USAF Looks To Next-Gen UAV

USAF Looks To Next-Gen UAV: "

The USAF's next-generation unmanned air system could be a 'lightweight-fighter sized, 20,000 pound' aircraft with 'minimally stealthy' characteristics, according to the service's chief procurement officer for UAVs.

Col. William Bridges, chief of the airborne reconnaissance division in the office of the assistant secretary of the air force for acquisition, says that an analysis of alternatives (AoA) for what the service calls the Next Generation UAV or MQ-X could get under way in 2010, with a program start (budgets permitting) in 2012. The goal is a fielded capability in 2020. Bridges was speaking at a London conference organized by Hanson Wade.'

The service's views of MQ-X have changed since it issued a request for information in 2008. 'Two years ago we thought it would be the next improvement on the Predator - now we're thinking of something brand new.' Almost twice the size of the MQ-9A Reaper, the new aircraft would have turbofan power for higher response speeds and would be designed as 'a truck' for new and emerging sensors and weapons.'

The aircraft would be 'minimally stealthy', Bridges says, with some stealth-related shaping but few if any special materials. The rationale is that for a high-altitude, long-loiter vehicle to evade detection would require a level of stealth that's not affordable in the numbers that the USAF wants. It would probably use an off-the-shelf engine to reduce development costs.'

In what might be a sign of a new trend, Bridges also prefers to use the term 'remotely piloted aircraft' or RPA for UAVs. 'They have a pilot in the loop, and to me 'unmanned aircraft' sounds like 'horseless carriage',' Bridges says.'

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(Via Ares.)

V-22 Faces Mission Capable Rates Issues

V-22 Faces Mission Capable Rates Issues: "An aircraft is usually deployed only after it has passed its Material Support date; the V-22 was deployed a year prior"

(Via AviationWeek.com Defense Channel.)

WOOPS: Wrong Video of the Sejil-2 Launch

WOOPS: Wrong Video of the Sejil-2 Launch: "

You can't blame the US-based Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance and some news outlets too much for the small snafu. The Iranians have had a bad track record in the area of truth in advertising.

MDAA posted this video, allegedly of the Sejil-2 launch May 20 by Iran. But, as you can see, the plume is quite erratic, denoting a problem in the missile's flight.'

The May 20 test, by contrast, has been hailed as a success, even by US defense officials, who say the missile was produced in Iran. This is a significant step in Tehran's ballistic missile ambitions, they say.

Below is what really should be a pic of the Sejil-2 launch May 20.

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source: UPI/Landov Photos

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(Via Ares.)

"T-38" crashes near Edwards

CALIFORNIA CITY, California — A military jet on a training mission
crashed north of Edwards Air Force base in the desert on Thursday,
authorities said. The fate of the two crew members aboard was not
immediately known.

The T-38 Talon went down at 1:15 p.m. nine miles north of the base,
Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes said in a statement. Base officials
had no immediate information on the cause of the crash.

It was the second crash of an aircraft from Edwards in less than two
months. On March 25, an Air Force F-22A Raptor went down about 35
miles north of the base, killing a test pilot for prime contractor
Lockheed Martin Corp.

The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer
used primarily for pilot training.

Test pilots and flight test engineers are trained in T-38s at Edwards,
while Air Force Materiel Command uses the jet to test experimental
equipment such as electrical and weapon systems. NASA uses T-38s as
trainers for astronauts.

The jets are a little more than 46 feet long and have wingspans of
about 25 feet.

The Talon, built by Northrop Corp., first flew in 1959. The Air Force
acquired more than 1,100 before production ended in 1972.

Obama wants classification review

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2009, Issue No. 47
May 21, 2009

"We are launching a review of current policies by all of those agencies responsible for the classification of documents to determine where reforms are possible," announced President Obama in a speech at the National Archives today.

While the President has spoken broadly before of the need for greater transparency, this is the new Administration's first public approach to reform of the national security classification system. A focused review of individual agency classification policies, many of which have not been revised or updated for years, has the potential to eliminate obsolete classification requirements, and to minimize overclassification. (See "Overcoming Overclassification," Secrecy News, September 16, 2008.)

"I ran for President promising transparency, and I meant what I said," Obama said. "That is why, whenever possible, we will make information available to the American people so that they can make informed judgments and hold us accountable. But I have never argued – and never will – that our most sensitive national security matters should be an open book."

"I will never abandon – and I will vigorously defend – the necessity of classification to defend our troops at war; to protect sources and methods; and to safeguard confidential actions that keep the American people safe. And so, whenever we cannot release certain information to the public for valid national security reasons, I will insist that there is oversight of my actions – by Congress or by the courts."

The President also indicated that an ongoing review of the use of the state secrets privilege was "nearing completion."

"On all of these matters related to the disclosure of sensitive information, I wish I could say that there is a simple formula. But there is not. These are tough calls involving competing concerns, and they require a surgical approach."

"But the common thread that runs through all of my decisions is simple: we will safeguard what we must to protect the American people, but we will also ensure the accountability and oversight that is the hallmark of our constitutional system. I will never hide the truth because it is uncomfortable. I will deal with Congress and the courts as co-equal branches of government. I will tell the American people what I know and don't know, and when I release something publicly or keep something secret, I will tell you why," he said.