title: Federated learning

text: Federated learning seeks to address the problem of data governance and privacy by training algorithms collaboratively without exchanging the data itself. Today's standard approach of centralizing data from multiple centers comes at the cost of critical concerns regarding patient privacy and data protection. To solve this problem, the ability to train machine learning models at scale across multiple medical institutions without moving the data is a critical technology. Nature Digital Medicine published the paper "The Future of Digital Health with Federated Learning" in September 2020, in which the authors explore how federated learning may provide a solution for the future of digital health, and highlight the challenges and considerations that need to be addressed. Recently, a collaboration of 20 different institutions around the world validated the utility of training AI models using federated learning. In a paper published in Nature Medicine "Federated learning for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19", they showcased the accuracy and generalizability of a federated AI model for the prediction of oxygen needs in patients with COVID-19 infections. Furthermore, in a published paper "A Systematic Review of Federated Learning in the Healthcare Area: From the Perspective of Data Properties and Applications", the authors trying to provide a set of challenges on FL challenges on medical data-centric perspective.


title: A.E.I.O.U.

text: "A.E.I.O.U." (sometimes A.E.I.O.V.) was a symbolic device coined by Emperor Frederick III (1415–1493) and historically used as a motto by the Habsburgs. One note in his notebook (discovered in 1666), though not in the same hand, explains it in German and Latin as "All the world is subject to Austria" ( or ). Frederick habitually signed buildings such as Santa Maria dell'Anima in Rome, or Graz Cathedral as well as his tableware and other objects with the vowel graphemes. As of 2017, A.E.I.O.U. is also the motto of the Theresian Military Academy, established in 1751. It can also be found on the wall of the Chancellor's office in the Federal Chancellery of Austria. The famous device is probably the most known motto of premodern times, because it has repeatedly been given new interpretations over the centuries.


title: A.E.I.O.U.

text: Frederick's first use of the five-letter monogram was in 1437, when he was Duke of Styria. One note in his notebook (discovered in 1666), though not in the same hand, explains it in German and Latin as "All the world is subject to Austria" ( or ).


title: A.E.I.O.U.

text: Another passage, later in the same notebook, uses the letters in sequence as the initial letters of the words in the first line of a couplet poem, showing the meaning as "I am loved by the elect, for the unjust I am ordained an avenger" (from Latin, ).


title: A.E.I.O.U.

text: Other interpretations have been put forth, including by contemporary heraldists. Several explanations proceed on the assumption that it was meant as a political slogan, from the Latin phrases:


title: A.E.I.O.U.

text: Since Frederick wrote this acronym when he was not yet the ruler of the Archduchy of Austria and, at that time, Styria was entirely separated from Austria and was not considered to be its part until the next century, the term "Austria" in this context would not mean Austria as a territory or a nation, but rather the "House of Austria", that is, the Habsburg dynasty.


title: A.E.I.O.U.

text: More than 300 Latin and German interpretations have been attempted over the centuries; most of these versions refer to a motto of present-day Austria or the extensive Habsburg monarchy.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: The Empire of China was a short-lived attempt by statesman, general and president Yuan Shikai from late 1915 to early 1916 to reinstate monarchy in China, with himself as the Hongxian Emperor. The attempt was unsuccessful; it set back the Chinese republican cause by many years and fractured China into a period of conflict between various local warlords.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: After Yuan Shikai was installed as the second Provisional Great President of the Republic of China established by Sun Yat-sen, he took various steps to consolidate his power and remove opposition leaders from office. Both Sun and Yuan were "modernizers", Sun was a "radical revolutionary", while Yuan was a "conservative reformer".


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: To secure his own power he collaborated with various European powers as well as Japan. Around August 1915, he instructed Yang Du () "et al." to canvass support for a return of the monarchy. On 11 December 1915, an assembly unanimously elected him as Emperor. Yuan ceremonially declined, but "relented" and immediately agreed when the National Assembly petitioned again that day.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: On 12 December, Yuan, supported by his son Yuan Keding, declared the Empire of China with himself as the "Great Emperor of the Chinese Empire" (), taking the era name Hongxian (, "Promote the Constitution"). However, Yuan, now known as the Hongxian Emperor, delayed the accession rites until 1 January 1916. He had Manchu clothes removed from culture and had Han clothes revived but had put some changes to it. He wore new Han clothes to attend a dress rehearsal, but it was sabotaged by his Korean concubine.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: Soon after, the Hongxian Emperor started handing out titles of peerage to his closest relatives and friends, as well as those whom he thought he could buy with titles.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: The Aisin Gioro family of the Qing dynasty, then living in the Forbidden City, "approved" of Yuan's accession as emperor, and even proposed a "royal marriage" of Yuan's daughter to Puyi, the last Qing monarch.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: The year 1916 was to be "Hongxian Year 1" () rather than "Republic Year 5" (), but the Hongxian Emperor was opposed by not only the revolutionaries, but far more importantly by his subordinate military commanders, who believed that Yuan's assumption of the monarchy would allow him to rule without depending on the support of the military.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: Province after province rebelled after his inauguration, starting with Yunnan, led by the emperor's governor Cai E and general Tang Jiyao and Jiangxi, led by governor Li Liejun. The revolters formed the National Protection Army () and thus began the National Protection War. This was followed by other provinces declaring independence from the Empire. The emperor's Beiyang generals, whose soldiers had not received pay once from the imperial government, did not put up an aggressive campaign against the National Protection Army and the Beiyang Army suffered numerous defeats despite being better trained and equipped than the National Protection Army.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: Seeing the Hongxian Emperor's weakness and unpopularity, foreign powers withdrew their support (but did not choose sides in the war). The Empire of Japan first threatened to invade, then committed to overthrowing the Hongxian Emperor and recognised both sides of the conflict to be "in a state of war" and allowed Japanese citizens to help the Republicans. Faced with universal opposition, the emperor repeatedly delayed the accession rites to appease his foes. Funding for the ceremony was cut on 1 March. Yuan deliberated abandoning the monarchy with Liang Shiyi on 17 March and abandoned it on 22 March. The "Hongxian" year was abolished on 23 March and the Republic was restored. Yuan reigned a total of 83 days.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: After President Yuan's death on 6 June, Vice President Li Yuanhong assumed the presidency, and appointed Beiyang general Duan Qirui as his Premier and restored the National Assembly and the provisional Constitution. However, the central authority of the Beijing government was significantly weakened and the demise of Yuan's Empire plunged China into a period of warlordism.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: Although the name of the country in Chinese was changed to the "Empire of China" (and "Hongxian" for state matters), the Hongxian Emperor continued to use "Republic of China" as the English name.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: The Hongxian Emperor set up the Ritual Regulations Office (), which issued the new official anthem for the Republic of China, "China heroically stands in the Universe" () in June 1915. Its lyrics were written by Yin Chang () and music by Wang Lu (). The lyrics were slightly modified in December 1915, with "Five Races Under One Union" () replaced with (Shanrang, the ancient system of Chinese emperor relinquishing seats to others in Yao and Shun's era) to be used during the Hongxian Emperor's reign.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: Yao was a legendary Chinese ruler. The era of "Yao" and "Shun" () is a Four-character idiom which means times of peace and prosperity.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: The national flag was changed from the original to one where the red stripe is a centered cross; however, a flag with the former red stripe as a saltire was the version commonly used.


title: Empire of China (1915–1916)

text: The national emblem remained as the national emblem of the Republic of China (1913–1928), National emblem of Twelve Symbols of Sovereignty ().


title: Welsh independence

text: Welsh independence () is the political movement advocating for Wales to become a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom.


title: Welsh independence

text: Wales was conquered during the 13th century by Edward I of England following the killing of Llywelyn the Last (Prince of Wales). Edward introduced the royal ordinance, the Statute of Rhuddlan, in 1284, causing Wales to lose its de facto independence and the native Welsh principality was incorporated into the Kingdom of England. Owain Glyndŵr, native Prince of Wales restored Welsh independence c. 1400–10, but Henry IV of England eventually regained control of Wales.


title: Welsh independence

text: Henry VIII of England introduced the Laws in Wales Acts between 1535 and 1542, English law replaced "Cyfraith Hywel" (Welsh medieval law), and the Welsh principality and Marches were integrated into England. The Wales and Berwick Act defined "England" to include Wales in 1746, but the Welsh Language Act 1967, partly repealed this with the term "England and Wales".


title: Welsh independence

text: The modern Welsh independence movement emerged during the mid-19th century, as did a movement for "home rule". Since 1999, Wales has been granted some legislative power as part of Welsh devolution from the UK parliament, and contemporary Welsh law within the English legal system. At present, the political parties Plaid Cymru, Propel, Gwlad, and the Wales Green Party support Welsh independence, as does the non-partisan YesCymru campaign group. Support for independence has increased from in 2014 to its highest support of in April 2021 when excluding don't knows. A YouGov poll in January 2021 found that 47% of people in Wales opposed holding a referendum on Welsh independence within the next five years with 31% supporting.


title: Welsh independence

text: The title, "King of all Wales" was used as early as 798 AD, but Wales first became a fully unified independent country in 1055 under the leadership of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, who ruled as King of Wales until 1063. Three years later the Norman invasion began, which briefly controlled much of Wales, but by 1100 Anglo-Norman control was reduced to the lowland Gwent, Glamorgan, Gower, and Pembroke, regions which experienced considerable Anglo-Norman colonisation, while the contested border region between the Welsh princes and Anglo-Norman barons became known as the Welsh Marches.


