NOSInt on a (short) break

Due to other commitments next update will be on December 05 2011.

South Korea Develops World’s Fastest Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

South Korea on Wednesday unveiled its latest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is the world’s fastest and also the world’s first remote-piloted aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically.

The aircraft has “tilt rotors,” meaning its rotary wings tilt, giving it a helicopter-like capability to vertically take off and land when its wings are facing upward, and the speed and operation range of a jet when its wings are tilted forward, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

The new UAV has been in development since 2002 under the leadership of the ministry and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, together with dozens of private businesses and research centers.

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Desert Hawk III quieter and more stable than Raven.

For over five years, the American infantry’s favorite UAS has been the tiny (2.2 kg/4.4 pound) Raven micro-UAS.

But over the last few years, the slightly larger (3.2 kg/7 pound) Desert Hawk 3 (DH3) has been gaining in popularity.

DH3 uses an Xbox like controller, which most troops are already familiar with.

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Russia transfers Mistral’s first tranche to France

Rosoboronexport has officially transferred the first tranche for the construction of the Mistral-class assault landing ship's technical documentation to France-based DCNS.

The payment was for the ship's technical documentation although the tranche amount was not disclosed.

According to United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) president Roman Trotsenko Russia will conduct 40% of the construction work for the first two ships.

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Raytheon Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer to Begin Production

The U.S. Air Force reached a Milestone C decision on Raytheon Company's Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer variant, authorizing Raytheon to begin Low Rate Initial Production of the system.

The Air Force also exercised a contract option and awarded Raytheon $5 million to convert Lot 4 MALD® production of the baseline to the MALD-J variant.

"MALD-J will save the lives of aviators because commanders will be able to use MALD-J to conduct dangerous stand-in jamming missions instead of using manned aircraft to do the job," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems product line.

"The 125 Raytheon employees who make MALD and the hundreds of suppliers across the nation who support MALD can be proud of their contribution to the warfighter."

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F-22 oxygen report delayed for months

The US Air Force has extended by several months a self-imposed deadline for releasing a scientific analysis of the oxygen problems blamed for two groundings of the Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor.

The five-month old oxygen study by a scientific advisory board led by retired General Gregory "Speedy" Martin was due to be released in November, a schedule upheld by the USAF earlier this month.

Three days before the deadline, however, the USAF backed off a firm date for releasing the study. The board "now expects to finalise its complete study this winter," the USAF said without elaborating.

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Russia to send warships to Syria in 2012

Naval spokesman confirms plan to send flotilla of ships led by Russia's only aircraft carrier to little-utilized base in Tartus port, but insists it has nothing to do with deadly violence in Syria.

Russia will send a flotilla of warships led by its only aircraft carrier to its naval base in Syria for a port call next year amid tensions with the West over the Syrian crisis, a Russian report said Monday.

The ships, headed by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, will dock at the little-utilized Russian base in the Syrian port of Tartus in spring 2012, the Izvestia daily said, quoting the Russian Navy.

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China Builds Up Submarine Fleet

The Chinese Navy is expected to procure 30 more submarines by 2020 and bring the total from the current 62 to 100 by 2030, Hong Kong's Ming Pao daily reported on Tuesday.

According to the paper, the U.S. has 75 subs, 26 of them deployed in the Asia-Pacific region. China is building up its Navy, including retrofitting its first aircraft carrier.

Bloomberg News quoted experts as predicting that Asia-Pacific nations will have up to 86 more subs by 2020.

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Navy celebrates USS Enterprise's 50th birthday

The world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has turned 50.

Hundreds of current and past crew members gathered Sunday and Monday at Norfolk Naval Station to celebrate the USS Enterprise's 50th birthday.

There also was a memorial service on Monday to honor those who died while serving aboard the carrier known as "Big E."

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Defence cuts: Carrier 'fully operational in 2030'

Britain may be without a fully operational aircraft carrier until 2030, according to a report published by the Commons spending watchdog.

