Independent Defense Weblog
Archive for May 2008
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 28 May 16:26 EDT (12:26 GMT)
TEHRAN - Iran and its close ally Syria have signed a new defense cooperation pact, Iranian media reported May 28, just a week after news broke that Israel had begun indirect peace talks with Damascus.
“The two countries pledge their mutual support regarding territorial independence and integrity in terms of international and regional authorities,” the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 30 May 12:27 EDT (08:27 GMT)
NEW DELHI - The Indian Defence Ministry has issued a request for proposal (RfP) to buy 22 attack helicopters for about $25 million per platform, including weapons, to boost the Air Force’s surveillance and combat capabilities.
Issued May 23, the RfP was sent to AgustaWestland, Boeing, Eurocopter, Khazan and Bell Helicopter.
An Air Force official said the helicopter should weigh 2,500 kilograms or more when empty and have two engines. It must be highly agile, have advanced anti-armor capability, and include provision for a turret gun of 20mm or higher caliber and be able to fire 70mm rockets at a range of 1.2 kilometers.
Bonhomme Richard will be the target for retiring research sub
By Jennifer Grogan , Published on 5/30/2008
Groton
THE U.S. NAVY PLANS TO USE ITS only research submarine to help a local foundation find the wreck of John Paul Jones’ Revolutionary War ship the Bonhomme Richard.
It was Sept. 23, 1779, and cannonballs from the HMS Serapis had shredded the hull of the Bonhomme Richard.
Jones was in command of a burning, sinking ship. Half of his crew members were dead or wounded.
His adversary shouted to him, asking if he would surrender.
Continue reading ‘Navy Lends A Hand In The Search For A Legendary Ship’ »
by Staff Writers
Vidsel, Sweden (SPX) May 28, 2008
On Saturday March 15 2008 the RBS15 Mk3 was launched at the FMV test range Vidsel in northern Sweden, witnessed by government delegations from several nations such as Sweden, Germany and Poland.
The missile was launched from a truck, previously belonging to the Swedish Armed Forces Coastal Missile Battery, and primed to perform a land attack mission at long range. The missile cruised over various terrain profiles via a large number of waypoints.
It passed several sea targets within lethal range before it performed a high-G pop-up manoeuvre and hit the land target at a high dive angle.
Last Updated: 10:35PM BST 27/05/2008
A British nuclear-powered submarine was damaged when it collided with rocks in the Red Sea, the Ministry of Defence has said.
HMS Superb hit an underwater rock on Monday and damaged its sonar equipment, forcing it to surface.
None of the crew was hurt and the submarine is watertight, an MoD spokesman said.
Continue reading ‘HMS Superb nuclear submarine damaged in Red Sea crash’ »
The Integrated Regional Information Networks | May 20, 2008
JOHANNESBURG: The southern African contribution to the African Standby Force (ASF) to fulfil the African Union’s (AU) peacekeeping ambitions will depend heavily on South Africa, but with its army already overstretched, underfunded and struggling to meet existing commitments, regional military experts believe this will be a burden the country cannot carry.
Five regional brigades - southern, eastern, central, western and northern – were scheduled for activation in 2010 to respond to threats to peace on the continent. In southern Africa the ASF would be deployed through the Southern African Development Community (SADC) under AU or UN mandates, and would be on standby in the regional body’s host country, Botswana.
Continue reading ‘SOUTHERN AFRICA: Who will pay for peacekeeping?’ »
Northrop Grumman | May 20, 2008
Newport News VA: Northrop Grumman’s Shipbuilding sector reached an important construction milestone May 18 when it completed the final hull welds of the Virginia-class submarine New Mexico (SSN 779). This accomplishment, known as “pressure hull complete,” signifies the hull sections being joined to form a single unit.
It is the last major milestone before the ship’s christening later this year at the company’s Newport News, Va. facilities.
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, a newly-formed sector of Northrop Grumman, combined the former Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and Newport News shipbuilding sectors.
Continue reading ‘Pressure Hull Complete On THe New Mexico Submarine’ »
agence france-presse
Published: 23 May 11:06 EDT (07:06 GMT)
LONDON - A British coroner called May 23 for the country’s entire fleet of Nimrod spy planes to be grounded, at the end of an inquest into a 2006 crash in Afghanistan that killed 14 servicemen.
Andrew Walker said the victims in the tragedy, in which the Nimrod plane exploded in mid-air shortly after refueling, could not have known that it was not airworthy.
Continue reading ‘British Coroner Calls for Nimrods to be Grounded’ »
Raytheon’s Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile successfully completed its first acquisition and tracking mission March 3, marking the first phase of system field testing at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. “The success of this mission is a significant achievement for the SLAMRAAM program as we move into the testing phase,” said Pete Franklin, vice president for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems’ National and Theater Security Programs.
Continue reading ‘Raytheon’s SLAMRAAM A Success In First System Field’ »
New York Sun Editorial
May 21, 2008
“We need to be much more clear with Russia when we disagree with them,” was the way Senator McCain’s national security adviser, Randy Scheunemann, put it to our Eli Lake back in March for an article we ran out on our front page under the headline, “McCain Backs Tougher Line Against Russia.” Well, here’s a perfect opportunity at which a little American clarity toward Moscow could go a long way.
A group of Syrian military officials arrived in the Russ capital on Monday for a five day visit. According to a report by the Russian state news agency, Novosti, the Syrian delegation is led by Syrian Air Force and Air Defense Commander General Akhmad Al Ratyb. General Ratyb is a regular visitor to Russia; he was also there in December of 2006.
Eyes in sky meant for Indian Air Force delayed for the second time
SUJAN DUTTA
New Delhi, May 16: After the Russians and the Americans, with whom the Indian armed forces have issues over delays or conditions attached to their military equipment, it is now the turn of Israel to slip behind schedule for the delivery of high-tech hardware for the Indian Air Force.
