Ukraine may become world's sixth biggest arms trader

The output of Ukrainian defense plants grew by 58% in 2009, which would unable Ukraine to rank as the world's sixth largest arms trader, the Ukrainian Industrial Policy Ministry's Defense Sector Agency said.

The largest growth was reported by aircraft builders (77%), shipbuilders (71%) and producers of armaments and military hardware (16%).

Ukraine signed a record number of large contracts last year, representatives of the Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies Center said in an interview published by the Saturday issue of the Tyzhnia (Mirror Weekly) newspaper.

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China concerned by ASEAN subs

China is concerned by the buildup of ASEAN submarine fleets in seas bordering China, a top Navy official said on Saturday.

According to the Zhongguo Xinwen news agency, Rear Adm. Yin Zhuo said members states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were seeking to dominate the southern seas and thus posed a threat to China.

"If this continues at the current rate, in several years the ASEAN countries will create powerful naval forces," the admiral said, stressing that "this is naturally becoming a challenge to neighboring countries, including China."

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Russia Agrees to Provide Lebanon with Mi-24 Helicopters Instead of MiG Fighters

President Michel Suleiman returned Friday afternoon to Beirut concluding a 2-day official visit to Moscow, the first ever visit by a Lebanese head of state to Russia.

Suleiman said the Russian authorities agreed to substitute the 10 MiG-29 fighter jets previously mulled military aid with Mi-24 advanced military helicopters "based on the request of the Lebanese side that conducted technical and functional studies on the Russian fund for the Lebanese Air Force."

The Lebanese side based the request on army command's recommendation that the vital need currently is for this type of military helicopters that can be equipped with missiles and advanced combat means.

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U.S. Navy launches ship named after Charles R. Drew in San Diego

Syliva Drew Ivie has seen schools and a medical college named after her late father Charles Drew, a black surgeon whose pioneering work in the science of blood preservation was key to the development of large-scale blood banks.

But the U.S. Navy’s christening and launching of the massive, 689-feet long dry cargo/ammunition ship Charles Drew from a San Diego shipyard early Saturday may have been the most unusual “edifice” named after him. But it was no less touching, the 66-year-old Drew Ivie said.

The Los Angeles resident acknowledged that some people would find it unusual for a warship to be named after her father, who also serves as the namesake of Willowbrook’s Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

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Fire mishap on INS Sindhurakshak due to explosion in battery

The fire mishap on INS Sindhurakshak in Visakhapatnam that left a sailor dead and two others injured was caused by an explosion in its battery compartment, Navy officials said in New Delhi on Saturday.

Sindhurakshak, a Russian-origin Kilo class submarine, was in the Visakhapatnam harbour for a routine maintenance when the mishap occurred on Friday evening.

"It was due to a defective battery and Leading Electrical Technician Kump Dand was killed," the official said.

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U.S. Air Force Set To Begin X-51 Hypersonic Flight Tests

The U.S. Air Force is gearing up for the first of four planned test flights of a hypersonic aircraft designed to operate for much longer durations and cover far greater distances than previous platforms of its type.

The maiden flight of the X-51 Waverider aircraft — the first U.S. hypersonic vehicle to fly in six years — is scheduled to take place later in March.

Boeing Defense, Space & Security Systems of St. Louis has been developing the aircraft since 2003 on behalf of the Air Force Research Laboratory and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

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BAE Systems wins Navy contract worth up to $500 million

BAE Systems has been awarded a five-year Navy contract to modernize 11 Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, the company announced Friday.

The "multi-ship, multi-option" contract includes an initial one-year award and four option years; if all the options are exercised, the contract could be worth between $350 million and $500 million, according to the company.

Modernization, maintenance and repair work will begin in July on the flagship of the class, the Arleigh Burke, at the company's facility in Norfolk, south of the Berkley Bridge.

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Australia's shrinking air force

The nation's air combat force has withered to its smallest size in a generation, with less than half of the country's fighter jets available for operations.

