India General Elections 2009: Phase I

India General Elections, 2009: Phase I

*The 2009 General Elections in India will be held in five phases. In the first phase, polling will be held on April 16, 2009. The article views the schedule for the first phase of the election and analyses the trend in the 2004 general elections.

*Analysis: India is the largest democracy in the world. In the name of democracy Indian politicans sham the system by unethical remarks, horse trading, overspending, buying votes and the list is endless. In 2004 general elections cost the taxpayer $2.5 billion and the current 2009 general elections estimated official cost is $5 billion but unofficially the cost would exceed almost to approx. $10-12 billion! What a waste of money for a country needy for funds and can invest the same amount in infrastructure? Secondly, majority of the Indian policiticans have no educational qualifications and as lawmakers in the parliament the Indian government should set a degree that anyone aspiring for politics should have a law, university or MBA qualifications. Thirdly, the current Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is very highly educated and is one of the best prime minister India ever had. Unfortunately, an opposition leader side passed some remarks about Dr. Manmohan Singh that he is a weak prime minister. It is unethical and stupid remarks by that entity, there should be mutual understanding and respect amongst politicans to set a good example for others to follow. Lastly, still India is a great democracy going at a snail's pace and if the system is sorted out rationally with politicans having more vested interest for the country then themselves the country will go at a greater pace of development. (DTN Defense-Technology News)

(NSI News Source Info) April 15, 2009: India begins voting Thursday to choose a new government in a mammoth exercise covering more than three million square kilometers of the planet in scattered polling until next month. Indian election officials check electronic voting machines prior to Wednesday's vote. Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi waves to the crowd as he is felicitated by party workers with a garland during an election rally in Deoghar, in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Thousands of troops fanned out across parts of India on Wednesday, a day ahead of elections to determine who will lead the country as the global economic slump threatens to undo two decades of growth. India currently has 714 million registered voters, up 43 million from the last vote. That election, in 2004, brought the Congress party of Italian-born Sonia Gandhi to power as head of a coalition backed by the communists. More than 1,700 candidates will be in the fray for the first phase of voting Thursday, in 124 of the 543 boroughs, for the Lok Sabha, or the lower house of the Indian parliament, according to the country's election commission. Two million security personnel are to guard the entire voting process, the commission said. Political analysts expect post-poll agreements among various groups from the right, left and center -- rather than national divisions over any particular issues -- to determine the shape and make up of the next governing coalition. The Congress party, which currently leads the United Progressive Alliance government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeks to retain the power it won in 2004. But some allies of the United Progressive Alliance have already reached a pre-poll agreement, to the exclusion of Congress. Polling officers check electric voting machines to be used in the first phase of elections, as security personnel stand guard in Jammu, India, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Thousands of troops fanned out across parts of India on Wednesday, a day ahead of elections to determine who will lead the country as the global economic slump threatens to undo two decades of growth. A general election is held every five years in India. The vote count, which will be carried out electronically in a single day, is scheduled for May 16, three days after the last round of polling. The nation of one billion-plus people will vote in five phases.

Brazilians Show Off Weaponry And Wares

Brazilians Show Off Weaponry And Wares

(NSI News Source Info) RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -April 15, 2009: The Latin America Aero and Defense exhibition, held every two years, is Brazil's best chance to show off the variety and quality of its defense industry, and the 2009 event is no exception. The country's exhibits are organized around a central focal point where Brazilian army, air force and navy officers are eager to explain to visitors the intricacies of current defense programs. At the center of the navy's exhibit is a large, half-model of a proposed nuclear submarine, which Brazil hopes to begin building in the 2020s. "France is helping us with conventional submarine design assistance, but the effort to design and build the nuclear reactor is entirely Brazilian," said Lt. Cmdr. (Engineer) Meisher Rodriguez, a naval officer assigned to the reactor development program. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (R) listens to his Defense Minister Nelson Jobim during a visit to French company Strength At Sea DCNS stand during the Latin American Aerospace & Defence Fair, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 14, 2009. The Brazilian navy hopes to have a land-based version of the submarine reactor up and running in 2014, Rodriguez said. Five reactors currently are operating in Brazil, three civilian reactors in Rio de Janeiro, and two research reactors in Sao Paulo, one for the navy and one for civilian use. The Brazilian air force also was showing off Project VANT, a small, unmanned aerial vehicle being developed jointly by the air force, army and navy with Avibras. Among the other Brazilian companies showing off their products here are aviation giant Embraer; Grupo Inbra Filtro's armored vehicles and light helicopters; precision-guided weapons and other munitions from Britanite IBQ Defence Systems; Emgepron naval shipbuilding and munitions; Indios non-lethal ammunition; Avibras unmanned aerial vehicles; and Bravio avionics.

