September 6th, 2011 DEFENCE TALK / AFP

India postponed until next week a test-firing of its indigenously built Agni II ballistic nuclear capable missile due to a technical glitch.

The two-stage surface-to-surface missile was to be tested by its Strategic Forces Command from Wheeler Island off the Bay of Bengal on Monday, a report in the Indian Express newspaper said.

"But we had to postpone the test due to technical problems," Avinash Chander, director of the Agni missile program, said.

The day next week for the launch is not decided, said Chander, who gave no reason for the failure.

But previous missile failures have been blamed on guidance problems.

There also were doubts about continuous rainfall in Balasore near the test-firing range over the past three days.

India has a checkered history of launching indigenously built missiles, including the Agni I, II and III weapons.

The basic Agni series includes the single-stage 450-mile range Agni I, already inducted into service, and the two-stage Agni II and III models.

The 1,200-mile range Agni II was inducted into the army in 2004 and still is undergoing test-firings. The 65-foot missile weighs around 17 tons and can carry a 1-tonne payload.

The 2,000-mile range Agni III is in the last stages of development.

The solid-propellant Agni series of ballistic missiles are manufactured by Bharat Dynamics, one of India's major manufacturers of munitions and missile systems founded in 1970 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

Bharat Dynamics also manufactures India's Konkurs anti-tank missile.

Agni-II has been developed by Advanced Systems Laboratory along with other laboratories under the government-backed Defense Research and Development Organization.

India's main missile test launch center is Wheeler Island -- just over 1 mile long and 6 miles off the country's east coast in the Bay of Bengal and about 90 miles from Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Orissa state.

It was from Wheeler Island that Agni III, with a range of just over 2,000 miles, was successfully test-launched from a mobile launcher in February last year.

During a test launch the following month, a Prithvi missile veered off its path, failing to reach its required altitude of around 70 miles. It climbed to around 45 miles before tumbling back into the Bay of Bengal.

Then in September, the DRDO acknowledged guidance problems that caused a failure in another Prithvi missile test launch. The surface-to-surface missile remained on the launch pad during a trial in Chandipur, Orissa.

The short-range, 4.6-tonne nuclear-capable missile became enveloped in orange smoke and the launch was aborted, officials from the DRDO said at the time.

"The failure to lift Prithvi II was due to a snag either in the main missile or the sub-system, including the launcher," a DRDO spokesman said.

5 septembre 2011 Par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

Le dernier sous-marin opérationnel de la marine canadienne a été retiré du service pour entretien jusqu’en 2016. La marine canadienne n’a plus aucune capacité sous-marine, ce qui soulève la question de l’avenir de la flotte sous-marine.

Les sous-marins canadiens, qui ont déjà couté environ 900 millions $, ont connu de nombreux problèmes d’entretien, qui les ont empêché d’être opérationnels pendant de longues périodes.

En juillet dernier, un article rappelait qu’un des sous-marins, le HMCS Windsor, était arrivé au Canada à l’automne 2001 mais, depuis, n’avait pris la mer que 332 jours.

Le HMCS Corner Brook, endommagé lorsqu’il a heurté le fond de l’océan pendant un entrainement en juin dernier, est maintenant bloqué à quai. Il va être réparé et modernisé pendant une période d’entretien programmée actuellement en cours.

Mais la marine canadienne a confirmé qu’il n’était pas prévu que ce sous-marin reprenne la mer avant 2016.

Le HMCS Chicoutimi, endommagé en 2004 par un incendie qui avait tué un officier, est toujours indisponible. Il ne reste donc que le HMCS Windsor et le HMCS Victoria, qui eux aussi, ne peuvent pas prendre la mer.

« La marine canadienne fait désormais tout pour que le HMCS Victoria et le HMCS Windsor puissent reprendre la mer au début 2012, » a déclaré le Lt.-Cmdr. Brian Owens, porte-paroles de la marine. « Le Victoria effectue actuellement des essais à la mer en prévision de son retour en mer. »

Il a indiqué que le Victoria devait effectuer ce mois-ci une plongée d’essai dans le port d’Esquimalt « afin de vérifier l’étanchéité du sous-marin et les fonctionnalités d’autres systèmes importants. »

Mais un expert, Martin Shadwick, estime que les dernières nouvelles des 4 sous-marins sont un nouveau revers pour le programme.

