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Air Force feels afterburned as Sony clips the PS3's Linux wings
When we learned that the Air Force was buying 300 PS3s we knew it could mean only one thing: all-night HAWX LAN party. But, when the order came through for 2,200 more, it seemed something more serious was afoot, and sure enough the armed force that aims higher was aiming to use them as a cluster for high-def video processing. Naturally that's quite dependent on the machine's Linux capabilities, capabilities that Sony has, of course, since disabled. You might think this doesn't matter, since the units will never play games and so don't need the distro-disabling firmware update. But, hardware fails, especially when stacked as close as these units are and, according to the Air Force's Research Laboratory, Sony takes the liberty of applying the latest firmware even to refurb'd units. In other words, this is one cluster that's bound to fragment and not even Louis Gossett Jr. could bring it back together. Dramatic re-enactment after the break.
Air Force disappointed by PS3's Other OS removal
[Image credit: Air Force] It seems we'll all have to be a little more careful before we mock PS3 owners that have voiced concern over Sony's decision to remove the "Install Other OS" option from the console (via a recent firmware update). "What nerdlinger would be so bent out of shape about that?" you might wonder aloud. As we've just learned from Ars Technica, that nerdlinger happens to be the United States Air Force. The military branch uses a network of around 2,000 PlayStation 3 units running Linux for research, a structure which proved to be more affordable thanks to Sony's hardware subsidy. The setup isn't in any immediate trouble, as the consoles aren't hooked up to PSN and don't need to be updated, but when the units die out it will be difficult -- if not impossible -- to replace them. Considering they just constructed the rig a few months ago, the Air Force has expressed disappointment. And as you'll read in the Ars story, Uncle Sam isn't alone in his frustration. Oh, and sorry about the lack of Top Gun references in this post, but that's actually a movie about the Navy. We know, we were disappointed too.
Boeing X-37B autonomous space shuttle launched last night, due back 'whenevs'
Boeing's X-37B, the test craft that's been kicking around for the last decade or so, has finally made it into orbit. Formerly a NASA project, we've heard little about the thing since it passed into DARPA hands in 2004 -- and statements like those of the Air Force's Gary Payton don't help much: "in all honesty, we don't know when it's coming back for sure." How's that for autonomous? Also uncommented upon, yet tantalizing, are the military's intentions for the unmanned vehicle, which can remain in orbit 270 days at a time. Spy drone? Orbital weapons platform? Plaything for our future robot overlords? (Let's hope it's not the last one.) The success of the mission will depend on a couple things, namely: how the return trip goes (it should make it back to California's Vandenberg Air Force Base via autopilot... sometime) and whether the thing can be re-launched quickly enough. Ideally, the craft should be ready for another flight in fifteen days. Another test is planned for 2011. [Thanks, One Love!]
Tiny, robotic space shuttle to be launched into orbit in April
A long-delayed project initiated by NASA and carried out by Boeing may finally get to see the light of cold, beautiful day according to reports from the US Air Force. The X-37, a small, robotic space plane is set to make its first unmanned trip into orbit in April. Conceived by NASA as an unmanned re-entry lifeboat for crew of the International Space Station, the X-37 reportedly has a cargo bay of just 7 x 4 feet, and it has apparently been shipped to Florida for its maiden voyage, where it will be mounted to an Atlas V rocket for its launch into space. There aren't any other details -- the people running the project are keeping everything pretty quiet, but the shuttle itself is reported to have said that it's putting itself "to the fullest possible use," adding that that "is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do."
Raytheon scores $886 million contract to improve GPS capabilities
Don't count on your navigation unit seeing a sudden improvement anytime soon, but Raytheon has announced that it's landed an massive $886 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a new element of GPS called the advanced control segment (or OCX, somehow). Once complete, that promises to not only provide a range of enhancements for military GPS use (including anti-jam capabilities and improved security), but improved accuracy and reliability for civil GPS users as well. Details are otherwise a bit light, and this contract only represents the first of two development blocks, but it looks like GLONASS and Galileo may have to step up their game a bit further if they want to stay competitive in the great sat-nav race.
