Category Archives: Life Extension

Aninnovative fruit packaging solution which incorporates shelf-life extending technology from Sirane has shown significant shelf-life extension with punnets of cut fruit.

Sirane has been working alongside Italian firm Ilip in creating a complete packaging system Life+ - which was unveiled at Fruit Logistica in Berlin at the start of the year and has since been shown at a number of fruit trade shows and conferences around Europe.

Karl Heggarty, Sirane sales manager for fresh produce packaging, said: Life+ offers shelf-life extension by combining various elements into one complete packaging solution, including the anti-mist punnet tray, packaging films and absorbent technology.We offer the absorbency, with options including anti-bacterial and ethylene absorbency, both of which can have a positive impact on the shelf-life of soft and delicate fruits.

During recent independently-run trials, portions of cut fruit - apples, pineapples, kiwi and melon was receiving an additional two to four days shelf-life using Life+ when compared with standard tray and films, which would make a huge difference to retailers.

The trials were run by the University of Turin, and commissioned by Ilip.

Karl added: This particular trial was run using anti-bacterial fruit pads in the Life+ system. The report concluded that Life+ creates a micro-atmosphere in the pack, regulating the respiration rates of the fruits, and that it helps maintain the fruits texture.

It also adds that Life+ reduces drip and subsequent microbial contamination, and also that the Life+ packaging system helps the fruit maintain a higher vitamin C content.

Life+ was recently awarded the prestigious gold award at Macfrut - a popular international produce exhibition show, was held in Rimini, Italy, from May 10-12. The Macfrut gold medal, awarded by the LInformatore Agrario and Cesena Fiera, is awarded by a jury of industry experts for the most significant technical innovations in terms of environmental and economic sustainability and improvement in product quality.

Case studies relating to other fruits show similar benefits to the cut-fruit. With grapes, the system prevents wilting and delays fungal growth, while maintaining flavour, while with mushrooms it has been shown to maintain whiteness and prevent discolouration.

Meanwhile with berries, it has been show to slow-down ripening, delay the detachment of berries from their stalks, and help delay fungal growth on the surface of the fruit.

Roberto Zanichelli, Ilip sales and marketing director, said: Life+ has been gathering substantial positive reactions from our partners and from the sector in general.

This is proof of the impact our project will have on product shelf life and on the maintenance of freshness when it comes to delicate products, such as berries, strawberries, cherry-tomatoes and grapes, on which tests have been very successful.Sirane manufactures a range of fruit packaging solutions, including absorbent pads, cushioned fruit pads, anti-bacterial pads and pads with ethylene absorbency.

Simon Balderson, Sirane MD, said: The success of the trials using ABV (anti-bacterial pads) is not a surprise to us. Many companies have tried to deliver anti-microbial packaging, but this is an effective way of delivering the technology from within the pack right to the heart of the problem. Its a brilliant solution that makes a real and tangible difference.Siranes Dri-Fresh ABV pads contain a blend of natural bio-flavonoids and organic acids which work together to naturally enhance the fruits own protective defences. Combined with the absorbency within the pad, they offer an outstanding level of protection.

The technology can be supplied as standard absorbent pads or incorporated into our Dri-Fresh Soft-Hold pads absorbent cushioned pads which prevent damage to soft-fruit during transportation. The technology is activated by moisture functioning only when needed.

Simon Balderson added: Shelf-life extension within fruit, particularly the soft-fruit world, is a big deal throughout the industry, just a few extra days can make a big difference.

Soft-fruit has a short-shelf-life, meaning additional shelf-life is very valuable. It has little in the way of protective skin, so is vulnerable to fungal and bacterial degradation. As it is soft it is also vulnerable to damage during transportation which can often be a long way.

This is a completely natural solution to those problems that is very effective. What were doing is effectively taking the fruits own natural defence mechanism and supplying it when needed in a concentrated form. The results so far have proven to be very impressive.

The combination of flavonoids which are anti-oxidants and anti-microbial, with organic acids including citric acid and ascorbic acids is harmless, as all elements are found naturally within fruit. It is clean, simple, and effective. Nature itself often has the answers.

