Republic Of Korea Selects Lockheed Martin’s Proven C-130J Super Hercules For New Airlift Fleet

Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Republic of Korea to provide the nation four C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

Korea’s new Super Hercules will be the longer fuselage or “stretched” combat delivery variant. Deliveries will be in 2014 and the contract also contains a two-year support program including aircrew and maintenance training.

Korea joins 14 other nations that have selected the proven C 130J.

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China discloses new SD-10 combat capabilities

China's SD-10 beyond visual range air-to-air missile (AAM) may be a considerably more capable weapon than has hitherto been believed.

Officials from the SD-10's manufacturer, the Luoyang Electro-Optical Technology Development Centre (LOEC), say the SD-10 was designed from the beginning to function with a dual-mode seeker operating in distinct active and passive radar homing modes.

If so, the SD-10 (and current production SD-10A) are the first AAMs to enter service with this acknowledged capability.

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Ark Royal's final return to home port of Portsmouth

The commanding officer of HMS Ark Royal said it was a "sad" day as the ship returned to its home port for the final time before it is scrapped.

Crowds of people braved ice and snow to see the Royal Navy's flagship arrive in Portsmouth through thick fog.

The government decided to axe the aircraft carrier as it cut defence spending by 8%.

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F-111 flies into history

The RAAF retired the F-111 on December 3 after 37 years of service, with a flypast of Ipswich, Brisbane, and the Gold and Sunshine Coasts by six F-111s accompanied by four F/A-18Fs, and a final F-111 singleton display overhead RAAF Amberley, the type’s final flight.

The flights were the culmination of two days’ of retirement celebrations at Amberley (dubbed ‘Pigs Tales’) and a week of flypasts of major and regional towns and cities by 6SQN jets.

The last aircraft to land, A8-125, was also the first to land at Amberley on delivery in 1973.

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India eyes producing more Akash missiles, BEL expects windfall

Defence major Bharat Electronics Limited expects to bag contracts worth at least Rs 10,000 crore in the next few months from Indian Air Force and the army to produce several squadrons of Akash missile system.

Bangalore-based BEL has already bagged a Rs 1,221 crore order from IAF to produce two squadrons of the surface-to-air area defence guided missile system.

"They (IAF) are going to place another order for six squadrons shortly (in a month)," said P C Jain, general manager of BEL's military radar business unit.

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After delays, Scorpene submarine now on track: Navy chief

Admitting there was a downward trend in its submarine programme, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma Thursday said the gap would be covered when the nation gets six highly advanced French Scorpene vessels being built at a Mumbai shipyard.

"There was a downward trend because of the gap that took place. For 17 years, we didn't commission any indigenous submarine.

That is why this gap took place," Verma told reporters ahead of Navy Day to be celebrated Saturday.

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Guarding our 7,600-km coastline is a challenge

In an exclusive interview with the Hindustan Times, Vice-Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin, flag officer commanding in chief of the Western Naval Command, said securing India’s western coast is the Navy’s biggest challenge.

The threat perception of terrorists using the sea route, as they did for 26/11, has increased.

India has a huge coastline, stretching 7,600 km, and we have island territories as well.

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Officials suspend F-22 crash recovery and restoration

After two weeks of intense effort, a joint Air Force and Army team has suspended recovery and restoration efforts for the F-22 Raptor that crashed Nov. 16 near Cantwell, Alaska.

An Air Force team did recover the remains of the pilot, Capt. Jeff Haney. Safety experts are now examining the wreckage as they seek to determine the cause of the accident.

Air Force officials say much as been done to clean up the crash site but caution some risks remain. Any debris discovered by snowmachiners or others in the area should not be handled, said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Paul Friedrichs, the JBER medical group commander.

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BrahMos missile test-fired successfully

India on Thursday successfully test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos cruise missile from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the Orissa coast.

The supersonic cruise missile with precision strike capability was test-fired from a mobile launcher at 1100 hours from the launch pad No. 3 of the ITR, defence sources said.

“The trial was successful,” they said.

