DND spent $700,000 to undo renovations for delayed helicopter

The chronically troubled purchase of new helicopters to replace the decades-old Sea Kings has again saddled the federal government with costly delays in the delivery of the new choppers.
The Department of National Defence was forced to spend $700,000 last year to undo portions of a $4-million renovation project on one of its frigates to deal with the delays in a project Defence Minister Peter MacKay once called the “worst procurement in the history of Canada.DND was in the process of converting the flight deck on HMCS Regina to welcome the first of 28 new Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopters, the long-awaited replacements for the Sea Kings. At that point, about 80 per cent of the work had been completed on the frigate, at a cost of $3.6-million, according to government officials and documents obtained under Access to Information.
However, the Cyclone project was once again delayed last year, adding a new round of confusion to the complex project that was launched in 2004 and should have led to the arrival of new helicopters in 2008. The $5.7-billion project is now in a state of flux, still with no precise delivery schedule in place.
When the government decided to send HMCS Regina to the Arabian Sea last year, the renovations to the vessel’s flight deck had to be halted and reversed in order to bring a Sea King on the mission.
“A decision was made to reconvert HMCS Regina’s flight deck to allow for Sea King operations and facilitate her to deploy on [Operation] Metric with a high readiness helo capability,” said a briefing note obtained by The Globe and Mail.
The document added that DND spent $672,000 to cover the cost of the “retro-fit actvities” on HMCS Regina.

Iraq to Receive Final Three C-130Js

The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) is set to receive its final three Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] C-130J Super Hercules airlifters. Aircraft number 5721 was the first of these aircraft to be ferried from Lockheed Martin’s production facility here on April 23, 2013. All three C-130Js were ferried to U.S. Air Force bases prior to delivery to the IQAF.

The IQAF, a legacy C-130 operator, received its first C-130J in December 2012 and will have a total of six C-130Js in its new Hercules fleet. The IQAF uses the airlifters for intra-theater support for its troops and to provide humanitarian relief operations in various locations.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 118,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The

Iranian universities constructing eight submarines

Isfahan University of Technology in cooperation with three other universities has designed eight military and civil submarines.
The construction operations of the submarines are underway, Mehr news agency reported.
They have a variety of uses, including tourism, exploration, defense, and laying cables.
Iran's Deputy Defense Minister Mohammad Eslami announced earlier this month that the country plans to unveil the first indigenous submarine within the next few months.
He added that the final stages of the submarine's design and construction are currently underway and that it will be unveiled by August 2013.
The submarine has been entirely designed and manufactured by Iranian experts, he said.
Iran's Navy previously launched the indigenous Tareq 901 and Ghadir class submarines as part of efforts to upgrade the country's defense capabilities, Press TV reported.
The Ghadir submarine was first unveiled in 2007. The 120-ton vessel has excellent shallow depth performance and can conduct prolonged coastal missions and launch torpedoes.
Eslami also revealed that new indigenous fighters and modern drones would be unveiled in the near future.
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in the defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in essential military equipment and systems.

PH earmarks P18 billion for two new warships

The government has allocated P18 billion for the purchase of two brand new frigates as the Department of the National Defense (DND) has opted to ditch its original plan of purchasing second-hand war ships.
Fernando Manalo, DND Undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations and Materiel, said the original allocation for the second-hand frigate is P6 billion each to maximize what the budget that the government has.
“We realized that it will be expensive in the long run if we are going to buy second hand,” said Manalo.
Manalo did not discuss the specifications of the frigate but said the two planned procurement war ships would be of big help in guarding the territorial waters of the country.
Unlike second-hand frigates wherein spare parts and efficiency are usually the problems, Manalo said the brand new ones assures good running condition for some 20 to 30 years.
The DND is planning to bid out the procurement of two frigates, with Spain, Singapore and South Korea reportedly planning to join.
The government earlier revealed that it may also buy fighter jets from South Korea.
He said they are now expediting the procurement process to make sure that all the procedures would be completed within the second quarter of this year.
Aside from fighter jets and frigates, the second Hamilton-class war ship that the Philippines bought from the United States is expected to arrive in July this year.

China Sells Helicopter Gunships to UWSA

China has allegedly sold helicopter gunships to ethnic Wa rebels who occupy areas of Shan State in eastern Burma, intelligence monitor Jane’s Information Group reported on Monday.
The report claimed China “delivered several Mil Mi-17 ‘Hip’ medium- transport helicopters armed with TY-90 air-to-air missiles to the Wa in late February and early March, according to both Myanmar ethnic minority and Myanmar government sources.”
Bertil Lintner, an expert on Burma and author of Great Game East: India, China and the Struggle for Asia’s Most Volatile Frontier, confirmed the accuracy of the Jane’s report.
Lintner said the Burmese government was moving to gain control of the Shan State Army-North’s mountainous bases on the western bank of the Salween River, for an eventual offensive against the Wa rebels.
“Since the Burmese government signed a ceasefire with the Shan, they haven’t withdrawn any troops, but rather they have reinforced their troops,” said Aung Kyaw Zaw, an analyst based on the China-Burma border. “That is not a good sign. So, the Wa wants to prepare [for a possible war].”
The purchase of the gunships is part of Wa moves to make the Wa region more like an independent state, able to project force if necessary.
The United Wa State Army is the largest ethnic armed group in Burma, with an estimated 20,000 well-equipped fighters, and advanced weaponry including surface-to-air missiles.
The Burmese government has carried out an offensive against the SSA-North and Kachin rebels in northern Shan State since mid-April, calling up troops from as far away as Karenni State to back up their forces in Shan State, according to Aung Kyaw Zaw.
Quoting a Wa rebel source, the Jane’s report said “the Mi-17s reached the Wa-administered area by flying across the Mekong River from Lao rather than direct from China.”
Jane’s said five helicopters had been bought, but the Burmese government, which confirmed the deal, said only two aircraft had so far been delivered.

