US Drops Airborne Laser, Opts for Some Other Laser Projects

choi

Amy Butler, Lights Out For The Airborne Laser. Aviation Week, Dec 21, 2011.
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/g ... %20Airborne%20Laser
("MDA Director Army Lt Gen. Patrick O’Reilly is now focused on a new generation of laser systems with 'much denser capability or greater power lasers in smaller packages and operating at much higher altitudes * * * We basically have a horse race going on between several different technologies [and] all of them are very promising' * * * Details of this project were not provided by MDA")

(2) William Lowther, Taiwan Still a Top Buyer of US Arms. BIG SPENDER: Despite Taiwan’s unsuccessful efforts to buy F-16C/D planes, the only countries that bought more US arms last year were Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan. Taipei Times, Dec 22, 2011 (available now)
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/ ... 11/12/22/2003521358
("Last year — the most recent year for which figures are -available — Taiwan accepted delivery of US$660 million in arms from the US. * * * Taiwan was also fourth in terms of worldwide US arms -deliveries for the total period of 2007 through last year, when it received US$3 billion in arms, and for the period of 2003 through 2006, when it received US$4.1 billion")

(3) To Encourage The Others. Strategy Page, Dec 21, 2011
http://strategypage.com/htmw/htsub/articles/20111221.aspx
(submarine collisions)

Quote:

"Subs underwater are running blind, as most depend on passive sensors most of the time. You have to turn on your active sensor (broadcasting sonar, which makes a noise that reveals your position to anyone listening).

"Two years ago, for example, a Chinese sub collided with a sonar array being towed behind a US destroyer.

My comment: Regarding quotation 2. That occurred near the Philippines, when the Chinese sub got too close when observing a joint naval drill of US and ASEAN allies.

(4) A Three Part Invention. Strategy Page, Dec 21, 2011
http://strategypage.com/htmw/htmurph/articles/20111221.aspx
("On December 8th Iran displayed what appeared to be an American RQ-170 jet powered UAV, which they claimed had landed intact in Iran two weeks earlier. Iran claimed they had hijacked the control signals for the RQ-170 and landed it themselves. * * * Then many Americans familiar with the RQ-170 carefully studied the pictures of the "captured" RQ-170 and immediately suspected something was off. For one thing, the RQ-170 shown was the right size and shape, but the wrong color")