DTN News: Pakistan Navy Receives First Of Three Chinese F-22P Frigates

DTN News: Pakistan Navy Receives First Of Three Chinese F-22P Frigates

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) KARACHI, Pakistan - September 14, 2009: Pakistan Navy's surface warfare capabilities got a boost as it received first of the three missile carrying Chinese F-22P frigates.

The F-22P or Zulfiquar class frigate, an improved version of the Chinese Type 053H3 frigate, is a general purpose frigate being built by China and Pakistan for the Pakistan Navy (PN). The first ship, PNS Zulfiquar, was handed over to the PN on 30 July 2009. A second is almost complete and undergoing sea trials, while the third and fourth are under construction.

The new Frigate, christened PNS Zulfiqar, armed with ship-to-ship and ship-to-air missiles and is the first of the three ordered from China, arrived at this southern port city. Under the $750 million contract for the frigates, China will also supply four to six Harbin Z9EC anti-submarine warfare helicopters to Pakistan. The two other frigates are expected to be handed over to Pakistan by the end of 2010. Islamabad will build the fourth warship of the same class in Karachi which is expected to be commissioned by mid-2013, Naval spokesman Commander Mubeen Bajwa said here. The new frigates will enhance the Pakistan Navy's surface warfare capabilities. They will also be used to escort oil supplies from the Gulf in the event of any hostilities, Bajwa told a TV news channel. The collaboration with the Chinese for building the fourth F-22P frigate in Karachi had helped modernise Pakistan's shipbuilding capabilities, Bajwa said. The country will move from building smaller vessels to frigate-size warships, he added.

DTN News: Afghan Commission Says 30 Civilians Killed In NATO Strike

DTN News: Afghan Commission Says 30 Civilians Killed In NATO Strike

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) BRUSSELS, Belgium - September 14, 2009: An Afghan government-appointed commission says 30 Afghan civilians were killed and nine wounded in a NATO air strike earlier this month in the northern province of Kunduz.

German ISAF soldiers gather after returning back to their base in Feyzabad, east of Kunduz, Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.

One investigator in the commission, Mohammadullah Baktash, says 69 Taliban also were killed when a German commander ordered the strike on Taliban militants who had seized two fuel trucks.

Initial NATO investigations had already indicated that civilians were among the victims. The commander of the NATO mission, U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, has appointed a board to conduct a thorough investigation into the events that led to the strike.

In related news, Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says his goal during the next four years is to lay the foundations to withdraw foreign forces from Afghanistan.

German media Sunday quoted Steinmeier as saying he is developing an exit strategy. He did not provide details or dates for withdrawal. Germans go to the polls to select a new government September 27.

DTN News: Airlines News TODAY September 14, 2009 ~ PAL Boosts Fleet With 2 Leased Boeing Jets

DTN News: Airlines News TODAY September 14, 2009 ~ PAL Boosts Fleet With 2 Leased Boeing Jets *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippine - September 14, 2009: Philippine Airlines Inc. (PAL), the country's largest airline by fleet and revenue, said Friday it expects to take delivery of two leased Boeing 777-300ERs from November. On December 6, 2006, PAL signed an agreement with Boeing for two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with a purchase agreement for two more aircraft. A separate agreement to lease two additional 777-300ERs from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) was signed as well. Delivery of the four 777-300ERs will commence in 2009. In May 2007, PAL exercised its rights to purchase an additional two 777-300ERs for delivery in 2011. However, the recent downgrading of the Philippines' air safety standards by the FAA may delay the deliveries of the new aircraft, as conceded by PAL management. The first 777-300ER is now schedule for November 2009.The second is due January 2010. Those planes are leased. The four 777 purchased will be delivered 2012 and 2013. The 777 will have 42 business seats and 328 economy seats. Slightly less that the 747 capacity. Vice President for Financing Cesar Chong said the first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in November while the second one is due to arrive in January. Delivery of the two leased aircraft had been delayed due to Boeing's labor problems, he said. In a news briefing, Chong said the airline also working to acquire another four Boeing 777-300ERs for delivery between June 2012 and November 2013. By that time, PAL is hoping airline safety standards in the Philippines would have improved, to enable the company to expand its service routes, Chong said. A few years ago, the US Federal Aviation Authority downgraded the country's air travel safety to Category 2 from Category 1 after it failed to comply with the required aviation standards as prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Chong added that the US Export-Import Bank has committed to provide financing assistance for the acquisition. One jet is estimated to cost around $250 million. (Dow Jones, EVA reports)

