Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Pakistan....Today's in Pictures
Pakistan....Today's in Pictures
August 26, 2008 NSI News Source Info
The United Nations refugee agency assisting the voluntary return of registered Afghans from Pakistan said that the number returned in 2008 had passed the 200,000 mark over the weekend. An Afghan family climbed onto a truck for the trip home from Peshawar, Pakistan, where an American diplomat was attacked by gunmen Tuesday. The diplomat, riding in a bulletproof vehicle, was not wounded.
In the Kabal district of the Swat Valley in northwestern Pakistan, people gathered at the destroyed house of a brother of a provincial lawmaker after the house was hit by a rocket. The attack killed the brother of Waqar Ahmed Khan, two of his nephews and five others according to the police.
Boeing Awarded US Army Contract for 191 CH-47F Chinook Helicopters
Boeing Awarded US Army Contract for 191 CH-47F Chinook Helicopters
(NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS - August 26, 2008: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a five-year U.S. Army contract valued at $4.3 billion for 181 CH-47F Chinooks and 10 additional Chinooks under Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental funding. There are options in the award for an additional 24 aircraft over the course of the contract.
"This multiyear award will yield a cost savings of more than $449 million for the U.S. Army and taxpayers," said Jack Dougherty, vice president, Boeing H-47 Programs. "This also builds security into our production schedule for the next five years, stabilizing the work force for Boeing and for our supplier partners in more than 45 states."
"The Army is committed to providing an outstanding CH-47F Chinook aircraft to our soldiers in the field," said Col. Newman Shufflebarger, Army project manager for Cargo Helicopters. "This multiyear award not only allows the Army to field this important aircraft at a substantial savings, but enabled the contractor to enter long-term agreements for specialty metals, to include titanium, which significantly reduced long-lead times for these critical materials. The Army was able to reduce the lead time associated with a new-build aircraft by six months."
Also from the U.S. Army, Lt. Col. Thomas H. Todd III, product manager for CH-47F, said, "This multiyear settlement is the result of the tireless efforts of government and Boeing representatives. It ensures that our soldiers will maintain a technological advantage over our adversaries when it comes to heavy-lift missions."
"A long-term contract commitment is good for the warfighter, the Army customer and U.S. business," said Ken Eland, chief engineer for Boeing Tandem Rotor Programs and capture team leader for the company's CH-47F multiyear pursuit. "This award enables Boeing and our Team Chinook partners to make capital investments to reduce lead times for parts and components, improve parts availability and provide for a more accurate delivery schedule, which will enable greater precision in fielding the Chinook to U.S. Army units."
Boeing Rotorcraft Systems has delivered 48 CH-47F helicopters to the U.S. Army to date and has fully trained and equipped two units, with a third unit scheduled to stand up in August. Since the aircraft received its combat-ready certification from the Army in 2007, the F-model has completed several thousand flight hours, including deployments to Liberia in support of U.S. President George Bush, and is currently undergoing its first deployment to Iraq.
As with its predecessors, the CH-47F continues to excel across the full spectrum of operational missions, including air assault, combat re-supply, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, and transport operations.
Built at the Boeing Rotorcraft Systems facility in Ridley Township, Pa., the CH-47F helicopter delivers greater mission-critical capability for the warfighter with a newly designed, improved airframe, a Rockwell Collins Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) cockpit, and a BAE-designed Digital Advanced Flight Control System (DAFCS).
The CAAS greatly improves aircrew situational awareness, and DAFCS provides dramatically improved flight-control capabilities through the entire flight envelope, significantly improved performance and safety in the harshest of environments.
CAAS also incorporates an advanced digital map display and a data transfer system that allows storing of preflight and mission data. Improved survivability features include the Common Missile Warning and Improved Countermeasure Dispenser systems.
Powered by two 4,733-horsepower Honeywell engines, the new CH-47F can reach speeds greater than 175 mph and transport more than 21,000 pounds. The CH-47F, with the Robertson Aviation Extended Range Fuel System, has a mission radius of more than 400 nautical miles.
