New Delhi : Speaking on the occasion of Digital India Summit, Union Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad stated, “Digital India which is a flagship initiative the government is designed to empower and to help the poor and the underprivileged. We are focusing on providing the affordable and inclusive digital media to the masses. Today we have well over 1 billion mobile phones in the country with 350 million being smartphones which defines the digital identity of the nation. Low cost technology for inclusive growth is crucial.” The Minister also touched upon the benefits of digital India in the wake of enrolling Aadhaar. He added “With enrolment of 1.18 billion Aadhaar cards, we were able to save 49,000 crore of the exchequer which was previously looted by the middlemen in the public distribution system.” Further talking about the inclusion of the digital resources, he highlighted that India has digital aspiration, appetite and customer. We are heading towards a revolution of digital media in this country.”

Mr. MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network said, “Over the last 3 years, Digital India Summit & Awards, has enjoyed tremendous response from both delegates and participants alike. With unwavering focus on building a digitally empowered India, the 4th edition of Digital India Summit is another step towards bridging the ‘digital divide’ and finding solutions and opportunities to create a robust security architecture.”

Rajkiran Rai, MD and CEO, Union Bank of India said, “Digital India is one of the biggest government programs in the world to bring about sustainable and inclusive societal transformation using digital technologies. The process of making India into a trillion-dollar digital economy has begun and Digital India is making this dream a reality. We at Union Bank are committed to help India achieve its digital vision.”

In the intriguing session on ‘Digital India- Where Do Things Stand? A Real Time Assessment’, Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, DoT, said, “Digital India is an aspiration. We are focused to enable digital opportunities to reach to the masses and leverage them”. She additionally highlighted the issue of data protection in the discussion as she stated, “We are planning a robust data protection framework to empower the digital mandate. Data protection is beyond Aadhaar; issue of privacy is a global threat.” 

Stating the issue of data protection in the digital domain, Debjani Ghosh, President Designate, Nasscom said, “Critical end to end data policy is a must. The emerging technology needs solid building blocks of data privacy which will enhance the dependency on the digital media. Digital solutions can enhance the employment in the rural areas if we cater it to the most underprivileged parts of India.”

Dr. TP Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship addressed a panel discussion on the theme of ‘Developing A Digital Workforce- The Ground Realities’. He said “Skills acquisition needs to be more aspirational. Our jobs are not aspirational. Soft skill developments programs including life skills and ITI which are the game changers under the Skill India campaign of the government can play pivotal role in shaping the skill development sector in this country.”

BUFFALO : The U.S. Navy has commissioned USS Little Rock (LCS 9) –– the nation’s fifth Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) –– on the Buffalo River on. This milestone officially places the ship, which was designed and built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine into active service.

USS Little Rock completed its acceptance trials in August and was delivered to the U.S. Navy on Sept. 25. She joins four other Freedom-variant ships in the fleet: USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) and USS Detroit (LCS 7). Collectively, Freedom-variant littoral combat ships have sailed over 250,000 nautical miles and successfully completed two overseas deployments.

“As a company with strong ties to Arkansas and Upstate New York, we are privileged to have delivered USS Little Rock to the Navy and see her commissioned in the state where so many of our employees call home,” said Joe DePietro, Lockheed Martin vice president of small surface combatants and ship systems. “We take great pride in knowing that USS Little Rock and her dedicated crews will serve in the defense of our great nation, enabling the U.S. Navy to carry out its missions where and when needed for decades to come.”

Named in honor of the patriotic and hardworking citizens of Little Rock, LCS 9 is the second U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of Arkansas’ largest city. She will join USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) and USS Detroit (LCS 7) at Naval Station Mayport, her homeport, in a few short weeks.

“These are complex vessels, and it takes a strong team effort to design, build and prepare these warships for the fleet,” said Francesco Valente, Fincantieri Marine Group president and CEO. “I am extremely proud of our entire LCS team, including our shipbuilders at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, who transformed raw American steel into the capable warship you see today.”

The Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine team is currently in full-rate production of the Freedom-variant of the LCS, and has delivered five ships to the U.S. Navy to date. There are eight ships in various stages of construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, with one more in long-lead production.

The Freedom-variant LCS team is comprised of Lockheed Martin, shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states.

