October 04 2012 The Jakarta Post

The Indonesian Air Force will soon receive two military transport aircraft CN295 from plane manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) to replace its retiring Fokker-27 Paratrooper.

PTDI spokesman IP Windu Nugraha said in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday that Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro would officially take delivery of the aircraft before handing them over to the Air Force on Thursday. “The handing-over ceremony will take place at Halim Perdanakusuma air base,” Windu said.

The two CN295 planes are part of the nine aircraft ordered by the Defense Ministry, the contract of which was signed during the Singapore Airshow in February this year, Antara news agency reported.

The CN295, a joint production between PTDI and Spain-based Airbus Military (formerly known as CASA), was manufactured in Seville, Spain. The aircraft landed at Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung on Sept. 30.

The Air Force plans to operate the CN295 for military purposes, logistics transportation and humanitarian missions across the archipelago.

Russian Air Force Mi-26

03 Oct 2012 newstrackindia.com

New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) The defence ministry has opened the bids of the two contestants in Indian Air Force (IAF) competition for heavy-lift helicopters and a decision would soon be taken on the winner based on the life-cycle costs.

Highly placed sources told India Strategic defence magazine (www.indiastrategic.in) that both the Russian Mi-26 and the Boeing Chinook Ch47F had qualified in the technical trials and that their financial bids, covering the initial acquisition cost as well as the lifecycle costs, were opened September-end.

The bids were opened in the presence of their representatives, and the winner would be declared based on what is known as the L-1, or the lowest bidder principle. The IAF is looking for 15 heavy-lift helicopters.

Sources said that a decision should take about a couple of months or so, unless one of the vendors has given incomplete replies for which clarifications would be required and that would add to the time needed. "Absence of replies or incomplete replies do happen, leading later to interpretation issues and disputes; so it is best to sort them out right in the beginning," the sources said.

They also said that discussions with the French manufacturer Dassault for finalising the contract for 126 Rafale medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) were being held on almost a daily basis and the contract should be finalised and signed by the end of fiscal 2012-13, that is by March 2013.

Representatives of Dassault, which makes and integrates the aircraft, and Thales and Safran (Snecma), the two companies which make the electronic warfare systems and engines respectively, have also been visiting New Delhi and Bangalore regularly for negotiations with IAF, defence ministry and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the lead Indian integrator. The option clause for 63 more MMRCAs would be worked out in due course of time as the negotiations progress.

Interestingly, all the aircraft deals with Russia so far have been on single-vendor, government-to-government basis, and to get a favourable decision in the case of heavy lift competition, the Russians will also have to fulfil the obligatory 30 percent offsets requirement, besides being lower in the costing. If they win, this will be the first aircraft offsets case for them.

The IAF has been using the Mi-26 helicopters for about a quarter century now, but they are outdated in technology, consume too much fuel, are expensive to maintain and their spares also are not easily available. Russia will have to produce newer units with refined technologies anyway for their own or global sales.

Lockheed Martin and Boeing of the US have won orders for 12 C-130J Super Hercules and 10 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and in both these deals, there is a 30 perrcent offsets clause.

The suppliers are given three years to deliver the first units after a contract is signed.

Singapore Armed Forces (left) and Australian Defence

Force (right) Main Battle Tanks involved in manoeuvre

training.

October 3, 2012 defpro.com

The Singapore and Australian Armies are conducting Exercise Matilda, a bilateral armour exercise, from 15 Sep to 5 Oct 2012 at the Mount Bundey Training Area in Darwin, Australia. Exercise Matilda 2012 comprises operational training as well as professional exchanges between both Armies. About 100 personnel from the 48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (48 SAR) and their Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tanks are involved in a bilateral manoeuvre exercise with their Australian Defence Force counterparts from the 1st Armoured Regiment.

Highlighting the value of Exercise Matilda, Commanding Officer of 48 SAR Major Lim Han Yong said, "Participating in this exercise with the ADF provides our tank commanders and operators an excellent opportunity to sharpen their tank gunnery and manoeuvre skills, and also allows us to exchange professional knowledge with the ADF."

The exercise is a testament to the close and long-standing defence relations between Singapore and Australia. The SAF and the ADF interact extensively through bilateral and multilateral training exercises, visits, professional exchanges and military courses. The two armed forces are also working together in close partnership in the multinational reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

3 octobre 2012 Par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

L’Australie envisage d’utiliser des technologies japonaises pour la construction de sa nouvelle flotte de sous-marins. Les 2 pays viennent d’annoncer un accord d’échange de technologies militaires.