This complements our existing shelf-life extending technologies, including absorbent.

More info:

http://www.sirane.com

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Significant Shelf-Life Extension on Cut Fruit Using Life+ - Packaging Europe

Wind turbine gearboxes once had a well deserved bad reputation for their short working lives. Not long ago, a two or three-year life was about normal.

Moventas ExtraLife gearbox will provide a four-fold overall life improvement according to computational testing by Sentient Science.

Things are looking up, however. Two companies recently announced improvements to gearboxes that stretch their working life to much longer periods. First, Moventas took the wraps off its Extra Life 1.5-MW gearbox last year and more recently, produced simulations by Sentient Science that point to a four-fold improvement in life. Then at the Wind Energy Update O&M Dallas conference, Gearbox Express unveiled an upgraded version of its proprietary gearbox, Revolution 2.0.

Moventas says that premature failures in the GE 1.5-MW gearboxes have led to unexpected downtime and increased costs. Moventas developed upgrades for the gearboxes, now called Extra Life, that can reduce premature failures on all types of gearboxes. To qualify its modifications, the company enlisted Sentient Science to validate the technology and life-extension claims and quantify the improvements in performance, durability, and reliability.

Computational testing shows a four-fold overall gearbox life improvement because of improvements made to the case-carburized ring gear, integrated planet-gear bearings, high-speed-stage bearings, tooth surface roughness, and material upgrades in bearings and gears. Sentient Science used its DigitalClone, a material science-based program that predicts the earliest time when cracks initiate in the microstructure of rotating gearbox components. The key analysis factors used in DigitalClone computational modeling included material quality, surface roughness, and stresses based on a full gearbox model subjected to real turbine operating conditions. These are not explicitly accounted in industry standards.

Simulation by Sentient Science shows that the planet bearing will have better load carrying capacity versus conventional bearings due to lower contact stress The results also showed an 8% reduction in contact stresses.

Take the case-carburized ring gear, for instance. The method is used instead of another, such as case hardening. To demonstrate improved durability, simulations considered case-carburized microstructure, geometry, operating conditions, lubricant properties, surface finish, and residual stresses. More than 1,000 contact and bending simulations were conducted in DigitalClone software. The results demonstrated an improved L10 life from seven to 20 years, mainly due to better surface finish and material quality without detrimental defects or inclusions.

Also, a two-row arrangement of cylindrical roller bearings is used in each planet of the new gearbox, instead of a four-row arrangement typical of conventional designs. About 2,000 fatigue-life simulations were conducted in DigitalClone to compare the two-bearing arrangement. The planet bearing showed better load-carrying capacity compared to conventional bearings, thanks in part to an 8% reduction in contact stresses. Moventas says its planet bearings now offer superior fatigue life and attribute it to cleaner material quality and relatively lower contact stress.

Gearbox Express says its Revolution 2.0 is available 1.0 to 2.3 MW across several platforms that the company supports, such as MHI 1000A, GE 1.5 S, Sle, Xle, 1.X, Vesta V80 and V82, and the Siemens 2.3. About 20 so far are in the field.

And speaking of cleaner material, a white-etching-resistance steel is used in the Extra Life gearbox instead of a black-oxide or a conventional bearing material. DigitalClone also validated that the white-etching resistance bearing material was superior to the black-oxide coating against white etch cracking due to heat treatment and improved microstructure. The black-oxide coating showed a 3% probability of failure in less than 20 years at the high-speed shaft and high-speed intermediate shaft positions due to non-metallic inclusions. DigitalClone verified the white-etching resistant bearing is superior to other bearing materials in these positions. Furthermore, Moventas can replace these bearings up-tower, which lowers O&M costs and downtime.

Moventas add that its Clean Steel tech has also been showing good result against IMS tooth fractures. The company reports no IMS tooth fractures with the upgraded material spec. In conventional steels, non-metallic inclusions can be as large as 100m on the intermediate-speed pinion. Contact fatigue life simulations in DigitalClone showed that the enhanced material doubles the life over the original design. Rolling contact fatigue simulations demonstrated that the sun pinion used in the new gearbox with an Ra (surface roughness) of 0.3 m increases L10 fatigue life by a factor of 2.2, compared to the original Ra of 0.6 m.

