Malaysian MB-339CM Flies

Malaysian MB-339CM Flies

(NSI News Source Info) November 27, 2008: Alenia Aermacchi signed a contract with the Malaysian Ministry of Defence related to the supply of 8 MB-339CM trainer aircraft.­ Alenia Aermacchi yesterday completed the first flight of the MB-339CM for the Malaysian air force. The hour long mission was flown by Alenia Aermacchi chief test pilot Quirino Bucci and chief flight test engineer Carlo Monti. The test particularly explored the functioning of the new avionics. The “CM” has a HUD and three multi-function displays in both the front and rear cockpits. The avionics provides embedded simulation capabilities, digital maps, and is compatible for use with night vision goggles. The communications system is also upgraded and an Autonomous Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation pod and other features are part of the package, according to Aermacchi. An air-refuelling probe also is included. Malaysian pilots are due to start flying the aircraft come January, with the first two aircraft to be handed over by April and six more before the end of next year.

Additional Info

First Aermacchi MB-339CM for Malaysian Air Force Takes to the Air (Source: Alenia Aermacchi; issued November. 27, 2008) VENEGONO, Italy --- The first MB-339CM advanced trainer for the Malaysian Air Force made a successful first flight on 25 November from the Alenia Aermacchi facilities at Venegono airport. The flight, carried out by Alenia Aermacchi Chief Test Pilot Quirino Bucci with Chief Flight Test Engineer Carlo Monti, lasted about one hour and entailed the functional check of all on-board systems and particularly of the new avionics.

The first flight marks an important MB-339CM program goal. In January 2009 the Malaysian pilot training activities – which are slated to begin at Alenia Aermacchi – will proceed and the delivery of the first two aircraft is scheduled for the first quarter of 2009. The six remaining aircraft will all be delivered by the end of the next year, thus fulfilling the contract for the supply of eight MB-339CM advanced trainers signed in late 2006 by Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, with the Malaysian Ministry of Defence.

In addition to the aircraft, the deal covers the provision of spare parts, ground equipment and related services. The Royal Malaysian Air Force has been operating the MB-339A for over 20 years. Its selection of the MB-339CM confirms its confidence in the Alenia Aermacchi ability to once again provide it with a trainer with state of the art quality standards and levels of effectiveness.

BACKGROUND NOTE:

The MB-339CM is derived from the current MB-339CD variant of the widely used two-seat, aerobatic, single-engine aircraft for the Advanced and Lead-In-Fighter Training phases of the military pilot training syllabus. With its performance, excellent handling and sophisticated systems, the MB-339CD is one of the most successful members of the Alenia Aermacchi training aircraft family. The MB-339CM is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics with a human-machine interface that includes a HUD (Head-Up Display) and three MFD (Multi Functional Displays) in both the front and rear cockpits, as well as software to simulate complex operational scenarios.

The aircraft features an air-refuelling probe, which makes it even more representative of most modern fighters, and enhanced training and operational capabilities. This version adds further training and operational capabilities, integrating new functions in its avionics system. These include embedded simulation, digital maps, compatibility with night vision goggles, new radio and IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) systems, a new integrated AACMI (Autonomous Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation) pod as well as modern safety equipment such as the Crash Data Recorder and Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT).

Pakistan Tries To Clean Up ISI Image By Shutting Down Political Wing

Pakistan Tries To Clean Up ISI Image By Shutting Down Political Wing (NSI News Source Info) November 27, 2008: After much pressure by the United States, Afghanistan, India and many Pakistanis, the new Pakistani government is ridding the ISI (Inter Service Intelligence agency) of personnel who are more interested in committing terrorism, than in stopping it. The government recently announced that the political wing of ISI was being disbanded. This section was believed responsible for Pakistani support of Islamic, or simply Pakistani, terrorist operations in Afghanistan and India, as well as support for Taliban and al Qaeda in Pakistan itself. The political wing has also served as a domestic spying operation whenever the military was running the country (which is about half the time.) Pakistan is currently run by a newly elected civilian government.

