DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated May 3, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated May 3, 2010 Source: U.S. DoD issued May 3, 2010 (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - May 4, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued May 3, 2010 are undermentioned; CONTRACTS U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND ~CACI-WGI Inc., Chantilly, Va.; ~SRA International, Inc., Fairfax, Va.; ~Jacobs Technology, Inc., Tampa, Fla.; and ~Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va., were awarded Global Battlestaff and Program Support Services (GBPS) contracts on April 30. The contracts are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity with a $2,500 minimum guarantee per prime contract award and a $1.5 billion maximum ceiling. Under the GBPS contracts, the contractors will provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and other items necessary to perform the services and provide support to all mission areas of USSOCOM as specified in the performance work statement and ordered under individual task orders. The objective of this contract action is to acquire global, non-personal services unique to special operation forces, and expertise to provide intellectual capital to assist with day-to-day business operations. In addition, the contractors shall provide subject matter expertise in areas of, but not limited to: time sensitive planning; interagency support; intelligence operations; military planning; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance program analysis; biometrics, socio-cultural analysis, geospatial analysis, signals intelligence, and human terrain initiatives with ISR support; administrative support; public affairs; training; accounting; budgeting; joint planning, budget and resource management; readiness planning and reporting; personnel reporting; acquisition and life cycle program management; procurement support; engineering support including research, development, science, technology, and systems engineering; graphics support and other business for USSOCOM. The anticipated period of performance is a three-year base period with one two-year option period, for a total contract period of performance not to exceed five years. The place of performance is multiple locations in the United States and overseas. USSOCOM is the contracting activity. The contract numbers are H92222-10-D-0016, H92222-10-D-0017, H92222-10-D-0018, and H92222-10-D-0019. NAVY ~Navistar Defense, LLC, Warrenville, Ill., is being awarded a $102,324,363 firm-fixed- priced delivery order #0013 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of various kits and parts for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. Parts include 937 gunner restraints; 3,251 120V wiring harnesses; 5,716 air conditioning circulation switches; 5,722 rear ramp hydraulics, rear ramp hydraulic - non-reoccurring equipment (NRE); 3,251 rear ramp storage; 2,630 fire support systems kits, fire support systems kits - NRE; and 822 heating, ventilation, and air conditioning kits. The objective of these vehicle systems is to support operations in Afghanistan. Work will be performed in West Point, Miss., and is expected to be completed by the end of October 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $102,324,363 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-07-D-5032). ~Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $91,300,000 firm-fixed-price not-to-exceed modification to a previously awarded contract for advance procurement of the consolidated bill of material and associated labor to support beryllium oxide resistors, phase shifters, surface mount work center production and engineering services support of production of the DDG 114 and 115 Aegis weapon system. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (85 percent), and Clearwater, Fla. (15 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-5110). ~Research and Engineering Development, Inc.*, Lexington Park, Md., is being awarded a $49,712,139 cost-plus-fixed-fee indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide acquisition, engineering, analysis, development, and integration services in support of irregular warfare efforts sponsored by the Naval Air Systems Command’s Human Systems Department (AIR-4.6). The estimated level of effort for this contract is 237,720 man-hours. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md. (80 percent), Fallon, Nev. (10 percent), and various locations outside the United States (10 percent). Work is expected to be completed in May 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-10-D-0001). ~Heco Pacific Manufacturing*, Union City, Calif. ~American Equipment, Inc.*, Salt Lake City, Utah; ~Advanced Crane Technologies, LLC*, Reading, Pa.; ~American Monorail of California*, Santa Fe Springs, Calif.; ~Crane Technologies Group, Inc.*, Rochester Hills, Mich.; and ~American Crane & Equipment Corp.*, Douglassville, Pa., are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract for ordering new and overhauling existing weight handling equipment located primarily within Navy, Marine Corp, and other federal activities worldwide. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and four option years, for all six contracts combined, is $30,000,000. Work will be performed at Navy, Marine Corps, and other federal activities worldwide, including work on existing or installation of new weight handling equipment. Manufacturing or crane fabrication includes sites in California (30 percent), Pennsylvania (30 percent), Utah (20 percent), and Michigan (20 percent). Work is expected to be completed by May 2015. