Su-30 Caught Fire Before Crash – Investigators

The crew of a Su-30 fighter that crashed earlier on Tuesday in Russia’s Far East reported an engine fire before the crash, a spokesman for the Main Military Investigative Directorate said.

The Su-30MK2 fighter jet crashed 130 km northeast of Komsomolsk-na-Amure during a post-construction test flight. Both pilots ejected safely, although one of them was hurt on landing.

“While executing acceleration to a maximum speed, the first pilot reported a fire in the right engine,” the spokesman said. “The flight controller immediately ordered the crew to eject.”

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Air Force Base Quietly Pauses F-22 Fighter Missions After More Air Problems

American pilots at an Alaskan military base have reported a sudden spike of incidents in which they experienced an apparent lack of oxygen while flying the nation's most sophisticated fighter jets -- a mysterious, recurring problem that already caused the $77.4 billion fighter jet fleet to sit idle on the tarmac for months last year.

In at least three incidents in the last two weeks, pilots of the $143 million-a-pop stealth F-22 Raptors at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson reported the "hypoxia-like" symptoms, leading the base to ground their F-22s for a day for "review," Air Force spokesperson Lt. Col. Regina Winchester told ABC News.

"In each case, appropriate procedures were applied," Winchester said, and the planes went back in the air the day after the temporary halt.

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US Air Force wants pilot-optional nuclear bomber

When Matthew Broderick hacked into a defense computer in charge of the US’s nuclear arsenal and nearly caused a full-scale nuclear war in 1983’s War Games, Hollywood was far beyond reality.

However, thirty years have passed and now the US Air Force is looking to replace it’s hodgepodge of aging bombers from ancient B-52s from that first took flight in 1952 to the B-2 bomber that costs nearly $1 billion per plane with the Long Range Strike bomber.

While this promises to standardize the Air Force’s fleet, the one thing that will change is the desire for the nuclear bomber to be ‘optionally-piloted.’ The project, once cancelled, has been revived.

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WikiLeaks: Russia Gave Israel Codes for Iran’s Missiles

Russia gave Israel codes for breaking Iran’s missile defense system in return for codes of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Israel sold to Georgia, WikiLeaks claims.

The information was among 5 million emails released this week by WikiLeaks, which said it worked in cooperation with the Anonymous hacker group. The leaked information focused on the U.S.-based Stratfor global intelligence company.

A source identified as “A” was quoted in an e-mail from a Stratfor employee as having heard from a “former Mexican cop” and military analysts that "the Georgians are frantically looking for a replacement for the Israeli UAVs that were compromised.”

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US Air Force cancels deal for Brazilian-made aircraft

The US Air Force has canceled a $355 million contract for a light attack aircraft made by Brazil's Embraer, saying it would open an investigation after protests from a rival US aerospace firm, officials said Tuesday.

The contract for 20 Embraer AT-29 Super Tucano aircraft was awarded in December as part of plans to arm the Afghan military amid a NATO troop drawdown.

But the US Air Force said it was not "satisfied" with the paperwork supporting the decision to hand the project to US-based Sierra Nevada Corporation, in partnership with Embraer.

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Czech fighter pilots learn Gipen in-flight refuelling in Sweden

Czech Jas-39 Gripen fighter aircraft pilots practiced in-flight refuelling in Sweden for the first time Monday, another step on the way to their full cooperation with other NATO countries, Czech air force commander Vlastimil Verner has said.

Two Czech pilots underwent the theoretical part of the training at the Ronneby base on Monday.

Monday, they trained practical re-fuelling from the Swedish tanker C-130 Herkules in the presence of a Swedish instructor aboard a two-seat version of the aircraft.

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EADS North America Delivers Second CN235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft for Mexico Under U.S. Foreign Military Sales Agreement

EADS North America has delivered the second of four Airbus Military CN235-300 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to be supplied to the Mexican Navy.

The foreign military sales contract for the aircraft is managed by the U.S. Coast Guard, which uses the CN235-300 in the HC-144A Ocean Sentry configuration for missions ranging from search and rescue to drug interdiction.

In January, EADS North America delivered its 13th HC-144A Ocean Sentry to the U.S. Coast Guard, two months ahead of schedule. The service plans to acquire a total of 36 of the twin-engine turboprops.

