DTN News: India-US Begin Price Negotiations On Boeing C-17 Airlifter For Indian Air Force (IAF)

DTN News: India-US Begin Price Negotiations On Boeing C-17 Airlifter For Indian Air Force (IAF)

Source: DTN News - compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - July 12, 2010: India and the United States have begun talks here on the price and onboard equipment for the 10 Boeing C- 17 military transport aircraft that the Indian Air Force (IAF) wants.

According to reliable sources quoted by India Strategic defence magazine, the validation trials of the aircraft were complete and that one United States Air Force (USAF) C-17 which had come to India in this regard last month had met the IAF specifications. The aircraft was tested in short and high altitude runways.

As India is buying the aircraft from the US government under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, the US Department of Defense (DOD) and USAF are leading the discussions from the supplier side and the Indian Ministry of Defence and the IAF are negotiating from the buyer side. DOD has set the maximum price at $5.8 billion for the aircraft and various systems but the actual price would depend upon what equipment and onboard options the IAF finally selects. The US government will issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) after these discussions are finalized, indicating the equipment, services, and lifecycle support and their costs. There would be a 3.8 per cent administrative fee that the US government now charges on all FMS deals. (This fee varies periodically between 2.5 to 5 per cent).

India Strategic quoted Boeing's Vice President for Global Mobility Systems Tommy Dunehew, who was here recently, as saying that Boeing has offered assured maintenance and supply of spares for the lifetime of the aircraft - say 40 years - and serviceability.

The aircraft is manufactured by Boeing at its Los Angeles facility.

According to an official Boeing statement, the latest large T-tailed C-17 Globemaster-III, which India is seeking, can carry a maximum payload of 74,797 kilograms for 2,400 nautical miles without refueling and 45,495 kilograms for 4,000 nautical miles without refueling.

The aircraft can also be refueled midair to extend its range to carry equipment and humanitarian aid across international distances.

The statement said that the C-17 can operate from "a small, austere airfield in 3,000 feet or less" with full payload. "The C-17 is equipped with an externally blown flap system that allows a steep, low-speed final approach and low-landing speeds for routine short-field landings."

Boeing has delivered 199 C-17s to the USAF. There are 19 C-17 aircraft with other international customers.

DTN News: France To Delay Air Programs - Due To "Zero Value" Increase In Defense Budget

DTN News: France To Delay Air Programs - Due To "Zero Value" Increase In Defense Budget

* France will postpone program contracts worth some 5.4 billion euros ($6.8 bil) - Mirage Jets, Tankers, C2 Hit by Cuts

