DTN News: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Lockheed Martin For Modification of External Fuel Tank of The Israeli Air Force C-130J

DTN News: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Lockheed Martin For Modification  of External Fuel Tank of The Israeli Air Force C-130J

Source: K. V. Seth - DTN News + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-010-16 January 15, 2016
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 20, 2016: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $10,035,434 modification (P00510) to previously awarded contract FA8625-11-C-6597 for C-130J advanced procurement and external fuel tank modification kits. 

Contractor will provide long-lead items and the external fuel tank mod kits in preparation for the procurement of C-130Js for Israel. 

Work will be performed at Marietta, Georgia, and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2018. 


This contract is 100 percent foreign military sales to Israel. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth - DTN News + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-010-16 January 15, 2016
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To MTU America Inc., Novi, Michigan Involves Foreign Military Sales To Israeli Navy

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To MTU America Inc., Novi, Michigan Involves Foreign Military Sales To Israeli Navy

Source: DTN News + CR-052-15 Dated March 20, 2015
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 23, 2015:  MTU America Inc., Novi, Michigan, is being awarded a $6,868,800 firm-fixed-price contract for three shipsets of propulsion system hardware and two spare marine gears for the Israeli Navy Super Dvora fast patrol boats. 

This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Israel (100 percent). This contract to support the Israeli Navy under FMS case IS-P-LHC is a follow-on effort, which was previously performed under contract N00104-06-C-K058. 

This contract will provide the propulsion system equipment necessary to support the ongoing fleet maintenance and life cycle support of the Israeli Navy. 

Work will be performed in Friedrichshafen, Germany (70 percent), and Kristinehamn, Sweden (30 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2017. 

FMS funding in the amount of $6,868,800 will be obligated at the time of award, and contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. 

This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(4) and FAR 6.302-4 International Agreement. 

The government of Israel is designated the sole source in its letter of offer and acceptance. 


The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-15-C-4127).

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources  + CR-052-15 Dated March 20, 2015
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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: US DoD Awarded $ 220 Million Contract To Lockheed Martin For Support of Conventional Take Off And Landing (CTOL) For Israeli F-35A

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US DoD Awarded $ 220 Million Contract To Lockheed Martin For Support of Conventional Take Off And Landing (CTOL) For Israeli F-35A

Source: K. V. Seth - DTN News + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-207-14 October 28, 2014

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala India - October 28, 2014: Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $220,748,611 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-12-C-0070). 

This modification provides for the System Development and Demonstration Phase I Increment 2, to continue support of F-35A Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) air system for the government of Israel under the foreign military sales program. 

This modification includes the development and demonstration of the hardware and software for the Israel F-35A CTOL air system. 

Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in March 2019. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $77,777,441 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth - DTN News + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-207-14 October 28, 2014
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - Israel TODAY: Israel To Buy Second Batch of US F-35 Fighters

DTN News - Israel TODAY:  Israel To Buy Second Batch of US F-35 Fighters

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala India - October 28, 2014:  Israel and the United States have agreed the sale of a second batch of Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters to the Jewish state, Israeli media reported Tuesday.

Haaretz newspaper said the deal, concluded by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Israeli counterpart, Moshe Yaalon, was for "at least 20" of the planes.

The Israeli defence ministry did not immediately respond to AFP's request for confirmation.

The Jerusalem Post said Israel signed a $2.75 billion (2.17 billion euro) deal in 2012 to buy a squadron of 19 F-35s from Lockheed Martin and received Pentagon approval to purchase an additional 75.

Both papers said delivery of the initial order should start by the end of 2016 and be completed by 2018.

The first planes of the second squadron should start arriving in 2019, they said.

The Post said that the two defence ministers finalised the new purchase "in recent days."

The men met last week in Washington to a backdrop of fresh tensions between the two allies over Israeli criticism of US foreign policy, Israeli announcements of settlement expansion and remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry linking the growth of militant Islam to Israel's decades-long conflict with the Palestinians.