ISI's Political wing being cut off

ISI has long supported Islamic terrorists, and this time Pakistan is determined to root out "Taliban spies" in the ISI. The problem is that these Islamic radicals have been operating openly in the ISI for three decades, and were put there by the government in the late 1970s, when it was decided that Islamic conservatism was the solution for Pakistan's problems (corruption and religious/ethnic conflicts.) These guys are not just "Taliban spies," but Pakistani intelligence professionals that believe in Islamic radicalism. The ISI itself was created in 1948 as a reaction to the inability of the IB (Intelligence Bureau, which collected intelligence on foreign countries in general) and MI (Military Intelligence, which collected intel on military matters) to work together and provide useful information. The ISI was supposed to take intel from IB and MI, analyze it and present it to senior government officials. But in the 1950s, the government began to use the ISI to collect intel on Pakistanis, especially those suspected of opposing the current government. This backfired eventually, and in the 1970s, the ISI was much reduced by a civilian government. But when another coup took place in 1977, and the new military government decided that religion was the cure for what ailed the country. Typically, the Pakistani generals seized control of the government every decade or so, when the corruption and incompetence of elected officials became too much for the military men to tolerate. The generals never did much better, and eventually there were elections again, and the cycle continued. The latest iteration began in 1999, when the army took over, and was only voted out of power last year. Civilian governments tend to be hostile to the ISI, and apparently they are going to make a real effort to clear out many of the Islamic radicals in the ISI. But as recent attempt by the government to take control of the ISI backfired when the generals said they would not allow it. Nothing is simple in Pakistan. The ISI grew particularly strong during the 1980s, when billions of dollars, most of it in the form of military and economic aid, arrived from the oil-rich Arab governments of the Persian Gulf. All this was to support the Afghans, who were resisting a Russian invasion (in support of Afghan communists who had taken control of the government, and triggered a revolt of the tribes). The Afghan communists were atheists, and this greatly offended Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries, who feared that Russia would encourage Arab communists to rebel elsewhere. So the resistance to the Russians in Afghanistan was declared a holy war which, after a fashion, it was. After about nine years of fighting the tribes, the Russians got tired of their slow progress (and more pressing problems back home, like the collapse of their economy from decades of communist mismanagement). The Russians were gone by 1989 (and the Soviet Union collapsed three years later), but the Afghans promptly fell upon each other and the civil war seemed never-ending. This upset Pakistan, which wanted to send millions of Afghan refugees back home. Few of the refugees were interested as long as Afghans were still fighting each other. So the ISI created its own faction, the Taliban, by recruiting teachers and students from a network of religious schools that had been established (with the help of Saudi Arabian religious charities) in the 1980s. The most eager recruits were young Afghans from the refugee camps. The Taliban were fanatical, and most Afghans were willing to support them because they brought peace and justice. But the Taliban never conquered all of Afghanistan, especially in the north, where there were few Pushtun tribes (most Taliban were Pushtuns, from tribes in southern Afghanistan). The Pushtuns were about 40 percent of the population, and had always been the most prominent faction in Afghanistan (the king of Afghanistan was traditionally a Pushtun.)

Chinese Commandos Train To Kill Pirates

Chinese Commandos Train To Kill Pirates (NSI News Source Info) November 27, 2008: The Chinese South Sea Fleet recently conducted an anti-terrorism drill in which commandos flew to a merchant ship and then assaulted it by rappelling down from the helicopter and "cleared" the vessel of pirates and "rescued" the crew. Earlier this month, a Chinese cargo ship, the "Delight", and its 25 man crew, was taken by Somali pirates. About the same time, a Chinese fishing boat, with a crew of 24, was also taken by Somali pirates off the coast of Kenya. China has said it will contribute forces to help deal with the Somali pirates.