Source: DTN News / Defense News By PIERRE TRAN PARIS

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - July 12, 2010: A sketchy outline of affected programs emerged during a July 7 hearing in which Defense Minister Hervé Morin appeared before the parliamentary defense committee. Morin said the government plans to postpone orders for a new fleet of multirole tanker and transport (MRTT) aircraft to replace the C-135 fleet and the 700 million euro ($888 million) upgrade of Mirage 2000D aircraft, according to Jean-Claude Viollet, a member of Parliament who attended the hearing. Other programs to be pushed back include an upgrade to level four of the SCCOA national air command-and-control system, worth some 500 million euros to Thales in new radars, and elements of the Scorpion land systems modernization program, Viollet said. Defense sources said Morin told lawmakers that the Barracuda nuclear attack submarine, Félin infantry gear, FREMM multimission frigate, Rafale fighter and VBCI armored vehicle would escape the budget cuts. Defense Ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire declined to confirm which programs would be affected, saying anything that had "not been signed or put under contract" could be delayed. But he told journalists on July 8 that the budget reduction would not affect staff numbers. And he said the intended cut of 3.5 billion euros was significant but would leave intact the main operational capabilities outlined by France's military budget law. One defense official said that even after the cuts, revised budget figures show the Defense Ministry getting an average annual raise of 3 percent. That's far better than the "zero value" increase set by the prime minister's office for other government departments. Such a scenario for the Defense Ministry would have meant cutting 4.8 billion euros. Another defense official said studies are now being done on how to implement the delays to mitigate the effects. Ministry staffers were looking to get a 50-50 split between equipment and administrative costs. Morin told lawmakers that the reduction allows maintenance of the broad balance in capabilities. "The concern is how to succeed in the reforms for defense and the consequences of the cuts on the contract for operations," Viollet said. He said the Defense Ministry needed to lay all the cards on the table, giving details of the different budgetary scenarios and the effect the cuts will have on the price of equipment. Invalidated White Paper? But at least one analyst said the cuts push the military off the track laid down by the government's most recent broad strategic guidance. "The budget announcement renders invalid the defense white paper," said Loic Tribot La Spiere, chief executive of think tank Centre d'Etude et Prospective Stratégique. The white paper set out objectives for an operational contract for the armed forces, notably deployment of 30,000 troops within six months for a year, backed by 70 combat aircraft for high intensity operations, and air assets projecting 1,500 soldiers out to 8,000 kilometers, with full autonomy in command and control, air detection and air traffic control. But key to that vision are the MRTT aircraft now slated for delay. The biggest item in the budget - an order for 14 aircraft - could cost around 4.2 billion euros, based on one market analyst's estimate of 300 million euros per militarized Airbus A330 MRTT. The expected delays on upgrading the Mirage 2000D and the SCCOA air command-and-control system would hit Thales, which stood to sell equipment on both programs. Work on converting the Mirage 2000D fighter bomber to an air defense variant was worth about 700 million euros, Viollet said. An Air Force spokesman confirmed the figure. The upgrade of some 70 Mirage 2000Ds, expected this year, is essential to meeting the operational contract, the Air Force spokesman said. Under the planned delivery rate of 11 Rafales a year, the service would have a fleet of 130 of the multirole aircraft by 2020. That is when the Mirage 2000D would be retired from service, leaving insufficient fighters to meet the operational contract. The upgrade, however, would extend the operational life of the Mirage 2000D to 2025 and give additional air-to-air capabilities to the aircraft, which is equipped as a strike fighter. "This is a big operational requirement," an Air Force officer said. "This is a complete mission change." Gen. Jean-Paul Palomeros, the Air Force chief of staff, told the defense committee on Oct. 7 that he looked to the 2010 budget to "allow us to start the process of upgrading our Mirage 2000D, which will allow us to extend our fleet to 2025." He added, "guaranteeing the life of our combat aircraft remains a challenge of the absolute first order." For the Mirage upgrade, Thales stood to have signed a contract to swap out the present terrain-following radar and install the RDY 3 radar and a fire-control system for the infrared-guided Mica air-to-air missiles needed to boost the Mirage's self-protection. The refit would also include integrating the Astac radar reconnaissance pod and changing the man/machine interface. Technical studies, worth 36 million euros, have been done on the conversion, but the delay means less revenue for Thales. On the SCCOA command-and-control system, Thales had expected to sell some 500 million euros of new GroundMaster radars in the next three to four years in the upgrade to level four. EADS and Thales have a 50-50 joint venture company dubbed MOSS SAS, which acts as prime contractor for the SCCOA program. Other Programs in Limbo Among other measures, an option to buy a small number of Dassault Falcon 2000 executive jets, to replace the Falcon 700, for the government falls due in the next few months and is under review. A second Falcon 7X was bought in March but has not yet been delivered. The purchase of A400M airlifters will go ahead without any change in numbers, although there are questions about whether Germany will buy all planned 60 units. The revised defense budget for 2011 will be 30.15 billion euros, 30.5 billion in 2012, and 31 billion in 2013, Morin told the parliamentary committee. Those figures compare with those published in the 2009-14 military budget law: 29.65 billion for 2011, 30.32 billion for 2012, and 30.73 billion for 2013. Those figures were at 2008 prices. On that basis, the 2011 equipment spending would be about 15 billion euros, 2 billion less than the 17.02 billion budgeted for 2010. A projected 1.9 billion euros in "extra-budgetary revenues" has been revised upward to 2.3 billion euros because the digital frequencies to be sold, along with buildings, and sale and leaseback of the Syracuse military telecommunications satellite, had been undervalued. A decision to postpone programs is "just smoke and mirrors," Tribot La Spiere said. Given the size of the reduction, real decisions need to be made on which programs to cut. "This is a no-decision decision." He said the delay would simply put off a decision to someone else. Cooperative Tanker? Given the planned cuts in Britain, France, Germany and Italy, decisions need to be made on pooling capabilities and a specialization of defense tasks, he said. Given the lack of money to perform the full range of missions, governments should think about which ones to opt for, he said. Senior Air Force officers had been hoping an order of 14 air tankers will be placed next year to replace the aging fleet of 14 C-135 FR aircraft by 2015. The parliamentary committee asked Morin if the British Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft fleet might be shared as a stopgap measure. The MRTT is to refuel nuclear-armed strike aircraft, and also carry cargo long distances.

DTN News: Twin Bomb Blasts In Uganda Kill 64

DTN News: Twin Bomb Blasts In Uganda Kill 64

Source: DTN News / AFP - Ben Simon

(NSI News Source Info) KAMPALA, Uganda - July 12, 2010: Twin bombs tore into crowds watching the World Cup final in the Uganda capital, killing 64 including an American and wounding scores in one of the deadliest attacks to hit the city, officials said Monday.

