Russia, France to Jointly Build Armored Vehicle

"Now we are working on development of some vehicles with a French base but with Russian weapons and Russian turrets," Sevastyanov said

Russia and France will jointly build a new armored infantry vehicle in the next 18 months, the Rosoboronexport arms export monopoly said on Friday.
Speaking at the Engineering Technologies forum at Zhukovsky near Moscow, Igor Sevastyanov, the company’s deputy chief, said he was heading a working party incorporating new technology from both nations and that a model had been made.

"We have a project under the aegis of a Russian-French group for land forces, which I head," Sevastyanov said. "Now we are working on development of some vehicles with a French base but with Russian weapons and Russian turrets.”

“The vehicle should appear in the near future, around 18 months. We have a draft design and a model has been made," he added.

He said France is also interested in co-production, with Russia, of an armored personnel carrier to be sold to third countries.
It may also be used by the French or Russian armed forces, he said, adding that the new vehicle would have to meet both Russian and NATO standards.
Previous media reports have suggested that talks have taken place between Russia and French military vehicle manufacturer, Panhard, on purchasing Panhard vehicles for Russia’s border guard service. The results of the talks have not been disclosed.
Sevastyanov also said Russia and the United States could cooperate in joint development of arms and military equipment. He did not mention any specific projects, only saying a “joint product” might be around in five to 10 years.
In addition, he said, all arms contracts previously signed with Egypt will be carried out.
“Egypt’s Defense Ministry confirmed that all contracts concluded with Russia will be implemented, possibly with some adjustments,” he said.
“Egypt is an excellent paying client.”
On Libya, Sevastyanov said the country’s authorities were interested in continuing military-technical cooperation with Russia and unfreeze the contracts that were put on hold after the revolution.
Last August, Rosoboronexport chief Anatoly Isaikin put Russia’s “foregone profits” from the frozen contracts at $4 billion.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

French Army Exercise To Demonstrate Scorpion Capabilities

PARIS — The French Army is due June 29 to stage an exercise, dubbed demonstration of cooperative combat, to show how a future mechanized infantry unit would work under the Scorpion program, a procurement office spokesman said.
The exercise, to be held at the urban warfare training center at the Sissonne Army base, will be presented to officials from the Defense Ministry, including the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office.
The French Army is anxious to maintain the Scorpion modernization program as the government gets ready to cut spending to balance the budget over the coming years. Scorpion has been estimated at 10 billion euros ($12.4 billion) over a decade.
Some 250 soldiers in a combined unit in the blue force will go up against a 70-strong red force, with some 60 armored vehicles deployed including VBCI infantry fighting vehicle, AMX10 light tank, Leclerc heavy tank, VBL scout car and PVP small vehicle.
The exercise is intended to show how technology to be developed under Scorpion can improve acquisition and the updating of information and communications among soldiers plugged into a tactical network.
Firing beyond the line of sight and a VBCI with extensive onboard electronics are among the concepts and demonstrators in the exercise.
Much of the technology has come from Nexter, Sagem and Thales.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

Qatar To Buy 22 Multi-Mission Helicopters From U.S

      Qatar is looking to procure 10 MH-60R SEAHAWK Multi-Mission Helicopters, 12 MH-60S SEAHAWK Multi-Mission Helicopters through a Foreign Military Sale estimated at $2.5 billion.

      Along with the helicopters Qatar has requested the Armed Helicopter Modification Kit, 48 T-700 GE 401C Engines (44 installed and 4 spare) with an option to purchase an additional 6 MH-60S SEAHAWK Multi-Mission Helicopters with the Armed Helicopter Modification Kit and 13 T-700 GE 401C Engines (12 installed and 1 spare) at a later date, communication equipment, spare engine containers, support equipment, spare and repair parts, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support.
      The prime contractors will be Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Lockheed Martin. 

 

Source :http://www.defenseworld.net 

Russia Nears Tank Ammo Deal With India

Russia is nearing a deal with India on manufacture and delivery of advanced tank ammunition
 

 

Russia is nearing a deal with India on manufacture and delivery of advanced tank ammunition, Rosoboronexport, a state-run arms exporter, said on Friday.
“The first round of negotiations on the delivery of 3UBK20 (Mango) tank ammunition has been completed and the second round - on its licensed manufacture in India - will start on Monday,” company deputy head Igor Sevastyanov said.
He did not specify the volume of deliveries, only saying it was “big.”
Russia has already started building a joint venture in India to manufacture rockets for Smerch multiple rocket launch systems, he said.
Another Rosoboronexport official, Viktor Komardin, earlier said Russian arms sales to India could be worth an estimated $3 billion a year.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

Air Force says 31 victims so far in sex scandal

John L. Mone / The Associated Press Female airmen march during graduation at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. A widening sex scandal has rocked the Texas base, one of the nation's busiest military training centers, where four male instructors are charged with having sex with, and in one case raping, female trainees.

WASHINGTON — At least 31 female trainees have been identified as victims in a widening sex scandal targeting a dozen instructors at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the Air Force revealed Thursday, providing new details in an investigation that has rocked the service’s training command.
Six of the 12 instructors under investigation for misconduct face charges ranging from rape to adultery. A senior Air Force commander said nine of those instructors were in the same squadron, briefing reporters at the Pentagon at the same time that one of the accused appeared in a Lackland courtroom.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Craig LeBlanc, who is charged with aggravated assault and obstruction of justice, allegedly bragged about “getting laid” by a trainee in a supply closet, one of his fellow airmen testified at an evidentiary hearing Thursday.
“I was speechless. I didn’t understand,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Beck, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Gen. Edward Rice, commander of the Air Education and Training Command, said the Air Force believes the misconduct is not endemic to the nine training squadrons. He says the sexual misconduct apparently began in 2009 but that the first woman came forward only a year ago.
Those first allegations were levied against Staff Sgt. Luis Walker, who faces the most serious charges and is scheduled to be court-martialed next month. Walker is charged with 28 counts, including rape, aggravated sexual contact and multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault. He has not yet entered a plea.
The majority of the instructors under investigation were in the 331st Training Squadron, whose commander was relived from his post last week. Rice said Lt. Col. Mike Paquette, who has not been accused of misconduct, was relieved because of the “unacceptable level” of misbehavior in his unit.
“In my assessment to this point, it is not an issue of an endemic problem throughout basic military training,” Rice said. “It is more localized, and we are doing a very intensive investigation on that squadron to find out what exactly happened and why.”
Lackland is where every American airman reports for basic training — about 35,000 a year. About one in five are female, pushed through eight weeks of basic training by a flight of instructors that are about 90 percent male.
As the allegations of misconduct mounted, the Air Force in March took the almost unprecedented step of shutting down training for an entire day and interviewing about 5,900 trainees. Rice said Thursday the Air Force received “very little” negative comments about instructors.
Rice said that to his knowledge, all of the 31 female victims identified by investigators are still in the Air Force.
Lackland has about 475 instructors, which is about 85 percent of what the Air Force would consider being fully staffed. Col. Glenn Palmer, who is commander of the entire 737th training wing at Lackland, has said that applicant standards have not been lowered in order to attract more qualified instructors.
The job is among the most demanding on base. Instructors work longer hours than most for four years, at the expense of family and personal time. A smartphone app the Air Force recently launched to help recruit instructors includes a page of frequently asked questions, the first of which is whether the divorce rate among instructors really is higher.
Rice defended the screening process for instructors but said it will still be re-examined. Only 11 percent of instructors are female.
“I will look at whether or not we need to both hire more female (instructors) and whether or not we need to adjust our process to have only female (instructors) over female sites,” Rice said.
LeBlanc’s hearing Thursday was to determine whether there is enough evidence to warrant a court-martial. Walker’s court-martial is scheduled to begin July 16 and his attorneys have declined comment.