The public accounts committee said two carriers being built would cost more, offer less military capability and be ready much later than planned.

It said the Royal Navy would be without a carrier until 2020.

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The German Navy – The Way Forward?

One of the largest fleets in NATO, the German Navy appears to have escaped most of the recent cuts imposed by the government’s austerity plan, since construction of the new vessels and upgrades for existing platforms seems to continue.

However, the planned reduction of 60 percent in its defense budget could have negative effect in the future, if the government decides to press on with the cuts.

To continue operating under these restricted budgetary constraints the Navy may have to reduce its mission sets, whilst assuming a reduced ‘asymmetric’ role focused on counter-piracy, peacemaking and peacekeeping operations, rather than full scale, high intensity operations.

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Germany now major Mideast arms supplier

The German government is under fire for its $2 billion sale of 270 Leopard 2 tanks to Saudi Arabia but the fact is that Germany is now a key arms supplier to the Middle East.

Its customers include Israel, which has ordered three more Dolphin class submarines from Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, and Algeria, which in June was cleared for frigates, armored vehicles and border security systems that newsmagazine Der Spiegel says are worth $14 billion.

German opposition parties and critics within Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition, as well as peace and church groups, are up in arms over the secretive Saudi deal because it underlines a fundamental shift in Germany's long-restrictive export regulations.

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Failed missile test kept under wraps for 5 months

The Air Force is drawing criticism for not disclosing a failed live fire drill conducted in June using a $1.7 million air-to-ground missile.

According to reports, the Air Force conducted a live fire drill with a SLAM-ER missile on June 15. The weapon, fired from an F-15K fighter jet, failed to reach its target and fell into the sea.

The Air Force conducted a similar drill on June 17, in which the weapon functioned as intended, and the film taken at the time was revealed on Nov. 23, the first anniversary of North Korea’s attack on the Yeonpyeong islands.

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Laser truck leaps ahead

The U.S. Army has thousands of trucks, but one of its newer vehicles clearly stands out from the rest.

Boeing, the prime contractor for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s (SMDC) High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD), recently completed integrating a ruggedized beam control system and other critical hardware on an Oshkosh military vehicle.

The beam control system (BCS) will find and track targets and point and focus the laser beam on those targets. The most eye-catching feature of the BCS is the beam director, a rotating, dome-shaped turret that extends above the roof of the vehicle when it engages targets.

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Convincing First Camcopter(r) S-100 Flights Onboard New French Navy Opv L'adroit

Schiebel's CAMCOPTER(r) S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) has once again successfully proven its highly efficient maritime capability, this time onboard the new Gowind class OPV (Offshore Patrol Vessel), L ADROIT built by DCNS and handed over to the French Navy in October 2011.

Operating at the cutting edge of technology, the S-100 successfully completed a series of flights and trials onboard the L'ADROIT OPV at the beginning of November, under the command and control of the French Navy.

The L ADROIT is believed to be the first ship ever to be specifically designed to operate Unmanned Vehicles and has been fitted out to operate the maritime proven CAMCOPTER(r) S-100.

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Eurocopter delivers the first of six EC145s ordered by the Republic of Kazakhstan

Eurocopter delivered the first of six EC145s ordered to date by the Kazakh Ministries of Defense and Emergencies.

A total of 45 of the helicopters are to be purchased, and will be assembled by the new joint venture Eurocopter Kazakhstan Engineering, in which Eurocopter and Kazakhstan Engineering have a 50/50 share.

This initial delivery comes on the heels of the industrial cooperation and distribution contract signed last June by Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling and President of Kazakhstan Engineering Bolat Smagulov, in the presence of the French and Kazakh prime ministers François Fillon and Karim Massimov, respectively.

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Pantsir-S1, Palma, Kornet-EM to be displayed at LIMA 2011 show in Malaysia

The Tula Instrument Design Bureau and the Nudelman Precision Engineering Design Bureau of the Precision Systems Holding will present modern high precision armaments at the LIMA 2011 aerospace and naval show in Malaysia in December, a holding representative told Interfax-AVN.