The country's police chief said the blasts at an Ethiopian-owned restaurant and a rugby club in Kampala late Sunday were a terrorist attack that may be linked to threats from Al Qaeda-inspired Islamist Shebab rebels in Somalia. Security officers deployed to the scene blocked roads and cordoned off the damaged buildings, keeping journalists out as the injured were ferried to hospitals. "We have 64 dead and 65 injured. The nationalities of all the fatalities will be released later," national police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said. Earlier police said at least 23 people had been killed. An American citizen was among the dead, a US embassy spokeswoman in Kampala said. An AFP correspondent saw three wounded US citizens at the city's main Mulago hospital where dozens other injured people had been taken for treatment. "We just wanted to watch the World Cup. Unfortunately we went to the Ethiopian village," said US national 18-year-old Chris Sledge who suffered serious injuries to his legs and a bruised eye. "I feel OK. Am gonna need surgery," he said. US President Barack Obama called the explosions "deplorable and cowardly", National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement. "The United States is ready to provide any assistance requested by the Ugandan government," he said. A senior administration official said the United States was in contact with its embassy in Kampala and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the Uganda's government requests for assistance. It was not immediately clear who was behind the explosions or the motive but national police chief Kale Kayihura told reporters the attack may be linked to the Shebab militants in nearby Somalia. "Obviously this is terrorism. That one is clear," he said. "You know there have been declarations from Shebab and Al-Qaeda. Terrorism is a modern-day threat. You know the region we are in and our commitment in Somalia," Kayihura said. The Shebab last week urged Somalis to join the war against the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Somalia which includes Ugandan and Burundian forces, blaming them for civilians death in Mogadishu. The police chief added, however: "At this stage we can't rule out anything." Uganda became the first country to send troops to Somalia in early 2007 to prop up the war-torn country's transitional government. They were later joined by Burundian forces. The hardline Shebab militia has repeatedly attacked the AU peacekeepers, killing scores and shrivelling the fragile government's control of Mogadishu to just a few blocks. Last week a regional bloc pledged to send additional 2,000 soldiers to Somalia to boost the peacekeepers' strength to the required 8,100 troops, sparking belligerent reaction from the radical Islamist groups. On Saturday the leaders of Somalia's two Islamist movements met for talks aimed at joining forces against the Western-backed government of President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed which they are fighting to overthrow. The police chief urged residents to avoid huge gatherings until it was clear who was responsible for the rare bomb attacks in the east African country. "As we grapple to find out what could have caused this, I would appeal to members of the public to avoid big gatherings," Kayihura said.

DTN News: India's First Advanced, Full-Fidelity Helicopter Simulator Certified To Level D By DGCA And EASA

DTN News: India's First Advanced, Full-Fidelity Helicopter Simulator Certified To Level D By DGCA And EASA

Source: DTN News / Military Aerospace

(NSI News Source Info) BANGALORE, India, - July 11, 2010: The Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF) -- a joint venture owned equally by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and CAE -- announced that its Bell 412 full-mission simulator has been certified to Level D, the highest qualification for flight simulators, by India's Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The CAE-built full-mission helicopter simulator at HATSOFF features CAE's roll-on/roll-off cockpit design, which enables cockpits representing various helicopter types to be used in the simulator. The first training program HATSOFF is offering is for operators of the Bell 412 helicopter. Additional cockpits for the Indian army/air force variant of the HAL-built Dhruv, the civil variant of the Dhruv, and the Eurocopter Dauphin will be added to the HATSOFF training center over the next year. The HATSOFF training center, located near HAL's headquarters in Bangalore, also features multimedia classrooms, computer-based training, brief/debrief facilities, and a training management information system. The full-mission simulator features a common motion system, vibration platform, and visual display system, along with the four separate cockpit modules that can be used in the full-mission simulator. When a cockpit is not used in the full-mission simulator, it will be used as a fixed-based flight training device (FTD). "HAL and CAE are very proud of achieving Level D certification, which is the highest performance rating given for flight training equipment, from both the DGCA and EASA," says Chandra Dat Upadhyay, chief executive officer of HATSOFF. "The HATSOFF training center is the first helicopter training center in India certified to Level D, and we are excited to begin offering simulation-based training that will prove to be one of the best approaches for improving safety, operational efficiency, and mission readiness."

DTN News: Israel Warning As Libya Aid Boat Eyes Gaza Landing

DTN News: Israel Warning As Libya Aid Boat Eyes Gaza Landing

Source: DTN News / AFP Hazel Ward

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - July 11, 2010: Israel on Sunday vowed to prevent a Libyan aid ship from running the Gaza blockade after it appeared to be heading for the besieged enclave despite a flurry of diplomatic efforts to divert it to Egypt.

