TEWKSBURY, Mass., Aug. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell have announced an agreement to establish a joint research facility focused on the advancement of innovative technologies in a collaborative, state-of-the-art institute. Raytheon is committing $3 million with options to $5 million throughout the next 10 years for establishment of this research facility. 

The Raytheon-UMass Lowell Research Institute (RURI) will feature state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms that will serve as a launchpad for collaboration and learning among UMass Lowell faculty and students and Raytheon employees to benefit both organizations in the pursuit of federal research funding. It will also provide UMass Lowell students with opportunities for research projects and employment opportunities at Raytheon.

"The creation of the RURI presents a tangible opportunity to advance the research and the learning of technologies under development for students and employees alike and will inspire future engineers and drive innovation," said Dan Crowley, president of Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business.

"We look forward to bringing the expertise of our top-notch faculty together with researchers from Raytheon. This new partnership is just one example of how UMass Lowell is leading the way in collaborating with industry to power innovation and the economy in Massachusetts and beyond," said UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan. "This institute will also provide our students with the kind of real-world experience that is one of the hallmarks of a UMass Lowell education."

"As a co-directed, co-located research environment, the RURI signifies a unique opportunity for Raytheon's university partnerships," said Mark E. Russell, Raytheon vice president of Engineering, Technology and Mission Assurance. "The RURI will serve as an extension of our current research capabilities and represents a resource across the Raytheon enterprise for the study of advanced materials and flexible circuit technologies, such as printable electronics and nanotechnology."

Initial research will focus on future technologies for radar and communication systems and could expand into other areas as needed. The institute will leverage UMass Lowell's strengths in printed electronics and nanotechnology that align with Raytheon's strategic technology needs including high-frequency printed conformal antennas, carbon-based transistors and photonic devices.

The RURI will be located in the Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, an $80 million, 84,000-square-foot research facility on the UMass Lowell campus that is home to cutting-edge research in a variety of science and engineering disciplines. The center – one of nine new buildings opened by the university since 2009 – was constructed to provide not only UMass Lowell faculty and students with the most advanced research facility of its kind north of Boston, but to also support collaboration with businesses from startups to world leaders like Raytheon.

The building's fourth floor will be specially equipped to house the institute, which will be co-directed by Dr. Christopher McCarroll of Raytheon and UMass Lowell Prof. Craig Armiento, Ph.D., a faculty member in electrical and computer engineering in the university's Francis College of Engineering.

About UMass Lowell
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its 17,000 students bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in business, engineering, education, fine arts, health, humanities, liberal arts, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 92 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as cyber security and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.

Aug 12 by David Axe – War is boring

A taxonomy of armored vehicles, volume four — the tricked-out M-1

The U.S. occupation of Iraq is over. The Afghanistan war is winding down. Today America faces “emerging threats in an increasingly sophisticated technological environment,” according to Gen. John Campbell, the Army vice chief of staff.

For the U.S. ground combat branches that means a renewed emphasis on fast-moving armored warfare. The Army and Marines are dusting off heavy vehicles that played a minor role in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In this series, we spotlight some of the more obscure, weird and lamented armored behemoths. The battle wagons of a new era of warfare. The focus of this volume — the Army’s latest M-1 tank … with all the bells and whistles.

Read full article

12 August 2014 airforce-technology.com

Airbus Defense and Space has secured a contract for the provision of services related to hosting US Air Force (USAF) communications systems onboard commercially operated satellites.

The firm fixed-price indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract features a five-year ordering period and has maximum potential value of $500m.

The contract pre-qualifies Airbus to submit proposals for hosted payloads, which is a business model designed to provide government customers with more rapid access to space for their programmes and missions without the costs associated with buying or leasing an entire spacecraft.

Airbus Defense and Space president Michael Cosentino said: "As a major satellite manufacturer and commercial operator, Airbus Defense and Space is well-positioned to offer the USAF and other US Government customers affordable and dependable access to space for both geostationary and low earth orbit hosted payloads."

Airbus Defense and Space US Government satellite communications unit president Ed Spitler said: "This is a great opportunity for Airbus Defense and Space to leverage its expertise in support of critical US space missions.