« Tous les arguments utilisés il y a 15 ans par la marine canadienne pour justifier l’achat de sous-marins sont toujours valables, mais ils n’ont pas pu donner aux hommes politiques d’exemples concrets parce que les sous-marins ne sont pas assez disponibles, » explique Shadwick, professeur à l’Université de York. « Les sous-marins sont donc beaucoup plus vulnérables aux réductions budgétaires. »

Il souligne que la survie à l’avenir de la force sous-marine pourrait être remise en cause si les problèmes continuent.

Référence : Times Colonist (Canada)

source rusnavyintelligence.com

2 septembre 2011 Par Rédacteur en chef. PORTAIL DES SOUS-MARINS

La Marine russe a procédé aux premiers essais d’appontage du Ka-52 dans sa version navalisé. Ces hélicoptères doivent être embarqués sur les futurs Mistrals russes.

Référence : RusNavy Intelligence

Aug 24, 2011 By Robert Wall aviation week and space technology

Moscow - Money alone cannot reinvigorate an air force after years of neglect—that is the painful lesson the Russian military is learning as it and the domestic industry work to modernize the country’s air force.

The influx of funding in the past two years has undoubtedly benefited industry, triggering a reversal of fortunes. But it also has brought to the forefront a raft of new problems, including how to meet the timetable for replenishing the air force fleet.

The size of the appetite for fighters was underscored by Russian air force chief Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin, who says the service is looking to field five squadrons of Su-34s, or around 120 aircraft. The fighter program languished in development for years; the first operational unit was only established recently, more than a decade late. Four of the aircraft were handed over last year and six are due to be delivered this year, with 12 to follow each year thereafter.

But Zelin is concerned about fielding plans for the Su-35, Russia’s latest fighter, which is seen as an important element in the fleet renewal plan and also as a capability gap-filler until the fifth-generation T-50 arrives. The Su-35 program has suffered development delays, in part because of a ground accident with the third prototype three years ago that destroyed the aircraft, but also due to concern in the service that the Su-35 will not meet the Russian air force’s specifications. The fighter was initially designed for the export market when Russia’s industry was unable to secure funding at home.

Pressure is mounting on the Su-35 program also because of the aggressive time line that has been set for the T-50, which Zelin describes as the service’s top fighter priority. Two aircraft are in flight trials and United Aircraft Corp. (UAC) President Mikhail Pogosyan promises two more will be delivered this year. Plans call for the first preproduction T-50 to be handed over in 2013, with the production standard aircraft to become available in 2014-15.

But behind the scenes, military officials worry that the T-50 development and production milestones cannot be met, and they feel the Su-35 needs to be fielded quickly to address immediate equipment concerns.

In many respects, the Su-35 also serves as a technology pathfinder for the T-50. Both use the same Article 117S engines and their radar technology shares a heritage. The Su-35’s Irbis-E has a 350-400-km (220-250-mi.) detection range for targets with a 3-sq.-meter (33-sq.-ft.) radar signature and is both electronically and mechanically scanned. It has the ability to track up to 30 targets simultaneously and engage eight at the same time.

The Su-35’s laser targeting pod in particular could act as a trailblazer for the T-50. Plans call for the stealth fighter to use the large Article 110KS pod developed by UOMZ, although it would compromise the aircraft’s low observability. The Su-35, on the other hand, will likely use an internally mounted system, with a low radar cross section, that could migrate to the T-50.

Also helping to bolster the arsenal in the near term is a pending order for additional Su-30s. The Russian air force is expected to buy 28 Su-30SMs, the Russian version of the Su-30MKI Irkut has sold to the Indian air force. The Su-30SM would retain Western equipment from companies such as Thales and Safran in a rare departure from Russia’s emphasis on using domestic suppliers, says an industry official. The yet-to-be-announced contract for Su-30SMs also is expected to include an option for 12 aircraft, potentially to meet a not fully defined requirement from Russia’s navy aviation arm.

