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Sunday, May 31, 2009

First LSD completes midlife upgrades

USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) - Whidbey Island-classThe Navy’s first small-deck gator to undergo an extensive midlife modernization is back in the hands of the fleet, the Navy announced Thursday, after almost a year of work in the shipyard.

The 20-year old dock landing ship Gunston Hall returned from sea trials May 21 after testing its improvements.

Engineers with Naval Sea Systems Command want the tuned-up gator to serve until as late as 2038, part of the Navy’s bid to get to a fleet of at least 313 ships in a decade.

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RAF Commander admits to shredding spy plane documents

Nimrod spy planeAn RAF commander destroyed a number of official documents after the loss of a Nimrod spy plane and its 14-man crew over Afghanistan, it emerged last week.

The Nimrod XV230 caught fire and broke up shortly after refuelling in mid-air over Afghanistan in September 2006 killing all 14 on board.

All documents relating to the aircraft were immediately impounded but Sqn Ldr Guy Bazalgette, commander of the Nimrod detachment in the Gulf, managed to retrieve one file.

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U.S. says will not accept N.Korea as nuclear state


U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday the United States would not accept a nuclear-armed North Korea and he warned Pyongyang against transferring nuclear material overseas.

A South Korean newspaper reported that Pyongyang was preparing to move an intercontinental ballistic missile from a factory near the capital to a launch site on the east coast.

In a speech to the Asia Security Conference in Singapore, Gates said the threat from North Korea, which this week detonated a nuclear device and launched a series of missiles, could start an arms race in Asia.

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Saturday, May 30, 2009

RMAF to receive last Sukhoi fighters by year end

Su-30 FlankerThe Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) are expected to take delivery of final consignment of six Sukhoi SU-30MKM fighter aircraft from Russia by year’s end.

Chief of Air Force Jen Datuk Seri Azizan Ariffin said the six Sukhoi SU-30MKM fighters will complete Malaysia’s purchase of the 18 sophisticated aircraft and further bolster the RMAF’s inventory in defending Malaysian air space.

He added that the consignment was also in tandem with the RMAF’s development plans to remain relevant and competitive, and increase the country’s defence capability with state-of-the-art air defence.

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Thai Defence is in need of Gripen fighters

JAS-39 GripenDefence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan yesterday said his ministry would push for the Bt15.4-billion procurement of six Gripen fighter aircraft, although they would only be bought when the fiscal situation permitted such a costly purchase.

The procurement, if approved, will be spread over five years from the next fiscal year starting in October.

Prawit said the six Swedish jets, when added to the other Gripens already in deployment, would form a wing of 12 fighter aircraft, replacing the ageing F-5 jets that have been in service since 1966.

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Indonesia aims to buy planes, submarines

C-130H HerculesIndonesia is in talks with the United States to buy Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport planes and might be in a position to buy fighter jets and submarines in 2-3 years, its defence minister said.

Juwono Sudarsono told Reuters on Saturday after talks with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that no final agreement had yet been reached on the transport planes, a possible first step in upgrading its military.

"With Gates we discussed the possibility of Hercules ... but because the market of that particular plane is quite tight we have to wait our turn," Sudarsono said in an interview.

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Indian Navy heads for first Atlantic Ocean deployment

Delhi class destroyerUnderlining its increasing strategic prowess, the Indian Navy has for the first time embarked on a two month-long deployment to the Atlantic Ocean, where it will participate in separate war games with the British and French navies.

Since World War I, the Atlantic Ocean has been the stage for strategic warfare for navies the world over.

Three warships and a fleet replenishment tanker from the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet have begun sailing for the Atlantic Ocean, where, besides port calls at many countries, they will conduct the Konkan exercise with the Royal Navy and the Varuna exercise with the French Navy.

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North Korea fires short-range missile: report

Two missiles take off during a firing drillNorth Korea has test-fired another short-range missile off its east coast and says it will take "self-defence measures" if the UN Security Council punishes it for this week's nuclear test.

South Korea said an increasingly aggressive North may be preparing fresh provocations after Chinese fishing boats were spotted leaving a disputed sea border on the west coast.

Regional powers are waiting to see what the North might do next.

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Friday, May 29, 2009

Raytheon Receives $30 Million for SLAMRAAM Long-lead Production


Raytheon Company's Surface Launched Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (SLAMRAAM) program has received U.S. Army approval for a long-lead acquisition, not to exceed $30 million, for long-lead purchases leading to low rate initial production.

This approval is significant as it represents and underscores the Army's confidence in the system and the capability it brings to the warfighter.