"Over the past two decades, Airbus Defense and Space has facilitated more than 30 hosted payload programmes worldwide and for US Government organisations, including the Federal Aviation Authority, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, National Research Laboratories and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

Managed by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) Developmental Planning Directorate, the contract covers multiple deliveries, including fully functioning on-orbit hosted payload systems, along with integrated ground system equipment and interfaces.

Work under the contract is scheduled to be complete by January 2029.

As well as the latest contract, the company also holds multiple future commercial satellite communications contract awards that are jointly managed by the Defense Information Systems Agency and the General Services Administration.

The contracts enable the company to provide US Government and military customers with access to its entire portfolio of transponded capacity and fixed and mobile subscription services.

13 août 2014 22h17 Romandie.com (AFP)

Dohuk (Irak) - Des conseillers militaires américains doivent se rendre dans la région montagneuse de Sinjar, dans le nord de l'Irak, pour étudier les moyens d'évacuer des civils qui y sont coincés, a déclaré mercredi un porte-parole des forces de sécurité kurdes.

Quelque 130 conseillers militaires sont arrivés à Erbil, la capitale de la région autonome du Kurdistan, et certains d'entre eux devaient se rendre aux monts Sinjar pour y évaluer la situation, a déclaré à l'AFP Halgord Hekmat, sans préciser si ces hommes étaient déjà partis vers cette région.

La prise de Sinjar par les jihadistes de l'Etat islamique (EI) a poussé des milliers de personnes à fuir vers les montagnes.

13/08/2014 Par Lefigaro.fr (AFP)

Le lanceur d'alerte Edward Snowden a affirmé que l'Agence de sécurité nationale américaine (NSA) disposait d'un logiciel antivirus capable de contre-attaquer automatiquement, sans aucune intervention humaine, contre des pirates informatiques, même si ces représailles ne sont pas toujours adéquates.

Une arme redoutable

Selon l'ancien consultant de la NSA, aujourd'hui réfugié en Russie, cet antivirus nommé "MonsterMind" est une arme redoutable: il permet, en cas d'attaque par des pirates informatiques contre des intérêts américains, de mener automatiquement des représailles contre l'ordinateur hébergeant l'adresse à l'origine de l'attaque, a-t-il expliqué dans une longue interview au magazine Wired parue aujourd'hui. Ce sont les premières révélations publiques concernant cet antivirus.

Mais selon Edward Snowden ce type de réponse automatique pose problème car des pirates informatiques habiles font transiter leurs attaques par le biais d'adresses internet de façade. Or MonsterMind s'attaquera en représailles à cette adresse tierce, au lieu de remonter vers les vrais coupables. "Vous pouvez avoir quelqu'un en Chine, par exemple, qui lance une attaque en la faisant transiter par une adresse en Russie. Et alors nous nous retrouvons à contre-attaquer et à nous en prendre à un hôpital en Russie" qui n'est pour rien dans l'attaque originale, a regretté Edward Snowden.

Le déclic de Snowden

Au cours de cette interview, qui s'est étalée sur plusieurs jours à Moscou, durant lesquels le lanceur d'alertes s'est montré gai et détendu, Edward Snowden a également expliqué quel avait été le déclic qui l'avait poussé à faire fuiter des centaines de milliers de documents concernant la sécurité américaine. Selon lui, après des mois durant lesquels il était de plus en plus mal à l'aise au vu des activités de la NSA, des déclarations malhonnêtes devant le Congrès de James Clapper, directeur du renseignement national, l'ont poussé à agir. Au cours de cet entretien devant des élus en mars 2013, James Clapper avait affirmé que la NSA ne collectait pas "sciemment" d'informations sur les Américains.

"Je crois que je lisais ça dans le journal le lendemain, on en parlait avec les collègues et je leur disais: Tu peux croire ça ?", raconte Edward Snowden. Celui-ci relate que ses collègues ne semblaient pas choqués, mais que lui craignait de s'enfoncer dans un système de plus en plus "diabolique", ce qui l'avait poussé à agir. Enfin, Edward Snowden pense que dans les milliers de documents qu'il a fait fuiter, et qui n'ont pas encore tous été exploités, dorment encore certainement des documents qui pourraient compromettre encore davantage les services du renseignement américain.

