Armoredd.com

02 July 2009

multi-nation strategic airlift capability (SAC) consortium will receive its first C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at a Hungarian air base in July.

The 12 nations will use the craft to deploy and redeploy forces and equipment, and supply humanitarian relief in Europe and surrounding areas including Afghanistan.

The nations will use their portion of flight hours to support national, UN, EU and Nato requirements.

The joint effort permits all the nations to achieve greater efficiencies in defense investment and operational capacity than the traditional approaches.

The arrival of the first C-17 on 27 July 2009 will also mark the activation of the SAC’s operational unit, the Heavy Airlift Wing.

Source: Air Force Technology

TEWKSBURY, Mass. and PARIS, June 15, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) in cooperation with KONGSBERG (Norway) has been selected to fulfill Finland’s medium range air defense missile system requirements with the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS).

“We look forward to working with the Finnish Defense Forces to provide Finland with the finest medium range air defense system,” said Pete Franklin, vice president, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems’ National & Theater Security Programs. “I am confident that this relationship will be as fruitful and enduring as our relationship with KONGSBERG and the Norwegian Air Force.”

NASAMS is designed and built in transatlantic cooperation with KONGSBERG and Raytheon. NASAMS is robust, reliable and designed to excel in air defense operations, featuring state-of-the-art sensors, command, control and communication systems, and missile technology. The system is a network-enabled, distributed capability that uses the Raytheon MPQ-64F1 (Sentinel) radar and the AIM 120 AMRAAM missile in a surface-launched mode. The KONGSBERG-Raytheon team has more than 25 years’ joint experience of delivering air defense systems to international customers.

NASAMS was developed in Norway during the 1990s and has since then been contracted by the Netherlands, Spain and the U.S. In the latter case, the high-capacity system was operational in the National Capital Region in connection with the 2005 presidential inauguration and has been in continuous operation there ever since. The Surface Launched AMRAAM (SL-AMRAAM) configuration selected by Finland is NASAMS II, similar to the configuration fielded in Norway. NASAMS II is the most recent version of the system produced by Raytheon and KONGSBERG and delivered to Norway in 2007.

Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon’s leader in Global Capabilities Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/

By DANIEL LOVERING
AP MANUFACTURING WRITER

Boeing Co. may offer a tanker version of its 777 jet in a new bid to win a $35 billion military contract to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of aerial refueling planes, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

Chicago-based Boeing and a team comprising rival Airbus’ parent company, European Aeronautics Defense and Space Co., and Northrop Grumman Corp. are girding for a new round of competition for the contract to build 179 planes.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled earlier bidding in September after the Government Accountability Office concluded the Air Force had unfairly penalized Boeing’s smaller plane. Gates plans to restart the troubled process in the coming weeks.

Boeing spokesman William Barksdale said Wednesday the company may offer a tanker version of its popular 777 commercial jet along with the 767 it offered previously. The Northrop team’s plane was based on Airbus’ A330 passenger jet frame.

“It definitely is much more capable than the A330,” Barksdale said in a telephone interview from Paris, where he is attending the Paris Air Show. “We’ve spent a lot of time not only listening to what the Air Force said to us, but also doing trade studies on what a bigger tanker would look like,” he said. “If we need to offer a big tanker, then we’re going to be ready to do that.”

The 777 tanker would be virtually the same size as the A330, but would carry 23 percent more fuel, 44 percent more cargo and 42 percent more passengers than the competing plane, Barksdale said.

If the Air Force does not want “a big, huge tanker,” it could choose the 767, which remains a capable, agile widebody aircraft, he added. “We’re just going to give that customer a lot to choose from.”

A key technology developed for the 767 - a boom or tube that extends from under the plane’s tail to refuel other jets in mid-air - can be transferred to the 777, Barksdale said.

“The challenge is going to be making sure we understand the requirements and matching up based on costs and schedule,” he said.

Boeing and Airbus have been struggling with slumping orders for their planes as demand for air travel sags amid the recession. The company has announced plans to cut monthly 777 production to five planes from seven starting in June next year and delay plans to boost production of its 747-8 and 767 planes. Airlines began flying the twin-aisle 777 in 1995.

Dave Bowman, Boeing’s head of tanker programs, disclosed Boeing’s 777 tanker plan at a press briefing Tuesday in Paris.

Earlier this week, Ralph Crosby, CEO of EADS North America, said he was confident about the EADS-Northrop team’s chances. “We’re going to win,” he said. “We won once, hey, the fundamentals haven’t changed.”

Boeing shares lost 28 cents to close at $48.55.

Source: seattlepi.com

June 17, 2009 at 5:08 am

The Rosoboronexport State Corporation will demonstrate the latest Russian combat aircraft, military air transports, air defense systems, and space exploration developments to its foreign partners in the course of the 48th International Paris Air Show – Le Bourget to be held from 15 until 21 June, 2009.

“Paris Air Show Le Bourget 2009 celebrates its 100th anniversary, thus, our programme is going to be even more intensive than before,” Rosoboronexport Deputy Director General and head of the delegation Alexander Mikheev said. “We will hold negotiations with our partners from Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa to discuss crucial issues of bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation”.

