10 avril 2011 par Rédacteur en chef. LE PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

La première base opérationnelle destinée à accueillir les sous-marins nucléaires indiens, est actuellement construite en secret. Le gouvernement indien a débloqué 1,6 milliard de roupies (25 millions €). Plus de 580 millions de roupies ont été affectées aux travaux de génie civil. Le reste sera dépensé pour la construction de systèmes de communication sous-marines pour les sous-marins nucléaires, afin que les SNLE puissent communiquer entre eux et avec leur base. Développé sous le nom de code “Projet Varsha”, la base de sous-marins nucléaires sera située quelque part sur la côte est de l’Inde.

Les travaux ont commencé il y a près de 2 ans. La marine indienne a déjà dépensé 180 millions de roupies (2,8 millions €) pour ce projet. Les 2 premiers occupants de la base seront le sous-marin de construction indienne INS Arihant et le sous-marin Nerpa, que l’Inde va louer à la Russie. L’Arihant devrait être mis en service en 2012. Le Nerpa pourrait arriver binetôt : son équipage a besoin de d’entraînement à bord avant de prendre la responsabilité de la conduite du bâtiment. Une fois que les 2 sous-marins nucléaires seront opérationnels, la nouvelle base sera un élément stratégique. L’objectif est de la mettre au même niveau que la base sous-marine chinoise de l’île de Haïnan.

Les liaisons de communication sont cruciales pour les sous-marins nucléaires qui peuvent rester en plongée pendant des mois. Le gouvernement indien a donc débloqué 1 milliard de roupies (15,7 millions €) pour construire le système de communication à très basse fréquence pour les sous-marins et la base. L’an dernier, ce même projet n’avait reçu que 150 millions de roupies (2,3 millions €). Les essais de l’INS Arihant, lancé en juillet 2009, devaient durer 2 ans. Sa mise en service a été repoussée à 2012, sans que la marine indienne ne précise les raisons de ce retard. Deux autres sous-marins, dont la construction seraient en cours, devraient être opérationnels d’ici 2020.

Référence : Deccan Herald (Inde)

7 avril 2011 par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

source military-today.com

Comme le projet de construction de sous-marins Scorpène est en retard, l’Inde discute avec l’Allemagne pour moderniser ses sous-marins U-209. « Notre flotte sous-marine diminue et le nombre de sous-marins en service va encore se réduire avec le retard du projet Scorpène, » indiquent des sources de la marine indienne. « Les discutions ont lieu avec des responsables allemands en vue de moderniser les 4 sous-marins U-209, » ont-ils précisé. Les sous-marins U-209, qui portent le nom de classe Shishumar dans la marine indienne, ont été achetés à l’Allemagne au milieu des années 80. Le dernier a été mis en service en 1991. Dans le cadre de son Projet 75, la marine indienne prévoyait de mettre le premier Scorpène en service en 2011. Mais à cause de retards dus au chantier naval MDL et à la marine indienne, la première mise en service est maintenant attendue pour seulement la fin 2015. A cause de ces retards, le gouvernement indien a décidé de moderniser la flotte actuelle de sous-marins Kilo russes et les U-209. Quelques Kilo ont déjà été modernisés en Russie. Ils ont été équipés de nouveaux armements, systèmes et senseurs.

Référence : ZeeNews (Inde)

7 avril 2011 ISRAEL VALLEY

La société Rafael Systems s’apprête à signer un contrat majeur avec l’armée indienne. Celui-ci porte sur la livraison de missiles antichars « Spike » pour un montant proche du milliard de dollars. Cet accord devrait au passage consolider Israël comme principal fournisseur militaire auprès des autorités de New Dehli. De source proche du dossier, on indique que Rafael doit fournir un total de 8356 missiles antitanks, 321 lanceurs, ainsi que 15 simulateurs servant à la formation des militaires indiens. Le missilier israélien aurait néanmoins été le seul interlocuteur à donner suite à l’appel d’offres formulé en juin dernier par le ministère indien de la défense.

08.04.2011 par P. CHAPLEAU Lignes de Défense

Le New York Times de ce vendredi matin consacre un article au porte-avions que la Chine est en train de construire ou plutôt rénover aux chantiers de Dalian, puisque le Varyag est un navire ukrainien acheté en 1998. Nouveauté: c'est l'agence officielle chinoise qui a diffusé les premières images de ce navire. Le site chinois Xinhuanet.com propose par ailleurs une galerie photos des chantiers et surtout du navire (cliquer ici). Après l'avion J-20, la Chine laisse filtrer quelques images et infos sur ses capacités militaires. Vanité? Avertissement? Les ambitions chinoises sont de toutes façons désormais clairement connues.