Eureka's EMP cannon destined for the Marines? (video)
Marines serving overseas have a low-tech, time-tested way of stopping cars that ignore checkpoints -- namely, a .50-caliber slug to the engine block. Still, that hasn't prevented companies like Boeing and Eureka Aerospace from pouring tons of money into EMP research. The cannon (whether mounted on aircraft or a squad car) is nowhere near ready for prime time -- but when has that stopped the Pentagon from sinking tons of money into something? And the USAF isn't the only organization getting involved: according to Flightglobal, the Marine Corps is getting its own demo of the 55lb device (which can disable cars up to 200 meters away) next month at Dahlgren naval warfare center. Vintage autos (really anything manufactured before the mid-1970s) won't be harmed by the weapon, meaning that there still may be a place for lead slugs in modern peacekeeping missions after all. Video after the break.
Iraqi insurgents using $26 software to monitor Predator video feeds
We can't say we've ever heard of a $26 Russian program called SkyGrabber before, but it's about to get famous real fast -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Iraqi insurgents have been regularly using the satellite-snooping software to monitor live Predator video feeds. Apparently the Predator transmits video over an unencrypted link, so there's no major hacking or security breach going on here, but it's obviously a huge issue -- and we'd say the bigger problem is that Pentagon officials have known about this flaw since the 1990s, but they didn't think insurgents would figure out how to exploit it. Way to underestimate, guys. The WSJ says the military is working to encrypt all Predator feeds from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, but it's slow going because the Predator network is more than a decade old and based on proprietary tech -- too bad it's not proprietary enough to keep prying eyes out of it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Serve in the military and get a discount on Fallen Earth
It's a hard time to be serving in the military, even if you're not stationed overseas at the moment. After all, the armed forces don't always get the luxury of having Christmas off. So it's nice to know that the gamers among the armed forces get a little bit extra if they're inspired to pick up Fallen Earth. The company has just announced that the military will receive a 20% discount on the price of the game, plus a free t-shirt with their purchase. And not one of the in-game items the game has been fond of giving out lately -- a real one. The offer is open to members in any one of the US armed branches -- the Coast Guard, Marines, Army, Air Force, or Navy are all eligible. All that's required is a .mil e-mail address to verify that the person ordering is in the military. The one catch is that it's only applied to orders through the official Fallen Earth store, so Steam and similar venues aren't available. But it's an excellent way of compensating the men and women serving their country, so if you are eligible and haven't grabbed the game yet, head on over to pick yourself up a copy.
US Air Force orders up 2,200 more PS3s -- for thinking, not gaming
We were as surprised as anyone when the USAF threw down the cash for 300-odd PlayStation 3s back in March of last year, but what's more shocking is that it's now back for more -- seven times more, in fact. Already employing its PS3 cluster for research into high-def video processing, the Air Force Research Lab wants to expand its capabilities significantly and it seems that Sony's Cell processor is still its weapon of choice. We would use this opportunity to make a few jibes about lazy engineers upgrading their setups in time for Modern Warfare 2, but we're better than that. We'll also totally avoid noting that the US government's skimping on costs now is leading it to commit to an instruction set tailored specifically to the Cell processor, which contrary to the latest Xeons -- pricier though they may be -- is not guaranteed to keep updating in pace with the USAF's needs. Those are things we'll leave for someone who isn't afraid of death lasers and autonomous attack drones to say.
