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Ruben Amorim is joining a Man Utd in chaos... the mess behind the scenes will make him wish he never left SportingQuick Links The aircraft's development process began in 1963 Additional elements of the aircraft's systems have been reproduced for other aircraft The E-3 Sentry has an extensive operational history The Boeing E-3 Sentry, an aircraft used for Airborne Warning and Control (AWACS), is a competent aircraft used by the United States Air Force and other allies. Boeing developed it and its design was based on that of the Boeing 707. With a distinctive and easily identifiable radar dome, the aircraft is capable of offering all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communication capabilities. Get all the latest aviation news from Simple Flying! The plane is currently in service with the United States Air Force, the French Air and Space Force, the Royal Saudi Air Force, and the Chilean Air Force, and a total of 68 aircraft rolled out of Boeing factories during a 15-year production run from 1977 to 1992. The E-3 Sentry was originally designed to replace the Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star, an earlier AWACS platform that was still powered by piston engines. After a competitive development process, Boeing was chosen by the Air Force for the project, and its prototype was fitted with radar systems designed by Westinghouse and Hughes. The former, a pulse-Doppler radar , was ultimately selected for testing and eventual application. The first production E-3 entered service with the United States Air Force in 1977, and deliveries continued throughout the next ten years. Over the years, E-3 Sentry aircraft were delivered as follows: Customer: Number of E-3 Sentry aircraft purchased: United States Air Force 34 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 18 Royal Air Force 7 Royal Saudi Air Force 5 French Air and Space Force 4 A capable aircraft that has served an important role over time Throughout the years, the E-3 Sentry has been upgraded multiple times for it to remain capable and relevant in the world of modern aerial combat. Northrop Grumman would eventually be given the task of managing the aircraft's control systems. The E-3 Sentry would ultimately be the last aircraft produced based on the Boeing 707, and it is set to be retired by 2027, which will mark the end of the aircraft family's extensive operational history . While fighter jets and stealth bombers often get the majority of attention, the importance of the operational role played by airborne early warning and control aircraft is difficult to fully quantify. These aircraft are critical elements of the Air Force's inventory and provide crucial support and intelligence-gathering capabilities that support any military initiative. Unlike JSTARS, AWACS is showing no signs of being ready for retirement. As a result, the E-3 Sentry has been a crucial piece of the Air Force's operational capabilities since it first entered service. Let's take a deeper look at the development, operational history, and specifications of the Boeing E-3 Sentry. The aircraft's development process began in 1963 The E-3 Sentry was designed to leverage advancements in radar technology with computer-managed real-time data capabilities, which would allow it to detect low-flying aircraft and distinguish enemy targets from radar clutter. The aircraft's development began in the early 1960s, and Boeing's 707 was eventually chosen to be the platform for the new radar technologies that the Air Force was developing. The earliest prototypes, which were designated as EC-137Ds, first took to the skies in 1972, and would later be equipped with the Westinghouse radar that the Air Force had approved. This radar offers next-generation digital processing capabilities and Doppler frequency resolution. Mission systems for the aircraft would be designed by IBM and Hazeltine, and the first production variant took to the skies in 1975 for the first time and would later be delivered in 1977. The E-8 Joint STARS tracks targets on the ground with high accuracy while the E-3 Sentry flies high above, watching everything in the skies. Additional elements of the aircraft's systems have been reproduced for other aircraft Over time, the Boeing 707 would go out of production, but NATO allies would remain interested in the E-3 Sentry's capabilities. As a result, Japan operates modified 767 aircraft equipped with E-3 Sentry systems. The Air Force has also already begun to retire its E-3 Sentry fleet. According to the organization , the first E-3 Sentry aircraft retirement took place back in March 2023, demonstrating the beginning of a transition towards newer AWACS platforms. In the United States and the United Kingdom, the E-3 Sentry is set to be replaced by the E-7 Wedgetail, an AWACS platform derived from the Boeing 737, according to Airforce Technology . Here are some specifications for the E-3 Sentry: Category: E-3 Sentry Specification: Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW): 347,000 pounds Range: 4,000 miles Service ceiling: 29,000 feet The E-3 Sentry has an extensive operational history The E-3 Sentry has played a critical role in airborne surveillance and control missions since it first entered service in the late 1970s . The United States Air Force's E-3 Sentry fleet is primarily based out of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, with some additional units based in the Pacific. The aircraft has proven its worth over the years, first entering combat during Operation Desert Storm, where it flew nearly 400 missions and assisted in 38 of 41 air-to-air kills made during the conflict. The aircraft also played a critical role in the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia and Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State in 2015. The Royal Air Force used the aircraft extensively to assist in airstrikes against the Islamic State until the aircraft was retired in 2021. The French Air and Space Force is currently evaluating potential successors to its fleet. In addition, NATO used its fleet extensively during Operation Eagle Assist in the years following the September 11th terrorist attacks and during the conflict in Afghanistan .
