuti doktrin tentera Zionis. Tentera Zionis amat bergantung pada kekuatan kereta kebal dan udara.

Shah : Kapal terbang ada berapa?

Komando : Itu kawan aku buat. Aku check kereta kebal je.

Shah : Lepas saudara komando dah tahu? Apa yang kerajaan buat?

Komando : Aku terus dihantar ke Hawai untuk memasuki sekolah kereta kebal. Ada banyak kereta kebal di sekolah itu dan ada dua kereta kebal MBT Centurion. Aku cuma fokus pada Centurion dan kaji kelemahan dia.

Shah : Boleh menang ke kalau lawan Singapura?

Komando : Buang Tambak Johor. Itu laluan utama pasukan armor Singapura.

Shah : Bagaimana dengan Thailand dan Indonesia?

Komando : Mereka tidak ada kemampuan untuk menyerang balas. Tidak ada technology advantage ke atas kita.

Shah : Apakah kelebihan negara kita?

Komando : Peralatan kita ketinggalan zaman. Itu satu kelebihan dan juga kelemahan.

Shah : Betul ke Singapura pernah korek terowong untuk menuju ke Johor ?

Komando : Ya, di kawasan pantai Timur Johor dengan menggunakan boring machine yang besar. Aku habiskan RM300,000 untuk beli peta projek itu dan sabotaj rancangan mereka.

Shah : OK terima kasih.

Komando : OK malas layan kau.

The best .338 sniper rifle in the world

November 26, 2008 The sniper is one of the most feared specialists of war and he is one workman who definitely relies on the right tools. There are a surprising number of sniper rifle manufacturers out there, so it’s a big call when one declares itself to be the best .338 in the world, though the raw specifications of the Accuracy International L115A3 sniper rifle suggest there is merit to the claim. The UKP23,000 (USD$34,000) rifle was designed incorporating performance-enhancing features gleaned from international target shooting and fires an 8.59mm bullet which is heavier than the 7.62mm round of the previous L96 and hence less likely to be deflected over extremely long ranges. Put the 6.8kg rifle in the right hands and it can hit a human-sized target from 1400 metres. Even at that range, it hits harder than a .44 Magnum does in the same room.

The muzzle velocity of the L115A3 is 936 metres per second (up from 838m/s) giving it an effective range of 1400 metres compared to the L96’s 800m, and not surprisingly, the Schmidt & Bender day sights now magnify up to 25 times, compared with the L96’s 12 times.

The L115A3s are part of the British Ministry of Defence’s Sniper System Improvement Programme (SSIP), which includes new night sights, spotting scopes, laser range finders and tripods.

The first batch of SSIP systems was deployed to Afghanistan with members of 16 Air Assault Brigade earlier this year and reports suggest the claim of "the best .338 sniper rifle in the world"

Portsmouth-based Accuracy International was established in 1978 by two-times Olympic shooting Gold medallist Malcolm Cooper, and its high-accuracy sniper rifles are in use with military and police forces worldwide including many elite military units (the British SAS and reportedly the US Delta Force too).

In terms of the best .5o sniper rifle in the world, that mantle almost certainly goes to the McMillan Bros Tac-50 used by Canadian Special Forces in Afghanistan that holds the all time record kill at 2430 meters.

The skill of Canadian snipers combined with the fire power of the “Big Mac” made it very dangerous for the Taliban fighters to expose themselves if only for a few seconds. There are many accounts of the 2430 meter kill shot on the net. That's two and a half kilometres!

TASER announces wildlife management stungun

We've seen TASER electroshock weapons designed for law enforcement, personal protection and even riot control, but in all of the above cases, it's a human on the receiving end. Now the company has a different target in sight for its "less lethal" technology ... and it's one that could create as much controversy as its predecessors – the TASER Wildlife Electronic Control Device (ECD).

Introduced at this week's SHOT Show in Las Vegas, the TASER Wildlife ECD has been developed as an alternative tool for less effective methods of animal control used by wildlife professionals like chemical or acoustic repellents. It is designed for use on large animals like bears and elk.

"The TASER Wildlife ECD is an extension of TASER's technology to save animal lives," said Rick Smith, CEO and co-founder of TASER International. "It is designed to incapacitate larger animals more effectively and safer than current animal control tools."

The wildlife specific model is a three-shot, semi-automatic that can deliver a pulse from up to 35 feet (10.6 m) away. It's been ruggedized to stand-up to sea spray, rain, dust and short-term water submersion, and has the same logging and dual range laser targeting systems as the TASER X3 on which it is based. The MSRP has been set at US$2,000.

The company says that while it "believes that the modification of human behavior is the key to the management of human-animal conflicts, it sometimes becomes necessary for wildlife managers to utilize tools to modify animal behavior." Programs are being developed to train wildlife professionals in the safe use of these ECDs, but like any weapon, it's open misuse by humans and controversy is most likely to arise when it falls into the hands of untrained, unprofessional users.