"SLAMRAAM represents a revolutionary step forward in the defense of our troops on the battlefield as well as our nation and allies," said Pete Franklin, vice president for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' National & Theater Security Programs.

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Northrop Grumman Completes Initial MP-RTIP Radar Performance Verification Flights

RQ-4A Global HawkNorthrop Grumman Corporation has completed initial testing of the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensor.

All dedicated mode flights have been completed in the Radar System Level Performance Verification (RSLPV) program, verifying system performance of the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) modes.

This new sensor is slated for the RQ-4 Block 40 Global Hawk high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Assembly of the first Block 40 aircraft, AF-18, is complete and awaiting the Air Force to begin flight testing.

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Pakistan to get AWACS by Oct this year: Air chief

Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&CThe Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, said Thursday that Pakistan would get Air Warning and Control System (AWACS) by October this year.

Talking to media after addressing a joint graduation ceremony of General Duty Pilot officers of Administration and Engineering Branch at Rislapur Academy, the Air chief said that acquisition of spying satellite and AWACS by India has imbalanced the power in the region. “This has caused a dent to the balance of power in the region - leading to an arms race,” he said.

Answering a question, he said in this modern world it is difficult to hide some area from the eye of the adversary. However, he said steps are in hand to check this aspect effectively.

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Russian fighter jets worse than those of USA and Europe?

Il-78MKI MidasThe failure of the deal to sell Russian IL-78 fuel tankers to India once again raised the issue of the competitive ability decrease of Russian arms and military technique on the world market.

Russia’s "Оboronka" (the defense industry) is facing yet harder problems in handling export contracts and servicing clients of earlier transactions. “It is impossible to improve the situation”, our expert concludes.

According to Russian and foreign media sources, India refused to buy Russian Il-78 fuel tanker aircraft.

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Australia joins fight against piracy off Somalia

HMAS WarramungaAustralia announced it will send a warship and a surveillance aircraft to the Horn of Africa as part of the international fight against piracy.

The frigate HMAS Warramunga, presently patrolling in the Persian Gulf, will be attached periodically to a new combined taskforce established to combat pirate activity in shipping lanes off Somalia.

An Australian airforce AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, based in an unnamed Persian Gulf country, will also join the taskforce.

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Northrop Grumman Inspector's Lies Raise Alarms

USS North Carolina (SSN 777)More than 10,000 welded joints on at least eight U.S. submarines and a new aircraft carrier might need to be reinspected after the discovery by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding that one of its inspectors had falsified inspection reports.

According to an internal report obtained by Defense News, the issue came to light May 14 when a welding inspector at the company's Newport News, Va., shipyard told a supervisor that a fellow inspector was initialing welds as OK without actually performing the inspections.

Confronted by the supervisor, the offending inspector admitted to falsifying three weld inspections, all that same day.

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Revised Bulava test programme draws favourable reaction

Bulava (SS-NX-30)Reaction to the announcement of an expanded test programme for Russia's troubled Bulava (SS-NX-30) submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) - to include five test launches plus static and ground tests in the remainder of 2009 - has been generally favourably received by supporters of the controversial weapon.

Russian Defence Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov told the press at a Victory Day (9 May) gathering in Moscow: "Taking any missile into service is a challenging and, unfortunately, none-too-rapid a period.

The Bulava is no exception. All the other missiles also underwent serious tests, not escaping failures and errors."

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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Facing A New Missile Threat From China

DF-21C / DF-25 Conventional Medium-Range Ballistic MissileAuthoritative Chinese military documents suggest that Beijing has taken a serious interest in anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs).

U.S. government sources state consistently that Beijing is pursuing an ASBM based on a variant of the DF-21/CSS-5 medium-range solid propellant ballistic missile (MRBM). The DF-21’s 1,500 km+ range could hold ships at risk in a large maritime area, far beyond Taiwan into the Western Pacific.

If fielded, the ASBM would be just one of a dizzying array of new platforms and weapons systems China has been buying and building since the late 1990s-systems which, taken as a whole, will allow China to assert unprecedented control of its contested maritime periphery.

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Greek Submarine deal set to surface

Type 214 diesel-electric submarineGreece is close to agreeing to a deal with Germany that could lead to the resolution of a dispute over a batch of faulty submarines, which has put a severe strain on relations between the two countries, it was revealed yesterday.

Vice Admiral Giorgos Karamalikis, the chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, said that the technical problems with the Type 214 diesel-electric submarine were being ironed out and Greece could soon be in a position to accept three of the four vessels that were ordered between 2001 and 2005.