Source :The Associated Press

Crisis time nears for India's cadet pilots

India's air force faces a pilot training crisis in two years unless Hindustan Aeronautics delivers its new Intermediate Jet Trainer on time.
Until 2009, every pilot -- fighter, transport and helicopter -- started training in the Hindustan Piston Trainer but the HPT-32 was grounded in 2009 after a series of crashes.
Cadets now start straight into operating the Kiran Mk-1, the intermediate jet trainer that is the mainstay Stage 2 pilot training aircraft.
But the two-seat Kiran, which was introduced in 1968, will complete its lifespan by 2015 and will have to be decommissioned, a report by India's NDTV said.
The new Intermediate Jet Trainer by HAL and known as Sitara first flew in 2003 and is slated to replace the Kirans.
Initial prototypes used a SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac 04-H-20 turbofan engine. Production versions will use an NPO Saturn AL-55I turbofan engine.
But the military is concerned that the IJT, of which around 200 will be needed, won't be ready in time.
"It isn't a panic situation yet but in another six to eight months, if the IJT program doesn't come to speed, we will have to hit the panic button," an unnamed senior air force officer told NDTV.
"We are keeping our fingers crossed and hope that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will deliver this time," he said.
The NDTV report said the air force is cutting back on the number of flying hours per trainee pilot in the Kirans in order to extend the life of the aircraft.
The earlier versions of the subsonic low swept-wing Kiran have Rolls-Royce Viper turbo-jet engines while later versions have RR's Orpheus turbo-jets.
The minimum flying hours that a cadet is required to fly in Stage 1 training has been cut about 40 percent.
"The training schedule of cadets has been rescheduled so that we don't exhaust the available life span of the Kirans too quickly," an air force official told NDTV.
If HAL fails to deliver the IJT by 2015 then the air force may have to send its pilots overseas for their basic training, a situation "not acceptable," the air force official said.
Several of the IJT prototypes have had accidents, although none fatal.
During an Aero India exposition in 2007 an IJT prototype careened off the runway after its canopy inadvertently opened just as the pilot was getting airborne for an aerobatic sortie, a report in the Hindu newspaper said.
As a direct replacement for the turbo-prop HPT-32, India has order 75 Swiss Pilatus PC-7 MK II aircraft for around $520 million, NDTV said. The first aircraft are expected by the end of the year.
The arrival of the Swiss-made aircraft will reduce flying hours on the Kirans which nonetheless still will be nearing their decommissioning period.

Source :http://www.spacewar.com

Corvette Makhachkala Casts Off for Sea Trials

Buyan-class corvette Makhachkala on June 27 took the sea for the first time to test crew teamwork and main propulsion plant operation in the Baltic Sea.
Currently, the shipyard’s experts are testing shipborne systems, engines and mechanisms; teaching the crew correct and trouble-free handling, technical maintenance, practical use of the ship’s arms and systems.
Shipyard’s trials of corvette Makhachkala are scheduled in July, and state acceptance ones – in August. The ship is expected to join Caspian Flotilla (CF) by the end of the current year.
Project 21630 corvette Makhachkala was developed by FSUE Zelenodolsk Design Bureau (Tatarstan). Batch of these ships is being built by JSC Almaz Shipbuilding Firm (St. Petersburg). Makhachkala is the third Buyan-class ship. The first one – corvette Astrakhan – was commissioned into Caspian Flotilla in 2006, the second – Volgodonsk – was handed over to Russian Navy late in 2011 and the ensign-hoisting ceremony will be held on June 29. At present, corvette Volgodonsk is being prepared for a transfer to Caspian Sea via inland waterways.
Buyan-class ships have unique propulsion system including two water jets which provide shallow draft on the move. Thanks to shallow draft and high maneuverability, the Buyan-class corvettes are capable to accomplish wide range of tasks in littoral zone of the Caspian Sea, in rivers and other ‘narrow’ water areas.
The ships are equipped with powerful gun arms and can effectively engage enemy ships and coastal fortifications to clear beachheads for landing parties. Owing to stealth technology, Buyan-class corvettes have reduced radar signature.

Source :rusnavy

USAF awards JASSM Lot 10 production contract to Lockheed

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a contract for the supply of Lot 10 production of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and Extended Range (ER) variants to the US Air Force (USAF).

Under the terms of $241.6m contract, Lockheed Martin will supply a total of 191 JASSM baseline missiles, along with 30 ER missiles, test instrumentation kits and systems engineering support to the air force.

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control business JASSM programme director, Alan Jackson, said the JASSM baseline missile and ER variant provides soldiers with critical capabilities and a wide range of mission options that are not offered by any other system.

''Our ongoing focus is to ensure our customers receive a highly reliable and sustainable weapon system at an affordable price to meet their requirements,'' Jackson added.

The contract represents the tenth production lot for the JASSM baseline missile, and the second for JASSM-ER, after its authorisation for low-rate initial production (LRIP) in January 2011.

Following LRIP award, the JASSM-ER underwent integration test flights, and scored ten out of 11 against a range of targets and mission objectives, and is scheduled to enter LRIP in late 2012.

Featuring an infrared seeker and GPS receiver, the JASSM and JASSM-ER are 2,000lb autonomous, long-range, conventional, air-to-ground, precision standoff missiles designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and re-locatable targets.

The stealthy missiles are equipped with a dual-mode penetrator and blast fragmentation warhead, and are capable of cruising autonomously day or night in all weather conditions.

The JASSM is installed aboard the USAF's B-1, B-2, B-52, F-16 and F-15E, while the JASSM-ER features on the B-1 bomber, and is also certified for use on the Royal Australian Air Force's F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft.

Lockheed is also planning to integrate the missiles on the US and international variants of the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft and other international platforms.

More than 1,100 JASSMs have been assembled by Lockheed Martin at its manufacturing facility in Alabama, US, for testing and operational use with a total objective of 4,900 JASSM and JASSM-ER missiles.

Source :http://www.airforce-technology.com

S. Korea to build navy base on frontline island

Kin of slain S. Korean sailors seek compensation: reportSeoul (AFP) June 26, 2012 - Families of South Korean sailors killed in a battle with North Korea in 2002 are suing the South's former military leaders for alleged negligence, a report said Tuesday.
The battle erupted on June 29, 2002, when two of the North's patrol boats crossed the disputed Yellow Sea border. Six South Korean sailors were killed and 18 injured while an estimated 13 North Koreans died.
Twelve family members and surviving sailors have filed suit seeking up to 630 million won ($544,000) each in compensation from 12 former military leaders including then-defence minister Kim Dong-Shin, Yonhap news agency said.
They accuse them of failing to swiftly deliver military intelligence to frontline units.
The plaintiffs say Kim and others had detected unusual movements by the North's military through monitoring communications but failed to relay such information accurately to field units, according to Yonhap.
The agency quoted legal industry sources for its information. The defence ministry declined to comment, calling it a private matter.
The western maritime border also saw bloody clashes between surface ships in 1999 and 2009.
In 2010 Seoul accused its neighbour of torpedoing a warship near the border on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives.
The North denied responsibility for the sinking but shelled a South Korean border island in November 2010, killing four people.