Russia is a traditional participant in the Paris Air Show Le Bourget, one of the world’s largest air shows. The Russian exhibition will be sponsored by the Rossiyskie Tekhnologii State Corporation. In addition to Rosoboronexport the air show will also see participation of the Sukhoi Company, the MiG Corporation, the IRKUT Corporation, the Ilyushin Company, the Vertolety Rossii Company, the Moscow-based Mil Helicopter Plant, the Kamov Company, the Kazan Helicopter Plant, the Rostvertol Company, the Ulan-Ude Aircraft Plant, the Avionika Consortium, and other well-known national defence contractors.

Participants in and guests of Paris Air Show 2009 will be able to examine cutting-edge Russian developments, including the Su-35 4++ generation multi-role super-manoeuvrable fighter, designed to establish air superiority and deliver air strikes against ground- and surface-based targets by day and night in adverse weather (the Su-35 boasts flight characteristics similar to those of fifth-generation fighters). The aircraft, fitted with 12 pylons, is capable of carrying a combat load of eight tons, thus, it can be armed with a wide range of guided and unguided weapon systems.

The Russian side will also demonstrate the MiG-35 single-seat and the MiG-35D twin-seat multi-role tactical fighters, featuring a high combat efficiency, an outstanding performance, and remarkable reliability and safety. The operational costs of the aircraft are relatively low. HOTAS (Hands On Throttle and Stick) controls are another crucial feature, inherent in the aircraft.

Visitors of the show will also see the Yak-130 combat trainer, fitted with a re-programmable remote control system, which allows pilots to undergo basic and advanced training in flying all existing and future fighters (Russian Su- and MiG-family aircraft, Mirage 2000, F-16, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35, etc.). The Yak-130 will enter the inventory of the Russian Air Force as early as 2009.

The Russian exposition will also present a whole scope of helicopters: the Mi-35M combat transport (the world’s only combat helicopter, capable of discharging troop carrier, transportation, and medevac tasks), the Ka-52 attack helicopter, and the Mi-26 heavy-lift transport helicopter, which has proved its worth in the course of various man-caused and natural disasters, as well as other rotary-wing aircraft.

Russia will also have on display the following air defence systems: the S-300VM (Antei-2500) mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, capable of killing stealth-technology targets; the Buk-M2E multi-channel medium-range SAM systems, capable of simultaneously engaging 24 targets, approaching from any direction, at a range of up to 50 km; the cutting-edge Tor-M2E SAM system, capable of simultaneously destroying both air-to-surface precision-guided munitions (PGM), and their platforms; as well as the Igla-S man-portable air defence system (MANPADS), the Nebo-SVU mobile radar (boasting unrivalled capabilities), the Kredo-1E radar, etc.

Experts will undoubtedly be interested in modern Russian aircraft and helicopter engines, avionics laboratory test equipment, flight data acquisition, processing and analysis systems, airfield equipment, and training aids, which reduce flight crew training costs several-fold, cut down the training period 1.5- to two-fold, and husband service lives of expensive aircraft.

Rosoboronexport also attaches much importance to repairing and upgrading arms and materiel exported earlier, including Soviet-vintage weapon systems, and will offer corresponding repair and modernisation programmes at Paris Air Show 2009. The urgency of the issue results from the attempts of a number of foreign operators to upgrade such arms and materiel without the participation of Russian experts. The Russian side is totally against this approach both from the commercial and the legal viewpoint, not to mention the technical aspect. In this light Russia intends to pursue a strict policy of changing the situation at hand. The problem cannot be solved in any other way, which is unfortunately proved by severe accidents and crashes, involving “independently modified” aircraft.

Key lines of defence cooperation include prospects of establishing licensed-production and assembly facilities, building arms and materiel service centres, and cooperating in Earth remote probing and space exploration. For instance, Rosoboronexport has established cooperation in research and development and space exploration with such European states as France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Corresponding bilateral contracts have been signed and are being fulfilled.

Foreign partners have expressed their interest in Rosoboronexport’s proposal, envisioning payments for arms exports in the form of counter purchases of corresponding national products or resource development quotas.

At the present time Rosoboronexport’s short-term contract portfolio exceeds US $25 billion. The corporation actively promotes the entire range of defence-related and dual-purpose products, technologies, and services in the international arms market, but special efforts are focused on aviation (in 2008 aircraft accounted for 56% of the overall arms exports, and air defence system exports amounted to 17%).

“The demand for Russian aircraft and helicopters grows despite the ongoing global financial crunch. It makes us feel special obligations and responsibility both as a supplier, and as a reliable time-tested partner,” head of the Rosoboronexport delegation Alexander Mikheev emphasised. “We take every necessary measure and constantly revise every line of defence cooperation, which nowadays actively expands, among other things due to developing relations with NATO member-states.”