The concerns about fielding time lines go beyond the combat aircraft realm. Zelin notes that the Il-476 transport is due to be in service in 2013 but says,“we would like to have it earlier.” The current development activity will not allow that.

The fleet replacement worries are further illustrated by the troubles with the Tu-22M bombers belonging to the Russian navy’s air arm, which now fall under control of the air force. Obsolescence of engine parts has created a maintenance nightmare for the fleet and prompted the military to restart parts production of critical powerplant components. Zelin sees progress on this front and says that once the situation is improved the aircraft may be reassigned to the navy.

But there are limits to Russia’s appetite for new equipment. Despite the hopes of industry players such as MiG that the Russian air force will buy into a light fifth-generation fighter program, that does not look promising. Zelin suggests that more likely would be the acquisition of MiG-35s, which were initially developed for India. However, he tempers the prospect by noting that the issue is secondary to the T-50.

A huge Mastiff armoured vehicle overshadows a young Afghan boy, on his way to fetch water from the village well, in the Shahzad region of Helmand province - [Picture: Staff Sergeant Mark Jones, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

23 Aug 11 UK MoD - A Military Operations news article

A group of soldiers whose task it is to clear routes in Helmand province of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) recently emerged from their Mastiff armoured vehicle unscathed when a device exploded underneath it.

31 Armoured Engineer Squadron (31 AES), 32 Engineer Regiment, normally based in Hohne in northern Germany, are currently part of the Task Force Helmand Engineer Group.

They are the leading route proving and clearance squadron and their job is to travel across the UK's area of operations in their Mastiff armoured vehicles to make sure routes are safe from IEDs and bombs.

On one of their many patrols recently, the team were clearing one of the main routes through Helmand when their vehicle struck an IED. Sapper Gareth Addy said immediately they knew what it was:

"There was a massive explosion that seriously rocked the vehicle. It was the biggest I've ever experienced. Immediately afterwards it went very quiet and then you start to realise what's happened and worry if everyone is OK."

The team quickly began their drills to assess the situation and check whether there were any injuries. Despite the size of the bomb and the force of the blast, none of the people in the Mastiff were hurt.

The vehicle sustained some damage, but, thanks to the armour and design of the Mastiff, it was only minor, and after a further assessment by the team of the route, the patrol continued with their journey.

Sapper Gareth Addy, 31 Armoured Engineer Squadron, ready to go out on patrol in his team's Mastiff vehicle - [Picture: Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Sapper Addy, aged 31 from Bridlington, who is a Mastiff driver and gunner, said it was only when they returned to Camp Bastion some hours later they realised how lucky they had been:

"The vehicles we use really do work and everyone now knows that, should the worst happen, they will do a good job of protecting us. In a strange way, that incident increased everyone's morale and confidence for the remainder of the tour."

The Mastiff is a heavily armoured, 6x6 wheel-drive protected patrol vehicle which carries eight people, plus two crew. It is used in Afghanistan to transport troops and protect large convoys as well as directly engaging the Taliban with its advanced weapons systems.

Although heavily armoured, these wheeled patrol vehicles have a less intimidating profile than tracked vehicles and give commanders on the ground in Afghanistan more options to deal with the threats they are facing.

Part of the Mastiff's resilience towards mine explosions comes from the fact that its hull is V-shaped, as opposed to flat, which pushes the force of any explosion outwards.

During Operation HERRICK 14, the engineers from 31 AES have played an important part in enabling both troops and locals to move more freely from one area to another and with greater confidence in their security.

31 AES is part of the Task Force Helmand Engineer Group, made up of Royal Engineers from both 32 Engineer Regiment based in Hohne, Germany, and 24 Commando Engineer Regiment based in Barnstaple, North Devon.