At times this year as many as three out of four of the RAAF's 86 fighter jets have been grounded due to maintenance, upgrades or safety concerns.

Of those warplanes that are available, only a handful can be sent into combat because they do not yet have sufficient electronic protection to survive against modern air defences.

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Strategic missiles on Moscow’s roads

Late last night, three 16-wheel transporters with Russia’s latest and most advanced intercontinental strategic ballistic missile launcher, Topol-M, were spotted on the Moscow Ring Road.

This was not part of any military maneuvers. The Topol-Ms, usually armed with six warheads and decoys, were on their way to a military base outside the city and will, for the first time ever, take part in the Victory Day Parade on Red Square on 9th May.

The two previous years, it was the predecessor missile system that took part in the parade.

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Raytheon Delivers 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV Cruise Missile to U.S. Navy

In a significant production milestone, Raytheon Company delivered the 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile to the U.S. Navy.

"Tomahawk Block IV provides the Navy with a combat-proven weapon that plays a critical role in hybrid warfare operations," said Capt. Dave Davison, the U.S. Navy's program manager for the Tomahawk weapon system.

"The Navy's receipt of the 2,000th Tomahawk Block IV provides the commander with a powerful tactical weapon to shape the battlespace and prosecute time-critical targets."

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Northrop Grumman's Bat(TM) Unmanned Aircraft System Successfully Completes First Flight

Northrop Grumman Corporation announced today that it has flown the first in a new series of Bat™ unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in January.

Configured with a 12-foot wingspan, the Bat™-12 incorporates a highly-reliable Hirth engine as well as a low acoustic signature five-blade propeller.

The new configuration increases the mission portfolio of Northrop Grumman's scalable Bat™ UAS product line.

Northrop Grumman has been engaged in the development of unmanned systems for more than sixty years, delivering more than 100,000 unmanned solutions to military customers across the world.

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New choppers to boost Australian Defence capability

The Federal Government will buy up to 24 new helicopters for the Navy, and has given a second pass approval for the acquisition of seven new Chinook helicopters for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Defence Minister John Faulkner says the 24 Navy helicopters will have advanced anti-submarine warfare capability.

He says a contract will be put to tender in the coming months, with the aim of having the helicopters operational by 2014.

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German Army Report Highlights NH90 Deficiencies

An internal German Army report has provided a damning assessment of the German military's new NHIndustries NH90 multi-purpose helicopter.

The 103-page document assesses the helicopter's current operational capability as extremely limited, and highlights a range of deficiencies.

Compiled by the Luftlande- und Lufttransportschule (Airborne and Air Transport School), the report recommends using alternative aircraft whenever possible in an operational scenario.

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Thai military puts up spending defense

Controversy over the accuracy of a bomb scanner used by security officials in insurgency-hit areas of southern Thailand has raised new questions about the military's procurement processes in the wake of ramped up spending since a 2006 coup.

After a steady nine-year decline in the military's budget following the 1997 financial crisis, defense spending quadrupled in the months immediately following the September 2006 coup, as the military embarked on a modernization campaign.

A request for a collective long-term arms procurement program from the Thaksin Shinawatra government toppled in the coup had been denied.

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Iran launches Saeqeh fighter-bomber squadron

The Iranian military has introduced a new squadron of domestically-manufactured Saeqeh fighter-bombers to the country's Air Force to strengthen its deterrence power.

“This fleet is the first fighter-bomber squadron made up of domestically manufactured aircraft,” a top Air Force officer, Seyyed Mohammad Alavi, explained on Wednesday.

“The plane's parts have all been produced inside the country in a joint project between the Defense Ministry and the Air Force,” he added.

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First steel cut on new carrier

The programme to build the UK's new aircraft carriers gained further momentum today as BAE Systems launched its latest construction project.