Bhubaneswar: In a significant achievement in its fight against corruption, state vigilance directorate on Saturday secured convictions against 14 individuals, including five former sarpanches, two assistant engineers and other govt officials in six different cases. In the first case, special vigilance court in Baripada sentenced five former sarpanches of Udala block in Mayurbhanj district and an electrical supplier to three years of rigorous imprisonment for misappropriating govt funds by showing undue favours to the supplier by installing substandard sodium vapour lights. In another case, a former assistant engineer (AE) and junior engineer (JE) of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Champua, in Keonjhar district, and an executor (private person) were sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment for substandard work in the construction of PCB over Mermeda nullah. In another case, a former tax collector of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) was awarded a four-year jail term for misappropriating govt money collected as fines from defaulters of municipal dues. Similarly, a dismissed city level technical cell (CLTC) professional at DRDA-cum-DUDA in Angul district was sentenced to imprisonment for four years for seeking bribes to process data for passing bills under the PMAY scheme. In a disproportionate assets case, a retired accountant from the divisional forest office (DFO), territorial, in Sundargarh district was sentenced to three years in prison and levied a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The court ordered the confiscation of his illegal assets worth Rs 3,40,669. A former manager and former depot-in-charge of MARKFED in Jagannathpur of Ganjam, received three-year sentences for their involvement in fertiliser stock manipulation causing a loss of over Rs 11 lakh to the govt. The vigilance directorate has initiated proceedings for the dismissal of serving officials and stopping of pension for retired convicts. Bhubaneswar: In a significant achievement in its fight against corruption, state vigilance directorate on Saturday secured convictions against 14 individuals, including five former sarpanches, two assistant engineers and other govt officials in six different cases. In the first case, special vigilance court in Baripada sentenced five former sarpanches of Udala block in Mayurbhanj district and an electrical supplier to three years of rigorous imprisonment for misappropriating govt funds by showing undue favours to the supplier by installing substandard sodium vapour lights. In another case, a former assistant engineer (AE) and junior engineer (JE) of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Champua, in Keonjhar district, and an executor (private person) were sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment for substandard work in the construction of PCB over Mermeda nullah. In another case, a former tax collector of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) was awarded a four-year jail term for misappropriating govt money collected as fines from defaulters of municipal dues. Similarly, a dismissed city level technical cell (CLTC) professional at DRDA-cum-DUDA in Angul district was sentenced to imprisonment for four years for seeking bribes to process data for passing bills under the PMAY scheme. In a disproportionate assets case, a retired accountant from the divisional forest office (DFO), territorial, in Sundargarh district was sentenced to three years in prison and levied a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The court ordered the confiscation of his illegal assets worth Rs 3,40,669. A former manager and former depot-in-charge of MARKFED in Jagannathpur of Ganjam, received three-year sentences for their involvement in fertiliser stock manipulation causing a loss of over Rs 11 lakh to the govt. The vigilance directorate has initiated proceedings for the dismissal of serving officials and stopping of pension for retired convicts.New AD Eric Roedl comes home, seeking to build ‘championship culture’ at Villanova
"This historic investment is a monumental demonstration of confidence in America's future," Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, flanked by SoftBank chief executive Masayoshi Son. "It will help ensure that artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and other industries of tomorrow are built, created and grown right here in the USA," added Trump, who takes office from US President Joe Biden next month. Speaking alongside Trump, Son confirmed the investment company's financial commitment, adding that Trump's victory had "tremendously increased" his confidence in the US economy. "I am truly excited to make this happen," added Son, 67. Son's announcement is around double the amount he committed SoftBank to in December 2016, shortly before Trump began his first term as president. The Japanese investment holding company ultimately parted with around $100 billion through its Vision Fund, with much of the money supplied by sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "President Trump is a double-down president," Son said on Monday, adding: "I'm going to have to double down." Son made his name with successful early investments in Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba and internet pioneer Yahoo, but has also bet on catastrophic failures such as WeWork. He has repeatedly said that "artificial superintelligence" will arrive in a decade, bringing new inventions, new medicine, new knowledge and new ways to invest. The SoftBank Group posted a bumper second-quarter net profit last month, returning to the black after net losses in the first quarter and the previous financial year. The company indicated back in March that it had $26 billion ready to be deployed for new investments. Stephen Moore, an economic advisor to Donald Trump, said the announcement marked a "great day." "The importation of capital into the US is a huge leading indicator for jobs and prosperity to come," Moore, an economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told AFP in a message. On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to boost the US economy by cutting red tape and fast-tracking investments, including into the oil and gas sector. US financial markets surged following his victory on November 5, with the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite index and the broad-based