title: Welsh independence

text: In the 13th century, the last prince of Wales, Llywelyn the Last retained his rights to Wales by agreement with King Henry III in the Treaty of Montgomery in 1267. Henry's successor, Edward I, disapproved of Llywelyn's alliance with Simon de Montfort, who revolted along with other barons against the English king in the Second Barons' War of 1264 to 1267; and so in 1276 Edward's army forced Llywelyn into an agreement that saw Llywelyn withdraw his powers to Gwynedd only. In 1282, whilst attempting to gather support in Cilmeri near Builth Wells, Llywelyn was killed by one of Edward's soldiers. Llywelyn's brother Dafydd ap Gruffydd briefly led a force in Wales, but was captured and later hung, drawn and quartered by Edward, thus ending Welsh independence.


title: Welsh independence

text: Since conquest, there have been Welsh rebellions against English rule. The last, and the most significant, revolt was the Glyndŵr Rising of 1400–1415, which briefly restored independence. Owain Glyndŵr held the first Welsh parliament (Senedd) in Machynlleth in 1404 where he was proclaimed Prince of Wales and a second parliament in 1405 in Harlech. After the eventual defeat of the Glyndŵr rebellion and a brief period of independence, it was not until 1999 that a Welsh legislative body was re-established as the National Assembly of Wales, which was renamed Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament in 2020.


title: Welsh independence

text: In the 16th century, King Henry VIII of the Tudor dynasty (a royal house of Welsh origin) and the English parliament passed the Laws in Wales Acts, also referred to as the "Acts of Union", which incorporated Wales fully into the Kingdom of England.


title: Welsh independence

text: The Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 was the first legislation to acknowledge that Wales had a separate politico-legal character from the rest of the English state. In 1886 Joseph Chamberlain proposed "Home Rule All Round" in the United Kingdom, and in the same year, the Cymru Fydd (Young Wales) movement was founded to further the cause. The main leaders were David Lloyd George (later Prime Minister), J. E. Lloyd, O. M. Edwards, T. E. Ellis (leader, MP for Merioneth, 1886–1899) and Beriah Gwynfe Evans. Its main objective was to gain self-government for Wales. Their goal was a devolved assembly, but the movement was disbanded in 1896 amid personal rivalries and rifts between Liberal representatives such as David Alfred Thomas.


title: Welsh independence

text: Support for home rule for Wales and Scotland amongst most political parties was historically strongest in 1918 following the independence of other European countries after the First World War, and the Easter Rising in Ireland, according to historian Dr Davies.


title: Welsh independence

text: The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the formation of multiple national Welsh bodies. These included University of Wales in 1893, Welsh Education Board in 1907, the National Library of Wales in 1911 and Welsh Board of Health in 1919. In 1920, the Church in Wales was disestablished and separated from the Church of England through the Welsh Church Act of 1914.


title: Welsh independence

text: In 1925 Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru ("the National Party of Wales") was founded; it was renamed Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales in 1945. The party's principles since its founding have been (1) self government for Wales, (2) to safeguard the culture, traditions, language and economic position of Wales and (3) to secure membership for a self-governing Welsh state in the United Nations. The party's first Westminster seat (MP) was won by Gwynfor Evans in 1966. By 1974 the party had won three MP seats and in the 2019 general election it won four seats. Following the formation of the Senedd in 1999, Plaid Cymru won 17 of 60 seats in the initial Welsh election of 1999 and 13 seats in 2021.


title: Welsh independence

text: In 1975, Plaid Cymru opposed remaining in the European Communities (EC). The party stated, at the time, that it felt that the EC's regional aid policies would "reconcile places like Wales to their subordinate position". Nevertheless, 65% of Welsh voters voted to remain in the EC in the 1975 referendum. The EC were incorporated into the European Union (EU) in 1993.


title: Welsh independence

text: In the 1950s, the deterioration of the British Empire removed a sense of Britishness and there was a realisation that Wales was not as prosperous as south-east England and smaller European countries. Successive Conservative Party victories in Westminster led to suggestions that only through self-government could Wales achieve a government reflecting the votes of a Welsh electorate. The Tryweryn flooding which was voted against by almost every single Welsh MP, suggested that Wales as a nation was powerless. The Epynt clearance in 1940 has also been described as a "significant – but often overlooked – chapter in the history of Wales".


title: Welsh independence

text: On 1 July 1955, a conference of all parties was called at Llandrindod by the New Wales Union (Undeb Cymru Fydd) to consider a national petition for a Parliament for Wales. The main leaders were Megan Lloyd George, the daughter of David Lloyd George, T. I. Ellis, and Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards. According to the historian Dr William Richard Philip George, "Megan was responsible for removing much prejudice against the idea of a parliament for Wales". She later presented the petition with 250,000 signatures to the British government in April 1956.


title: Welsh independence

text: The declaration of Cardiff as the capital of Wales in 1955, the Labour Party's 1959 commitment to appoint a Secretary of State for Wales, the creation of the Welsh Office in 1965, and the repeal of the Wales and Berwick Act 1746 two years later seemed to demonstrate a growing nationalist impetus. However, the heavy defeat for a proposed Welsh Assembly offered by Labour in the 1979 devolution referendum "suggested that the vast majority of the inhabitants of Wales had no desire to see their country having a national future".


title: Welsh independence

text: In the early 1990s, Labour became committed to devolution for both Scotland and Wales, and in 1997 it was elected with a mandate to hold referendums on a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly. The proposed assembly won a narrow majority in the 1997 referendum.


title: Welsh independence

text: The National Assembly for Wales was formed in 1999. Since the referendum on Welsh devolution in 1997 and formation of the Senedd (then National Assembly for Wales) in 1999, there has been increased support for and trust in the Senedd, with support for it to receive more devolved powers. Further powers have been granted to the Senedd by the Government of Wales Act 2006, the Wales Act 2014, and the Wales Act 2017.


title: Welsh independence

text: The independence movement has been present in Wales since the mid-19th century and Plaid Cymru has also campaigned for it throughout the majority of the 20th century, since it was founded in 1925.


title: Welsh independence

text: In the 21st century, the question of Welsh independence became more prominent following increased discussion on a second Scottish independence referendum.


title: Welsh independence

text: Non-partisan pro-independence group, YesCymru was founded in 2014 and open to the public for membership in 2016. In 2020, the group claimed that they had had a sudden rise in membership with 17,000 members by the end of 2020, partly influenced by the British government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Welsh independence

text: In 2017, there were plans to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood said there needed to be a national debate on Welsh independence. In July 2020, Plaid brought forward a motion to discuss a referendum on Welsh independence, but it was rejected by 43 votes to 9. On 24 October 2020, Wales Green Party members voted at their party conference that the party would support Welsh independence in the event of a referendum being held on whether or not Wales should become independent from the United Kingdom. In July 2020, Plaid Cymru tabled a motion for Welsh ministers to seek permission from Westminster for the right of the Senedd to legislate for a Welsh independence referendum. The members of Senedd rejected this motion by 43 votes to 9. This was the first time in history that Welsh independence was debated in the Senedd.


title: Welsh independence

text: On 11 December 2020, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price stated that if his party won a majority at the 2021 Senedd election, an independence referendum would be held in its first term in office. At Plaid's special conference on independence, held on 13 February 2021, party members formally approved Price's pledge to hold a referendum in or before 2026. In addition to Plaid, three other parties—the Wales Green Party, Gwlad and Propel—stood on a pro-independence platform at the Senedd election. In the 2021 Senedd Election, of 60 seats, Plaid Cymru won 5 Constituency and 8 regional. Gwlad and Propel both won 0.


title: Welsh independence

text: In June 2022, the UK government announced its intention to repeal the Welsh Government's 2017 Trade Union Act, which bans agency staff from being used if public sector workers go on strike. Price called this a "power grab" and "potentially devolution's breaking point", and called for a referendum to be held in order to protect the Senedd's powers. In response, First Minister Mark Drakeford stated that in order for a referendum to be held, a pro-referendum party would have to win the most seats in an election.


title: Welsh independence

text: Labour for an Independent Wales, which is a group of Labour Party members who "believe the best way to achieve a democratic socialist Wales is through independence", was formed in 2018. Welsh Labour member, Harriet Protheroe-Soltani has suggested that in order for the Welsh independence movement to create a supermajority and a cross-party movement, then the support of Welsh Labour members is required. In August 2020, a YouGov poll showed that 39% of Welsh Labour voters would vote for independence "if there was a referendum tomorrow". The Welsh Governance Centre also showed that in the last Senedd election over 40% of Labour voters supported independence.


title: Welsh independence

text: A sold-out "Yes is More" gig was held at the tramshed in Cardiff in April 2019, to open up the debate on independence. The gig included performances from Charlotte Church, Gruff Rhys and Cian Ciaran of the Super Furry Animals. Artists Gwenno Saunders, Boy Azooga, Astroid Boys and Los Blancos also performed. Ciaran said, "Maybe we can… maybe we should start talking about it, and discussing what kind of Wales we want and where Wales should be, Especially after Brexit and what's unfolded and become apparent. Irish unification on the corner maybe, Scottish independence on the way. Where does that leave Wales? West of England? Do we want to be left behind? Or do we want sovereign equality and an equal voice? As is one of the founding principles of the UN."


title: Welsh independence

text: On 11 May 2019, the first ever march in history for Welsh independence was organised by All Under One Banner Cymru (AUOB Cymru) in Cardiff, with an estimated 3,000 in attendance. On 27 July 2019, AUOB organised an independence march in Caernarfon. An estimate put the attendance at about 8,000. On 7 September 2019, a third AUOB Cymru was held in Merthyr Tydfil and attracted a crowd of 5,200.


title: Welsh independence

text: A pro-independence march organised by AUOBCymru, Indy Fest Wrexham and YesCymru took place in Wrexham on 2 July 2022, the first such march since before the pandemic. A further march was held in Cardiff on 1 October 2022.