Secretary of state for defence, Bob Ainsworth, was invited to push the button on the company’s new state of the art plasma steel cutter, marking the start of full scale production at the site.

The team at Portsmouth is building Lower Block 2, one of the structures that forms part of the hull on the first ship – HMS Queen Elizabeth.

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Sweden orders new cutting-edge subs

Kockums AB, part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, has signed a contract with FMV (the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration), for the design phase of a next-generation submarine, to be known as the A 26 class.

The A 26 features several advances in the development of underwater technology and marks the adaptation of submarines to meet current and future threats and to conduct the international mission now required, the Swedish shipbuilder says.

“This refers particularly to the submarine’s role as an information gatherer. Next-generation also refers to further refinements in terms of stealth technology.

The submarine will be able to see and hear everything over a wide area, while itself remaining undetected,” the company says.

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CEA supplies transmitters to UAE corvettes

Canberra-based CEA Technologies is supplying Solid State Continuous Wave Illuminator (SSCWI) transmitters to six 71-metre corvettes for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The first of the six craft, being acquired under the auspices of Project Baynunah, has been built by Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) and is now undergoing sea trials.

Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), in what has been described as the Gulf region's largest and most ambitious naval shipbuilding project, is building the next five.

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Tempo Takes Toll on Navy, Marine Equipment

The Navy and Marine Corps are performing at top level and maintaining high morale, but the high operational tempo is seriously overtaxing equipment and vehicles, service leaders told Congress this week.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway provided overviews of the Navy and Marine Corps during hearings before the Senate Armed Services Committee today and the House Armed Services Committee yesterday. Both hearings addressed the Defense Department’s proposed fiscal 2011 budget.

Mabus outlined the operational tempo and accomplishments of the two services, beginning with the 15,000 Marines “at the forefront of our nation’s defense” in Helmand province, Afghanistan. That number will grow to 20,000 this spring, he said.

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French defense minister defends Russian ship deal

France's defense minister defended Thursday the sale of a modern assault ship to the Russian navy, saying critics should not treat Russia as if it were the former Soviet Union.

Herve Morin said he understands the concerns of Baltic and other nations "given the past history of their relations with Russia."

"At the same time, we cannot build a partnership of peace and security in Europe if we continue to view Russia as if it were the Soviet Union," Morin said while attending a meeting of EU defense ministers on this Spanish island.

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Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft tests battery cells for submarines on board 'PlanetSolar' catamaran

Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW), a company of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, is testing innovative lithium ion battery cells on board the solar catamaran "PlanetSolar®".

The boat is financed by the German entrepreneur and solar pioneer Immo Ströher.

In close cooperation with Knierim Yachtbau GmbH, the shipyard that built the catamaran and the battery manufacturer GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke GmbH HDW will now enter the final development phase for a new generation of energy storage systems that is designed for future use on non-nuclear submarines.

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Tories 'will try to axe new aircraft carriers on day one in power'

A Conservative government would consider getting out of the £3.5 billion aircraft carrier project on its first day in power, union leaders claimed yesterday.

Shadow defence secretary Dr Liam Fox was said to have revealed that he would investigate "break clauses", at a meeting with unions in parliament yesterday.

The carriers – due to be named HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales – are to be built in four dockyards across the UK, including the Clyde.

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Navy's new mine hunter enters service

To tackle the abundant and significant threat of sea mines, the Royal Navy's new unmanned, underwater 'robots' have entered service following successful trials at the end of last year.

Modern mines are capable of being triggered by just the sound of a ship passing above so equipment for detecting them needs to be state-of-the-art.

The Mine Countermeasures Reconnaissance Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (known as 'Recce') can hunt sea mines remotely down to 200 metres and is now fully integrated into service, having been handed over to the Royal Navy's Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Unit.

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NASSCO Delivers USNS Matthew Perry

General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, delivered USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9) to the U.S. Navy.

The ship is named in honor of Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858), the U.S. Navy officer who established American trade with Japan in the mid-19th Century.