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online Web site with 10 proposals received. These six contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Navy Crane Center, Portsmouth, Va., is the contracting activity (N62470-10-D-8000/8001/8002/8003/8004/8005). ~Barbour Well, Inc., Henderson, Nev., is being awarded a $28,315,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the drilling of geothermal test holes. Efforts under this American Recovery and Reinvestment Act award will obtain geophysical data for determining potential geothermal resources. Work will be performed in Fallon, Nev. (50 percent), El Centro, Calif. (18 percent); Twentynine Palms, Calif. (16 percent), and the Hawthorne Army Depot, Hawthorne, Nev. (16 percent). Work is expected to be completed in August 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $12,077,858 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals; four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., is the contracting activity (N68936-10-D-0021). ~R. A. Burch Construction Co., Inc., Ramona, Calif., is being awarded a $15,917,288 firm-fixed price task order 0002 under a multiple award construction contract for the design and construction of the mess hall expansion at Marine Corps Recruitment Depot San Diego. The task order also contains one planned modification which, if issued, would increase the cumulative contract value to $20,617,288. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by November 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-08-D-8613). ~Lockheed Martin-MS2, Liverpool, N.Y., is being awarded a $10,226,726 modification to a previously awarded contract for low cost conformal array production (LCCA) units and engineering and technical services for the LCCA systems. Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y. (97.5 percent), Walpole, Mass. (1 percent), Forest Hill, Md. (1 percent), and Millersville, Md. (0.5 percent). Work is expected to be completed by June 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-08-C-6283). ARMY ~MPRI, a division of L-3 Services, Inc., Alexandria, Va., was awarded on April 29 a $53,003,000 time-and-material contract for the extension of support services for professional mentoring and training support services with reforming the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense and their subordinate organizations, policies, and procedures. Work is to be performed in Alexandria, Va., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 30, 2010. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Research Development & Engineering Command Contracting Center, Aberdeen Contracting Division, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-05-D-0014). ~MPRI, a division of L-3 Services, Inc., Alexandria, Va., was awarded on April 29, 2010 a $32,241,459 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the extension of support services for professional mentoring and training support services with reforming the Afghanistan Ministry of Interior and Afghan National Police, and their subordinate organizations, policies, and procedures. Work is to be performed in Alexandria, Va., with an estimated completion date of April 29, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Research Development & Engineering Command Contracting Center, Aberdeen Contracting Division, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-10-C-0100). ~Tip Top Construction Corp., Christiansted, Virgin Islands, was awarded on April 29 a $18,312,480 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of a regional training institute, Virgin Islands, National Guard, St. Croix, Virgin Island. Work is to be performed in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 15, 2012. Bids were solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities Web site with six bids received. National Guard Bureau, USPFO-Virgin Islands, Kingshill, Virgin Islands, is the contracting activity (W9127P-10-C-0001). ~Project Times & Cost, Inc., Atlanta, Ga., was awarded on April 29 a $15,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the architect-engineering services nationwide cost engineering support for the Walla Walla District Directory/Center of Expertise. Work is to be performed in Atlanta, Ga., with an estimated completion date of April 5, 2014. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with four bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, Walla Walla, Wash., is the contracting activity (W912EF-09-D-0002). ~Alatec, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on April 29 a $13,480,400 firm-fixed-price contract. The contractor shall provide personnel expertise and skills required to support the Training and Doctrine Command Analysis Center (TRAC) White Sands Missile Range mission related to analysis, studies, modeling, simulation, and information technology. TRAC supports the Training and Doctrine Command by providing the analytical capabilities required to support Army decisions. Work is to be performed at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., with an estimated completion date of May 2, 2012. Four bids were solicited with four bids received. Mission & Installation Contracting Command Directorate of Contracting, White Sands Missile Range, N.M., is the contracting activity (W91QF-07-D-0004).

