Air Force One airfare: $179,750 per hour

By Bart Jansen - USA Today

Posted : Tuesday May 22, 2012 16:47:00 EDT
The next time airfare seems too expensive, consider the cost of Air Force One.
The plane that is used to carry the president, which is typically a Boeing 747, costs the Air Force $179,750 per hour to operate, according to a new Congressional Research Service report. Military planes are used for security and because of special equipment on board.
Costs for each trip are even higher when factoring in the passenger and cargo aircraft that often accompany the president’s plane, although those figures weren’t specified in the eight-page report.
Taxpayers cover the cost of trips for official business, and campaign organizations reimburse the government for whatever portion of a trip is deemed political.
“It is unclear how the White House designates travel that is not directly related to a governmental or political function because of traditional reluctance to address this matter,” the report said. Vacations count as official travel.
Information about the cost of presidential flights is scarce, according to the report. But earlier studies from Congress and the Government Accountability Office offer a glimpse of the cost of several major trips in the past.
For example, a European trip in 1989 cost the Air Force $1 million and a trip to Hawaii in 1990 cost $1.5 million, according to a 1992 report from a House committee on the civil service. The figures represented just operational costs for the aircraft – without related expenses such as food and lodging.
Extra costs add up quickly. These related costs for presidential trips in 1998 totaled $42.8 million for Africa, $10.5 million for Chile and $18.8 million for China, according to a GAO report.
Comparable information wasn’t available for more recent trips, the Congressional Research Service report says.

Thought Of The Day

There are two way to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to accept what is true. - SOREN KIERKEGAARD

China ship with 22 labs spied on India

India detected a Chinese spy ship disguised as a fishing trawler in the Indian Ocean a few months ago. By the time ship figured in the Indian radars, it had operated already for about 22 days and was positioned off-the cost of Little Anadaman - an area which is considered sensitive and crucial in the ongoing battle for supremacy over the Indian Ocean region between India and China.

Immediately after detection an Indian Navy Ship was sent after it. However, since the Chinese ship was in international waters, no punitive action could be taken against it. The Indian Naval ship, instead, tailed the Chinese ship sending out a clear message that India was aware of its actual mission. In order to avoid the Indian Navy tail, the Chinese Ship moved towards Sri Lanka and docked at the Colombo. Inquiries by the Indian security agencies revealed that ship as many as 22 Laboratories on board.

A report sent up to government, which NDTV has access to, claims that the Chinese ship was mapping the Indian Ocean and picking up crucial Bathymetric data. Other Laboratories on board the ship were designed to collect data on the currents of the Indian Ocean, the temperature at various depths and also very crucially, underwater obstructions and obstacles. Bathymetric data is crucial for submarine and Carrier based operations. Information about ocean currents, on the other hand, is crucial if torpedoes are to be used

Special Forces, UAV's To Be Used Against Maoists

Friday, September 02, 2011

By : Defence News Admin

Specialised India Reserve Battalions would soon be raised to implement and safeguard various development projects in Maoist-affected areas and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) would also be used against the rebels, parliament was told Tuesday.

Specialised India Reserve Battalions would soon be raised to implement and safeguard various development projects in Maoist-affected areas and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) would also be used against the rebels, parliament was told Tuesday. Answering a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State of Home Affairs Jitendra Singh said the battalions will have two components – security companies and engineering companies. 'The government of India has approved raising of Specialised India Reserve Battalions in the naxal (Maoist) affected areas to implement various developmental projects, including infrastructural facilities and also to provide security and technical assistance to such projects,' said Singh. Responding to a separate query, Singh told the Lok Sabha that 27 mobile towers were attacked by Maoists this year till Aug 15, compared to 45 last year and 66 in 2009. According to the minister, UAVs will soon be deployed in Maoist-affected areas to track their movements. However, it is not possible to give a time line. ‘The government has adopted two-pronged approach in this regard – development and the maintenance of law and order,’ he said.

Arjun Mark-II Will Cost Rs 37 crore (US $8 million) Per Tank

The Arjun Mark II, an upgraded version of the Mark I pictured here, will roll out by 2015, says Antony.

Answering a question in parliament today, Defence Minister AK Antony put the price of the Arjun Mk II at Rs 37 crore per tank. The Arjun Mk I had been produced by Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi for about Rs 16-18 crore per tank.

The official release about Antony's answer in parliament today to a question on the price of the Arjun is attached below

Limited technical trials with some major and minor improvements on Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun Mark-I, as part of MBT Arjun Mark-II, have been carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the deserts of Rajasthan.

Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the proposal for placement of indent for 124 Nos. of MBT Arjun Mark-II on Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Avadi, Chennai. Placement of indent by the Army on Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is being further processed.

The likely estimated cost of each MBT Arjun Mark-II with ail major/minor improvements will be approximately Rs 37 crore.

The first batch of MBT Arjun Mark-II is likely to be productionised by 2015.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri Naveen Jindal in Lok Sabha today.

Privacy Policy

If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email at lalitghag@gmail.com.

At http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/ and how it is used.

Log Files
Like many other Web sites, http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/ makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons
http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/ does not use cookies.

DoubleClick DART Cookie
.:: Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/.
.:: Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/ and other sites on the Internet.
.:: Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners include ....
Commission Juncion

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/ send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/ has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. http://lalitghag.blogspot.in/'s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers' respective websites.

Lalit Ghag