Sensors for combat helmets could gather blast data

Sensors for combat helmets could gather blast data (NSI News Source Info) Washington - November 27, 2008: The US Navy is developing sensors for combat helmets to measure the force of roadside explosions and gather data that might be useful in treating traumatic brain injury, a researcher said Tuesday. David Mott, a researcher at Naval Research Laboratory, presented findings showing that helmets, while providing protection against blasts, channel the shock wave to different parts of the head. "The medical community does not really understand what causes TBI (traumatic brain injury). There are some theories regarding direct pressure on the head. There are other theories regarding cumulative effects of lower level explosions," he said. With the helmet sensor being developed, a Marine would have a history of all the blasts to which he or she was exposed over the course of a deployment, he said in a telephone interview from a scientific conference at San Antonio, Texas. "It will record pressure history as well as accleration, which will give us an idea of the severity and directionality of the blast," he said. The helmet ideally would stay with the same marine over the course of a deployment, he said. "So you would get a total history of every event they have been involved with whether it was severe enough that they went to the medic or whatever it was," he said. "Down the road if health issues come up, or there is some other event you'll have that history and maybe you'll be able to relate it to what other type of injuries you may have. Mott said prototypes of the sensor have been developed, but the project was still in the research and development phase. The findings he presented at the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics in San Antonio drew from research conducted by teams at NRL and Canadian Allen-Vanguard Technologies. The teams examined what happens when 1.5 kilograms of C-4 explosives detonates within meters of a crash dummy wearing a combat helmet with sensors. Mott then modeled the fluid dynamics of the shock wave and found that it entered the gap between the helmet and the head and traveled about the head. The helmet provided protection to the side of the head facing the blast, he said. "But it gathered some of the wave that comes underneath in that gap and it can cause higher pressure on the backside of the head," he said. "The pressure that is produced on that backside is comparable to what that incident wave would produce on an unprotected surface," he said. He said the impact was not likely to be as severe on a human because there were differences in the case of a crash dummy that were not taken into account in the model.

