Wednesday, June 30, 2010

DTN News: Russian Helicopters And AgustaWestland Start Building Joint Civil AW139 Final Assembly Line Plant

DTN News: Russian Helicopters And AgustaWestland Start Building Joint Civil AW139 Final Assembly Line Plant
Source: DTN News / Russian Helicopters
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 1, 2010: Russian Helicopters (subsidiary of JSC UIC Oboronprom, part of Russian Technologies State Corporation) and AgustaWestland (a Finmeccanica company) are pleased to announce that the set up of a joint civil AW139 medium twin helicopter final assembly plant started with a ground-breaking ceremony, solemnly laying a time capsule in the base of the foundation at the industrial area in Tomilino, near Moscow, during an official ceremony held today and attended by representatives and dignitaries from the partners. The final assembly line is being built on a total area of 40 thousand m2. The projected capacity is in excess of 20 helicopters per year, with production expected to progressively increase, from 5 units in 2011 to steady state regime in 2015. The plant, aimed at satisfying the requirements of the civil markets in Russia and CIS countries primarily and - through the AgustaWestland network - for the rest of the world,will be run by HeliVert, a Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland “equal” joint venture. The total headcount at maximum capacity will be over 100 people. The ground-breaking milestone is the latest achievement in the framework of the staged strategic cooperation between UIC Oboronprom and AgustaWestland started in summer 2007 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding “for cooperation development in the field of helicopter production”. A Heads of Agreement was later signed in Farnborough in July 2008 for the purpose of establishing a joint venture to set up and run a civil AW139 final assembly line in Russia. This was followed by the Joint Venture Agreement signed on November 6th 2008June 2010 paving the path to start building the plant in Tomilino. in occasion of the Italy-Russia intergovernmental summit held at the Kremlin in Moscow and attended by the Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. A shareholder agreement was subsequently signed in According to Sergey Chemezov, Director General of Russian Technologies “the organisation of a joint Russian-Italian helicopter assembly is a new step in developing our business relations with our strategic partner, Italian company Finmeccanica. This is an important event not only for the helicopter industry, but for Russian mechanical engineering as a whole. It is noteworthy that this is happening in difficult financial and economic conditions and proves that the crisis can and must be fought with joint efforts and using all opportunities.” Oboronprom Director General Andrey Reus thinks that “the start of the plant’s construction signifies a new stage of the growing mutually beneficial cooperation between Russian and Italian helicopter manufacturers. Thanks to it we will gain access to new technical production solutions and high helicopter servicing quality standards. We will seek to broaden our cooperation, including by gradually localizing Italian helicopter manufacture in Russia.” “Russian Helicopters is increasing its presence on foreign markets, delivering Russian rotorcraft to foreign customers and opening service centres,” Russian Helicopters COO Andrei Shibitov said. “In this respect we are greatly interested in the foreign experience of organizing, managing, planning, certificating production processes, and know-how in managing the entire lifecycle of a product. We are set to gain maximum benefit from joint work with the Italian partners. Russian helicopters will strengthen Russia’s commercial positions on the international helicopter market.” “We have been building a remarkable industrial base in Russia in recent years by establishing major collaborations with prime local companies in various fields of the civil sector.” Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Finmeccanica, said. “This latest landmark provides clear evidence of our commitment to playing an increasing role in the region by the mean of a mutually beneficial industrial cooperation, particularly in the civil rotorcraft sector.” Giuseppe Orsi, Chief Executive Officer of AgustaWestland added “It gives us great pleasure to be here with our Russian partners both concretely and symbolically laying the foundations of what we are confident will be a bright future of industrial cooperation based on the world best selling AW139. This model has been identified and selected by the Russian industry as the benchmark helicopter in its category to meet a variety of demanding requirements in the Russian and CIS civil markets.” AW139 (I-AWRH) arrived in Tomilino near Moscow for a ground-breaking ceremony. AW139– a medium twin helicopter of 6400kg take-off weight, is capable to carry up to 15 passengers. It is used as a corporate-transport and VIP helicopter as well as for offshore, in emergency situations, for rescue and fire-fighting operations. Finmeccanica plays a leading role in the global aerospace and defence industry, and participates in some of the sector’s biggest international programmes through its group companies and well-established alliances with European and US partners. A leader in the design and manufacture of helicopters, defence and security electronics, civil and military aircraft, aerostructures, satellites, space infrastructure, defence systems, transport and energy sectors Finmeccanica is Italy’s leading high-tech company. AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is a major force in commercial and military helicopter markets around the world and offers an unrivalled range of helicopters, training and support solutions to satisfy customer's mission requirements. AgustaWestland's main facilities are located in Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Russian Technologies State Corporation, created in November 2007, is designed to assist Russian organisations-developers and manufacturers of high technology industrial products in their development, production and exports, by providing support in domestic and foreign markets and attracting investments to different industries, to raise the level of Russian products, lower their cost and production time. UIC Oboronprom, RusSpetsStal, VSMPO-AVISMA, AVTOVAZ and other structures are a part of Russian Technologies. UIC OBORONPROM, JSC is a multi-profile industrial and investment group established in 2002. Its main tasks include helicopter engineering (Russian Helicopters managing company), engine-building (United Engine Industry Corporation managing company), air defense systems and complex electronic systems (Defense Systems holding company), and other machine-building activities. The companies of the group reported revenues of over 130 billion roubles in 2009. Russian Helicopters, JSC is an affiliated company of UIC Oboronprom. It is the managing body of the following helicopter industry enterprises: Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Kamov, Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, Kazan Helicopters, Rostvertol, Progress Arsenyev Aviation Company, Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise, Vpered Moscow Machine-Building Plant, Stupino Machine Production Plant, Reductor-PM , Helicopter Service Company (VSK) and Novosibirsk Aircraft Repairing Plant.

