DTN News - SHORT STORY: ROOTS OR REALITY BY FREAK OF COINCIDENCE (TRUE OR FICTION) ~ From DTN News Archive

DTN News - SHORT STORY: ROOTS OR REALITY BY FREAK OF COINCIDENCE (TRUE OR FICTION) ~ From DTN News Archive
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 27, 2014: Today - August 3, while opening my FB (Facebook) earlier this morning, I was amazed to see the esteemed beauty of 15th century Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, posted or tagged by a very dear friend, I address him AMIT DADA  (Amitava Chatterjee). 

I feel we are blessed with hi-tech and technology era and the internet, which is a gold or better platinum mines of knowledge as well free of charge available at your command.

Back on track, on the above aspect., I usually acknowledge the receipt of a posting on my Facebook.

"Thanks Dada., the famous painting of the Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. I saw the related movie - The Agony and the Ecstasy, was released in 1965 casting Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison and Diane Cilento.

Dada, since ADAM is the centrepoint on this aspect, I may add Adam & Eve are listed as having three children named Cain, Abel and SETH.

Another interesting aspect I like to share with you, last Olympics ~ 2008 Beijing opening ceremony was on Aug 8, 2008 my BIRTHDAY, 2012 London on July 27 is my elder brother Guru Dev Seth's BIRTHDAY and 2016 Rio de Janeiro (?).
Take care and kind regards
Karam Seth"

What a freak of a coincidence with an amazing twist of similarity from the conception of Human kind to the current World Largest Sports Events, the four letter words S E T H is in variably connected. Is it True or Fiction ?

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated February 26, 2014

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated February 26, 2014
Source: K. V. Seth - DTN News + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-037-14 February 26, 2014
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 26, 2014: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued February 26, 2014 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

 

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

 

BAE Systems, Aerospace & Defense Group, Phoenix, Ariz., has been awarded a maximum $79,972,510 modification (P00102) exercising the second option year on a one-year base contract (SPM1C1-12-D-1027) with three one-year option periods for improved outer tactical vests and individual repair kits.  This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.  Locations of performance are Arizona and Pennsylvania with a Feb. 27, 2015 performance completion date.  Using military services are Army and Air Force.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa. 

 

Tennier Industries*, Boca Raton, Fla., has been awarded a maximum $15,709,270 modification (P00008) exercising the first option year on a one-year base contract (SPM1C1-13-D-1028) with two one-year option periods for extreme cold wet weather trousers.  This is a firm-fixed-price contract.  Locations of performance are Florida, Pennsylvania, and Georgia with a Feb. 28, 2015 performance completion date.  Using military service is Army.  Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.

 

CORRECTION:  The contract awarded Feb. 25, 2014 to Zodiac Aerospace, Alpharetta, Ga.,  should have read the amount as $7,029,909 and the contract number as SPRPA1-14-C-003W  

 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY

 

Lincoln Public Schools was awarded a $12,016,371 firm-fixed price contract modification exercising the second of four option periods of service contract number HEVAS6-12-C-0001.  The contract is for comprehensive education program services, grades pre-kindergarten through eight servicing eligible dependent children of Department of Defense personnel residing on Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts.  The period of performance for this option is March 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.  Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenancce funding were obligated.  The contracting activity is the DoDEA/Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools, Peachtree City, Ga. 

 

Caesar Rodney School District was awarded an $8,191,180 firm-fixed price contract modification exercising the first of four option periods of service contract number HEVAS6-13-C-0001.  The contract is for comprehensive education program services, grades kindergarten through 12 servicing eligible dependent children of Department of Defense personnel residing on Dover Air Force Base, Del.  The period of performance for this option is March 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.  Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenancce funding were obligated.  The contracting activity for this action is DoDEA/Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools, Peachtree City, Ga.

