Jun 6, 2013 ASDNews Source : DRS Technologies Inc.,

DRS Technologies, Inc., a Finmeccanica Company, announced that it received a $25 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for the design, development and delivery of two Transporter Erector Replacement Vehicles to support the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Minuteman III fleet. If all options are exercised by the Air Force, the total program value for up to 26 mobile vehicles under this contract could reach over $92 million.

The Transporter Erector is a vehicle used for transporting, positioning and removing the Minuteman III booster at launch facilities at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming; Malmstrom AFB, Montana; Minot AFB, North Dakota; Hill AFB, Utah; and Vandenberg AFB, California.  The current Transporter Erector used by the Air Force was fielded in 1988.  The Air Force Global Strike Command, overseeing this replacement, requires a modern and forward-looking system that will sustain booster handling operations through 2030.

Under the Air Force Transporter Erector Replacement Program, DRS Environmental Systems in Cincinnati, Ohio, will redesign and build new transport vehicles that will fully modernize the operational system.

The design and development of the first two Transporter Erectors to be used in system qualification are due to be completed in November 2015.  If all production options are exercised, 26 Transporter Erectors will be delivered to the Air Force through September 2019.

"DRS will draw upon its 40 years of experience with system engineering, design, and production of mission-critical mobile shelters and transport trailers for the military," said Roger Sexauer, president of DRS Power and Environmental Systems.  "The Environmental Systems Team has been supporting the Air Force ICBM program office for over 20 years and is committed to providing continued support to a critical part of the our Nation's strategic deterrent forces," according to Sexauer.

KOVROV, 4 juin - RIA Novosti

Lors d'une visite à l'usine d'armement V.Degtiarev de Kovrov (250 km à l'est de Moscou) mardi, le vice-premier ministre russe Dmitri Rogozine s'est familiarisé avec le système polyvalent d'appui au combat Nerekhta, conseillant à ses concepteurs de remplacer les mitrailleuses par des roquettes.

"Cet engin pourrait être doté d'un module deux fois plus grand, car vous voyez que ses « épaules » (la plateforme) sont larges, tandis que sa « tête » (le poste de tir) est trop petite", a indiqué le vice-premier ministre.

Il a proposé d'étudier la possibilité d'équiper le Nerekhta de roquettes antichars Kornet.

Le système Nerekhta constitue une nouvelle arme prometteuse destinée à appuyer l'infanterie. Ce système est constitué de deux mitrailleuses de char montées sur une plateforme mobile téléguidée. Selon les concepteurs du Nerekhta, cet engin est en mesure de franchir des obstacles importants aussi bien en ville qu'à la campagne, y compris en hiver.

M. Rogozine s'est également familiarisé avec un prototype de véhicule d'évacuation. Il s'agit d'un robot capable de recueillir deux blessés sur le champ de bataille, de les placer dans un compartiment sécurisé et de leur administrer les injections nécessaires sans aucune participation humaine.

Le vice-premier ministre a en outre examiné les stabilisateurs de canons de char, le système de navigation pour missiles sol-air Pantsir et un système de pointage automatisé pour pièces d'artillerie. La principale question qui l'intéressait était de savoir si les modèles présentés surpassaient les armements similaires de fabrication étrangère. Les ingénieurs qui accompagnaient M. Rogozine ont assuré que ces modèles ne cédaient en rien aux systèmes étrangers et que dans le cas des stabilisateurs de canons, ils surpassaient considérablement ces systèmes.

6/1/2013 Strategy Page

GULF OF ADEN (May 30, 2013) A landing craft air cushion (LCAC) enters the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). Kearsarge is the flagship for the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and, with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is deployed supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Corbin J. Shea)

Jun. 5, 2013 - By JAROSLAW ADAMOWSKI – Defense News

WARSAW — The Polish Ministry of Defense is aiming to purchase middle-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, the ministry’s Armament Inspectorate said in a statement. The procurement is part of Poland’s plans to overhaul its missile defense system from 2014 to 2023.

The ministry invited interested manufacturers to participate in a dialogue through which they will be provided more detailed information on the technical and strategic requirements of the procurement. The deadline for applications is June 21, the statement said.

In addition to middle-range systems, the Polish ministry is planning to acquire short-range missiles. Under the plan, deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2017.

Poland’s National Security Bureau estimates that acquisition of a new missile defense system could be worth between 8 billion zloty and 12 billion zloty (US $2.5 billion to $3.75 billion).

