Taliban Poised At The Gates Of Kabul

Taliban Poised At The Gates Of Kabul

ISI controlling the Taliban’s South Korean hostage drama

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - March 13, 2009: A top Taliban commander has told CNN his insurgents are poised and ready to attack Kabul and could strike virtually anywhere in the city. (Photo/image: Afghan security forces patrol the streets of Kabul). It would be tempting to put this down to Taliban propaganda except one of Kabul's top cops is saying the same thing. "We are working on a security strategy for the city and if we don't get it right, they [the Taliban] can attack at any minute, at any hour, any time," says Commander Mohammed Daud Amin, in charge of securing the Kabul district that includes the Presidential Palace and many government ministries. Proof of the menacing threat came just last month when eight Taliban fighters, bristling with weapons and suicide vests, burst into three government buildings in the center of Kabul. Police and security forces managed to kill all the insurgents before they could detonate their vests, but 20 people were killed and dozens were wounded. The attack took many by surprise and it underlined the credibility of Taliban threats. It was also seen as one of the most direct attacks on the government of President Hamid Karzai and gave new authority to claims that the Taliban are isolating the capital, one of the last bastions of security in Afghanistan, compromising many routes in and out of the city. "Staff... staff," Amin points to pictures of dead Justice Ministry staff from his evidence book of the crime scene of last month's attack. With every page, the carnage is laid bare. There are several pictures of government employees shot dead as they worked, blood splattering the ministry walls and floors. Watch Amin pore over photos of the bloodshed » As Amin continues to flip through the book, he reveals pictures of dead militants and many of those images defy description. In one picture, the militant is missing an arm, which Amin says was torn off as he detonated a hand grenade. In other pictures there are few body parts that can be discerned, save for the militant's head. "Police went looking for the insurgents and they went after them inside. We are convinced the insurgents wanted to hold ministry employees hostage." says Amin. Many in Kabul applauded the courage and tactics of individual officers in their handling of the ministry attack. Amin says he and his men managed to prevent a deadly and prolonged hostage situation One of his men is 22-year-old Ahmed Zahir. We found him patrolling the streets of Kabul just outside the Presidential Palace walls. He describes what happened to him that day as dozens of people started pouring out of the Justice Ministry and running towards his police post in a panic. Zahir says he ran into the ministry building and was caught in a firefight, eventually killing one insurgent. While his courage seems commendable, his disillusionment over how his superiors responded to his efforts is less so, and his reactions are disturbing. "The government didn't thank me and they did not help me afterwards," says Zahir, with evident bitterness. By help, he means money. Police in Kabul earn less than $200 a month, considerably less than it costs to live in the capital, even for those not supporting a family. With low wages comes low morale and an invitation to corruption -- Afghanistan's police are regularly accused of being on the take. And yet their jobs couldn't be more crucial in trying to keep together the country's fragile security. Take Kabul, a city clogged with somewhere between four and five million people -- no one knows for sure -- and traffic to match that human crush. It's not hard to see how eight Taliban fighters seemed to so easily slip into the city last month. "They used government cars with tinted glass and we have no authority to stop them" says Abdulla Mahbob, a police officer at one of Kabul's key checkpoints. Still, coalition forces have no choice by to keep rooting for Kabul's cops. By the end of the year, NATO will hand over much of the responsibility for securing the capital to the city's police force. And that will be a crucial test to see if this city and this country can stand on its own, even with the Taliban standing at the gate.

ATK, Indonesian Aerospace Team For ISR Opportunities / PTDI And ATK Mission Systems Group In Cooperation

ATK, Indonesian Aerospace Team For ISR Opportunities / PTDI And ATK Mission Systems Group In Cooperation

(NSI News Source Info) March 13, 2009: PTDI (Indonesian Aerospace) is working out a closer cooperative agreement with Alliant Techsystems International Mission Group – Special Mission Aircraft Business, a leading and prominent company in the field of aerospace and defense from Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA).