 

NAVY

 

Harris Corp., Palm Bay, Fla., is being awarded an $11,164,184 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00039-13-C-0001) for Commercial Broadband Satellite Program Force Level Variant (FLV) terminal systems.  The Commercial Broadband Satellite Program FLV terminal system is used to provide the Navy with terminal-to-shore, space and terrestrial connectivity to significantly increase throughput of data; improve satellite communications reliability; and provide redundancy for military satellite communications.  The FLV terminal systems are deployed on CVN, LPD-17 class and T-AHs ships.  This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to an estimated $37,497,686.  Work will be performed in Palm Bay, Fla., and is expected to be completed by February 2015.  If all options are exercised work could continue until February 2018.  Fiscal 2012 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy and fiscal 2013 and 2014 other procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $11,164,184 will be obligated at the time of award.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1).  The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

 

Environmental Management Inc.*, Idaho Falls, Idaho, is being awarded a $21,486,839 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N40085-10-D-0213) to exercise option four for facilities maintenance and heavy equipment repair services at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station New River, and other outlying areas in eastern North Carolina.  The work to be performed provides for all labor, supervision, management, tools, materials, equipment, facilities, transportation, incidental engineering, and other items necessary.  The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $108,929,969.  Work will be performed in Jacksonville, N.C., and work is expected to be completed March 2015.  Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance, Marine Corps contract funds in the amount of $18,673,268 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.

 

CORRECTION:   The contract awarded Dec. 20, 2013 to J. Walter Thompson, Atlanta, Ga., (M00264-14-D-0002) should have read the amount as $169,999,999.  Task order 0001 should have read the amount was not-to-exceed $77,433,499.

 

AIR FORCE

 

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $10,185,912 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00017) for an existing contract (FA8682-12-C-0006) for Joint Air-to-Surface Strategic Missile anti-jam GPS receiver - Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module Version 3 (JAGR-S V3) for development of the JAGR-S V3 and options for V3 Qualification Failure Review Board (FRB), V3 Flight Test FRB, and for the Transit Case Assembly.  Work will be performed at Orlando, Fla., and Troy, Ala., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2016.  Fiscal 2014 missile procurement funds in the amount of $10,185,912 will be obligated at time of award. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition.  Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/EBJK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

 

*Small Business

Related U.S. Department Of Defense ~ Contracts

Contracts for February 26, 2014

Contracts for February 25, 2014

Contracts for February 24, 2014

Contracts for February 21, 2014

Contracts for February 20, 2014

Contracts for February 19, 2014

Contracts for February 18, 2014

Contracts for February 14, 2014

Contracts for February 12, 2014

Contracts for February 11, 2014

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-037-14  February 26, 2014 
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: French Army And The Sperwer UAV

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: French Army And The Sperwer UAV

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Strategy Page

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 26, 2014: The French Army has purchased five more Sperwer UAVs with an option to get two more. Although not as successful as American and Israeli competitors, the French made Sperwer continues to serve the French military and is expected to continuing doing so until the end of the decade. A French firm is developing a replacement, the Patroller, which is designed to appeal more to the export market. Most of the 150 Sperwers produced since the 1990s were bought by the French Army. Sperwer got its first heavy use during the Balkan peacekeeping missions in the 1990s. Five other nations also bought Sperwer, but most have since retired theirs and bought American and Israeli UAVs.

Starting in 2003 Canada, for example, bought 21 Sperwers, including ten second hand ones obtained from Denmark. The Canadians used their Sperwers heavily in Afghanistan and paid to improve the Sperwer flight control software, to make the UAV more stable when landing under windy conditions. It's often windy in Afghanistan. Still, troops were envious of UAV models they saw used by other nations. Canada stopped using Sperwer in 2009.

The $2.6 million Sperwer LE (Long Endurance) weighs 351 kg (772 pounds), carries a 50 kg (110 pound) payload, is 3.9 meters (12 feet) long, and has an endurance of 12 hours. Sperwer can operate up to 200 kilometers from its ground control unit. It is launched from a vehicle mounted catapult but lands conventionally.

The Sperwer uses a noisy engine (think lawnmower) and flies low enough to be heard. This has not proved to be a problem, as the people below, if they are Taliban, either start shooting at the UAV or try to run away. Despite this, Canadian troops came to depend on their Sperwers and many preferred to have more of them rather than another, newer UAV. The troops learned that operator experience is a major factor in UAV success, and much of that would be lost if they switched a new model. Canada eventually replaced their Sperwers with Israeli Herons.