NATO AGS - photo Northrop Grumman

18/08/11 By Stephen Trimble SOURCE:Flight Daily News

Canada has become the second country to withdraw from the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 alliance ground surveillance (AGS) program, but the remaining NATO partners are "very close" to signing a contract, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

The decision means AGS will lose another source of funding that must be compensated for by the 13 NATO members still committed.

In June, Canadian TV broadcaster CBC reported that Canada also is withdrawing from the NATO partnership operating the E-3 airborne warning and control system (AWACS).

The AGS program had lost another key partner last June. Denmark also decided to withdraw from the partnership acquiring a six-aircraft RQ-4 fleet in June 2010.

Meanwhile, Northrop and NATO officials are likely to sign a contract to launch the development phase of the AGS programme within several days. The contract award may still have to be approved by each of the national partners before it becomes official.

Previously, Northrop officials had predicted that the long-awaited contract award milestone might not be reached around October.

Northrop is offering to deliver six RQ-4 air vehicles configured with the US Air Force's Block 40 equipment, which includes a wide area surveillance sensor called the Northrop/Raytheon multi-platform radar technology insertion program. It will perform the same role as the USAF E-8C joint surveillance target attack radar system.

European partners, including EADS, will supply mobile ground control stations for the NATO RQ-4 fleet, which will be based at Sigonella AB, Sicily.

le Charles de Gaulle lors de son retour à Toulon, vendredi 12 aout.

Photo (MN PM Stephane Dzioba) :

14 Août 2011 par Jean-Dominique Merchet

Le porte-avions Charles-de-Gaulle devrait rester à Toulon jusqu'au début 2012

De retour à Toulon, vendredi 12 aout, le porte-avions Charles-de-Gaulle ne devrait pas être engagé dans des opérations avant le début de l'année prochaine. Sauf urgence !

Au cours des dix derniers mois, le porte-avions et son équipage ont passé 35 semaines à la mer... soit plus de 80% du temps. Il en enchaîné une longue mission dans l'océan indien puis l'negagement au large de la Libye, avec une "mi-temps" d'un mois. Le bateau, comme l'équipage (partiellement relevé), ont besoin de repos, d'entretien ou de formation.

C'est notamment le cas des jeunes pilotes de l'aéronavale, qui doivent pouvoir s'entraîner à l'exercice délicat de l'appontage. Une fois remis en l'état, le Charles-de-Gaulle fera donc des "ronds dans l'eau" au large de Toulon pour les exercices aériens.

Les marins estiment qu'il sera à nouveau pleinement opérationnel à la mi-février, mais d'autres estiment qu'il sera prêt dès la mi-janvier. Dans tous les cas, si une urgence se déclarait, le Charles-de-Gaulle pourrait appareiller plus rapidement. Son arrêt à Toulon n'est pas une IPER, c'est-à-dire une immobilisation au cours de la laquelle des éléments essentiels sont démontés.

Sur le front libyen, le groupe aérien embarqué (qui a rejoint Landivisiau et Lann-Bihoué, pour les Hawkeye) sera partiellement remplacé par des appareils de l'armée de l'air. Les seize avions de combat de la Marine (10 Rafale et 6 Super-Etendard) sont relevés par quatre Mirage F1CR de l'esacron 2/33 Savoie de Mont-de-Marsan, basés à Sigonella (Sicile). Le dispositif aérien français est reparti entre cette base et celle de la Sude, en Crète. Les avions de l'armée de l'air pourront toujours effectuer environ 16 sorties d'attaques au sol (strikes) chaque jour.

Les observateurs constatent que les cibles de l'aviation se raréfient après cinq mois de frappes. En revanche, la nécessité de reconnaissance est toujours importante (d'ou l'envoi de F1 CR, capable de frappes et de reco). En revanche, les cibles traitées par les hélicoptères du groupe aéromobile de l'Alat, dans une profondeur d'une vingtaine de kilomètres à partir de la côte, restent nombreuses. Celui reste donc engagé, à raison de deux ou trois raids nocturnes par semaine. Le groupe aéromobile est déployé sur le BPC Mistral, après l'avoir été sur le Tonnerre. Le fait de possèder deux (et bientôt trois, avec le Dixmude, désormais à Toulon) BPC permet d'assurer une permanence à la mer. Ce n'est évidemment pas le cas avec un seul porte-avions. 