BAE Delivers New New Zealand Patrol Vessels / New Zealand Navy’s New Ships on the Way

BAE Delivers New New Zealand Patrol Vessels / New Zealand Navy’s New Ships on the Way

(NSI News Source Info) April 15, 2009: Delivery of the Navy's new inshore patrol vessels has been arranged with contractor BAE Systems, says Defence Minister Wayne Mapp.

HMNZS Rotoiti, the first of the four new IPVs, is scheduled to be handed over on 16 April and commissioned on 17 April at Whangarei.

Inshore Patrol Vessels - HMNZ Ships Rotoiti, Taupo, Hawea and Pukaki. The Inshore Patrol Vessels provide a platform for vital reserve training in seamanship, navigation and Multi Agency Operations and Taskings. They will have a valuable role in local search and rescue operations and in resource protection duties when required. Named after New Zealand lakes and previous RNZN ships, The IPVs will provide a training and service opportunity to all four RNZNVR Divisions.

It will sail to the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland on 24 April. The other three are expected to be delivered by the end of May. "Delivery of the Project Protector ships has been the Government's highest Defence priority since taking office," Dr Mapp said.

"A lot of hard work has gone into getting the ships out of the yard and into service. When we came into government this project was in a mess which we are working hard to clean up. I thank Ministry and Defence Force officials for the efforts they have made to resolve the issues.

"The Navy will now have a new fleet of very capable and sophisticated ships. The IPVs are designed to carry out a variety of tasks for government agencies, including Police, Customs, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Department of Conservation, and Maritime New Zealand, and to have a secondary role in New Zealand disaster relief.

These ships will give the Navy a much higher profile around our coastline. "The IPVs will greatly enhance the Navy's ability to recruit and retain people, getting people to sea to do the jobs they are trained for - jobs that benefit the people of New Zealand."

Once at Devonport, the ships will undergo a series of sea trials and crew training in order to become ready for operations.

Dr Mapp said that he and Defence Ministry officials were now working towards the delivery of the two offshore patrol vessels of the Protector fleet, currently located in Melbourne.

He said that there were a number of outstanding issues in respect of HMNZS Canterbury and the offshore patrol vessels which would now be referred to mediation as provided for in the contract. The mediation is intended to start on 25 May.

"Although we have begun a mediation process, we are still working hard to resolve the outstanding issues through negotiation with the contractor," Dr Mapp said.

Dr Mapp said that it was pleasing that $135.4 million had been spent in New Zealand as part of the contract to build the Project Protector fleet. This is nearly 25% ahead of the contract requirement of $110 million. The four IPVs were completely built and fitted out in Whangarei.

Taliban Execute Eloping Young Lovers In Afghanistan

Taliban Execute Eloping Young Lovers In Afghanistan

*Analysis: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has signed a regulation imposing Islamic sharia law in the Swat valley in the northwest of the country, as part of a deal to end Taliban violence. Under Taliban rule, there will be no music, any kind of entertainment, schools, women are not permitted to work or walk on the street alone....so on. The execution of the eloping young couple is just the beginning of Taliban's control, which would reflect in FATA tribal area. We feel sorry for the people of Pakistan, who are innocent victims of the future set forth making of Pakistan. (DTN Defense-Technology News)

