Navy 'determined' to return USS Miami to sea Investigation of last week's submarine blaze under way

As three teams of U.S. Navy investigators prepared to board a nuclear submarine that caught fire at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard last week to assess the damage, senators from Maine and New Hampshire also traveled to the shipyard on Friday to hear about the incident first-hand.

Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe and New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen toured the Kittery facility and spoke with officials from the shipyard and the Navy.

They also spoke with some of the more than 100 firefighters who fought the overnight blaze.

Read more

Does F-35 Have Same Oxygen Problems As F-22? More Oversight Needed, Say Experts

Given the recent allegations by F-22 Raptor pilots that the aircraft has potentially deadly oxygen-system problems, it’s not surprising that questions are also being raised about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter—which has strikingly similar design elements.

Lockheed Martin, which makes both aircrafts, has recently said that “the F-35 and F-22 have common aircraft oxygen system suppliers, but the systems are very different.”

But a ‘concerned’ POGO commenter asked us if there’s any chance the F-35 could have
the same oxygen problems, anyways.

Read more

Backpack Radar system from SpotterRF

SpotterRF’s new backpack radar system is based around its three-pound M80 and four-pound M600C synthetic aperture radar modules.

“Situational awareness at night collapses around you and NVGs limit a sentry’s field of view,” says SpotterRF CEO Logan Harris.

“That’s why coupling ground based radar with imaging into a backpack unit is such a potent force multiplier.”

The micro radar system uses a pair of radar pods that provide a 180-degree field of coverage out to 1,000 meters.

Read more

Pakistan successfully test-fires Hatf-VIII cruise missile

Pakistan, today conducted a successful Flight Test of the indigenously developed Air Launched Cruise Missile, Hatf-VIII (Ra’ad).

The Ra’ad Missile, with a range of over 350 KM, enables Pakistan to achieve strategic standoff capability on land and at Sea.

‘Cruise Technology’ is extremely complex and has been developed by only a few countries in the world.

Read more

Russia to Reopen Arctic Airbases

Rogachevo Airbase (Novaya Zemlya)
Selected air units of Russia’s Western military district will start this year preparations to return to abandoned Arctic airfields, the commander of the district’s aviation Maj. Gen. Igor Makushev said on Wednesday.

Military airfields in the Arctic were used extensively in the Soviet era, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 they have been generally mothballed.

“We will start reopening airfields on Novaya Zemlya and in Naryan-Mar as early as this summer,” Makushev told a news conference in St. Petersburg.

Read more

Northrop Grumman, L-3 MAS to Join Forces on Unmanned System for Canadian Security

Northrop Grumman Corporation and L-3 MAS announced plans today to join forces on a variant of the Northrop Grumman-produced Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for Canada to maintain continuous surveillance of its Arctic territories.

Dubbed "Polar Hawk™," the system will be designed to stay aloft for long periods of time in harsh weather conditions over vast expanses of the Earth's surface monitoring land, ice, littoral and open water environments throughout the Arctic.

"Northrop Grumman and L-3 MAS are combining our formidable strengths to provide a surveillance system to meet requirements defined in the Canada First Defence Strategy," said Duke Dufresne, vice president and general manager for Northrop Grumman's unmanned systems business.

Read more

Romania could procure second hand F-16 from Portugal or the Netherlands

Minister of Defense Corneliu Dobritoiu told Agerpres, after a meeting with the reserve military that a team of specialists will go to the Netherlands and Portugal to assess the technical condition of some F-16 type aircraft that Romania might procure for the Army.

'We will assess the jets, to see if they are technically up to our requirements, their upgrading needs, the cost and if we can afford them, or not. The assessments are made in Portugal and the Netherlands', Dobritoiu said.

He admitted that Romania could buy F-16s from the Portuguese or the Dutch, arguing that Romania's strategic goal should be getting the fifth generation jets 'at minimal costs''.