"Israel will not let the boat reach Gaza," minister without portfolio Yossi Peled told Israel's public radio a day after the 92-metre (302-foot) freighter set sail from the Greek port of Lavrio, south of Athens. Allowing boats to reach the Hamas-run Gaza Strip without being checked would have "very serious consequences" for Israel's security, he said. There was confusion over the ship's destination on Sunday -- with organisers saying it was staying the course for Gaza, despite diplomatic reassurances from Greece that it was headed for the Egyptian port of El-Arish. Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the attempt to reach Gaza, which has been subjected to an Israeli naval blockade for the last four years, was an "unnecessary provocation." "The goods can be transferred to the Gaza Strip through Ashdod port after being checked," a statement from his office said late on Saturday. "However, we will not allow the entry of arms, weapons or anything which will support fighting into Gaza. We recommend that the organisers either let the ship be escorted by navy vessels to Ashdod port (in southern Israel) or that is sails directly to the port of El-Arish" in Egypt. Barak's office had earlier said that the defence minister spoke with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and asked "if Egypt would agree to accept the boat at the port of El-Arish." It was not immediately clear if Egypt had acceded to Barak's request but the ship's agent and the Greek foreign ministry had on Saturday assured Israel that the Moldova-flagged vessel, chartered by a charity linked to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, was heading for El-Arish. The Kadhafi Foundation, headed by Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, the son of the Libyan leader, insisted however that the ship, loaded with 2,000 tonnes of foodstuff and medications and a crew comprising six Libyans, a Moroccan, a Nigerian and an Algerian, had not changed its course. "The ship is heading toward Gaza as planned," executive director Youssef Sawan told AFP by telephone from Tripoli, saying the mission was "purely humane." His comments were confirmed by Arab Israeli parliamentarian Ahmed Tibi. "The ship is heading into Gaza as originally planned," said the MP who is in touch with the charity. "The foundation confirmed to me that the boat will try to reach Gaza's port to unload its cargo" in a bid to break the blockade, he said. Over the last few days, Israel's top diplomat Avigdor Lieberman has been talking with his counterparts in Greece and Moldova in a bid to encourage the ship to call off its mission, a statement from his office said. "The foreign ministry believes that due to these talks, the ship will not reach Gaza," it said. The Libyan mission comes six weeks after a disastrous Israeli naval raid on another aid flotilla which left nine Turkish nationals dead and provoked a major diplomatic crisis with Ankara. Global pressure over the incident has since forced Israel to significantly change its policy on Gaza, and now it only prevents the import of arms and goods that could be used to build weapons or fortifications. Israel had even approached UN chief Ban Ki-moon with a request asking the international community "to exert its influence on the government of Libya" to prevent the ship from going to Gaza, media reports said.

Related content *Gaza aid ship sets sail from Greece *Gaza aid ship to dock in Egypt *Israel foils Libyan plans to sail aid ship to Gaza *Related Hot Topic: Gaza

DTN News: Comac - China's Challenge To Airbus And Boeing

DTN News: Comac - China's Challenge To Airbus And Boeing *Countries that hope to build national aviation industries can learn from Beijing's fast-moving program to develop a made-in-China jet Source: DTN News / Businessweek.com By Anil Gupta and Haiyan Wang (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 11, 2010: China is fast learning the ABCs of aircraft manufacturing: A as in Airbus (EAD:FP), B as in Boeing (BA), and C as in the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, or Comac. Approved in February 2007 by the Stat

e Council—China's cabinet—Comac's mission is to produce homegrown jumbo jets and by 2020 to become the third major player in the worldwide commercial aircraft industry. If all goes according to plan, Comac's first product, the C919 (a single-aisle plane with over 150 seats) could start competing with the A320 and B737 by the second half of the current decade. These types of planes constitute the single largest-selling category of commercial aircraft. Over the next 20 years, China is expected to buy about 100 such planes every year. Not coincidentally, Comac has indicated that after the initial ramp-up period, it expects to produce about 100 C919s annually and help China end its reliance on imported airplanes. Comac represents the epitome of China's ambition to create national champions that will go on to become major global competitors. Large commercial planes constitute not only a sizable market (Boeing's revenues in 2009 were $69 billion) but also one with very high entry barriers. Chinese companies trying to enter other tech industries such as biotech, telecommunications equipment, supercomputers, software, and semiconductors face a highly contested terrain with multiple competitors and an ongoing stream of new entrants. In contrast, the jumbo jet industry has not seen a single new entrant other than Airbus over the last 40 years. In fact, given the exit of such players as McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed Martin, the field has gotten smaller. Large commercial aircraft are not merely technologically complex on multiple fronts, they also present extreme complexity in manufacturing and are sold to a very conservative set of customers—passenger airlines. Unlike a supercomputer or a telecom switch, the failure of a jumbo jet can literally kill hundreds of people and bring an airline to its knees. Any success by Comac in realizing its mission would be a landmark development in China's rise as a technological superpower. Commercial aircraft constitute the single largest category of exports from the U.S. Over the next 20 years, China is destined to be the single largest market for such planes. Since Comac appears well on its way to a flying start, these principles could also serve as lessons for other countries with long-term ambitions to develop commercial aircraft industries. Comac Stakes for key institutions First, ensure that the new venture has adequate capital. Comac started out in 2008 with 19 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) in paid-up capital. A year later, it received a credit line of 30 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) from China's Bank of Communications. Combined, this adds up to over $7 billion in start-up funding for Comac alone, not including the capital base of subsystem suppliers such as AVIC (Aviation Industry Corp. of China), a big, state-owned enterprise involved in the production of military aircraft and smaller commercial planes. To put these numbers into perspective, Boeing spent an average of $3.9 billion annually on research and development during the last five years.