DTN News: Venezuelan Leader Hugo Chávez Deepens Petroleum And Military Ties With Russia

DTN News: Venezuelan Leader Hugo Chávez Deepens Petroleum And Military Ties With Russia

*Venezuelan leader recognizes Georgia breakaway states, South Ossetia and Abkhazia as added bonus during Moscow visit.

*Source: DTN News / The Christian Science Monitor By Fred Weir

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - September 14, 2009: Eight visits in eight years. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez has been here so often that the Moscow media calls him "Russia's comrade-in-arms-and-oil," a phrase that neatly summarizes the growing politicization of a relationship whose profitable core is trade in weapons and energy. On this occasion, Mr. Chávez presented a special gift to his Russian hosts, by declaring at a meeting with President Dmitry Medvedev that Venezuela will extend official recognition to the breakaway statelets of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, over whose survival Russia fought a brief but bloody war with Georgia last year. Until now, only the tiny Central American state of Nicaragua has joined Moscow in recognizing the independence of the two republics, a fact that appears to underscore Russia's deep diplomatic isolation on the world stage. "Venezuela from today is joining in the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia," Chávez said. "We soon will begin actions to establish diplomatic relations with these countries." Both of the tiny, mountainous statelets remain virtual Russian dependencies with little trade or access to the outside world. "Thank you, Hugo," responded Mr. Medvedev. "Russia has always supported a country's sovereign right to recognize or not recognize a state's independence. But of course we are not indifferent to the fate of these two states. We are very grateful," he added. Russian experts say Chávez gesture may have cost him little, but it was just what the Kremlin wanted to hear. "Venezuela is an important South American state, and for it to take this step matters a lot to us, because it shows that we are not alone," says Andrei Klimov, deputy chair of the Russian State Duma's foreign affairs committee. "It's yet another signal that our strategic partnership with Venezuela is growing. For us, this is a new part of the world where we can do business and find cooperative relationships. It's not directed against the US or anyone else." As he usually does on these visits, Chávez gave a speech filled with inflammatory political rhetoric, this time to students at Patrice Lumumba, a Moscow university attended largely by students from Third World countries. Amid cheers and applause, he told the students that the days of a "unipolar world" dominated by Washington are numbered. "The US wants to own the entire world, but the Yankee empire is falling," he said. And he praised his Russian hosts, Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, saying "I believe Putin and Medvedev will leave behind a great legacy not only for Russia but for the entire world." Shopping for tanks and subs Chávez has spent over $4-billion on Russian arms since 2005, including jet fighters, helicopters, and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles. The official RIA-Novosti said he would likely sign deals for up to $1-billion more, including 100 main battle tanks, three diesel-powered Kilo-class submarines, 10 Mi-28 helicopters, and several land-based anti-ship missiles. Experts say Chávez's search for more sophisticated weaponry may be due to growing tensions with his neighbor, Colombia. But it also reflects a deeper strategic affinity with Russia, which last year held its first naval war games in the Western Hemisphere – together with the Venezuelan navy – since the cold war ended. Last year, there was talk about Russian bombers using bases in Venezuela and Cuba. "Russian cooperation with Venezuela is growing, and it's part of a larger Russian opening to Latin America," says Vladimir Davydov, director of the official Institute of Latin America in Moscow. "We are expecting a number of visits by Latin American leaders in the near future, including Ecuador, Uruguay, and Brazil. The centers of world economic activity are changing, and they want to reach dynamic markets," in Russia and the former Soviet Union, he says. Russia-Venezuela oil deal soon A consortium of Russian oil companies is expected to soon finalize a deal with Venezuelan national oil company Petroleos to develop part of a huge oil field in the Orinoco River Basin, which is thought to be the world's single largest oil deposit with as much as 1.2 trillion barrels of extra-heavy crude. Experts say that politics plays a role here too, because Chávez finds it easier to do business with Russian state-dominated companies, which provides them a boost into a new and potentially lucrative market. But political payoffs, such as Chávez' surprise recognition of the breakaway statelets, may be the only profit Russia sees, says Mikhail Krutikhin, an analyst with RusEnergy, an independent Moscow-based consultancy. "Russian companies that do business abroad do not typically repatriate their profits to Russia, so the nation isn't going to benefit from this," he says. "But it's good publicity for Russia, and for Putin and Medvedev, it may be good news for domestic consumption." Chávez isn't relying on Russia alone for investment. To read about how China is investing heavily in Venezuela's petroleum industry, too

