24/05/11 By Arie Egozi Flight International

The XP version of Aeronautics Defense Systems' Dominator unmanned air system has been cleared for export, after having been adapted to comply with the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

Aeronautics president Avi Leumi said the adaptations were aimed at making the Dominator meet all the limitations included in the international agreement.

The Aeronautics design is based on the Diamond DA42 twin-engined aircraft. Before changes, the Dominator 2 is capable of achieving an endurance of 28h and is capable of carrying a 300kg (660lb) payload to an altitude of 30,000ft (9,150m).

With a maximum take-off weight of 2,000kg, the type is aimed at the high end of the medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS market, with a top speed of 190kt (350km/h).

The company has not disclosed which changes have been made to comply with MTCR regulations.

Leumi said the Dominator is competing directly with systems such as the General Atomics Predator and Israel Aerospace Industries' Heron.

24 mai 2011 Guysen International News

Un avion de chasse F-15 de l'armée saoudienne s'est écrasé lundi soir dans l'est du royaume et son pilote a été tué, a annoncé mardi le ministère saoudien de la Défense. L'appareil était en mission d'entraînement dans la province orientale au moment de l'accident, a ajouté un porte-parole du ministère. 

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 23 (UPI)

The Israeli air force is considering phasing out its U.S.-built Raytheon Hawk surface-to-air missiles, backbone of its air-defense network since 1965, and replacing them with David's Sling, a weapon being developed by Rafael Advances Defense Systems.

The Jerusalem Post reported Monday that, according to military planners, the first battery of David's Sling, which is designed to intercept medium-range missiles, should be operational in 2012.

However, the ultimate aim appears to be to adapt David's Sling to counter aircraft as well as missiles.

The Jerusalem Post gave no details on that but quoted a senior air force officer as saying that even once David's Sling has been declared operational in its original role of providing a defense against missiles with ranges of 43-187 miles, "it will still take some time before it is formatted to also defend against enemy aircraft."

The system uses an interceptor called Stunner, which is considered capable of countering Iranian missiles such as the M600, the Zelzal, Fajr and Fateh 110, hundreds of which are reportedly deployed with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Each David's Sling launcher holds 16 missiles, which operate with an advanced phased-array radar made by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries.

IAI also manufactures the high-altitude, long-range Arrow-2 missiles that is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles such as Iran's Shehab-3b, currently the mainstay of its strategic missile force.

David's Sling and Arrow-2 -- a more advanced Arrow-3 variant is being developed -- comprise the middle and top layers of a planned three-tier missile defense system.

This has become a critical element in the Israeli arsenal. Iran is reckoned to have more than 100 Shehabs in operation. Syria, its Arab ally, has an estimated 850 guided missiles.

By Israeli count, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon has 50,000 missiles and rockets, while the Palestinian radicals of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, on Israel's southern flank, have an estimated 5,000 short-range rockets.

Arrow has been operational since 2000 but is untested in action.

The bottom-tier system, Iron Dome, also built by Rafael, made its combat debut in early April. It shot down eight out of nine Grad-type rockets launched by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip against the cities of Ashkelon and Beersheba.

Its central computer tracks every incoming missile or rocket and is programmed to ignore those whose trajectories indicate they won't hit populated areas.

There are only two batteries of Iron Dome deployed but the military plans to spend $1 billion to produce up to 15 more batteries to protect Israel's population centers.

These have become vulnerable to missiles and rockets fired from Iran and Syria as well as short-range weapons unleashed by Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

If the plan to replace the venerable MIM-23 Hawks goes ahead, it will mark the end of an era.

The Hawk, a medium-range surface-to-air missile, was first deployed in Israel in March 1965 and remains the main ground-based defense against aircraft. It was initially designed to kill aircraft but was adapted to destroy missiles in flight as well -- the reverse of David's Sling.

The Hawk's first kill was scored in unusual circumstances on June 5, 1967, the first day of the Six-Day War. A MIM-23A shot down an Israeli Dassault MD450 Ouragan jet that was in danger of crashing into the nuclear research center at Dimona in the Negev Desert. It was the first time the system had been fired in combat.

During the War of Attrition between Israel and Egypt from March 1969 to August 1970, Hawks shot down 8-12 Egyptian aircraft. The system was extensively used during the three-week October 1973 war against Syria and Egypt and shot down 12-24 Arab aircraft.

The Israeli air force has 17 MIM-23B Improved Hawk batteries operational.

