RTT- Raidió Teilifís Taeunas

[DeSchaine]

RTT-

Today, the Department of the Navy announced that the keel for the new Raven class battleship has been started. The Raven, when complete, will be a serious behemoth and according to the Navy "the pride of the Fleet." Only one is currently planned, as the design is intended more as a showpiece, but will still have all the teeth intended for a Taeunas fighting ship.

[DeSchaine]

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In defense business news, the Seanad has approved Hughes Aeronautics' A-17 Ice Hawk for foreign sale.

The Ice Hawk is Taeunas' tactical close air support fighter. While it's main mission is to support ground troops and take out armor, it does have a limited air to air capability so it can defend itself. It's also has a VTOL capability, allowing to operate in a variety of terrains and from carrier type ships.

A spokesman for Hughes said the company has two lines dedicated to the production of this aircraft alone, and expects "a fair amount of sales" when it hits the international market.


From Spiff Technologies, the new BLT! No, it's not a new scientific take on the classic sandwich. The Breaching Lance, Thermal is the next wave of rescue, barrier breaching and lock defeating technology. Burning at 5000*, the BLT consists of two parts. The handle holds the switch and 9v power source, while the replaceable end cartridge contains a proprietary thermite mix, allowing it to operate even under water.

Weighing in at only 2 lbs, the BLT is perfect for divers, law enforcement, soldiers and first responders. This pocket sized torch will make short work of nearly any grate, chain or hinge in mere seconds.

[DeSchaine]

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Move over diamonds, girls are getting a new best friend. The Materials Sciences department at NAIS has come up with a new, harder, brighter version of crystallized carbon. AMP-C, short for Amorphous Carbon, is created by zapping a type of loose carbon with a laser that lasts for less than the blink of an eye- 200 nanoseconds. This is enough to heat the material to 3,700*C, nearly double what it took to create natural diamonds. And it has some properties that make it different from diamonds. Beyond being harder and brighter, it's ferromagnetic. That means it can be magnetized. Scientists say the material is so new, that much more study is needed to figure out all of its properties and determine it's seemingly wide range of uses.

[DeSchaine]

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For the first time, the Thorin Flight Academy opened it's airfield to the general public and hosted the first annual Thorin Air Show. Their were several demonstrations of Taeunas' aircraft.

A second year team demonstrated the incredable attack power of the A-14 Jagatai on scrap metal mock ups of armored vehicles. In four passes, nearly an entire armored battalion was simulatedly destroyed.

A team of third and fourth year cadets took to the skies in a squadron of F-29 Tyre fighters and simulated a dog fight for the crowd. The smoke trails and puffs of colored powder paint in simulated missiles made for an incredible show.

The last act was a special first look at the new C-43 Dragonwing. Three of them flew in, the first being the AC varient. The guns of the assault aircraft tore up the nearby range with a massive amount of firepower. After what was only seconds, the AC moved off and two regular cargo varients buzzed in. Even before they touched down, the ramps opened.

As soon as the aircraft touched down, four vehicles drove out. A Sidewinder FST and a Thunderchild APC came from each. The vehicles circled and set up a perimeter, troops pouring out from the APC's. It was an incredible show of Taeunas combat abilities.

President DeSchaine was in attendance, and appeared very pleased with the results.

"The skill and dedication of all Taeunasans is evidenced here. Our troops, our workers... this is what makes our nation great. We certainly could be worse, like paranoid royals."


A grisley discovery today as the Belfast Garda sifted through what looks like a large scale dumping site for mutilated bodies. Initial estimates put the number of individuals at thirteen, with more probably waiting to be uncovered.

"It's highly disturbing." said an official, who asked not to be named. "Male, female, all hair colors, eye colors... there doesnt seem to be a pattern to it."

Whats even more disturbing is that there have been no missing persons reports filed on any of the victems. "None of the bodies we've recovered so far matches anything in the system."

[DeSchaine]

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In response to Ga'bath threats and rhetoric, Spiff Technologies has announced it's signed a contract with the Branch for security at its research sites in Mithraina.

According to a Spiff Tech spokesman "because several of the sites have ongoing climate research and make use of proprietary technology, extra protection is warranted."

Details are unknown, but the Branch are no strangers to this type of situation. They have a global reputation as one of the best security contractors in the business.

Following heated discussions and legal appeals, Taeunas officials have declared Akhadism a "cult of cowardly murderers, terrorists and thugs." Akhadism will not receive recognition as a religion in Taeunas, and all followers are now suspect.