"Visitors will see such high precision weaponry as the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and artillery system, the Palma naval-based anti-aircraft artillery system and the Kornet-EM anti-tanking missile system," he said.

The holding delegation will negotiate with a number of prospective clients - military delegates of Asia Pacific countries - at the show, the source said.

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Second US Navy robot stealth bomber takes flight

A second X-47B unmanned stealth attack plane is now flying, and the US Navy expects the robot aircraft to demonstrate operations from an aircraft carrier on schedule in 2013.

Northrop Grumman, delivering the X-47B demonstrators for the USN, has just announced the successful first flight of the second aircraft, rather unoriginally dubbed "Air Vehicle 2".

According to the defence-aerospace behemoth the flight took place last week above Rogers Dry Lake adjacent to Edwards airforce base in California.

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UK aircraft carrier plans blasted by Parliamentary inquiry

The UK Government’s plans for a new generation of aircraft carriers have been branded an “eye-watering” mess after a cross-party investigation uncovered billions of pounds in extra costs.

Britain will have no aircraft carrier capability until 2020 and costs have climbed from £3.65bn to more than £6bn.

Labour’s Blaenau Gwent MP Nick Smith, who took part in the investigation, said: “The Public Accounts Committee has identified an eye-watering misuse of the public’s money.

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China's refitted aircraft carrier platform sets sail for 2nd trial

China's refitted aircraft carrier sailed for its second sea trial on Tuesday for relevant scientific research and experiments, Chinese Ministry of National Defense said in a press release.

According to the press release, prior to sailing, the aircraft carrier had completed all the refitting and testing work as scheduled after its first sea trial in August.

The carrier was originally built by the former Soviet Union which named it Varyag, yet failed to complete the ship's construction before collapsing in 1991.

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Agni V: Will It Enhance India’s Deterrence Against China?

India’s Defence Research and Development Agency (DRDO) recently declared that it would be testing, for the first time, a 5000 km range Agni V missile by February 2012.

It is construed to be a major leap in the country’s missile capability, over and above the 3000 km range Agni III missile that has already been accepted for induction into the armed forces, and Agni IV that has also been tested successfully.

Together, these missiles are supposed to give a new meaning to India’s deterrence against China, since the new missiles, once operationally deployed, can reach distant but strategically important Chinese cities like Shanghai.

But will the new feat in India’s armory dilute its ‘security dilemma’ against China?

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Brahmos achieves Mach 6.5 speed during lab test

The latest version of Indo-Russian Brahmos cruise missile has achieved a speed of Mach 6.5 during experiments at Hyderabad and the target is to achieve Mach 7, a top DRDO official said here today.

"Experiments are being done in Hyderabad. We have completed tests up to Mach 6.5," BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director A Sivathanu Pillai told reporters here.

The target is to achieve Mach 7, he said. Mach is commonly used to represent the speed of an object when it is traveling close to or above the speed of sound.

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Russia postpones Bulava missile test

The Bulava (SS-NX-30) ballistic missile carries up to 10 MIRV warheads
The test launch of Russia's Bulava ballistic missile has been postponed until a later date, a source in the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

November 28 was the planned launch date from the Yury Dolgoruky nuclear-powered submarine. It was supposed to be a two-missile salvo launch and an important phase in testing before the Bulava is put in service with the Russian Navy.

“The salvo launch of the Bulava has been moved to a later date which has not been determined yet,” the source said, adding that the postponement was due to “unfavorable weather conditions in the White Sea.”

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China’s U.S. Sub Hunter?

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has a new maritime patrol plane apparently optimized for finding and destroying submarines. But whose submarines? And how effective will it be?

The first pictures of the Y-8F-600 patroller, a derivative of the Soviet-designed An-12 cargo plane, appeared online last week. Sources indicate the PLA has taken possession of two of the patrol planes, apparently for testing. The PLA traditionally builds large numbers of new warplanes only after extensive trials and design changes.

