Sunday, November 29, 2009

DTN News: Are The EU And Russia Becoming The New Global Power?

DTN News: Are The EU And Russia Becoming The New Global Power?
*Source: DTN News / Huntington County Political Buzz Examiner ~ Mark Shoffner
(NSI News Source Info) Huntington County, Indiana - November 30, 2009: Russian President, Dmitry Medvdev, has sent a security proposal to European security agencies, including NATO and the EU. The draft calls for all nations that agree, to the final writing, will follow the principle “indivisible, equal and undiminished security”. The proposal includes these few ideas of joint security. “That parties do not undertake, support or participate in actions that can jeopardize the security of another party to the treaty". The sides also agree not to allow the use of its territory with the purpose of attacking their partners.
The draft suggests that every party to the agreement is entitled to consider any attack on another party in a treaty as attack against itself.“In exercising its right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, it shall be entitled to render the attacked Party, subject to its consent, the necessary assistance, including the military one, until the UN Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security,” the draft says.
It also stipulated that the treaty should be open for signature by all states and international organizations of the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian space, including the European Union, NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and also the Commonwealth of Independent States.” (http://www.rt.com/Politics/2009-11-29/security-treaty-draft-medvedev.html) President Medvedev said about the draft, “The initiative remains topical. Russia is ready to discuss different editions of this draft and to listen to proposals of our partners”. This statement gave after a question about the European Union's reforms.
Former member of the European Parliament, Giulietto Chiesa said, “The Russian draft of a European security treaty is a good platform to begin discussion. Another question is to understand if Europe – I mean the European Union and the rest of the European countries – are prepared to begin this discussion. It is a very broad issue.”
To reassure the international community, Mikhail Troitsky, a political analyst at Moscow State University of International Relations said, “The European security treaty proposed by Russia is by no means an alliance, but rather a mechanism to resolve conflicts.”
But an editorial by Pravda writer, Natalia Serova, brings this assessment into question. In her article, she mentions the fact of the growing association between the U.S. And China “Europe needs to get rid of America’s influence because the latter plans to betray its old-time partners for the sake of the new partnership – with China. The Washington-Beijing axis is a real threat, and Europe will be able to handle it only if it joins forces with Russia.” As well as Russia using its influence with Italy to push forward an agenda of the EU not aiding in military actions set into motion by the politicians in Washington. (http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/110792-1/)

DTN News: Japan And US Had Secret Nuclear Pact

DTN News: Japan And US Had Secret Nuclear Pact *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) TOKYO, Japan - November 29, 2009: The credibility of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party in Japan has sunk lower after revelations about secret deals between Washington and Tokyo about the presence of nuclear weapons on Japanese soil. For decades, authorities had denied that nuclear weapons were allowed in Japan. It now appears the LDP party, while it was in power, had a pact to allow the US to stockpile and transport nuclear weapons on Japanese soil. Declassified documents have shown that secret deals between Washington and Tokyo took place with regards to the presence of the nuclear weapons. Since 1960, the government led by the Liberal Democratic Party repeatedly denied that nuclear weapons were ever present in Japan or that any agreement existed to that effect. The National Security Archives in Washington released declassified telegrams in October, with details of US nuclear weapons policy in Okinawa and other parts of Japan between the 1950s and 1972. They show that when Japan and the United States renewed their mutual security treaty in 1960, the principle was established that if US ships and planes carried nuclear weapons they could only enter Japanese waters or air space with prior consultation. In the wake of the two atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese people were strongly opposed to the presence of nuclear weapons on Japanese soil, but in 1972, just before Okinawa was put back under Japanese control, the leaders of both countries agreed that for the defence of countries in the Far East including Japan, in time of great emergency, the United States Government would require the re-entry of nuclear weapons and transit rights in Okinawa. A secret document signed by the leaders said the Government of Japan would meet the requirements without delay, if suitable prior consultation was made.

