Rapid Fire 2011-08-05: Reopening the UK’s SDSR

• Defense Secretary Leon Panetta describes the ‘sequestration’ element of the United States’ new debt-reduction law as a ‘doomsday mechanism’ that would result in a dangerous new round of defense cuts.

• The UK Opposition maintains the pressure for a reopening of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) after a former Liberal Democrat leader says a coalition government colleague used ‘political muscle’ to safeguard an airbase in his Scottish constituency.

• Brazil’s Defense Minister Nelson Jobim resigns from Dilma Rousseff’s cabinet after making remarks that angered the President. Jobim’s resignation may add another dimension to Brazil’s FX-2 fighter competition.

• Iraq has received the last of its 22 modified Mi-17 medium helicopters from ARINC.

• The US Air Forces awards Systima Technologies a $9.95 million indefinite-delivery-indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide small munition carriage and release.

• Defense Research Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) awards Luna Technologies a contract worth almost $12 million for research and development-related work on the Integrity and Reliability of Integrated Circuits (IRIS) program.

• An Indian Air Force (IAF) Jaguar strike fighter crashes in Uttar Pradesh killing the pilot and an 18 year old girl. The crash comes two days after a fatal accident involving a MiG-21 fighter.

• As China’s aircraft carrier program gathers momentum, debate is beginning as to who will be the first captain of the vessel.

• DARPA uses the Black Hat 2011 security conference to launch its Cyber Fast Track (CFT) project. It is anticipated that CFT will involve short-term projects that are even open to hackers.