Japan: JMSDF Newest And Largest Combatant Ship "Hyuga" Class, Is It A Helicopter Destroyer Or A Helicopter Carrier?

Japan: JMSDF Newest And Largest Combatant Ship "Hyuga" Class, Is It A Helicopter Destroyer Or A Helicopter Carrier?

(NSI News Source Info) February 24, 2009: The Hyūga-class helicopter destroyers are a type of helicopter carrier being built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). They are planned to replace the 7,000-ton Haruna-class destroyers currently in use. The new ships will be the largest combatant ship operated by Japan since the Imperial Japanese Navy was superseded by the JMSDF. The first Hyūga class vessel resembles a light aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship such as the Italian Navy's 13,850-ton Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Spanish Navy's 17,000-ton Principe de Asturias or the Royal Navy's 21,000-ton Invincible-class carriers. According to a records documentary, JS Hyūga will be, "The first Japanese aircraft carrier built since WWII."

The ships' primary mission will be anti-submarine warfare, using the helicopters on board. They will also have enhanced command-and-control capabilities, allowing them to serve as flagships for the MSDF.

The Hyuga class helicopter carrier is named after the Imperial Japanese Navy Ise class battleship Hyuga. At least two ships of this class are planned. Construction of the first ship was started in 2006 and it will be commissioned in 2009. This class will provide the Maritime Self-Defense Force with greater force projection capability. The Hyuga class warships will be the largest combatant ships, operated by JMSDF and built since the World War II. They will replace the Haruna class ASW destroyers. Primary mission for these new helicopter carriers will be anti-submarine warfare. The Hyuga class ships are called as helicopter destroyers in Japan, for political reasons. It is against constitution to operate what is referred as offensive weapons and exceeds necessary level of self-defense. The helicopter destroyer classification is not correct, as these ships are significantly larger than destroyers, have a full-length flight deck and relatively large air wing. These ships resemble light aircraft carriers, such as the Royal Navy's Invincible class. There are two elevators and enclosed hangar. Japan claims that usual air wing will consists of three SH-60K for ASW and one MCH-101 for mine warfare. However ships can carry up to 11 Chinooks or quite a few more smaller helicopters. Currently these warships are not capable of operating fixed-wing aircraft, as they lack a ski-jump bow and other equipment. Nevertheless they may be outfitted with V/STOL aircraft in the future. The Hyuga helicopter carrier is armed with a single 16-cell Mk.41 vertical launch system with a mix of ESSM surface-to-air missiles and ASROC anti-submarine missiles. Several missiles can be guided simultaneously to various incoming threats. Other weapons include two Phalanx CIWS for self-defense and two triple 324-mm torpedo tubes. Ships have enhanced command and control capabilities. They can serve as flagships of the JMSDF. The Hyuga class has no provision for amphibious assault, however it is clear that these ships could carry far more that 350 naval crew. Marine troop capabilities are not being published for political reasons. These helicopter carriers are powered by combined gas turbine and gas (COGAG) propulsion. It is fitted with four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, developing 25 000 hp each. These drive two shafts.

GAO: Military Aid For Pakistan Short Of Money

GAO: Military Aid For Pakistan Short Of Money Report says budget shortfall could slow down operations against Taliban

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - February 24, 2009: The Defense Department effort to help Pakistan secure its border with Afghanistan and root out Taliban fighters is underfunded by as much as 73 percent — a budget shortfall so severe that it could slow down operations next month, according to a report released Monday. The conclusion, included in an assessment by the Government Accountability Office, highlights the stark challenges facing the Obama administration as it tries to salvage the war effort. Major-General Athar Abbas, a military spokesman, speaks to Reuters in Rawalpindi February 23, 2009. The Pakistan army said on Monday it had ceased operations against Taliban militants in the northwestern valley of Swat, and an Islamist cleric asked for troops to be shifted to "safer places" to give peace a chance. The Defense Department's "Security Development Program" is aimed at training and equipping more than 10,000 Pakistani "Frontier Corps" fighters for counterinsurgency tasks and is considered a top priority among U.S. officials.