Second, co-opt key institutions by giving them a stake in the new venture. The 19 billion yuan paid-up capital in Comac included 6 billion from the central government; 5 billion from the Shanghai government; 5 billion from AVIC; and 1 billion each from Baosteel (600019:CH), China's leading steel producer; Chinalco (ACH), China's leading aluminum producer; and Sinochem (600500:CH), China's leading chemicals producer. Even though all of these entities are arms of the government, giving each a direct equity stake dramatically increases its incentives to collaborate enthusiastically and proactively, rather than reluctantly. Third, accumulate technological capabilities through alliances with global technology leaders. Wu Guanghui, Comac's chief designer and deputy general manager, has been on record noting that, while Comac would source parts and components globally, the company would give priority to suppliers that set up joint ventures with Chinese partners. AVIC, the primary supplier of subsystems to Comac, has played a major role here. In June 2007, AVIC established a Tianjin-based joint venture with Airbus to undertake the final assembly of the European company's A320 planes. Last year, AVIC and Airbus formed a further joint venture to produce composite material parts for the A350; two with Goodrich (GR), one for landing gear and the other for nacelle (engine compartment) components; one with Nexcelle—itself a joint venture between GE (GE) and France's Safram—to manufacture engine nacelles and components; and one with GE to develop and bid on avionics for C919. Other corporations that have set up joint ventures in China to win agreements to supply Comac include Honeywell (HON), for auxiliary power units, and Parker Hannifin (PH), for fuel and hydraulic systems. India should watch Comac develop Fourth, if a joint venture with a key supplier appears impossible, go for direct sourcing from the world's technology leader. This has clearly been the case with C919's engines, the plane's most complex technological subsystem. Although AVIC has set up an aircraft engine subsidiary in Shanghai, it is a long way from developing the necessary technological capabilities. There also is no indication that any of the major suppliers of big aircraft engines—GE, Rolls Royce (RR/:LN), or Pratt & Whitney (UTX)—is willing to set up an engine joint venture in China. Faced with this reality, Comac has signed a direct-sourcing agreement with France's CFM International (a joint venture between GE and Safram) to provide LEAP-X turbofan engines for the C919. Comac and AVIC executives have noted, however, that they remain committed to building engine design and manufacturing capabilities in-house. Fifth, leverage the state's control of domestic airlines to reduce market entry barriers, dramatically reducing commercial risk. Comac executives appear optimistic that by the end of 2010, they will have signed the first order to supply Chinese airlines with 100 airplanes. It is clear that Comac represents a sophisticated and well-considered mix of state capitalism and market logic. While smaller countries would find it nearly impossible to match China's scale, financial muscle, and technological capabilities, a handful of the larger economies—such as India—may have the potential to do so. They should benefit from keeping track of how China did it.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com Anil K. Gupta (anil.gupta@insead.edu ) is the Insead Chaired Professor of Strategy at Insead. Haiyan Wang (hwang@chinaindiainstitute.com) is managing partner of the China India Institute and an Adjunct Professor of Strategy at Insead. They are the coauthors of Getting China and India Right (Wiley, 2009) and The Quest for Global Dominance (Wiley, 2008).

Related News

China's Large Passenger Jet Ready In Eight Years: Report (NSI News Source Info) March 12, 2009: China's first large passenger jet will take off in about eight years and will be named C919, state media reported Saturday. China is keen to cooperate with foreigners on the project, which is meant to rival Airbus and Boeing, Xinhua news agency said, citing the plane's chief designer Wu Guanghui. "C (in C919) represents China as well as COMAC, the abbreviation for Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China," said Wu, according to Xinhua. The first 9 in C919 was chosen because in Chinese the number sounds like a word that means "long time," while 19 reflects the fact that China's first large aircraft will have 190 seats, he said. COMAC was set up in May last year, charged with developing a large aircraft that one day can compete with planes from Airbus and Boeing. Wu said that the company will choose suppliers of engines, equipment, and materials through international bidding, and will encourage foreign suppliers to enter into partnership with Chinese manufacturers. "We will choose foreign-manufactured products like engines at the beginning phase, but we will also independently do research and manufacturing work at the same time," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua. Robust growth in China's aviation market in recent years has given rise to predictions that the nation will need more than 3,000 new aircraft in the coming two decades.