In April, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski signed a bill on modernizing and financing the Polish Armed Forces that secured a separate stream of funding to overhaul its missile defense system. According to the bill, the funds will be set aside from the country’s defense budget from 2014 to 2023.

4 Jun 2013 By Craig Hoyle - FG

London - France will receive its first A400M tactical transport in late June or early July, after the nation's air force has displayed the type at the Paris air show, says Airbus Military programme head Cedric Gautier.

The company completed production acceptance tests with lead aircraft MSN7 at its San Pablo site in Seville, Spain in May, Gautier says, adding: "We as industry consider the aircraft as ready for delivery. Customer acceptance is ongoing, and is going well."

Meanwhile, the same production acceptance process has also been launched for the French air force's second A400M, which is expected to be transferred "in the summertime". Sources had suggested that aircraft MSN8 was due to make its flight debut late last month, but Gautier on 30 May said a decision was taken to delay this by around one week, due to "some very little short-term conflict with MSN7's delivery process".

Airbus Military also expects to conduct the first flight of an A400M for the Turkish air force before the end of June, with MSN9 scheduled to be delivered in late September. This will be followed by a third example for France, in December, with MSN10 the first aircraft to be completed in the SOC1 software standard - which will introduce tactical capabilities including initial aerial delivery and self-protection equipment. First flight is planned for late September.

Targeted for completion ahead of Bastille Day events to be staged in France on 14 July, the delivery of MSN7 is a key milestone as the European manufacturer looks to attract more export orders for the Atlas, beyond the four units to be delivered to Malaysia.

"Entry into service is the real starting point for us for a marketing campaign," Gautier says. "Our potential customers want to have a clear view of the aircraft being used by launch operators." Airbus Military officials say it is already negotiating possible deals with several undisclosed nations, with the company having previously described opportunities as existing in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Gautier believes a new export order could potentially be agreed within the next 18- to 24-months, although one production slot is available for delivery during 2016, should a buyer emerge in time.

With Germany having previously expressed a desire to operate just 40 of its originally planned 60 and already revised 53 A400Ms, France's publication of a new defence White Paper in April also hinted at a need for a potentially reduced fleet than the 50 it is under contract to receive.

"There is a risk regarding the capability of the [French] customer to take on time all the aircraft," Gautier says. "Perhaps they will take some measures later on, but for now they have an urgent need."

Gautier notes that Airbus Military has had no discussions so far with Europe's OCCAR defence procurement agency about reducing its production total below the 170 A400Ms on order for Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the UK. "The short term and the medium term is protected," he adds. The company will look to offer any surplus slots to the export market from late this decade if any of the core nations opt to reduce the size of their planned fleets.

Meanwhile, flight testing with the new type has recently advanced to include initial air-to-air refuelling proximity flights, ahead of a Eurocopter demonstrator for the EC725 utility helicopter, says Eric Isorce, head of A400M flight tests. Conducted in late May, the process involved aircraft Grizzly 2 deploying a refuelling hose for the rotorcraft to approach at flight speeds of 130kt (240km/h) down to 105kt.

Further work with the A400M acting as a receiver aircraft during refuelling should be conducted in September 2013, behind a C160 Transall airlifter. More than 30 dry contacts already performed between the types by multiple pilots have shown the new aircraft's ability to maintain contact, even during turns of up to 20˚ angle of bank, Isorce says.

With the company's five-strong fleet of Grizzly development aircraft having accumulated more than 5,000 flight hours through 1,700-plus flights since December 2009, Gautier says: "We are now devoted to the SOC1 and 1.5 standards development." To be fielded by late 2014, the latter will add air-to-air refuelling functionality and expanded self-protection systems: "the vast majority of the tactical capabilities to operate in a hostile environment," he notes.

Beyond the four aircraft to be delivered this year, structures for two more A400Ms are already on the final assembly line, with 15 others currently in the production or subassembly stages at supplier sites, and long-lead items already ordered out to aircraft MSN32. "The A400M is now part of the production landscape in Europe," Gautier says

June 4, 2013 by Think Defence

Did we discuss this, not sure?

From Akzo Nobel

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) asked AkzoNobel – makers of paints and coatings such as Intergard, Sikkens and Dulux – to develop a high-tech paint with a colour that would be suitable for the desert environments where most military operations are focused.

The new camouflage paint – known as Army Brown – will replace the sand colour that has been used on Army vehicles since before the Second World War.

To produce the new colour the MoD collected high resolution imagery in Afghanistan and flew rock and soil samples back  to Britain, where  a team at the Government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory developed a colour optimised for vehicles operating in that environment.

