Salon MAKS, aéroport de Joukovsky (Région de Moscou), le 28 août 2013. Safran

Kamov, société de la holding Hélicoptères de Russie et Sagem (Safran) vont mettre en synergie leurs complémentarités technologiques et industrielles en proposant une version améliorée du Ka-52 Alligator destinée à répondre aux besoins de plusieurs pays.

Lancée en 2011, cette coopération entre les deux sociétés porte sur la proposition et l’intégration sur les hélicoptères développés et produits par Kamov d’équipements optroniques de Sagem et de systèmes de navigation inertielle LINS 100 (*). Elles envisagent les travaux d’intégration d’un nouvel ensemble optronique début 2014 sur le Ka-52.

Cette coopération dans le domaine des hélicoptères contribue à la stratégie de Sagem consistant à établir des partenariats industriels durables avec les sociétés russes leaders sur leur secteur. Dans cette coopération, Sagem apportera son expérience acquise avec le viseur le Strix en production pour l’hélicoptère de combat Franco-allemand Tigre. Ce viseur a contribué, de jour comme de nuit, au succès des opérations militaires conduites par les armées françaises sur plusieurs théâtres, dont l’opération Serval au Mali en 2013.

(*) Système de navigation inertielle à gyrolaser, la centrale LINS-100 est produite en Russie dans le cadre de la joint venture RS Alliance créée à Ramenskoie par la société russe ZAO-ITT et Sagem.

* * * *

Sagem (Safran), société de haute technologie, est un leader mondial de solutions et de services en optronique, avionique, électronique et logiciels critiques, pour les marchés civils et de défense. N°1 européen et n°3 mondial des systèmes de navigation inertielle pour les applications aéronautiques, marines et terrestres, Sagem est également n°1 mondial des commandes de vol pour hélicoptères et n°1 européen des systèmes optroniques et des systèmes de drones tactiques. Présents sur tous les continents via le réseau international de Safran, Sagem et ses filiales emploient 7 500 personnes en Europe, en Asie-Pacifique, en Amérique du Nord et en Amérique du Sud. Sagem est le nom commercial de la société Sagem Défense Sécurité.

Pour plus d’informations : www.sagem-ds.com

Aug. 28, 2013 – Defense News (AFP)

SEOUL — Two pilots were killed Wednesday when a South Korean air force jet trainer crashed near the southwestern city of Gwangju, the defense ministry said.

Investigations were underway to determine the cause of the crash of the T-50 aircraft, a spokesman said.

It was the second crash in less than a year involving a T-50, South Korea’s first indigenous supersonic aircraft jointly developed by Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin.

A T-50B aircraft crashed into a mountain in the northeast last November, killing a pilot.

Indonesia in 2011 ordered 16 T-50s and Seoul is pursuing other contracts from the Philippines and Iraq.

28/8/2013 Airbus Military

The first production Airbus Military A400M new generation airlifter for the Turkish Air Force (TAF) has been painted and flown for the first time in its new markings. The aircraft is the first of ten ordered by Turkey and will be delivered in the coming weeks.

28/08 16:50 LesEchos.fr (Reuters)

Deuxième visite des experts de l'Onu sur le site del'attaqueBan Ki-moon demande qu'on laisse encore quatre jours à sonéquipeVeillée d'armes en Occident en vue de frappes cibléesProjet de résolution britannique aux Nations uniesMises en garde de la Russie, de la Chine et de l'Iran

Des experts des Nations unies se sont rendus mercredi en zone rebelle dans la banlieue de Damas, pour la deuxième fois en trois jours, afin d'enquêter sur l'attaque chimique présumée qui aurait fait plusieurs centaines de morts il y a une semaine.

A la suite de cette attaque, que les Etats-Unis et leurs alliés imputent aux forces du président Bachar al Assad, la perspective de frappes aériennes occidentales en Syrie se précise. La France a estimé que le "massacre chimique de Damas" ne pouvait rester impuni.

L'équipe des Nations unies a poursuivi ses investigations et recueilli des éléments sur place. Elle avait déjà été autorisée à se rendre lundi dans des zones rebelles proches de la capitale.

En visite à La Haye, le secrétaire général de l'Onu, Ban Ki-moon, a estimé qu'il fallait encore quatre jours aux experts pour mener à bien leurs travaux sur place. Il s'agira ensuite d'analyser scientifiquement les éléments recueillis et de présenter les conclusions au Conseil de sécurité de l'Onu, a-t-il dit.

