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military
Posts Tagged “
Air Force
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military
X-37B
Air Force to Launch Military Orbital Spaceplane
The USAF and Boeing will launch the X-37B—the first military orbital space plane if you discount the secret military shuttle—on top of an Atlas V rocket in November. They want to test its flying features in space and during atmospheric reentry. And probably its anti-matter rays and nuclear bays and hyperspace engines too (but of course, they are never going to tell you that). However, there seems to be a conflict with the civilian space program which may push one of the Moon exploration missions to 2009. More »
military
SLICC Pods Are New First Class Cabins For Air Force Brass
I've never been on a trans-Atlantic aboard a military transport aircraft, but I can guess that they're not the most comfortable way to fly. So it's understandable that top-ranking Air Force brass would want something a little more amenable to resting, taking meetings, and watching Hot Shots Pt. Deux on a 37" flatscreen. That's where the Senior Leader Intransit Comfort Capsule (SLICC) comes in—a private chamber being built for Air Force officers with beds, couches, the aforementioned flatscreen and other amenities. The problem? The Air Force has been caught diverting counterterrorism funds toward big SLICC's development. More »
uavs
Armchair UAV Pilots Striking Afghanistan in Las Vegas, Taco Bell Fueled Comfort
We all know about how the military is utilizing UAV's in an ever increasing amount of missions. And why not? Unmanned aircraft represent a safer and more cost efficient approach to aerial combat. However, we rarely get to see what it is like on the other side of these aircraft—to see the job through the eyes of a UAV pilot. Apparently, it's much like any other job—except you get to kill things in Afghanistan from the air-conditioned Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. More »
pew pew
We knew that the Air Force Cyber Command is supposed to fight against enemy computer attacks using their skillz, computer programs, and massive PlayStation 3s networks. Now Christian Lowe at Defense Tech reveals that, if they can't stop the attacks using a terminal, the US military hackers can actually order a cruise missile attack or drop a couple of MK84 bombs on the hacker at the other side of the line. Or like Col. Tony Buntyn, vice commander of Air Force Cyber Command, euphemistically refers to as "kinetic warfare."
More »
US Military Hackers Could Pwn Enemies Using Real Bombs, Missiles
We knew that the Air Force Cyber Command is supposed to fight against enemy computer attacks using their skillz, computer programs, and massive PlayStation 3s networks. Now Christian Lowe at Defense Tech reveals that, if they can't stop the attacks using a terminal, the US military hackers can actually order a cruise missile attack or drop a couple of MK84 bombs on the hacker at the other side of the line. Or like Col. Tony Buntyn, vice commander of Air Force Cyber Command, euphemistically refers to as "kinetic warfare."
More »
omfg
After losing track of six nuclear warheads last year, you would think that the crack security team at Minot Air Force Base would pull it together for their much anticipated nuclear security inspection. Unfortunately, you would be mistaken. Inspectors from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency failed the security wing based on a number of infractions—including an incident where an airmen was observed playing video games on his cellphone while standing guard at a "restricted area perimeter" during a simulated attack.
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After Losing Nukes, Air Base Fails Inspection: Security Caught Playing Games On Cellphones
After losing track of six nuclear warheads last year, you would think that the crack security team at Minot Air Force Base would pull it together for their much anticipated nuclear security inspection. Unfortunately, you would be mistaken. Inspectors from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency failed the security wing based on a number of infractions—including an incident where an airmen was observed playing video games on his cellphone while standing guard at a "restricted area perimeter" during a simulated attack.
More »
2:50 PM on Fri May 30 2008
By Sean Fallon
6,237 views,
29 comments
Latest by n/a: Cell phone use may also have been a factor in the recent Boston trolley accident: [lowtechtimes.com] more »
war games
Air Force Wants to Use Every Computer They've Got to Build Massive Botnet for DDoS Attacks
China has been semi-famed for launching DDoS attacks and poking around the US's secure networks generally. One Air Force colonel's solution? Build a massive botnet to DDoS the Commie bastards (or anyone else) right back. Because we're on the Light side, our bigass botnet wouldn't infect new computers, but the plan would press millions of computers set for the scrap pile into DDoS duty, as well as every unclassified computer in the Air Force's possession (including civilian government machines). More »
balls
We knew about the Golf Ball Launcher prototype, but now a company called Air Force Golf wants to actually sell a $795 300-yard range model, starting next month. But really, why stop at 300 yards when you can do 500 yards using an AR-15 magazine-fed automatic rifle or an M-11 semi-automatic pistol?
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Golf Guns for People with Disabilities or Complete Nutters
We knew about the Golf Ball Launcher prototype, but now a company called Air Force Golf wants to actually sell a $795 300-yard range model, starting next month. But really, why stop at 300 yards when you can do 500 yards using an AR-15 magazine-fed automatic rifle or an M-11 semi-automatic pistol?
More »
pew pew
Air Force Cyber Command Wants Intarwebs Supremacy
The Air Force Cyber Command, headed by Major General William T. Lord (from now on to be referered here as Sir Lord Darth Vader Von Ham—or Jeff) has released their Strategic Vision in the 2008 National Threat Assessment. It can be summarized as "Get ready u 1ee7 people, haxxors, and LOLcats! We're gonna p0wn U!" Finally, it looks like the US military is getting really serious about the Web lately, and the Cyber Command is working towards being fully operational in 2009 now, in order to achieve:
war games
Air Force Buys 300 PlayStation 3 for Research
The Air Force has bought 300 PlayStation 3s for "research." Whether "research" means "let's play a massive Call of Duty 4 game" or "let's start building SkyNet with 300 PlayStation 3 nodes" or "let's create a giant black mecha with Blu-ray lasers" is yet to be seen. According to the Air Force, they need the cell processors for assessment:
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power breakthrough
Betavoltaic Battery Could Power Your Laptop for Thirty Years
Research funded by the US Air Force Research Laboratory has come up with a breakthrough battery: a betavoltaic power cell that lasts for 30 years without a recharge. Made from radioactive material (I am writing this from my underground bunker) the batteries end their life being completely inert and non-toxic, so they're not as scary-bad as they sound. Here's how it works: More »
gadgets
Nonlethal Gun Makes You Wish You Were Shot with BFG
It took 10 years and a $40 million budget to make, but the Air Force has unveiled a new weapon it calls the Active Denial System. It's a nonlethal weapon that has been certified for use in Iraq as a means of crowd control. The ADS shoots a beam of high intensity millimeter waves, which in plain English means if you get in the beam's way, it'll feel like you're being dipped in lava. In fact, the pain is so intense, that the longest any human test subject could withstand the beam was 5 seconds, and a very small number of them walked away with redness and blisters from the beam's intense heat. (I'm sure they'll also develop tails and super powers from the beam's side effects as well). So we're looking at a gun that makes tasers look like water pistols. I think I'd rather be shot for reals. More »
gadgets
Falcon Hypersonic Jet to Fly at Mach 10 in 2008
The Air Force is preparing to test its Mach 10 speedster, the unmanned Falcon hypersonic test vehicle that will pave the way for jets that can fly faster than a bat out of hell on their way to spying on everyone, dropping bombs and even slinging satellites into orbit. More »
gadgets
F-22 Raptor Traps Pilot Inside
When you're an elite United States Air Force pilot at the controls of an $134 million F-22A Raptor, what do you do if you get stuck inside the high-tech flyin'/fightin' machine? What? The door won't open?! That's just what happened last month to a pilot with the 27th Fighter Squadron out of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. More »
robots