23 May 2011 by Reuters defenseWeb

Iran's military received a new ballistic missile system which it said demonstrated the country's self-sufficiency in mass producing weaponry.

"The new surface-to-surface missiles, Qiyam (Resurrection) 1, were successfully tested and delivered to the armed forces today," Iran's Arabic-language state television channel Al Alam said.

It did not disclose the range of the missile, delivered to the aerospace wing of the elite Revolutionary Guards, but said it was designed to be less easily detected than older models, Reuters reports.

"The mass production of the Qiyam missile, the first without stabiliser fins, shows the Islamic Republic of Iran's self-sufficiency in producing various types of missiles," Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

Iran is at loggerheads with major powers over its nuclear work, which it says is peaceful and intended solely for generating electricity but which Washington and its allies fear is aimed at making nuclear bombs.

Israel sees the potential of a nuclear armed Iran -- which refuses to recognise the Jewish state and supports militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah -- as a major threat and both it and its ally Washington do not rule out military action to prevent such a scenario.

Iran has said it would respond to any attack by targeting U.S. interests and Israel.

23 mai 2011 Rachad Suleymanov – APA

Bakou - Les frais militaires dans le budget d’état d’Azerbaïdjan seront augmentés 39 735 000 AZN (manat azerbaïdjanais) et atteints à 1 364 796 025 AZN, selon un projet d’amendement au budget, présenté à l’Assemblée Nationale.

1 270 857 361 AZN sont prévus pour le Ministère de la Défense, 92 932 391 AZN pour le Service Frontière d’état et d’autres forces de la défense, rapporte l’APA. Y entrent 34 506 900 AZN pour les salaires et allocations, 188 014 055 AZN pour renforcer le potentiel de la défense, 3 374 102 AZN pour le service de communication et aux services communaux, 49 163 227 AZN pour l’approvisionnement. 89 95 665 AZN sont prévus pour les mesures de la sécurité nationale, y compris 86 955 665 AZN pour le Ministère de la sécurité nationale et 2 millions pour l’approvisionnement technique.

2 326 428 AZN sont débloqués pour les recherches au Ministère de l’Industrie de la Défense (MSN) et 2 656 571 AZN pour d’autres frais du Ministère.

Les structures paramilitaires ont été financées dans la section des forces de l’ordre. 62 862 743 AZN sont prévues pour la Gendarmerie et 68 300 702 pour le Service d’état spécial de protection.

1 087 000 000 AZN sont prévus pour les projets spéciaux à destination militaires, dans le budget d’état pour l’an 2011. Ainsi, les frais militaires de l’Azerbaïdjan seront atteints à 2 582 959 470 AZN (3 270 000 000 USD).

21 mai 2011 Par IsraelValley Desk

TSAHAL EXCLUSIF – Du 20 au 26 Juin 2011, se tiendra le 49ième Salon International de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace à Paris Le Bourget. Depuis plus de 100 ans ce salon est le plus grand évènement au monde consacré à l’industrie aéronautique et spatiale. La 49e édition du salon réunira de nouveau l’ensemble des acteurs de l’industrie mondiale autour des dernières innovations technologiques. (Les 4 premiers jours du salon seront réservés aux professionnels suivis de 3 jours pour le Grand Public.)

Cette année, plus d’une douzaine de sociétés israéliennes de taille mondiale seront sur le très (trop?) traditionnel “Pavillon israélien” du Salon du Bourget. Quelques entreprises : 1. SIBAT : Ministère israélien de la DéfensernLes activités d’export de défense d’Israël sont cordonnées par SIBAT, l’agence d’export de défense et de coopération de défense du Ministère de la Défense. SIBAT prend part dans la politique d’export et son exécution.

2. Aeronotics Ltd : Aeronotics Ltd développe et fabrique des systèmes de reconnaissance, de surveillance, et de sécurité en matière de renseignement. Les solutions de cette entreprise pionnière ont ouvert la voix aux technologies « sans pilote » sur air, mer, terre et dans l’espace basées sur des technologies centralisées en réseau.

4. Elbit Systems :

Compagnie de défense électronique globale usant de technologies pour l’aéronautique, les systèmes terrestre et naval, ainsi que des systèmes d’alerte pour l’équipement et la communication militaire.

5. IAI : Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd :

IAI est le leader reconnu des technologies aéronautiques civile et militaire proposant une gamme élargie couvrant les besoins de la défense aérienne, terrestre et maritime ainsi que la sûreté intérieure.