DTN News: State Department Flies Mercenary Air Force Over Pakistan

DTN News: State Department Flies Mercenary Air Force Over Pakistan Source: wired.com By Nathan Hodge (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 3, 2010: The airspace along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border is pretty crowded these days: Along with U.S., Afghan and Pakistani military missions, the CIA is running its own covert drone ops. Less well known, but perhaps equally controversial, is the State Department’s counter-narcotics air force, staffed by mercenaries. A recently released State Department Inspector General report, however, gave an unusually detailed look at the size and scope of these operations. The report fills in more details about America’s growing and undeclared war in Pakistan. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (known by the abbreviation INL) operates an air wing of around 14 aircraft in Afghanistan and another 17 in Pakistan. The aircraft help monitor the border, fly crop-eradication and interdiction missions, and move equipment and personnel around the region. These kinds of missions aren’t new: The State Department has similar Air Wing programs in Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, and Peru. Perhaps more importantly, the State Department has outsourced much of this mission. The INL’s air wing in Afghanistan and Pakistan is operated by private military company DynCorp, and the presence of U.S. contractors in Pakistan has proven extremely controversial (the released IG report, not surprisingly, was originally marked “sensitive but unclassified”). For instance, when it was disclosed earlier this month that the U.S. government was seeking land for an aircraft maintenance base DynCorp, the Pakistani press had a field day. Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik had repeatedly denied the presence of U.S. private security contractors on Pakistani soil, but here was the U.S. government, asking for a maintenance base for its contracted air wing. “This is worth recalling here that Interior Minister Rehman Malik had told the National Assembly in February this year, ‘Neither Blackwater nor any other security agency with such name is operating in Pakistan,’” Pakistan’s The Nation newspaper snarkily noted. In fairness, the State Department hasn’t really been too secretive about this: INL’s winter newsletter featured a news announcement about the delivery to Pakistan of more Huey II helicopters, similar to the rotorcraft pictured here. More interesting is what the recent Inspector General report hints at the extent to which the Pakistani government relies on this air wing for domestic policing and security operations. “In Pakistan, the Air Wing program, funded at $32 million to date, has been generally effective in providing critical air support for activities along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, including a variety of missions for the Pakistan Government,” the report states. Inevitably, the report also notes some shortcomings. DynCorp, the IG found, “had problems meeting some of the contract terms, particularly flying hour goals. The inability to meet the required aircraft readiness rate is directly related to low levels of maintenance personnel and, according to INL/A, is also affected by issues with staff from Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior.” In addition, the IG also found the Pakistani government was less than forthcoming about how it was using State’s aircraft. The government of Pakistan, the report said, “continues its reticence in providing information on flights.” Incidentally, the inspector general also alluded to another contracted air force, called “Kabul 40.” That air wing provides passenger and cargo movement for diplomatic staff in Afghanistan. Read More http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/04/state-department-flies-mercenary-air-force-over-pakistan/#ixzz0mrVqg2OO *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com Disclaimer statement Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.

DTN News: British Army Three Quarters Of Apache Attack Helicopters Not Serviceable

DTN News: British Army Three Quarters Of Apache Attack Helicopters Not Serviceable Source: Telegraph.co.uk By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent (NSI News Source Info) LONDON, U.K. - May 3, 2010: Of the 67 in service, just 18 – or 27 per cent – are available for front line operations in Afghanistan or for training pilots in the United Kingdom. Across all the aircraft types, less than half of Britain's military helicopters are available for operations, with 62 per cent (322 out of a total of 522) out of service. Ministry of Defence figures obtained by the Conservative Party also show that only 44 per cent of the RAF's Chinook helicopters, 35 per cent of Merlins and 43 per cent of the Royal Navy's Sea Kings are available for service in Afghanistan. The figures demonstrate how the heat and dust of the Helmand desert and the constant use of the aircraft on combat operations has started to degrade the fighting capability of the entire fleet. Eighteen months ago 20 Apaches were available for service in Helmand and 53 per cent of the 48-strong Chinook fleet were available for front line operations. In the last two years the number of improvised explosive devices being used by the Taliban has made travel by road extremely hazardous and many soldiers believe the only safe way to travel in Helmand is in a helicopter. The Apache provides vital "top cover" for troops serving in the province and is on constant call when soldiers patrol into enemy controlled areas such as the "Green Zone". The heavily armed Apache, which is equipped with a 30mm chain gun, CRV7 rockets and Hellfire anti-tank missiles, has saved numerous British lives. The aircraft is now so essential to the military mission in Helmand that troops rarely venture out on large scale operations without support from the Apache. The helicopter is also fitted with a vast array of highly sophisticated night vision equipment and is often used on reconnaissance missions. While the Chinook does not provide fire support to ground troops it is vital for the Afghan mission. Most of the out stations in Helmand are resupplied by Chinook and the helicopter provides a vital role in evacuating injured troops from the battlefield back to the main hospital at Camp Bastion. Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said: "Gordon Brown was warned about the shortfalls in helicopters in 2004, yet he went ahead and cut the helicopter budget anyway. "This was a catastrophic decision when our forces were at war. Gordon Brown's talk about new helicopters for Afghanistan masks the reality that the fleet is still being overworked and that the numbers available for operations are too low. "Once again our troops on the ground are suffering from Labour's incompetence." Bill Rammell, the Armed Forces Minister, said: "All helicopter requirements on operations are being met. "An entire helicopter fleet will never be fully available because some will always require servicing and routine maintenance. "This is standard military practice and is factored into military planning. "Since November 2006, we have nearly doubled the number of UK airframes available to commanders in Afghanistan, and over the same period the number of flying hours has increased by 137 per cent. "In December 2009, the MoD announced that it will buy 22 brand new Chinooks with the first 10 being delivered by 2012/13." Disclaimer statement Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.