Israeli company Elbit Systems is taking part in the manufacture of hi-tech helmets for F-35 pilots and state-owned Israel Military Industries manufactures aircraft parts.

The planes, which comes in conventional, vertical takeoff and aircraft carrier versions, have been hit by production delays and cost overruns.


Designed to replace fighters in the US Air Force, Navy and Marines and supported by a consortium of eight countries, the programme is the most expensive in US military history with a price tag of $395.7 billion.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Palestinian Protester Confront Israeli Troops Near Ramallah Against Jewish Settlement

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT:  Palestinian Protester Confront Israeli Troops Near Ramallah Against Jewish Settlement 

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Pictures of The Day
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 6, 2014: A Palestinian protester uses a sling shot to hurl a stone at Israeli troops during clashes at a weekly protest against Jewish settlements, in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, September 5,2014. 

(REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman)

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Pictures of The Day
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT: Palestinian Protester Confront Israeli Troops Near Nablus on Jewish Settlement

DTN News - MIDDLE EAST HOT SPOT:  Palestinian Protester Confront Israeli Troops Near Nablus on Jewish Settlement 

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Pictures of The Day
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 6, 2014: A Palestinian protester uses a sling shot to throw stones towards Israeli troops during clashes following a protest against the nearby Jewish settlement of Qadomem, seen in the background, in the West Bank village of Kofr Qadom near Nablus September 5, 2014. 

REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Pictures of The Day
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - ISRAEL NEWS: American Student Missing in Israel

DTN News - ISRAEL NEWS: American Student Missing in Israel

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 29, 2014: A forensic team member takes a picture near the place where a body was found next to Ein Karem village, near Jerusalem, August 28, 2014. 

Israeli police and volunteers found a body near a forest in Jerusalem on Thursday while searching for Aaron Sofer, a 23-year-old American student who went missing last week, but said no formal identification had yet been made. 

Sofer, a Jewish seminary student from New Jersey, vanished on August 22, 2014 while walking in woods not far from Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. (REUTERS/Baz Ratner)

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - 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 +
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - MIDEAST NEWS: A Palestinian Protester Being Arrested By Israeli Security Forces / Middle East Peace Talks In Deadlock Over Core Issue

DTN News - MIDEAST NEWS: A Palestinian Protester Being Arrested By Israeli Security Forces /  Middle East Peace Talks In Deadlock Over Core Issue
*US working on proposals to allow Israeli-Palestinian talks to go beyond deadline after about 20 meetings

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Irish Times & Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 18, 2014: When Israel and the Palestinians agreed, under intense pressure from Washington, to relaunch direct bilateral negotiations last July, US secretary of state John Kerry set an extremely ambitious, some would say naive, nine- month deadline for the sides to clinch an elusive peace deal.

That deadline is fast approaching and although the sides have met about 20 times, in strict secrecy, there is no indication to date that the parties have been able to significantly narrow the gaps on any of the core issues.

In what appears to be an effort in diplomatic damage control, Kerry is now working on bridging proposals, a framework agreement to be endorsed by the sides, that would enable the talks to continue beyond the April deadline.

An indication of the deadlock’s depth came this week when the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot leaked off- the-record statements made by Israeli defence minister Moshe Ya’alon.

He confirmed comments made by senior Palestinian officials over recent weeks to the effect that direct peace talks have not taken place for weeks and both sides were in effect negotiating separately with the Americans.

He also made a scathing personal attack on Kerry, for which he later apologised, describing him as “messianic” and “obsessive,” saying sarcastically that he should just claim his Nobel peace prize and leave Israel alone.

Ya’alon also dismissed the American plan for West Bank security arrangements, drafted by Kerry in an effort to break the impasse in the talks, as “not worth the paper it’s written on”.

According to an anonymous official in the ruling Likud party, quoted in the Israeli media this week, the defence minister merely said out loud what prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu really thinks but could never say, so as not to pinpoint Israel as the obstacle to peace.

