The Russian Navy: Not what to do, but how to do it

Military analysts have mixed feelings on Navy Day in Russia. True, the Navy is doing better than before, but not as well as we'd like. And we haven't even scratched the surface of a host of systemic naval problems.

Meanwhile, new stories on the Navy abound. Not all of them are good, but some are worth discussing. Let's start with the most important and obvious issue.

Ocean fleet mirages

At last year's International Maritime Defense Show in St. Petersburg, Roman Trotsenko, president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), told journalists that design work on Russia's new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will begin in 2016. Construction could be completed by 2023.

Read more

Defense cuts must be monitored closely, lawmakers warn

The national and local defense industry will be able to withstand or avoid cuts expected to accompany the debt limit deal that passed the U.S. House of Representatives, analysts and lawmakers said late Monday.

But that resilience will depend, in part, on the work of a 12-member, bipartisan special joint committee, which will be empowered to make additional measured cuts late next year.

Under the compromise struck by President Barack Obama and congressional leaders to avert the nation's first-ever financial default, the near-term impact on the troops, aircraft, ships and weapons could be a cut of $350 billion from projected increases over 10 years. That's in line with the Department of Defense's comprehensive strategic review, analysts said.

Read more

Mindef says RM493.3m additional budget necessary to ‘maintain’ Scorpene subs

The Defence Ministry received an additional RM493.3 million allocation this year, and said today the amount was needed to maintain the country’s two Scorpene submarines.

The additional amount raises the ministry’s total budget to whopping total of RM11 billion.

“The main purpose is to maintain our Scorpene submarines as that expense was not included in the budget,” The Star quoted Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as saying.

Read more

Missile-shooting laser: Will Congress slash funding for the Navy-backed project?

Among the myriad of deals being made at the nation’s capital is whether the Navy will continue to fund a laser designed to shoot down missiles.

Under development at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, the Free Electron Laser is among the more advanced — and costly — technologies the Navy is financing.

But the Senate Armed Services Committee in June moved to eliminate funding for it and a railgun that shoots bullets powered by energy, not explosions.

Read more

New "Satan" disturbs sleep of the Defense Minister

The Russian Ministry of Defense is putting the finishing touch on its technical specifications for a new ballistic missile to replace the Voevoda missile.

The design will be developed by the State Rocket Center named after academician Makeyev.

Designers are expected to offer innovative solutions in suppression of potential enemy antimissile defense.

Experts feel perplexed about the assigned task: No country in the world has systems that would be able to intercept heavy-weight missiles.

Read more

China's defense ministry website kicks off full operation

The official website of China's Ministry of National Defense, www.mod.gov.cn, kicked off its full operation on Monday after two years of trial operation.

The website, authorized by the Central Military Commission, features authoritative and up-to-date defense information, including defense expenditures, national defense white papers, and the ministry's routine press conferences, according to a notice posted on the website. The site features simplified and traditional Chinese characters, as well as English.

The website is also available in mobile-phone edition.

Read more

Navy to mark 2,000th Tomahawk launch in Norfolk

A Tomahawk cruise missile milestone will be marked at Naval Station Norfolk this week.

A ceremony commemorating the 2,000th Tomahawk launch is scheduled Friday aboard the guided missile destroyer Barry.

The Navy says the Barry launched the milestone missile against an air defense target in Libya on March 16. Crewmembers will be recognized for their role in the launch.

Source

Dutch F-16 crew chiefs make the mission happen in Afghanistan

A vehicle convoy on its way to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, comes under attack; immediately the convoy commander calls for an air strike. Once the F-16 fighter jet crew chiefs get the word, they know exactly what to do and rush to the airfield to prepare F-16s for launch to assist the troops on the ground.

The possible scenario is likely to happen in Afghanistan, and the Royal Netherlands Air Force crew chiefs assigned to Air Task Force-17, based out of Kandahar Airfield, are ready to prepare the fighter jets at a moment’s notice. Crew chiefs are essential to the aircraft, especially when lives are on the line.

On KAF, the crew chiefs assigned to the RNLAF, ATF-17, based out of Volkel Airbase, the Netherlands, work long hours and due to their unconventional schedule, have to be flexible in case of a change in mission. The job requires them to work under pressure to resolve any last-minute issues with the fighter jets to get the mission accomplished. They are involved with every detail of the plane pre and post flight.

