BAE Delivers 1,000th CV90 Infantry Vehicle / BAE Systems Delivered 1000th CV90 Armored Infantry Vehicle To Dutch Army

BAE Delivers 1,000th CV90 Infantry Vehicle / BAE Systems Delivers The 1,000 CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicle / BAE Systems Delivered 1000th CV90 Armored Infantry Vehicle To Dutch Army

(NSI News Source Info) ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK, Sweden - January 13, 2009: BAE Systems has delivered the 1,000 CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, marking a milestone for a vehicle that has been in production since 1991.

CV90, an agile, multi-role combat vehicle with all-target capabilities ranging from small targets to larger threats, has been continuously developed to meet the challenges of today’s threat scenario. The Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90) or Stridsfordon 90 (Strf 90) is a Swedish infantry fighting vehicle designed by Hägglunds/Bofors and currently produced by BAE Systems Hägglunds.

The 1,000th vehicle was delivered to the Netherlands, which has a contract in place for 184 CV9035 MkIII.

The CV90 is also in service with the armies in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and Finland and is and has been deployed with UN and NATO operations abroad.

“CV90 has been such a success globally due to its flexibility and upgrade potential for the past 17 years,” said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, marketing and sales director for BAE Systems. “Initial CV90 designs were focused towards providing high mobility and high firepower, but more recent designs have focused on high survivability in order to adapt to more recent threats. Our track record of successful offset programs, connected to the CV90, is a testament to our understanding of our customers and the needs of their countries industrial bases.”

There have been a number of design upgrades over the years to improve flexibility of the vehicle and increase survivability and other capabilities, the most recent version being the MkIII.

The large fleet of vehicles around the globe gives existing and new customers considerable advantages such as a broader base for cost-sharing of future upgrades and spare parts and international interoperability.

Production of current CV90 contracts end in 2011 with future versions of the vehicle currently in development.

BAE Systems is the premier global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15.7 billion (US$ $31.4 billion) in 2007.

Dutch Army Orders Additional Bushmasters / Extra Bushmasters for Dutch Army In Afghanistan

Dutch Army Orders Additional Bushmasters / Extra Bushmasters for Dutch Army In Afghanistan (NSI News Source Info) January 13, 2009: The Ministry of Defence has bought 9 additional Bushmaster protected patrol vehicles. These will be used to detect and clear improvised explosive devices (IED) in Uruzgan, Afghanistan. These heavily armoured vehicles are equipped with a remotely-controlled arm which can investigate explosives which have been hidden in the ground. The arm carries cameras, sensors and an excavator.

The Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle or Infantry Mobility Vehicle is an Australian-built wheeled armoured vehicle. It was originally designed by Perry Engineering in Adelaide with some technical support from Irish company Timoney Technology Ltd. The prototype, the basic design and the tender were acquired by Thales Australia, as Perry Engineering considered it non-core business. Once the Bushmaster was selected by the Australian Army after trials in 1998 to meet the Bushranger project requirements, the range of variants was developed further by Thales Australia in Bendigo. Oshkosh Truck has a contract to provide support and would manufacture in the US if there was an American order. The Bushmaster is currently in service with the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Netherlands Army and British Army.

The Bushmaster are of great value in this province in Southern Afghanistan, because its reinforced lower hull protects them against mines and IEDs. The Ministry of Defence will pay for the additional Bushmasters from the 80 million euro budget that had been earmarked for the counter-IED taskforce. Sniffer dogs and a flexible laboratory in Uruzgan have been already added to the anti-IED resources.

The extra Bushmasters are additional to the ones ordered in June 2008, some of which have been lost or damaged by attacks. It is the intention of the MoD that Dutch soldiers in Uruzgan will receive the new vehicles by April 1.

US Cancels Arms Shipment Over Greek Objections: Official / US Looking For An Alternative To Arrange Arms Shipment: Report

US Cancels Arms Shipment Over Greek Objections: Official / US Cancels Israel Arms Shipment Over Greek Objections / US Looking For An Alternative To Arrange Arms Shipment: Report (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - January 13, 2009: The US military has to had to cancel a planned shipment of munitions from a Greek port to a US warehouse in Israel due to objections from Athens, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Greek "government had some objection to offloading that shipment in their country," spokesman Geoff Morrell told a news conference.

He said the shipment to the US warehouse had been agreed before the current Israeli offensive in Gaza and that Washington was now looking for an alternative.

