Mar 13, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Indian Ministry of Defence; issued March 10, 2015)

Delay In Tejas LCA Project

The First Series Production Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has been handed over to Chief of Air Staff by Raksha Mantri on 17th January 2015.

The following are some of the reasons for delay in completion of LCA project:
-- Ab-initio development of the state-of-the-art technologies.
-- Non-availability of trained / skilled manpower in the country.
-- Non-availability of infrastructure / test facilities in the country.
-- Unanticipated technical / technological complexities faced in structural design.
-- Non-availability of critical components / equipment / materials and denial of technologies by the technologically advanced countries.
-- Enhanced User’s requirements or change in specifications during development.
-- Increase in the scope of work.
-- Inadequate production facility at HAL

The initial cost of Full Scale Engineering Development (FSED) Programme Phase-II of LCA Tejas was Rs. 3301.78 crore. Based on modifications required in the aircraft, an additional sanction of Rs. 2475.78 crore was granted, which increased the total sanctioned cost of Phase-II Programme to Rs. 5777.56 crore.

From the open sources, it is seen that the contemporary aircraft of LCA developed in other countries are JAS-39 by Sweden, FA-50 by South Korea and JF-17 by Pakistan / China.

The engines installed in these aircraft (except that of JF-17) are GE-404 series engines. LCA parameters, such as empty weight, all-up weight (except that of JAS-39), thrust, speed (except that of JAS-39) are better than those of the other aircrafts.

Similarly, development / unit cost of LCA are less than those of JAS-39 and FA-50 but more than that of JF-17. However, LCA’s Ferry Range is less than those of other aircrafts.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Palvai Govardhan Reddy in Rajya Sabha today.

Under Water Vehicles Developed By DRDO
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) as technology demonstrator. A project has been taken up to demonstrate certain enhanced critical parameters of the AUV.

DRDO has undertaken a feasibility study for the development of different types of AUV platforms that could be used for a variety of roles, like surveillance and mine counter measures etc.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Aayanur Manjunatha and Shri Mohd. Ali Khan in Rajya Sabha today.


100 Per Cent FDI In Defence Sector
The Government vide Press Note 7 of 2014 Series dated 26.8.2014 has notified revised FDI Policy in defence sector, according to which FDI upto 49% is allowed in the sector through FIPB route and above 49% through approval of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on case to case basis, wherever it is likely to result in access to modern and state-of-the-art technology in the country.

After opening up of the defence industry sector for FDI in 2001, 33 FDI proposals / Joint Ventures have been approved in defence sector for manufacture of various defence equipment to Indian companies.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri P Bhattacharya in Rajya Sabha today.

JV In Defence Sector
After launching of “Make in India” campaign, the ‘Acceptance of Necessity (AoN)’ have been accorded for 40 projects with Indian as well as Foreign manufacturers, with an amount of approximately Rs. 1,01,264 crore. Further, project-wise details cannot be divulged in the interest of National Security.

The Government vide Press Note 3 of 2015 Series dated 26.6.2014 has notified defence products list for the purpose of issuing Industrial License for manufacturing in the private sector which includes items like electronic warfare, radar etc. apart from other licensable items designed or modified for military purpose.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Dr. T Subbarami Reddy in Rajya Sabha today.

13 March 2015 Voice of America - Pacific Sentinel
 

BANGKOK—The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said it is unaware of any response from the Vietnamese government to its request that it stop allowing Russia to use a base to refuel bombers that have conducted provocative flights around U.S. territory in the Pacific.

The State Department late last week communicated its concerns privately to the Vietnamese government, embassy press officer Lisa Wishman told VOA on Thursday.

The embassy official said that although the U.S. government respects Vietnam's right to enter agreements with other countries, it wants Vietnam to ensure Cam Ranh Bay is not utilized by the Russian military "to conduct activities that could raise tensions in the region."

Russian planes

Both Russia and Vietnam, defense partners for decades, have previously acknowledged Il-78 tanker aircraft were using Cam Ranh to refuel Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" strategic bombers, which have an un-refueled range of 15,000 kilometers.

