Indian Air Force, Thales, Dassault Rushing Mirage Fighter Upgrade Negotiations

Indian Air Force, Thales, Dassault Rushing Mirage Fighter Upgrade Negotiations (NSI News Source Info) November 10, 2008: The Indian air force appears eager to conclude negotiations with Thales and Dassault Aviation on the offset package for the upgrade of India's 51 Mirage 2000s to the 2000-5 standard (M-2000H/TH upgrade), according to executives here.

Indian Air Force Mirage 2000s

It is likely that the contract will be signed before India's general elections in early 2009. But if it's delayed, there is concern there could be a delay of at least two years and an escalation in costs. Thales is not willing to disclose the value of the contract, expected to finish price negotiations by mid-November. A military official says the aircraft fleet is running dangerously low, under 29 squadrons -- 10 less than the minimum required.The new capabilities include longer-range detection and weapon firing against multiple targets and an extended operating envelope that will allow a border-protection mission, for instance, with two upgraded Mirages instead of the current six, according to Thales.Once the order is given, within 40 months Thales has committed to retrofitting two aircraft of the first phase in the initial operational configuration, which includes French equipment. Another two will be retrofitted in Bangalore along with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL). The remaining 47 will be assembled in India."The project is part of a broader strategic partnership between France and India to be implemented under a government-to-government agreement," says Pierre-Yves Chaltiel, senior vice president for Thales aerospace government programs."We'll give India a good level of autonomy," says Gerard Christmann, Thales vice president and general manager of electronic combat solutions in the aerospace division.The Indian air force and HAL soon will discuss the second phase to organize rotation of the Mirage fleet to maintain some aircraft. Efforts include integration of indigenous equipment, including the Israeli Litening pod that India is not purchasing from Thales.Thales, which has been successful in making its industrial imprint in India with 350 employees in six locations, says it is exploring cooperation with Indian companies on the technical side of new equipment for missile seekers, as well as radar technology.The multitrack RDY-3 radar being equipped in the Mirage is the same generation the French air force is equipping on its M-2000D, with an increased range from 40 to 50 nautical miles compared with the existing Radar Doppler Multifunction system.

Air Show China Takes Off With J-10 Fighter

Air Show China Takes Off With J-10 Fighter

(NSI News Source Info) ZHUHAI, China – November 10, 2008: Air Show China kicked off Nov. 4 with Chinese political and military weight giving impetus to the event. The Chengdu J-10 fighter aircraft is in attendance after having failed to turn up in 2006. Two of the aircraft were parked, and partially covered, on the hard stand. One or more will fly during the show, which runs here until Nov. 9. The J-10 debut marks the first time the Chinese air force (PLAAF) is fully participating in the event. Two Shenyang J-8II fighters, a Xian JH-7A strike aircraft and a Xian H-6U tanker, are also being shown at the event. Like the J-10s, the other aircraft were also partially covered prior to the formal opening. A large-scale model of the J-10 also is on display with an array of air-to-air and air-to-surface weaponry. This included a two-store pylon configuration for the SD-10 (PL-12) active radar-guided missile. Whether development of such a pylon configuration is under way remains to be seen. The model is also fitted with the PL-9C infrared dogfight missile. Air-to-surface munitions included laser-guided and satellite-guided bombs. The air show is the only international aerospace trade show in China that is endorsed by the Chinese central government.

Argentina launches Gaucho with new armour kit

Argentina launches Gaucho with new armour kit (NSI News Source Info) November 10, 2008: The Argentine Army's DIDEP (Research, Development and Production Directorate) has launched an uparmoured version of its 4x4 Gaucho all-terrain wheeled air-transportable light vehicle. The new version is fitted with an appliqué armour kit that offers crew protection against small-arms fire, hand grenades and anti-personnel mines. Made from sheets of ballistic steel and kevlar, the kit adds about 300 kg to the vehicle's weight. DIDEP says agility and performance of the original vehicle have not been compromised by the extra weight, however, due to the high-powered MWM 2.8-litre, 130 hp diesel engine, which offers speeds of up to 120 km/h and a range of 500 km.