Tant que les experts seront à Damas, des frappes occidentales paraissent peu probables afin de ne pas les mettre en danger.

Les inspecteurs avaient quitté dans la matinée leur hôtel du centre de la capitale syrienne et franchi la ligne de front pour se rendre dans le faubourg de Zamalka, à l'est de la ville. Ils ont regagné leur hôtel dans l'après-midi.

Le Premier ministre britannique, David Cameron, qui a reçu l'appui "unanime" de son conseil de sécurité nationale, a annoncé que le Royaume-Uni avait préparé un projet de résolution au Conseil de sécurité de l'Onu condamnant le régime syrien et autorisant les mesures nécessaires pour protéger la population civile. (voir )

L'AVAL DE L'ONU

Le Conseil s'est réuni pour examiner ce texte mais la Chine et la Russie, alliées de Damas, devraient s'opposer à son adoption.

Le vice-ministre russe des Affaires étrangères, Vladimir Titov, a jugé que le Conseil de sécurité devait attendre les conclusions des experts avant d'envisager une réponse.

A Bruxelles, le secrétaire général de l'Otan, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a estimé que l'usage d'armes chimiques par le gouvernement syrien était "inacceptable" et ne pouvait "rester sans réponse".

A Damas, la plupart des bâtiments de l'armée ont été évacués mercredi dans l'attente d'une attaque et la population a commencé à faire des réserves d'eau et de provisions.

Le gouvernement syrien affirme que ce sont les rebelles qui ont eu recours aux armes chimiques. Le vice-ministre des Affaires étrangères, Fayçal Makdad, a déclaré mercredi qu'Américains, Britanniques et Français avaient aidé les "terroristes" à utiliser du gaz sarin en Syrie.

Pour l'émissaire spécial de l'Onu sur la Syrie, Lakhdar Brahimi, une éventuelle intervention militaire occidentale devra être approuvée par le Conseil de sécurité. "Je pense que le droit international est clair à ce sujet. Le droit international dit qu'une action militaire doit être prise après une décision du Conseil de sécurité", a-t-il déclaré lors d'une conférence de presse à Genève.

En laissant prévoir de prochaines frappes aériennes contre le régime d'Assad, même sans l'aval de l'Onu, les Etats-Unis ont souligné qu'il ne s'agissait pas d'entraîner un "changement de régime" à Damas mais seulement de punir le recours aux armes chimiques. ( )

L'IRAN CRAINT UN "DÉSASTRE"

Ces déclarations n'ont pas convaincu la Chine. Le Quotidien du peuple, organe du Parti communiste chinois, évoque l'invasion de l'Irak en 2003, quand les Américains accusaient Saddam Hussein de disposer d'armes de destruction massive jamais découvertes par la suite.

Pour la Russie, une attaque contre la Syrie ne fera que déstabiliser encore plus le pays et la région. ( )

Le Guide suprême de la révolution iranienne, l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a jugé qu'une intervention américaine en Syrie serait "un désastre pour la région". ( )

L'Irak, voisin de la Syrie, a placé ses forces en état d'alerte renforcée.

Israël a rappelé une petite fraction de ses réservistes et renforcé ses défenses anti-missiles de crainte d'éventuelles attaques de représailles de la part de Damas. Israël redoute aussi des tirs de roquettes du Hezbollah libanais, allié militaire de la Syrie.

Mardi, le vice-président américain Joe Biden a affirmé n'avoir "aucun doute" sur la responsabilité des gouvernementaux dans l'attaque chimique du 21 août. ( ).

Un avis partagé par David Cameron qui a prôné une action "ciblée" contre le régime de Damas. Un débat est prévu jeudi au Parlement de Westminster. Comme les Américains, les Britanniques ont des navires de guerre en Méditerranée. Ils disposent aussi d'une base aérienne à Chypre, à 200 km des côtes syriennes.

Aug. 28, 2013 - By JOHN T. BENNETT – Defense News

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s march to war in Syria is exposing a new fissures in the Republican Party, with its members splitting over whether the United States should intervene militarily.

President Barack Obama could order Tomahawk missile strikes on Syrian targets at any moment, but GOP members’ reactions to the simmering conflict have put the party’s isolationists and interventionists on opposite sides.

