US Marines Have Lost a F-35B, F-18D and MV-22B in Separate Crashes in Less Than 30 Days

The US marines have lost two fighter jets and an expensive military transport helicopter in less than 30 days. This is without any combat operations. The F-35B costs over $100 million, the F-18D costs $50 million and the MV-22B Osprey costs $84 million. The US military lost over $234 million of combat air vehicles in …

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China creating second largest marine corps to secure Belt and Road Interests

China plans to increase the size of its marine corps from about 20,000 to 100,000 personnel to protect the nation’s maritime lifelines and its growing interests overseas. China is shifting brigades from the army to the Marines and Navy to shift from a land war focus to securing Belt and Road ports and other South …

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Tomsk State University researchers target boosting germanium quantum dots to 40% solar cell efficiency

Nanostructures based on silicon for converting solar energy into electricity will allow doubling the efficiency of solar cells. Based on the results of experiments with already-received semiconductor nanostructures, TSU scientists plan to increase the efficiency of solar cells up to 35-40%. The maximum possible efficiency of such batteries, according to theoretical calculations, is 53%. The …

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Thales optronic targeting pod integrated, tested on Rafale fighter

TALIOS is the first optronic pod to cover the entire critical decision chain from intelligence gathering to weapon delivery. Capabilities range from deep strike with long-range missiles and bombs to air-to-air target identification and close air support, and include the rapidly emerging requirement of Non-Traditional Information, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (NTISR). Thales’ new-generation TALIOS laser targeting …

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Stanford created scalable optical quantum annealing computer using special lasers and electrical circuits

An entirely new type of computer that blends optical and electrical processing could get around this impending processing constraint and solve superlarge optimization problems. If it can be scaled up, this non-traditional computer could save costs by finding more optimal solutions to problems that have an incredibly high number of possible solutions. There is a …

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First AP1000 nuclear reactor should be operating Sept 2016 and the first CAP1400 should start construction this year

China’s first AP1000 reactor, Sanmen 1, is expected to begin commercial operation in September 2016, while governmental permission is expected for work to start on the first Chinese-designed CAP1400 by the end of this year Sanmen 1, in Zhejiang province, is one of four Westinghouse-designed AP1000s currently under construction in China. Work officially began on …

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Why $14 billion aircraft carriers are a bad idea

Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain, is a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the director of its Defense Strategies and Assessments Program. This is a summary of the case he made in the National Review against aircraft carriers. If the US Navy wants to address its budget crisis, its …

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