NASSCO began construction of USNS Matthew Perry in April 2008.

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Navy Frigate Back In Action With Two New Engines

The 13-year-old navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha is back in action after a major refit which saw it get two new diesel engines.

The ship has been out of action since July last year as part of a planned maintenance and mid-life engine upgrade.

It was put back in commission earlier this month but would leave for its next deployment to South East Asia in April without its Phalanx weapons system -- a last line of defence against missiles.

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Agreement reached on A400M military plane costs

European governments have reached an agreement on sharing the costs of the over-budget A400M military transport plane.

Spanish Defence Minister Carme Chacon said that the seven countries involved and the planemaker EADS, owner of Airbus, had reached an agreement.

Further technical details would be agreed on Thursday, he said.

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BAE on course to design new Navy frigates

BAE Systems is expected to be awarded a £100 million contract to design the next generation of Royal Navy frigates next week.

The Future Surface Combatant (FSC) will replace the Navy’s ageing Type 22 and 23 frigates and will be designed in consultation with potential foreign buyers in the hope of boosting export orders.

The new contract comes as work on the Navy’s two aircraft carriers has reached the point of no return, defence sources said.

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IAF to get 20 additional LCA Tejas soon

Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will be inducted into IAF after achieving the initial operational clearance in December 2010.

The aircraft will have both naval and Indian air force version.

A contract for procurement of 20 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) in Initial Operational Clearance configuration was signed with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd on March 31, 2006. These LCA are likely to be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) by March 2011.

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For 10th time, Navy approves more spending on 49-year-old USS Enterprise

For the 10th time in 20 months, the Navy this week approved more spending on the 49-year-old USS Enterprise.

With $19 million more on the way to restore the oldest flattop in the U.S. fleet, the project's total cost checks in at $636 million, 40.3 percent higher than its initial $453.3 million contract.

Every other month, the Navy has had to throw more money to fix a laundry list of unexpected problems on the aging ship that need to be repaired to prepare it for two final deployments.

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Subcommittee chair to Navy: Stop retiring ships

In an effort to grow the Navy faster than planned, one key lawmaker has proposed forcing the service to hold off taking ships out of service until more are ready to replace them.

“I want to put you on notice,” Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., told the Navy’s top officials Wednesday. “Decommissioning 10 ships this year is unacceptable.

“It is my intention that for every three ships that are commissioned, we give permission to decommission two. We need to stop the bleeding this year.”

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Bulava test launch from Yury Dolgoruky in June

Russia’s troubled new submarine-launched ballistic missile Bulava will be test launched from the newly constructed nuclear submarine “Yury Dolgoruky” this summer, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry says.

Test launches will be conducted from two submarines – the modified Typhoon class submarine “Dmitry Donskoy”, from which all previous missile tests have been launched, and the new Borey class fourth generation strategic submarine “Yury Dolgoruky”, a high ranking source in the Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti.

The same was earlier claimed by a source in the Russian Navy General Headquarters, as BarentsObserver reported.

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Russian Pacific Fleet task force departs on anti-piracy mission

A Russian Pacific Fleet task force, departed on an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden from the Far Eastern port of Vladivostok on Tuesday.

The task force comprises an Udaloy-class missile destroyer, Marshal Shaposhnikov, a salvage tug and a tanker.

The Russian Navy has maintained a permanent presence off the Horn of Africa, with warships operating on a rotation basis.

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US anti-missile laser plane needs more work

Recent tests of an experimental anti-missile Boeing 747, referred to as the ABL (airborne laser), were a success for the United States military.

But they were successful in the sense that they seemed to have successfully shown that a new tack was needed, to fully realize the goal of building anti-missile planes.

The ABL has three lasers on it: one of tracking, one for beam modulation, and for exploding stuff up.

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Russia will supply S-300 missiles to Iran

Russia will supply the S-300 Patriot class air defence missiles to Iran after some 'technical' issues are sorted out in the deal that is objected to by the US and Israel.

Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the contract to sell the defence missiles to Iran was in place but some issues needed to be resolved.

"There is a contract and there are few things which need to be sorted out before fulfilling it," Lavrov said.

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Malaysia To Keep Its MiG-29N Fighters In Operation Another Five Years

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will keep its MiG-29N fighter aircraft in operation for at least another five years, says Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The government had decided to continue operating the Russian-made aircraft although there was a proposal to retire and sell them to other countries, he said Tuesday.

“The decision was based on the capability of the aircraft in executing the tasks given,” he told reporters after visiting the RMAF base in this capital of the East Coast state of Pahang.

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First nuke-sub undergoes trial

India’s first nuclear submarine, ‘INS Arihant’, has gone to the high-seas for an extended trial, indicating that the boomer is on course to be inducted by the Navy by 2011.

One of India’s top secret defence projects for over three decades, ‘INS Arihant’ with a 80 Mwe nuclear reactor at its core, was launched in the water in last July.

The sea trial, which began a few months ago, will be carried out for more than a year in different conditions to test the endurance and performance of the nuclear submarine, which is capable of staying under water for months, sources told Deccan Herald.

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Collins subs top $7b list of dud projects

More than $7 billion worth of big defence projects are either over budget or behind schedule, with the woefully performing Collins Class submarines topping the list.

The Defence Materiel Minister, Greg Combet, revealed yesterday that there are about 10 items on the ''projects of concern'' list, which he instituted after the Rudd government took power.

It is believed that the total value of the projects is $7.5 billion. Defence forces say there are nine publicly known projects and a small number that cannot be disclosed for commercial or security reasons.

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Pentagon asks Congress to lift ban on women in submarines

The Pentagon has said it would move to lift the Navys ban on having women serve aboard submarines.

"This is fundamentally a Navy initiative, which they recently briefed to the secretary of defense (Gates), supports it and he notified Congress of the Navy's plans," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said on Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent a letter to Congress disclosing the Navys decision on the ban, which if approved by congress within the next 30 days could see female officers serving aboard nuclear submarines within the next 18 months.

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Poland to host US patriot missiles in early April

A battery of US Patriot missiles and the troops to accompany it will arrive in Poland from the start of April, according to PAP news agency.

"The Defense Ministry expects the first stage of the stationing of a Patriot air-defense battery and a 100-man service team to get under way in the [northern] town of Morąg at the turn of April," stated the agency.

Poland and the US, who are both NATO members, signed an agreement last December under which Poland's air defenses would be upgraded.

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Air Force Budgets About $1 Billion for Lockheed Missile by 2015

The U.S. Air Force has budgeted almost $1 billion through 2015 to buy more Lockheed Martin Corp. cruise missiles, saying it has confidence that the weapon’s reliability problems are under control.

The $963.7 million in planned orders in the fiscal years 2011-2015 budget plan includes $215.8 million for next year.

“We believe we are getting the program back on track, so we are confident enough to put the money into” it, said Lieutenant General Mark Shackelford, the service’s weapons buyer.

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Interview: Taliban fighter

Hamidullah is a member of the Taliban who has fought against Nato troops in Operation Moshtarak - the Nato offensive against the group in Helmand province - which is in southern Afghanistan.

He says that the foreign troops are not succeeding in the offensive as they often kill civilians instead of Taliban fighters.

As a result, he says that the Afghan people are supporting the Taliban more than before.

His statements come after a Nato air strike on what was assumed to be a bus carrying Taliban fighters on Sunday, killed 33 Afghan civilians.

Al Jazeera spoke to Hamidallah in an excuslive interview at Lashkar Gar, Helmand's capital city.

India-China aerial war games in 2012: IAF chief

In yet another sign of the growing India-China military ties, the air forces of the two countries will stage their first joint war game in 2012, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief said Monday.