The factions of the party agree with the White House’s determination that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces used chemical weapons in a deadly Aug. 21 attack. But that’s where members head to different sides of the party’s famed “big tent.”

The Skeptics

In one corner are Republican lawmakers who appear skeptical that an American military mission in Syria is in Washington’s interests. This group also is warning that US action could cause further instability in the always-chaotic Middle East.

“The United States has deep national security interests in Syria and the region,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif.

But Royce also warned that “any US military action could bring serious consequences or further escalation.”

Libertarian GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has become a thorn in the side of both Obama and his party’s hawks, on Monday said the administration “is right that Assad using chemical weapons is an outrage, and it is wrong.”

But Cruz sees something “missing” in the White House’s publicly stated reasons for the expected strikes.

“Unfortunately missing from … the president’s approach so far has been a focus on what the touchstone should be, which is the vital US national security interest of this country,” Cruz said. “The United States armed forces is not, doesn’t exist to be a policeman for the world.

Cruz, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, also is warning that “simply lobbing some cruise missiles in to disagree with Assad’s murderous actions” would not equal “protecting our national security.”

Another libertarian-leaning GOP lawmaker, Michigan’s Justin Amash, opposes a Syrian military intervention on legal grounds.

Amash posted this on his Twitter page Monday: “War Powers Resolution is consistent w/Constitution: Pres can take unilateral action only pursuant to nat’l emergency.”

He has since tweeted quotes from Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden from 2007, when they argued a president can authorize a military strike without congressional approval only if an imminent threat to the US exists. Amash says no such threat is evident with Assad’s forces in Syria.

“Obama ‘07: ‘Pres does not have power ... to unilaterally authorize military attack ... that does not involve stopping actual or imminent threat,’” Amash tweeted this week, followed later by: “Biden ‘07: ‘Founding Fathers vested in Congress, not Pres, power to initiate war, except to repel imminent attack on U.S. or its citizens.’”

War Drummers

In another corner of the GOP tent, members are pounding the drums of war.

John McCain, R-Ariz., a longtime Senate Armed Services Committee leader, took to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program Wednesday to deliver a full-throated call for strikes that go beyond what the Obama administration reportedly is mulling.

Experts predict the coming missile and air strikes likely will target Assad’s command and control capabilities, chemical-weapons delivery units and platforms, air-defense systems, and other military targets.

The idea is to punish Assad and send a message. But the goal will not be to remove him from office, according to the White House.

“I want to make clear that the options that we are considering are not about regime change,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday. “They are about responding to a clear violation of an international standard that prohibits the use of chemical weapons.”

McCain said Wednesday morning that the Obama administration should be preparing war plans for strikes that would drive Assad from office.

The leader of the Senate’s “Three Amigos” pointed to Obama’s repeated declarations that Assad cannot remain in power after leading a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of Syrians and driven others to refugee camps in neighboring countries.

Also in the McCain group are lawmakers such as Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who support strikes but want them limited to Tomahawk missile launches.

“I think you’re [going to] see a surgical, proportional strike against the Assad regime for what they have done,” Corker said this week. “And I support that. … With the use of chemical warfare, I think we have to act. And I think we’ll do so, again, in a very surgical, proportional way.””

This is where Corker breaks with McCain.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member, who has been briefed by the White House, wants a limited response that avoids another protracted ground operation in a Middle Eastern nation where violence from al-Qaida and sectarian conflict could break out — thereby dramatically increasing the amount of blood and treasure America would have to expend.

“I do not want us, though, to move into a situation where we’re moving beyond supporting the moderate, vetted opposition on the ground,” Corker said. “I do think Syrians need to be the ones to deal with this issue.”

Resigned to War

Finally, a third group appears almost resigned to war’s inevitability.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., on Monday endorsed a US military intervention.

But he did not do so without questioning Obama’s logic. Essentially, McKeon is asking: Why did Obama issue his now-infamous “red line” warning to Assad over the use of chemical arms if he did not already know how he would enforce it?

Once that kind of line was set, this group said this week, Obama might have made war inevitable.

“Now that American credibility is on the line,” McKeon said, “the president cannot fail to act decisively.”

Sounding a similar tone this week is former House Homeland Security Committee chairman Peter King, R-N.Y.

“Once that red line has been crossed and once chemical weapons have been used,” King said, “I believe the president has to take action.”

