AIR & SPACE SECTOR

• Hog Heaven. The A/OA-10 Warthog has proved far more useful for modern fights than even the contemporary F-117 stealth fighter, and is slated for another 20 years of service. To keep them current, the USAF is putting them through major upgrades. AW Ares has background and pictures, while DID offers a full FOCUS Article report on the program that includes lessons from the field.

• RAF Pod People. The US Marines have used the hovering Harrier fighter jet very successfully, but the British record in Afghanistan was a mix of praise and strong military complaints re: their ground support capabilities - including unfavorable comparisons with USAF A-10s. Ouch! What the planes carry matters - the U.K. Ministry of Defense will now add Lockheed Martin's Sniper ATP surveillance & targeting pod to its Harriers [AW coverage | DID coverage], and also undertook a rapid development program with QinetiQ to add RAFAEL's LITENING III surveillance & targeting pod to its Tornado GR4 strike aircraft.

• ACCA! It's AJACS! Build a cargo-carrying X-plane in 18 months. That's the broad-brush goal of the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA) project, kicked off by the Air Force Research Laboratory as part of a program called AJACS, which aims to replace the C-130 Hercules, the current mainstay of the USA's tactical transport fleet. AW's Ares looks at the contracts, while DID looks at military air transportation's future competitive landscape and says we've been down this road before...

• DARPA's Orbital Express Proves On-Orbit Fluid Transfer. Orbital satellite to satellite refueling, without human intervention, has never been done before. Now it has, and the feat has implications for the future of space. AW has links to photos of successful fluid transfers between the two Orbital Express program spacecraft. DID covers the Orbital Express program in an in-depth FOCUS Article.

• Holy Microelectronics! Honeywell announced last week that it is releasing a new line of microelectronics for military and commercial satellite developers. The line offers 4x the memory and 4x the logic in the same amount of space as previous systems, according to company spokesman James O'Leary. AW report.

• HIFiRE. Hypersonic flight above Mach 5 (5 times the speed of sound) would have obvious implications lower-cost satellite launches, spaceplane projects, and missiles. The US and Australia have signed the HIFiRE research agreement to undertake some of that research together, and R&D and testing are beginning in preparation for the X-51's test flights. DID covers HIFiRE developments, and offers a primer on hypersonic technologies and issues.

• Syrian AF wants to modernize - or it that Iran? Russian newspapers are reporting a $1 billion deal with Syria for MiG-31 Foxhound and MiG-29M2 fighter jets, which they say is likely a front for shipments to Iran. DID reports, and adds some details re: the aircraft and their uses.

• A Euro UCAV. The 6-nation (France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland) nEUROn program aims to keep Europe's defense aerospace sector busy, while creating a UAV with a range and weapons options that approach the F-117 stealth fighter. That effort has just moved out of the Feasibility Phase, and into the Definition Phase... and spawned a medium surveillance UAV spin-off program.

• Israel's Huge, New UAV. The first pictures of Israel's secret, large-payload, weapons-carrying unmanned aircraft have leaked out.

• Where are the other Qs? DRS Technologies' unique Neptune unmanned air vehicle, designed to be launched from a small boat and recovered by a parachute splash-down, has been ordered into low-rate initial production for Navy special operations teams and - in the process - has been designated RQ-15A. Which leads to the immediate question: since AeroVironment's RQ-11A Raven is the most recent designation in the Q series, where have 12, 13 and 14 gone? AW reports.

• Look, Ma, No Hands! Boeing recently flew 14 class 1 (fair weather) and class 3 (dark and stormy) approaches and waveoffs and reentries into the landing pattern of the USS Truman May 19-20 without the pilot's hands on the controls. The flights are part of a program to develop an autonomous landing capability for both manned and unmanned aircraft. AW reports.

• Radar Killer, Redux. This American & Italian project is called the AGM-88E AARGM. So what? Perhaps the story of how a Serbian unit using an antiquated SA-3 battery managed to survive the 1999 NATO air campaign - and eventually shot down an F-117 Nighthawk stealth plane - will help put things into perspective...

• JASSM Spasms, Again. The goal: produce a stealthy cruise missile with shorter range and a smaller warhead than the BGM-109 Tomahawks, that could be carried on fighter aircraft, and was only about 1/3 as expensive as the Tomahawk. The AGM-158 JASSM has been bought by the USA and Australia, but the program has had its ups and downs. AW thought they were clever when they used the headline "JASSM Spasms"... now they think they may have to top it.