The Sperwer suffered from the heat, dust, and wind that is so abundant in Afghanistan, and there were several attempts to get an improved UAV to the troops. For a while, Canada was going to buy some Predators, not just because these one ton UAVs are more capable than Sperwer but because Predator could carry Hellfire missiles. But this became a political issue in Canada, where many politicians did not like the idea of an unmanned aircraft carrying, and using, missiles, even if the actual firing was done by a human operator on the ground. Everyone agreed that a larger UAV would be better, especially one that could carry a laser designator and be more stable in the wind. By 2009 Canadian troops in Afghanistan began using the Israeli Heron and that proved satisfactory.

Related ~ Sperwer UAV

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Strategy Page
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
©COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing Receives $2.4 Billion Contract for 16 P-8A Poseidon Aircraft

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing Receives $2.4 Billion Contract for 16 P-8A Poseidon Aircraft
>US Navy orders 1st full-rate production lot

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Boeing
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 25, 2014: Boeing's [NYSE: BA] P-8A Poseidon program will enter full production, following a $2.4 billion contract award from the U.S. Navy for 16 additional aircraft that will bolster maritime patrol capabilities.

The order, which will take the total fleet to 53, marks a transition from preliminary low-rate production.

Boeing has delivered 13 P-8As to the Navy, which deployed its first patrol squadron to Kadena, Japan in December 2013 and has been conducting operational missions since then.

"This milestone is a testament to the incredible effort and dedication of the team to deliver the P-8A to the fleet as planned," Navy P-8A program manager Capt. Scott Dillon said. "The future of the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance community has begun to make history with the P-8As already delivered to the fleet. These full-rate production aircraft will give us the opportunity to deliver the best system through a cost-effective procurement contract."
Based on Boeing's Next-Generation 737-800 commercial airplane, the P-8A will enhance the service's anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Overall, the Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8As to replace its P-3 fleet.

"This contract reflects the success of the program and enables us to continue delivering an advanced, cost-effective maritime patrol aircraft to the Navy," added Rick Heerdt, Boeing vice president and P-8 program manager. "We delivered eight P-8s, all on or ahead of schedule in 2013, and we intend to keep that streak going in 2014."

Boeing assembles the P-8A aircraft in the same facility where it builds all its 737 aircraft. The Poseidon team uses a first-in-industry in-line production process that draws on Boeing's Next-Generation 737 system and has resulted in cost and schedule savings.
Boeing's industry team includes CFM International, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems, BAE Systems and GE Aviation.

DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News - P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (U.S. Navy & Indian Navy) video on youtube




A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $33 billion business with 58,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

Related Images of P-8A Poseidon Aircraft;

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Boeing
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: Chinese Stealth Jet Set For Maiden Flight

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: Chinese Stealth Jet Set For Maiden Flight

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources ecns.cn
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 20, 2014: China is said to be planning the maiden flight soon of the upgraded version of the J-20 stealth fighter.

A number of photos recently taken by aviation enthusiasts at an unidentified base, and widely circulated on websites that follow the Chinese military, show a prototype of the twin-engine, fifth-generation aircraft with the serial code "2011" painted on both sides of the cockpit.

Active members on cjdby.net and fyjs.cn, the two most-visited sites that cover the Chinese military, said the first test flight of the prototype aircraft is imminent.

The flight is expected to take place in Chengdu, where the aircraft's developer, Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, is headquartered.

An employee of the Aviation Industry Corp of China, parent company of the Chengdu industry group, speaking on Wednesday on condition of anonymity, said that he could neither confirm nor deny the rumors.

Recent media reports about China's military hardware testing have confirmed many of the rumors published by Chinese military enthusiasts. Many of the followers claim to have a great deal of knowledge about weapons, and sources with defense contractors.

The newest J-20 is the stealth fighter's third prototype since the aircraft's debut three years ago.

In January 2011, the J-20's first prototype made its maiden flight at an unidentified airfield in Chengdu. The 15- minute flight made China the third nation in the world to "develop and test-fly a full-size stealth combat aircraft prototype", after the United States and Russia, according to Western media outlets.

China launched its stealth fighter programs in the late 1990s. It is also developing a single-engine, radar-evading fifth-generation jet fighter called the J-31. That aircraft has undergone several test flights.

China reportedly conducted test flights of a second J-20 prototype in Chengdu in May 2012. Pictures of a J-20 prototype firing from its side weapons bays surfaced in March 2013. It's unclear which prototype was tested in March.