CAEW – Conformal Airborne Early Warning Aircraft, Israel

CAEW – Conformal Airborne Early Warning Aircraft, Israel (NSI News Source Info) November 27, 2008: The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) conformal airborne early warning and control (CAEW) aircraft was first unveiled in public at the UK's 2008 Farnborough Air Show. The prime contractor, system developer and system integrator for the CAEW is Elta Systems Ltd, a subsidiary of IAI. The CAEW provides improved performance in terms of higher operating altitude, longer range and increased time on station. The CAEW aircraft is based on the G550 airframe from Gulfstream Aerospace of the USA. The operationally proven G550 CAEW aircraft is the third generation of airborne early warning and control systems developed by IAI Elta since the mid-1980s. Gulfstream was awarded a contract for four (plus two options) G550 modified aircraft in August 2003. First flight of the modified aircraft was in May 2006 and it was delivered to Elta for the installation of the mission systems in September 2006. The first and second CAEW aircraft were delivered to the Israel Air Force in February and May 2008 and since then have been in operational use. The Singapore Air Force has also ordered a number of CAEW aircraft to be delivered during 2009 and 2010. The CAEW provides improved performance in terms of higher operating altitude, longer range and increased time on station. The main AEW performance advantages result from the capability to point the radar beams in any direction in space at any time, with the beam's parameters controlled by the radar computer. CAEW airframe The CAEW aircraft is based on the Gulfstream G550 airframe, which is an upgraded variant of the Gulfstream V-SP with improved aerodynamic performance. The aircraft is manufactured at the Gulfstream business jet production centre in Savannah, Georgia, USA and transferred to IAI Elta Systems Ltd in Ashdod, Israel. Compared to the original G550, the CAEW redesigned aircraft has an increased zero-fuel weight, a modified structure, additional cabling, three (instead of one) power generators and a liquid cooling system to accommodate the mission equipment. One particular specification is the aircraft's low drag aerodynamic profile. IAI's Bedek Aviation is contracted to provide the maintenance and logistic support for the Israeli CAEW aircraft. Cockpit The baseline G550 aircraft uses a Honeywell Primus Epic avionics suite and the two-man flight deck has a Gulfstream PlaneView cockpit. The CAEW flight deck provides the pilot with real-time 360°, three-dimensional AEW information. Mission systems The AEW system has six multi-purpose, Windows-based, operator stations with 24in colour monitors that are installed in the rear half of the main cabin. The forward section of the main cabin behind the cockpit accommodates the electronics. The Elta AEW system provides rapid target acquisition and target information with total 360° coverage. Avoiding host aircraft obstruction is achieved by using the placement of a number of conformal antennae combined with dynamic beam allocation to the targets. The multiple conformal antennae provide the coverage without the need for a large mushroom-shaped radar system installed on comparable aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with the Elta EL/W-2085 AEW system which includes a phased array airborne early warning radar, an identification friend or foe system, electronic support measures (ESM), electronic intelligence (ELINT) and communications intelligence (COMINT) systems. The system is highly automated and uses advanced multi-sensor data fusion techniques to cross-correlate data generated by all four sensors - the radar, IFF, ESM / ELINT and CSM / COMINT. The data is combined with an automatically initiated active search by one sensor for specific targets that have been detected by other sensors. "The Elta AEW system provides rapid target acquisition and target information with total 360° coverage." The phased array airborne early warning radar, an active electronic steering array (AESA), operates in L and S bands (1GHz to 2GHz and 2GHz to 4GHz) and provides 360° azimuthal coverage. The system has high-accuracy three-dimensional tracking, low false-alarm rate, flexible and high target revisit time, electronic counter-countermeasures and programmable search and track modes of operation. The modes of operation include track initiation, extended detection range mode with long dwell time, and target verification. When a target has been identified as a priority the radar switches to a high scan rate tracking mode with optimised beam to target characteristics. The forward-facing hemisphere radar array and the weather radar are mounted in the nose radome. The lateral arrays are housed in conformal radomes along the sides of the forward fuselage. The radome located on the tailcone houses the aft facing hemispherical array. The information friend or foe system uses the radar's receive / transmit modules and antennae and provides target interrogation, decoding, target detection, location and target tracking. The electronic support measures and electronic intelligence systems use multiple narrow and wideband receivers. The ESM / ELINT also provides the radar warning receiver function and supports the aircraft's self-protection system. The antenna pods are mounted under the wingtips. An electronic support measures antenna is mounted in a fairing above the nose cone which houses the weather radar. The direction finding function uses differential time of arrival. The automated communications intelligence system covers the high (HF) to very-high (VHF) frequency bands from 3MHz to 3GHz. Communications The aircraft's communications suite provides network-centric operations capability and is interoperable with air force, navy and ground force assets and includes U/VHF, HF, satellite communications, voice over internet protocol (VoIP), secure voice, secure data link and intercom. "The CAEW aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR710C4-11 turbofan engines." The aircraft is fitted with a robust jam-resistant full duplex EL/K-189 satellite communications and datalink. The satellite communications operates at Ku band, 12.5GHz to 18GHz. The satellite antenna dish and one planar array are housed in the vertical tail surface top fairing and another planar array is housed in a ventral blister radome. The antennae are dual axis stabilised with pointing capability. The carrier link can provide voice, data and compressed video. The aircraft can be fitted with the data link specified by the customer country. CAEW countermeasures The aircraft is fitted with an integrated self protection suite with 360° radar warning receiver (RWR), missile approach warning system (MAWS), chaff and flare decoy dispensers and directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM). Engines The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR710C4-11 turbofan engines rated at 68.4kN and fitted with full authority digital engine control (FADEC). The engines are fitted at the rear of the fuselage. The integral wing tanks have a fuel capacity of 23,400l and the fuel system is equipped with an automatic fuel distribution system to accommodate the changing fuel load during flight. The aircraft is equipped with a Hamilton Sundstrand electrical power generation system and the CAEW aircraft also has power generators mounted on the engines providing 240kW of power. Gulfstream was responsible for the design and supply of the liquid cooling system to accommodate the high power consumption of the airborne electronics.