Sources: North Korea halts missile launch preparations

North Korea has stopped work on preparing for the launch of a medium-range Musudan ballistic missile, according to government sources in Japan, the United States and South Korea.
Although the U.S. military has also temporarily eased back from being on high alert, the three nations will continue to keep a wary eye on Pyongyang as it is deemed likely that it will continue with its provocative actions in the medium to long term.
The sources said that from about April 20, intelligence units have been unable to intercept radio signals that North Korea had been transmitting on a test basis in preparing for a missile launch. The signals include telemetry signals transmitted by the Musudan missiles to ground bases that would track its course, as well as radar waves used for communications control within the ground base.
In early April, North Korea deployed two Musudan missiles to bases north of Wonsan in Kangwon province facing the Sea of Japan. Work was conducted on a daily basis to check that communications between the Musudan and ground bases, as well as the control and radar systems within the base, were operating sufficiently.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy's Observation Island ship, which tracks ballistic missiles, returned to Sasebo Naval Base in Nagasaki on April 26. The ship, with a displacement of 17,015 tons, had been deployed to the Sea of Japan until mid-April to prepare for a possible ballistic missile launch by North Korea. The ship appears to have temporarily relaxed its surveillance activities after confirmation was made that North Korea had stopped its launch preparation work.
However, the two Musudan missiles are still at the bases. Seven additional missiles, including the medium-range Rodong and short-range Scud, are also deployed in South Hamgyong province.
Even after the joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea concludes on April 30, North Korea will likely continue to monitor the test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by the United States. Washington has delayed that launch until May.

Taiwan to deploy 3 more PAC-3 antimissile batteries

Three U.S.-made Patriot antimissile air defense batteries will be deployed in southern Taiwan, in addition to the one already in northern Taiwan, Deputy Defense Minister Andrew Yang said Thursday.

Responding to lawmakers' questions in the Legislative Yuan's Foreign and National Defense Committee, Yang said the three Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile batteries will be used to boost the country's defense capability.

The PAC-3 missile batteries, part of a US$6.4 billion arms package supplied by the United States in recent years, will be deployed in southern Taiwan, he said.

Meanwhile, Ting Chung-wu, chief of staff at the Air Force Command, said in response to a lawmaker's questions that none of Taiwan's 145 F-16 A/B fighters have been upgraded under a US$3.8 billion program to retrofit the country's aging fighter fleet in the U.S.

On the issue of Taiwan's recent military exercises, Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Hsu Pei-shan said the defense ministry has identified five navy officers who will be held responsible for a glitch in the Han Kuang live drills in the offshore county of Penghu. He however did not disclose the names of the officers.

The incident occurred when the 76mm gun on a Chingchiang-class patrol vessel failed just before it was scheduled to begin firing during an anti-landing drill in Penghu on April 17.

WIG aircraft – a new joint project between Russia and China

Recently the Chinese press announced the first test flights of the new Chinese Wing In Ground Effect (WIG) aircraft CYG-11. In its appearance and technical characteristics it completely replicates the Russian WIG aircraft Ivolga, as Vasily Kashin, an expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, points out.

Thus, one can state that the Russian-Chinese cooperation in the area of WIG aircraft development has begun to bear fruit. Ivolga WIG aircraft, which was designed by a group of engineers headed by Vyacheslav Kolganov, is produced by the Polet group, which is primarily focused on space technologies.

It is a known fact that Polet has had contacts with the Chinese and Kalganov himself made a long business trip to China in 2011. Prior to that, other experts in this area, employees of the Alexeyev Central Design Bureau, which even back in the USSR days was the main center for the WIG aircraft design, had visited China as well. With the help of those experts China already designed a few types of WIG aircraft in the past few years.

The organization of WIG aircraft production in China can hardly present a problem, especially given the fact that Ivolga utilizes two ordinary automobile engines BMW S38, the acquisition of which by the Russian or Chinese producers is not difficult. More interesting is another issue – will the Chinese WIG aircraft meet with demand.

New T-50 fighter let to enter service in 2016

Russia’s fifth-generation T-50 fighter jet will enter service with the country’s armed forces in 2016, and not 2015 as was previously announced, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
“The T-50 fifth generation jet should go into serial production and enter service in 2016,” Putin said at a live Q&A session with the Russian public.
The Defense Ministry had earlier said the jet would be ready in 2015.
Russia will start state flight tests of the T-50 in 2014, United Aircraft Corporation's President Mikhail Pogosyan said on Tuesday.
The T-50, also known as PAK-FA (future tactical fighter aircraft), first flew in January 2010 and was presented to the public at the Moscow Air Show in 2011.
The T-50, which will be the core of Russia's future fighter fleet, is a fifth-generation multirole fighter aircraft

Kazakhstan Grounds MiG Jets After Crash

Kazakhstan's military authorities have grounded all the nation's MiG jet fighter aircraft following a crash earlier this week that killed the pilot and injured the navigator of a MiG-31 interceptor, Kazakhstan’s air force chief said on Thursday.
The Kazakhstan Air Force Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor crashed during a training flight in central Kazakhstan on Wednesday. The crew managed to eject from the plane before the crash, but the pilot died. A probe was opened into the accident.
“We’ve halted MiG flights until the cause of crash is cleared up,” Kazakhstan's Air Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Sorokin said on Thursday. Kazakhstan operates around 30 MiG-31s, according to airforce-technology.com.
It was not immediatelty clear whether only MiG-31s have been grounded, or also the other MiG-series aircraft which Kazakhstan also operates.
The air force said immediately after the crash that a technical problem was the likely cause of the incident.

In a statement on Thursday, it said the aircraft had been flying at 3,000 meters altitude (10,000 feet) when it suddenly entered an undemanded roll to the left and entered a steep spiral dive. The pilot tried to recover the aircraft but could not, and as the machine passed 1000 meters altitude the crew ejected, with the navigator leaving the aircraft just before the pilot.

Indian spy Sarabjit Singh attacked in jail by fellow prisoners

Indian prisoner on death row, Sarabjit Singh, was attacked by five of his fellow prisoners at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore on Friday, reported Express News.

According to initial details, the prisoners injured Sarabjit by hitting a brick on his head and hurling other items inside the jail over an argument. Further investigations into the incident are underway.
Sarabjit was shifted to a hospital, where doctors said he was in critical condition.
Express News correspondent Noman Sheikh reported that Sarabjit was being kept in a separate barrack but the incident took place during lunch time.
The prisoners who attacked were identified and sent to separate barracks for interrogation. Initial reports suggested that the five prisoners were also on death row.
The jail authorities have not given out any official statements to the media yet.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told Press Trust of India (PTI) that the country has contacted Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan for consular access. “Two officers have been sent to Lahore for consular access and we are awaiting response. We are in touch with the Foreign Ministry and the Presidency,” he was quoted as saying.

