Sudan Threatens To Destroy Chad Troops

Sudan Threatens To Destroy Chad Troops

(NSI News Source Info) KHARTOUM - May 20, 2009: Sudan said on Wednesday it would destroy any Chadian troops that invaded its territory, after Chad said its forces were preparing to cross the border to strike at Sudan-based rebels.

Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno (C) looks at displayed weapons seized from the defeated rebel force, on May, 20 2009 at Independence square in N'jamena. Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno again denounced Sudan for a rebel offensive launched earlier this month, as officials displayed vehicles and weapons seized from the defeated force.

Chad's interim Defence Minister Adoum Younousmi said on Tuesday his forces would enter Sudan within hours to intercept rebels, increasing tensions between the two oil-producers.

Sudanese officials on Wednesday said they had seen no sign of a Chadian attack but were ready for any incursion.

"The Sudanese Ministry of Defence pointed out it will not tolerate any aggression against Sudanese lands, and warned that the armed forces would destroy any force that attempted to attack Sudanese territory," read a statement on the website of the Suna state media agency.

The two neighbours regularly trade accusations that they support each others' rebels but relations have worsened in recent weeks.

Chad said Khartoum backed a rebel attack this month just hours after they had signed a reconciliation deal in Doha. The Chad's government acknowledged it had launched air attacks inside Sudan aimed at wiping out rebel camps.

Khartoum, which denies backing the rebels, had until Wednesday only spoken of unspecified repercussions of any Chadian attack and signalled that it was still seeking a diplomatic resolution.

In another sign of heightened tensions in the remote region, peacekeepers from the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID force said Sudanese army planes attacked land close to the Chad border in north Darfur on Monday and Tuesday, the site of recent clashes between Khartoum and Darfur rebels.

UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni told Reuters one bomb exploded about one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the force's base in the border town of Tina early on Tuesday.

"There were no casualties, but we are very concerned civilians and our forces could get caught in the middle of the fighting," he said.

No one was immediately available to comment from Sudan's army or Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement, which says it seized the key town of Kornoi, 50km east of Tina, from Sudan government forces on Saturday.

Khartoum says N'Djamena arms and supports JEM, one of two main Darfur rebel groups that launched a rebellion against the Sudanese government in 2003.In a statement the joint U.N./African Union special representative in Darfur Rodolphe Adada on Wednesday called for an end to fighting along the border.

The U.N. says as many as 300,000 people have died in the six-year Darfur conflict which has also driven more than 2.7 million from their homes. Khartoum says 10,000 have died.

DTN News: Sri Lanka TODAY May 20, 2009 - Sri Lankan Army Displays Captured Weapons From Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

DTN News: Sri Lanka TODAY May 20, 2009 - Sri Lankan Army Displays Captured Weapons From Liberation Tigers Of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

(NSI News Source Info) COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - May 20, 2009: In this photograph released by the Sri Lankan military on May 20, 2009, soldiers from the Sri Lankan army stand near what they say are captured weapons during a ceremony to celebrate their victory near the town of Mullaittivu, northern Sri Lanka.

The military declared total victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after a climactic gunbattle on Monday, putting Sri Lanka completely back under government rule for the first time since the war erupted in 1983.

DTN News: US President Barack Obama Day To Day Activities On May 20, 2009

DTN News: US President Barack Obama Day To Day Activities On May 20, 2009

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 20, 2009: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks as Chair of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board and former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Paul Volcker, and Chairman and Founder of Pritzker Realty Group Penny Pritzker listen during a meeting with members of his Economic Recovery Advisory Board in the Roosevelt Room of the White House May 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. The meeting was to focused on energy and green jobs.

