Wednesday, August 10, 2011

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Launches Sea Trials Of Its First Carrier

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Launches Sea Trials Of Its First Carrier
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / BEIJING, China- August 10, 2011:

China's first aircraft carrier swept through fog-shrouded waters Wednesday to open sea trials that underline the country's big naval ambitions and fuel concerns about its growing military strength amid regional territorial disputes.

The ship is former Soviet craft that China acknowledged a month ago it was rebuilding for research and training, in a strong indication that it plans to start building aircraft carriers of its own.

China has been investing heavily in modernizing its military for at least the last decade, and having its own carrier will add prestige to that expansion, which has accompanied a rise in nationalism in the country.

The carrier left Dalian port in northeast Liaoning province early Wednesday, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xinhua said the first sea trial was in line with the country's schedule to rebuild the carrier. China has spend the better part of a decade refurbishing the former Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag after it was towed from Ukraine in 1998, the report said, citing unnamed military sources.

China's carrier ambitions have sparked concern among neighbors amid heightened tensions over territorial disputes around Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

Over the past year, China has seen a flare-up in territorial spats with Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam and had its relations strained with South Korea — all of which have sought support from Washington, long the pre-eminent naval power in Asia.

Xinhua said refitting and test work would continue on the carrier when it returns from its short sea trial.

The Varyag, yet to be officially renamed, was towed from Ukraine as an empty shell without engines, weapons systems or other crucial equipment.

Defense experts say China plans up to four carriers in all, with preparations under way at a Shanghai shipyard.

The Xinhua report did not say how long the sea trial would last. But a statement posted on the website of the Liaoning Maritime Safety Authority said "all vessels will be barred from entering" a small section of the sea off Dalian until 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) on Sunday.

There had been earlier online reports in China that the test was set to start last weekend, but it may have been delayed by a tropical storm that swept through the area.

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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Christopher Bodeen - AP
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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Tuesday, August 09, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 9, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 9, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 9, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued August 9, 2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

ARMY

North Wind, Inc., Idaho Falls, Idaho (W912BV-11-D-0034); Sullivan-Weston Services JVA, L.L.C., San Diego, Calif. (W912BV-11-D-0033); Ayuda Management Corp., Broomfield, Colo. (W912BV-11-D-0032); HydroGeoLogic, Inc., Reston, Va. (W912BV-11-D-0031); and OA Systems Corp., Amarillo, Texas (W912BV-11-D-0035), were awarded a $49,500,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple-award-task-order contract between five contractors. The award will provide for the environmental remediation services in support of various military and civil works projects within the southwest United States. Work location will be determined with each task order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 7, 2016. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 17 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa, Okla., is the contracting activity.

Sundt Construction, Inc., Tempe, Ariz., was awarded a $23,743,780 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the construction of a C-130 parking apron at Cannon Air Force Base, Curry County, N.M. Work will be performed in Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 2, 2012. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 11 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, N.M., is the contracting activity (W912PP-11-C-0016).

Ranco Construction, Southampton, N.J., was awarded a $13,772,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the construction of a new consolidated base operations/command post facility. Work will be performed in Trenton, N.J., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2012. Sixty bids were solicited, with eight bids received. T he U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, N.Y., is the contracting activity (W912DS-11-C-0011).

General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded a $12,586,165 cost-no-fee contract. The award will provide for the procurement of material items and associated labor supporting production and conversion of 42 M1A2 tanks to a M1A2S configuration for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2012. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army TACOM, Contracting Center, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-11-C-0005).

Diversified Maintenance Systems, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah, was awarded a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for construction, renovation, and alteration projects at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Work location will be determined with each task order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 23, 2016. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 20 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-11-D-0057).

Environmental Solutions & Technologies, Inc., Montgomery, Ala., was awarded a $9,400,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the environmental remediation services at Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex in Montgomery, Ala. Work will be performed in Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex, Montgomery, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 8, 2016. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-11-D-0031).

Zieson Construction Company, L.L.C., Riverside, Mo., was awarded a $9,350,884 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the construction of the Known Distance Range and the Automated Qualification Training Range at Fort Riley, Kan. Work will be performed in Fort Riley, Kan., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 25, 2012. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 13 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-11-C-4032).

Raytheon Co. - Vision Systems, Goleta, Calif., was awarded an $8,870,133 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the research and development of high definition focal plane arrays to reduce focal plane costs and develop high-definition formats in both the 720p and 1080p formats. Work will be performed in Goleta, Calif., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 4, 2015. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (W909MY-11-C-0051).

Asset Group, Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla., was awarded a $7,835,188 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the construction of one school age center at Fort Polk, La., to provide childcare services for children six to ten years old. Work will be performed in Fort Polk, La., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 31, 2012. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 15 bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock, Ark., is the contracting activity (W9127S-11-C-6011).