The program received $62.5 million so far this budget year, which began Oct. 1. But defense officials say $167.5 million more is needed before the next budget year begins this fall, according to GAO. GAO does not say why the program's budget is in trouble. The report states only that as of the end of 2008, "no existing security assistance funds have been redirected" to the program and that without "dedicated long-term funding" the training and equipping of Pakistani forces could slow down by March. The Defense Department did not immediately provide comment. Uptick in violenceAfter the U.S. invasion in Afghanistan in 2001, Taliban and al-Qaida fighters retreated across the mountainous 373-mile border into Pakistan's unpoliced tribal areas. Intelligence officials have said they believe if another terrorist attack were to be launched against Americans like Sept. 11, it would almost certainly originate from that region. More recently, military officials have cited an uptick in violence in Afghanistan, which they attribute in part to the lack of security along the border with Pakistan.

Japan To Pay 80,000 Afghanistan Police Salaries

Japan To Pay 80,000 Afghanistan Police Salaries

(NSI News Source Info) TOKYO - February 24, 2009: Japan will pay the salaries of Afghanistan's 80,000 police officers for six months as part of its ongoing financial support for the country, a government official said Tuesday. Tokyo will also fund the building of 200 schools and 100 hospitals, and train thousands of teachers in Afghanistan, said Foreign Ministry official Miyako Watanabe. The projects will be funded out of the $520 million remaining in the funds pledged by Tokyo to help rebuild the country's infrastructure, Watanabe said. Japan has already spent $1.48 billion of the $2 billion it has pledged since 2002. News of Japan's latest assistance in the region comes as Tokyo and Washington continue to strengthen their long-standing alliance. Prime Minister Taro Aso, who has said building better ties with the U.S. is one of his administration's goals, is in Washington, where he will become the first foreign leader to meet President Barack Obama in the White House. Last week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made Tokyo the first stop on her Asian tour. Obama has made stabilizing Afghanistan a priority, approving a troop surge of 17,000 troops in the conflict-ridden country. Japan's pacifist constitution, along with the public's strong aversion to sending troops into combat, prohibits it from taking direct military action. But the country has a large military, and despite political gridlock and a deepening recession, remains the world's second-largest economy, often using its wealth to influence affairs on the world stage. Last year, the country approved legislation to extend through January 2010 a refueling mission in support of U.S.-led operations in the Indian Ocean. The mission, which began in 2001 and has been briefly suspended due to political opposition, partially supports U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Analysis: Kyrgyz Base Closure Risky For Moscow

Analysis: Kyrgyz Base Closure Risky For Moscow

By DOUGLAS BIRCH Associated Press Writer

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - February 24, 2009: When the United States was served an eviction notice from its only military base in former Soviet Central Asia last week, Russia scored a tactical victory in its quest to restore military and diplomatic dominance over the energy-rich region. The move would not just kick the U.S. out of a military installation in a volatile area with major gas and oil fields. It also promises to help Russia gain a choke hold over a critical transit corridor for troops and materiel needed to support of the Obama administration's expanded war in Afghanistan. But by pushing the U.S. out, some experts say, Russia may be inviting trouble in a volatile region that could be ripped apart by surging poverty and rising Islamic militancy. The sudden disappearance of American muscle could have a deeply destabilizing effect - and, if chaos follows, the Kremlin will find itself alone in dealing with the mess. Up to now, the deeply unpopular Kyrgyz regime has been linked in its people's