AkzoNobel scientists were then asked to develop a new water-based camouflage coating that conformed with the colour requirements. Developed under the Intergard brand the new Army Brown paint is similar to the tan colour used by the military in the US and Australia. It is designed to provide a better balance between arid, desert-like areas and the green zone with its lush vegetation.

AkzoNobel has developed a special temporary peelable coating which can be quickly sprayed or brushed onto the Army vehicles to provide a quick camouflage change and then peeled off. The revolutionary coating is capable of absorbing chemical warfare agents and stopping them getting through to the vehicle underneath. The contaminated coating can then be stripped off and disposed off. It also protects the vehicles against weathering and corrosion.

AkzoNobel scientists are currently working on further developments which would mean the coating would change colour when it absorbed toxic chemicals, alerting the soldiers that they are under chemical attack. Rather than just absorbing the chemicals it would also be able to neutralise them.

Army Brown is being used on the UK’s Foxhound light patrol vehicles. Army Brown has also been applied to some of the Warrior tracked armoured vehicles deployed to Afghanistan.

The Intergard coating has been developed by AkzoNobel’s aerospace coatings team. AkzoNobel’s Global Market Director Andrew Richardson said:

““We were delighted to be asked to work on the new colour for British Army vehicles and continue our partnership with the Ministry of Defence.
“The new paint colour has been specifically designed for the desert-like environment where most operations currently take place.
“The water-based paint will provide an exceptional performance in the most challenging environments.”

• Even the paint is going hi tech, interesting about the peelable nature of it and the level of protection against chemical agents.

BRUXELLES, 4 juin - RIA Novosti

L'OTAN pourrait assurer la formation des forces de sécurité libyennes hors de la Libye, a annoncé mardi à Bruxelles le secrétaire général de l'OTAN Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

"Il ne s'agit pas de déployer des troupes (de l'OTAN) en Libye. Si nous nous occupons de l'entraînement et de la formation des forces de la sécurité, nous pouvons le faire hors du pays", a indiqué M.Rasmussen devant les journalistes, avant l'ouverture d'une réunion des ministres de la Défense des 28 pays membres de l'organisation.

Le gouvernement libyen a demandé des conseils de l'OTAN en matière de sécurité la semaine dernière, selon M.Rasmussen. Les pays membres de l'Alliance ont décidé lundi "d'envoyer une délégation d'experts en Libye pour examiner cette requête". Les autorités libyennes et les experts de l'OTAN doivent "identifier les domaines dans lesquels nous pouvons apporter notre expertise", a-t-il ajouté.

Un haut responsable américain avait indiqué lundi que l'OTAN pourrait dépêcher une mission de formation et d'entraînement des forces nationales de sécurité en Libye.

D'après M.Rasmussen, une délégation de l'Alliance, qui partira prochainement à destination de la Libye, présentera les résultats de sa visite dans un rapport avant la fin du mois de juin.

Les Etats-Unis et la France se sont déjà prononcés en faveur de l'octroi d'une assistance à la Libye dans la formation de ses forces de la sécurité.

05/06/2013 par Sara Teodosio – 45eNord.ca

Le président du Nigéria, Goodluck Jonathan, a officiellement interdit mardi les activités des groupes islamistes Boko Haram et Ansaru.

Le bureau du président a déclaré dans un communiqué que «le président Goodluck Jonathan a formellement ratifié l’interdiction de Boko Haram et autorisé la publication d’un ordre déclarant que les activités du groupe sont illégales et constituent des actes de terrorisme». Cette mesure vise également le groupe Ansaru précise le communiqué.

Ansaru, considéré comme une faction du groupe Boko Haram, serait notamment impliqué dans des affaires d’enlèvement, dont le rapt en 2011 dans l’État de Kebbi (nord-ouest) d’un Britannique et d’un Italien tués le 8 mars 2012 et l’enlèvement en décembre 2012 dans l’État de Katsina (nord) d’un ingénieur français. Il serait également responsable de la mort de centaines de personnes dans des attaques menées dans le nord et dans le centre du pays depuis 2009.

Les activités des deux groupes tombent désormais sous le coup de la loi antiterroriste et toute personne en rapport avec ces groupes pourra être poursuivie et condamnée au regard de celle-ci. Ainsi, un individu apportant ou sollicitant une aide, notamment financière et logistique, pourra être condamné à «pas moins de vingt ans» d’emprisonnement.