August 13, 2014 David Pugliese

The Pentagon’s Special Operations Command will conduct a social research program in Colombia to help shape future propaganda efforts, USA Today is reporting. It cites newly released military records.

More from the article:

It is the latest in a series of SOCOM attempts to gauge the effectiveness of its propaganda programs, which have been under attack in Congress and lost some of their funding in the last year.

The Global Research Assessment Program, SOCOM documents show, will hire an outside contractor to develop and conduct a poll in Colombia to gauge which propaganda arguments are the most effective.

The program will identify and analyze target audiences for propaganda, determine which programs work the best and then send the results to command officials and others with an interest in the results, the documents show.

Read full story

August 12, 2014, Washington – Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

SB>1 Defiant expected to fly in 2017

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), and Boeing (NYSE: BA) have been selected to build a helicopter for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator Phase 1 program (JMR TD), paving the way for the next generation of vertical lift aircraft.

The U.S. Army Aviation Technology Directorate (AATD) selected the Sikorsky-Boeing team to continue the development of the SB>1 Defiant, a medium-lift helicopter configured to Sikorsky’s X2™ coaxial design, through flight testing. First flight for the program is expected in 2017.

“Defiant will use Sikorsky’s proven X2 technology to overcome aircraft design challenges, which will be critical requirements on future vertical lift aircraft,” said Mick Maurer, Sikorsky president. “The Sikorsky-Boeing team’s integrated approach has created a unique blend of expertise, innovative spirit and customer commitment that are unmatched in the industry. The complementary capabilities of each team member have delivered a design that will provide the best future vertical lift solution to the U.S. Army, and the flexibility of our design makes it suited for naval applications as well. This is a major leap forward.”

The Defiant aircraft will feature counter-rotating rigid main rotor blades for vertical and forward flight, a pusher propeller for high-speed acceleration and deceleration, and an advanced fly-by-wire flight control system.

“Our team brings leadership and new ways of thinking to aircraft development,” said Shelley Lavender, president of Boeing Military Aircraft. “As the original equipment manufacturers for both the Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, we bring tremendous technological breadth and depth to the customer. I believe our technical capabilities and experience in development and flight testing of complex rotorcraft systems were a key factor in the customer’s decision.”

To date, Sikorsky and Boeing collectively have delivered more than 3,000 helicopters to the Army in support of its challenging missions.

The JMR TD program supports the Department of Defense’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program to deliver the next generation of vertical lift aircraft with greater performance, reliability and affordability. The Defiant aircraft packages evolutionary technologies in a new, innovative and affordable design that flies faster, farther and with more payload.

The JMR TD Program offers Sikorsky and Boeing the opportunity to partner with the U.S. Government in demonstrating the maturity of advanced and enabling future vertical lift technologies. Sikorsky and Boeing formed their JMR team in January 2013, and each company has invested significantly in the program.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Connecticut, is a world leader in aircraft design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, provides high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $33 billion business with 56,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense

MOSCOU, 13 août - RIA Novosti

La mission humanitaire américaine en Irak pourrait s'avérer être plus coûteuse et plus longue que la Maison Blanche ne l'annonce, considère Micah Zenko du Conseil des relations étrangères américain.

Dans un article consacré aux interventions américaines paru dans le journal Foreign Policy, l'expert compare la situation actuelle en Irak à la politique menée par Washington lors du conflit libyen de 2011.

Selon lui, le fait que le président Obama ait reconnu que les objectifs de l'intervention armée en Libye ont été révisés au cours du conflit peuvent laisser douter de l'authenticité des "motifs et des objectifs" déclarés de la mission courante en Irak.

Il précise qu'après que M.Obama a annoncé le 7 août dernier que l'"Amérique fournira une aide", une série d'experts et d'analystes politiques ont pointé "l'ambigüité des objectifs américains en Irak".

"Les Etats-Unis ont à nouveau eu recours à la force en Irak sous couvert de raisons humanitaires et sans présenter une stratégie globale portant sur les conditions de l'arrêt de l'opération", écrit M.Zenko.

Selon ce dernier, quoique le secrétaire d'Etat américain John Kerry ait déclaré que le président Obama était prêt à toute éventualité, la Maison Blanche était focalisée sur une "intervention limitée", le dirigeant US voulant éviter "la création d'une pente glissante", d'après les sources au sein de son administration.