(NSI News Source Info) April 15, 2009: A young couple who tried to elope in one of the most lawless and conservative parts of Afghanistan have been publicly executed by Taliban gunmen after their parents handed them over to be tried by insurgents. Officials from the south-western province of Nimroz say Gul Pecha, in her late teens, and her boyfriend Abdul Aziz, 21, were shot by a firing squad outside a mosque in their home village of Lokhi on Monday. Image taken from the Pakistani private Dawn News channel on April 4, 2009, shows a burqa-clad woman face down on the ground being held by her arms and feet by three men while a man flogs her in Swat valley. Pakistan ordered an investigation into the video of a woman being flogged in the former resort of Swat, where the government signed an agreement with a pro-Taliban cleric to allow sharia law. Apparently filmed on a mobile phone, the video shows two men pinning down the burqa-clad woman by her feet and shoulders, as a bearded man in a turban flogs her 34 times with a whip. The couple had fled to a nearby village and were planning to start a life together without the permission of their parents, according to the province's police chief Abdul Jabar Pardeli. But they were found by their parents and turned over to the Taliban, who held them for four days in Lokhi's mosque before putting them on trial. Ghulam Dastageer Azad, the governor of Nimroz, said the couple's execution was "against Islam, against the law and against the constitution". An unofficial justice system, often dispensing brutal punishment to people found guilty of petty crimes or breaking the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islamic values, has become the hallmark of areas where insurgents enjoy a high degree of influence. A recent report by a human rights group said the Taliban systematically terrorise civilians with threatening "night letters", executions and limb amputations in order to force communities not to support the government. Taliban commanders are even issued with manuals telling them what techniques to use and who to target. Officials say the couple's home district of Khash Rod is under almost complete Taliban control. Sadiq Chakhansor, the head of the provincial council, said he thought the couple were intending to flee to Iran, where many young people from the region grew up as refugees, enjoying a relatively liberal environment before returning to their much more restrictive homeland. Although the provincial governor, chief of police and leader of the local council all claimed Taliban gunmen were responsible for the murders, a spokesman for the movement denied Taliban involvement. "I have contacted our fighters in the area and I can say that none of them were involved," said Qari Yousuf Ahmadi. "But it was a very bad thing for these people to escape from their homes without permission and it is right that they should be punished according to Sharia law." There are almost no Afghan or foreign troops in Khash Rod, which is seen as a resting area and a passageway for militants moving through into neighbouring Helmand province where most of Britain's effort in the country is directed.

Tora, Tora Is Flying, Diving, Happy And Smiling

Tora, Tora Is Flying, Diving, Happy And Smiling

(NSI News Source Info) April 15, 2009: Taro....is happy! Sorry with due respect Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is happy! 'Cause he is with Queen Megumi Yoshida.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, left, smiles as Japan's Cherry Blossom Queen Megumi Yoshida, right, puts a green feather pin on the lapel of his jacket for the collection of donations of the annual tree planting campaign at the Aso's official residence in Tokyo Wednesday, April 15, 2009.

Pakistan: ISI Chief In US For Talks On Intelligence Cooperation

Pakistan: ISI Chief In US For Talks On Intelligence Cooperation

*Pakistan: ISI Chief Pasha Snubs US Special Representative Richard Holbrooke And Admiral Mike Mullen....DTN Defense-Technology News April 8, 2009

*Analysis: On April 8, 2009., Director General Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Gen. Shuja Pasha refused to meet Richard Holbrooke and Admiral Mike Mullen in Islamabad as a protest that ISI has links with Taliban and Islamic extremists groups. For a change, the U.S. strategy has worked by choking the pipeline of economic and military aid, which made Pakistan administration realised the value of U.S. aid and promoted Lt Gen. Shuja Pasha in Washington for clarification on ISI position with Taliban. It seems U.S. adminstraion will take its course setting meeting with Lt Gen. Shuja Pasha, as there is no schedule or time set so far on this aspect. (DTN Defense-Technology News)

