Free Republic

Israeli-designed helmet-mounted display unit has been included in the first mission systems-equipped flight of the Joint Strike Fighter. Lockheed Martin has used the Israeli-designed HMDS in a test flight on April 7 of the F-35 stealth fighter. L-M said the helmet-mounted display system, designed by Israel's Elbit Systems, marked the first time an F-35 was flown with mission systems. "Today's flight initiates a level of avionics capability that no fighter has ever achieved," L-M's F-35 deputy program manager Eric Branyan said. "The F-35's next-generation sensor suite enables a new capability for multi-role aircraft, collecting vast amounts of data and fusing...

Israel is said to have deployed intelligence agents throughout the Gulf region. A senior Gulf Cooperation Council official asserted that Israel's Mossad has established an espionage network in Gulf Arab states. The official said the Israeli agents operate under the cover of European executives. "If we arrest any one of them, though, it could be a major breakthrough," Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan, a senior security official in the United Arab Emirates, said. Khalfan, police chief of the UAE city of Dubai, confirmed an Israeli newspaper report that the Mossad has long been working in the Gulf region. The report said...

If the Minnesota Court of Appeals is having trouble deciding the fate of the Minnesota Personal Protection Act, they should consider the story of Matthew Dirks. The 23-year-old East Side native served 15 months with the Army in Iraq at Baghdad International Airport and Camp Dogwood. Last week, St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington denied him a carry permit. Dirks' primary job in Iraq was repairing the weapons systems on Bradley Fighting Vehicles. He also stood guard with the M249 light machine gun and .50-caliber heavy machine gun. He has fired the TOW anti-tank missile, the 25 mm cannon on...