Russia Test Fires Intercontinental Missile

Russia Test Fires Intercontinental Missile (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - November 26, 2008: Russia on Wednesday successfully test-fired for the third time its new RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile, designed to counter air defense systems like the controversial US missile shield. The missile was fired from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in north Russia and hit targets on the Kamchatka Peninsula that juts into the Pacific Ocean 4,000 miles to the east, Russian news agencies reported. "The targets that were set were reached. The tasks were fully carried out," the commander of Russia's strategic missile forces, Nikolai Solovtsov, was quoted as saying by Interfax. "The deployment of the RS-24 missiles, which have a detachable warhead, strengthens the military options of the Russian missile forces in overcoming missile defense systems." Military spokesman Alexei Zolotukhin told Interfax that "the missile... was launched from a mobile launcher. This is the third test-firing of the RS-24 in the last two years." Russia in May 2007 first test-fired the RS-24, which the military has said is designed to overcome air-defense systems such as the controversial US missile shield planned for deployment in eastern Europe. The second test, which was also successful, was in December 2007. Experts and Russian news agencies have said the missile is capable of carrying three nuclear warheads. The new test comes after Moscow has repeatedly expressed its fury over US plans to place a missile defense radar system in the Czech Republic and linked interceptor missiles in Poland. Both President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have urged Barack Obama to drop the plans when he takes over the White House in January but the US president-elect has yet to reveal his intentions.

Royal Netherlands Navy Launches Harpoons From New Frigate

Royal Netherlands Navy Launches Harpoons From New Frigate (NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS - November. 26, 2008 -- Boeing, Nov. 25 today announced that the Royal Netherlands Navy has successfully test-launched two Boeing Harpoon missiles from air defense and command frigate (LCF) HMS De Zeven Provinciën. The exercise, which was the first LCF launch of a Harpoon, was held off the coast of Virginia on Nov. 8. In the exercise scenario, a hostile ship attacked the Dutch frigate, which responded with a salvo of two Harpoon Block IC missiles, marking the first time the Dutch Navy has launched multiple Harpoons on a single target. Both Harpoons hit and destroyed the target. The Netherlands has been a Harpoon customer since 1975. "We are extremely pleased with the performance of the Harpoon Weapon System during this test, and we congratulate the Royal Netherlands Navy on achieving this new milestone," said Jan Browne, Boeing director of Stand-Off Strike Weapons. "Harpoon is an extremely reliable weapon system in use by the United States and 27 allied countries. We are proud of Boeing Weapons Programs' 33-year relationship with the Netherlands." Boeing has delivered more than 7,000 missiles to U.S. and allied navies. The Harpoon Block I missile is capable of flying in excess of 67 nautical miles and carries a 500-pound warhead. In 2001, Boeing delivered the first Harpoon Block II missile, which incorporates a Global Positioning System navigation system to provide autonomous, over-the-horizon capabilities, even in adverse weather. The Harpoon Block III missile, which includes a data link system for in-flight target updates, is currently in development.

India Sank Wrong Ship in Pirate Attack

India Sank Wrong Ship in Pirate Attack (NSI News Source Info) November 26, 2008: The "pirate mother ship" blown out of the water by the Indian navy in the Gulf of Arden last week was actually a Thai fishing trawler that had been seized by the pirates, the International Herald Tribune reports. The boat's owner learned of the mistake when a surviving crew member was rescued after holding on to a floating barrel for five days. Fourteen others are missing and presumed dead. "The Indian navy assumed it was a pirate vessel because they may have seen armed pirates on board the boat, which had been hijacked earlier," said an official from the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center. A spokesman for the Indian navy defended the sinking, saying it had received threats from the vessel and acted accordingly.