BAE Systems Wins $601 Million Bradley Fighting Vehicles Contract

BAE Systems Wins $601 Million Bradley Fighting Vehicles Contract

(NSI News Source Info) ARLINGTON, Virginia - May 20, 2009: The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a contract for $601 million to refurbish some of its heavy infantry vehicles. Through a public-private partnership with the Army's Red River Army Depot, BAE Systems will repair and upgrade 606 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

The upgrade will add anti-IED armor, urban survivability kits and other engineering changes to improve the Bradley vehicle’s survivability. (US Army photo) This process, known in the military as reset, mitigates the effect of combat use, replaces battle damaged vehicles and provides the military with vehicles in pre-deployment conditions. "The Bradley plays an integral role in the Army's Heavy Brigade Combat Teams," said Joe McCarthy, vice president and general manager, HBCT Systems. "By resetting these vehicles to pre-deployment condition, we will make sure that our troops are able to continue to execute the mission." Under this award, BAE Systems will reset 346 Bradley A3 vehicles, 141 A2 ODS vehicles and 119 A2 ODS SA vehicles. Initial disassembly and subsystem rebuild will be performed at the Red River Army Depot, with final disassembly and structural modifications completed by BAE Systems in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Final assembly, integration and testing will be conducted at the company's facility in York, Pennsylvania. During final assembly in York, Bradley vehicles will also be equipped with upgrades including Improvised Explosive Device Armor, Bradley Urban Survivability Kits and other engineering changes designed to improve protection for soldiers. "I am pleased to learn that the Army continues to turn to the Commonwealth to repair and upgrade the Bradley Fighting Vehicle," said Sen. Arlen Specter, D-PA. "This contract award is a testament to the skilled men and women employed at the York and Fayette BAE Systems facilities and will be a strong boon to their economies by sustaining hundreds of high-paying jobs." Work on the contract will begin immediately and BAE Systems will start to deliver completed vehicles to the military this summer, with final deliveries expected to be completed by March 2010. The contract is managed by the Army's TACOM Life Cycle Management Command. Bradley Combat Systems continue to provide outstanding survivability, mobility and lethality to U.S. soldiers in close-combat urban situations as well as in open-combat. The Bradley fulfills five critical mission roles - infantry fighting vehicle, cavalry fighting vehicle, fire support vehicle, battle command vehicle and engineer squad vehicle - for the Army's Heavy Brigade Combat Teams. BAE Systems manufactures Bradley Combat Systems, which are part of the U.S. Combat Systems line of business. U.S. Combat Systems is a modern, efficient, full-spectrum developer, integrator and supplier of survivable, lethal ground and naval combat platforms. U.S. Combat Systems is a main supplier to the U.S. Army's Heavy Brigade Combat Teams, an integral developer of mine-protected and future combat vehicles, and a top producer of naval guns and missile launchers. 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.

Saab, Swiss UAV Team On Rotorcraft

Saab, Swiss UAV Team On Rotorcraft

(NSI News Source Info) LINKOPING, Sweden - May 20, 2009: Swedish aerospace company Saab has struck a deal with Swiss UAV to collaborate on the development and marketing of rotorcraft unmanned air vehicles. The companies are expected May 20 to announce the signature of a deal that merges Saab's Skeldar and the smaller Swiss Neo and Koax into a single family of helicopter UAVs. "Our partnership establishes a long-term partnership to build a larger family of vehicles and integrating them with Saab's ground control station know-how," Pontus Kallen, managing director of Saab Aerosystems, told reporters here May 19. Kallen said he expected the vehicles to find applications in military and civilian markets capitalizing on Saab's ground control expertise. The Saab executive said that for the moment the deal was only a "strategic agreement" and declined to speculate whether the tie-up could be extended beyond that. No finance has been committed yet, "but we are looking at that," Kallen said. Swiss UAV is a small, privately held company based in Niederdorf that has been operating for a little more than two years, according to the company's Web site. Russian aerospace company Irkut announed a tie-up with the Swiss rotorcraft UAV developer in January. The deal would have seen Irkut supply sensors and ground infrastructure and the Swiss company the air vehicle. The fate of that deal is unknown.