Northrop-Oshkosh Team Protests JLTV Award

Northrop-Oshkosh Team Protests JLTV Award (NSI News Source Info) November 10, 2008: Northrop Grumman and Osh-kosh Defense filed Nov. 7 a formal protest of the U.S. Army's selection of three contractors to develop designs for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), claiming the joint bid was unduly handicapped by inconsistencies in the selection process, team officials said. For example, in their filing to the Government Accountability Office, team officials said they were not told they needed to have a fully assembled demonstrator vehicle. "We weren't informed that a demonstrator was a significant factor in the determination of the maturity of the design," said Northrop spokesman Jay McCaffrey. On Oct. 29, the Army-Marine Corps team selected BAE Systems-Lockheed Martin, BAE-Navistar and General Tactical Vehicles to receive 27-month, $60 million technology development contracts. Northrop-Oshkosh officials filed the protest after a Nov. 5 meeting with Army JLTV officials, who explained why they did not win. "After careful examination of the data presented at the debriefing, it is apparent that inconsistencies in the bid and evaluation process unfairly placed the Northrop Grumman team at a competitive disadvantage. Northrop Grumman requests that the GAO examine the process, which it believes is marred by unstated requirements and arbitrary maturity ratings," McCaffrey said. Northrop officials said their vehicle is less expensive than the others. "We don't believe the SSA [source selection authority] performed an appropriate cost analysis. Our design came in significantly lower in cost than the others that were selected," a Northrop statement said. The protest also said that the selection process was focused on getting the vehicles ready faster as opposed to the stated "technology development" purpose of the contracts. "The evaluation also reflected an unannounced agency decision to transform the solicitation from a TD [technology development] phase to a de facto System Design & Development effort," the Northrop statement said. "The immediate need for this new vehicle is undisputed, but American warfighters deserve more than last year's model, hastily retrofitted for rapid deployment." The Northrop-Oshkosh offering was the only bid among the large contenders with an alternative propulsion system. "Diesel electric is a proven technology that has been around for decades. We believe our offering offered the highest horsepower. We want to be evaluated in a level playing field," McCaffrey said. The Army did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

Japan Complains Over Port Call By U.S. Sub

Japan Complains Over Port Call By U.S. Sub (NSI News Source Info) TOKYO - November 10, 2008: Japan protested Nov. 10 after a U.S. nuclear submarine made an unannounced call at one of its ports, a sensitive issue for the only nation to have been attacked by atomic bombs. The submarine Providence called at the White Beach Naval Facility in southern Okinawa prefecture from around 10:00 am until just before noon without properly notifying Japan in advance, the foreign ministry said. "The United States must notify our government at least 24 hours before its nuclear submarines come to our ports," it said in a statement. "We regret the latest incident that an American submarine came to one of our ports without a proper notification." Senior foreign ministry officials conveyed their grievances to their U.S. counterparts here and asked for an explanation. US officials said the incident was due to an internal communications error. They expressed regret and promised to prevent future mistakes, the ministry said. Japan has campaigned against nuclear weapons since U.S. atomic bombs destroyed its cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, killing more than 210,000 people. Since its defeat, Japan has been officially pacifist and relied on a security alliance with the United States, which stations more than 40,000 troops in the country. The Pentagon said earlier this year that a small radioactive leak may have come from a nuclear-powered submarine during a cruise that included stops in Japan, prompting protests by atomic bomb survivors and peace activists.

EU Nations Launch Air Transport Fleet Initiative

EU Nations Launch Air Transport Fleet Initiative (NSI News Source Info) BRUSSELS - November 10, 2008: Twelve European Union nations launched Nov. 10 a project to build an EU military air transport fleet to help meet a growing need for planes to carry troops and equipment to the world's trouble spots. The European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) initiative, which could enter operation in 2014, will pool aircraft like the Airbus A400M and Hercules C-130 transporters, the European Defense Agency said in a statement. "Pooling European aircraft and services will improve the lift capabilities and alleviate a significant European shortfall," said EDA chief Alexander Weis. The project was endorsed in Brussels Nov. 10 by defense ministers from Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Based on their capabilities, the nations will make planes available for use; purchase, provide or exchange flying hours; and pool together resources for training and maintenance.

