May 11, 2011 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: US Army; issued May 10, 2011)

WASHINGTON --- The Army is acquiring and sustaining Russian-built Mi-17 helicopters for Iraqi and Afghan forces so they can further stand up their respective militaries and enable more U.S. forces to return home, service officials said.

"We're buying those systems because our boys and girls don't get to come home until (Iraqi and Afghani militaries) take over the mission and are trained to do it," said Maj. Gen. Tim Crosby, who serves as program executive officer for aviation. "There's incentive for us right now."

The aircraft purchases are at the request of both the Department of State and the Department of Defense.

The Army's Non-Standard Rotary Wing program office plans to acquire 21 new Mi-17s for Afghanistan. The office has already bought 22 of the aircraft for Iraq, of which 14 have been delivered, said Col. Norbert Vergez, who heads up the project.

In addition, U.S.-based Northrop Grumman is performing maintenance and sustainment on 52 existing Mi-17s in Afghanistan, Vergez said.

"The primary consideration was based on a desire by the customer, in the case of Afghanistan, to have a platform that they were familiar with and that was simple and easy to operate," Vergez said. "They wanted something that was immediately available for them to assimilate into their armed forces."

The Mi-17 was originally designed by the Russians in the 1970s. The helicopter was used by the then Soviet Army in the war between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. It is well suited for operating in that environment. Since that time, the Afghan military has used the Mi-17 and become familiar with the aircraft's operation.

Vergez said the high-altitude-capable, troop and supply-carrying Mi-17 is considered a national asset by the Afghanis. "It is an extension of the sovereign Afghani government beyond Kabul," Vergez noted. "For example, during a series of recent floods in the mountains, the Afghan government launched two of its recently acquired Mi-17's to help the people."

Vergez said that over a five day period, using the Mi-17, the Afghanis were able to rescue over 1,000 people from the floods. "That builds good will," he said. "Afghanistan is tribal, so when the central government comes in with that kind of power, it really goes a long way."

Vergez said delivery of the Mi-17s, which fly at altitude up to 19,860 feet, mean the Afghani military will gain further independence and that means fewer U.S. military will need to be in Afghanistan.

"There is no air support for Afghanistan other than the Americans as we establish this capability for Afghanistan," Vergez said. "With every one of these deliveries we are able to bring Americans home."

May 11, 2011 Tony Skinner, SHEPARD GROUP

Istanbul – Boeing believes it is ‘very close’ to settling on an offset package with Turkey for the purchase of six CH-47F Chinook helicopters for the Turkish Land Forces Command.

Speaking to Shephard at the IDEF exhibition in Istanbul on 11 May, Greg Pepin, Boeing’s vice president for the country, said Turkey had issued a letter of request to the US government as part of the foreign military sales (FMS) process and the company was finalising the extent of Turkish industry involvement with the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry.

‘We are in discussions right now and we are close to finalising the final items. Once we have come to an agreement the Turkish government will start the down payment process,’ Pepin said.

While the original 2009 FMS notification by the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency had stated that the Turkish government had requested to buy 14 CH-47F Chinook helicopters, the order has since been downscaled to six airframes.

In terms of the offset package, Pepin said there were a lot of technical issues the company was currently working through and the percentage that would be undertaken within Turkey was still to be determined.

‘We have to work through those technical issues. But having said that, Turkish industry is extremely good: there are many companies that are capable of working with complex technologies, and that’s in the commercial as well as the military world.’

Once Boeing is on contract for the aircraft, Turkish CH-47Fs will start joining the company’s Chinook production line around 36 months later.

When the deal was originally touted there was speculation that a number of Turkish-specific requirements, including the installation of equipment for special forces’ missions, may be incorporated into the agreement, with the aircraft remodelled in Turkey.

However, with the order shrinking to six aircraft, the Turkish Chinooks will now more closely resemble US Army CH-47Fs – although this does not preclude the aircraft being fitted with a number of Turkish-produced systems, such as communications, navigation and electro-optic imagery systems, on the Boeing production line as government-furnished equipment.

Given the popularity of the Chinook in recent years, more of a challenge for Boeing may be finding available slots on its Philadelphia production line. The company recently reconfigured the facility there in order to raise the number of airframes coming off the line from three to six a month.

