News
Boeing sues Sea Launch partners for $350 million
Boeing has sued its Russian and Ukrainian partners in satellite launch service Sea Launch, saying they refused to pay it more than $350 million following the joint-venture’s bankruptcy filing in 2009.
Business
Pratt & Whitney seals F-35 engine deal with Pentagon
Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, has finalized a contract with the Pentagon for 32 engines to power a fifth batch of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.
Airbus says it has a ‘Plan B’ for A350 jet batteries
Airbus has studied alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for its next jet, the A350, and has time to adapt to any rule changes prompted by the problems that have grounded Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, its top executive said.
Air India flew Boeing 787 Dreamliners after they were grounded
Air India flew some of its Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner aircraft even after U.S. regulators grounded the global fleet last month due to undiagnosed battery problems.
Defense
Mini helicopter drone for U.K. troops in Afghanistan
British soldiers in Afghanistan have become the first to use miniature surveillance helicopters in frontline operations. The drones can fly around corners and obstacles to identify potential hidden dangers, the Ministry of Defence said.
Veterans
Double arm transplant for U.S. veteran of Iraq war
An ex-serviceman who lost his arms and legs in Iraq has gone on to complete a bilateral transplant replacing both of his arms. Brendan Marrocco’s procedure is the first of its kind to be administered at the Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. Marrocco, 26, is thought to be the first US soldier from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to survive the loss of all four limbs
Space
Sea Launch Zenit rocket with Intelsat spacecraft fails at launch
A Ukrainian-Russian rocket carrying a U.S.-made telecommunications satellite has plunged into the Pacific Ocean shortly after launch.
International
United Kingdom: Defense review ‘could be reopened’
Jon Thompson, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defence, said the department might have to “revisit” the Strategic Defence and Security Review and “curtail our plans.”
United Kingdom: The alternatives to Trident carry an enormous risk
For almost 45 years, Royal Navy submariners have provided round-the-clock at-sea deterrence, delivering the ultimate guarantee of our national security. Carrying first Polaris and now Trident ballistic missiles, the undetected patrolling of our nuclear-armed submarines provides an essential protection against nuclear blackmail or attack.
U.K. may overhaul private-sector defense deals to save cash
Britain’s defense ministry, casting about for possible savings in a time of austerity, is looking into restructuring privately financed projects to take advantage of lower interest rates, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said Feb. 2.
Viewpoint
By David Ignatius
Washington Post
Syria is the world’s most intractable and dangerous problem. But two ideas emerged on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that could draw Russia into a more constructive role in solving the crisis, rather than allowing it to remain an obstructionist bystander.