The former U.S. base, which also in the past was controlled by the French and Japanese navies, is a natural deep-water harbor located 290 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

Vincent Brooks, commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific, told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that Russian planes had conducted "provocative" flights, including around the U.S. Pacific Ocean territory of Guam, home to Andersen Air Force Base, which is 4,000 kilometers east of Vietnam.

NATO officials say the Bear bombers have also been spotted recently over the English Channel as Russia's military conducts more frequent and aggressive air and maritime patrols close to borders of NATO states.

Russia anounced last November it planned to send long-range bombers on patrols over North American waters, an echo of the Cold War era.

The RIA nws agency on Thursday, citing the Defense Ministry in Moscow, said the Russian military had begun military drills in southern Russia, the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and in Crimea, which was annexed from Ukraine last year.

The United States fought the North Vietnamese from the early 1960s until the American withdrawal in 1973, which led to the fall of the South Vietnamese government in Saigon two years later.

Diplomaticties between Hanoi and Washington were established in 1995.

Despite strong ties between Hanoi and Moscow dating back to the Soviet era, the Vietnamese and Americans have grown closer in recent years as Hanoi grows increasingly worried about the threat posed by its huge neighbor to the north, China.

For centuries, parts of Vietnam chafed under Chinese influence. The two countries fought their most recent border war in 1979, although it was a brief conflict an estimated 30,000 soldiers on both sides died. The two countries have overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Joint exercises

U.S.-Vietnamese joint humanitarian exercises were held in late 2014 and more are occurring this month.

The United States has also agreed to provide at least five modern patrol ships to Vietnam with delivery expected next year, part of an $18 million package U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced in 2013 to help Vietnam strengthen in maritime security capabilities.

In a speech at Hanoi University last Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius expressed understanding that Hanoi would look to "historic partners" for security. But he said the United States also had "much to offer... to enhance Vietnam's security in the short, medium and long term."

13 March 2015 Pacific Sentinel
 

Files that US National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden gave to the Auckland-based New Zealand Herald revealed that New Zealand's intelligence organs have been instructed to spy on around 20 countries around the globe, including Asian countries such as China, Japan, North Korea and Iran, and to share this intelligence with its Five Eyes allies, the US, the UK, Australia and Canada, according to the website of China's Communist Party mmouthpiece, the People's Daily.

Around 20 countries and regions, including many of the country's major trade partners, were being spied on by New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), who installed listening posts hidden in embassies and other strategic locations and infected computer systems and phone networks of target countries with malware, according to the paper.

The documents, dating from April 2013 and released March 11 by the New Zealand newspaper in collaboration with US online news organization The Intercept, have emerged at the same time that the Wikipedia Foundation, along with a group of human rights advocacy organizations, including Amnesty International, are suing the NSA for its Dragnet online surveillance program, stating that the program is in violation of the US constitution, particularly in regard to the stifling of freedom of speech and privacy violations. Wikipedia said that it hopes the suit will bring an end to what it sees as illegal behavior.

Read the full story at Want China Times

2015-03-10 wantchinatimes.com

Two prototypes of China's J-20 stealth fighter were photographed carrying out test flights in Chengdu recently, reports the Shanghai-based Guancha Syndicate.

The prototypes, 2013, 2015, are said to be installed with new avionics developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. Its chief designer Pu Xiaobo said the system he created has an open framework that builds on an unified optical interconnect module. The system has comprehensive features covering navigation, detection, identification, attack, management and pilots' health management. It also integrates flight management systems, electronics and aviation electronics, which will ensure the fighter jet can carry out a mission safely and the systems are able to share their resources with each other.

Pu and his team built the country's most advanced concept laboratory and a simulation environment to test the design.

The stealth fighter was first officially introduced to the public though a PLA recruitment video called Heroes' Sky released on Feb. 26. Rear Admiral Yin Zhuo of the PLA Navy said the film suggested the J-20 will enter service soon. The video also described the quality of the plane's stealth capabilities, flight control system, avionic electronic system, active phased array radar, supermaneuverability, over-the-horizon radar and attack have been improved as well, he added.