He said the United States had operated the munitions stockpile for nearly 20 years and that Israel "can ask for permission to access" the munitions. He said he did not know the nature of Greece's objection and whether it was related to security or political concerns.

Stop Exporting Terror, India And Afghanistan Tell Pakistan

Stop Exporting Terror, India & Afghanistan Tell Pakistan (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - January 13, 2009: India and Afghanistan on Friday jointly sent a tough message to Pakistan saying that no country should allow its territory to be used for terrorism. Pakistan remained at the centre of discussions between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who was here on a `symbolic visit’ to show `solidarity’ with India on the Mumbai terror attacks. The joint statement released after bilateral talks clearly reflected concerns of both countries on the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil. Without once naming to Pakistan, the two leaders in a joint statement strongly reminded Islamabad about its bilateral, multilateral and international obligations to stop terrorism emanating from its soil and into Afghanistan and India. "The leaders called for the full compliance with bilateral, multilateral and international obligations of states to prevent terrorism in any manner originating from territories under their control since terrorism emanates from sanctuaries and training camps and sustenance and support received by terrorist groups," the joint statement said. The reference in the joint statement follows Pakistan’s refusal to hand over terrorists suspected to be behind the Mumbai attacks to India. As far as India is concerned, the reference is also to Pakistan’s international obligation to crackdown on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Toiba. The statement termed the Mumbai attacks deplorable and stressed that Mr Karzai’s unscheduled visit was aimed at expressing "Afghanistan’s solidarity with India." The visit and joint statement is also aimed at putting diplomatic pressure on Pakistan from two countries that have been adversely affected from terror originating in Pakistan. Like India, Afghanistan has repeatedly accused Pakistan of allowing terror strikes to be launched from Pakistani soil into Afghanistan. For Afghanistan, the key problem is of terror sanctuaries on the Pakistani border while India has asked Pakistan to end state support to terror elements and dismantle the Lashkar-e- Toiba training camps which have been churning out terrorists. Mr Karzai’s visit is likely to be closely watched by the Pakistani establishment, which has continued to be uneasy about India-Afghanistan bilateral ties. Mr Karzai’s visit comes a week after Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Kabul. Kabul, which has close ties with New Delhi, shares an uneasy relationship with Islamabad.

Obama Agrees To Major US Force Increase In Afghanistan: Report / Obama Again Vows To Send More US Force To Afghanistan

Obama Agrees To Major US Force Increase In Afghanistan: Report / Obama Again Vows To Send More US Force To Afghanistan (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - January 13, 2009: President-elect Barack Obama intends to sign off on Pentagon plans to send up to 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan to gain time to review the conflict, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The new deployments would nearly double the current US force in Afghanistan of 32,000 troops. According to the Post, which cites unnamed senior Obama team members and Bush administration officials, the goal is not for an Iraq-like "surge" but rather to gain time for a fresh look at US goals and develop a comprehensive new strategy for Afghanistan. Obama, who takes office on January 20, has vowed to boost development in Afghanistan and shift the focus of the "war on terror" from Baghdad to Kabul. A US troop increase in Afghanistan was anticipated. "We have no strategic plan. We never had one," an unnamed senior US military commander told the Post, describing the Afghan strategy under President George W. Bush. According to the Post, the outlines of the new strategy will not likely emerge before early April, when Afghanistan and Pakistan will top the agenda at a NATO summit in France. Obama hopes to present the Europeans a comprehensive plan, then ask them for increased military and financial contributions. "What they've got to say is 'Okay, if you love Obama, show us how much'," another retired senior military officer told the Post. There are currently between 60,000 and 70,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, about three-quarters of them under NATO command, helping the government of President Hamid Karzai battle a mounting Taliban-led insurgency.

FedEx Acquires Boeing's 777 Freighters, Deliveries Subject Global Economic: Report / FedEx Buys More Boeing Freighters, Defers Deliveries

FedEx Acquires Boeing's 777 Freighters, Deliveries Subject Global Economic: Report / FedEx Buys More Boeing Freighters, Defers Deliveries

(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK - January 13, 2009: Federal Express Corp said on Monday its FedEx Express unit exercised options to buy 15 more Boeing 777 freighters,worth $3.75 billion at list prices, but it deferred delivery of some of the planes as the U.S. economy faces a bleak outlook. The giant package delivery company now has 30 of Boeing's 777 Freighters on order, and holds an option to purchase a further 15. In an update of a 2006 purchase agreement, Boeing is set to deliver four 777s in FedEx's fiscal 2010, four in fiscal 2011, three in each subsequent fiscal year through fiscal 2018, and the remaining one in fiscal 2019. As a result of the extra orders and the rescheduled delivery dates, FedEx said its capital expenditures are expected to increase by about $15 million in fiscal 2009 and by about $2.75 billion over the following 10 fiscal years. Last month FedEx cut pay for all salaried personnel by 5 percent and suspended retirement plan contributions as it looked to slash costs in the face of a global economic slowdown.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Aforementioned photo/image of FedEx Boeing's 777 Freighters courtesy Boeing. AERO SPACE NEWS claims copyright of similar photo/image. I assume Boeing should look into this aspect.