Source: Defence Tallk

16:02
15/06/2009

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - A Turkish military delegation has come to Russia to discuss the possible acquisition of Mi-28 attack helicopters. This is not the first time the two countries have discussed cooperation.

In the 1970s and the early 1980s, Turkey bought 32 used AH-1P/S Cobra attack helicopters in the United States and later upgraded them to the AH-1F specifications. The Turkish army still has 23 AH-1P/S Cobras. However, Turkish military authorities started thinking about replacing them in the mid-1990s.

During the subsequent tender they considered several models of combat helicopter, including the Ka-50-2 Erdogan, a version of the Russian Ka-50 Black Shark developed by Russia and Israel for Turkey. Unlike the Ka-50 where the pilots sit side-by-side, the seats in the Erdogan are placed in tandem as in the U.S. Cobra chopper.

However, Turkey did not choose the Kamov helicopter for political reasons, such as growing U.S. influence in Turkey and, conversely, the lack of Russian influence. Also, Russia could not then guarantee the timely production of the required number of new helicopters or post-sale service. Lastly, the Ka-50 was not mass-produced even for the Russian army at that time.

An updated Cobra with new weapons and equipment was the most probable winner in the Turkish tender, but the contract was eventually awarded to a European producer, the Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland, which proudly proclaims to be “a total rotorcraft capability provider.”

AgustaWestland, announced as the winning bidder in March 2007, pledged to assemble 50 T129 prototypes in Turkey. However, the first T129 will be rolled out only in 2015, whereas Turkey needs choppers now to fight Kurdish militants.

The purchase of seven used AH-1W SuperCobras in 2008 has not solved the problem either. Turkey needs modern attack helicopters to fill the gap until 2015 and for several more years while its pilots learn to fly the T129 choppers.

As a result, Turkey has decided to purchase Russian machines. It has opted for the Mi-28N Night Hunter, which, unlike the Ka-50, has been mass-produced since the 1990s and is supplied to the Russian Armed Forces.

Turkey may buy between 12 and 32 helicopters within two or three years. It is unclear if it wants the choppers with or without top-mounted radar, which is an extremely expensive option.

The Turkish military had once considered buying the Mi-24 Crocodile, which has several common structural elements with the Mi-28. The Mi-17 multirole helicopter is currently used in Turkey for military, police and civilian purposes.

Significantly, the Mil helicopters have for years been used in similar terrain in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East. Moreover, Russia’s influence and relations with Turkey have grown dramatically and many contradictions in bilateral ties have been smoothed over since the 1990s.

Therefore, Turkey could buy the Mi-28, whose track record over the past 20 years and the initial results of its combat use show that this highly versatile helicopter could remain on combat duty even after T129 assembly start-up in Turkey.

And the final touch: the protection and combat payload specifications of the T129 are below those of the Mi-28.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 9 Jun 2009 14:37

Source: Defense News

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon could reopen a competition between Boeing and an EADS/Northrop Grumman team to replace the U.S. military’s aging fleet of air refueling aircraft as early as July, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said June 9.

Gates told lawmakers he expected a final decision in a week to 10 days on “the acquisition authority and the structure we’re going to put into place to ensure that it is a fair, open and transparent process.”

The Pentagon’s acquisition team hopes to put out a request for proposal “this summer, perhaps next month,” he said. “Our hope is to probably try and get the RFP [request for proposal] out mid-summer.”

The Pentagon awarded a $35 billion contract for 179 aircraft to the EADS/Northrop Grumman team in February 2008, but Boeing successfully challenged the decision with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which recommended it be reopened.

Gates initially said he expected competition for the politically sensitive contract to be reopened in spring 2009, and then in the summer.

All content © 2009, Army Times Publishing Company

By LEANDER SCHAERLAECKENS, UPI Correspondent
Published: June 5, 2009 at 12:14 PM

BRUSSELS, June 5 (UPI) — France may sell Rafale fighter to U.A.E.

French officials believe they are close to closing a deal to sell their Rafale fighter jet to the United Arab Emirates.

The deal would prove a landmark for the French military aerospace industry as it would be among its first export deals for the beleaguered Rafale fighter jet program.

France has previously only succeeded in selling the Rafale to Libya as part of a recent mega deal arranged between Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The Rafale is built by Dassault Aviation and has also been purchased by the French air force.

The United Arab Emirates has a history of buying French combat aircraft. It still operates 60 Mirage fighter and ground support fighter-bomber combat aircraft that were also built by Dassault Aviation.

U.A.E. spokesmen have publicly announced that “positive progress” has been achieved on the deal thought to be worth roughly $10 billion.

Agreement found in Type 214 Submarine deal

10:57 GMT, May 29, 2009 One is for sure: The relations on defence procurement programmes between Athens and Berlin have seen better days. Just a few years ago the Greek and German defence authorities had a very fruitful and strong binding. The Hellenic Ministry of Defence, in its pursuit of the goal to renew and upgrade its military equipment, did on many occasions look towards Germany. In 2005, for instance, Athens signed a contract to purchase 333 second-hand Leopard 2A4s and 150 Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks from Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) reserves in a deal worth some €270 million. On September 25, 2003 Greece became the ninth customer country of the European NH90 programme when it placed an order for 20 helicopters plus 14 options in a contract worth €657 million. Furthermore, on February 15, 2000 the Hellenic Navy signed a contract with the German Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) shipyard for three Type 214 submarines which the Hellenic Navy called Papanikolis class. A fourth boat was then ordered in June 2004.