13 mars 2015 Romandie.com (AFP)

Séoul - La Corée du Nord a tiré jeudi sept missiles dans la mer, au large de ses côtes orientales, sur fond de tensions ravivées sur la péninsule coréenne, a annoncé vendredi le ministère sud-coréen de la Défense.

Le dirigeant nord-coréen, Kim Jong-Un, aurait lui-même supervisé l'opération jeudi soir à partir d'un site de lancement situé près de la ville de Sondok.

Ces tirs surviennent pendant les manoeuvres militaires annuelles menées par la Corée du Sud avec son allié américain et qui chaque année provoque des réactions indignées de la Corée du Nord qui les considèrent comme une répétition générale à l'invasion de son territoire.

Ces tirs de missiles constituent une nouvelle démonstration de force du Nord eu égard aux manoeuvres, a indiqué à l'AFP le porte-parole du ministère sud-coréen de la Défense.

La Corée du Sud et les Etats-Unis ont conclu vendredi une partie de leurs manoeuvres conjointes. L'exercice Key Resolve, commencé le 2 mars, a mobilisé environ 10.000 soldats sud-coréens et 8.600 américains, mais il s'agit avant tout d'une simulation par ordinateur.

Le général Curtis Scaparrotti, chef du Commandement des forces conjointes américano-sud-coréennes, a affirmé vendredi que ces exercices étaient cruciaux pour assurer la défense de la Corée du Sud.

L'autre phase des manoeuvres, baptisées Foal Eagle et commencées en même temps, est prévue pour durer huit semaines. Elle doit mobiliser des dizaines de milliers de soldats de part et d'autre.

La Corée du Nord avait déjà manifesté sa vive désapprobation en procédant au tir de deux missiles à courte portée au large de ses côtes orientales début mars.

Séoul et Washington affirment qu'il s'agit d'exercices purement défensifs, mais Pyongyang les voit comme le prélude à une invasion.

La Corée du Nord et la Corée du Sud se sont constituées en Etats indépendants en 1948 et la guerre de Corée (1950-1953) a consacré cette division.

Les deux Corées sont techniquement toujours en guerre, n'ayant pas signé de traité de paix après l'armistice de 1953.

10.03.2015 par Jean Cautame - vn-lrds

Lors d’une conférence de presse organisée le 06 mars 2015 à Hanoi, l’ambassade des Etats-Unis a dévoilé les grands axes de son partenariat avec l’armée vietnamienne pour 2015, année qui scellera les vingt ans du rétablissement des relations diplomatiques entre ennemis d’hier (12 juillet 1995).

Le chef de bataillon Lý Văn Thắng, chef de la cellule de coopération de défense de l’ambassade, a annoncé que l’aide américaine se focalisera sur la poursuite du renforcement de la coopération de défense et de sécurité dans cinq grands domaines : sécurité maritime, dialogue entre autorités de haut niveau, recherche et secours en mer ainsi que soutien humanitaire et assistance aux victimes de catastrophes naturelles, enfin soutien dans l’acquisition des compétences recherchées par l’armée vietnamienne pour participer aux opérations de maintien de la paix (OMP) des Nations unies.

Suite de l'article

March 9, 2015 Defense News (AFP)

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Monday, the military said, less than a week after the first high-level talks with arch-rivals India for nearly a year.

The military said the Shaheen III surface-to-surface missile had a range of 2,750 kilometers (1,700 miles) and can carry nuclear and conventional warheads.

"The test launch, with its impact point in the Arabian Sea, was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system at maximum range," the military said in a statement.

India and Pakistan — which have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 — have routinely carried out missile tests since both demonstrated nuclear weapons capability in 1998.

Pakistan's most recent missile test came last month with the launch of a low-flying, terrain-hugging cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Islamabad last week for talks with his Pakistani counterpart.

It was the first senior-level dialogue between the nuclear-armed rivals since their prime ministers met in New Delhi last May.

Relations between the two countries, always fraught, soured further last August amid a rise in clashes along their borders and a row over a Pakistani diplomat meeting Kashmiri separatists.

Le MRAP HIGUARD de Renault Trucks Defense pourrait-il être vendu à Singapour?