DTN News: Chinese Air Force Among The Most Capable, Analyst Says

DTN News: Chinese Air Force Among The Most Capable, Analyst Says

Source: Global Times By Sun Wei in London

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 10, 2010: The US-based The Diplomat magazine and Jane's Defence Weekly in the UK published stories this month expressing concerns about the buildup of China's air force, respectively titled "China Air Force Steps it Up" and "Chinese military aircraft: up and coming." So why the growing interest abroad in China's air force? Where do the concerns stem from? The Global Times' correspondent, Sun Wei, conducted a question-and-answer session by e-mail Wednesday with Craig Caffrey (Caffrey), the author of "Chinese military aircraft: Up and coming." GT: Why are you concerned about the Chinese air force in particular? The Diplomat magazine said China is "building a force that will be without rival in the Asia-Pacific." What do you think of such a comment? Caffrey: China's emergence as a global power is one of the most important geo-political issues at present, and this process has a number of significant implications in the defense and security sector. The modernization of the Chinese air force is a key aspect of an ongoing improvement in the capabilities of the Chinese military. My article's focus is on the key military aircraft programs that are central to this modernization process, within the military as a whole, and demonstrate the increasing capabilities of both the air force and the aerospace sectors in China. There have been a number of key developments over the past few years, and the article aims to identify these developments and analyze their impact upon the programs themselves, the capability of the air force itself and, to a lesser extent, the impact upon the wider global defense aerospace market. While it was a coincidence that The Diplomat article was published at roughly the same time as the Jane's article, this is certainly indicative of a growing interest in the modernization of the Chinese military over recent years. I do not agree entirely with the statement above, as the US is well aware of the development process that the Chinese military has embarked upon. However, I do believe that the modernization of the Chinese air force will inevitably have an increasingly significant impact upon US defense policy and planning assumptions in the region. With China retiring its large inventories of obsolete aircraft and replacing them with modern, highly capable combat aircraft, the Chinese air force is already one of the most capable air forces in the region. At present, though, the capability to project this power beyond its borders and throughout the region is extremely limited due to a lack of tanker and transport aircraft and basing outside of China. GT: In your article, you said "Only the US and Russia provide a more comprehensive portfolio of domestically produced military aircraft." In Chinese eyes, however, Chinese aerospace manufacturing is still far behind the West. What do you think of the gaps? Caffrey: I think the speed with which China has been able to indigenously produce modern combat aircraft with comparable capabilities to similar Western designs is extremely impressive, even if there are still a number of issues that need to be addressed. If you consider that the air force is expecting the first flight of a 5th-generation combat aircraft to be achieved less than 10 years after the first indigenously produced fourth generation aircraft entered service, then the progress has been remarkable. In terms of how this has been achieved, the scale of government investment in the sector has been hugely important, while the technical support offered by other countries, particularly Russia, has also been crucial. Reforms within the aerospace sector and the leveraging of techniques and expertise from the civil sector into the defense sector have also been important. It is certainly true that the Chinese aerospace industry is significantly behind that of Europe or the US in terms of capability, but that does not detract from the speed with which it has been able to develop over recent years. The key area where progress is required is in the production of aero-engines, where performance has perhaps been slightly disappointing over this period and has held up a number of programs. Until this can be rectified, China will remain reliant, at least to some extent, on external suppliers. Further improvements with regards to systems integration, avionics, complex mission systems and the use of composite materials are also likely to be required if China is to truly compete in the global aerospace market.