DTN News: Astute Nuclear Powered Attack Submarine Leaves For Sea Trials

DTN News: Astute Nuclear Powered Attack Submarine Leaves For Sea Trials *Source: DTN News / BAE Systems (NSI News Source Info) Barrow-in-Furness, UK - November 29, 2009: The first of class Astute nuclear powered attack submarine left BAE Systems’ shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness for the first stage of sea trials designed to prove its capability as the most formidable vessel of its kind ever operated by the Royal Navy. BAE Systems is building three Astute Class nuclear-powered attack submarines for the UK Royal Navy. Astute is now on her way to Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde at Faslane where she will be based for her operational life. BAE Systems Submarine Solutions Managing Director John Hudson said: “The first of class Astute submarine successfully departed Barrow for sea trials on Sunday 15 November.“After leaving Ramsden Dock early Sunday morning, Astute began the journey to HMNB Clyde at Faslane. “I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank every single person in the business who have played their part in helping deliver the boat, in particular the Dockside Test Organisation and Astute team who have been an absolute strength over the past few months.”During the transit from Barrow to Scotland, Astute is scheduled to start a period of sea trials that will continue for many months. For much of that time the Royal Navy crew will be accompanied on board by BAE Systems engineers and technicians who will work alongside them to monitor and measure every element of the submarine’s performance against the design parameters.BAE Systems will also have personnel based at Faslane to deliver the initial in-service support for the submarine.Astute is the most advanced attack submarine ever supplied to the Royal Navy, incorporating the latest stealth technology combined with a world class sonar system and equipped with Spearfish torpedoes and state of the art Tomahawk land attack missiles to make her a supremely effective naval asset.Astute is designed to fulfil a range of key strategic and tactical roles including anti-ship and anti-submarine operations, surveillance and intelligence gathering and support for land forces. Displacing 7,400 tonnes and measuring 97 metres from bow to propulsor, Astute is significantly larger than the Swiftsure and Trafalgar class submarines that she will replace but requires fewer crew to operate her due to the advanced technology and automated systems on board.That technology encompasses many innovations designed to improve operational effectiveness while also reducing costs to help achieve the affordability challenges facing the Ministry of Defence. The 2076 Sonar system is the most effective in the world, giving Astute a key tactical advantage in locating and identifying other vessels, while the stealth characteristics of the submarine design make it the quietest the Navy has ever operated, enabling it to avoid detection and fulfil its role within the ‘Silent Service’, as submarines are known.Unlimited power is provided by the pressurised water nuclear reactor that is capable of powering a city the size of Southampton, and the Astute is capable of remaining submerged and circumnavigating the globe during a 90-day patrol, creating her own air and fresh water from the ocean. Astute is equipped with a digital optical mast system to replace the traditional periscope and this offers low light and infra-red capabilities to enable her to rapidly capture and analyse visual data, and share it with other fleet assets.Luxury is not a word that normally appears in the submarine vocabulary – Astute is all about operational capability – but her crew will be the first to each have their own bunk, removing the need for ‘hot bunking’ when during shifts one crewman would occupy a bunk vacated by another. Astute also has a comparatively large and extremely well-equipped galley to ensure the meals that punctuate the round the clock watch system are of the highest standard. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is the premier global defence, 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. BAE Systems Related News....for full stories click on the links below ~ BAE Systems to showcase defence and aerospace products at LIMA 2009 27 Nov ~ Technology to combat piracy in the high seas 27 Nov ~ BAE Systems Hawk AJT creates a buzz at RAF Valley 27 Nov ~ Further BAE Systems Bae 146 success in Indonesia 27 Nov ~ BAE Systems Strengthens Its Global Maritime Business 27 Nov