New Delhi : All arrangements are in place for tomorrow’s counting of votes for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections. The counting will begin at 8 in the morning and results are expected by afternoon. The 182-member Gujarat Assembly went to polls in two phases on the 9th and 14th of this month, while polling for 68 seats of Himachal Pradesh was held on the 9th of last month.

68.41 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Gujarat, while 74.61 per cent polling was reported in Himachal, the highest-ever in the state. In Gujarat, the Election Commission has set up 33 control rooms at all district headquarters. More than 30,000 personnel have been deployed to monitor the counting process.

All EVMs and VVPATs have been kept in strong rooms under tight security arrangements including CCTV surveillance. Political fate of 1,828 candidates will be decided in this election.

In Himachal Pradesh, 48 counting centers have been set up where 2,820 officers would be deployed.

Chief Electoral Officer Pushpendra Rajput said, three-tier security arrangements have been made at all counting centres. Videography of the counting process will be done at all centres, which will under CCTV camera surveillance. 337 candidates are in the fray in the state.

Himachal Pradesh Election Result 2017 : Things To Know

Exit polls for the 2017 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, have shown that Prem Kumar Dhumal from the BJP will be victorious by a huge margin.  Himachal Pradesh has set itself apart from other states by having alternating governments between the BJP and the Congress for 24 years. This unique power tussle between the BJP and Congress governments assumed significance because of the rivalry between Mr Dhumal and Mr Singh, both charismatic leaders of their respective parties.

Gujarat Election Result 2017 : Things To Know

A poll of exit polls, an aggregate of nine exit polls conducted in Gujarat, predicts the BJP will get 116 seats, one more than they won in 2012. The Congress, according to this poll of exit polls, is expected to win around 65 seats, a slight improvement over its 2012 tally when it won 61 seats. A party needs 92 seats to form the government in Gujarat.

NEW DELHI :  Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (retd.) V K Singh asked private security agencies to upgrade their skills and adopt modern technologies to make India a safer place. “Our security environment is changing fast. Our streets may not be as safe as it is today. Therefore, it is important that private security agencies wake up to growing challenges related to public safety and security. They need to fill the gaps in our security requirements,” he said while addressing the annual conference of the Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) and the Association of Private Detectives and Investigators (APDI).

Gen. Singh said the sphere of private security agencies has increased many times and so has the challenges. “Our internal security environment needs better trained personnel. The industry need to look into the challenges of providing better trained and better equipped manpower. As government cannot meet all the requirements of security, particularly those being demanded by private people, private agencies should take on this task. We are becoming more dependent on private security. There is growing demand for private security personnel. The private security agencies should wake up to this growing demand,” he said.

Speaking at the conference, CAPSI Chairperson Kunwar Vikram Singh raised the issues concerning the sector, particularly related to imposition of GST which is putting financial burden on agencies and also new regulation which puts onus of crimes committed by a guard on his employer. “I have apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi about these two important issues which could kill this sector which is not only the largest private sector employer with 72 lakh personnel but also top corporate tax contributor. The Prime Minister has asked Union Home Ministry to look into our concerns on urgent basis,” he said.

Mr. Singh, who also heads the Security Sector Skill Development Council (SSSDC), said the sector currently employs 70 lakh people in 22,000 private security agencies. But still it is neglected. “We have urged the Prime Minister to save the sector which could prove crucial for the success of ‘Skill India’ and also in generating jobs. We have demanded that for security agencies GST should be made on reverse charge basis so that service taker is made to pay GST and not the service providers. Our payments are delayed but we make timely payment of salaries to our personnel. It is not possible for us to make upfront payment of GST…we cannot take this extra burden of 18%. Already many agencies are closing down due to this burden. If this continues, our sector will be in distress and lakhs of people will become jobless,’ Mr. Singh warned.

Mr. Singh further said there is a need for amendments of the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act in consultation with the security agencies. A recent provision that for any crime committed by a guard, his employer will have to face severe penal action is draconian and needs to be withdrawn immediately. “This is highly objectionable rule which will lead to chaos. Similarly, there are also other provisions which need amendments so that our industry could grow and give more employment. We also need a fair tender process by government or public sector undertakings (PSUs) was necessary to promote competition,” he added.