Après avoir déclaré, le 14 mai à la télévision nationale, que les actions de Boko Haram «équivalent à une déclaration de guerre et à une tentative délibérée d’ébranler l’État nigérian et de menacer son intégrité territoriale», le président avait annoncé une vaste offensive dans le nord-est du pays pour tenter de stopper les violences du groupe.

Depuis lundi, la tête du chef présumé de Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau est mise à prix. Washington offre sept millions de dollars de récompense pour toute information conduisant à sa capture.

05 juin 2013 Romandie.com (AFP)

ANTIGUA (Guatemala) - Le secrétaire d'Etat américain John Kerry a déclaré mercredi qu'il avait demandé à son homologue français Laurent Fabius de partager ses informations sur l'usage éventuel de gaz sarin en Syrie.

Le président américain Barack Obama a tracé une ligne rouge concernant l'usage d'armes chimiques en Syrie et toutes les options restent ouvertes, a averti M. Kerry, en marge de l'assemblée générale de l'Organisation des Etats américains (OEA), au Guatemala.

M. Kerry a expliqué qu'il avait été en contact avec Laurent Fabius avant et après que la France et la Grande-Bretagne eurent annoncé avoir des preuves de l'usage d'armes chimiques en Syrie, qui selon le président français François Hollande obligent la communauté internationale à agir.

Je lui ai demandé s'il pouvait nous envoyer cette information, pour savoir comment les preuves étaient arrivées entre ses main, quelle est leur origine, a détaillé M. Kerry devant des journalistes.

Mais, clairement, c'est une déclaration très importante, une découverte très importante, a estimé John Kerry.

Les Etats-Unis continuent d'analyser les éléments en leur possession concernant l'usage d'armes chimiques par le régime syrien, a-t-il poursuivi.

Je suis très à l'aise avec notre calendrier, a ajouté le ministre, mais ne vous y trompez pas, la 'ligne rouge' du président (Barack Obama) est réelle, a-t-il averti.

M. Obama a déclaré par la passé que l'usage d'armes chimiques serait la ligne rouge qui justifierait une action militaire.

Laurent Fabius a accusé mardi le régime de Bachar al-Assad d'avoir utilisé à au moins une reprise du gaz sarin en Syrie, soulignant qu'une ligne a été franchie et que toutes les options sont sur la table.

Nous n'avons aucun doute sur le fait que les gaz ont été utilisés (...). La conclusion du laboratoire est claire : il y a du gaz sarin, a affirmé sur la chaîne de télévision France 2 le chef de la diplomatie française, qui a évoqué des échantillons provenant de journalistes du quotidien Le Monde, mais aussi d'une autre source qu'il n'a pas précisée.

MOSCOU, 3 juin - RIA Novosti

Les travaux en cours sur le site militaire de Parchin, près de Téhéran, pourraient empêcher les experts de déterminer la nature des opérations qui y sont menées, a déclaré lundi le directeur général de l'Agence internationale de l'énergie atomique Yukiya Amano.

"L'Iran mène une activité intense sur le site de Parchin, auquel l'AIEA voudrait avoir accès. Il s'agit de transport de terre, de travaux d'asphaltage et peut-être du démantèlement de certaines constructions. Même si nous obtenons un accès, il pourrait être impossible de vérifier" la nature des opérations menées sur ce site, a indiqué M. Amano aux journalistes.

Plus tôt dans la journée, le directeur général de l'AIEA avait une nouvelle fois sommé l'Iran de fournir un accès au site militaire de Parchin.

L'Agence soupçonne l'Iran d'avoir effectué à Parchin des tests d'explosion conventionnelle applicable au nucléaire, ce que Téhéran dément. Jusqu'ici, l'accès à Parchin, situé à 30 km de Téhéran, était inclus dans les discussions sur un accord visant à donner aux experts de l'agence un accès plus large à des sites, documents ou individus pouvant aider à déterminer la nature du programme nucléaire iranien.

Les Etats-Unis et d'autres pays reprochent à l'Iran de vouloir se doter de l'arme nucléaire sous couvert du programme nucléaire qu'il prétend réaliser à des fins pacifiques. Téhéran reconnaît enrichir de l'uranium à 20%, mais affirme que ses activités nucléaires ont pour seul objectif de satisfaire les besoins du pays en électricité.

WASHINGTON, June 5 (UPI)

Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works will build nine DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers for the U.S. Navy.

The two separate, multiyear procurement contracts are together worth more than $5.1 billion.

The Navy said General Dynamics Bath Iron Works will design and build four DDG 51 class ships beginning this year and continuing into 2017. The contract includes an option for a fifth ship.