The first submarine, dubbed Papanikolis, was developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany, and there was an agreement to build the remaining three at the Hellenic Shipyards, west of Athens.

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DPRK scraps truce, raises tension in region with threats

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday abandoned a truce that ended the Korean War and threatened to attack those who had provoked the country, in response to Seoul's decision to join a US-led international security initiative.

Pyongyang was also restarting a plant capable of making plutonium for nuclear bombs, two days after it tested an atomic bomb for the second time since 2006, Republic of Korea (ROK) media reported.

The moves added to mounting tension in the region this week, during which the DPRK also test-fired at least five short-range missiles.

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US warship becomes Florida reef


A series of controlled explosions has sunk a World War II US troop ship to create an artificial reef off Florida.

The General Hoyt S Vandenberg sank in less than two minutes after experts detonated explosives off Key West.

The ship, 523ft long (160m), settled on the bottom of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

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Mig-21 crashes near Jodhpur, pilot safe

MiG-21 Bison (Fishbed)In the third IAF fighter aircraft mishap in less than a month, a Mig-21'Bison' plane today crashed near Jodhpur but the pilot ejected safely.

The war plane, which had taken off for a routine sortie in the forenoon from the Jodhpur airbase, crashed on a barren stretch land in Luni village in Mordijoshyan, near here, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Kaviraj said.

There was no damage on the ground, he said.

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Royal Navy shrinks as Exeter goes

HMS Exeter (Type 42)HMS Exeter is no longer in the Royal Navy's fleet.

The last ship in the fleet that served in the Falklands War was decommissioned today in a formal ceremony.

The ship was in service for nearly 29 years and served in the 1991 Gulf War as well. During its lifetime it accumulated 892,811 nautical miles.

With HMS Exeter leaving service the Royal Navy will be left with six Type 42 Destroyers although HMS Nottingham is expected to be decommissioned by next year.

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Pakistan in the frame for Type 42 destroyers

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

India in talks to buy three more AWACS planes from IAI


India is negotiating the purchase of three additional AWACS surveillance planes from Israel Aerospace Industries, an Indian defense official said over the weekend. The estimated value of the deal is $1.35 billion.

The news comes just days before the expected delivery of the first of three Phalcon AWACS that India ordered in 2004 for $1.1 billion, the official said.

The Phalcon radar can track 60 targets simultaneously out to 350 kilometers, an Indian Air Force official said.

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JSF development will cost more and take longer to complete than reported to the Congress

F-35 Lightning IIJSF development will cost more and take longer to complete than reported to the Congress in April 2008, primarily because of contract cost overruns and extended time needed to complete flight testing.

DOD is also significantly increasing annual procurement rates and plans to buy some aircraft sooner than reported last year.

Total development costs are projected to increase between $2.4 billion and $7.4 billion and the schedule for completing system development extended from 1 to 3 years.

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Raytheon to Build More AESA Radars for U.S. Navy Super Hornets

APG-79 active electronically scanned array radarRaytheon Company has been awarded a $54 million U.S. Navy contract to retrofit Super Hornet block II aircraft with APG-79 active electronically scanned array radars.

The award by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., calls for APG-79 AESA radars to be retrofitted into lots 26 to 29 of the F/A-18E/F aircraft.

The units will replace the APG-73 radars currently installed in the aircraft, ensuring that pilots and aircrews are equipped with the most advanced technology available.

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Riz Khan - North Korea's nuclear test fallout (part 1)

There has been worldwide condemnation of the underground explosion carried out in North Korea on Monday. What does North Korea hope to gain from its latest nuclear test and where does it leave international attempts to persuade it to give up its nuclear programme?



Riz Khan - North Korea's nuclear test fallout (part 2)

Crash probe on, Sukhois back in air

Su-30MKIIndia’s most advanced fighter aircraft, the Su-30 MKIs have resumed operations in Indian skies, more than three weeks after a fatal and still unexplained crash resulted in the grounding of the entire fleet of the fighter aircraft.

While normal flying operations are yet to commence following the crash that took place on April 30, officials said that in a step towards restoring normalcy, a few sorties were carried out by the fighter on Saturday.

The investigation into the crash, which is being carried out with the help of a Russian team, is still on.

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The Somali government has announced an immediate blockade on airstrips and seaports

The blockade is in the rebel controlled center and south of the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.

"Beginning today [May 25] sea ports and airports not under the government's control will be closed to any flights or shipments except for humanitarian purposes," Information Minister Farhan Ali Mohamud stated.