Chinese aviation enthusiasts said a series of improvements have been made to the stealth fighter. It reportedly has a new air intake design, shorter engine nozzles and a sensor technology that helps pilots detect and track enemy aircraft or missiles in every direction simultaneously.

An upcoming test would indicate that its engineers and designers have made remarkable strides to finalize the J-20 project, said Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief at Aerospace Knowledge magazine.

"Most of the changes made to the third prototype seem to be about its aerodynamics," he said. "I think the upgraded version will have better avionics, stealth capability and stronger survivability in combat."

But Wang emphasized that it is too early to tell if the aircraft's design has been finalized, pointing out that the United States spent many years on its jet fighters and adopted numerous changes.

"China only has a short history of developing advanced aircraft. There is still a long road for us before our aircraft can compete with others," he said.

Frank Kendall, the US under-secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, recently told The Wall Street Journal that US defense officials "expect the Chinese to have export versions of the equipment that they have built".

Kendall said China is expected to put the J-20 into active military service in the next few years and added it could export the aircraft to other nations.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources ecns.cn
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - SOCHI 2014 OLYMPICS: 2014 Olympic Opening Ceremony (Video)

DTN News -  SOCHI 2014 OLYMPICS: 2014 Olympic Opening Ceremony (Video)

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 14, 2014: On February 7th billions of people all over the world will be able to witness an exciting show - the XXII Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Wait for the details on the 7th of February! 

The Games were officially opened by President Vladimir Putin. An audience of 40,000 were in attendance at the stadium with an estimated 2,000 performers.

 

At a cost of 30 billion pounds (over $49 billion), the Sochi Games is the most expensive Olympics in history.

The 2014 winter Olympic opening ceremony kicked off the biggest sporting event of the year on Friday, Feb. 7, and the world's best athletes came to show their team spirit in Sochi, Russia.

88 nations were represented at the Parade of Nations, which is one of the best known Olympics spectacles. The Parade is when all of the athletes representing their countries walk around the arena dressed to the nines in their patriotic gear while in alphabetical order by country name.
Photo courtesy - http://www.sochi2014.com/

*Presented & compiled for DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

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DTN News - SOCHI 2014 OLYMPICS: Sandro Viletta Competes During Alpine Skiing Men's Super Combined

DTN News -  SOCHI 2014 OLYMPICS: Sandro Viletta Competes During Alpine Skiing Men's Super Combined

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 14, 2014: Sandro Viletta of Switzerland competes during the Alpine Skiing Men's Super Combined Downhill.

At a cost of 30 billion pounds (over $49 billion), the Sochi Games is the most expensive Olympics in history.

The 2014 winter Olympic opening ceremony kicked off the biggest sporting event of the year on Friday, Feb. 7, and the world's best athletes came to show their team spirit in Sochi, Russia.

88 nations were represented at the Parade of Nations, which is one of the best known Olympics spectacles. The Parade is when all of the athletes representing their countries walk around the arena dressed to the nines in their patriotic gear while in alphabetical order by country name.
Photo courtesy - http://www.sochi2014.com/

*Presented & compiled for DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

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DTN News - SOCHI 2014 OLYMPICS: Curling Women's Round Robin Match between Japan And Great Britain

DTN News -  SOCHI 2014 OLYMPICS: Curling Women's Round Robin Match between Japan And Great Britain

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 14, 2014: Ayumi Ogasawara of Japan looks on as Chinami Yoshida and Michiko Tomabechi sweep the ice during the Curling Women's Round Robin match between Japan and Great Britain on day 8 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Ice Cube Curling Center.
At a cost of 30 billion pounds (over $49 billion), the Sochi Games is the most expensive Olympics in history.

The 2014 winter Olympic opening ceremony kicked off the biggest sporting event of the year on Friday, Feb. 7, and the world's best athletes came to show their team spirit in Sochi, Russia.