'The planning has commenced. We are expecting political approval soon. In all probability, the exercise will be conducted in 2012,' Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Naik told reporters here.

With this, all three wings of the armed forces would have engaged in joint exercises with their Chinese counterparts.

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BAE Systems Looks Beyond Mantis Spiral 1

In October 2007, not even the design concept had been selected, but 24 months later the Mantis medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned air vehicle demonstrator flew for the first time—even allowing for some non-program-related distractions.

The BAE Systems-led Mantis program, the first phase of which has been jointly funded by industry and the U.K. Defense Ministry, is aimed at addressing British military needs for a deep and persistent surveillance platform, coupled with a weapons delivery capability. The ministry has a notional in-service date of 2015-16 for such a system.

The Mantis program was put together at BAE’s Lightning Works, the company nickname for the highly secure hangar at its Warton site in the northwest of England, a rapid prototyping environment that is also the incubator for a number of past and present U.K. classified programs.

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PAK-FA, F-35, F-22 and “Capability Surprise”

The first flight of Russia's stealthy PAK-FA is the best recent example of the problems examined in the United States Defense Science Board report on “Capability Surprise”, released in September last year.

This study is an important step forward in identifying the causes of many past, current and developing strategic failures.

A capability surprise arises whenever an opponent makes use of a new capability, or uses an existing capability in a different way, catching the target or victim off guard.

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U.S. to retire nuclear Tomahawk missiles

The United States has informally told Japan it will retire its sea-based Tomahawk cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads, in line with President Barack Obama's policy to pursue a world free of atomic weapons, government sources said Monday.

Washington said the move would not affect the nuclear umbrella, addressing concerns in Tokyo about the step's effect on U.S. deterrence against potential attacks from China, North Korea or other countries, the sources said.

The retirement will probably be stipulated in the Nuclear Posture Review, a new nuclear strategic guideline the Obama administration is slated to submit to Congress next month, they said.

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Malaysia’s submarine completes dive successfully

Malaysia’s first submarine, the Scorpene-class KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, successfully underwent underwater trials in the South China Sea yesterday.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said a technical team was aboard during the submarine’s dive to monitor its progress under water.

“The dive was successfully completed by 4pm. Everything was pronounced to be okay,” Dr Ahmad Zahid said in an SMS.

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US Demand for UAVs Rising Due to 'Unprecedented Capability'

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are bringing "unprecedented" intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability, director of the Army Unmanned Aerial System Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker, Army Colonel Christopher Carlile, said this month.

His comments are the latest of many recommending the technology, which is one of the fastest-growing fields in the Army.

"There's an old saying that science and science fiction is only separated by timing, and that timing is now. We have it," Carlile stressed.

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France To Purchase 260 Javelin Missiles From U.S.

French Defense Minister Hervé Morin said Feb. 22 the ministerial investment committee has decided to buy a batch of 260 Javelin missiles and 76 launchers from the U.S. government through the Foreign Military Sales program for around $70 million.

The announcement ends a period of intense competition between Rafael of Israel and the U.S. authorities to supply France with a relatively small batch of missiles, but one which is expected to prepare the way for a larger acquisition in the medium term.

The number of missiles to be bought is smaller than the 380 previously identified by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Elrick Irastorza.

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France orders 3,400 Sagem AASM Inertial / laser-guided AASM air-to-ground weapons

French defense procurement agency DGA awarded Sagem (Safran group) a major contract in late December 2009 for AASM (Armement Air-Sol Modulaire) modular air-to-ground weapons to be deployed by the French air force.

The contract covers:

• A long-term order for 3,400 AASMs, including an initial firm order for 680 units.
• Development and integration of a latest-generation GPS module.
• Qualification and production engineering for the inertial/GPS/laser terminal guidance version.

Developed and produced by Sagem, the AASM weapon comprises a guidance kit and range augmentation kit integrated on a standard 250 kg bomb. The AASM family also includes 125, 500 and 1,000 kg bombs.