Read more

How Much Are Those Jets? Harper Government to Shut Down Committee Hearings

It is widely believed that the Harper Conservatives lied about their knowledge of the cost of purchasing F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin during the 2011 campaign.

Once accused of knowing and hiding the actually costing — and the $20 billion difference from what they had been quoting — the Tories have come up with myriad reasons as to why their numbers differed and what they knew when.

Now the government is moving to shut down the committee hearings where witnesses have been called in to discuss Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s report that the government knew about the real, full costs of the F-35 and hid it.

Read more

Fighter jets and missiles on standby for Euro 2012

Fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles are set to be deployed in Poland's four host cities for the Euro 2012 tournament.

Details of the deployment were cited in the Dziennik Polski daily, echoing the planning of Poland's Government Security Centre (RCB), which declared a list of potential threats to the tournament earlier this year.

The Newa SC, an upgraded version of the old Soviet S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missiles, is among the artillery on standby for the tournament, alongside GROMs (Polish anti-aircraft missiles).

Read more

How a U.S. Radar Station in the Negev Affects a Potential Israel-Iran Clash

On a desert hilltop in the remote southwest of Israel stands a compelling argument against any notion that the Jewish state will launch an attack on Iran without the United States.

The discreet complex atop Mt. Keren is a U.S. military installation, and the 100 U.S. service members who staff it are the only foreign troops stationed in Israel.

Most are guards; a few are support. The technicians are recognizable by the protective suits they wear to shield them from the extraordinary amounts of radiation generated by the no less extraordinary apparatus the base is built around.

Read more

Preparations underway for X-37B landing

Preparations for the second landing of the X-37B, the Air Force's unmanned, reusable space plane, are underway at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

While the exact landing date and time will depend on technical and weather considerations, it is expected to occur during the early- to mid-June timeframe.

Space professionals from the 30th Space Wing will monitor the de-orbit and landing of the Air Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission, called OTV-2.

Read more

Hunt says LCS Freedom 'is fit for service' ‎

Some design problems persist, some fixes remain to be made, but overall, the littoral combat ship Freedom is moving ahead to meet its deployment schedule for next spring, the commander of the Navy’s surface forces proclaimed.

“My assessment is the ship is sound, the engineering plant is good, combat systems are good,” said Vice Adm. Richard Hunt. “The ship rides very well.”

That verdict came after a three-day “special trial” conducted May 22-24 at San Diego by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey, or INSURV.

Read more

Russia Floats Out New Corvette

St. Petersburg's Severnaya Verf shipyard floated out a new stealth corvette for the Russian Navy at an official ceremony on Wednesday.

The Stoyky is the fourth Project 20380 or Steregushchy class corvette designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau. The ship is expected to join Russia’s Baltic Fleet in November 2013 after a series of sea trials.

The first Project 20380 corvette, the Steregushchy, was put into service with the Baltic Fleet in October 2008 and the second, the Soobrazitelny, joined the Russian Navy in October 2011.

Read more

Russia’s MoD Signs Borei Submarine Contract with USC

The Russian Defence Ministry has signed contracts with Sevmash and Rubin for five Project 955A upgraded Borei A submarines, United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) spokesman Alexei Kravchenko has said.

Two contracts have been signed under the state defence order for 2012: one with the Sevmash shipyard to build five serial upgraded Borei class submarines and with the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering for R&D for these submarines.

Borei-class submarines are designed by Rubin. They are armed with Bulava ICBMs. The submarines are 170 metres long,13.5 metres wide, their collapse depth 450 metres and they have a crew 107 sailors.

Read more

MoD snubs London 2012 Olympics flat missiles meeting

The Ministry of Defence is refusing to attend a public meeting to discuss the placing of surface-to-air missiles on residential flats during the Olympics.

Bow Quarter in Tower Hamlets - where 700 people live - has received leaflets saying high velocity missiles could be placed on a water tower.

A protest meeting to be attended by local MP Rushanara Ali is set for Thursday at Bow Road Methodist Church.

