Transportation

Boat made from carbon nanotube composite fibers for coastal security
The administration’s 2010 budget cuts the U.S. Coast Guard’s budget, so it is good that a Washington state-based company is building a boat made entirely with carbon nanotube enhanced pre-impregnated composite fibers; the 16 meter boat will weigh less than 3,630 kg, fully equipped; this is approximately 75 percent less than fiberglass boats of the same size, and 33 percent less than conventional carbon fiber boats
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U.S. ships will be required to post guards when sailing near Somalia
The U.S. Coast Guard will require U.S.-flagged ships sailing around the Horn of Africa to post guards and ship owners to submit anti-piracy security plans for approval
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Somali pirates benefit from a global network of informers
These are not your father’s pirates: Somali pirates benefit from information sent to them by informers planted in key shipping hubs around the world; this information includes vessels’ cargo, layout, and route — and is transmitted early enough to allow the pirates enough time to practice their assault based on the information they received
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U.S. Coast Guard budget reduced by $20 million relative to 2009
USCG supporters fret over cuts in the Coast Guard budget; the cuts would have been even deeper had it not been for a slight injection of stimulus package funds and the inclusion of DoD supplemental money of $241 million for Operating Expenses Appropriation in support of Overseas Contingency Operations
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Initial $50 million of stimulus package for airport security awarded
DHS announced the award of the first $50 million out of a total of $1 billion made available by the stimulus package for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); money will fund explosive detection systems and advanced technology X-ray units that will streamline baggage screening at U.S. airports
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Raytheon awarded Nextgen Air Transportation System contract
Contract calls for Raytheon to study the Nextgen integrated communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) architecture and determine the NAS’s needs for 2018 to 2025
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Canada bolsters air travel security
The government in Ottawa announced $350-million in funding to boost security at airports across the country
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DoJ's IG criticizes DHS terrorist Watch List
Inspector General says Watch List is flawed; FBI was also slow in removing names that should not have been on the list
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U.S. air traffic vulnerable to "serious harm" from cyber attacks
New FAA report: “{U}nless effective action is taken quickly, it is likely to be a matter of when, not if, ATC [air traffic control] systems encounter attacks that do serious harm to ATC operations”
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BAE in $13 million deal to provide U.S. military with IFF transponders
In an effort to reduce incidents of friendly fire on the battlefield, the U.S. military orders 500 identification friend or foe (IFF) digital transponders and spares for the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy; BAE has already delivered more than 4,000 common transponders
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Airport flu scanners as global health alert increases
Australian government orders all airports to use thermal imaging systems to detect passengers who may be infected with swine flu; the scanners can detect if a passenger has a raised body temperature
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Drug cartels now use ultralight aircraft to smuggle drug into U.S.
The drug cartels south of the U.S. border have a new weapon in their arsenal: Ultralight aircraft; these ultralights can carry up to 300 pounds of narcotics
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RAID surveillance system deployed along border
Aerostats differ from blimps in that blimps are powered, while aerostats are anchored to the ground through a cranked tether that also supplies electrical power
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FAA to impose safety rules on medical, rescue helicopters
Emergency medical services helicopters perform many risky stunts in order to reach people in trouble and evacuate them to safety; this makes these rescue vehicles even more prone to accidents; the FAA is set to impose new safety requirements next year
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Russia to build new-generation nuclear icebreaker by 2015
Russia is locked in legal dispute with four other countries over rights to the mineral-rich areas in an under the North pole — areas which are slowly becoming accessible as a result of global warming; to make sure it gains ready access, Russia invests a new generation of nuclear ice breakers
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