The MoU between the two companies is signed today by Vice President Director, Budi Santoso and ATK Vice President and General Manager, David L. Sharpen on March 11, 2009 in Jakarta. ATK Mission Systems - ATK provides mission systems solutions through ATK Mission Systems, a leading supplier of aerospace systems, weapons systems, and technical services. Major Products and Programs *Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) *Extended Range Munition (ERM) *120mm tank ammunition *Force protection systems *Fuzing and integrated ordnance *Directed-energy and high-power microwave technologies *Structures for aircraft, weapons, missile defense interceptors, satellites, and spacecraft *Electro-optical and infrared sensor systems and testing *Advanced signal processing and communications techniques *Hardened microelectronics for nuclear and space environments *Advanced laser and coherent optics applications *STAR upper-stage motors and STAR stages for spacecraft orbit transfer *Propulsion and control systems for missile defense interceptors *Hypervelocity and air-breathing propulsion systems for next-generation space vehicles and weapons *AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems *Integrated sensor and data acquisition for surveillance aircraft *Propulsion systems for tactical missiles and guided projectiles ATK Mission Systems Overview Locations and Contact Information

According to Budi Santoso, Alliant Techsystems Inc (ATK) and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (Persero) have agreed to work together to explore and asses airborne intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) opportunities and initiatives leading to a future cooperative business relationship.

So far PTDI has successfully marketed its maritime patrol aircraft for both domestic and foreign uses, namely four CN-235 MPA for the Republic of South Korea, one unit of CN-235 MPA for the Indonesian Air Force and one unit of C-212 MPA for the Indonesian Navy.

Another PTDI experience in this field is MPA system application on the CN-235 operated by the Air Force and Navy of Turkey.

Iran 'One Or Two Years' From Nuclear Weapon: Russian Expert / Iran Missile, Nuclear Threat 'Real, Dangerous' - Russian Analyst

Iran 'One Or Two Years' From Nuclear Weapon: Russian Expert / Iran Missile, Nuclear Threat 'Real, Dangerous' - Russian Analyst

(NSI News Source Info) March 13, 2009: Russia and the West would be making a big mistake if they ignored or underestimated the potential missile and nuclear threat coming from Iran, a Russian military expert said on Thursday. "Iran is actively working on a missile development program. I won't say the Iranians will be able to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles in the near future, but they will most likely be able to threaten the whole of Europe," said Maj. Gen. Vladimir Dvorkin, head of the Moscow-based Center for Strategic Nuclear Forces. Some Western and Russian sources claim that Iran may be currently running a program, dubbed Project Koussar, to develop a totally different missile with a range of 4,000-5,000 km (2,500-3,300 miles). "Iran has long abandoned outdated missile technologies and is capable of producing sophisticated missile systems," Dvorkin said at a news conference in RIA Novosti. Iran successfully launched last year an upgraded Shahab-3 ballistic missile as part of a navy exercise, dubbed Great Prophet 3, in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. With a reported range of 2,000 kilometers and armed with a 1-ton conventional warhead, the Shahab-3 puts Israel, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan within striking distance. Western powers led by the United States, along with Israel, accuse Tehran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technology for their delivery. Iran says it needs its nuclear program for the peaceful generation of electricity and missile program for space exploration. Iran has consistently defied international demands to halt its nuclear program and insists it plans to use enriched uranium fuel produced at a uranium enrichment facility at Natanz in its first domestically-built nuclear power plant, in the town of Darkhovin, which is scheduled to become operational in 2016. Tehran announced in late February that it had 6,000 operating centrifuges at Natanz and was planning to install a total of 50,000 over the next five years. Commenting on the Iranian nuclear program, Dvorkin said the potential danger of its military aspect was not the possibility of a nuclear strike against some countries, but the ability to assume a more bold approach in dealing with the international community after becoming a nuclear power. "The real threat is that Iran, which is already ignoring all resolutions and sanctions issued by the UN Security Council, will be practically 'untouchable' after acquiring nuclear-power status, and will be able to expand its support of terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah," the expert said. He added that the possession of nuclear weapons by Iran could force non-nuclear countries to seek similar weapons and ballistic missile technologies thus starting a nuclear race and increasing the possibility of a nuclear conflict. Dvorkin has had a role in writing all major strategy documents for the Strategic Nuclear Forces and the Strategic Missile Forces. As an expert in the field he participated in preparing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and the START I and START II pacts, and has made a significant contribution to formulating Soviet and Russian positions at negotiations on strategic offensive arms control and reduction.