Le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle au large de la Libye

crédits : MARINE NATIONALE

05/08/2011 MER et MARINE

Le porte-avions Charles de Gaulle doit rentrer à Toulon d'ici le 15 août, ce qui met un terme à son engagement dans l'opération Harmattan/Unified Protector. A partir du 22 mars, le bâtiment, dont le groupe aérien embarqué comprend 18 avions (Rafale, Super-Etendard Modernisés et Hawkeye) et des hélicoptères, est intervenu en Libye contre les forces du colonel Kadhafi. A cette occasion, le Charles de Gaulle a, une nouvelle fois, démontré l'intérêt de disposer d'un porte-avions, qui permet de profiter de la liberté de navigation pour s'approcher rapidement et au plus près d'un théâtre de crise. Ce déploiement fut également l'occasion de roder ou mettre en oeuvre pour la première fois un certain nombre de matériels dans un conflit « classique » contre des forces armées constituées. Ce fut notamment le cas pour le missile de croisière Scalp EG, l'Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM), le pod de reconnaissance Reco NG ou encore la nacelle de désignation d'objectifs Damocles ; tous ces équipements étant embarqués sur Rafale.


Le Charles de Gaulle au large de la Libye (© : EMA)

Plusieurs mois à quai pour se remettre en condition

L'équipage a, également, montré une grande capacité de résistance. Car, avant de rejoindre la Libye, le porte-avions avait participé, d'octobre 2010 à février 2011, à l'opération Agapanthe, qui avait elle-même succédé à une période très intensive d'entrainement à la mer suite à son premier grand carénage. Depuis octobre dernier, le navire totalise donc plus de 8 mois d'opérations, interrompues seulement pas un mois d'arrêt technique à Toulon et deux escales de quelques jours en Crète durant l'opération Harmattan. Même si l'équipage de plus de 1800 personnes a été partiellement relevé (dont 340 marins lors de l'escale du 15 au 21 juillet en Crète), il devenait nécessaire de faire souffler les hommes et le matériel. Après une telle activité, le Charles de Gaulle sera immobilisé durant plusieurs mois, « afin de permettre la remise à niveau technique et la remise en condition de l'équipage avant une remontée en puissance opérationnelle », explique l'Etat-major des Armées. On notera aussi que le bâtiment a changé de commandant en plein mer et durant les opérations. Ainsi, le 1er août, l'amiral Pierre-François Forissier, chef d'état-major de la Marine nationale, a fait reconnaître le capitaine de vaisseau Olivier Lebas comme nouveau pacha du Charles de Gaulle. L'officier succède au capitaine de vaisseau Jean-Philippe Rolland.


Prise de commandement sur le CDG, le 1er août (© : MARINE NATIONALE)


Un Tigre sur un BPC (© : EMA)

Réorganisation du dispositif français en Libye

Avec le départ du Charles de Gaulle, dont les avions assuraient notamment une part significative des sorties d'attaque au sol, la France, qui intervient en Libye dans le cadre de la résolution 1973 du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU, réorganise son dispositif miliaire. Les missions d'attaque sont, désormais, entièrement assurées par l'armée de l'Air. A La Sude, en Crète, la France déploie un détachement de Mirage 2000D et de Mirage 2000N de l'armée de l'Air ; alors que 5 Rafale Air interviennent maintenant depuis la base italienne de Sigonella, afin de se rapprocher de la zone d'intervention. Par ailleurs, les avions de détection et de contrôle E-3F et de ravitaillement C135 continuent d'opérer depuis la France, respectivement depuis les bases aériennes d'Avord et Istres. On notera aussi la présence, en Crète, d'avions de patrouille maritime Atlantique 2, de la Marine nationale. Cette dernière, malgré le retrait du porte-avions, compte encore au large de la Libye une puissance force navale. Celle-ci comprend le bâtiment de projection et de commandement Mistral, qui embarque un groupe aéromobile, composé d'une vingtaine d'hélicoptères Tigre, Gazelle, Puma et Caracal, qui interviennent contre les forces fidèles au régime de Tripoli. La flotte française compte également sur zone deux frégates (Chevalier Paul et Jean de Vienne), le bâtiment de commandement et de ravitaillement Var, ainsi qu'un sous-marin nucléaire d'attaque. L'aviso Lieutenant de Vaisseau Lavallée est, quant à lui, engagé dans la force maritime de l'OTAN.