28 août 2013 par info-aviation

Le Portugal négocie l’achat supplémentaire de F-16 Fighting Falcon avec Lockheed Martin pour les transférer à la Roumanie.

L’Agence d’approvisionnement militaire portugaise (DGAIED) va acheter trois chasseurs F-16 à Lockheed Martin dans le cadre du programme américaine EDA (Excess Defense Articles). Les avions seront modernisés au Portugal à la norme F-16 Mid-Life Update (MLU) par l’Armée de l’Air portugaise avec l’aide de l’OGMA-Industria Aeronautica de Portugal, une société locale détenue conjointement par Empresa Portuguesa de Defesa (EMPORDEF) et Embraer du Brésil.

Une fois modernisés, ces avions rejoindront neuf autres F-16MLU portugais qui seront revendus à la Force aérienne roumaine, soit 12 avions F-16 au total. Le contrat est estimé à 186.2 millions d’euros.

Il doit encore être finalisé avec les autorités roumaines mais il prévoit d’inclure la livraison de 12 avions, des moteurs supplémentaires (avec la révision), le soutien logistique, le soutien technique durant 2 ans, et la formation des pilotes roumains et des techniciens de maintenance.

La Roumanie devrait consacrer des fonds supplémentaires à l’acquisition d’armes pour les F-16, de capteurs aéroportés, et d’équipement de soutien au sol. Les F-16MLU devront progressivement remplacer une partie de la flotte de MiG-21 Lancer de l’armée roumaine. Depuis 2010, la Roumanie souhaite s’équiper de F-16, mais le pays a dû renoncer à plusieurs reprises faute d’un financement qui représente 1% de son PIB. L’achat des F-16 portugais d’occasions, mais modernisés, est sans doute une solution plus économique.

26 August 2013 by Oscar Nkala– defenceWeb

The Libyan Army has deployed a new anti-terror unit made up of 2 000 special forces soldiers across the capital Tripoli to improve security in the city.

According to the Libyan Herald, the Joint Force (JF) is made up of fighters drawn from the ministries of defence and interior and is equipped with 300 armed 'technical' fighting vehicles and 21 armoured personnel carriers.

It is charged with conducting regular patrols to counter potential security threats after a spate of bomb attacks and shootings targeting embassies and diplomatic staff in the past two years.

JF public relations officer Esam Naas said the force, which is commanded by Colonel Fitouri Ghuraebi, will patrol the streets of Tripoli around the clock and has already completed deployments to some sections of the capital.

"We wasted no time in the preparations to go out and secure the city. This (operation) will be done in full coordination with the Police Directorate in Tripoli and other security forces arms. Our 2 000 men will be mainly guarding the entry and exit points of Greater Tripoli," Naas said.

Set up March this year, the JF is made up of selected officers and former militias who have received specialised counter-terror training through military assistances programmes run by the Italian, Turkish, United States and French governments. The force failed to start work early in the year as it lacked military equipment and operated without funding.

As a result, the force limited its operations to manpower training and low-level security sweeps such as clearing illegal occupants from government buildings within the city centre. Prompted by rising insecurity following a spate of shootings and car bomb attacks on embassies and on the streets of Tripoli, the Libyan government has been forced to release funds to finance the JF operations.

Libya has been beset by insecurity due to infighting among fractious militia alliances which were formed to fight strongman Muammar Gaddafi during the 2011 revolution.

Since then, suspected trans-national terror outfits have established operations inside the country and are believed to be responsible for a spate of car bombs, embassy attacks, attacks on diplomatic staff and of late, jailbreaks in which hundreds of hard-core Al Qaeda militants escaped.

Fighting has also broken out regularly between the new national army and the militias. To compound an already dire security situation, fighting has also broken out regularly between rival militias which still control many parts of the capital Tripoli, Benghazi, Misurata, Sabha and other former hotbeds of the 2011 revolution.

20 August 2013 by Guy Martin - defenceWeb

Namibia and Germany have signed an agreement that will see continued military cooperation over the next three years, including the provision of training and equipment that can be used for peacekeeping operations.

Namibian defence minister Nahas Angula and German ambassador to Namibia Onno Huckmann signed the sixth such defence cooperation agreement on August 7. The budget under the new agreement amounts to some N$40 million – N$200 million has been budgeted since Germany and Namibia began cooperating in the field of defence in 1992, according to the German Embassy in Windhoek.

