Royal launch for HMS Astute

The Duchess of Cornwall named the Royal Navy's largest and most powerful attack submarine, the first-of-class the HMS Astute, before it rolled out of the build hall at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, reports BAE Systems.

The Astute sets a new standard for the Royal Navy in terms of weapon load, stealth and comfort for the crew. It also employs a new-generation steam-raising nuclear plant, which is fuelled for the whole of the vessel's 25-year operational life.

The vessel is equipped with the advanced Type 2076 sonar system, which has already proven its class-leading performance on upgraded Trafalgar-class submarines, and is capable of identifying and tracking vessels across thousands of square miles of ocean.

The French defence procurement agency has selected Thales to lead an ambitious advanced research project on new laser sources for military applications. Effective since January 2007, the contract is worth close to 11 million euros and will last five years, reports Thales.

The procurement agency launched a competitive bidding process in 2006 and this year chose a consortium of Thales research teams, working with the French company Manlight, a technology provider specialising in fibre lasers.

The study will prepare the groundwork for development of laser sources for jamming, target designation/range-finding and active imaging systems.

Thales UK has unveiled the final configuration of the Watchkeeper unmanned air vehicle (UAV), following a critical design review by the Ministry of Defence. The air vehicle has been developed with Elbit Systems and will be manufactured at the UAV Tactical Systems site in Leicester.

The design represents key UK-specific enhancements for expeditionary use around the world and an improved ability to provide an essential, cost-effective intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability for the ministry.

"Watchkeeper is an ISTAR system with several important sub-systems. The air vehicle, however, is not only an iconic representation of the system but a major factor in persistence, tactical deployment and low support and operating costs," says Richard Deakin, MD of Thales' aerospace business in the UK.

The Boeing Company has begun flight testing the mission system aboard the first 737 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for Australia's Project Wedgetail.

During an initial four-hour flight from Boeing Field in Seattle on 6 June, the crew conducted a series of functional tests as part of a programme to measure the mission system's impact on the aircraft's power generation capability and environmental controls, such as the liquid and air cooling systems.

The mission system includes the radar, navigation, communications and computing subsystems. Boeing will flight test the aircraft several days a week for the next month over land and water, while the mission system is used in a manner similar to an AEW&C operational mission.

EADS Astrium has unveiled a revolutionary new vehicle for space tourism at a special VIP event in Paris ahead of the Le Bourget Airshow, according to EADS This business jet sized vehicle is designed to carry four passengers 100km up into space, giving more than three minutes of "zero G" or weightlessness.

The Astrium space jet will take off and land conventionally from a standard airport using its jet engines. However, once the craft is airborne at an altitude of about 12km, the rocket engines will be ignited to give sufficient acceleration to reach 100km. In 80 seconds, the craft will have climbed to 60km altitude.

The pilot will control the craft using small rocket thrusters, enabling passengers to hover weightlessly for three minutes and to view Earth from that distance. After slowing down during descent, the jet engines are restarted for a normal and safe landing at a standard airfield. The entire trip will last approximately an hour-and-a-half.