DTN News: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton To Push Pretoria On Zimbabwe Crisis

DTN News: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton To Push Pretoria On Zimbabwe Crisis

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) NAIROBI, Kenya - August 7, 2009: U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton says she will push South Africa to do more to counter embattled President Robert Mugabe's negative effect on the Zimbabwe reform process. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, during a press conference at the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, Aug. 6 2009, where the Secretary met with the Somalia president Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed. Clinton on Thursday pledged continued American support for Somalia's weak interim government as it struggles against Islamist extremists believed linked to al-Qaida. But Mugabe supporters have dismissed her comments as external interference, saying Zimbabweans are capable of resolving their own problems. Clinton's comment comes a day ahead of her scheduled meeting with top South African government officials on Friday. South African President Jacob Zuma met earlier this week with Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in an effort to address concerns that are threatening to undermine the coalition government. Political analyst Somadoda Fikeni told VOA that Washington doesn't see Mugabe as playing a pivotal role in resolving the Zimbabwe crisis. "America has never accepted Robert Mugabe as a partner in resolving this matter, so they grudgingly embraced what the African Union and SADC (Southern African Development Community) have decided on in terms of the government of national unity," Fikeni said. He said Pretoria will ensure Secretary Clinton knows the steps taken to resolve the Zimbabwe impasse. "What will happen is that South Africa will say we've already discussed with Morgan Tsvangirai and promised to intervene again to prop up the peace process, which seemingly is ailing at the moment," he said. South African president Jacob Zuma, left, shake hands with Zimbabwean PM Morgan Tsvangirai, during a meeting in Johannesburg, 03 Aug 2009 Fikeni said there are no reasons to believe that South Africa would be pushed to do more in neighboring Zimbabwe. "They (South Africa) won't agree that it is because of American pressure that they are actually putting more pressure on Zimbabweans to resolve the matter," Fikeni said. He said both Pretoria and Washington are seeking to warm up diplomatic ties from the frosty relationship of recent years. "Remember that this is an era where the South African new administration and American new administration are trying to mend things after what has been a chilly relationship in the (Thabo) Mbeki administration and George Bush administration," he said. Meanwhile, President Robert Mugabe has refused to meet the outgoing U.S ambassador James McGee the man he once described as a "house Negro". McGee had wanted to pay a courtesy call, as is the norm with outgoing ambassadors. At a recent meeting in Libya, Mugabe also verbally abused Johnnie Carson, the top U.S diplomat to Africa calling him an idiot, after describing his predecessor, Jendayi Frazer as "that little girl trotting around the globe like a prostitute. Zimbabwe's embattled President Robert MugabeFikeni said it will not be a surprise that President Mugabe will dismiss Secretary Clinton's remarks ahead of her scheduled meeting with officials in Pretoria. "He will repeat what he has always said and what he said recently when he visited the family of his late deputy president (Joseph Msika) that the Zimbabwe problems would be solved by Zimbabweans. So I think that has become his touchline… to most of what is perceived as external interference or what he will present as external interference," Fikeni said. Secretary Clinton is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela.

DTN News: Former President Bill Clinton Deflects Questions On Mission To North Korea

DTN News: Former President Bill Clinton Deflects Questions On Mission To North Korea