The Revolution 2.0 uses integral tapered rollers instead of cylindrical rollers. The tapers permit preloading, which increases system stiffness and improves load sharing.

The company adds that the Extra Life gearbox showed a lower cost of ownership compared to the legacy platform. Also, the units come with five-year warranties. ExtraLife features can be applied to larger gearboxes as well says the company. One example is Siemens 2.3 MW platform where Moventas has upgraded the design by using own core tech such as case carburized ring gear and combined two row bearing on the planet gears.

The more recent introduction comes from Gearbox Express. The wind industry has wrestled with gearbox failures since its inception, said Gearbox Express CEO Bruce Neumiller at the conference. That led us to create our company and meet these challenges head-on. We are succeeding. The company unveiled its initial Revolution gearbox in 2013 to address frequently seen failure characteristics. Since then, the company has successfully installed more than 200 of the designs across the United States. Neumiller says all are running well with the oldest about five years old.

For more than three years, we have has been researching why the planetary configurations in some gearboxes were not reaching half of their designed lifespan, said Neumiller. Those development efforts are now in the Revolution 2.0.

All planet gears in the Revolution 2.0 gearbox will have super finished gear teeth.

He says the top features of the new gearbox include:

A redesigned planetary gear and bearing interface in which the bearing outer races are machined into the gear. This reduces the number of components and opportunity for failure.

Integral tapered rollers are used in lieu of cylindrical rollers. The tapers permit preloading, which increases system stiffness and improves load sharing. The bearings also reduce internal bearing stresses, improve life 170%, and reduce rim deflection by 460%, which reduces bending stress and the propensity to crack planet gears.

The use of steel that is cleaner than ISO 6336-5 ME. Cleaner steel improves contact and bending-gear ratings, letting planet gears run with a higher safety factor and significantly reducing the risk of failing from material inclusions.

In-house super finishing improves as-ground surface finishes by 50%, ensuring bearing life while improving the gear rating.

Gearboxes are now outfitted with a metallic wear debris monitor from Poseidon Systems, letting GBX remotely monitor and proactively address oil cleanliness issues. In addition, the gearbox is backed by a five-year warranty, which includes crane and labor expenses.

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Short gearbox life now steadily lengthening as technology matures - Windpower Engineering (press release)

OWEGO, N.Y. -

United States Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) visited Lockheed Martin's helicopter production hangar in Owego on Thursday afternoon to get an update on the company's projects and to reassure employees that he's working to keep jobs in the Southern Tier.

"We will be spending a few minutes with him, later on, to talk about the progress of our programs and more importantly to share with him the incredible accomplishments of the women and men of this Owego workforce," said Paula Hartley, Lockheed Martin Owego General Manager.

He has been a wonderful partner to us and a big believer of growing the economy in New York State. He has been a very good, long-standing partner with Lockheed, with this facility, and our Rotary Wing programs including MH-60, the Combat Rescue Helicopter and the Presidential Helicopter.

Paula Hartley

There are three projects that the Senator calls his "pet projects" because they are important to the economy in New York as well as for National Security.

Lockheed Martin Helicopters

"Our fighting men and women are the most wonderful people in the world, many of them come from this area, so they need the best equipment in the world," said Schumer.

The Senator expects the Military Budget to increase for the second year in a row and as a result, he plans to direct more money into Owego, the Southern Tier, and Upstate New York.

"The budget is coming up very soon and I'll be working very hard to maximize the budget dollars that go into these three projects," said Schumer.

Whenever I can help with jobs, I do it and there's no more important job magnet in the whole Southern Tier than this plant right here.

The Owego Facility, which has 2,600 workers is one of the most important pieces of the State's economy, according to Schumer.

"This is by far and away the largest and most important private employer here in Tioga County," said Schumer. "This is one of our economic mainstays, not only in Tioga County but of all of Upstate New York."