The announcement comes on the heels of a proposal put forward by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) calling for the imposition of an embargo on south-central Somali airports and seaports run by extremist al-Shabaab militias.

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Defence teams to visit Russia for final Gorshkov negotiations


The government has decided to now speed up renegotiation with Russia for the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier refit project and has scheduled three visits by officials to seal the deal by July-end to allow the ship to join the Indian Navy in the next three years.

These visits by top defence ministry and Navy officials have been planned after a recent trip undertaken by defence secretary Vijay Singh to Moscow failed to break the deadlock in negotiations on the Russian demand for an additional $2 billion for the warship, official sources said here on Tuesday.

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Russia's first Persian Gulf naval presence coordinated with Tehran

Admiral Panteleyev (Udaloy class)Russian warships are due to call Wednesday, May 27, at the Bahrain port of Manama, seat of the US Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf, DEBKAfile's military sources reveal.

They will be following in the wake of the Russian vessels already docked at the Omani port of Salalah, the first to avail themselves of facilities at Gulf ports.

Their arrival is fully coordinated between the Russian and Iranian naval commands.

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Iran, in first, sends warships to the Gulf of Aden

Alvand class frigateIranian Navy commander Adm. Habibollah Sayyari said six warships had sent to the Gulf of Aden and "international waters".

Sayyari said this marked the first time the navy had projected power so far from Iran.

"Iran has dispatched six warships to international waters and the Gulf of Aden region in an historically unprecedented move by the Iranian Navy," Sayyari said on May 25.

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World markets shaken by NKorea's missile tests

World stocks fell Tuesday as North Korea test-fired two missiles just a day after its nuclear test, increasing uncertainty among investors already worried that the recent rally in equity markets may be overdone.

European indexes followed Asian markets lower, with trading gaining momentum as Britain and the U.S. come back from a long weekend.

In European morning trading Germany's DAX 30 was 1.6 percent lower at 4,842.35 and Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.8 percent at 4,329.09. France's CAC 40 fell 1.4 percent at 3,190.40.

In Asia, South Korea's market led the region's losses with a 2 percent decline.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

China to show off new gear

J-10 / FC-20The Chinese air force will show off new high-tech equipment at a grand military parade planned for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Communist state, local media said on Tuesday.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force will put on display new aeroplanes and surface-to-air missiles, the Beijing News reported, citing Wei Gang, the head of the air force armament department.

Among the aircraft to be showcased in the military parade planned for the centre of Beijing on Oct 1 will be the fourth-generation J-10 fighter plane, which has rarely been seen in public.

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SA company competing in Brazilian defence tender

Seeker UAVDenel, South Africa’s State-owned defence industrial group, has responded to a Request for Information (RfI) from the Brazilian Air Force regarding Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance missions. The South African company was one of nine across the world to receive the RfI.

Brazil is seeking to acquire both UAVs and UAV technologies (the country has successfully developed its own, hand-launched, micro-UAVs, but has not yet produced anything on the scale of Denel’s products).

Brazil’s defence minister recently listed this UAV project as one of his country’s top defence programmes, along with new submarines for the navy and new armoured personnel carriers for the army.

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Netherlands to sell fighter jets to Chile

F-16 Fighting FalconThe Netherlands is to sell 18 F16 fighter aircraft to Chile. A Chilean minister announced the deal last month but only now has it been confirmed by Deputy Defence Minister Jack de Vries in a letter to the lower house of parliament.

According to news agency ANP, the agreed price for the surplus F16s is around 100 million euros, but the defence ministry has not specified an amount. The deal includes training for 75 Chilean technicians.

The announcement of the sale coincides with the state visit to the Netherlands by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who has a trade delegation travelling in her wake.

Source

Lasers Could Find Friend or Foe Submarines Underwater

Navy researchers hope to use lasers for sonar detection or communicating with underwater submarines.

Flashy lasers should not make any sound in space, despite what "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" would have people believe. But lasers aimed underwater can and do create small supersonic explosions.

It's not just a light show. Naval researchers hope to use lasers for sonar detection, or even submarine-to-aircraft communication.

"The lasers we're using in experiments now are pretty compact," said Ted Jones, a physicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. "They're smaller than desk-sized and could fly on an aircraft."

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French military base to protect oil and gas routes


Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi
The UAE values the strategic and political cooperation with France as a cornerstone and a top priority of its foreign policy because it cements stability and development in the Gulf, Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday.

Shaikh Abdullah said the UAE and France will sign a memorandum of understanding that provides for appointing Emirati diplomats in the French missions in the countries where the UAE has no diplomatic missions.