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 15, 2009: Director General Inter-Services Intelligence Lt Gen. Shuja Pasha is arriving in the United States late Tuesday on a two-day visit for talks on intelligence cooperation, as the US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen warned that violence in Afghanistan is set to rise in the coming months. US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen and Navy Rear Adm. Scott van Buskirk talk with Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani and Director General ISI Major Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha. Official sources in Washington said that Gen. Pasha is expected to meet the CIA chief and other US intelligence and security officials. So far no meeting is scheduled with senior military or political officials. His talks, however, are expected to focus enhancing intelligence cooperation between the two countries in the fight against Taliban and al Qaeda militants. Lt Gen. Shuja Pasha’s visit to the US comes amidst increasing concerns voiced by US generals regarding the ISI’s alleged relationship with militant organisations. During a recent visit to Pakistan, Admiral Mike Mullen briefed a select group of media personnel on US apprehensions regarding the ISI’s alleged support for certain organisations. On the day, Gen. Pasha arrived in Washington, a leading news magazine, US News and World Report, warned that for Afghan and American officers fighting the Taliban, ‘the most persistent worry is that ISI operatives share sensitive information about future operations with the militants.’ Last week, Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the US forces for the greater Middle East region which includes both Afghanistan and Pakistan, told a congressional panel that he too had been concerned about the ISI leaking information to the Taliban. As a result, many within the US military remain suspicious about how much cooperation, particularly in intelligence matters, can really occur with Pakistani forces, he said. But he also said that the US ‘must do everything we can to assist’ the Pakistanis but this ‘has to be done very carefully.’ Admiral Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has also expressed similar concerns about the ISI, saying that has been ‘very attached’ to many of these extremist organisations. He warned that ‘in the long run, they have got to completely cut ties with those in order to really move in the right direction.’ ‘The ISI fundamentally has to change its strategic approach, which has been clear to focus on India as well as Afghanistan,’ he said. ‘And I don't believe they can make a lot of progress until that actually occurs.’ Admiral Mullen said the Pakistani Army chief had appointed in Lt Gen. Pasha, ‘one of his best guys’, as the new director of ISI. ‘I'm encouraged with his (Gen. Kayani’s) views and I'm encouraged with how he sees the problem.’ But ‘it's going to take some time to get at it inside ISI’. Also on Tuesday, Admiral Mullen warned that the arrival of extra US troops in Afghanistan would increase violence there. ‘I look forward to a very active year. I want to be clear that my expectations are as we add more troops, the violence level in Afghanistan is going to go up,’ he told ABC television. ‘That said, it will put us in a position to start to turn the tide and provide security for the Afghan people which is absolutely critical in addition to training the Afghan forces, which I expect to improve significantly over the next 12 months,’ he said. The United States is sending an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan to join some 38,000 already deployed there. ‘I'm very sure that the additional 17,000 combat troops, plus the additional 4,000 training troops, will have the right impact,’ Admiral Mullen said.

T-80UD Main Battle Tank Developed By Kharkiv Morozov KMDB

T-80UD Main Battle Tank Developed By Kharkiv Morozov KMDB

(NSI News Source Info) April 15, 2009: The T-80UD main battle tank was developed by the KMDB at the beginning of the 1980s and entered series production at the State Enterprise Malyshev Plant in 1985.

Armament: The T-80UD MBT armament includes a 125mm gun, 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The tank crew is also equipped with sub-machine guns, hand grenades and a signal pistol. The main armament comprises a 125mm KBA3 smoothbore gun fed by a carousel-type automatic loader and fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor (bore evacuator). The main gun has a quick-replacement barrel which can be changed under field conditions without the need to remove the gun from the tank.The number of rounds that T-80UD could carry is 45 two-piece rounds (projectile and charge), of which 28 rounds are placed in the automatic loader, with the remainder being stored at the driver's station and in the fighting compartment. Types of ammunition that can be fired by the gun include APFSDS (armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot), HEAT (high explosive anti-tank), HE-FRAG (high explosive fragmentation) rounds and laser beam-riding guided missiles.

Fire Control System: The T-80UD is fitted with an advanced fire control system, and either the gunner or commander can lay and fire the main armament at stationary and moving targets while the tank is stationary or moving with a high first round hit probability. The fire control system comprises a gunner's 1G46 day sight, gunner's TO1-KO1E night vision system, commander's PNK-4S observation and sighting system, PZU-7 anti-aircraft sight, 1ETs29 anti-aircraft machine gun mount control system, 1V528-1 ballistic computer with input information sensors, 2E42 armament stabiliser and other devices.

Protection: The armour protection of the T-80UD, which includes advanced multi-layer armour and explosive reactive armour package for the turret and chassis, provides to the T-80UD a high level of battlefield survivability. The T-80UD can disguise itself on the battlefield by laying a smoke/aerosol screen. Mounted on either side of the turret is a bank of four electrically operated smoke grenade launchers.

Mobility: The T-80UD is powered by a model 6TD-1 6-cylinder diesel engine developing 1,000 hp. The air inlet of the engine allows air to be ducted from the least dusty quarter and enables water obstacles to be crossed to a water depth of 1.8 m without preparation. There are two parts to the air filtration system, the centrifugal pre-cleaners and the air cleaner casing. This enables the tank to be operated in hot and dusty conditions for up to 1,000 km without a change of filters and to carry out combat under radioactive conditions.