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Flyover of Emirates' Boeing 777-200LR Launches Boeing Classic Golf Tournament
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Singapore Completes Frigate Fleet
Singapore Completes Frigate Fleet
(NSI News Source Info) Taipei - August 26, 2008: The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has taken delivery of the last of six 3,200-ton Formidable-class frigates. French-based shipbuilder DCNS in tandem with ST Marine delivered without ceremony the RSS Supreme on Aug. 22. Commissioning is tentatively scheduled for 2009.
Four of the six Formidable-class frigates are commissioned and operational in the 185 Squadron. As a multirole stealth vessel, the frigates have a complete weapon suite that includes one Sikorsky S-70B helicopter for anti-ship and anti-submarine missions. The ships have a range of 4,200 nautical miles.
"This also marks the conclusion of a comprehensive technology transfer to Singapore Technologies Marine (ST Marine) at the local shipyard providing turnkey shipbuilding," said Tan Jin Kien of EASTWEST Public Relations for DCNS.
In 2000, Singapore's Defense and Science Technology Agency commissioned DCNS for six Formidable-class frigates as part of the New Frigate Program. The agreement included full technology transfer to ST Marine under ST Engineering.
"The first frigate, RSS Formidable (68), was built at the DCNS shipyard in Lorient, France. The five following frigates were built in Singapore by ST Marine under DCNS supervision," Tan said.
A derivative of the La Fayette frigate, these are the first frigates in Singapore naval history. With a complement of 70 sailors, the ships will expand Singapore's ability to participate in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions.
"The RSN now has a genuine 'blue water' capability that will enable it to participate fully in joint naval operations with Singapore's friends and allies for purposes such as SLOC [sea lines of communication] protection and naval peacekeeping," said Sam Bateman, senior fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore.
"As we have seen with the recent RIMPAC exercise off Hawaii and an earlier Malabar exercise hosted by the Indian Navy in the Bay of Bengal, these vessels now allow the RSN to play in the big league of blue water navies," said Bateman.
On Aug. 25, the RSN and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) concluded the joint SINGSIAM exercise that included one Formidable, the RSS Tenacious.
"Exercise SINGSIAM, which is conducted once every two years, allows the RSN and the RTN to develop combined operational concepts and naval tactics in areas such as maritime security," said a Singapore Ministry of Defense press release.
The Formidable-class frigate, RSS Steadfast, is making a port call at Shanghai from Aug. 25 to Aug. 29.
"Singapore and China enjoy warm and friendly defence ties. The port call by RSS Steadfast is the first visit by a RSN frigate to China and is a reflection of the growing interactions between the two navies and defence establishments," said a Singapore Defence Ministry press release. The Steadfast sailed to China after participating in the RIMPAC exercise in Hawaii in July.
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AgustaWestland Wins India VIP Helo Battle
AgustaWestland Wins India VIP Helo Battle
(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - August 26, 2008: AgustaWestland's EH101 is the final contestant for the Indian Air Force's $300 million contract for 12 VIP helicopters after Sikorsky's S-92 was judged lacking.
In trials that began earlier this year, the S-92 could not fulfill the Air Force's rate-of-climb requirement and engine and technical specifications, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said.
Air Force officials said the EH101, also called the AW101, is fully compliant. Price negotiations are expected to take about a year.
The Italian helicopter also has a larger volume and higher tail boom, which would allow VIP cars to park near the stairs, the official said.
The trials were also evaluated by participants from the Special Protection Group (SPG), the special force that protects VIPs.
Eight of the medium-lift helicopters are to be used for the president, prime minister and other Indian VIPs. The eight VIP helicopters will carry 10 passengers; the non-VIP helicopters, 30.
The VIP helicopters will have state-of-the-art, open-architecture communications suites that can provide secure access to the leadership network.
The helicopter should be low-vibration, low-noise aircraft that can fly at night and in bad weather and carry modern sensors and jammers and protection against missiles and nuclear, biological and chemical threats. The helicopter should be able to fly at 200 kilometers per hour and serve for 30 years.
In September 2006, India invited bids from Sikorsky, AgustaWestland and Kamov of Russia. Kamov was technically disqualified and Sikorsky and AgustaWestland were asked to carry out trials on a no-cost, no-commitment basis.
