Tuesday, September 06, 2011

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin Receives $100.5 Million Contract For Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb Kits

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin Receives $100.5 Million Contract For Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb Kits
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 6, 2011: Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $100.5 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for production of paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) GBU-12 guidance kits.
The award to Lockheed Martin represents the majority share of an initial $134 million paveway II Plus LGB procurement, part of an overall $475 million five-year, firm-fixed-price, multiple-award contract announced by the U.S. Air Force on August 1.
Deliveries on the contract will begin in 2012. The GBU-12 guidance kits consist of the recently integrated MAU-209C/B computer control group, which contains the electronic guidance system, and the MXU-650 air foil group, which provides lift and stability to the weapons. Lockheed Martin’s paveway II Plus LGB guidance kits significantly improve weapon accuracy and reduce risk to U.S. and allied ground forces when compared to the legacy paveway II weapons.
Lockheed Martin is currently producing paveway II Plus LGB GBU-12 kits for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy as part of a $34 million U.S. Air Force contract awarded in 2010.
“The Lockheed Martin paveway II Plus LGB raises the bar in performance for paveway II accuracy and precision,” said Joe Serra, senior manager for precision guided systems in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business. “This contract is a testament to our commitment to continuous product improvement, combined with our ability to deliver a better performing product to our customer at the lowest cost.”
Lockheed Martin’s LGB kits can be carried on U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and most international aircraft platforms currently authorized to carry and release LGBs. The paveway II Plus LGB does not require upgrades or modifications to aircraft, ground handling equipment or logistics support, and continues the same basic paveway II concept of operation for employment by converting conventional gravity weapons into precision-guided munitions.
Lockheed Martin is a qualified provider of all three variants of paveway II MK-80 series LGBs, and is the sole provider of the paveway II Enhanced Laser Guided Training Round and Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb. Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 55,000 LGB kits to the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and international customers. Laser guided bombs have been used successfully in Operation Iraqi Freedom and current overseas contingency operations.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.
Missiles and Fire Control P.O. Box 650003 Dallas, TX 75265-0003 (972) 603-1000
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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India’s SU-30 MKI To Be Upgraded To Super Sukhoi By Russia

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India’s SU-30 MKI To Be Upgraded To Super Sukhoi By Russia
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 6, 2011: Irkut Corporation's plans to upgrade the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Su-30MKI fleet will provide the fighter with capabilities similar to that of fifth-generation combat aircraft, Russian industry officials have said.
Speaking at the Moscow Air Show on 19 August Alexei Fedorov, the head of Irkut, announced that in addition to upgraded cockpit avionics and enhancements to the aircraft's radar, the so-called 'Super Sukhoi' will also receive modifications aimed at improving stealth capabilities. While the exact nature of these stealth modifications remains unclear, reports suggest the work will specifically focus on reducing the aircraft's radar signature.
The enhancements to the aircraft's radar could include upgrading the existing NIIP N011M Bars radar with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna, thereby offering a substantial improvement in performance.
"The upgrade will apply not only to the aircraft in service with the IAF, but also to those yet to be delivered to India and those being licence-manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited [HAL]," Fedorov said.
India signed an INR150 billion (USD3.33 billion) deal in June 2010 for an additional 42 Su-30MKI 'Flanker-H' fighters, of which HAL is building 140 under licence.
Fedorov said the 'Super Sukhoi' would be able to carry a heavier weapon load, including the Indo-Russian developed BrahMos cruise missile, but declined to provide technical details of the upgrade or its cost as negotiations are continuing.
Although the price of the Sukhoi upgrade project is still to be finalized, the cost is likely to be to the tune of $ 1 billion which will make the Su-30 MKI extremely advanced with its fifth generation fighter plane features. India will eventually have over 230 Sukhoi-30MKIs or 13 squadrons in its fleet and all of these will be upgraded to Super Sukhoi’s.
Meanwhile, there is a lot to be clarified what the "Super Sukhoi” aircraft will actually be worth in terms of fifth generation capability. It has been accepted that stealth is the standard for fifth generation aircraft as well as its ability to super cruise. In addition, a next generation BVR missile and AESA radar are also needed for a fighter to qualify as a fifth generation fighter. Experts question whether the Su-30 MKI can super cruise. Also, without heavy structural changes equivalent to an entire new design, it remains to be seen if the fighter can be converted into stealth and have reduced radar signature. It has been argued that engines alone are not the only factor for super cruise as there has to be structural changes to enable that. Fedorov confirmed that negotiations for the upgrade of the Su-30MKI, of which the IAF will eventually operate 272, are at an advanced stage.
Meanwhile, India and Russia are also working on two other crucial projects, namely the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) project and the Multi Role Transport Aircraft (MTA) project. State-run HAL is participating in the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) project which will make India the only country outside of the US and Russia to have a fifth generation fighter. HAL's participation in the FGFA project is going smoothly with a preliminary design contract signed between India and Russia for $ 295 million. The specific details of the Indian components that will go into the FGFA will be decided during the detailed design phase. HAL will be working with its Russian partner United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) in co-developing an export version of which the IAF will be the first customer.
As for the Multi Role Transport Aircraft (MTA) project, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) will soon set up a technical competence center to develop critical technologies for the Indo-Russian MTA project. As for HAL, it has set-up a new company, the Multi Role Transport Aircraft Limited (MTAL), as an Indo-Russian joint venture. The aircraft’s designing and the prototype will come from Russia while production will take place in India. MATL will be in charge of marketing the aircraft in the two countries as well as for export. The total project cost is estimated at $ 600 million shared between the two countries.
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DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Stealth Jet May Beat Out Boeing In Japan

