Rapid Fire 2011-01-12: Illegal Infrared

* The Pentagon must buy American-made solar panels, according to the FY 2011 defense authorization law; many of Nellis Air Force Base solar panels are Chinese made. * Doling out justice: US DoJ charges former NASA employee with illegally exporting military infrared technology to South Korea without an export license; Army staff sergeant gets 7.5 years for aiding a government contractor in stealing $1.5 million in fuel from FOB Shank in eastern Afghanistan. * South Korea installing underwater sensors near its border with North Korea. Better late than never, we suppose. * BAE Systems thinks they’ve developed a viable anti-piracy laser weapon. * Edwards AFB prepares to test the next generation of UAVs: Aerovironment’s Global Observer, Boeing’s X-45C Phantom Ray, and Northrop Grumman’s X-47B Pegasus N-UCAS. * Boeing’s 787 and Airbus A380. What does their past decade teach us about requirements setting and engineering choices in other aerospace projects? * Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance, which joined forces following the Air France KLM merger, announce a contract with Boeing to install the French E-3F AWACS fleet’s modification kits. * Lockheed Martin participates in joint US Navy-Royal Navy ARTIST research program to develop advanced naval radar systems. * […]