US Lawmakers: Pakistan Must Give Access To Nuclear Scientist

US Lawmakers: Pakistan Must Give Access To Nuclear Scientist

(NSI News Source Info) Washington - March 13, 2009: US lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation aiming to cut off military aid to Pakistan unless US officials are able to question alleged nuclear proliferator Abdul Qadeer Khan. Pakistani cricket star turned politician Imran Khan (R) meets nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, at his residence after a court verdict in Islamabad February 7, 2009. A Pakistani court declared Abdul Qadeer Khan free on Friday, ending five years of house arrest for the man at the centre of the world's most serious proliferation scandal. Abdul Qadeer Khan, lionised by many Pakistanis as the father of the country's atomic bomb, confessed to selling nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya in 2004, but was immediately pardoned by the government, although his movements were restricted to effective house arrest. Khan, released from house arrest in early February, "is again a loose nuke scientist with proven ability to sell the worst weapons to the worst people," said Democratic Representative Jane Harman, a lead author of the bill. The legislation would also tie continued US military aid -- equipment, supplies, and training -- to getting satisfactory assurances from Islamabad that it is monitoring Khan's movements and activities. "Hopefully, appropriate Pakistani officials worry as we do that their civilians could become nuclear targets -- as could NATO soldiers in neighboring Afghanistan or civilians in any number of Western countries," said Harman. The measure would tie aid to White House certification that Pakistan is making Khan available to the US government for questioning and is giving "adequate assurances" that it will watch him "to prevent his participation in any efforts to disseminate nuclear technology or know-how." It would also, however, give President Barack Obama the power to waive the restriction if he certifies that it is in the US national interest to do so. Khan, 72, was freed by a Pakistani court February 6. He had been under a virtual house arrest in Islamabad since February 2004, when he publicly confessed to sending nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, although he later retracted his remarks. Military ruler and then president Pervez Musharraf pardoned Khan in 2004, but he was kept at his residence, guarded by troops and intelligence agents. Days after the court ordered Khan, dubbed the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, freed from house arrest, a US State Department official said Islamabad had promised steps to keep him from becoming a renewed proliferation threat. But the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Washington was skeptical and wanted more "solid" assurances that Pakistan was restricting his movements and contacts. "I understand that he has to notify (his) government 48 hours in advance if he wants to travel outside of Islamabad. That's one of the things they've communicated to us," according to the official. Khan's release came after the United States, one of Pakistan's key allies, on January 12 unveiled sanctions against Khan, 12 associates and three firms linked to his nuclear proliferation network. The US sanctions forbid them from having business dealings with the US government or private US firms in what the State Department said was a renewed bid to make sure the network has been shut down entirely. Democratic Representatives Ellen Tauscher and Gerry Connolly and Republican Representative Ed Royce joined Harman in introducing the measure.

Singapore Firm Running For Key India Arms Contract: Report

Singapore Firm Running For Key India Arms Contract: Report

(NSI News Source Info) Singapore - March 13, 2009: A state-linked Singapore firm is bidding for a key contract worth one billion Singapore dollars (650 million US) to supply mobile artillery to the Indian military, a newspaper said Thursday. The Straits Times quoted an unnamed Indian official as saying the South Asian giant's army was happy with an ultra-lightweight cannon from defence and engineering firm Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics). "We like the artillery," the Indian official said. ST Kinetics, the land systems and specialty vehicles arm of Singapore Technologies Engineering, confirmed it had made a bit for the contract. "We are participating in the tender which is currently at the evaluation stage," a company spokeswoman said. "As it is still under evaluation and we are bound by customer confidentiality agreements, we are unable to comment further." The report said the Indian army evaluated the Singapore-made Pegasus ultra-lightweight cannon -- said to be the first self-propelled, helicopter-portable weapon of its kind and capable of firing three rounds in 24 seconds. The contract is for 145 cannons, it said. India, which has long had uneasy relations with fellow nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan, is looking to modernise its military hardware, in the past sourced mainly from the former Soviet Union. The Indian military has said it cannot cut defence spending even during the current financial crisis and plans to hand out contracts worth 30 billion US dollars in the next three to four years. The defence budget accounts for 2.5 percent of GDP and India has imported military hardware worth 28 billion dollars since 2000. ST Engineering is listed on the Singapore exchange and reported a turnover of 5.34 billion Singapore dollars (3.47 billion US) in 2008. It is one of the companies under state investment agency Temasek Holdings.