Read more

Defense ministry plans to deploy destroyers closer to N. Korea

The Japanese Defense Ministry plans to deploy destroyers closer to North Korea to improve its ability to detect a North Korean rocket launch, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.

The move comes after the ministry failed to obtain information in a timely fashion on the North's rocket launch in April.

The plan also calls for Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers equipped with the Aegis air defense system to use information from U.S. early-warning satellites and enhance cooperation with U.S. Aegis-equipped frigates, the sources said.

Read more

Military supplier investigated

Australian police are investigating Tenix, the country's biggest defense contracting company.

The federal police bribery taskforce is reportedly attempting to determine if the firm offered to underwrite the election campaign of prominent Philippines politician Roilo Golez when he was running for a seat in the Philippines Congress.

Golez was national security adviser to former President Gloria Arroyo but he stepped down from the position to run for Congress, The Canberra Times reported Tuesday.

Read more

Powerful ‘Flame’ cyberweapon torching Mideast computers

The most sophisticated and powerful cyberweapon to date -- a Swiss Army Knife spy tool that can evolve and change to deal with any situation -- has been discovered on the loose in several Middle Eastern countries, security researchers said Tuesday.

The Worm.Win32.Flame threat, or “Flame” for short, was likely built by the same nation-state responsible for the Stuxnet virus that targeted Iran’s nuclear power plant in 2010.

But this new weapon is twenty times the size of that cyberbomb and far more powerful, making it practically an army on its own, said Roel Schouwenberg, a senior security researcher with Kaspersky Labs.

Read more

CASSIDIAN to protect Canadian Naval Vessels against laser-based attacks

Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, is developing innovative solutions to protect ships of the Canadian Navy against asymmetric laser-based threats.

Under the designation LOCATES (Laser Optical Countermeasures and Surveilllance Against Threat Environment Scenarios), the Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), based in Valcartier/Québec awarded Cassidian a contract in 2011 to apply new technologies to detect and counter laser-based threats such as laser-beamrider missiles in harbors and littoral waters.

Now, the Critical Design Review has been achieved allowing the hardware development and integration of a demonstrator system which will be field-tested in July 2012 until the second half of 2013.

Read more

RNLAF: reduction to 42 F-16’s – Airbase Leeuwarden closed

Airbase Leeuwarden
The plans are ready: the Royal Air Force is being reduced to only 42 F-16 fighter jets and Main Operating Base Leeuwarden soon will lose its F-16 squadrons.

Dutch independent website JSFNieuws.nl unveiled confidential plans, that had to be kept secret until after the elections in september 2012.

The paperse of course are “confidential” and distributed in a very limited circle of trusted people and politicians. Publicity around the plans would be a matter to be of very accurate “timing”, because the intention was to keep it strictly silent until after the fortcoming elections.

Read more

Naval Missile Defence System Project a Success

Australia’s Anzac Class frigates will be further protected from supersonic cruise missile attacks thanks to new radar technology acquired and fitted onto the ships by the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO).

The CEAFAR Radar and CEAMOUNT Missile Control Illuminator are part of a multi-phased array radar system used to identify, track and guide missiles onto multiple targets simultaneously.

The technology upgrade also gives the ships the means to detect and destroy in-coming supersonic cruise missiles.

Read more

Boeing Delivers 1st EA-18G Growler Featuring Bharat Electronics Limited Cockpit Subassembly

Boeing on May 3 delivered to the U.S. Navy the first EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft with a cockpit subassembly produced by Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

The subassembly provides cockpit floodlighting compatible with the aircraft's Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS).

Boeing awarded BEL an initial contract in March 2011 for work on Super Hornet cockpit subassemblies.

Read more

Obama set to arm Italy's drones in milestone move

President Barack Obama's administration appears set to notify the U.S. Congress of plans to arm a fleet of Italian MQ-9 Reaper drones, a step that may spur a wider spread of remotely piloted hunter-killer aircraft.