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India To Probe Helo Contract With Italy

India’s agreement to purchase 12 helicopters from Italy is likely to be investigated in India after reports from Rome suggested irregularities in the contract. The Italian defense firm, however, has denied the allegations.

Reports in Italian daily newspaper la Repubblica suggest prosecutors have started checking into allegations of corruption against state-backed major defense contractor Finmeccanica’s dealings, including the 35.46 billion rupee ($720 million) contract with India.

Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony, concerned over the reports, has ordered an inquiry into whether corruption was involved in the procurement of the helicopters from Finmeccanica subsidiary AgustaWestland, a senior defense ministry official said over the weekend.

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China's J-15 Has Been Spotted On The Deck Of The Varyag

This photograph of China's J-15 Flying Shark jet sitting on the flight deck of the former Varyag aircraft carrier has surfaced on China's Internet.

Alert 5 points out that the jet looks more like a full size replica than the real thing and that a Z-8 helicopter was also aboard.

There are two ways to launch an aircraft from the deck of a carrier: by catapult and through using a "ski jump" or lift at the end of the flight deck to push the plane into the air.

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Navy still wants a carrier at Jacksonville base

Mayport Naval Station 
The Navy’s commitment to strategic dispersal — which it demonstrated by promising to send an amphibious readiness group to Mayport Naval Station — means the military still wants the base to get a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the secretary of the Navy said Tuesday.

That doesn’t say anything about when it will happen, though.

“That’s something we’ll take a look at every year,” Secretary Ray Mabus said in an interview Tuesday evening that capped off a day on the First Coast.

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New Navy Rail Gun Fires 50 Miles With No Propellant: Latest Tests Use Smaller Guns

The Navy has begun a critical phase in its quest for a revolutionary weapon that could reach out and touch someone with massive force at more than 100 miles, without using an ounce of gun powder or rocket fuel.

The Navy has fired six test shots with the first of two industry prototypes of an electromagnetic rail gun, a weapon that uses a massive surge of electricity to propel a 40-pound hunk of metal to seven times the speed of sound in an instant, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) said today.

The device produced by BAE Systems already has demonstrated a power level strong enough to fire a projectile 50 nautical miles, Roger Ellis, EM Rail gun program manager at ONR, said.

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General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Awarded Contract To Build Additional DDG 51-class Destroyer

The U. S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, a $663 million modification to a previously awarded contract to construct DDG 116, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.

DDG 116 is the fourth ship in the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class construction-continuation program. Bath Iron Works is also under contract for the construction of DDG 115, the third ship in the program.

Jeff Geiger, president of Bath Iron Works, said, “All of us at Bath Iron Works are very pleased the Navy chose to build DDG 116 in Bath.

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Russia to Lay Down New Frigate for Navy

The Yantar Shipyard in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad will start on Wednesday the construction of a new Krivak IV class frigate for Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

The Admiral Makarov is the last in a series of three Krivak IV class frigates built for the Russian Navy under a tender won by Yantar in 2010.

The first two ships in the series, the Admiral Grigorovich and the Admiral Essen, are at various stages of construction.

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DCNS India delivers to MDL the first locally produced Scorpene submarines equipments

The delivery, managed by DCNS India, was achieved on time, meeting all the stringent quality standards required for on-board use on a submarine (100% quality compliance).

The shipyard Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) has received the first Indian made equipment for the Scorpene submarines programme (P75). MDL has congratulated this successful industrial performance during the recently held Government to Government (G2G) meeting between India and France.

MDL is producing six SSK Scorpene submarines (P75) under transfer of technology (ToT) from DCNS. Simultaneously, DCNS India*, DCNS Group’s subsidiary in India, is working at the selection and qualification of Indian companies as partners for local production of the Scorpenes’ equipments.

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Syria Uses Iranian UAS to Monitor Rebellion

This amateur video recorded few days ago shows an unmanned aircraft flying over Kafr Batna, a small suburb of Damascus, Syria.

Damascus is known to be equipped with just a few types of UAS. Among them, the Iranian made Mohajer 4 and Ababil and maybe also the Mirsad-1 that Hezbollah has used to violate the Israeli airspace in the past.

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Raytheon Demonstrates Enhanced Capabilities for TOW

Raytheon Company tested a new propulsion system for the Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wireless (TOW) missile.