88 nations were represented at the Parade of Nations, which is one of the best known Olympics spectacles. The Parade is when all of the athletes representing their countries walk around the arena dressed to the nines in their patriotic gear while in alphabetical order by country name.
Photo courtesy - http://www.sochi2014.com/

*Presented & compiled for DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

(Read complete story on Defense-Technology News - Click on link undermentioned)

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DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran Presents Reproduced U.S. Drone To Russia

DTN News - IRAN DEFENSE NEWS: Iran Presents Reproduced U.S. Drone To Russia

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources The Moscow Times
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 13, 2014: Iran has presented Russia with a copy of a U.S. spy drone, proving it has reproduced the unmanned ScanEagle aircraft that its forces claim to have captured last year, Iranian media reported.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards air defense commander, Farzad Esmayeeli, said he presented a copy of the drone during a Monday meeting with Russian Air Force chief Viktor Bondarev in Tehran, Fars reported.

"The drone built by the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps] is a symbol of the technical capabilities of the Islamic Iran and today we presented a real model of it as a gift to Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev and the Russian people," said Esmayeeli, who is in charge of air defense at the Khatam al-Anbia base.

Last month, Iran's army unveiled a highly mobile drone, called Yasseer, which media reports described as resembling the U.S. ScanEagle.

Iran has claimed advances in drone technology ever since its forces appeared to have captured a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel two years ago. Iran claims to have brought down the drone, but U.S. officials said the aircraft had malfunctioned.

In December, 2012, Iran said its forces also captured a ScanEagle and vowed to reverse-engineer and reproduce the craft.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources The Moscow Times
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - RUSSIAN NEWS: Is it The Beginning of New Trend or An Isolated Incident on Russian School Shooting - 2 Killed

DTN News - RUSSIAN NEWS: Is it The Beginning of New Trend or An Isolated Incident on Russian School Shooting - 2 Killed

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 6, 2014: A Moscow high-school student shot a teacher and a police officer dead and held more than 20 other students hostage in a classroom in a possible revenge attack on Monday, Feb. 3, days before Russia hosts the Winter Olympics under tight security. The student was disarmed and detained less than two hours after the shooting following negotiations aided by his father, Interfax news agency said.

Commenting on the incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incident as “tragic.” The Mayor Vladimir Kolokoltsev stated the need for a scrutiny of the school’s security processes and went on to say that perhaps a greater focus on the arts would reduce such incidents. According to the mayor, if a new generation is raised with better “artistic taste” and is able to appreciate theater, drama and music, this would possibly reduce violent tendencies in young people.


Gun related violence which is increasingly becoming a frequent happening in other parts of the world, is a rare and isolated occurrence in Russia. This school shooting in Moscow which has left two people dead is all the more unsettling as it comes despite heightened and tightened security measures put in place across the city in honor of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games next week. The country is also in a state of high alert over the possible threat of violence by Islamic militants. Ivan Fodokin, a student at the school said, “We were in the stairwell when we heard the man outside yelling to the police officer to open the door, and then we heard shooting.” The middle of the day incident sent teachers and students running in blind panic into the subzero cold outside, even as ambulances and police personnel arrived on the scene.

A 10th-grade student killed a geography teacher and a police officer and took children hostage at a Moscow school on Monday in Russia's first-ever school shooting, triggering a debate on security at educational institutions and over the right to bear arms.

The incident was widely compared to school shootings in the U.S., with some commentators citing them as an argument for gun control and others saying that most of such killings took place in gun-free zones and therefore prove that restrictions on gun ownership should be relaxed.

The incident was also likened to several recent mass killings carried out by lone male shooters in Russia. These include one in Moscow's Bibirevo district in 2011, in which three people died, and the shooting in Belgorod last year, in which six people were killed.

School security was tightened nationwide after the Beslan hostage crisis in 2004, but the circumstances in that case were much different. Islamic militants seized a school in the town of Beslan in the North Ossetia republic, leading to a siege by Russian security forces, as a result of which more than 330 people were killed, 186 of them children.

In Monday's incident, the shooter, Sergei Gordeyev, killed two people and injured a police officer at School No. 263 in the Otradnoye district in Moscow's northeast, police said. News reports first appeared regarding the incident at about 12:30 p.m., when Life News reported that a man carrying two rifles had taken about 20 10th-grade students hostage and that a security guard at the school had managed to call the police.

About 30 minutes later, it was reported that two people had been shot, all the hostages had been released and the shooter detained. Police later said that a criminal case was opened on charges of hostage-taking, murder and attempted murder. As a minor, Gordeyev faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of the charges.

