Lifeboat Foundation

SAN DIEGO – U.S. Navy electronics experts are hiring two companies to develop enabling technologies to safeguard naval systems from the effects of high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (EMP).

Officials of the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in San Diego, announced estimated $12.5 million separate contracts Wednesday to Long Wave Inc. in Oklahoma City, Okla., and to Reliance Construction Co. in Cary, N.C., for high-altitude EMP hardening processes.

Perhaps no technology has shaped the 21st-century battlefield as profoundly as the drone. These uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), along with their land and sea counterparts, have redefined the way wars are fought by providing military forces with unprecedented capabilities in surveillance, precision targeting, and intelligence gathering — all while reducing the risk to their own personnel. Drones have made complex operations more efficient and less costly, enabling militaries to strike with pinpoint accuracy and maintain a persistent presence over the battlefield.

As the century progresses, the influence of drones continues to expand beyond traditional state actors. Non-state groups and non-peer adversaries increasingly have adopted this technology, leveraging it to level the playing field in conflicts around the world. With commercial drones becoming more accessible, these actors can conduct reconnaissance, drop bombs, and challenge conventional military forces in ways that previously were unimaginable.

The influence of drones flows across all domains of warfare. Loitering munitions, or “Kamikaze drones,” have disrupted traditional force structures by providing smaller, more agile units with the ability to strike high-value targets such as tanks, artillery, and command centers.

We are dealing with very extreme events.

Bruce posted a really good post related to this.

An emotionally-manipulable AI in the hands of the Pentagon and CIA? This’ll surely end well.

Meta is letting the US military and defense contractors use its Llama AI model for national security purposes.

WASHINGTON — The Australian Department of Defence announced the cancellation of its JP9102 military satellite program, an estimated $5 billion project awarded to Lockheed Martin just 18 months ago, citing shifts in satellite technology and the market’s pivot toward multi-orbit space communications.

The cancellation of Australia’s JP9102 satellite program is yet another sign of the disruptive impact that low Earth orbit space internet services, led by the rapid growth of SpaceX’s Starlink, are having on the traditional satellite communications industry and government procurement models.

JP9102, or Defence Joint Project 9,102, was launched in 2021 with plans to develop between three to five geostationary satellites and ground systems, marking one of Australia’s most ambitious space infrastructure ventures.

Israel expects its “Iron Beam” laser defense system to be operational within one year, saying it will bring “a new era of warfare” as it engages in a war of drones and missiles with Iran and its regional partners.

The Jewish state spent more than $500 million on deals this week with Israeli developers Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, architect of Israel’s Iron Dome, and Elbit Systems to expand production of the shield. Dubbed the Iron Beam, the shield aims to use high-power lasers to counter an array of projectiles, including missiles, drones, rockets and mortars, Israel’s defense ministry said this week.

“It heralds the beginning of a new era in warfare,” Eyal Zamir, director general of the defense ministry, said in a statement this week. “The initial capability of the ground-based laser system… is expected to enter operational service within one year,” he said.

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin Corp announced Oct. 30 it has completed the acquisition of small satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital. The approximately $450 million acquisition deal deepens Lockheed Martin’s foothold in the commercial satellite sector and culminates a partnership that began in 2017.

The acquisition positions Lockheed to leverage Terran’s expertise in low-cost satellite production for both military and commercial ventures. Lockheed Martin stressed that Terran Orbital, now rebranded as “Terran Orbital, a Lockheed Martin Company,” will continue to operate as a merchant supplier for the broader space industry.

The completed acquisition caps Lockheed Martin’s years-long relationship with Terran Orbital, formerly Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. The smallsat specialist, founded in 2011, initially focused on nanosatellites and cubesats, but transitioned to building larger satellite platforms after it rebranded in 2022. That shift in focus followed Terran Orbital’s public listing through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger, which aimed to accelerate its commercial growth.

Researchers have developed a new detector that analyzes antineutrinos emitted by nuclear reactors to monitor their activities from great distances.

This technology, which utilizes the phenomena of Cherenkov radiation, could revolutionize how we ensure reactors are not producing material for nuclear weapons, despite challenges from other environmental antineutrinos.

Nuclear Fission and Antimatter Monitoring.