Rapid Fire 2011-04-18: RAF Typhoon Cost Overruns

* UK Public Accounts Committee report cites GBP 3.5 billion in cost overruns for RAF Typhoon fighter program; MoD says program is “under control and back on track.” * Republican US senators send letter to President Obama, opposing reported proposal giving Russia “red-button” sway over European missile defense shield, and sharing sensitive information about the program. * Boeing Military Aircraft president Christopher M. Chadwick discusses India’s potential orders for 4 more P-8i sea control jets, and 10 C-17 heavy aerial transports. * DARPA wants to explore the science of storytelling. Otherwise known as “Neurobiology of Narratives.” * David Axe offers front-line descriptions of recent combat in Afghanistan. * Recent NASA R&D funding involves new “magic skin” outer layers for composite airframe structures – incl. conductive film and energy-absorbing foams. * L-3’s Platform Integration division gets approval to begin low-rate initial production of the ISR mission avionics suite for the US Navy’s EP-3E Spiral 3-configured electronic eavesdropping aircraft. * Russian Navy floats out 3rd Steregushchy-class corvette (Boyky) from the St. Peterburg Severnaya Verf shipyard. * UK completes Route Trident extension linking Lashkar Gah and Gereshk in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province. * General Atomics opens a UK division to support its British customer, […]