The patroller appears to be equipped with a surface search radar, an infrared sensor, a magnetic boom for detecting submerged submarines and a bomb bay for torpedoes and other weapons.

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Boeing may exceed aerial tanker cost ceiling by $500 Million

Boeing is projected to exceed by as much as $500 million the cost ceiling on its contract to develop new refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force, or about $200 million more than previous estimates, according to the Defense Department.

Chicago-based Boeing, which is developing the KC-46A tanker from its 767 airliner, absorbs 100 percent of any dollars over the contract’s $4.8 billion ceiling.

Government officials in June told Bloomberg News that Boeing was projected to exceed the ceiling by $300 million.

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User Trial of Agni-I

After successful tests of nuclear-capable Agni- II and Agni-IV missiles, India is preparing to conduct a fresh user trial of Agni-I missile from a defence base off the Odisha coast.

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of Indian Army will carry out the test on December 1.

Sources at the integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur here said preparation for the test had already begun at the Wheeler Island launching complex.

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Russian war ships to patrol Syrian waters to prevent U.S. military interference

Three Russian warships have entered Syrian territorial waters, Russian wire services reported on Tuesday. The ships are believed to be operating near Syria.

Final destination of the Russian warships were reported to be the Syrian port of Tartus, where Russia maintains a strategic naval base.

“We are not commenting on this information,” said Russian Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo. Unofficial sources confirm this, but add that Russia is there to protect strategic and national security interests and prevent war.

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Missile defence upgrade for Anzac frigates

Australia's fleet of Anzac frigates, once colourfully dismissed as little more than floating targets, are to be upgraded with an advanced missile defence system.

But it's taken more than a decade, with the $650 million upgrade project encountering numerous difficulties since it was launched in 1999.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the ANZAC Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) system had been trialled on HMAS Perth and proved so successful that the government had now given the go-ahead for the other seven Anzac frigates to be upgraded.

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MoD spends £2bn on nuclear weapons ahead of Trident renewal decision

The Ministry of Defence is spending £2bn on new nuclear weapons plants before a formal decision has been taken over whether to replace Trident warheads, according to ministers.

The revelation has prompted fierce attacks on the MoD for making "a complete mockery" of the democratic process by pre-empting a decision and so attempting to force the hands of future governments.

The ministry says the investment helps to ensure the safety of the existing Trident warheads, but accepts that the money also maintains the capability to design a new warhead "should that be required".

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Russia to test launch Bulava missile on Monday

On Monday Russia will carry out the last test of the Bulava ballistic missile this year - a salvo launch from the Yuri Dolgoruky strategic submarine, a high-ranking Navy source said.

"The test was initially scheduled for November 25, but was delayed due to weather conditions, and the salvo launch of two missiles will take place on November 28," the source said.

The planned test is the fourth this year and the 18th overall. Despite several previous failures, officially blamed on manufacturing faults, the Russian military has insisted that the Bulava will be the main armament of the next generation of strategic submarines.

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Russia refuses to sell arresters for Chinese aircraft carrier

Construction of the first Chinese aircraft carrier faced new unanticipated problems; it turned out that the former Soviet carrier Varyag was not equipped with arresters, and it is unclear where China could get them.

In 2007 news agency Kanwa exclusively reported from St. Petersburg that China would buy 4 arresters designed by Marine Engineering Research Institute and made by Proletarsky Zavod plant which produces all Russian arresters and arresting hooks.

Earlier on, China had contacts with this plant purchasing constituent parts for Project 956E/EM destroyers.

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Navy fires missiles off the Norwegian coast

On 15 November, during the international exercise Nordic Archer 2011 near Norway, the Dutch frigate HNLMS Tromp fired two anti-aircraft missiles at a practice target.

The Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) is used to protect ships from attacking aircraft or missiles.

During Nordic Archer 2011, matters such as planning, amphibious operations and traditional military skills were practised.

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Syria turns missiles towards Turkey

Turkish sources say that Syria has turned its Russian-made SCUD missiles towards Turkey, Press TV reports.