French Naval Shipyard DCNS 2008 Orders Were Below Expectations / Shipyard DCNS To Miss 2008 Sales Goal - CEO

French Naval Shipyard DCNS 2008 Orders Were Below Expectations / Shipyard DCNS To Miss 2008 Sales Goal - CEO

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS, January 13, 2009: French naval shipyard DCNS, a quarter owned by defence electronics group Thales, will miss its 2008 revenue target after failing to win a contract for a second aircraft carrier, its outgoing head told a newspaper on Tuesday. DCNS is one of this elite group, boasting more than 350 years of history. Major shipyards were built in France in Ruelle (1751), Nantes-Indret (1771), Lorient (1778) and, subsequently, in Cherbourg (1813). Others were to follow. As early as 1926, DCNS already had all the facilities now owned by the Group in mainland France. The DCNS Group is one of Europe's leading players on the world market for naval defence systems. To meet customer demands for more comprehensive and integrated systems, DCNS acts as prime contractor for naval shipbuilding, integration and support by combining its own development, marketing and production capabilities with those of selected partners. To manage the complexity of such projects, the Group draws on in-house expertise in naval architecture and systems engineering, ship assembly and integration and equipment design and production, as well as through-life support. The DCNS Group employs 13,000 people and generates annual revenues of around €2.8 billion (www.dcnsgroup.com). Chief Executive Jean-Marie Poimboeuf, who is being replaced at the helm of the group on Tuesday by Patrick Boissier, told La Tribune sales would be slightly below 2.6 billion euros ($3.49 billion). DCNS had aimed for sales above that level. Poimboeuf told the newspaper 2008 orders were also below expectations. "We had banked on orders of over 3 billion euros. They will exceed 2 billion euros, being closer to 2 billion than to 3 billion euros," he said.

United Arab Emirates Bans Flights Of Soviet-Built An-12 Aircraft

United Arab Emirates Bans Flights Of Soviet-Built An-12 Aircraft (NSI News Source Info) ABU-DHABI - January 13, 2008: The state department of civil aviation of the United Arab Emirates has issued a decree banning flights of Soviet-made An-12 cargo aircraft from January 13, the head of the department said on Monday. The document says that the decision was made "in the interests of ensuring the safety of the population and the airspace of the UAE." The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10. The first prototype flew in March 1957. Over 900 had been built, in both military and civilian versions, before production finally ended in 1973. The An-12BP entered Soviet military service in 1959. In terms of configuration, size and capability, the aircraft is similar to the United States-built Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Military Soviet planes have a defensive tail gun turret. In the 1960s, China purchased several An-12 aircraft from the Soviet Union, along with license to assemble the aircraft locally. However, due to the Sino-Soviet split, the Soviet Union withdrew its technical assistance. It wasn't until 1974, when the first Chinese-assembled An-12 had its maiden flight. The Xi'an Aircraft Company and Xi'an Aircraft Design Institute worked to reverse engineer the An-12 for local production. On January 2, an An-12 plane skid off a landing strip in the country's Sharjah international airport. No one was injured in the incident. The department advised air companies at Sharjah, Dubai and other airports, which currently have some 30 An-12 planes in use, to begin getting rid of this type of aircraft.

Russian Nuclear-Powered Warship Calls At Cape Town

Russian Nuclear-Powered Warship Calls At Cape Town (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - January 13, 2009: The Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser has sailed into the port of Cape Town, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Monday. Six Russian warships, led by the Northern Fleet's Pyotr Veliky, will participate in a joint naval exercise with the Indian navy this month. "The ship received special permission from the Pretoria authorities to make the call," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said, adding that the visit would last through January 14. He said that the ship was to have docked in port on January 9 to replenish supplies, but South Africa's nuclear energy administration refused to grant permission. A naval task force led by the cruiser recently participated in joint exercises with the Venezuelan Navy in the Caribbean. The Pyotr Veliky will join up with warships from the Pacific Fleet for the INDRA-2009 exercise. The Admiral Vinogradov, an Udaloy class destroyer, a salvage tug and two fuel tankers are already in the Indian Ocean, having left Russia's Far East a month ago.