title: Welsh independence

text: In January 2021, Guto Harri, who was Boris Johnson's communications chief when the latter was Mayor of London, wrote in "The Sunday Times" that "the idea of independence is taking off, with new recruits from very different backgrounds." He went on to say, "Brexiteers will hate me for saying this, but it is clear that some have contributed more to the cause of Welsh independence than my late father. The prospect of being attached to a leftover English rump of the UK, if Scotland and Northern Ireland head off, seems bleak to many people. And having argued against pooling sovereignty with our neighbours to facilitate trade and maximise our influence, Brexiteers should not be surprised if the same logic is applied in a different setting."


title: Welsh independence

text: Richard Wyn Jones, director of the Welsh governance centre at Cardiff University, claimed that the cause of independence in Wales would be boosted significantly if Scotland chose independence first. Adam Price made the argument that if the UK Supreme Court allowed a referendum on Scottish independence to be held without Westminster's position, then Wales should be allowed to do the same. The judgement of the Supreme Court in November 2023 was that ""If the UK Government and Parliament were unwilling to modify those reserved powers (as they did before the 2014 independence referendum) then “the Scottish Parliament does not have the power to legislate for a referendum on Scottish independence”."


title: Welsh independence

text: In September 2021, an open letter, signed by a number of groups who advocate for Welsh independence (including AUOBCymru, members of the former central committee of YesCymru as well as Welsh Football Fans for Independence), was sent to First Minister Mark Drakeford. Written in response to Drakeford's proposed constitutional commission, it stated that "Wales needs an independence commission, not one to salvage the union." The following month, the Independent Constitutional Commission was launched by the Welsh Labour government. Led by Professor Laura McAllister and former Archbishop of Wales, Rowan Williams, it will examine Wales' future relationship with the rest of the UK and will consider Welsh independence as well. Plaid Cymru called the commission the "most wide-ranging national conversation about Wales' future". The interim findings of the commission outlined three viable options for Wales including independence, to be explored in more depth in 2023. The report outlined the option of a Free Trade Association during a transition period to independence where an agreement could be made for e.g England responsibility for matters such as defence. The report also identified a confederation of Britain and Ireland as a potential option and key questions on independence to be addressed next year.


title: Welsh independence

text: In the Plaid Cymru conference of 2022, leader Adam Price announced "The Future Cymru Forum" with the Wales Green Party to "consult, research and develop a ground-breaking body of work" on an independent Wales.


title: Welsh independence

text: As of the 2019 general election, 40 of 650 seats at the House of Commons are in Wales. Wales has the smallest average constituency size, with 56,000 constituents per MP compared to 72,200 per MP for England. Proposals revealed by the Boundary Commission in 2020 would reduce the number of Welsh seats from 40 down to 32 as part of efforts to equalise constituency sizes. Advocates for Welsh independence often cite the small number of seats in Wales as a justification for independence. They feel that this limits the ability of Wales to help make political decisions within the UK. Dissatisfaction with the House of Lords, where members are appointed rather than elected, has also been cited as a reason for independence. Further criticisms made of the Westminster system includes:


title: Welsh independence

text: "It's clear, not only from the success and popularity of the recent rallies in Wales, but also other events here and elsewhere, that change is afoot in these islands. For us, independence is an inevitable consequence of the end of Britain’s imperial project – a completely unjust and exploitative endeavour. Wales's part in that project and the evils committed in its name cannot be denied. As we forge a new, free Wales, we have a moral duty to learn from the lessons of our past and the experience of other countries."


title: Welsh independence

text: A central argument made by those in favour of independence is that becoming an independent country would allow Wales to make its own decisions on policy areas such as foreign policy, taxation, and other non-devolved issues. It has also been suggested that the Welsh government would be able to be fully accountable for an independent Wales and that the Welsh electorate would have sole political representation and would elect a government voted for by Wales only. Further proposed powers include:


title: Welsh independence

text: Welsh independence would also grant Wales far greater control over its economy. Proponents of independence argue that this would allow Wales to flourish as an independent country.


title: Welsh independence

text: Research and analysis conducted by Professor John Doyle, Dublin City University showed that the Welsh fiscal balance of £2.6bn in the "early days of an independent Wales" would be approximately £2.6bn which is far less than the often quoted figure of 13.5bn. This equates to under 3.4% of GDP, which compares to an average of 3.2% for countries in the OECD [Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development] in 2019.


title: Welsh independence

text: It has been suggested that Wales could draw from the success of the Republic of Ireland following its independence from the UK. In 1922, Ireland was financially heavily dependent on Britain. Ireland is said to have benefitted from EU membership in 1973 and by International Monetary Fund and had an economic growth called the Celtic Tiger from the 1990s. It has also been noted that Wales is in a better economic state than 1920s Ireland, when it gained independence.


title: Welsh independence

text: The United Kingdom left the EU in 2020 following a referendum on membership in 2016. At the referendum, 53% of Welsh voters voted to leave, though Plaid Cymru, the only pro-independence party with representatives in the Welsh Assembly, opposed leaving. While most people who are pro-independence also favour joining the EU, this is not a universal position. According to Ashcroft Polls, a "significant" number of Plaid voters also voted for Brexit.


title: Welsh independence

text: Since Brexit, many pro-independence campaigners, including Plaid, have argued that joining the EU would be a benefit to leaving the UK, noting the success of small nations such as Lithuania, Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland within the EU. It has been suggested that an independent Wales would have the option to join the EU in an exclusive Welsh deal if this option benefits Wales. A January 2021 poll found that a majority of Welsh voters were in favour of rejoining the EU, (44% for and 38% against).


title: Welsh independence

text: An alternative option to EU membership is membership of the European Free Trade Association with a view to joining the European single market. Plaid Cymru has said that it will " explore the prospects for an independent Wales becoming a member of the European Free Trade Association, with a view to becoming part of the European Economic Area." With EFTA membership, an independent Wales would also be in a position to negotiate a free trade deal with England. Adam Price has stated that Plaid Cymru would seek to join the EFTA if Wales became independent. The Welsh Labour Government's current position it to remain outside both the EU and single market. In June 2022, Adam Price of Plaid Cymru called on the Welsh Labour Government to support rejoining the single market (without rejoining the EU) as was previously supported by both parties in the "Securing Wales's Future" white paper.


title: Welsh independence

text: A United Kingdom Confederation has been proposed as a concept of constitutional reform of the United Kingdom, in which the countries of the United Kingdom; England, Scotland, Wales, as well as Northern Ireland become separate sovereign groups or states that pool certain key resources within a confederal system.


title: Welsh independence

text: YesCymru's "Independence in your Pocket" book has also suggested a ‘Welsh Defence Forces’ along the Irish model as a potential option. It is likely to have a single command structure and include an army, navy and airborne services focused on land-based forces. These services could be supported by reservists, and a ‘Welsh Defence Forces’ is likely to include 5,000-7,000 staff.


title: Welsh independence

text: Dr. Bleddyn Bowen, Lecturer in Defence Studies at King's College London has suggested the formation of Welsh National Security organisations in an independent Wales as well as their codified objectives. His proposed organisations are as follows: a "Wales National Security Council" led by the Welsh head of government/state; "Wales Intelligence Service" responsible for counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, counter-subversion, counter-organised crime, allied intelligence liaison; a "Wales Defence Force" for air/maritime policing, air defence, disaster response, civil protection, special forces; a "Wales Expeditionary combat and peacekeeping force" involved in NATO, EU, United Nations missions; the promotion of training, exercises and testing for allies in Wales. Dr Bowen suggests that these organisations should have the following objectives: maintain global political economy to benefit the Welsh economy and Welsh quality of life, protect Welsh citizens and advance Welsh interests abroad, prevent and respond to hostile foreign activity in Wales, maintain relationships with European states and organisations and the US and contribute to the collective defence and security of allies.


title: Welsh independence

text: The independent constitution commission identified "key questions" on the "viable" option of independence in its interim report. It aims to test potential solutions in the next phase, set to be published by the end of 2023. The key questions included addressing the following;


title: Welsh independence

text: "0-10" Independence polls – (Respondents asked to rate 0–10. 0–4 Against, 5 indifferent, 6–10 In Favour. "Don't Know" removed)


title: Joseph Shea (FBI agent)

text: Joseph Gerald Shea (; September 20, 1919– August 4, 2005) was an American law enforcement official who was a special agent for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).


title: Joseph Shea (FBI agent)

text: Shea was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on September 20, 1919. He was the third child in a family of four sons born to Frank Shea and his Irish-born wife, Alice Mary. The family moved in with their paternal grandmother after his mother's death, when he was eight. Shea joined the Army in 1942, after working at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and the Boston Navy Yard. He served in the 36th Division as a First Sergeant. He joined troops being sent to Europe on the Queen Mary, which was being used to transport troops overseas. The ship nearly went down at sea when hit by a rogue wave, but it righted itself and the 15,000 troops aboard were safe. He served in North Africa, Italy, and France during World War II. Following the war, Shea attended Boston College and majored in accounting.


title: Joseph Shea (FBI agent)

text: After graduation, he started working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, beginning as an identification clerk. In February 1951, he was appointed Special Agent. During his career, Shea worked in several offices, including Louisville, Chicago, and Atlanta. He worked on a number of notable cases, including the Barbara Mackle kidnapping and the Frank Abagnale case. He retired on December 31, 1977.


title: Joseph Shea (FBI agent)

text: Shea met and married Sarah Eugenia Blakeman while in Louisville in May 1953 until her death in 2004. They had two daughters, Reva and Ruth. After his retirement, Shea moved to Kentucky, where he and his wife lived on a farm and visited St. Thomas each winter. They returned to Marietta, Georgia, to live in 1997. Shea was an avid golfer.


title: Joseph Shea (FBI agent)

text: Shea died in Marietta, Georgia on August 4, 2005, at 85 and was buried at Georgia Memorial Park Cemetery. He survived by his two daughters, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.