May 11, 2011 ASDNews Source : GKN Aerospace

Lockheed Martin has recently installed the 1000th GKN Aerospace-manufactured nacelle for their C-130J military airlifter on the second of four aircraft destined for the Qatar Emiri Air Force.

Production of the nacelle has taken place at the Company's Isle of Wight facility in the UK for the past 16 years. The latest 5 year contract extension, placed in April 2008, has required a move to a new production line in order to meet customer demand for an almost doubling in the pace of manufacture to over 36 full aircraft sets this year. In fact, GKN Aerospace is planning to deliver a total of 158 nacelles, including spares, this year and expects to reach 1500 nacelles delivered by mid-2013.

GKN Aerospace has been the sole source supplier to Lockheed Martin of the integrated nacelle system for the C-130J since December 1993. Prior to that the Company was a leading member of the UK Industrial Support Group and was responsible for the design changes required to move from the C-130H to the C-130J nacelle.

Jeff Armitage, Vice President and MD Nacelles, GKN Aerospace, commented: "Throughout more than a decade and a half we have worked with Lockheed Martin, continuously exploiting our experience and challenging accepted practice in order to improve product quality, manufacturing costs and production times. Our latest lean manufacturing initiative is examining the potential of a new assembly technology that will allow us to achieve the next significant production rate increases on the C-130. We are intensely proud of our long term partnership with Lockheed Martin on this programme and of what this says about our commitment to our customers and to consistently achieving the very best results."

HAIFA, Israel, May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-FirstCall

Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ and TASE: ESLT) ("Elbit Systems") announced today that it has been awarded a contract for the establishment of a Helicopter Pilot Training Center for Macedonia's Defense and Security Forces. The project, valued at EUR43 million, will be operated under a PFI (Private Financing Initiative) concept, in which Elbit Systems will provide a comprehensive solution, including the setting up of the training center, acquisition of aircraft, supply of full mission simulators and operation of the center for a period of eight years. The Pilot Training Center will prepare and qualify new pilots for the Macedonian Defense and Security forces, as well as provide training of active pilots.

Yoram Shmuely, Co-General Manager of Elbit Systems' Aerospace Division, said: "We are very proud to have been chosen for this project, which attests to the customer's trust in us, following many years of cooperation. Outsourcing in the areas of training, professional qualification and pilot training centers is growing worldwide and we hope that the significant experience and prestige that we have acquired in this area, both with the Israel Defense Forces and with other distinguished customers, will bring additional projects worldwide."

Elbit Systems, an acknowledged leader in the field of training and simulation, builds on over three decades of experience and offers comprehensive solutions that have the unique advantage of being based on actual, operational systems it develops, manufactures and supplies.

May 11, 2011 By Tamir Eshel DEFENSE UPDATE

Israel’s involvement in the field of Active Protection Systems (APS) span over two decades, as the Merkava Program Office, managed by the Ministry of Defense and IDF Ordnance Corps, realizing that the Israeli tank, heavy as it was, could not continue adding more passive or reactive protection to match evolving threats, particularly in an asymmetric scenarios, where threats could be coming in 360 degrees. These investments are bearing fruits today. Israel’s first APS – Rafael’s Trophy has entered operational deployment last year, and has already proved itself in combat. A more versatile system, IMI’s Iron Fist, recently demonstrated impressive capabilities in intercepting anti-tank missiles and kinetic penetrators in live firing tests in Israel and overseas.

11 mai 2011 par Rachad Suleymanov  APA

L’Azerbaïdjan et la Turquie : Vers la production mixte des lance-grenades

Istanbul.–. Deux contrats entre l’Azerbaïdjan et la Turquie sur la coopération militaire ont été signés aujourd’hui. Le ministre azerbaïdjanais de l’industrie de la défense, Yaver Jamalov et son homologue turc Vejdi Gönül ont participé à la cérémonie de la signature, rapporte l’envoyé spécial de l’APA sur place. L’Azerbaïdjan participera à la fabrication en Turquie des pistolets-mitrailleurs et les obus de diamètre 105 mm, en vertu du premier contrat. Un autre contrat a été signé entre le Ministère de l’industrie de la Défense et l’organisation de l’industrie de construction et de chimie (MKEK). Les lance-grenades de 120 mm élaborées par la MKEK doivent être fabriqué en Azerbaïdjan, en vertu du deuxième contrat.