The German Federal Government's Equipment Aid Programme for foreign armed forces has been in existence for more than four decades. Responsible for the implementation of this programme are groups of seconded technical advisors of the Bundeswehr. Namibia’s fifth tranche of 4 million euros ended in December last year.

Huckmann said the latest agreement was “outstanding evidence of the close and fruitful cooperation between the armed forces of our two sister nations”. He added that Germany military assistance to the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) has been very successful.

The Equipment Aid Programme will focus on establishing a Camp Operation Logistic Unit, which Namibia will use when contributing troops to African Union and United Nations-led peacekeeping missions. The German Embassy added that medical and maintenance facilities will be constructed in order to strengthen these areas of the Namibian Defence Force.

The Namibian government finances 50% of these projects, which have included the delivery of a mobile field hospital, a vehicle mechanic training centre and other initiatives. Equipment Aid shipments from Germany have included more than 25 tons of medical equipment, 20 all-terrain ambulances, trucks, spare parts and equipment.

In addition, the German Advisory Group has trained Namibian Defence Force vehicle mechanics and storekeepers and a central workshop and training centre have been constructed. A driving school was established between 2002 and 2006 and trains all NDF drivers. In February 2012 the school was moved to the Osona base near Okahandja and was handed over on August 31.

Another joint project saw the supply and installation of an old ammunition disposal facility, which was also offered to peacekeeping missions of neighbouring countries. Ammunition disposal started in December 2002 and until its handover in 2006 was operated jointly by the NDF and German Advisory Group.

One of the largest projects between Namibia and Germany was the delivery of a mobile field hospital, which the NDF will use to deliver operational and emergency health care services during military operations and provide emergency civilian health care services for relief agencies in the event of natural disasters.

The mobile field hospital was handed over at Luiperds Vallei on February 26 this year. It can treat up to 40 outpatients per day and has an admission capacity of 20 patients at a time. Furthermore, dental treatment of up to 20 patients and four operations are possible.

Detailed logistics enables the mobile field hospital to bring all the necessary equipment with its own transport to the area it is deployed. Water purifiers, water tanks, kitchens, generators, toilet and shower containers as well as sewage and refuse disposals are part of the self-contained operation of the hospital.

The hospital can be deployed in all types of terrain as it is mounted on a 4-wheel drive overlander vehicle. It has two intensive care units, laboratories, an X-ray unit and a mobile oxygen concentrator which allows it to produce its own oxygen.

It enables the Namibian Armed Forces to support peace keeping missions of up to 1 000 soldiers within the framework of UN, AU or SADC missions.

August 28, 2013: Strategy Page

Vietnam and the Philippines announced that are developing joint military and diplomatic plans to thwart increasing Chinese aggressiveness in territorial disputes throughout the South China Sea. In the past Vietnam tried to go it alone against China and got beaten in several battles. Perhaps because of the rough treatment Vietnam has received from Chinese forces in the past, the Philippines also repeated its staunch support for a “no confrontation” policy. This is part necessity, because even with lots of charity the Philippines cannot expect to ever afford a military that would be more of a nuisance to China. For confrontation, especially when China asserts its claims to territory right off the Filipino coast, an ally like the United States will be needed. So far the Americans have not committed to helping with such a desperate situation.

As the peace talks with MILF creep towards completion the Moslem factions that oppose the terms of the deal (limited autonomy and not independence) are now accused of supporting terrorist attacks in the south (Mindanao and adjacent smaller islands). Abu Sayyaf is accused of cooperating (and being paid) to help carry out this disruption campaign. This violent factionalism is nothing new in the south and is seen as a problem that will persist after the peace deal is implemented.

The government is having a problem with southern (largely Moslem) politicians who refuse to allow American UAVs to operate from local airports. Although the UAVs are often used to aid disaster relief (like for the recent massive typhoon storm damage) the politicians fear retaliation from Islamic terrorists who see the American UAVs as a mortal threat and want to interfere with the use of this aerial surveillance as much as possible. In the latest case it was the government that asked for the U.S. UAVs to be brought in to provide a more precise view of the storm damage that has left nearly a million Filipinos homeless.

