David Johnston backtracks on 'canoe' remarks towards Australian Submarine Corporation

Defence Minister David Johnston has backtracked on his criticism of the Government's ship-building company, telling the Senate he did not intend to cause any offence.

During a heated debate in Question Time yesterday, Senator Johnston lashed out at the Adelaide-based Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC), saying he would not trust it to "build a canoe".

The comment prompted South Australia's Opposition to demand an apology from Senator Johnston.

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Kaman Announces Contract to Support the Upgrade of SH-2G Super Seasprite Aircraft for Peru

Kaman Corp. today announced that it has entered into a contract with General Dynamics Canada to remanufacture and upgrade four Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite aircraft and provide support for the operation of a fifth aircraft for the Peruvian Navy. The program value to Kaman is expected to exceed $40 million.

Gregory Steiner , President Kaman Aerospace Group said, “We are very pleased to support this effort to provide the Peruvian Navy with the advanced capabilities of the Super Seasprite.

This is an important milestone for Kaman as it will extend the length of the SH-2 program and provide additional long-term service and support revenues.

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Construction of an airfield on the disputed Spratly Islands puts Australia in reach of China’s strategic bombers: Reports

An air base being built on a disputed island chain is raising eyebrows as its puts Chinese strategic bombers in range of Australia for the first time.

Defence Publication IHS Janes says analysis of satellite photographs shows China is turning Fiery Cross Reef in the contentious Spratly Islands into a land mass big enough to hold a military air base.

The construction work shows China is enforcing its claim on the mineral and oil-rich chain of islands which are also claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines. Beijing claims nearly all of the resource-rich South China Sea.

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Can’t keep waiting for stealth fighter, India tells Russia

Ahead of President Vladimir Putin's visit here early next month, India has told Russia to come back with a plan to substantially reduce the delivery timeframe for the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) if it wants to seal the futuristic project by next year.

The plan till now was that India would begin inducting the stealth fighters only 94 months — at the earliest — after the two countries inked the final design and R&D contract, which itself has already been delayed by over two years by now.

"Russia has now been told that India cannot wait for a decade to get the FGFA. The delivery schedules should be compressed instead of IAF waiting for the FGFA till 2024-2025. The Russians will probably respond during Putin's visit," a defence ministry source said on Monday.

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DRDO to make unmanned combat systems

"it is going to be the future, it will be a fight against one technology over the other, than the conventional man against man wars," DRDO Director General Avinash Chander said.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Director General Dr. Avinash Chander underscored the need for a policy to induct unmanned combat systems into the armed forces and make them an integral part.

Many advanced countries, especially the United States, are focusing on developing unmanned security systems and the DRDO is working on different unmanned combat system projects for aerial, underwater and surface applications.

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Indian Navy gets 6th maritime patrol plane, likely to order four more

The Indian Navy is likely to order four more P-81 long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from American firm Boeing which delivered the sixth plane on Monday as part of an eight-aircraft contract worth over Rs 12,000 crore.

The sixth aircraft landed at INS Rajali in Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu at about 4 PM on Monday.

The eight-aircraft deal was signed in 2009 and as per the agreement, three each were to be delivered in 2013 and 2014 and two in 2015.

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UK confirms first F-35 jet orders

Britain on Monday (Nov 24) announced it had signed a contract with US manufacturer Lockheed Martin to buy the first of 14 F-35B combat jets.

The four Lightning II stealth combat aircraft will operate from both of the Royal Navy's forthcoming new aircraft carriers and from Royal Air Force land bases, with another 10 due to be ordered over the next five years. The first batch is expected to be delivered in 2016 and will take up station in 2018.

"The investment we are making in the F-35 aircraft will ensure we are securing the skies for decades to come, providing the UK with the latest stealth technology and multi-role aircraft capability," said Philip Dunne, minister for defence equipment support and technology.

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First of frigates under $4.3 billion modernization program ready for duty

Work has been completed on the first four Halifax-class navy frigates to be modernized under a $4.3-billion federal program.

Following recent sea trials, HMCS Fredericton is preparing for a resumption of duty early next year, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said Monday in Halifax.

The program also saw the modernization of HMCS Halifax, Calgary and Winnipeg. They are currently undergoing trials.

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Finland feels vulnerable amid Russian provocations

Wedged hard against Russia’s northwestern border, peaceable Finland has long gone out of its way to avoid prodding the nuclear-armed bear next door.

