DTN News: Russian Sukhoi Su-30MK Would Be A Potential Export Attraction As A Multirole Superiority Fighter Aircraft

DTN News: Russian Sukhoi Su-30MK Would Be A Potential Export Attraction As A Multirole Superiority Fighter Aircraft

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - May 24 2009: Russia is pushing its Su-30MK, the latest version of the Su/27/30 line of aircraft, as the most lethal air superiority fighter in service. This is part of a marketing effort to sell even more of an already popular aircraft. The Russians point out that the Su-30MK can fly as fast as the F-22, and is more maneuverable.

What the Russians play down is the fact that the F-22 can go very fast far longer (because of its "supercruise" engines) than the Su-30MK, and does not depend on acrobatic maneuverability for combat superiority. High maneuverability comes in handy for a close range dogfight, but the F-22 was designed to avoid that. The F-22 is harder to detect on radar than the Su-30MK, and has a superior radar (and electronics in general) as well, which enables the F-22 to spot the enemy first, and remain undetected long enough to fire missiles. The Su-30MK was designed for an earlier age, when the engine was the most complex and expensive component of the aircraft. Now it's electronics, and external components (that provide stealth and make the aircraft more difficult for radar to see). That's why the Su-30 is considered a 4th generation fighter, while the F-22 and F-35 are fifth generation. The only potential Su-30MK equipped U.S. opponent is China, which has a hundred of them. Many American commander believe F-16Cs, F-15Cs or F-18s, with experienced pilots, could handle the Su-30MK. In the past, Russian fighters have always done poorly against U.S. aircraft, and the Russians have always blamed inexperienced pilots. So the big question remains, will any potential foe manage to obtain modern fighters, and well trained pilots.

DTN News: India's New Government Of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Says To Speed Arms Purchase

DTN News: India's New Government Of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Says To Speed Arms Purchase

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - May 24 2009: India will soon hold field trials for the purchase of 126 fighter planes in a $10.4 billion contract that is one of the world's biggest current arms deals. Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin Corp's F-16, Russia's MiG-35, Sweden's Saab JAS-39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon, a consortium of British, German, Italian and Spanish companies, are in the race for the lucrative contract.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine canard-delta wing multirole aircraft. It is being designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS working through a holding company Eurofighter GmbH which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by NETMA (NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency) which acts as the prime customer. The series production of the Eurofighter Typhoon is underway, and the aircraft is being procured under three separate contracts (referred to as "tranches"), each for aircraft with successively greater capabilities. The aircraft has entered service with the British Royal Air Force, the German Luftwaffe, the Italian Air Force, the Spanish Air Force and the Austrian Air Force. Saudi Arabia has signed a £4.43 billion (approx. €6.4 billion c. 2007) contract for 72 aircraft. *Eurofighter Typhoon is one of the bidders of the $10.5 billion worth Indian MRCA Competition to supply the Indian Air Force with 126 'Multi-Role Combat Aircraft', alongside Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, SAAB Gripen, Mikoyan MiG-35, and F-16 Fighting Falcon. France's Dassault Aviation was knocked out last month on technical grounds, but could be back after answering queries related to its aircraft, a defence official said. "All the paperwork is over and a technical evaluation report on the fighters has been placed with the ministry," defence ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said. "Security concerns are a top priority of the government and things should start rolling once the new defence minister takes charge," he added. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was due to be sworn in for a second term on Friday and name the new defence minister in his cabinet. India increased its defence spending by nearly a quarter in 2009/10 to $28.9 billion. It is looking to spend more than $30 billion over the next five years to modernise its largely Soviet-era weapons systems. A defence team from India will visit Russia next month to speed up delivery of the aircraft carrier Gorshkov for induction into the Indian Navy by 2012. Please feel free to distribute this DTN News Report to friends or repost to your Web site linking to http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/ **Special note - Thanks Monsoon for your observation. Kind regards

DTN News: Embraer Takes The Phenom 100 For The First Time To CBAA In Canada

DTN News: Embraer Takes The Phenom 100 For The First Time To CBAA In Canada

(NSI News Source Info) São José dos Campos - May 24 2009: Embraer will participate in the 48th Annual Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) Convention, Trade Show, and Static Display, in Montreal, Canada, May 27-29.

The Company has displayed the full-scale mock-up of its new entry level jet in previous years, and will now showcase the actual Phenom 100 for the first time in Canada, alongside the super midsize Legacy 600.