• Sic'em, Spike! Small, cheap, accurate - all the words to make a weapon researcher's heart beat fast. U.S. Navy officials say they have conducted the first successful demonstration - against a moving target -- of the 5.3 lb., 25-in. long, 2.25-in. diameter Spike missile (not to be confused with Israel's Spike anti-tank missile, in service with several countries). A missile that small could be carried in numbers by helicopters, UAVs... not to mention soldiers, and vehicles.

• MOPping up. WW2 featured the amazing Barnes Wallis with his dam-busting "Upkeep" bouncing bomb, the 12,000 pound "Tallboy" with an estimated terminal velocity of over Mach 3.5 when dropped from 20,000 feet, and its successor the 22,000 pound "Grand Slam." They made short work of U-boat pens. These bombs went out of fashion with the advent of nuclear weapons, but if you wait long enough, fashion comes around again... meet the Massive Ordnance Penetrator.

• Danger Knows Full Well...that Caesar is more dangerous than he. The Eurofighter Typhoon has taken a big step toward improving its combat capability with the first flight with the CEASAR active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. AW has the report, while DID explains why AESA radars are a big step forward - and may have unexpected advantages.

• Baby B-2. The USAF is narrowing down its focus on a new bomber, according to speakers at a panel discussion on Tuesday, set up by the Air Force Association's Eaker Institute. The top-line numbers: it looks like a manned medium bomber, possibly carrying a laser or a high-powered microwave weapon to zap incoming missiles. Hooookay...

• The SeaSprite Jinx. In 1997, Australia signed an $A 667 million contract with Kaman to purchase 11 SH-2G (A) "Super Seasprite" helicopters with cutting-edge sensors and electronics. The first helicopter was unveiled in 2003, but the project is now 6 years behind schedule, costs have risen over 50% to $A 1.1 billion (currently about $900 million) for 11 helicopters, and the program is being used as a case study in the Australian Defence College's leadership and ethics course. Australia's DoD... is continuing with the program. Why? DID offers some background, a timeline, and analysis.

• ARH in the Crosshairs. The US Army's 1980s-era OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters are playing a key role in Iraq - and taking casualties from wear and fire. The Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter was supposed to replace it, but shortly after the request rose from 368 helicopters to 512 helicopters, Bell Helicopter was cut off from government R&D funds as a result of performance issues. Congress continues to cut program funding, grumbling about a 100% price hike and lowball bait-and-switch tactics. The Army thinks about it, and decides to stick with Bell Helicopter's ARH-70A. A 2008 budget showdown looms... and DID has the in-depth coverage.

• A Sandblaster for brownout crashes. Brownouts are serious problem for helicopters in dusty environments, as they cause crashes when pilots lose all visual references. DARPA has a program that aims to fix that, and Sikorsky got the contract. Will it come in time to help the army's new CSAR-X combat search and rescue helicopter?

• Compound Interest. Whether you call it meddling or injecting creativity into a hidebound bureaucracy, Congressional earmarks can have some interesting results. Witness AW's coverage of the Piasecki-Sikorsky X-49A compound helicopter, now complete and being prepared for flight tests. Compound helicopters and other new approaches are also being built into demonstrator vehicles for the US military's Joint Heavy Lift research program, and could provide many of the V-22 Osprey's benefits without the drawbacks and high costs.

C4SI DIMENSION

• US fielding next-gen tactical radios. Tactical radios are still one of the quiet lifelines of the battlefield. After-action reviews from Iraq have cited communications compatibility issues, creating pressure to modernize. Yet the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program that has been plagued by inflated requirements, system delays, cost issues, and restructuring. What to do? Fortunately, industry is providing interim answers - and the USA has just issued a $9+ billion contract to buy them...

• Stealth is becoming affordable, according to Europe's defense giant EADS. Jan Ritter, head of the computational electromagnetics (CEM) group in EADS Military Aircraft division, says that the mindbogglingly complex task of calculating how radar waves scatter off a complex shape - at all relevant angles and frequencies - is succumbing to advances in computing and better codes. Translation: better computers means more stealth, on more platforms, by more countries. AW reports.