Production: After the break-up of the Soviet Union, KMDB, with the Malyshev factory, became the main tank design and manufacture enterprise in Ukraine, but was still highly dependent on manufacture of components in Russian facilities, especially the Uralvagonzavod factory in Nizhny Tagil. In 1996, Ukraine and Pakistan signed a $650 M contract for delivery of 320 T-80UD tanks. Deliveries were hampered by supply problems, including politically-motivated ones. Ukraine was forced to develop new manufacturing capabilities, and the contract was concluded in 1999. KMDB also supplies Pakistan's Al-Khalid tanks with power packs (engine and transmission), and is helping to upgrade their Al-Zarrar tanks. The T-84 entered service with the Military of Ukraine in 1999, and the more advanced Oplot version in 2001. The tank is actively marketed for export, and can incorporate Russian countermeasures systems and a French fire-control system. The T-84-120 and Yatagan has been developed employing an auto-loaded 120mm tank gun which fires NATO ammunition as well as ATGMs. Versions have seen trials in Greece, Turkey, and Malaysia. KMDB also produces military tractors, trainers and simulators, and upgrade packages for Soviet tanks and APCs.

Second Advanced EHF Military Communications Satellite Built By Lockheed Martin Completes Environmental Testing

Second Advanced EHF Military Communications Satellite Built By Lockheed Martin Completes Environmental Testing

(NSI News Source Info) SUNNYVALE, Calif. - April 15, 2009: Lockheed Martin has successfully completed thermal vacuum testing of the second Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) military communications satellite, a major program milestone that proves spacecraft performance and functionality in a complete test-like-you-fly environment. The U.S. Air Force's Advanced EHF system will provide global, highly secure, protected, survivable communications for warfighters operating on ground, sea and air platforms. Conducted between Jan. 26 and March 14 inside Lockheed Martin's Dual Entry Large Thermal Altitude (DELTA) chamber, the successful test verified Advanced EHF spacecraft functionality and performance in a vacuum environment where the satellite was stressed at the extreme hot and cold temperatures it will experience in space throughout its 14-year design life. The milestone is one of several critical environmental test phases that validate the overall satellite design, quality of workmanship and survivability during space vehicle launching and on-orbit operations.“The team executed a highly disciplined and successful test and the results give us high confidence that this vitally important protected communications satellite will meet all performance requirements," said John Miyamoto, Lockheed Martin's AEHF vice president. "Completion of thermal vacuum testing is a critical milestone that moves the team closer to the launch pad and we look forward to achieving mission success for our customer." With the completion of spacecraft thermal vacuum testing, the team of Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif., the Advanced EHF prime contractor, and Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Redondo Beach, Calif., the payload supplier, will now perform environmental test data analysis, acoustic testing and final systems test activities necessary to prepare the vehicle for flight. The spacecraft is planned for delivery to the Air Force in 2011 in preparation for launch aboard an Atlas V launch vehicle. A single Advanced EHF satellite will provide greater total capacity than the entire Milstar constellation currently on-orbit. Individual user data rates will be five times improved. The higher data rates will permit transmission of tactical military communications, such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. In addition to its tactical mission, Advanced EHF will also provide the critical survivable, protected, and endurable communications to the National Command Authority including presidential conferencing in all levels of conflict. Lockheed Martin is currently under contract to provide three Advanced EHF satellites and the Mission Control Segment to its customer, the Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, located at the Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. The program is in the early stages of adding a fourth spacecraft to the planned constellation. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

White House Lifts Some Cuba Restrictions / Cuba's Castro Will Not Ask U.S. 'For Handout'

White House Lifts Some Cuba Restrictions / Cuba's Castro Will Not Ask U.S. 'For Handout'