Fincantieri Delivers Second Falaj 2 Stealth Patrol Vessel For the UAE Navy: The “Salahah”

April 22nd at Fincantieri Muggiano (La Spezia) shipyard there was the delivery ceremony of the "Salahah" patrol vessel for the United Arab Emirates Navy. Her sister ship, the “Ghantut”, was delivered last January together with an "Abu Dhabi Class" corvette. The two patrol vessels – whose names come from an area of the Emirates near Abu Dhabi – were ordered in 2010 within the “Falaj 2” program. The contract provides for an option for a further two vessels in addition to technology transfer to a local shipyard for the construction of further sister ships.

Russia ready to negotiate with India on MiG-35 fighters

Russia is keen that India buys its

MiG-35 fighter aircraft, a top Russian official said.

The Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG) has proposed to India to consider the possibility of concluding a contract on the supply of the MiG-35 multipurpose fighter jet, RAC MiG Director General Sergei Korotkov told Itar-Tass in an interview.

"Despite the fact that we lost the tender for the supply of 126 multipurpose fighters to the Indian Air Force, the RAC MiG fulfilled all the requirements set the tender committee," Korotkov said. "The aircraft has demonstrated good results, sometimes even exceeding expectations."

According to him, the corporation hopes that "India will consider the possibility of concluding a contract on the supply of the MiG-35 fighters."

"And we will have the opportunity to implement it," he said. "Within this bundle of knowledge that India received during this tender, I would like the MiG-35 issue to be continued against the background of our common history and 50 years of partnership."

According to preliminary information, the winner of the tender for the supply of fighter aircraft to the Indian Air Force was the French Dassault Rafale. However, neither party has announced the official timeframe of the contract conclusion.

"This year the next batch of four aircraft will be delivered," said the head of the MiG Aircraft Corporation.

He also took part in the celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the Soviet MiG-21 fighters' deliveries to the Indian Air Force.

The agreement on the supply of the MiG-21 planes to India was signed in 1962, and the deliveries began a year later. In 1967, the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over to the Indian Air Force the first MiG-21 fighter that was built here under the USSR license.

Russia to deploy fighter jets, anti-aircraft missiles at new Belarus base

Belarus will host a Russian Air Force regiment at a new base to be completed by 2015, the Russian Defense Minister announced after meeting the Belarus President.
“We are starting to look into the plan to create a Russian air force base in Belarus with fighter jets. We hope that by 2015 an air force regiment will be based here,” Sergey Shoigu announced.
The Russian defense chief added that a Russian air force HQ in Belarus will be set up by 2014 and test flights by one wing of fighter jets will start in the same year.
Russia will also deliver four battalions of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Belarus in 2014, Shoigu told the press. 
The Defense Minister emphasized that in future the Russian Federation would contribute to the Belarus defense capabilities. 
Belarus has signed an agreement with Russia on creating a joint anti-aircraft defense as did Russia’s eastern neighbor and ally, Kazakhstan.
Currently there are two Russian military installations in Belarus, one the radar station that is part of the missile strike warning system, and the other a communications hub that provides links to Russian nuclear submarines on combat duty.

Iran Equips Army Aircraft with Sophisticated Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles

Iran equipped its warplanes with advanced anti-ship cruise missiles in a bid to boost the country's capabilities in confronting naval threats. Iran started equipping its Air Force fighter jets with air-to-surface Nour cruise missiles in a project dubbed as Qaem. Nour has a range of 120 kilometers. Nour is a well-known cruise missile used by the Iranian army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in different wargames and can be launched from coast, vessels and aircraft against enemy vessels, oil facilities and naval positions. In September 2011, Iran unveiled its 200-km range Qader anti-ship cruise missile with a high-precision striking capability and the Iranian defense industries have mass-produced the powerful missile. The missile enjoys automatic digital pilot system, high-precision navigation systems, high-precision striking capability, anti-jamming radar systems and a rapid deployment capability.

Russia prepares replacement for soviet-era railway-based missiles

Russia has started design works to create a new railroad-based missile system to replace weapons destroyed in the mid-2000s under the old START treaty and are now allowed by the “New START”.
The design bureau that developed Russia’s most modern ballistic missiles the Bulava, Topol and Yars, has started research and development of the new project – the railway car based ICBM – Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov told the press on Tuesday.
Currently work is at a primary stage and does not require significant investment. The overall costs to design a completely new railway-based missile has not yet been determined, he added.
If complete and launched into production, the missile would replace the RT-24 system, also known as SS-24 Scalpel – the intercontinental weapon disguised as an ordinary freight train, which made its detection and preemptive destruction extremely difficult.
Russia decommissioned its railway car based missiles in 2005 and destroyed all the systems by 2007 as part of the START II treaty on nuclear arms reduction with the US. The ‘New START’ treaty (which is also called START III in Russia) that came into force in 2011 does not limit the use of railway car based systems and allows Russia to restart production.
The move could be seen as Russia’s reply to the continuing development of the global missile defense system by the US. Russia has opposed the move and demanded legally-binding guarantees that the missile system will not be used against its forces (legal guarantees would allow Russian monitors to inspect the missile defense stations). The US says the system is planned to counter the possible attack from ‘rogue states’ such as Iran and North Korea, but offers only political guarantees, leaving Russia in the dark concerning the particular details of the system.
The standoff has already led to statements that Russia could quit the New START treaty if no mutually acceptable agreement is reached on missile defense. However, Russian officials repeatedly said that such a turn of events is extremely undesirable.
The United States insist on its position, and it is reported that the missile defense issue was the main topic of the personal message that President Barak Obama passed to Vladimir Putin last week. However, Russian diplomatic sources again stated that Moscow was not happy with the suggestions made in the message and the there was no movement over the missile defense problem.

Three Nuclear Subs to Join Russian Navy by Yearend

The Russian Navy will take delivery of two Project 955 Borey-class ballistic-missile submarines, the Alexander Nevsky and the Vladimir Monomakh, and one Yasen-class attack submarine, the Severodvinsk, by the end of the year, a Defense Ministry official said on Tuesday.
Everything is going according to plan and there will be "no delays," said Andrei Vernigora, director of the ministry’s state defense contracts department, refuting reports the Alexander Nevsky would only be put into service only in 2014.