GT: How do you evaluate the capability of the Chinese air force? What do you think of the level of their training, and their capability of cooperation with other combat arms, especially compared with China's neighboring countries? Caffrey: As I mentioned in my answer to the first question, the Chinese air force is already highly capable, although there are obviously elements that can be improved upon. Power projection is one of the key deficiencies at present. Progress appears to be being made in the quality of training and the ability to conduct joint operations, and there appears to be an increasing focus upon these aspects. However, these are certainly two areas in which the Chinese air force lags far behind other leading air forces, such as the US. Another key aspect in this regard is a lack of operational experience that can be applied to improve training and tactics. I would say at present that the air force still needs to make significant progress in these elements if it is to be considered truly without rival in the Asia-Pacific. GT: The air forces in the Asia-Pacific region have welcomed a booming update of military aircraft. To what degree do you think it is because of China? Caffrey: I certainly think that the enhanced capabilities of the Chinese air force will increasingly factor into the modernization plans of other air forces in the region. However, to date, I think evidence of such a trend is limited. Fighter programs are underway in Japan and South Korea; however, these new aircraft are being acquired to replace aging fleets rather than to defend against a perceived Chinese threat. Having said that, if you look at the trend in Europe and the US, then the number of combat aircraft operated by their air forces has been steadily decreasing over the last decade, while in Asia this has been less pronounced. This again, though, has been influenced by a general improvement in the capabilities of air forces in the region rather than specifically in response to China. If the Chinese air force continues to improve its capabilities at the pace it has done over the last decade, then there is certainly the potential for further sales of military aircraft to neighboring countries in response. However, this would likely have to be coupled with a deterioration of relations with Beijing or a perceived increase in the assertiveness of the Chinese military in the region.

*To read this article from the Source: Global Times By Sun Wei in London ....click here

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com Disclaimer statement Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY July 10, 2010 - Pakistan Bomb Attacks Claim 102 Lives

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY July 10, 2010 - Pakistan Bomb Attacks Claim 102 Lives

Source: DTN News / AFP by Lehaz Ali Lehaz Ali

(NSI News Source Info) YAKAGHUND, Pakistan- July 10, 2010: The death toll from a suicide bombing and car bomb blast that devastated a Pakistani tribal town has soared to 102 in one of the country's deadliest attacks, officials said Saturday.

The explosions targeted a busy market in Yakaghund town in Pakistan's northwest tribal belt on Friday, destroying government buildings and shops and leaving victims buried under the rubble. Local administration chief Rasool Khan said the death toll had jumped to 102, after he and other officials had earlier put the number of dead at 65. "Some bodies were recovered from the spot and some died in hospitals overnight," he told AFP. Another local official, Mairaj Mohammad, confirmed the higher toll and said there were 98 people receiving treatment in different hospitals. "Some of them are in critical condition," he said. It was the deadliest attack in Pakistan since a massive car bomb destroyed a market crowded with women and children in the northwestern city of Peshawar in October 2009, killing 125 people. Khan said the toll could rise further as rescue work was underway to recover victims who are feared trapped under pulverised buildings. Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Friday's blasts, saying the target was a gathering of pro-government tribal elders. Qari Ikramullah, a spokesman for Taliban militants in the region, said in a telephone call with AFP that the elders were meeting in an administrator's office and planning to raise a lashkar, or tribal force, to fight the Taliban. "We will attack such gatherings in future also," he said. A Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked bombing spree across Pakistan has killed more than 3,500 people in three years since government troops besieged the radical Red Mosque in the capital Islamabad in July 2007. Witnesses said the huge explosions Friday damaged an administration office, shops, a jail and other buildings in the small town not far from the border with Afghanistan, where 140,000 US-led foreign troops are fighting the Taliban. The attack sent a pall of gloom over the town. Bodies wrapped in white shrouds were being brought to a local playground for funeral prayers, an AFP reporter saw. At least 1,000 people gathered at a nearby graveyard where workers set about digging dozens of new graves. "I lost two brothers, their bodies were found in pieces," 27-year-old drinks vendor Mohammad Siddiqullah told AFP after a burial ceremony. Local official Mairaj Mohammad said more than 60 bodies were buried on Friday and around 30 were laid to rest on Saturday. Islamist militant groups have carved out havens in the remote and craggy mountains of Pakistan's tribal belt which lies outside direct government control. "The attack appears to be part of a sustained campaign to disrupt peace efforts in the region," said security analyst Imtiaz Gul, the author of a recently published book on the tribal region, "The Most Dangerous Place". "There seems to be good coordination among forces, which are out to create instability and perpetrate violence". The Islamic republic is on the frontline of the US war against Al-Qaeda, and the Pakistani military are bogged down fighting homegrown Taliban in the northwestern border areas. Hugging the border with Afghanistan, where US and NATO allies are trying to end a nearly nine-year war, northwest Pakistan has suffered a wave of bombings causing mass casualties and insurgency, fanning fears about regional stability. Pakistani leaders this week called for a landmark national conference to develop a strategy to counter the Islamist militant threat after a twin suicide attack killed 43 people at a shrine in Lahore on July 2. Pakistani security forces have fought in the tribal belt and parts of the northwest for years, but deadly clashes are still largely a daily occurrence.