• LSRS: Not-Quite-Secret Radar. New to the not-quite-secret file is the Raytheon/Boeing Littoral Surveillance Radar System (LSRS), which offers both maritime and land surveillance at a level that can make a difference militarily. AW reports that some P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft have already been modified, and the LSRS will also play a major role in equipping the new 737-based P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

• JDICE, K? Given the coming size expansions of the US Army and Marines, the need for more tactical air controllers to guide airstrikes is acknowledged. There's also the nature of counterinsurgency campaigns, and the USAF itself is acknowledging resource issues. One might think that the idea we're about to cover refers to a way of making it easier for more people in the armed forces to become as effective as current JTACs. The JDICE system is indeed a form of sensor fusion simplification - but JDICE won't help with the JTAC squeeze... yet. DID explains.

• Internet Routing Moves to Space. Right now, messages are passed from earth, to a satellite, to an earth station, to the satellite again on a different frequency, to its destination. Putting a router in space will shorten the process and reduce transmission times. See also DID's coverage of the Transformational Satellite Communications Network, a 10-year, $18-20 billion effort to use space laser transmission and routers to provide the equivalent of fiber bandwidth from space. Will it survive?

• Bulgarian Telemedicine. Attention E.R. fans: Bulgaria has leapfrogged many Western nations by implementing a satellite communications-based armed forces telemedicine network. The system is based on SkyWAN technology provided by German-based ND SatCom and on VSAT (very small aperture terminal) services provided by local service provider Interactive Technologies.

• Canadian anti-terror R&D. You don't need to have a huge defense budget to make a difference. Canada is performing a slew of small research projects related to defense against terrorism, and especially against terrorist WMD attacks.

• Rad Solutions to Rad Problems. Electrical miniaturization can be a double-edged sword. The point is being reached where electromagnetic energy produced naturally by the sun could create the same destructive effect on aircraft avionics that spikes of high power microwaves create in today's less vulnerable, higher-voltage circuitry. Now what? AW reports.

• HURT So Good. Unmanned aerial vehicles are useful, but they can't work together easily, and collision avoidance still depends on scheduling, luck, and human override. What if one person could control multiple UAVs simultaneously, preventing collisions and linking them to provide a more seamless, common picture to warfighters? AW covers an effort called HURT, not to mention some British research into controlling multiple UAVs. DID, in turn, notes Europe's push toward civilian airspace certification and collision avoidance, as well as some swarm-based control ideas.

LAND SECTOR

• Tanks for the Lesson, eh! In October 2003, Canada was set to buy the Styker/LAV-III 105mm Mobile Gun System to replace its Leopard C2 tanks. In the end, however, the lessons of war have taken Canada down a very different path - one that now has them sending tanks to Afghanistan, renewing the very tank fleet they were once intent on scrapping, and backing away from the wheeled vehicles that were once the cornerstone of their Army transformation plan. What happened? DID explains.

• Ike Abercrombie: the Future Will Be Cut. It's never good for contractors when an influential congressman cites Ike's famous military industrial speech - Rep. Neil Abercrombie [D-Hawaii] is coming out strong over his cuts to the Army's Future Combat Systems. Meanwhile, DID's collection of FCS links offers some background on the $200+ billion program, and opinions both pro and con.

• An M4 That Doesn't Jam - But You Can't Have One. The US military is about to buy 500,000 Colt M4 carbines, a smaller, cut-down version of the M-16. The M4 has been praised, and also criticized because it jams in sandy environments. US (and some foreign) Special Forces are using an HK variant of the M4 that solves this problem, and even Colt says it could provide something similar. Will the Army use its big buy to field an M4 that doesn't jam to its soldiers in the sandbox - or even hold a competition that includes criteria re: reliability? No. DID reports.

• Cute, Double-Jointed, and Popular. Britain is having very good success with its small BvS10 Viking armored vehicles in Afghanistan, and its predecessor vehicle had over 15,000 units & variants produced around the world. Why? DID explains, and says it's all about the infantry.

• Land Warrior, RIP. In the Pentagon's April 2007 Selected Acquisition Report, the US Army's $4 billion "Infantry-21" program - Land Warrior - lists as terminated. Noah Shachtman at WIRED's Danger Room says the soldiers weren't that crazy about it, anyway.