Welcoming the state visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Shaikh Abdullah reiterated the UAE's interest in widening the avenues of joint cooperation and investment between both nations.

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Monday, May 25, 2009

Syria denies reports Russia called off MiG-31 deal

MiG-31 FoxhoundSyria on Sunday denied reports that Russia had decided to call off the sale to Damascus of eight MiG-31 planes in the wake of pressure from Israel.

"This is part of attempts to undermine the friendly relations and cooperation between Syria and Russia," an official Syrian statement quoted Reuters said.

According to a report in the Kommersant newspaper, Russia was supposed to sell eight MiG-31s to Syria. The $500m. deal was signed in early 2007, but work on the project was halted in April.

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Advanced attack chopper joins Iran fleet: IRGC

Shahed 285The Shahed 285 was unveiled Sunday on the anniversary of the 1982 liberation of the Iranian city Khoramshahr -- which was occupied by Iraqi forces during the 1980-88 war.

The IRGC says the state-of-the-art helicopter is capable of taking part in seaborne and airborne combat operations.

The Shahed 285 can carry autocanons, machine guns, guided missiles, anti-armor missiles and air-to-air and air-to-sea missiles.

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India gets first Awacs from Israel

Il-76 PhalconIndia has got the first of the three Israeli airborne early warning command and control systems (Awacs) and the two remaining systems will be provided in next two years, becoming the first country in South Asia to have advanced Awacs, an Israeli paper reported on Sunday.

It is being considered the most advanced Awac system as the Phalcon provides tactical surveillance of airborne and surface targets, and the gathering of signal intelligence, the paper said.

It is capable of tracking fighter planes, missiles and ground forces at a distance of 400 kilometers in any weather conditions.

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North Korea follows nuclear test with missile launch


Musudan-ri missile range
North Korea fired a short-range missile on Monday just hours after it said it had conducted a nuclear test, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a diplomatic source as saying.

South Korean officials were checking into the Yonhap report that the North fired a surface-to-air missile with a range of about 130 km (80 miles) from its coast Musudan-ri missile range, from which it fired a long-range rocket in April.

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution barring North Korea from firing ballistic missiles after July 2006 when it test-launched a long-range missile which blew apart seconds after launch but was designed to strike U.S. territory.

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Greece receives four Advanced F-16 Block 52+ fighters

F-16 Fighting FalconThe first four new Advanced F-16 Block 52+ fighter aircraft have arrived in Greece, Greek NET television channel informs.

The aircraft is part of the Greek program Peace Xenia IV. It includes 20 F-16C fighter aircraft and ten F-16D aircraft equipped with F100-PW-229 engines of Pratt & Whitney.

The remaining planes will arrive in Greece this and next year.

Source

French Jet Deal Ahead Of Sarkozy UAE Visit

RafaleThe French aircraft manufacturer Dassault is finalizing a deal to sell 60 of its Rafael fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ahead of a visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE on Monday and Tuesday.

The deal is estimated to be worth $8-11 billion, and if it goes through, the UAE will be the first foreign buyer of the plane.

"The deal comes as compensation to the French after they failed to sell 80 planes to Saudi Arabia three years ago," defense analyst Brig.-Gen. Musa Qallab (ret.) told The Media Line.

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Russia to lose mid-air refueller deal with India

A330 MRTT (Royal Australian Air Force)Russia is set to lose 1 billion U.S. dollars worth of defense deal for mid-air refuellers, which might signal an end to Moscow's 50-year monopoly over Indian military supply, reported local daily Hindustan Times on Monday.

The Indian air force has decided not to field any more Russian Ilyushin-78 refuellers after operating such refuellers for six years, said the report.

The Indian Air Force wants instead to deploy Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport, a military derivative of Airbus A330 airliner, offered by European aerospace corporation EADS, said the report.

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Iran launches anti-cruise missile, naval cannon production line

Iran launched the warship cannon production line on Sunday to be used as anti-cruise missile, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"The Fath (victory) 40-millimetre naval cannon has the optimal range of 12 kilometers (more than seven miles) and shoots 300 projectiles per minute and can be used against cruise missiles," Iran's defence Minister Mohammad Mostafa Najjar was quoted as saying by Fars.

"This weapon is an anti-aircraft low-altitude weapon and is used on warships," Najjar said.

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Super-destroyer to guard 2012 Games

HMS DaringThe Royal Navy is on standby to deploy the world’s most advanced destroyer to protect the 2012 Olympics from a 9/11-style attack.

