military equipment

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Trump to Lift Limits on Military Gear for Cops

He's promised to rescind Obama order

(Newser) - The Trump administration is preparing to restore the flow of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies under a program that had been sharply curtailed amid an outcry over police use of armored vehicles and other war-fighting gear to confront protesters. Documents obtained by the AP indicate President Trump...

No More Grenade Launchers, Bayonets for Local Police

Obama puts new rules on military equipment transferred to local departments

(Newser) - If a police department wants to outfit itself with military equipment, it will now have to make a very strong case for why it needs to. After an uproar over a program that allowed law enforcement to get surplus military gear—including armored vehicles, grenade launchers, bayonets, and camouflage uniforms—...

US Aircraft Riddled With Fake China Parts
 US Aircraft 
 Riddled With 
 Fake China Parts 
in case you missed it
May 26, 2012 12:45 PM CDT

US Aircraft Riddled With Fake China Parts

Senate report finds 1,800 cases, blames crappy supply chain

(Newser) - The US military's planes and helicopters are full of counterfeit electronic parts, most of which originated in China, according to a new Senate report. The year-long Armed Services Committee probe identified 1,800 cases of fake parts being found in aircraft, particularly in Navy helicopters, cargo planes, and Poseidon...

'Sensitive' Military Gear Missing From Base

Soldiers on lockdown as Army investigates

(Newser) - An infantry unit at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington has been locked down since last week after "sensitive" equipment was found to be missing, reports AP . Equipment, including laser-targeting gun sights, night-vision goggles, and weapons scopes in "the six-figure range" were missing and "definitely stolen," said...

Gaming, Not the Military, Today's Technology Driver

Video games are 'driving progress'

(Newser) - It used to be the military that spurred cutting-edge technology—but these days, video games are doing the heavy lifting. To wit, the world’s fastest supercomputer is powered by processing cores manufactured by a gaming graphics-chip maker. As for the iPhone, "much of its technology—color LCD displays,...

Helmet Lets Pilots Shoot Targets With a Glance

Turns out looks can kill

(Newser) - Equipped with new headgear, British fighter pilots can knock enemies from the sky with a mere gaze. The $390,000 Striker helmet shows pilots nearby radar-detected targets. The pilot merely looks at a target to choose it, then speaks to fire. It’s one of the biggest technological advances the...

China: Those Weren't Our Bullets in Darfur

Beijing is trying to block UN report to the contrary

(Newser) - China is attempting to block publication of UN report stating that Chinese bullets were used in attacks against UN peacekeeping forces in Darfur, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The report states that 11 different kinds of Chinese-made bullet casings were found at sites where government-allied militia members attacked UN or...

'Blacker Than Black' Is the New Black

New material could make equipment invisible to radar

(Newser) - It's intended for military use, but it may also interest fashionistas: Scientists claim to have engineered a new "blacker than black" color that absorbs far more light than any previously known shade of black. The new ultrablack metamaterial—a type of material made of components smaller than the wavelengths...

Analysts: Mac Win Likely to Hit Defense Firms Harder

He's got the clout and the will to slash budgets

(Newser) - The defense industry is generally wary of Democratic wins, but this time around it's a Republican victory that may give military industries—and their investors—a complex, MarketWatch reports. A President Obama would be unlikely to give critics of his foreign policy cred ammunition by slashing defense spending, analysts say,...

Italian Firm to Buy DRS Technologies
Italian Firm to Buy DRS Technologies
May 12, 2008 10:30 PM CDT

Italian Firm to Buy DRS Technologies

$5.3B sale gives Finmeccanica entry into US defense market

(Newser) - Italy's biggest defense contractor has agreed to buy DRS Technologies Inc. for $5.3 billion and grab a share of America's defense market, the Wall Street Journal reports. Finmeccanica will purchase the defense-electronics firm for $81 per share, a 32% premium on share price, pending approval by Washington. The deal...

More US Troops Outfitting Themselves for Combat

With slow supply chain—and style—among concerns, market grows to $150M annually

(Newser) - US troops are increasingly augmenting their military-issue gear with higher-end commercial products to gain an extra edge—and look sharp, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The military has encouraged the trend, perhaps in response to the equipment shortages that have dogged the Iraq and Afghanistan war efforts, loosening procurement rules...

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