U.S. to Remain Dependent on Russian Rocket Engines for Years Despite Billions Poured Into Domestic Alternatives

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launched / Getty Images

 

Industry officials say military won’t move fully to American-built engines until at least 2024

The Pentagon will remain dependent on Russian rocket engines to launch military satellites into space through at least the mid-2020s, despite the U.S. government allocating billions of dollars to defense contractors to produce an American-made replacement.

The projection adds several years to initial targets laid out in 2014 by lawmakers and senior Air Force officials, who ordered the United States begin phasing out Russia’s RD-180 engines amid national security concerns spurred by the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea.

Iran deploys long-range missiles to Fordo nuclear site

 

Protecting nuke facilities is paramount, says Iran air commander as state TV airs images of Russian-made S-300 launchers

TEHRAN, Iran — Tehran has deployed a recently delivered Russian-made long-range missile system to central Iran to protect its Fordo nuclear facility, state television said Sunday.

Protecting nuclear facilities is paramount “in all circumstances” General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran’s air defenses, told the IRIB channel.

“Today, Iran’s sky is one of the most secure in the region,” he added.

US to lack full space launch capability beyond 2019 without Russian engine

America continues to suicide itself out of existence any way it can, with space also being a frontier:

 

In January, the US Air Force awarded contracts to Orbital ATK and SpaceX to develop prototypes of US-built rocket engines to replace the RD-180.

 

Full US space launch capability may be delayed beyond 2019 if it cuts its supply of Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines, US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

The terrifying armoury of ISIS: Jihadi group boasts tanks and jets at its disposal

DEADLY terror group Islamic State’s arsenal of weapons includes a fearsome array of tanks and heavy-duty war machinery.

A look at the terrifying cache of munitions the Islamist organisation controls reveals militants have a range of modern fighting tools – including US-made humvee four-wheel-drive vehicles – at their disposal.

Much of the equipment has been looted from Iraqi and Syrian troops as their depleted national armies are forced to retreat.

Vietnam Buys Deadly New Missiles Capable of Hitting China

 

Hanoi is the first Southeast Asian nation arming its submarines with land attack cruise missiles.

Vietnam is in the process of acquiring 50 anti-ship and land attack 3M-14E Klub supersonic cruise missiles for its burgeoning fleet of SSK Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines, Der Spiegel Online reports.

According to the article, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) recently updated data on its website, based on information obtained from the United Nations’ register of conventional arms, indicating that Russia has already delivered 28 missiles over the last two years to Hanoi, although the precise number remains unknown.

US Air Force to End Reliance on Russian Rocket Engines as Soon as Possible

WASHINGTON, December 22 (Sputnik) — The US Air Force will implement sections of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) restricting use of the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine, which is used to deliver US national security payloads into space, an Air Force spokesperson told the Sputnik news agency on Monday.

“The Air Force is committed to ending reliance on the Russian RD-180 as soon as possible and is assessing the specific impacts from restrictions on its use,” Air Force spokesperson Captain Chris Hoyler said.