Report: Video games create drone pilot 'naturals'
A column in the Washington Examiner explores the continuing intersection of the military and gaming -- actually, can we call it a long-standing rotary, with concepts and people coming in from all different directions and popping out randomly? Anyway, one of the more interesting parts is the reference to a 2008 MIT study, which apparently found that 30 percent of Americans aged 16 to 24 had a more "positive impression" of the Army due to the America's Army video game. The game also impacted recruitment more than all other forms of Army advertising combined. Later in the piece, an Air Force colonel is quoted as saying that young recruits are "naturals" when it comes to flying the Predator drones, but that he had concerns about the video game generation "distorting the reality of [war] from the virtual nature." In other words, while video games granted the pilots their skills, it also made it harder for them to weigh the consequences of their actions. But considering it's real life and a job, wouldn't it be the boss's role to tell them "game over" (er, discharged!) if they were inclined to take the drone on a joyride to blast buildings willy-nilly? [Via GamePolitics]
US Air Force says decision-making attack drones will be here by 2047
Leave it to the military to dream big. In its recently released "Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan 2009-2047" report, the US Air Force details a drone that could fly over a target and then make the decision whether or not to launch an attack, all without human intervention. The Air Force says that increasingly, humans will monitor situations, rather than be deciders or participants, and that "advances in AI will enable systems to make combat decisions and act within legal and policy constraints without necessarily requiring human input." Programming of the drone will be based on "human intent," with real actual humans monitoring the execution, while retaining the authority and ability to override the system. It's all still extremely vague, with literally no details on exactly how this drone will come into existence, but we do know this: the Air Force plans to have these dudes operational by 2047. We're just holding out to see what those "classified" pages are all about. [Warning: read link is a PDF] [Via PC World] Read -Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan 2009-2047
Air Force says that GPS situation is 'under control,' urges you to 'chill out'
Responding to a Government Accountability Office report that warns of major GPS failures as early as next year, U.S. Air Force Col. Dave Buckman has responded, saying: "No way! As if! The issue is under control." If anything, he said, "there's only a small risk we will not continue to exceed our performance standard." Whew, that's a relief... we don't know what we'd do without our Knight Rider GPS to keep us company on those long, lonely car rides.[Via Pocket-lint]
GPS System might begin to fail in 2010, Government Accountability Office warns
Get all of your geocache games in while you can, kids... if the Worst Case Scenario® goes down, the nation's GPS system could begin to fail sometime next year. According to a Government Accountability Office report, the Global Positioning System has been so mismanaged that when aging equipment starts to fail, there may be no new satellites to take their place. "If the Air Force does not meet its schedule goals for development of GPS IIIA satellites," the report states, "there will be an increased likelihood that... the overall GPS constellation will fall below the number of satellites required to provide the level of GPS service that the U.S. government commits to." All we can say is that between this, Internet Doomsday, and the imminent Robot Apocalypse, it's gonna be a fun couple of years. [Via Fox News]
Boeing to develop microwave-based airborne EMP weapon
Boeing's been busy with the high-tech death lately -- just a week after the company announced the Phantom Ray fighter UAV, it's back in the news with a high-powered airborne microwave weapon designed to knock out enemy electronics. The goal is to more or less destroy the enemy's tech with out having to set off one of those pesky nuclear explosions necessary for an EMP, and Boeing plans to test the tech out both in the air and on the ground several times over the next three years as part of the Air Force's Counter-electronics High power microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) project. We'll be ready with the popcorn. [Via The Register]
Air Force now using super-secure version of Windows XP
Windows 7 might be getting all the attention lately, but Windows XP is having a quiet little renaissance of its own -- not only have sales of the venerable OS been extended until 2010, Microsoft is selling an ultra-secure version to the Air Force. The custom build ships with over 600 settings bolted down, and a security patch turnaround of just 72 hours compared to the standard edition's 57 days -- all because Steve Ballmer personally stepped in and approved the project at the Air Force's request. The effort's to standardize and preconfigure the OS has paid off: 85 percent of previous known exploits have been blocked, support call volume has dropped 40 percent, and the USAF has saved some $100 million in costs. Nice -- but don't get your hopes up, since it doesn't seem like Microsoft has any intention of selling this version to the public.[Via Slashdot]
High-powered, jet-mounted laser one step closer to flying the terrifying skies
The jet-mounted laser anti-missile system, brainchild of Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and the US Air Force, has been an ongoing project for quite some time. Well, it's progressed into a final test phase, as evidenced by a new video, which shows the plane strapped with a pilot-controlled laser which is able to intercept missiles significantly earlier than other existing anti-missile tech. The project has plans to continue testing throughout this year, but will also need to be approved by the Obama administration if it is to come to fruition. Feel free to insert obligatory Dr. Evil joke in comments. Check out the video after the break, but fair warning: it autoplays.