However, things have changed since. Facing a huge budget deficit Greece decided to give priority to long-term financial stabilisation, which amongst other measures involved putting a cap on defence expenditures. The orders placed in previous years resulted in huge payment obligations, it was clear that Athens could not meet all of these demands at the same time. Thus, sort of a complex “waiting game” came into being – winning extra time by the simple expedient of delaying acceptance of deliveries on ongoing programmes.

So, “several problems” were identified with the German tanks and payments were accordingly delayed, leaving Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) waiting for the money for nearly 100 tanks after 126 had been delivered. HDW found itself in an even more embroiled situation. The first submarine, ‘Papanikolis’, was laid down in Kiel in February 2001 and launched in April 2004. According to the agreement it was planned to build the remaining three boats at the Hellenic Shipyards, near Athens, which just as HDW is now part of the German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) group. As soon as the ‘Papanikolis’ started her sea trials, however, the Hellenic Navy found a veritable host of major and minor problems with the vessel, which until today has resulted in a refusal to accept her.

The Hellenic Navy declared that the submarine suffered from insufficient stability while sailing in rough sea conditions, heeling by as much as 35-58°. Beyond that they found that the AIP system became inoperable after a few hours and noted problems with the ISUS battle system. The official report of the Navy also said that sea water was leaking into the hydraulic systems and that the submarine was not quiet as expected. Therefore, ‘Papanikolis’ has been docked in Kiel since 2006.

German industry accepted some of the shortcomings liabilities and maintains to have finally fixed the problems, however, they are still waiting payment. Some expert suggest that Greece is intentionally protracting the problem in order to delay payments and renegotiate the price.

Now it seems that at least the submarine programme could move forward. According to Hellenic news sources, the two sides have come to a tentative agreement that will see the Navy accept three of the four submarines that have been ordered, excluding the Papanikolis. Although the Navy confirms that the problems have been fixed, it is unwilling to accept the submarine which has been docked during the last years.

The Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Giorgos Karamalikis was quoted as saying that the technical problems with the Type 214 submarine were being solved and Greece could soon be in a position to accept the three follow-on vessels. According to the news agency, HDW is willing to keep the Papanikolis and try to sell it to another interested buyer, which may be Poland.

Yesterday’s decision could represent a change back for better in the bilateral relationship and lead to the payment of many hundreds of millions Euros overdue with German companies. Other huge defence deals with German participations, such as the Eurofighter programme, could again become interesting.

Source: Defence Professionals

Fri May 22, 2009 6:39am EDT

By Bappa Majumdar

NEW DELHI, May 22 (Reuters) - India will soon hold field trials for the purchase of 126 fighter planes in a $10.4 billion contract that is one of the world’s biggest current arms deals.

Boeing’s (BA.N) F/A-18 Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin Corp’s (LMT.N) F-16, Russia’s MiG-35, Sweden’s Saab (SAABb.ST) KAS-39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon, a consortium of British, German, Italian and Spanish companies, are in the race for the lucrative contract.

France’s Dassault Aviation was knocked out last month on technical grounds, but could be back after answering queries related to its aircraft, a defence official said.

“All the paperwork is over and a technical evaluation report on the fighters has been placed with the ministry,” defence ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said.

“Security concerns are a top priority of the government and things should start rolling once the new defence minister takes charge,” he added.

STRONGER MANDATE

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was due to be sworn in for a second term on Friday and name the new defence minister in his cabinet.

With a stronger mandate, Singh is expected to push through key decisions including greater military cooperation with the United States which had been stymied because of opposition from his former communist allies.

“Much of the Congress-led government’s last term was spent on the civilian nuclear deal with the U.S. while its communist allies objected to strategic defence ties,” said Uday Bhaskar, a New Delhi-based strategic analyst.

India increased its defence spending by nearly a quarter in 2009/10 to $28.9 billion as the government was keen to focus on security following last November’s Mumbai attacks.

It is looking to spend more than $30 billion over the next five years to modernise its largely Soviet-era weapons systems.

With elections over, the defence ministry will push for clearing pending projects, including the induction of the Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft from Israel to track incoming missiles or enemy aircraft.

A defence team from India will visit Russia next month to speed up delivery of the aircraft carrier Gorshkov for induction into the Indian Navy by 2012. (Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Air Force News — By Agence France-Presse on May 26, 2009 at 5:14 am

New Delhi: French firm Dassault Aviation, expelled from a 12-billion-dollar Indian warjet contract, is now likely to rejoin the race, with five other global firms vying for the deal, officials said Monday.

“Dassault Aviation has been cleared to put up its Rafale fighter jet for field trials,” an Indian defence ministry official said, adding that the approval came last week from the policy-making Defence Procurement Board.