DTN News: Indian Navy, Last Week Commissioned First Indigenous 'Stealth' Frigate INS SHIVALIK

DTN News: Indian Navy, Last Week Commissioned First Indigenous 'Stealth' Frigate INS SHIVALIK Source: DTN News (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 3, 2010: India added new fire power and muscle to its Navy when Defence Minister A K Antony formally launched INS 'Shivalik' -- the S-class Frigate -- at the Mazagon Dock on Thursday. The Shivalik is a multirole stealth ship incorporating advanced signature suppression and signature management features along with both air defence and anti-sub marine capabilities. *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com India added new fire power and muscle to its Navy when Defence Minister A K Antony formally launched INS 'Shivalik' -- the S-class Frigate -- at the Mazagon Dock on Thursday. The Shivalik is a multirole stealth ship incorporating advanced signature suppression and signature management features along with both air defence and anti-sub marine capabilities. The 6200-kg INS Shivalik is the first indigenous stealth frigate that will join the Navy and will provide the sea wing the capability to launch surprise attacks on enemy target from very close range than other warships. Satellites can give inputs to the frigate on lurking enemy vessels and Shivalik can creep as close as possible to the target without being detected. It can then fire and scoot. In fact, during sea trials, Indian battleships that tried trailing Shivalik could not detect it on their radar within a radius of 100 km. Shivalik is one of the heaviest frigates in the world. Powering the ship is the LM 2500 Gas Turbine engines that can give it an enviable top speed in excess of 30 knots, enabling it to shoot and scoot at an impressive rate. The option to switch over the diesel engines gives the warship an endurance of over 9,000 km and it can sail non-stop without refueling for a month. Shivalik will carry surface-to-surface Klub missile, surface-to-air Shtil and point defence Barak missile system. Though it does not torpedoes it has Sea King attack helicopters that can launch anti-submarine warfare. Shivalik is designed in such a way that it has reduced radar reflections, changed geometry of structures on top, very few projections on the upper deck that is normally a giveaway for other fighter ships, muffled noise vibration as well as lower magnetic and heat signatures. "This is one generation ahead of the Talwar class," said M D Suresh, captain of Shivalik. Measuring 142.5 mt from bow to stern, Shivalik has a range of about 5,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 18 knots. On board manning the frigate would be 257 naval men, which includes 35 officers and 222 sailors. It can be at sea for almost a month without touching a port or mid-sea refuelling. On major plus pointis that Shivalik can operate in a nuclear, biological, chemical weapons (NBC) environment. Its air filters do not allow any outside air to come inside in a NBC zone. *This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

DTN News: Pakistani Taliban Claim Failed New York Bomb Attack

DTN News: Pakistani Taliban Claim Failed New York Bomb Attack Source: DTN News / Reuters (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON / ISLAMABAD - May 3, 2010: The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attempted car bomb attack in New York's Times square, a statement on an Islamist website said on Sunday. New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, left, discusses Saturday evening's Times Square incident while Chief of Department Joseph J. Esposito, right, listens during a news conference at One Police Plaza, Sunday May 2, 2010 in New York. The statement said it was to avenge the killing of two Islamists and "Muslim martyrs." "The Pakistani Taliban announced its responsibility for the New York attack in revenge for the two leaders al-Baghdadi and al-Mahajer and Muslim martyrs," said a statement on a website commonly used by Islamists.