"It's always important whenever we have the support of our elected officials for any big company that's in our area," saidGwen Kania, Tioga Chamber of Commerce President. "We're happy that he always supports Tioga County and we hope that he can convince the budget people to continue to support us here."

Schumer wrote a letter to the Secretary of Defense, Jeff Mattis, urging him to continue to support the three helicopter programs that come out of Owego.

Dear Secretary Mattis:

I write to urge your continued support for three helicopter programs that are important to our national security and to regional economies across the country: The Air Forces Combat Rescue Helicopter (CSAR Recapitalization), the Presidential Helicopter (Executive Helo Development) and MH-60 Romeo Helicopter programs. Each of these platforms has an important presence in New York, supporting over 1,000 engineering, manufacturing, and production jobs. While the Departments support of funding for these programs is important to industry and rural economies in places across our nation, like Owego, New York, a continued investment is more important as these aircraft age and new security threats emerge.

The Combat Rescue Helicopter performs critical combat rescue and personnel recovery operations across the services. Over the past few years, these helicopters have participated in countless missions in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of our Joint and Coalition forces. The USAF needs to replace the current aging combat rescue helicopter fleet with aircraft capable of performing the demanding personnel recovery missions, including combat rescue and casualty evacuation. I ask for your support of this program in Fiscal Year 2018 and beyond.

The Presidential Helicopter Program (VH-92A) is the replacement helicopter for the VH-3D and VH-60N. This new fleet of VH-92A helicopters will continue providing safe and timely transportation for the President and Vice-President of the United States, as well as other heads of state and support the Presidential world-wide vertical-lift mission. I ask for your continued support of this program to ensure that replacement remains on schedule.

The MH-60 Romeo Naval Hawk is designed to support multi-mission helicopter requirements. The Romeos primary missions are Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) and SUW as well as Search and Rescue and Humanitarian Missions. Additional aircraft are needed per the Navys new Force Structure Assessment. The current fleet of MH-60 aircraft are approaching the end of their service life due to high demand on the fleet. Based on age and aircraft utilization rates, the Navy will have to replace their in the mid-2030s. This will result in an inventory gap in the mid-2030s. To mitigate this shortfall, the Navy is planning a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) beginning with the MH-60S in approximately 2023. While a SLEP is required to extend the life of the current fleet taking these aircraft out of service to perform the SLEP creates an inventory shortfall. To avoid a shortfall in inventory, I ask for your support SLEP Research and Development funds in FY18, as well as funding for mid-life upgrades.

Thank you for your attention to these items. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office for any questions.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

Schumer says all three projects "are strong right now," but there is always room to grow and he doesn't want to miss that opportunity. In his closed-door meeting with Lockheed Officials, he discussed some of the new Plans that the Armed Forces are proposing, but he couldn't discuss them publicly.

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FOX 40 WICZ TV - News, Sports, Weather, Contests & More ... - WICZ

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Does doxycycline treat h pylori ulcers - Shelf life extension program doxycycline - Longboat Key News

Bambino Ges has offered to care for Charlie Gard. A childrens hospital renowned across Europe, Bambino Ges (Baby Jesus) is operated by the Holy See and located about half a mile south of the main entrance to Saint Peters Square.

That is the Catholic Church the world had come to expect.

Last week the Pontifical Academy for Life surprised and angered many people when it implied that Charlies parents should let go and let him die. Then on Sunday, to the joy of those who take a different view of the matter, the director of the Holy See press office issued this contrary statement:

The Holy Father follows with affection and emotion the situation of Charlie Gard, and expresses his own closeness to his parents. He prays for them, wishing that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end will be respected.

The outreach by Bambino Ges on Monday, via Twitter, reinforced the popes message. The hospital added its own warm words to his but, more important, also extended a professional helping hand.

Now the president of Bambino Ges reports that Charlies doctors in the U.K. wont let his parents move him from his intensive-care unit in London. If they prevail, his parents will be left to watch their infant son die as his doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children withdraw his life support.

Charlie Gards cause combines two large political causes, parental rights and the right to life. They comport in this instance, but they dont comport always or necessarily.