The administration could move ahead within two weeks on the proposal to let Italy join Britain in deploying U.S. drones with weapons such as laser-guided bombs and Hellfire missiles, American officials said.

Italy has a fleet of six Reapers. The sale of the technology to arm them, including bomb racks and "weaponization" kits costing up to $17 million, would help the United States redistribute the burden of its global military operations as the Pentagon's budget is being squeezed by deficit-reduction requirements.

Read more

Taiwan's ministry to mull fitting cruise missiles on planned warships

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it will mull the possibility of fitting indigenous cruise missiles on the warships the country plans to build at home, one day after lawmakers passed a proposal asking the ministry to consider such a move.

"The Ministry of National Defense will make related assessments on the issue," ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Luo Shou-he said in response to a question on equipping the planned missile boats with Taiwan-made Hsiung Feng 2E missiles.

The ministry will make decisions based on the evaluations, Luo said at a news conference.

Read more

Boeing develops Super Hornet aircraft upgrade

The Super Hornet, the latest version of the well-know US Navy F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighter aircraft, is going to be upgraded again. The new hardware is currently being developed at a Boeing facility.

In particular, this upgrade will regard the targeting system. The programme plans to equip with new sensor packages all the F/A-18 Super Hornet family, which includes the multi-role striker and the electronic-warfare aircraft EA-18G Growler.

"This new targeting system allows you to self-generate GPS-quality mensurated(sic) coordinates onboard the airplane autonomously".

Read more

India's HAL and Russia's UAC-TA sign transport aircraft development deal

India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Russia's United Aircraft Corp-Transport Aircraft (UAC-TA) and their joint venture firm Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) have signed a contract confirming HAL's role in the MTA programme.

Under the agreement, HAL will undertake its share of design and development at its Bangalore Aircraft Research and Development Centre, while its Transport Aircraft Division at Kanpur will build prototypes and eventually commence serial production, HAL said in a statement.

Facilities dedicated to the programme are already being set up at Kanpur, adds HAL.

Read more

NATO: Death by a thousand little spending cuts?

The sobering reality became clear before the NATO summit even began.

For a day and a half, the leaders of the world’s biggest economies hunkered down at the woodsy presidential retreat of Camp David, huddled around circular tables sharing frank details of the fragile state of the global economy and how in Europe, the situation could get much, much worse.

There, Prime Minister Stephen Harper slept in a small rustic cabin named Rosebud, where Soviet security guards were housed when Nikita Khrushchev met with Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958.

Read more

Airbus Military growing its product line

Airbus Military is growing its product line with new developments, such as gunships and airborne early warning aircraft, and is improving its existing offerings, such as the C295, as it adapts to changing market conditions.

Airbus Military, at its annual Trade Media Briefing in Spain, attended by defenceWeb, said that the military market for transport, special mission and tanker aircraft is a very irregular one with plenty of ups and downs and is compounded by shrinking military budgets, especially in the wake of the global financial crisis.

“Last year was a very difficult year for the industry,” said Antonio Rodriguez Barberan, Senior Vice President Commercial. “There are many challenges but with the right products, the right strategy...we’ll get through.”

Read more

German warships in Halifax to drum up business

The commander of a German task group says Canadian navy officials — in the market for new combat vessels — have been giving his warships the once-over during his visit to Halifax.

Capt. Christop Müller-Meinhard, the task group commander, is currently in the city with warships FGS Hessen, FGS Frankfurt am Main and FGS Emden.

"We invited the Canadians to look at the ships and get an idea of how the ships work," he told CBC News on Tuesday.

Read more

Russian Shipbuilders Fail to Agree Nuclear Sub Program Price

Defense Ministry, shipbuilders fail to agree price of 10 new 'Borey-class' nuclear submarines despite the intervention of President Putin

Russia’s Defense Ministry and the United Shipbuilding Corporation failed again to agree final contract terms for delivery of the new Borey class (Project 955) strategic nuclear submarine, despite the intervention of President Vladimir Putin who wants the submarines ot form the core of Russia's strategic ballistic missile force by 2018.

Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said his ministry and the submarine manufacturer would return to talks in the future to agree a final price for the Borey boats by 2015.

Read more

Keeping frigates running no easy feat for crews

There’s a gritty pride among those who serve aboard the Navy’s oldest class of warships — unloved by the brass but babied by their crews.

When something breaks, as things frequently do, it’s a training opportunity. Shrinking crews mold well-rounded sailors. And the cramped quarters build tighter bonds among shipmates.

Welcome to the “Ghetto Navy” — a badge sailors aboard the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates proudly wear.

Read more

Misfortune strikes Akash missile project

Misfortune struck the Akash missile project once again during a user specific trial from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the Odisha coast on Monday. The missile reportedly fell down immediately after taking off from the road mobile launcher causing embarrassment for the DRDO. It was the missile’s third trial of the six-trial series.

Sources said the Indian Armed forces had planned twin trials of the missile back-to-back within a gap of one minute to gauge its effectiveness and killing efficiency.

As claimed by the DRDO, the Akash missile system has a passive phased array radar called Rajendra which is capable of tracking as many as 64 targets and controlling up to 12 missiles simultaneously.

Read more

Pakistan tests nuclear capable missile

Pakistan on Tuesday successfully testfired a short range nuclear capable missile, the military said.

The indigenously developed Short Range Surface to Surface Multi Tube Missile Hatf IX (NASR), with a range of 60 km, can carry nuclear warheads of appropriate yield, with high accuracy, and possesses shoot and scoot attributes, an army statement said.

This quick response system addresses the need to deter evolving threats, specially at shorter ranges, it said.

Read more

Michelle Obama sponsors first-ever ALL-FEMALE nuclear submarine named after her home state of Illinois

First Lady Michelle Obama has agreed to sponsor a future submarine named after her home state that will be staffed by an all-female crew.

The White House has announced that Mrs Obama has accepted an invitation to be the backer of the USS Illinois, a Virginia-class submarine being built in Groton, Connecticut, and Newport News, Virginia.

The new nuclear-powered boat is expected to join the fleet in late 2015.

Read more

Iran Overhauls Russian-Built Sub

The Iranian Navy has brought back into operation a Russian-built submarine, after major repairs with locally produced components, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting company, IRIB, reported on Tuesday.

Some 18,000 components, including propellers and radars, were replaced on the Tareq (Russian Project 877EKM Paltus), one of Iran’s three Kilo-class submarines, which entered service in 1992.

The submarine was relaunched from a dry dock in an Iranian port.

Read more

Navy Rescue Vessel To Get Two Mini-subs

A Russian Navy search and rescue vessel will be equipped with two unique deepwater submersibles, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Igor Belousov, currently under construction, will have two ARS-600 two-seat submersibles, designed to perform an array of functions, including search, rescue and salvage of submarines in distress.

The Russian Defense Ministry decided in 2011 to equip the ship with a deep-sea diving system produced by Scottish firm DIVEX, which will be delivered, installed, and tested by experts from a Russian company, Tetis Pro.

Read more

Rolls-Royce awarded £100 million support contracts for UK transport and tanker fleets

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has secured contract extensions, which will see the company provide ongoing support for engines on the UK’s C-130 Hercules transport and VC10 tanker fleets. The contracts are worth almost £100 million to Rolls-Royce.

Following this amendment, the Hercules Integrated Operational Support (HIOS) contract, which is delivered jointly by Rolls-Royce, Marshall Aerospace and Lockheed Martin, will provide support for the C-130 fleet until 2015.

Rolls-Royce teams in the UK and Indianapolis in the US provide comprehensive servicing for the AE 2100D3 engine, which powers the C-130J aircraft and the T56 engine on the C-130K.