DTN News: A War Worth Fighting, To Cease And Desist Drug Supply To Save Humanity

DTN News: A War Worth Fighting, To Cease And Desist Drug Supply To Save Humanity Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BOGOTÁ, Colombia - May 3, 2010: I'm in the heat of a war right now that we've been fighting for years. But it's not Iraq or Afghanistan. Yet this one also has machine guns and grenades, combat aircraft low in the sky and satellite reconnaissance overhead. And, like Iraq and Afghanistan, the bad guys in this war shoot back. It's a war into which we've already poured billions of dollars and are still pouring more. But for my money, it's a war worth fighting. It's the war on drugs. That may sound like a political term in the United States, but it's a very risky, very real war down here in Colombia. In the past week, with a team from HDNet Television's "World Report," I've flown out on heavily armed and armored Huey helicopters for invasions deep in the jungle to disrupt the production of cocaine. In one raid, the people who worked in a primitive lab to refine cocaine's basic ingredient, coca, had gotten out just ahead of us; the residue of the coca leaves was still wet. With government boots on the ground, their livelihood is threatened. Which is why, when we'd been down just 10 minutes, the Colombian troops we were with told us we had to go — and go now! There were signs that the bad guys, many of whom are part of powerful guerrilla groups, were heading back. We hoofed it along a trail cut with machetes to the landing zone a half mile from the lab; the narco-traffickers deliberately set up shop away from clearings so they'll have enough warning from the helicopters' noise to bail out. With machine-gun snipers covering the jungle and two more with mounted guns boarding with us, we lifted off and circled to provide cover while a second Huey swooped in to pick up the rest of the troops. From here, the war on drugs is no game. The Colombians do most of the heavy lifting, but we train them and pay for everything they have, from helicopters to weapons to uniforms to canteens. One American here told me, "Everything is ours, right down to their lip balm." Plenty of our own people are in the line of fire, too. Seven days a week, civilian U.S. pilots in the steamy interior of the country fly spray planes — the kind you'd see protecting a farm at home — to destroy coca crops in the jungles of Colombia. The difference from agricultural spray planes is that these are heavily armored on their underbellies; they get shot at on a regular basis. We went on a helicopter defensive cover mission overhead one day. These guys fly out up to 100 miles and then, using everything from informants' tips to satellite coordinates to find the coca, they release a short dose of herbicide. It's the same stuff many of us use in our gardens: RoundUp. It's a dirty, dangerous war. I met some agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency near the border with Ecuador. Their specialty is intercepting drug traffickers. They showed me a big boat they had captured. With about a foot of fiberglass showing above the water's surface, it's not a submarine but a "submersible," built for just one trip before it's trashed. If illegal cocaine makes it to the Pacific, it gets transferred onto a boat like this, up to 10 tons of it. That's a lot of ruined lives in our American cities. Are we winning this war on drugs? Maybe the fairest answer is we're not losing. One American I met in the jungle told me, "At worst, we're holding the line. At best, we're getting a little ahead." But the same day, a Colombian major asked me to tell the American people this: "We are doing all we can. But we cannot fight consumption in your country. You have to do that." He's right. Greg Dobbs is correspondent for the program "World Report" on HDNet Television.

DTN News: The IDF Expands its Elbit Systems UAS Fleet ~ Elbit Systems Awarded $50 Million UAS Contract by the Israeli Defense Ministry