title: Joseph Shea (FBI agent)

text: In the 2002 film "Catch Me If You Can", fictional character Carl Hanratty, portrayed by Tom Hanks, is loosely based on the relationship that Shea had with Frank Abagnale. According to Frank Abagnale, his deep friendship with Shea, as portrayed in the film, lasted 30 years until Shea's death.


title: Joseph Shea (FBI agent)

text: A stage musical based on Abagnale's story was produced on Broadway in 2011. Norbert Leo Butz played Hanratty and won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as part of a larger 1990 reorganization of the Lucasfilm divisions, the video game development division was grouped and rebranded as part of LucasArts. LucasArts became known for its line of adventure games based on its SCUMM engine in the 1990s, including "Maniac Mansion", the "Monkey Island" series, and several "Indiana Jones" titles. A number of influential game developers were alumni of LucasArts from this period, including Brian Moriarty, Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, and Dave Grossman. Later, as Lucasfilm regained control over its licensing over the "Star Wars" franchise, LucasArts produced numerous action-based "Star Wars" titles in the late 1990s and early 2000s, while dropping adventure game development due to waning interest in the genre.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Lucasfilm was wholly acquired by The Walt Disney Company in December 2012, and by April 2013, Disney had announced the shuttering of LucasArts in all but name, keeping the division around to handle licensing of Lucasfilm properties to third-party developers, primarily Electronic Arts, and having any in-house development transferred to Disney Interactive Studios. Disney has since 2021 revitalized the Lucasfilm Games brand as the licenser of all Lucasfilm-related properties.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In 1979 George Lucas wanted to explore other areas of entertainment and created the Lucasfilm Computer Division in 1979, which included a department for computer games (the Games Group) and another for graphics. The graphics department was spun off into its own corporation in 1982, ultimately becoming Pixar.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The Lucasfilm Games Group originally cooperated with Atari, Inc., which helped fund the video game group's founding, to produce video games. Though the group had spun out of Lucasfilm, the video game development license for Lucasfilm's "Star Wars" was held by Atari at the time, forcing the group to start with original concepts; Ron Gilbert, one of the group's first employees, believed that if the Lucasfilm Games Group had the rights for "Star Wars" from the start, they would have never branched into any new intellectual property.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The first products from the Games Group were unique action "Ballblazer" and "Rescue on Fractalus!", developed in 1984 for the Atari 5200 console and the Atari 8-bit computers. Beta versions of both games were leaked to pirate bulletin boards exactly one week after Atari had received unprotected copies for a marketing review, and were in wide circulation over a year before the original release date. Planned to be released in the 3rd quarter of 1984 under the Atari/Lucasfilm label, the games were delayed when Warner Communications sold the assets of the consumer division of Atari, Inc. to Jack Tramiel in July of that year, and were ultimately picked up by publisher Epyx and released for multiple home computers in mid-1985. Lucasfilm's next two games were "Koronis Rift" and "The Eidolon". Their first games were only developed by Lucasfilm, and a publisher would distribute the games. Atari published their games for Atari systems, Activision and Epyx would do their computer publishing. "Maniac Mansion" was the first game to be published and developed by Lucasfilm Games.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The early charter of Lucasfilm Games was to make experimental, innovative, and technologically advanced video games. "Habitat", an early online role-playing game and one of the first to support a graphical front-end, was one such title. It was only released as a beta test in 1986 by Quantum Link, an online service for the Commodore 64. Quantum Link could not provide the bandwidth at the time to support the game, so the full Habitat was never released outside of the beta test. However, Lucasfilm Games recouped the cost of development by releasing a sized-down version called "Club Caribe" in 1988. Lucasfilm later licensed the software to Fujitsu, who released it in Japan as "Fujitsu Habitat" in 1990. Fujitsu later licensed Habitat for world-wide distribution, and released an updated version called "WorldsAway" in 1995. The latest iteration of Habitat is still called "WorldsAway", which can be found at MetroWorlds.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Initially, the Games Group worked from Lucas' Skywalker Ranch near Nicasio, California. In 1990, in a reorganization of the Lucas companies, the Games Division of Lucasfilm became part of the newly created LucasArts Entertainment Company, which also comprised Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. Later ILM and Skywalker Sound were consolidated in Lucas Digital Ltd. and LucasArts became the official name of the former Games Division. During this, the division had moved out of Skywalker Ranch to near-by offices in San Rafael, California.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Also in 1990 LucasArts started to publish "The Adventurer", their own gaming magazine where one could read about their upcoming games and interviews with the developers. The final issue was published in 1996.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In the same year, Lucas Learning was created as a subsidiary of LucasArts, providing educational software for classrooms.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: "iMUSE" ("Interactive MUsic Streaming Engine") is an interactive music system used in a number of LucasArts video games. It synchronizes music with the visual action in the game, and transitions from one musical theme to another. iMUSE was developed in the early 1990s by composers Michael Land and Peter McConnell while working at LucasArts. The iMUSE system is patented by LucasArts, and was added to the SCUMM game engine in 1991. The first game to use iMUSE was "" and it has been used in all LucasArts adventure games since. It has also been used for some non-adventure LucasArts titles, including "" (DOS version), "" (DOS version), and "".


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Lucasfilm Games also released several side-scrollers during the "Lucasarts" era, focusing primarily on run and gun gameplay. A trilogy of games under the name of "Super Star Wars" for the SNES, with each game based on each of the three films from the Star Wars Original Trilogy: "Super Star Wars" (1992), "" (1993) and "" (1994). An Indiana Jones game based on the first three films of the franchise titled "Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures" (1994) was developed alongside Factor 5, the first of many joint collaborations between the two studios.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: They also released some games not based on their existing IPs. "Zombies Ate My Neighbors" (1993) and its sequel "Ghoul Patrol" (1994) were overhead run and gun side-scrollers inspired by classic 1950's Horror B-Movies. A spiritual successor called "Herc's Adventures" was released in 1997 and was inspired by Greek Mythology. "Metal Warriors" (1995), a side-scroller inspired by mecha anime, and "Big Sky Trooper" were also developed using the same engine as "Zombies Ate My Neighbors". Though these games sold poorly, they later garnered a cult following and are now considered to be Cult Classics from the 16-Bit era.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The first adventure game developed by Lucasfilm Games was "" in 1986, based on the Lucasfilm movie of the same name. The 1987 title "Maniac Mansion" introduced SCUMM, the scripting language behind most of the company's later adventure offerings. The adventures released in the following years, such as "Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders" in 1988, "" in 1989, and the 1990 titles "Loom" and "The Secret of Monkey Island" helped Lucasfilm Games build a reputation as one of the leading developers in the genre. The original five adventure games created with SCUMM were released in a compilation titled "LucasArts Classic Adventures" in 1992.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: LucasArts was often referred to as one of the two big names in the field, competing with Sierra On-line as a developer of high quality adventures. The first half of the 1990s was the heyday for the company's adventure fame, with classic titles such as "" in 1991, "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" in 1992, "" and "" in 1993, and the 1995 titles "Full Throttle" and "The Dig".


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In the latter half of the decade, the popularity of adventure games faded and the costs associated with game development increased as high-resolution art and C.D.-quality audio became standard fare. The PC market wanted titles that would show off expensive new graphics cards to best effect, a change replicated in the home console market as the 3D capabilities of the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64 dictated the nature of the majority of games produced for those platforms. The adventure genre failed to find popularity with the masses of new gamers.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Despite their declining popularity, LucasArts still continued to release adventure titles. In 1997, "The Curse of Monkey Island", the last LucasArts adventure game to retain traditional two-dimensional graphics and point-and-click interface, was released. This was followed by "Grim Fandango" in 1998, LucasArts' first attempt to convert a 2D adventure to a 3D environment. The highly stylised visuals, outstanding soundtrack, superb voice acting and sophisticated writing earned Grim Fandango many plaudits, including GameSpot's Game of the Year award. "Escape from Monkey Island" (2000), the fourth installment in the "Monkey Island" series, featured the same control scheme as Grim Fandango, and was generally well received. It is the last original adventure game the company has released.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Two sequels to existing franchises, "Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels" and "", were announced to be in development but these projects were cancelled, in 2003 and 2004 respectively, before the games were finished. When the rights to the Sam & Max franchise expired in 2005, the creator of Sam & Max, Steve Purcell, regained ownership. He then licensed Sam & Max to Telltale Games to be developed into an episodic game. Telltale Games is made up primarily of former LucasArts employees who had worked on the Sam & Max sequel and were let go after the project was canceled.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: LucasArts halted adventure game development for the next five years, focusing instead on their "Star Wars" games. They remained silent and did not rerelease their old games on digital distribution platforms, as other studios were doing at the time. However, in 2002, the company pledged that at least 50% of its releases would have nothing to do with "Star Wars". It was not until 2009 that they returned to the genre. On June 1, 2009, LucasArts announced both "The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition", a high-definition remake of the original game with revised graphics, music and voice work, and "Tales of Monkey Island", a new episodic installment in the "Monkey Island" series that was developed by Telltale Games.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Then, on July 6, 2009, they announced that they would be rereleasing a number of their classic games, including "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" and "LOOM", on Steam. The rereleases were, for the first time, native versions built for Microsoft Windows. This was the first time in many years that the studio had offered any support for its classic adventure titles.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The second game in the Monkey Island series also received a high-definition remake, entitled "" in 2010. Both Monkey Island special edition games were released in a compilation, "Monkey Island Special Edition Collection", exclusively in Europe in 2011.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The release of the unofficial SCUMM virtual machine, ScummVM, has led to something of a resurgence for LucasArts adventure games among present-day gamers. Using ScummVM, legacy adventure titles can easily be run on modern computers and even more unusual platforms such as video game consoles, mobile phones and PDAs.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lucasfilm Games developed a series of military vehicle simulation games, the first of which were the naval simulations "PHM Pegasus" in 1986 and "Strike Fleet" in 1987. These two titles were published by Electronic Arts for a variety of computer platforms, including PC, Commodore 64 and Apple II.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In 1988, "Battlehawks 1942" launched a trilogy of World War II air combat simulations, giving the player a chance to fly as an American or Japanese pilot in the Pacific Theater. Battlehawks 1942 was followed by "" in 1989, recreating the battle between the Luftwaffe and RAF for Britain's air supremacy. The trilogy ended with "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe" in 1991, in which the player could choose to fly on either the American or German side. The trilogy was lauded for its historical accuracy and detailed supplementary material—Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, for instance, was accompanied by a 224-page historical manual. The World War II trilogy was released with cover art by illustrator Marc Ericksen, in a compilation titled "Air Combat Classics" in 1994.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The World War II trilogy was created by a team led by Lawrence Holland, a game designer who later founded Totally Games. Totally Games would continue to develop games almost exclusively to LucasArts for a decade, with the most noted outcome of the symbiosis being . They were also responsible for LucasArts' 2003 return to the aerial battles of World War II with "Secret Weapons Over Normandy", a title released on PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In 1996, LucasArts released "Afterlife", a simulator in which players build their own Heaven and Hell, with several jokes and puns (such as a prison in Hell called San Quentin Tarantino).