Over recent weeks senior Palestinian officials led by President Mahmoud Abbas have made a number of hardline speeches that left little room for optimism that an historic compromise was close.
So what are the contentious issues?

Borders 
The Palestinians seek an independent state in the entire West Bank and Gaza. Israel wants to maintain control over four West Bank settlement blocs (about 13 per cent of the West Bank), home to more than 80 percent of settlers; and in return would be prepared to cede some Israeli territory to the Palestinians.

Gaza
Gaza has always been considered an integral part of a future Palestinian state but is currently controlled by the Islamic Hamas, bitter opponents of Fatah, headed by President Abbas, which controls the West Bank. Hamas opposes the peace talks with Israel and insists Abbas has no mandate to negotiate on its behalf.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Irish Times & Reuters
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israeli Military Sends Message To Iran With Video of ‘Special Long-Range Flight Exercise’

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israeli Military Sends Message To Iran With Video of ‘Special Long-Range Flight Exercise’
*'Netanyahu is Not Bluffing on Intention To Strike Iran'

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Aron Heller, Associated Press & JP
(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 29, 2013: In an apparent message to Iran, the Israeli military said Thursday it had carried out a “special long-range flight exercise” and posted rare footage of the drill online.

The military said its squadrons practiced refuelling planes in midair this week and tested the air force’s ability. The accompanying footage shows a tanker plane refuelling a fighter jet midair, a key part of any long-range operation.

The release of the video comes just days before Western powers are to open new talks with Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Israel has repeatedly warned that it would be willing to take military action if necessary to stop Iran from going nuclear.

The talks on Iran’s nuclear program will be held next week with the five permanent UN Security Council members — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France — plus Germany, collectively known as the P5+1.

President Barack Obama disclosed in an interview with The Associated Press last Friday that U.S. intelligence agencies believe Iran continues to be a year or more away from building a nuclear weapon, in contrast to Israel’s assessment that Tehran is closer.

In recent speeches, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned against letting Iran drag the world along for talks while it continues to pursue a bomb. He’s been on a media blitz of late to warn the West against President Hassan Rouhani’s softer tone, which he dismissed as a trick aimed at removing crippling economic sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.

Israeli military officials said the drill took place over Greece, a key regional ally. The military has done similar drills in the past but releasing the footage appears aimed at sending a message to Iran before the talks that a viable military options remains.

Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its very existence, citing Iran’s repeated calls for Israel’s destruction, its long-range missile program and its support for violent anti-Israel groups like the Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Since the UN General Assembly last month, Netanyahu has assured journalists in the United States that he supports President Barack Obama’s diplomatic overtures to Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, while also calling him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” not to be trusted.

Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, as it continues to enrich uranium well beyond the grade required for any civilian nuclear use.

The former senior official told the Post that Israeli intelligence assesses Saudi Arabia would not wait “a minute” after Iran acquires a nuclear weapon to build or buy one themselves, risking a nuclear arms race in the world’s least stable region.

“The Saudis have the missile technology already,” he said. “I’d be surprised if they don’t just take warheads from the Pakistanis. They’ve already paid for them.”

Emphasizing the importance of existing sanctions, the official said Iran would try to get the financial pressures lifted with as few concessions as possible.

While generally supportive of the prime minister’s policy, he said that the leadership of Israel’s intelligence community has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against striking and said that the tone of his speech to the UN last month was “a mistake.”


“He’s not the commander-in-chief,” he added. “But he can achieve consensus. And it can be done without leaks – it can be done.”....

'Netanyahu is Not Bluffing on Intention To Strike Iran'

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “is not bluffing” on his intentions to strike Iran, should the Islamic Republic continue its nuclear program for much longer, a former senior Israeli military official told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

“Bibi’s not bluffing,” said the retired senior official, who requested anonymity to speak freely. “He thinks it’s the 1930s. The Iranians are the Germans, and history has a sense of humor with six million Jews now in Israel.”