The sources said that the missiles have been deployed in Syria's Kamisili and Ayn Diwar regions, Press TV's Ankara correspondent reported on Saturday.

The two regions are close to the borders of Turkey and Iraq.

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IDF upgrades Patriot missile defense battery

Israel recently received a new Patriot missile defense battery as part of a bid to improve its defenses in face of potential new conflicts in the region.

The battery arrived in Israel over a month ago. Its arrival was first revealed in Yediot Aharonot on Friday. The new battery will be dismantled and parts will be used to upgrade existing batteries already deployed throughout the country.

The Patriot currently serves as the mid-tier component of Israel’s multi-layered missile defense system. Short-range rockets are intercepted by the Iron Dome and the Arrow 2 is the top tier, designed to intercept long-range ballistic missiles.

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Submarines provide needed security

A maritime nation such as Canada, with an extensive coastline and a moderate defence budget, can only attempt to protect our country by having a general purpose and balanced maritime capability.

No one platform can do the job and a group of capabilities is always the most effective solution.

A balanced capability in maritime warfare means having capabilities to detect, track and destroy, if necessary, threats to our country. This is normally accomplished by producing a large portion of the capabilities nationally and allying ourselves with nations that support the same values Canadians believe in. A mix of platforms is required to do the job.

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Russia to monitor missile launches

Baltic radar station, Kalinigrad
Russia said it will be able to monitor missile launches from the North Atlantic and from a future European missile defense system from a Baltic radar station.

Aerospace Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko said Friday the radar station in the enclave of Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, is ready for operation as part of a national missile early-warning attack system, RIA Novosti reported.

"We will be able to control the entire European continent and the Atlantic, including the European missile defense system," Ostapenko said.

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What are the real reasons behind Brazil’s interest in a nuclear powered submarine?

The idea of a rogue nation using peaceful nuclear technology for armaments has been explored extensively by both Hollywood and the United Nations.

But the idea of acquiring nuclear power—under the pretext of military use—with the real intention of commercial development appears to be an original idea of the Brazil government.

A deal was struck two years ago with the French to build five submarines for Brazil, one of them powered by a nuclear reactor, and all stationed at the Sepetiba sub base in Rio.

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Iranian Navy Receives 3 Ghadir-Class Submarines

The Iranian Navy expanded the fleet of its submarines after it received three more Ghadir-class submarines today, Iranian Army's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters in a press conference here in Tehran on Saturday, the Navy commander underlined that all parts of the submarines have been designed and manufactured by Iranian experts.

"All parts of these submarines, including their body and their advanced radar equipment and defense systems, have been designed and manufactured by our country's defense experts and with the help of the Defense Ministry," he said.

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DC NG Army Huey takes its final flight

Other than some tears and good-humored teasing about hanging on to the last UH-1 "Huey" in the Army's inventory, it was an unremarkable day as the D.C. National Guard's legendary helicopter lifted off for its final flight here.

The last remaining Huey in the U.S. Army takes off from Davison Army Airfield, Va. The D.C. Guard flew the historic model to Ozark, Ala., where it is being refurbished as a U.S. Air Force trainer. (Army National Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rohn Legore) (Released)

It was replaced last week by the arrival of the D.C. Guard's first UH-60 Blackhawk.

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IQAF receives first An-32 from Ukraine

The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) has taken delivery of the first of six Antonov An-32 light transport aircraft under contract from Ukraine.

The delivery follows the $550m Iraq-Ukraine intergovernmental agreement signed in 2009 for the supply of six An-32 aircraft and maintenance services for a period of three years.

The contract also includes delivery of military hardware including BTR-4 armoured personnel carriers, maintenance vehicles and BTR crew-training simulators.

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Russia to Waive Lada Class Submarines?

Construction program of Project 677 Lada non-nuclear submarines can be suspended, reports Izvestiya referring to a source in Russian Navy Main HQ.

According to the source, SSK St. Petersburg will not be commissioned into the Navy and remain an experimental prototype.