Developed by ATK, the enhanced system doubles TOW's range and reduces the missile's flight time by one-third.

During the test, the developmental propulsion system flew the missile more than seven kilometers (4.35 miles), reaching four kilometers (2.5 miles) in significantly less time.

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Boeing B-1 Bomber Completes 10,000th Combat Mission

The Boeing B-1 bomber aircraft has completed its 10,000th combat mission.

The heavy bomber entered service with the U.S. Air Force on June 29, 1985, and has been in nearly continuous combat for the past 10 years.

The milestone mission took off from a base in Southwest Asia and was flown in support of operations over Afghanistan before returning to base.

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U.S. eyes V-22 aircraft sales to Israel, Canada, UAE

The U.S. government is eyeing Israel, Canada and the United Arab Emirates as possible initial foreign buyers of the V-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft built by Boeing Co and Bell Helicopter, a top U.S. Marine Corps official told Reuters.

Lieutenant General Terry Robling, deputy Marine Corps commandant for aviation, said U.S. officials were continuing to drive down the cost of the aircraft and hoped to sell it to allies overseas to keep the production line running past 2018.

U.S. officials plan to show off the aircraft, which flies like an airplane but tilts its rotors to take off and land like helicopter, at the Farnborough Air Show outside London in July.

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BrahMos test flight for Sukhoi-30 by year end

The BrahMos missile for the Indian Air Force which can be launched from a Sukhoi-30 is being developed and a test flight will probably be held by the end of this year, said Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, chief controller, R&D, DRDO and chief executive officer and managing director of BrahMos Aerospace.

The BrahMos missile used an air breathing scramjet propulsion technology and hence was more fuel efficient than a traditional rocket-powered missile, he said.

Pillai was in Trichy on Saturday to deliver a lecture in the ongoing Pragyan 2012 of the National Institute of Technology, Trichy (NITT).

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Taiwan navy to get two US-built mine-hunters

Taiwan will receive two coastal mine-hunter ships from the United States this year as part of an arms deal that has upset Washington’s ties with Beijing, media reported on Monday.

The Osprey class vessels, capable of finding, classifying and destroying naval mines, will help Taiwan enhance its anti-blockade capabilities in case of war with former rival China, the Liberty Times reported.

When the arms deal was first announced by the United States in 2010, Beijing retaliated swiftly, suspending military exchanges and security talks with Washington.

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DRDO Readies for K-15

The DRDO is preparing for twin tests of submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) K-15 from an underwater platform off the Andhra Pradesh coast.

While the first test has been scheduled for March 4, the second test will be conducted anytime between March 16 and 19.

Sources at the defence base at Chandipur here said preparations are on for the proposed tests near the Visakhapatnam coast for over a fortnight now.

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Missile test launch set for Thursday from VAFB

Vandenberg Air Force Base is set to test another unarmed Minuteman 3 missile early Thursday morning, the second in less than a week from the Central Coast.

The weapon is scheduled to blast out of its underground silo on North Base during a six-hour window that will open at 2:01 a.m., officials said.

The Air Force will track the weapon’s dummy warhead as it travels some 4,200 miles southwest of the base to a predetermined target in the central Pacific Ocean.

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Defense Market Survey: U.S. Firms Continue to Rule Global Arms Sales

The world’s top suppliers of military hardware and combat support services scored sales of $411.1 billion in 2010, and 60 percent of that business went to U.S. companies, according to a study published today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The institute unveiled the “SIPRI Top 100” survey for 2010, a database on international arms production. It contains financial and employment data on arms producing companies from countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and from developing countries, except China.

Total arms sales of the SIPRI top 100 inched up by 1 percent in real terms from 2009 to 2010. Since 2002, the top 100 have seen sales soar by 60 percent in real terms.

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Su-24 Bombers Resume Flights After Crash

Russia has partially resumed flights of Su-24 Fencer tactical bombers after one of them crashed in Russia’s Urals, Defense Ministry spokesman Col Vladimir Drik said on Tuesday.

“After tests, unit commanders… will receive permission to resume flights of this type of aircraft,” he said.

All Su-24s were grounded after one of them crashed in the woods of the Kurgan region during a routine flight on February 13. Both pilots ejected safely.