DTN News: The IDF Expands its Elbit Systems UAS Fleet ~ Elbit Systems Awarded $50 Million UAS Contract by the Israeli Defense Ministry *Elbit to supply the IDF with its Hermes(R) 900 UAS Systems, along with additional Hermes(R) 450 UAS Systems and an enhancement of the existing UAS intelligence capabilities Source: DTN News / Elbit Systems Ltd. (NSI News Source Info) HAIFA, Israel - May 3, 2010: Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq:ESLT - News) announced today that it was awarded an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) contract from the Israeli Ministry of Defense, valued at approximately $50 million. Under the contract, Elbit Systems will supply the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) with its brand new Hermes® 900 unmanned systems along with additional Hermes® 450 unmanned systems to expand the IDF's current Hermes® 450 fleet. In addition, the Company will supply the IDF with an enhancement of its existing UAS intelligence capabilities. The contract will be carried out over a three-year period. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/300441 ) With enhanced endurance, the Hermes® 900 allows flight altitude of more than 30,000 ft, large payload capacity and flight capabilities in adverse weather conditions. The Hermes® 900 is based on the highly reliable and combat proven Hermes® 450 UAS, which has accumulated over 170,000 flight hours. The new Hermes® 900 allows seamless integration with the IDF's existing Hermes® 450 UAS thanks to its universal command & control ground station (UGCS), which enables advanced mission management, automatic taxiing, autonomous flight and automatic takeoff and landing systems common to all the UAS in the Hermes® family. These advantages allow all Hermes® 450 operators to immediately integrate the Hermes® 900 into the existing UAS fleet, using the current infrastructure. Joseph Ackerman, President and CEO of Elbit Systems, commented: "We are proud to have been selected by the Israeli Ministry of Defense in this UAS project, attesting to the IDF's high level of satisfaction with the performance of our UAS. By introducing the Hermes® 900 into our growing UAS portfolio, we continue to provide the IDF with effective solutions for its varying operational needs, ranging from the mini-UAS Skylark® I-LE operated by the Israeli Ground Forces, through the Hermes® 450 which plays a central role in the IDF's anti-terror efforts, to our brand new Hermes® 900." Ackerman added, "The IMOD's recent order furthers our position as a world leader in the UAS field, and we trust that many customers will follow the IDF's selection of the Hermes® 900, the newest addition to the Elbit Systems UAS portfolio." About Elbit Systems Elbit Systems Ltd. is an international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The Company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land and naval systems, command, control, communications, computers, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance ("C4ISR"), unmanned aircraft systems ("UAS"), advanced electro-optics, electro-optic space systems, EW suites, airborne warning systems, ELINT systems, data links and military communications systems and radios. The Company also focuses on the upgrading of existing military platforms, developing new technologies for defense, homeland security and commercial aviation applications and providing a range of support services. For additional information, visit: http://www.elbitsystems.com/.

DTN News: US Turns Focus To Pakistan’s Conventional Defence

DTN News: US Turns Focus To Pakistan’s Conventional Defence Source: DTN News / Dawn By Anwar Iqbal (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, U.S.- May 3, 2010: The United States appears to have realised the importance of strengthening Pakistan’s conventional defence while also enhancing its capability to fight extremists. In doing so, senior US officials also recognised Pakistan’s concerns about India and conceded that Washington’s growing ties with New Delhi were a cause of concern for Islamabad. “We must continue to reassure Pakistan that as it combats the terrorist threat, it is not exposing itself to increased risk along its eastern border,” said Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Michele Flournoy while explaining why the United States needed to strengthen Islamabad’s conventional defence systems as well. “Although extremist attacks have led to the repositioning of substantial Pakistani forces, Pakistan’s strategic concerns about India remain pre-eminent.” Under Secretary Flournoy and other senior US officials who spoke to the House Armed Services Committee urged lawmakers to provide funding for billions of dollars of planned US military and civilian aid to Pakistan during the next five years. Separately, another senior Pentagon official told journalists in Washington that the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan later this year would be “a sign of this burgeoning relationship between us and increased defence cooperation between our two countries.” In a related development, senior US State and Defence officials said the United States planned to provide $1.5 billion to Pakistan by September 2011 for buying military equipment. During the same period, the United States also plans to reimburse about $2.3 billion Pakistan spent while fighting terrorists along the Afghan border. Of these, $600 million will be quickly transferred to Pakistan while the rest will be reimbursed by September 2011, when the current US fiscal year ends. Besides providing military equipment, the United States also has accepted Pakistan’s position that it has genuine interests in Afghanistan and those interests need to be protected. Meanwhile, the US media reports that the United States and Pakistan are establishing a joint military intelligence centre inside Pakistan. The United States is also sending 50 aircraft technicians to Pakistan with four new F-16s it plans to hand over to Islamabad in June. By September 2011, Pakistan will receive a total of 18 of these planes. A US military team will accompany these aircraft “to ensure that sophisticated, top-of-the-line avionics, weapons and data systems aboard the aircraft remain secure,” The Washington Post reported. The planes, which for the first time will allow Pakistan to conduct night-time air operations, are far more advanced than the 30-year-old US aircraft that are the current mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force. Currently, there are about 200 US military instructors in Pakistan, including 140 from a Special Operations training and advisory contingent. The CIA also has sent additional intelligence-gathering operatives and technicians in recent months and plans are under way to establish a joint military intelligence processing centre in Pakistan. Under Secretary Flournoy said the plans to help Pakistan strengthen its defence “remain vital to our overall goal of disrupting, dismantling and defeating Al Qaeda and to enhancing stability in a critical region”. Key US lawmakers also back the new Pakistan policy, and have urged action to further increase educational opportunities for Pakistani military officers at US military schools, and faster movement to provide Pakistan with key military hardware, particularly helicopters.