(NSI News Source Info) HAVANA - April 15, 2009: Fidel Castro said in his regular column on the Cubadebate website that Cuba wanted an end to the U.S. embargo, imposed some fifty years ago on the country, and has no plans "to ask the U.S. for handouts." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (R) speaks alongside Dan Restrepo, director of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, on US President Barack Obama's decision to ease restrictions of travel and remittances to Cuba by Cuban-Americans during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2009. The former Cuban leader made the comments following an announcement by the U.S. administration lifting a ban on travel and money transfers for Cuban-Americans. In his article, the 82-year-old said he approved of Obama's willingness to hold dialogue and his desire to change the policies and the image of the United States. However, Castro expressed his displeasure that "the strictest measures in the blockade have not been mentioned at all." Castro also wrote that the Cuban leadership is ready for talks with the U.S., but only if they are held with "strict respect of the sovereignty" of both countries. He also stressed that Cuba was ready to endure any future embargo if necessary. "Cuba has withstood and will continue to withstand [U.S. embargoes]...and will continue to move forward with its head held high and will never hold out its hands to ask for charity," he said, adding "[Cuba] continues to cooperate with the friendly nations of Latin America and the Caribbean whether there is a summit of the Americas or not, whether Obama leads the U.S. or not, be it a man or woman, white or black, running the nation." The Summit of the Americas is scheduled April 17-19 in Trinidad and Tobago and will be Obama's first meeting with Latin American leaders with the exception of the Cuban leadership, which is the only country not invited. Many Latin American leaders have said they plan to raise the issue of the embargo during the summit. Florida's Republican Senator Mel Martinez, who is a Cuban American, has called the new policy "good news for Cuban families separated by a lack of freedom in Cuba." The Bush administration limited travel to Cuba to two weeks every three years for immediate family members, changing the visitation from once a year that then president Clinton enforced. Bush also imposed further restrictions on money transfers to immediate family to no more than $300 per quarter. Travel by Americans who do not have relatives in Cuba is still subject to a ban, but there are several exemptions, including for journalists, academics and people on humanitarian missions. About 1.5 million Americans have relatives in Cuba.

Europeans Ramp Up Regional Market Push

Europeans Ramp Up Regional Market Push

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON and PARIS - April 15, 2009: Most eyes will be on Brazil's F-X2 fighter competition as the Latin American Aerospace and Defense (LAAD) show opens in Rio de Janeiro this week. But the battle, which pits Boeing against rival offerings from Dassault Aviation and Saab, is just the tip of a major effort by Europe to secure defense market share in the region's powerhouse nation. The Brazilian F-X2 fighter competition pits the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet (pictured) against rival offerings from Dassault Aviation and Saab. ( Boeing)

Boeing offered Malaysia the Super Hornets as part of a buy-back package for its existing F/A-18 Hornets in 2002. However, the Super Hornet procurement was halted after the government decided to purchase the Sukhoi Su-30MKM instead in 2007. But RMAF Chief Gen. Datuk Nik Ismail Nik Mohamaed indicated that the RMAF had not planned to end procurement of the Super Hornets, instead saying that the air force needed such fighters. Boeing has delivered Super Hornet proposals to the Danish and Brazilian governments in 2008. The Super Hornet is one of three fighter aircraft in a Danish competition to replace 48 F-16s. In October 2008, it was reported the Super Hornet was selected as one of three finalists in Brazil's fighter competition. Brazil has put forward an initial requirement for 36 planes, with a potential total purchase of 120. Boeing submitted a proposal for India's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition on 24 April 2008. The Super Hornet variant being offered to India is named F/A-18IN. It will include Raytheon's APG-79 AESA radar. In August 2008, Boeing submitted an industrial participation proposal to India describing partnerships with companies in India. Three of the top five defense suppliers to Brazil from 1998 to 2007 come from Europe, according to statistics from the British government's Defence & Security Organisation (DSO) export arm. Spain tops the list with $977 million, France comes third with $505 million, and the United Kingdom, fifth at $300 million. Keeping the Europeans from a clean sweep is Israel, in second place with $540 million, and the United States, in fourth at $425 million. Other European nations have had their successes, too. In the 1990s, Sweden sold its Erieye airborne command-and-control system to Brazil for integration on an Embraer jet. The Erieye/Embraer combination has also been sold to Mexico. Saab Gripen NG is one of three fighters short-listed for the F-X2 requirement, alongside the French Rafale and the U.S. F/A-18 in a $2.2 billion contest for an initial buy of 36 aircraft. Italy's position also is improving, even though South America remains, for the moment, a fringe market, amounting to 93 million euros ($123 million) of business in 2008, or 3 percent of its defense exports. Of that total, Brazil accounted for 43.4 million euros of business, mainly parts for the AMX fighter bomber that Italy and Brazil jointly built. Italy hopes to boost that export penetration during LAAD, when Iveco takes the wraps off a sixwheel-drive armored personnel carrier it is developing with the Brazilian Ministry of Defense. Chile also is being targeted by Finmeccanica unit Aermacchi as a possible customer for its M-346 jet trainer. The firm signed a memorandum of understanding with Chile's ENAER last year for cooperative marketing and possible production of the M-346 and the M-311 basic trainer. As Brazil boosts spending on major platforms such as fighter aircraft, helicopters, and conventionally and nuclear-powered submarines, Spain may lose its spot as its top supplier. To start funding those requirements, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva earlier this year started pushing for a more than 50 percent increase in defense spending through to 2010. Business Monitor International reported in February that Brazil's defense minister, Nelson Jobim, is raising the equipment procurement budget from $3.6 billion last year to $5.6 billion this year. Despite the global economic meltdown, there are no signs Brazil has reined in defense spending, said Patrick de la Revelière, the vice president for Latin America and India at missile maker MBDA. Brazil wants to be a strong regional actor and seeks a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. "To be on the council, you need to have a strong defense industry," he said. "Brazil is really moving in developing a defense industry." Increases in the Brazilian budget come against a background of what the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in January was a 91 percent rise in annual spending in the Latin American and Caribbean defense sector between 2003 and 2008. By last year, spending reached $47.2 billion with Columbia and Venezuela among the major spenders. In absolute terms, that remains less than what the British spend annually on defense. But while the amounts are not huge, they have been sharply tracking upward as the region's aspirations to buy new and upgraded fighters, surveillance and patrol platforms, air tankers, warships, helicopters and counterinsurgency and anti-narcotics gear soars. U.K. Evinces New Interest Some European countries, like the French, have been active in Brazil for years and are now reaping the rewards. Others, like the British, are looking to reinvigorate a relationship that has only yielded one deal of note recently; the sale of two exRoyal Fleet Auxiliary logistics ships. "The LAAD exhibition is a watershed for us," said Geoff Gladding, the DSO regional marketing director for North and South America and Europe. "Brazil has not been a wasteland. We have done a fair amount of business down there selling Super Lynx helicopters and support ships, but we have not had as much success recently as we would have liked. "Favorable exchange rates for exporters and a good lineup of defense and security sector products have coincided with an increase in the Brazilian budgets to give us a chance to increase our footprint," he said.

