Dubai's DAE To Lease 8 Boeings To Garuda Indonesia

Dubai's DAE To Lease 8 Boeings To Garuda Indonesia

(NSI News Source Info) DUBAI - March 3, 2009: DAE Capital, the aircraft leasing and financial arm of state-owned Dubai Aerospace Enterprises, said on Monday it agreed to dry-lease eight Boeing 737-800s to Garuda Indonesia airline. The short-haul aircraft are due to be delivered by Boeing from June 2009, DAE said in a statement. A dry lease is one without insurance, crew or maintenance. Garuda is one of six government-owned firms which are considering an initial public offering either this year or next year, Indonesia's state enterprises minister said in February. DAE Capital is investing $27 billion in aircraft, including 100 Airbus A320s, A350 XWBs and 100 Boeing 737 aircraft and wide-body planes.

Raytheon Completes Testing Of Advanced Missile Warning Sensor

Raytheon Completes Testing Of Advanced Missile Warning Sensor

(NSI News Source Info) EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - March 3, 2009: Raytheon Company has completed performance testing of an infrared missile warning sensor that monitors an entire hemisphere from a single telescope. The first-of-its-kind staring sensor, encompassing Raytheon's large-format focal-plane arrays, will be able to detect and track dimmer objects than sensors in current operation, according to Bill Hart, vice president for the company's Space Systems group. "This sensor is important to America's missile-warning capability," Hart said. "A persistent sensor that can cover the entire earth gives us the detection sensitivity and responsiveness our military forces need for time-critical decisions." The test program, conducted at Raytheon's space manufacturing facility in El Segundo, included vibration, electromagnetic interference and thermal vacuum conditions to confirm performance in a simulated space environment. "We've proved we have a design for a sensor with extremely sophisticated technology that is readily qualifiable for space flight," Hart said. "In less than 24 months, a fully flight-qualified sensor could be delivered to the government." The sensor is the central feature of the Third Generation Infrared System, sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missiles Systems Center and managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate in Albuquerque, N.M. Formerly known as the Risk Reduction Alternative Infrared Satellite System, the program aims to demonstrate that wide-field-of-view sensors can maintain persistent full-earth surveillance for missile warning in a relatively small, low-risk and easily manufactured payload. According to Hart, the sensor represents a major technology advance in comparison with the sensors of the Defense Support Program and the Space-based Infrared System High. Both rely on scanning mechanisms to perform full-earth surveillance of missiles and other infrared targets. The tests indicate the Raytheon sensor, which does not require scanning mechanisms and can easily incorporate advances in focal-plane technology, will outperform the other sensors, Hart said. Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

Obama 'Ready To Drop Missile Shield Plans For Russian Help On Iran'

Obama 'Ready To Drop Missile Shield Plans For Russian Help On Iran'

(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK - March 3, 2009: Washington has told Moscow that Russian help in resolving Iran's nuclear program would make its missile shield plans for Europe unnecessary, a Russian daily said on Monday, citing White House sources. U.S. President Barack Obama made the proposal on Iran in a letter to his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, Kommersant said, referring to unidentified U.S. officials.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged Iran Tuesday to show willingness to "engage meaningfully" with the United States and other countries, but she did not put any conditions for future U.S. talks with Tehran. "There is a clear opportunity for the Iranians[...] to demonstrate some willingness to engage meaningfully with the international community," Mrs. Clinton said in her first briefing to reporters at the State Department. President Obama said repeatedly during his election campaign that his administration would talk to Iran without preconditions. In a television interview Monday, he said the United States was prepared to extend its hand to Iran if it "unclenched its fist." "Whether or not that hand becomes less clenched is really up to them," Mrs. Clinton said Tuesday. Iran's controversial nuclear program was cited by the U.S. as one of the reasons behind its plans to deploy a missile base in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic. The missile shield has been strongly opposed by Russia, which views it as a threat to its national security. The dispute has strained relations between the former Cold War rivals, already tense over a host of other differences. The leaders have exchanged letters and had a telephone conversation since Obama was sworn into office in January, Kommersant said. The first high-level Russia-U.S. meeting will take place later this week, when Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Geneva. Moscow has not yet responded to the proposal by Obama, the paper said, adding that a decision was unlikely to be made during Lavrov and Clinton's meeting. The issue is likely to be discussed when Obama and Medvedev meet in London on April 2 on the sidelines of the G20 summit of world leaders to address the financial crisis. Earlier reports said Medvedev had also invited the U.S. leader to visit Russia and the date of Obama's first visit to the largest country in the world could be announced in the British capital. In an interview on Sunday with Spanish media, Medvedev said he hoped to discuss the issue of missile defense with Obama in London. He also said he hoped the new U.S. administration would display a "more creative approach" to the issue than its predecessors. "We have received signals from our American colleagues," Medvedev said. "I expect those signals will turn into specific proposals. I hope to discuss the issue, which is extremely important for Europe, with U.S. President Barack Obama." The United States and other Western nations suspect Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is purely aimed at generating electricity. However, unlike his predecessor, George W. Bush, Obama has stated a preference for diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on the NBC television channel on Sunday that the Islamic Republic was not close to building a nuclear bomb. "They're not close to a stockpile, they're not close to a weapon at this point, and so there is some time," Gates said. Gates also said that the while more sanctions should be imposed against Iran, the door should not be closed to diplomacy.

