BAE Systems Awarded $81.4 Million For M88A2 Hercules Vehicles

BAE Systems Awarded $81.4 Million For M88A2 Hercules Vehicles

(NSI News Source Info) YORK, Pennsylvania – May 12, 2009: BAE Systems has been awarded an $81.4 million contract to produce 39 M88A2 HERCULES recovery vehicles and spare parts for the U.S. Army. "HERCULES continues to provide unmatched capabilities to our troops” said Joe McCarthy, vice president and general manager, Heavy Brigade Combat Team Systems at BAE Systems. “This contract brings value to our employees as it extends the current M88A2 production work at BAE Systems and our suppliers across the U.S.” Work under the contract will be completed by the existing workforce at BAE Systems and is expected to be completed by May 2012. The contract contains options for the U.S. Army to purchase up to 81 additional vehicles and the U.S. Marine Corps to purchase an additional 10 vehicles, as well as six sets of spare parts. This award brings the total value of contracts BAE Systems has been awarded on HERCULES to $1.4 billion. To date 231 HERCULES vehicles have been fielded against a total U.S. Army requirement of 607 vehicles. A total of 69 have been fielded to the U.S. Marine Corps, which has pure fleeted to the M88A2 configuration, plus an additional 114 vehicles to four allied nations – Egypt, Kuwait, Thailand and Australia. HERCULES provides unparalleled capability for recovering today's 70-ton combat vehicles including the M1A1, M1A2, Leopard, bridging systems and other medium weight vehicles and answers the need for cost-effective, self-supporting heavy recovery performance. Key upgrades from the M88A1 include improved power-assisted braking, steering, electrical system and increased engine horsepower and additional armor protection, providing soldiers and Marines with 25 percent more towing muscle, 40 percent more lifting strength and 55 percent more winching power in meeting any mission requirement. The contracts are managed by the Army’s TACOM Life Cycle Management Command. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is the premier global defense, security and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. With approximately 105,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £18.5 billion (US $34.4 billion) in 2008.

Pakistan Most Dangerous Country In The World, Says Defence Minister MacKay / Pakistan 'Most Dangerous Country In The World': Canada

Pakistan Most Dangerous Country In The World, Says Defence Minister MacKay / Pakistan 'Most Dangerous Country In The World': Canada

(NSI News Source Info) OTTAWA, Canada - May 12, 2009: Extremist attacks across nuclear-armed Pakistan in recent years have made it ‘the most dangerous country in the world,’ Canada's Defense Minister Peter MacKay said Monday. Defence Minister Peter MacKay says the current instability in Pakistan makes it the most dangerous country in the world. ‘I'm extremely concerned,’ MacKay told a press conference. ‘The instability in Pakistan in my view makes Pakistan the most dangerous country in the world.’ Around 12,000 to 15,000 Pakistan security forces are battling fighters in three northwest districts in what Islamabad says is a fight to eliminate militants —branded by Washington as the greatest terror threat to the West. MacKay said the Taliban's recruiting and rearming in Pakistan is also harming Nato efforts to rout insurgents in neighboring Afghanistan, where Canada has deployed some 2,800 troops. ‘As long as insurgency is allowed to foster and to incubate inside Pakistan, the problem remains very real, very difficult,’ he said.

DTN News: US President Barack Obama Day To Day Activities On May 12, 2009

DTN News: US President Barack Obama Day To Day Activities On May 12, 2009

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 12, 2009: US President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder pose for photos with the National Association of Police Organizations Top Cops award winners in the Rose Garden on May 12, 2009 at the White House in Washington, DC.

Russia, Japan Sign Civilian Nuclear Deal / Japan To Sign Nuclear Supply Deal With Russia / Putin Eyes Economic Ties, Nuclear Deal With Japan

Russia, Japan Sign Civilian Nuclear Deal / Japan To Sign Nuclear Supply Deal With Russia / Putin Eyes Economic Ties, Nuclear Deal With Japan