Parents can and sometimes do choose for their severely diseased newborn children outcomes that pro-life advocates think are wrong. Pro-choice advocates routinely insinuate and sometimes explicitly invoke the parental rights of women seeking abortion. Over the years, parental rights have been integral to arguments for abortion rights.

Pro-lifers are correct to call out double standards, as in this case. If parental rights are said to be sacrosanct when parents want to end the life of their child but not when they fight to preserve it, the principle is not really parental rights, is it?

Chris Gard and Connie Yates have privately raised funds to cover the cost of experimental treatment for Charlie in America, and it is reported that a U.S. hospital has offered to treat him for free, so containment of cost to the British taxpayer is not in any direct sense the rationale for the intransigence of the British doctors in this matter. Wesley Smith is right, however, that their attempt to frustrate these two parents in their quest to save the life of their child aligns with a broader, general campaign to discourage medical care when it is calculated, in cold terms, that the resulting extension or quality of life will probably be too short or too low to justify the expense.

Life is expensive, as we are reminded every time we join the debate about the latest national health-care proposal. To be pro-life is to take the strongest possible stand for life against even the most compelling economic arguments on the other side. It is cheaper certainly in the near term to abort a child who for the next decade or two would be a net drain on his parents resources of time and money. And always is it cheaper to hasten the death of the frail and elderly who will never again be net contributors to the material well-being of either their family or society.

It would have been easier for Chris Gard and Connie Yates not to buck the system. The course they have taken damn the hassle, damn the cost implies an extraordinary value that they put on life itself. The Catholic Church is the global institution most famous for honoring life itself against strong social and political pressures to abandon that principle, and so the gestures by Pope Francis and Bambino Ges have been reassuring.

It was a Catholic hospital and so of course they wouldnt let him die, a friend once said to me in the course of narrating the end-of-life agonies of a longtime colleague. She meant to be snide but unwittingly paid the Church what in its books counts as a compliment.

What unites the two main strands opposition to abortion and opposition to euthanasia of the pro-life movement is not a question of rights, as I explain in this blog post at The Human Life Review. Pro-lifers can invoke the right to life when defending unborn children, but rights talk is hardly the ticket for answering the movement for physician-assisted suicide and a right to die.

Ultimately the pro-life cause rests on a sentiment. If it can be reduced to a linear argument, I havent seen it. Charlie Gards parents are heroic not for insisting on reasonable (whatever that would be in this case) medical treatment for their child. They are extraordinary because against such enormous odds they have set out to preserve the flame of life still flickering in his fragile, tiny frame. We rightly cheer them for asserting their parental rights against the overreach of the medical establishment and the state. They do not, however, assert those rights as an end in itself. In their view, apparently, as in mine (and yours?), the end in itself is life itself.

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Charlie Gard's Parents Assert Their Parental Rights but More Than That - National Review

BuzzFeed News

23 Little Internet Browsing Tricks That Will Make Your Life Better BuzzFeed News 3. Add the Grammarly Chrome extension to easily ensure your emails, social media posts, and messages are free from mistakes! Don't be the person who doesn't proofread that's just embarrassin' ...

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23 Little Internet Browsing Tricks That Will Make Your Life Better - BuzzFeed News

Floyd is a horticulturist with Texas AgriLife Extension Service. He can be reached at 498-4071 in Ector County or 686-4700 in Midland County or by email at Jeff.Floyd@ag.tamu.edu

Floyd is an Agri-Life Extension agent for Ector and Midland counties. To learn more, call the Ector County Extension office at 432-498-4072, or the Midland County Extension office at 432-686-4700, or email jeff.floyd@ag.tamu.edu.

Posted: Sunday, July 2, 2017 3:00 am

GARDENING: Reviving St. Augustine grass By Jeff Floyd Odessa American

Weve discussed a lot of the problems that St. Augustine grass experiences in West Texas lawns but a recent question caused me to realize we havent talked about a basic St. Augustine maintenance schedule for our area.