Read more

Miniature spy helicopter used to hunt pirates

It is only seven foot long and weighs just 49lbs but it is the latest weapon in the war on piracy in Africa.

A remote-controlled mini-helicopter, which can fire tasers, grenades and shotgun shells, is being used to track pirates off the Horn of Africa and enforce law on the streets in the US.

Able to reach speeds of 70mph and to record and broadcast footage in real time, the discreet Shadowhawk UAV is proving an effective crime-fighting solution for both police forces and private companies.

Read more

Czechs threaten canceling deal to buy 4 EADS military transport planes amid malfunctions

The Czech defense ministry is threatening to cancel a $200 million deal to buy four EADS military transport aircraft because they could not be deployed to Afghanistan as a result of technical problems.

It said Monday planemaker EADS CASA, a Spanish unit of Europe’s Airbus holding company EADS NV, must quickly fix a malfunctioning missile protection system on the 295M planes.

Deputy Defense Minister Rudolf Blazek says the military wants to put the planes in use but it would be legitimate to consider revoking the contract if the technical problems won’t be fixed in the coming months.

Read more

Russian army to receive 120 Iskander tactical missile systems

The Russian Defense Ministry is planning to buy up to 120 Iskander-M tactical missile systems, Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov said.

"We purchased six [Iskander] systems in 2010, and plan to acquire up to 120 more," Bulgakov told a news conference in Moscow on Monday.

The Iskander-M system (NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is a mobile theater missile system equipped with two solid-propellant single-stage 9M723K1 guided missiles with "quasi-ballistic" capability.

Read more

'Secret' IDF missile unveiled to public for first time

The Israel Defense Forces' Artillery Corps unveiled Monday for the first time the Tamuz, a missile capable of striking targets 25 kilometers away.

The Tamuz is equipped with an electro-optic sensor that allows the team operating the missile to monitor the target during the projectile's flight and guide it accurately all the way to the point of impact.

The Tamuz has in fact been in operation since the early 1980s, but only recently was it decided to officially release information about its existence, in part because of its extensive use during the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

Read more

Over 200 aircraft to be showcased at MAKS-2011

More than 200 Russian and foreign aircraft will be exhibited at the MAKS-2011 air show near Moscow in August, an organizer of the event told RIA Novosti.

The MAKS-2011 air show will be held at Zhukovsky outside Moscow on August 16-21. In all, 627 aerospace industry companies, including 473 Russian and 154 foreign, have registered to take part in the air show as of June 1.

Russia's Sukhoi aircraft maker will demonstrate to general public for the first time a flight of two prototypes of its T-50 fifth-generation fighter, also known as PAK-FA.

Read more

Indonesia, South Korea Launch Stealth Jet Project

South Korea and Indonesia are launching a partnership today to develop a new stealth fighter jet which has been delayed for years by technical and budget problems.

Defense and procurement officials from the two countries will mark the beginning of their partnership with the opening today of a new joint research center in Daejeon, about 160km south of Seoul, reported Yonhap news agency yesterday.

Noh Dae Rae, head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (Dapa), and Eris Herryanto, secretary-general of the Indonesian defense ministry, will attend the event, said the administration.

Read more

Rumors Circulate About Radiation Leak by Chinese Sub

Rumors are spreading quickly that radioactive materials were accidentally leaked from a state-of-the-art Chinese nuclear submarine moored in Dalian Port in Liaoning Province in the northeastern part of China.

The rumor was first reported on Saturday by Boxun.com, a website for overseas Chinese, before it was picked up by Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site similar to Twitter.

Citing People's Liberation Army sources in Dalian, Boxun.com reported that there was an accidental leakage of radiation when engineers from a Chinese electronics company were installing equipment on the submarine.

Read more

Russian Navy to outflank rivals in secrecy and low noise by 2020

Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky is sure: the task of equipping the Russian Navy with modern weaponry is within the powers of the country’s industry.

By 2020, the fleet will have received at least eight newest multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Severodvinsk class.

The sea trials of the new sub are scheduled for August.

Read more

Argentina Plans For Nuclear Propulsion Diesel Submarines

Argentina is considering the development of "nuclear propulsion" for its diesel-engine submarines, Defence minister Arturo Puricelli said.