11/05/2011 MER et MARINE

Après de longues et difficiles négociations, un accord aurait été trouvé entre Berlin et Tel Aviv en vue de la commande d'un nouveau sous-marin destiné à la marine israélienne. D'après la presse israélienne, l'Allemagne aurait refusé, comme les deux bâtiments précédents, de financer un tiers du coût. Mais Angela Merkel accepterait que les Israéliens bénéficient de facilités de paiement.

Le nouveau sous-marin serait un sistership des deux unités du type Dolphin II actuellement en construction aux chantiers HDW de Kiel. Longs de 67 mètres pour un déplacement de 2400 tonnes en plongée, ces bâtiments sont apparemment dotés d'un système de propulsion anaérobie, très probablement dérivés du PERMASYN dont sont équipés les U-Boote allemands du type 212 A, dont ils sont dérivés. Armés par environ 35 hommes d'équipage et disposant, selon certaines sources, d'une capacité d'emport de 20 commandos. Le premier Dolphin II devrait mis à l'eau cette année en vue d'une livraison en 2012, l'achèvement de son sistership étant prévue en 2013. Quant au troisième, sa mise en service dépendra de la signature du contrat, mais on peut estimer qu'elle interviendrait en 2014/2015.

Ces bâtiments s'ajouteront aux trois sous-marins du type Dolphin déjà en service. Egalement réalisés par HDW, ces sous-marins ont été mis en service en 1999 et 2000. Dotés d'une propulsion classique, ils ne mesurent que 57.3 mètres de long et présentent un déplacement de 1900 tonnes en plongée. Ils mettraient en oeuvre 16 torpilles lourdes et missiles antinavire. Certains spécialistes estiment également que les sous-marins israéliens ont acquis une capacité de mise en oeuvre de missiles de croisière (Popeye Turbo) dotés d'une tête nucléaire de 250 kilotonnes et d'une portée, selon les sources, de 350 à 1700 kilomètres. Ces informations ont, jusqu'ici, toujours été démenties par l'armée israélienne.

MOSCOU, 10 mai - RIA Novosti

La Russie est à même de satisfaire tous les besoins de l'Irak en armements modernes, mais Bagdad doit faire des commandes concrètes, a déclaré mardi à RIA Novosti Igor Korotchenko, expert au Centre d'analyse du commerce mondial des armes.

"La direction irakienne a déjà fait pas mal de déclarations sur son désir d'acheter des armes et du matériel militaire à la Russie, mais Moscou attend des démarches concrètes en ce sens", a expliqué M.Korotchenko.

Et d'ajouter que pour le moment, "l'Irak continuait à acheter des armements aux pays d'Europe de l'Est possédant toujours un parc important de matériel soviétique et ce, dans le cadre du budget militaire américain, ou achetait des armes aux pays occidentaux, notamment aux Etats-Unis.

Le président irakien, Jalal Talabani, a déclaré mardi que l'Irak avait intérêt à acheter des armements russes qui étaient bon marché et fiables. M.Talabani a fait cette déclaration devant les journalistes à l'issue d'un entretien avec le chef de la diplomatie russe, Sergueï Lavrov, en visite de travail à Bagdad.

10 May 2011 DefenseNews AFP

BAGHDAD - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pushed for stronger military ties with Baghdad during talks with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari on a visit here Tuesday.

"We are ready to continue collaboration in different fields, especially in the military field," Lavrov told reporters at a news conference. "It is an important element to maintain the sovereignty of Iraq and unity of its land."

It was unclear how long Lavrov would be staying in Iraq, or which other Iraqi officials he would meet with.

The Iraqi military was dismantled and disbanded shortly after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, and it has been taking steps to rebuild ahead of this year's American pullout.

In November, Iraq took delivery of eight Russian-made multipurpose helicopters in a $156-million deal.

It has also signed an order for 140 American M1A1 Abrams tanks, and inaugurated the first in a fleet of 15 high-speed U.S.-built patrol boats in September.