Mirage 2000 (© : EMA)


Atlantique 2 à La Sude (© : EMA)

DEFENCE Minister Stephen Smith has ordered a review of the maintenance regime of the navy's troubled Collins-class submarines and why so few of them are available for operations.

Test launch of a Prithvi (P-II) surface-to-surface missile by the Indian Armed Forces. (Photo: DRDO)

July 21, 2011 defpro.com

NEW DELHI | India successfully test-fired on Thursday its new quick reaction, short range Prahaar missile, regional media reported.

The missile blasted off at about 8.15 am local time (02:45 GMT) from the Integrated Test Range in the eastern state of Orissa, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

"The test launch was fully successful as the surface-to-surface, sleek missile mounted on a road mobile launcher, roared into an overcast sky, seconds within its blast off," a defense source was quoted by PTI as saying.

The 150-km range Prahaar is a single-stage missile fuelled by solid propellants, media reports said. It is designed to fill the gap between Pinaka, a 40-km multi-barrel rocket system, and the 350-km range, nuclear-capable Prithvi-II, a surface-to-surface strategic missile.

The uniqueness of the missile system is that "in one salvo, six missiles can be fired with multiple targets," PTI quoted a scientist associated with this project as saying.

The test was initially scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed for Thursday to allow for additional tests of the vehicle which the missile was mounted on, the Hindu website said. (RIA Novosti)

Jul 20, 2011 By Amy Svitak, Robert Wall - aviation week and space technology

Washington, London - A push by French legislators to encourage France to do more in the realm of ballistic missile defense is very much threat-driven. But they are not concerned as much about Iranian missile proliferation as they are about France falling technologically behind its strategic rivals.

In particular, French politicians want to make sure that the U.S. does not dominate Europe’s missile defense spending and that Paris’s nuclear deterrent is not undermined in the long term.

France’s interest in pursuing exoatmospheric-intercept capability is two-pronged, say industry and government officials. Besides gaining experience in national defense, the country’s leaders want to ensure that when upgrades and a follow-on to the M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile are developed, France will know how to defeat missile defenses to uphold its strategic deterrent.

Although a new report by French senators on the need to pursue missile defense does not specify immediate funding, the document is considered an important strategic marker. It is the first time the legislature has forcefully advocated missile defense, and sets the stage for the mission area to be a key element in the new defense white paper to be written following next year’s presidential elections.

The report also underscores the 180-deg. turnaround the nation has taken on the anti-missile topic. Paris initially resisted the U.S.’s pressure on Europe to regard the mission more seriously. Now, it has not just signed on to NATO’s decision to embrace missile defense but is pushing an expansive set of capabilities, ranging from endo- and exoatmospheric intercept capabilities to space-based early warning satellites, long-range radars and command-and-control structures.

Some early steps could emerge this year, with potential funding to launch work on the Aster Block 1NT flowing to give the interceptor an anti-ballistic missile capability.

One of the central themes for the legislators is that Europe should act jointly and pool resources. They urge France and Germany to work together on a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft surveillance system equipped with an infrared sensor to aid in ballistic missile tracking. France would provide the infrared sensor and Germany the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. Germany is considering fielding Global Hawks in addition to the signals intelligence Euro Hawk system (see p. 32).

