DTN News: Putin Rides Harley Davidson "Tricked Out" Trike At Ukrainian Bike Show

DTN News: Putin Rides Harley Davidson "Tricked Out" Trike At Ukrainian Bike Show

* Russian-Ukrainian relations enter new stage

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine- July 25, 2010: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived to the bike show in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol, riding three-wheeled Harley Davidson "tricked out piece of iron". The bikers, gathered at the 14th International annual bike show, welcomed premier who headed the line of bikers. He was riding posh Harley Davidson trike decorated with Russian and Ukrainian flags. "Bike is the most democratic transport vehicle. Bike is the most daring, challenging as it gives its owner the tempting feeling of freedom, that is why one can say without any exaggeration, bike is a symbol of freedom," Putin said. The image of the premier was totally matching the biker's one. He was wearing black jeans, black shirt, sunglasses and biker gloves. "There are such tricked out vehicles, such tricked out pieces of iron, like the one that I ride today," Putin said. The premier talked to bikers and put his autographs on several bikes. "You came here, because you are free people, and you can go wherever you want," Putin said, adding it was deeply symbolic that people from all over the Europe gathered at the bike show. Finally, before leaving the show Putin urged the bikers not to chase the wind. "Say no to the mad ride," he said.

Related News *Putin arrives in Ukraine for talks with Yanukovych *Vladimir Putin tells young people of his student past *Putin calls for restoration of production ties between Russia, Ukraine *Russia must host more big sports forums - Putin Multimedia *Russians see Putin as "a real man" *Vladimir Putin in Russia’s fifth-generation fighter jet *Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin go skiing at Russia's Olympic resort *Vladimir Putin shows his trademark Judo tricks

DTN News: Russia Plans To Upgrade 3 Nuclear-Powered Cruisers By 2020

DTN News: Russia Plans To Upgrade 3 Nuclear-Powered Cruisers By 2020

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 25, 2010: Russia will upgrade and put on active duty three mothballed Soviet-era nuclear-powered missile cruisers by 2020, a high-ranking Navy official told RIA Novosti on Saturday. Russia built four Kirov class nuclear-powered cruisers in 1974-1998. One of them, the Pyotr Veliky, is in active service as the flagship of the Northern Fleet. "Cruisers Admiral Nakhimov, Admiral Lazarev and Admiral Ushakov will be modernized and returned to the Russian Navy's combat force in 10 years," the official said, adding that their equipment and weapons will be fully modernized. The Kirov class heavy cruisers are second in size only to aircraft carriers, and are similar in size to a World War I battleship. The Admiral Ushakov (former Kirov) was commissioned in 1980 and suffered a reactor accident in 1990 while serving in the Mediterranean Sea. Repairs reportedly have never been carried out, due to lack of funds and the ensuing collapse the Soviet Union. The Admiral Lazarev (former Frunze) was commissioned in 1984 and mothballed in 1998. The Admiral Nakhimov (former Kalinin) was commissioned in 1988 and mothballed in 1999. The ship has been reportedly undergoing a major overhaul at the Severodvinsk Shipyard since 2005. The Kirov class main weapons include 20 SS-N-19 Shipwreck missiles, designed to engage large surface targets, and air defense is provided by 12 SA-N-6 Grumble launchers with 96 missiles and 2 SA-N-4 Gecko with 40 missiles.

Related News *Russia plans to upgrade Black Sea Fleet with new warships *Russia to float out new nuclear submarine after delay *Russia to adopt single military/civilian shipbuilding program *Russian Navy prioritizes combat training, global presence Multimedia *Crew of Pyotr Veliky searches suspicious vessels *Pyotr Veliky celebrates 12th birthday on high seas *Pyotr Veliky,battle cruiser, visits Syria *Russian cruiser Pyotr Veliky in India *Pyotr Veliky – flagship of the Northern Fleet *Medvedev on board the heavy nuclear-powered cruiser Pyotr Veliky *The Pyotr Veliky cruiser inspects a fishing boat *Russia's Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered cruiser sails on mission in Indian Ocean *Cruiser Pyotr Veliky in India

DTN News: Tiger Attack Helicopter Gunship Debuts With French Forces In Afghanistan

DTN News: Tiger Attack Helicopter Gunship Debuts With French Forces In Afghanistan

*DTN News: The Versatile Tiger Attack Helicopter With Germany Armed Forces, French Tiger Attack helicopters In Afghanistan dated September 7, 2009.