DTN News - JAPAN DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Stealth Jet May Beat Out Boeing In Japan
*The anti-radar capabilities of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter may give it the edge in winning a contract that may top $4 billion, analysts say
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 5, 2011: Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense company, is counting on stealth technology to beat Boeing and Eurofighter in a Japanese fighter contest that may be worth more than $4 billion.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has better anti-radar capabilities than Boeing's F-18 Super Hornet and Eurofighter's Typhoon, as it was specifically designed in a shape that would be hard to detect, said Craig Caffrey, a London-based analyst at IHS Jane's DS Forecast, which advises defense suppliers.
That may give the plane an edge as Japan has tried to buy stealth fighters that can be used for spying as well as combat.
"Stealth capabilities are clearly an area of focus for the Japanese," Caffrey said. "It's a key advantage for the F-35 over the rest of the competition."
Japan will accept bids this month to supply about 40 fighters as it bolsters air defenses to counter military developments in China and North Korea.
The contest comes as Lockheed sheds jobs because of projected cuts in U.S. military spending, which may include a reduction in F-35 orders, and after the Bethesda, Md.-based company missed out on an $11 billion Indian order for fighters this year.
Japan likely will choose a jet by the end of the year, said a Ministry of Defense spokeswoman, who declined to be identified, citing government policy. Deliveries are due to begin in 2016.
The order is unlikely to be affected by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's new government, said the spokeswoman. The new aircraft will replace Boeing F-4s, which were last assembled in Japan in 1981. Japan had 362 fighter jets as of March 31, according to the defense ministry's website.
With the world's sixth-largest defense budget, Japan is upgrading its air defenses as both Russia and China develop stealth fighters and as North Korea works on improving its ballistic missiles and developing nuclear weapons.
Japan's Self-Defense Force has relied on U.S. military hardware, and that pattern has aided Lockheed and Boeing in the current fighter contest by causing rival suppliers to sit out the competition.
Dassault Aviation, the French maker of Rafale fighters, declined to participate because it didn't want to play "the role of a stalking horse," according to spokesman Stephane Fort.
The Rafale and the Typhoon were shortlisted in April for India's contract to buy 126 fighters. Eurofighter is a venture between BAE Systems, Finmeccanica and European Aeronautic, Defence & Space.
Japan signaled its interest in stealth by trying to buy Lockheed's F-22, IHS Jane's Caffrey said. That failed because of a U.S. export ban.
The Super Hornet and Typhoon have features that reduce their radar visibility to a lesser extent than the F-35, which was designed with a greater focus on hitting targets on the ground, he said.
A handicap for Lockheed may be that development phase for the F-35 has been extended by four years to 2016. Japan may want aircraft sooner because 18 of its F-2s were damaged by the March earthquake and tsunami, said Richard Aboulafia, vice president at Teal Group, a Fairfax, Va.-based consultant.
"The F-35 is the leader in Japan, but with a big caveat," Aboulafia said. The tsunami "has raised the prospect of an earlier buy," which may favor Boeing, he said.
By Chris Cooper, Sabine Pirone and Kiyotaka Matsuda Bloomberg News - The Seattle Times
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Monday, September 05, 2011

DTN News - WIKILEAKS NEWS: Various Articles From International Media Originated From Wikileaks For September 5, 2011