10 mars, 2015 Pierre Brassart (FOB)

La France est, depuis plus de vingt ans, un important fournisseur d’armes pour la république de Singapour. Que ce soit pour les hélicoptères (Cougar, Fennec,…), les blindés (AMX-10P), les missiles (Milan, Mistral, Aster), les frégates (classe Formidable, dérivée des La Fayette), la France est toujours présente. Et, qui sait, peut-être qu’une nouvelle vente se profile à l’horizon…

Le ministère de la défense singapourien a publié début mars un document concernant le futur de son armée, tant en ce qui concerne la marine que l’aviation ou l’armée de terre.  On y parle notamment, pour le volet terrestre, du remplacement de véhicules blindés V200 dans le cadre du programme PRV (Protected Response Vehicle). Or, sur plusieurs sites internet spécialisés, ainsi que sur le site du journal singapourien Today, une photo montrant un véhicule de Renault Trucks Defense, le MRAP Higuard, est apparue.

La République de Singapour pourrait-elle être le deuxième client export pour le Higuard après le Qatar ?

Mar 7, 2015 ASDNews Source : MoD Australia

Assistant Minister for Defence, Stuart Robert, today announced that a collaborative research program between the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the US Navy has resulted in upgrades to the radar warning receiver in the Royal Australian Air Force’s F/A-18F Super Hornets.

“A significant improvement to a defence capability has been realised through the exceptional collaborative work of Australian defence scientists and our US allies,” Mr Robert said.

Read more

10/03/2015 Sources : Etat-major des armées

Le 19 février, un A400M Atlas  décollait de la base aérienne 123 d’Orléans pour son premier tour du monde. Au cours de cette mission, l’armée de l’air aura mené des évaluations en vue d’en optimiser l’emploi, d’assurer des transports de fret pour nos forces, et de présenter son nouvel avion de transport, notamment en Australie lors du Salon aéronautique d’Avalon.  

Programmé sur quelques 75 heures de vol et une dizaine d’escales seulement, ce vol est avant tout un test significatif pour l’appareil et la communauté A400M. Il représente en effet la plus longue mission jamais réalisée sur Atlas depuis son entrée en service en août 2013 et concrétise l’entrée dans une nouvelle dimension du transport aérien militaire français.

Une Armée de l’Air modernisée, avec l’arrivée de l’A400M dans les forces, constitue l’un des points-clés de son programme « Unis pour faire face ». Avion tactique à allonge stratégique, il apporte de nouvelles capacités qui se traduisent notamment par la possibilité de transporter des matériels nouveaux comme le VBCI ou les modules MAMBA. Ce long périple à travers le monde s’inscrit dans le cadre des tests en conditions réelles visant à optimiser son emploi. D’un point de vue technique, l’importante capacité d’emport de l’Atlas, couplée à son très long rayon d’action, permettent aujourd’hui aux équipages de réaliser des missions d’une durée et d’une ampleur jusque-là inédites.

C’est ainsi que l’appareil a embarqué 5,5 tonnes de fret à destination de sa première escale aux Emirats Arabes Unis, au profit des forces françaises. Entre les Philippines et Nouméa, poursuivant sa mission, il a déchargé trois tonnes de matériel au profit des forces françaises de Nouvelle Calédonie (FFNC).

Lors de son escale à Kuala Lumpur, il a ainsi suscité l’intérêt des Malaisiens, qui recevront leur premier appareil prochainement. Puis, il s’est rendu au salon d’Avalon, la plus importante rencontre aéronautique organisée dans l’hémisphère Sud.

L’équipage a aussi évalué les conditions de mise en œuvre d’escales aériennes militaires outre-mer et mené une étude avec le service de santé des armées (SSA) afin de mesurer l’état de fatigue et le niveau de vigilance du personnel navigant sur ces vols longue durée.

Il est rentré à Orléans le 06 mars, après 3 jours 2 heures et 20 minutes de vol et 11 étapes. Nul doute que l’armée de l’air saura tirer tous les enseignements de cette mission inédite qui aura mis en valeur les capacités remarquables de l’Atlas.