M-ATVs Important In Afghan Conflict: Adm. Mike Mullen

M-ATVs Important In Afghan Conflict: Adm. Mike Mullen

(NSI News Source Info) May 20, 2009: U.S. coalition forces need more equipment, supplies and helicopters with heavy engines to accompany thousands of troops on the way to Afghanistan, the top U.S. military official said. Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to reporters May 18 at the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank. Oshkosh Defense is committed to providing the best protection and mobility to our Warfighters – in the most threatening of circumstances, through the most treacherous terrain. They deserve a vehicle that is engineered specifically for their difficult missions – to move them in and get them out as safely as possible. They deserve the Oshkosh® M-ATV. The Oshkosh M-ATV incorporates rugged, durable components and systems for maximum Warfighter mobility and survivability. Derived from the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) platform, the M-ATV incorporates TAK-4® independent suspension system with battle-tested technology. It has the wheel travel, payload capacity, side slope stability, vehicle durability, extreme mobility and necessary Warfighter protection for today’s and tomorrow's fight. In today’s most challenging battle zones, the M-ATV is the combat-tested, mobile, survivable, durable solution – to get Warfighters to the fight and back again. The only solution is the Oshkosh M-ATV. "I am hopeful that we can in the [next] 12 to 24 months really stem the trends which have been going very badly in the last three years," Mullen said. "It is going to be a very violent 2009 and 2010." Mullen indicated it may take at least two years to see the increasing violence start to change. Part of the coalition strategy includes sending lighter-weight ambush protected vehicles to the war zone, including thousands of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV). "The M-ATV is a lighter MRAP which provides the same kind of protection," Mullen said. "I don't think there is any question that the $26 billion that America has provided to us in MRAP has been more than worth the investment." Mullen emphasized the need to equip soldiers with enough weapons, gear and supplies such that they can fight through the upcoming winter months. Part of this effort will include a move to send helicopters with engines heavy enough to transport supplies and soldiers in Afghanistan's high altitudes and mountainous terrain. "You need helicopters with heavier engines to get you to heights. That was not required in Iraq," Mullen said. "A great deal of what we have learned in Iraq is going to Afghanistan - equipment, increased level of ISR, and an increased number of unmanned vehicles." Mullen also expressed concern about the increase in terrorist activity in Pakistan. "I don't believe they are a country near failure, yet they have this resurgent terrorist threat which is getting closer and closer to Islamabad," he said. The coalition is looking to strengthen its strategy for dealing with al-Qaida members who find safe harbor in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas. "In Afghanistan you have institutions that are nascent and an economy that is very weak, and a growing insurgency being fed by insurgents who cross from Pakistan," Mullen said. "You also have the leadership of al-Qaida living in Pakistan and being protected by Pakistanis. The long range piece is to continue to put pressure along the northwestern frontier."

EADS Dislodges Boeing As Largest Aerospace Firm

EADS Dislodges Boeing As Largest Aerospace Firm

(NSI News Source Info) May 20, 2009: EADS edged out Boeing as the biggest aerospace and defense company in the world in 2008, based on revenues, a study from Deloitte pointed out May 19. Boeing had led EADS in 2007, but a strike of machinists in Boeing's commercial division last fall allowed EADS to move ahead. A study released May 19 by Deloitte says that EADS, whose product line includes the Airbus A400M shown above, has topped long-time rival Boeing Co. as the biggest aerospace and defense company in the world. (CRISTINA QUICLER / AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE) Boeing and EADS, with partner Northrop Grumman, are locked in a battle to build the next air-refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force, a deal that is valued at $35 billion and has been put on hold. The Defense Department may rebid that contract as early as this summer. EADS led the revenue growth for European companies, with almost $6 billion in additional revenue in 2008 over its 2007 revenue of about $57 billion. Boeing's 2008 revenue was $60.9 billion, down from $66.4 billion in 2007. Deloitte's study of 67 aerospace and defense companies or divisions of companies found that European companies grew faster than U.S. companies in 2008. Revenue for European companies grew 9.56 percent, while revenue for U.S. companies in the study grew at 6.3 percent. Operating margins were 7.55 percent for European companies in 2008 and 10.17 percent for U.S. companies in the survey, Deloitte said. In total, the group had record revenue of $595 billion in 2008 and operating income of about $54 billion. Revenue in 2007 for the group was $552 billion.

