China’s Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter which conducted its first test flight in 2011 cannot be counted as a fifth-generation fighter yet, the Kanwa Defense Review. The J-20 prototypes have Russian-built AL-31F or domestic WS-10 engines designed for fourth-generation fighters like the Russian Su-27 and Chinese J-10. Because the J-20 cannot achieve supersonic flight or supermaneuverable …
Remotely-controlled weapons systems have drastically reduced the number of Soldiers needed for perimeter security at an expeditionary base camp here. “Every Soldier I have assigned to securing the perimeter is one I don’t have that can execute support missions,” said Lt. Col. Raphael Heflin, commander, 142nd Combat Service Support Battalion, or CSSB, 1st Armored Division. …
A new analysis of an ape that lived 12.5 million years ago suggests it is a type of gorilla. If that’s true, it means gorillas evolved much earlier than thought, and also pushes back the time when humans split from chimps by about 2 million years. David Begun of the University of Toronto in Canada …
NASA has selected 12 Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) to advance concept studies and technology development projects in the areas of advanced propulsion, habitation and small satellites. Selected advanced electric propulsion projects will develop propulsion technology systems in the 50- to 300-kilowatt range to meet the needs of a variety of deep space …
Recently it was confirmed that a data breach of 50 terabytes (data of five Libraries of Congress) already took place in 2007 at the prime subcontractor Lockheed Martin. Chinese hackers have successfully obtained data on the B-2 stealth bomber, the F35 jet, the F-22 jet, space-based lasers, missile navigation and tracking systems, as well as …
China will soon start building its second locally designed aircraft carrier in Shanghai. It would be China’s third aircraft carrier. The 60,000 ton Liaoning is an operational training aircraft carrier. The first Dalian aircraft carrier is scheduled to be launched before 2017 according to China’s plan to produce two China-made 48,000 to 64,000-ton conventional carriers. …
Kramer and colleagues have just invented a new way to spray solar cells onto flexible surfaces using miniscule light-sensitive materials known as colloidal quantum dots (CQDs)—a major step toward making spray-on solar cells easy and cheap to manufacture. “My dream is that one day you’ll have two technicians with Ghostbusters backpacks come to your house …
NASA will pay longtime space company Boeing $4.2 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion to certify, test and fly their crew capsules on as many as six missions. The deal will end NASA’s expensive reliance on Russia to ferry astronauts to and from the space station. NASA has set a goal of 2017 for the first …
Deloitte and PWC have papers that detail the infrastucture needs and opportunity in developing countries like India. China’s infrastructure builders need to expand beyond China as China rebalances its domestic economy towards services and consumption. China’s foreign exchange reserves, the largest in the world, reached a record USD 3.95 trillion in March and it plans …
Japanese firm Softbank has unveiled a robot called Pepper, which it says can read human emotions. It uses an “emotional engine” and a cloud-based artificial intelligence system that allows it to analyse gestures, expressions and voice tones. The firm said people could communicate with it “just like they would with friends and family” and it …
The Carnival of Space 355 is up at io9. “The meridiani journal – Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Is shrinking – now the smallest ever seen In this new image from the Hubble Space Telescope, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is seen at its smallest size ever recorded. Credit: NASA / ESA / A. Simon (Goddard Space …