August 26, 2013: Over 100,000 people demonstrated against corruption in the capital and other major cities. The anger was directed at “legal corruption” in the form of millions of dollars a year given to politicians for their favorites projects but that is widely acknowledged to be diverted to personal use. The government has been unable to get the legislature to vote down this practice and that created widespread anger against seemingly feeble efforts to curb corruption. Most Filipinos now agree that the corruption is the biggest obstacle to economic growth and all manner of progress in the country.

August 24, 2013: In a peace gesture the NPA released a soldier they had captured 20 days earlier. The NPA is in the early stages of peace talks with the government, apparently in an effort to build on whatever gains the MILF talks create.

August 21, 2013: In the south (North Cotabato province) NPA gunmen attacked a banana plantation and destroyed six trucks and stole portable equipment. The plantation owners had refused to meet NPA extortion demands. The NPA depends on extortion and kidnapping to keep itself going.

August 18, 2013: The government finished another four days of negotiations with MILF. This was the 39th meeting and both sides said progress continued to be made in sorting out the details of Moslem autonomy in the south.

In the south (North Cotabato province) NPA gunmen attacked a construction site and destroyed three construction vehicles. The construction company, which is building a road, had refused to meet NPA extortion demands.

August 13, 2013: In the north (Laguna province) NPA gunmen attacked a bus company depot and destroyed 11 busses. The bus company refused to meet NPA extortion demands. In this case the NPA was also apparently backing a union that was having a hard time getting more money out of the company. This sort of violence is also common in labor negotiations.

August 10, 2013: In the south (Cotabato) the army launched another offensive against BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters). The first day of fighting left two rebels dead and two soldiers wounded. At least two thousand civilians fled the fighting, which centered on army efforts to keep the rebels from blocking a key highway. BIFF apparently also planted two bombs in the area. One went off but caused no casualties while the other was found and disabled. The army has carried several of these operations against BIFF this year. Each results in dozens (or more) rebel casualties and captures. But so far BIFF, despite getting weaker, has not called it quits. Last September the main Moslem separatist group (MILF) negotiated a peace deal with BIFF which was then supposed to rejoin MILF and stop causing problems with their attacks on Christians in the south. That has not happened yet and apparently won’t. BIFF contains former members of MILF, something MILF leaders have played down for years. Last year MILF openly agreed with government demands to do something about these "outlaws". BIFF contained about a thousand armed men earlier in the year and MILF sought to negotiate a peace deal with the dissidents while publicly insisting that it would crush these rebel rebels. BIFF had become increasingly violent, and outspoken about how MILF is selling out Moslems. Now MILF will have to use force to coerce the BIFF outlaws to get with the new peace deal. Otherwise the treaty will turn into a civil war within the new Moslem homeland down south. BIFF refused to comply with the peace deal it made with MILF last year and the current army operations are not being opposed by MILF.

25 August 2013 by nayeem sheikh - Indian Defence Goal

Working at a fast pace towards production and induction of Agni-V missile into the forces, Defence Research and Development Organisation is reportedly planning its second test fire next month. The maiden test fire of Agni-V, the first intercontinental ballistic missile of India, was carried out in April 2012. The successful trial catapulted the country into the exclusive ICBM club comprising six elite countries, United States of America, Russia, China, France and United Kingdom.

Dr V G Sekaran, chief controller R&D (Missiles & Strategic Systems) and programme director, Agni, said that while no date has been fixed for the test as of now, it will be conducted in September. “This test shall be aimed at repeatability of the previous test for stabilizing the performance of sub-systems,” he said, adding that DRDO is working at starting the production and delivery phase by 2015 for Agni-5. Dr Sekaran further revealed that the forthcoming test fire is a part of development trials (usually 2-3, if successful) and the user trials will start after this.

Meanwhile, DRDO is leaving no stone unturned for kick starting the canisterization process for Agni V by this year end. Simultaneous qualification tests will be conducted for the same as well. Canister launch of the missile will enable higher flexibility in launching speedy firing from any location on a road.

The indigenously developed 50-tonne long range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Agni-V, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead weighing more than a tonne, has a 5,000 km range as per DRDO officials, who confirmed that preparations are at full swing at Wheeler Island off the Odisha coast for a September launch. Once inducted, India’s range with respect to missile reach would include the entire Asia as well as parts of other continents. Agni V will be inducted into the force equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles (MIRVs) for shooting multiple warheads at the same time.