(NSI News Source Info) TOKYO - May 12, 2009: Russia and Japan signed an intergovernmental nuclear cooperation deal on Tuesday during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Tokyo. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) attends a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso (R) at the Aso's official residence on May 12, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. Despite Russia's wish to increase business ties with Japan, Prime Minister Putin is not expected to cede ground on the important and historical dispute over territorial rights to Pacific Islands. The agreement, signed after talks between Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, opens the door for cooperation in the field of nuclear fuel cycle services and the construction of nuclear power plants. A number of banking and business agreements were also signed during Putin's visit. Putin arrived in Tokyo on May 11 for talks with the Japanese leadership, including on a long-standing territorial dispute and economic, energy and international issues. Russia's nuclear chief said that the signing of the intergovernmental civilian nuclear power agreement would clear the way for Russia to supply low-enriched uranium to Japan worth hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars. "Today an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear power will be signed, which will give us the opportunity for full-fledged cooperation," Sergei Kiriyenko, part of a delegation accompanying Putin during his visit to Japan, said. "This deal will allow us to give the green light to projects worth billions of dollars," he added. Kiriyenko also said that the deal adhered to nonproliferation agreements. "We adhere to the nonproliferation regime with all countries we work with." Putin said that Moscow and Tokyo could resolve the South Kuril Islands territorial dispute by building mutual trust and developing strong economic ties. Russia and Japan have yet to sign a formal World War II peace treaty due to their territorial dispute over the four South Kuril Islands, a former Japanese territory annexed by the Soviet Union toward the end of WWII. "Our mutual work will allow us to resolve a number of global issues, including the signing of a peace treaty [between Russia and Japan]," Putin told a Russian-Japanese business forum in Tokyo. "Cooperation in the energy sector, which plays a key role in steady supplies of fuel-carriers to the Asian-Pacific region and strengthening the global energy security, remains our priority," he added. Japan is one of Russia's major trading partners in Asia, ranking third in terms of bilateral trade. Last year, trade turnover between Russia and Japan totaled almost $29 billion. Japanese companies are currently taking part in two major energy projects in Russia's Far East - Sakhalin-I and Sakhalin-II.

U.S. Buys Su-27 Fighters From Ukraine For 'Aggressor' Training

U.S. Buys Su-27 Fighters From Ukraine For 'Aggressor' Training

(NSI News Source Info) May 12, 2009: The United States has bought two Su-27 Flanker fighter jets to help train U.S. pilots to cope with the growing number of Russian 4th-generation aircraft sold around the globe, a U.S. online magazine said. The Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO reporting name ‘Flanker’) is a one-seat Mach-2 class jet fighter plane originally manufactured by the Soviet Union, and designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large American fourth generation fighters, with long 3,530 km range, heavy armament, sophisticated avionics and high agility. The Su-27 most often flies air superiority missions, but is able to perform almost all combat operations. Complementing the smaller MiG-29, its closest American counterpart is the F-15 Eagle. There are several related developments of the Su-27 design. The Su-30 is a two-seat, dual-role fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions; comparable to F-15E Strike Eagle. Su-33 ‘Flanker-D’ is a navy fleet defense interceptor for use on aircraft carriers; comparable to F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Further versions include the side-by-side 2-seat Su-34 ‘Fullback’ strike variant and the Su-35 ‘Flanker-E’ improved air defense fighter. The two planes have been bought from a private Ukrainian company by the Reno-based Tac Air, which provides training and test support for the military. The aircraft will also be used to test the effectiveness of new U.S. radars and electronic warfare equipment, the Strategy Page reported. The 33-ton Su-27 is similar to the U.S. F-15, but costs some 30% less, the source said. Su-27 fighters have been produced in Russia since 1982. They are still widely used in the Russian Air Force and are gradually undergoing maintenance repairs to extend their service life. The Su-27 Flanker and its variant, the Su-30 Flanker C, account for a major share of Russia's arms exports. In the past, Russia's Sukhoi aircraft maker sold Su-27 and Su-30 fighters to China, India, Malaysia, Venezuela and Algeria. In 2007, Sukhoi exported 50 of these aircraft, accounting for 50% of Rosoboronexport's export revenues. According to U.S. sources, the two aircraft, which have been acquired in a commercial variant, stripped of weaponry, are being overhauled and modified by the U.S. Pride Air company.

Russia To Start Flight Tests Of 5th-Generation Fighter By 2009 / Russia To Start Flight Tests Of 5th-Generation Fighter By Yearend

Russia To Start Flight Tests Of 5th-Generation Fighter By 2009 / Russia To Start Flight Tests Of 5th-Generation Fighter By Yearend

(NSI News Source Info) KOMSOMOLSK-ON-AMUR, Russia - May 12, 2009: The serial production will start in 2010 (WAPA) - A Russian deputy prime minister said Monday that flight tests of a fifth-generation fighter will start in Russia by the end of 2009.

