Oman Corvette Heads To Sea For The First Time

Al Shamikh, the first of three ships being built by BAE Systems for the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) has embarked on her first sea trials in the Solent.

Departing from the Company’s Portsmouth facility, a combined BAE Systems and RNO crew is putting the ship through her paces, undertaking extensive platform testing for speed, propulsion and manoeuvrability in the first demonstration of the ship’s capability at sea.

Scott Jamieson, International Programmes Director at BAE Systems’ Surface Ships division, said: “As first in class, Al Shamikh’s trials mark a pivotal stage in the programme. It highlights the significant progress that has been made and clearly demonstrates the effective close working relationship we have developed with the Royal Navy of Oman and our continued commitment to deliver enhanced naval capability to our customer.”

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First MEADS Battle Manager Ready for System Tests at Italian Air Force Base

The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program today displayed the first MEADS Battle Manager during ceremonies at MBDA Italia facilities in Fusaro, Italy.

The Battle Manager, configured on an ARIS Italian Prime Mover, will shortly be joined by other MEADS major end items at Pratica di Mare Air Force Base in Italy as part of system integration activities leading to flight tests at White Sands Missile Range, NM, in 2012.

Five more Battle Managers are being assembled to support integration, test and qualification activities for the flight test series.

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Sukhoi's Su-25UBM completes state acceptance trials

Sukhoi has completed state acceptance trials for the Su-25UBM twin-seat attack aircraft and operational trainer, including the use of live weapons.

The variant has undergone all the necessary tests to allow it to enter service with the Russian air force, says Vladimir Babak, general director of Sukhoi Attack Aircraft.

Some documentation has yet to be completed, but once state approval has been received, the Su-25UBM will be cleared to enter series production.

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Russian-Indian second prototype T-50 fighter to fly in 2011

The Russian-Indian second prototype T-50 fighter aircraft will take to the skies in early 2011, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) President Alexei Fyodorov said on Monday.

"We have put the deadline forward to the start of 2011," he said.

"It is important for us that the second prototype is a development of the first, not simply a repeat," he added.

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African Defense Spending Growth Expected to Slow

The structure of the African arms market has shifted in recent years due to burgeoning energy economies and the efforts of certain nations to launch long-awaited equipment recapitalization programs.

As a result, defense spending in Africa has increased substantially over the past five years, with compound annual growth rate of about 13 percent from 2005 to 2009.

Nevertheless, this trend is unsustainable over the long term, and growth in the African defense market is expected to slow, according to Forecast International’s annual African market overview.

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Navy’s magnetic launch system a success

The U.S. Navy’s new electro-magnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) — perhaps the most critical unproven element in the first new aircraft carrier design in four decades — launched its first aircraft Dec. 18, manufacturer General Atomics has confirmed.

The launch of an F/A-18E Super Hornet supersonic strike fighter took place at Naval Air System Command’s facility at the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst, N. J., Navy officials confirmed.

One launch was conducted on Dec. 18, while several more launches took place the following day.

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Multi-million dollar frigate upgrade complete

The navy is back to full fighting strength after a multi-million dollar upgrade to the Anzac frigate HMNZS Te Mana.

Te Mana, one of the navy's two frigates, finished sea trials last week after a seven-month refit when engineers put in new diesel engines, which significantly improved its performance and reduced fuel costs.

The ship also has a jet engine which is used for high speed running.

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Russian strategic sub recalled for inspection

One of Russia's premier nuclear submarines, slated to carry its next generation of strategic missiles, has been called back from sea trials, possibly delaying deployment, a top weapons designer said on Monday.

The Yuri Dolgoruky, Russia's first Borei-class submarine, was designed to carry the nuclear-capable Bulava intercontinental missiles, which the Kremlin hopes to make the cornerstone of its arsenal over the next decade.

"Right now the cruiser is returning to the shop. I think the work will last half a year," Yuri Solomonov, a top engineer at Moscow's weapons design Institute of Thermotechnics, told a news conference.

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IRGC Navy Sends Fleet of Warships to Qatar

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy dispatched a fleet of warships to Qatar as part of the two countries' plans for expanding defense ties and cooperation.

