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Air Force closes all seven battle labs
With budget pressures mounting, Air Force can no longer afford the investment; Air Force Space Battlelab, Command and Control Battlelab, and Air Warfare Battlelab among those receiving the axe
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Israeli students develop UAV on UAV refueling algorithm
Technicians at Technion use a camera attached to the end of a refueling pipe to calculate docking movement; in-air refueling a must if UAVs are to take on long-haul tasks
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Europeans plan to monitor airline passengers in flight
System marries video and audio analytics technology to individual passenger profiles in order to preempt terrorist activity; microphones pick up Koranic recitations while tiny cameras look for signs of nervousness
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Munich airport deploys license plate recognition system
GeoVision wins the conract to improve the airport’s parking control system; license plates are scanned on entrance and exit, thereby obviating the need for tickets and cutting down on personnel; frequent fliers rejoice
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India dumps airport Backscatter machine
Revealing images upset socially conservative security guards; cultural values often underappreciated by security officials
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GAO hammers US-VISIT program
Government Accountability Office criticizes DHS for failing to strengthen exit procedures at land crossings, inability to resolve redundancies with WHTI and other programs; Congress dinged for oversight failures
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UAVs struggle to access civilian airspace
Civilian air authorities demand collision-avoidance systems before permitting flight; high rates of operator error worry other pilots; American and European authorities meet to develop technical standards for such a system; industry mourns NASA’s Access Five program
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Florida police challenge FAA over UAV regulatory authority
Palm Bay attempts to launch a Cyberbug to help with patrols, but FAA and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association object; police say FAA lacks authority to regulate what they call a model airplane; Cyber Defense Systems waits for a ruling
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Iran announces deployment of new UAV fleet
Unverified claims come as Iran prepares for a showdown with the United States; Iran says new drone cannot be detected by radar; new model may be based on the Ababil first seen in 1997
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MIT puts final touches on a micro turbine engine
Millimeters in diameter machines could power miniature batteries or serve as engines in micro air vehicles; possible energy per weight unit estimated at 1200-1500 whr/kg; U.S. Army foots the bill
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Insect avionics to keep aircraft from crashing
Bees use optical flow to measure speed and height while landing; a similar digital feedback loop attached to aircraft could save lives; researchers at the University of the Mediterranean solicit interest from helicopter manufacturers
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Irate passenger removes shoes, pants
No Z Backscatters needed as German tourist in the Philippines tries to expose the naked truth about airport security; charged with lewd behavior, he may spend six years in jail
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Israel Aerospace Industries makes its mark in Indian UAV market
IAI has sold more than 100 of its Searcher Mark II and Heron models; company is in discussion with local Speck Systems for joint development of the Baaz; keeping tabs on Jammu and Kashmir a key Indian concern
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Raytheon announces new self-authenticating PASS Card
Interesting approach to WHTI program relies on a card with a self-contained fingerprint scanner; travelers press their thumb to the card, which then sends authentication data via RFID to security officials
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Banning lighters from flights costs company $5 million a year
The Pennsylvania maker of Zippo cigarette lighters says that the TSA decision to ban lighters from flight cost it $5 million a year
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More headlines
The long view
Prototype Self-Service Screening System Unveiled
TSA and DHS S&T unveiled a prototype checkpoint technology, the self-service screening system, at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, NV. The aim is to provide a near self-sufficient passenger screening process while enabling passengers to directly receive on-person alarm information and allow for the passenger self-resolution of those alarms.