6. Rafael Ltd :

Créée en 1948, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd développe depuis des systèmes d’armement pour tous corps d’armée en Israël et mondialement.

Yaïr Shamir de IAI va certainement être présent à Paris au salon. En général entouré d’un nombre important d’hommes d’affaires américains et russes, le président de IAI devient “LE” super-vendeur du groupe israélien lors du Salon du Bourget à Paris. Natalie Harel avait rencontré Yaïr Shamir et lui avait consacré un article: “Comment l’esprit high-tech a-t-il gagné le jeune État ?”

Selon Yaïr Shamir, fils de l’ancien Premier ministre Itzhak Shamir, qui préside le conseil d’administration du fleuron national IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) tout en officiant au sein du fonds d’investissements Catalyst, la première explication est d’ordre géopolitique. Frappé d’embargo au lendemain de la guerre des Six jours de juin 1967, Israël n’a pas eu d’autre choix que d’investir massivement dans son industrie militaire.

« Des milliards de dollars ont été injectés dans l’industrie de la Défense au cours des années soixante-dix. Lorsque les étudiants du Technion se frottaient à l’électronique ou l’informatique, c’était quasi exclusivement à usage militaire. Parallèlement, l’armée a créé des unités d’élite pour développer des outils technologique en interne. Des firmes comme IAI, Tadiran ou Elbit ont intégré ce savoir-faire. Avant de développer des activités dédiées au secteur civil », rappelle Shamir, qui s’est illustré à la tête de Scitex (systèmes graphiques par ordinateurs), l’une des premières sociétés à avoir percé dans la haute technologie non militaire.

À l’en croire, un autre facteur a alors joué un rôle clé dans l’émergence de cette « Silicon Valley bis » : la disponibilité du capital.

« Au milieu des années quatre-vingts, plusieurs entrepreneurs israéliens ont compris qu’il était possible de lever des fonds sur les marchés boursiers et se sont tournés vers le Nasdaq. Puis le capital risque a pris le relais. Les idées les plus folles ont été financées dans ce pays qui a totalisé jusqu’à 3 000 jeunes pousses. Au cours de l’année 2000, les business angels ont investi 3,6 milliards de dollars dans la high tech israélienne sur fond d’optimisme absolu », poursuit Yaïr Shamir. La suite est connue. Une hausse vertigineuse des salaires dans le secteur, couplée à l’éclatement de la bulle Internet, a frappé de plein fouet les pépinières de Tel-Aviv, Herzlya, Yoknéam ou Haïfa. Sans pour autantrnremettre en cause le modèle économique made in Israel.

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 20 (UPI)

The competition for the Israeli air force's next jet trainer is heating up, with the Defense Ministry narrowing the focus to Korea's T-50 Golden Eagle and Italy's Aermacchi M-346 Master.

Israel plans that the winning aircraft, which will replace its fleet of aging Vietnam-era Douglas A-4 Skyhawks, will be bought in a joint venture between two leading Israeli defense companies: state-run Israel Aerospace Industries, flagship of Israel's defense industry, and Elbit, which specializes in military electronic systems.

The Jerusalem Post reported this unusual arrangement was due to the Defense Ministry's "budgetary constraints."

The daily recently said closure of the trainer deal had been delayed because of financial problems, particularly the deal to buy 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter aircraft approved by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in August 2010.

IAI and Elbit will establish Tor Ltd., which will handle the purchase and maintenance of the training aircraft, and lease the aircraft to the air force.

Delegations from South Korea and Italy, including plane makers Korea Aerospace Industries and Alenia Aermacchi, recently visited Israel to discuss the proposed sale.

The Post quoted Israeli defense officials as saying IAI discussed with both companies the possibility of producing components for the aircraft in the Jewish state.

Elbit, the newspaper reported, is also having talks about integrating some of its equipment into the aircraft that's selected.

The Tor joint venture has emerged amid a shakeup in Israel's defense industry, with the government leaning toward a possible merger of IAI, Rafael and Israel Military Industries.

The initial order of 20-30 training jets will mark the first time in 40 years the Israeli air force will buy jet aircraft not manufactured in the United States, its main arms supplier.

With the contest between the supersonic T-50 and the transonic M346 moving into its final stages, there's been no official indication as to which jet, used for advanced training before pilots move on to supersonic combat aircraft like the Lockheed Martin F-16 and Boeing's F-15, is likely to win the contest.