South Korea's navy is to build an advance base on a frontline island to bolster defences near the disputed Yellow Sea border with North Korea, officials said Tuesday.
The navy has been given local government approval to reclaim 23,489 square metres (250,000 square feet) at Baengnyeong island to build the base, said an official at Incheon city, west of Seoul, which oversees the islands.
The defence ministry said the navy would build a dock for small warships but declined to give details.
Yonhap news agency said the new base would include barracks and a training ground and accommodate about 100 troops. It would be completed by the end of 2014 at a cost of 42.5 billion won ($36.6 million).
Baengnyeong is one of five South Korean islands near the boundary drawn by United Nations forces after the 1950-53 war. Pyongyang refuses to accept the line and insists it should be moved southwards.
The border was the scene of deadly naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009. In November 2010 the North shelled one of the five islands, Yeonpyeong, and killed four South Koreans including two civilians.
The South has since strengthened manpower and weaponry on the islands to forestall any fresh attack. North Korea has reportedly completed a base for troop-carrying hovercraft at Koampo, 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of Baengnyeong.

Source :AFP

Uzbekistan pulls out of 'Russia's NATO'

Uzbekistan is the biggest and most militarised of Central Asia's four ex-Soviet nations.

Ex-Soviet Uzbekistan on Thursday pulled out of a Moscow-led regional security alliance after protesting Russian plans to deploy a rapid reaction force for Central Asia near its borders.
The decision to leave the Collective Security Treaty Organisation comes as a blow to Russia's efforts to reassert its authority in the resource-rich region in the face a continued diplomatic and economic push from China.
"I confirm that the CSTO Secretariat has received a notice of Uzbekistan ending its activities in the organisation," the group's spokesman told the ITAR-TASS news agency without specifying the reason for the decision.
Uzbekistan is the biggest and most militarised of Central Asia's four ex-Soviet nations. It is also an important producer of natural gas that supplies Russia's state-owned giant Gazprom.
But it never signed on to a 2009 Russian plan to create a rapid reaction force for Central Asia that would ostensibly fight Islamic insurgents and have a base in restless southern Kyrgyzstan.
Uzbekistan argued that the move could only stoke regional tensions and provoke new attacks from extremist groups that have also targeted its own government in Tashkent.
Uzbek leaders were missing from the most recent CSTO meetings and its membership has been effectively suspended since the rapid reaction dispute emerged.
The organisation is sometimes referred to as Russia's answer to NATO because of President Vladimir Putin's hopes of building it up into a regional power that negotiates directly with the Western military bloc.
The group includes the other three Central Asian countries and Armenia along with Belarus.

Source :AFP

Japan Agrees to F-35 Buy Despite Price Increase

TOKYO — Japan will buy four U.S.-made F-35 stealth jets despite a sharply higher price tag, it said June 29, in Tokyo’s first confirmed order for the next-generation aircraft that has been plagued by delays.
An official from the defense ministry said Japan would now pay 9.6 billion yen ($120 million) per aircraft, up from the $110 million originally earmarked.
He added U.S. officials had said the price rise was unavoidable and Tokyo accepted the situation.
“We learned that the reason for the price hike is because the United States decided to postpone its domestic procurement of 179 aircraft in the next five years due to its tight budget,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“We accepted it as it is understandable. It would be hard for them to offer a lower price only to Japan, given that the jet was co-developed by nine countries,” he said.
The defense ministry last year picked the Lockheed Martin jet to replace its ageing fleet of F-4s over the rival Boeing-made F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Eurofighter Typhoon, despite a series of technical setbacks.
The F-35, co-developed with British defense giant BAE Systems, was the most expensive among the three candidates.
In February, Japan’s then defense minister Naoki Tanaka threatened to cancel the whole $4.7 billion, 42-jet order amid continued cost and time slippages.
On June 29, Tokyo signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for four fighter jets at $120 million each, along with two simulators and other accessories for a total cost of 60 billion yen.
The planned purchase of the other 38 jets has yet to be formally confirmed.
The F-35 is the most expensive weapons program in Pentagon history and has been plagued by cost overruns and technical delays.
Last year a leaked memo revealed an array of problems exposed by flight tests, including with the landing gear and issues over airframe fatigue and vibration.
The United States touts the F-35 as a technological wonder that will slip past enemy radar and allow allied forces to keep operating in the skies alongside U.S. warplanes.
But the program’s costs have skyrocketed just as governments around the world are facing severe budget pressures and austerity measures.
Italy has reduced its planned purchase from 131 to 90 aircraft and lawmakers in the Netherlands voted to limit their order to two, while an initial plan for 138 aircraft in Britain has been dropped without a firm number announced.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

France to Withdraw Sperwer UAVs From Afghanistan

      The French Army is withdrawing its interim tactical UAV fleet from Afghanistan following a dozen losses since its deployment in 2008.

      Manufactured by French company Sagem, eight aircraft were lost in flight during mission and four were damaged during landing.

      Aircraft from the Sperwer fleet have flown 770 missions and clocked in 2,100 flight hours.

      Including the six second hand aircraft bought from Canada, the Army has 30 Sperwer units in its inventory. The Army will continue using the Drac, a mini-UAV from EADS Cassidian in the Sperwer’s absence. France recently placed an order for 5 units at Eurosatory 2012 which will be delivered in 2013.

      Remotely piloted, the Sperwer can fly for five hours at altitudes of over 16,000 feet and can transmit images up to 150 kilometers from its operators. 

 

Source :http://www.defenseworld.net 

U.S. exempts China, Singapore from sanctions over purchase of Iran oil

The U.S. plans to impose sanctions on financial institutions of countries that deal with Iran's central bank. (File photo)

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The United States on Thursday exempted China and Singapore from sanctions over purchases of oil from Iran, hours before restrictions would have entered into force against their banks.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement that China and Singapore had “significantly reduced” their crude oil purchases from Iran, joining most major economies in receiving exemptions from the new U.S. law.

Under a law aimed at pressing Iran over its nuclear program, the United States after Thursday will impose sanctions on financial institutions of countries that deal with Iran's central bank, which handles the country's main export.

Clinton credited the threat of sanctions with severely cutting Iran’s crude oil exports and estimated that it cost the country some $8 billion in lost revenue each quarter.

“Their cumulative actions are a clear demonstration to Iran’s government that Iran's continued violation of its international nuclear obligations carries an enormous economic cost,” she said in a statement.

Clinton exempted members of the European Union and Japan in March and on June 11 made the same exceptions for India, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan.

But the United States waited until the last minute to exempt China and Singapore, with U.S. officials holding weeks of talks with the two Asian nations on the issue.

Israel and some Western officials fear that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon. The clerical regime insists that its sensitive nuclear work is for peaceful purposes.

“I urge Iran to demonstrate its willingness to take concrete steps toward resolving the nuclear issue during the expert-level talks scheduled in Istanbul” on Tuesday, Clinton said in the statement.

“Failure to do so will result in continuing pressure and isolation from the international community,” she said.