DTN News: Bulgarian - US Military Strategic Partnership And F-16 Fighter Jets

DTN News: Bulgarian - US Military Strategic Partnership And F-16 Fighter Jets
Source: DTN News - compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including The Sofia Echo
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 1, 2010: Bulgarian Defence Minister Anyo Angelov has held talks with defence secretary Robert Gates, where the two officials discussed the heightened Bulgarian-US strategic military partnership, the Defence Ministry website reported on June 29 2010.
The talks concentrated on the Novo Selo military base in Bulgaria, ongoing Nato operations and Bulgaria's contribution in Afghanistan and elsewhere, the potential sale of US fighter jets to Bulgaria and the missile defence shield.
"Our strategic partnership with the US must develop further and encompass all possible fields, because this is a vital buttress in our mutual defence policy for the future," Angelov said during the meeting, according to the official Government statement.
Angelov also informed his American counterpart of the ongoing structural reforms within the Bulgarian armed forces, expressing his thanks for "sustained and methodical American assistance". Angelov thanked Gates for American logistical support provided to the Bulgarian military contingents in Kabul and Kandahar in Afghanistan and for air force co-operation between the two countries.
Among the topics stressed during the meeting, according to the official statement, was the possibility of Bulgaria buying multi-purpose F-16 fighter jets from the US.
In May 2010, Angelov announced that the Defence Ministry was interested in securing a number of such fighter jets for the Bulgarian Air Force.
Designed as a lightweight fighter, the F-16 concept metamorphosed into a multi-purpose all-weather combat and superiority fighter/bomber interceptor. The Falcon's versatility is behind its international success and the large numbers sold, as it is currently in active service in the air forces of 25 nations.
To date, the F-16 programme represents the largest western jet fighter roster, with more than 4400 aircraft built since production was initially approved in 1976.
The US air force is no longer a participant in the programme; it will gradually replace the plane by the F-35 VTOAL, but the old model will continue to be in active service in the USAF until 2025. Meanwhile, advanced versions are still being built for export customers.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY June 30, 2010 - NATO Forces Repel Taliban Attack On Airbase

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY June 30, 2010 - NATO Forces Repel Taliban Attack On Airbase Source: DTN News - compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including VOA (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 30, 2010: Militants set off a car bomb and used rocket-propelled grenades to storm the entrance of an airbase outside Jalalabad, near the Pakistani border Wednesday. The Taliban say six suicide bombers killed dozens of Afghan and foreign forces in the brazen daylight attack. But NATO spokesman Brigadier General Josef Blotz refutes that claim."In this incident several insurgents were killed and I can tell you that the security perimeter was not breached and the insurgents were being stopped by Afghan and ISAF forces very effectively," Blotz said. The attack appeared planned and coordinated, much like a Taliban assault last May on the Bagram air base, NATO's biggest in Afghanistan. June has been the bloodiest month of the near nine-year-old war for foreign troops, with over 100 killed. The rising toll comes amid a troop surge for an operation that seeks to take on the Taliban in their heartland. On Tuesday in Washington, U.S. General David Petraeus warned there are still difficult days ahead. "My sense is that the tough fighting will continue, " he said. "Indeed, it may get more intense in the next few months. As we take away the enemy's safe havens and reduce the enemy's freedom of action, the Insurgents will fight back. "Petraeus has been nominated to head the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan after his predecessor, General Stanley McChrystal, resigned. McChrystal and his aides had made disparaging remarks about Obama administration officials in a magazine interview. At Tuesday's Senate confirmation hearing, Petraeus said he believes the Afghan government and its international allies can still succeed in the fight against the Taliban. But many observers say any progress will be slow. Jeremy Binnie, a terrorism and insurgency expert at IHS Jane's defense group, says instead of making sustainable gains and winning over the public, coalition troops have been preoccupied with chasing insurgents. "What we're typically seeing that the coalition and Afghan allies are capable of securing sort of district centers, the center of these towns, and displacing the Taliban out of them," he says. "But the insurgents merely move a few miles down the road and they sort of set up a new safe haven and then they do their absolute utmost to undermine any perception of security." Rampant corruption in the Afghan government is also raising doubts about the overall war strategy that is now aimed at winning the support of civilians and potential militant defectors. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder arrived in Kabul Wednesday to discuss the country's anti-corruption efforts. He also will discuss ways to improve Afghanistan's judicial system in his meetings with Afghan and U.S. officials. *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Northrop Grumman Highlights Unmanned Systems Capabilities at UV Europe 2010