Alexander Nevsky is due to be commissioned with the Navy in September, he added. The boat has been undergoing trials at the Sevmash shipyard since 2012. A Bulava ballistic missile will be test-launched from the submarine in the summer, a Navy official told RIA Novosti in late March.
Alexander Nevsky is the second Borey-class submarine. The first, the Yury Dolgoruky, entered service with the Northern Fleet in January, and the third, the Vladimir Monomakh, was floated out last December and will start trials in the White Sea in June, United Shipbuilding Corporation President Andrei Dyachkov said earlier this month.
The Sevmash shipyard will start construction this year of two more Borey-class Project 955A submarines - the Alexander Suvorov and the Mikhail Kutuzov.

Borey class submarines are to become the mainstay of the Navy's strategic nuclear deterrent, replacing the ageing Project 941 (NATO Typhoon class) and Project 667 class (Delta-3 and Delta-4) boats.
A total of eight Borey-class submarines are to be built for the Russian Navy by 2020.
Sevmash said in August it hoped to hand the Severodvinsk attack submarine over to the Russian Navy by the end of 2012.

China builds second aircraft carrier

China will build a second, larger aircraft carrier capable of carrying more fighter jets, the official Xinhua news service has reported, quoting a senior officer with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.
The report comes after Chinese officials denied foreign media reports in September 2012 that China was building a second carrier in Shanghai.
"China will have more than one aircraft carrier ... The next aircraft carrier we need will be larger and carry more fighters," Xinhua quoted Song Xue, deputy chief of staff of the PLA Navy, as saying at a ceremony with foreign military attaches.
Song said foreign media reports saying the carrier was being built in Shanghai were inaccurate but did not elaborate, according to the report.
China currently has one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which it bought from the Russians and refitted. Considered by military experts to be decades behind US carrier technology, it was officially said to have been bought to serve as a floating casino but was turned to military use.

China is also building up other forms of military hardware, including a stealth fighter jet believed to be capable of landing on a carrier, drone aircraft and nuclear submarines.

Another trial of nuke-tipped Agni V next month

India is readying for the second developmental trial of 5,000-km range nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-V which put the country in the elite club of six nations including the US, the UK, China, France and Russia, having intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities.
 Defence sources on Tuesday said the missile, considered as a “game-changer”, had been planned to be test-fired from the Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast any time in the third week of May. A successful launch of the missile would be another step forward towards its induction in the armed forces, possibly in 2015, though it has to undergo two more trials in the next couple of years.
 The missile was first tested successfully on April 19 last year. While the preparation for the second test has already begun, officials are busy fixing the schedule and logistic issues since the missile has to traverse across the Indian Ocean. “Though the Union Cabinet has already given a go-ahead for the mission, the exact date of firing has not been fixed yet,” said a source. As the missile has the striking capabilities close to intercontinental range, prior to the test, an official said, India will have to alert a number of countries including Indonesia and Australia along with the international air and maritime traffic within the test zone.
 Sources said a group of scientists associated with Agni-V missile would arrive here on Saturday to oversee the launch preparation. The DRDO is contemplating to conduct the trial by the end of next month as its chief and Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister V K Saraswat, who was instrumental in the success of missiles like Prithvi, Interceptors and even Agni-V, is retiring on May 31. The officials are also awaiting a warship from the Indian Navy to place the Israeli radar acquired recently.

KAI to develop a dedicated version of its Surion helicopter for ROK Navy's Dokdo class LPH

KAI, or Korea Aerospace Industries, Inc. develops the amphibious task helicopter for the Korea's Marine Corps will run. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on the 17th that it held its 66th defense project promotion committee and selected KAI as a priority negotiator for the development of the amphibious task helicopter system.

The project, totaling approximately 800 billion won is designed for securing the helicopter which is able to transport the armed forces, military equipment and supplies to improve the military's 3-dimensional high-speed landing operations performance. KAI will develop the amphibious task helicopter which the military is able to run in the optimum condition in the battleship and marine environment, based on the Surion(a.k.a, KUH), the Korea's first helicopter and plans to set out for developing it in earnest beginning on July this year. KAI is scheduled to complete the development of the helicopter at the end of 2015, targeting for mass production.

The DAPA projections that the amphibious task helicopter project will help double the Korean military's independent landing operation capability and also expects that the marine corps' operation radius will be more broadened and its mobility will be further enhanced as well.

We have a big expectation for the amphibious task helicopter project, said the Marine Corps. Once the model is developed, the military will make use of it in an efficient manner at both in wartime and in peace time and run those models to be ready for diverse operations.

KAI plans to develop the Surion-based derivative helicopter version and replace the existing Korea's military and public copters with a new one, stepping forward, attempting to export to foreign countries.

KAI forecasts that the demand for the Surion-class military and public helicopters, such as the amphibious task helicopter to be developed this time, the police helicopter for which the company concluded with the Korea Police Agency in 2011, MEDEVAC helicopter, and the helicopters for Korea Coast Guard, Korea Fire Department and Korea Forest Service, in Korea for the upcoming 20 years will reach approximately 400 units.

Also, KAI predicts that the company could possibly take a share of roughly 30%, or 300 of the total 1,000-plus helicopter demand in the 25-year period to come and export those quantity.

The foreign-made copters which the Korea's military and government agencies run are replaced with the Surion helicopters and other diverse derivative versions, a huge drainage of foreign currency could be prevented and the technological prowess and price competitiveness would be also enhanced, expanding the exports, said an official at KAI.

Qatar buys German tanks in $2.5 billion deal

Germany has boosted its high-powered drive to expand arms sales across the Middle East with a $2.5 billion deal to sell Qatar advanced Leopard tanks and self-propelled guns.
The weapons systems, built by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall, will replace Qatar's aging French tanks and South African artillery.

The German deal emerged as the United States announced a $10 billion plans to provide Israel and two gulf states, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with advanced aircraft, missiles, radars and aerial tankers.
The Qatar deal comes amid German negotiations to sell 270 Leopards and armored personnel carriers to Saudi Arabia, warships and armored cars to Algeria and submarines to Egypt.
The United Arab Emirates, a military heavyweight in the Persian Gulf, has bought German weapons systems worth $1.57 billion in the last three years.
Rheinmetall hasn't only sold the Emirates 27mm light naval gun systems but has helped build the country's first munitions factory under its drive to develop an indigenous arms industry.
Germany's Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, published in Munich, reported in February that German defense companies sold weapons worth $1.88 billion in the gulf in 2012.
In March, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which monitors global arms sales, placed Germany as the world's No. 3 arms exporter after the United States and Russia.
The Qatar deal involves 62 Leopard 2A7+ tanks with 120mm smooth bore main guns and 24 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers.