On Thursday, May 28, at 3:00 p.m., Embraer will host a press briefing on its comprehensive Executive Jets aircraft portfolio and a program update on the Phenom 300, the Legacy 450, and the Legacy 500 at the Media Corner in the Skyservice Business Aviation hangar, near Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), in Montreal, Canada. “The Canadian debut of the Phenom 100 marks an important milestone in Embraer’s introduction of its all-new entry level jet,” states Ernest Edwards, Vice President, Marketing and Sales USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean – Executive Jets. “Embraer is continuing to fulfill its declared commitment to become a major player in the business jet market.” The state-of-the-art Phenom 100 is the result of a clean-sheet design, coupled with Embraer’s impressive experience and history of building commercial, military, and executive aircraft. Launched in 2005, the entry level jet achieved full Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification in December 2008, followed by the first deliveries. The aircraft met or surpassed all of its original design targets: the projected range of 1,160 nautical miles (2,148 km) increased to 1,178 nautical miles (2,182 km), an optional enhanced performance package decreased takeoff distance by 375 feet (114 meters), landing distance was reduced by 301 feet (92 meters), and its top speed is 10 knots faster than originally announced.

DTN News: Israeli Air Force Conducts War Games / Israeli Air Force Holds Exercise Simulating War With Iran

DTN News: Israeli Air Force Conducts War Games / Israeli Air Force Holds Exercise Simulating War With Iran

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM - May 24 2009: Israel recently ran an air force exercise, to practice deploying combat and transport aircraft and helicopters for a simultaneous war with Hamas in the south, and Hezbollah in the north. Israel frequently runs large scale air force exercises. These are hard to miss. Israel is only 424 kilometers long, and 114 kilometers wide.

Soldiers prepare an Israeli air force F-16 fighter jet for take off at Hatzerim air base, southern Israel.

Put several hundred jet fighters into the air for a day, and it will be noticed, and noted. In the last three years, the air force has been in the air a lot more often for these training exercises. The air force was deeply embarrassed by its inability to perform as promised in the 2006 war in southern Lebanon. Thus it made a lot of changes before going after Hamas in Gaza in late 2008. Most people only noted the massive surprise attack, with dozens of targets taken out within three minutes by Israeli warplanes. That was an impressive example of precision bombing. But when the Israeli ground troops entered Gaza ten days later, other air force innovations were largely invisible to the public. Since 2006, the air force has made radical changes in the way it coordinates its operations with the ground forces. To do this it mobilized dozens of older (some retired) fighter pilots and used them to staff air support coordination detachments at brigade headquarters. These officers were in turn supported by new technology that provided the air support coordination officers, and the army commanders they supported, with more real time video from UAVs and aircraft. The objective of all this was to increase the speed and accuracy of smart bombs and missiles hitting targets the army wanted taken out. The air force tracked targets outside areas where Israeli ground troops were operating, and trained to find, and keep tabs on, key Hamas personnel and weapons (like rockets), and hit them when there weren't many (preferably any) civilians around. Each brigade also had its own attack helicopter squadron, which the brigade commander could use any way he saw fit. But he also had in his headquarters, an experienced attack helicopter pilot to advise on how best to use the gunships. Again, the idea was to use aircraft and helicopters more quickly and accurately. Unlike 2006, the air force no longer underestimates the enemy. That's largely because the air force has regularly been carrying out attacks in Gaza for the last two years, in response to Hamas attacks, usually with rockets, on Israel. The "Gaza War" operations were simply an expansion of that, doing more attacks in a shorter period of time, and in closer coordination with the army. The air force also has some new tactics just for Hezbollah, but those are not talked about much. The core combat power of the Israeli Air Force is found in 24 F-15E and over 300 F-16 fighter bombers. The older F-16s are all being upgraded to the F-16I standard. There are also 37 AH-64 helicopter gunships, and several hundred trainers, transports and other support aircraft and helicopters.