DTN News: Raytheon's Rolling Airframe Missile Completes Key Flight Tests

DTN News: Raytheon's Rolling Airframe Missile Completes Key Flight Tests *Source: DTN News / Raytheon (NSI News Source Info) TUCSON, Ariz., - November 29, 2009: Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Rolling Airframe Missile Block 2 successfully completed three instrumented test vehicle flights between April and October designed to demonstrate the system's upgraded kinematic capabilities. The tests focused on RAM's rocket motor, airframe, control section and autopilot software. Raytheon will build 35 Block p missiles during the design and development test period and expects a low rate initial production contract will follow. The RAM Block 2 upgrade includes a four-axis independent control actuator system and an improved rocket motor with a 30 percent increase in propellant. These and other upgrades increase the missile's effective range and deliver a significant improvement in maneuverability. The improved missile also incorporates an upgraded passive radio frequency seeker, a digital autopilot and engineering changes in selected infrared seeker components. "Block 2 will allow RAM to control the battlespace against emerging and more maneuverable anti-ship cruise missile threats," said Frank Wyatt, Raytheon's vice president of Naval Weapon Systems. "This improved system is one of the most advanced kinematic missiles in the world and sets the standard for performance and control system technology." RAM is a supersonic, lightweight, quick reaction, fire-and-forget missile providing defense against anti-ship cruise missiles, helicopter and airborne threats, and hostile surface craft. The missile's autonomous dual-mode, passive radio frequency and infrared guidance design provides a high-firepower capability for engaging multiple threats simultaneously. Produced in partnership by Raytheon and RAMSYS of Germany, RAM is aboard nearly 100 ships as an integral self-defense weapon for the navies of the United States, Germany, Greece, Korea, Egypt, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide. Raytheon Company Related News....for full stories click on the links below Nov 23, 2009 Raytheon Awarded $241 Million for Zumwalt Software Development Nov 20, 2009 ThalesRaytheonSystems Delivers First New AN/TPQ-46B Radar to U.S. Marines Nov 19, 2009 Raytheon-Developed Unmanned Ground Control System Completes Major Milestone Nov 18, 2009 Raytheon and Xceedium Partner To Protect Critical Infrastructures Against Insider and External Threats Nov 17, 2009 Raytheon Selected to Supply Surveillance Systems for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Nov 16, 2009 Raytheon Completes Critical Design Review for CVN 78's Dual Band Radar Nov 16, 2009 TALON Laser-Guided Rocket Team Completes Environmental Test Flights Nov 15, 2009 Three Arab Nations Purchase Raytheon AMRAAM Nov 15, 2009 Raytheon Awarded $20 Million for Spares to Support Upgraded Kuwait Patriot Radar Systems Nov 12, 2009 Raytheon awarded $197 million for LPD 17 program Nov 10, 2009 Raytheon to Provide Cybersecurity Across Department of Defense Networks Nov 09, 2009 Raytheon Eyes International Contract Award for its F-16 AESA Radar

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Super Hercules Deliveries Strengthen USAF and USMC Fleets

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Super Hercules Deliveries Strengthen USAF and USMC Fleets *Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin (NSI News Source Info) MARIETTA, Ga., - November 29, 2009: Demonstrating the increase in the C-130J build and delivery rate, Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] simultaneously delivered two C-130Js on Nov. 19 to two different customers – a C-130J to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and a KC-130J to the U.S. Marine Corps.The Lockheed Martin C-130 is the US Air Force principal tactical cargo and personnel transport aircraft, and the C-130J Hercules is the latest model, featuring a glass cockpit, digital avionics and a new propulsion system with a six-bladed propeller. The C-130 has been in continuous production since 1954 and over 2,300 Hercules have been built for 67 countries. The improvements built into the C-130J, which entered production in 1997, have enhanced the performance of the aircraft in terms of range, cruise ceiling time to climb, speed and airfield requirements. A stretched version, the C-130J-30 has been developed and is designated CC-130J by the USAF. The first C-130J-30 for the UK RAF (the launch customer) was delivered in November 1999. The C-130J entered active service with the USAF at Little Rock Air Force Base in April 2004 and was first deployed in December 2004. The first combat airdrop for the USAF was in July 2005. The US Air Mobility Command declared initial operating capability for the C-130J in October 2006. C-130J orders 186 C-130J and C-130J-30 aircraft have been ordered and over 150 delivered. Orders are : US Air Force, Air National Guard, Marine Corps and Coastguard (89 C-130J and C-130J-30 and 20 KC-130J tankers), UK (ten C-130J, 15 C-130J-30 all delivered), Italian Air Force (12 C-130J and ten C-130J-30 all delivered), Royal Australian Air Force (12 C-130J, all delivered), Kuwaiti Air Force (four C-130J-30) and the Danish Air Force (four C-130J-30 all delivered). In April 2004, the US Marine Corps formally accepted the first KC-130J tanker / transport into service. The aircraft was first deployed in combat in April 2005 in Iraq. By the end of 2006, 24 aircraft had been delivered. In December 2006, an additional order was placed for three C-130J-30 for the USAF and one KC-130J for the USMC, for delivery in 2010. In May 2007, India requested the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of six C-130J aircraft. The contract was placed in February 2008. In November 2007, Norway paced an order for the purchase of four C-130J aircraft. One aircraft was delivered in November 2008, one will be delivered in 2009 and two in 2010. In January 2008, Canada placed an order for 17 C-130J aircraft. First deliveries are planned for the end of 2010. In June 2008, the USAF ordered six HC/MC-130J special operations variants of the C-130J for delivery from 2011. In July 2008, the government of Israel requested the sale of nine C-130J-30 aircraft. Also in July 2008, Qatar ordered four C-130J-30 aircraft with deliveries to begin in 2011. In August 2008, Iraq requested the sale of six C-130J-30 aircraft. The USAFE C-130J was accepted by Brig. Gen. Mark C. “Marshal” Dillon, commander of the 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, and commander, Kaiserslautern Military Community, Germany. The KC-130J Tanker was accepted by a Marine Corps flight crew and will be based at VMGR-152, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. "Adding another C-130J is not a linear addition; it's geometric in terms of the capability of the airplane," Dillon said. "One plus one doesn't always equal two, sometimes it equals three or four because of the great capability of the C-130J. After spending the last two weeks at Little Rock Air Force Base and seeing the tremendous capability of the C-130J, it's just going to add capability to Ramstein, Europe and that part of the world – which our country needs and our European partners need." "Delivery of two aircraft to two customers in one day is a clear indication of the accelerating pace of the C-130J program," said Ross Reynolds, Lockheed Martin vice-president, C-130 programs. "The worldwide demand for this proven airlifter continues to grow and we are steadily increasing production to meet the demand." The Ramstein delivery represents the eighth C-130J for the base, which will receive 10 C-130Js by the end of 2009. Four more will be delivered in 2010. The KC-130J is the 36th of 46 aircraft on order to be delivered to the USMC. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 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. Lockheed Martin Related News....for full stories click on the links below ~ November 24, 2009 Van Meter Elected to Smart Grid Interoperability Panel Governing Board ~ November 23, 2009 Lockheed Martin Successfully Launches Intelsat 14 Spacecraft ~ November 20, 2009 Lockheed Martin Receives $17.8 Million Contract Award for A-10 Software Upgrade ~ November 18, 2009 Lockheed Martin Delivers First Set Of U.S. Customs & Border Protection P-3 Orion New Production Wings ~ November 18, 2009 Lockheed Martin Opens New Facility in South Australia ~ November 18, 2009 Lockheed Martin Tests Carbon Nanotube-Based Memory Devices ~November 18, 2009 U.S. Census Bureau and Lockheed Martin Open Data Processing and Call Center Facilities in Phoenix ~ November 17, 2009 Savi Announces New ‘Unwiredplanet’ Licensing Program For Wireless Sensor Networking ~ November 16, 2009 Lockheed Martin F-35B Flies To Maryland Test Site, Prepares For Vertical Landings

