Rapid Fire 2011-03-04: Argentina’s Defense Budget

• RAFAEL’s ASPRO-A/ Trophy (and see video) active protection system records its 1st live kill against an enemy anti-tank weapon (reportedly an unguided RPG). The Israeli Merkava tank crew only discovered they had been fired upon after the fact. This is one of the lessons of the 2006 Lebanon War – but the US Army still has nothing like it in the field.

• American Small Business League is suing the US Army for refusing to release subcontracting reports on contracts awarded by Bechtel – reports that the group believes will demonstrate Bechtel violated federal law requiring 23% of federal contracts be awarded to small businesses.

• 3 Dutch Marines held by Libyan government, after an in-country rescue operation of Dutch nationals mounted from the frigate HNLMS Tromp went awry.