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Northrop Grumman BAMS Unmanned Aircraft System Program Achieves Two Major Milestones

Northrop Grumman Corporatio has commenced flight tests of the first developmental multifunction active sensor (MFAS) radar destined for the U.S. Navy's MQ-4C Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS).

The MFAS sensor has been integrated into the company's Gulfstream II testbed aircraft based in Palmdale, Calif., for flight testing after having completed ground station testing in late November at the company's Electronics Systems facility in Norwalk, Conn.

Marking another milestone, the first BAMS aircraft has received its wings and is standing on its own gear at the company's Palmdale Manufacturing Center in California.

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Green signal for MRMR aircraft for the Indian Navy

The Indian defence ministry has sanctioned the proposal put forward by the Indian Navy, to purchase nine technologically advanced versions of the Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) aircrafts.

The proposed deal is estimated to cost the defence ministry around INR 50 billion. The new additions will come in handy for the Indian Navy, which had finalized a similar deal for the even more expensive Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) aircrafts in 2009.

The deal with the Boeing Defense, Space & Security for the purchase of eight Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircrafts was finalized in 2009.

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New fighter jet training stalls, grounding pilots

The best fighter pilots from the Air Force, Marines and Navy arrived in the Florida Panhandle last year to learn to fly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive, most advanced weapons program in U.S. history. They are still waiting.

Concerns about the stealth jets' safety, cost overruns and questions about the entire program's feasibility have delayed the training and left about 35 pilots mostly outside the cockpit.

The most the pilots do with the nine F-35s at Eglin Air Force Base is occasionally taxi them and fire up the engines.

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Govt nod for two more Arihants

The Government has given a go-ahead for construction of two more nuclear-powered Arihant-class submarines in India.

The move will not only enhance the strategic reach of the Navy, but also propel India into the top league of five nations including US, Russia, France, Germany and UK which have such sophisticated platforms.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already indigenously designed and developed the first nuclear-powered submarine Arihant, which is scheduled to go for sea trials next year.

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Troubled submarines to be used until 2030

Canada's glitch-prone, second-hand submarines will be with the navy until at least 2030, but defence planners will begin drawing up a replacement program within the next four years.

Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, head of the Royal Canadian Navy, told a Senate committee Monday that losing the capability of underwater surveillance and attack would be a "dire day for Canada."

With the federal government in deficit-slashing mode, Ottawa has been awash in rumours about the future of submarine program and that the navy might be asked to give up one -- or more -- of the boats.

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Chances of attack on Gabala radar station 'not very high'

What kind of changes could happen in the Russian strategic forces if Vladimir Putin is elected president?

I don't think there will be major changes - Putin was clearly involved in drawing up the current strategic modernization program, so it will remain the same - the goal is to have eight new Project 955 Borey submarines, deploy RS-24 Yars missiles, and develop a new liquid-fuel silo-based ICBM.

Do you expect any progress in the US-Russian disarmament process in the near future?

I don't expect any progress in this area. Both sides are quite happy with the New START treaty in that it does not constrain them significantly. The next round of negotiations would have to include non-strategic nuclear weapons and the positions on that issue are very far apart, so it's hard to expect any progress there.

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Austal to build more JHSVs for US Navy

The United States Navy has exercised contract options funding the construction of the eighth and ninth Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSVs).

The contract is valued at US$321.7 million, taking the total value of JHSV work awarded to Austal to approximately US$1.45 billion.

The options increase Austal's total order backlog to nearly $2.2 billion, with shipbuilding work secured for the US operation through to mid-2016 and to mid-2015 for the Australian shipyard.

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US general: missile defense on track

American forces are now manning a new radar defense site in Turkey that could help defend Europe from a potential Iranian ballistic missile attack, the U.S. Army’s commander in Europe said Sunday.

“We have the forces in place ... at a radar site in southern Turkey,” Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling said in an interview at Montenegro’s main military airport in its capital.

It is the first time a senior U.S. commander has confirmed reports that the NATO defense shield radar — which has caused tensions between Turkey and its Muslim neighbor Iran — has been operational in the past few weeks. The radar is a key element in a planned ballistic missile defense system that also would put other land- and sea-based radars and anti-missile interceptors in several European locations over the next decade.

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EU arms trade booming despite crisis

Firms in the UK, France, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Spain and Europe's own European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company made around €75 billion from selling weapons in 2010.