Iraq was on the verge of signing a $900 million deal with Washington to purchase F-16 fighter jets earlier this year, but diverted the funds to food for the poor amid protests over weak public services.

The 45,000 US troops currently in Iraq must withdraw by the end of the year, according to the terms of a bilateral security pact.

source hurriyetdailynews.com

May 10, 2011 Tony Skinner, SHEPARD GROUP

Istanbul - Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) is confident of securing a production contract for its Anka MALE UAV from the Turkish Air Force by the end of the year.

Despite the integration of the Aselsan SAR/GMTI payload remaining at least 18 months away, company officials believe they can convince the air force to purchase a number of aircraft equipped with the AselFLIR-300T electro-optic (EO) payload alone.

Anka programme manager Cüneyt Sohta said these initial aircraft could be employed for internal security applications and the SAR/GMTI payload could then be retrofitted once it was ready.

Integration of the SAR/GMTI system is expected to take place in 2012, with a variant equipped with both payloads ready by 2013.

TAI has developed three prototypes of the Anka UAV under an initial development contract, displaying one of the aircraft at the IDEF 2011 exhibition in Istanbul from 10-13 May.

The UAV made its maiden flight at the Sivrihisar Air Base at the end of December 2010 and took to the air a second time on 4 May. While the Anka was controlled by a pilot on the ground during both tests, Sohta said the company planned to fly the aircraft autonomously on the third or fourth flight, with the next scheduled for the end of May.

Negotiations with the air force are expected to start in June and the company is hopeful of a production contract by the end of the year. Once an order is placed, a four aircraft system could be in-service in 2.5 to 3 years, depending on the lead-time of some components. The army and navy are also considering the system for their requirements.

Beyond the Turkish armed forces, the company is also eyeing the export market, Sohta stating: ‘The US and Israel are the main players in the market at the moment but I think people are quite eager to have access to a third source for such systems.’

The Anka features a 17.3m wingspan, an operational ceiling of 30,000 feet, and 24 hour endurance; and is capable of carrying a 200kg payload.

See flight footage of Anka here

May 10, 2011 by Patty Welsh - 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs / AFNS  - defpro.com

HANSCOM AFB, Mass. | Because a strong Iraqi air force capable of flying and fighting starts with a solid foundation of planning and control of forces, an Electronic Systems Center (ESC) team has taken on three major projects of an ESC master plan to ensure the Iraqi air force is capable of providing its own air defense.

Members of the C2ISR Directorate's Foreign Military Sales Team for Iraq have completed work on the Iraq Information Technology Infrastructure Project, or I3P, providing the communications backbone for several follow-on programs. The I3P provides intra-air base capability, as well as connection to the Iraqi defense and intelligence network.

In addition, the ESC team, along with industry partner Lockheed Martin, recently completed equipping and testing Iraq's Air Operations Center. U.S. Air Force and Iraqi officials opened the state-of-the-art AOC as the Iraqi air force celebrated its 80th anniversary on April 21.

Now the team is working on the completion of a Sector Operations Center, or SOC, and installation of two long-range radars.

"We're providing the Iraqis with an air defense center to see their own airspace and guard against threats, to provide national air sovereignty," said Capt. Wesley Crawley, the program manager. "Currently the Iraqis have civilian air traffic control terminal radars, but have no centralized command and control and long range surveillance. We're providing that so the Iraqis will be independent and capable when U.S. forces reach end-of-mission in December 2011."

The AOC installation was successfully completed in March. According to the team, the center is not only physically much larger than what the Iraqis were used to, the technology is significantly more advanced.

There is an operations floor, an observation deck and an entire wall of screens that can be seen from the furthest point in the building.

"In this facility, the Iraqi command element will run their air war," Captain Crawley said.

The center allows the Iraqis to communicate between bases, and it also provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, capabilities, giving commanders real-time video surveillance feeds.

"This AOC will bridge the gap between their current labor-intensive processes to more efficient, automated systems, complete with interoperability hooks to support future opportunities," said Paul Risotti, the project manager. "They are on track to operating a world-class system."

Once the sector operations center, or SOC, is completed, it will provide information to the AOC for airspace management and defensive air operations.