The copters will replace Russian Mi-8 helicopters at Palam Airport on the outskirts of New Delhi. The 12-ton aircraft were purchased in 1982 by the Indian Air Force for search and rescue, and later converted for VIP transport.
The Air Force operates about 400 helicopters, including the Russian-made Mi-8/17, Mi-24/35 and Mi-26s. The aircraft also include the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter and the Chetak and Cheetah helicopters, built by Hindustan Aeronautics under license from France.
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S. Korea To Tout T-50 Trainer to Singapore
S. Korea To Tout T-50 Trainer to Singapore
(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL - August 26, 2008: Senior defense officials from South Korea and Singapore will meet this week in Singapore to discuss the potential sale of Seoul's T-50 supersonic trainer jets, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense here said Aug. 26.
The one-day "strategic dialogue" slated for Aug. 28 is the first of its kind between defense authorities of the two nations, said Oh In-je, chief of the ministry's International Policy Bureau. The meeting is aimed at expanding bilateral defense ties and exchanges, he said.
"The two sides will focus on ways to help promote close bilateral cooperation on defense industry and military exchanges during the strategic dialogue," Oh said.
Jeon Jei-guk, deputy minister for policy at the Korean Defense Ministry, will represent the South Korean delegation while Singapore's delegation will be led by Gary Ang Aik Hwang, assistant deputy defense minister for policy, he noted.
A top agenda item is South Korea's export of T-50s to Singapore, which wants to equip its Air Force with 12 to 16 advanced trainers under a $500 million trainer acquisition program, he added.
The T-50 Golden Eagle, built by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Lockheed Martin, was included on Singapore's short list of preferred bidders, along with the M-346 of Italy, earlier this year for its trainer jet program.
Singapore is expected to choose its preferred bidder by December next year, according to Defense Ministry and KAI officials.
"To my knowledge, should Singapore decide to purchase T-50s, it is likely to take over the aircraft from South Korea after completing pilot training courses in Korea," a military source said, asking not to be named. "That means we can expect the sales of T-50s will draw the effect of exporting not only the advanced jet trainer but also South Korean Air Force's pilot training programs."
The T-50 is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft and the world's only high-performance, supersonic trainer in production today. KAI is the prime contractor for the T-50 and Lockheed Martin is the principal subcontractor, assisting with development and international marketing.
The single-engine trainer features a variety of technological advances, including digital flight controls and a modern, ground-based training system that helps new pilots smoothly transition into advanced fighters such as the F-16 and the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
The aircraft has been operational with the South Korean Air Force since 2005, when mass production started. Per-unit price is about $21 million.
KAI officials expect T-50 variants will secure about 30 percent of the share of the global trainer market, or 1,100 of the 3,300 trainers needed, within the next 25 years.
The T-50 is also competing with the M-346 for a $1 billion acquisition by the United Arab Emirates, which wants to purchase between 35 and 40 trainers.
Other potential consumers for T-50s include the United States and Greece, according to KAI officials.
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Russia to support Abkhazia, S.Ossetia if they are attacked
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Western leaders blast Russia for recognizing Abkhazia, S.Ossetia
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Russia not seeking new Cold War, but not afraid - Medvedev
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Moscow says NATO begins supplying new arms to Georgia
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Georgia.... Today's in Pictures
Georgia....Today's in Pictures
August 26, 2008 NSI News Source Info
Acting a day after Russia's Parliament unanimously supported the request of South Ossetia and Abkhazia to secede, President Dmitri A. Medvedev announced that he had signed decrees recognizing the two territories' independence, and some residents in both regions celebrated. He blamed the Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, for causing the bloodshed and forcing Moscow's hand. A South Ossetian fired his weapon from a bullet-riddled car in Tskhinvali as celebrants drove through the streets with flags.
People in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, embraced during a celebration of Russia's recognition of the region. People there took to the streets carrying Abkhazia flags.
Georgian refugees from surrounding villages are seen in the central square in the town of Gori, northwest of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and near the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Gori was occupied by Russian troops until late last week.