"Toutefois, lorsque les Etats-Unis procèdent à une intervention militaire dans un pays, ils ne peuvent pas contrôler la déclivité de cette pente glissante. Les actions actuelles des Etats-Unis peuvent avoir deux conséquences prévisibles: la vie de quelques civils sera prochainement sauvée, quant à l'opération militaire, elle sera plus importante et durable que l'administration [américaine] ne l'annonce maintenant", estime l'expert.

Le 29 juin dernier, l'Etat islamique (EI) a annoncé la création d'un "Califat islamique" en Syrie et en Irak, le titre de calife étant attribué au chef de file de ce groupe djihadiste, Abdullah Ibrahim al-Samarrai, connu également sous le nom d'Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Dans la nuit du 7 au 8 août, le président américain Barack Obama a autorisé des frappes aériennes ciblées en Irak "pour aider les forces irakiennes qui se battent pour protéger les civils".

13 août 2014. Portail des Sous-Marins

Les informations selon lesquelles un sous-marin de l’US Navy aurait été chassé le 7 aout dernier des eaux russes par un avion russe de lutte anti-sous-marine, sont faux, ont déclaré lundi des responsables de l’US European Command (EUCOM).

« Il n’y a rien de vrai dans cette histoire : il n’y avait pas de sous-marin américain dans la région, » explique un communiqué de l’EUCOM.

« Nous ne savons pas ce qu’il en est pour d’autres pays, mais il n’était pas américain. Nous n’avions rien dans une région frontalière le jour en question. »

Le communiqué de l’EUCOM fait suite à des articles publiés au cours du week-end, selon lesquels les forces ASM russes avaient chassé un sous-marin américain de la classe Virginia de la mer de Barents.

Référence : US Naval Institute (Etats-Unis)

13 août 2014 Romandie.com (AFP)

San Diego (Etats-Unis) - Le secrétaire américain à la Défense Chuck Hagel a annoncé mardi l'envoi de 130 conseillers militaires supplémentaires en Irak, à Erbil, la capitale du Kurdistan irakien (nord), pour évaluer plus en profondeur les besoins des Yazidis chassés par les militants sunnites de l'Etat islamique.

Le président (Obama) m'a autorisé à envoyer environ 130 nouveaux membres d'une équipe d'évaluation au nord de l'Irak, à Erbil, pour évaluer plus en profondeur ce que nous pouvons faire pour continuer à aider les Irakiens, a déclaré M. Hagel lors d'une allocution à Camp Pendleton, en Californie.

Ces conseillers sont arrivés dans la journée de mardi, a ajouté le chef du Pentagone, soulignant qu'ils n'avaient pas vocation à combattre, un peu plus de deux ans et demi après le départ des dernières troupes américaines d'Irak.

Le président l'a dit très clairement, nous n'allons pas retourner en Irak pour y effectuer le même type de missions de combat que nous menions par le passé, a déclaré M. Hagel face à un parterre de Marines.

Ces conseillers viennent en renfort des quelque 300 conseillers dont Barack Obama avait annoncé le déploiement en juin, pour épauler le gouvernement irakien dans sa lutte contre l'Etat islamique.

Selon un responsable du Pentagone, qui a requis l'anonymat, ils auront pour tâche de mettre en oeuvre des projets d'assistance humanitaire autres que les largages actuels de vivres aux Yazidis, une minorité kurdophone, chassés de chez eux par les insurgés et réfugiés dans les zones montagneuses autour de Sinjar.

Depuis que le président Obama a autorisé ces parachutages, près de 76.000 litres d'eau et 85.000 repas ont été largués, d'après le Pentagone.

Par ailleurs, les forces aériennes américaines ont effectué depuis vendredi 17 missions aériennes destinées à freiner l'avancée de l'Etat islamique.

12/08/2014 Par Samuel Forey – LeFigaro.fr

Le gouvernement autonome du Kurdistan conforte ses positions dans le pays grâce au soutien des Occidentaux.

Après plus d'une semaine de conquêtes sur le front kurde, les djihadistes n'avancent plus. La dernière ville à tomber a été Jalawla, lundi dernier, dans les confins sud-est du Kurdistan irakien, non loin de la frontière avec l'Iran.