First Littoral Combat Ship Commissioned

First Littoral Combat Ship Commissioned (NSI News Source Info) MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - November 10, 2008: The introduction of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) provides the U.S. Navy with a new and different capability, so it was probably appropriate that the first ship's commissioning ceremony offered a few changes from the usual niceties attending such events. There was, for example, the polka band in lederhosen pumping out "On Wisconsin." The hot dogs and bratwurst served right after the ceremony provided a distinct change of taste, and where else but the "Brew City" would draft beer be laid out before noon - even with snow clouds approaching. And for that special festive note, the Milwaukee Brewers Sausages showed up, although the mascots did not stage the races famous for taking place during Brewer's home baseball games. All the accoutrements gave a special Wisconsin flair to the traditional Navy ceremony, made special because the USS Freedom is the first of an entirely new type of warship and the first fighting ship built on the Great Lakes in several generations. The Navy's top brass flew here for the ceremony marking the entry into service of the first LCS. Navy Secretary Donald Winter and Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, both spoke, as did each of the ship's two commanding officers -- the Freedom is the first large combatant ship to have dual Blue and Gold crews. A number of retired officers who had a hand in developing the LCS also were in attendance, including former chief of naval operations Adm. Vern Clark and former surface forces commander Vice Adm. Timothy LaFleur. Others attending the ceremony included representatives from Lockheed Martin, prime contractor for the Freedom design; Marinette Shipbuilding, which built the ship in Marinette, Wisc.; and Bollinger Shipyards, which hopes to build future LCSs at its Louisiana shipyards. Cmdr. Don Gabrielson, skipper of the Blue Crew, noted the advent of the littoral combat ship less than four years after the Navy placed a construction order with Lockheed. "Change is hard," he said - perhaps echoing the election earlier in the week of President-elect Barack Obama - "but this is the proof that our nation can adapt to change." Gabrielson closed his remarks with the exhortation, "LCS is here. Imagination has become reality. Let's roll." And with that, ship's sponsor Brigit Smith, whose husband Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith received the Medal of Honor during Operation Iraqi Freedom, shouted out the traditional cry, "bring this ship to life!" and both 40-sailor crews ran aboard to line the rails. The Navy plans to build at least 55 LCS ships and will run the Freedom and a competing LCS, the Independence, through a lengthy series of trials beginning next year. But cost overruns have more than doubled the ships' original price tags, and no further ships are as yet under construction. Marinette Shipbuilding already has laid off more than a hundred workers for want of work. But Congress in September authorized construction of two more ships, and the Navy could award construction contracts in a few weeks. "We're looking to get those workers back to work in January," said Steve Kagen, D-Wisc., whose district includes Marinette. Winter, speaking afterward to reporters, wouldn't say when the contracts for the next two ships would be issued, but noted he'd "like to get those ships under contract as soon as possible." The Navy, like the other services, has submitted its fiscal 2010 request to the Bush administration, which is now reviewing the next defense budget. Some sources have indicated the Navy's notional 313-ship fleet -- a number referred to as a "floor" by Navy leaders -- could go up, perhaps by 20 or more ships, and it's known the service wants more LCSs. Asked about a possible rise in the 313-ship number, Winter said "I have not seen anything that is a material change to the size of the fleet." Roughead declined to comment on whether the Navy would increase the number of LCSs it plans to build, other than to say, "I'd like to see more." Winter reiterated his view that he'd "like to buy ships more like we buy aircraft," where larger quantities can translate into better delivery rates and lower costs. The secretary also noted the promise for more missions for the LCS. He noted the Marines have recently become "interested" in the ships. "LCS has all the potential for small unit insertion," Winter said. "You can think of it as a mini-gator," referring to the slang term for amphibious ships. "It can provide fires in support of an engagement, can embark rotary-wing aircraft, and can embark Marines," he said. As for the Freedom, the Navy is anxious to show off the new ship, and it will spend several weeks en route to Norfolk, Va., making a number of stops along the way.