Preliminary reports indicated that the shooting could have been caused by a conflict at the school and may have been a revenge attack on the geography teacher, an unidentified law enforcement official told Interfax.

“According to our data, Sergei Gordeyev was a straight-A student, and likely had a nervous breakdown,” said Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin, who came to the school after the shooting.

Little information was immediately available about Gordeyev. A page on social network Vkontakte that supposedly belonged to him had virtually no details on it, and the police did not even reveal his age. Given his grade in school, he was thought to be about 15 years old.

Commenting on the incident, President Vladimir Putin, who was chairing a meeting on the arts in Pskov, said one of the reasons for it was likely a lack of proper upbringing in the modern age.

“We should raise a new generation of spectators with good aesthetic taste who understand and value the theater, drama and music,” Putin said. “If this were done in a proper way, today's tragedy in Moscow might not have happened.”

Education and Science Minister Dmitry Livanov also reacted to the event, saying it underscored the need for new measures to tighten security at schools. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin echoed Livanov's proposal, announcing that a complete “revision” of security measures at schools would be carried out.

The scene outside School No. 263 was solemn on Monday afternoon, with curious bystanders from surrounding apartment blocks patrolling the adjacent sidewalks, mingling with reporters and former students. Few people spoke.

Security personnel could be seen combing the classrooms on the first floor, while two men with metal detectors swept the driveway in front of the school's main entrance. Police officers escorted students and members of the school's faculty out the front gate and past a cordon of reporters in 10-minute intervals. They walked together, arms linked, many of them crying.

An emergency responder who had been inside the school declined to describe it. "I am not comfortable discussing it. It is complicated," he said, before retreating into the crowd.

Many former students of the teacher who was killed, Andrei Kirillov, approached the school to pay their respects. Nikita Shugayev, who graduated from the school three years ago, said he “knew the teacher very well” and that he was “a great guy.” His peers, apparently equally bewildered at what had happened, echoed the sentiment.

Most of the students who currently attend the school were sent home immediately after the shooting, though a few lingered at the scene. Olga Andronichenko, one of Gordeyev's classmates, stood in front of reporters and attempted to shed light on the day's events.

She showed reporters photos from Gordeyev's Vkontakte page that were taken at last year's New Year party. “Basically he was a normal kid,” she said. “I don't know what happened in his head. He was a normal person.”

While gun control advocates have attributed school shootings to laws allowing arms possession, gun rights activists have argued that if people were permitted to carry guns on school grounds they would be able to shoot would-be criminals.

Irina Yarovaya, head of the State Duma's Security and Anti-Corruption Committee, reacted to the shooting by proposing tighter controls on gun possession, RIA Novosti reported.

The reaction of the authorities, who are accused by the opposition of rubber-stamping repressive laws in response to all major events, was derided by some critics.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources 
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
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DTN News - DEFEXPO 2014: Israel's IAI To Unveil Unmanned Fast Patrol Boat At Defexpo 2014

DTN News - DEFEXPO 2014: Israel's IAI To Unveil Unmanned Fast Patrol Boat At Defexpo 2014

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources JP +
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 5, 2014: The Indian defense systems exhibition Defexpo 2014 opens on Wednesday of this week, in New Delhi. Focusing on land, naval and internal homeland security systems, companies from round the world will be competing head on with their latest concepts and products.

Israeli Aerospace Industries Ltd, or IAI, will be present with an important new naval concept which seeks to replicate the use of UASs, unmanned aerial systems, and sometimes known as “drones”, in a maritime context.

Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled on Tuesday the "Katana", an unmanned surface vessel (USV) combat marine system for use guarding Israel's coast and growing offshore investments.

As Israel’s Exclusive Economic Zone in the eastern Mediterranean is filling up with large-scale natural gas drilling, the navy is working with the government to approve a budget that will add four missile ships, drones, unmanned sea vessels and patrol air craft to protect it.

The zone, which includes natural gas fields Leviathan and Tamar, is the size of the State of Israel, and it will up be to the navy to defend this vital national asset from terrorist threats and hostile states.

IAI's Katana is a multifunctional vessel and 'marine system' that provides various capabilities such as advanced communications, weapons systems, and varied payloads.

The system can also be adapted to existing vessels and has the option of being used as an unmanned surface vessel from a remote control center, or by a live crew. 


*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources JP +
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