But South Korea has a distinct edge. Israel and South Korea have been upgrading defense ties of late, in large part because North Korea is selling ballistic missiles and technological expertise to Iran.

Pyongyang also has aided Syria in building a nuclear reactor, which the Israeli air force destroyed in September 2007.

"Israel and South Korea share similar threats of rockets targeting major population centers," observed South Korean analyst Yong Kwon in Washington.

"It is precisely this threat that will draw Israel and South Korea closer to one another."

Seoul has lately shown interest in the Iron Dome missile defense system, designed and built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to counter short-range missiles.

In its combat debut in southern Israel in March it shot down eight out of nine Grad-type rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

It may be that an Israeli purchase of the KIA T-50 will involve a deal with South Korea for the Iron Dome.

The Jerusalem Post noted "Israeli defense companies are seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts in South Korea that could be endangered if the IAF chooses the M-346 over the T-50."

Maj. Gen. Udi Shani, director general of Israel's Defense Ministry, said May 9 five countries have expressed interest in acquiring Iron Dome, but he did not identify any of them.

The single-engine T-50 is considered to be one of the best training aircraft in the world and by all accounts offers the highest potential performance of the two as it can function as an "F-16 Lite."

A T-50 with light ground attack capabilities would be an added bonus for the Israelis.

However, the Defense Industry Daily observed recently the performance profile and ordnance-carrying capability of the M-346, similar to the Russian Yak-130, "in a pinch is probably the closest to the Skyhawk's."

The IAF decided in October 2008 to retire its 200-plus A-4s.

The venerable Skyhawks were first acquired in 1967 and saw combat in several Middle East wars.

The small jet's agility and versatility, along with its ability to take heavy damage in combat, made it a much-loved aircraft among Israeli air force pilots.

19 May 2011 by defenseWeb Reuters

Israel set up a government cyber command yesterday to secure the country against hacking attacks on its key networks and boost the competitiveness of local industries specialising in hi-tech security.

The 80-person team led by a retired general and unveiled by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu follows similar initiatives in the West as a precaution against industrialised nations falling prey to paralysing sabotage of their online systems.

Though Israel's secret services are widely suspected of having waged such attacks against arch-foe Iran, Netanyahu said the new unit would be defensive.

The National Cybernetic Taskforce would have access to a budget of "hundreds of millions of shekels" in the coming years.

"I promise that we will stand up to the menace of future cyber attacks," Netanyahu told reporters without elaborating on such threats. "There is not a shadow of a doubt about that."

Israel is a global hi-tech leader and exporter, its civilian firms boosted by recruits from, and industrial cooperation with, the country's universities and advanced conscript military.

The new command "will coordinate between the needs of national defence and the growth potential of the cyber industries and the academic field," Netanyahu said, citing a plan to incorporate related studies at secondary-school level.

"The state of Israel will be a centre for dealing with the cyber world," he said.

May 18 2011By Andy Nativi - trdefence.com

ISTANBUL — Turkey is interested in a “domestic” light-utility platform in the 5-metric-ton class, while it also eyes new military satellites.

For the helo effort, as is the case with Turkey’s fighter ambitions (Aerospace DAILY, May 13), local industry still lacks key skills and would require a major partner.

As part of the competition for a medium-lift utility (TUHP) helicopter, bidders Sikorsky and AgustaWestland had to present plans for how they would work with local industry to build domestic skills. That initiative will be led by Sikorsky, now that it has won the TUHP contest with the T-70, although officials with Turkish defense procurement agency SSM say AgustaWestland remains a fallback.

Turkey also is showing interest in a locally based military satellite capability. Under the Gokturk contract, awarded in December 2008, Telespazio will develop, build and launch a 1-metric-ton-class optical Earth-observation satellite, slated to be orbited in 2013. The launcher has not yet been chosen, and several options (including Vega, Soyuz and Minotaur) are being considered.

The contract includes building a satellite assembly facility that will be capable of handling 1-5-metric-ton satellites.

Turkey already is working on a second Gokturk observation satellite, this one based on a domestically built bus linked with an imported sensor. A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, Gokturk 3, is also on the drawing board, with Alselan leading the SAR sensor industrial team.

Another space effort in the cards is a national GPS network comprising six satellites covering Turkey and potential operational areas. Longer term, there are plans for a national small-satellite space launcher capability.