Source: Source: DTN News - - this article / report compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including IANS July 18th, 2010

(NSI News Source Info) FARNBOROUGH, England- July 24, 2010: Thales has announced that together with the Tiger helicopter gunship, its TopOwl helmet-mounted sight and display system (HMSD) has been deployed with the French forces in Afghanistan to provide high levels of night vision performance and targeting capabilities for pilots. “The combat-proven Thales TopOwl HMSD has been involved in bringing major operational benefits to helicopter crews,” a Thales statement issued during the ongoing Farnborough Air Show said. “TopOwl is the only helmet-mounted sight and display system offering both conformal piloting symbology, dark night vision performance and accurate targeting together with an unmatched level of comfort and fatigue reduction - key for war missions and the high levels of stress involved,” the statement added. TopOwl night vision performance has recently been upgraded to reach “level 5”, which corresponds to levels of visibility equivalent to a cloudy night with no moon, no peripheral light source and no starlight. “With its exclusive architecture featuring the projection of intensified images directly onto the helmet visor, TopOwl offers a seamless transition between head-up piloting and head-down instrument monitoring, together with a well-balanced centre of gravity, eliminating the pilot fatigue generated by standard night vision goggles,” the statement said. Yves Joannic, Thales vice president for Helicopter Avionics said: “Thales is constantly working towards improving its products and systems. We integrate essential pilot feedback and build on existing technologies to provide greater levels of performance that will better support our troops in theatre.” Thales and New Delhi-based Samtel group are also in a joint venture to design, manufacture and sell avionics systems in the Indian market. Samtel and Thales hold 74:26 in the venture that was started with a capital of $12.5 million with more investments to be pumped in as the joint development efforts progress.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com. and may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/

DTN News: US Resumes Ties With Indonesian Special Forces

DTN News: US Resumes Ties With Indonesian Special Forces

Source: DTN News / AFP

(NSI News Source Info) JAKARTA, Indonesia - July 24, 2010: The United States said Thursday it would resume ties with Indonesian special forces after a 12-year hiatus as part of efforts by Washington to reach out to the world's largest Muslim nation. The announcement, made during a visit by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to Indonesia, comes as Washington seeks to resume training for the Kopassus unit as part of growing military cooperation with Jakarta. "The United States will begin a gradual, limited programme of security cooperation activities with the Indonesian Army Special Forces," Gates said referring to the Kopassus unit, with which Washington suspended ties in 1998. The decision came "as a result of Indonesian military reforms over the past decade... and recent actions taken by the Ministry of Defence to address human rights issues," he said after talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "Our ability to expand upon these initial steps will depend upon continued implementation of reforms within Kopassus and TNI (the Indonesian armed forces) as a whole," he said, describing the move as "a very significant development". The announcement is controversial as Kopassus has been implicated in human rights abuses, including in East Timor, and some figures in the US Congress have opposed embracing the force before it accounted for its past. The United States broke off ties with the Kopassus under a law banning cooperation with foreign troops implicated in rights abuses. The Indonesian special forces are accused of committing rights violations in East Timor and Aceh under then-dictator Suharto in the 1990s. A report last year by US-based Human Rights Watch accused the elite unit of ongoing abuses in the restive province of Papua, including unwarranted arrests, beatings and other mistreatment including "brutality against ordinary Papuans". A senior US defence official played down fears that senior figures still in the special forces had been implicated in past rights violations. "Individuals who had been convicted in the past for human rights violations have in the past several months been removed from Kopassus," he said. The administration of President Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, sees the country as an increasingly important player in East Asia and a key ally in the Muslim world. Ernie Bower, a Southeast Asia expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the Obama administration needed to handle its relationship with the Indonesian military carefully. "I think it's the view of the Indonesian military that without the ability to engage and train Kopassus, the American engagement and normalisation of the military-to-military relationship would be incomplete," he said. However, the Pentagon needs to find an acceptable compromise to seal the deal without encountering too many objections in Washington. "We've been working for some time both within the US government and with the government of Indonesia to try to figure out how and under what conditions we can pursue reengagement with Kopassus," said one senior US defence official. He noted improvements made by Jakarta since the end of the Suharto regime. However, leading voices in Washington, such as Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy, have opposed a normalisation of military ties until Kopassus commanders face justice for past rights violations. "I deeply regret that before starting down the road of re-engagement, our country did not obtain and Kopassus did not accept the necessary reforms we have long sought," said Leahy, a member of Obama's Democratic Party. Usman Hamid, a rights activist from the Indonesian Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said any troops involved in abuses had to face trial. He acknowledged that some Kopassus officers implicated in the rights abuse cases had been expelled from the military but said the military should apologise for the crimes.