In broader terms, the world arms trade is booming and has increased turnover by 147 percent since 2002, with companies based in western Europe and North America leading the sector.

In 2010 - two years after the eruption of the global financial crisis - some €305.6 billion of arms and weapons were sold on international markets according to a report released on Monday (27 February) by Swedish arms control NGO, the Stockholm International Research Institute (Sipri).

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Navies of Black Sea littoral states plan BLACKSEAFOR exercises

The Navies of Black Sea littoral states began to plan BLACKSEAFOR exercises due this year, spokesman for the Russian Black Sea Fleet Captain First Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachev told Itar-Tass.

“A meeting on the issue is being held in Divnomorskoye in the Krasnodar Territory at the base of the permanent coordination centre of the Black Sea Naval Force BLACKSEAFOR,” he said.

“Russia is represented by Assistant Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet Captain First Rank Yuri Zemsky. At the meeting the negotiators will agree on a scenario of the military exercises in April and discuss cooperation during joint exercises,” Trukhachev noted.

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No Need For Russian Air Base Says New Kyrgyz President

Kant Air Base
Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has called for a Russian air base in the country to be closed, saying neither Russia or Kyrgyzstan need it.

The Kant air base does nothing except "flatter the vanity of Russian generals," Atambayev said in an interview to Kommersant newspaper, adding Russia has not paid for the lease for four years.

“The current situation where a Russian military base is not fulfilling its obligations and even does not pay for the lease does not suit us ... There are many conditions, but the main thing is that the lease should be paid, one way or another," he said.

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Russia and China Working on New Programs to Disable Satellites Says U.S. Defence Intelligence Chief

The director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency recently told a Senate committee the agency believes China is developing a space weapon program that can be used against satellites and that Russia is working on technologies to interfere with or disable U.S. satellites.

Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess presented the DIA’s worldwide threat report to the Senate Armed Services committee.

More from ExecutiveGov with the link to the story at the end:

Burgess said China is developing missiles and electronic jammers that are capable of damaging space assets.

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Israel Sells Drones, Missiles To Azerbaijan

Israeli defense officials on February 26 confirmed a deal to sell Azerbaijan drones, antiaircraft, and missile defense systems for some $1.6 billion.

Azerbaijan's contract is with the state-run Israel Aerospace Industries. Israeli defense officials, speaking under condition of anonymity, said the deal had been in the works for some time and was not a response to Iran's nuclear development program or recent attempts, allegedly by Iranian agents, to kill Israeli diplomats in India, Thailand, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Israeli media reported late last year that there was a deal for Israel to sell 60 drones of two types to Azerbaijan and that in September 2011 there were discussions about joint Israeli-Azerbaijani construction of drones with missiles.

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Inda's army massive war game to raise a 'desert storm' in Rajasthan

The army is gearing up to hold one of its biggest ever war games - Shoorveer - in Rajasthan between March and June.

The exercise, involving the army's elite 1 Strike Corps and 10 Corps under the Jaipur-based South Western Command, will see the deployment of more than 200 tanks and over 20,000 troops in the border state.

'All formations and units under South Western Command will participate to validate doctrines in a joint service environment,' army spokesperson Col Jagdeep Dahiya said.

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Navy's Tejas fighter revs for take-off

The Indian Navy has signalled strong support to the naval version of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), even before the indigenous fighter makes its first flight next month.

In New Delhi, on Wednesday, the defence ministry’s apex Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) sanctioned the building of eight Naval LCA aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

“The eight fighters will be a mix of single-seat fighters and twin-seat trainers. The money for these has also been allocated,” says a senior Ministry of Defence official who was at the DAC meeting.

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Britain 'may struggle to pay for new fighter jets'

With the US military delaying purchase of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and Italy slashing its order by more than a third, the Ministry of Defence’s bill for each of the aircraft is set to rise sharply.

Experts warned that the higher prices are likely to mean Britain can afford fewer of the multi-role warplanes, which are due to replace the Harrier on the Navy’s new aircraft carrier by 2020.

The rising cost of the JSF will add to the controversy around Britain’s aircraft carrier capabilities.

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SA to jack up navy to combat Somali piracy

International shipping lines are seriously thinking about the safety of their vessels transiting East African waters as the threat of Somali piracy grows, says Defence and Military Veterans Affairs Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.