Speaking at the event, former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the government should spend on private security as providing security and giving a safe environment is necessary for unhindered growth and progress of the country. He urged owners of private security agencies and security providers to adopt modern technologies, upgrade skills, use latest gadgets and deploy latest e-surveillance techniques  to make streets and public places more safe and secure.

“In India police-population ratio is not adequate and it is difficult for the government to meet all security requirements of the country. Therefore, the role of private security agencies is very crucial. Private guards can provide important assistance to state police and security agencies in beefing up security. We need forward-looking policies to ensure growth of the sector and not to strangulate it,” Mr. Patil added.

NEW DELHI: The most sacred institution in this world is the institution of marriage. What makes marriage pure and holy are the promises which the couple makes to each other. A girl leaves her father’s home and comes to her husband’s home.

But what sometimes turns out to be a nightmare for the girl is the cruelty and the harassment which she is made to face at her husband’s house due to the demands of dowry not having been fulfilled. Dowry is a tradition which is being carried on from ages. The greed for more makes a girl suffer and suffer the cruelty which leads often to dowry death or suicide by the married women. To prevent the increasing atrocities against the married women in 1983 through a criminal law amendment, the Parliament came up with Section 498A to be added to the Indian Penal Code. The Section classifies the cruelty against a woman by her husband and in-laws a cognizable, non-compoundable offence for which the imprisonment may extend to three years and also fine.  

In the past three decades, the provision has worked towards achieving its objective by giving the married women an instrument in their hands for their protection.  

But if we try to see at the other side of this Section, it would not be wrong to say that this has given unbridled power to the hands of the married women which is sometimes being misused. The Section is a finest sword in the sense it gives the power to married women to get the husband and his relatives behind the bars for any trivial issues which arise between them. Since this case is cognizable on the complaint being made by the victim, the married women can get any relative of the husband sent to jail just by mentioning his or her name in the complaint to the police. The number of cases which are being filed each year under section 498A has considerably gone up but the conviction rate is very less as compared to the cases being filed.

This provision acts as a sword on the family members of the husband. When a false case is filed against any person, it ruins his/her complete life or certainly disrupts the normal functioning of life. The accused persons are made to suffer or are harassed for no fault of theirs. The old and ailing people or the unmarried whose name has been taken in the complaint are made to fight prolonged legal battles.

The Supreme Court in a recent judgment Rajesh Sharma &ors v. State of U.P. & anr (Criminal appeal no. 1265 of 2017)** also acknowledged the fact that this section is being sometimes misused. There should be no violation of the human rights of the innocent people. Thus in para 19 of the said judgment the Apex Court came up with the guidelines for making arrest in the cases of section 498A.

The guidelines include:-

a)      For every district the District Legal Services Authority would constitute a family welfare Committee with three members (who may be social workers, retired officials and the like) working of which has to be reviewed by the District Judge.

b)      The members of the committee may be given such training as required and such remuneration as is considered appropriate.

c)      Any complaints which are made to the Police or to the Magistrate should be referred to these committees, who shall after interacting with the parties come up with a report to be submitted to the authority from which the case was referred within one month.

d)     The Investigating authority should make use of the report while making an investigation against alleged offence. And no arrest should be made till the report from these committees is received.

e)      The hearing of bail in these cases should be as expeditious as possible and bail should not be denied only for recovery of dowry items.

f)       For persons who are not residing in India, the issuance of red corner notice or the impounding of passport should not be a routine.

g)      The exemption to personal appearance or appearance through video conferencing may be granted.

h)      Further no such directions to apply in the cases of physical injury or death.

Though the Supreme Court has in earlier cases also issued guidelines regarding the arresting procedure in the cases of section 498A but these appear to be more apt given the situation which is prevalent these days.

Through the means of this article it is not in any way denied that in some households still the women are being forced to suffer the pain of harassment and cruelty at the hands of her in-laws but at the same time it is also an undeniable fact that this section is being used by a few married women in a heat of passion or for normal martial disputes and misunderstandings which results in the unnecessary harassment of the innocent. To have a balance in these conflicting interests, guidelines should be there which the Supreme court has made through this case. Further , this section should be made a non-cognizable and a compoundable offence which would increase the scope of conciliation and hence save the institution of marriage.  

