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Daily News
By Gail Helmer

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Tuesday August 27, 2002

PC News
Battlefield 1942 MP Demo Patch
Electronic Arts has announced that a patch for the recently released Battlefield 1942 Multiplayer Demo will be available soon. The patch will incorporate a number of fixes, including the following:

  • Support for All Seeing Eye.
  • Support for refresh rates higher than 60hz.
  • Improved Server stability
  • And many other fixes to be announced soon.

R6: Raven Shield MP Demo
Rumors have been circulating through the international community of an impending multiplayer demo release. Our intelligence has confirmed that a Rainbow Six: Raven Shield Multiplayer Demo is coming soon. We will keep you posted on any new developments. For information of Raven Shield, check our interview with Montreal development team, click here.

Video Games for the Troops
Every one of the 72 submarines in the American fleet now has a new state-of-the-art video game console, plus about 20 of the current top-selling video games, thanks to an unprecedented drive by the U.S. computer and video game industry to show support and thanks to American troops waging the war on terrorism, the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) announced today.

IDSA members donated a total of more than 1,700 games to this effort. On average, every ship received approximately 20 games from among the 76 different titles donated. Many of the games have been best sellers and have been critically acclaimed.

"Through a commercial sponsorship agreement with the Interactive Digital Software Association, more than 10,000 sailors serving aboard submarines worldwide, are now enjoying the recreation and social benefits of video consoles and numerous electronic games," said Kelly Powell, head of the Mission Essential Branch, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Division, Navy Personnel Command. "These consoles and games provide sailors with a much-needed distraction and recreation during the limited free time sailors enjoy on board submarines. The Sailors of America's Submarine Fleet send a sincere 'thank you' to the folks at Interactive Digital Software Association for their thoughtfulness and kindness."

Military News
Successful Test Releasing Bat Submunition From Predator UAV
The U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corporation conducted drop tests July 25 and Aug. 13 that successfully demonstrated the feasibility of releasing a Bat submunition from a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Sponsored by the Air Force's UAV Battlelab, the tests were performed at Eglin Air Force Base's flight test range using a UH-1N helicopter as surrogate for the Predator; an MA-4 rack and carriage system, which has been proposed for use on the Predator; and a Bat UAV ejection tube (BUET).



Two preliminary tests measured the effects of vibration at hover and at 110 knots air speed. The first drop test successfully demonstrated release of the BUET from the MA-4 rack at a nominal Predator air speed of 70 knots. During a second drop test, the successful release of the BUET was repeated, followed by the successful ejection of a Bat simulant from the BUET.

"This test series has shown that the Bat submunition can be integrated rapidly into UAV systems," said William H. Forster, vice president of Land Combat Systems at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. "Deployed from a UAV, Bat could provide our armed forces with a quick-reaction capability that minimizes sensor-to-shooter timelines against fleeting targets such as SCUD missile launchers and mobile SAM launchers. We are evaluating different configurations for deploying Bat on Predator and plan to meet with Air Force officials to discuss these alternatives. We are also working with the Army and TRW on using the Hunter UAV to deliver Bats."

According to Maj. David Grilley, chief of Combat Applications at the UAV Battlelab, "We started this initiative to deploy remote ground sensors, but once we realized we had the capability to employ any type of gravity-drop weapon, we worked to expand the flight certification database for application to Predator. The Bat submunition has the right payload size and weight, precision guidance, great range and a generic ejection tube. What impresses me most, however, is Bat's off-axis attack capability."

The P3I Bat, a planned block upgrade, adds advanced millimeter-wave radar and improved imaging IR sensors, providing a co-boresighted, dual-mode RF/IR seeker that works with the baseline acoustic sensors. The new seeker expands Bat's engagement capability to include a wide range of both stationary and moving targets and also improves Bat's performance in adverse weather conditions and against sophisticated countermeasures.

Northrop Grumman Receives RAMICS Contract
Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a three-year, $36.9 million contract to develop a Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS) for the U.S. Navy to protect the fleet from near-surface and floating mines.



RAMICS is a non-towed airborne mine neutralization system designed to operate from an MH-60S Organic Airborne Mine Countermeasure helicopter and to deploy from surface combatants and aircraft carriers in a carrier battle group and an amphibious ready group. It will provide a rapid response clearance capability against near-surface and surface (floating) moored mines that have been detected, classified and localized by Northrop Grumman's Airborne Laser Mine Detection System or other mine hunting systems.

RAMICS uses an electro-optic light detecting and ranging system to acquire a target and aim the gun subsystem. The 30mm MK44 gun uses a MK 258 Mod 1 armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot tracer. The projectile is stable during air flight, successfully penetrates the water's surface, supercavitating while in the water, to greatly reduce drag and improve underwater flight performance.

RAMICS will be capable of neutralizing near-surface and surface-moored mines in the shallow water zone (40 to 300 feet total water depth) and the deepwater zone (greater than 300 feet total water depth).


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