Since the UN General Assembly last month, Netanyahu has assured journalists in the United States that he supports President Barack Obama’s diplomatic overtures to Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, while also calling him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” not to be trusted.

Western powers suspect Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, as it continues to enrich uranium well beyond the grade required for any civilian nuclear use.

The former senior official told the Post that Israeli intelligence assesses Saudi Arabia would not wait “a minute” after Iran acquires a nuclear weapon to build or buy one themselves, risking a nuclear arms race in the world’s least stable region.

“The Saudis have the missile technology already,” he said. “I’d be surprised if they don’t just take warheads from the Pakistanis. They’ve already paid for them.”

Emphasizing the importance of existing sanctions, the official said Iran would try to get the financial pressures lifted with as few concessions as possible.

While generally supportive of the prime minister’s policy, he said that the leadership of Israel’s intelligence community has repeatedly warned Netanyahu against striking and said that the tone of his speech to the UN last month was “a mistake.”


“He’s not the commander-in-chief,” he added. “But he can achieve consensus. And it can be done without leaks – it can be done.”

Watch the Israeli military's flight exercise video

http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2013/10/israel.jpg?w=620

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Aron Heller, Associated Press & JP
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Pilot Helmets To Be Made By Israeli Company

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Pilot Helmets To Be Made By Israeli Company

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources IVC Post
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 14, 2013: The pilot helmets for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would be exclusively manufactured by Israel-based firm Elbit Systems and its US partner, Rockwell Collins. Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter Program Office chose the Israeli firm to make the hi-tech helmets over BAE Systems.

The Associated Press reported that Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon announced the news on Sunday. Ya'alon said, "The choice of Elbit Systems to produce the pilots' helmets is a vote of confidence in Israel's defense industries and their people."

According to news outlet New Hampshire Union Leader, London-based BAE Systems was hired by Lockheed and the Pentago to develop the helmet two years ago. This was after problems were seen on the Rockwell-Elbit helmet used for its pilot testing and training. However, Lockheed Spokeswoman Laura Siebert told Reuters that discontinuing BAE's work on the headpiece would allow the company to save USD 47 million. So far, Lockheed has already spent USD 57 million on the second helmet.


*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources IVC Post
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - SYRIA UNREST: Syrian Rebels Plan Chem Attack on Israel (Video)

DTN News - SYRIA UNREST:  Syrian Rebels Plan Chem Attack on Israel  (Video)

Source: This article compiled by K. V. Seth - DTN News from reliable sources RT
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 10, 2013: A chemical attack may be launched on Israel by Syrian rebels from government-controlled territories as a "major provocation," multiple sources told RT.


The report comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed that Syria puts its chemical weapons arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction in order to prevent a possible military strike against the war-torn country.

Moscow also urged Syrian authorities to join the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The offer has already been passed over to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, who met Lavrov in Moscow for talks on Monday. 

“We don’t know if Syria will accept the offer, but if imposing international control over chemical weapons stored in the country can help to avoid military strikes, we are immediately going to start working with Damascus,” Lavrov said. 

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has welcomed Moscow's initiative, “based on the Syrian’s government care about the lives of our people and security of our country,” Muallem said later on Monday.  

Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Susan Rice made a statement saying that Damascus' alleged "use of chemical weapons against its own people" posed a threat to US national security. “The use of chemical weapons also directly threatens our closest ally in the region, Israel,” she said, speaking at the New America Foundation in Washington.

The statement was made shortly after RT published a report about the possibility of a chemical provocation. 

A few hours earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that to avoid a military operation, Syrian President Bashar Assad has a week to surrender control of “every single bit” of his stock of chemical weapons to the international community. “But he isn't about to do it and it can't be done,” he added, speaking at a media conference in London as he wrapped up his European tour in a move to garner support for the Obama-proposed “limited” strike against Syria.

The US Administration has blamed the Syrian government for the alleged chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. Washington has maintained it has the intelligence to prove it, but has so far refused to make public a single piece of concrete evidence that would link the Assad regime to the deadly incident. 