Russia Completing Rotation Of Sudan Helicopter Unit - Air Force

Russia Completing Rotation Of Sudan Helicopter Unit - Air Force

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW -March 3, 2009: The second and final group of service personnel from Russia's aviation group will head for Sudan on Monday as part of a UN operation in the region, an Air Force spokesman said. "The military transport Il-76 aircraft will deliver over 40 personnel to Africa," Lt.-Col. Vladimir Drik said. Rotations are held twice a year. The previous rotation took place in August. The Russian peacekeeping contingent in Sudan comprises 120 personnel and four Mi-8 helicopters equipped to UN and international standards. The contingent provides transport services for UN military observers in Sudan, including accompanying freight, and also carries out rescue operations. The first unit of Russian peacekeepers arrived in Sudan in April 2006. They are expected to stay - with regular rotations - for five or six years. The UN Mission in Sudan was established in 2005 to monitor the peace agreement between the government in Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in southern Sudan, which ended the longest-running civil war in Africa. The UN presence in Sudan has since been expanded to include peacekeeping operations in Darfur. Since 2003, Chad and Sudan have accused each other of inciting conflict on their common border, which is along the west Sudanese region of Darfur. According to international estimates, more than 300,000 people have been killed and around 2.7 million displaced in the ongoing conflict in Darfur.

Russia Reports $27 Billion In Arms Export Orders

Russia Reports $27 Billion In Arms Export Orders

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - March 3, 2009: Russian arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport has a portfolio of orders worth a total of $27 billion, the head of the state-run Russian Technology Corporation said on Monday. In an interview with the daily Izvestia, Sergei Chemezov said that the orders would provide domestic defense firms with contracts to keep them going for the next four to five years. He said this factor would have a significant socio-economic effect, since the Russian defense industry currently employs 2.5-3 million workers, or 20% of industry's total. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said last week the country's 2009 arms exports would remain at the previous year's level. The Federal Service for Military Cooperation previously said that arms exports would rise from $8 billion (2008) to $8.5 billion this year. Russia's deputy defense minister previously said that state defense contracts would not be subject to cuts this year despite the ongoing financial crisis. The Defense Ministry will transfer 35% of military contract payments in the first quarter of 2009. The government is to disburse a total of 1.3 trillion rubles ($37 billion) to defense contractors this year. The state arms production budget for 2009-11 has been approved at 4 trillion rubles ($115 billion).