Kyrgyzstan Denies Plans To End U.S. base Lease

Kyrgyzstan Denies Plans To End U.S. base Lease

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - January 13, 2009: Only the Kyrgyz parliament has the authority to terminate an agreement with the U.S. on the lease of an airbase in Kyrgyzstan, a senior MP said on Monday. U.S. soldiers patrol the air base during American-French joint exercises at the U.S. Manas Air Base, located near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Saturday, April 14, 2007. Kabai Karabekov, deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs, commented on recent media reports that Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev is planning to sign a decree ordering the closure within six months of the Gansi base, which the U.S. has run since the 2001 antiterrorism war in Afghanistan. The base, which is located at Manas airport some 30 kilometers (17 miles) east of the country's capital, Bishkek, hosts over 1,000 U.S. military personnel and nine military transport and refueling planes. "Any decision to extend or terminate an international agreement on the deployment of an airbase in support of an antiterrorism coalition at Manas international airport near the Kyrgyz capital can be made exclusively by the parliament," Karabekov said said. He added that this decision can not be made unilaterally by either of the signatories to the agreement. "We have an agreement that is still in effect. If the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry and the U.S. State Department agree to terminate it, the Kyrgyz Cabinet will have to submit relevant documents to parliament for consideration," the deputy said. Karabekov reaffirmed Kyrgyzstan's willingness to remain part of the international coalition fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. "Although the situation in Afghanistan has improved since the signing of the agreement [on the U.S. base], it is still far from being stable and causes us concern," he said, adding that the presence of the international military contingent in the region was fully justified. In December similar media speculation on the closure of the Gansi base was denied by both Kyrgyz and U.S. authorities. U.S. military officials said at the time that the base brought some $80 million income annually to Kyrgyzstan, including $17.4 million in rent and $2.64 million in wages for local employees.

Boeing Wins $1.1 Billion Deal To Support US C-17s

Boeing Wins $1.1 Billion Deal To Support US C-17s

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - January 13, 2009: Boeing Co won a contract on Monday valued at $1.1 billion to support the U.S. Air Force's fleet of C-17 transport planes, more good news for one of Boeing's biggest aircraft programs. British Defense Secretary John Hutton said on Monday that Britain was looking to buy more C-17 Globemaster cargo planes, due to recent militant attacks on the main land supply route through Pakistan for Western forces in Afghanistan. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large American airlifter manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The C-17 is operated by the United States Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Canadian Forces, while NATO and Qatar have placed orders for the airlifter. The C-17 Globemaster III is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward bases anywhere in the world. It has the ability to rapidly deploy a combat unit to a potential battle area and sustain it with on-going supplies. The C-17 is also capable of performing tactical airlift, medical evacuation and airdrop missions. The aircraft carries on the name of two previous United States military cargo aircraft, the C-74 Globemaster and the C-124 Globemaster II. Hutton also expressed concern about news from Airbus parent EADS that its A400M military transport plane would not be ready before 2012 and said Britain could not accept a three to four year delay in the delivery of the plane. Boeing spokesman Jerry Drelling declined comment on any potential orders or talks with Britain about additional C-17 sales, saying such matters were confidential. "Potential C-17 customers will announce their intentions on their own timetable," he said. Officials at Lockheed Martin Corp, which makes the smaller C-130J transport aircraft, last week said the A400M delay could result in dozens of additional orders for C-130s. Boeing said the C-17 contract announced on Monday was part of an existing C-17 Globemaster sustainment contract. Boeing spokeswoman Lori Moore said the contract would cover C-17 total systems support, including spare parts and managing the Air Force's inventory of C-17 parts, depot maintenance work, field support, and modifications. Given an expected leveling off of defense spending, Boeing and other big defense contractors are increasingly looking to large service contracts to help fuel revenue growth. Boeing needs more foreign and U.S. orders to keep its C-17 production line open. Last year, it won an order from NATO for three C-17 cargo planes, which generally sell for upward of $200 million each, and the company has been lobbying the U.S. Air Force to more planes as well. The C-17 is a four-engined aircraft with a rear-loading ramp and can carry up to 170,000 pounds of large combat equipment and troops or humanitarian aid across long distances to small airfields.