On Sunday, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee released a series of 13 videos showing what is purported to be proof of chemical weapons use in Syria. The disturbing images of the victims of the alleged attack were earlier shown during a closed-door briefing to a group of senators, as Obama is trying to get authorization from Congress for the military strike on Syria. The administration told senators that the authenticity of the videos was verified by the intelligence community, reported CNN, which first aired the graphic material.

The videos depict scenes of convulsing children, men vomiting and struggling to breathe, and also what appeared to be dozens of dead bodies wrapped up in white sheets, lying side by side. But the footage still does not provide an answer to the question of who was behind the attack. The Syrian government and the opposition forces point the finger of blame at each other. 

It also remains unclear as to why exactly President Assad would order a chemical attack at a time when a group of UN experts were carrying out an investigation in the country.

There is proof the footage of the alleged chemical attack in Syria was fabricated, Mother Agnes Mariam el-Salib, mother superior of the St. James Monastery in Qara, Syria, told RT. She added that she plans to submit her findings to the UN. 

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth - DTN News from reliable sources RT
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - RUSSIA G20 SUMMIT: Obama in Sweden on Syria (Video)

DTN News - RUSSIA G20 SUMMIT: Obama in Sweden on Syria (Video)

Source: K. V. Seth - DTN News & Russia G20 Summit
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 4, 2013: Barack Obama says the Unites States’ credibility is on the line over its response to the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Obama was speaking at a press conference in Sweden during a stopover designed to build support for intervention in the Middle East.

He said: “My credibility is not on the line. The international community’s credibility is on the line.

“America and Congress’ credibility is on the line, because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important.”

Obama, en route to the G20 summit in St Petersburg, added he was “always hopeful” Russia’s Vladimir Putin would change his position on backing Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin said earlier he would not rule out supporting UN-backed strikes against Syria – if it is proved President Bashar al-Assad used poison gas against his own people.

But he warned the international community that launching any military action without UN approval would be illegal, before repeating doubts over whether the Assad regime were responsible for chemical weapons attack.

The US says the alleged chemical attack on the outskirts of Damascus on August 21 killed 1,429 people.

On Tuesday a Syrian medical expert – who defected to Turkey – claimed he had evidence of the use of chemical weapons by Assad’s regime.

The French parliament is expected to debate intervention in Syria on Wednesday. President Assad has already threatened retaliation against France, if it does get involved.

The debate in France comes after the UK pulled out of any potential action. It has been argued one of the key reasons for the UK’s reluctance to get involved centres around doubts over who would fill any power vaccuum in the country.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth - DTN News & Russia G20 Summit 
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - RUSSIA G20 SUMMIT: Obama in Sweden (Video)

DTN News - RUSSIA G20 SUMMIT: Obama in Sweden  (Video)

Source: K. V. Seth - DTN News & Russia G20 Summit
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 4, 2013: President Obama is seeking to use a 24-hour visit to this Swedish capital to show a softer side of American diplomacy even as the world's gaze remains fixed anxiously on Syria.

He intends to focus in the Nordic nation on climate change, trade and technology, a trio of issues on which there is broad consensus with European allies. The topics are a marked departure from the thorny, pressing matters he's facing back home on national security and the economy. He also plans to pay homage to a Holocaust-era hero whose name is commemorated on street signs from Paris to Tel Aviv.

The president arrived Wednesday morning in Stockholm after an overnight flight from Washington, where lawmakers are weighing whether to approve Obama's request for a military strike against Syria. A day later, Obama was scheduled to travel to St. Petersburg, Russia, to meet with foreign leaders at the Group of 20 economic summit.

G-20: Obama Syria decision adds a twist to G-20 summit

Greeting Obama on a mild, sunny morning at the Stockholm-Arlanda International Airport were Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and leaders of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's center-right coalition government.

