Brits Spy Drone Sets Endurance Record

DailyTech reports that defense firm QinetQ has set the unofficial world record for the longest continuous unmanned flight with the Zephyr, a British-built spy plane.

The Zephyr stayed in the air for 82 hours and 37 minutes, besting the previous record of 30 hours and 24 minutes held by Northrup Grumman’s Global Hawk.

The plane, which can be launched by hand, has a carbon fiber skeleton that weighs under 70 lbs and an 18m wingspan covered with silicon solar cells. It is powered by a lithium sulfur rechargeable battery that is twice as efficient as any other battery in the world.

Despite the Zephyr’s record-smashing speed, it will not set any official world records. According to the World Air Sports Federation, the plane’s flight did not fulfill the requirements of a world record attempt since it was performed to test the Zephyr’s ability to relay ground radio messages.

But that doesn’t mean the test flight was for naught. The Zephyr’s designers believe that the plane could potentially fly continuously for weeks or months, and the technology has countless military uses. Even more exciting, the Zephyr’s exhibition of solar energy used in flight opens up the possibility of manned solar-powered planes—a development that would revolutionize the aircraft industry.

Air Force back to using HUMINT unit.

Air Force Times: Staff Report

Posted : Monday Aug 25, 2008 17:45:06 EDT
The Air Force is back in the business of using people to gather intelligence, standing up a detachment dedicated to HUMINT Aug. 14.

The unit — called Detachment 6 — falls under the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is part of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency.

It is supposed to focus on developing information on foreign aircraft and other aerospace capabilities.

A cadre of HUMINT personnel has been in place since November. The new detachment will eventually transition to squadron-level over the next few years. Maj. Gar J. Lightner assumed command of Detachment 6 from Maj. Dianne Hickey.

In past interviews, officials have said the unit looks to draw experienced airmen from a wide range of specialties, not just intelligence analysts.

Aerospace engineers are needed to talk with aircraft designers. Pilots would speak with aviators. Computer engineers w

Woo Hoo! U.S. Forces Capture Top al Qaeda leaders.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces said on Sunday they had caught two prominent al Qaeda leaders, including one they blamed for the kidnapping of an American journalist.

High ranking sources said they had captured Ali Rash Nasir Jiyad al-Shammari, known as Abu Tiba, on August 17 and Salim Abdallah Ashur al-Shujayri, known as Abu Uthman, on August 11.

Abu Tiba was the Sunni militant group's senior advisor in the Iraqi capital, while Abu Uthman was its "emir," or leader, for the capital's eastern Rusafa district.

Abu Tiba was in charge of al Qaeda during its most active period in early 2007, they said in a statement.

Abu Uthman was believed to be the planner directly behind the kidnapping of U.S. journalist Jill Carroll, a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor who was held for nearly three months after being abducted in 2006.

His associates were also involved in the kidnappings of British/Iraqi aid worker Margaret Hassan, who was slain by her captors in 2004, and of a group of Christian peace activists, the statement said.

"The capture of Abu Tiba and Abu Uthman eliminates two of the few remaining experienced leaders in the AQI (al Qaeda in Iraq) network," U.S. military spokesman Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll said.

U.S. forces say al Qaeda militants have been driven out of many areas over the past year-and-a-half since many Sunni Arab tribes turned against them, but the militants still retain the capability to stage suicide bombings and other big attacks.

Holloman to be 2nd home for UAV training

By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer Air Foce times
Posted : Monday Aug 25, 2008 8:31:32 EDT

Air Combat Command officials announced Aug. 18 that Holloman was chosen over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and Fort Huachuca, Ariz., to house the second Unmanned Aircraft System Formal Training Unit, which is expected to stand up in 2009.

The decision won’t become final until after an environmental impact study, but that’s seen now as a formality.

Pilots and sensor operators previously completed their MQ-1 and MQ-9 Initial Qualification Course at Creech, but the continued demand for more round-the-clock orbits of Predators and Reapers in the war zones means ACC needs more training slots to provide enough airmen to fly them.

Over the past year, the Air Force has more than doubled the number of unmanned aerial vehicle orbits over Iraq and Afghanistan — from 12 to 27 — and has had to rapidly train pilots to keep up with the pace. Air Force officials say they want to increase that total to 50 orbits by 2011.

To match that growth, service officials have said they aim to more than double the number of pilots for the MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk, from 350 to 800, by 2013.

“As we ramp up this critical capability, we also need to increase our production of UAS operators,” said Col. Michael Kennedy, ACC deputy director for plans and programs.

Officials chose Holloman because of its “existing mission facilities, cost compatibility with current ongoing missions, amount of restricted air space” and the number of clear days to fly, said Maj. Kristi Beckman, an ACC spokeswoman.

The new unit will be able to train an average of 120 crews, which include a pilot and a sensor operator, each year, Beckman said.

About 38 Predators and Reapers will be sent to Holloman once the training unit stands up, along with a mix of about 100 airmen and contractors to serve as trainers and support staff.

The decision to stand up another training unit, rather than expand the one at Creech, was made because of “base support limitations at Creech,” Beckman said.

ABC NEWS: Is Boris Bad Enough? Russia's military power.

Experts Are Divided, but U.S. Intelligence Believes Russia's Military May Be World's Second Strongest
By KIRIT RADIA

The Russian bear is roaring angrily as its former Soviet satellites forge closer ties with the West. But as Russia makes threats and takes steps to curb perceived Western encroachment on its border, just how much of a threat is it?

Experts say Russia's options are limited, but warn it should not be ignored.

Independent experts are divided on the extent of Russia's strength. However, American intelligence believes Russia's military may have rebounded to become the second most powerful in the world, behind only the United States, after suffering from mismanagement and insufficient resources after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Military spending increased several-fold under former President Vladimir Putin, buoyed by booming oil and gas revenues.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice voiced her concern about Russia's military might in an interview with ABC News during a trip to Moscow last year.

"I think the rapid growth in Russian military spending definitely bears watching," she told ABC's Jonathan Karl.

s week Russia threatened Poland, its former Soviet satellite, after Warsaw inked a deal allowing the United States to place 10 interceptor missiles on Polish territory.

"Russia, in this case, will have to react and not only through diplomatic protests," Russia's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, this just days after a top Russian general warned Warsaw it could face a nuclear attack if it went ahead with the deal.


The United States insists the missiles are meant to defend against attacks from rogue countries like Iran, but Russia feels threatened by a U.S. missile system so close to its border.

Rice downplayed Russia's threat and reminded Moscow that Poland's membership in NATO means the United States is obligated to defend it against attack.

"An attack upon one is an attack upon all, and that's the strongest possible guarantee you can have," Rice told reporters.

So, how credible is Russia's threat against Poland?

"The Russians aren't about to launch some military action to the Poles, but they might take some specific measures to counter it, like moving short-range missiles closer to the border," said Stephen Flanagan, director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic International Studies.

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