Read more

Navy Successfully Tests New Capability of Offshore Patrol Vessels

The Navy has successfully conducted trials of flying an SH-2G Seasprite helicopter from the deck of one of its Offshore Patrol Vessels, HMNZS OTAGO, marking a significant milestone in achieving the ship's full operational potential.

The trials have been conducted over the past month during which the Seasprite conducted 161 landings and takeoffs from OTAGO’s flight deck.

The landings and takeoffs were done by day and by night in varying wind and sea conditions in the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Plenty sea areas.

Read more

Tiger helicopters resume flying operations

The Australian Army’s fleet of Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters (ARH) has returned to regular training activities following the lifting of a temporary suspension that was put in place on 16 May 2012 due to the detection of fumes in the cockpit of the aircraft.

The Army Operational Airworthiness Authority lifted the suspension late yesterday following a detailed assessment and a recommendation from the Technical Airworthiness Authority to resume flying operations.

There are 22 ARH in the Australian Army’s Oakey and Darwin based fleet, 19 of which are in the fully capable configuration operating in the fleet.

Read more

New Irish Naval Service Patrol Boat Laid down at Babcock Marine’s shipyard in Appledore

STX Marine is pleased to report the keel-laying of the first of two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the Irish Naval Service (INS).

The keel was laid by Commodore Mellet, Flag Officer Commanding Naval Service, on May 18th, 2012 at Babcock Marine’s shipyard in Appledore, North Devon.

The ceremony was attended by senior representatives of the Department of Defence, the Naval Service and STXM.

Read more

MSDF ships flirted with 'collective defense' ban at RIMPAC 2010 shooting practice

Two Japanese destroyers joined U.S. and Australian warships in shelling and sinking an amphibious assault ship in July 2010 as part of a large multilateral naval exercise off Hawaii, it was learned Sunday.

Six vessels fired at the 19,000-ton USS New Orleans during a sinking exercise that was carried out as part of the broader biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) fleet exercise, one of the largest international maritime exercises in the Pacific.

Some legal experts said the exercise could have been construed as "collective defense," which is banned by the Constitution, because it involved the joint shelling of a common target.

Read more

Akash missile test-fired for third time in 5 days

India on Monday test-fired two indigenously developed "Akash" missiles in quick succession from a test range in Odisha.

The test-fire of the surface-to-air anti-aircraft defence missiles was the third in five days.

Last week, India had twice successfully test-fired the indigenously developed missile from the test range at Chandipur near Balasore.

Read more

Zvezdochka Shipyard to Deliver Two SSBN (Projet 667BDRM Delfin – Delta-IV) and One SSK (Kilo) to Russian Navy

Zvezdochka Shipyard plans to deliver to the Russian Navy two nuclear-powered submarines and one diesel-electric submarine undergoing overhaul and upgrade at the shipyards by the end of 2012.

Zvezdochka Shipyard will hand over this year two Delta class submarines IV-class SSBN Verkhoturye (K-51), SSBN Novomoskovsk (K-407) and diesel-electric KILO-class SS Kaluga (B-800).

Besides, the shipbuilder plans to deliver to India the submarine "Sindurakshak" by the end of this year, undergoing maintainance and upgrade at the shipyards.

Read more

Anticipating INS Crocodile, More Submarine Crews Trained

The Israeli Navy is preparing to receive its fourth Dolphin-class submarine by training a larger number of combat submarine crewmen and marine commando forces.

The IDF Website quoted a reliable Navy source as saying approximately 10% more submarine crewmen will be trained at first.

Approximately two weeks ago, Israel Navy Submarine Tanin (Crocodile) was launched in the city of Kiel, Germany and officially handed over to the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Navy.

Read more

Iran is building warships more advanced than Jamaran destroyer

The Navy commander says Iran has started producing warships which are technologically much more advanced than the Jamaran destroyer.

“The Jamaran destroyer is just a sample… and destroyers based on modern technology and much more advanced than the Jamaran destroyer are now being manufactured,” Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari told the Mehr News Agency.