The Sukhoi PAK FA (or PAK-FA) is a fifth-generation fighter which is being developed by Russia. PAK FA stands for Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Frontovoi Aviatsyi (Перспективный авиационный комплекс фронтовой авиации in Russian) which roughly means Prospective (promising) Aircraft System of the Frontline Aviation. It is being developed by Sukhoi OKB, which refers internally to the project as the T-50. The PAK FA is intended to replace the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker in the Russian Air Force; it is scheduled to have its first flight in 2009 and enter service with the Russian Air Force. The PAK FA was designed to compete with the USA's F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II, the world's first fifth-generation fighter jets. Russia is also developing a customized, twin-seater variant of the Sukhoi PAK FA, named Sukhoi/HAL FGFA, with India.

"By the end of this year, the plane will rise into the air and flight tests will begin", Sergei Ivanov told journalists after a shipbuilding meeting in the Far East, adding that serial production will start in 2010.

Russia's advanced multirole fighter is being developed by the Sukhoi aircraft maker, part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), along with India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), under a preliminary intergovernmental agreement signed in October 2007, and according to some press-sources, the project was denominated as "PAK FA T-50".

The first prototype is scheduled to make its maiden flight before the end of 2009.

The new airplane will have to replace the current fourth generation fighters like Sukhoi Su-27 and MiG-29 that constitute the main attack force of the Russian Air Force.

According to some official sources, the T-50 assembly line will be established in the Komsomolsk Amur facilities, where currently three prototypes are under construction and will be used in the experimental phases.

Official information does not exist on the specification of the T-50 and according to some experts, this new fighter will have a maxi take-off weight of 30 tonnes (as Su-27).

As regards other specifications, press-indiscretions assured the radar will be projected by Tijomirov Institute, builder of the Irbis radar installed on Su-35BM, an intermediate fourth generation fighter (IV+++) and the weapon systems will be built on the base of Sukhoi Su-35.

As regards the external shape, no details have been unveiled, although some experts consider T-50 similar to F-22 Raptor. The new fighter will have a cruise speed between 1.58 and 2.5 Mach. (Avionews)

DTN News: Somalia TODAY May 12, 2009 - A Country In Chaos And Governed By War Lords

DTN News: Somalia TODAY May 12, 2009 - A Country In Chaos And Governed By War Lords

(NSI News Source Info) MOGADISHU, Somalia - May 12, 2009: Local journalists take pictures at the scene of the killing of a Somali government soldier near Mogadishu stadium, on May 11, 2009.

Remains of dead soldiers littered an area around the stadium following heavy exchanges with Al-Shebab militia, yesterday, that have left nearly 40 people dead and some 200, mostly civilians, wounded.

Embattled Somalia President, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed has vowed to defend his fledgling government, now rocked by renewed fighting between government troops and Islamist hardliners amid refusal by the latter to hold talks with the authorities, even after the government endorsed plans to introduce Islamic law, a key demand by the rebels for their co-operation with the Sheikh Sharif's regime.

DTN News: United Nations TODAY May 12, 2009 - David Miliband, Foreign Secretary Of The United Kingdom At United Nations Headquarters

DTN News: United Nations TODAY May 12, 2009 - David Miliband, Foreign Secretary Of The United Kingdom At United Nations Headquarters

(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK - May 12, 2009: United Nations Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, right, meets David Miliband, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, Monday, May 11, 2009 at United Nations headquarters.

Thailand Scraps Plan To Buy Six More Gripens / Thailand Air Force Scraps Plan To Buy More Gripen Fighters

Thailand Scraps Plan To Buy Six More Gripens / Thailand Air Force Scraps Plan To Buy More Gripen Fighters

(NSI News Source Info) BANGKOK, Thailand - May 12, 2009: Budget cuts have compelled the air force to shelve its planned purchase of six more Swedish-made Gripen fighters, the Bangkok Post reports. As the government decided on Wednesday to slash the defence budget for the next fiscal year from 171 billion to 151 billion baht, the air force had to ditch its plan to order six more Gripen fighter jets worth 15 billion baht, commander Itthaporn Subhawong said.