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Indian Air Force to showcase 'Vayu Shakti-2010' at Pokhran

The Indian Air Force in a first ever display of its precision strike capability by night, will conduct a mammoth fire power demonstration (FPD), codenamed 'Vayu Shakti-2010' at the sprawling Chandan Air-to-Air Range, Pokhran on February 28 showcasing the operational capabilities of IAF by day, dusk and night.

The fire power demonstration will demonstrate the day and night employability of air force by frontline fighter aircraft of the IAF including Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, Mig-21 and Mig-29.

The transport aircraft include AN-32, Embraer and IL-76, while Mi-17 4 and Mi-35 attack helicopters will constitute the rotary wing ingredients.

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New unmanned aerial system tests advanced missile

The Army's newest and most advanced Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), the Extended Range/Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAS, has successfully completed a series of tests with the HELLFIRE® II UAS --- a missile specially engineered to fire from a UAV with a 360-degree targeting ability, service officials said.

The tests, involving nine perfect or near-perfect missile firings, took place at the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, Calif., and demonstrated the missile's ability to engage a wider target envelope than a typical Hellfire missile, said Tim Owings, Deputy Project Manager, Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

"The significance to this is this is the first missile designed specifically for a UAV. The HELLFIRE UAS missile can take advantage of a 360 look around angle.

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Falklands’ war tested modernized Super Etendard in Argentine Navy’s agenda

The possible transfer to Argentina of a refurbished model of the French manufactured fighter-bomber Super Etendard, which had an outstanding performance during the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict, is under consideration by the French Ministry of Defence, reveals the French publication, Mer & Marine.

The operation which includes giving the Argentines part of the sophisticated avionics of the Super Etendard Modernized (SEM) model would take place in 2015 when the French navy will de decommissioning their air fleet to be replaced by the new Rafale.

However in the event of the operation going ahead it will depend on the availability of SEMs at the moment the French navy begins the decommissioning process, subject to the Rafale delivery program.

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S.Korea to deploy more patrol planes against North

South Korea's navy will deploy eight more advanced maritime patrol aircraft this year to guard against any military threats from North Korea or elsewhere, the navy said Monday.

The first of eight refurbished P-3CK aircraft from the United States will be delivered to a naval unit on Tuesday, a navy statement said.

The countries' disputed Yellow Sea border has been tense since a firefight last November left a North Korean patrol boat in flames. In late January the North fired some 370 shells into the sea near the borderline.

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Indian Air Force MiG-21 crashes in West Bengal, pilot safe

An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed soon after take-off from Bagdogra air base in West Bengal's Darjeeling district on Friday, but the pilot ejected to safety.

"The aircraft crashed around 3 p.m. soon after take-off and the pilot, squadron leader Rahul Tiwari, ejected safely. The pilot was picked up by an SAR (search and rescue) helicopter and has been taken to hospital," an IAF spokesman said.


Meanwhile, the IAF has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Oneindia

USS Mississippi is being constructed

It is the fifth Navy vessel that will represent the Magnolia State. 'Mississippi' is the name of the Navy's Virginia-class attack submarine.

Saturday, Commander John McGrath, the Officer in Charge of the Pre-Commissioning Unit Mississippi, stopped by the Biloxi Yacht Club to discuss the progress of the submarine's construction.

Once constructed, the Pre-Commissioning Unit USS Mississippi will be vital to National Security, possibly more than the average American will ever know.

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Iran's navy to launch 2nd destroyer by 2012

An Iranian naval commander says the Navy will be adding a second domestically manufactured destroyer to its fleet some time in the next two years.

Commodore Amir Rastegari, who heads the Navy's industrial command, made the announcement hours after Iran launched its first locally-made 1,420 ton Jamaran destroyer, equipped with a variety of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles.

"Work continues on a new destroyer. In the next two years, a second Iranian manufactured vessel will be delivered to the Navy," he said.