This response has come after multiple attacks, including the theater attack in Goudadam, Goldecia and the seizing of a cruise ship, the Florinthian Swan.

"Taeunas will do everything in its power to prevent these sort of atrocities from occurring in its territory."

In related news, four Garda SAR K9 teams were sent to Goudadam to assist with rescue and recovery efforts there.

At Inishdunmoor today, the MV Emerald Traveller was launched for it's first sea trial. The Emerald Traveller is a three hundred twenty meter long submarine cruise vessel. Hundreds were on hand to see the ship pushed into the water. The sub will spend three weeks in its trial, then transit to Tara to pick up the first group of cruise passengers.

[DeSchaine]

Transparent Solar Technology
By Tom Oswald


Hotel Skyriver, Aran

Aran-

The Hotel Skyriver has just completed an extensive refit in cooperation with NAIS' College of Engineering and Spiff Technologies. As part of ongoing research into alternative and renewable energy sources, the Skyriver has had all of it's exterior glass replaced with a material that turns windows into transparent solar panels.

The material is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a clear surface.

And, according to Richard Lunt of the CoE, the key word is “transparent.”

Research in the production of energy from solar cells placed around luminescent plastic-like materials is not new. These past efforts, however, have yielded poor results – the energy production was inefficient and the materials were highly colored.

“No one wants to sit behind colored glass,” said Lunt, an assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science. “It makes for a very colorful environment, like working in a disco. We take an approach where we actually make the luminescent active layer itself transparent.”

The solar harvesting system uses small organic molecules developed by Lunt and his team to absorb specific nonvisible wavelengths of sunlight.

“We can tune these materials to pick up just the ultraviolet and the near infrared wavelengths that then ‘glow’ at another wavelength in the infrared,” he said.

The “glowing” infrared light is guided to the edge of the plastic where it is converted to electricity by thin strips of photovoltaic solar cells.

“Because the materials do not absorb or emit light in the visible spectrum, they look exceptionally transparent to the human eye,” Lunt said.

One of the benefits of this new development is its flexibility. While the technology is at an early stage, it has the potential to be scaled to commercial or industrial applications with an affordable cost.

“It opens a lot of area to deploy solar energy in a non-intrusive way,” Lunt said. “It can be used on tall buildings with lots of windows or any kind of mobile device that demands high aesthetic quality like a phone or e-reader. Ultimately we want to make solar harvesting surfaces that you do not even know are there.”

[DeSchaine]

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Taeunas Army to begin using RMG-56



The RMG-56 is a high rate of fire, area suppression rotary machine gun. The unit is a smaller version of vehicle mounted rotary weapons, capable of being carried by a single soldier with ease.

With the ability to fire anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000 rounds a minute, a soldier carrying the RAG-56 can provide mass covering fire by themselves, allowing the rest of the squad to move into flanking or assault positions.

"It's a game changer." said Bryn O'Brien, one of the designers on the project. "Beyond the destructive ability to chew a wall in half, the sheer psychological effect of its firepower at close range will demoralize the opposition."

Show ContentSpecs:

Weight: 16 lbs
Length: 22 in.

Cartidge: 5.7x45mm
Modes: Full Auto
RoF: 2,000-6,000
MV: 3,100 FPS
Max. Range: 3,500 ft

[DeSchaine]

You've heard of better mouse traps, now meet the better bug zapper!



Global Dynamics is debuting its new agricultural defense system the UPK, or Ultimate Pest Killer.

The UPK is low power laser defense system with the ability to burn insects from the air, as well as irritate and singe larger mammal type pests.

The system is guided through the use of cameras and IR optical sensors to track, identify and target airborne insects and ground based varmints. The sensors can differentiate many types of insects, targeting nuisance insects like Mosquitoes and Citrus Psyllids, while leaving pollinators like bees and butterflies alone.

It also has the ability to target larger pests such as rabbits and deer and singe their fur, causing them discomfort and making them run off.

The Agriculture Department of the Interior Ministry has had these systems at several locations for testing and has approved them.

"It's a large one time expense, but it is certainly very cost effective when compared to traditional pesticides and spraying." said Deputy Minister for Agriculture Alise Bohan. "It's also much safer for the environment, and people, without having to dump poisons all over the fields, orchards and groves. It takes organic to a whole new level."