The Turkish government announced it signed a nearly $ 1 billion deal with a local shipyard to produce the country’s first Landing Platform Dock (LPD). The planned amphibious assault vessel will carry a battalion-sized unit of 1,200 troops and personnel, eight utility helicopters, three unmanned aerial vehicles and transport 150 vehicles, including battle tanks. It …
Oxford PV is developing and commercialising thin-film perovskite solar cells, which can be printed directly onto silicon solar cells, CIGS solar cells or glass. This will drive a paradigm shift in the aesthetics, performance and cost of both current solar panels and Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. Perovskite materials have astounded the solar cell community …
The U.S. Defense Department is considering ordering as many as 450 F-35 aircraft from Lockheed Martin Corp., sending warplane output to the fastest in three decades as it gains confidence in the advanced fighter’s performance. The purchase would total 150 jets annually over three years and would include aircraft destined for international customers, Undersecretary Frank …
India expects to bring into service its first domestically made aircraft carrier by 2018 as it looks to counter China’s expanding military capabilities in the region. The diesel-powered, 40,000-ton INS Vikrant will be ready within three years, Indian Navy Chief R.K. Dhowan told reporters in New Delhi today. It’s under construction at a shipyard in …
Canadian Terrestrial Energy has formed an alliance with Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester in UK to develop its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR). The firm intends to accelerate work on the development in order to make it ready for the construction and licensing phase, which has been scheduled for early 2017. Molten …
Japan has a mascot obsession. Each mascot is like an anime character come to life. The Japanese have a long-lasting, deep emotional bond to “non-human” characters, with roots buried deep in an ancient polytheism. The most popular Japanese mascot holds press conferences. Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger …
Canadian Forces through the Soldier Integrated Precision Effects Systems (SIPES) project have developed next generation prototype gun. A bullpup design that features the ability to install either a three round 40 mm grenade launcher, or a 12-gauge shotgun. The next phase will feature a TrackingPoint style system to automatically detect targets and assist in engaging …
Methylococcus capsulatus is a methanotroph, a bacterium that metabolises methane. Salmon will consume pelletised protein made from these bacteria. And that could be handy for fish farmers. Calysta, a biotechnology firm in Menlo Park, California, proposes to take advantage of the rock-bottom price of methane, a consequence of the spread of natural-gas fracking, to breed …
US daily Crude oil production is at 9.566 million barrels per day. Part of the 300K gain from the prior reported week was 95K per day from Alaska oil production as some problems were resolved. US daily crude oil production history from 1920 to today. The peak was in 1970 and was just short of …
The Pentagon has been authorized to create “the true and complete integration of air and missile defense” and on “left-of-launch and non-kinetic means of defense.” They will be coordinating — a much wider range of tools than just traditional Patriot-style interceptors. Lasers are literally the flashiest example here, but there’s also room for rail guns; …
SpaceX has won certification from Space and Missile Systems Center. This carries enormous import for the international launch industry, for the Pentagon, the Air Force and the Intelligence Community. It’s not that Musk’s SpaceX is going to win deals tomorrow from the current national security launch monopoly, the United Launch Alliance. It’s that Musk has …