U.S. Destroyers To Escort Ships In S. China Sea / US Destroyers To Escort Ships In South China Sea: official

U.S. Destroyers To Escort Ships In S. China Sea / US Destroyers To Escort Ships In South China Sea: official

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - March 13, 2009: The United States has decided to provide heavily armed destroyers to escort U.S. surveillance ships operating in the South China Sea after a tense naval standoff this week, a U.S. official said March 12. "Right now they are going to escort these types of ships for the foreseeable future," the defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP. The U.S. government has said Chinese boats moved directly in front of the U.S. Navy surveillance vessel Impeccable on Sunday, forcing the ship to take emergency action to avoid a collision. A day after the incident, the USS Chung-Hoon destroyer accompanied the Impeccable - an unarmed ship designed to track submarines with sonar - in the same area, the official said. Since Sunday's high-seas standoff, there have been no incidents of harassment from Chinese boats or aircraft, he said. "It's been quiet," the official said. "There's a great deal of emphasis right now to keep this at the diplomatic level. So that's been our focus." The escorts by warships applied to operations in the South China Sea, he said. Chinese military chiefs believe the U.S. Navy ship was on a spying mission, state media reported March 11. The U.S. keeps a close eye on China's military arsenal, including its expanding fleet of submarines. The episode complicated fragile military relations between the world powers, which had improved after the two held defense talks in Beijing last month. President Barack Obama on March 12 urged more military dialogue with China to avoid similar incidents after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, the White House said in a statement. "The president also stressed the importance of raising the level and frequency of the U.S.-China military-to-military dialogue in order to avoid future incidents," it said. As part of cooperation efforts, the two countries established a hotline between the Chinese defense ministry and the Pentagon in April last year. But the hotline was not used during or after Sunday's standoff, defense officials said. The U.S. government immediately protested to Chinese authorities after the incident, which occurred about 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Hainan Island. Beijing has rejected the U.S. account and demanded the United States cease what it calls illegal activities in the South China Sea. The Chinese maintain the area is part of the country's exclusive economic zone. Washington insists the area is part of international waters and that U.S. ships have a legal right to operate there. The Chung-Hoon is a guided-missile destroyer based in Hawaii that joined the U.S. Navy fleet in 2004.

Georgia Says It Would Consider Hosting U.S. Base

Georgia Says It Would Consider Hosting U.S. Base

(NSI News Source Info) TBILISI - March 13, 2009: Ex-Soviet Georgia would seriously consider hosting a U.S. military base if asked and is prepared to act as a transit route for Western forces in Afghanistan, senior Georgian officials said March 12. "If the United States thinks it wants to establish a base, we will seriously consider it," Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze told Japan's Nikkei newspaper in an interview published Thursday. He emphasized, however, that the U.S. and Georgia were not currently holding talks on the issue. Georgia's deputy foreign minister, Giga Bokeria, said that as well as hosting a base the country was prepared to act as a conduit for troops and supplies to Afghanistan. "Georgia was and remains ready to cooperate with the United States both on the deployment of U.S. bases on Georgian territory, if the U.S. expresses such a desire, and in using Georgian territory as a transit route to Afghanistan," he told AFP. The remarks came as the U.S. steps up efforts to find new transit routes to supply coalition forces in Afghanistan amid growing instability in Pakistan, its main transit route, and the announcement by Central Asian nation Kyrgyzstan last month of the closure of a key U.S. airbase on its territory. This week U.S. military officials held talks with government and business representatives from Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan about using the Caucasus region south of Russia as a transit route. The two days of talks were held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. There are nearly 70,000 international soldiers in Afghanistan helping the government fight an extremist insurgency led by the Taliban, who were in power between 1996 and 2001. The deployment of a U.S. base in Georgia could seriously strain Washington's relations with Russia, which fought a brief war with Georgia last year. Russia sent troops and tanks deep into Georgia last August in response to a Georgian military attempt to retake the Moscow-backed rebel region of South Ossetia. Russian forces later mostly withdrew to within South Ossetia and another rebel region, Abkhazia, which Moscow has recognized as independent states.