The French company, one of six contenders for the mammoth contract, was declared out of the race on April 16 after the military said it failed to meet technical requirements.

“Dassault was dropped as it did not meet user requirements but the decision to re-induct it into the bidding was taken after the company offered the missing answers,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

However, “since a new government is now in place the final call is with the defence minister,” he said.

A formal decision on Dassault’s participation was likely later this week, he said.

India’s Congress-led coalition government swept back to office after elections this month.

The official denied any suggestion that the U-turn was a result of diplomatic intervention by France.

Industry sources have said that US-based Lockheed Martin, offering the F-16, and Boeing, with its F-18 “Superhornet”, are the front-runners in bidding for the 126-jet contract.

The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company has offered its Typhoon Eurofighter, while Russian manufacturers of the MiG-35 and MiG-29, as well as Sweden’s Saab, which makes the Gripen fighter, are also in the running.

India issued the request for proposals to six short-listed global aviation giants in August 2007 and the companies submitted their bids last year.

The contract includes the outright purchase of 18 fighter jets by 2012 with another 108 to be built by HAL in India under a “transfer of technology agreement.” India also wants the option to buy 64 more jets.

India, the biggest buyer of military hardware among emerging nations, is expected to select fighters from at least two different firms.

The contending fighter jets will be put through rigourous tests scheduled to begin next month.

Meanwhile, the defence ministry official said India would hand a one-billion-dollar contract for six mid-air refuelling aircraft to Europe’s Airbus instead of to Russia, which supplies 70 percent of India’s arms.

“We have now decided in favour of the Airbus-330 refuller and not the Russian Ilyushin-76s, which has been in service with us for six years,” the ministry official said.

“The deal with Airbus will be cleared by the cabinet next month,” he said, adding Delhi was also sending officials to Moscow to close a protracted row over the cost of a Soviet-era aircraft carrier that India wants by 2011.

Russia wants two billion dollars over and above 1.5 billion dollars it had initially agreed to refurbish the carrier for the Indian navy.

“We are time-lining all negotiations as we want the deal to materialise by July-end or else we start looking at other options,” a naval official warned.

Similar commercial disagreements and late deliveries have pushed New Delhi towards Western suppliers in recent years.

India plans to spend up to 30 billion dollars by 2012 to upgrade its military

Source: Defence Talk

18:00 19/05/2009

MINSK, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - There are no problems with the sale of Tor-M2 and Buk-M2 air defense systems to Belarus, with only technical issues under discussion, the head of the Russian state-run arms exporter said on Tuesday.

“Today, major problems at the negotiations have been resolved and the issues are being discussed from the technical viewpoint. Price guidelines are being determined,” Rosoboronexport chief Anatoly Isaikin said at the opening of the MILEX 2009 arms exhibition in the Belarusian capital.

Isaikin also said the issue of the purchase of S-400 advance missile systems by Belarus from Russia was being discussed by an inter-governmental commission and no decision had been made.

Earlier in May, Rosoboronexport department head Valery Varlamov pointed to complex problems in the negotiations on the purchase by Belarus of Tor-M2 and Buk-M2 air defense systems. He also said that the issue of the purchase of advanced Iskander and S-400 missile systems could only be resolved at the political level.

Belarus announced in February 2008 its intention to purchase S-400 air defense systems from Russia as part of the modernization of its armed forces.

The Tor-M2 (NATO reporting name SA-15 Gauntlet) is a low to medium-altitude, short-range surface-to-air missile system designed for intercepting aircraft, cruise missiles, precision guided munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic targets.

The Buk-M2 (NATO codename SA-17 Grizzly) is an upgraded version of the proven Buk-M1 mobile air defense system and retains its main features. It comprises a command post, a target acquisition radar, and up to 6 loader-launcher vehicles carrying four 9M38 ground-to-air missiles.

The system has a target acquisition range of up to 50 km (31 miles), maximum target altitude around 25 km (82,000ft) and maximum target speed about Mach 4.

The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and 2 1/2 times that of Russia’s S-300PMU-2.

The system is also believed to be able to destroy stealth aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, and is effective at ranges up to 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) and speeds up to 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) per second.

The Iskander-E (SS-26 Stone), which is an export version of the Iskander-M missile system in service with the Russian army, is a tactical surface-to-surface missile complex designed to deliver high-precision strikes at a variety of ground targets at a range of up to 280 km (170 miles). It carries a single warhead with a payload of 400 kg to comply with the limits laid down by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

by Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) May 20, 2009

Russia has suspended supplies to Syria of MiG-31 fighter jets under possible pressure from Israel or due to Syria’s inability to pay for the planes, Kommersant reported Wednesday, citing sources.
The 400-500 million-dollar contract for the delivery of eight MiG-31s was inked in early 2007, the paper said.

But work on the modernisation of the planes at the Sokol aviation plant in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod halted last month, Kommersant quoted sources at the plant as saying.