Clinton Pledges $300 Million For Gaza, $600 Million For Palestinian Authority

Clinton Pledges $300 Million For Gaza, $600 Million For Palestinian Authority

(NSI News Source Info) SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt – March 2, 2009: Hillary Rodham Clinton, on her first foray into Middle East politics as U.S. secretary of state, arrived at an international donors conference Monday with a U.S. pledge of about $300 million in humanitarian aid for the war-torn Gaza Strip. She also was to announce about $600 million in assistance to the Palestinian Authority, a U.S. official said Sunday. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, right, looks on as Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, left, delivers a speech during the opening session of the Gaza reconstruction conference in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, Monday, March 2, 2009. Mubarak opened an international donors' conference on reconstructing the war torn area, seeking to raise at least $2.8 billion for Gaza from 80 donor countries and organizations. State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood told reporters that she would announce the donations at an international pledging conference at this Red Sea resort. The conference is seeking money for Gaza and the Palestinian economy. Clinton also scheduled one-on-one meetings with several of her Mideast counterparts, including Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and foreign ministers from Morocco, Algerian, Libya and Tunisa. She also was to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. After the daylong conference she was flying to Jerusalem. Clinton also planned to attend a meeting at Sharm el-Sheik of the so-called Quartet of international mediating nations — the U.S., the European Union, the United Nations and Russia — seeking to forge progress toward peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Obama administration officials had indicated last week that the U.S. was preparing to pledge $900 million in assistance for Gaza, but Wood's description of the plan Sunday indicated that the only portion going directly to Gaza was $300 million. Wood said that while all of the money is subject to approval by Congress, the intent is to provide about $200 million to help the Palestinian Authority shore up a budget shortfall and another $400 million to assist Palestinian institutional reforms and economic development. Wood said some of the $400 million might wind up aiding Gaza, but he said that would depend on the Palestinian Authority. The key, Wood said, is that none of the money is to benefit Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza and does not recognize Israel's right to exist. Some portion of the $900 million total U.S. pledge had already been budgeted for 2009, Wood said, adding that he could not immediately provide a breakdown. Getting U.S. humanitarian aid quickly to Gaza is complicated by the U.S. refusal to funnel it through the Hamas, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. Wood said the U.S. aid that does not go directly to the Palestinian Authority would be funneled to Gaza through international organizations and agencies. On her trip, Clinton also carried hopes of finding a path toward an Israeli-Palestinian peace and a strengthening of the shaky cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. After consulting with Israeli officials on Tuesday she was to meet with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Donors at the Sharm el-Sheik conference will be asked to fund a $2.8 billion reconstruction and recovery plan put together by Abbas' prime minister, Salam Fayyad, an internationally respected economist. Hamas was not invited. Fayyad wants most of the money funneled through his West Bank-based government. He already administers huge sums of foreign aid — $7.7 billion for 2008-2010 — and has been sending $120 million to Gaza each month for welfare and salaries of Abbas' former civil servants. Other aid, such as for rebuilding homes, would go directly to the bank accounts of Gazans. Hamas prepared its own 86-page Gaza reconstruction plan and sent copies to the Arab League. But even if bypassed by the donors, as is likely, Hamas would benefit from any aid that eases pressure on it to help the needy. Israel's offensive to halt Hamas rocket fire from Gaza ended with a cease-fire Jan. 18.

Czechs Agree To Buy 107 Steyr APCs For CZK 14 Bln

Czechs Agree To Buy 107 Steyr APCs For CZK 14 Bln

(NSI News Source Info) PRAGUE - March 2, 2009: The Czech government agreed to buy 107 armoured personnel carriers from Austria's Steyr, a unit of General Dynamics, for around 14 billion Czech crowns ($620.3 million), Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Monday. In November 2007, Steyr announced that the first 17 vehicles were ready for delivery. The Czech government subsequently cancelled the contract for the vehicles in December 2007. However, in January 2008, the Czech government stated that the contract may be renegotiated, possibly for a smaller number of vehicles. In March 2008, it was announced that 107 vehicles would be procured. The deal is far less than an originally planned order of up to 234 Pandur carriers in a $1.4 billion deal the Czechs scrapped in December 2007 due to what it said were late deliveries and technical failures. Topolanek said the government had agreed the deal and had given the finance ministry a green light to sign a contract with Steyr.