U.K. To Extend UAV-By-The-Hour Deal

U.K. To Extend UAV-By-The-Hour Deal

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON - March 13, 2009: Britain's Ministry of Defence is to extend a UAV-by-the-hour deal with Thales UK that provides the military in Afghanistan with key intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities. Company officials attending an engineering and science event here March 11 confirmed that they are close to completing arrangements for the ISTAR deal to run through to the in-service date of the British Army's Watchkeeper UAV system scheduled for 2011.

In July 2004, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that Thales UK had been selected as the preferred bidder for the Watchkeeper Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle (TUAV) system. Watchkeeper will provide the UK armed forces with intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability. "Watchkeeper will provide the UK armed forces with intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capability." In August 2005, Thales UK was awarded the contract for the development, manufacture and initial support (DMIS) phases of the Watchkeeper programme. The number of Watchkeeper systems has not yet been formally announced, but is thought to be about 54 systems. Watchkeeper is a tactical system that will be operated in theatre by the British Army Royal Artillery. Thales UK's Watchkeeper proposal included a large UAV and a smaller UAV, support equipment and ground stations. The MoD has decided that a single UAV solution is more cost effective and only the larger WK450 UAV will be developed. The air vehicle will be capable of carrying a range of sensors including day and night cameras and surveillance radars. In June 2007, following completion of the critical design review, Thales unveiled the final design which features the dual payload, all-weather operation with de-icing and automatic take-off and landing capability. First flight of the Watchkeeper UAV was in April 2008, from Megido Airfield in northern Israel. Trials of Elbit's Magic X-band automatic take-off and landing system were successfully completed in August 2008. Trials with the I-Master radar and electro-optic payloads are due later in 2008. Flight testing will move to Parc Aberporth in Wales in early 2009. The Watchkeeper system will enter service in the British armed forces Royal Artillery in 2010. A full Watchkeeper system can be deployed to theatre in a single C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. As an urgent operational requirement to provide intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) until Watchkeeper enters service, the British Army has ordered a Hermes 450 UAV (on which the Watchkeeper is based) unit from Thales UK / Elbit. The unit has been operational in Iraq since June 2007. Thales has been providing the service for British forces since mid-2007 to help plug a gap in British ISTAR capabilities in Afghanistan and Iraq. Under an urgent operational requirement deal with the MoD, Thales provides the Elbit Hermes 450 tactical UAV, contractor logistics support and program management services. It also trains the military in the use and maintenance of the system. The UAV-by-the-hour service has drawn considerable attention from Canada, France and other NATO nations that need similarly rapid hikes in ISTAR capabilities. To date, the Hermes 450s have flown more than 18,000 hours for the British in the two operational theaters, a Thales UK spokeswomen said. The original two-year deal was expected to be worth around 60 million pounds ($83 million), much of that going to UAV provider Elbit. British forces are likely to pull out of Iraq later this year and it remains unclear whether the UAVs in that theater will be switched to bolster capabilities in Afghanistan. MoD officials at the event declined to discuss the ISTAR plans, citing operational security issues. The British arm of Thales was selected in 2005 as the winner of the 900 million-pound Watchkeeper program. Based on a much-modified version of the Hermes 450, the first platform and associated ground segment equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the Army here in October 2010 and enter service a few months later. The platform is currently undergoing flight testing in Israeli prior to transitioning to Britain in the fourth quarter of this year to begin U.K. eyes-only tests on sensitive equipment such as the radar and datalink.