• AW: C-Sniper Strikes Again. DARPA has released a solicitation for proposals for its counter-sniper technology called C-Sniper, which aims to track and target snipers before they actually shoot. DID offers a compilation article covering various anti-sniper technologies currently in use.

• A Turret for Chavis. On October 14, 2006, AFC Leebernard E. Chavis of the USAF's 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Sqn was killed by an enemy sniper near Baghdad, Iraq, as he sat in the turret of his armored Hummer. His comrades in the maintenance group responded by building a better turret. So good, in fact, that it's headed into production.

• US Army May Want 19,000 MRAPs. Over 30 years ago, South Africa developed patrol vehicles that protected their occupants against land mines. Several years into a war in Iraq against an insurgency that used land mines as its main weapon, the USA has decided this might be a better idea than using vulnerable Hummers. After years of low-grade interest or outright neglect, can industry now gear up deliver 23,000 blast-resistant vehicle to the US military in under 4 years?

• Ich Bin Ein MPV. Some countries, like Germany and Australia, have been building blast-resistant vehicles for years. Oddly, the German vehicle is the one called Dingo. It's about to be joined by a larger blast-resistant counterpart called the Grizzly, as the global trend toward blast-resistant vehicles continues to build.

• Stryking Out. The Army's Stryker vehicle is racking up enough losses in Iraq to prompt some questions about its vulnerability. AW offers coverage. DID has been covering the Stryker's battlefield performance, too - which has been surprisingly good until recent events in Diyala Province.

• Trophy Ready to Go. RAFAEL's Trophy Active Protection System (APS) against incoming rockets and anti-tank missiles has been completed, including integration of the system into current armored vehicles and the introduction of reloading. Initial systems are expected to go into new-production and currently deployed Merkava tanks, as well as the new Merkava-based armored Infantry Fighting Vehicles (Namer). Meanwhile, the USA has chosen a less developed option from Raytheon that won't be ready any time soon.

• RPG-7.net One of the biggest threats when fighting asymmetric wars against insurgents -- especially in urban environments -- is posed by the ubiquitous RPG-7 family of rocket-propelled anti-armor weapons. The Netherlands-based TNO Defense, Security and Safety research lab is developing a deceptively simple protection system against RPG-7 attacks: a net.

• 21st Century Hoplite. The Phalanx system uses radar plus a gatling gun to put up a wall of lead against incoming enemy anti-ship missiles, and serves with the navies of 22 nations. So, can it be used to defend against, say, incoming rockets and mortar rounds aimed at US and British bases - without killing hundreds of people when the bullets fall back to earth in populated areas? Both militaries think so, and are now deploying the system on land as well.

• Robots Take on Concrete Jungle. The 2004-2005 Millennium Challenge was only the beginning. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has now selected 53 teams as semifinalists in its next robot driving contest: Urban Challenge. Cyberdyne Systems' optional road rage modules to follow...

• Robots On the Border - With Guns. Remotely-operated Weapons Systems (RWS) allow an operator inside a combat vehicle to look at a screen displaying visual feeds from the RWS sensors, then move and fire machine guns et. al. from inside the vehicle. Which leads to the logical next question: why does the operator have to be that close? South Korea, and now Israel, have thought about this and decided that in some cases, the answer is "no reason at all." DID reports...

• Ouch! An Israeli company with headquarters in Toronto says it recently briefed Army researchers on a wireless, electric bullet that causes muscle spasms painful enough to make you fall over, but not die. AW's Ares has the report.

• Less Lethal Still Hurts. Then again, pain isn't permanent. The conversation's electric in the leafy confines of Ettlingen, the small town between the Pfalz and Black Forest regions of Germany, where a multinational confab on non- (or less-, actually) lethal weapons is ongoing. AW's Ares reports.

MARITIME SECTOR

• CSBA Favors Carrier UCAVs. The non-partisan US Center for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments point out that today's Super Hornets are no better than 1950s-era Skyraiders when it comes to persistence over distant targets, and even the F-35C will only partially restore the capability lost with retirement of the 1980s-era A-6 Intruders and F-14 Tomcats. With ship-killer technologies acquiring longer reach, the number of US carrier air wings set to fall to 10, and the number of carriers set to be 11, something has to give. CSBA has a proposal... AW coverage | DID coverage & graphic.