NAVY

Federal Cartridge Co., Anoka, Minn., is being awarded a $46,500,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for AA40 5.56mm frangible ammunition. The AA40 5.56mm frangible ammunition is a commercial item that will be utilized by the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in rifles and carbines chambered for this caliber without modification. This training ammunition is ideal for training purposes as it is designed to disintegrate into small fragments upon impact, minimizes over-penetration and ricochet hazards during military operation in urban terrain and close quarters battle trainings, therefore, reducing the risk of personal injury. The polymer-compound round produces no splash back, which vastly decreases ricochets. Additionally, it does not contain any lead or hazardous materials, therefore, eliminating health and environmental hazards. Funds in the amount of $7,395,802 will be obligated at this time. Work will be performed in Anoka, Minn., and is expected to be completed by August 2016. Contract funds in the amount of $3,032,599 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-11-D-JN02).

Suffolk Construction Co., Boston, Mass., is being awarded a $20,680,684 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of an electromagnetic sensor facility at Naval Station Newport. The new facility will support Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport operations related to submarine sensor research, development, testing, and repair. The facility will include submarine sensor research and development laboratories, warehouse and administration spaces, specialized spaces for in-service repair and testing of various submarine sensors, and a five-story periscope tower. Work will be performed in Newport, R.I., and is expected to be completed by August 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with seven proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic Northeast Integrated Product Team, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-11-C-7231).

Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $7,868,154 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-5100) for production of two fiscal 2011 Ship Self Defense System (SSDS) MK2 open architecture computing environment kits. The SSDS MK 2 provides a command and control system with the objective of significantly improving the Combat Decision System capabilities for selected surface combatants. The kits will be installed on USS Wasp (LHD 1) and the future LPD-27, and each consist of four switch server cabinets, four input/output cabinets, four general processor cabinets, and one connector kit. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (50 percent), and Portsmouth, R.I. (50 percent), and is expected to be completed by October 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

US Foodservice, Inc., Salem Division, Salem, Mo., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-quantity, prime vendor contract with a maximum $45,482,478 for full line food service distribution. Other location of performance is Kansas. Using services are Army, Air Force and federal civilian agencies. The date of performance completion is Aug. 13, 2012. The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM300-11-D-3498).

U.S. DoD issued No. 696-11 August 9, 2011
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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: MiG-21 To Be Phased Out Of IAF

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: MiG-21 To Be Phased Out Of IAF
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / NEW DELHI, India - August 9, 2011:
MiG-21 fighter aircrafts, which have been in news for frequent crashes, will be phased out of the Indian Air Force by 2017 and replaced by modern fighter aircraft such as Su-30MKI and indigenous LCA.
“The MiG 21s will get phased out by 2015-16. I think the last of the squadrons of the aircraft will be phased out by 2017,” Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju told reporters here. Over the years, the IAF has inducted a total of 946 MiG-21s in its fleet and 476 of them have been lost in various accidents over the past 45 years. In a recent report, the Ministry acknowledged that most of these accidents had occurred due to old technology. The Minister said the MiG-21s “constitute the majority of our squadrons and they will gradually be replaced by the Light Combat Aircraft (LCAs) and the Su-30MKI.” Mr. Raju said after the phasing out of the “MiG 21s from operational service, the IAF will have the LCA, SU-30MKI, Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft and the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), which is being developed with Russia.” On 126 M-MRCA, Mr. Raju said a decision on the mega deal would be taken by the end of this year. He said at present the technical offsets are being evaluated after which the commercial bids will be opened and on their basis, the government will take a final decision about the contract. The IAF is looking to procure 126 M-MRCA jets for which Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon have been shortlisted. The competition also involved four others including the Russian MiG 35, Swedish Saab Gripen and the American Boeing F/A-18 E/F and the Lockheed martin F-16 combat jets.
mig-21 iaf The production of the MiG-21bis under license by Hindustan Aeronautics of India lasted until 1984. Despite a series of crashes during the 1990s, which led to the aircraft acquiring the nickname "flying coffin", the Indian Air Force has decided to upgrade about 128 of the MiG-21bis in its inventory to the MiG-21 Bison standard. These will serve the Indian Air Force until 2015.
Chinese copies of the MiG-21 are designated Chengdu J-7 and F-7 (for export).
Russia now offers an upgrade pack for the MiG-21 up to MiG-21-93 standard. This includes an avionics suite upgrade including the installation of the Kopyo pulse doppler radar used by the MiG-29, enabling the aircraft to fire a greater range of modern weapons such as the beyond visual range Vympel R-77 air-to-air missile. The upgraded avionics also enhance the aircraft's survivability as well as its ability to engage enemy fighters. Other upgrades include the installation of a dual screen HUD, helmet-mounted target designator, and advanced flight control systems.
Israeli Aircraft Industries manufactures an upgrade package for the MiG-21 called the MiG-21-2000.
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