Defects of Lada-class submarine – unfinished propulsion plant, sonar, Lithium tactical data system, torpedo TE-2 – make Russian Navy return to submarines of well-proved project Varshavyanka, reports the newspaper.

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UAVs successfully used in Indian Army exercise

The Indian Army has successfully used its satellites and UAVs in the ongoing exercise 'Sudharshan Shakti' to provide a real-time picture and information of the war zone to battlefield commanders.

The new concepts of real time linking of the command centres with the battle zone has been successfully tested during the wargame in the deserts of Rajasthan, an army spokesperson said today.

"The endeavour has been to validate and integrate the use of all available assets, including satellites and UAVs to assist commanders in taking dynamic and proactive operational action in a fluid battlefield situation," he said.

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Brazil is negotiating access to software for its nuclear submarine with France

Brazil may obtain a transfer of software technology for the nuclear submarine that it is planning to build in partnership with France.

This statement comes from the director of Serviço Federal de Dados Processamento (Serpro), Marcos Mazoni. This technology transfer is not covered by the agreements already signed, but according to Mazoni, the discussions are heading in the right direction and Brazil should have access to source code that control equipments.

"It is certain that Brazil will obtain the transfer."

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L-3 ELAC Nautik Sonar Successfully Demonstrated Within MANTA System

L-3 ELAC Nautik announced today that its mine avoidance sonar was successfully demonstrated as part of the Mine Avoidance Intercept and Analysis (MANTA) system for the WALRUS class submarine of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

The MANTA system was presented to vice admiral Matthieu Borsboom, commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy, and rear admiral Klaas Visser, director of weapon systems at the Dutch Defence Material Organisation (DMO) on Friday 26 August.

The L-3 ELAC Nautik sonar for MANTA is based on the SCOUT system, which features forward-looking mine and obstacle avoidance, as well as bottom and surface mapping.

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Integrated Mast passes Factory Acceptance Test with Flying Colours

The first Integrated Mast IM400 has successfully passed the Factory Acceptance Test. The FAT was attended by a delegation from the Netherland's Defence Materiel Organisation and the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Since the IM400 consists of various subsystems, the actual FAT comprised several tests. After the successful tests the contract partner accepted the first Integrated Mast.

Thales Nederland's CEO Gerben Edelijn says: "this FAT proves that we are capable of designing, engineering and building a completely new concept in naval sensor and communication technology in a relatively very short time, which once more demonstrates our leading position in this field."

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RAAF Base Amberley F-111 fighter jets end up on Swanbank landfill site near Ipswich

F-111 fans are outraged many of the iconic RAAF fighter jets have been dumped at a landfill site near Ipswich.

A RAAF spokesman confirmed to Ipswich News on Thursday that 23 of the planes had been dumped at the Swanbank landfill site.

The jets had been located at RAAF Base Amberley, near Ipswich, before being decommissioned late last year.

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UK's first stealth jumpjet rolls off line – but we don't want it

The first ever supersonic stealth jumpjet to be built for the British armed forces has rolled off the assembly line. There's just one snag: Britain decided last year that it would no longer have jumpjets, meaning that the aircraft will never serve with the Royal Navy or RAF.

Regular readers will no doubt recall that ever since the 1990s, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had planned to replace the famous Harrier jumpjet with the Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) version of the upcoming F-35 stealth fighter-attack aircraft, now in flight test, which will equip US forces and many others in coming years.

In fact, Britain's interest in the F-35B meant that the lead test pilot on the type is a Brit (Graham Tomlinson, filmed above carrying out the F-35B's first vertical landing.)

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Lockheed Martin UK offers Vigilance AEW system to Malaysia

Malaysia's long-held requirement to field an airborne early warning (AEW) capability will see Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems formally launch a product in the country in December.

Dubbed "Vigilance", the system combines mission equipment developed for the UK Royal Navy's AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HM2 multi-role helicopter upgrade with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar technology provided by Northrop Grumman.

