Contracts Round-up: 5/18

Today, you can:

1. Make a balloon that sits at the fringe of space, collecting intelligence data that is returned to ground via a detachable glider -- perhaps saving the air force billions of dollars otherwise spent on orbital satellites.
2. Build up to 10 of that long-awaited hunter-killer unmanned aircraft -- the General Atomics MQ-9B Reaper -- next year
3. Seriously ponder why the US Air Force needs to collect butterflies in Los Angeles
   
4. If someone ever figures out how to keep an aircraft aloft for five years or more, give them some electronics, engines and sensors that work for five years without breaking ... and then, please, donate this technology to the F-22
5. Fly Russian helicopters in Afghanistan for the US military

Comments

[jon]

uh, the butterflies are endangered. The study will identify their locations so operations on the base can be modified to protect thebutterflies.

Hope they paint over the red stars on the helicopters, or some of the older war lord mujahedin may be struck with some fierce PTSD.

nice post.

[Stephen]

Thanks Jon.

Well, I am aware of the technical reason why the air force is going butterfly-hunting, but you have to admit there's a hint of absurdity to the whole thing.