 Source :AFP

United Technologies Fined $75 Million for Military Exports to China

Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., a Canadian subsidiary of Connecticut-based defense contractor United Technologies, has pleaded guilty to violating the Arms Export Control Act and has settled with the U.S. government for $75 million.
The company admitted June 28 to making false statements in connection with its illegal export to China of U.S. software used in the development of China’s military attack helicopter, the Z-10.
“We accept responsibility for these past violations and we deeply regret they occurred,” United Technologies CEO Louis Chenevert said in a statement. “As a supplier of controlled products and technologies to the Department of Defense and other domestic and international customers, we are committed to conducting business in full compliance with all export laws and regulations.”
Of the settlement money, roughly $20 million will be paid to the Justice Department, with the remaining $55 million going to the State Department. According to the Justice Department, up to $20 million of the payment could be suspended if United Technologies uses it for remedial compliance measures.
“This global settlement will ensure immediate, comprehensive and effective remedial action across the company’s many operating units and subsidiaries,” said Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs. “It also sends a clear message: Those who willfully violate U.S. arms export control laws will be pursued and punished.”
The United States has prohibited export of all U.S. defense articles to China as a result of the Chinese military’s action to suppress public protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
In the meantime, China began building an attack helicopter under the guise of a civilian helicopter program so that it could gain assistance from Western suppliers, according the Justice Department.
Pratt & Whitney decided on its own that it could sell engines for the Chinese Z-10 program without an export license because they were identical to engines the company was already supplying China for a commercial helicopter.
However, engine software, built by another United Technologies subsidiary named Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., had been modified for a military application and therefore was considered a defense article, requiring an export license.
However, Pratt & Whitney decided to export the software to China without a license anyway.
According to court documents, the company knew in 2000 that the Z-10 program’s aim was to develop an attack helicopter and that supplying it with U.S. parts would be illegal. Pratt & Whitney failed to notify its parent company — United Technologies — about the attack helicopter program, according to the Justice Department.
The company’s hope was that work on the attack helicopter would “open the door to a far more lucrative civilian helicopter market in China,” the Justice Department said.
When an investigation was opened in 2006, the company admitted to knowing about the military helicopter program in 2003 or 2004, not in 2000 when it had first become aware.
The Z-10 is now in production and being fielded by the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Source :http://www.defensenews.com

Russia’s Second Borey Class Sub to Enter Service by Yearend

Borey class strategic submarine, the Alexander Nevsky

Russia's second Borey class strategic submarine, the Alexander Nevsky, will be commissioned by the end of 2012, First Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Sukhorukov said on Thursday.
The submarine sailed for the White Sea on June 21 to join the first Borey class vessel, the Yuri Dolgoruky, in sea trials.
“If a state commission reports on August 1 that all tasks envisioned by the trials program have been fulfilled, we will immediately start preparing documents for the submarine’s commissioning,” Sukhorukov said.
The official added that a planned test launch of the Bulava ballistic missile from the Alexander Nevsky will be carried out after the submarine enters service with the Russian Navy.
The Russian Navy is expected to receive at least 10 new Borey class strategic nuclear submarines by 2020.
The submarines, to be armed with Bulava ballistic missiles, will constitute the core of Russia's strategic ballistic missile submarine force after 2018, and will be deployed with Russia’s Northern and Pacific fleets.

Source :http://en.rian.ru

MBDA's Meteor missile completes live firing trials

MBDA has successfully completed live firing of its Meteor active radar-guided beyond visual range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), moving a step closer towards the delivery of first production units before the end of 2012, MBDA Meteor chief engineer and project head Andy Bradford has revealed.

Speaking about the programme for the first time in four years at a media briefing in the UK, Bradford said that a total of 21 trials were conducted, including three electronic protection measures (EPM) tests at Parc Aberporth in Wales, UK.

''With the successful completion of the firing campaign we have a final performance model,'' Bradford said.

MBDA is expected to deliver the final performance statement to the primary customer, the UK and its European partner nations including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden, in July 2012.

Bradford said all partner nations have already signed the contract except Germany, but added: ''We expect Germany to be on contract with us by the end of the year.''

The missile features advanced technologies such as a new seeker and propulsion system, with a range in excess of 100km, and enhanced kinematic performance when compared with the existing air-air missiles of its type.

Designed to replace the AMRAAM AIM-120 series of missiles, the Meteor provides a multi-shot capability against long-range manoeuvring targets such as fast jets, small unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles in a heavy electronic countermeasures environment.

The missiles are expected to be installed on the Swedish air force's Saab Gripens in 2014 to 2015, followed by the UK Royal Air Force's Eurofighter Typhoons in 2015 to 2016 and French Air Force and Navy's Dassault Rafale fighters from 2018.

Source :http://www.airforce-technology.com

BAE Systems Awards SAAB Sight And fire Control System Contract

      Saab has won an order from BAE Systems in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, for sight and fire control system UTAAS (Universal Tank and Anti-Aircraft Sight) in a SEK 110 million.

      The contract covers new sight systems, including virtual image displays, and upgrade and modification of the existing systems on combat vehicle CV9030N, for the Norwegian Army.

      “The order proves that we are a leading provider of sight and fire-control system for tanks and combat vehicles. We are proud of our cooperation and good relations with BAE Systems and are looking forward to further develop our combined offer,” says Gunilla Fransson, Head of business area Security and Defence Solutions.

      With the delivery is scheduled to begin in 2014, the UTAAS is a versatile sight and fire-control system for tanks and combat vehicles. It provides high hit probability against all ground targets, as well as against helicopters and high speed aircraft.

      The modular design of UTAAS offers the user a variety of performance options and upgrading possibilities. The beam paths for all channels go through the same aperture, offering good system stability and no need for realignment.

      The Virtual Image Display (VID) is a compact and rugged multi-purpose display suitable for i.e. combat vehicles and helicopters. VID consists of a microdisplay and magnifying optics to create a virtual image. 

 

Source :http://www.defenseworld.net 

Navy MH-53 Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing

POHANG, Republic of Korea (NNS) -- An MH-53 Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) helicopter based in Pohang was forced to make an emergency landing, due to an in-flight fire indication, approximately five nautical miles northeast of Pohang airfield at approximately 12:38 p.m. June 29.

Despite the actions of the crew, the aircraft continued to burn after all 12 personnel safely evacuated.

There were no injuries. Local Republic of Korea civilian firefighters assisted in putting out the fire. There is major damage to the aircraft. The helicopter is assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 (HM-14), Detachment 1, stationed at Pohang airfield. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Source :U.S. Naval Forces Korea Public Affairs

Russia, India to Hold First Launch of BrahMos Submarine-Based Missile

Submarine-based version of the BrahMos Russian-Indian missile will be launched for the first time in Oct-Nov, 2012, the director of BrahMos Aerospace Sivathanu Pillai told ARMS-TASS at the 2-nd international engineering technology forum.


"We're going to hold the first launch of the submarine-adapted missile version by underwater testing platform in October or November", Dr. Pillai said.

According to him, the coming launch will be an important stage in the BrahMos program development because after that test Indian Navy will decide whether to arm India's prospective non-nuclear submarines with these missiles.

Representative of Rubin Central Design Bureau earlier told ITAR-TASS that Russian designers were ready to offer Indian Navy non-nuclear submarine Amur-1650 armed either with Club or BrahMos missile systems.