PH nears deal on purchase of Korean fighter jets

The Department of National Defense (DND) is in the last stages of procuring 12 fighter jets from South Korea worth P18 billion.

Some of the hitches that authorities saw in the transaction can be ironed out by May.
DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said the terms of reference could be finished by next month. The terms of reference contains provisions on the delivery, technical specifications, payment scheme, among others.
“It’s in the final stages of crafting, in preparation for the procurement of the jets…After that (crafting of TOR), the contract follows, the negotiations for the contract (starts)," he said.
DND undersecretary for finance, munitions, installations and materiel Fernando Manalo said issues will need to be clarified before a contract is pursued.
"Within the month of May, the issues may be resolved…(We're hoping) that the issues will be settled within the month of May," said Manalo.
Asked when the contract will finally be signed, he said: "We are following a process.”
The purchase of the fighter jets is part of the military's modernization program.

An Afghan City’s Economic Success Extends to Its Sex Trade

This verdant town is home to some of Afghanistan’s greatest treasures: It is the birthplace of the celebrated poet Rumi, and the site of one of the country’s most storied mosques. It is the first Afghan city to have been connected with another country by rail.

Among all of Mazar’s distinctions is a more dubious one. It is also Afghanistan’s unofficial capital of prostitution — so much so that “going to Mazar” has become a byword for Afghan men looking to pay for sex.

Partly, the phenomenon is owed to the city’s culture, which is considerably more forgiving of vice than is the rest of the country. Alcohol, though still illegal, can be found without too much trouble. Women, largely confined to the home, can be seen socializing with men in Mazar’s public parks, a rare sight even in Kabul, the capital.

But as much as anything, a business boom has fueled the sex trade in Mazar, local officials and aid workers say.

In recent years, the city’s economy has flourished as its proximity to Central Asia and its relative peace and stability have transformed it into a trading hub. Buildings are springing up across the city, as local and regional companies set up shop.

“Mazar is a big city, and compared to the other provinces a lot of prostitutes work here,” said Nilofar Sayar, director of a women’s rights group in Mazar that offers job training to sex workers. “There are lots of businesses, which means lots of money and customers.”

Eurocopter delivers the first Tiger HAD version to the French DGA

Eurocopter’s first production Tiger helicopter in the HAD attack configuration was delivered to France’s DGA armament procurement agency today for operation by French Army Aviation units, providing a highly capable combat weapon system that is tailored to the world’s evolving battlefield conditions.

This milestone followed DGA qualification of the Tiger HAD version on April 10, and marked the delivery startup for Eurocopter’s latest variant of a rotorcraft product line which has already been combat proven during military operations in Afghanistan, Libya and today in Mali.
“With the Tiger HAD, Eurocopter further expands the operational capabilities of a combat helicopter family which has demonstrated its mission effectiveness and performance in highly challenging military deployments,” said Dominique Maudet, the Eurocopter group’s Executive Officer for France, and Vice President of Global Business and Services.
To date, France has ordered 40 Tiger combat helicopters in HAD configuration for its French Army Aviation units. Another 24 helicopters has been ordered by the Spanish government to equip the Spanish Army (which includes six Tiger HAP support and escort versions retrofitted for fire support and attack missions).
Feature improvements of the Tiger HAD variant include two enhanced MTR390 turboshaft engines that provide 14 percent more power, improved ballistic protection, a new optronic sighting system, the capability to target and launch Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, an evolved electronic warfare suite, and an IFF (identification, friend or foe) interrogation system.

First Ukraine built Zubr class LCAC officially delivered to Chinese Navy (PLAN)

On April 12, 2013 in Feodosiya, representatives of the state-owned defense conglomerate "Ukroboronprom" and Chinese Navy officials signed the certificate of acceptance for the first Zubr (project 1232.2) amphibious hovercraft. On the Ukrainian side the document was signed by Dmitry Peregudov, Ukrspecexport General Director.

Ukrspecexport is a state-owned intermediary company for export and import of Ukrainian military products and services.

During the ceremony, Chinese officials expressed their appreciation for the quality of work performed by Ukrainian enterprises.The first Zubr LCAC for China was built at "Feodosiya shipbuilding company" and adapted to Chinese Navy needs. Construction of the second ship is onging for the Chinese customer. The Chinese Navy has placed an order for four craft at a reported cost of 315 million US dollars. Two are being built by Feodosiya shipbuilding company, and a second pair of vessels will be built in China under the supervision of Ukrainian technicians.

Korea to Buy 36 Apache Helicopters

The government has picked Boeing's AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopter for a strategic project aimed at neutralizing North Korea's multiple rocket launchers and hovercraft that threaten the northwesternmost islands.

A committee chaired by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin on Wednesday gave the final nod to the selection of the AH-64E over Bell Helicopter's AH-1Z Viper and the T-129 of Turkish Aerospace Industries.

Seoul will buy 36 Apache helicopters worth W1.8 trillion (US$1=W1,119) between 2016 and 2018.

The Apache came to notice for its ability to destroy tanks during the Gulf War and elsewhere. Its forte is the Longbow fire-control radar, which is supposedly capable of identifying friend or foe among more than 1,000 ground targets. It can trace the movement of 256 targets and prioritize the 16 most dangerous ones.

The Apache can load air-to-ground anti-tank missiles, air-to-air missiles, 30-mm chain guns and infrared surveillance devices.

For instance, Apache helicopters equipped with air-to-ground Hellfire II missiles can hit a target up to 8 km away. They can also strike enemy choppers or fighter jets with the air-to-air Stringer missile.

China Unveils Its Military Structure for First Time

China revealed the composition and structure of its armed forces, including its nuclear deterrent, for the first time on Tuesday in a new edition of a white paper on national defense that also elaborates the country’s new security plan.
The document, titled “The Diversified Employment of China's Armed Forces,” is China’s eighth white paper on national defense since 1998, but it is the first time the country has made public figures and information regarding the structure of its armed forces.
According to the white paper, China's armed forces are composed of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the People's Armed Police Force and the militia.
The PLA, in turn, consists of an army, navy, air force and the Second Artillery Force, which is the core of China’s nuclear deterrence.
The army includes 18 combined corps and has a total of 850,000 troops. They are deployed in seven military area commands (MACs): Beijing, Shenyang, Lanzhou, Jinan, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
The navy is composed of three fleets: the Beihai Fleet, the Donghai Fleet and the Nanhai Fleet, comprising a total of 235,000 sailors.
The air force has a total of 398,000 troops, and deploys an air command in each of the seven MACs.
The Second Artillery Force is mainly composed of nuclear and conventional missile forces and operational support units, and is “primarily responsible for deterring other countries from using nuclear weapons against China, and carrying out nuclear counterattacks and precision strikes with conventional missiles,” the document said.
The force has a series of Dong Feng ballistic missiles and Chang Jian cruise missiles, it said.
According to the white paper, “China advocates a new security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, and pursues comprehensive security, common security and cooperative security.”