The initiative follows a request from President Cristina Fernandez and is closely linked to Brazil's construction of a first nuclear powered submersible with French technology.

"President Cristina has requested us to come up with a nuclear propulsion development project for our submarines" said Defence minister Puricelli during a press conference.

Read more

Vietnam takes delivery of its first Airbus Military C212-400

The Vietnam Marine Police has taken delivery of the first of three C212-400 it ordered from Airbus Military.

The second aircraft will be delivered later this year, and the third in early 2012.

This modernized C212--400 series incorporates the latest systems and technologies, such as a Flight Management System (FMS).

Read more

Russia, U.S., Canada to hold second air force anti-terror exercise

The Russian Air Force and NORAD, the U.S. and Canadian joint air defense command will hold a second round of anti-terrorism exercises on August 8-11, the Commander in Chief of the Eastern military district, Igor Muginov said on Monday.

"The main aim of the drills is to improve the Russian Air Force's and NORAD's capabilities for fighting terrorism in the air," Muginov said.

The exercises will include AWACS (airborne early warning and control) and refueling aircraft, as well as combat aircraft, Muginov said.

Read more

Raytheon Develops Miniature Antenna To Extend Millimeter Wave "Friendly" Identification Technology for Soldiers, Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Raytheon Company has developed a miniaturized interrogation antenna capability to extend use of its Cooperative Target ID technology to soldiers and unmanned aircraft to help prevent fratricide.

This effort builds upon an existing Raytheon antenna design and additional enhancements performed in concert with the U.S. Army CERDEC Intelligence & Information Warfare Directorate (I2WD).

The new miniature antenna is approximately the size of an ice cube and weighs only a fraction of an ounce.

Read more

S. Korea's first spy plane arrives for deployment

South Korea's first surveillance airplane to be deployed this year arrived at an Air Force base on Monday, the country's defense procurement agency said.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said an E-737, the country's first airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft from Boeing, landed at the Air Force base in Gimhae, about 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The aircraft, based on Boeing's 737-700, has been dubbed "Peace Eye" after a naming contest in 2008.

Read more

India given choice to pioneer naval Typhoon jet

In anticipation of winning the Indian Air Force's $10.4 billion tender for 126combat jets, European consortium EADS has offered India a choice to pioneer a project for a naval version of theEurofighter Typhoon that is in the fray in what is being described as the "mother of all defence deals".

Typhoon's competitor in themedium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) tender, the French firm Dassault's Rafale, already has a naval version that is operational on France's lonenuclear-powered aircraft carrierCharles de Gaulle.

Officials of BAE Systems, one of the four partner companies in EADS for theTyphoon programme, told IANS during a visit to their RAF Warton production facility in Britain recently that India can exercise the choice of being a partner nation and leading the programme for the carrier-borne version of the aircraft if it wins theMMRCA tender.

Read more

Medvedev congratulates fleets on National Navy Day

President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in Baltiyisk in the Kalinigrad region to congratulate the Baltic Fleet personnel on the National Navy Day.

Mr. Medvedev emphasized the role of the navy in ensuring the country’s national security.

The VOR`s correspondent in Baltiyisk says that Mr. Medvedev stressed that fact that today the Russian Navy is going through reforming, with the Baltic Fleet being a major platform for drills performed by the navy.

Read more

Beyond the Collins Class: what next for Australia’s submarines?

Federal Defence Minister Stephen Smith has announced an inquiry into the reliability of Australia’s six Collins Class submarines.

He also called for US assistance in building new submarines to replace the Collins fleet which is scheduled to be in service until 2025. But what are the options for Australia’s so-called Future Submarine?

And why does Australia need submarines in the first place?

Read more

Compromise in rust treatment means sub can't dive deep

One of the Canadian navy's four Victoria-class submarines will be restricted in its ability to dive deep beneath the seas because of rust, according to a document obtained by The Canadian Press.

A Feb. 9, 2010, briefing note prepared by Lt.-Cmdr. Helga Budden recommends repairing seven areas of general rust and three regions of localized pitting rust on HMCS Windsor.

Budden recommends the repair be carried out through a "protect and monitor" option which calls for grinding away and priming the corroded areas, with regular checks of those areas to be conducted once the submarine is operational.

Read more