"So far, Indian partners have not brought up an issue of BrahMos integration into Amur-1650 submarine put up for Indian tender under the 75I prospective submarine program", said Andrei Baranov, deputy director general of Rubin bureau for foreign economic activity.

As for him, "the Amur-1650 submarine project is currently armed with Club attack missile system, well-known in Indian Navy and launched by horizontal torpedo tubes. But if Indian party wants the sub to be equipped with vertically-launched BrahMos attack missile system, Rubin bureau would amend the project", Baranov explained.

"BrahMos can be integrated into Amur-1650 as an additional compartment with vertical launch tubes", pointed out the design bureau's director.

"Amur and BrahMos are pretty compatible; we had worked on the sub's architecture in this regard. So, if Indian partners want to have the BrahMos-equipped submarine, that would strengthen chance of Rosoboronexport in the India's program 75I tender", emphasized Baranov.

Rosoboronexport will put up prospective non-nuclear submarine Amur-1650 powered by air-independent plant for Indian tender providing procurement and license production of 6 non-nuclear submarines.

Source : rusnavy

US AFRL addresses C-5 aircraft cracking issues

US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) engineers have developed new structural technologies to solve the cracking and corrosion issues related with the Lockheed Martin-built C-5 Galaxy cargo aircraft, in a bid to expand its serviceability.
Under the Durable C-5 Structural Improvements Program, a more stress and corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy and a new die forging process has been developed to eliminate the cracks at the C-5 cargo floor's bulkhead end fittings, which restricted its cargo carrying capabilities to a maximum of 80%.

According to the AFRL, the new procedures will help in the development of all 92 fitting shapes required for the C-5 bulkhead floor, using only two separate forging dies.

The reshaped end fittings provide an optimised design that is less prone to cracks, and also offers multiple benefits for the revamped C-5 aircraft, which includes a 25% overall cost savings, an 80% reduction in fabrication time, and a 60% increase in service life of the fittings.

A number of C-5 Galaxy aircraft were recently equipped with the new structural fittings at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia, US.

The traditional methods employed earlier for repairing proved to be insufficient, as the replacement fittings provided to the aircraft often cracked during the machining process, and also had a shorter lifespan than the original parts.

The AFRL is also planning to apply the forging process to other aircraft that experience similar cracking problems.

The C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, to carry oversize cargos, including all 100% air-certifiable cargo.

Since 1970, the airlifter served as the global direct delivery weapons system for the US.

Source :http://www.airforce-technology.com

US and Indonesian air forces conduct Cope West 2012

The US Air Force (USAF) is conducting a joint tactical airlift exercise, called Cope West 2012, with the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in east Jakarta, Indonesia.

Throughout the exercise, which began on 25 June, a total of 80 US and 75 Indonesian airmen will exchange ideas related to airlift, air-land and airdrop missions, night and static flights and packing techniques.

The USAF has deployed three C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft, while Indonesia is participating with a single C-130 airlifter in the exercise.

Halim's 1st Wing commander colonel Ardhi Tjahjoko was quoted by Antara News as saying that the two sides carried out a parachute dropping static and personnel to the Air Force Detachment in Gorda Serang, on the first day of the exercise.

CW12 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan mission commander and US Air Force captain John Chrampanis said: "We hope all the months of planning leading up to today result in a successful and safe exercise as we advance our partnership between the US and Indonesian Air Forces."

The combined training offered by CW12 is expected to prepare the two air forces to work jointly in offering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, eventually promoting a peaceful Pacific region.

Conducted since 2009, the Cope West exercises aim to improve interoperability between the two nations.

Source :http://www.airforce-technology.com

Northern Fleet ASW Aircraft Held Training Flights

Aircrews of Northern Fleet (NF) antisubmarine aircraft Tu-142 and Il-38 have successfully performed training flights in order to search and detect "enemy" submarines. Flights were carried out in accordance with predetermined routes over NF sea ranges.

During the flights, crews of the ASW aircraft practiced submarine searching and tracing tactics with integrated use of radar and sonar submarine detection equipment.

Except for submarine detection techniques, aircrews held bombardment of a radar target.

Totally, over 1 500 pilots, technicians, and flight support personnel took part in the drills.

The exercise was preceded by thorough preparation and readiness tests of technical staff, ground services and experts.

NF Naval Air Force operates antisubmarine aircraft Tu-142, Il-38, helicopters Ka-27, transport aircraft An-12 and An-26, deck-based fighters Su-33, and ship-based training airplanes Su-25UTG. 

 

Source :rusnavy

Tejas completes weapon trials in Pokhran Ranges

Three platforms of India’s Light Combat Aircraft Tejas successfully completed advanced armament trials in the Pokhran ranges. Military sources confirmed to Express that this time the focus of the trials was locked on to specific modes of releasing various weapons. The current campaign saw Tejas testing various altitude and speed combinations of “critical nature”.
“During the just-concluded weapon trials at the forward areas of Pokhran ranges, practice, dumb and live bombs were released. A laser-guided bomb (LGB) was also tested. The trials are important as the platform is now being tested for its conversion as a fighting machine from a successful flying platform,” sources said. Different trials of sensors included testing of radio-altimeters, baro altitude, radars and laser. “Tejas limited series production (LSP) variants LSP-2, LSP-3 and LSP-5 are part of the current campaign. All modes of weapon releases and all types of sensors were tested. The campaign team is now heading for sea trials,” sources said. Tejas variants flew at speeds between 900 and 1,000 kmph during trials, logging 25 flights. Last September, Tejas had conducted weapon trials in Chandan and Pokhran ranges, and looked into accurate positions and target parameters.  The Tejas programme — with all platforms put together — has 1,903 flights, cloaking 1,120 hours. Its makers in Bangalore have to catch up with lost time in the programme, especially after its Initial Operational Clearance (IOC-1) was held in Jan 2011. “Currently we are looking into the major segments of IOC-2. We are hopeful of completing the IOC-2 parameters by the last quarter of this year,” sources said.

Source :http://newindianexpress.com

3 in 4 Pakistanis now consider US an enemy as resentment grows

Pakistani Islamists burn a US flag against the killing of Osama bin Laden during a protest outskirt of Quetta on May 6, 2011. (AFP Photo/Banaras Khan)