The latter draws on the company's APG-80 radar developed for the Lockheed F-16 Block 60 fighter and the APG-81 scaleable agile beam radar, being offered as an upgrade option for earlier versions of the type.

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Russian navy nears Cyprus drilling zone

The “Admiral Kuznetsov” class aircraft carrier is currently off the coast of Malta and heading for eastern Mediterranean from their base in the Barents Sea.

Informed sources have said that the Russian navy and Israeli military will hold joint exercises next week close to Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone.

The exercises are slated to begin on the 28th November and last a week.

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China navy to carry out Pacific exercises

China has said it will conduct "routine" naval exercises in the Pacific Ocean, in the week after a major diplomatic campaign by US President Barack Obama to assert the United States as a Pacific power.

The defence ministry said the exercises, to be held later this month, did not target any particular country, but the announcement comes against a background of growing tensions over maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific region.

Obama, who has dubbed himself America's first Pacific president, said last week the United States would deploy up to 2,500 Marines to Australia and tighten air force cooperation, a move seen as a response to China's growing regional might.

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Indian navy pilots to go to Russia for carrier-based training

Ahead of proposed induction of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier by end of next year, the Navy will be sending a team of 10 pilots to Russia for training in operations of MiG-29K fighter planes from the warship.

India had signed a deal with Russia in 2004 for purchasing the carrier along with 16 MiG 29Ks.

As per the understanding between the two countries, a team of 10 pilots will be in Russia around three months before the scheduled induction of battleship in December next year, Navy officials told PTI here.

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DGA (French Procurement Agency) delivers first L-CAT/EDA-R landing catamaran to French Navy

On November 24, 2011 the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA - French Procurement Agency) has taken delivery of the first fast amphibious landing craft (dubbed EDA-R for "engin de débarquement amphibie rapide").

The EDA-R offers five times the landing capacity of existing landing craft currently in service with the French Navy. The EDA-R will be used by the Marine Nationale's Mistral class LHDs.

Signed in June 2009 as part of an economy stimulus plan, the contract includes the acquisition of 4 EDA-R and their operational maintenance until mid-2015. The other three fast amphibious landing craft will be delivered by mid-2012.

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Norway Navy out of ships

Personnel shortages mean just five military vessels are protecting the Norwegian coast, reports say.

The restrictions mean only two submarines and three frigates can be staffed simultaneously, according to Bergens Tidende. The six MTBs are also currently banned from sailing for safety reasons.

Rear Admiral and Inspector General of the Navy Bernt Grimstvedt refuses to divulge exactly how many vessels are sailing along Norway’s vast coast at any one time because the information is “classified, especially in relation to our special forces and submarines.”

Virginia-class sub program likely to survive

The Virginia-class submarine program is likely to stay on track despite the failure of the congressional "supercommittee" to deal with the nation's budget deficit, experts say. But the building of a new class of submarines could be derailed.

This week's breakdown of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction will trigger automatic, across-the-board spending cuts of $1.2 trillion - with half coming from the Defense Department - in January 2013 unless lawmakers reach some sort of agreement before then.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said such cuts would render most of the Pentagon's ship and construction projects "unexecutable."

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DCNS Gowind Offshore Patrol Vessel L'Adroit Leaves Lorient for Toulon

Eighteen months after construction began, the Gowind offshore patrol vessel L'Adroit, an innovative maritime safety and security platform, has left DCNS's Lorient shipyard, where it was built, on a course for France's Toulon naval base, its home port.

Built under a DCNS-funded programme, L'Adroit incorporates a number of major innovations.

DCNS has made the vessel available to the French Navy for three years, and over the next few months it will have a chance to demonstrate its exceptional operational qualities on French Navy missions.

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Airbus Military begins final assembly of the first A400M for France

Following the launch of A400M series production last February, Airbus Military has begun final assembly of the first A400M that will be delivered to a customer –the French Air Force.

The fuselage for this aircraft, known as MSN7, arrived at the final assembly line in Seville (Spain) on board an Airbus Beluga.