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Defence project delays lead to an $8bn blowout

The nation's top 22 major defence projects are running up to a decade late and have suffered cost blowouts of almost $8 billion.

And for the first time, Defence has admitted that the $4 billion Project Wedgetail - the RAAF's new airborne early warning and control aircraft - will not meet one of its key capability requirements.

There are two SA projects in the list, the Collins submarine reliability and sustainability project and the Collins submarine replacement combat system.

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Japan – Mission Equipment for AWACS Aircraft

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress November 29 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Japan for installation and checkout of mission equipment for AWACS aircraft and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $119 million.

The Government of Japan has requested installation and checkout of four previously procured Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) Group A and B kits in E-767 Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS). Also provided are the transportation of the E-767s to/from Japan, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, U.S. Government and contractor personnel support services, and other related program elements to ensure complete AWACS mission equipment supportability.

The estimated cost is $119 million.

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SA and Brazil talking on surface-to-air missile cooperation

Talks are continuing between the Brazilian Navy and South Africa’s State-owned missile company, Denel Dynamics, about the joint development of the proposed Umkhonto-R medium-range radar-guided naval surface-to-air missile. The Brazilian Navy has, however, two conditions for participation in the project.

First, there must be an overarching government-to-government framework agreement, including mutual guarantees, to govern the programme.

It is believed that this still has to be agreed by the South African government. Second, the South African Navy (SAN) must commit itself to also buying the Umkhonto-R.

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Navy Christens Littoral Combat Ship Fort Worth

The Navy will christen littoral combat ship (LCS) Fort Worth, Saturday, Dec. 4, during a 10 a.m. CST ceremony at Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard in Marinette, Wis.

The ship's name recognizes the city of Fort Worth, Texas. For more than 150 years, the patriotic citizens of Fort Worth have supported the Navy and the men and women in uniform. Home to Ranger outposts, training facilities, aviation depots, and defense manufacturing, Fort Worth has answered the call whenever the nation needed it.

Former Deputy Defense SecretaryGordon Englandwill deliver the principal address at the ceremony. Rep. Kay Granger of Texaswill serve as the ship's sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by Granger breaking a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship, which is a time-honored Navy tradition.

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Indian Navy to majorly increase combat capabilities

The Indian Navy is poised to substantially enhance its combat capabilities in the next five-six years with a wide range of ships, submarines and choppers slated to join its fleet, a top officer said here Wednesday.

'These would include two aircraft carriers, one from the oviet-era and one indigenously built, two fleet tankers, two stealth frigates, three destroyers and sophisticated all-weather aircraft like the MiG-29K (of Russian origin),' said Vice Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.

He was speaking to reporters aboard the INS Viraat aircraft carrier Wednesday afternoon ahead of the Navy Day celebrations.

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S. Korea deploys missiles on Yeonpyeong Island

South Korea's military has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a border island attacked by North Korea in a fatal bombardment last week, as part of efforts to beef up defense readiness on the Yellow Sea island, a military source said Wednesday.

North Korea fired a barrage of about 170 artillery shells onto Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, killing two civilians and two marines, but South Korean marines stationed on the tiny island managed to fire just 80 rounds in return.

"The Cheonma missiles are being installed at a military unit on Yeonpyeong Island," the source said on condition of anonymity.

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Brahmos likely to be flight tested on Thursday

Brahmos cruise missile is likely to be flight tested from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off Orissa coast on Thursday.

"Range co-ordination for the trial of Brahmos missile proposed to be conducted is near complete," an official of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) said.

Brahmos, developed jointly with Russia , is a supersonic cruise missile and capable of being launched from multiple platforms like submarine, ship, aircraft and land based Mobile Autonomous Launchers (MAL).

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U. S. Coast Guard Awards Northrop Grumman $480 Million Construction Contract for Fourth National Security Cutter

The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a $480 million fixed-price incentive contract to Northrop Grumman Corporation's Shipbuilding sector for construction of a fourth National Security Cutter (WMSL 753). Construction and delivery will be performed at the company's Pascagoula facility.

