HANOVER, Maryland (Reuters) – A U.S. Air Force Academy team on Friday beat out rivals from other elite military colleges after a three-day simulated cyber “war” against hackers from the National Security Agency that is meant to teach future officers the importance of cybersecurity.

Nearly 60 government experts – sitting under a black skull and crossbones flag – worked around the clock this week to break into computer networks built by students at the Air Force, Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine academies. Two military graduate schools also participated.

April 19 (Reuters) – U.S. regulators on Friday approved a
revamped battery system for Boeing Co’s 787 Dreamliner, a
crucial step in returning the high-tech jet to service after it
was grounded in January because the plane’s lithium-ion
batteries overheated.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it had approved a
package of detailed design changes, a move that allows Boeing to
issue a service bulletin and make repairs to the fleet of 50
planes owned by eight airlines around the world. Other global
regulators also must approve Boeing’s new design but were
expected to act quickly once the FAA gave its blessing.

April 19 (Reuters) – Investors sent Boeing Co’s stock
higher on Friday as regulators appeared poised to end a
three-month grounding of the 787 Dreamliner that cost millions
of dollars and hurt the reputation of the world’s largest
planemaker.

Against a weaker U.S. stock market, Boeing shares
rose nearly 2.3 percent to $88.06 in early New York trading as
the Federal Aviation Administration put finishing touches to a
decision watched by airlines and aerospace firms worldwide.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Flight delays of up to 3-1/2 hours are expected at some busy U.S. airports this summer because of furloughs of air-traffic controllers, the top U.S. aviation regulator warned on Thursday.

The estimate from the Federal Aviation Administration is the first to detail, in minutes and hours, the potential delays from the agency’s decision to furlough 10 percent of its staff, starting Sunday, as it struggles to meet budget cuts required under so-called sequestration.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has already made “tremendous progress” in expanding weapons sales to India since 2008, and U.S. companies could see “billions of dollars” in additional sales in coming years, a senior U.S. State Department official said Thursday.

Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said U.S. sales of military equipment to India had grown from zero in 2008 to around $8 billion, despite a decision by India to choose a French-built plane in a closely-watched fighter plane competition.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has already made “tremendous progress” in expanding weapons sales to India since 2008, and U.S. companies could see “billions of dollars” in additional sales in coming years, a senior U.S. State Department official said Thursday.

Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said U.S. sales of military equipment to India had grown from zero in 2008 to around $8 billion, despite a decision by India to choose a French-built plane in a closely-watched fighter plane competition.

WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) – The USS Freedom, the first
of a new class of U.S. warships, is due to arrive in Singapore
on Thursday for an eight-month stay that the ship’s builder,
Lockheed Martin Corp hopes will stimulate foreign demand
for the fast, agile and stealthy ship.

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) left its home port of San
Diego on March 1, stopping in Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines
before heading to Singapore. The Navy plans to rotate four of
the new LCS warships through Singapore in coming years.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top aviation regulator said on Tuesday he expects to decide “very soon” whether to approve Boeing Co’s (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) redesigned 787 Dreamliner battery system, potentially ending a three-month ban on flights by the high-tech jet.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta, testifying to a congressional committee on air safety, said the agency is reviewing tests and analysis submitted by Boeing and will approve it when “we are satisfied Boeing has shown the redesigned battery system meets FAA requirements.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Air Force on Monday said it took steps to fully fund the first increment of a new ground-based radar to track satellites and other objects in space in its fiscal 2104 budget proposal, but there was no funding for a second site for now.

Jamie Morin, acting undersecretary of the Air Force, told reporters the Space Fence program was a priority given growing threats in space and the need to monitor activities in space.

NEW YORK/COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Reuters) – U.S. regulators are discussing whether the batteries that burned on Boeing Co’s 787 Dreamliner hold any lessons for other aircraft or vehicles.

George Nield, associate administrator for commercial space transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration, said a dialogue is taking place about whether the overheating of two lithium-ion batteries on the 787 could have broader implications.