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK, USA - August 7, 2009: Former President Bill Clinton said Thursday that, while negotiating the release this week of two American journalists detained in North Korea, he went no further than previous Obama administration statements in expressing regret for the journalists having entered the country illegally. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaks at a news conference with Robert J. Coury, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mylan (2nd from L) and Jeffrey B. Kindler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer (L) and Nimmagadda Prasad, founder of Matrix, in New York, August 6, 2009. Through his Clinton Foundation the former U.S. President has worked with drug manufacturers to provide more affordable HIV/AIDS therapy in the developing world. North Korea pardoned and released the two journalists after Clinton met in Pyongyang on Tuesday with the country's ailing dictator, Kim Jong-Il. North Korea said later that Clinton had apologized; the White House denied that any apology was offered. On Thursday, Clinton spoke publicly for the first time about the trip the White House has described as a "private humanitarian mission." While not specifically addressing whether his remarks constituted an apology, Clinton said the secretary of state -- his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton -- had already expressed regret for the journalists' breach of the North Korean border. "I was not asked for any more, nor did I offer any more," he said. Clinton, appearing at a news conference about his foundation's efforts to combat AIDS, deflected questions about his impressions of Kim and about whether he had made concessions to the North Koreans to free the journalists. "My job was to do one thing, which I was honored to do, as an American and as a father," he said. "I wanted those young women to be able to come home." "Anything I say beyond that could inadvertently affect the decisions and moves either here or in North Korea, and the attitudes of our allies," Clinton continued. The two journalists, Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32, were detained by North Korean soldiers on March 17, and then sentenced to 12 years in a North Korean prison camp for illegal entry. The former president answered questions at his Harlem-based William J. Clinton Foundation, in a room packed with about 150 reporters, at a news conference intended to announce the foundation's new agreements for low-cost AIDS and tuberculosis drugs for the developing world. Clinton did not directly respond to a question about whether the trip has helped to restore him to the role of elder statesman, an image that suffered because of controversial comments he made during his wife's presidential campaign. "As soon as the election was over, I went back to work here," he said. "I just let my work speak for itself." "There can only be one president at a time," said Clinton, adding that he does not want his statements to restrict the administration's ability to chart a way forward. "It's not helpful and it's not necessary." Clinton described a "deeply emotional" first encounter with Lee and Ling. He said they were "delightful" on the trip home to Los Angeles by private plane, so happy and excited they couldn't sleep. Lee talked frequently about being reunited with her young daughter, he said. The two journalists ate huevos rancheros for breakfast when the private plane stopped at an American base in Japan, Clinton said, and were careful to measure their food intake because they had been on a radically different diet for almost five months. "It was basically a lovely thing," he said.

DTN News: Canada Rejects NATO Call To Stay In Afghanistan Past 2011

DTN News: Canada Rejects NATO Call To Stay In Afghanistan Past 2011

*Source: DTN News / Defense Media

(NSI News Source Info) OTTAWA, Canada - August 7, 2009: Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon reaffirmed Thursday Canada's 2011 exit from Afghanistan despite reported pleas from NATO's chief for an extension of Canada's deployment in the war-torn country. Canadian soldiers with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are seen during a patrol in Mirwais Mina part of the main city of Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, August 2, 2009. Canada has around 2, 500 soldiers with the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. "Our government is abiding by the motion passed in parliament in 2008 -- that is that our combat forces will leave by 2011," Cannon said. Earlier, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen remarked while visiting a Canadian development project in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, that he would like to see Canada stay beyond 2011. "Of course I'm not going to interfere with the domestic politics in individual allied nations, but seen from an alliance point of view, I would strongly regret if that became the final outcome of the Canadian considerations," he was quoted as saying by public broadcaster CBC. "I would like to take this opportunity to express my strong appreciation of the significant Canadian contribution to our mission in Afghanistan," he said. "At the end of the day, it is a question of our own security. We cannot allow Afghanistan, once again, to become a safe haven for terrorists. And I also think it is in Canada's interest to ensure a peaceful and stable Afghanistan." Canada currently has some 2,800 troops based in Kandahar as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. So far, 127 Canadian soldiers, as well as a diplomat and two humanitarian aid workers from Canada, have been killed in Afghanistan. In 2008, parliament voted to withdraw Canadian forces no later than 2011.

