The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill, which contains more than $10 million for projects in Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base.

Those projects are included in projects statewide totaling nearly $25.5 million, according to a news release from Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.

In total, the bill includes more than $625 billion for the Department of Defense.

The bill includes the following funding requested by Thune:

- $2.5 million for South Dakota School of Mines & Technology to study the life extension of weapons systems through advanced materials processing.

- $2 million for the Next Generation Lightweight Electric Drive Systems for Army Weapon Systems at Dakota Power Inc. in Rapid City, which provides a reduction in size and weight, enhancing performance for military vehicles.

- $2 million for the Ellsworth Air Force Base Energy Conversion Demonstration Program, which when fully operational will convert solid waste into electricity.

-$1.5 million for the Aging Weapons Systems Structural Repair program at H.F. Webster Engineering Services in Rapid City. The technology could extend the structural life and reduce the cost of sustaining aging weapons systems, according to the news release.

- $1 million for the School of Mines to study Smart Integrated Materials, Structures and Manufacturing Processes.

- $1 million for the School of Mines to study Energy Efficiency Recovery and Generation (lignocellulosic research).

- $600,000 for the Evergreen Measurement and Certification Center in Rapid City to develop reliable testing technology to protect troops from chemical warfare agents.

- $4 million for South Dakota State University to study alternate power technologies for missile defense systems, with a focus on wind, solar and bioenergy.

- $3 million for the Advanced Electronics Rosebud Integration Center - Army Missile Defense program. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe advances the capabilities of the Army defense system electronics by reducing size, weight and cost of electronic circuit cards, components, wire harnesses and electronic cabling with an emphasis to reduce hazardous substances-materials and employ lead-free components in micro-electronic products.

- $3 million for SDSU to study renewable jet fuels produced from lignocellulosic feedstocks.

- $2 million for Boeing to evaluate potential improvements to the B-1B bomber's radar capability.

-y $2 million for LITENING 4th Generation Advanced Targeting Pods for Air National Guard F-16 and A-10 aircraft. Advanced Targeting Pods will help the Air National Guard with precision strike capability, training and countering of Improvised Explosive Device operations.

- $1.5 million for IKOR Stabilized Hemoglobin Wound Healing Development program.

- $360,000 for the University of South Dakota's Center for Engineered Biomedical Devices to research treatment possibilities for combat injuries.

The Defense Appropriations bill will now be reconciled with the House version before being sent to President Obama.

"South Dakota's armed forces personnel, military installations, institutions of higher education and private companies make important contributions to our national security," Thune said in the news release. "Investing in defense projects in South Dakota will help the men and women of our armed forces meet the requirements of their missions and contribute to the overall security of our nation."

Thune is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.