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DTN News: Russia TODAY May 24, 2009 - Police Discovered Large Arms Cache In Chechnya

DTN News: Russia TODAY May 24, 2009 - Police Discovered Large Arms Cache In Chechnya

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - May 24 2009: Police have found a large cache of weapons hidden in a forest in Russia's troubled North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, a local police source said on Sunday. The arms cache was discovered on Saturday near the village of Chishki in the Grozny district, the source told RIA Novosti. The cache contained a flame thrower, two grenade launchers, three machine guns and three Kalashnikov assault rifles. Cars with Russian and Chechnyan flags are parked in line in central Grozny during celebrations of the lifting of security regime. Russia lifted a decade-long security regime in Chechnya, in a move likely to bolster the power of the region's Kremlin-backed leader. A portion of the arms was destroyed on the spot, as the hideout appeared to be mined, the source said. A pupil of Suvorov military boarding school, right, look at special forces officers marching in full combat gear during the annual Victory Day parade in the provincial capital Grozny, Saturday, May 9, 2009. The Heart of Chechnya giant mosque is seen in the background. The purpose of the Suvorov schools, which take their 15-year-old pupils for two years, is to prepare teenagers for admission to military colleges. Russia recently ended a federal counter terrorism operation after two bloody wars in the republic. However the separatist rebels still stage frequent attacks in Chechnya despite increased stability in the southern region under Kadyrov. Militant attacks and clashes remain common in Russia's North Caucasus although the Kremlin campaign to fight separatists and terrorists in Chechnya has officially ended. Violence often spills over into nearby republics, in particular Ingushetia and Daghestan.

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DTN News: Taliban Would Use Any Means Including Chemical Weapons To Achieve Its Object

DTN News: Taliban Would Use Any Means Including Chemical Weapons To Achieve Its Object

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL - May 24 2009: In Afghanistan, the Taliban have been caught, at least 38 times, using white phosphorus (for 80 years used in combat for generating smoke, light and fires) as a weapon.

This is illegal, because as a weapon, white phosphorus becomes chemical weapon, which is illegal according to international treaty (which the Taliban have not signed, but no matter.) White phosphorus creates smoke (to hide troops from enemy view) and light (to illuminate the battlefield) because it burns very hot and fast. The Taliban have obtained 82mm mortar shells and 107mm rockets containing white phosphorus warheads. Both these weapons are of Russian design and are manufactured in places like Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran.

The Taliban thus have easy access to these white phosphorus munitions via gunrunners and corrupt soldiers. The white phosphorus warheads are sometimes used as part of roadside bombs, but are more often fired at military or civilian targets. Since white phosphorus causes nasty burns, it is useful in terrorizing civilians.

The Taliban has to do this a lot to prevent civilians from telling police where the terrorists are and what they are up to.

DTN News: Indonesia TODAY May 24, 2009 - Former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri At A Rally In Jakarta

DTN News: Indonesia TODAY May 24, 2009 - Former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri At A Rally In Jakarta

(NSI News Source Info) JAKARTA - May 24, 2009: Former Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri, head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and her running mate, former military general and head of the Gerindra Party, Prabowo Subianto, raise their hands during their presidential proclamation at a rubbish dump in Bantar Gebang, near Jakarta on May 24, 2009.

The two addressed an estimated 50,000 supporters, most wearing the party's red, crowded into a one-hectare lot amid the stench of rubbish at a waste disposal site on the outskirts of Jakarta.

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DTN News: U.S. Commits To Patriot Missile Deal With Poland / U.S. To Abide By Patriot Missile Deal With Poland

DTN News: U.S. Commits To Patriot Missile Deal With Poland / U.S. To Abide By Patriot Missile Deal With Poland

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 24, 2009: The United States confirmed Thursday it still plans deploy a Patriot missile battery to Poland, regardless of what happens with plans for a European leg of the US missile defense shield. Patriot upgrades continue, with the most recent being new software known as PDB-6 (PDB standing for "Post Deployment Build"). This software will allow configuration 3 units to discriminate targets of all types, to include anti-radiation missile carriers, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles. The PAC-3 missile is currently undergoing testing for a significant new upgrade, currently referred to as "MSE" or "Missile Segment Enhancement". The upgrade includes a new fin design and a new, more powerful rocket engine. The modification is alleged to increase the operational capability of the current PAC-3 missile up to 50% and is scheduled to be added to all existing PAC-3 missile stores by 2008. Lockheed Martin has proposed an air launched variant of the PAC 3 missile for use on the F-15C. Other aircraft, such as the F-22 and P-8A Poseidon have also been proposed. Further upgrades to the dual-TWT radar set, the JTIDS uplink, and the system's processors and memory are scheduled to take place in the next few years. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said President Barack Obama was "committed to carrying out the terms" of a security agreement signed last year with Poland. "We're committed to supporting Poland's defense needs, including NATO inter-operability," Kelly said. "We remain committed to, specifically to rotating in a battery, a Patriot battery." Poland had made deployment of a Patriot air defense battery a condition for the deployment of elements of the US missile defense system in its territory. But Kelly stressed that the agreement with the Poles was "independent" of plans to deploy 10 long-range interceptor missiones in Poland by the end of 2012, and a powerful targeting radar in the Czech Republic -- a project Russia vehemently opposes. In April, US President Barack Obama said he would move forward with the missile defense plan developed by the previous administration as long as a missile threat from Iran persists. But he said the system must be cost-effective and proven to work. In Warsaw, Polish deputy defense minister Stanislaw Komorowski said a battery of 96 Patriot surface-to-air missiles will be deployed in Poland before the end of the year, if the two countries reach an agreement on the legal status of US forces in Poland. "Everything indicates that we will be able to conclude negotiations in July," he said. "That would leave enough time for a Patriot battery and about 100 US soldiers to be deployed in Poland by the end of the year."

