Sunday, December 13, 2009

DTN News: Boeing Eyeing Over 30 Percent Share In Indian Defence Market

DTN News: Boeing Eyeing Over 30 Percent Share In Indian Defence Market
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - December 14, 2009: Vying for various military contracts from the country, global aviation major Boeing on Sunday said it was eyeing an over 30 per cent share in the $100 billion Indian defence market in the next 10 years. “Looking at the growing Indian defence market, Boeing currently sees a 10-year business potential of $31 billion for our company, which includes potential sales of fighter aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters and strategic lift aircraft,” Boeing Integrated Defence System India head Vivek Lall told PTI here. Boeing’s offerings to the Indian defence forces include its F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet fighters, Chinook heavy-lift choppers, Apache AH-64D attack helicopters and C-17 strategic lift aircraft. “These are all products that dovetail with India’s current defence requirements and which Boeing believes it can contribute in a positive way to the India’s defence modernisation drive,” he added. After the American companies also started to be considered for defence procurements in India, Boeing has been able to sell eight P-8I maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the Indian navy. The deal worth $2.1 billion was signed on January 1 this year. Mr. Lall said that Boeing would be investing USD 630 million in India as part of the mandatory offsets requirements of the Indian defence procurement procedure and has tied up with various Indian public and private sector companies for this. “We have signed contracts with various companies including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronic Corporation of India Limited to produce the indigenous equipment for the anti-submarine aircraft,” he added. Commenting on Boeing’s estimates about the Indian defence market and the opportunities here, Lall said, “Overall, the potential Indian defence market in these next 10 years could be as high as $100 billion, and we believe there are opportunities to partner with Indian private companies emerging into the defence business, to offer defence products and services that have both significant indigenous Indian content and significant international sales potential.” He added that Boeing’s focus in India was to forge long term partnerships with the Indian government and the industry. Commenting on company’s offsets plans for the M-MRCA deal, he said, “Boeing and our industrial partners for the Super Hornet in the US, have signed various MoUs with Indian companies and if selected by the Indian government, we will move further on them.” Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet is competing with five other contenders, including the French Dassault Rafale, Lockheed Martin’s F-16, Russian MiG-35, Swedish Saab Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon for supplying 126 multi role combat aircraft (MRCA) to the Indian Air Force

DTN News: Japan To Propose Fresh Talks On US base Relocation: Reports

DTN News: Japan To Propose Fresh Talks On US base Relocation: Reports
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) TOKYO, Japan - December 14, 2009: Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is to ask Washington for fresh talks to solve a festering row over a controversial US military base, reports said Sunday. U.S. Army soldiers chat near the Joint Tactical Ground Station, JTAGS , antenna, part of the missile defense initiative at Misawa Air Base in northern Japan. The U.S. military is closely monitoring activities in North Korea from its bases in Japan ahead of the expected launch of a long-range missile that could be capable of striking U.S. territory, officials said recently. The question of where to relocate an Okinawa island Marine Corps airbase has soured Washington-Tokyo ties since a new centre-left government took power in Japan in September. The request could further irritate the United States, which has pushed Japan to implement a 2006 pact under which the base would be moved from a city area to a coastal region of Okinawa, local media said. But Hatoyama wants to find a new location for Futenma Air Station after spending months studying the agreement, Jiji Press said, citing unnamed official sources. The scheduled base relocation, agreed while previous conservative governments were in power in both countries, is part of a wider agreement to rejig the American troop presence in Japan. Hatoyama wants to review the entire agreement, including speeding up a plan to transfer 8,000 US Marines from Okinawa to Guam, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. Hatoyama and some members of his coalition government, which came to power in September, have rankled US officials by announcing the review and remaining vague about their policy direction. The Japanese premier has left open the possibility of moving the base off the island or even out of the country, to lighten the burden on Okinawa, which hosts more than half of the 47,000 US troops based in Japan.

DTN News: Berlin Wants To Keep Submarine Maker In German Hands: Media Report

DTN News: Berlin Wants To Keep Submarine Maker In German Hands: Media Report
*Source: DTN News / Navy Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) BERLIN, Germany - December 14, 2009: The German government is pushing to prevent foreign investors buying a majority stake in submarine maker Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), the Spiegel weekly reported on Sunday.
Representatives from the German economy ministry were in talks with two German companies that have expressed an interest in HDW, which is currently owned by steelmaker ThyssenKrupp, Spiegel said, without naming its sources. Also involved in the talks is Abu Dhabi MAR, which owns interests in other European shipyards and which is eyeing a minority stake in HDW, Spiegel said. HDW specalises in submarines powered by fuel cells and has supplied navies around the world, including Israel's. Because of the firm's sensitive area of business, a sale of the company would require government approval. Thomas Kossendey, state secretary in the defence ministry, told an industry conference in September that Berlin wanted to ensure that the design and construction of military vessels "stayed in German hands."