In the report, several senators see a budget requirement of roughly €7.4 billion ($10.4 billion) through 2020 to realize their missile defense vision. But they recognize the budget environment does not allow such outlays, so they advocate immediate action items totaling €3.2 billion, spent nationally or in cooperation with other European states. That includes €180 million to upgrade the French air force’s SAMP/T air defense system and €200 million to achieve the same for its ship-based cousin, Paams, as well as performing development work for Aster Block 2, a new interceptor optimized for endoatmospheric ballistic missile defense.

Among the near-term spending items advocated by the report are:

•€20 million for France to establish a national missile defense center.

•€700 million for work (potentially cooperatively) for space-based early warning.

•€30 million for a long-range radar.

•€270 million for initial work on an exoatmospheric interceptor.

Astrium Space Transportation has already proposed to the French defense ministry a plan to validate the underlying technology for a €1 billion missile defense system, called Exoguard. “We just want to demonstrate the capabilities of French industry in order to succeed in exoatmospheric or space interception,” says CEO Alain Charmeau, adding that “it is exactly the same kind of technologies as the one we have on the kill vehicle of Exoguard.”

The unsolicited proposal aims at achieving a successful flight test of an in-space interceptor around 2016 at a cost of roughly €225 million. The senators’ report states that 75% of the flight’s demo’s pre-tax cost would pay for development of the demonstration kill vehicle while the rest would go to other elements. Astrium would lead the work on the kill vehicle, which will use an infrared sensor to spot its target. Safran units would work on the divert and attitude control system.

“We have already submitted to the DGA [French defense procurement agency] a commercial proposal with a commitment from my company to deliver in five years this demonstration of space interception, even if in the end the demonstration could be a first phase of a development of an Exoguard operational product in the future.”

But industry officials say they are worried that the funding level suggested by the senators will never emerge in the difficult fiscal environment.

To help ease the financial burden, the legislators are calling for a missile defense conference to be held under the auspices of the European Defense Agency to help spur cooperation, particularly in the area of upgrading air defenses to create a lower-tier missile shield.

For the senators, it is not just the need for burden-sharing that prompts them to argue for cooperation within Europe. They argue that without a sweeping European program, countries will be tempted to buy into the U.S. Phased Adaptive Approach, and this would absorb scarce modernization funding in Europe with little immediate technology payoff. A U.S. missile defense program is a Trojan horse not unlike the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, they assert.

To help interest Germany and Italy in working with France, the senators argue that the Pentagon’s decision to disengage from the trinational Medium Extended Air Defense System program should persuade Berlin and Rome to consider joining in an Aster Block 2 development.

18 July 2011 by defenceWeb

The South African Air Force (SAAF) has upped its bill to keep the venerable Lockheed Martin C130BZ flying by another R23.769 million. The SAAF last week awarded Denel Aviation an extension of an existing contract to provide product support services for the aging aircraft.

The SAAF C-130 fleet consists of seven platforms (401 - 407) purchased in 1963 before a US arms embargo was imposed on South Africa's apartheid government and five received in 1997/8 from the US (two ex-United States Air Force C-130B's – 408 and 409 – and three ex-US Navy C-130F's – 410 to 412 as part of their Excess Defence Articles programme. The two ex-US C-130B 's and a C-130F (411) were subsequently put in service, but the C-130F was retired soon thereafter.

Various modifications have been accomplished on the original SAAF aircraft, the most significant being a centre wing replacement and outer wing refurbishment from 1969 to 1972 done under the auspices of Lockheed, an engine upgrade (from Allison T56-A-7 to T56-A-15) during the early 1970s and a basic avionic upgrade during the early 1980s.

The two ex-USAF C-130B's had already been modified with the fitment of H-model outer wings and a centre wing similar to that of the other SAAF aircraft. The fleet underwent a major refit from December 1996, when Marshall Aerospace of Cambridge in the UK and Denel was contracted to upgrade the aircraft as part of Project Ebb, fitting inter alia digital avionics in the place of the electromechanical. The upgrade was not without delay and infighting between Marshalls and Denel and ran seven years past its expected date of completion, set for June 2002: the project wrapped up as late as July 2009.