Approximately 3 in 4 Pakistanis now consider the US an enemy according to a new Pew research poll released on June 27th. The polls show increasing hostility towards the US and new lows in the already strained relationship between the two countries.
The Pew Research poll conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project has published stark numbers.  The poll, entitled “Pakistani Public Opinion Ever More Critical of US”, says 74% of Pakistanis now view the US as an ‘enemy’ up from 69% last year, while support for President Barack Obama continues to be exceptionally low.  A majority of Pakistanis hold the view that Obama has been just as bad a president as George W. Bush was in his last year in office.  Furthermore, approximately 4 in 10 Pakistanis believe that US military and financial aid is having a negative impact on their country; only 1 in 10 believes the impact has been positive.
Tensions have been extreme between the two countries due to unceasing US drone attacks inside Pakistani territory. Pakistan shut down a highly strategic NATO supply route through its territory into Afghanistan last November in response to a NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops on the Afghan border.
The US has argued that the air strikes are necessary to counter the insurgency movements in Afghanistan. However, resentment towards the tacit alliance with the US allowing the drone strikes has fueled a domestic insurgency in Pakistan, leading to broad outrage at the resulting loss of Pakistani life.
“Pakistan has lost somewhere between 5000 to 6000 soldiers and paramilitary soldiers, but more than that, we’ve lost more than 35,000 civilians, and these people died because of terrorist bombings,” Ahmed Quraishi, President of the Paknationalists forum, told RT in an interview.
However, Washington’s view differs, with many in the United States government seeing Pakistan as a willing recipient of US humanitarian aid and funding, but an uncooperative US partner in the region. In May, a US senate panel voted to cut aid to Pakistan if Islamabad did not re-open the NATO supply corridor in a frustrated attempt to resolve the months-long dispute.
"We're not going to be giving money to an ally that won't be an ally," Senator Lindsey Graham, the panel's top Republican, told reporters at the Senate vote.
However, there is division on how far Pakistani loyalty to US should extend, and the high cost that Pakistan is paying for allowing US aid.
“They want the Pakistanis to do the dirty work for us, and the Pakistanis have simply said ‘we supported you for 11 years, and we can’t do it anymore, you’re killing our stability.’ They have to stop the civil war in the country, they have to stop the war that’s going on in their own territory because of their helping the United States, so they have number of problems which I think amount to a mess, and they’re going to be left high and dry when we leave,” said SB Michael F. Scheuer, a former CIA intelligence officer.
“There is one mistake that we have committed we put all our eggs in the American basket,” Ahmed Quraishi continued. “And part of the deterioration of our strategic position of the past decade since 2001 is because of this fact, that we completely relied on the Americans…They’ve ditched us before as well, but we made this mistake, and we’re now trying to correct that mistake.”

Source :http://www.rt.com

New Destroyers to Carry S-500 Missile Defense System

 
New Russian destroyers to be laid down in 2016 will be armed with shipborne version of S-500 missile defense system, reports Izvestiya referring to a source in defense industry.

"Missile defense system S-500 will be technically ready not earlier than 2014. Perhaps, its ship-based version would not be completed by 2016. So, the lead ship would be possibly armed with navy-adapted S-400 system which is almost finished. Afterwards, its particular elements will be replaced with the S-500 ones. But the problem is that we need a long-range missile to operate in near space, and it has not been developed either for S-400 or for S-500 so far", the source said.

Reportedly, S-500 airspace defense missile system to be produced in 2015 would be capable to shot down aerial targets flying at the altitude higher than 185 km at the distance over 3,500 km from its launcher.

The latest development of Russian industry is S-400 capable to hit targets at the altitude of 5-185,000 meters. However, to reach this kind of high-altitude targets, the new missile 40N6E is needed. Russia fails to create it throughout several years. The missile of the next generation able to fly even higher is in question as well.

The source of Izvestiya added that the missile defense system would not be combat worthy without the missile and compared that situation with Borei-class submarines. Lead sub SSBN Yury Dolgoruky was put afloat as early as 2008 but still has not been commissioned due to problems with Bulava ballistic missile.

Russian air defense manufacturer Almaz-Antei Concern declined to specify what exactly systems would be developed for the new destroyers saying that "it is prematurely to talk on this matter". Spokesman for Severnaya Verf confirmed that the shipyard would attend the tender for destroyers, even though the project had not been completed so far.

"We're not aware what designers will put in this ship. We will build what they want us to. Currently, the project is at development stage, so it will be possible to say something definite only after the lead ship's project is approved", explained the yard's official.

According to Severnoye Design Bureau, the new destroyers will be equipped with modular and replaceable air defense system. The bureau's representative refused to specify its parameters referring to state secrets.

Resigning the presidential post at United Shipbuilding Corporation on July 1, Roman Trotsenko told reporters that in 2016 Russia would start construction of missile defense destroyers which are to become "Russian missile defense pickets in the World Ocean".

Chief editor of the Motherland's Arsenal magazine Viktor Murakhovsky says that S-400 or S-500 systems based on the new destroyers will cover naval forces beyond Russian territorial waters.

"The US develops the Prompt Global Strike concept providing the ICBM or cruise missile attack upon any point worldwide within several hours, including ship formations. As a matter of fact, we don't have mighty long-range air defense system except S-300F mounted on the only nuclear-powered cruiser", Murakhovsky explained.

In addition, the expert emphasized that in contrast to air defense S-400 system, S-500 was designed as a missile defense weapon; it will also effectively counter hypersonic arms actively developed by the US.

He stressed that naval variant of S-500 would be mounted only on destroyers and larger size ships, corvettes and frigates are not suitable for that system. Russian Navy plans to purchase fifty six S-500 systems by 2020.

Ex-head of Russian Strategic Missile Force HQ Viktor Yesin told Izvestiya that the question was in establishment of an integrated air-and-missile defense system.

Source :rusnavy

Russia Will Deliver First Mi-25 Gunships to Syria on Time - Arms Official

The first consignment of three Mil Mi-25 helicopter gunships for Syria has been overhauled and will be delivered to the customer within the contracted time

The first consignment of three Mil Mi-25 helicopter gunships for Syria has been overhauled and will be delivered to the customer within the contracted time, a senior arms official said on Thursday.
The contract for the repair of the helicopters was signed by Russia and Syria in 2008, Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation director Alexander Fomin said.
"Syria is our friend, and we we fulfil all our obligations to our friends. According to the 2008 contract, we repaired three Mi-25s and are ready to deliver them on time," Fomin said on the sidelines of the Technology in Machine-Building 2012 exhibition at Zhukovsky near Moscow.
Fomin did not, however, disclose the overall number of helicopters in the contract. Media reports claiming Russia was to deliver 36 helicopters were false, he added.
The helicopters became the center of a diplomatic row earlier this month, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claiming Russia was supplying weapons that would be used to massacre civilian protesters.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied the claim, saying the helicopters had originally been supplied in the Soviet-era and were being returned to Syria under an existing contract. He also said military equipment being supplied to Syria was defensive in nature and could not be used against civilians.
A ship which was carrying the helicopters from Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad to Syria turned back last week and docked in Murmansk, after the British insurer of the vessel withdrew cover after being informed of the cargo.

© RIA Novosti.

Mi-24 attack helicopter

Source :http://en.rian.ru/

Boeing set to deliver six QF-16 target drones before year’s end

Boeing is scheduled to deliver six QF-16 target drones to the US Air Force before the end of the year, a senior company official says.
"We will be delivering six aircraft by the end of this year," says Torbjorn Sjogren, vice president of Boeing's global maintenance and upgrades business. "We have hadfirst flight. We have tested various aspects of the unmanned capability, but we're still in the pre-EMD [pre-Engineering Manufacturing Development] phase."
Though designed to be flown with or without a pilot, the QF-16's first flight was flown on 4 May with a human inside the cockpit. The USAF requires that the jets retain an optional manning capability.