(The writer has just completed his LL.M. from NLSIU, Bengaluru and is a budding lawyer.) 

At least half of the world’s population cannot obtain essential health services, according to a new report from the World Bank and WHO. And each year, large numbers of households are being pushed into poverty because they must pay for health care out of their own pockets.

Currently, 800 million people spend at least 10 percent of their household budgets on health expenses for themselves, a sick child or other family member. For almost 100 million people these expenses are high enough to push them into extreme poverty, forcing them to survive on just $1.90 or less a day. The findings, released today in Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report, have been simultaneously published in Lancet Global Health.

“It is completely unacceptable that half the world still lacks coverage for the most essential health services,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “And it is unnecessary. A solution exists: universal health coverage (UHC) allows everyone to obtain the health services they need, when and where they need them, without facing financial hardship.”

“The report makes clear that if we are serious – not just about better health outcomes, but also about ending poverty – we must urgently scale up our efforts on universal health coverage,” said World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim. “Investments in health, and more generally investments in people, are critical to build human capital and enable sustainable and inclusive economic growth. But the system is broken: we need a fundamental shift in the way we mobilize resources for health and human capital, especially at the country level. We are working on many fronts to help countries spend more and more effectively on people, and increase their progress towards universal health coverage.”

There is some good news: The report shows that the 21st century has seen an increase in the number of people able to obtain some key health services, such as immunization and family planning, as well as antiretroviral treatment for HIV and insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria. In addition, fewer people are now being tipped into extreme poverty than at the turn of the century.

There are wide gaps in the availability of services in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. In other regions, basic health care services such as family planning and infant immunization are becoming more available, but lack of financial protection means increasing financial distress for families as they pay for these services out of their own pockets. This is even a challenge in more affluent regions such as Eastern Asia, Latin America and Europe, where a growing number of people are spending at least 10 percent of their household budgets on out-of-pocket health expenses. Inequalities in health services are seen not just between, but also within countries: national averages can mask low levels of health service coverage in disadvantaged population groups. For example, only 17 percent of mothers and children in the poorest fifth of households in low- and lower-middle income countries received at least six of seven basic maternal and child health interventions, compared to 74 percent for the wealthiest fifth of households.

“Past experiences taught us that designing a robust health financing mechanism that protects each individual vulnerable person from financial hardship, as well as developing health care facilities and a workforce including doctors to provide necessary health services wherever people live, are critically important in achieving ‘Health for All,'” said Mr. Katsunobu Kato, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. “I firmly believe that these early-stage investments for UHC by the whole government were an important enabling factor in Japan’s rapid economic development later on.”

“Without health care, how can children reach their full potential? And without a healthy, productive population, how can societies realize their aspirations?” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “Universal health coverage can help level the playing field for children today, in turn helping them break intergenerational cycles of poverty and poor health tomorrow.”

  The Left Alliance in Nepal scores stunning victory raising hopes of stability in India’s neighbourhood.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi might have to rework his  “neighbourhood first” diplomatic initiative as it has failed to deliver or remove the irritants in this country’s relationship with some of its immediate neighbours particularly Nepal. 

The Left Alliance has recorded a stunning electoral victory in that country brightening the prospects of K P Oli regaining power as the Prime Minister in Kathmandu. The Himalayan nation has the strength and the opportunity now to deliver on governance and development following the abolition of monarchy. 

This assumes significance as the Communist alliance has come to power with nearly 70 per cent of the 165 Parliamentary seats decided by the first past-the-post system. Another 110 seats will be decided by proportional representation. 

The Nepali Congress, the grand old party of that country has much to introspect as its own ragtag group was found to be wanting. It will now have to gear up to play its role in the opposition.

Oli’s return to power is seen as a snub for New Delhi’s Nepal policy seeking to bring the Madhesis into the national mainstream of that country leading to a blockade for nearly six months. He was in the forefront against that blockade compelling him to look to China as an alternative. 

As the Prime Minister two years back in 2015, he tried to diversify his landlocked country’s purchases seeking Beijing’s help rather than being solely dependent on India. New Delhi backed a Maoist alliance led by Prachanda and the Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba had fallen by the wayside in the elections. That put New Delhi in a tight spot. 

