The United States fields the LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM (silo-based) with a ~13,000 km range that carries 1× nuclear RV (W78/W87, ~335 kt) and the UGM-133 Trident II D5 SLBM (submarine-launched) with >12,000 km range capable of up to 8 MIRVs (W76/W88). The U.S. LRHW “Dark Eagle” program develops a long-range hypersonic boost-glide missile with…
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1957 – The Atoms for Peace agreement between the United States and Iran launches Iran’s civil nuclear program. 1967 – Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) is a 5 MW reactor supplied by the United States, using weapons-grade uranium fuel (93% enriched). 1968–1970 – Iran signs and ratifies the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); IAEA safeguards enter force…
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The Iridium Extreme 9575 is Iridium’s flagship rugged handset (MIL-STD 810F, IP65) at about 5.5 × 2.4 × 1.1 in and 8.7 oz, priced around $1,200–$1,500 (listed $1,349 in Jan 2025) with built-in GPS and an SOS button. The Iridium 9555 is a smaller, rugged phone (about 5.6 × 2.2 × 1.2 in, 9.4 oz)…
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The NFL reported a 20,000% increase in drone incursions at football games from 2017 to 2023. The global anti-drone market is projected to grow at 27.8% per year this decade. Counter-UAS systems typically use multi-sensor fusion, combining radar, RF analyzers, optical/infrared cameras, and acoustic sensors with artificial intelligence. Rafael’s Drone Dome provides 360° detection with…
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Starlink’s upfront CapEx was estimated at about $10 billion and later as high as $30 billion, SpaceX launched over 8,000 Starlink satellites with about 4,000 in operation by April 2025, and the service exceeded 5 million subscribers worldwide by 2025. Amazon’s Project Kuiper is a $10 billion plan for a 3,236-satellite constellation, with 27 production…
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The F-16 began as General Dynamics’ YF-16 in the USAF’s Lightweight Fighter program, with the prototype’s maiden flight in 1974 and the first operational F-16A delivered in 1979. It introduced relaxed static stability and fly-by-wire controls, enabling exceptional agility and the ability to sustain 9 g turns. The cockpit features a frameless bubble canopy for…
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The Sukhoi Su-57 Felon is Russia’s first fifth-generation stealth fighter, developed under the PAK FA program, with the T-50 prototype’s maiden flight on January 29, 2010 and the name Su-57 adopted in 2017. It measures about 20.1 m in length, 14.0 m wingspan, and 4.8 m in height, uses internal weapon bays, and employs radar-absorbing…
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In 2023, the global space economy reached $570 billion, with private/commercial ventures accounting for about 78%. In 2023 there were 221 orbital launches (the most on record), more than 2,500 satellites launched, and experts project up to 100,000 satellites in orbit within the next decade. Since 2009, investors have poured about $347.9 billion into roughly…
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April 2001: Dennis Tito became the world’s first space tourist by paying about $20 million for a seat on a Russian Soyuz and spending seven days aboard the ISS. In 2004, Mojave Aerospace Ventures won the Ansari X Prize by launching SpaceShipOne, the first privately built crewed spacecraft, on back-to-back suborbital flights. The Commercial Space…
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Solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte and lithium-metal anodes, offering 50–100% higher energy density than today’s Li‑ion and 1,000+ cycles with about 95% capacity retention, with Toyota targeting 750 miles per charge and 10-minute charging by 2027–2028. Lithium-sulfur batteries have a theoretical energy density above 500 Wh/kg, and a recent all-solid-state Li‑S cell demonstrated around…
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