Brazil Eyes Northrop International Patrol Frigate

Brazil Eyes Northrop International Patrol Frigate

(NSI News Source Info) RIO DE JANEIRO - April 15, 2009: Brazil's top naval officers were quickly drawn to the International Patrol Frigate display when they stopped by Northrop Grumman's booth at the Latin America Aerospace and Defense exhibition, which opened here April 14. The National Security Cutter (NSC) is the centerpiece of the U.S. Coast Guard fleet replacement program. With its 418-foot length and 4,300 ton full load displacement, this is the largest of the new multi-mission cutters. The program of record is eight ships of which the first ship, USCGC Bertholf (WMSL 750), has been commissioned and two additional ships, Waesche (WMSL 751) and Stratton (WMSL 752) are under construction. "It's an outstanding ship; a very interesting project," Rear Adm. Cagle Ilques said after visiting the display. Asked if the ship would have an application for the Brazilian navy, Ilques said, "of course." The proposed ship is based on the National Security Cutter now being built by Northrop for the U.S. Coast Guard. Despite its Coast Guard origins, the patrol frigate presents an interesting "mixture of a sonar, [extensive] range, a combat center and anti-submarine capability, all on less than 5,000 tons," Ilques said. Brazil's top naval officer, Adm. Alte Esq Vinicius, was also impressed. "We have a requirement for three frigates and five patrol ships," he said, "and we're looking for a ship already in production, not a prototype." The Brazilian Navy is gathering information from several proposals for its frigate and patrol ship program, Vinicius said. "Probably in June, we are sending a group of officers to the United States to visit the shipyard," he said. Northrop is hopeful the ship will become a serious contender for the Brazilians. "The International Patrol Frigate meets most, if not all, of the requirements the Brazilians laid out in their maritime strategy," said Rocco Tomanelli, Northrop's director of coastal warfare and international programs.

