Lockheed Martin receives $528 million THAAD missile-defense contract

The Missile Defense Agency awarded Lockheed Martin a $528 million contract in December for production and delivery of interceptors for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The new interceptors will support a growing number of U.S. Army THAAD units.

THAAD is a key element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), and is highly effective at protecting America's military, allied forces, citizen population centers and critical infrastructure from short- to medium-range ballistic missile attacks.

"Our THAAD interceptors are on the cutting edge of missile defense technology. With advanced range, agility and accuracy, our interceptors are fully capable of defeating dangerous missile threats today and into the future," said Richard McDaniel, Lockheed Martin's vice president for the THAAD system.

THAAD interceptors employ Lockheed Martin's proven "hit-to-kill" technology to destroy missile threats inside and outside the atmosphere. The system is rapidly deployable, mobile, and also interoperable with all other BMDS elements, including Patriot/PAC-3, Aegis, forward-based sensors and the Command, Control, Battle Management and Communications system. These unique capabilities make THAAD an important addition to air and missile defense architectures around the world.

The U.S. Army activated the fifth of seven programmed THAAD batteries at the end of 2015. Lockheed Martin delivered the 100(th) THAAD interceptor earlier in 2015. The United Arab Emirates was the first international partner to procure the THAAD system with a contract awarded in 2011.

Choctaw Casinos makes donation to North Texas tornado victims

Choctaw Casinos announced Monday a $100,000 donation to the North Texas Region of the American Red Cross to assist people affected by the recent tornadoes. Located north of the impacted areas, Choctaw Casinos is owned and operated by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma--the third largest Indian Tribe in the United States.

According to the American Red Cross the funds will directly support people living in Ellis, Dallas, Collin and Rockwall counties and will help fund essential services such as shelter operations, distribution of clean-up supplies such as shovels, rakes, tarps, daily meals and snacks and casework services.

Wind energy and batteries drive future rare earth metal market

The global rare earth metal market is evincing intense interest from various market players because of its growth prospects with a rise in production capacities across the world as governments try to secure and leverage these scarce resources, according to a new report published by ReportsnReports. This expansion in the supplier base will drastically change the supplier landscape and is expected to lead to a softening of prices going forward.

Market research analysts predict the rare earth metals market to grow at a rate of 14 percent during the forecast period. According to the "Global Rare Earth Metals Market 2015-2019" report, increasing use of rare earth metals in the wind energy sector and NiMH batteries stand as the prominent ones. Rare earth elements are widely used in the manufacture of magnets for wind turbine generators and for the electrodes in metal hydride batteries.

The rare earth metals are used in NiMH batteries where neodymium, praseodymium and lanthanum are used in combination with nickel, cobalt and aluminium. These batteries are powerful, light and occupy less space when compared to the conventional lead and lithium batteries.

Recycling of rare earth metals from electronic wastes is gaining prominence and is expected to contribute to the market growth during the forecast period. The recycling process is being adopted by nations such as Germany, France and Japan that have limited reserves but high consumption.

China accounted for around 63 percent of the market share during 2014, in terms of consumption. The report predicts this region to maintain its leadership until the end of 2019. The increased demand for rare earth from the automotive and electronic industries in this region is driving the market.

Around 250 firms are involved globally in the exploration and production of rare earth metal deposits. Most of the firms' operating activities are based in China, followed by U.S., Australia and Canada. State-owned firms either directly or indirectly control about 60 percent of the global rare earth output.

Ball Aerospace names new vice president roles

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has promoted Mike Gazarik, Technology Director, to the position of Vice President for Engineering and named Jeff Osterkamp Vice President for Mission Assurance.

Gazarik joined Ball in March from NASA where he was the Associate Administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters. Since then, he has worked to align Ball's technology development with business development and growth strategies. As the vice president of engineering, he will provide overall strategic and operational leadership of the organization, which includes all disciplines of engineering as well as manufacturing, testing, supply chain management, facilities, IRAD and intellectual property.

Gazarik earned a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's and Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology, also in Electrical Engineering.

In transitioning from the role as VP for Engineering to VP of Mission Assurance, Osterkamp replaces Sherri Fike who retired in December. Osterkamp has more than 30 years of experience at Ball Aerospace. His previous roles include executive leadership of the company's component technologies business area; the National Defense strategic business unit; the Program Management Office; Sensor and Video Technologies; and Advanced Antenna and Video Systems.

Osterkamp earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Idaho and an M.S. in Engineering Management from the University of Colorado.

Most popular posts 2015

1.) Single-engine airplane preparing to ditch in Pacific Ocean - The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a distress call from a single-engine aircraft running out of fuel approximately 975 miles north of the Big Island, Hawaii. [Full story]

2.) PC-24 Super Versatile Jet performs maiden flight - The new PC-24 Super Versatile Jet took off on its maiden flight Monday from Buochs airport in Switzerland. [Full story]

3.) Lufthansa to demonstrate pilot-controlled taxiing system without engines running - TaxiBot, a semi-robotic pilot-controlled vehicle, transports airline aircraft from terminal gates to the runway and back, without using the airplane's own engines. [Full story]

4.) NTSB releases report on fatal Boeing 747 crash in Afghanistan - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released their first public factual report for the ongoing investigation into the April 29, 2013 crash of a National Airlines Boeing 747 at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. [Full story]

5.) Delta adds Boeing 717s for Los Angeles/San Francisco service - Delta Air Lines will introduce Boeing 717 aircraft on eight of the 15 daily flights between Los Angeles International (LAX) and San Francisco International airports in June, offering 40 percent more seats on its hourly nonstop Delta Shuttle. [Full story]

Passengers aboard Air Canada flight sent to hospital

Air Canada Flight 088, en route to Toronto from Shanghai, was diverted to Calgary where it landed without incident at 5:23 EST.

Air Canada teams are meeting with passengers. At this time the airline can confirm that passengers and crew have been examined by medical personnel following turbulence encountered en route and 21 passengers have been transferred directly to local hospitals from the airport comprising eight with non-life threatening injuries and 13 for observation. Air Canada will be making arrangements to accommodate all other passengers including those continuing on to Toronto.

The passenger list indicates the Boeing 777-300ER was carrying 332 passengers and 19 crew members.

A full investigation of the incident is being undertaken.

Turn your daily shopping receipts into cash

A fun and rewarding phone app called Receipt Hog can turn your everyday receipts from shopping into cash – no matter where you shop or what you buy.

Shop anywhere. Buy anything. Then take a picture of your receipt with Receipt Hog on your phone.

“Your receipt data along with the answers you provide to optional surveys is made anonymous and summarized in market research reports that brands purchase,” according to the Receipt Hog website. “These companies pay for information such as, 'Families in the Phoenix area are 20 percent more likely than the rest of the United States to shop for laundry detergent at a super center than a traditional grocery store.'" And its not just shopping receipts.

On Tuesday, Receipt Hog announced it now accepts all receipts from restaurants, cafes, and gas-only purchases and rewards users with sweepstakes entries.

Grabbing a pizza for dinner? Filling up the gas tank? Purchasing some new clothes or a new phone? All receipts count and can be converted into cash.

Users can receive their cash by PayPal or in the form of a Amazon gift card once they reach 1,000 coins in the app.