MRAP's Pro & Con, Armored Fighting Vehicle Designed To Survive IED Attacks And Ambushes, Driving Is Not Cosy And Comfy

MRAP's Pro & Con, Armored Fighting Vehicle Designed To Survive IED Attacks And Ambushes, Driving Is Not Cosy And Comfy

(NSI News Source Info) March 2, 2009: As more units get MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles, there has been a growing demand from users to fix the annoying, and sometimes dangerous, quirks and flaws. Over 10,000 MRAPs are in use, mostly in Iraq. But most of the new ones are now going to Afghanistan. The number of troops complaining grows daily. The list of problems is large, and include poor off-road performance, difficulty maneuvering along narrow village and city streets, high fuel consumption, too high (exposing turret gunners getting snagged by wires, often electrical ones, and more prone to tip over), and poor internal design (for example, the drivers seat is too cramped for a soldier wearing armor). On the plus side there are fewer casualties, and higher morale as a result. Troops go into harms way with more confidence, and are more effective as a result. Fixing the shortcomings of these vehicles is difficult. Their height, weight, large size and high fuel consumption are essential in protecting passengers from bombs and mines. Problems with the internal layout can be fixed, and largely have been. Maneuverability problems are addressed somewhat by better driver training. Commanders of units equipped with MRAPs are being taught the best tactics and techniques (based on a growing body of user experience) to get the most out of these vehicles. Smaller MRAPs, that are better off the road, less liable to tip over and easier to take through narrow village roads, are being sent to Afghanistan. The wire problem was fixed by putting plastic pipe, at an angle, in front, to deal with the wire. Another solution is to use a gun turret that is controlled from inside the vehicle. Even before 2007, there were already over two thousand of these vehicles in use, mainly by bomb disposal troops, and units operating in areas almost certain to have lots of roadside bombs. People in these vehicles were much less likely to be killed or injured if they encountered a roadside bomb.

Thus, the thinking went, if all the troops who encountered these bombs were in a MRAP, casualties would be about 65 percent less. In 2006-7, about two-thirds of all casualties in Iraq were from roadside bombs. Thus the army and marines used these vehicles in areas most likely to have bombs, and reduced overall casualties by about a third. MRAPs cost about five times more than armored hummers or trucks. These vehicles are more expensive to operate, and less flexible than the hummer. MRAPs use a capsule design to protect the passengers and key vehicle components mines and roadside bombs. The bulletproof MRAPs are built using construction techniques pioneered by South African firms that have, over the years, delivered thousands of landmine resistant vehicles to the South African armed forces. These were a great success.

The South African technology was imported into the U.S. in 1998, and has already been used in the design of vehicles used by peacekeepers in the Balkans. One of the most common of these MRAPs are called Cougars. Basically, the Cougar is a 12 ton truck that is hardened to survive bombs and mines, and comes in two basic versions. The four wheel one can carry ten passengers, the six wheel one can carry 16. The trucks cost about $730,000 each, fully equipped. MRAPs are also being supplied by other manufacturers, but their designs are very similar to the Cougar. MRAPs are more expensive to maintain and operate than the hummer.

And the large number of roadside bombs are a situation unique to Iraq. Once American forces are out of Iraq, the military would not need all these MRAPs. But vehicles like the Cougar are popular with many NGOs, and nations that have problems with rebel movements. So the U.S. could sell most of them, at used vehicle prices, to those buyers.

Otherwise, they could have to be put in storage, because the higher operating costs, compared to hummers, would make for a highly embarrassing issue in the mass media.

Czechs Eye Land Rovers, Pandurs To Upgrade Army / Czech Republic Eager To Buy More Land Rover Vehicles For Foreign Missions

Czechs Eye Land Rovers, Pandurs To Upgrade Army / Czech Republic Eager To Buy More Land Rover Vehicles For Foreign Missions

(NSI News Source Info) PRAGUE - March 2, 2009: According to Defense Ministry sources, the Czech military is interesting in buying a new batch of 79 Land Rover Defender off-road utility vehicles for use in foreign missions by the end of November 2009. The purchase has been given an early estimate of CZK384 million ($17.29 million).

Land Rover Defender vehicles have been used extensively by many of the world's military forces, including the US in some limited capacity, following experience with the vehicle during the first Gulf War, where US forces found the British Army's vehicles to be more capable and better suited to operation in urban areas and for air-lifting than the Humvee. The British Army has used Land Rovers since the 1950s, as have many countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. The British Army replaced its Series III fleet with One Tens in 1985, with a smaller fleet of Nineties following in 1986. Both used the 2.5 litre naturally-aspirated diesel engine. These older vehicles are reaching the end of their service lives, with many being sold onto the civilian market from the late 1990s.