DTN News: General Commander Talks About National Day Military Parade In 1999

DTN News: General Commander Talks About National Day Military Parade In 1999 *Source: DTN News / China View (NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - September 14, 2009: As the 60th National Day of the People's Republic of China (PRC) draws near and the preparations for a military parade enter the final stage, Li Xinliang, general commander of the 1999 parade, spoke to Xinhua about the country's last military parade a decade ago. Photo taken on Sept. 5, 2009 shows a giant parterre in the shape of a flying dragon, at the intersection of business downtown of Xidan, in Beijing. Beijing Municipality is setting up a total of 22 large-scale solid parterres with over 3.3 million flowers along the Chang'an Avenue, the east-west axis of Beijing, in a move to beef up the happy festival atmosphere for the upcoming National Day Celebration on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. "We selected the participating troops based on three standards," said Li, also former commander of the Beijing Military Area Command. "They had to be competent militarily and qualified politically; they had big military exploits and won numerous awards; they were well-equipped. "Those who joined the parade were all picked troops among the whole People's Liberation Army (PLA)," Li said. China is to hold grand celebrations on and around Oct. 1 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, including a military parade. It will be the 14th parade since 1949. From 1949 to 1959, National Day military parades were an annual event. It was later suspended for 24 years until 1984. The latest massive parade was in 1999 when the PRC marked its 50th birthday. The decision for a military review on the 50th National Day in 1999 was made at the beginning of 1998, which allowed enough time for thorough preparations, Li said. Photo taken on Aug. 21, 2009 shows Chinese soldiers take part in the parade training in Beijing, capital of China. Participants are busy doing exercises to prepare for the scheduled military parade at the Tian'anmen square in Beijing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct. 1. "First, the Central Military Commission set up a leading team for the parade, headed by Fu Quanyou, then chief of the general staff of the PLA," Li said. Li and several other PLA leaders were appointed as deputy heads of the team. Li said the leading team had the first meeting in March, 1998, and decided to select troops mainly from the Beijing Military Area Command, which was also in charge of setting up the command office of the parade. The lineup of the 1999 parade surpassed all the previous parades, with 42 ground phalanxes and 10 flying phalanxes composed of more than 11,000 soldiers and 409 units of heavy equipment. Of the 42 varieties of large equipment, more than 95 percent had never joined a parade before, Li said. Most of the equipment was developed and made by China. The parade saw the debut of China's third-generation tanks, new strategic nuclear missiles and supersonic fighter bombers.

The participating troops included all segments of China's armed forces. The parade also included more armed branches of the PLA than any of the 13 previous events. It was the first time for units such as army aviation, marine corps, special armed police corps and reserve-duty forces, to join National Day parades. The display also saw the largest number of missiles presented by the PLA Second Artillery Corps. The missile phalanxes consisted of conventional ground-to-ground missiles, medium-range ground-to-ground nuclear missiles, and long-range ground-to-ground nuclear missiles.