Thailand has scrapped plans to order six additional Gripen fighters, but will retain the six already on order which are to be delivered from next year. (Gripen Int’l photo)

The air force has already bought six Gripen jets worth 19 billion baht with the planes due for delivery next year. The air force needs the other six Gripen jets to complete a fleet of 12 that will replace its ageing F-5 fighters scheduled to be decommissioned in 2011.

With only six Gripen jets, the air force was not confident of protecting national security, according to the air force chief, who also warned that the decision would weaken national defence where competitive weaponry is vital.

"This affects the potential of the armed forces because they need modern weaponry. If we must defend the nation with weapons that cannot match [our enemies'] or are outdated, nobody will have respect for us," ACM Itthaporn said.

He said that the six other Gripen jets were necessary for national defence. "We must explain what is essential and need a review from the government. Weapons result in national security. Without strong defences, neighbours will not have respect for us.

"We, all soldiers, are ready to sacrifice our lives for the nation but in any fight we must have competitive weaponry. The life of every soldier is valuable. If a conflict erupts and we have weapons that do not compare, soldiers will be killed," he said.

The Swedish fighters will be stationed at the air force base in Surat Thani to protect the Gulf of Thailand, the Andaman Sea and all areas in the southern region of the country.

The air force plans to use them as its main fighters instead of the F-16 jets used now.

The Defence Ministry was one of the agencies hit hardest by the budget cuts, implemented because government revenues have fallen short of target and the need to raise money to pay for economic stimulus schemes.

A ministry source said there was a question whether relations between the Democrat Party-led coalition and the armed forces would sour because the armed forces had supported the government but received budgetary reductions in return.

India To Get Its First AWACS From Israel On May 20 / India To Receive Phalcon AWACS In Late May

India To Get Its First AWACS From Israel On May 20 / India To Receive Phalcon AWACS In Late May

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - May 12, 2009: India is expected to acquire its first Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) later this month, officials said May 11, crowning its drive to achieve air dominance over rival Pakistan. India ordered 3 Phalcon AWACS from Israel with a cost of about $1.5 billion with the delivery to end in 2008. This was delayed and the first aircraft arrived in early 2009. The IAF cleared proposal to buy 3 more Phalcon AWACS in 2008. The delivery by Israel of the sophisticated Phalcon early warning radar surveillance system, set for May 20, will also mark another milestone in growing military ties with the Jewish state. The AWACS "will be deployed straight away," air force spokesman T.K. Singha said. The AWACS is the first of three units that Israel Aerospace Industries agreed to sell to India as part of a 2004 deal involving India, Israel and Russia. The deal with Israel was worth $1.1 billion. The AWACS involves the mounting of surveillance equipment on the top of Russian Ilyushin-76 aircraft. Receipt of the AWACS will also provide a deterrent to any threat from China on India's eastern frontier, defense officials say. The delivery of the remaining two AWACS is likely to be completed by the end of 2011, other government officials said. Senior Indian air force officials said the first Phalcon will be deployed in the northern city of Agra, which is also home to India's mainstay Ilyushin military transport aircraft fleet. "Agra suits us best because an AWACS taking off from that sector will have our western borders [with Pakistan] on its radar within minutes," an air force official said. The Phalcon AWACS can simultaneously track nearly 250 flying objects within a radius of 800 kilometers (500 miles) and also has a "look-down" capability allowing it to monitor movements on the ground or at sea, officials say. The AWACS will especially be used to reinforce maritime security in the wake of the attacks in November on India's financial hub Mumbai, which killed 165 people, the air force official said. The attackers reached Mumbai by sea. India will be the second Asian country after China to acquire the AWACS. Israel replaced France in 2007 as India's second-largest arms supplier after Russia and is likely to grab the number one slot through a vast array of defense agreements it has already signed with New Delhi.