Huntington Ingalls Industries will construct five ships, one each year until 2017.

"These contract awards represent great value to the taxpayer and will ensure our warfighters have the ships and systems they need to prevail in any situation," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. "By leveraging competition in the DDG 51 class shipbuilding program, these shipbuilders will continue their proud histories in delivering these highly capable ships to the fleet while meeting critical operational requirements for integrated air and missile defense capability."

The Navy said the destroyers will be in a Flight III configuration in which Aegis AN/SPY-1D radar is replaced with Air and Missile Defense Radar, and improved weapons and sensor suites are installed.

June 5, 2013 by Brendan McGarry - defensetech.org

A Republican-led defense panel in Congress easily rejected a proposal to withhold most funding for the F-35 fighter jet next year.

The House Armed Services Committee on June 5 voted 51–10 against the amendment sponsored by Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., while debating its version of the 2014 defense authorization bill. The legislation sets policy goals and spending targets for fiscal 2014, which begins Oct. 1.

Calling it a “good government issue,” Duckworth proposed freezing procurement funding for the Joint Strike Fighter program until Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel certified that the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corp., fixed problems with the aircraft’s software and several pieces of hardware, including the helmet-mounted display, fuel dump system and arresting hook.

“I want contractors to be held accountable and I want to fix the technical problems before we give them another $6 billion of taxpayer money,” she said during the hearing. “There’s nothing wrong with flying before we buy. In fact, most of us test drive cars before we [buy].”

The Defense Department next year plans to spend $8.4 billion to buy 29 F-35 Lightning II aircraft, including 19 for the Air Force, six for the Marine Corps and four for the Navy. The funding includes $6.4 billion in procurement, $1.9 billion in research and development and $187 million in spares.

Duckworth said she has “serious concerns” that buying production models of the planes while they’re still being tested — a practice known in acquisition parlance as concurrency — has led to developmental problems and a 68-percent surge in the projected cost of the program.

The Joint Strike Fighter is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, with an estimated cost of $391 billion to develop and build 2,457 aircraft.

Duckworth cited comments made last year by Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, in which he criticized his own department’s decision to begin production of the single-engine jet years before its first test flight as “acquisition malpractice.”

Many of the aircraft’s most vaunted technologies “remain untested and unready,” Duckworth said. Flight testing of the software package designed for initial aircraft operations, known as Block 2B, was only 5 percent complete as of last month, she said.

Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, chairman of the panel’s Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee, said the amendment would effectively halt funding for the F-35 program, triggering delays and additional cost increases.

“We believe that we address the issues with the F-35 in the mark,” he said.

Turner was referring to language his subcommittee drafted in the legislation that would order the Pentagon to establish an independent team of subject matter experts to review software development for the program and submit a report to lawmakers by March 3, 2014.

Turner also cited as evidence of progress in the program a March report from the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of congress, subtitled, “Outlook Is Improved, but Long-Term Affordability Is a Major Concern.”

The Pentagon last week announced that the Marine Corps will begin operational flights of the F-35 fighter jet in 2015, followed by the Air Force in 2016 and the Navy in 2019.

NEW YORK, June 5 (UPI)

A surging commercial aviation market last year offset a soft defense sector, giving the aerospace and defense industry a bumper year, a U.S. report says.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers reported the top 100 A&D companies reported a record-setting $695 billion in revenue in 2012 and $59.8 billion in operating profit.

Revenue rose 4 percent compared with the previous year. Operating profit was up 2 percent from 2011 while the operating margin decreased 17 basis points to 8.60 percent.

The data does not take into account the acquisitions of Goodrich last year by United Technologies Corp. and GE Aviation's acquisition of Avio so the statistics "slightly understate the strength of commercial aviation earnings," it said.

The report says commercial aerospace companies continue to be optimistic about the future -- air traffic is robust and steady, driving the aftermarket business, while the industry increased large commercial aircraft output by 18 percent and captured more than 2,000 large aircraft orders for the second consecutive year and the third time in history.

"As a result, there's a record backlog -- more than seven years at current production rates," PriceWaterhouseCoopers said. "And the industry is anticipating another record output in 2013."

Defense companies, however, face an uncertain 2013 with U.S. defense spending curtailed by sequestration.

"Companies now are bracing for the consequences and waiting for details regarding the impact on specific programs," the report said. "Defense companies face more pressure than ever to improve productivity, increase transparency, and respond to increasingly complex government regulations and oversight."