Rapid Fire 2010-12-20: Optical Terminals

* Tensions rise as South Korea conducts live-fire drills near Yeonpyeong Island, the site of the North’s earlier attack. * USA’s Ground Based Midcourse Defense system against long-range ballistic missiles misses its target in a recent test. * Chinese documents seen by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun seem to confirm the more-or-less open secret that China aims to deploy an aircraft carrier. China is also working on a “J-15” naval fighter variant based on a Ukranian SU-33 prototype, while rumored SU-33 sales from Russia have made no progress. * As Britain prepares to mothball one of its new Bay class LSD amphibious ships, other nations see opportunities. Could Britain’s loss become Australia’s gain? * AOptix receives $11.4 million contract to provide wireless air and ground optical terminals for DARPA’s FOENEX program, which is developing a hybrid free-space optical and radio frequency communications network. * Naval Research Lab launches 2 CubeSat nano-satellites as a platform for military experimentation and technology development. * The Government of Canada is consolidating most Department of National Defense Ottawa operations in one campus: 12 buildings and 207,000 square meters of space. * 1st flight for Bell/Northrop Grumman’s 407-based Fire-X helicopter UAV.