More on Pakistan *Pakistan suicide bombing death toll jumps to 102 AP *Death toll from Pakistan bomb attack reaches 102 Reuters *Three soldiers, 25 Taliban killed in Pakistan clashes AFP *Video: Deadly Homicide Bomber Attack in Pakistan FOX News *Video: Pakistan border area eyes security Reuters *Video: China and Pakistan in joint military exercises Reuters

DTN News: Israel Says Foiled Libyan Bid To Break Gaza Blockade

DTN News: Israel Says Foiled Libyan Bid To Break Gaza Blockade

Source: DTN News / AFP Gavin Rabinowitz

(NSI News Source Info) JERUSALEM, Israel - July 10, 2010: Intense diplomatic efforts have likely prevented a Libyan aid ship from trying to breach Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said on Saturday."Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman spoke several times in recent days with the foreign ministers of Greece and Moldova and reached understandings with them about dealing with the Libyan ship," a ministry statement said.

"The foreign ministry believes that due to these talks, the ship will not reach Gaza," the statement added. A charity headed by Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, the son of Libyan leader Moamar Kadhafi who is widely seen as heir apparent, said on Friday it was sending an aid boat from Greece to Gaza. Agents for the Moldova-flagged cargo ship Amalthea said the boat was expected to set sail from Lavrio, some 60 kilometres (37 miles) southeast of Athens. The 92-metre (302-foot) freighter has a 12-man crew and will carry up to nine passengers, a representative of Piraeus-based agents Alpha Shipping said on Friday. But Israeli officials said that Moldovan authorities had made contact with the captain of the ship who agreed to divert the cargo to the Egyptian port of El-Arish. They did not elaborate. Meanwhile Israeli media on Saturday reported that Israel had asked the United Nations to stop the Libyan ship. Israel's UN ambassador Gabriela Shalev sent a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon asking that the international community intervene to prevent the ship approaching Gaza, Haaretz newspaper reported on its website. "Israel calls upon the international community to exert its influence on the government of Libya to demonstrate responsibility and prevent the ship from departing to the Gaza Strip," Haaretz quoted from the letter. Shalev also warned in the letter that "Israel reserves the right under international law to prevent this ship from violating the existing naval blockade on the Gaza Strip." The Tripoli-based Kadhafi International Charity and Development Association said the cargo ship was "loaded with about 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid in the form of foodstuff and medications." The ship will also carry "a number of supporters who are keen on expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people in the plight amidst the siege imposed on Gaza," the organisation added in a statement. On May 31, Israeli special forces stormed a flotilla of six ships carrying aid for the blockaded Gaza Strip, killing nine Turks on board the Turkish passenger ferry Mavi Marmara. Israel says its commandos only used force to defend themselves after being ambushed. Israel imposed the blockade in June 2006 after its soldier, Gilad Shalit, was captured by Gaza militants and tightened it a year later when Hamas seized power in the coastal strip. In the wake of the May 31 incident, Israel has significantly eased the blockade, barring only arms and goods that could be used to create weapons or build fortifications, but it has maintained the naval blockade.

Related content *Israel asks UN to stop Gaza-bound Libyan aid boat *Parents of captive soldier meet Israeli PM *Charity led by Kadhafi's son to send aid boat to Gaza *Related Hot Topic: Gaza

DTN News: Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle Demonstrator Makes 1st Flight

DTN News: Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle Demonstrator Makes 1st Flight

Source: DTN News / Boeing

(NSI News Source Info) ST. LOUIS, - July 10, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] Silent Eagle flight demonstrator aircraft F-15E1 completed a successful first flight on July 8 from Lambert St. Louis International Airport. During the 80-minute flight, F-15E1 opened and closed its left-side Conformal Weapons Bay, which contained an AIM-120 Instrumented Test Vehicle (ITV) missile. The ITV was not launched. "The Silent Eagle demonstration flight validated our initial engineering design approach," said Boeing F-15 Development Programs Director Brad Jones.

"Our intent was to verify all systems are operational in a flight environment. This flawless flight allows us to move into the next phase. In the next couple of weeks, we will ferry F-15E1 to the test range and launch an AIM-120." "Everything about the flight went according to plan," said Boeing F-15 Chief Test Pilot Dan Draeger. "We saw nothing unusual during the flight, and we cleared the desired flight envelope needed to fire the missile at the test range; that is pretty much unheard of on a first flight." The Silent Eagle is an innovative design solution developed in response to international customer requirements for a cost-effective, high-performance fighter aircraft to defend against future threats. The F-15SE offers unique aerodynamic, avionic and Radar Cross Section reduction features that provide the user with maximum flexibility to dominate the ever-changing advanced threat environment. The aircraft's Conformal Weapons Bays can carry a variety of air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground weapons.

Contact: Patricia Frost

F-15 Communications

Office: 314-234-6996

Mobile: 314-705-0895

patricia.a.frost@boeing.com