Russia Freezes Warplane Contract With Syria - Report

Russia Freezes Warplane Contract With Syria - Report

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - May 20, 2009: Russia has put on a hold a contract to deliver MiG-31E Foxhound interceptor-fighters to Syria, a Russian business daily reported on Wednesday, citing defense-industry sources. A new version of the 'Foxhound' with upgraded avionics, the MiG-31B, was introduced in 1990. Its development was the result of the Soviet discovery that Phazotron radar division engineer Adolf Tolkachev had sold information on advanced radars to the West. Tolkachev was executed, and a new version of the compromised radar was hastily developed. Many earlier MiG-31s were upgraded to the new standard, designated MiG-31BS. Development of a more comprehensive advanced version, the MiG-31M, began in 1983 and first flew in 1986, but the collapse of the Soviet Union prevented it from entering full production. Since 1991 and especially since 2000, most of the existing aircraft have been upgraded to the MiG-31M standard, also adding some additional features like Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLONASS receivers, and three colour CRT MFDs in the rear cockpit. (In the VVS, aircraft designations are often repeated through the years; for example, the Su-35 'Flanker-E' and Su-37 'Flanker-F' are both designated "Su-27M".) It was the heaviest interceptor in the world, with a maximum takeoff weight on 56 tonnes. It was even heavier than a commercial Tu-134 which has a maximum takeoff weight of 49 tonnes. Several other variants have been developed, including a dedicated anti-satellite missile carrier, the MiG-31D; a similar satellite-launching aircraft, MiG-31A; a proposed multi-role version, MiG-31F; and a downgraded export version, MiG-31E; but most have not been built in any quantity, if at all. **Syrian Air Force had 8 MiG-31E aircraft on order, which have now been suspended indefinitely. According to Kommersant, the $400-500 million contract for the delivery of eight MiG-31E aircraft was signed in 2007. Since production of MiG-31E's had stopped in 1994, Syria was to receive retrofitted aircraft from Russia's Air Force reserves. There has been no official comment on the decision to freeze the contract, but an industry source quoted by the daily said the contract was terminated due to Damascus's financial problems. In the winter of 2005, Russia forgave 70% of Syria's debt, which at the time stood at $13.4 billion. After that Damascus still owed Moscow $3.6 billion. Later in the year, Russia resumed military cooperation with Syria, delivering, in particular, Strelets surface-to-air missile systems. Earlier this month, some Russian and foreign media reported Belarus was planning to sell S-300 surface-to-air missiles and Iskander tactical missile systems to Iran, and said that Tehran had arranged to transfer some of the systems to Syria. However, the Belarusian president denied the country had any plans to sell weapons to Syria or Iran.

Russia Sees No Problems On Air Defense System Sale To Belarus

Russia Sees No Problems On Air Defense System Sale To Belarus

(NSI News Source Info) MINSK - May 20, 2009: There are no problems with the sale of Tor-M2 and Buk-M2 air defense systems to Belarus, with only technical issues under discussion, the head of the Russian state-run arms exporter said on Tuesday. "Today, major problems at the negotiations have been resolved and the issues are being discussed from the technical viewpoint. Price guidelines are being determined," Rosoboronexport chief Anatoly Isaikin said at the opening of the MILEX 2009 arms exhibition in the Belarusian capital. Isaikin also said the issue of the purchase of S-400 advance missile systems by Belarus from Russia was being discussed by an inter-governmental commission and no decision had been made. Earlier in May, Rosoboronexport department head Valery Varlamov pointed to complex problems in the negotiations on the purchase by Belarus of Tor-M2 and Buk-M2 air defense systems. He also said that the issue of the purchase of advanced Iskander and S-400 missile systems could only be resolved at the political level. Belarus announced in February 2008 its intention to purchase S-400 air defense systems from Russia as part of the modernization of its armed forces. The Tor-M2 (NATO reporting name SA-15 Gauntlet) is a low to medium-altitude, short-range surface-to-air missile system designed for intercepting aircraft, cruise missiles, precision guided munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic targets. The Buk-M2 (NATO codename SA-17 Grizzly) is an upgraded version of the proven Buk-M1 mobile air defense system and retains its main features. It comprises a command post, a target acquisition radar, and up to 6 loader-launcher vehicles carrying four 9M38 ground-to-air missiles. The system has a target acquisition range of up to 50 km (31 miles), maximum target altitude around 25 km (82,000ft) and maximum target speed about Mach 4. The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and 2 1/2 times that of Russia's S-300PMU-2. The system is also believed to be able to destroy stealth aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, and is effective at ranges up to 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) and speeds up to 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) per second. The Iskander-E (SS-26 Stone), which is an export version of the Iskander-M missile system in service with the Russian army, is a tactical surface-to-surface missile complex designed to deliver high-precision strikes at a variety of ground targets at a range of up to 280 km (170 miles). It carries a single warhead with a payload of 400 kg to comply with the limits laid down by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).