DTN News: Rolls-Royce Awarded Pounds 865 Million Contract For RAF Typhoon Engines

DTN News: Rolls-Royce Awarded Pounds 865 Million Contract For RAF Typhoon Engines *Source: DTN News / Rolls-Royce (NSI News Source Info) LONDON, UK - January 18, 2010: Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has signed an innovative service contract worth £865 million with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to support the Royal Air Force’s fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft which are powered by EJ200 engines, assembled by Rolls-Royce in Bristol. Under the terms of the contract, which runs until 2019, Rolls-Royce will provide the RAF with a guaranteed level of availability for its EJ200 engines. Rolls-Royce has been contracted to support the RAF’s EJ200 engine fleet since November 2001 and has consistently met 100 per cent of the performance requirements from the outset. Martin Fausset, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace, said: “This contract meets the challenge set by the MOD to industry of delivering affordable and innovative support solutions for the Typhoon programme. We apply a high level of technology and innovation into developing support solutions, as we do to developing our engines, which gives the Armed Forces the twin benefits of increased operational capability and better value for money.” Typhoon Team Leader Air Vice Marshal Chris Bushell said: "Today's announcement of a 10-year engine availability service with Rolls-Royce is good news for us all; the service will maximise aircraft availability by using the most cost-effective solution. Typhoon has now been operational in the air defence role for well over two years and a multi-role capability was integrated and declared combat ready by the RAF in July 2008. The signature of the Partnered Support Operational Phase 3 contract builds on this success and will underpin Typhoon's growing capability and utilisation." Rolls-Royce undertakes all aspects of EJ200 engine support, including the provision of replacement engines to meet customer demands, and technical support both on-base and from the Rolls-Royce Operations Centre in Bristol. Rolls-Royce support operations are centred at the Typhoon Propulsion Support Facility at RAF Coningsby, where the RAF’s Typhoon squadrons are based. From there, a team comprising both Rolls-Royce and RAF personnel manages the engine support for aircraft operations in the field and also carries out some engine repairs. This will be augmented in 2010 by a second Main Operating Base at RAF Leuchars where Rolls-Royce will also have a support team. The majority of engine repairs are undertaken at the Rolls-Royce facilities at Ansty, near Coventry, and Bristol. Rolls-Royce is a shareholder in Eurojet, the European consortium responsible for the EJ200 engine that powers the Eurofighter Typhoon twin-engine combat aircraft, and has a 37% production share of the programme. 1) Rolls-Royce, a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. 2) As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce today has a broad customer base comprising more than 600 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 2,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines. 3) Rolls-Royce employs around 38,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in 50 countries. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment, and to further developing employee skills. 4) Rolls-Royce is the world's number two defence aero engine company with 160 customers in 103 countries. The company offers engines in all key defence market sectors - combat, transport, helicopters, trainers, patrol, maritime and reconnaissance - and is well positioned on a number of new programmes that will deliver products over the next decade and beyond. 5) Rolls-Royce is a pioneer in partnered support and availability contracting and services account for over half of the revenues of the defence aerospace business. 6) The focal point for the rapidly expanding military engine support business is an Operations Centre, based in Bristol, which provides around-the-clock advice, guidance and information to Rolls-Royce programme managers, field representatives, deployed personnel and customers. In addition to the UK MOD support contracts, the centre is supporting an increasing number of international customers, including Adour support for Hawks based in Australia, the USA and Canada.

DTN News: India TODAY January 18, 2010 ~ India Is Spending US$80 Billion Purchase Military Hardware For Period Of 1999 To 2014

DTN News: India TODAY January 18, 2010 ~ India Is Spending US$80 Billion Purchase Military Hardware For Period Of 1999 To 2014 *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - January 18, 2010: Since the 1999 Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan based Islamic militants, India has purchased defense hardware worth over $50 billion. According to the Times of India, it is planning to spend another $30 billion in the next 4-5 years on fighters, warships, tanks, artillery, C4ISR and others.Quoting Indian MOD sources, the paper said India spent Rs 62,672 crore ($50 billion approx) on `direct capital acquisitions' in the 1999-2004 timeframe. The Indian MoD does not officially release figures of money spent on individual defense purchases. Foremost among forthcoming acquisition is the $6 billion deal for 126 fighter aircraft. Besides this artillery guns, command and control systems, C4iSR systems and many more are planned to be acquired. The Indian defense forces have voiced time and again that they need to match up to China in military preparedness besides keeping a watchful eye over Pakistan for which they need to enhance their deterrence capability substantially. Slow procurement in terms of time take to award contracts is considered a major handicap in reaching the optimum level of preparedness.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY January 18, 2010 ~ U.S. Drone Attack Kills 15 In Pakistan's Waziristan

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY January 18, 2010 ~ U.S. Drone Attack Kills 15 In Pakistan's Waziristan *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) PESHAWAR, Pakistan - January 18, 2010: A U.S. drone aircraft fired missiles in Pakistan's South Waziristan region on the Afghan border, killing at least 15 militants on Sunday, Pakistani security officials said. The United States has stepped up pilotless drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal regions since a December 30 suicide bombing killed seven CIA employees at a U.S. base in neighboring Afghanistan. "Now the death toll is 15. It could rise further. People are still busy removing rubble," a senior security official told Reuters. Most of the casualties were foreign fighters, he added. Ten days after the Afghanistan attack by a Jordanian double agent -- the second bloodiest in the agency's history -- Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud appeared sitting beside the suicide bomber in a farewell video. The bomber said he would avenge the death of a Taliban leader killed in a drone strike last year and called for attacks in and outside the United States. The clip raised Mehsud's profile and suggested his group -- which has been fighting the Pakistani state -- was now a greater force to be reckoned with and had forged closer ties with al Qaeda, which claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistani Taliban militants issued an audio tape on Saturday purportedly from Mehsud, denying he had been killed in a U.S. missile strike two days earlier. The pilotless drone strikes are a source of friction between the United States and Pakistan, which says they are a violation of its sovereignty. U.S. officials say the missile strikes are carried out under an agreement with Islamabad that allows Pakistani leaders to decry the attacks in public. Islamabad denies this. Washington says they are an effective weapon in tribal areas in northwest Pakistan along the Afghan border seen as a global hub for militants, including senior al Qaeda and Taliban figures. Pakistan has resisted U.S. pressure to tackle Afghan militant groups who use its lawless tribal areas as a rear base for fighting Western troops in Afghanistan, saying they are focused on homegrown Taliban enemies.