But now, the bear is provoking Finland, repeatedly guiding military planes into Finnish airspace and deploying submarines and helicopters to chase after Finnish research vessels in international waters.

The incidents are part of a pattern of aggressive Russian behavior that has radiated across Europe, but that has been especially unnerving for countries such as Finland that live outside the protective bubble of NATO.

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Why Did Chuck Hagel Have to Go?

President Obama professed today strong appreciation for the service of his third Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel. But if he was so appreciative, why exactly is Secretary Hagel about to be former Secretary Hagel?

Rumors are swirling as to whether Mr. Hagel was forced out or is leaving voluntarily. It’s a safe bet that the Secretary didn’t choose to relinquish, at this time, a job he had worked too hard to obtain and that Team Obama fired the President’s token Republican.

If so, the question is: For which of several possible reasons was he cashiered?

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Chinese Submarines And Indian ASW In The Indian Ocean - Analysis

How to deal with Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean has become a practical question for India. In December 2013, China let it be known that one of its nuclear attack submarines would sail through the Indian Ocean over the following two months.

It was the first time that China confirmed such a transit. At the time, many thought it would be a relatively rare occurrence. But over the last couple of months, two more submarines appear to have made similar transits, after they were spotted making five-day long port calls in Sri Lanka.

On September 19, a Chinese Song-class diesel-electric attack submarine and its attendant Type 925 submarine support ship, the Changxing Dao, docked at the Colombo International Container Terminals for refueling and crew refreshment before the submarine set sail for the international anti-piracy effort in the Gulf of Aden.

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Defence Minister says he 'wouldn't trust' Australian Submarine Corporation to build a canoe

Defence Minister David Johnston has warned he would not trust the Government-owned defence builder, the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC), to build a canoe.

Senator Johnston launched the scathing attack on the ASC in the Senate during a debate about where Australia's next submarine fleet should be built.

The Government is under pressure to build Australia's next fleet of submarines locally, rather than opt for an overseas design.

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Two submarines to stay in Plymouth - two go to Faslane

Two submarines earmarked for decommissioning will remain in Plymouth while two others will move to Faslane, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

HMS Torbay and HMS Trenchant, are to remain at the naval base at Devonport until they are decommissioned.

HMS Talent and HMS Triumph will move to Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde at Faslane, by 2020.

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DSME signs contract to deliver 6 Missile Surface Corvettes (MSC) to Royal Malaysian Navy

South Korean shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co Ltd (DSME) announced in a statement Monday that it has obtained an order from the Royal Malaysian Navy to build six Missile Surface Corvettes (MSC).

According to the statement, three vessels will be built and assembled in South Korea starting from January 2018 while the rest will be block built in South Korea and assembled in Malaysia with DSME's cooperation.

The statement, which did not mentioned the value of the deal, said the deal is subject to final approval by the Malaysian government.

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Newport News Shipbuilding Hosts Keel-Laying Ceremony for Virginia-Class Submarine Washington (SSN 787)

With weld shields in place and sparks flying, Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, hosted a keel-laying ceremony Saturday for the future USS Washington (SSN 787), a Virginia-class submarine named for the Evergreen State.

The submarine’s sponsor is Elisabeth Mabus, daughter of Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Acting as the keel authenticator, during the ceremony she chalked her initials onto a metal plate.

Her initials were then welded onto the plate, which will be permanently affixed to the submarine as a symbol of her relationship with the ship, its shipbuilders and crew.

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Competition heats up for tanker procurement deal

Competition for Seoul’s project to procure four aerial tankers is heating up as contenders highlight the ways they can help enhance South Korea’s air defense with several months to go until the announcement of the winner.

Currently three competitors ― Boeing’s KC-46, Airbus’ A330 MRTT and Israel Aerospace Industries’ B767 MMTT ― have been vying to clinch the deal worth 1.4 trillion won ($1.25 billion) since Seoul gave public notice of its plan in March to introduce four tankers between 2017 and 2019.

Seoul initially planned to announce the winner next month. But its decision is expected to be delayed to early next year as negotiations are likely to be prolonged due to the bidders’ failure to meet the requirements Seoul proposed as part of the offset agreements.

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Reports say Japan buying 3 Global Hawk drones

Japan will buy three Global Hawk drones and may fly them out of Misawa Air Base, according to Japanese media.