Italy's Military Chief: It's Wise To Be Out Of A400M

Italy's Military Chief: It's Wise To Be Out Of A400M

(NSI News Source Info) ROME - March 13, 2009: As delays continue to plague the development of the A400M European transport aircraft, Italy's senior military commander has said Italy did the "wise" thing in steering clear of the program at the beginning of the decade. On 9 January 2009, EADS announced that the first delivery has been postponed until at least 2012. EADS also indicated that it wants to renegotiate 'certain technical characteristics' of the aircraft. EADS has long maintained the first deliveries would begin three years after the A400M's first flight. The German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland has closely followed the A400M program and reported on 12 January 2009 that the aircraft is overweight by 12 tons and may not be able to achieve a critical performance requirement, the ability to airlift 32 tons. Sources told FTD that, currently, the aircraft can only lift 29 tons, which is insufficient to carry a modern armored infantry fighting vehicle. The FTD report prompted the chief of the German Air Force to say, "That is a disastrous development," and could delay deliveries to the Luftwaffe until 2014. The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the Luftwaffe is delayed at least until 2017. This leads the political planning to potential alternatives in the shape of a higher integration of European airlift capabilities. The OCCAR reminded the participating countries that they can terminate the contract before 31 March 2009. "I am convinced of this. Italy was strongly criticized when it made this decision. Today, those critics should indulge in some self-criticism," Gen. Vincenzo Camporini, Italian chief of staff, said March 12, when he was asked whether Italy had made the right decision to opt out of the group of European nations that was planning the airlifter in 2001. Camporini said he was nevertheless perturbed by the technical problems that have pushed back delivery dates for the aircraft. "As a passionate supporter of European capacity, I am seriously concerned about the news arriving from industry about the program," he said. "I hope that difficulties are overcome, because that way the European Union can finally carry out its strategic capacity." But Camporini said that Italy was vindicated in its decision not to sign up. "It is worth underlining the wise decision taken by political and military planners at the start of the decade, knowing the theoretical difficulties of the program, to opt for a solution that provides possibly a reduced capacity but gives Italy today a capacity for transport air that is modern, adequate and among the best in Europe." Italy operates the C-130J and the C-27J tactical transport, charters civilian aircraft, and is expecting delivery of 767 tanker transports.

BAE Buys U.S. UAV Maker

BAE Buys U.S. UAV Maker

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON - March 13, 2009: BAE Systems has taken another step toward building its unmanned air vehicle business by acquiring the privately owned Advanced Ceramics Research for an undisclosed sum. Silver Fox UAV - From the original Silver Fox research and development program funded by Small Business Innovative Research grants and Science Technology Transfer programs under the Office of Naval Research and by the Naval Air Systems Command came evaluations of it by units of the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. Through spiral development grounded in battle front use and in employment for training and exercises the Silver Fox UAV has proven to be the unmanned aerial vehicle of choice by many. The Silver Fox UAV provides lower cost, high endurance and exceptional autonomous aerial surveillance imaging, carrying miniaturized sensor payloads for day or night operations with a small operations footprint. The Silver Fox engineering team can integrate cameras and sensors for image or data collection and transmission via its integrated ground control system (iGCS). It can be launched from the portable, lightweight, closed gas piston rail system mounted atop its storage case, on board small boats, submarines and ships, armored vehicles, HUMVEEs or trucks. Arizona-based Advanced Ceramics Research produces three small UAVs and related ground support equipment. It also sells ceramic materials in the military and civil aerospace markets. Unmanned systems, primarily for air applications, are for the moment a fledgling business for BAE but it is one of the sectors targeted for major growth by the company through acquisition and organic growth. To date, BAE's work in the UAV business has centered on larger tactical and strategic platform developments based in the U.K. The company has started marketing its Herti autonomously operated UAV and is center stage in British efforts to develop a wider capability in the sector with the much larger Reaper-sized Mantis and Taranis vehicles. Mantis is already in Australia, awaiting its maiden flight from the Woomera test range early in the second quarter of this year. Taranis is now in final assembly with ground trials slated to begin in late 2009. Both programs are part U.K. government funded. Advanced Ceramics' UAVs range from the Silver Fox with its 8-pound payload and 10-hour duration, to the Coyote with a 1-pound payload and 90-minute duration. Walt Havenstein, the president and chief executive of BAE's U.S. operations, said in a statement that the acquisition will "provide BAE with an excellent set of mature, operational products within the small/mini and tactical unmanned air systems market. The addition of these smaller platforms will complement the larger UAS being developed by BAE in the U.K."