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Even though LucasArts had created games based on other Lucasfilm properties before ("Labyrinth", "Indiana Jones"), they did not use the "Star Wars" license until the early 1990s, as the "Star Wars" license had been held by Broderbund until 1992 when they reverted back to Lucasfilm. The first in-house development was the space combat simulator "", developed by Larry Holland's independent team, which went on to spawn a .


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The CD-ROM-only "Star Wars" game "" became one of the biggest successes of the company and was considered a killer app for CD-ROM drives in the early 1990s.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: After the unprecedented success of id Software's "Doom", the PC gaming market shifted towards production of three-dimensional first person shooters. LucasArts contributed to this trend with the 1995 release of "", a first person shooter that successfully transplanted the Doom formula to a Star Wars setting. The Dark Forces Strategy guide claims that development was well underway before Doom was released and that the game was pushed back once Doom hit shelves so that it could be polished. The game was well received and spawned a new franchise: the "Jedi Knight" games. This began with the sequel to "Dark Forces", "" released in 1997; this game reflected the changing face of PC gaming, being one of the first games to appreciably benefit when used in conjunction with a dedicated 3D graphics card like 3dfx's Voodoo range. The game received an expansion pack, "Mysteries of the Sith", in 1998 and a full sequel in 2002 with "". 2003's "" can be seen as a spin-off from the series, but was less well received by reviewers, who complained that the franchise was becoming formulaic.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Apart from "Star Wars"-themed 3D shooters, LucasArts also created the western-themed game "Outlaws" in 1997 and "Armed and Dangerous" (in collaboration with Planet Moon Studios) in 2003.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In 2000, Simon Jeffery became the LucasArts president. He was president of LucasArts until 2003 and some successful "Star Wars" games released during his management like "Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast", "Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2", "Knights of the Old Republic", "Star Wars Jedi Academy" and "Star Wars Galaxies". Development of some other successful "Star Wars" Games began during his management, like "Star Wars Republic Commando" and "Star Wars Battlefront".


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In 2002, LucasArts recognized that the over-reliance on "Star Wars" was reducing the quality of its output, and announced that future releases would be at least 50% non-Star Wars-related. However, many of the original titles were either unsuccessful or even cancelled before release, and since then LucasArts again had mainly "Star Wars" titles in production.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Also in 2002, LucasArts released a compilation CD filled with music from their past games. The album is titled "The Best of LucasArts Original Soundtracks" and features music from the "Monkey Island" series, "Grim Fandango", "Outlaws", and "The Dig".


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: 2003 saw the fruitful collaboration of LucasArts and BioWare on the well reviewed role-playing game, "". Combining modern 3D graphics with high-quality storytelling and a sophisticated role-playing game system, this game reinvigorated the "Star Wars" franchise. Its 2004 sequel "" continued in the same vein, but LucasArts was criticized for forcing the developer Obsidian Entertainment to release the sequel unfinished, resulting in a significant amount of cut content, a disappointing ending and numerous bugs. 2003 also saw the release of "Gladius", a gladiator Tactical RPG that was positively received but sold poorly and was even rated as one of the "best Xbox games most people never played" by "Official Xbox Magazine".


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In 2003, LucasArts and the "Star Wars" franchise also branched out in a new direction—the world of the MMORPG, with the creation of "Star Wars Galaxies". After a successful launch, the first expansion, Jump to Lightspeed, was released in 2004. The new expansion featured the addition of real-time space combat. This was continued in "Rage of the Wookiees", an additional expansion which added an additional planet for users to explore. Also, a new expansion, "Trials of Obi-Wan" was released on November 1, 2005 consisting of several new missions focusing on the Episode 3 planet, Mustafar. While "Star Wars Galaxies" still retained a devoted following, it also alienated many players. "Star Wars Galaxies" chose to ignore the timeline established in the original films, during which the game is set, and also allowed players to play as Jedi characters. The game also underwent several major redesigns, which were received with mixed reactions by players.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In April 2004, Jim Ward, V.P. of marketing, online and global distributions at Lucasfilm, was appointed president of LucasArts. Ward performed a top-to-bottom audit of LucasArts infrastructure, describing the company's state as "quite a mess." In 2003, LucasArts had reportedly grossed just over $100,000,000 according to N.P.D., primarily from its "Star Wars" titles — significantly less than the grosses from the year's top single titles such as "". Ward produced a five-year investment plan to refit the company. Previous "Star Wars" games had been produced by external developers such as Raven Software, BioWare and Obsidian; Ward now prioritized making LucasArts' internal game development work effectively and adapt to the evolving game industry. "", "", and "" survived cuts that closed down other in-development games and reduced staff from about 450 to 190 employees.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Ward also canceled "Star Wars Rogue Squadron Trilogy" which was 50% completed and it was going to be released on the Xbox in 2004.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Factor 5 was going to develop a "Rogue Squadron" game titled "Rogue Squadron: X-Wing vs Tie Fighter" for the Xbox 360 but it was canceled by LucasArts.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: After Factor 5's exclusivity with Sony ended they decided to release "Rogue Squadron Trilogy" for the Wii, but it was eventually cancelled as well.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In 2004, LucasArts released "", based on the same formula as the popular "Battlefield" series of games. It ended up becoming the best-selling "Star Wars" game of all time to that point, aided by a marketing tie-in with the original trilogy D.V.D. release. Its sequel, "", was released on November 1, 2005 and featured new locales such as Episode III planets Mustafar, Mygeeto, etc., in addition to space combat, playable Jedi, and new special units like Bothan spies and Imperial officers. In this same year, the second "Knights of the Old Republic" game was in production. LucasArts told Obsidian Entertainment that the project needed to be finished by that year's holiday season. Obsidian was forced to cut huge amounts of content from the game, resulting in a rushed, unfinished Knights of the Old Republic II.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In March 2005, LucasArts published "", the first game in the popular Lego video game franchise by Traveller's Tales. It was based on the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy. In May 2005, LucasArts released "", a third person action game based on the film. Also in 2005, LucasArts released "", and one of their few non-"Star Wars" games, "", developed by Pandemic Studios.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: On February 16, 2006, LucasArts released "", a real-time strategy game developed by Petroglyph. September 12, 2006 saw the release of "", the sequel to the popular "Lego Star Wars: The Video Game". "Lego Star Wars II", once again developed by Traveller's Tales and published by LucasArts, follows the same basic format as the first game, but, as the name indicates, covers the original "Star Wars" trilogy.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: A game titled "Traxion" was announced. "Traxion" was a rhythm game which was under development for the PlayStation Portable by British developer Kuju Entertainment, scheduled to be released in Q4 2006 by LucasArts, but was instead cancelled in January 2007. The game was to feature a number of minigames, and would support imported songs from the player's own mp3 library as well as the game's bundled collection.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In May 2007, LucasArts announced "Fracture" and stated that "new intellectual properties serve a vital role to the growth of LucasArts". "" was labelled the number one new IP in 2005 and "Thrillville" the number one new children's IP in 2006. Fracture was released on October 7, 2008 to average reviews. "" was released on January 11, 2005 to critical and commercial success which led to a sequel, "". "Thrillville" was released on November 21, 2006, and "" was released on October 16, 2007.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: On September 16, 2008, "" was released to mixed reviews, though it quickly became the fastest-selling "Star Wars" game of all time.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The rapid scaling down of internal projects at LucasArts was also reflected in its handling of games developed by external developers. During the tenure of Ward, Free Radical was contracted to produce "Star Wars: Battlefront III", which had been in production for 2 years. Free Radical co-founder Steve Ellis described how working with LucasArts evolved from being "the best relationship we'd ever had with a publisher" to withholding money for 6 months and abusing the independent developer's position to withhold the full project cancellation fee—this was a major event which contributed towards Free Radical entering administration.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Ward left the company in early February 2008, for personal reasons. He was replaced by Howard Roffman as interim president. Darrell Rodriguez, who came from Electronic Arts, took Roffman's place in April 2008. About a month prior to release of "", LucasArts scaled down the internal development studio. The aforementioned game received a mediocre score from some media outlets such as IGN, GameSpot and GameTrailers. After release, minor adjustment in staffing resulted in even more layoffs.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The successor to "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords", in the form of the MMORPG "", was announced on October 21, 2008, at an invitation-only press event. developed by BioWare. It was released in December 2011.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: They also published "" in 2009 for all current systems. The game is a tie-in to "" television series and was released on October 6, 2009, receiving generally negative reviews.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: During television network G4's coverage of the 2006 E3 Convention, a LucasArts executive was asked about the return of popular franchises such as "Monkey Island". The executive responded that the company was currently focusing on new franchises, and that LucasArts may return to the "classic franchises" in 2015, though it was unclear as to whether the date was put forwards as an actual projection, or hyperbole. This turned out to be hyperbole, as LucasArts and Telltale Games announced new adventure games in a joint press release in 2009. The games announced were "Tales of Monkey Island", which was to be developed by Telltale, and a LucasArts-developed enhanced remake of the 1990 title "The Secret of Monkey Island", with the intent of bringing the old game to a new audience. According to LucasArts, this announcement was "just the start of LucasArts’ new mission to revitalize its deep portfolio of beloved gaming franchises". Following the success of this, LucasArts released the sequel, "" in the summer of 2010.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The company began experiencing turnovers in layoffs in 2010. Rodriguez left in May after just two years on the job. A Lucasfilm board of Directors and a game industry veteran, Jerry Bowerman, filled in during the transition. Rodriguez was ultimately replaced in June by Paul Meegan, formerly of Gears of War developer Epic Games.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In July 2010, Haden Blackman, who served as creative director on the original "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed", LucasArts' most successful internally produced title of recent years, and the sequel, unexpectedly left. However, the company scored a surprise coup in August 2010 when Clint Hocking, a high-profile game director from Ubisoft, announced that he would be joining LucasArts. His tenure at LucasArts was short lived however, as Hocking left LucasArts in June 2012 before the game he was working on was released. In September 2010, a third of the employees at LucasArts were laid off.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In March 2011, LucasArts published a sequel to the popular Lego Star Wars series, "", based on the , once again developed by Traveller's Tales. Sony Online Entertainment announced in June 2011 that Star Wars Galaxies would be shutting down at the end of 2011. Its services were terminated on December 15, 2011.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Another canceled title of Lucasarts was a Darth Maul game which was going to be developed by the same company which made the Wii version of The Force Unleashed II.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: On April 26, 2011, LucasArts announced that it had acquired a license from Epic Games to develop a number of future titles using the Unreal Engine 3 for a number of platforms. "Star Wars 1313", a proposed action-adventure about Boba Fett navigating Coruscant's subterranean underworld, was confirmed to use the Unreal Engine 3. However, the game was cancelled as a result of the closure of the development arm of LucasArts.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In April 2012, LucasArts published "Kinect Star Wars", developed by Terminal Reality, for the Xbox 360. It was poorly reviewed by critics, receiving an aggregated score of 53.32% on GameRankings and 55/100 on Metacritic.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In August 2012, Meegan, who replaced Rodriguez as president in 2010, also left his position at LucasArts after just two years on the job. Kevin Parker and Gio Corsi were named to co-lead the studio until the studio would choose a permanent president, with the former as interim head of business operations and the latter as interim head of studio production.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The last game released through LucasArts as a subsidiary of an independent Lucasfilm was "Angry Birds Star Wars", a game that gave the "Angry Birds" characters costumes and abilities based on the original "Star Wars" trilogy. It was released on November 8, 2012, before the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm was finalized. The game was developed and published by Rovio Entertainment, and licensed by LucasArts.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm and its subsidiaries including LucasArts by December 21, 2012, following regulatory approval in a deal for . At the time, there were no plans for any downsizing of Lucasfilm divisions, and a LucasArts representative said that "for the time being, all projects are business as usual". In the months that followed, LucasArts was believed to be working on three untitled games: an open-world RPG, an FPS, and an aerial combat game. This included refocusing work away from "Star Wars" games already in development such as "Star Wars 1313" and "First Assault" to put more focus on "".