Security chiefs are drawing up plans to moor one of the navy’s new Daring class of Type 45 destroyers in the Thames estuary.

The ship, which boasts a sophisticated antiair missile system, would be ready to shoot down hijacked aircraft or small passenger jets flown towards London or the Olympic site by terrorists.

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

X-51A First Flight in Fourth Quarter 2009

X-51A WaveRiderBoeing’s X-51A WaveRider Scramjet engine will have its first airborne test around November / December 2009, revealed Joseph Vogel, X-51A Program Manager, Advanced Network and Space Systems.

The vehicle will reach a speed of Mach 6 and the engine will burn for around 300 seconds. It will be launched from a B-52 bomber flying out of Edwards Air Force base.

Once the B-52 reaches 50,000 feet it will release the X-51A which will then engage an ATACMS booster engine that will take it up to 65,000 feet and accelerate the vehicle up to Mach 4.8 after around a 30 second burn.

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Boeing to Develop Distributed Targeting (DT) system for US Navy's Super Hornets

FA-18F Super HornetThe Boeing Company has received a $48.9 million contract from the U.S. Navy for development and testing of a Distributed Targeting (DT) system for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter.

This new targeting capability is part of the Navy's F/A-18E/F Network Centric Warfare Upgrades program and F/A-18E/F Flight Plan, a technology-insertion program that ensures the Block II Super Hornet will stay ahead of known and emerging threats through 2025 and beyond.

"Distributed targeting is a powerful new tool for the warfighter and another increase in capability for the Super Hornet, in line with the F/A-18E/F Flight Plan," said Rick Martin, Boeing F/A-18E/F and EA-18G Flight Plan program manager.

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Navy to pay General Dynamics $16M for submarine repairs


General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. reports it has won $15.8 million from the U.S. Navy for repair work on the USS Hartford.

Under the contract, Groton, Conn.-based Electric Boat will plan and perform repairs on the Los Angeles-class attack submarine, which was damaged in March when it collided with an amphibious ship, the USS New Orleans, in the Strait of Hormuz.

Electric Boat will perform planning work, material procurement and fabrication of a hull patch and a bridge access trunk, as well as planning and material procurement for the port retractable bow plane.

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Japan: NKorea warns ships away from missile base


View larger map
North Korea has warned ships to steer clear of waters off a coastal city near a missile launch base, Japan's coast guard said Friday, suggesting Pyongyang may be preparing for a short-range missile test.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency also reported heightened activity near a military base Friday, saying they indicate that the North is preparing to carry out a short-range, ground-to-ground missile test.

The apparent preparations came less than two months after the isolated communist nation launched a rocket, prompting U.N. condemnation. North Korea responded with threats to carry out more missile and nuclear tests.

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Friday, May 22, 2009

Boeing Wichita to celebrate first flight of B-52H CONECT

B-52 StratofortressBoeing Integrated Defense Systems in Wichita is celebrating the start of the flight test phase of the B-52 CONECT aircraft on Friday.

The plane has been modified with Combat Network Communications Technology, that includes new computer architecture, color displays and tactical datalinks.

That will allow the “dynamic retasking of missions and weapons during flight and provide increased situational awareness,” according to the U.S. Air Force.

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Saab To Start Flight-Testing Civil Missile Detector

CAMPS in actionThe first customer for a new European-developed civil anti-missile detection system is about to start flight trials aboard one of the Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia aircraft that it is destined to enter service on this year.

By coincidence, the May 21 announcement by Saab Aviatronics came just hours after the potential threat to aircraft posed by man-portable anti-air weapons was thrust back into the limelight by the arrest in New York of alleged terrorists attempting to acquire Stinger missiles.

The Swedish company said its system, known as CAMPS, would begin trials in South Africa next month, fitted to a Brasilia aircraft operated by charter Naturelink Aviation.

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Trident sailing back onto the agenda

Vanguard-classTrident may be re-emerging on the political agenda due to the limits on the MoD's budget.

With the MoD facing deep and painful cuts to its budget in the coming years, MPs and MoD officials have begun to re-examine every major project including the £20bn Vanguard replacement programme.

So far according to the Financial Times, no one is suggesting that the programme be cut altogether, but potential cuts could be on the way.

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Iran stops funding for Russian MiG-31E Interceptor sale to Syria

MiG-31 FoxhoundDEBKAfile's military and Iranian sources report that Moscow cancelled the $1 billion dollar sale because Tehran withheld funding as a cautionary step for Damascus against its going too far in its flirtations with Washington and Ankara.