"The measure was actually adopted in response to the participation of a number of Qatari military commanders in Payambar-e Azam (The Great Messenger) 5 regional drills of the IRGC and it will pave the ground for boosting mutual cooperation," Lieutenant Commander of the IRGC Naval Forces Alireza Tangsiri said on Monday.

Tangsiri further pointed out that the fleet of warships consists of three rocket-launcher frigates and two logistic vessels.

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New warheads for Russian missiles

In the period before 2016, all of this country’s active intercontinental missiles will get new warheads.

The announcement is from the chief designer of the Bulava missile Yuri Solomonov.

The number of missiles will comply with the latest Russian-American strategic arms reduction treaty, signed at a summit in Prague on April 8th.

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China to establish permanent Senkaku patrols

China will permanently deploy large fisheries patrol vessels in waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands, a senior Chinese official told The Asahi Shimbun.

The official with the Ministry of Agriculture's Bureau of Fisheries took the unusual step of granting an interview concerning the Senkaku issue to a foreign media outlet on Saturday, saying that China was planning measures to challenge Japan's control of the islands off Okinawa Prefecture.

The official said fisheries patrol vessels of more than 1,000 tons would maintain continuous patrols near the islands, which are known as the Diaoyu Islands in China.

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Better to share Britain’s second carrier

In our era of austerity, governments are having to consider a range of hitherto unthinkable cuts.

Few areas are more sensitive than defence, as was signalled so clearly by the British press this autumn in their emotive coverage of the last voyage of the aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal.

Defence cuts do however give governments the opportunity to pursue radical ideas, which could open the way to a new age of defence co-operation.

This might include sharing an aircraft carrier with Nato, France or America.

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S.Korean, U.S. Militaries on High Alert Ahead of Artillery Drill

South Korean and U.S. forces are standing by in emergency mode after wrapping up a plan Friday to deal with any further provocations by North Korea as an artillery drill on Yeonpyong Island looms.

South Korean F-15K fighter jets have been equipped with air-to-surface missiles with a range of 278 km as well as GPS-guided JDAM missiles capable of precision attacks on targets 24 km away.

The aim is to deliver surgical strikes on North Korean artillery positions in caves along the country's west coast if they fire.

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New air warfare destroyer HQ opens at Osborne but fourth warship 'unlikely'

The new $40 million headquarters for the air warfare destroyers has been officially opened, but a much-hyped fourth warship appears unlikely.

Premier Mike Rann said this morning the State Government was still hopeful the Commonwealth would commit to build a fourth destroyer, in addition to the three warships already being built as part of the $8 billion project.

"It's in the (Defence) White Paper that at a certain stage in the process the Federal Government will then decide whether to build a fourth air warfare destroyer, we hope that they will," he told reporters at Techport Australia at Osborne.

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3 Phoenix, Inc. Awarded Technology Insertion - Photonics Mast Contract

3 Phoenix, Inc. (3Pi) has been awarded a $5,943,911 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-6274) for a technology insertion photonics mast.

The procurement of this mast will allow for the continued engineering assessment, design and development of a non-developmental item submarine optronics system.

This mast is in support of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Topic Number 04-138 “Real Time Data Fusion and Visualization Interface for Environmental Research Data.

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Analysis: Navy mum on multiple LCS system issue

One of the drawbacks of the Navy’s push to continue to build both littoral combat ship types is that each features a unique combat system — the combination of sensors, weapons and software that is at the heart of any modern warship.

To speed development, each design team was allowed to develop its own system. Lockheed came up with COMBATSS-21, in some ways a lightweight derivative of the Aegis combat system built by the company and fielded on nearly 80 cruisers and destroyers.

General Dynamics’ Advanced Information Systems developed an entirely new system for its design, a system the company claims more closely embodies the open-architecture concept espoused by the Navy for virtually all its new computer systems.

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Saab and LFV sign contract for remote air traffic control

Defence and security company Saab will install an air traffic control system at Sundsvall and Örnsköldsvik airports, making it possible to control the air traffic at both airports from one single air traffic control centre. The contract is a breakthrough order for Saab, who is also the first in the world to deliver such a system.