DTN News - WIKILEAKS NEWS: Various Articles From International Media Originated From Wikileaks For September 5, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 5, 2011: The international non-profit organization Wikileaks became world renown as a whistleblower publishing submissions of private, secret and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks and whistleblowers.
WikiLeaks states that its "primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behaviour in their governments and corporations".
Here are the news on various subjects for DTN News readers and viewers;
Latest Wikileaks Haul Bolsters Reports Zimbabwe's Mugabe Has Cancer Voice of America 05 September 2011 Latest Wikileaks Haul Bolsters Reports Zimbabwe's Mugabe Has Cancer One US cable released by Wikileaks quoted central banker Gideon Gono as saying President Mugabe 'has prostate cancer that has metastasized and, according to doctors, ... See all stories on this topic »
Mayawati sent private jet to get sandals from Mumbai: WikiLeaks Times of India NEW DELHI: Confidential US Embassy cables leaked by WikiLeaks portray UP chief minister as a virtual dictator, who had food tasters to sample her meals and "a security entourage to rival a head of state". An assessment of the chief minister in an ... See all stories on this topic »
How WikiLeaks became what it claims to oppose Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) The latest WikiLeaks outrage — the publication of 250000 confidential US State Department cables, complete with the names of thousands of US informants living in oppressive regimes — is summarized well in this article by Spiegel International. ... See all stories on this topic »
Lee Kuan Yew, Yaacob Ibrahim clear the air on WikiLeaks cables TODAYonline by Esther Ng SINGAPORE - Both Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Minister Yaacob Ibrahim came out yesterday to clear the air over comments recorded in leaked United States' diplomatic cables as theWikiLeaks saga once again made waves in cyberspace here. ... See all stories on this topic »
BJP attacks Govt on NSA WikiLeak cable Times Now BJP leader Balbir Punj on Saturday (September 3) said WikiLeaks cable only proves the Prime Minster is weak and he's been isolated in his Cabinet. Earlier WikiLeaks cable revealed that Singh and former National Security Advisor (NSA) MK Narayanan ... See all stories on this topic »
Stay neutral on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Vatican told CBCP, says WikiLeaks Inquirer.net A US Embassy cable (http://www.wikileaks.org/cable/2005/07/05MANILA3202.html) dated July 12, 2005, said that the Church “contact,” Bishop Romulo de la Cruz of Antique, told an embassy political officer that the papal nuncio had advised the bishops to ... See all stories on this topic »
'Wikileaks' revelations – a new headache for Muslim League TwoCircles.net By TCN News, Kozhikode: The new cables from the US Chennai Consulate leaked by the Wikileakshave become the new headache for the Muslim League which is already drowning in the midst of controversies. Minister and party leader Dr MK Muneer is seen to ... See all stories on this topic »
WikiLeaks' obvious truth Aljazeera.net People must seek to protect not only WikiLeaks, but also the mechanism by which the information enters into our purview. There is the violence you see, and then there is the violence you don't. "Every evening, as he leaves the factory, the wheelbarrow ... See all stories on this topic » Aljazeera.net
WikiLeaks Reveals Fresh Information About Korea-US Contacts The Chosun Ilbo About 14000 of the unredacted US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks last Friday concern the Korean Peninsula. They are expected to cause ripples throughout South Korea's political and business circles. Some of the cables reveal interesting new ... See all stories on this topic »
Wikileaks: ICE / IFPI Infiltrate Pirate Topsites TorrentFreak A diplomatic cable leaked by Wikileaks reveals that entertainment industry groups and law enforcement combined their efforts to infiltrate Warez Scene topsites. One of the strategies they discuss during a 2009 meeting is to have an informant leak music ... See all stories on this topic »
Wikileaks Discloses The Reason(s) Behind China's Shadow Gold ... Wondering why gold at $1850 is cheap, or why gold at double that price will also be cheap, or frankly at any price? Because, as the following leaked cable ... www.zerohedge.com/.../wikileaks-discloses-reasons-behind-ch...
Wikileaks details how Toyota problems caused diplomatic strains ... By Jonathon Ramsey Toyota's recent troubles weren't merely issues for its customers, dealers, lawyers and bottom line – the repercussions also went all the way up. Autoblog
Zimbabwe's Mugabe has prostate cancer: WikiLeaks By The Huffington Post News Editors JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has prostate cancer that has spread to other organs and was urged by his physician to step down in 2008, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks. The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com
Mayawati sent jet to fetch sandals: WikiLeaks - Politics - Politics ... US embassy cables from 2007 to 2009 describe Mayawati as 'a first-rate egomaniac' who 'is obsessed with becoming prime minister'. IBN Top Headlines
zenpundit.com » Blog Archive » Elkus on Wikileaks and Sovereignty By zen Wikileaks and Julian Assange were not and have never been, lone wolves or information-must-be-free martyrs. They are allied with important institutions and individuals within the Western progressive elite, not least major media heavyweights ... zenpundit.com
IBB's role in Obasanjo, Atiku's fight, by WikiLeaks By alexsamade ... a political spat with Obasanjo, Babangida was also at the same time allegedly hobnobbing with Obasanjo with the hope of getting his endorsement for the 2007 presidential contest, according to the United States cable obtained by Wikileaks ... Vanguard News
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