Le ministre australien de la défense, Stephen Smith, a confirmé que les systèmes japonais de propulsion de sous-marin étaient bien le type de transfert de technologies que l’accord — dont les détails restent à définir — pourrait prévoir.

L’Australie va dépenser plus de 200 millions $ pour définir les spécifications et l’endroit où seront construits 12 nouveaux sous-marins. Les sous-marins japonais de 4.200 t possèdent de nombreuses caractéristiques très attractives.

Contrairement aux Collins australiens, les nouveaux Soryu japonais ont très bonne réputation, en particulier pour leur système de propulsion. Il leur permet de recharger les batteries sans faire surface, ce qui augmente fortement leur rayon d’action en plongée.

« L’Australie a désespérément besoin de la technologie japonaise pour ses sous-marins, » a expliqué Kosuke Takahashi, un spécialiste de la question.

Le coût des nouveaux sous-marins australiens est estimé à 40 milliards $ et le gouvernement s’est engagé à les faire construire à Adelaïde.

M. Smith a confirmé que les technologies sous-marines avaient bien été évoquées dans les discutions bilatérales avec son homologue japonais, Satoshi Morimoto.

« Nous avons connu depuis longtemps des difficultés pour l’entretien et le soutien des sous-marins de la classe Collins, » a expliqué M. Smith. « Les Japonais ont l’expérience de l’entretien et du soutien de sous-marins classiques. donc, évidemment, évoquer le sujet est quelque chose que nous allons faire. »

Référence : The Australian

10/3/2012 newsbharati.com Source: Agencies

New Delhi, October 3: India will strongly take up with Russia the delay in delivery of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov, asking it to deploy additional manpower to ensure the warship’s “refit” is completed within 67 months.

Defence minister A K Antony will stress this to his visiting Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov during the 12th meeting of India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) here on Thursday, said sources.

The delivery of the already much-delayed Vikramaditya was to take place on December 9, as per the re-revised timeline, but crippling engine-boiler malfunctions during sea trials have put paid to the plan. It has been a double whammy for the navy as far as its long-standing ambition to deploy two operational carrier battle groups (CBGs) by 2015 was concerned. First, delivery schedule of the 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) being built at Cochin Shipyard was pushed back to 2018.

And now, it’s certain the 44,570-tonne Vikramaditya will not be ready for induction anytime before end-2013 at the earliest. So, India will have to soldier on with its solitary carrier, the over 50-year-old 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, for the foreseeable future.

“We will tell the Russians to seriously step up the workforce at the Sevmash shipyard for the refit-repair of Vikramaditya. A leeway of three to four months is provided in the contract after the December delivery date… Beyond that, penalty clauses and liquidity damages could kick in,” said a source.

India has already paid $2.33 billion for Vikramaditya’s refit, instead of the original $974 million earmarked in the January 2004 contract under which the carrier was to be delivered by August, 2008. New Delhi is spending another $2 billion to induct 45 Russian MiG-29K naval fighters to operate from the decks of Vikramaditya and IAC.

During the delegation-level talks on Thursday, India and Russia will also discuss ongoing projects for 272 Sukhoi-30MKI fighters and 1,657 T-90S mainbattle tanks. While IAF has so far inducted 160 Sukhois towards getting all 272 by 2018 at a cost of over $12 billion, transfer of technology (ToT) problems continue to plague the T-90S tanks.

India had first ordered 310 tanks for Rs 3,625 crore in 2001, then another 347 for Rs 4,900 crore in 2007. But indigenous manufacture of another 1,000 T-90S tanks has been painfully slow, with the army having just about 710 of the tanks so far.

A source told a news agency: “A state commission has concluded it was necessary to extend the handover date to fall 2013 due to the need to fix all the faults found, including the insulation of the ship’s boilers.”

The source of the problem, which reduced the ship’s maximum speed from a design 29 knots to just 27.9 knots, was due to use of low-grade Chinesemade firebricks in the boiler insulation instead of asbestos, he said. Last week, the Chinese Defense Minister Yan Yujun flatly denied any such locally-made firebricks had been exported to Russia, it was reported.