Royal Navy Submarine Support Secured

Royal Navy Submarine Support Secured

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON - April 15, 2009: A multi-million pound contract has been announced which will ensure the sustainability of future submarine support within the Royal Navy. The new contract will see £155m going towards in-service support to the entire Navy submarine flotilla and expand the current pool of expertise in the specialist area. HMS Talent (S92) is a Trafalgar class submarine of the Royal Navy. She is the sixth of seven Trafalgar class hunter killer submarines, built by Barrow-in-Furness, HMS Talent was launched by The Princess Royal in April 1988 and commissioned in May 1990. HMS Talent has just under took a Long Overhaul Period (Refuelling) at its base port in Plymouth and in March 2007 rejoined the active fleet, following a £386 million upgrade. She has been given a new reactor core and has been equipped with a new sonar suite the Sonar 2076. Sonar 2076 has the power equivalent to approximately 400 PCs and can precisely track the movement of small objects from hundreds of miles away.The Royal Navy describe SONAR 2076,as the most advanced Sonar in service with any Navy in the World. She has also been given the ability to fire Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile TLAM. She is affiliated with Shrewsbury in Shropshire. The contract secures submarine engineering support services based in Bristol, which include deciding what engineering work the submarines require when they undergo their scheduled maintenance, for the next 10 years. The MOD and industry parters will work together as a joint team with shared goals under the new contract. The team includes Babcock, BMT Defence Services and Systems Evaluation and Assessment (SEA), and will co-locate a section of their team, currently based in Keynsham, alongside their Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) colleagues in Abbey Wood, Bristol. The Head of In-Service Submarines at DE&S Alasdair Stirling said: "These engineering services are absolutely crucial to maintaining safety and upgrading our submarine flotilla effectively, on time and at value for money. "Over 11 successful years we have already built a strong working relationship with the industry team, and this new contract will further develop our collaboration. Instead of the traditional customer/supplier relationship, the joint team will take a pro-active approach to improving submarine support which makes way for innovation and cost reductions."The contract, worth £155million will determine the content of the work programmes for the upkeep of the existing Royal Navy submarine fleet.

Boeing Team Delivers Recommendations On Fires Center of Excellence Integration To US Army

Boeing Team Delivers Recommendations On Fires Center of Excellence Integration To US Army

(NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS - April 15, 2009: Boeing and teammate Creative Technologies Inc. (CTI) have given the U.S. Army the team's final report in support of the new Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Okla. The report contains a five-year training strategy, an organization structure, and a "road map" for supporting technology. The new center is a consolidation of the Army's Air Defense Artillery Center and School at Fort Bliss, Texas, with the Field Artillery Center and School at Fort Sill, following the 2005 Base Realignment and Closures Commission's recommendation to consolidate several Training and Doctrine Command installations. By consolidating two functionally related Branch Centers and schools at Fort Sill, the new Fires Center of Excellence will foster consistency, standardization, training proficiency, and task force stabilization for both branches in doctrine development and institutional training. It will bring Air Defense Artillery and Field Artillery courses, firepower training and doctrine development to one location. "The Boeing and CTI team, which consisted of very experienced military and civilian training professionals, worked diligently to provide a thorough report, "said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president, Training Systems & Services. "These recommendations will help the Army improve ground forces training around the world." James Korris, president and CEO of Creative Technologies, added, "The study allowed us to deepen our knowledge of the customer while expanding our relationship with Boeing, our strategic partner in this market."

Russia Urges North Korea To Return To Six-Nation Nuclear Talks

Russia Urges North Korea To Return To Six-Nation Nuclear Talks

(NSI News Source Info) April 15, 2009: Russia's Foreign Ministry urged North Korea on Tuesday to comply with the ban on ballistic activities imposed by the UN Security Council, and to return to six-nation denuclearization talks. "We call on North Korea to fulfill UN Security Council Resolution 1718... and to return to the negotiating table in the interests of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula and ensuring security for all regional states," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The resolution, adopted in October 2006 after Pyongyang's nuclear test, demands "that the DPRK not conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile." Pyongyang earlier on Tuesday signaled its withdrawal from the six-nation talks on ending its nuclear program, saying: "there is no need for the international denuclearization talks any more." The announcement came after the UN Security Council issued a unanimous statement on Monday condemning North Korea's April 5 rocket launch, which many countries suspect was a test of a long-range missile. The Russian ministry said it welcomes the Security Council's decision to review the list of North Korean commodities and individuals subject to restrictions. The ministry statement highlighted the importance of further talks between the six nations - North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States - and called on the sides to fulfill their commitments. The 15-member Security Council convened for an emergency meeting late on Sunday at Japan's request, to discuss sanctions against Pyongyang over the rocket launch, but strong opposition from Russia and China prevented the adoption of even a preliminary statement of condemnation. North Korea claimed the rocket, which was launched over Japan, successfully delivered a communications satellite into orbit, but the U.S. and South Korean militaries said all three stages fell into the ocean and that "no object entered orbit." The U.S. and other countries had argued for sanctions against Pyongyang, saying that the launch violated Security Council Resolution 1718, but Russia and China called for restraint on the grounds that the resolution does not prohibit the launch of satellites.