The system is expected to be installed and tested in 2011 and to become operational in 2011/2012. Air traffic at Sundsvall and Örnsköldsvik airports will then be controlled from a joint air traffic control centre located in Sundsvall.

“Not only is this Saab's first contract for this solution, it is also the first system of this type to be put into operation anywhere in the world,” says Per Ahl, Sales manager for Saab's air traffic control solutions. “It is fantastic that Sweden managed to be first in the world with this. It demonstrates our ability to bring together industry and users in order to create change in a global operating environment.”

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RAF commander: our air force will be little better than Belgium’s

Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell, commander of the RAF’s No 1 Group, which controls all Britain’s fast jet combat aircraft, said that Britain was likely to end up with only six fighter and bomber squadrons, half its current number.

He warned: “That might not be quite enough.”

Air Vice-Marshal Bagwell’s remarks, in a briefing last week to Defense News, a trade journal, are among the most outspoken by any senior RAF commander.

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Iran to build ocean-going research vessel

The director of the maritime industries department of the Iranian Defense Ministry says Iran plans to build the country's first research ocean liner in the near future.

The project to construct the research vessel has been under study for two years ago, Alireza Esbati told the Mehr news agency on Saturday.

In the current stage of the project, the technical features of the ocean liner are being determined, he stated.

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Romeo likely to be navy's new helicopter

Australia's new naval helicopter is likely to be one which is used extensively by the US Navy - the Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin MH-60R (Romeo), a new study says.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Andrew Davies said the government could announce a final decision between the Romeo and the European NFH-90 (Nato Frigate Helicopter) early next year.

Dr Davies said since the tender competition was launched in February, events had tended to favour the Romeo, with 76 aircraft in US Navy service flying more than 50,000 hours with a very high level of reliability.

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Dragon Roars Home Marking The End of a Successful Year for Type 45

Dragon, the fourth Type 45 destroyer, has completed her first stage sea trials, demonstrating the ship’s outstanding capability and marking the end of a highly successful year on the Type 45 programme.

The trials tested the ship’s power and propulsion systems in a seagoing environment as well as navigation, auxiliary and domestic services and included the first firings of her medium and small calibre guns.

This exceptional year of achievement for the Type 45 programme also saw the first and second of class enter service and the handover of Diamond, the third of class, highlighting BAE Systems’ continued commitment to delivering enhanced capability to the Royal Navy.

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Euro Hawk® Unmanned Aircraft Shows Stamina With 30-Hour Flight

Euro Hawk®, the premier unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for the German Air Force, successfully proved its long endurance capability with a 30.3-hour flight over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Built by Northrop Grumman Corporation and EADS Deutschland GmbH, operating through Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, the high-flying UAS took off Dec. 1 at 4:47 p.m. PST and landed Dec. 2 at approximately 10:59 p.m. PST.

"Soaring up to 60,000 feet, the Euro Hawk® performed beautifully and has logged nearly 100 total flight hours since its maiden flight approximately five months ago," said Duke Dufresne, sector vice president and general manager of the Strike and Surveillance Systems Division for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector.

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Navy opens missile base in eastern Taiwan to media

The nation's navy opened yesterday a military base with Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles in eastern Taiwan to the media for the first time.

Officers and their men gave a demonstration of operations concerning installing and hanging the missiles onto the right positions for launching as well as removing them from missile racks afterward.

The naval missile base, called “Guhai” (“fortifying the sea” in Chinese) military base, is nestled in a mountain region in eastern Hualien.

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Russia to keep Satan ballistic missiles in service until 2026

Russia will continue to deploy SS-18 Satan heavy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) as part of the country's nuclear arsenal until at least 2026, the commander of Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) said Friday.

"The extension of the service life of the systems equipped with RS-20V [SS-18 Satan] missiles will allow us to keep these most powerful missiles in the world until 2026," Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said.

Introduced almost 33 years ago, the missile is routinely tested and has proved to be a very reliable weapon.

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Japanese defence announcement angers China

Beijing is accusing Japan of making irresponsible remarks in its new defense guidelines targeting China.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu says China is a force for peace and development in Asia and threatens no one.

She accused Japan of falsely claiming to represent international opinion and said no country has the right to make irresponsible comments concerning China's development.

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