DTN News: Ukraine Rearms Iraqis

DTN News: Ukraine Rearms Iraqis
*Source: Strategy Page
(NSI News Source Info) KIEV, Ukraine - December 14, 2009: In a deal brokered by the United States, Ukraine will be selling $2.4 billion worth of weapons to Iraq. Most of these will be of Russian design, which many Iraqi military personnel are familiar with. Ukraine has, and still manufactures, lots of Russian designed weapons. Ukraine split from the Soviet Union (and Russia) in 1991 when the Soviet Union was dissolved.
Many Soviet weapons plants were in Ukraine, as well as huge quantities of military equipment. That's because Ukraine was the forward staging area for Soviet forces that were to invade Western Europe, or defend against NATO. Ukraine inherited whatever was on its territory when the dissolution took place. Ukraine has kept some of those weapons plants going by becoming the low-cost provider of new Russian designed weapons (and now much of those have been updated by Ukrainian engineers.) While friendly with the United States, Ukraine has also cultivated good relations with China, by quietly sending the Chinese examples of advanced Soviet weapons (including some that never went into mass production).
Ukraine wants to be on good terms with the U.S. and China because of the fear that Russian will try to make Ukraine, once more, part of Russia. This first happened in the 17th century, and the Ukrainians never got used to it.
Actually, Ukraine had been dismembered before that by Poles, Lithuanians and Mongols. Thus Ukraine is enjoying its first period of real independence in over 500 years. They want to keep it that way.
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DTN News: China Launches Yaogan 7 Remote-Sensing Satellite

DTN News: China Launches Yaogan 7 Remote-Sensing Satellite *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) JIUQUAN, China- December 14, 2009: China launched Wednesday a remote-sensing satellite, "Yaogan VII," from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province. The satellite was successfully launched into the space on a Long March 2D carrier rocket at 4:42 p.m., the center reported. It will be mainly used for scientific experiment, land resources survey, crop yield estimates and disaster prevention and reduction, according to the center. The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. The rocket was designed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, also under the corporation. The flight was the 120th of the Long March series of carrier rockets. The satellite's predecessor, "Yaogan VI," was launched in April, from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province. "Yaogan V" was launched last December, also from Taiyuan. "Yaogan IV" was also launched last December from Jiuquan and "Yaogan III" from Taiyuan in November 2007. "Yaogan I" and "Yaogan II" satellites were launched in April 2006 and May 2007, respectively.

DTN News: South African Air Force (SAAF) Atlas Oryx Multirole Utility Helicopter ~ Feature Topic