S&P 500 both hitting fresh records. Despite the enthusiasm in the markets, some analysts have voiced concern that Trump's proposals to implement new tariffs on US imports and deport millions of undocumented workers could end up hurting growth, and causing a spike in inflation. "The increased likelihood of substantial new tariffs on US imports would have the most consequential effect on economic growth," economists at Wells Fargo wrote in a recent note to clients, adding they had "bumped up" their inflation outlook and slightly cut their GDP forecast following Trump's win. Other analysts say the impact of Trump's tariff plans will largely depend on how they are actually implemented. "The impact on inflation need not be particularly significant for monetary policy," economists at Goldman Sachs wrote in a recent investor note. But, they added "this could change if the White House imposes a 10 percent universal tariff," referring to one of Trump's proposals on the campaign trail. Speaking in Mar-a-Lago on Monday, Trump insisted that, "properly used," tariffs would be positive for the US economy. "Our country right now loses to everybody," he said. "Almost nobody do we have a surplus with." "Tariffs will make our country rich," he added. da-tu/nro
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Peter Dutton will use a private Coalition meeting to calm MPs fearful that Labor’s teen social media ban is a Trojan Horse for government control of the internet, ahead of a sitting week in which the major parties plan to ram the legislation through parliament. On Friday Coalition MPs were called to a Monday morning gathering in Canberra, party sources said, where Dutton and communications spokesman David Coleman planned to field questions about Labor’s proposed law to ban children under 16 from platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and communications spokesman David Coleman will face concerned MPs. Credit: Louise Kennerley Right-wing Coalition senators Matt Canavan and Alex Antic have been sharply critical of the bill’s potential to require Australians to give tech giants their IDs and the power it would give the eSafety Commission, which is a federal agency that will be charged with overseeing the ban. But doubts about the bill, which was only released last week, have expanded from the pair to more mainstream Coalition MPs, setting up the meeting as a test of the opposition leader’s authority after he hauled his party room into line on abortion earlier this month. On Sunday night, the MPs were informed Monday’s meeting was cancelled, with the conversation to take place on Tuesday as part of the Coalition’s party room meeting. The Coalition leadership remains confident of overwhelming support for the bill inside the party, according to several opposition sources speaking anonymously about internal dynamics. Dutton, whose office declined to comment, plans to hear out his concerned colleagues but ultimately expects the party to back the bill, allowing it to pass parliament this week. The opposition rode a wave of conservative and libertarian campaigning against Labor’s misinformation bill in recent months before the government dropped its plan to crack down on falsehoods online on Sunday. Some of the groups and people behind that campaign, including One Nation, the Libertarian Party and former Coalition MPs George Christensen and Craig Kelly, have launched an email crusade about the social media age barrier that has resulted in complaints flooding into MPs inboxes. They endorse the view of X owner Elon Musk, who wrote on the platform last month that the ban “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians” because it could require users to prove their identities before accessing major online services. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was asked about the need to hand over ID in a Labor caucus meeting last week and said her laws would not force people to give ID documents to social media giants, dismissing the prospect as a right-wing scare campaign. However, the government has not announced the technology that would be used to prove a user’s age. ‘A red flag’ LNP MP Garth Hamilton said Labor had rushed the legislation and sent mixed signals about details such as which platforms would be included. The Wiggles successfully lobbied to allow YouTube to remain while Snapchat will be banned, though both apps now also have a TikTok-style feed of clips. “The tests for this bill are that it should not be a proxy for digital ID [to be required to access the internet] and that it actually responds to parents’ needs,” Hamilton said.“I fully agree with Peter Dutton’s concerns about the impacts of social media, and they are long-held. But Labor has had a long time to get details right [and] the utter confusion on the detail is a red flag.” Coleman, who first proposed a teen ban in an April interview with this masthead at a time when Labor opposed such a change , told opposition MPs last week that the government could use a “double-blind tokenised approach” suggested by the eSafety Commission last year. That would allow a third party to verify a user’s age on a social media platform without revealing the identity information used to do so, while another option could force companies that operate app stores, such as Google and Apple, to take on the role. Labor announced the ban early this month after years of claims that social media was harming children’s mental health, much of which is disputed by the technology giants, and argued that it would bolster parents’ ability to reject pestering from kids to go online. But detractors including Ben Thompson, the boss of major Australian tech firm Employment Hero, said on X that bill would make it harder for children with special needs to make friends online. “Not to mention that it’s a Trojan Horse for digital ID and further censorship,” he said. On Sunday, Greens communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young called advocates for the ban well-intentioned, but said the bill was rushed compared to the government’s halting approach to gambling reform. “The government and the opposition are ramming through a ban on social media that was introduced on Thursday,” she said on ABC’s Insiders . “We’ve got a joke of a Senate inquiry for three days tomorrow. But they can’t do gambling ... Talk about priorities.” Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter .