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 
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DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israel Gets Its 4th German-Made Nuke-Capable Submarine

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israel Gets Its 4th German-Made Nuke-Capable Submarine
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Press TV
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 6, 2012: Israel has taken delivery of its fourth German-made Dolphin-class submarine capable of carrying nuclear warheads with an operating range of 4,500 kilometers (2796 miles).

The INS Tannin submarine was delivered to Israeli naval officials in Hamburg, Germany on Thursday and is expected to undergo final tests before arriving in Israel in 2013, the Associated Press reported. 

Israeli Minister of Military Affairs Ehud Barak said that the submarine will increase Tel Aviv's capabilities and strength in the face of regional challenges. 

An Israeli navy official said the submarine can "stay underwater for longer." 

Israel had placed order with Germany for the submarine as well as its fifth Dolphin-class sub in 2006, while, in 2012, the two sides signed a contract for a sixth such submarine. The fifth and sixth orders are due for delivery in 2014 and 2016 respectively. 

Three earlier-model Dolphin submarines were delivered to Israel between 1998 and 2000. 

The Germans paid for the first two and split the cost of the third with Israel. Tel Aviv paid only one-third of the cost for the fourth one. 

Israel is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East and has never allowed international inspections of its nuclear facilities nor has it joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty based on its policy of nuclear ambiguity. 

Related Stories:

• 'Israel frightened of its own shadow'
• 'Israel the nuclear threat, not Iran'
• Straw affirms Israel nuclear capability
• Germany to sell Israel new nuke sub
• Anti-Israel sentiments on rise in Europe

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Press TV
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News: Egypt Allows Libyan Aid Into Gaza Strip

DTN News: Egypt Allows Libyan Aid Into Gaza Strip

Source: DTN News / AFP

(NSI News Source Info) EL-ARISH, Egypt - August 4, 2010: Egypt allowed 200 tonnes of medical aid unloaded from a Libyan ship into the blockaded Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave, an official said on Wednesday.

A further nine trucks loaded with foodstuffs brought by the aid ship, the Jerusalem 5, will be sent to Gaza through an Israeli crossing with Egypt, said North Sinai governor's assistant Osama el-Sirgani. The vessel, which docked in the port of El-Arish on Tuesday, was organised by several Libyan charities which say they will send another ship after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which will end in the second week of September. An organiser said the ship carried about 1,000 tonnes of aid for the Gaza Strip, which Israel blockaded in 2007 after the Islamist Hamas group took it over. Israel relaxed the blockade weeks after a botched commando raid on an aid flotilla in May left nine pro-Palestinian Turkish activists dead. Egypt responded to that incident by indefinitely opening its Rafah border crossing, the only passage to Gaza not controlled by Israel. A ship sponsored by a charity group run by the Libyan leader's son Seif al-Islam Kadhafi was diverted to Egypt earlier this month by Israel's navy. Kadhafi told an Arab newspaper at that time that Israel would allow reconstruction material sent by Libya into Gaza, which was devastated during a three week war in December 2008.

Related News *Group pledges new aid flotilla to Gaza this year *Israel hopes UN flotilla probe will help Turkey ties *Captured Israeli soldier family appeals to Palestinians *Related Hot Topic: Gaza

DTN News: Israel Builds Up Deep-Sea Navy

DTN News: Israel Builds Up Deep-Sea Navy Source: DTN News / UPI (NSI News Source Info) TEL AVIV, Israel,- April 22, 2010: Israel is building up its navy and it's looking to Germany to provide the warships, most notably two advanced corvettes and two, possibly three, more Dolphin-class attack submarines, that will transform it from a coastal force to a deep-water navy. Until now, the navy has been largely confined to the Mediterranean countering the naval forces of Syria, Egypt and the Maghreb states further east, with occasional forays into the Red Sea. The objective of the expansion program clearly seems to be to increase the navy's reach to counter Iran, which Israel views as its primary adversary because of its buildup of ballistic missiles and its alleged drive to develop nuclear weapons. The main focus of the naval expansion program is negotiations with Germany to buy two MEKO A-100 corvettes from the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg. Jane's Defense Weekly says the 2,500-ton, 280-foot MEKOs would be adapted to carry Israeli-made systems. The warships, which carry crews of 94, have a range of 4,635 miles, a top speed of 30 knots and advanced radar-evading capability. They carry one medium-size helicopter and 24 weapons systems -- 16 ship-to-shore and eight anti-ship missile launchers adapted to U.S. weapons as well as air-defense missiles and automatic cannon. The Israeli navy had shown interest in Lockheed Martin's Littoral Combat Ship to fit its requirement for a new missile ship to be categorized as Saar 5.5. But the U.S. vessel was considered too expensive at $600 million. The MEKO variant sought by Israel costs an estimated $300 million. Negotiations with the Germans began in October 2007 when Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi visited Berlin. The Israelis want a discount on the proposed MEKO deal of 20-30 percent, said Jane's. The Germans are already funding one-third of the total cost, estimated at $1.4 billion, of two 1,900-ton Dolphin submarines, based on Germany's Type 212A boat currently on order. These were ordered in 2006 and are scheduled for delivery starting in 2012 to the submarine base at Haifa. That will bolster the Israeli navy's sub strength to five. The subs, the most expensive weapons platforms in Israel's arsenal, have a range of 2,810 miles. However there were reports in October 2009 that their fuel capacity had been increased to keep the vessels at sea for 50 days without refueling. German opposition parties, including the Social Democrats, have expressed misgivings about exporting weapons to crisis zones. But the 2006 order for two Dolphins was approved while the Democrats were part of a coalition government. Germany has provided hefty discounts on arms sales to Israel because it is morally committed to the Jewish state's security in reparation for the Holocaust. Talks are under way on Israel acquiring a sixth Dolphin built by the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel and the Thyssen Nordseewerke in Emden. The Israeli subs' four 650mm torpedo tubes have been reportedly modified to launch cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads. Each Dolphin is believed to carry 10 U.S.-built Harpoon missiles but these have a range of only 135 miles. Still, that gives these boats a limited strategic first- or second-strike capability. With six Dolphins, the Israelis would be able to maintain at least two or three deployed in the Arabian Sea off Iran's southern coast at any one time or at their Red Sea naval base at Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba ready for swift deployment against the Islamic Republic. Israel has threatened to launch pre-emptive strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities if it fails to halt its alleged weapons program. One Israeli source noted that the navy would like even more Dolphins. "Our ideal number would be nine -- enough to ensure we have the necessary assets at sea to cover all relevant threats and targets," he said.

DTN News: Israel Takes Delivery Of 2 German-Built U212 Submarines

DTN News: Israel Takes Delivery Of 2 German-Built U212 Submarines *Source: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - September 30, 2009: Israel has taken delivery of two German-built submarines, a military spokesman said Sept. 29. "We have received two Dolphin-class submarines," he said on condition of anonymity. The U212 submarine is capable of long-distance submerged passage to the area of operation. The German Navy has ordered four of the submarines. The Type 212 is being constructed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW) of Kiel and Thyssen Nordseewerke GmbH (TNSW) of Enden. HDW is responsible for the bow sections and TNSW for the stern section. HDW is assembling the first and third vessels, TNSW the second and fourth. U31, the first of class, was launched in March 2002 and commissioned in October 2005. The submarines, called U212s, can launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads, although when it confirmed the sale in 2006 the German government said the two vessels were not equipped to carry nuclear weapons. Delivery was initially expected in 2010. Including the new subs, Israel has five German submarines - the most expensive weapon platforms in Israel's arsenal. Germany, which believes it has a historic responsibility to help Israel because of the Holocaust, donated the first two submarines after the 1991 Gulf War. It split the cost of the third. According to Jane's Defence Weekly, the U212s are designed for a crew of 35, have a range of 2,810 miles and can launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads. Israeli media have written that the Dolphin submarine could be key in any attack on Iran's controversial nuclear sites. An Israeli submarine recently used the Suez Canal for the first time in June, escorted by Egyptian navy vessels, in what Israeli media said was intended as a message to Iran. Widely considered the Middle East's sole, if undeclared, nuclear power, Israel suspects Iran of trying to develop atomic weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program, a charge Tehran denies.

DTN News: Israeli Submarine Crosses Suez Canal With Eye On Iran

DTN News: Israeli Submarine Crosses Suez Canal With Eye On Iran

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - July 6, 2009: An Israeli submarine crossed through the Suez Canal last month as a part of a military training exercise, defense officials said on Saturday.

Based at Haifa, the Israeli Navy (IN) currently operates three modern, diesel-electric, Dolphin-class submarines. The IN is reportedly interested in acquiring at least two more units. In December 2003, two of Israel's three decommissioned Gal-class submarines arrived in Kiel for refits and modernization at Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft. They are to be reactivated for the IN.

The move is believed to have been made as a warning to Iran of the Jewish state's capabilities and and to show that Israel and Egypt, are cooperating against a shared threat. The two countries share a peace agreement but have had cool relations for years.

By using the Suez, an Israeli submarine could reach the Persian Gulf off Iran in a matter of days, compared wiith weeks to sail around the southern tip of Africa.

The submarine participated in naval maneuvers in the Red Sea last month, said Israeli defense officials who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. They did not giive further details. Israel owns three dolphin-grade submarines, which can carry nuclear warheads. Israeli defense officials do not discuss the type of missiles that can be fired from the submarines, nor their range.

Israeli officials have a long-standing policy of neither confirming nor denying its nuclear arsenal and would not comment on Saturday. It is believed, however, to have the world's sixth-largest stockpile of atomic arms, including hundreds of warheads.

The maneuvers took place before the Iranian presidential election that set off a wave of protest demonstrations. Israeli officials believe that Iran intends to acquire the ability to build nuclear weapons regardless of who leads the country. Iran is under three sets of UN Security Council sanctions for refusing to freeze its uranium enrichment program - an activity that Tehran insists is meant to generate nuclear fuel but which can also be used to produce fissile material for nuclear warheads.

Iran's nuclear program is particularly worrying for Israel because of Tehran's belligerent stance toward the Jewish state. Egypt also has tense relations with Iran which it believes is trying to spread its radical brand of militant Islam through the region.

The Jerusalem Post reported this was the first time Israeli vessels had crossed the Egyptian canal since 2005.

Egypt's relations with Iran worsened after Egyptian officials arrested members of the Lebanese Shiite guerrilla group Hezbollah in Egypt, accusing them of operating in its territory. Hezbollah is bankrolled by Iran, and Egypt accuses it of being a proxy to obtain Mideast regional influence.

Related Info: IDF Navy Submarine Spotted Returning To Israel Via Suez

*Source: DTN News / The Jerusalem Post Jul 5, 2009 22:03 Updated Jul 5, 2009 22:42 (click here)

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - July 6, 2009: An IDF Navy Dolphin-class submarine that participated in maneuvers off the Eilat coast last week returned to Israel via the Suez Canal on Sunday according to witnesses' reports. The submarine was spotted returning through the waterway along with an Israeli missile boat. However, an Israeli defense official told Reuters there would be no permanent deployment in Eilat of the German-made submarines, of which the Navy has three, with two more on order. "If anything, we are scaling down our naval operations in Eilat," the official was quoted as saying on Sunday. (TO READ FOR FULL STORY....CLICK HERE)

Israel's Heron Are In High Demand And Flying High

Israel's Heron Are In High Demand And Flying High

(NSI News Source Info) January 28, 2009: After four years of testing and development, Israel is replacing manned maritime aircraft, which patrol along its coast, with UAVs. The current patrol force consists of three Seascan aircraft, which are modified versions of the Israeli made Westwind executive jet.

This ten ton aircraft has a seven man crew and is equipped with a search radar, and can carry missiles. The Seascan has an endurance of six hours, and has been used for maritime reconnaissance for over thirty years. The Heron or Machatz-1 is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed by the Malat (UAV) division of Israel Aircraft Industries. It is capable of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) operations of up to 52 hours' duration at up to 35,000 feet. It has demonstrated 52 hours of continuous flight, but the effective operational maximal flight duration is less, due to payload and flight profile. There is a new version, Heron TP, also known as Eitan (UCAV). On September 11, 2005 it was announced that the Israel Defence Forces purchased US$50 million worth of Heron systems. The IDF's designation of the Heron is Machatz-1. Apart from Israel, the countries which operate the Heron are India and Turkey. France operates a derivative of Heron named Eagle. In 2008, Canada leased a Heron for use in Afghanistan. As of 2009, they have been deployed in the region. List of Heron operators: Israeli Defence Force - 1+ , Canadian Forces = 1+ , Indian Air Force - 50 Heron I, ? Heron II , Turkish Air Force - 10 & French Air Force - 1+ . The 1.1 ton Heron UAV, which enters service this year, can stay in the air for 30 hours or more, and has a payload of 500 pounds. This can include a search radar. Using the Heron, instead of the Seascan, will save a lot of money, and provide better coverage. The Seascan aircraft are about at the end of their useful lives. It was four years ago that Israel first began using some UAVs for maritime patrol. The United States has also been experimenting with this, as it is pretty clear that UAVs are ideal for this job. Maritime patrol consists of many hours in the air looking for whatever among not much. Boring as hell for humans, but ideal work for robots. While the U.S. is experimenting with the large, and expensive, Global Hawk, Israel (which really only has to worry about coastal patrols) is using a new version of the old, reliable, Heron, called the Mahatz I. One thing that makes UAVs for maritime patrol possible, or at least practical, is cheaper and more capable sensors. In the case of the Mahatz I, the radar used (synthetic aperture radar), works with onboard software to provide automatic detection, classification and tracking of what is down there. Human operators ashore, or on a ship or in an aircraft, are alerted if they want to double check using video cameras on the UAV. Also carried are sensors that track the sea state (how choppy it is). For this kind of work, one of the most important things is reliability. While the Heron/ Mahatz I is a bit smaller (at 1.2 tons) than the Predator, it is still pretty expensive (over $5 million each.) You don't want to lose them over open water. What the Israeli navy will be doing is finding out just how reliable the Mahatz I is when doing a lot of maritime patrol.