A spokesman for Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Vyacheslav Davidenko, declined to comment on the report Wednesday, dismissing it as “rumours.”

A source close to the arms exporter told Kommersant the contract had been frozen under pressure from Israel as the weapon sales could offset the balance of power in the region.

“A similar situation occurred with deliveries of Iskander missiles to Syria. Israel at the time exerted massive pressure on Russia, and the contract was officially cancelled,” the paper quoted the source as saying.

However, Kommersant also cited an unnamed government official who said the contract was suspended because Damascus could no longer afford the planes.

In 2005, Moscow forgave 70 percent of Syria’s total debt of 13.4 billion dollars, Kommersant said.

Source: Space War

By ANDREI CHANG and JOHN WU
Published: May 12, 2009 at 3:05 PM

HONG KONG, May 12 (UPI) — China is aiming at a substantial share of the international market for third-generation fighter aircraft, with a particular eye on oil-rich Third World countries as part of its arms-for-oil strategy. This was evidenced by the high-profile display of its J-10A fighter at the Zhuhai Air Show in November 2008.

Chinese experts were observed giving exhaustive information on the J-10A to military delegations from Angola, Nigeria and Venezuela at the air show. Venezuela seemed most interested in the aircraft.

The first foreign buyer of the J-10A will be Pakistan, a source from the Chinese aviation industry said. In March, Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed confirmed that a deal with China had been reached and that the aircraft would be delivered in 2014 and 2015. The version for Pakistan will be called the FC-20.

However, there is an issue with the engine on this aircraft. The J-10A is currently equipped with Russian-made AL-31F aviation engines. It is unclear whether Russia will permit China to install these engines on its aircraft and then export them to Pakistan. Such a move would have not only economic but also political repercussions, considering that Pakistan’s rival, India, is a major purchaser of Russian arms.

For this reason, the export version of the J-10A fighter is still under design. Both the engine and the weapon systems on board will be different from the domestic version, according to the source from the Chinese aviation industry.

India has been using the Russian AL-31FP engine extensively in its fighter aircraft. If China exports large numbers of J-10A/FC-20 fighters outfitted with Russian engines to Pakistan, India will be much more concerned over this deal than with China’s earlier export of JF-17 2.5-generation fighters to Pakistan. As a third-generation combat aircraft, the J-10A will pose a real threat to the Indian air force.

With this concern, India sent a strong delegation to the Zhuhai Air Show to expand its contacts with the Chinese, led by its air chief of staff. The Indian air force’s aerobatics demonstration team also put on a performance at this event.

At the Singapore Air Show earlier last year, Indian Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major had already carefully inspected the simulation cockpit of the JF-17, which is being jointly developed by China and Pakistan. His trip to the Zhuhai Air Show in November last year was to examine the J-10A/FC-20 fighter.

In contrast to India’s increased interest in engaging with China to explore the possibility of buying Chinese-produced weapons systems, Russia sent a much smaller delegation than usual to the Zhuhai Air Show. For the first time, Russia did not exhibit any combat aircraft or radar systems at the air show. Some representatives of Russian enterprises even canceled their planned trips to China at the last minute.

–

(Andrei Chang is editor in chief of Kanwa Defense Review Monthly, registered in Toronto.)

06 May 2009
MIN69/09
Australian Government Department of Defence

The Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP,
Minister for Defence

I am pleased to announce that Defence has taken the first steps in a $A5 billion project to acquire a manned Maritime Patrol and Response Aircraft by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States Navy (USN) to cooperatively develop upgrades to the P-8A Poseidon aircraft and support systems.

The manned aircraft, to be acquired under Project AIR7000 Phase 2, in conjunction with the Multi-mission Unmanned Aerial System, to be acquired under Project AIR 7000 Phase 1.

The P‑8A is a modern, highly reliable aircraft based on the commercially-proven Boeing B737, and modified to incorporate the latest maritime surveillance and attack capabilities.

Defence will collaborate in Spiral One, the first in a series of improvements planned through the life of the P-8A. Through participation in the P-8A Spiral One cooperative development program, Defence seeks to gain information on the P-8A to support the acquisition and through life support decisions, provide opportunities for Australian industry, and influence the direction of P-8A improvements.

The 2009 Defence White Paper detailed the Government’s plans to acquire eight new maritime patrol aircraft to replace the capability currently provided by the AP-3C Orion aircraft, when that aircraft is retired in 2018 after 30‑years of RAAF service.

These new aircraft will provide a highly advanced surface search radar and optical, infra-red and electronic surveillance systems.

With these systems, along with a high transit speed and the ability to conduct air- to- air refuelling, these aircraft will provide a superior capability for rapid area search and identification tasks. They will also provide a highly advanced anti- submarine warfare capability, including the ability to engage submarines using air- launched torpedoes.

Media contacts:
Christian Taubenschlag (Joel Fitzgibbon): 02 6277 7800 or 0438 595 567
Defence Media Liaison: 02 6265 3343 or 0408 498 664

By MARTIN SIEFF, UPI Senior News Analyst
Published: May 1, 2009 at 4:23 PM

WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) — Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has finally prevailed upon his own military bureaucrats in the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv to buy Raytheon’s excellent Vulcan Phalanx super-fast heavy machine gun and guidance system as a defense system against very-short-range ballistic missiles.