Oct. 3, 2012 – Defense News (AFP)

BESANCON, France — A Taiwanese pilot died Oct. 3 when the fighter jet he was flying in France burst into a ball of flames after crashing in a forest, officials said.

The jet went down in the eastern district of Froideconche, the French military press office said in a statement that did not give the cause of the accident.

The 37-year-old Taiwanese officer’s death came just two months before the experienced pilot was due to complete a two-year stint in France as part of a cooperation accord between the two countries, officials in Taiwan said.

Taiwan, which bought dozens of jet fighters from France in the 1990s in an arms deal that irked China, identified the airman as Lt. Col. Wang Tung-yi.

“The plane lost contact not long after taking off. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear,” said air force spokesman Lt. Gen. Wu Wan-chiao.

The French air force said the dead officer was an experienced pilot with 1,300 hours of flying time under his belt. He was the only Taiwanese on training in France, they added.

Froideconche Mayor Henri Passard said the crash site — about 10 kilometers (six miles) from an air base — had been sealed off by rescue services.

“They first need to find out what weapons were on board,” he told AFP.

Taiwan purchased 60 Mirage 2000-5 in 1992 from French firm Dassault Aviation, with the last delivered in 2001, in an arms deal that upset China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan and is bitterly opposed to the island’s development of its military capacity.

Four of the jets sold to Taiwan have crashed in separate accidents, leaving 56 still in service.

October 3, 2012 defpro.com

Indian Defence Minister Shri AK Antony reiterated the importance of cooperation and collaboration among the maritime agencies in the South Asian Region for ensuring the security and safety of Oceans. Inaugurating the 8th Heads of Asian Coast Guards Meeting (HACGAM) here today, he stressed the commitment of the Government of India towards strengthening the Indian Coast Guard in terms of building its capacity for sustained presence in the Indian Maritime Zones.

He said that the importance of swift policy decisions by the governments, in keeping with the maritime environment, top priority must be accorded to the creation of safe and secure oceans. Governments and law enforcement agencies must implement national and international laws that can act as a deterrent for unscrupulous elements, he added. Shri Antony assured the delegation that the Indian Government remains committed towards the security of the Indian Ocean Region by implementing international regulations, enacting legislations for maritime safety and security, cooperative mechanism with nations and capacity-building of law-enforcement agencies.

“I would like to reiterate that oceans are and can become a domain for goodwill interactions between nations, mutual cooperation to provide humanitarian aid, preserving maritime environment and enforcement of law at sea. Nations must cooperate with each other to ensure everlasting peace and security. The Coast Guards have the potential to elevate the maritime status of a nation among littoral states, he added.

“We are also planning to augment our capacity in the fields of coastal security, anti-piracy, anti-terrorism operations and oil spill response capabilities. We are also willing to share our experience and expertise in evolving a coastal security mechanism to other nations”, he said.

The Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies meeting is being held for the first time in the South Asian region. The representatives of 18 countries including Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Peoples Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Phillipines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Hongkong are participating in the conference.

HACGAM is an apex level forum facilitating congregation of all the major Coast Guard Agencies of Asian region. This initiative was developed initially in 2004 to discuss cooperation among the member organizations to combat piracy in the region. However, the scope of discussions has been expanded to include law enforcement, maritime security, disaster prevention and relief and capacity building.

The HACGAM is conducted every year and seven such meetings have been conducted till date. In earlier years, it has been held in places like Tokyo, Putrajaya (Malaysia), Singapore, Manila, Bali, Shanghai and Hanoi.

October 2, 2012 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: The Canberra Times; issued October 2, 2012)

The Defence agency responsible for dealing with "cyber events" threatening the Australian government and systems of national importance is experiencing its busiest year.

Officially launched in January 2010, the Cyber Security Operations Centre, which is part of the Defence Signals Directorate, has reported 1105 incidents up until the end of August.

If the same average per month rate of incidents continues, the full year total will exceed 1650, which is greater than the 1259 reported in 2011 by 31.7 per cent, and the 1590 reported in 2010 by 4.2 per cent.

While several high profile security incidents have been covered in the media recently — such as those by the group calling itself Anonymous, and the worms and malware incidents Stuxnet, Duqu and Flame — the agency was “keeping pace with the threat”, according to the deputy director of its Cyber and Information Security Division, Mike Burgess.