DTN News: Security And Defense ~ Israel Goes Ballistic

DTN News: Security And Defense ~ Israel Goes Ballistic

*Source: DTN News / The Jerusalem Post By Yaakov Katz

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - September 13, 2009: On Sunday, the USS Higgins hauled up its anchor and sailed out of Haifa Port where it had docked for a short visit. An Arleigh Burke class destroyer - one of the largest and most powerful naval vessels built in the United States - the Higgins is one of 18 American ships with an Aegis interceptor system, capable of destroying enemy ballistic missiles above the atmosphere. (Image: An Arrow 2 missile test.) In just a few weeks, additional Aegis vessels will arrive here to participate in the biennial Juniper Cobra missile defense exercise that the IDF has been holding with the US European Command (EUCOM) and Missile Defense Agency since 2001. This year's drill, scheduled for mid-October, is being described as the largest joint exercise ever held by the countries. During it they will jointly test four ballistic missile defense systems. In addition to the Aegis, the MDA and EUCOM are sending THAAD and Patriot 3 missile defense systems - America's most-advanced - for the first time. While the Higgins has not yet needed to use its Aegis system to intercept missiles fired into Israel, its crew is intimately familiar with the country's various security issues, particularly along the northern border. The ship is named for US Marine Col. William R. Higgins, who was kidnapped by Hizbullah in southern Lebanon in 1988, while serving as a commander of a UN peacekeeping mission. In August 1989, a cell linked to Hizbullah murdered him in response to the IDF kidnapping of Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid, a senior cleric and leader of the guerrilla group who was involved in the kidnapping. His body was dumped, over a year later, on a Beirut side street. Israel had planned to use Obeid to obtain information regarding the fate of IAF navigator Ron Arad. Obeid was released in 2004 in exchange for the bodies of three soldiers - kidnapped in October 2000 - as well as shady businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum, in a large prisoner swap with Hizbullah. The cooperation between Israel and the US on missile defense dates back to the mid-1980s when they began to jointly develop the Arrow missile defense system. Since then, the US government has spent close to $3 billion on the Arrow, which is manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries and Boeing. Earlier this year, Congress approved additional funding for the development of the Arrow 3, a larger version with greater range and the capability of intercepting missiles at higher altitudes. The cooperation peaked ahead of the 1991 Gulf War when the first Bush administration sent Patriot missile batteries to help defend the country against Saddam Hussein's Scud missile attacks. Last October, the Bush administration gave Israel a farewell gift in the form of the X-Band radar, which is deployed in the Negev and is capable of detecting targets thousands of miles away, providing five to seven minutes of warning before an Iranian missile strikes. This is in contrast to the 10 seconds the residents of Sderot have when a Kassam rocket is launched from the Gaza Strip. Juniper Cobra, senior defense officials said this week, is aimed at creating infrastructure in case Israel is attacked and the US decides to send the Aegis or THAAD to bolster the Arrow. The exercise spans several days and involves hundreds of Israeli and American soldiers, mostly from the air force. The primary focus of the Juniper Cobra exercise held in 2007, for example, was integrating the lower-altitude US Patriot missile systems with the higher-altitude Arrow-2. This year, the integration will focus on improving the interoperability between the Arrow, THAAD and Aegis. Officials said that the exercise may include live fire by the systems - most likely the Patriot - but the teams will mainly conduct computerized simulations of various threat scenarios launched from fictitious countries. The threats are then tracked and engaged by the various systems and the teams jointly write doctrine and staff procedures. For Israel, the exercise could not have come at a more important time. Since the beginning of the year, Iran has made some impressive leaps with its ballistic missile development, culminating with the February launch of its first homemade satellite - called Omid - as well as the successful launch in May of a new missile, the Sajil, that has a range of more than 2,000 kilometers, easily reaching most of Eastern Europe. This is impressive considering that just 10 years ago, the Iranians only had Scud B and C missiles. Today, they have their own production line of Shihabs and Sajils, for which they are building underground silos. In addition, Israeli assessments are that the Iranians will soon be capable of independently manufacturing their own version of the BM25 missile which they received from North Korea and has a range of more than 3,000 km. According to the assessments, the launch of the Omid demonstrates that Iranian scientists have also made breakthroughs in guidance technology which has also likely been applied to its ballistic missiles. According to Uzi Rubin, founder of the Arrow missile and a former head of the Homa Missile Defense Agency, Iran can also take unguided rockets like the Zelzal - which are also in Hizbullah's hands - and turn them into guided rockets with ranges topping 220 km. "This is an original Iranian project; we don't see it anywhere else," Rubin noted in a recent briefing at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. The second major breakthrough is in the propulsion systems, which Iran has succeeded in upgrading from liquid to solid fuel. The main difference is that a missile that operates on liquid fuel needs to be fueled very close to launch, making it easier to discover with surveillance satellites or hovering aircraft. Solid-fuel missiles have a significantly longer shelf life and can be stored in underground silos for a long time, allowing the Iranians to just lift their cover and launch. It is not an easy task though to assess Iran's progress in missile development. On May 19, the EastWest Institute, a New York-based think tank that monitors global security, issued a report claiming that there was "no reliable information" on Iran's success in developing a solid fuel rocket. The next day, on May 20, Iran test fired the Sajil, proving without a doubt that it had independently mastered the capability. These developments indicate as possible reversal in roles between Iran and North Korea. If Teheran bought technology from Pyongyang two decades ago, today the flow of technology is believed to have reversed.