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Lucasfilm announced on April 3, 2013, that it was shuttering its video game development practice, laying off most of the LucasArts staff. Any further game development would be handled by Disney Interactive Studios or licensed to third-party developers. A skeleton staff of fewer than ten employees remained at LucasArts to function as a video game licensor. Disney indicated that the new business model would "[minimize] the company's risk while achieving a broad portfolio of quality "Star Wars" games." Around 150 staff members lost their jobs as a result of the closure. The layoffs at LucasArts also resulted in layoffs at fellow visual effects subsidiary Industrial Light & Magic; as many of LucasArts' employees also worked for ILM, the company was left overstaffed. Electronic Arts became one of the major third-party publishers for "Star Wars" games through an exclusive multi-year license, while Disney Interactive Studios would handle development for the casual gaming market of "mobile, social, tablet and online game categories".


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Lucasfilm announced on January 11, 2021 that it was reestablishing the Lucasfilm Games brand for all future gaming titles from Lucasfilm, though it would remain solely as a licensor of Lucasfilm properties. Later that week, it was announced that MachineGames was developing a game based upon the "Indiana Jones" franchise with Todd Howard serving as an executive producer and Bethesda publishing the game, and that Massive Entertainment was developing an open world "Star Wars" game with Julian Gerighty serving as creative director and Ubisoft publishing the game. It was also revealed that EA was still in development on several games based upon the "Star Wars" franchise. In September 2021, it was announced that a remake of "Knights of the Old Republic" was in development. The game is being developed by Aspyr for Windows and PlayStation 5, for which it will serve as a timed console-exclusive. In December 2021, "Star Wars Eclipse" was announced at The Game Awards 2021; it is an action-adventure game in the early stages of development by Quantic Dream. The game will feature multiple playable characters with branching narratives. It is set in the "Star Wars" universe and is part of the "" multimedia project, which places the events of the game 200 years before the original "Star Wars" trilogy. In January 2022, it was announced that Respawn Entertainment would be developing multiple Star Wars games, including a "" sequel, entitled "Jedi: Survivor", alongside FPS and Strategy video games. In April 2022, it was announced that "Lucasfilm Games" would be co-publishing "Return to Monkey Island" alongside Devolver Digital, a sequel to "LeChuck's Revenge" with series creator Ron Gilbert returning to develop the game with his company "Terrible Toybox." That same month, it was announced that Skydance New Media would be collaberating with Lucasfilm Games to make a game based in the "Star Wars" universe, with Amy Hennig leading the project.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: The original Lucasfilm Games logo was based upon the existing Lucasfilm movie logo, with a number of variations on it being used. This logo was later brought back when the Lucasfilm Games branding was revived in 2021. The long-lived LucasArts logo, affectionately known as the "Gold Guy", was introduced in 1990 and first used within "Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge" (the first game shipped under the LucasArts name). The logo consisted of a crude gold-colored figure inspired from a similar petroglyph, standing on a purple letter "L" inscribed with the company name. The figure had its hands up in the air, as if a sun were rising from behind him. It was also said to resemble an eye, with the rays of the sun as eyelashes. The logo was revised in late 2005, losing the letter "L" pedestal and introducing a more rounded version of the gold-colored figure. The last game to feature the original "Gold Guy" was "", while the new logo was first seen in "". In the games, the figure sometimes does an action like throw a lightsaber or cast Force Lightning.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: In 1998, LucasArts approached Finnish game developer Remedy Entertainment, citing that their logo was copied from the top portion of the LucasArts logo, and threatened legal action. Remedy was by that time already in the process of redesigning their logo, so they complied by taking their old logo offline from their website, and introducing their new logo a little later.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: Ex-LucasArts developers have founded numerous San Francisco game development studios such as Double Fine Productions (2000), Telltale Games (2004), MunkyFun (2008), Dynamighty (2011), SoMa Play (2013), and Fifth Journey (2015) playing a significant role in the continued development of computer games in the Bay Area.


title: Lucasfilm Games

text: At the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony Computer Entertainment announced "Grim Fandango Remastered", developed by Double Fine Productions as a console exclusive for PlayStation platforms. It was released in 2015 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS. During Sony's new PlayStation Experience convention in 2014, another remaster by Double Fine, "Day of the Tentacle Remastered", was announced. It was released in March 2016 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux. At the 2015 PlayStation Experience, another remastered game by Double Fine was announced, "Full Throttle Remastered". It was released in April 2017 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux.


title: Paul King (director)

text: Paul King (born 1978) is a British writer and director. He works in television, film and theatre, and specialises in comedy. His work on the family comedy films "Paddington" (2014) and its 2017 sequel both earned him BAFTA nominations for Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.


title: Paul King (director)

text: King graduated from St Catharine's College, Cambridge with first-class honours in English in 1999. While at Cambridge he met Richard Ayoade, Matthew Holness and Alice Lowe, and went on to direct them at the Edinburgh Festival in "Garth Marenghi's FrightKnight" (nominated for the Perrier Award in 2000), and "Netherhead" (Perrier Award winner 2001). King worked as associate director on the subsequent TV transfer, "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace", a six-part series for Channel 4. In 2002, King garnered another Perrier Award nomination for directing Noel Fielding's Edinburgh Festival show, "Voodoo Hedgehog".


title: Paul King (director)

text: King is also the director of BBC's "The Mighty Boosh". He has directed all three series (earning a BAFTA nomination as Best New Director in 2005), as well as their live tour shows in 2006 and 2008. King was originally brought in after the director of the pilot, Steve Bendelack, was unavailable to direct the first series. He also directed Matt Lucas and David Walliams' 2011 airport mockumentary "Come Fly With Me".


title: Paul King (director)

text: "Bunny and the Bull", which King wrote and directed, was released in 2009. The film stars Simon Farnaby and Edward Hogg, with cameos from Noel Fielding, Richard Ayoade and Julian Barratt.


title: Paul King (director)

text: King's follow-up feature was the book-to-screen adaptation "Paddington" (2014), which he directed and co-wrote with Hamish McColl. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning King nominations for both the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the BAFTA Award for Best British Film (shared with the film's producer David Heyman).