©USAF

Boeing is modifying the retired Lockheed Martin-built F-16s into target drones as part of an initial $72 million pre-Engineering Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract that it received this March. The aircraft are all single-seat models from Blocks 15, 25 and 30.
The modification work is being performed at Cecil Field, a former US naval air station, near Jacksonville, Florida. But, Sjogren says, engineering support is being drawn from all over Boeing-though mostly from the company's primary defence facility in Saint Louis, Missouri.
The QF-16 will have to replicate fourth-generation threats like the Russian-built Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum series or Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker series fighters. But while the aircraft may receive additional features to simulate those threats, the USAF has not yet defined what added capabilities it wants. "There are capabilities that could be added," Sjogren says. "Right now, the principle deliverables we've got are to provide an aircraft that is an F-16 converted to manned or unmanned."
The aircraft also have to have flight termination and visual augmentation systems. They also have to be compatible with the existing drone control systems.
The next major milestone for the programme falls in August with a systems verification review. That will be followed in September by the start of EMD. That contract will probably be worth about $17 million and run for about 15 months. For EMD at Tyndall AFB, Florida, and at White Sands, New Mexico, the USAF will have six jets available for testing.
Low rate production is expected to start in the beginning of 2014 with an initial batch of 20 jets. Full-rate production should start in mid-2015 with four lots of 25 jets each.
One of the challenges faced by Boeing-which is not the original manufacturer-was that the company lacked many of the engineering drawings and technical data normally needed to perform such a modification, Sjogren says. Boeing's solution to the problem was reverse engineering. "We've used both conventional and some more sophisticated types of reverse engineering in order to do this," he says.
The more sophisticated reverse engineering processes utilized X-ray backscatter non-line-of-sight technology. Without those methods, Boeing would not have been successful in modifying the F-16, Sjogren says.
Because the F-16s being modified are old retired airframes, often time-expired examples, Boeing had to make structural modifications to ensure the jets are once again safe for a human pilot.
The experience in studying and modifying the F-16 has given Boeing confidence that it could independently upgrade and overhaul the aircraft for customers around the world. "The installed base around the world is obviously fairly significant," Sjodgren says. "Our efforts with regard to the QF-16 obviously position us with actual experience on dealing with these old aircraft in many cases, as well as different Blocks."
Boeing has held preliminary talk with a number of potential customers about competing to modify their F-16 fleets, Sjodgren says. But the discussions are extremely preliminary.
Officials from Lockheed Martin-the original equipment manufacturer--could not comment by press time.

Source :http://www.flightglobal.com

Russia Can Make Hypersonic Flight Breakthrough - Deputy PM

Russia's military industrial complex can make a breakthrough in development of hypersonic technology and artificial intelligence in the near future, Rogozin said

Russia's military industrial complex can make a breakthrough in development of hypersonic technology and artificial intelligence in the near future, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday on the sidelines of the Engineering Technologies 2012 forum at Zhukovsky near Moscow.

"When we are not bashful about creating things which could seem fantastic to society and to the expert community, we should set before us ambitious and forward-looking tasks," said Rogozin, who has special responsiblity for Russia's military-industrial complex.
Hypersonic flight development is one such field, he said.
"I hope that in the near future, we can concentrate our strength in this direction and create a scientific-technical task, which would lead to such a breakthrough," he said.
The Military Industrial Commission in the Russian government is also thinking about creating new materials and intellect which could "replace piloted systems, either for ground, air or sea forces," he said.
Rogozin first called for Russia to revive hypersonic flight research in May, during a visit to the Raduga design bureau near Moscow, citing U.S. work in the field and claiming this was a threat to Russia.
He later clashed with senior military figures in comments to the media, and appeared to doubt the need for a new long-range bomber for the air force, saying Russia should not follow the "American route" in bomber development.

Source :AFP

Taliban Video Shows 17 Beheaded Pakistani Soldiers

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan - The Taliban released a video Wednesday that they say shows the heads of 17 Pakistani soldiers captured in a cross-border raid from Afghanistan this week and beheaded.
The bloody attack showed the threat still posed by the Pakistani Taliban, despite army offensives. Increasingly, the militants have used sanctuaries in eastern Afghanistan to attack border areas in Pakistan's northwest.
Pakistan has criticized NATO and Afghan forces for not doing enough to stop the attacks, but it has received little sympathy. The Afghan government and its allies have long faulted Pakistan for failing to target Afghan Taliban militants and their allies who use Pakistani territory to launch attacks in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani and Afghan Taliban are allies, but the former has focused on fighting the Pakistani government, while the latter has concentrated on attacking foreign and local forces in Afghanistan.
The Pakistani Taliban said in the video that they killed 18 soldiers, but 17 heads were displayed on a bloody white sheet on the ground outside. Several militants whose faces were covered were standing around the heads, holding weapons they said were captured from the soldiers.

The Associated Press obtained the video by email Wednesday from Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan.
The beginning of the video contains a voice recording by Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud in which he says the militants will continue to battle the army until Pakistan's government stops supporting the U.S. and enforces Islamic law throughout the country. It was unclear when the message was recorded.
The Pakistani military said previously that 13 troops were killed in Sunday night's cross-border raid into the country's northwest Upper Dir region, and seven of them were beheaded. Four others were reported missing at the time. The military did not immediately respond to request for comment on the video.
The Pakistani Taliban and their allies have staged scores of bombings and other attacks against security forces and civilians in the country, killing thousands.
The latest attack came during serious political instability in the country.
The Supreme Court forced former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to step down last week after convicting him of contempt for failing to reopen an old corruption case against the president.
On Wednesday, Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said in a court session that he expects the new prime minister, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, to comply with the court's order to reopen the case, a sign that the legal crisis will continue to shake Pakistani politics, said Waseem Sajjad, a lawyer involved in the case.
Prime Minister Ashraf has refused to say whether he would comply with such a court order, and analysts said that was unlikely.
Critics say that by pressing the case against the president, the court is taking on a political role in a country where elected governments have been routinely squeezed by the military, often in cooperation with the court.
Court backers say activist judges limit corruption and government misuse of power. The court has also been investigating alleged human rights abuses by the military.

Source :Associated Press

Russia intends to open a helicopter repair facility in South America

Russia intends to open a helicopter repair facility in South America this year, RIA Novosti reports. It was declared by head of foreign economic activity department of Russian Technologies State Corporation, Sergey Goreslavsky.
"We should launch the first line of helicopter repair facility in Venezuela, South America, this year", - he said.

According to him, it is planned to reach the enterprise’s full capacity in the next 2-3 years. Goreslavsky noted that Russian enterprise in Venezuela will provide the full cycle of Russian helicopters’ repair not only in Venezuela, but also in the whole region.

In addition, Goreslavsky noted that it is planned to sign an agreement regarding promotion of AvtoVAZ’s products at the market of Latin America during the upcoming forum.

Source :http://www.ruaviation.com

U.S Army To Acquire 1,000 Tiny, Throwable Robots

      The U.S Army has awarded ReconRobotics, Inc. a $13.9 million contract for the supply of 1,000 miniature, throwable, mobile robots to the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force.

      The U.S. Military is acquiring the micro-robots to provide four- and five-man fire teams with immediate tactical reconnaissance during urban warfare operations, surveillance missions and counter-IED efforts. ReconRobotics has already received and begun delivering the first order under this contract for 84 robots.

      The military class robots were created by the company in 2007 when they introduced the throwable 1.2-lb (540g) Recon Scout micro-robot.

      "For several years, our micro-robot systems have played a key role in protecting the lives of our soldiers and Marines as they conduct operations in active combat theatres,” said Ernest Langdon, Director of Military Programs for ReconRobotics. "We are honored that the Rapid Equipping Force has once again selected ReconRobotics to deliver this unique capability to those warfighters at the tip of the spear".