DTN News: Pakistan Says Indian Evidence On Militant Leader Weak

DTN News: Pakistan Says Indian Evidence On Militant Leader Weak

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - August 7, 2009: Pakistan said Thursday that evidence given by India failed to build a case for the arrest of Hafiz Saeed, the founder of a Pakistan-based group blamed for the Mumbai attacks, a stance certain to stoke anger in India. Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, center, chief of an Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, leaves under tight security after appearing before the judicial review board of High Court in Lahore, Pakistan on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Saeed was detained under house arrest last year as part of Pakistan's investigation into the Mumbai attacks. India, which has insisted Pakistan act against Saeed and other members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba for the November attacks in which 166 people were killed, last week handed a fresh dossier of evidence to Islamabad. But a Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said the information provided by India had not helped although Islamabad was proceeding with the case. "The material contained in that ... dossier apropos Hafiz Saeed is not really enough and doesn't really strengthen our hands to take, or to proceed legally, as has been expected," he told a weekly news conference. His comments came as a Mumbai court separately sentenced three Indians to death for conspiring with Lashkar in an earlier attack on the city that killed 54 people.. Indian prosecutors said the blasts in 2003 were hatched in Dubai with several LeT conspirators. Saeed was detained in the wake of the November attacks after a U.N. Security Council resolution put him on a list of people and organizations supporting al Qaeda. But in June, the Lahore High Court released him on grounds of insufficient evidence, prompting the Pakistan government to lodge an appeal with the Supreme Court for his re-arrest. The Supreme Court adjourned a hearing this week without fixing any new date and Saeed's lawyer said it had been put off as the government's prosecutor was not prepared. Tensions have remained high between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan since the attacks in November. Last month the two sides agreed to restart dialogue, but India stopped short of resuming a peace process that was put on hold following Mumbai. India wants to see Pakistan punish those responsible and dismantle "the infrastructure of terrorism" on Pakistani soil. Pakistani officials have told diplomats privately that they cannot risk a major crackdown on militant groups like Lashkar, based in the central province of Punjab, as the army has its hands full fighting a Taliban insurgency in the northwest. INTERPOL The international police network Interpol said Thursday Pakistan had launched a global search for 13 suspects in the Mumbai attacks. France-based Interpol said the global alert issued from Islamabad asked member countries to assist in locating the fugitives and immediately report any leads to Pakistan, which would seek their extradition if any were arrested. The Interpol statement did not name the suspects. Pakistan has also begun proceedings against five militants for their alleged role in the Mumbai plot but charges have still to be read and the next hearing has been put off until August 29. Court delays, and demands for better evidence will do little to allay Indian suspicions that Saeed and Lashkar are regarded as assets by Pakistani intelligence which, according to analysts, has used the jihadi group in the past to fight Indian rule in Kashmir. Saeed quit Lashkar in the days following an attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001, that forced Pakistan to ban the group, but he stayed on as head of a charity that has been placed on both U.N. and U.S. terrorist lists and is said to be a front for Lashkar.

DTN News: After Bold Rhetoric, House Leaves Tanker Decision To Pentagon Brass

DTN News: After Bold Rhetoric, House Leaves Tanker Decision To Pentagon Brass *Source: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 7, 2009: U.S. Rep. John Murtha spent months huffing and puffing about forcing the Pentagon to buy both planes expected to again vie for a multibillion-dollar aerial tanker contract. Ultimately, however, the House Appropriations defense subcommittee chair did not blow down the house, according to aerospace analysts. Photo: Boeing and a partnership between Northrop Grumman and EADS are vying for the KC-X contract. (BOEING) Murtha repeatedly told reporters in early 2009 that he saw splitting the KC-X contract between Boeing and its rival, a partnership between Northrop Grumman and EADS, as the lone way out of a years-long saga that has included faulty deals and lengthy protests. He even talked publicly about including in 2010 defense spending legislation additional tanker funds to put the Pentagon on a financial footing to begin developing both industry offerings. But when the House Appropriations Committee unveiled its version of the defense appropriations bill, it quickly became apparent to experts that Murtha's bold rhetoric was not reflected in the legislation, nor in the accompanying bill report language. Analyzing the panel's wording is crucial, according to several analysts, and that is just what Pentagon officials will do when a final spending bill is hammered out later this year. The report language is laden with words and phrases such as "option" and "the committee believes" and "one or more contracts." That is hardly a mandate to split the contract between. Language like that means something, analysts said. In this case, it means the panel is leaving it up to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his subordinates how to proceed on the estimated 179-plane, $35 billion tanker replacement effort, they said. Open to Interpretation The committee could have used straightforward but clear language directing the Pentagon to buy both planes, and significantly increased the 2010 KC-X allocation to do so. What the lawmakers did was state their preference for a dual buy with a faster buy rate, giving themselves political cover should the program again go awry, analysts said. The lone usages of the word "direct" come in provisions mandating the Pentagon to provide a report to the congressional defense committees about its plans before releasing a final request for proposals, and another stipulating the department must award one contract or two. The latter leaves the final decision up to the defense secretary. The analysts acknowledged that some stakeholders will interpret the language how they want. David Berteau, a former Pentagon official and now an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, "You can interpret the language both ways." But because the lawmakers' language only "opens the door to a split buy" rather than "outright being directive," the House is proposing to leave the ultimate decision to Gates, he said. Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group called the language "a rubber mallet, ... not a hammer." The House bill does direct the Pentagon information about how the Pentagon will evaluate all industry, and the process it will use to select a winner - or winners. But analysts said it is unclear whether a possible requirement to disclose information about those aspects of the program will force the Pentagon's hand one way or another. The House report endorses buying the new tankers faster than the 12 to 15 a year the Pentagon is planning. But the language does not direct the department to do so. "The committee believes that it is in the best interest of the taxpayer to pursue recapitalization at a rate of 36 aircraft per year vice 12 or 15 aircraft," according to the report. "This quantity will allow for recapitalization in one-third the time and thus allow for a rapid retirement of the current KC-135 aircraft." The appropriators could have set a faster buy rate into motion by substantially increasing 2010 funding for the KC-X program and stipulating how those funds could be spent. But the House bill only adds about $10 million to the Pentagon's $429.6 million request. The Senate Appropriations Committee will not being work on its version of the 2010 Pentagon spending bill until after Congress's August recess. Once the Senate passes its version of the bill, a conference committee will hammer out differences between the two. Aboulafia suggested one aspect of the House report could tip the scale toward splitting the contract. The final section of the KC-X section directs the Pentagon to notify Congress by Oct. 1 which possible procurement approach "represents the most cost-effective and expeditious tanker replacement strategy that best responds to U.S. national security requirements." "Given the speed described in this language," Aboulafia said, "a split buy would be the only way to go."