DTN News: South African Air Force (SAAF) Atlas Oryx Multirole Utility Helicopter ~ Feature Topic *Source: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) CAPE TOWN, South Africa - December 14, 2009: A multirole medium size utility helicopter, Atlas Oryx is manufactured by Denel Aerospace Systems for the South African Air Force (SAAF). Based in South Africa, Denel Aerospace (formerly known as Atlas Aircraft Corporation) is a division of Denel (Pyt), one of the biggest manufacturers of defence equipment in the country. Oryx is an 8t helicopter with three cockpit crew seats, 16 troop seats or up to 12 VIP seats. It comes in single-pilot (visual flight rules) and dual-pilot (instrument flight rules) versions. Oryx is an 8t helicopter with three cockpit crew seats, 16 troop seats or up to 12 VIP seats. Oryx was first launched in 1991 as a transport helicopter for the SAAF. It can accommodate a crew of three members, 20 fully equipped troops or six wounded personnel on stretchers with four attendants. Oryx can carry 6,000kg of cargo on the external sling or 3,600kg of freight in the cabin. On 10 May 2007, Denel Aviation received Eurocopter accreditation, which will allow Denel Aviation's maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facility to provide dynamic components of the Oryx aircraft in South Africa as well as the African continent. The accreditation also provides complete access and exposure to international best practices. Upgrade programme Denel Aviation is planning to upgrade the on-board communication and navigation systems of Oryx helicopters under SAAF's Drummer project launched in 2008. The Drummer is a mid-life upgrade programme to extend the service life of 40 Oryx helicopters in the SAAF's inventory. "Atlas Oryx is manufactured by Denel Aerospace Systems for the South African Air Force (SAAF)." The upgrade will include alteration and installation of new on-board equipment, creation of an interface between the old and new technologies in the helicopter, development of software for the new navigation computers and final flight testing. Denel Aviation will perform initial flight test in late 2009. The Armaments Corporation of South Africa (ARMSCOR) and the SAAF have agreed on a communication and navigation systems baseline. The prototype aircraft installation phase is due to begin soon. Denel Aviation's helicopter MRO division will test all upgrades on the helicopter avionics engineering simulator before fitting it to the actual aircraft so as to ensure proper functionality and safety. Oryx design The Oryx helicopter is an upgraded version of Aerospatiale Puma, a transport and utility helicopter equivalent to the Eurocopter Super Puma, a medium-sized utility helicopter. Oryx provides higher performance and efficiency compared with the original and reduces the operating costs by 25% to 30%. The mean time between failures (MTBF) is also higher for the Oryx. The basic airframe of the Oryx is similar to that of Puma helicopter. The external structure was upgraded with a new tailboom which is 50cm bigger than the Puma. The fuselage of the Oryx is longer than that of Puma and shorter than that of Super Puma. The structure of the Oryx was altered with the use of carbon-composite materials which are lighter and tougher. Use of carbon-composite materials has also increased the Oryx's performance and manoeuvrability. The Oryx is equipped with powerplants, dynamics systems such as main and tail gearboxes and the Super Puma's tailboom. A 50m hydraulic hoist is also installed in the Oryx to perform search and rescue operations efficiently. The various missions carried out by the Oryx include medium to heavy transport and communications, rapid deployment of task force, and search and rescue functions. The helicopter is employed by the South African Navy for transport, force multiplication, and search and rescue operations. It is also used for replenishment at sea, reconnaissance and medical evacuation (six stretchers plus two attendants seated). Cockpit and avionics The helicopter is fitted with advanced avionics suite including a GPS / INS navigation system and weather radar with mapping facility. It is also equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation in a semi-glass cockpit. The Oryx cockpit is night vision goggle (NVG) compatible. Oryx is also equipped with locally manufactured radio which is used for ground communications. Variants Oryx has four variants: Oryx, Oryx M, Oryx M1 and Oryx M2. The basic Oryx variant is used by inland squadrons. The Oryx M (maritime version) variant is principally used in coastal environment by the 15 Squadron in Durban. A floatation gear and marine band radios were installed in this variant. Oryx M is painted with full gloss white and Akzo Matt schemes. "Oryx was first launched in 1991 as a transport helicopter for the South African Air Force." The third variant, the Oryx M1, is an upgraded version of the Oryx M. 22 Squadron in Cape Town uses this variant for shipborne roles. It is equipped with main rotor blade folding and control stick immobilisation. Oryx M2, the fourth variant, is derived from the M1 version. It is principally used in cold regions such as Marion and Gough Island, as well as in Antarctica by the 22 Squadron. The M2 variant has ice detection, anti-icing and de-icing capabilities and is equipped with cockpit foot warmers, MATAIR radios, all windscreen de-icing and wiping, maritime transponders and 40 KVA alternators. Different features were added to the Oryx helicopters over the years to serve various functions. A big log periodic antenna on the starboard side was installed in the first variant of the Oryx. An electronic warfare version equipped with Grinaker systems Technologies (GST) and GSY 1501 jamming systems is one variant of the helicopter. The EW platform can interrupt communication during air, land and sea battles. Another variant of the Oryx featured dome shaped antennas which were substituted for the main cabin door. The Oryx mk1 variant is primarily used for firefighting, search and rescue operations in open water. The helicopter is fitted with the Bambi water bucket for firefighting missions and flotation gear kit for performing search and rescue operations. The flotation gear includes a strut attached between the fuselage and sponson for rendering extra support during the search and rescue mission. The Oryx mk1 played a key role in search and rescue operations during the 2000 Mozambique floods. Two Oryx mk2 helicopters were built for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, as part of South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP). The two helicopters were modified with de-icing equipment for performing operations in the southern ocean and Antarctic. The helicopter was painted in a high visual red and white colour scheme. Oryx will be updated with the full glass-cockpit in the near future. Current upgrades include threat warning receivers and flare dispensers. Performance "The Oryx helicopter is an upgraded version of Aerospatiale Puma, a transport and utility helicopter." The Oryx works more efficiently in higher temperatures and altitudes than are normally found in South Africa. It can climb at the rate of 915m a minute. The maximum take-off weight is 8,400kg. The maximum speed is 320km/h and the service ceiling is 7,162m. It has a combat range of 303nm and a ferry range of 1,080nm. Engine The Oryx helicopter is powered by two Turbomeca Makila 1A1 turboshaft engines. Each engine has a 1,877shp output power capacity. The engine contains five modules for easier maintenance. Its time between overhauls (TBO) is 3,000 hours. Weapons The Oryx is equipped with two door-mounted 7.62mm Mitrailleuse d'Appui General (MAG) light machine guns. It is a general-purpose machine gun manufactured by Fabrique Nationale (FN) and designed by Ernest Vervier in the early 1950s. The gun weighs around 11.79kg with a length of 1,263mm and width of 118.7mm. The gun has a height of 263mm and barrel length of 630mm. It has the capacity to fire up to a range of 800m at 840m a second velocity.