      Extremely small and easy to deploy some 4,600 Recon Scout micro-robots are deployed or under contract, worldwide. They can be thrown up to 120 feet (36m) or lowered into crawl spaces or caves to search for weapons caches and other hidden threats. On June 8, ReconRobotics introduced the Throwbot XT, a new generation micro-robot that provides both audio eavesdropping capabilities and video reconnaissance to U.S. troops. The Throwbot XT also has an automatic, infrared optical system that gives the warfighter clear, crisp video even in total darkness.

      Nearly 500 police and security agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Marshals, also use Recon Scout robots for tactical reconnaissance in high-risk operations, as do many allied military and police forces, worldwide. 

 

Source :http://www.defenseworld.net 

Russian Helicopters intend to use a new intelligent system for flight safety

Russian Helicopters, the subsidiary of Oboronprom, forming part of Russian Technologies State Corporation, one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of helicopters, announced at the second international Engineering Technologies – 2012 forum that all new Russian helicopters will be equipped with a comprehensive avionics system for monitoring flight conditions, automatic landing and collision avoidance starting in 2015, press-service of Russian Helicopters reports.
“The innovative development will improve situation awareness of an advanced helicopter’s crew by transmitting information regarding helicopter’s position and the environment to the cockpit as well as providing the pilot with images of the surrounding terrain, including during maneuvers at low altitudes in severe weather conditions at any time of day”, - the company noted.

 

 According to the plans of Russian Helicopters Holding Company, such an avionics suite can be produced on the basis of the existing and newly installed systems. Its various configurations will provide the crew with highly accurate positioning capability and also allow the helicopter to automatically hover above a given point and land automatically.

“At present the issues related to the improvement of the pilot’s situation awareness represent an interesting engineering and technical task for all the helicopter manufacturers, including Russian Helicopters. The new intelligent system will inform pilots about hazards in the landing zone and warn them about dangerous proximity to artificial and natural hazards (including power lines). The helicopter will be constantly updating and adjusting cartographical information. It is also able to choose unprepared landing site automatically (for example, in case of an emergency situation).

Source :http://www.ruaviation.com

Canada to buy new jet trainer aircraft

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

Canadian air force officials are examining options to buy a new jet trainer aircraft to replace its aging fleet of BAE Systems-built CT-155 Hawk aircraft.
The official Canadian position on the planned purchase remains unclear but the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is looking at an upgrade with the option to allocate the existing Hawks elsewhere in the Canadian armed forces.
British-built Hawk, operational worldwide since 1974, is used by armed forces globally and remains in production. At least 18 air force and military establishments worldwide are known to be using more than 900 Hawks.
Harper's procurement strategy appears to be aimed at priming the air force for the much more ambitious task of the planned switchover to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
The Hawk is both a training aircraft and a light combat plane and can likely fit into the pattern as the F-35 is eased into service -- whenever that happens over the next four years.
Canada originally planned to buy 65 F-35s but controversy over the government's alleged mishandling of the planned purchase has built up pressure to negotiate prices and buy less aircraft. The current price tag on Canada's likely purchase of 65 F-35s exceeds $15 billion.
A government decision on buying a new trainer jet is also in exploratory stages.
Government defense procurement teams have looked at several options, which include the BAE System's Hawk 128, Alenia Aeronautica's M-346 Master and Korean Aerospace International's T-50 Golden Eagle.
The training program for the trainer jet will likely include simulators and training curriculum designed to initiate air force pilots into the F-35 program.
However, Canada's aim isn't necessarily to go for a replacement contract for the Hawk trainers, as the air force could simply upgrade the fleet to manage the training tasks associated with the F-35, Flight Global reported.
Meanwhile, the F-35 acquisition program is moving slowly after an earlier flap in which Canada's auditor general took Harper's government to task for not being transparent enough while sharing information on the program with parliament and government agencies.
The procurement was heavily criticized by the opposition and the media and was labeled a national "scandal" and "fiasco." Harper's government has moved quickly to control political damage over the controversy.
The F-35s will replace about 80 McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornets in a phased program likely to conclude in 2016. However, Harper is under pressure to be more transparent and provide more details of the acquisition than originally supplied.
The F-35 program continues to be a major political issue, requiring Harper to be extra cautious in managing the purchase of new jet trainer aircraft.

Source :http://www.spacedaily.com

Aviation trials of INS Vikramaditya to begin in mid-July

NEW DELHI: Russia would be deploying a MIG-35 and other aircraft for the trials of aviation facilities of INS Vikramaditya, the Russian aircraft carrier which is set to join the Indian navy by the year end.
The 'aviation facilities complex trials' of the aircraft carrier would begin sometime in the middle of July in the Barents Sea, navy sources said. A team of about 20 Indian navy aviation personnel including pilots are on their way to Russia to observe the trials, which would be carried out by a Russian crew.
The complex sea trials of the aircraft carrier, which started on June 7, comprise primarily of two aspects, the ship trials and the aviation facilities complex trials. The ship trials have already started. Over 500 Indian navy personnel under the command of the Captain Suraj Berry, the commissioning commanding officer of the ship, is present on board the aircraft carrier observing the trials. By the time India takes command of the ship, there would be around 2000 navy personnel to run Indian navy's biggest ship, with a displacement of 45000 tons.

Source :http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Second-Generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Completes Second Successful Intercept Flight Test

PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE FACILITY, Hawaii (NNS) -- The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Sailors of USS Lake Erie (CG 70) successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system June 26.

The test resulted in the intercept of a separating ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by the Navy's newest missile defense interceptor missile, the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1B.

At 11:15 pm Hawaii Standard Time (5:15 am EDT June 27), the target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, located on Kauai, Hawaii. The target flew on a northwesterly trajectory towards a broad ocean area of the Pacific Ocean. Following target launch, USS Lake Erie detected and tracked the missile with its onboard AN/SPY-1 radar. The ship, equipped with the second-generation Aegis BMD 4.0.1 weapon system, developed a fire control solution and launched the SM-3 Block IB missile.

Lake Erie continued to track the target and sent trajectory information to the SM-3 Block IB missile in-flight. The SM-3 maneuvered to a point in space, as designated by the fire control solution, and released its kinetic warhead. The kinetic warhead acquired the target, diverted into its path, and, using only the force of a direct impact, engaged and destroyed the threat in a hit-to-kill intercept.

Today's test event was the second consecutive successful intercept test of the SM-3 Block IB missile and the second-generation Aegis BMD 4.0.1 weapon system. The first successful SM-3 Block IB intercept occurred May 9, 2012. Today's intercept is a critical accomplishment for the second phase of the President's European Phased Adaptive Approach consisting of the SM-3 Block 1B interceptor employed in an Aegis Ashore system in Romania in 2015.

Initial indications are that all components performed as designed resulting in a very accurate intercept.

This was the 23rd successful intercept in 28 flight test firings for the Aegis BMD program. Across all Ballistic Missile Defense System programs, it is the 54th successful hit-to-kill intercept in 68 flight tests since 2001.

Aegis BMD is the sea-based midcourse component of the MDA's Ballistic Missile Defense System and is designed to intercept and destroy short to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. The MDA and the U.S. Navy cooperatively manage the Aegis BMD Program.

Source :Missile Defense Agency Public Affairs