Russia to Base French-Made Assault Ships in Far East Ports

Russia will base its French-made Mistral-class amphibious assault ships in the Far East ports of Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky when they enter service, a senior Defense Ministry official said in an interview.
Russia signed a 1.2-billion euro deal with a French shipyard in 2011 for two Mistral-class ships, the first of which is due for delivery in 2014 and the second in 2015.
“There are several options [for their location], but the choice fell on Vladivostok due to its existing transport infrastructure,” Roman Filimonov, head of the Defense Ministry’s construction department, told RIA Novosti.
“In future, we should create conditions for a short-term base equipped for storage replenishing, loading and unloading troops and crew rest in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,” Filimonov said. Other possible bases for the ships are still being considered, he added. A navy spokesman told RIA Novosti in 2011 one of the ships could be based with Russia's Northern Fleet.
Filimonov said the necessary infrastructure for the two ships is due to be built in the Primorsky Krai by 2015.
He also noted it is more convenient to dock the ships near major cities to provide housing for the crew and their families. The Mistral-class is capable of carrying 16 helicopters, four landing vessels, 70 armored vehicles, and 450 personnel.

© RIA Novosti.

France's Mistral amphibious assault ship

HAL's trainer pitted as Rs 4,500 cr cheaper than Swiss Pilatus trainer

A looming test case will soon make clear how serious the defence ministry (MoD) is about its recently expressed intentions to end corruption in arms procurement by indigenising defence production. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the Bangalore-based public sector aircraft builder, has challenged the Indian Air Force (IAF)'s plan to purchase more Pilatus trainer aircraft by building a basic trainer aircraft, using its own funding.

Of the IAF's total requirement of 183 basic trainer aircraft, 75 PC-7 Mark II trainers have already been bought for Rs 2,900 crore from a Swiss company, Pilatus. The first few trainers have already been delivered and the IAF will begin training rookie pilots on the PC-7 Mark II this July. With the IAF's immediate requirement met, HAL demands the IAF buy 108 HTT-40 trainers to complete its fleet.

This has led to a dramatic three-way face-off between the MoD, HAL and the IAF. The IAF insists that it needs more Pilatus trainers immediately and is pressing the MoD to exercise the options clause in the Pilatus contract for 37 more PC-7 Mark II trainers. HAL points out that Pilatus will complete delivery of the initial order for 75 trainers only in 2015. If the HTT-40 does not fly by then the options clause can be exercised then, bringing HAL's order down to 71 aircraft.

MoD, which is the final arbiter, is caught in a cleft stick. Last

China yet to deploy 094 sub, JL-2 & DF-41 missiles

China's Type 094 Jin-Class submarine and the JL-2 ballistic missile to be installed on the nuclear-powered warship are still in development or undergoing tests, Taiwan's security and intelligence chief said Monday.

"Neither of them has been deployed at any Chinese military base yet," Tsai Teh-sheng, director-general of the National Security Bureau (NSB), said at a hearing of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

Fielding questions from ruling Kuomintang Legislator Lin Yu-fang about the latest developments in China's military buildup, Tsai said China has also not yet deployed the new-generation Dongfeng (DF)-41 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

"All three of these new types of weapons are still being developed in China," Tsai said.

Given China's fast progress in military technology development, however, the possibility of China succeeding in producing and deploying the DF-41 mobile multi-warhead ICBM in the future is very high, Tsai said.

Based on past experience, Tsai said, China tends to experience difficulties in each stage of development when working on cutting-edge weapons or military equipment.

Russia to Lay Keel for 4th Project 11356 Frigate

The Russian Navy’s fourth Project 11356 frigate will have its keel laid on Thursday, the Yantar shipyard said on Monday.
The start of construction work on the Admiral Butakov frigate was postponed in October 2012.
The Kaliningrad-based shipyard is to build a total of six Project 11356 frigates under a contract with the Defense Ministry.
The lead warship in the series, the Admiral Grigorovich, was laid down in December 2010, the second, the Admiral Essen, in July 2011 and the third, the Admiral Makarov, in February 2012.
The shipyard is to hand over the six warships to the Navy between 2014 and 2016.
Project 11356 frigates are designed for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare on the high seas, and for

The Indonesian Navy Task Force of PKR starts its mission in the Netherlands

The Indonesian Navy Task Force for the Project Procurement of Guard Missile Destroyer (GMD) ship or known as the Satgas PKR, has arrived in the Netherlands on April 8, 2013. Consisting of 12 (twelve) Indonesian Navy officers,-led by First Admiral Mulyadi-, this task force will conduct its mission in Netherlands for the period of 24 months.


The task force team had paid a courtesy call to the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in The Hague,- H.E. Mrs. Retno L.P. Marsudi, accompanied by the Embassy’s Defence Attache, Col. Edy Sulistyadi, on Friday, 12 April 2013. During the meeting, the team explained road map of their work in the Netherlands.


As part of a signed deal between the Indonesian Ministry of Defence and the Damen Schelde Shipyard ship in Naval Shipbuilding (DSNs) Vlissingen to build 2 (two) Indonesian GMD ships, this task force will conduct its mission in assisting and supervising the construction process of the ships. The first ship will be handed over to the Government of Indonesia in January 2017, while the second one will be in October 2017. This

Airbus Military C295 demonstrates release of Marte missile

Airbus Military and MBDA have successfully demonstrated the release of an instrumented Marte MK2/S anti-ship inert missile installed under the wing of the C295 maritime patrol aircraft. This flight was the last of a series of trials performed in a joint Airbus Military – MBDA collaboration to validate the aerodynamic integration of Marte on C295, its handling qualities and performance tests.

The installation of weapons under the wings provides new operational capabilities to the C295 MPA allowing the aircraft to perform new missions demanded by customers. In the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role, the C295 is already in-service carrying the MK46 torpedo.

This successful trial provides further proof of the operational versatility of the Marte missile and clearly establishes it as the benchmark weapon in the medium weight anti-ship missile sector.