NEW DELHI, April 7 (UPI)

India's air force won't accept any last-minute offers from bidders in a 126 medium-multi-role combat aircraft deal expected to be worth around $11 billion. "No offers for upgrades or changes in the original bid submitted by the six aircraft companies would be allowed as their aircraft have been judged on the basis of capabilities offered in the original bid and their performance in the field trials," an unnamed air force source told Indian media. The comment came after one bidder -- not named - suggested it could supply a more powerful engine. Planes in the running are the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet from Boeing, the Rafale by French firm Dassault, the Eurofighter Typhoon from Europe's EADS, Lockheed Martin's F-16, the Russian-made MiG-35 and the Gripen from Swedish firm Saab. But the final report on the planes and each bidder's value-for-money tender has been submitted to the Indian Defense Ministry for evaluation, with a final contract likely signed by July.

06, 2011 CHINA DEFENSE BLOG

Back in October of last year, CHINA DEFENSE BLOG blogged about the new PLAN Z-8 AEW project.Recently surfaced photos suggest that the project might have moved to the next stage of development.

CROC amphibious vehicle (photos : PN-Timawa)

07 April 2011 DEFENSE STUDIES

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines, as one of the world’s largest archipelagos, also has one of the longest combined coastlines on the planet. Patrolling them requires a well-trained military force and, just as importantly, an appropriate fleet of vehicles. Enter the Coastal-Riverine-Overland Craft (CROC). The CROC is a locally developed, Filipino-designed amphibious vehicle that combines the abilities of an all-terrain vehicle and a high-speed jet boat. CROC reportedly incorporates lightweight but rugged materials and breakthrough hull design. It is designed to be equally adept at running on land and cruising in the water. The CROC starts out as a 4x4 land vehicle and by retracting its wheels, transforms into a high-speed powerboat capable of navigating in deep and shallow water. On land, the CROC is projected to be capable of speeds up to 120 km/h, and with a 200-liter dual fuel tank, could attain a range of 1000 km. Its specs include independent double-wishbone suspension at the front, and a rear torsion bar with coil-over-Eibach springs. It is even equipped with four-wheel steering, providing maneuverability in tight spaces such as the infamous U-turns along C5. It’s equipped with four-wheel disc brakes.

06 April 2011 DEFENSE STUDIES

Jakarta asks Seoul to buy more planes, accept penalty write-offs. Indonesia has asked South Korea to write off $20 million in penalties over the former’s delayed delivery of CN-235 transport aircraft in return for buying the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet, which can also be used as a light attack plane, according to government and industry sources Tuesday. Jakarta also requested Seoul purchase four more CN-235s under a barter deal, the sources said.

06 April 2011 DEFENSE STUDIES(Yonhap)

SEOUL, (Yonhap) -- North Korea has strengthened the intensity of its naval drills this year by deploying a new submarine, prompting South Korea's military to raise its level of vigilance, a government source here said Wednesday. "North Korea is on naval maneuvers near its bases off the East Sea and Yellow Sea by mobilizing five to six submarines, including a new Sango class submarine," the source said on the condition of anonymity. "Our military is closely monitoring activities of the North Korean military because it is unusual for the North to strengthen the intensity of its submarine drills," the source said. In addition to its rudimentary 35-meter-long Sango class submarines, the North recently put the new 40-meter-long Sango submarines into service, according to the source. On Tuesday, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin told lawmakers that his military is carefully watching the eastern and western sea borders with North Korea as the North's armed forces have staged seaborne infiltration drills. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high following the North's two deadly military attacks last year, which killed a total of 50 South Koreans. The South's military bolstered firepower and surveillance systems near the sea borders with North Korea to counter any possible attacks from the North.

DAEGU AIR BASE, Republic of Korea, April 5, 2011

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that it delivered F-15K 47 and F-15K 48 to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) at Daegu Air Base on March 15. The two F-15K Slam Eagles departed St. Louis on March 8 and made stops in Palmdale, Calif., Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam.

“Boeing continues to work closely with its ROKAF customers to ensure we deliver quality aircraft on schedule and on budget,” said Roger Besancenez, Boeing F-15 Program vice president. “We are committed to providing the ROKAF with the most capable combat-ready multirole aircraft in the world.”

Six of the new F-15K Slam Eagles are scheduled to participate in an advanced aerial combat training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in early 2012.

Boeing delivered the first six of 21 F-15Ks it is producing under the Next Fighter II contract in 2010. The remaining 13 aircraft will be delivered through April 2012.

The F-15K is an advanced variant of the combat-proven F-15E. Equipped with the latest technological upgrades, it is extremely capable, survivable and maintainable. The aircraft’s service life is planned through 2040, with technology insertions and upgrades throughout its life cycle. Boeing completed delivery of 40 Next Fighter I fighter aircraft to the ROKAF in October 2008.