DTN News: South Korea To Develop F-16 Simulators

DTN News: South Korea To Develop F-16 Simulators *Source: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - August 7, 2009: South Korea will develop a dozen of its own F-16/KF-16 fighter flight simulators by 2014 to help pilots keep up with fighter upgrades and conduct sustainable training amid high oil prices, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Aug. 4. F-16 simulators built by L-3 Link Simulation & Training today are supporting the US Air Force and Air National Guard, in addition to many allied nations that operate the platform. The agency awarded Korea Aerospace Industries, the country's only aircraft maker, a 130 billion won ($106 million) contract, to develop up-to-date flight simulators and unit training devices for F-16/KF-16 pilots, as well as upgrade existing simulation systems, according to a news release. Previously, South Korean airmen used flight simulators developed by Raytheon, a DAPA spokesman said. The new systems will help pilots practice tactical flight, emergency landing, and normal landing and take-off, the release said. Mass production will begin after the improvement and development of the new simulators are completed by November 2014, it added. "Once entering service, the new simulators are expected to not only help resolve the shortage of flight training for pilots, resulted from high oil prices, but also improve pilots' aircraft operational capabilities to an extent," it said. The South Korean Air Force operates an older fleet of 34 Block 32 F-16s purchased in the 1980s and a newer fleet of 135 KF-16s manufactured locally to the Block 52 standard from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s. Earlier this year, the Air Force unveiled plans to upgrade KF-16 fighters. The upgrades will include arming the aircraft with precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions and other guided weapons. Another key upgrade is a replacement for the fighter's existing APG-68(v)5/(v)7 radar systems.

DTN News: Venezuela Could Order T-72 Tanks From Russia

DTN News: Venezuela Could Order T-72 Tanks From Russia *Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 7, 2009: The tanks that Venezuela is planning to buy from Russia could be of the T-72 type, a Russian military analyst said on Thursday. The T-72, which entered production in 1971, was first seen in public in 1977. The T-72, introduced in the early 1970s, is not a further development of the T-64, but rather a parallel design chosen as a high-production tank complementing the T-64. The T-72 retains the low silhouette of the T-54/55/62 series, featuring a conventional layout with integrated fuel cells and stowage containers which give a streamlined appearance to the fenders. While the T-64 was deployed only in forward-deployed Soviet units, the T-72 was deployed within the USSR and exported to non-Soviet Warsaw Pact armies and several other countries. In addition to production in the USSR it has been built under license in Czechoslovakia, India, Poland and former Yugoslavia. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said at a press conference on Wednesday that the country plans to buy several battalions of Russian tanks in response to a possible increase in U.S. military personnel in neighboring Colombia. "The tanks in question are most likely the T-72 model, which best fit the needs of the Latin American market," said Konstantin Makiyenko, deputy director of the Center for Strategic Analysis, a Moscow based think tank. He added that Venezuela could afford even new T-90 tanks, but that due to the low price of oil on current markets, it would be more logical to expect the purchase of the T-72. The price of a T-90 main battle tank (MBT), manufactured by Russia's Uralvagonzavod plant is $5-7 million, while the price of a T-72 model is $1-2 million, the analyst said. A Russian tank battalion comprises 31 tanks. Last year, Uralvagonzavod produced a total of 165 T-90 tanks. Over half of the vehicles were exported, and the remaining tanks replaced some of the T-72s in the Russian Armed Forces. The analyst said Russia may have enough T-72 tanks available for the sale to Venezuela. Venezuela has already spent around $4 billion since 2005 on Russian arms, including helicopters, fighter planes, and Kalashnikov assault rifles.