Question: We have had great success growing Bermuda and St. Augustine, we have mostly shade, and the St. Augustine took over most of the yard. Last year we noticed the St. Augustine was not growing and yellowing and disappearing. It continues to get worse this year. This season I have fertilized, insect and bug killer granules, and Fungicide. No change. Last year I tried Ironite with no change. This month I laid down a strip of dolomite lime, and on the other side of yard a strip of aluminum sulfate. No detectable difference on either side.

Answer: Thank you for the question to Extension. Avoid applying any more amendments or fertilizers until youve gotten on track with a basic maintenance plan and start to see some recovery.

For St. Augustine lawns showing signs of stress, begin with a soil test. Visit http://www.soiltesting.tamu.edu for forms and instructions.

Call the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension office if you are having turf grass problems at 498-4071.

Posted in Gardening on Sunday, July 2, 2017 3:00 am. | Tags: Texas A&m Agrilife Extension Office, Jeff Floyd, Pecans, Pruning, Prune, Soft Landscape Materials, Landscape, Gardening, Gardener, Food, Integra, Repeat Applications, West Texas

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GARDENING: Reviving St. Augustine grass - Odessa American

Graduates of the UCLA Extension program got a shot of superhero power at their commencement ceremony Friday in Westwood.

Stan Lee, the 94-year-old co-creator of icons that are now Marvel Entertainment giants: Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men, The Avengers and The Fantastic Four, told graduates at Royce Hall to Do your thing. Whatever you do, give it your best shot. Youll be glad you did.

About 2,000 students graduated from the Extension program this year, some transitioning to new careers and some exploring new interests. The program for working and mid-career professionals grants certificates rather than degrees, in areas like feature film writing and film scoring, marketing, real estate and finance.

Photos: Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee speaks At UCLA Extension Certificate Graduation

The Extension program is about life-long learning, Wayne Smutz, the schools dean told graduates. And Lee, who started at Timely Comics Marvel Comics predecessor when he was just 17, knows about career longevity.

Youre trying to ... add to what you already know, to make yourselves better workers, better contributors, Lee told the audience.

While Extension graduates got certificates Friday, Lee got an award of his own the Extensions first Icons of LA Award, coinciding with the programs 100th birthday.

Stan is considered the godfather of the modern-day superhero, Smutz said. He has exerted more influence over the comic book and entertainment industry than any other figure and is revered by fans of all ages, worldwide and of all cultures.

Related story: UCLAs largest ever class graduates with a message: Be relentless

Lee appeared at the commencement just two days after walking the red carpet at TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood for the premiere of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the latest incarnation of the super-successful character he co-created with Steve Ditko in 1962.

At UCLA, he sat in a high chair in the middle of the stage, relaxed and funny in a black sweater and tan chinos, and told the graduates how Spider-Man almost didnt come to be.

After the creation of The Fantastic Four, Lees publisher asked him to come up with a new superhero.

The most important thing in a superhero at first is the superpower. Once you get that, everything else comes along, Lee said. So I thought, What power will I give the new guy? And I saw a fly crawling on the wall. And I said, Hey, if can get a superhero that could stick to walls and crawl on them, man, that would be cool. Actually, he interrupted himself, I probably said it would be groovy!

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He chose the name Spider-Man, made the character a teenager at a time when there were no teenage superheroes and then, just for fun, gave him a bunch of personal problems.

Related story: Stan Lee dishes on his many Marvel-ous cameos

His publisher was nonplussed. Stan, that is the worst idea, he told Lee. First of all, people hate spiders. ... Teenagers can only be sidekicks. ... You want him to have personal problems? Stan, dont you know what a superhero is?

Still, Lee stuck Spider-Man into the final issue of the comic Amazing Fantasy, which was about to end its run. It was a huge success, and the rest is history.

If you have an idea that you genuinely think is good, dont let some idiot talk you out of it, Lee told the Extension graduates.

I think you can only do your best work if youre doing what you want to do, Lee said. You can look at it and say, I did that, and I think its pretty damn good. Thats a great feeling.

The rest is here:

Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee spins web of inspiration at UCLA Extension graduation - LA Daily News

The U.S. government approved the sale of MK-48 heavyweight torpedoes to Taiwan as part of a larger arms package.