Even as efforts were made to assuage the feelings of Oli, Kathmandu made its displeasure known in no uncertain way that Oli had been denied access to Modi. The results of the elections has given a boost that Nepal can have a stable arrangement especially as it has seen ten governments in the last decade leading to instability and corruption, adversely affecting growth coupled with a poor recovery from a devastating earthquake in 2015 killing 9000 people. 

Nepal is seen as the natural buffer between the two Asian giants –India and China — with the latter seemingly enjoying the upper hand. Avid Nepal watchers and analysts believe that Modi needs to review his much touted “neighbourhood first” initiative on becoming the Prime Minister in May 2014 which has failed with with regard to Kathmandu. 

There are apparent inadequacies in this policy which needs to be rectified. It must go to India’s credit that the Modi government got into the act without wasting much time by providing urgent relief in the wake of the massive earthquake two years back. 

The two neighbours share a special bond by having an open border with Nepalese nationals living and working in this country besides serving in the Indian Army. However, bilateral relations took a turn for the worse when the neighbour’s new Constitution appeared to ignore political representation to the Madhesis constituting nearly half of Nepal’s population. 

India blamed the Madhesis for the blockade who were demanding amendments to the new Constitution. On its part Beijing worked behind the scenes in bringing together the Communists and the Maoists. The victory of the Leftist alliance is bound to bolster China’s influence in Nepal. New Delhi and Beijing have been trying to exert their influence in the immediate neighbourhood. China’s strategy has been to weigh down small nations with massive economic assistance and infrastructure projects catching them on the back-foot with humongous loans as evidenced with several small countries including the Maldives. 

This has the portends of leading to increasing Chinese presence in India’s immediate neighbourhood which this country does not want. It may be recalled that Oli visited China after a visit to New Delhi where he signed a transit agreement that included access to Chinese ports as well as construction of rail links between the two countries. 

These are attempts by Nepal to reduce its dependence on India for trade and commerce as well as essential supplies. Under these circumstances New Delhi’s diplomatic role with Kathmandu is bound to get complicated. Nevertheless, India wants that the Madhesis get a fair representation in Nepal’s polity. Any turmoil among the Madhesis can have an adverse impact in this country. 

Even as political stability in Nepal is in India’s interest, does it need to meddle in that country’s politics. That question apart, what cannot be lost sight of is the rise of China and its efforts to develop allies in South Asia having the portends of altering the rules of engagement in this subcontinent. It is time that New Delhi undertakes some fresh diplomatic strategies.  

(Views are personal)

New Delhi : Strongly opposing `vilification’ of the private healthcare lately, FICCI has called for bridging the widening trust deficit between the private healthcare providers and the government, the doctor and the patient.

The statement comes in the wake of some cases of alleged negligence and malpractices reported against private hospitals in the Capital.

In a statement issued here, FICCI has said that the Indian healthcare industry is concerned and worried with the recent onslaught of negativity generated following a few unfortunate cases. While we fully support the legal and medico-legal actions that need to be taken against those found guilty by the Medical Council or by legal authorities, our request to the government and public is to give cognisance to the good work carried out by the private healthcare industry that is now being vilified.

“In an effort to bridge this gap, FICCI has been advocating for the past one decade to the government to implement standardization of practices to bring in transparency and facilitate interoperability of data. Under the current scenario, expeditious implementation of Standard Treatment Guidelines, Electronic Health Records and Clinical Establishments Act across the country is imperative. The affordability aspect needs to be covered with increasing penetration of health insurance through social and private health insurance schemes,’’ the statement said.

India is unique in having almost 80% of quality healthcare in the country being provided by the private healthcare sector. 69.5% households in urban areas and 62.5% households in rural areas of India, prefer private healthcare over pubic healthcare. Many of these private, state of the art healthcare establishments with highly trained doctors and healthcare professionals offer technologically advanced care with best possible medical outcomes at a fraction of the cost, when compared to our neighbours like Thailand and Singapore. This is authenticated by the increasing inflow of foreign patients into the country, the statement added.