The transaction signed in 2006 provided for Russia to sell the Syrian air force an unspecified number of advanced MiG-29M/M2 fighter-bombers and 8 MiG-29M/M2 fighters.

Wednesday, May 20, the official Russian arms export company Rosoboronexport announced the deal was off without explanation. Industry sources then released a mixed bag of pretexts.

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MoD mistakenly sends man top secret files

Confidential Ministry of Defence documents, including drawings of submarines and blueprints of military buildings, were mistakenly sent to a factory in Derbyshire, the firm's owner said yesterday.

The 12 boxes of files, marked "MoD: Bristol", were sent in error to Mark Chambers' firm, Metal Ornaments in Swadlincote, Derbys.

However, when he called to ask what he should do with them, he said he was first told no-one knew, before an operator suggested he put his question into the Q&A section of their website.

Eventually, he put them back in the post marked 'return to sender' only to receive a phone call from someone at the MoD berating him for his slapdash handling of military secrets.

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Rafale allowed to take part in aircraft bid

RafaleFrench fighter aircraft Rafale has been allowed to take part in the Indian Air Force’s bid to acquire 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Defence Procurement Board here on Monday, sources in the Defence Ministry said. Rafale, made by Dassault, was earlier declared out of the race after technical evaluations.

Sources in the Ministry said the Technical Evaluation Committee had made the recommendation, as Dassault did not provide information on some equipment and add-ons that the IAF wanted to be in the aircraft.

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At least 3 dead after U.S. Navy chopper crash

MH-60R SeahawkAt least three people were killed when a Navy helicopter with five people aboard crashed into the ocean during a training exercise southwest of San Diego, authorities said Wednesday.

Rescue crews recovered three bodies and were continuing the search for the other two crew members, said Lt. Karen Burzynski, spokeswoman for the Navy's 3rd Fleet in San Diego.

"There were five crew members on board and three deaths have been confirmed," Burzynski said.

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Update: Search ends for 2 crew in Navy helicopter crash

Bath Iron Works Marks DDG 111 Keel Laying With First 'Ultra' Unit

Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyerRepresentatives of the U.S. Navy and Bath Iron Works recently participated in a brief shipyard ceremony to mark the keel laying of Spruance (DDG 111), BIW's 33rd DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

The Spruance keel unit, a 900-ton ship module, had earlier been moved to its shipbuilding station on BIW's Land Level Transfer Facility (LLTF) using multiple self-propelled mobile transporters.

This module, the first in BIW's 124-year history to encompass the full girth of the ship, from the keel to the weather deck, is also the first Ultra Unit to be completed in the shipyard's new Ultra Hall facility which opened in 2008.

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Iran 'test launches' medium-range missile


Iran says it has successfully test launched a mid-range surface-to-surface missile, state media have reported.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the Sajjil-2 missile used "advanced technology" and had landed on target.

He was speaking in Semnan, from where the missile, with a range of 2,000km (1,240 miles), was reportedly launched.

The US confirmed the launch had taken place, and reiterated that President Barack Obama was "concerned" about Iran's missile development.

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Only one submarine left to defend Australia

Collins class submarineSubmarine woes have hit a new low with just one of six Collins Class craft fit for service.

Experts differ on the security risk this poses for the nation, but they agree that having just one boat available to defend the nation is a terrible return on a $10 billion taxpayer investment.

With HMAS Waller tied up at the Henderson shipyard south of Perth for urgent battery repairs, the only seaworthy sub is HMAS Farncomb.

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

While condemning Sri Lanka violence, EU still sells arms to government

Flag of European UnionThe European Union on Monday (18 May) called for an independent inquiry into alleged human rights violations resulting from the conflict in Sri Lanka and demanded those responsible be held to account.

However, at the same as issuing strong language condemning attacks on civilians, certain EU member states continue to arm the Sri Lankan authorities in breach of the EU's code of conduct on arms exports, according to the latest data from European governments.

"The EU is appalled by the loss of innocent civilian lives as a result of the conflict and by the high numbers of casualties, including children, following recent intense fighting in northern Sri Lanka," said European foreign ministers in a statement following a meeting in Brussels on Monday (18 May).

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Obstacles In Making Case For More F-22 Fighters

F-22 RaptorOn April 6, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the Pentagon would stop making F-22 fighter jets, scores in Congress thundered to uphold the ultra-expensive aircraft as a linchpin of the national defense and a cornerstone of economies in Texas, Georgia, Connecticut and many other states.