As part of the overall $1.4 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, the U.S. Department of State approved on June 29 the possible of sale of 46 advanced MK-48 Mod 6AT heavyweight torpedoes, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Pentagons lead agency for arms sales to allied countries, announced in a press release.

This sale will include HWT [heavyweight] containers, torpedo support, torpedo spare parts, publications, training, weapon system support, engineering and technical assistance. The total estimated program cost is $250 million, the statement reads. The torpedo sale is still subject to congressional approval.

This proposed sale serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipients continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and enhance its defensive capabilities, the press release continues. The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region.

The sale of the torpedoes was first requested by Taiwan during the presidency of George W. Bush. A first sign that the deal might move forward was that funds for the procurement of MK-48 heavyweight torpedoes were included in Taiwans 2016 defense budget request, as I reported in September 2016.

Once delivered, the torpedoes will be installed aboard the Republic of China Navys (ROCN) twoHai Lung-class (improved DutchZwaardvis-class) diesel-electric submarines, the navys only two remaining subs next to two World War II-era U.S.-madeGuppy-classboats.

The two Hai Lungclass submarines theHai Lung(Sea Dragon) 793 andHai Hu(Sea Tiger) 794 are currently undergoing a $12.35 million life extension upgrade, overseen by the military-run Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology. The submarines are scheduled to return to active service in 2020.

Interestingly, the torpedoes will come from existing U.S. Navy stock. In order to supply the MK-48 torpedoes to Taiwan, U.S. defense contractor Raytheon would have had to restart production and it would have taken several years until additional torpedoes could have been produced.

According to Raytheon, the MK-48 torpedo is capable of engaging targets in both littoral and deep-water environments. The torpedo is capable of autonomous operation or control via wire link, Software-based guidance and control enables autonomous operation, fire and forget tactics, simultaneous multiple target engagement and close-in attack. MK 48 quieting technology significantly reduces self-noise to enable covert deployment and minimize detection, the defense contractors website states.

China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC), Taiwans largest shipbuilder, and the Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technologysigned a memorandum of understanding with the ROCN for the construction of a still to be determined number of diesel-electric attack submarinesin March.

The first phase of this so-called Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) programconsists of completing design work on Taiwans new class of attack subs for the government allocated approximately NT$2 billion ($65.66 million), I reported earlier this year. The second stage entails the construction of the new boats with the ambitious goal of finishing construction in eight years and commissioning the subs into service with the ROCN within a decade.

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US Approves Sale of Advanced Torpedoes to Taiwan - The Diplomat

SES and MDA, a global communications and information company, has announced an agreement for an initial satellite life extension mission using an on-orbit refuelling vehicle being built by SSL, a US based subsidiary of MDA and a leading provider of innovative satellites and spacecraft systems.

SES will be the first commercial customer to benefit from the satellite refuelling service, and will be able to activate the service whenever required with minimal disruption to spacecraft operation. The agreement also includes an option for further life extension missions.

SES will work with a new venture, Space Infrastructure Services (SIS), which will commercialise sophisticated satellite servicing capabilities. SIS has contracted SSL to design and build the highly-capable satellite servicing spacecraft vehicle to meet the needs of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) programme, which is designed to inspect, repair, relocate and augment geosynchronous satellites and plans to include a refuelling payload to extend the life of satellites that are low on propellant.

"Satellite in-orbit servicing is of upmost importance to next-generation architectures for communications satellites. It enables satellite operators like us to have more flexibility in managing our fleet and meeting our customers' demands," said Martin Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer at SES.

"After witnessing the due diligence of SSL's and MDA's technical expertise, we are confident that its new venture is the best partner in the refuelling mission field, and will be able to help SES get more value out of an on-orbit satellite."

"As a pioneer in next-generation fleet capabilities, SES is clearly committed to improving the space and satellite ecosystem," said Howard L. Lance, President and CEO at MDA. "We are very pleased to have this refuelling contract with SES and are excited to provide them with more options in fleet management."

The satellite servicing spacecraft vehicle is planned for launch in 2021.

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SES and MDA Announce First Satellite Life Extension Agreement - Space Daily