CIA used Swiss to thwart foreign nuclear programs: report
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(NSI News Source Info) Washington - August 26, 2008: The CIA recruited a family of Swiss engineers to help it thwart the Libyan and Iranian nuclear programs as well as an underground network of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, The New York Times reported Monday.
The newspaper said the operation involved Friedrich Tinner and his two sons, who have been accused in Switzerland of dealing with rogue nations seeking nuclear equipment and expertise.
The Swiss case against them has been hampered by the destruction of relevant documents, which Swiss officials have said was to prevent their falling into terrorist hands.
But the Times said the real reason for the destruction was pressure from the US Central Intelligence Agency, which feared that its ties with the Tinners would be exposed.
Over four years, the CIA paid the Tinners 10 million dollars, some of which was delivered to them in a suitcase stuffed with cash, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials.
In return the engineers delivered a flow of secret information that helped end Libya's nuclear weapons program, expose Iran's atomic efforts and undo Khan's nuclear supply network.
The Tinners also played an important role in a clandestine American operation to funnel sabotaged nuclear equipment to Libya and Iran, according to the Times.
Contacted by AFP, CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield declined to comment on the Tinner case, but noted that "the disruption of the AQ Khan network is a genuine and very significant intelligence success -- a success that has helped make the world a safer place."
Friedrich Tinner began working with Khan in the mid-1970s, using his expertise in vacuum technology to help Khan develop atomic centrifuges, the Times said.
But in 2000, the CIA recruited his son, Urs Tinner, who eventually persuaded his father and younger brother to join him as moles.
As part of their services, the Swiss engineers helped the CIA sabotage atomic gear bound for Libya and Iran, the report said.
In 2003 and 2004, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency discovered vacuum pumps delivered to Iran and Libya that had been damaged cleverly so that they looked perfectly fine but failed to operate properly, according to The Times.
They traced the defective parts from Pfeiffer Vacuum in Germany to the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US state of New Mexico.
U.S. Army discuss route-clearing plans on Route Canucks in Iraq on Aug. 19, 2008.
U.S. Army discuss route-clearing plans on Route Canucks in Iraq on Aug. 19, 2008.
August 26, 2008 NSI News Source Info
U.S. Army discuss route-clearing plans on Route Canucks in Iraq on Aug. 19, 2008. The service members are clearing the route of obstacles for a convoy consisting of four large generators headed to designated Iraqi communities.
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Peru, Pakistan Asking About Korean Dragonflys
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(NSI News Source Info) August 26, 2008: The A-37 Dragonfly was developed from the T-37 Tweet trainer as a counter-insurgency support aircraft, whereupon it was sent to Vietnam and became only aircraft to undergo operational testing in actual combat. The jet’s slow speed, excellent maneuverability when performing close air support, maintainability on the ground, and ability to carry its own weight in ordnance made it a popular and effective choice on the front lines. Several Latin American air forces still fly the A-37, and now Pakistan and Peru have expressed interest in the A-37Bs used by South Korea’s Black Eagles aerobatic flight team since 1994. The A-37Bs will be replaced shortly by South Korea’s own supersonic T-50s.
In January 2008, KOIS reported that Peru’s air force chief of staff had asked about Korea’s A-37Bs during his October 2007 meeting with Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) commissioner Lee Sun-hi. Peru already operates the A-37B with Grupo Aereo 7 at Piura, near its northern border with Ecuador. Its air force is a mix of Russian and Western types, but budget issues and low readiness are often cited as problems with the fleet.
Pakistan requested engine parts, and possibly aircraft, via a diplomatic channel in May 2007. The Pakistani Air Force does not operate A-37s in an attack role, though its ongoing civil war may make that option attractive. It does operate T-37 Tweet trainers at its Academy in Risalpur, however; they are scheduled for withdrawal once the K-8 Karakorum (aka. Hongdu JL-8) arrives in sufficient numbers, but until then they will need to be maintained.
UPDATE: The USA approved the sale of 20 T-37s to Pakistan in August 2008, in return for the cost of shipping them.
Australian Agreement re: A$ 1B+ AP-3C Orion Support & Upgrade Program
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U.S. Orders Thousands of Hellfire Missiles
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