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ITT Awarded $11.4 Million Contract To Provide Night Vision Technology To The United States Special Operations Command / ITT To Provide State-Of-The-Ar

ITT Awarded $11.4 Million Contract To Provide Night Vision Technology To The United States Special Operations Command / ITT To Provide State-Of-The-Art Night Vision Technology

(NSI News Source Info) ROANOKE, Va - May 24, 2009: ITT Corporation has been awarded an $11.4 million contract to supply image intensification tubes for existing night vision goggles to the United States Special Operations Command. Under this contract, ITT's Night Vision business will provide Generation (Gen) 3 thin-filmed Pinnacle® tubes that the U.S. military has recognized as the most advanced night vision technology available, producing the clearest, sharpest night vision image for U.S. warfighters. "ITT's Gen 3 night vision technology gives operators the tactical advantage they need to safely execute critical precision nighttime missions that support the strategic interests of the U.S. and its allies," said Mike Hayman, president of ITT's Night Vision business. "We are committed to supplying U.S. and allied warfighters with the world's best night vision technology, and we are particularly honored to be the supplier of choice for our special operating forces." Night vision goggles with Gen 3 image intensifying tubes have the ability to detect available light with more than 10 times the power of previous generations. They are designed for use in all night vision systems that use inverting tubes including aviation goggle, ground systems and weapon sights. The tube inverts the image received from the optical lens 180 degrees. This eliminates the need for the eyepiece to perform this function, saving size and weight for the warfighter. ITT's Night Vision business, based in Roanoke, Va., is the world's leading developer, producer and supplier of head- and helmet-mounted night vision solutions and image intensifiers for U.S. and allied military forces, as well as the homeland security market. ITT has served the U.S. military with premier research, development, production and logistics for analog and digital fusion solutions for 50 years. ITT delivered its one millionth Gen 3 image intensification tube in 2007. To learn more, visit http://www.nightvision.com/. About ITT Corporation ITT Corporation is a high-technology engineering and manufacturing company operating on all seven continents in three vital markets: water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. With a heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver extraordinary solutions that create more livable environments, provide protection and safety and connect our world. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated 2008 sales of 11.7 billion. http://www.itt.com/

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DTN News: President Barack Obama Invites Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to U.S.; They Pledge Cooperation on Economy

DTN News: President Barack Obama Invites Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to U.S.; They Pledge Cooperation on Economy

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 24, 2009: President Barack Obama invited Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Washington D.C., and the two pledged to work together to tackle global terrorism and the economic slowdown, the U.S. embassy in India said. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, second left, takes oath as Prime Minister for a second term from the Indian President Pratibha Patil, left, in New Delhi, India, Friday, May 22, 2009. Patil, dressed in an elaborate white green and gold sari, administered the oath of office to Singh and his core Cabinet in a formal ceremony in New Delhi's imposing red-stone presidential palace. Seated front right to left are the ruling United Progressive Alliance leaders A.K Antony, P. Chidambaram and Mamata Banerjee, who were later sworn in as Cabinet Ministers. Obama called Singh yesterday to congratulate him on being sworn in for a second term as India’s prime minister, and issued the invitation during the call, the embassy said in an e-mailed statement. Obama held his first face-to-face meeting with Singh in London during the Group of 20 summit in April. The two leaders “discussed their mutual desire to strengthen U.S.-India relations, and work together to address common global challenges, such as the economic downturn, climate change, and counterterrorism,” the U.S. embassy said. Singh took the oath of office as India’s prime minister for a second five-year term on May 22 after his Congress party-led alliance scored the nation’s biggest election win in two decades.

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