The Marte Mk2/S is already integrated on the AW-101 and the NFH (Naval NH90) helicopters in service with the Italian Navy and integration activities for the Marte ER on the Eurofighter Typhoon are currently underway.

Lockheed Martin’s Nemesis Missile Scores 3-For-3 in Flight Tests

Lockheed Martin  successfully demonstrated the launch, guided flight, target acquisition and precision strike capability of its Nemesis missile in three flight tests at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
Nemesis is a man-portable, surface-launched missile that enables warfighters to engage targets with precision lethality from as close as 100 meters to well beyond line of sight. The missile can be employed during dismounted operations as well as be adapted for employment from various ground, maritime or airborne platforms.
“Nemesis provides critical performance to forward-deployed troops in response to a stated warfighter capability gap,” said Frank St. John, vice president of tactical missiles and combat maneuver systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Warfighters must be able to trust that the weapons they deploy will deliver the intended effects every time. Our three-for-three flight tests demonstrate the missile is reliable and lethal.”
In the first two tests, Nemesis demonstrated vertical launch, GPS navigation to targets located at distances of eight and 12 kilometers, engagement by the missile’s semi-active laser (SAL) seeker and live warhead detonation. In both flights, Nemesis performed flawlessly, destroying the intended targets. The successful third shot demonstrated the vertical launch of an inert round, followed by GPS-only navigation to a target positioned just 100 meters away.

Congress rejects surplus U.S. frigates for Turkey

Turkey has failed to win U.S. approval for surplus
naval ships.
Officials said Congress failed to approve a Turkish request for two U.S.
Navy frigates in 2012. They said legislation introduced in and passed by the
House did not reach the Senate amid a heavy domestic schedule.
The Greek lobby in Congress has opposed the frigate deal with Turkey.
Ankara has warned of deploying its Navy to stop energy projects by
Israel and the Republic of Cyprus.
“There wasn’t enough time for the Senate to approve the bill before the
end of the legislative term,” an official said.
Under the bill, the Turkish Navy would have received two surplus guided
missile frigates for free. The vessels were identified as USS Halyburton and the USS Thach, retired from the U.S. military.

Dassault To Incorporate Major Upgrades To Rafale F3R

While attending the 9^th edition of LAAD, aircraft-maker Dassault Aviation has promised to deliver the most wide-ranging material to be incorporated on the Rafale aircraft which is in the running for the Brazilin F-X2 program.

According to reports, the Rafale is being upgraded to a new standard with major software upgrades and will known as the Rafale F3R.

The upgrade will complement the enhanced Thales RBE2 active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar which will allow the aircraft to deploy the MBDA Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM), along with affording improvements to the aircraft's Thales SPECTRA self-defence system and Mode-5/Mode-S-compatible Identification Friend or Foe interrogator/transponder.
In 2012, the French defence procurement agency (DGA) revealed that it awarded a contract to Dassault to complete a risk reduction study for an upgrade of the Rafale combat.

Indonesian Navy and Coast Guard may order up to 20 Aron littoral combat WIG Craft

According to several South Korean media, Indonesian Navy and Coast Guard would be interested in ordered up to 20 Aron wing in ground effect craft, following an initial order of 2 units by the government. The South Korean company conducted a demonstration campaign at the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) base in Jakarta.

The company previously received a lot of attention during INDODEFENCE 2012 which was held in November in Jakarta.Aron would be offering the M50 variant of its craft in a littoral combat configuration to the Indonesian Navy and Coast Guard.

Equipped with Optronics systems and a small naval radar, an armed Aron M50 can fire small anti-ship missiles or guided rockets to attack larger ships. Aron deployed from coastal bases can provide a country with swift first response capability against trespassing vessels on its maritime territory. According to the manufacturer, Aron is an asset in strengthening core coastal patrol operations. It is able to assist in tactical response to enemy ships and control of long distance ocean borders.

New Russian Submarines To Carry 16 ICBMs

The Russian Navy's new Borei-955 class submarines will each carry 16 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

Russian media reported on April 13 that original designs called for the new submarines to carry 20 ICBMs but technicians said the additional ICBMs would require extending the hull by 10 meters and making other modifications that would hamper the vessel's maneuverability.

News agency Interfax cited an unnamed source in the Russian defense industry as saying: "16 missiles are enough to deliver a nuclear strike. What is more important is to be able to clandestinely reach an attack position and launch missiles on designated targets."

Iskander Missiles And Russian Fighter Bomber Squadrons In Serbia?

The military presence of Russia in the Balkans can be the answer to the U.S. system PRO in Europe,” wrote Nezavisimaya Gazeta. After informing about the meeting between Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, they stated that meeting ended with mutual expressed hope for closer Russian-Serbian military cooperation.

The Nezavisimaya Gazeta quoted “experts” who stated that joining of Serbia to ODKB (as observer) is considered “breakthrough achievement of Russia and its allies in achieving its geopolitical interests in the south of Europe.”
The thing is that the Russian Defence League “ODKB” to this point only included the countries of the former Soviet Union, and now has two countries that have expressed interest in its functioning outside that circle – Serbia and Afghanistan.
They also stated that ODKB “within NATO and international community has no high rating” but ODKB is “recently experiencing a transformation,” and claims the “new geopolitical tasks facing Europe,” and situation changes significantly, says Russian newspaper.
It follows from the text that Serbian stand even surprised Russia itself, even though Serbia has been in negotiations for observer status for some time. Even official Russian leadership have not taken the idea seriously, because “Serbia in 2007 declared neutrality in relation to all blocks and alliances.”
“Everything changed when, in the autumn of 2012 President of the Supreme Council of United Russia, Boris Gryzlov visited Serbia ” whose subsequent statements indicate a possible new Russian angle of looking at things, no matter that “official Belgrade remained silent.”