minds both to Moscow - due to long-standing ties of patronage - and to Washington - because of the base. If Russia becomes the Kyrgyz government's sole benefactor, popular anger might increasingly focus on Moscow alone instead of falling equally on the U.S. The threatened eviction from the critical U.S. air base near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek "underscores, of course, that Russia wants to ensure its sphere of influence in Central Asia," said Alexander Cooley, an expert on international U.S. military bases at Columbia University. "But I think that more interestingly, it sets up this Kyrgyz regime as being more firmly aligned with Russia. And this is an unpopular Kyrgyz regime." The Kremlin also needs to proceed with caution because successful American prosecution of the war in Afghanistan is firmly in Russia's interest. So far, the conflict has kept the Taliban isolated in Afghanistan and Pakistan - and away from the territory of the former Soviet Union. Afghanistan shares borders with the other Central Asian nations of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. As Kyrgyzstan moved to oust the U.S. base, the Kremlin reached an agreement with Washington to permit the shipment by rail of non-lethal military cargo - to be routed through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - headed for Afghanistan. By allowing the shipments, Moscow lent critical aid to the U.S. effort, especially given increased militant attacks on military supply convoys in Pakistan - the transit country for 75 percent of supplies serving U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Ultimately, Russia appears to be calculating its control of a critical military supply corridor gives it crucial leverage in other disputes with Washington, including NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia and plans for a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Feb. 4 said Moscow and its allies "are ready for full-fledged, comprehensive cooperation" in Afghanistan. But he implied that Moscow's help was contingent on U.S. concessions on a proposed missile defense system for Central Europe and on a halt to NATO expansion into the former Soviet Union. Increasingly, it looks like Washington is the one going with cap in hand in the region. Uzbek President Islam Karimov expelled the U.S. air base at the Karshi-Khanabad base in 2005, after Washington criticized the government forces' brutal crackdown of protesters in the eastern city of Andijan. Hundreds are thought to have died. Now, human rights advocates allege, Washington has muted its criticism toward the Uzbek ruler in an apparent bid to curry favor with his regime. Karimov, who appears firmly in control, has recently indicated a desire to end the rift with the West. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Feb. 7 called on the United States and Russia to "press the reset button" on relations following the change of administrations in Washington. But so far, the Kremlin shows few signs of altering the competitive, and occasionally confrontational, approach it adopted during former President Vladimir Putin's second term. Washington has said it will continue to try to prevent the closure of the airbase at Manas airport outside Bishkek, but any reversal now could prove deeply embarrassing to the Kyrgyz government. During Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's Feb. 3 visit to Moscow, the Kremlin announced a $2.15 billion aid and loan package for Krygyzstan, an impoverished patch of the Tien Shan mountains. Minutes later, Bakiyev said his government had decided to evict the U.S. from Manas. Russia and Kyrgyzstan both insist that Moscow's aid package had nothing to do the move to expel the U.S. military from Manas. The Pentagon publicly also said it saw no link between the two announcements. But U.S. Secretary of Defense William Gates on Feb. 19 confirmed that Russia played a role. "I think that the Russians are trying to have it both ways with respect to Afghanistan in terms of Manas," Gates said. "On one hand you're making positive noises about working with us in Afghanistan and on the other hand you're working against us in terms of that airfield, which is clearly important to us."