“Defence has close relationships with its allies and other countries who understand that the cyber threat is a shared problem,” Mr Burgess said. “We keep pace by openly discussing best practice to reduce the threat.”

In 2011 there were 313 incidents “considered serious enough to receive heightened assistance from the Cyber Security Operations Centre”. This equates to about 25 per cent of all incidents reported to the agency that required a response.

While the number is not large in terms of overall security incidents experienced in Australia — CERT Australia for example has already reported 5000 incidents this year, many of which are more routine — the statistics should be viewed in light of the role the agency is meant to play in national security and the history of attacks targeting Australia, both physical and electronic. In other words, the total number of incidents is significant.

“It is expected this upward trend will continue as the directorate's work to increase government awareness of the threat results in more agencies becoming aware of and reporting more incidents on their networks,” said Mr Burgess. “The increase in cyber security incidents identified or reported to [the directorate] provides an opportunity to further understand the threat and in turn shape our policy and advice to government, such as [the directorate's] strategies to mitigate targeted cyber intrusions.”

The directorate is reviewing its mitigation strategies and a revised edition is expected to be launched at its Cyber Security Conference for government in October this year. The agency has previously advised businesses that 85 per cent of incidents could have been prevented by following just the first four of its suggestions.

The directorate was one of the first to use a supercomputer in Australia and in the last two years is understood to have procured a Cray Supercomputer in addition to its other infrastructure. It also uses advanced analytical tools but Mr Burgess pointed to people as being the critical tool.

“Our people are highly skilled and we recognise their technical expertise is in high demand.”

However, the question of whether the agency uses offensive tools (such as trojans and botnets) as part of its activities, as the US government has admitted, is not clear.

“The [agency] provides government with a greater understanding of cyber threats against Australian interests and provides response options for significant cyber events across government and systems of national interest,” Mr Burgess said. “Some of our capabilities are classified and cannot be discussed.”

With most of its operations highly classified there is little information available about the agency and external analysis of its success is hard come by. However, the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security has given the directorate a tick of approval in its last two reports; the 2011/12 report is not yet available.

Director of research at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Andrew Davies said the agency was pretty much a closed shop and bound by high classifications ratings. But in terms of general security capabilities in Australia he noted, "the ability to detect and defensively respond to intrusions has improved markedly in the last few years, and a much more systematic approach is possible these days".

Locally-made defence products to be exported under the potential contracts include unmanned aerial vehicles, fast interceptor craft, specialised military vehicles, simulation and training equipment, software, communications/command systems, as well as military maintenance, repair and overhaul services. (photo : UST)
 

03.10.2012 DEFENSE STUDIES

30/9/2012 Arie Egozi - israeldefense.com

India’s air force is seeking to equip its LCA jet fighter with an Israeli-produced radar

Will the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) being developed in India be equipped with an advanced radar system developed in Israel? The chances for that have increased in the recent days. Sources in India have informed that the Indian Air Force which is acquiring the LCA is interested in having it equipped with an AESA radar. Such a radar has been developed and is being produced by Elta, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, which is considered among the most advanced of its kind throughout the world.

While the Indian LCA project is suffering from a 15-year delay beyond the original schedules, it is nevertheless continuing. The 2nd prototype is expected to take flight only next year. The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) at India’s Ministry of Defense is developing an electronic scanning radar, but the Indian sources said that the developers will need foreign assistance. The aircraft is equipped with a US engine after the engine developed for it in India did not provide the necessary thrust. At this stage, India ordered 200 LCA MK2 aircraft -  the advanced version of the aircraft -  from the Indian defense industry.

AESA radars are considered the most advanced radars for jet fighters, and they improve the aircraft’s ability to detect aerial targets. In the past, the Ministry of Defense has prevented Elta from offering the new radar for export, but this was changed since several manufacturers, including US manufacturers, are offering them around the world.

According to the sources, the close military procurement relations between Israel and India allow for a good possibility of cooperation in developing the Indian radar that will be installed on the LCA.

October 2, 2012 idrw.org ( PTI)

The IAF is planning to join hands with an Israeli firm to upgrade the UAVs of the three services under a project worth over Rs 5,000 crore to enhance their snooping capabilities.

The three services operate a fleet of more than 150 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) procured from the Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) over the last few decades.