Obama's trip to Sweden will mark the first bilateral visit by a sitting U.S. president to the northern European nation. While in Stockholm, Obama will meet with Reinfeldt and King Carl XVI Gustav and dine with Nordic leaders from Norway, Iceland, Finland and Denmark. He'll also stop at Sweden's premier technical university to call attention to Sweden's goal to phase out fossil fuels by 2050.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth - DTN News & Russia G20 Summit 
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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 - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israeli Air Force Receives First C-130J-30s Samson

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israeli Air Force Receives First C-130J-30s Samson

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Lockheed Martin
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 2, 2013: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] delivered the State of Israel’s first C-130J Super Hercules airlifter during a ceremony today at its Aeronautics Company’s production facility. This is first of three C-130Js currently on order for the Israeli Air Force (IAF), which has operated legacy C-130s since 1971.

The IAF has bestowed the nickname “Shimshon” on its C-130Js. Shimshon is Hebrew for Samson, who was a judge and leader for the people of Israel. Samson’s mother called him Shimshon, which is derived from the Hebrew word for sun, because she felt he was destined to be as bright and mighty as the sun and would deliver the Jewish people from their enemies.

“Israel’s new C-130J builds on the tradition of its predecessors and offers the IAF unique capabilities that are not only proven, but without equal,” said George Shultz, vice president and general manager, C-130 programs at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. “With its glass cockpit and modern digital avionics, the C-130J has proven it performs in all environments: hot, cold, dirt and sand. Shimshon will serve the IAF as the C-130 always has — anywhere, anytime.”

Israel ordered its C-130Js through a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) contract with the U.S. Government. Upon delivery, this aircraft will move into a modification program and receive Israeli-unique systems. An in-country delivery for this C-130J is scheduled for spring 2014.

While Israel is the newest member of the C-130J worldwide operator family, this Super Hercules has the distinction of being one of 290 C-130Js that contributed to the worldwide fleet’s first 1 million flight hours. Shimshon’s test flight hours were included in this tally, which spans the C-130J’s first flight on April 5, 1996 through April 30, 2013.

Fifteen countries have chosen the C-130J Super Hercules to meet their air mobility needs. The C-130J is the standard by which all other airlift is measured in terms of availability, flexibility and reliability. C-130Js currently are deployed in two combat theaters where they operate at a very high tempo efficiently and reliably.

In non-combat — but equally harsh environments — C-130Js are often the first to support humanitarian missions such as search and rescue, aerial firefighting in the U.S., and delivering relief supplies after earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons and tsunamis around the world.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 118,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Lockheed Martin
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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: U.S. And Israel Are Nervous About Chinese Entry Into The UAV Market

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS:  U.S. And Israel Are Nervous About Chinese Entry Into The UAV Market

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 24, 2013:  Despite all the publicity American UAVs receive, the major exporter of UAVs in the last decade has been Israel. Between 2002 and 2012 Israel exported $4.7 billion worth of UAVs, about twice as much as the U.S. exported. Part of this was due to the U.S. military demand for UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan, which was largely met by American suppliers. But there were also U.S. government restrictions on American UAV exports. These still exist, for political (no weapons and a long list of countries that cannot buy) and security (many countries cannot be trusted to keep American secrets secret). These restrictions are becoming a major issue for U.S. UAV manufacturers because Israel already has a head start as an exporter and China (using copies of many Israeli and U.S. UAVs) is coming up fast. The UAV market is expected to double (to over $11 billion a year) in the next decade and American firms have to export to survive, because the American military has cut purchases way back and will not be buying much for the next five years (or more).

It’s understandable that the Israelis are leading exporters, as they developed a lot of the basic technology that made possible best-selling American models (like Predator and Raven). Israel kept developing UAV tech after successful American designs appeared. As a result of this trend, in the last decade nations have found that if they wanted American style UAVs but often could no buy American for whatever reason. But the Israelis probably had what you needed, and often at a better price.