Who Will Rein In The War In Afghanistan?

Who Will Rein In The War In Afghanistan?

By: ZP Heller

(NSI News Source Info) February 24, 2009: "We are asking here in Washington for some action, action from the Congress of the United States of America which has the power to raise and maintain armies, and which by the Constitution also has the power to declare war. We have come here, not to the President, because we believe that this body can be responsive to the will of the people, and we believe that the will of the people says that we should be out of Vietnam now." President Obama plans to send an additional 17,000 American troops to Afghanistan this spring and summer to join the 36,000 currently in the country. The United States Army 1-6 Field Artillery division conducted a joint military exercise with the Afghan National Army in the Shemgal Valley in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. Those were the emotional words of a 27-year-old John Kerry, dressed in green fatigues, Silver Star, and Purple Heart ribbons as he shocked the country with his antiwar testimony before a crowded Senate Foreign Relations committee in 1971. Kerry's fiery thirty-minute condemnation of the war became instantly legendary for questioning the reasons our military was in Vietnam; revealing the fact that the nation had turned its back on veterans; and slamming President Nixon for refusing to pull out. It was a definitive moment for the antiwar movement made possible because chairman William Fulbright called Kerry to testify. Thirty-eight years later, Senator Kerry now sits in Fulbright's seat. Along with Rep. Howard Berman, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Kerry has the power to focus the national spotlight on a similar quagmire, the war in Afghanistan. And as the Obama administration just committed an additional 17,000 troops to Afghanistan at a cost of $775,000 per soldier every year, oversight hearings can't come soon enough. Congressional oversight has historically been essential to government accountability in wartime. It dates back to 1792, when the House used hearings to investigate the War Department for a military fiasco in Indian territory that left 600 soldiers dead. During the Civil War, a joint congressional committee forced the resignation of President Lincoln's first Secretary of War by exposing corruption and mismanagement. In World War II, Senator Truman's Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program held hundreds of hearings that eventually saved the country $15 billion (roughly $200 billion today). Senator Lyndon Johnson used oversight during the Korean War to question the efficiency and waste of military agencies. And the Fulbright Hearings were followed by decades of vigorous oversight hearings that included the Church committee investigations into CIA covert operations and intelligence gathering, the joint committees that placed the Iran-contra affair under the microscope, and the hearings used to review US military operations in Kosovo. In all of these instances, Congress upheld its responsibility to investigate military spending, expose scandal, hear expert testimony, and challenge policymakers and the implementation of foreign policy. And as The American Prospect's Robert Kuttner noted, "the most effective oversight has been bipartisan, often with the President's own party challenging his policies." Of course, our country's proud history of congressional oversight came crashing down during the majority of President Bush's time in office. From 2000-2006, the administration largely eluded oversight, as Congress failed to confront the executive branch on the invasion of Afghanistan, the erroneous prewar intelligence that led us into Iraq, and the conduct of both wars, not to mention the torture of detainees and the administration's reliance on mercenary contractors who have made hundreds of billions from these wars. But the Bush administration's years of blatant disregard for our legal system have ended. Though Congress remains deeply polarized, we have a Democratic majority in both houses, and an administration that presumably is more amenable to congressional oversight. It now falls to Congress to restore this system of checks and balances, and they can start by examining the policies and proposed military spending for Afghanistan, enlightening the American public about the true costs of a drawn-out war. As Andrew Bacevich, professor of International Relations and History at Boston University, told me, "The purpose of congressional oversight hearings ought to be an educational one. We're not playing a game of 'gotcha' or trying to embarrass anyone. Congress should inform the public about the reality of policy, soliciting a wide variety of views in order to assemble as complete a picture as possible." Bacevich, a vocal critic of the war in Afghanistan, said it appeared President Obama put the cart before the horse, making his decision to send more troops without having completed the policy analysis various institutions have been working on. He remains skeptical that we will see oversight in Afghanistan, considering there has not been any institutionalized or concerted effort to monitor how the global war on terror--what Robert Gates has called the "Long War"--has been conducted and what it aims to achieve. That said, Bacevich agreed that if any one Senator could bring about oversight, it would be John Kerry. Kerry is in the perfect position to call for hearings, not only because he chairs the Senate Foreign Relations committee, but also because he has nothing to lose in terms of political standing. Chances are he will not be President, nor will he serve as Secretary of State in the Obama administration, so if Kerry wants to leave a lasting mark, it could be through hearings and investigations that rein in the Long War. Recently, when Kerry compared Afghanistan to Vietnam during Hillary Clinton's Secretary of State confirmation hearings, we saw a glimpse of that passionate 27 year old who once brought President Nixon and the nation to their knees: "I am deeply concerned that, at least thus far, our policy in Afghanistan has kind of been on automatic....Our original goal was to go in there and take on Al Qaeda. It was to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. It was not to adopt the 51st state of the United States. It was not to try to impose a form of government, no matter how much we believe in it and support it, but that is -- that is the mission, at least, as it is being defined today."Now, if we could only urge Kerry to act boldly on that rhetoric, and, with his counterpart Berman in the House, let the hearings begin.

UAE to Buy Boeing C-17, Lockheed C-130J Airlifters

UAE to Buy Boeing C-17, Lockheed C-130J Airlifters

(NSI News Source Info) February 24, 2009: The United Arab Emirates has confirmed it is to purchase Boeing C-17 and Lockheed Martin C-130J airlifters. Sheik Mohammed is congratulated by executives from Lockheed Martin and Boeing after signing an agreement for C-130J and C-17 airlifters at IDEX 2009 in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Feb. 23. (SHEILA VEMMER / STAFF) The confirmation came not with an official announcement, but with a simple ceremony involving the removal of shrouds covering models of the two aircraft in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince and deputy supreme commander. Nothing was said officially, but the smiles on the faces of the Boeing and Lockheed executives crowding behind the models on the stand of the state-owned investment house Mubadala told the story well enough. An official announcement is expected within 24 hours detailing the purchase. However, yesterday Defense News quoted industry sources saying that Lockheed would be supplying 12 C-130J and Boeing would be building a handful of their giant C-17 airlifters. It is thought there are options for further C-130Js in the yet-to-be signed agreement. The agreements are the second success for the Boeing/Lockheed combination in the region in the last few months. Last year, Qatar signed a deal covering four C-130Js and a clutch of C-17s. The number of Boeing aircraft has never been officially confirmed but is said by analysts to be two aircraft.