05/04/2011 MER et MARINE

Le Ryu Sung-ryong, troisième destroyer sud-coréen du type KDX 3, a été lancé le 24 mars par les chantiers Hyundai Heavy Industries. Dérivé des Arleigh Burke américains, ce navire, qui affichera un déplacement d'environ 10.000 tonnes en charge, mesure 165.9 mètres de long pour 21.4 mètres de large. Comme ses deux aînés, livrés en 2008 et 2010, le Ryu Sung-ryong disposera d'un système de défense aérienne Aegis, capable de suivre 1000 pistes et d'engager simultanément une vingtaine de cibles. L'armement comprendra 16 missiles antinavire Hae Seong/Sea Star (version locale du Harpoon américain), ainsi que 128 cellules de lancement vertical pour missiles surface-air SM-2 MR et ESSM, missiles de croisière Cheong Ryong/Sea Dragon et missiles anti-sous-marins Hongsangeo/Red Shark. S'y ajouteront un système surface-air RAM, une tourelle de 127mm, un système d'artillerie multitubes Goalkeeper et six tubes lance-torpilles. Une plateforme et un hangar permettront d'embarquer deux hélicoptères. HHI prévoit de livrer le Ryu Sung-ryong à la marine sud-coréenne en août 2012.

Amsterdam, Netherlands (SPX) Apr 04, 2011

The Australian defense industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.97% from a value of US$20.8 billion in 2009 to US$24.7 billion by 2015. Indeed, in 2009, the Australian government launched a new military modernization plan to upgrade its forces in order to counteract the threat posed by rising global terrorism, changing political dynamics in the Asia-Pacific region and the rising number of peacekeeping operations undertaken by the Australian forces.

Furthermore, with the exception of a spike of 2.3% in 2009, defense expenditure as a percentage of its gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to increase from 1.9% in 2005 to 2.1% in 2015.

However, while the capital expenditure as a percentage of defense budget peaked at 29.4% in 2009, the government is expected to decrease this value to 23.7% by 2015. This is due to the increased budget allocation for revenue expenditure in order to manage matters such as death and retirement benefits, and support services.

During the forecast period, the key market opportunities in the defense industry are expected to emerge in categories such as defense information technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), helicopters, upgraded vehicles, armory, submarine rescue vehicles, sonar systems, troop protection equipment, patrolling ships, monitoring and security equipment.

Australian companies included in the study:

+ Raytheon Australia

+ Boeing Defense Australia

+ Saab Systems

+ General Dynamics Land systems Australia

+ Lockheed Martin Australia (LMA)

+ Navantia, Tenix Defense

+ Australian Aerospace

+ Serco Sodexho Defense Services (SSDS)

+ Thales Australia

+ ASC

RAAF BASE WILLIAMTOWN, New South Wales, April 4, 2011 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that the company's Vigilare network centric command and control system (NC3S) developed for the Commonwealth of Australia has completed site acceptance testing at the Eastern Regional Operations Centre (EROC) at Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Williamtown.

During the site acceptance testing conducted March 7-18, Boeing demonstrated that EROC is successfully interfacing with all external systems and that Vigilare has the full range of system functionality to provide enhanced battlespace management and surveillance operations for the RAAF.

Boeing and the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation's Vigilare Project Office recently received an Australian Defence Magazine Judges’ Choice Award for their collaboration and commitment as they deliver Vigilare to the RAAF.

"EROC is the last piece of the puzzle for Vigilare. Once it joins the Northern Regional Operations Centre (NROC) in operations, the RAAF will have a truly complete and comprehensive operational picture of the skies above Australia and surrounding areas," said Lee Davis, Vigilare project manager, Boeing Defence Australia.

EROC's final test is an operational test taking place from March 28 to April 8. Operational testing prepares EROC for conditional acceptance, which is the last milestone before final system acceptance from the Commonwealth of Australia. NROC, located at RAAF Base Tindal, Northern Territory, has been operational since Sept. 2.

"The Judge's Choice Award is especially gratifying as we prepare to complete delivery of this complex project to Australia," said Mike Scott, general manager of Boeing Defence Australia's Network & Space Systems division. "We're enormously proud to be recognized for excellence in collaboration with the Defence Materiel Organisation and our supplier partners."

Vigilare, the RAAF's ground-based air defense system, consists of two operations centers, NROC and EROC, which are equipped with operator consoles and equipment to form a recognized wide area surveillance picture that is distributed to national command and control centers.

NC3S is Boeing Defence Australia's international Vigilare product. It combines information in near real-time from a wide range of platforms, sensors, tactical data links and intelligence networks to deliver tactical and strategic surveillance operations and battlespace management in the air and joint domains. The live inputs from these sources present a unified operational picture to the operator at single or multiple operational centers.

Boeing Defence Australia's Network & Space Systems division provides a range of command and control, managed network communications, engineering services and cyber and information solutions, including Australia's Modernised High Frequency Communications System and Vigilare ground-based air defense system.