India is already grappling with extremely low bed density at 1.3 beds per 1000 population, as compared to WHO recommendation of 3.5 beds. Hence, it is not in the interest of public and nation if hospitals are randomly shut down due to individual errors. It will only widen the gap further and directly affect the health and well-being of patients undergoing treatment in hospitals. We request the media and the government not to pre-judge in any case. “Rational and appropriate action is necessary in case of negligence or failure of the healthcare system based on proper investigation, validation based on the principles of natural justice and not based on emotional outburst.’’

Pune : Recycling is the only option to handle plastic waste at present.Now Indian scientists have found a new use for plastic waste – for decontamination of water.

Dr. Premanjali Rai and Dr. Kunwar P. Singh from Environmental Chemistry Division, CSIR – Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow have used plastic waste to develop  a low – cost magnetically responsive adsorbent material which can be used to remove an antibiotic cephalexin from water.

The indiscriminate burning of plastic results in emission of deadly gases and carcinogens into the environment. Dumping them in landfills results in leaching of toxins into ground and surface water resources. Now scientists have formulated an effective strategy of upcycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste into a functional material to mitigate another critical environmental problem -the emerging levels of antibiotics in water.

“We collected PET refuse from the surroundings and converted the same  into a magnetically responsive carbon nano-material by carbonization and activation of the PET char under controlled conditions and magnetic modification by a simple chemical precipitation route,” explained Dr Rai.

Extensive use and disposal of pharmaceuticals in the environment is leading to its contamination and increasing antibiotic resistance. Widely used antibiotic, Cephalexin, is detected as micropollutant in the environment. ” This newly developed low-cost magnetic nanomaterial has the adsorptive potential for cephalexin from the water. The minimal adsorbent dose of 0.4 gram per liter could remove greater than half of the initial cephalexin concentration under laboratory conditions. This technique of magnetic separation for spent adsorbent decreases the secondary pollution problems associated with the non-magneto active adsorbents”, said Dr. Rai.

The newly developed adsorbents have considerable desorption potential and can be reused. These advantages make it an efficient adsorbent for removal of emerging micropollutants. These findings will prompt to develop more innovative strategies for non-biodegradable waste management.

This work has been published in the Journal of Environmental Management. The research team included Dr. Premanjali Rai and Dr. Kunwar P. Singh, Environmental Chemistry Division, CSIR – Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow. (India Science Wire)

Aerion and Lockheed Martin announced a Memorandum of Understanding today to define a formal and gated process to explore the feasibility of a joint development of the world’s first supersonic business jet, the Aerion AS2. Over the next 12 months, the companies will work together to develop a framework on all phases of the program, including engineering, certification and production.

Aerion Chairman Robert M. Bass stated, “This relationship is absolutely key to creating a supersonic renaissance. When it comes to supersonic know-how, Lockheed Martin’s capabilities are well known, and, in fact, legendary. We share with Lockheed Martin a commitment to the long-term development of efficient civil supersonic aircraft.”

“We are excited to work with Aerion on their development of the next-generation, efficient supersonic jet that will potentially serve as a platform for pioneering future supersonic aircraft,” said Orlando Carvalho, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

The MOU is the result of extensive discussions between Aerion and Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works Advanced Development Programs team. For close to 75 years, Skunk Works has existed to create revolutionary aircraft that push the boundaries of what is possible.

Lockheed Martin, known for developing the world’s leading supersonic combat aircraft, the F-16, the F-35, and F-22, as well as the Mach 3+ SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft, is committed to fostering new innovations and developing supersonic technologies with civil and commercial applications.

“Following our initial review of Aerion’s aerodynamic technology, our conclusion is that the Aerion AS2 concept warrants the further investment of our time and resources,” said Carvalho. “We are committed to remaining on the cutting edge of aerospace technology and are excited to examine the contribution we might make to working with Aerion on making aviation history.”

During the last two and a half years, Aerion advanced the aerodynamics and structural design of the AS2 through a previous engineering collaboration agreement with Airbus. Through that effort, the two companies developed a preliminary design of wing and airframe structures, systems layout, and preliminary concepts for a fly-by-wire flight control system.

“We are grateful for Airbus’ contribution to the program,” said Brian Barents, Aerion Executive Chairman. “We could not have moved the program to this stage without their support.”