Speaking at a Parliamentary press briefing on Sunday, Sisuslu said the threat was growing with 17 incidents reported in Tanzanian waters during the past year.

"As the international patrols off the Somali coast hamper the pirates' ability to operate there, then they move further down and away from the coast," she said.

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Taiwanese ministry denies plan to buy German submarines

The Ministry of National Defense yesterday denied a magazine report saying Taiwan plans to procure four German-made -diesel-electric submarines that were originally intended for Greece.

The Hong Kong-based Chinese-language magazine, Asian Week, reported in its latest edition that Greece had ordered four Type 214 diesel-electric submarines from German company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW), but because Greece was struggling to save itself from bankruptcy and was unable to pay for the submarines, HDW planned to sell them to Taiwan.

The report said HDW would otherwise face bankruptcy.

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Marine Corps aviation introduces F-35B Lightning II into fleet

A century after 1st Lt. Alfred A. Cunningham took his first flight in 1912, Marine Corps aviation introduced the F-35B Lightning II aircraft into its fleet.

The short takeoff vertical landing variant combined with fifth generation capabilities is a breakthrough in itself, matching the importance of the first Marine aviator and starting a new chapter in Marine Corps aviation history.

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing's Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 hosted the ceremony inducting the F-35B Lightning II multirole, joint strike fighter, into the Marine Corps aviation arsenal at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 24 at 2 p.m.

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Minuteman 3 blasts off

Fifteen people protesting nuclear weapons were arrested for trespassing early Saturday at Vandenberg Air Force Base, where a Minuteman 3 missile that blasted out its silo became the West Coast’s first launch of 2012.

The unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile launched at 2:46 a.m. from an underground silo on North Base.

Liftoff occurred about 45 minutes later than planned due to unfavorable weather at Vandenberg, Air Force officials said.

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AP investigation into casualties from US drone missile strikes in Pakistan

The Associated Press conducted a rare, on-the-ground investigation of casualties from U.S. drone missile strikes in Pakistan, interviewing around 80 villagers at the sites of 10 of the deadliest attacks over the past 18 months in North Waziristan, the main sanctuary for militants in the rugged tribal region along the Afghan border. Details from those accounts are included below:

August 10, 2011: Missiles hit a compound near Miran Shah, killing at least 20 Afghan and Pakistani Taliban fighters.

May 6, 2011: Missiles hit a vehicle parked near a restaurant in Dotoi village, killing 16 people, including 10 Taliban militants and six tribesmen. U.S. officials said only militants were killed.

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HII Awarded $383 Million Contract for Continued Planning Work for Refueling Complex Overhaul of USS Abraham Lincoln

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has received a $383 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort contract option to continue planning work for the refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

If all contract options are exercised, the full value of the contract could reach $678 million.

The contract option is for work performed from Feb. 27, 2012, until Feb. 18, 2013, and includes planning, design, documentation, engineering, material procurement, pre-fabrication and shipboard inspections.

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Germans set to deliver advanced sub to Israel

One of the world’s most advanced German manufactured submarines is slated to be sent to Israel this year.

German media reported last week that the 68-meter Dolphin submarine, the largest post-World War II submarine to be built in the Federal Republic, was openly placed in the harbor of the northern city of Kiel.

The Dolphin submarines are mainly constructed in Kiel, located in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein on the border of Denmark.

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Pak can neither afford nor plan to match Indian Navy

Terming the proposed induction of two nuclear submarines into the Indian Navy as a "cause of great concern", Pakistan has said it is taking "necessary measures" to restore the strategic balance in the emerging situation.

Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila said Islamabad can neither afford nor plans to match the Indian Navy in terms of numerical strength.

"The strategic dimension of India's naval buildup is a cause of concern not only for us but for the entire Indian Ocean Region (IOR). I feel nuclearisation of the IOR does not augur well for peace and stability in the region.

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Japan's Air-to-Air Upgrade Japan's Air-to-Air Upgrade

Japan already has bought Raytheon AIM-120 Amraams, so why is it spending ¥36 billion ($468 million) to upgrade about 60 F-2 fighters with the Mitsubishi Electric Corp. AAM-4B missile?

Although the benefits to Japanese industry are obvious, details of the upgrade and the missile itself suggest that the program is giving an enormous boost to the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries fighter’s ability to counter enemy aircraft.