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Russia says may deploy missiles in Baltic region

Russia said on Friday it would deploy Iskander tactical missiles in its Kaliningrad exclave if it felt there was a direct European threat to Moscow.

"We have repeatedly discussed this issue, and unless there is a direct threat to Russia we will not place Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad," Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told reporters during a visit to Finland.

"If there is some threat from Europe to Russia, then we will place them (there)," he said. "This is a matter where the decision is made by the president."

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New S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to guard Moscow

The S-400 Triumph, seen by the Russian army as the best anti-aircraft missile system, has been adopted by the army. The first two systems have entered combat duty at the regiment base of the Military Space Defense joint command in Elektrostal, the Moscow Region.

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Saudi Arabia Buys MBDA Missiles

Saudi Arabia has signed a deal to acquire the Storm Shadow cruise missile from European weapons builder MBDA as part of a Tornado strike aircraft update package, said industry sources here.

The weapons package also includes the Brimstone anti-armor missile, they said.

Earlier plans to include the ASRAAM short-range air-to-air missile ended last year when the Saudis selected Diehl BGT Defence's rival IRIS-T for Tornado and the Typhoon fighter.

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Some Doubt Iran's Boasts Over New Destroyer

Its claims about its technological advances have reached a bit too far. Most famously, perhaps, Iran digitally altered a photo of a 2008 missile test to cover up for a missile that failed to launch.

In the midst of a diplomatic standoff over its controversial nuclear program, Iran has rolled out its latest homegrown weapon, a guided-missile destroyer called Jamaran.

"The destroyer's launch marks a major technological leap for Iran's naval industries," Iran's English-language Press TV reported. The new ship, which sports a helipad, is equipped with anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes and naval cannons.

But just how capable is the destroyer? Few technical details have been released about the ship other than its basic weight of around 1,400 tons. It can carry between 120 and 140 people.

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Iran launches advanced Jamaran destroyer

Iran's Navy on Friday took the delivery of the first indigenously designed and developed guided missile destroyer Jamaran in the presence of the leader of the Islamic Revelation Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The Mowdge Class vessel has a displacement of around 1,400 tonnes and is equipped with modern radars and electronic warfare capabilities.

Jamaran, a multi-mission destroyer, can carry 120-140 personnel on board and is armed with a variety of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles.

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Raytheon Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer Completes Critical Design Review

Raytheon Company's Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer (MALD-J™) variant completed a major milestone when it passed a U.S. Air Force critical design review (CDR).

MALD™ is a state-of-the-art, low-cost, decoy flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched and programmable.

It weighs less than 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 nautical miles (about 575 statute miles).

The MALD-J adds radar-jamming capability to the basic MALD platform.

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New Zealand Navy Takes Delivery Of Offshore Patrol Vessel

Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral Tony Parr and Ministry of Defence Project Director Gary Collier formally accepted the Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMNZS OTAGO, into the Royal New Zealand Navy at a ceremony in Melbourne today.

"OTAGO and her sister ship WELLINGTON will deliver the Navy substantial new capability to undertake Exclusive Economic Zone patrols, surveillance and military operations around New Zealand, the southern ocean and the Pacific," said Admiral Parr.

"OTAGO and WELLINGTON have the capability to operate further offshore than our existing patrol vessels, stay at sea longer, and conduct more challenging operations - using their helicopter capability, sea-boats and embarked forces."

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JF-17 Thunder joins PAF’s fighter fleet

The first squadron of JF-17 Thunder aircraft formally joined the fighter fleet of Pakistan Air Force on Thursday.

“The formal induction of JF-17 aircraft in the PAF is in line with our resolve to face all challenges with poise and self-confidence,” Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said while speaking at the induction ceremony held at a PAF operational base.

He said the PAF had invested in force multipliers like air-to-air refuellers, unmanned aerial vehicles and airborne early warning and control aircraft to enhance its capability to undertake complex operations.

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