DTN News: U.S. Army Details Ground Combat Vehicle Plans

DTN News: U.S. Army Details Ground Combat Vehicle Plans *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, USA - September 13, 2009: The U.S. Army's vice chief of staff said September 10 that the service plans to begin replacing its M113 and Bradley armored vehicles with a new infantry carrier vehicle within the coming decade. The Army’s next armored vehicles may have V-hulls and tracks, and should be better protected than the canceled Future Combat Systems vehicles, according to a draft paper that will shape the formal requirements for the Ground Combat Vehicle. The service plans to buy hundreds of GCVs over the next 10 to 20 years for use throughout the force. The first models are slated to be ready within five to seven years. Gen. Peter Chiarelli laid out new details of the Army's new modernization strategy at an Association of the United States Army breakfast, focusing on the Ground Combat Vehicle effort. Army acquisition officials announced the GCV effort after Defense Secretary Robert Gates killed the 27-ton Manned Ground Vehicles portion of the Army's Future Combat Systems program in the fiscal 2010 defense budget, criticizing the design as ill-suited to survive current battlefield threats. "The Ground Combat Vehicle represents one of the most important combat development and acquisition decisions we are going to make in a long time," Chiarelli said. These futuristic vehicles, which the Army hopes to develop and begin fielding within seven years, will be designed to be flexible enough to fight in any environment and adaptable enough to be upgraded with technology that surfaces decades into the future, Chiarelli said. The outdated M113 personnel carrier will be the first to go between now and 2018, according to a chart Chiarelli referred to in his talk. While he gave no specific date, the Bradley fighting vehicles will likely be retired as well. "When it comes to the Bradley, we will reset the Bradley, but we know there is a point in time in the future where we will divest ourselves of the Bradley," Chiarelli said. "We want to develop the Ground Combat Vehicle which we see in its first iteration as an infantry fighting vehicle." The Army plans to continue upgrading the M1 tank, the Stryker family of vehicles and the Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzer, Chiarelli said. The vice chief's comments came as the Army senior leadership is preparing to brief Gates on the findings of "Task Force 120," a working group led by Training and Doctrine Command's Army Capabilities Integration Center, to create a new strategy for modernizing Army BCTs. The task force's findings will include a blueprint for how BCTs will fight in the future. "I can't tell you what the GCV will look like, but I will tell you that in the past 120 days, we have thought our way through how we are going to move forward," Chiarelli said. The Army officially began the acquisition process for the GCV Sept. 3 when it issued a "sources sought" solicitation to the defense industry, inviting companies to show the service what they have to offer in future vehicle concepts. The Army will hold two industry days, one in October and one in November, to discuss requirements with industry, Chiarelli said. The dates have not yet been set. In addition to the new vehicles, Chiarelli also described how the Army intends to develop and field "capability packages" to BCTs in two-year increments out to 2026 to coincide with how brigades deploy for roughly a year, return home, reset, train-up and prepare for their next deployment. The Army is conducting a 23-day Limited User Test at Fort Bliss, Texas on the first of these capability packages. The equipment, formerly known as "spin-outs" under the FCS program, includes sophisticated network gear, unattended ground sensors, a small unmanned ground vehicle, a hovering unmanned aerial vehicle and the Non Line Of Sight Launch System, also known as "rockets in a box." The plan is to field the first set to BCTs beginning in 2011. But not all sets will look alike, Chiarelli said. Based on battlefield conditions, the Army plans to tailor these packages at the beginning of each two-year increment to ensure units have the equipment they need. Packages could include former FCS spin-out technology, vehicle upgrades, battlefield innovations or Mine Resistant Ambush Protective vehicles if necessary, Chiarelli said. However, all capability sets will include what Army leaders maintain as the key to the BCT modernization effort - the network. "Soldiers get four important things from the network - I know where I am, I know where my friends are, I know where the enemy is and I can bring precision fires on that enemy," Chiarelli said. "The information they receive over the network isn't simply nice to have; it can often mean the difference between living and dying on today's battlefield."