The weapon has at least one advanced feature that other such missiles lack: a seeker with an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.

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Sukumpol presses ahead with U-boats plan

Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat wants to submit the navy's proposals to buy second-hand submarines to the cabinet next week.

However, he said he was unsure whether they will be submitted in time for the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The minister said a few more days are needed to discuss the proposals before they can be forwarded to the cabinet.

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Poland Scraps ‘Wasteful’ Warship Project

The Polish government has terminated a warship building project seen as a drain on the nation’s resources, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday.

“Vast amounts of money are still being spent on the Polish military that simply have nothing to do with defense,” Polish Radio External Service quoted him as saying.

The prime minister said the project will be terminated “despite opposition from the navy” as it was “senseless” to maintain an enterprise that costs 30 million zloty a year (7.2 million euro).

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Air Force plans two-year delay in developing new Cruise Missile Air Force plans two-year delay in developing new Cruise Missile

The Air Force now plans a two-year delay in the development of a new $1.3 billion weapon to replace today's nuclear-capable Air Launched Cruise Missile aboard bomber aircraft, according to budget documents submitted to Congress last week.

Under current plans, the service in fiscal 2013 would spend $2 million to continue work on a secret "Analysis of Alternatives" that weighs various technological options for the new missile, called the Long-Range Stand-Off weapon or "LRSO" for short.

However, the "LRSO program start [is] delayed two years," the Air Force states in newly released charts on research and development funding.

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German submarine corruption trial set for September German submarine corruption trial set for September

The beginning of the trial regarding submarines purchased by Portugal from German firm Man Ferrostaal, has been set by Lisbon’s criminal courts for 17 September, a courts source told Lusa News Agency.

ortugal bought two submarines from German consortium GSC (part of Man Ferrostaal) in 2004, when José Durão Barroso was prime minister and current foreign minister, Paulo Portas, was minister of defence.

Part of the deal included provisions saying the German firm would have to purchase goods and services from Portuguese companies worth a bit more than the price of the submarines.

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Leased Nerpa (K-152 of Project 971 "Shchuka-B") nuclear sub to arrive in India in late March

The nuclear-powered submarine leased from Russia for ten year, will arrive in India in late March, a source close to the Indian Ministry of Defense, told Itar-Tass.

The submarine will arrive in the town of Visakhapatnam on March 30-31, the course underlined. After being handed over to the Indian Navy, it would be commissioned as INS Chakra.

The cost of the contract of lease is estimated at 650 to 900 million dollars. The Indian Navy called the submarine the Chakra.

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Russia boosts Kaliningrad defences

Russia is to modernise two airfields and deploy extra surface-to-air missiles at military bases within its western exclave of Kaliningrad, it has been announced.

Vice Admiral Viktor Chirkov, commander of Russia's Baltic fleet, said that the runway at Chkalovsk airfield would be extended to 3,500m in length to allow it to "receive any kind of aircraft, including Boeings and Airbuses".

Construction to extend the airfield is expected to take around two years, and Russia will also look to rebuild a disused airfield on the Baltic Sea coast.

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Thales to adapt ASTAC reconnaissance pods for Mirage 2000D

The French defence procurement agency (DGA) has awarded Thales a contract to adapt ASTAC tactical reconnaissance pods for the Mirage 2000D.

When the operation is complete in 2014, France's Mirage 2000D fleet will be able to perform the tactical reconnaissance missions currently assigned to the Mirage F1CR, which is due to be withdrawn from service at around the same time.

The contract includes all the modifications required to interface the ASTAC pods with the Mirage 2000D, including adaptation to the platform and adjustments to the countermeasures systems housed inside the pod.

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Boeing Awarded Performance Based Logistics Contract for Sustainment of Korea F-15Ks

The Boeing Company has received a Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract from the Republic of Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to ensure the long-term, affordable sustainment of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) fleet of F-15K fighter jets.

The five-year contract, valued at approximately US$300 million, also brings new opportunities to local industry. Hyundai Glovis will provide in-country logistics handling and supply chain distribution activities.

"Boeing is pleased to continue supporting the ROKAF F-15 fleet, which already has achieved some of the best mission-capability rates of any air force operating the F-15, and those rates have continuously improved since the aircraft's introduction to the ROKAF," said Jim O'Neill, vice president and general manager, Boeing Integrated Logistics.

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