L'État islamique recule, même. Pour la première fois depuis que l'organisation a jeté ses forces contre les Kurdes, les pechmergas ont pu reprendre les villes de Gweir et de Makhmour, à proximité d'Erbil. Au Gouvernement régional du Kurdistan (GRK), on souffle un peu. «La situation est toujours dramatique, on a encore des centaines de milliers de déplacés, mais au moins, cette crise a montré que le Kurdistan était une province stable et que le GRK restait solide et fiable. Mais la bataille est loin d'être finie», estime Dindar Zebari, un responsable au département des Relations extérieures du GRK.

Suite de l’article

12 Aug 2014 Pacific Sentinel

 

From Commander, Task Force 73 Public Affairs

<< Officers taking part in a previous SEACAT exercise work together in Singapore. (Singapore Ministry of Defence file photo)

SINGAPORE - The 13th annual Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise commenced at the Republic of Singapore Navy's Multinational Operations and Exercises Center (MOEC) Aug. 11.

Focused on regional cooperation to address shared maritime security challenges like piracy, smuggling and other illicit activities at sea, SEACAT brings together liaison officers from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States to collaborate and coordinate practical responses to a number of realistic scenarios.

"As maritime nations that depend on the free flow of commerce at sea, we share an interest in addressing these challenges and recognize that none of us has enough resources to do it alone," said Rear Adm. Charlie Williams, commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet's Task Force 73 and executive agent for SEACAT, who delivered opening remarks at the MOEC.

During the five-day command post exercise (CPX), liaison officers will receive simulated reports of suspect vessels in the Straits of Singapore and Malacca, the Andaman Sea or the South China Sea. After sharing information from all available sources, such as Singapore's Information Fusion Center (IFC), Malaysia's International Maritime Bureau (IMB), or the Philippines' Coast Watch System, the LNOs will develop and implement response plans during a concurrent field training exercise (FTX). Based on the situation, aircraft and ships from participating navies will investigate and conduct on scene boardings as necessary.

This year's exercise incorporates maritime search and rescue (SAR) scenarios as well as participation by regional coast guards, like the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

"We're all mariners here and I'm pleased that organizations like Malaysia's MMEA are part of the mix this year," said Williams. "Coordination between navies, coast guards and marine police is a big part of getting after maritime security challenges, especially those that overlap with international and territorial waters."

Several staff members from the forward deployed Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7 are also on hand to participate as U.S. LNOs and to run the CPX scenario.

"For the second year in a row, DESRON 7 is looking forward to participating in this year's SEACAT exercise," said Capt. Fred Kacher, DESRON 7 commodore. "Exercises like this help to strengthen partnerships so we are ready to respond as one team to challenges whenever they arise in this incredibly important maritime region."

SEACAT, which began in 2002 under the name "Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism," was renamed in 2012 exercise to expand the scope of training among regional navies and coast guards. Participating U.S. forces include staff from Commander, Task Force 73, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, the guided missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) and a P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

US Pacific Fleet

August 12, 2014: Strategy Page

 It was recently revealed that the United States allowed Israel to take ammo from American stocks stored in Israel because of some shortages created by the fighting with Hamas. Allowing Israel to draw on thes American stocks is a courtesy because Israel allows the U.S. store the stuff there and helps keep it all safe. Moreover, the U.S. has to use or dispose of ammo once it exceeds its shelf life. So selling older stuff to Israel when Israel needs it helps both countries.

 Since 2006 the United States has been building war reserve stocks (large quantities of ammo and spare parts needed to support intense action at the start of a war) in Israel to support possible American operations in the Middle East. The U.S. also has such stocks in the United States and during the Cold War maintained them in Europe as well. Recently the U.S. has been reducing war reserve stocks in South Korea, often selling the ammo and spares to South Korea.

Some pundits accuse the U.S. of using the war reserve stocks angle as an excuse to maintain large supplies of ammo and other military material in Israel just for the use of Israel. In practice such has not been the case. The American stocks in Israel were drawn upon by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan after 2006. Moreover Israel helped the U.S. deal with small arms ammunition shortages before and after 2006 by taking ammo from their own stocks and selling it to the Americans. All this is the sort of thing allies do for each other.