Agni-II Prime nuclear-capable missile successfully test-fired

BALASORE, Nov 15: India on Tuesday successfully test-fired an advanced variant of nuclear-capable Agni-II ballistic missile with a strike range of 3,000 km from an island off Odisha coast.

"The surface-to-surface intermediate range missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher" at 0900 hours from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island, about 100 km from Balasore, defence sources said on Tuesday.

Christened "Agni-II Prime", the new missile is a two- stage weapon system powered by solid propellant. It is 20 metres long and launch weight is 17 tonnes. It can carry one tonne pay-load.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said in Delhi that from now on, the missile will be called 'Agni-IV'.

Describing the test-firing as successful, defence sources said the missiles exact performances will be known after all data was collected and analysed from different telemetry and tracking stations as well as naval ships positioned near the terminal point.

"The indigenously developed new variant of 'Agni-II' series missile would have better accuracy and improved range", the sources said.

"While the Agni-II missile has a strike range of 2000 km and Agni-III can hit a target at a distance up to 3500 km, this new variant with a strike range of 3000 km would bridge the gap between Agni-II and Agni-III," they said.

In terms of accuracy, "some more improved features have been incorporated in it," a DRDO scientist said.

The first developmental trial of Agni-II Prime, conducted on 10th December, 2010, had failed due to some technical problem in the control system.

It deviated from its trajectory within seconds of its lift off from the same base and had plunged into the sea.

India asks Pakistan to destroy 42 operational terror camps

NEW DELHI, Sept 28: India has asked Pakistan to destroy the 42 terror camps operational there, saying that a resurgent Taliban could be a "security threat" to the country after US forces pull out from Afghanistan.

"There are 42 terror camps which are still operational. We want all of them to be destroyed," Defence Minister A K Antony told reporters on the sidelines of the Coast Guard Commanders' Conference in New Delhi when asked about India's concerns over the existing terror camps in Pakistan.

In the recent past, reports have suggested that a large number of terrorists are waiting on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.

To a query on the impact of the pullout by the US forces from Afghanistan in the next couple of years, he said, a resurgent Taliban can be a "security concern for us" after western forces leaves the war-torn country.

American troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by 2014 and are engaged in the process of building capabilities of the Afghan National Army to enable it to handle security on its own.

F-35 program completes static structural testing; Achieves Major Milestone for 2011

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 19: Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program has successfully completed static structural testing, achieving one of five milestones established by the Joint Program Office for 2011.

Static structural testing is used to verify the structural integrity of the airframe and to ensure specifications outlined in technical drawings used to produce the aircraft are accurate. Engineering teams at Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and the Joint Program Office conducted the tests over the past two years.

In static structural testing, external loads designed to simulate the pressures of full envelope flight conditions are applied to hundreds of points on the airframe using an integrated system of load pads, hydraulic actuators, air pressurization mechanisms and reaction channels.

As proof that the airframe is capable of withstanding the pressures associated with the full flight envelope, engineers tested the structure to 115 percent of requirements and confirmed that no detrimental deformation of the structure occurred. In the final phase of static structural testing, the airframe was pushed to 150 percent of requirements to verify that there was no rupturing or structural failure.

“As one of our major program milestones, the completion of static structural testing demonstrates the significant progress that we’re making on our joint mission to field this 5th Generation air combat capability,” said Larry Lawson, executive vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. “These successful tests bring us one step closer to delivering the F-35 into the hands of the men and women of our U.S. and allied forces.”

Bob Burt, director of F-35 Structures Development added, “This is a significant accomplishment for the F-35 program. Working together with our partners at BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman and the Joint Program Office, we successfully completed the static structural testing ahead of schedule.”

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment, and lower operational and support costs. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

New titanium machining process supports affordability of lockheed martin F-35

FORT WORTH (Texas), Sept 15: Lockheed Martin has obtained government approval to use a groundbreaking cryogenic titanium machining process in production of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter.

Cryogenic titanium machining improves cutting-tool life by a factor of 10 with appropriate material removal processing speed. The Joint Program Office in coordination with the F-35 Fracture Control Board (FCB) approved the new process for standard roughing operations, impacting the most time-consuming and cost-intensive machining processes associated with manufacturing titanium parts.
Broadly applied, this new technology could improve affordability and efficiency in the production of the F-35, which is approximately 25 percent titanium by weight.

The team of Creare Incorporated, H.M. Dunn Company, and MAG IAS has worked with Lockheed Martin, the US Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Office and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) for several years on the development of the low flow cryogenic machining of titanium, funded through SBIR program awards. The high performance titanium machining process was designed, developed and tested at Creare, Inc., headquartered in Hanover, N.H.

“This is a prime example of an SBIR-developed technology transitioning from the research and development phase to a system that can enhance affordability for near-term military projects, like the F-35,” said Mike Packer, vice president of Manufacturing Strategy &Technical Integration at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

Creare, a premier engineering research and development firm, led the technology development. H.M. Dunn of Euless, Texas, a Tier I supplier for the F-35 program, completed performance demonstrations in May. MAG IAS, the world’s largest U.S. based machine tool builder headquartered in Erlanger, Ky., is commercializing the technology.

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.