The wings and nose arrived some days earlier and the integration of the central box and outer wings has already begun.

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Rheinmetall successfully tests high-energy laser weapons, expects power to increase over coming years

Rheinmetall expects a high-energy laser weapon system with an output of 100 kW to be available within the next three to five years, after demonstrating several laser weapons in action.

Rheinmetall said that laser weapons in future will offer the principal advantage of reduced cost, since material consumption and wear and tear with laser effectors is naturally low.

The company made the statement after a live fire laser demo at the Group's Ochsenboden proving ground, where international guests were able to view two laser weapon demonstrators in action, each featuring different performance parameters.

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Predators complete test flight as Turkey produces more UAVs

İncirlik Air Base
US-deployed Predator drones at İncirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, which will be used as part of Turkey’s fight against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), completed their first test flights on Tuesday, at a time when Turkey is increasing its domestic production of homemade drones.

Two of the four Predators drones deployed on Nov. 14 at İncirlik Air base made their first test flights in Adana. The lift-off operation was carried out by the American staff of the Ground Control Unit at the base.

The Predators were controlled by a center based in Nevada in the US during the whole flight. Images of the flight will be delivered to US military quarters in Ankara after initially being sent to the US.

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Airborne early warning tops Italy’s acquisition priorities

The Italian air force has raised airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft to a top acquisition priority in the aftermath of the NATO air campaign against Libya.

Lt Gen Giuseppe Bernardis, air force chief of staff, told the Dubai International Air Chiefs conference on 12 November that having to depend on the NATO Boeing E-3A airborne warning and control system fleet was a turning point.

The E-3A deployment was delayed as alliance members built the required consensus to approve the launch of operations, Bernardis said.

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Reprieve for axed Sentinel R1 spy plane

The decision to scrap the Sentinel spy plane under defence cuts is to be reviewed.

Head of the RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton says the Sentinel R1 - fitted with sophisticated radar imaging equipment - played a "pivotal" role in spotting and identifying Colonel Gaddafi's forces and should be retained.

Under the Strategic Defence and Security Review, all five of the RAF's Sentinel aircraft have been listed for withdrawal from service by 2015.

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Northern Fleet trained in the Barents Sea

Russia’s Northern Fleet has just finished an exercise in the Barents Sea and is now preparing to leave for the Mediterranean.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry Russia’s only aircraft carrier “Admiral Kuznetsov” and the destroyer “Admiral Chabanenko” will leave their bases in Murmansk and Severomorsk in December and sail south.

It has earlier been informed that the vessels will sail to the Mediterranean, but it is not yet decided which ports will be visited.

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U.S. carrier sent to Syrian coast as tensions flare

The USS George H.W. Bush, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, has reportedly parked off the Syrian coast. The move comes as the U.S. embassy in Damascus urged Americans to “immediately” leave the country.

“The U.S. embassy continues to urge U.S. citizens in Syria to depart immediately while commercial transportation is available,” began a statement released Wednesday on the embassy website.

“The number of airlines serving Syria has decreased significantly since the summer, while many of those airlines remaining have reduced their number of flights.”

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Iran Equips Navy with Highly Advanced Anti-Ship Cruise Missile

The Iranian Defense Ministry on Wednesday supplied a large number of highly advanced coast-to-sea cruise missiles to the Army's naval forces.

The missiles were delivered to the Navy in a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi and Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari.

The move came on the verge of the National Navy Day on November 28.

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Warship delay not linked to Mazagon dock upgrade, says Antony

There is a delay in the modernisation of Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) and the construction of warships there but the two issues are not linked, Defence Minister AK Antony said on Wednesday.

“There have been initial delays in modernisation programme of MDL. However, the delay in modernisation programme has not contributed directly to the delay in ongoing warship construction projects,” Antony said in the Rajya Sabha.

The MDL modernisation was launched in 2009 at a cost of Rs8.26 billion and was scheduled to be completed in 2011.

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