Finally, Turkey is proceeding with the T-Loramids program, with the aim of developing an area air defense missile system that would comprise four battalions each with two batteries. The competition for the $4 billion-plus program has garnered proposals from China, Russia, the U.S. (Patriot PAC-2 GEM+ and PAC-3) and Europe (involving SAMP-T).

May 18, 2011 defpro.com

IAI/Tamam's MiniPOP Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has announced that it has delivered the new MiniPOP lightweight EO/IR sights for Rafael's Samson 30 RCWS (Remote Controlled Weapons Station) in a deal worth several millions of dollars.

The new systems are installed on the GDELS-Steyr KBVP PANDUR 8x8 CZ infantry fighting vehicles, which are currently operated by the Czech Army in Afghanistan.

The MiniPOP features a thermal imager, a CCD camera, a laser rangefinder and a laser pointer. Two MiniPOP systems are installed on each turret; one is used as the commander sight, and the other as the gunner sight.

Shaul Shahar, General Manager of IAI's TAMAM Division, commented: "We are very proud of the delivery of our MiniPOP for this important program. The MiniPOP was especially adapted for the harsh environment of the RCWS on the land fighting vehicle, and the systems' performance is beyond expectations."

The MiniPOP is part of IAI/Tamam's ever-expanding POP family of advanced, lightweight, observation and targeting payloads for airborne, land and maritime applications. Hundreds of payloads are deployed around the world and are in operational use with leading military and security forces.

MiniPOP Highlights:

The MiniPOP is uniquely small and light and can be equipped with up to 5 sensors, providing the best performance in its class.

• Size: 21 cm (8”)

• Weight: ~ 8.5 Kg (18.7 lbs) dependent upon sensor configuration

• Thermal Imager: Cooled InSb 3-5 µm FPA with continuous zoom

• Day color Camera: CCD with Near IR (NIR) capability, with continuous zoom

• Laser Range Finder: Eyesafe 12 ppm (option for 1 pps or 3 pps)

• Laser Pointer: 0.83µm

• Laser Designator (optional

May 16 2011 by Editor TRDEFENCE

Turkey sold weapons and munitions worth $20m to Azerbaijan in January-April this year, says the report issued by Central Anatolian Exporters Union.

Turkish companies exported weapons and munitions worth $20 million to Saudi Arabia and munitions worth $10 million to the US in the first quarter of this year.

Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and US are in the top three in the list of export of weapons and munitions, they are followed by Lebanon, Russia, Belgium, Pakistan, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Portugal.

Turkey’s Machine and Chemistry Company (MKEK) issued a statement saying that the company exported weapons and munitions worth $ 29M to Azerbaijan in 2010.

News.az

17/05/11 By Tolga Ozbek Flight International

Turkish Aerospace Industries plans to conduct the first flight with its Hurkus ("Free Bird") turboprop trainer in August 2012.

Launched four years ago and sponsored by Turkey's undersecretary of defence industries, the Hurkus programme will deliver three models, ranging from a primary military and civilian trainer to a light attack aircraft.

Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine, the aircraft is planned to have a top speed of more than 250kt (462km/h), and to be capable of performing manoeuvres between +7g and -3.5g.

The first Hurkus A will be manufactured by the end of this year, said TAI, with more than 1,800 of the required 3,300 parts already produced.

After securing certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority, the company aims to start deliveries by 2014. The Turkish air and land forces have both expressed interest in the project.

ISTANBUL, Turkey, May 16 (UPI)

Turkish defense company Otokar rolled out its locally designed and produced military vehicles at last week's International Defense Industry Fair.

Among the products on show at the Istanbul event were full-scale model of the Altay, the first Turkish main battle tank; the new Arma armored combat vehicle with its Mizrak-30, remote controlled turret system; the Arma 6x6 armored explosive ordnance disposal vehicle; and the new APV internal security vehicle.

Additional armored personnel carriers, weapons carriers and a Rapier missile battery vehicle-truck firing unit were also on display.

"By means of fairs organized we find the opportunity to display the development of the Turkish defense industry to the world," said Kudret Onen, chairman of Otokar and president of Koc Holding, Otokar's parent company.

"At Otokar, we have been designing and producing tactical vehicles in this sector since 24 years. Our military vehicles provide the Turkish armed forces with successful service. And in abroad, over 25,000 Otokar military vehicles are actively used in more than 20 countries."