State Broadcaster NHK and the Kyodo news agency reported Monday on plans to buy the Northrop Grumman-built Global Hawks along with four E-2D Advanced Hawkeye early-warning aircraft.

Defense Ministry officials have asked for funds to buy the drones in the draft of next fiscal year’s budget. They plan to start using them in fiscal 2019 and may base the aircraft at Misawa, in Aomori prefecture, according to the media reports.

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Turkey May Restart Missile Defense Program

Turkey’s procurement bureaucracy is rethinking a multibillion dollar program to build the country’s first air and missile defense program, keeping “all options open,” including scrapping the existing competition and merging it with a longer-range program with better capabilities.

That contest has not yet been announced, but procurement officials say one option to overcome the deadlock could be to renew the program.

“There is a degree of uncertainty, which requires evaluating all existing options and waiting for a push from the government in one direction,” said one senior official familiar with the long-range air and missile defense program (T-LORAMIDS).

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Dark Sword could become world's first supersonic drone

China's mysterious "Dark Sword" combat drone could become the world's first supersonic unmanned aviation vehicle, reports the website of the country's national broadcaster CCTV.

The Dark Sword — known in Chinese as "Anjian" — made quite a stir in 2006 when a conceptual model of the unusually shaped triangular aircraft made its debut at the Zhuhai Airshow in southern China's Guangdong province.

The model was subsequently exhibited at the Paris Air Show but has disappeared from future airshows, with no official word on the development of the UAV.

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INS Vikrant's Hull Is Torn Open

For Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, one abiding memory of INS Vikrant is from almost a quarter century ago.

In 1989, Sinha, who recently took premature retirement as Flag Officer Commander in Chief (FOC-in-C) of India's Western Naval Command, was the top gun in the 300 squadron that flew Sea Hawk aircraft from on-board INS Vikrant - India's, indeed Asia's, first aircraft carrier.

Around that time, INS Virat, India's second aircraft carrier had also entered service, but the Indian navy was short of aircraft.

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4-star talks LCS, new deployment plan and more

In his two years leading the fleet, Adm. Bill Gortney grappled with the budget cuts that canceled deployments, fast-tracked the fleet's new flame-resistant coveralls and developed a new deployment plan that's had a shaky start.

Gortney, an aviator who's moving on tolead U.S. Northern Command, spoke about his time at FFC, his views on the littoral combat ship, the challenges that a fleet boss faces, and more in a Nov. 19 sit-down with reporters.

Questions and answers have been edited for brevity.

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S. Korea conducts military drill to defend Dokdo

The South Korean military carried out a drill to deter trespassers on its easternmost islets of Dokdo on Monday, the defense ministry said.

The drill began earlier in the day on the rocky outcroppings in the East Sea and in its surrounding waters with an aim to repel non-military forces that approach the islets via a sea or air route, according to the ministry.

The exercise involved Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard officers, as well as around six destroyers and convoys, fighters and patrol planes, according to ministry officials.

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TenCate supplies armour systems for Iver Huitfeldt class frigates and Absalon class support ships of Royal Danish Navy

TenCate Advanced Armour has secured an order from the Danish Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) for ballistic protection of the Iver Huitfeldt class frigates and Absalon class support ships of the Royal Danish Navy.

The armour systems to be supplied will provide a fully engineered, lightweight solution for the protection of mission-critical areas of the Navy ships.

The modular armour kits will be supplied and installed on the ships over the next months. No financial details will be provided.

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Russia's New Tactical Nuclear Weapons Program Growing Confident Against the US: Talks of World War III

Russia has been making headlines left and right recently particularly for its move on Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin came in the news following the G20 conference in the Philippine and more talks about its nuclear program and Russian troops in Ukraine.

Analysts also point out the disconcerting trend about Russian perspective and its confidence in its military technology and capabilities.

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The Australian Navy’s game-changing $1.5 billion warship

Thousands of mattresses, pillows and doonas, tonnes of food and water and 400 sailors, soldiers and air force personnel have been installed on the navy’s newest and biggest ship — the 27,800-tonne HMAS Canberra.

Known as a Landing Helicopter Dock or LHD — the $1.5 billion warship will be commissioned into service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and handed over to Navy Chief Vice-Admiral Tim Barrett at Garden Island in Sydney on Friday.

The crew of Nuship Canberra (she actually becomes HMAS Canberra at commissioning) have spent the past 18 months training on advanced land based simulators preparing to take control of the most advanced ship to ever serve in the RAN.

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