DTN News: Tennis TODAY May 12, 2009 - Yonex Contracted Russian Elena Dementieva Tennis Player Enters Madrid Open Tennis Tournament

DTN News: Tennis TODAY May 12, 2009 - Yonex Contracted Russian Elena Dementieva Tennis Player Enters Madrid Open Tennis Tournament

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - May 12, 2009: Four Russian women are through to the third round of the $4.5 million Madrid Open tennis tournament. Monday saw Elena Dementieva, seeded three, sweep aside her Spanish opponent Lourdes Dominguez Lino in straight sets 6:3, 6:2. Eighth-seed Nadia Petrova dropped the first set and had to battle to overcome Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld, a qualifier, in three sets 4:6, 7:6, 7:6. Unseeded Anna Chakvetadze also needed three sets to overcome Australia's Samantha Stosur 1:6, 6:2, 7:6. Russia's Elena Dementieva reacts during her tennis match against Lourdes Dominguez from Spain at the Madrid Open Tennis Tournament in the Caja Magica (Magic Box) in Madrid, Monday, May 11, 2009. Qualifier Elena Vesnina, 22, from Russia's resort city of Sochi, fared better in her match against Virginie Razzano from France winning through in just two sets 7:5, 6:3.

DTN News: Kyrgyzstan TODAY May 12, 2009 - US C-17 Military Transport Plane At U.S. Manas Air Base In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan May 8, 2009

DTN News: Kyrgyzstan TODAY May 12, 2009 - US C-17 Military Transport Plane At U.S. Manas Air Base In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan May 8, 2009

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - May 12, 2009: US C-17 military plane with American servicemen aboard seen before taking off to Afghanistan at U.S. Manas air base in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Friday, May 8, 2009.

Kyrgyzstan has ordered the United States to leave the facility by August 18, dashing plans to use it as thousands more troops prepare to pour into Afghanistan.

DTN News: Military TODAY May 12, 2009 - NATO Member Forces From A Dozen Countries In Joint Military Exercises Cooperative Longbow 09 At Tbilisi

DTN News: Military TODAY May 12, 2009 - NATO Member Forces From A Dozen Countries In Joint Military Exercises Cooperative Longbow 09 And Cooperative Lancer 09 At Tbilisi

(NSI News Source Info) TBILISI, Georgia - May 12, 2009: Soldiers from different countries stand at attention during an opening ceremony of NATO exercises Cooperative Longbow 09 and Cooperative Lancer 09 at Vaziani military base outside Tbilisi May 11, 2009.

Hundreds of soldiers from more than a dozen NATO members and partners arrived last week to prepare for "crisis response" and peacekeeping exercises in Georgia.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates Sacks Top Afghanistan Gen David McKiernan / U.S. To Replace Top General In Afghanistan: Official

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates Sacks Top Afghanistan Gen David McKiernan / U.S. To Replace Top General In Afghanistan: Official

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 12, 2009: The US defence secretary has asked the country's commander in Afghanistan to step down, saying the battle against the Taleban needs "new thinking". Robert Gates confirmed Gen David McKiernan would effectively be sacked less than a year after taking command. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, right, walks with Gen. David McKiernan, commander of the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, upon Gates' arrival in Kabul, on Wednesday May 6, 2009. He will be replaced by Gen Stanley McChrystal, who is seen as having a better understanding of the conflict. The change comes as the US boosts troops numbers in Afghanistan and prepares for a change in strategy. Gen McKiernan has been US commander in Afghanistan for less than one year, a period marked by a surge in violence. His successor currently serves as the director of US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was previously a director of special operations forces. Announcing the removal of Gen McKiernan from his role, defence secretary Robert Gates said new military leadership was needed to go along with a new strategy and a new ambassador. He said the decision was in the best interest of US national security, the Associated Press reported. Correspondents say Gen McChrystal is a specialist in the kind of counter-insurgency strategy the Obama administration plans to implement in Afghanistan. Strategic goals The change comes as President Barack Obama's administration prepares to send thousands of extra troops to Afghanistan, and amid pressure on international forces to reduce the numbers of civilians killed by coalition air strikes. With plans announced for a phased pullout of US troops from Iraq, Afghanistan was recently confirmed as the primary focus of US military operations. The US is sending 21,000 additional troops to the country, to join an existing force of 38,000. However, the new strategy is expected to pair non-military methods and reconstruction with a stronger armed force on the ground. But relations with President Hamid Karzai's Afghan government have been strained by a recent air strike which some Afghan officials say killed as many as 150 people. On Sunday, Gen David Petraeus, who heads US Central Command, responsible for Afghanistan operations, said "tactical actions" should not undermine strategic goals. Gen McKiernan, who heads both the US presence in Afghanistan and the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), recently described the situation in the country as a "stalemate".