Take, for example, the well-known American MQ-1 Predator. This is a one ton aircraft that is 8.7 meters (27 feet) long with a wingspan of 15.8 meters (49 feet). It has two hard points, which usually carry one (47 kg/107 pound) Hellfire each. Max speed of the Predator is 215 kilometers an hour while max cruising speed is 160 kilometers an hour. Max altitude is 8,000 meters (25,000 feet). Typical sorties are 12-20 hours each. The Predator evolved from concepts and UAV designs developed in Israel and Israel has long offered cheaper (and often similar looking) models that did what Predator did.

Before the Predator there was the Gnat 750 and  I-Gnat ER/ Sky Warrior Alpha. These looked like Predator and in terms of design and capabilities they were cousins, not siblings. The Gnat is a 1980s design that was used in Iraq, along with and the I-Gnat ER, which was similar in size and capabilities to Predator. All of these UAVs evolved from earlier Israeli designs and UAV concepts.

Another UAV with Israeli DNA was the Shadow 200. This was a 159 kg (350 pound) UAV that carries day and night cameras and laser designators but usually no weapons. Shadow is being replaced by the much larger MQ-1C. This “improved Predator” weighs 1.5 tons, carries 135.4 kg (300 pounds) of sensors internally, and up to 227.3 kg (500 pounds) of sensors or weapons externally. It has an endurance of up to 36 hours and a top speed of 270 kilometers an hour. MQ-1C has a wingspan of 18 meters (56 feet) and is 9 meters (28 feet) long. The MQ-1C can carry four Hellfire missiles (compared to two on the Predator), or a dozen smaller 70mm guided missiles. Each MQ-1C costs about $10 million. The army uses warrant officers as operators. The MQ-1C has automated takeoff and landing software and is equipped with a full array of electronics (target designators and digital communications so troops on the ground can see what the UAV sees).

As its model number (MQ-1C) indicates, this UAV is a Predator (MQ-1) replacement. The U.S. Air Force had planned to replace its MQ-1s with MQ-1Cs but later decided to buy only larger Reapers. The MQ-1C was developed for the army. The last member of the Predator family is the MQ-9 Reaper. This is a 4.7 ton, 11 meter (36 foot) long aircraft with a 20 meter (66 foot) wingspan that looks like the MQ-1. It has six hard points and can carry about a ton (2,400 pounds) of weapons. These include Hellfire missiles (up to eight), two Sidewinder or two AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, two Maverick missiles, or two 227 kg (500) pound smart bombs (laser or GPS guided). Max speed is 400 kilometers an hour, and max endurance is 15 hours. The Reaper is considered a combat aircraft, to replace F-16s or A-10s in ground support missions.

The most numerous U.S. Army UAVs are the micro-UAVs (Ravens and Pumas). There are over 6,000 of these tiny (under six kg/13.2 pound) reconnaissance aircraft in army service. They are the most heavily used UAVs. The RQ-11 Raven is a two kilogram (4.4 pound) aircraft popular with combat and non-combat troops alike. The current RQ-11B can stay in the air for 80 minutes at a time. The Raven is battery powered (and largely silent unless flown close to the ground). It carries a color day vidcam or a two color infrared night camera. The larger (5.9 kg) Puma AE UAV can stay in the air twice as long as Raven is more resistant to bad weather and carries better sensors.

Israel has UAVs similar in capabilities to all those mentioned above, and in many cases the Israeli versions got into service first. But that won’t do much good with the Chinese closing in. Both the U.S. and Israel are nervous about Chinese entry into the UAV market. The Chinese stuff is often copied or stolen tech and usually not as effective orreliable. But the Chinese stuff is cheaper and they will sell anything to anyone who can pay.  The Chinese pay more attention to Israeli UAVs and sales methods than those of the United States. Israel exports 80 percent of its UAVs and has customers in fifty countries. Unlike the United States, Israeli UAVs can operate within Israel and are heavily used by the Israeli military. This gives Israeli UAVs that “combat proven” seal of approval.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*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