DTN News: Singapore TODAY August 7, 2009 ~ Haze Back In Singapore As 50 Hot Spots Detected In Sumatra

DTN News: Singapore TODAY August 7, 2009 ~ Haze Back In Singapore As 50 Hot Spots Detected In Sumatra

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - August 7, 2009: The haze is back in Singapore and you can expect more hazy days ahead. Smoke haze shrouded Singapore on Thursday morning, with an acrid burning smell hanging in the air. Haze back in Singapore as 50 hot spots detected in Sumatra. Singapore has expected the haze to return this year as the El Nino weather phenomenon develops, bringing with it hotter and drier weather. And the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), which measures the air quality in Singapore, was around 60 on Thursday. Though this is still in the moderate range, it is however slightly higher than Wednesday’s reading of 52. Smoke haze has been blowing into Singapore and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that over the past few days, its satellite pictures detected significant hot spots with moderate to dense smoke. The hot spots are mainly in the Sumatran provinces of Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra. On Wednesday alone, 50 hot spots were detected in Sumatra. NEA added that with prevailing dry weather in the region and the wind direction expected to remain the same in the next few days, hazy conditions can be expected in Singapore over the next few days. Doctors have cautioned against outdoor activities if the situation worsens, especially for those with respiratory illnesses. Dr Chuah Li Li, a general practitioner from My Family Doctor, said: "Usually the discomfort is felt in the eyes, where people will feel there is a little bit of the smarting discomfort or a dry sensation. The other thing that you might feel is throat discomfort. "For people who have lung problems — chronic obstructive lung disease and asthma — there might be... a little bit of difficulty in breathing and a chest tightness or cough. "Elderly people with pre—existing lung condition or children with asthma should actually cut down on outdoor activities, especially strenuous activities like playing basketball and football." But members of the public are currently not too concerned about the situation. "At the moment, still not so serious. Maybe if it gets serious, we will do some precautionary measures," said a member of the public. Singapore has expected the haze to return this year as the El Nino weather phenomenon develops, bringing with it hotter and drier weather. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming months, especially when the dry weather peaks in September. The haze is the result of smoke from slash and burn activities in Indonesia, when farmers clear their lands to make way for new crops. Hot and dry weather can also cause dry twigs and leaves to burst into flames spontaneously. On July 24, Singapore handed over three air and weather monitoring stations to Jambi Province in Sumatra to help calculate the risk of fires starting and spreading in the surrounding areas during dry weather.