Barak told the respected Israeli newspaper Haaretz April 20 that he had finally taken the plunge to buy the Vulcan Phalanx system, a mature technology effective up to 4 miles in range that has operated superbly well for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, for the Israel Defense Forces. It is expected to be deployed to guard Sderot and other Israeli communities in northwestern Negev that have been under bombardment for years from Gaza.

Israeli press reports have presented Barak as the hero who wanted to buy the Vulcan Phalanx before but was stymied by his own bureaucracy, but there appears to be a large element of spin control in those reports.

The fact is that Barak had bet heavily and publicly on the Israeli-manufactured Iron Dome to provide defense for the embattled town of Sderot and other communities within pre-1967 borders that have been relentlessly bombarded by Qassam rockets from Gaza for years. But the Iron Dome system is still years away even from prototype testing, let alone operational production and deployment.

Barak enthusiastically embraced the Iron Dome very-short-range BMD system after taking office in 2006. But as we have reported in these columns, Iron Dome, being developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, has progressed far more slowly, with far more difficulty and cost overruns than Barak and its planners anticipated, though they should have.

Israel’s excellent Arrow air defense and anti-missile defense interceptor complements the Raytheon Patriot PAC-3 system of the U.S. Army, which Israel also operates, very well. But although Israel Aircraft Industries is the prime contractor for the Arrow II, at least 40 percent of its components and systems are produced by Boeing in the United States.

The Arrow therefore plays to the Israeli defense industrial sector’s strength as providing local improvements, often dramatic ones, in capabilities and performance, to mature military technologies that have already been developed from scratch elsewhere.

Iron Dome, however, was always going to be a far more ambitious gamble, as we have been warning for years ever since Barak first publicly embraced it: It is a far more ambitious system and even its basic premise has long been scrutinized and criticized both in Israel and by U.S. experts.

Even if Israel can succeed in getting Iron Dome operable in the next few years, it will be far more expensive to manufacture a single interceptor for that program than any of the low-tech missiles it is designed to intercept. These are Qassam rockets fired into Israel from Gaza by Hamas, the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance Movement, or the multiple launch rocket mortars known as Katyushas fired by the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hezbollah, the Shiite Party of God, from Southern Lebanon, into northern Israel.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

by Staff Writers
Stockholm (AFP) April 27, 2009
Space War

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the third-biggest arms importer worldwide, a leading defence think tank said Monday.
The figures from the UAE reflected what the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) described as a “worrying” regional trend of increased arms imports into the Middle East.

The oil-rich country accounted for 6.0 percent of the world’s arms imports between 2004 and 2008, according to the new report from the (SIPRI) — the same proportion as South Korea.

Only China with 11 percent and India with 7.0 percent, had a larger share of the market, said the report.

The UAE’s position was all the more striking because in the previous study, covering the period 1999-2003, the UAE was only the 16th biggest importer of military equipment worldwide.

The SIPRI described the country’s rise to third place as “the most significant change” in its new survey of global arms sales.

The study also found that the average volume of worldwide arms transfers for 2004-2008 was 21 percent higher than the period 1999-2003.

There had been a 38 percent increase in arms transfers to the Middle East region in the latest study compared to its previous five-year survey, said SIPRI.

“During the past five years, we have seen the re-emergence of the Middle East as a major recipient of conventional weapons systems,” said SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman in a statement.

“While we are a long way from the levels reached in the early to mid-1980s, this is still a worrying trend in a region beset by multiple sources of potential conflict,” he added.

The United States remains the biggest supplier of military equipment. Its sales account for 31 percent of exports worldwide, ahead of Russia with 25 percent and by Germany with 10 percent, the report noted.

10:12 | 27/ 04/ 2009

MOSCOW, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg will build six Kilo class diesel-electric submarines for delivery to Vietnam, the Russian business daily Kommersant said on Monday.

The paper quoted company general director Vladimir Aleksandrov as saying that Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport would soon sign a contract with a foreign state, and that Admiralty Shipyards had been chosen to fulfill this contract.

Sources in Rosoboronexport later confirmed that Russia and Vietnam had been negotiating a $1.8 billion deal on the delivery of six Kilo-class submarines to the Vietnamese navy for about a year.

Admiralty Shipyards is currently building two Kilo class submarines for Algeria to be delivered in 2009 and 2010.

Kilo class submarines, nicknamed “Black Holes” for their ability to avoid detection, are considered to be among the quietest diesel-electric submarines in the world.

The submarine is designed for anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface-ship warfare, and also for general reconnaissance and patrol missions.

The vessel has a displacement of 2,300 tons, a maximum depth of 350 meters (1,200 feet), a range of 6,000 miles, and a crew of 57. It is equipped with six 533-mm torpedo tubes.