title: Paul King (director)

text: The positive reception for "Paddington" resulted in the green-lighting of a sequel. King returned to direct and write "Paddington 2" (2017). The film received a theatrical release on 10 November 2017 in the U.K. and 12 January 2018 in the U.S. King's upcoming projects include a film about the origins of Willy Wonka.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: On December 2, 2021, Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred announced a lockout of players, following expiration of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). On March 10, 2022, the MLB and MLBPA agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, thus ending the lockout. Although MLB previously announced that several series would be cancelled due to the lockout, the agreement provides for a 162-game season, with originally canceled games to be made up via doubleheaders. Opening Day was at the time scheduled for April 7, but was postponed due to inclement weather.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: Starting with the 2022 season, the Yankees local television broadcast was split between the YES Network (which this season marked its 20th foundation anniversary) and Amazon Prime Video, leaving the Yankees without a local over-the-air broadcaster, save for national games. This was the first time the Yankees were without a local OTA broadcaster since 1946 as they would partner with WABD-TV (now WNYW Fox 5) the following season. Also, it was notable for being the pearl jubilee season for the long time Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay, who joined the team in 1992.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: From May 24 to June 23, the Yankees won 15 straight games at home, a feat last accomplished by the team in the 1961 season. On June 25, the Yankees lost a combined no-hitter by the Houston Astros, the first time the Yankees were no hit since the Astros threw another combined no-hitter in the old Yankee Stadium on June 11, 2003.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: On August 21, the Yankees retired Paul O'Neill's No. 21 on "Paul O'Neill Day". He also received a plaque, which is immortalized in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. O'Neill became the 23rd player (or manager) in the franchise's history to be honored.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: The Yankees were 64–28 in the first half of the season leading to the All-Star Game before going 35–35 to in the second half, failing to win 100 games after being on track for it in June. Despite their struggles in the second half of the season, the Yankees clinched their 30th straight winning season, dating back to 1993, with a win against the Twins on September 7.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: On September 22, the Yankees clinched a postseason spot with a walk-off 5–4 win against the Red Sox. On October 4, Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run, breaking the American League single-season home run record set in 1961 by Roger Maris.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: The Yankees won the American League East and defeated the Cleveland Guardians in the Division Series in five games. The Yankees fell to the Houston Astros in the Championship Series in a four-game sweep, the first sweep in a best-of-seven series since the 2012 ALCS.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: The Yankees became the Rawlings Gold Glove Award Team winners. After Rawlings introduced the team award in 2020, the Yankees are only the third team to receive the award after the Cleveland Guardians in 2020 and the Houston Astros in 2021. Two Yankees players were awarded Gold Gloves this season; utility man DJ LeMahieu, and catcher Jose Trevino, who also won the Platinum Glove Award for the 2022 season.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: The expiration of the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Major League Baseball Players Association occurred on December 1, 2021 with no new agreement in place. As a result, the team owners voted unanimously to lockout the players stopping all free agency and trades.


title: 2022 New York Yankees season

text: Pursuant to the new CBA, several new rules were instituted for the 2022 season. The National League adopted the designated hitter full-time, a draft lottery was implemented, the postseason expanded from ten teams to twelve (regular season tie-breakers will be abolished, to compensate), and advertising patches appeared on player uniforms and helmets for the first time.


title: DF-ZF

text: The DF-ZF is a Chinese hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), previously denoted by the Pentagon as WU-14 and currently officially operational on October 1st, 2019, in the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The DF-ZF is designed to be mounted on a DF-17, a type of ballistic missile specifically designed to carry HGVs.


title: DF-ZF

text: The DF-ZF, designated by Pentagon as the WU-14, is a hypersonic missile delivery vehicle that has been flight-tested by China seven times, on 9 January, 7 August and 2 December 2014; 7 June and 27 November 2015; in April 2016 and twice in November 2017. The system is operational as of 2019.


title: DF-ZF

text: The Chinese Defense Ministry confirmed its January 2014 test and said the test was "scientific" in nature, although it was widely viewed as part of a broader Chinese military build-up. All seven tests China performed so far were concluded successfully according to U.S. officials cited in "The Washington Free Beacon". All the test launches were performed at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province, the main long-range missile testing center for the People's Liberation Army.


title: DF-ZF

text: The DF-ZF is thought to reach speeds between Mach 5 () and Mach 10 (). The glider could be used for nuclear weapons delivery but could also be used to perform precision-strike conventional missions (for example, next-generation anti-ship ballistic missiles), which could penetrate "the layered air defenses of a U.S. carrier strike group."


title: DF-ZF

text: Hypersonic glider vehicles are less susceptible to anti-ballistic missile countermeasures than conventional reentry vehicles (RVs). Normal RVs descend through the atmosphere on a predictable ballistic trajectory—a hypersonic glider like the HGV can pull-up after reentering the atmosphere and approach its target in a relatively flat glide, lessening the time it can be detected, fired at, or reengaged if an initial attack fails. Gliding makes it more maneuverable and extends its range. Although gliding creates more drag, it flies further than it would on a higher trajectory through space, and is too low to be intercepted by exo-atmospheric kill vehicles. The tradeoff is that warheads have less speed and altitude as they near the target, making them vulnerable to lower-tier interceptors, such as the Mach 17 Russian 53T6, ABM-3 "Gazelle". Other potential counter-hypersonic interception measures may involve laser or railgun technologies, but such technologies are not currently available.


title: DF-ZF

text: A vehicle like the DF-ZF could be fitted to various Chinese ballistic missiles, such as the DF-21 medium-range missile (extending range from ), and the DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missiles (extending range from ). Analysts suspect that the DF-ZF will first be used in shorter-range roles as an anti-ship missile and for other tactical purposes to address the problem of hitting a moving target with a ballistic missile. Long-term goals may include deterrence of U.S. missile capabilities with the prospect of strategic bombardment against the United States, or other countries.


title: DF-ZF

text: Since conventional interceptor missiles have difficulty against maneuvering targets traveling faster than Mach 5 (the DF-ZF reenters the atmosphere at Mach 10), a problem exacerbated by decreased detection times, the United States may place more importance on developing directed-energy weapons as a countermeasure. However, after decades of research and development, directed-energy weapons are still very much at the experimental stage and it remains to be seen if or when they will be deployed as practical, high-performance military weapons.


title: DF-ZF

text: Complaints have been raised by one researcher over lack of access to high-performance computing power, required for development of the HGV. While China has a number of high performance supercomputers, access to them was not provided for the DF-ZF development project.


title: PL-01

text: PL-01 was a Polish light tank concept created by OBRUM with support from BAE Systems, based on the Swedish CV90120-T light tank. The concept vehicle was first unveiled at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce on 2 September 2013, but the project was scrapped in 2015.


title: PL-01

text: The layout of the PL-01 is similar to those of modern standard main battle tanks. The driver is located at the front of the vehicle's hull, with the commander and gunner also located in the hull and the unmanned turret mounted in the rear. In addition, there is a rear compartment in the hull which can accommodate four soldiers. The vehicle chassis is based on that of the Combat Vehicle 90.


title: PL-01

text: The vehicle armour has a modular ceramic-aramid shell, which is designed to provide protection compatible with NATO standard STANAG 4569 Annex A at level 5+ across the front portions of the hull and turret. Additional armour panels are mounted on the turret and hull, and are designed to provide full protection against a range of projectiles. The hull of the vehicle provides protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and landmines in accordance with appendix B parts 4a and 4b of the STANAG 4569 standard. The entire vehicle will be covered with radiation-absorbent material to create a Stealth ground vehicle.


title: PL-01

text: The PL-01 would be equipped with a + diesel engine coupled to a torque converter, automatic gearbox and driving assistance mechanism. The suspension is based on seven wheels, with the drive shafts having active damping of torsion bars mounted on the first and last two pairs. The vehicle can reach speeds of up to on paved roads and in rough terrain with a maximum range of . It can successfully climb an inclination of 30 degrees, cross ditches and trenches to a width of , and cross water obstacles with a depth of up to without preparation, and up to deep with preparation.


title: PL-01

text: The primary weapon of the PL-01 is a 105mm or 120mm cannon fitted within the unmanned turret, in accordance with NATO standards. The cannon will be able to shoot both conventional projectiles and guided anti-tank missiles. It has an automatic loader for its main cannon, which ensures a fire rate of 6 shots per minute. The vehicle carries 45 rounds, 16 of which are stored within the turret and ready to fire, with the remainder stored within the chassis compartment. The tank is also armed with a 7.62  UKM-2000C machine gun with an ammunition supply of 1,000 rounds.


title: PL-01

text: Additional equipment would be installed in a remote-controlled module. Planned designs included a 7.62mm  or 12.7mm  machine gun or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher with a supply of 8,000 rounds of 7.62 mm, 400 rounds of 12.7 mm or 96 rounds of 40 mm grenades. Also built into the turret is an active protection system which intercepts incoming missiles, and smoke grenade launchers.


title: PL-01

text: All equipment will be electronically stabilized, and observation and sighting systems will come with laser rangefinders, day-night cameras and third generation thermal imaging, with visual data displayed on a screen.


title: PL-01

text: The PL-01 will be fitted with a fire extinguishing system in the turret and hull, internal radio communication system, active anti-projectile protection system, battlefield management system, cooling exhaust system, thermal masking system, and air conditioning filters. The crew are provided with special seats to minimize the physical effects of nearby explosions. In addition, the vehicle may be equipped with a satellite navigation system and friend-foe identification system.