Yet within weeks, two institutions with a deep interest in the F-22 -- its builder, Lockheed Martin Corp., and its user, the Air Force -- said that they could tolerate the plan to stop production after the 187th plane, just four more than now on order.

Gates has stood firm against the aircraft, for which Pratt & Whitney of East Hartford makes the engines: President Barack Obama's fiscal 2010 budget, submitted to Congress this month, includes no money for new F-22s.

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U.S. Air Force proposal aims to eliminate 250 fighter jets

F-15C EagleSpangdahlem Air Base in Germany would lose 18 F-16s — and possibly one of its three fighter squadrons — in a plan the Air Force announced Tuesday to eliminate about 250 fighter jets from its inventory.

The move, tied to the service’s desire to free up more money for next-generation aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle operations, would save $355 million in fiscal 2010 and $3.5 billion over the next five years, according to an Air Force news release.

"We have a strategic window of opportunity to do some important things with fighter aircraft restructuring," Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley was quoted as stating in the release.

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Giant jetty sets sail to sub base

Valiant JettyA floating jetty, the length of two football pitches, has completed its journey to its new home on the Clyde.

The 200m long reinforced concrete structure will provide berths for six new Astute-class submarines at the Royal Navy's Faslane base.

The Valiant Jetty will be kept in place by four piles at its corners, each as tall as Nelson's Column, allowing it to rise and fall with the tide.

Five tugs towed the structure on its nine-mile journey from Greenock.

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3-Way Race for Ballistic Missile Warning Radars


South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) is likely to select Israel's Green Pine radar systems for the country's independent low-tier missile shield to enter service by 2012, a source said Sunday.

Three foreign bidders have submitted contract proposals for South Korea's program to acquire ballistic missile early warning radar systems, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Tuesday.

The bidders are Israel's Elta, Raytheon of the United States and Thales Netherlands, the agency said in a news release.

The agency plans to select the finalist by the end of the year after reviewing each firm's contract proposal and finishing price negotiations, it said.

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India to build 32 airships, six submarines in 3 years: Navy chief

India is all set to build on its own at least 32 naval airships and six submarines in three years' time as part of its Navy's modernization program, Indian Navy chief Admiral Suresh Mehta said Tuesday.

"The Indian Navy would build 32 warships and six submarines using indigenous technology by the year 2012," Mehta told the media in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata on the sidelines of commissioning of the Navy's sixth Landing Ship Tank, Airavat, into the Eastern Naval Command.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Indian Air Force to Induct HAL Tejas Light Combat Fighter Jets by 2010-11

Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)The induction of first squadron of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to Indian Air Force (IAF) can take place by the end of 2010 or the beginning of 2011 with regular persuasion and monitoring of the LCA programme, the Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major said.

The Chief of Air Staff during his farewell visit to Aeronautical Development Agency recently said: “IAF is on the transformation stage in the matter of gaining overall capabilities, with the help of organisations such as DRDO, ADA, HAL and other partners.”

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been a part of IAF’s endeavour to attain indigenous status in getting what is required for the nation’s security.

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Lockheed Martin Awarded Technology Development Contract for F/A-18E/F Infrared Search and Track Program

F/A-18F Super HornetLockheed Martin was awarded a $4 million contract by the Boeing Company for the technology development phase of the F/A-18E/F Infrared Search and Track (IRST) program.

The technology development contract follows a two-year pre-system design and development program in which Lockheed Martin was down-selected as the sole source provider.

“The IRST sensor system will provide next generation capability to counter emerging threats,” said Ken Fuhr, fixed-wing program director at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

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The coldest war: Russia and U.S. face off over Arctic resources

Northpole mapAs the oil wells run dry, the planet's last great energy reserves lie miles beneath the North Pole. And as the U.S. and Russia race to grab them at any cost, the stage is set for a devastating new cold war.

The year is 2020, and, from the Middle East to Nigeria, the world is convulsed by a series of conflicts over dwindling energy supplies.

The last untapped reserves of oil and gas lie in the most extreme environment on the planet - the North Pole - where an estimated bonanza of 100 billion barrels are buried deep beneath the Arctic seabed.

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India test-fires Agni-II missile

nuclear-capable 'Agni-II' missileIndia on Tuesday successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable ‘Agni-II' missile with a strike range of up to 3,000 km from a launch pad off Orissa's coast.

The test of the indigenously built Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile was carried out from a mobile launcher at about 10.06 a.m. from launch pad-4 of Integrated Test Range at Wheelers Island near Dhamra, about 80 km from here, defence sources said.

It was a user trial conducted by the Army and scientists from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) were present to provide the necessary logistical support, sources said.

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