India, Qatar Discuss Defense Cooperation

India, Qatar Discuss Defense Cooperation (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - November 10, 2008: India has struck a defense agreement with Qatar which includes the possibilities of stationing Indian troops in the Arab country, sources in the Indian Defence Ministry said. The cooperation agreement was inked during the ongoing visit to the Arab world by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The two countries also have joined in a maritime security arrangement, which will be extended to other countries, a senior Indian Defence Ministry official said. India and Qatar had agreed in June 2007 to jointly produce weapons and equipment. An agreement to this effect was reached during the visit of then-Indian Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt and senior Qatari defense officials. The defense cooperation pact signed during Singh's visit also will pave the way for joint production of weaponry at Indian facilities. Indian Defence Ministry sources said Qatar is keen to collaborate with Indian private and state-owned defense companies, which in turn have entered into some sort of a tie-up with American companies for weapon and equipment production Before his arrival in Qatar, Singh discussed areas of defense cooperation with Oman. Currently, India and Oman's defense cooperation is limited to training of Oman personnel at Indian facilities and joint naval exercises.

Gorbachev calls on Obama to carry out 'perestroika' in the U.S.

Gorbachev calls on Obama to carry out 'perestroika' in the U.S. (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - November 10, 2008: Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said that the Obama administration in the United States needs far-reaching 'perestroika' reforms to overcome the financial crisis and restore balance in the world. The term perestroika, meaning restructuring, was used by Gorbachev in the late 1980s to describe a series of reforms that abolished state planning in the Soviet Union. In an interview with Italy's La Stampa published on Friday, Gorbachev said President-elect Barack Obama needs to fundamentally change the misguided course followed by President George W. Bush over the past eight years. Gorbachev said that after transforming his country in the late 1980s, he had told the Americans that it was their turn to act, but that Washington, celebrating its Cold War victory, was not interested in "a new model of a society, where politics, economics and morals went hand in hand." He said the Republicans have failed to realize that the Soviet Union no longer exists, that Europe has changed, and that new powers like China, Brazil and Mexico have emerged as important players on the world stage. He told the paper that the world is waiting for Obama to act, and that the White House needs to restore trust in cooperation with the United States among the Russians. "This is a man of our times, he is capable of restarting dialogue, all the more since the circumstances will allow him to get out of a dead-end situation. Barack Obama has not had a very long career, but it is hard to find faults, and he has led an election campaign winning over the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton herself. We can judge from this that this person is capable of engaging in dialogue and understanding current realities." Former Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of now defunct Yukos oil giant, who is in prison on fraud and tax evasion charges, also used the word perestroika in discussing the future course of the Obama administration. In an article published in the business daily Vedomosti on Friday, Khodorkovsky said Obama's election win was not merely another change of power in a separate country, but was important for all states. He said that, "being a liberal himself, he thinks that the world will take a left turn," and that "a global perestroika would be a logical response to the global crisis." "The paradigm of global development is about to change. The era inaugurated by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher 30 years ago is over." He said decisions in neoliberal economies had been made mainly by supranational institutions and transnational corporations. Khodorkovsky predicted: "Globalization will slow to a crawl, but will not stop. The 'golden billion' of the world's richest people will have to abandon hopes of increasing their wealth, but high consumer standards which developed at the end of the 20th century will be unaffected by the change. The striving for political freedom and open competition of personalities and ideas will not disappear." Poll - How will Russia-U.S. relations change under Obama?

Kazakhstan plans to slash crude export duty by 45%

Kazakhstan plans to slash crude export duty by 45% (NSI News Source Info) ASTANA - November 10, 2008: The Kazakh government plans to slash export duty on crude oil by 45% to $139 a ton, the country's oil and mineral resource minister said on Monday. The move comes on the back of plunging oil prices amid the global financial crisis, and just one month since the government raised oil duty by 85% to $203.8 per ton. "The Ministry of Industry and Trade has already drawn up draft regulations, which propose cutting export duty on crude oil to $139 a ton and export duty on fuel oil...from $130 to $95 per ton," said Mynbayev. The minister did not give any details on when the new duties would come into effect.