DTN News: 2010 Farnborough International Airshow Trade Figures Announced

DTN News: 2010 Farnborough International Airshow Trade Figures Announced Source: DTN News / 2010 Farnborough Iinternational Airshow - Issued: Friday 23 July 2010 for immediate release

(NSI News Source Info) FARNBOROUGH, England - July 24, 2010: 2010 Farnborough International Airshow Trade Figures Announced - $47 billion dollars of orders & 120,461 show attendees so far.

2010 FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW TRADE FIGURES ANNOUNCED

$47 billion dollars of orders & 120,461 show attendees so far

A|D|S, the UK’s AeroSpace, Defence and Security trade organisation and its subsidiary company

Farnborough International Limited (FIL) today (Friday) announced the orders and attendee figures to date

for the Farnborough International Airshow, held in Hampshire, UK between 19 and 25 July 2010.

The 2010 show was sold out with an increased number of exhibiting companies (1450) compared to the

2008 show (1393). This year’s event saw good engagement from decision-makers with 11 UK

Government ministers, as well as ministers from overseas plus 70 delegations from 44 countries, in

attendance. With over 120,000 visitors on trade days and an expected 160,000 on the forthcoming public

weekend this will put 2010 almost on a par with the total numbers for 2008, which were 285,000.

Orders for the show so far total $47 billion (~£31 billion) and the Airshow has welcomed 120,461 people.

As expected given the current economic climate visitor numbers on trade days are down around 8 per

cent on 2008. The show also contributes about £20 million to the local economy around Farnborough.

The peak boom year was 2008 when the show saw $88.7 billion of orders. For comparison 2006 saw

$46 billion worth of orders taken.

Ian Godden, Chairman of A|D|S, said:

“The 2010 Farnborough International Airshow has been very successful and the figures demonstrate the

mood of strong optimism that there has been around the show this year, which is very encouraging given

the current global economic climate. To see over $47 billion dollars worth of business done and the

quality of the business transactions at the show is a testament to the endurance of our sectors, their

positive contribution to UK and world trade as well as the significance of the show itself.

“Congratulations go to Shaun and his team at FIL for a fantastic job well done and my thanks also go to

my A|D|S colleagues who have helped to make the week a very positive one.”

Shaun Ormrod, Chief Executive of FIL, said:

“We thank all our guests at this year’s show for attending and contributing to a successful Airshow. We

hope very much to see them again in 2012. The FIL team has done a marvellous job and they deserve

both my thanks and the thanks of our guests this week for ensuring such a smooth-running event. We’re

looking forward to welcoming around 3,000 young people today, Futures Day, plus an expected 160,000

people for the public weekend to round off what has been a tremendous week at Farnborough.”

A final total for the whole week of the Airshow will be published early next week.

Farnborough facts:

• The World’s Largest Temporary Exhibition.

• The “build up” period takes four months prior to the start of the show.

• 3,600 tonnes of temporary structures are transported to the show site.

• 90,000 sq m’s of structures are erected on site, providing tailor-made floor space that would

accommodate London's Royal Albert Hall no fewer than 30 times.