title: PL-01

text: In addition to its direct fire role, the vehicle can also be configured as a command vehicle, mine clearance vehicle, or for armored vehicle repair.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The Denel Rooivalk (previously designated AH-2 and CSH-2) is an attack helicopter manufactured by Denel Aviation of South Africa. "Rooivalk" is Afrikaans for "Red Falcon", which refers to the lesser kestrel. Development of the type began in 1984 by the Atlas Aircraft Corporation, its development is closely connected to the Atlas Oryx transport helicopter, both aircraft being based on the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma and having started development at the same time.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: Development of the Rooivalk was protracted due to the impact of limited budgets during the 1990s, and a desire to produce a highly advanced attack helicopter. The South African Air Force (SAAF) ordered 12 Rooivalk, designated the Rooivalk Mk 1 in SAAF service, the first of was officially handed over in April 2011. The helicopters are flown by 16 Squadron, based at AFB Bloemspruit near Bloemfontein.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The Rooivalk project began in early 1984 under the auspices of the Atlas Aircraft Corporation, a predecessor of Denel Aviation. Faced with the increasingly conventional nature of the South African Border War, the South African Defence Force recognised the need for a dedicated attack helicopter and began developing a suitable aircraft. The helicopter was to escort helicopter troop transports, conduct strike missions upon anti-aircraft positions, and effectively counter the increasing presence of Soviet tanks; in the latter role, it was to be equipped with anti-tank missiles. At the time, South Africa was under an arms embargo enacted by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 due to its policy of apartheid, which prevented foreign combat helicopters from being imported.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: Developing an entirely new helicopter from scratch would have involved designing and developing many accompanying subsystems and components, such as the turboshaft engines and the dynamic systems, such as the main and tail rotor systems and the gearboxes. Due to the great difficulty posed by the prospects of designing and manufacturing a clean-design helicopter, which would have substantially increased the cost and timescale of the project, it was decided to base the attack helicopter upon an existing design. At the time, the SAAF operated two principal helicopter types – the Aérospatiale Alouette III and the Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma. The Alouette III was a small helicopter which originated from the 1960s; due to the age of the design and a lack of engine power, it was not considered a favourable candidate for further development work.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The Puma was substantially larger and was equipped with more powerful engines; both factors provided a broader basis for the accommodation of additional equipment and for potential growth. Another key factor for its selection was the parallel development of a localised and improved model of the Puma in South Africa, known as the Atlas Oryx. The Oryx possessed an increased power-to-weight ratio and had improved performance in the high temperature climate that the type was typically being operated in; development of the Oryx was far quicker than what would become the Rooivalk as it was a more straightforward program. Other potential sources were mooted, such as the use of propulsion elements of the Aérospatiale SA 365 Dauphin; the adoption of these components has been speculated to have likely resulted in a smaller and potentially more economic rotorcraft.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: Ultimately, it was decided to adopt both the powerplant and dynamic systems of the Oryx—which bore significant similarities to their Puma and Aérospatiale AS332 Super Puma ancestors—as the basis for the planned attack helicopter; commonality with the Oryx systems would simplify logistics and reduce maintenance costs. This meant that the attack helicopter would have a significantly large airframe, giving it long range and the capability to carry many sensors and armaments. During the 1980s, the defence budgets of South Africa were relatively generous, especially in contrast to later decades, thus Denel sought to provide a rotorcraft that would be amongst, even potentially superior to, the best attack helicopters in the world. The helicopter, later named the Rooivalk, was envisioned as an agile, highly sophisticated gunship, especially suited to the threats of the Angolan theatre and countering vehicles such as the T-55 tank.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The Atlas XH-1 Alpha was the first prototype to emerge from the program. It was developed from an Alouette III airframe, retaining that helicopter's engine and dynamic components; modifications included the replacement of the original cockpit with a stepped tandem counterpart, the addition of a 20 mm cannon on the nose and the conversion of the undercarriage to a tail-dragger configuration. On 3 February 1985, the XH-1 conducted its maiden flight. The results of flight tests of the XH-1 were ultimately good enough to convince both Atlas and the SAAF that the concept was feasible, opening the door to proceed with the development of the Rooivalk.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The prototype first flew on the 11 February 1990, by which time the program had suffered a considerable setback. Some of the program's ailments were a consequence of the ambition to produce a world-leading attack helicopter; while a simpler aircraft may have been completed during the 1980s, allowing it to possibly enter service around the same time as the Oryx, the Rooivalk instead suffered from a highly extended development time. In 1988, the Border War came to a close, which soon led to substantial cuts in the defence budget. The planned attack helicopter acquisition was cut from 36 rotorcraft to only 12, greatly affecting the economies of scale. In pursuit of a high-end system, the cost of the program in comparison to a simpler attack helicopter were driven upwards, although the increases were never in excess of the allotted budget between 1984 and 1990.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: It has been claimed that some SAAF officials were of the viewpoint that the Rooivalk was a direct threat to fixed-wing aircraft, particularly in light of the diminishing defence budget, and sought its termination. The South African Army were broadly supportive of the Rooivalk program, in part as the presence of South African attack helicopters would reduce the need for large numbers of tanks to be procured and maintained. The Army thus provided funding for the Rooivalk program for a time, helping it survive the tightening budgetary constraints. The delays and escalating costs of the project were a hindrance not only to its introduction but to its later viability. By 1998, the year in which the first production Rooivalk was delivered to the SAAF, the lengthy development time meant that the rotorcraft was already suffering from some alleged obsolescence issues; it was an aerodynamically sound aircraft but the avionics, while advanced for the 1980s, were relatively outdated, which harmed the type's export potential.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The topic of support for the rotorcraft was another decisive factor in prospective export sales. Beyond doubts present over the long term future of Denel and thus its ability to provide the necessary manufacturer support to operate the type, the Rooivalk relies extensively on French technology, presently owned by Airbus Helicopters; due to the Rooivalk being a rival to the Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter, the firm allegedly warned potential buyers that the necessary support for the aircraft's dynamic systems, which they provided, may not be forthcoming. Political factors had been attributed as a major hindrance on the export market, such as pressure allegedly exercised by the United States government to persuade foreign customers to select the rival Boeing AH-64 Apache instead.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: Various potential export opportunities were investigated, such as Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, however no such sales had emerged by 2013. The development of the Rooivalk had a positive effect on the development of the South African aviation and high technology industries, leading to the creation of firms such as Aerosud and Advanced Technologies and Engineering (ATE). The industrial impact of the Rooivalk program has been claimed to have enabled South African defence businesses to participate in other aerospace programs, such as the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, BAE Systems Hawk, AgustaWestland AW109, and Airbus A400M Atlas.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: In 2016, Denel was reportedly proceeding with a "Mk 1.1" upgrade program for the existing Rooivalk fleet; prospective improvements include the addition of a missile approach warning system and enhancements to the rotorcraft's avionics. On 15 September 2016, it was announced that Airbus Helicopters and Denel had signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the SAAF modernisation program; further details on the changes included reliability and survivability improvements, an increased payload, and the replacement of obsolete targeting systems and armaments.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: In September 2014, Denel Group chief executive Riaz Saloojee stated that the firm were studying the feasibility of reopening the Rooivalk production line, which had been mothballed in 2007 after the production of the initial 12 SAAF aircraft. Saloojee stated that new production aircraft conforming to an entirely new platform that used Rooivalk technology could be produced. In September 2016, the South African government authorised government-to-government negotiations on the topic of restarting production of the Rooivalk. According to Victor Xaba, deputy chief executive of Denel Aerostructures, the company needed commitments for at least 70 rotorcraft for the re-establishment of the assembly line to be viable.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The production of a prospective "Rooivalk Mk 2" had been periodically mooted. In July 2015, Saloojee spoke on the company's efforts to gain support for a Rooivalk Mk 2 programme which would involve a large proportion of new systems and for which the firm had already produced a roadmap. In late 2016, Denel stated that it was conducting a series of talks with various nations on the Rooivalk Mk 2, including Egypt, Brazil, Nigeria, Poland, and India.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: Due to the SAAF's decades of helicopter experience in the harsh African environment, the Rooivalk has been designed to operate for prolonged periods without sophisticated support. All that is needed to keep the Rooivalk flying is a medium transport helicopter equipped with a basic spares supply plus four groundcrew.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The Rooivalk carries a range of weapons depending on the mission profile. It is generally fitted with a nose-mounted 20 mm cannon and can also carry air-to-air missiles, anti-armour missiles and unguided rockets. The Rooivalk has a fire control system for target acquisition and tracking as well as an advanced navigation system using Doppler radar and GPS. Also incorporated is an electronic countermeasures suite coupled with chaff and flare dispensers. The Rooivalk has a nose-mounted gyro-stabilised sensor turret housing with auto-tracking. The Rooivalk uses a Thales TopOwl helmet mounted display (also used by several other attack and transport helicopters around the world). The system was developed by Société de Fabrication d’Instruments de Mesure (SFIM) in 1999/2000.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: Notable features include a tandem cockpit, starboard tail rotor with a port tailplane, a fixed wheeled undercarriage as well as wire cutters above and below the cockpit and on the undercarriage. The Rooivalk is capable of doing a loop and thus momentarily "flying upside down". The first manned helicopter to do a loop was the Sikorsky S-52 flown by Harold E. Thompson on May 9th, 1949.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: The following types of missions are foreseen for the Rooivalk: reconnaissance, heliborne escort, close air support, deep penetration, and anti-armour.


title: Denel Rooivalk

text: By April 2005, only six of the 12 aircraft were available for operational test and evaluation with the others in need of software upgrades. The Chief of the South African Air Force, Lt. Gen. Carlo Gagiano, hoped that the helicopters would be ready around June 2007, indicating the ""extremely worrying factor of time that the project was taking to reach maturity"", attributing the delays to the exodus of personnel from Denel as well as its financial problems. This has forced the SAAF to assess alternative defence development partners.