DTN News: USAF Receives First Funding For LAAR Aircraft Programme

DTN News: USAF Receives First Funding For LAAR Aircraft Programme *Source: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) - December 14, 2009: The US Air Force has received initial funding of $2bn to purchase 100 light attack armed reconnaissance (LAAR) aircraft for carrying out asymmetric operations. The LAAR programme, to be operational in 2013 – a year after the start of initial deliveries – will include propeller-driven aircraft, fitted with hardpoints for light support weapons. The LAAR aircraft will carry a targeting pod and is capable of independently engaging targets to reduce the sensor-to-shooter timeline. It will be procured under the OA-X programme and will operate as a forward air controller, with voice, video and data-links, and will reduce operating costs to nearly $1,000 per flying hour. One or two podded 7.62mm mini-guns, two 500lb (227kg) guided-munitions, 2×0.75in rocket projectiles, and the AGM-114N Hellfire air-to-ground missile will be part of the air-to-ground weapons. Once in use, the LAAR will operate from austere airfields on five-hour missions over distances of 900nm (1,667km) up to a ceiling of 30,000ft (9,144m). In charge of the LAAR aircraft programme, the air combat command requires the first 24-aircraft squadron to be ready for combat within two years. The first operator of the aircraft will be 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY December 14, 2009 ~ Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Backtracks On Waziristan Offensive Remarks

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY December 14, 2009 ~ Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Backtracks On Waziristan Offensive Remarks
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - December 14, 2009: Pakistan's prime minister backtracked on earlier comments on Saturday that a military campaign against the Taliban in their South Waziristan bastion had ended, saying the offensive was continuing.
Pakistan paramilitary soldiers escorts blindfolded militants captured during an operation in the Bara area, to show them to media in Bara, the main town of Pakistan's troubled tribal region Khyber along the Afghan border, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. Pakistani security forces are battling Taliban fighters and other militants group in rugged northwest regions bordering with Afghanistan. In televised comments from the eastern city of Lahore, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told reporters the military operation in South Waziristan had concluded and that the army may now shift focus to the Orakzai tribal region where militants are believed to have fled. But Gilani later said though the army had captured Taliban strongholds in South Waziristan, the offensive had not yet ended. "I may have said it in a different context," he told reporters in the city of Karachi in comments broadcast live by state-run television. "Our army operation in South Waziristan is going on quite successfully ... and I can't tell any timeline (for its conclusion)." Anti-militant offensives are handled by Pakistan's powerful army which has been reluctant to set any timeframe for such campaigns. The operation in South Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan, was the army's biggest in years involving 30,000 troops.
Pakistan army troops are seen with tanks parked outside their base camp in Bara, the main town of Pakistan's troubled tribal region Khyber along Afghan border, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. Pakistani security forces are battling Taliban fighters and other militants group in rugged northwest regions bordering with Afghanistan. Pakistan's military says 589 militants and 79 soldiers have been killed in the South Waziristan campaign since it was launched in mid-October. Militants have hit back with bombings that have killed hundreds of people. Security officials say many of the militants are believed to have fled South Wazirstan to Orakzai, North Waziristan and the Kurram tribal areas. Orakzai is believed to be the base of Hakimullah Mehsoud, leader of Pakistani Taliban insurgents, and is part of Pakistan's lawless tribal belt on the Afghan border, which is seen as a global hub for al Qaeda and other militant groups. The United States wants Pakistan to tackle them to help its war effort in Afghanistan. 'OFFENSIVE IF NEEDED' Intelligence officials say paramilitary forces have been cracking down on militants in Orakzai for several weeks. War planes also often attack militant targets. Gilani, in his remarks in Lahore, hinted the army might launch a full-scale offensive in Orakzai, but he later said this would be done only if needed. "If we felt there was a need, then we might take military operations in Orakzai and other areas against the militants who have fled," he said. U.S. attempts to push Pakistan to root out Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, as well as American drone aircraft attacks on suspected militants, have created intense anti-American sentiments in Pakistan and raised political tensions. U.S. President Barack Obama has said victory in Afghanistan will only be possible with strong Pakistani cooperation and stronger efforts to wipe out militant sanctuaries there. Pakistani officials fear his plans to send 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan will push militants over the border and create new troubles for the government, which also faces the task of trying to improve an economy damaged by security fears. U.S. ally Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is fighting for his political survival so he may not be in a position to persuade the powerful military to focus on border areas while it tries to stamp out the Taliban insurgency. Militants demonstrated their resilience with an attack by suicide bombers and gunmen that killed at least 40 people near Pakistan's military headquarters on December 4.