RCI to celebrate silver jubilee

Research Centre Imarat, DRDO, Hyderabad, is celebrating its silver jubilee on August 26, 2013. Governor ESL Narasimhan, former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, minister of state for defence Jitendra Singh will be present at the celebration. RCI is the premier DRDO Laboratory spearheading the design, development and delivery of state-of-the-art avionics systems for the entire Indian missile development programmes.

August/28/2013 Burak BEKDİL -  Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey is planing to spend $600 million to buy 10 new assault boats and had initiated a contest for the program, defense sector sources have said

Defense procurement officials expect a number of local shipyards are expected to race for Turkey’s $600-million worth assault boat purchase program. The design and manufacturing of the boats will be local, they have said.

Turkey is expected to spend more than half a billion dollars on a batch of new assault boats, defense sources have said.

Turkey’s defense procurement authorities recently launched a new competition for the acquisition of 10 new assault boats, a program dubbed the “Turkish-type assault boat.”

Officials and defense industry sources agree that the proposed program would cost Turkey nearly $600 million.

Defense procurement officials said an official request for information for the contract was issued at the end of July. “This will be a major contest for mostly local shipyards but there will be a foreign contest too,” one official said. “The design and manufacturing will be local, hence the tag ‘Turkish-type assault boat.’”

Industry sources expect competition among local shipyards RMK Marine, Yonca-Onuk, Dearsan and Istanbul Shipyards.

The program will be managed by STM, a government-owned defense industry engineering and consultation company. STM, under authorization from the procurement agency, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) had carried out feasibility studies for the assault boat program between 2008 and 2010.

Under the plan, local shipyards will compete for the design and manufacturing work. State-owned defense companies Aselsan and Havelsan will compete for the warfare system and state-owned missile maker Roketsan will produce the weapons systems.

Foreign companies will be asked to bid for main propulsion and steering systems. The deadline to reply to the request for information is Sept. 13, 2013.

Tender for local warship to be remade

ANKARA / ISTANBUL - A tender for Turkey’s national warship program (MİLGEM) will reportedly be rearranged following a report by the prime ministry’s inspection office stating that the original tender’s result was not in the public interest, local daily Star reported yesterday. Seven companies, including Koç Holding’s RMK Marine, the winner of the first tender, have been called upon to offer their prices.

However, officials from the Undersecretaries for the Defense Industry declined to comment to the Daily News on the issue.

The Defense Industry Executive Committee particularly called upon two companies, RMK Marine and Dearsan, to take part in the tender, after finding that they had already applied for another prominent shipyard in Istanbul at the beginning of the year. RMK Marine was selected in January by the committee to build six follow-on Milgem-class corvettes.

Construction of the first Milgem project ship, the Heybeliada, was completed in 2008, while the second ship, the Büyükada, is still under way.

27 August 2013 airforce-technology.com

Kaman's Aerospace segment has secured a contract modification for the supply of additional joint programmable fuses (JPF) to the US Air Force (USAF).

Valued at $8.6m, the contract represents a follow-on award under Option 10 of the company's JPF contract with the air force and brings the total contract value to approximately $78.6m.

Kaman Aerospace Group president Greg Steiner said the contract further strengthens the company's largest single programme by increasing JPF backlog to more than $150m and extending it into 2015.

''The order demonstrates the USAF's fuzing requirements and commitment to the programme," Steiner said.

"The contract represents a follow-on award under Option 10 of the company's JPF contract with the air force and brings the total contract value to approximately $78.6m."

Awarded by USAF earlier this month, the $70m Option 10 contract also features one more option, which, if exercised, will raise the total value and also extend the performance period through the middle of 2017.

Claimed to be the USAF's current bomb fuze of choice, JPF is an electro-mechanical bomb safing and arming device designed to allow the settings of a weapon to be programmed in flight.

The fuse is currently used with an array of weapons, including general purpose bombs and guided bombs that use joint direct attack munitions (JDAM), or Paveway kits, as well as several USAF aircraft, such as the F-15 Silent Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, A-10 Thunderbolt, B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress and the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Other international aircraft using the fuze, which is manufactured at Kaman's facilities in Florida and Connecticut, US, include the Mirage 3 and JAS 39 Gripen multi-role fighter aircraft.

Contract deliveries are expected to start in 2015.

Besides serving as the JPF's sole provider to the USAF since 2002, Kaman also provides the bomb fuse to 23 other countries worldwide.