Aircraft 402's brakes caught fire during a landing after a test flight in early 2005 at the then-Johannesburg International Airport. Damage estimated in the millions of rand was inflicted on the aircraft and an equally damaging dispute then erupted between Denel and Marshalls as to whom had to carry the cost of the repairs. It is unclear why the taxpayer paid the R6 579 134 for the repair as well as a further R3 686 241.08 for hangarage at Denel Aviation before and during the repair.

Another aircraft was also damaged while undergoing testing after upgrading - its fuel tanks were over-pressurised.

Seven of the nine were grounded in 2005 on the recommendation of the manufacturer after metal fatigue was discovered on the main spars and outer wing structures of several US C130Bs. As part of this the outer wings of aircraft 407 were removed. Lockheed Martin subsequently allowed three aircraft to resume flying, but in May 2006 the remaining four underwent a further battery of tests.

According to the Armscor Bulletin System, the cost of keeping the Hercules flying – fuel and crew excluded - now stands at at least R213 812 679 since early 2007 in addition to some a minimum of R3 686 241.08 charged in hangarage for the damaged aircraft #402 from 2005 until last year.

Product support services for the Hercules C130 aircraft - extension of ELGS/2003/553

LGS/S2011/4782 14 Jul 2011 R23 769 819,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2010/4663 17 Mar 2011 R9 500 000,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2010/4528 18 Nov 2010 R10 404 045,14 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Aerospace Group

LGS/S2010/4505 22 Sep 2010 R9 812 323,86 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Aerospace Group

LGS/S2009/4242 10 Mar 2010 R39 377 194,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2009/4139 8 Oct 2009 R9 500 000,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2008/3933 26 Mar 2009 R485 607,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

Provision of materiel supply support services for the South African Air Force C130B aircraft

ELGS/2010/199 9 Dec 2010 R90 000 000,00 Tau Aerospace (Pty) Ltd

Service, rectification and engineering support during recovery of the SAAF C-130BZ aircraft 402 - extension of EVLI/2007/378

VLI/S2010/1811 21 Jul 2010 R22 028,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2010/1797 13 Jul 2010 R200 000,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2008/1746 28 May 2009 R1 075 583,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

Hangarage of Project EBB C130Bz Aircraft 402 - Extension of ELGS/2005/413

LGS/S2009/1781 12 Jan 2010 R393 595,92 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2009/1774 29 Oct 2009 R655 993,20 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2009/1763 21 May 2009 R511 852,86 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2008/1726 26 Jun 2008 R523 008,61 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

LGS/S2007/1679 2 Aug 2007 R1 601 790,49 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

Interim support for the SA Air Force C-130 BZ avionic system - extension of EVLI/2006/228

VLI/S2008/1743 11 Dec 2008 R2 000 000,00 Thales Division Aeronautique

VLI/S2007/1711 4 Sep 2008 R2 877 253,20 Thales Division Aeronautique

VLI/S2007/1673 28 Jun 2007 R990 236,00 Thales Division Aeronautique

Pyrotechnic fire extinguisher cartridges for the SAAF transport aircraft

EDWU/2008/190 9 Oct 2008 R97 414,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a PMP

Service, rectification and engineering support during the recovery of SAAF C-130BZ Aircraft 402

EVLI/2007/378 29 May 2008 R5 281 523,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

Repair of 59 line replacement units - extension of EVLI/2003/680

VLI/S2008/1731 10 Jul 2008 R502 276,90 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2007/1709 15 May 2008 R18 415,35 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Denel Aviation

VLI/S2007/1663 11 May 2007 R1 500 000,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a Aerospace Group

Power cartridges for SA Air Force transport aircraft 2007/2008

EDWU/2007/126 23 Aug 2007 R172 316,00 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a PMP

Interim support of the South African Air Force''s C-130 BZ avionic system (Thales Avionics Top Deck)

EVLI/2006/228 12 Apr 2007 R6 075 607,56 Thales Division Aeronautique

Fire extinguisher cartridges for SAAF transport aircraft

EDWU/2006/505 9 Feb 2007 R151 037,10 Denel (Pty) Ltd t/a PMP