Sayari also said Iran will not restrict itself to just one destroyer in Open seas.

Read more

Sister ship of of Project 11711 "Ivan Gren" to be ordered by Russian Navy

Just one week following the launch of Ivan Gren, head of Project 11711 large landing ship, senior officials from the Russian Navy Command confirmed to Daily Izvestia the intention to order a second vessel before deciding the fate of the class.

"The fate of Project 11711 will be decided after the construction of a second vessel of the same class. That is, the second such ship, we plan to order, and then we'll decide whether to build more ships of this type," - said the representative of the Navy.

He explained that "Ivan Gren" is intended for amphibious operations and thhe landing "right on the beach". To do this, Ivan Gren class can open its bow and unload troops and vehicles.

Read more

U.S.M.C. orders “Switchblade” UAV drones that function as mini-cruise missiles

The U.S. Marine Corp is ordering huge quantities of “Switchblade” micro-UAV/cruise missiles for its front line infantry units.

This according to the website Strategy Page:

“The Switchblade is a one kilogram (2.2 pound) expendable (used only once) UAV that can be equipped with explosives. The Switchblade is launched from its shipping and storage tube, at which point wings flip out, a battery powered propeller starts spinning, and a vidcam begins broadcasting images to the controller.

Read more

Agni-V to be best missile of 21st century: DRDO

DRDO Director General Vijay Kumar Saraswat today said Agni-V missile which took 30 years to be developed, was the best such thing in the 21st century.

Agni-V is an intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India.

It is part of the Agni series of missiles, one of the missile systems under the original Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.

Read more

Fire damage raises questions about sub’s future

Even before the Navy completed its first damage assessment, the severity of a fire that swept through a nuclear-powered submarine in dry dock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard triggered questions about whether the USS Miami can be salvaged.

The USS Miami’s nuclear propulsion was spared from the intense blaze but some forward compartments including living quarters, command and control, and torpedo room suffered extensive damage, officials said Thursday.

The Navy was unable to complete a formal assessment Thursday but the damage was severe enough to raise questions about whether costly repairs would make sense for the 22-year-old Los Angeles-class attack submarine.

Read more

Newport News Shipbuilding Celebrates Construction Milestone on Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division reached a construction milestone by lowering the final keel section of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) into place.

Local media were invited to NNS to watch as the 680-metric-ton lower bow unit was joined to the other keel sections in the dry dock.

"The lower bow is a distinctive component of an aircraft carrier," said Rolf Bartschi, NNS' vice president of CVN 78 carrier construction.

Read more

Indian Frigate Sails for Sea Trials in Russia

A Talwar class frigate being built for the Indian Navy at the Yantar Shipyard in Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad departed on Thursday for sea trials, the shipyard said.

The Tarkash is the second in a series of three frigates built under a $1.6-billion contract with India.

The first frigate, the Teg, was delivered to India in April 2012, while the third, the Trikand, is still under construction.

Read more

NOSInt on a break

Next update tuesday may 29^th

Surface-to-air Akash missile test fired successfully

Boosting its air defence shield and re-validating operational efficacy, India on Thursday successfully test fired its indigenously-developed surface-to- air ‘Akash’ missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, about 15 km from here.

“The user-specific trial, which formed part of the country’s routine air defence exercises, was successful,” said a Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) official associated with the Akash missile project.

To re-validate the technology and operational efficacy of the missile, defence forces conducted the trial with logistic support provided by the ITR, the official said.

Read more

Launch of the head of Type 056 Chinese Corvette class

May 22, 2012 in the night at the Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai (part of the China state shipbuilding corporation - CSSC) the head unit of the Type 056 Corvette for the Chinese Navy was launched. Construction of the ship started in 2010.

According to some sources China is currently building a large series of Type 056 corvettes.

At the Hudong Shipyard a second vessel of this type can be seen on the assembly line.