DTN News: UAE May Fund Next-Gen Rafale

DTN News: UAE May Fund Next-Gen Rafale *Wants More Powerful Engine, AESA Radar Source: DTN News / Defense News By ANDREW CHUTER and PIERRE TRAN (NSI News Source Info) LONDON and PARIS - May 3, 2010: The United Arab Emirates and France are discussing a proposed joint effort to develop a more capable, new-generation Dassault Rafale strike fighter, sources in the Arabian Gulf and Europe said. "The conversation has moved forward from buying the Rafale to how to co-develop the next-generation Rafale," a defense source in the Arabian Gulf said. The prospective new model would meet UAE requirements and "take the plane to the next level," the source said. A co-development with a foreign customer and partner would be a big boost for the twin-engine fighter jet, which is seen in France as a jewel of aeronautical excellence and the crown of the country's arms-export efforts. Dassault Aviation has entered the Rafale in bidding for contracts in Brazil and India, and has offered it to Kuwait and Libya. The UAE negotiations center on the systems and engine the upgraded aircraft would carry, the Gulf source said. The main upgrades are said to be an active electronically scanned array radar, frontal sector optronics and an electronic warfare suite, systems supplied by Thales, and a 9-ton-thrust M88 engine, up-rated from the 7.5-ton engine that powers the French Air Force and Navy Rafales. Last June, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the United Arab Emirates was in discussions to buy the Rafale, which Dassault bills as an omnirole fighter. The jets would replace the Mirage 2000-9s bought from France in 1998. Some 50 French executives were in Abu Dhabi in the week of April 12 as part of the talks, an executive at a rival fighter maker said. "I can confirm the first," said a French executive close to the discussions. "We are working flat out on negotiating the contract and ancillary contracts." The executive confirmed that the negotiations go beyond just a purchase, and are aimed at agreeing on co-development of an advanced version of the Rafale. "There are, effectively, discussions between the two governments on how to finance the additional functionality," the executive said. The co-development work is expected to take years, he said, adding that whether the work will make the new variant a "next-generation" Rafale is a question of semantics. The executive said industry is working on the technical definition of the aircraft, while the financial aspects are being negotiated at the government level. A June date for concluding a deal "is possible, not guaranteed," he said. A second French defense executive said of the negotiations, "All the lights are green." A Dassault spokesman would not confirm that a joint development effort might be part of the UAE-French discussion about the possible purchase of Rafales. "Talks are continuing," he said. Fighter Swap? One European executive with knowledge of the deal said Paris has agreed to buy back the Mirage 2000-9s and put them into service with the French Air Force, then put its Mirage 2000-5s on the secondhand market and retire the Mirage 2000N nuclear strike version. Asked about the buyback of Mirage 2000-9s, the Gulf source said, "It is all linked." Such a deal would be expensive, said Etienne de Durand, director of security studies at the Institut Français de Relations Internationales, a Paris think tank. De Durand said Rafale export sales help fund the development of new capabilities, maintain design skills and keep French industry at the cutting edge of world fighter technology. That is why France is ready to agree to extensive technology transfer to sell the Rafale to Brazil, and why "smart arrangements" are being offered to the United Arab Emirates, he said. But de Durand said that it often takes years to see whether the arrangements really do make sense. Maintenance of technological capabilities needs to be balanced against funding the operational needs of the armed forces, notably among middle-rank powers such as Britain and France, he said. If the deal brings Mirage 2000-9s into the French Air Force, it could reduce the money available for buying and upgrading the Rafale, de Durand said. Privately, French Air Force officials worry about taking in the 2000-9, which will mean operating and supporting a mixed fleet when the Rafale was intended to replace seven different types of aircraft in the Air Force and Navy. Engine Upgrade Snecma, which declined to comment on the talks, announced several months ago that it was considering developing a more powerful variant of its M88 engine for UAE Rafales. In a press pack distributed at the Singapore Air Show in February, the French aircraft engine and equipment maker said, "For the UAE Air Force & Air Defense, which require more power for enhanced combat agility and improved performance in very hot weather, Snecma is considering the development of a more powerful variant of the M88 jet engine. "Snecma has already demonstrated the feasibility of the 9-ton version of the M88, allowing for the design-related risks to be under control." Snecma would adapt the M88, not design a new engine, the company said. Ordering Advanced Arms The United Arab Emirates is known for funding state-of-the-art fighter development. In a forerunner to the potential Rafale deal, the Emirates funded the development of the Block 60 variant of the U.S.-designed F-16, adding an active electronically scanned array radar, new engine, electronic warfare and infrared gear, better cockpit avionics and conformal fuel tanks. The Gulf state also has a history of working with France to develop advanced military equipment. The Damocles laser targeting pod was co-developed for the UAE Air Force's Mirage 2000-9 under the name Shehab. The French arms procurement office bought nine Damocles pods in 2008 for its Mirage 2000D and Rafale F3 aircraft. If the Emirates does buy the Rafale, no immediate orders are expected for missile maker MBDA, as the Gulf nation has a stock of Mica air-to-air missiles and Black Shaheen cruise missiles for its Mirage 2000-9 fleet, which would be compatible with the Rafale. The Dassault static display at the Paris Air Show last year included a Rafale with three mock-up cruise missiles, demonstrating its long-range strike capabilities. Later market prospects for MBDA would come with the AASM guided propelled bomb and the Meteor beyond-visual-range missile. The long-range weapon is due to enter service with the French Air Force around the middle of the decade. The United Arab Emirates has ordered three Airbus A330 multirole tanker and transport aircraft, and is potentially interested in buying more. The Abu Dhabi government bought France's Leclerc tank in the early 1990s, becoming the only export customer. France last year opened a naval base in Abu Dhabi as part of a shift of its military strength to the Gulf and away from Africa. The Gulf region is seen as strategically important because of the transit of petroleum tanker ships through its waters, the perceived threat from Iran and the sovereign wealth funds that are based in the Gulf states.