As of November 2006, 16 vessels were believed to be in active service with the Russian Navy and eight submarines were thought to be in reserve. Another 29 vessels have been exported to China, India, Iran, Poland, Romania and Algeria.

27 April 2009

Air Force Technology

Sikorsky, a unit of United Technologies, is planning $8bn worth of industrial participation by Turkey in a potential helicopter project, said Sikorsky Vice President Stephen Estill.

The company, which currently has a backlog of $13bn and foresees sales of $6.2bn in 2009, is looking to increase its work with Turkey, which is becoming one of the biggest defence buyers internationally.

US President Barack Obama during a trip to Turkey earlier this month said he wished to increase trade between the two countries. Turkey has the second largest standing army in Nato behind the United States.

Sikorsky is currently competing in a Turkish tender to procure 109 multi-use helicopters. The tender is for a period of 20 years.

“Regarding the industrial participation, we calculate the value of that to be over $8bn,” said Sikorsky vice president Stephen Estill.

The industrial participation will include the ramping up of Sikorsky’s Turkish partners to produce parts for the Blackhawk as well as training and exports of the helicopter.

“If they select the Blackhawk, we will buy a minimum of 200 blackhawks for the international marketplace that will be manufactured and completed and flown out of Turkey,” he said.

Sikorsky and its Turkish partners are expected to see revenues of $3bn from the project, Estill said.

The Blackhawk Sikorsky is offering Turkey is a ramped up version of the current model, with an all glass cockpit, new avionics and new engines.

The Blackhawk, used primarily for transport and combat, will be modified to allow for all purpose use. The helicopter will be used by the police and gendarmes as well as the armed forces.

Turkey expects to announce the preferred supplier of the tender in May, after which the details of the contract will be worked out. The deal could be wrapped up by June or early July, Estill said.

Estill also said that the deal would give Sikorsky a chance to start working with Turkey on a lightweight helicopter line, an agreement on which he said could take place as early as this year.

“We don’t have a light helicopter line,” he said/

“We don’t have a single engine light helicopter or a twin engine light helicopter … There is a huge market for that and we would like to work with Turkey and Sikorsky and Turkey could enter that market together,” said Estill.

By Zerin Elci and Thomas Grove, Reuters.

By LEANDER SCHAERLAECKENS, UPI Correspondent
Published: April 24, 2009 at 12:21 PM

BRUSSELS, April 24 (UPI) — Dassault denies India ruled out Rafale for fighter contract

French company Dassault has denied reports that it has been eliminated from the international race to sell 126 new combat aircraft to India.

The long-drawn-out competition has been going on for nearly two years, and Russia’s Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35MKI remains the favorite to win it. The Indian air force has primarily relied upon Soviet or Russian combat aircraft for nearly 40 years. By contrast, France has failed in almost all of its efforts over the past 10 years to land significant export contracts for its Rafale fighter jet.

India has specified that it requires a Medium-Range Multi-Role Combat Aircraft weighing 14 to 30 tons that can carry out both air-defense and air-to-surface missions. The first 18 aircraft should be ready for use while the next 108 will be built by Hindustan Aeronautics as a result of a technology transfer.

Defense News reported last week that the Rafale was believed to have been eliminated from the race by Indian defense officials. Dassault denied the claims, but Defense News said Dassault had failed to disclose fully whether the Rafale would meet the Indian air force’s technical requirements.

Dassault said it had not been informed yet by the Indian government on the outcome of the competition. However, senior Indian military officials have told the press that they had dropped the Rafael from consideration.

The Indian air force is still considering the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is built by the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., the Gripen, which is built by Saab of Sweden, the MiG-35 and Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon from the United States.

In the next round of the competition, the jets will be tested in flight trials over the next two months, after which their weapons will be tested. Finally, the Indian government will evaluate the commercial bids and make its decision.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

16:57 | 20/ 04/ 2009

MOSCOW, April 20 (RIA Novosti) - India will remain the main purchaser of Russian-made combat aircraft for the next 15 years under existing and prospective contracts, a respected Russian think tank has said.

In its report, The Forecast for Combat Aircraft Deliveries to India, the Center for Analysis and Technologies outlined the prospects for Russian-Indian cooperation in the sphere of combat aircraft until 2015.

The report predicts that India will buy up to 90 Su-30MKI fighters under existing contracts and may also purchase additional Su-30 or modernized MiG-29K aircraft.

Russia’s MiG-35 Fulcrum is also participating in the current $10.6-billion tender to supply 126 multirole fighters to the Indian air force.

Russian experts believe that the MiG-35 has an excellent chance of winning the tender because the Russian aircraft has superb performance characteristics and Russia and India share a long-standing partnership in strategic and military-technical cooperation.

In addition, Russia signed in March last year a contract with the Indian Defense Ministry to upgrade around 70 MiG-29 fighters, in service since the 1980s, and agreed to develop a fifth-generation fighter together with India.

India desperately needs to upgrade its fighter fleet, which includes Su-30MKI and MiG-29 fighters, but mainly consists of obsolete Russian MiG-21 models.