Sri Lanka rebel HQ 'to fall soon'

Sri Lanka rebel HQ 'to fall soon' (NSI News Source Info) Source - BBC News, November 26, 2008: The Sri Lankan army has said that the capture of the Tamil Tiger rebels' stronghold of Kilinochchi is imminent. Kilinochchi is the rebels' de facto capital in the north and troops have been attacking it from three directions since Sunday morning.

Sri Lankan soldiers patrol in a railway station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008. Sri Lankan soldiers captured a Tamil Tiger rebel training camp, while air force helicopters bombed two rebel groups in the north, the military said

The rebels have been fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils in the north and east since 1983 and 70,000 people have died in the violence. The Tamil Tigers have not yet commented on the army claims. Eastern clashes "The fall of Kilinochchi is very imminent," defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. The spokesman said the rebels appeared to be retreating. Heavy fighting has been going on in the area for the past few days as the Sri Lankan military makes a final push to claim the territory. The defence ministry has said in a statement that its soldiers are also closing in on Mullaitivu, where the rebels are believed to have concentrated their forces following recent army advances elsewhere in the north. The rebels say they are mounting a successful defence. "Troops of the 59th division advancing towards the Tigers' most strategic commanding base in the north-eastern coastal belt, Mullaitivu, are further consolidating and extending their defences," the ministry said. On Tuesday the army said troops had captured the village of Olumadu, on the A34 road to Mullaitivu. The pro-rebel website, TamilNet, has not commented on the latest fighting but on Tuesday released photos of "dead soldiers" from the fighting around Kilinochchi. Correspondents say the photos - if genuine - are the first to be publicly released of the weekend offensive by the army to capture Kilinochchi. Tensions are also running high in the east, where police say at least nine people, including two soldiers, were killed in separate incidents on Tuesday. It was the greatest loss of life in a single day for months in the east. The eastern region is governed by a coalition led by a party that defected from the Tamil Tigers, known as Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP). The campaign group, Human Rights Watch, alleges that the TMVP is responsible for some of the recent killings and abductions. Correspondents say that with the battle raging in the north, some view the increase in attacks on security forces in the east as a diversionary tactic by the rebels. On Thursday the Tigers' leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is to deliver his only speech of the year as the rebels commemorate their dead.

US has never advised Israel against Iran strike: Olmert

US has never advised Israel against Iran strike: Olmert (NSI News Source Info) Washington - November 26, 2008: The United States has not pressured Israel to rule out military action in order to halt Iran's nuclear program, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Tuesday after talks with President George W. Bush. The outgoing prime minister, who ends what is probably his last visit to Washington in office, said he had "spoke at length with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the president on Iran." "There is a basic, deep understanding about the Iranian threat and the need to act in order to remove threat," he told reporters. Israel considers Iran its greatest threat, because of Tehran's accelerating nuclear program and repeated statements by its leaders predicting the Jewish state's demise. Israel -- the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power -- and the United States accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran has insisted its program is entirely peaceful. The Jewish state has refused to rule out military response to the nuclear standoff and Olmert said on Tuesday that the Bush administration has never advised them against such action. "I don't remember that anyone in the administration, including in the last couple of days, advised me or any other of my official representatives not to take any action that we will deem necessary for the fundamental security of the state of Israel, and that includes Iran," Olmert said. As Bush prepares to leave the White House on January 20 and with Olmert set to step down amid a corruption scandal after February elections, the premier wanted to clinch new US commitments on Iran before president-elect Barack Obama takes office. Officials said Olmert would press Bush and Congress to allow Israel to purchase dozens of F-35 stealth fighter jets, which would considerably boost the Israeli air force's ability to carry out long-range strikes. The Pentagon has announced that Israel had asked to buy up to 75 jets, but Congress has yet to give the 15-billion dollar (12-billion euro) deal a green light. Over the past year, the United States has considerably increased its already tight defense ties with its ally, giving the Jewish state an unprecedented 10-year, 30-billion dollar defense aid commitment.