DTN News: Times Square Car Bomb Was Act Of Terrorism

DTN News: Times Square Car Bomb Was Act Of Terrorism Source: DTN News ~ Compiled By Roger Smith (NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK, U.S. - May 2, 2010: The popular tourist spot in Manhattan has been cleared after a suspicious vehicle was found near a production of "The Lion King". New York's Times Square evacuated over bomb threat ~ IN PICTURES AP PHOTO 8 HOURS AGO

In this image taken from video, A police officer approaches the vehicle containing a car bomb, which stands with the door open and red canisters on the roadway at New York's Times Square, NY, U.S.A. , Sunday, May 2, 2010. Police cleared the streets around Times Square when the vehicle was seen to be smoking late Saturday evening, before recovering un-detonated bomb components including cans of gasoline, tanks of propane, fireworks and other electrical equipment from the sport utility vehicle.

REUTERS PICTURES 9 HOURS AGO

Members of the NYPD Bomb Squad in New York's Times Square May 1, 2010. Police evacuated Times Square on Saturday night after a dark-colored sports utility vehicle was found to be smoking and a small "flash" was observed by firefighters on the scene.

REUTERS PICTURES 9 HOURS AGO

Crime scene investigators examine a Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle that was packed with bomb materials in New York's Times Square, May 1, 2010. Police tipped off by a street vendor found and defused a car bomb inside a sport utility vehicle, thwarting an "act of terrorism" that forced the evacuation of New York's Times Square on Saturday and could have killed many people, authorities said early on Sunday.

AP PHOTO 9 HOURS AGO

A police vehicle is seen in Times Square in New York, Sunday, May 2, 2010. Authorities say police have found an "amateurish" but potentially powerful bomb that apparently began to detonate but did not explode in a smoking sport utility vehicle in Times Square. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Sunday that thousands of tourists were cleared from the streets for 10 hours after a T-shirt vendor alerted police to the suspicious vehicle, which contained three propane tanks, fireworks, two filled 5-gallon (20-liter) gasoline containers, and two clocks with batteries, electrical wire and other components.

GETTY IMAGES 5 HOURS AGO

NEW YORK - MAY 02: Police cruisers stand by at sunrise at the scene where a crude car bomb had been parked at 45th Street and 7th Avenue in Times Square May 2, 2010 in New York, New York. Police found a crude but potentially powerful bomb in vehicle in Times Square and disabled it, clearing out the famous intersection of thousands of tourists on a busy Saturday night.

GETTY IMAGES 5 HOURS AGO

NEW YORK - MAY 02: Police stand by at sunrise at the scene where a crude car bomb had been parked at 45th Street and 7th Avenue in Times Square May 2, 2010 in New York, New York. Police found a crude but potentially powerful bomb in vehicle in Times Square and disabled it, clearing out the famous intersection of thousands of tourists on a busy Saturday night.