Rapid Fire: 2010-07-29

• Free Fall: Boeing reports a 21% drop in second-quarter profits, but still beats dismal Wall Street estimates. Boeing release

• Sideways: European lawmakers and defense experts are calling on the European Commission to investigate allegation of corruption in awarding of side deals for major weapons systems.

• Dispensable Deterrent? The private Royal United Services Institute questions need for UK to maintain its nuclear-armed missile submarine force on patrol at all times, proposes alternative force structures. Full report [PDF]

• Sikorsky’s X2 compound helicopter flies at 225 knots / 259 mph / 417 kmh, breaking the Lynx’s 216 knot speed record on its way to an envisioned 250 knot test later in 2010. A new Light Tactical Helicopter simulator will help potential customers envision what that kind of tilt-rotor class speed via simpler systems could mean.

• Trust, but Verify: A US State Department report cites Russian compliance issue with international agreements restricting chemical and biological weapons. Full report [PDF]

• Green Accord: US DoD signs agreement with US Energy Department to cooperate on clean energy programs, including renewable energy, alternative fuels, efficient transportation technologies, smart grids, and mobile/deployable power systems.

• Boeing’s Phantom Ray stealth UCAV will head to NASA’s Dryden Center aboard NASA’s shuttle carrier.

• JAGM battlefield strike missile prototypes have begun government test firings.

• South Africa discovers that maintaining its 4 Super Lynx 300. Mk64 naval helicopters costs money.

• GE gets $7 million R&D contract to develop silicon-carbide-based solid-state power switches for USAF aircraft.