News of new developments in the military-industrial complex

The next prototype of the American Starship spacecraft, being developed for manned flights to the Moon and Mars, can be launched in a test suborbital flight on May 4 or 5, the specialized website Next Spaceflight reported.

In the UK, parts of the hull of the promising Type 26 frigate were successfully docked. In the future, such ships will become one of the main combat units of the Royal Navy, and will also serve in the navies of partner countries.

The US Army is developing the a-shape (alpha-shape) technique, which will ensure the joint work of several robots in conditions of poor communication between them or even complete lack of it. It will help groups of autonomous robots achieve their goals without interfering with each other and without duplicating actions, even though they will not be able to communicate with each other.

Engineers and scientists are celebrating the setting of a new historical record – for the first time, the creation of human hands has accelerated to a speed of more than half a million kilometers per hour. The solar probe "Parker" is currently moving at a speed of 532,000 km/h and makes its eighth orbit around our star. Its onboard instruments actively collect information about magnetic fields, high-energy particles, and take pictures of the Sun.

The use of star navigation will allow you to bypass the blocking of the Global Positioning System (GPS) by potential US adversaries like Russia and China, writes the American magazine Popular Mechanics.

Scientists from St. Petersburg at the State University of Technology and Design have developed a unique thermal insulation material with record fire-resistant and high-temperature performance. The basis for its manufacture is a mullite – silica fiber, which has the highest fire resistance and low thermal conductivity.

We continue the series of articles about the PLA UAVs. This article will present unmanned systems that are in service with the Air Force of the People's Liberation Army of China.

The two-seat version of the Chinese fifth-generation fighter J-20 will receive a powerful electronic warfare system (EW) and will be able to control guided unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as a result of which it will become a "real nightmare" for the enemy, the South China Morning Post newspaper writes, citing the Chinese magazine Ordnance Industry Science Technology.

The research and production enterprise "Polet" (part of the holding company "Roselektronika" "Rostec") is creating a new antenna for supersonic aircraft, which will significantly increase the range and reliability of aviation radio communications, the press service of the company told reporters on Friday.

Jeff Bezos announced the sale of tickets for space tourists. Those interested will be able to purchase a seat in the New Shepard ship. The device was developed by the businessman's company, the Izvestia TV channel reports. Tickets to the orbit can be issued as early as May 5. Three years ago, the media reported that one ticket one ticket to space will cost $200-300 thousand. The corporation has been developing the New Shepard rocket since 2006. The company conducted 15 tests of the ship. The last test - it was held on April 14 - was considered a success by experts.

In 2020, the US Missile Defense Agency failed twice to test the THAAD-Patriot system.

During one of the test launches, the control of the Kalibr-NK cruise missile was lost, which fell into the sea next to the Marshal Shaposhnikov frigate that launched it, says The Drive, commenting on a video posted on YouTube of a "test launch of a cruise missile launch model".

China will have a national space station in low-Earth orbit. On April 29, the press service of the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) reported that the Changzheng-5B launch vehicle successfully launched the base module of the future space station into orbit.

The launcher of the Chinese intercontinental missile system DF-41 was captured on video while it was moving along a public road.

It can be seen that a multi-ton combat vehicle with a wheel formula of 8x8 with a fairly decent speed moves in the flow of transport along with ordinary passenger cars.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has approved three launches of technology demonstrators of the Starship space system. The nearest of them may take place very soon.

Specialists of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences have completed an experiment aimed at testing the flight to the satellite of our planet. A total of six people were involved in the study. It was part of the preparation for a new stage of the SIRIUS international isolation experiment.

The US Space Agency decided to suspend the contract issued earlier by SpaceX and implying the creation of the lander. The reason was protests from the company's competitors — Dynetics and Blue Origin.

Tests of the protected special purpose vehicle "Typhoon-Airborne" will soon be completed, the Department of Information and Mass Communications (DIMK) of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported.

The Su-30SM fighters in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Russian Navy will be upgraded to the Su-30SM2 variant, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Sunday, citing sources in the Russian Defense Ministry.

France has tested a new M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile. Its carrier is a strategic submarine of the Triomphant type.