Northrop Grumman's aircraft-mounted laser moves forward in testing
We're beginning to think the US government is playing tricks with our head. Let's see, in late 2004, a Boeing anti-missile airborne laser achieved first light; in October of 2006, a laser-equipped 747-400F was deemed ready for testing; in January of 2007, an MD-10 with Northrop Grumman's Guardian anti-missile system took off; now, we're back to the testing stage? Something doesn't add up. Whatever the case, we're being fed information that leads us to think that the US Air Force's Airborne Laser has moved on to some "other" stage of testing. More specifically, engineers are making sure its "sequencing and control" functions are operating normally. Unsurprisingly, we're left in the dark as to when this thing will see action (again?), but consider our interest piqued for a reason The Man didn't intend.
Aussie military using games to attract recruits
Taking a cue from America's army and, er, America's Army, the Australian military is also using online games to pump up flagging recruitment numbers. As the New Zealand Herald reports, Australia's Defence Jobs web site allows visitors to control crude, Flash versions of ARV Tiger Attack Helicopters, F/A-18 Hornets and more.The games aren't exactly new (JayIsGames discussed one of them back in 2004) but they're getting increased attention now as a way for military recruitment to compete with a fierce job market. "It is critical to the future of the ADF that Generation Y and beyond can access and interact with recruiting information via the technology they are comfortable with," said Defence Science and Personnel Minister Warren Snowdon, who sounds extremely old. Two of the Air Force games have recorded over 300,000 plays, according to the Herald report, which might not seem like much compare to America's Army's 8+ million users. Remember, though, that America's defense budget exceeds Australia's (and indeed, the rest of the world's) by leaps and bounds. Whoo! We're No. 1! Don't mess with the U.S.! These colors don't run! And so on ...
F-117 stealth fighters to make final flight no one will know about
Air Force buffs, prepare to salute a true American hero as it makes it way into the annals of military history: the F-117 stealth fighter. The planes -- one of the most enigmatic members of the military's arsenal -- will be making their final trip on April 21st from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico to Tonopah Test Range Airfield in Nevada, the home of their first flight. The aircraft is being replaced by a newer model, the F-22 Raptor, and the government says it has no plans to bring the radar-dodging planes out of retirement. In all, there have only been 59 F-117s that have rolled off the assembly line, 37 of which have already been taken out of the skies, and another seven which have crashed. We'll miss you, F-117, and all the totally awesome, completely secret stuff you did.
Salmon sperm used to intensify LEDs, grossify everyone
See, the problem with bioengineering isn't moral or ethical dilemmas, or even homicidal robo-droids enslaving humanity. It's that if you let researchers go wild, eventually they'll find a way to make LEDs out of salmon sperm, threatening the sanctity (and sperm-free-ness) of your entire gadget-based lifestyle. Yet that's exactly what Professor Andrew Steckl of the University of Cincinnati has managed to do, using the DNA found in salmon sperm to enhance the brightness of LEDs. The so-called BioLEDs are being developed in cooperation with the Air Force (yes, the Air Force -- they had a "good source" of salmon sperm, apparently) and they've been so successful that Steckl has been getting salmon sperm from researchers worldwide "wanting to see if their sperm is good enough." Steckl says that since salmon sperm is considered a waste product of the fishing industry, BioLEDs are particularly green -- kind of like our faces right now.