• No Nukes -- and that's Northrop Grumman talking. Not everyone agrees with Rep. Roscoe Bartlett [R-MD], ranking minority member of the House Seapower Committee, that the Navy's planned CG-X missile-armed derivative of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class stealth destroyer should run on nuclear energy. In a conversation at the Navy League show last week, a self-described "dumb ship driver" and business-development executive at Northrop Grumman pointed out that it's a great deal more complex than just pulling out turbines and dropping in a nuke. AW reports.

• Firing NEMO: Finns think different re: Naval Fire Support. Nobody has battleships on call any more. These days, the high end of naval gunfire support options involves the not-yet fielded DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class destroyers/ light cruisers, $3+ billion, 14,500t ships with the most advanced air defense systems and sonars for protection, and a pair of 155mm howitzers on board that can rapid-fire GPS-guided ammunition 80-100 miles inshore. In the middle we have European countries with 100-127mm naval guns, and abortive efforts like Germany's 155mm mobile howitzer turret on a frigate-sized ship. Then there's the low end, where Finland is funding a study that's about as far away from the DDG 1000 idea as you can get - but may be very effective in its own right...

• HAAWC Eye. A recent test dropped a MK-54 lightweight torpedo from 8,000 feet, instead of the usual 100 feet or so. The test was part of the company's $3 million U.S. Navy contract to prove the High-Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapons Concept, or HAAWC, a GPS-guided glide bomb kit for torpedos. AW has the coverage. DID adds its own FOCUS Article, explaining the trends that are making HAAWC necessary.

• Virginia gets a nose job. Unveiled at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space show in Washington this week is a proposed new bow (that's the bit on the front, for all you non-sailors) for the Navy's Virginia-class boat. AW reports.

• ASDS: How the Navy Bought a Lemon from Northrop Grumman. The General Accountability Office explains in a new report how the Navy's Advanced SEAL Delivery System program got so messed up that the service had to cancel it in 2006 after spending $885 million. Meanwhile, DID's FOCUS Article covering the ASDS offers additional background, and so does their companion article covering the newly-converted SSGN Special Forces & Conventional Strike subs that were supposed to carry ASDS. Maybe the Swedes have the right idea...?

STRATEGIC WEAPONS & MISSILE DEFENSE

• Are Missile Defense 'Bullets' Smart Enough? [updated]. Nightline did a piece recently on 100th Missile Defense Brigade at Ft Greely, AK. Since the Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) has posted the video for download on their website, AW's Ares has uploaded it to YouTube for your viewing convenience.

• NCADE: an ABM AMRAAM. Later this summer, Raytheon researchers will test a new interceptor missile's seeker, fired from a fighter jet against a boosting ballistic missile, at the White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Can you take a pair of fighter jet missiles and combine them to kill ballistic missiles? Maybe. AW has exclusive photos, while DID's FOCUS Article explains how NCADE works... and why it may make a big difference against other fighter jets as well.

• Intercontinental Cans of Whup-Ass. Yes, the USA has actually issued an R&D contract to deliver... well... cans of whup-ass at intercontinental range. No way? Way...

SUPPLY AND SUPPORT

• Paying for Jets, not Parts. Britain leads the world in a model called "Future Contracting for Availability." Instead of paying for parts and fixing stuff, they sign fixed-price contracts for service over a weapon type's entire service life - and rewards contractors for how often the equipment is available for use, instead of in the shop. It's not easy to do, but they're making a good go of it. DID covers the idea in the context of the ATTAC contract for its Tornado fleet, which was costing twice as much to service as the British MoD had available in their budgets - but doesn't any more.

• EFP Land Mines? We say "Bull!" Explosively Formed Penetrator land mines from Iran are taking a toll on vehicles in Iraq. With the exception of PVI/RAFAEL's Golan, the new MRAP vehicles aren't designed from the outset to handle this threat. As a result of the Ballistics Protection Experiment, however, there's a vehicle that is. And the logistics guys who drive most of the convoys in Iraq will be happy to know that this BULL's for them, too...