Pour suivre son parcours :

-          « Mission Avalon » : l’A400M Atlas s’élance autour du monde

-          L’A400M Atlas au salon aéronautique d’Avalon en Australie

-          L’A400M Atlas se pose en Nouvelle-Calédonie

-          Escale en Polynésie française pour l’A400M Atlas

-          Le tour du monde de l’Atlas à travers les yeux du sergent Antoine

-          L’A400M Atlas en Nouvelle-Calédonie

10 march 2015 defence.gov.au/
 

HMAS Success’ ship’s company in the Middle East recently witnessed the awesome display of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s amphibious vessel USS Iwo Jima.

Deployed on Operation MANITOU, Success was in company with the Iwo Jima on transit through the Gulf of Aden.

Iwo Jima carries MH-60S Seahawk, MH-53E Super Sea Stallion, Bell AH-1W Super Cobra and Bell UH-1N Twin Huey helicopters, as well as Bell MV-22 Osprey (tilt rotor) aircraft and AV-8B Harrier Jets.

Boatswains Mate Able Seaman Thomas Darcy said it was incredible seeing Iwo Jima’s operations up close.

“The Harrier Jets sliced the air leaving a stream line from their wing tips which produced great action photos. This was definitely the highlight of our deployment so far.”

Success recently conducted a Replenishment at Sea (RAS) evolution with Iwo Jima, transferring 685 cubic meters (CZ) of F76 marine diesel fuel, and 405 CZ of F44 aviation fuel to the carrier, the latter a record amount for the RAN’s Battle Tanker.

Iwo Jima dwarfs Success, a tanker that usually makes other warships look small.

It was a stunning sight for Success’ crew, which is used to looking down on frigates or corvettes from the flag deck.

Success’ own embarked dependable S-70B-2 Seahawk spent much of the RAS evolution in the air, capturing images of this spectacular scene.

Pilot Lieutenant Jordan Taylor was impressed by Iwo Jima’s aviation capability.

“I can see why these ships are so versatile,” he said.

“The flight decks on these types of carriers would be among the most dangerous workplaces in the world.

“There is so much happening, with such little margin for error.”

Success is in the Middle East on Operation MANITOU, the ADF’s contribution to maritime security, stability and prosperity in the area.

Working occasionally as part of Combined Task Force 53, Success provides logistical support to Combined Maritime Fleet coalition naval ships in the Middle East, enabling them to remain on patrol for longer periods.

Success is due to return home to Fleet Base East in June.

10/03/2015 Sources : État-major des armées

Le 28 février 2015, la base aérienne 186 de Tontouta a accueilli un avion Atlas A400M en provenance du salon aéronautique d’Avalon, en Australie.

L’avion de transport Atlas A400M s’est posé en terre néo-calédonienne pour la première fois de son histoire, permettant l’acheminement de près de 3 tonnes de fret au profit des Forces Armées Françaises en Nouvelle-Calédonie (FANC).

Cette escale fut l’occasion pour les FANC de présenter l’aéronef français à la population locale. Deux journées de présentation au public ont été organisées les 1er et 2 mars, et plusieurs centaines de personnes se sont succédé sur la base aérienne 186 de la Tontouta, dont des personnalités et élus locaux comme le haut-commissaire de la République Vincent Bouvier et la présidente du gouvernement de la Nouvelle-Calédonie Cynthia Ligeard.

Après cette escale néo-calédonienne, l’Atlas repartira vers le Pacifique dans le cadre d’une campagne d’expérimentation sur la fatigue des équipages.

Les FANC constituent le point d’appui central du « théâtre Pacifique », avec un dispositif interarmées centré sur un groupement tactique interarmes (GTIA) et les moyens de projections associés. Avec les forces armées en Polynésie Françaises (FAPF), dispositif interarmées à dominance maritime, les FANC ont pour principale mission d’assurer la souveraineté de la France dans leur zone de responsabilité, d’animer la coopération régionale et d’entretenir des relations privilégiées avec l’ensemble des pays riverains de la zone pacifique. Enfin les FANC engagent régulièrement leurs moyens pour des opérations d’aide aux populations, en appui des autres services de l’Etat.