Russia to Complete Helicopter Deliveries to Brazil in Fall

Russia will complete the delivery to Brazil of 12 Mi-35 (AH-2 Sabre) attack helicopters worth $150 million by this fall, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said on Wednesday.
“As of today, nine helicopters have been delivered and the remaining three will be shipped in the fall,” FSMTC director Alexander Fomin said at the LAAD 2013 defense exhibition in Rio de Janeiro.
The Mi-35M is an export version of the Mi-24 Hind that was used extensively in the Soviet war in Afghanistan. The Mi-24/35 is unique among dedicated attack helicopters insofar as it can carry troops, in addition to performing its attack role. Brazil signed the contract to purchase the helicopters back in 2008.
The Sao Paulo-based newspaper Valor Economico previously reported that the Mi-35s would be used in the Amazon region, in conjunction with Brazil's Embraer land and ground surveillance jets.
The Amazon region borders both Venezuela and Colombia, and is a prime location for transnational narco-terrorists and drug traffickers.
Fomin also said on Wednesday Russia has decided to deliver Pantsir surface-to-air missile systems to Brazil.
Brazil’s Defense Ministry said last month it wanted to buy three batteries of Pantsir-S1 missiles and two batteries of Igla missiles.
The Pantsir-S, produced by Russia's KBP, is a gun-missile system combining a wheeled vehicle mounting a fire-control radar and electro-optical sensor, two 30-mm cannons and up to 12 57E6 radio-command guided short-range missiles, and is designed to take on a variety of targets flying at low altitudes.
The Pantsir can engage targets up to 20 km (12 miles) by missiles and 4 km (2.5 miles) using cannons, KBP claims.

KC-46 progress on track

The top acquisition priority in the Air Force - acquiring a new aerial refueling capability - is proceeding "on track," Maj. Gen. John Thompson, the program executive officer for Tankers, said.

Two years and several key milestones after the contract was awarded, a great deal of progress has been made. The preliminary design review completed last year ensured the basic design would meet the key performance parameters required by the Air Force. Now, the program is steaming toward the completion of the critical design review later this year setting the stage to build and fly the first KC-46A Tanker in 2015.
Initial concerns that sequestration could force a contract renegotiation appear to be allayed based on increased flexibility afforded by the recent continuing resolution.
"There is no final assessment yet, but it appears positive," Thompson said.
The Air Force contracted with Boeing in February 2011 to acquire 179 KC-46 tankers to begin recapitalizing the KC-135 Stratotanker fleet. The initial delivery target is for 18 tankers by 2017. Production will then ramp up to deliver all 179 tankers by 2028.
"When the final KC-46s are delivered in 2028, they will replace KC-135s that are on the order of 80 years old," Thompson said, emphasizing the criticality of meeting program milestones.
The KC-46 contract has been widely cited as a model for future programs. Characterized as "fair to both parties" by Thompson, financial risk for the Air Force is limited to $4.9 billion for the development program, which includes the initial four aircraft.

New SA missile technology development project

South African missiles and unmanned air vehicles company Denel Dynamics unveiled a new missile technology development programme on Tuesday. The new programme, designated Marlin, is focused on technology for a new family of all-weather air defence missiles.

The intent is to produce both air-to-air missile (AAM) and surface-to-air missile (SAM) versions of the Marlin. The AAM model would be in the beyond-visual-range category while the SAM would come in naval and army versions.

South Africa is currently investing in risk-reduction technology for the programme. This could lead to a missile demonstrator. However, these activities are intended to form the basis of a joint development programme with a friendly country, inspired by the successful A-Darter programme with Brazil. Investment from a partner country will allow the Marlin initiative to become a full-scale weapon development programme.

“As seen with the A-Darter programme, this type of initiative can sustain and grow industry,” highlighted Denel Dynamics CEO Jan Wessels. “Competitive, indigenous, guided missiles design and development capability serves a number of strategic objectives  for both South Africa and other advanced developing nations. Locally developed defence products translate into improved technological capability for both countries and create an independent defence capability that is of strategic importance.”

Lockheed promises tailhook fix to Navy’s F-35C

Lockheed Martin has come up with a new design for the tailhook on the F35 Joint Strike Fighters  that should allow the Navy variant, the F-35C, to land on carriers and speed the long-delayed process of getting the aircraft out to the fleet, Lockheed and Navy officials said Wednesday.

Navy officials also said that they’ll have to do refits of the big-deck L-class of helicopter assault ships to accommodate the extreme heat and noise generated by the Marine Corps’ vertical-landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35B.
The tailhook and ship overhauls were disclosed at a generally upbeat forum involving Navy, Marine and industry representatives on the status of the F35 program, the most expensive weapons program ever undertaken by the Defense Department.
“There’s a little bit of pressure coming down on our heads” on the F35s, said Vice Adm. David Dunaway, head of the Naval Air Systems Command.  “We’re now in the meat of this program where we’re either going to succeed or fail. The Joint Strike Fighter has to fit in — it has to fit into the carrier air wing, and it has to fit into the MAGTF (Marine Air Ground Task Force),” Dunaway said.
“I can promise you that problems will occur” in the process of acquiring 260 F-35C Navy versions of the JSF, and 353 F-35B Marine versions, Dunaway said.
One of the problems was the initial design of the tailhook, which was a challenge for Lockheed Martin in that it had to be concealed within the airplane to enhance its stealth capability.

New Life for RNZAF Jets

After a decade collecting dust, New Zealand’s mothballed combat wing has taken to the skies again – in the United States.
The air force’s fleet of Skyhawks spent more than 10 years grounded after being decommissioned.
Last year eight were donated to museums across the country, and one was sent to a museum in Australia.
The remaining eight were snapped up US company Draken International for $7.9 million, including spare parts and engines.
Draken also bought nine of New Zealand’s Aermacchi jet training aircraft, which were decommissioned in 2001 but were flown regularly to keep them operational.
A team of New Zealand experts has been working alongside Draken staff at their Florida base to prepare the aircraft for flight.
Three of them – one Skyhawk and two Aermacchis – will take part in their first official fly-by during the Sun ’n Fun Airshow at Lakeland, Florida, at an event called the Royal New Zealand Air Force Heritage Day on Thursday.
The guest of honour for the event will be Air Vice-Marshal Graham Lintott, who is currently acting as defence attache at the New Zealand embassy in Washington.

Russia Develops Additional BMP-3 Variants

The Kurganmashzavod Joint Stock Company (JSC) is developing a more specialised version of the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) for the Russian Army.
The unified artillery command and surveillance vehicle is based on a BMP-3 IFV hull, but has a raised roof line in the rear area to provide greater internal volume for its specific role.
To locate and identify targets for artillery and mortar units the artillery command and surveillance vehicle is fitted with a retractable mast-mounted sensor pod that includes day/night observation devices and a laser rangefinder.
This sensor package is claimed to be able to measure targets out to a maximum range of 9,000 m to an accuracy of 10 m.
Target information can be relayed to a typical artillery or mortar battery command post (CP) up to 15 km away. This then supplies target information to the weapons, which can be located up to 2.4 km from the CP.