"These ships are a significant part of the Coast Guard's recapitalization program," said Irwin F. Edenzon, vice president and general manager, Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Gulf Coast.

"This contract emphasizes the Coast Guard's confidence in the NSC's design and demonstrated performance, as well as the progress we've made with our quality and process improvement initiatives."

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Strategic N-sub Alexander Nevsky launch delayed

In Severodvinsk, a launch ceremony for the second strategic nuclear submarine of Project 955 Boreas – Alexander Nevsky – planned for November 30 has been delayed, PA Sevmash informed without giving a reason.

Regional media, however, report the launch of the new nuclear submarine had been delayed due to bad weather conditions.

Now, ambient temperature is minus 25 Celsius with further downward forecast.

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Unmanned Air Force space plane to return to Earth

An unmanned Air Force space plane that spent seven months in orbit is set to return to Earth.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle is scheduled to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles sometime between Friday and Monday, depending on the weather and other factors.

The Air Force Space Command said in a statement Tuesday the base has begun preparations for the landing.

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U.S. Navy to decommission frigate Hawes on Dec. 10

The Navy frigate Hawes will end its 25-year career later this month in a decommissioning ceremony at Norfolk Naval Station, the service announced.

Named for the late Rear Adm. Richard Ellington Hawes, a two-time recipient of the Navy Cross, the ship is the 47th in the Oliver Hazard Perry class. Built at Bath Iron Works in Maine, it was commissioned in 1985.

It has a crew of 215, led by Cmdr. Stephen F. Fuller, plus an embarked helicopter detachment. Its missions have included escorting convoys, coastal operations and air and surface warfare.

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Daewoo Expands in Indonesia

Daewoo International signed a contract with the Indonesian Defense Ministry to supply $700 million worth of 6x6 light-armored vehicles to the Indonesian Army. The production will commence at Doosan DST.

The contract is likely to increase opportunities for POSCO (PKX - Analyst Report) to export light-armored vehicles in the international arena, especially in the Asian and Latin American countries.

In a separate contract, Daewoo International also agreed to supply $800 million worth of Type-209 submarines to the Indonesian Navy and $400 million worth of basic training aircraft to the Indonesian Air Force.

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HMS Astute will be back next month, says defence minister

The nuclear-powered submarine which ran aground on a shingle bank is expected to resume sea trials next month, defence minister Peter Luff said today.

Repairs to HMS Astute have been completed and the submarine is at its Faslane base on the Clyde preparing to set sail again.

Mr Luff refused to confirm exactly when HMS Astute would leave the base "for security reasons", but said in a written Commons answer: "The department anticipates that this will be in December."

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Russia offers Amur class submarines to India

Russia has offered its latest low-noise fourth generation Amur-1650 class submarines to India, which is on the verge of floating global tenders for an estimated $11 billion deal.

India is vying to purchase six non-nuclear submarines to boost up its undersea warfare capability.

The deal may be expanded by acquiring the know-how to build more such submarines at Indian shipyards.

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Russia's missile forces to replace Topol-M with multiple-warhead RS-24

Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) will be rearmed with multiple-warhead RS-24 missiles instead of the RS-12M Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle) mobile intercontinental ballistic missile systems, SMF Commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said on Tuesday.

"The mobile missile system with the RS-24 ballistic missile is an improved version of the Topol-M, and during production experience with fifth generation mobile missile systems was taken into account," Karakayev said, adding that the missile proved itself a reliable weapon.

"Therefore it was decided to rearm the SMF with this type of missile system," he continued. "At the same the Topol-M mobile missile system will not be supplied to the Strategic Missile Forces in the future."

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LCA successfully test fires R-73 missiles

India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' on Tuesday successfully completed air-to-air close combat missile firing tests, ahead of its clearance for induction into the IAF.

The tests for firing of R-73 missiles took place at the INS Hansa naval air base in Goa where the LCA detachment is currently based as part of the last phase of its flight trials, the DRDO said.

"As a run up to the impending achieving of Initiation Operational Clearance (IOC) and release to service, a Tejas detachment has been operating from INS Hansa in Goa, conducting the last phase of flight trials.

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