Read more

Russia Turns on New Missile Warning Radar

Voronezh-M long-range missile warning radar
Russia placed its new Voronezh-M long-range missile warning radar on duty in the Irkutsk region of Siberia on Wednesday, marking a major increase in its missile early warning system capability..

"At 10:15 a.m. (5:15 a.m. Moscow time) on May 23, it was put on duty," said Lt. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko, the commander of Russia's Aerospace Defense Forces at the site.

"This unique station has massive capabilities and is a key link in carring out our strategic tasks given to us by the high command. It plays a key role in the missile early warning chain," he said at the opening ceremony for the Voronezh-M radar station.

Read more

MA60 Makes Its First Export to Cambodia

On May 18, Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Company Limited (XAC) delivered two Modern Ark 60 (MA60) aircraft to the Royal Cambodian Air Force.

This is the first MA60 exportation to Cambodia.

Chau Phirun, General Director of Materiel and Techniques of the Ministry of National Defense of Cambodia, Soeung Samyang, Commander of the Royal Cambodian Air Force, Kong Mony, Deputy Commander of the Royal Cambodian Air Force as well as the related officials from Xi'an Aircraft International Corporation (XAIC) attended the delivery ceremony.

Read more

Fire Strikes Nuke Sub USS Miami In Portsmouth Dry Dock

Word came late last night about a fire ripping through the USS Miami, a Los Angeles class attack submarine. The ship's reactor was not operating at the time and no weapons were aboard.

The fire, even if the reactor is completely undamaged, is expected to add at least several months to the Miami's stay in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Los Angeles subs are mostly designed to escort carrier groups.

At 11 p.m. Wednesday the fire was still not under control.

Read more

RSAF welcomes inauguration of Heron 1 UAV

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) enhanced the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of the 3rd Generation Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as it inaugurated the Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) into 119 Squadron (SQN) on 23 May.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, who officiated at the inauguration ceremony at Murai Camp, pointed out that the SAF's vision for UAVs started as early as the 70s, quoting Singapore's first Defence Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee: "For our kind of terrain, we must have Remotely Piloted Vehicles. We must see the enemy without being seen."

"The UAVs have realised the vision of SAF’s founding pioneers but only through continued investments to develop this capability," he added. "As a result, the SAF today is an advanced user of UAVs... (which) are used routinely in exercises as well as in operations."

Read more

Republic of Korea Requests Sale of UGM-84L HARPOON Missiles

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified U.S. Congress May 22 of a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Korea for 18 UGM-84L HARPOON Block II All-Up-Round Missiles and associated parts, equipment, logistical support and training for an estimated cost of $84 million.

The Government of Korea has requested a possible sale of 18 UGM-84L HARPOON Block II All-Up-Round Missiles, 1 UGM-84L HARPOON telemetry exercise section, containers, Guidance Control Units (GCU) spares, recertification and reconfiguration support, spare and repair parts, tools and tool sets, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support.

The estimated cost is $84 million.

Read more

Airbag fault grounds Israeli Skylark UAVs

Israel's ground forces have temporarily grounded their Elbit Systems Skylark 1 ("Sky Rider") unmanned air vehicles after a series of mid-air inflations involving the type's airbag landing system.

Israel Defense Forces confirms that operations of the mini-unmanned aerial vehicle have been halted until further notice, pending the completion of work to determine what caused its airbag to be deployed in flight several times during recent weeks.

Installed to cushion the impact of landing, the device was recently activated before a landing signal had been transmitted.

Read more

Boeing wins $368m AWACS contract

Boeing has won a $368 million contract to help modernise the flight deck and avionics of the US and NATO E-3 707 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft fleet.

The contract, awarded by the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the second phase of a cooperative programme between the US Air Force and NATO. The initial phase included subsystem requirements reviews completed in March.

Under the EMD contract, Boeing will integrate new and existing avionics and communications systems; develop a design to install the new equipment; upgrade one aircraft for each AWACS fleet; flight-test the new systems; develop logistics support data; and train flight crews and maintenance personnel.

Read more