The vehicles would then be used by the Czech rapid-deployment unit in its NATO-led ISAF mission in Afghanistan, as well as by the joint Czech-Slovak EU battlegroup being formed. Saddled with old Soviet- and Warsaw Pact-legacy material following independence and undertaking military missions in Afghanistan, the Czech Ministry of Defense has been making its strongest procurement pushes in the area of armored vehicles.

While the Czech Special Forces have previously purchased Land Rover Defenders that have been used to replace older off-road Russian-legacy vehicles since the 1990s, experiences in Afghanistan have also forced the Defense Ministry to purchase American Humvees, IVECO 4x4 LMVs, and Dingo II armored personnel carriers. The latter two vehicles were purchased last fall through UOR (urgent operational requirement) contracts.

The Czech Republic is also closing on a final contract with Austrian Steyr for the procurement of 107 Pandur II armored personnel carriers worth CZK12 billion ($540 million). That deal has been on-again, off-again since June 2006 but is finally nearing fruition. Czech industry will benefit, with offsets making up nearly 60 percent of the overall program.

North Korea: US Must Cancel Military Drill With South

North Korea: US Must Cancel Military Drill With South (NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea – March 2, 2009: North Korea demanded Monday that the U.S. call off its annual military drill with South Korea, a report said, as rare talks between the North and U.N. forces ended without clear progress on defusing tensions. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the North made the demand during talks with the U.S.-led U.N. Command at the Korean border village of Panmunjom, held for the first time in nearly seven years. It came amid fears the North is gearing up to test-launch a missile believed capable of reaching U.S. territory. Yonhap quoted an unnamed South Korean military official as saying the North warned the upcoming drill would "further stir up" tensions on the Korean peninsula. The report said the U.N. Command insisted that the exercise — involving 26,000 American troops, an unspecified number of South Korean soldiers and a U.S. aircraft carrier — is purely defensive and not preparation for an invasion as the North claims. North Korea has routinely condemned the regular U.S.-South Korea military drills as preparation for an invasion, although the allies have said they have no intention to attack. Both the U.N. Command and the South Korean Defense Ministry said they couldn't confirm the report. The U.N. Command only said the sides discussed "measures to reduce tension and introduce transparency" and agreed to further meetings during a half-hour of talks. "The UNC welcomed this discussion with North Korea which holds the prospect for building trust and preventing misunderstandings between both sides," the statement quoted the command's chief delegate Maj. Gen. Johnny Weida as saying. Command spokesman Kim Yong-kyu declined to comment whether the potential missile launch was discussed during the talks. North Korea had called for the hastily arranged talks last week, saying it wants to discuss ways to reduce tensions, according to the U.N. Command, which monitors a cease-fire that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea and the U.N. Command has held 14 rounds of such high-level military talks "when necessary" since 1998, according to command spokesman Kim. Relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point in a decade, with North Korea bristling over South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's hard-line policy toward Pyongyang. The tensions have intensified in recent weeks amid reports that North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile. Analysts say communist North Korea also wants to capture President Barack Obama's attention at a time when international disarmament talks with the regime remain stalled. The North last week called its impending launch a peaceful bid to push its space program forward by sending a communications satellite into orbit and warned it would "punish" anyone who attempts to disrupt its plans. Neighboring governments believe the satellite claim may be a cover for a missile launch and have warned the regime such a move would invite international sanctions. North Korea, which in 2006 tested a nuclear weapon and unsuccessfully fired a long-range missile, is banned from engaging in any ballistic missile activity under a U.N. Security Council resolution. Obama is dispatching his envoy for North Korea, Stephen W. Bosworth, to Asia this week to discuss the nuclear dispute. Bosworth plans to meet with officials in China, Japan and South Korea, and will consult separately with Russian officials, the State Department said. South Korea on Monday named career diplomat Wi Sung-lac, a former head of the Foreign Ministry's North American affairs bureau, as its new top nuclear envoy. Departing envoy Kim Sook has been appointed deputy head of the country's main spy agency, the National Intelligence Service. The two Koreas remain divided by the world's most heavily fortified border. Although other nations contributed forces during the Korean War, U.S. troops are the only foreign combat forces left on the peninsula. The U.S. has 28,500 troops in South Korea.