DTN News: Brazil President Has Last Word On Fighter Says Foreign Minister Celso Amorim

DTN News: Brazil President Has Last Word On Fighter Says Foreign Minister Celso Amorim *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - September 13, 2009: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will have the final say on who will sell billions of dollars in fighter jets to Brazil to modernize its air force, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said September 11. Saab, in its own statement on September 10, underlined that it, too, would give "key technology" if Brazil chose its Gripen NG fighter. "President Lula has the last word; of course, he will take into account the position of the National Defense Committee," Amorim told international journalists in Rio. "Let me reiterate: there was an evaluation of various proposals, and Brazil made the decision to start negotiations with France. Its proposal was the most favorable," he added. Rival bidders trying to sell fighter jets to Brazil have made a final push for the multi-billion-dollar contract, which had looked all but sewn up by France's Dassault. Sweden's Saab and the United States, backing defense contractor Boeing in the race, both emphasized they would transfer important technology to meet Brazil's requirement that it not only acquire new jets but also the knowhow to build them. But a Brazilian official speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity said French President Nicolas Sarkozy wrote to Lula promising "unrestricted access to technology" in the Dassault offer and a competitive price. That letter was "instrumental" in Lula's announcement on Monday that he was opening negotiations to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault, the official said. A French official said the deal was worth up to seven billion dollars. Lula's announcement prompted the U.S. government, through a statement on its embassy Web site in Brazil, to say it had approved the transfer to Brazil of "all necessary technology" related to its F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft. Saab, in its own statement on September 10, underlined that it, too, would give "key technology" if Brazil chose its Gripen NG fighter. But the Brazilian official said those offers were "unlikely to change the situation because it's not clear what is 'necessary technology' when another competitor guarantees 'unrestricted technology.'"

DTN News: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Calls An Attack On Iran 'Unacceptable'

DTN News: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Calls An Attack On Iran 'Unacceptable' *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) NOVO OGAREVO, Russia - September 13, 2009: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned Sept. 11 that an attack on Iran would be "unacceptable" but also urged Tehran to show restraint in its controversial nuclear program. (Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin seen at a meeting with foreign experts on Russia in the Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow, Friday, Sept. 11, 2009. Putin warned against the use of force or new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program Friday.) "This would be very dangerous, unacceptable, this would lead to an explosion of terrorism, increase the influence of extremists," Putin said when asked about the possibility of an attack. "I doubt very much that such strikes would achieve their stated goal," he added, speaking at a meeting with foreign Russia experts at his residence outside Moscow. At the same time Putin called for Iran to move carefully with its nuclear program, which has raised tensions in the Middle East with fears that the Islamic Republic may be seeking an atomic bomb. "The Iranians should show restraint in their nuclear program," Putin said. "We have told Iran that it has the right to a civilian nuclear program but that it should understand what region of the world it is in," he added. "This is a dangerous region and Iran should show responsibility, especially by taking into account Israel's concerns, all the more so after the absolutely unacceptable statements about the destruction of the state of Israel." Iran's hardline President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly said that the Jewish state is doomed to be "wiped off the map." Russia has long opposed tougher penalties against Tehran over its nuclear program and called for continued talks, while the United States and Israel have never ruled out air strikes to stop Iran from acquiring an atomic bomb. The U.S., the European Union and Israel fear that Tehran is hiding development of nuclear weapons behind its civilian nuclear program, but Iran denies this and insists the program is aimed strictly at producing energy. Moscow's ties with Tehran came under intense scrutiny this week with reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly visited Russia on Sept. 7 in a bid to convince Moscow to stop selling arms to Iran and Syria. Netanyahu's office said the Israeli premier was engaged in a "confidential and classified activity" but did not explicitly deny media reports that Netanyahu had flown to Russia aboard a private plane. Asked whether he had met Netanyahu, Putin sidestepped the question Sept. 11. "We only talk about facts," Putin said, laughing. Earlier this week a Putin spokesman denied that the Russian premier had met Netanyahu. Israel has been seeking to convince Russia not to sell S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Iran, amid persistent media reports that such a deal is in the works. The sophisticated Russian-made missiles would greatly enhance Iran's ability to defend against an air strike. Last week, some media reports said the Arctic Sea, a cargo ship allegedly hijacked by pirates under murky circumstances in July and later recaptured by Russian warships, may have been carrying S-300s to Iran. Russia vehemently denied the reports and said a search of the ship after its recovery turned up nothing suspicious. Besides the reported S-300 deal, Russia has also drawn scrutiny for its role in helping Iran build its first civilian nuclear power plant, at the southern Iranian city of Bushehr. Russia is one of six world powers negotiating with Tehran over its nuclear program, along with the United States, Britain, China, France and Germany. An EU official said Friday that the six powers would seek an urgent meeting with Iran over its latest nuclear proposals, which they deemed inadequate.

