Briefings (18/01/10) : Haiti, US space, Silent Eagle

The first US aircraft to respond to the terrible Haiti earthquake where not helicopters or transport planes but spyplanes and drones. U-2s and Global Hawks were first on (or over) the scene using their sensors to detect buried fuel and water lines and look for possible chemical spills as well as assess the state of the remaining infrastructure ahead of the arrival of relief forces.

The US' long-awaited Space Posture Review may... er... need to be waited for a little longer. The review of US space control and superiority and deployed systems could be delayed for a another year.

The F-15 Silent Eagle is preparing for it's first flight, South Korea could be a first customer. Got $5 million to spare, why not buy that Flanker you always wanted? China is now facing a serious gender imbalance with 24 million more men than women. Could Venezuela be eyeing Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles? While many navies are shrinking around the world Greenpeace are to build (or have built for them anyway) a new £14million flagship.