A source in the Indian Air Force has confirmed that the delivery of the first Phalcon will be delayed. It was expected in September but is now more likely to reach India only at the end of the first quarter of 2009, disrupting the Indian Air Force’s force-building plans.
Israel, which is India’s second largest supplier of military equipment, has told the Indian Air Force that it will not be able to deliver the Phalcon Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems — command centres in the sky — by September this year when the first of the three aircraft was due. It has told India that its delivery of two Aerostat radars — surveillance equipment on a balloon tethered to a radar station on the ground — will also be delayed.
by Staff Writers
London (AFP) May 20, 2008
Britain has given a green light for the construction of two new “super-aircraft carriers” for the country’s Royal Navy, the defence ministry said Tuesday.
The carriers, to be named Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, will be the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever constructed in Britain, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement.
Each ship will cost 3.9 billion pounds (4.9 billion euros, 7.7 billion dollars).
Continue reading ‘Britain Gives Go-Ahead For Two “Super Aircraft Carriers”’ »
By Malin Rising - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 21, 2008 6:09:44 EDT
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Sound recordings long believed to have indicated the presence of a Soviet submarine in Swedish waters most likely came from a taxi boat, a military research agency said Monday.
The recordings were made by the Swedish military during a submarine hunt in the Stockholm archipelago in 1982, a year after a Soviet sub ran aground near a naval complex in southeastern Sweden.
The military believed the noise came from the propeller of a submarine, and the recordings strengthened suspicions that Soviet subs were intruding in Swedish waters. Sweden later lodged a diplomatic protest with Moscow.
Continue reading ‘Sweden: Soviet sub was actually a taxi boat’ »
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) May 19, 2008
The Pentagon notified Congress on Monday of the possible sale of 48 F-16 fighters to Romania as part of a deal valued at 4.5 billion dollars.
Two dozen of the fighters would be new F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft built by Lockheed Martin, and the other two dozen will be refurbished surplus F-16C/D Block 25 aircraft, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
“The proposed sale will allow the Romanian Air Force to modernize its aging air force by acquiring both new and used fighter aircraft, thereby enabling Romania to support both its own air defense needs and coalition operations,” the agency said in a statement.
The sale would include engines, radars, communications systems, targeting pods, navigation systems, electronic warfare systems and electronic countermeasures systems.
Romania wants to replace its fleet of MiG-21 aircraft by 2010.
In addition to F-16s, it is looking at Swedish-made Gripen, the Eurofighter, and the French-built Rafale.
The deadline for bids had been extended until May 9.
19May2008
By Robert Hewson
Russian aerospace engineers have confirmed to Jane’s that China’s Chengdu J-10 fighter aircraft benefited from significant, direct input from Israel’s Lavi programme - including access to the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Lavi aircraft itself.
Continue reading ‘Chinese J-10 ‘benefited from the Lavi project’’ »
15May2008
By Jon Rosamond
Russia is to participate for the first time in a live NATO-led submarine escape-and-rescue exercise, according to Allied Maritime Component Command (MCC).
Exercise ‘Bold Monarch’ 2008 is due to be staged near Kristiansand, in the Northern Skagerrak region of Norway, from 26 May to 6 June.
Continue reading ‘Russia joins ‘Bold Monarch’ submarine rescue exercise’ »
By NABI ABDULLAEV
Published: 16 May 10:41 EDT (06:41 GMT)
MOSCOW - Algeria has asked Russia to deliver 14 to 16 Su-30MKI fighters instead of the MiG-29s that the North African country had ordered but refused to accept, saying they were assembled from old parts.
If Russia agrees, it can salvage its biggest post-Soviet arms export deal.
Russian aviation industry official confirmed May 16 that the swap is being discussed by the Rosoboronexport government arms export agency and Algeria. The Russian official said that the agreement with Algeria is likely to be reached in the fall.
Continue reading ‘Fighter Swap May Restore Algeria-Russia Deal’ »
May 14, 2008 09:29 AM
Waltham defense contractor Raytheon Co. said today that it has successfully demonstrated the Fish Hawk, an anti-submarine weapon system, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Continue reading ‘Raytheon says Fish Hawk passes anti-sub test’ »
RIA Novosti | May 13, 2008
MOSCOW: Venezuela is planning to conclude several contracts with Russia next month on the purchase of military equipment worth at least $2 billion, a leading Russian business daily said on Monday.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is expected to pay an official visit to Moscow at the end of May to conclude the necessary agreements with Russia’s new President Dmitry Medvedev, who earlier pledged to maintain close military cooperation with Caracas, the Kommersant newspaper reported.
Oil-rich Venezuela is a major purchaser of Russian weapons and hardware. In 2005-2006, Venezuela ordered weaponry from Russia worth $3.4 billion, including 24 Su-30MK2V Flanker fighters, Tor-M1 air defense missile systems, Mi-17B multi-role helicopters, Mi-35 Hind E attack helicopters and Mi-26 Halo heavy transport helicopters.
Continue reading ‘Venezuela to buy Russian weaponry worth $2 bln - paper’ »
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) May 15, 2008
The U.S. Air Force found Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE:NOC) bid to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers superior to Boeing’s in four of the five most important selection criteria.
Despite this fact, the losing bidder wants the Government Accountability Office to overturn the Air Force decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman even though the Air Force conducted what even Boeing described as a fair, open and transparent bidding process.
Here is another reason Northrop Grumman won, drawn from a list of facts included in a redacted version of a protected Air Force selection document.
Continue reading ‘Northrop Grumman KC-45: Why We Won - Survivability’ »
