Russian air force to order Su-25 replacement

Russia's air force will acquire a new ground attack aircraft similar in concept to the Sukhoi Su-25, but has dropped plans to field an armed version of the Yakovlev Yak-130 jet/combat trainer.
"This new type of ground attack aircraft has been included in the state arms procurement programme," says Col Gen Alexander Zelin, an aide to Russian defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov and until May the commander of its air force. "It will be put in service by 2020."
The new aircraft will be equipped with an advanced radar, feature elements of stealth technology and also be able to use short runways. It will replace the modernised Su-25SM. Moscow plans to upgrade 80 of its Su-25s to the improved standard, and has so far received more than 30.
The Russian military has abandoned plans to develop a light attack aircraft based on the Yak-130, as Zelin says a prototype dubbed the Yak-131 did not demonstrate a high enough level of protection for its pilot.
Meanwhile, Zelin says the air force will receive the first batch of prototypes of its Sukhoi PAK-FA/T-50 fighter for performance testing in 2013.
"The work on the fifth-generation fighter is going according to schedule. The third prototype has joined the testing programme and a fourth is being built."
The T-50 made its first flight in January 2010 and Zelin has previously said 14 of the aircraft would be involved in testing by 2015.
In a separate development, the air force has received its first three upgraded Antonov An-124-100M transports. The service plans to have about 10 more aircraft modified to the new configuration, in addition to buying up to 10 new-build -300 variants with an increased payload of up to 150,000kg (330,000lb).

By Flight Globle

Bangladesh seeks four refurbished C-130Es from USA

By: Greg Waldron Singapore


Source:

Bangladesh has requested a possible $180 million purchase of four ex-US Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130Es in a bid to modernise its tactical transport aircraft fleet.
Outlined by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the proposed sale would cover the "regeneration, overhaul, modification and logistics support" of the secondhand Hercules. The package would also include 20 Rolls-Royce T56 engines to be provided as excess defense articles, plus training and other equipment and services associated with the upgrade.
The prime contractor for the project will be determined through a competitive bid, the DSCA says.
"The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the USA by enabling the Bangladesh air force to use its C-130 fleet to respond more capably to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief needs in the region and support Bangladesh's significant contributions to UN peacekeeping operations, and support operations to counter violent extremist organisations," the DSCA says.
Bangladesh's air force currently operates four C-130B transports, which Flightglobal's MiliCAS database records as having entered use between 1960 and 1962.

China: Pentagon hypes Chinese military threat

The Associated Press

Posted : Tuesday May 22, 2012 8:47:56 EDT
BEIJING — China's Defense Ministry has accused the Pentagon of hyping Chinese military power and its threat to Taiwan in a depiction that will ultimately undermine ties between the two militaries.
The annual Pentagon report to Congress on China's military always draws strenuous objections from Beijing. This year's report — which outlined a Chinese military modernization effort that is gaining momentum — comes as both Washington and Beijing are encouraging their militaries to built trust and improve communications.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said the Pentagon report exaggerates Chinese defense capabilities, falsely accuses China of launching cyber-attacks and plays up a military edge over rival Taiwan to boost U.S. weapon sales.
In remarks posted on the ministry's website on Monday, Geng said the Pentagon report is at odds with that effort.
"At the time when the relations between the two armies are on the rise, the U.S. stubbornly sticks to ways of casting doubts on and discrediting China," said Geng. He said China demands that the U.S. "stop making comments not conducive to China-U.S. relations and the mutual trust between the two armies."

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.