• Training: all for one, and one for all. Right now, Raytheon Technical Services holds the US Army contract for live training support, Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) carries the contract for virtual training (simulators), and General Dynamics the one for constructive training (computer models & game-like simulations). The US Army has been working on a new approach that does away with the 3 domains, in order to put the full focus on delivering whatever kind of training support is needed and appropriate, in whatever manner works best, in order to teach life-or-death skills that need to be remembered. Hence the $11.2 billion, 10 year FOCUS contract. And the winner is...

• Tired of Inventory. As part of the USA's base reform 2005 process, recommendations were handed down to the US Defense Logistics Agency to privatize a series of product commodities, and eliminate the government's wholesale stock in key areas. In January 2007, DID covered privatization of aircraft tires (up to $700 million) and vehicle tires (up to $1.7 billion). This was followed by a privatization contract worth up to $6.2 billion for chemicals and packaged petroleum, oils and lubricants. The forklift please... and the winner is...

• Catamarans = Mini Sea Base. The leased U.S. Navy catamaran Swift -- "High Speed Vessel" in milspeak -- is headed to Latin America to test the Navy's new "Global Fleet Station" concept, which envisions transport ships acting as miniature sea bases, hauling and supporting contingents of engineers, boat crews, civil affairs specialists and doctors, all specializing in stabilizing and rebuilding failing states. Cue the press release! And see also DID's coverage of the forthcoming Joint High Speed Vessel" (JHSV) competition, which will produce a number of ships like this.

• Medic! The USA's DTRA continues to research some novel approaches to countering ebola, hantavirus, and other hemorrhagic fevers. Not to mention an interesting option for going after drug-resistant "Class A pathogens." DID notes some contracts, and explains some of the approaches being researched.

TRANSFORMATION: POLICY & DOCTRINE

• Private Parts: The UK's new aerial tankers. Your aerial refueling fleet that goes in harm's way and keeps fighters, transports, et. al. in the air is aging. Replacement will cost around $20 billion. So you... hire it out from the private sector, and have the planes used to haul vacationers in their spare time? Britain says "yes, exactly." Meanwhile, the USA prepares to declare a winner in its own $30 billion, "buy and operate them all" KC-X contract - which is only the first of 3 phases.

• Airpower and Air Forces: Can't Do With 'Em. CDI offers a summary of The Winograd Commission's findings, a scathing Israeli review of the recent war in Lebanon against Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah. The upshot? "Transformation" has important limits, and airpower + precision weapons cannot and will not be decisive. See also DID's collection of after-action reviews and lessons from that war.

• Airpower and Air Forces: Can't Do Without 'Em. At any stage during the past 100 years, people have wondered about what airpower can and cannot, as well as should and should not, do. Many still are uncomfortable with the huge sums of money that are spent to acquire, operate and support the air force's high-tech machines. Aviation Week Ares discusses.

• Three Ds, Four Roles. Development, Defense and Diplomacy should be the three legs of any stabilization operation, says the recently returned commander of the first Netherlands-Australian Task Force in southern Afghanistan. Brigadier General Theo Vleugels, of the Royal Netherlands Army, led the 1,500-strong task force in Uruzgan province (near Kandahar) during its first six months of operations between August 2006 and February 2007. AW Ares reports.

• Dutch COIN strategy in Afghanistan. AW's Ares picks up a New York Times article via a subscriber who can confirm its truthfulness as "....a very accurate report of the Dutch approach to counter-insurgency operations in southern Afghanistan...."

• Closer to the 6-Day Satellite. A small contract to a US firm opens a window into the USA's next-gen concept of "Operationally Responsive Space," in which small, low-cost satellites could be launched quickly and affordably to respond to crises or temporarily patch losses among the USA's big, expensive systems. DID looks at the ORS concept, and adds links to some other ideas if the US really wants to get more for its satellite buck.

• Fly High, Fly On. The most important aid to combat aircraft survival since the 1990s has not been stealth or EW technology but the decision to fly fast jets above 15,000 feet, says a USAF pilot said at the IQPC conference on aircraft survivability in London. He can thank the advent of small surveillance/targeting pods like Rafael/Northrop's LITENING, Raytheon's ATFLIR, and Lockheed's Sniper ATP for that. Not to mention those GPS-guided JDAM weapons.

• Coke, Fritos and Medals. The ever-interesting PPrune is discussing whether unmanned air vehicle crews should be eligible for service medals.

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