DTN News: India Could Agree On Extra $1.2 Billion For Admiral Gorshkov - Report

DTN News: India Could Agree On Extra $1.2 Billion For Admiral Gorshkov - Report

*Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 7, 2009: Russia is hoping to reach an agreement with India in August on an additional $1.2 billion to finalize the overhaul of the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, a Russian newspaper said on Thursday. Admiral Gorshkov has not been operational since 1988 but, in January 2004, India signed an agreement to buy the vessel which is to be extensively refurbished with new propulsion systems, weapons and modernisation of the deck for the new aircraft. The vessel is being sold for the price of the refit along with the purchase of 16 MiG-29K fighters and eight Ka-27 and Ka-31 naval helicopters for the carrier group. The vessel was formally handed over in March 2004. Gorshkov has been renamed INS Vikramaditya. The refit is scheduled to be completed in 2010 followe by sea trials and handover to the Indian Navy in 2012. It is expected to enter service with India in 2013. The Admiral Kuznetsov supports strategic missile carrying submarines, surface ships and maritime missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian fleet. The next round of talks to determine the final funding amount for the carrier's repair and modernization is due to take place in India within the next few days. According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper, India has no alternative but to allocate the required $1.2 bln, despite recent objections from the government's accounting office, because the Indian Navy desperately needs to replace its INS Viraat, which, although currently operational, is now 50 years old. Under the original $1.5 billion 2004 contract between Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport and the Indian Navy, which includes delivery of MiG-29K Fulcrum carrier-based fighters, the work on the aircraft carrier was to have been completed in 2008. However, Russia later claimed it had underestimated the scale and the cost of the modernization, and asked for an additional $1.2 billion, which New Delhi said was "exorbitant." After long-running delays and disputes, India offered in February 2008 to raise the refit costs for the aircraft carrier, docked at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia for the past 12 years, by up to $600 million. Russia said it was not satisfied with the proposed amount and the issue of the additional funding remains unresolved. The Times of India newspaper said earlier that the deal had been criticized by India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that called the ship "junk" in a July report. "It can be seen that the Indian Navy was acquiring a second-hand refitted aircraft carrier that had half the life span of and was 60 percent more expensive that a new one," said the report. However, Indian defense minister's aide Pallam Raji has recently said the Indian authorities are ready to consider Russia's proposal to raise the price of the deal by $1.2 bln. Konstantin Makiyenko, deputy director of the Center for Strategic Analysis, a Moscow based think tank, has said that the Indian government will most likely agree on the new deal considering that China has launched an ambitious aircraft carrier construction program. He reiterated that India's only aircraft carrier - INS Viraat - will be decommissioned in the next few years, while construction of its own aircraft carrier would take much longer than the remaining overhaul of the Russian warship. "Basically, India does not have an alternative but to agree [on the deal]," he said. Russia has pledged to finish the Admiral Gorshkov's overhaul as soon as possible and deliver it to India in 2012 if the additional $1.2 bln funding is provided by New Delhi. After modernization, the carrier will join the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya, and is expected to be seaworthy for 30 years. Admiral Gorshkov is a modified Kiev class aircraft carrier, originally named Baku. The ship was laid down in 1978 at the Nikolayev South shipyard in Ukraine, launched in 1982, and commissioned with the Soviet Navy in 1987. It was renamed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1994, following a boiler room explosion, the Admiral Gorshkov sat in dock for a year for repairs. After a brief return to service in 1995, she was finally withdrawn from service in 1996 and put up for sale. The ship's displacement is 45,000 tons. It has maximum speed of 32 knots and an endurance of 13,500 nautical miles (25,000 km) at a cruising speed of 18 knots.

DTN News: ENAC Completes Tests For The First Helicopter IFR Route With An AW139 Helicopter In Italy

DTN News: ENAC Completes Tests For The First Helicopter IFR Route With An AW139 Helicopter In Italy *Source: DTN News / AgustaWestland (NSI News Source Info) MILANO, Italy - August 7, 2009: AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the ENAC (Ente Nazionale Aviazione Civile – Italian Civil Aviation Authority) has successfully completed on July 28th the first stage of qualification and authorization tests for the creation of a helicopter low altitude IFR route between Turin and Venice in Italy, crossing the Pianura Padana (Po Valley). The AgustaWestland AW139 is a 15-seat medium sized twin-engined helicopter manufactured by AgustaWestland. Originally designed and developed jointly by Agusta and Bell Helicopters and marketed as the Agusta-Bell AB139, Bell withdrew from the project, which was then renamed the AW139. The AgustaWestland AW149 is a medium-lift military helicopter being developed by AgustaWestland as an enlarged version of the AW139. The trials have been performed using an AW139 medium twin engine helicopter specifically equipped to monitor and process the data generated by ground and satellite based navigation systems. In particular, the reliability of navigation data and the navigation capabilities of the AW139, a latest generation helicopter, were evaluated during the tests, whilst taking into account the expected evolution of satellite navigation systems. Utilising air traffic services provided by ENAV (Ente Nazionale Assistenza al Volo – Italian Company for Air Navigation Services), units constantly tracked the aircraft whilst evaluating the radar coverage along the route and the navigational accuracy of the AW139 flying the 210 nm (around 385 km) route. Giuseppe Orsi, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland said “We are happy to have provided our contribution for the creation of helicopter low altitude IFR routes in Italy where latest rotorcraft technology can play a major role supporting the development of a modern integrated transportation network in the country. These successful tests represent a significant step forward as part of our efforts, under the VertiPass programme in Italy, to pave the path of a further exploitation of rotary-winged aircraft flexibility, safety and cost/effectiveness to the benefit of a larger and larger number of end-users. Under such programme AgustaWestland is committed to helping expand the use of rotorcraft platforms for passenger transport purposes in Italy”. The activity, planned by ENAC and managed by ENAV with AgustaWestland involvement, is part of a number of initiatives to develop a dedicated network of low level IFR routes optimised for helicopter operations. These routes will be integrated into the airspace system and will utilise flight levels where icing conditions are not normally experienced and below where a pressurised cabin or oxygen would be required. In the presence of adverse weather conditions the helicopters will use those dedicated low level IFR routes, avoiding the conventional medium level IFR routes normally used by fixed-winged aircraft.