DTN News: Northrop Grumman Highlights Unmanned Systems Capabilities at UV Europe 2010
Source: DTN News / Northrop Grumman Dt. June 29, 2010
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 30, 2010: Northrop Grumman Corporation is participating in the UV Europe conference and exhibition where it will highlight its comprehensive capabilities and experience in unmanned systems. Northrop Grumman is an industry leader in the ISR domain and has been in the unmanned systems business for more than 60 years, providing 100,000 unmanned systems to military customers in the U.S. and around the world. In unmanned ground systems, the company has served the military, explosive ordnance disposal and hazardous materials units and other first responders for more than 25-years as a leading provider of mobile robotic systems for applications in hazardous and potentially life-threatening environments. UV Europe takes place 29-30 June 2010 at the Husa President Park Hotel, Brussels, Belgium and will address military and civil unmanned systems operating in all three environments – air, land and sea. Northrop Grumman representatives will be among the speakers at the conference. Gene Fraser, sector vice president, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems will give a presentation on unmanned aircraft systems in the maritime irregular warfare environment including piracy, maritime patrol and non-combat operations. Trevor Hughes, head of Engineering, Unmanned Ground Vehicles for Northrop Grumman Information Systems sector in Europe will speak on unmanned ground vehicles in the explosive ordnance disposal role. “As unmanned aircraft systems technologies mature, modern armed forces are realizing that the integration of autonomous systems into operational networks can result in considerable savings while significantly improving mission capability,” said Fraser. “Unmanned aircraft offer vital persistent intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities for peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions but also have an increasingly important role in maritime patrol and non-combat operations.” Northrop Grumman announced this month that it has been awarded a $517 million (£350.6 million) agreement to develop up to three Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) hybrid airship weapons systems for the U.S. Army. These new systems will be capable of providing persistent surveillance for more than three weeks at a time. Northrop Grumman is providing the Euro Hawk® based on the Block 20 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAS. Euro Hawk® will serve as the German Air Force’s HALE SIGINT system and is the first international configuration of the RQ-4 Global Hawk. The company is also prime contractor for the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (NATO AGS) system, currently in development at the company’s Melbourne, Fla. facility, in which the Block 40 RQ-4 version of the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft UAV is a key component. Northrop Grumman has been a leading supplier of unmanned ground vehicles for more than 25-years. From its UK facility in Coventry the company designs, engineers and manufactures a range of unmanned ground vehicles and equipment specifically configured for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), security and surveillance sensing, HazMat and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear applications. Northrop Grumman manufactures the Wheelbarrow vehicle, one of the most capable and reliable unmanned vehicles for EOD operations available. The company is also the prime contractor for CUTLASS the next generation of robotic vehicle for bomb disposal operations being developed for the UK MoD.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: The Royal Air Force Of Oman Takes Delivery Of Its First NH90 Helicopter

DTN News: The Royal Air Force Of Oman Takes Delivery Of Its First NH90 Helicopter
Source: DTN News / NH Industries Dt. June 29, 2010
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 30, 2010: NHIndustries is pleased to announce the delivery on time of the first batch of two NH90.multipurpose helicopters ordered by the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO).
The Certificate of Transfer of both helicopters occurred on June 23 on the Royal Air Force of Oman base of MUSANA after a very demanding 2 months evaluation period in severe operational conditions.
This initial delivery which marks the first delivery of an NH90 in the middle east will be followed ahead of schedule, in July, by the acceptance process of the second batch of NH90.
These helicopters are supported by an integrated NHI/ RAFO maintenance team who will operate for the 1st time in the NH90 world a specific maintenance tool: GLIMS (Ground Logistic Information Management System). The RAFO have up to now ordered 20 NH90 TTH in order to replace its fleet of ageing AB205A/206/212/214.The NH90 TTH chosen by Oman is to date one of the most advanced and versatile version of the NH90.
This NH90 fleet will cover a wide spectrum of missions from the VIP transport, to troop transport and Search and Rescue missions round the clock in the most demanding conditions.
This new generation helicopter combines a full composite airframe, an outstanding fly by wire control system, with two powerful engines and an integrated mission system in order to offer its customers the best level of performance of its class.
In addition, NHIndustries and its partner companies ensure the training of the crews and the support of the Omani fleet in order to guarantee the highest level of availability. The introduction of such an advanced transport helicopter in the middle east attracts the attention of several countries in the region. The NH90 is the most successful European helicopter programme ever. A total of 529 firm orders have been placed by 19 armed forces in 14 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Greece, Spain and Belgium in Europe, as well as Australia, Oman and New Zealand overseas and 49 NH90 helicopters are already in service today.
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com