US Military Role In Pakistan No Secret: Pentagon / U.S. Military Advisers Preparing Pakistani Troops For War Against al-Qaida

US Military Role In Pakistan No Secret: Pentagon / U.S. Military Advisers Preparing Pakistani Troops For War Against al-Qaida

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - February 24, 2009: The US Defense Department on Monday confirmed it has a team of military advisers training the Pakistani army in counter-insurgency operations but said the program has been openly discussed for months, rejecting a newspaper report suggesting it was a "secret" project. "The training effort with the (Pakistan) Frontier Corps is not a secret," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman, referring to a New York Times report. "We've talked about it on the record for several months," he told reporters. EQUIPMENT TRAINING – Pakistani army soldiers listen to U.S. Army, an interpreter with Task Force Wright, as he explains a checklist to U.S. Army Sgt., also with Task Force Wright, during training on rapid refuel point equipment in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. U.S. Air Force photo Whitman spoke after The New York Times posted a report late on Sunday that a team of 70 advisers were secretly helping the Pakistani army with training and intelligence against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in western tribal areas. He said there were about 30 advisers involved in a "train the trainer" program with the Frontier Corps, in which Pakistani soldiers undergo instruction from US officers and then go on to train their own troops operating in the restive border area. The program was designed to "help the Frontiers Corps develop its own training program in counter-insurgency techniques." He would not confirm or deny that the advisers were mainly from US Army Special Forces, as reported by the newspaper. "We've never really talked about the composition (of the US military team)," he said. There were fewer than 100 military personnel in total stationed in Pakistan, including the training contingent, he said. He added the United States "shares information" with the Pakistani authorities on militants. The Times wrote that a unit within the Frontier Corps has used information from the Central Intelligence Agency and other sources to kill or capture as many as 60 militants in the past seven months, including at least five high-ranking rebel commanders.

Iraq: No Dollars....No Walk And No Talk!

Iraq: No Dollars....No Walk And No Talk!

(NSI News Source Info) February 24, 2009:The U.S. Army got a crash course in dealing with massive corruption due to their six years of experience in Iraq. By the end of 2003, it was clear that bribery, and corruption in general, were going to be the biggest threat to stability and the introduction of democracy in Iraq.

Massive dishonesty is a problem throughout the region, which is major reason why democracy, or good government in general, has never been able to take hold. Captured Iraqi oil ministry documents revealed a pattern of international bribery, from the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion, involving millions of barrels of Iraqi oil (worth over $100 million). This was paid, in return for support for Saddam Hussein, to 46 organizations and individuals.

The recipients included prominent Arab families, religious organizations, politicians and political parties in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Sudan, China, Austria, France and several other countries.

Some of the organizations named, included the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian Communist Party, India's Congress Party and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Buying kind words is nothing new, but in a democracy, you're expected to be open about it. In the United States, lobbyists have to register with the government, and payments from foreign governments reported. In the Middle East, you give, or take, the money, do the job, and keep quiet about it. Within Iraq, American civil affairs troops, and soldiers in general, constantly come up against Iraqis who offered to bribe them for special treatment. It's unnerving for Americans to encounter such a pervasively corrupt atmosphere.

The Iraqis take it for granted that the rules are for fools and that you buy your way to success, and screw those who can't. This attitude, it was feared, would extend to elections and dealings with elected officials. Since 2003, the elections have been largely fair, but the officials elected have been as corrupt as ever. There were also problems with corruption among Kuwaiti government officials, who apparently demanded, and got, kickbacks from the American firms doing reconstruction work in Iraq. The corruption was not only pervasive, but often a major obstruction to getting anything done. This was especially true in Kuwait, which was a U.S. ally, and not under the control of the American military, as was the case in Iraq.

Thus Kuwaiti suppliers could sometimes threaten to hold up vital military operations unless a bribe was paid, The only choice was to pay, or delay (and have the State Department or senior U.S. military officials go through the Kuwaiti government to apply pressure to the obstructive supplier.) There was a body of knowledge in military contracting that U.S. Army officials could use to get around a lot of these problem. But the army didn't have it. So, following the example of the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army established a "Contracting Command" and staffed it with contracting professionals, to handle the larger volumes of contract personnel and organizations hired for the war on terror.