“Under the Rs 5,000 crore projects, we will upgrade the capabilities of the UAVs in all the three services with the help of the original equipment manufacturer IAI,” a senior IAF official told PTI here.

The IAF flies the Israeli-made Searcher II and Heron UAVs for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes and about 100 Searchers are in operation on Indian borders in western, northern and eastern regions.

After the upgrades, the IAF would be capable of operating these aircraft from far-off distances and control them through satellite communication system, he said.

The IAF has been saying in the recent past that it wants to increase the number of UAVs in the force and a team has also been formed at the Air Headquarters which is looking at the requirement of these machines in the force, the official said.

The Army also operates a sizeable number of UAVs and has deployed them in borders along the western and eastern fronts.

The Army was the first to induct UAVs in the 90s starting with Searcher Mark I and Searcher Mark II which could operate at an altitude of 15,000 feet and finally the Heron, which could operate at 30,000 feet.

The IAF followed it after some time to acquire the Searcher Mark I, Searcher Mark II and the Heron UAVs.

The Navy has also three operational squadrons of the Israeli UAVs deployed along both the eastern and the western sea board.

October 2, 2012 defpro.com

Indian Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has said that nanotechnology is an emerging field, which can lead to the development of new weapon systems and products that can benefit our nation. Addressing a workshop on nanotechnology here today,Shri Antony said today, the world over, endeavours are being made to focus attention on research & development in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is likely to find applications in various spheres of our life, including defence, energy, transportation, automobiles, health, infrastructure, food and agriculture.

The Minister said that the Government has declared the decade (2010-2020) as the decade of innovation. We expect our scientists to make concerted efforts at making inventions, discoveries and innovations during this decade. Complimenting DRDO for taking up nanotechnology mission for defence applications in this 'Decade of Innovation', Shri Antony said that Nanomaterials have useful implications as nanocomposites, nanocoatings, nanosensors and nanomedicine to enhance the combat efficiency of the soldiers in particular and the quality of life of the citizens of our country, as a whole.

There is a need to adopt a conglomerate, or a consortium approach that involves academic institutions and industries. All the organisations must act as a cohesive team to explore various aspects of nanotechnology for its application in the development of missiles, aeronautics, armaments, combat vehicles, materials and life support systems, the Minister added.

Shri Antony said that India has proved its strong capabilities and efficiency in the fields of information technology and biotechnology. DRDO must make all-out efforts to bring about a convergence of nanotechnology with information technology and biotechnology, he said.

Shri Antony said the production of DRDO-developed systems already inducted is worth Rs.42,000crores, he however, cautioned DRDO not to be complacent and set even higher targets. “Today, technology is changing at a rapid pace and DRDO must do its best to keep abreast of the latest technological changes taking place the world over. If DRDO lags behind, the technology being developed by it will become obsolete and it will not be able to provide state-of-the-art equipment to our Armed Forces. Thus, it must be the endeavour of all scientists to be innovative and creative in thought and action”, he added.

On this occasion, Shri Antony also presented the DRDO awards to the distinguished scientists for their achievements in developing technologies for Defence.

Oct 02 2012, The Indian Express

New Delhi - Concerned over recurring problems in MiG-27 combat aircraft engines, Indian Air Force is planning to phase out these Russian-origin planes by 2017.

IAF operates about 80 (four squadrons) of these aircraft in its fleet and due to the recurring problems in their engines, it had to ground all of them after a crash about two years ago.

"We are planning to phase out the MiG-27s, of which around 80 are still in service, by the year 2017," senior IAF officials said.

IAF has deployed two squadrons each of the aircraft in Jodhpur in Rajasthan and Kalaikunda in West Bengal at present.

About two years, a study was conducted to check the problems in the engines of the aircraft and it was found that the R-29s engines have developed some defect which was very difficult to be corrected, they said.

After the report, IAF took a considered decision about retiring these aircraft from operational service in a phased manner, the officials said.

"The first to be phased out would be the two squadrons based in Kalaikunda and then by 2017, the remaining two deployed in Jodhpur would also be on their way out of the force," they said.

The squadrons based in Jodhpur had undergone upgrades at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited recently and that is why they have more life left in them, the officials said.

IAF is also planning to phase out the crash-prone MiG-21 combat aircraft around the same timeframe. MiG-23 fighter and bomber aircraft which were inducted in the 1980s have already been phased out.