DTN News: Turkey Eyes Light Utility Helicopter Production

DTN News: Turkey Eyes Light Utility Helicopter Production *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) ANKARA, Turkey - September 13, 2009: Turkey plans to develop and produce its own light utility helicopter over the next 10 years and is open to cooperation with other countries, Ankara's defense procurement agency said in its latest official report on strategy objectives. The Agusta-Westland A109LUH (Light Utility Helicopter), AgustaWestland and Sikorsky are competing for joint production of more than 100 new utility platforms, worth more than $1 billion. "A program will be developed for the design, production and logistical support of a light utility helicopter with a take-off weight of between three and four tons," the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (Savunma Sanayii Mustesarligi, or SSM) said in its "Strategic Document for Defense Industry Between 2009 and 2016," a copy of which was obtained by Defense News. "The program mainly will target the local market, but also will be open to cooperation with other nations," the SSM said. The program is due to have both military and civilian components. The Turkish military operates hundreds of utility helicopters, including more than 100 S-70 Black Hawks made by U.S.-based Sikorsky Aircraft and more than 100 Vietnam War-era UH-1 Hueys. Also, under an ongoing program, the Italian-British company AgustaWestland and Sikorsky are competing for joint production of more than 100 new utility platforms, worth more than $1 billion. But most of these helicopters are medium in size, and Turkey's newly announced multibillion-dollar program targets manufacture of light utility platforms. The SSM said it would welcome cooperation with "second countries" for the planned light utility helicopter program. "Our assembly line will be based in Turkey, and an assembly line can be established for any interested second country," according to the SSM strategy document. "These potential second countries would be welcome to manufacture the fuselage of their platforms themselves, but their final assembly line would be located in Turkey. "Parts of the engine to be selected will be produced and the engine's assembly will be performed in Turkey," the SSM said. "Turkey believes it now has the necessary technology to manufacture its own small-sized utility helicopters," said one industry analyst in Ankara. "But eventually, indigenous design and development may prove to be too expensive." To boost the Army's air transport capabilities, the SSM separately is negotiating with the United States a deal for the purchase of 10 Boeing-made CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters. In the strategy document, the SSM also projects that Turkish defense companies will export defense equipment worth $1 billion per year by the end of 2010. Turkish defense exports totaled $576 million last year, SSM chief Murad Bayar earlier told Defense News. The SSM particularly qualified Turkey's land vehicles production sector as an industry that could rapidly raise its export rate. Turkish land vehicle manufacturers exported vehicles worth $120 million in 2007 - a figure expected to reach $300 million annually by the end of 2010, it said. By the end of 2010, the SSM said, nearly 50 percent of the defense systems requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces would be met locally in financial terms. This year, Turkey is spending about $5 billion for defense procurement. The SSM was created within the National Defense Ministry in 1985 to oversee defense equipment purchases and help bolster the local defense industry.