DTN News: Boeing Delivers 2 Wedgetail AEW&C Aircraft To Royal Australian Air Force

DTN News: Boeing Delivers 2 Wedgetail AEW&C Aircraft To Royal Australian Air Force *Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) RAAF BASE WILLIAMTOWN, New South Wales - November 29, 2009: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] Nov 26., delivered the first two Project Wedgetail 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). RAAF BASE WILLIAMTOWN, New South Wales, Nov. 26, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered two 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force. The aircraft, along with the Boeing-provided Operational Flight Trainer, Operational Mission Simulator and a Mission Planning System, will be used for familiarization training for flight, mission and maintenance crews. The aircraft were delivered during a ceremony at RAAF Base Williamtown, the main operating base for the Wedgetail fleet. Attending the ceremony were officials from the RAAF, the Defence Materiel Organisation and Boeing. Delivery of the two aircraft and utilization of the Boeing-provided Operational Flight Trainer, Operational Mission Simulator and Mission Support System allow the RAAF to begin familiarization training for flight, mission and maintenance crews. The trainer and the simulator are located at the Williamtown base's AEW&C Support Centre. Three additional Wedgetail aircraft will be delivered to the RAAF by the end of 2010, including one upgraded in the final AEW&C configuration with Electronic Support Measures (ESM). All aircraft in the Wedgetail fleet will be upgraded in the final configuration in early 2011. "Project Wedgetail represents a fundamental shift in airborne surveillance technology. Australia is leading the way with the most capable electronically scanned air surveillance radar and battle management system in the world," said Maureen Dougherty, Boeing vice president of the Airborne Early Warning and Control Program. "The worldwide surveillance marketplace has taken notice of Wedgetail's progress, and we're working with several customers to define their future requirements." Project Wedgetail includes six 737 AEW&C aircraft plus ground support segments for mission crew training, mission support and system maintenance. Based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 commercial airplane, the 737 AEW&C aircraft is designed to provide airborne battle-management capability with an advanced multirole electronically scanned radar and 10 state-of-the-art mission crew consoles that are able to track airborne and maritime targets simultaneously. The mission crew can direct offensive and defensive forces while maintaining continuous surveillance of the operational area. Boeing also has AEW&C systems in production for Turkey and the Republic of Korea. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.