Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- April 30, 2011

The U.K. Pays The Cost For Carrier Aviation -- DoD Buzz

The Royal Navy’s pending class of two aircraft carriers, the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, could end up costing more than double what government officials initially projected, according to a BBC report today. It underscores how big a deal it was for the U.K. to decide to buy F-35C Lightning IIs, as opposed to the delayed B version. When the Brits shifted to the Cs last fall, it was read in Washington as just another blow against the B, but many Americans may not have realized the consequences it would also have in today’s Austerity Britain. The Royal Navy now needs to redesign one or both carriers to accommodate the conventional C models, and that could raise the cost of the ships from £5.2 billion — or about $8.7 billion — to £7 billion, or about $11.7 billion.

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MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE NEWS BRIEFS

Libyan Rebels Already Talking to Defense Contractors -- Defense Tech

Europe's Defense Funding: An Inconvenient Truth -- Ares/Aviation Week

New Satellite Image of Construction at North Korea Nuclear Site -- ISIS

India Rejects Russia's Fighter Jet Bid: Official -- Defense News

Saab Targets Smaller Gripen Orders After Losing Bid for India -- Bloomberg

Indonesian Carrier Killer Comes Out Of Hiding -- Strategy Page

Israel urged to buy U.S. rocket defenses -- Space Daily

How far can upgraded F-15s take us againsts large threats? -- ELP Defens(c)e Blog

Second Sub in 2011 Ordered By U.S. Navy -- Defense News

Can the U.S. Army Fix Its Broken Acquisition System? -- Defpro

Fire Scout Scoring High Praise -- Information Dissemination

Atlas Air Worldwide Announces Expansion Into Military Passenger Charter Service -- Business Wire

Military: Troop ailments, from backs to breathing, swell -- USA Today

Combat Stress as 'Moral Injury' Offends Marines -- Military.com

Defense Department’s Vickers is a national security star — again -- Washington Post

Vietnam-era Green Beret finally returns home -- Tampa Bay/AP

Our Elite Schools Have Abandoned Military History -- Peter Berkowitz, Wall Street Journal (a commentary)