Iraq, in particular, was a struggle. There were nearly 200,000 contractor personnel in Iraq (including Kuwait) and Afghanistan, during peak operations. This was an unprecedented contracting situation for the American military. Iraq was what broke the army's existing contracting capability. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the army had one base in Kuwait (through which most army troops pass, on their way to Iraq), and contracting officers there handled $150 million worth of business a year. By 2007, there were eight bases in Kuwait, and a billion dollars a year in contracts to deal with. Since 2003, over 700,000 U.S. Army troops have passed through Kuwait, on their way to Iraq, where tens of billions in contracts have been issued, and often not administered well. The army got help from the air force, which sent many of its contracting officers to help out. In the air force, contracting is a career path, and the air force people really knew their stuff. The army could see that after a few years, when they measured rate of problems with contracts handled by air force personnel, and found it was much lower than that for army contracting officers. The new (officially activated in March, 2008) Army Contracting Command has a strength of over 4,000 personnel, including 400 military and 1,100 civilian personnel specializing in contracting. The rest are existing acquisition people, who will benefit from having their own command and career path. The command is led by a Major (two stars) General, and will take 5-10 years to come near the level of effectiveness the air force already enjoys in this area.

Democratically Elected Society Are Not Normal in Arab World

Democratically Elected Society Are Not Normal in Arab World

(NSI News Source Info) February 24, 2009: While Islamic terrorism gets most of the headlines, there's also a growing "Arab Reform Movement" in the Middle East, that believes the problems in the Arab world are internal, not external. The fact that an increasing number of Arabs support this movement, and that governments are not trying to exterminate it, is encouraging. Participants at the latest Doha Debate have strongly defended Islam"s image after repeated accusations that it had been damaged by the Sunni-Shia conflict in Iraq. In a series of robust exchanges, there was strong disagreement about the effects of violence between Islam's two largest denominations.

But the reform movement is pushing against centuries of conservatism, and opposition to the kinds of things that Westerners take for granted. Meanwhile, Most Arabs still prefer to believe in conspiracies and fantasies, rather than deal with the reality of their situation. One concrete example of reform is the Doha Debates. Eight times a year, for the last five years, a debate is held on some subject of great interest to the Arab world. Set up in cooperation with BBC (which broadcasts them worldwide to an audience of some 300 million), one of the recent debates posed the question that, after the recent Gaza war (which split the Arab world in a very public way, because many Arabs believed Hamas was being stupid, and a pawn of Iran), Arab unity was "dead and buried."

Two notable Arabs debated for each side of the argument. Then the audience of Arabs (mostly college students from all over the Arab world) voted, 77 percent for the proposition (that Arab unity was dead) and 23 percent against. The Doha Debates have been unique for the willingness to confront important issues in the Arab world, that are often only whispered about. Things like Israel and the Palestinians, the lack of democracy, education and economic progress and the role of religion in public life. Foreigners, including prominent Americans and Israelis, have been invited to argue their side of debates. Unlike a decade ago, important issues are being openly discussed.

Public attitudes are changing, and change, in general, is creeping into the Arab world. This is what will ultimately defeat Islamic terrorism.

Dakota C-47: Reliable Workhorse Chalks Up Almost 70 Years' Service

Dakota C-47: Reliable Workhorse Chalks Up Almost 70 Years' Service

(NSI News Source Info) February 24, 2009: Colombia recently lost one of its AC-47 gunships, apparently to mechanical malfunction. The aircraft carried a five man crew to handle the sensors and weapons. Over the last five years, Colombia paid about $20 million to convert five World War II era C-47 (DC-3) transports to gunships (armed with night vision sensors and a three barrel .50 caliber machine-gun, and some bombs). Such gunships first appeared, using World War II era C-47 transports, in the 1960s over Vietnam. The troops called the gunships, which liked to operate at night, "Spooky." Before the C-47 became the AC-47, it was given the short-lived designation FC-47, standing for fighter-cargo. Only four FC-47's came equipped with ten M-2 Browing WWII-era .30 calibre machine guns, with four mounted to fire through holes in the aft cargo door, two in the open doorway, and two in each of the last two windows forward of the cargo doorway. (US Air Force photo.) The DC 3 (or C-47 or "Dakota" in military usage) continues to fly in commercial service into the 21st century. Several hundred DC 3s are still flying worldwide, mostly owned by small domestic carriers in the U.S. and by some Third World air transport companies. A state of the art aircraft in the mid-1930s (during which only 500 were built), over 35,000 DC 3's were produced for use during World War II.

The DC-3 was, in fact, the most widely manufactured aircraft of the war. When allied paratroopers jumped, it was usually from a DC 3 (which could carry 28 troops, but over sixty people were squeezed in during emergencies). With a maximum range of 3,400 kilometers and a top speed of 296 kilometers per hour, the DC 3 was the common cargo carrier (up to 3.5 tons) and general purpose "flying truck." It still is.