At an air base in the south of Iraq, final walkthroughs were conducted the first week of April for the air defense center and an adjacent administrative and training building. After inspections are completed and punch-list problems corrected, the ESC team will begin installation of command and control, or C2, equipment and installation of the long-range radars and ground-air radio capabilities. The C2 system will re-establish an Iraqi capability for air surveillance and air defense intercept control, both key elements in creating the conditions necessary for ensuring the air sovereignty of Iraq.

"The SOC will take inputs from (air traffic control) radars at several air bases and the data feeds from the long-range radars to generate a nationwide air picture," Mr. Risotti said. "And these radars will be operational 24/7 and are very robust in terms of maintainability and sustainability."

Of course, the project has not been without its challenges. The team recently overcame an issue with where to locate the high frequency antenna in the AOC. The facility didn't accommodate the allotted space needed for the antenna.

The ESC team, along with Lockheed Martin personnel, engineered a solution to allow the antenna to be installed with a minimal footprint in the area of the new AOC. This allowed the team to maintain the needed communication stream with no additional cost or schedule to the program.

Trust and confidence-building with the Iraqis were early goals the team worked hard to achieve.

"It's crucial they believe in us and trust in our expertise to complete the tasks in the time allotted," said Rick Dellovo, a network engineer.

With a half dozen trips behind them, the combined ESC and industry team built those important connections.

"The Iraqi culture is very relationship-focused while the U.S. team is highly mission-focused, so we both had to adapt," Captain Crawley said.

The C2ISR team has no time to pause and celebrate because there are only eight months remaining for them to complete a complex task of installation, training and handover of a sophisticated air C2 system.

The time factor is crucial to the program's success. Program success is measured by the ESC team's ability to provide Iraq air force leaders with a key component of air defense capability by December 2011, when U.S. forces complete withdrawal from Iraq.

I3P, AOC, and a SOC with air defense radars and radio sites are all elements of a master plan devised by ESC engineers for Iraq.

Although the Iraqis were a little hesitant at first, once they began seeing the results, such as the AOC, they were amazed and delighted, according to Sonny Steele, an acquisition specialist.

"We're providing 21st century solutions," Mr. Dellovo said.

09.05.11 LEMONDE.FR avec AFP

Des sanctions contre 13 responsables syriens et un embargo sur les armes ont été formellement adoptés lundi 9 mai par l'Union européenne et entreront en vigueur dès mardi, conformément à la décision prise vendredi. "Le Conseil (européen) a adopté une décision imposant un embargo sur les exportations vers la Syrie d'armes et de matériel pouvant être utilisé pour la répression contre la population, ainsi que des interdictions de visa et un gel d'avoirs", selon le communiqué de l'UE.

Les noms des treize personnalités visées par les sanctions, identifiées comme étant responsables de la répression violente exercée contre la population, n'ont pas été précisés lundi soir. Bachar Al-Assad devrait toutefois être épargné par ces mesures : vendredi, les ambassadeurs des 27 Etats membres de l'UE étaient tombés d'accord pour ne pas sanctionner dans l'immédiat le président syrien, contre l'avis de certains pays. Le Royaume-Uni, la France et l'Allemagne avaient plaidé pour qu'un message clair et ferme soit envoyé au régime, tandis que d'autres Etats, notamment Chypre, le Portugal et la Grèce, étaient plus réticents à imposer des sanctions au chef de l'Etat.

LES MANIFESTATIONS CONTINUENT

Depuis bientôt deux mois, des manifestations quasi quotidiennes sont organisées contre le régime du président Bachar Al-Assad, donnant lieu à une répression sanglante, notamment à Banias, dans le nord-ouest, dans la province de Deraa, au sud, et à Homs, dans le centre. Selon des organisations de défense des droits de l'homme, entre 600 et 700 personnes ont été tuées et au moins 8 000 personnes interpellées depuis le début du mouvement de contestation.

Lundi soir, des centaines de femmes sont descendues dans la rue à Banias pour réclamer la libération de leurs proches arrêtés ces derniers jours. Bravant les agents de sécurité et l'armée, elles ont foncé sur des points de contrôle dressés dans les quartiers sud de Banias où samedi six personnes avaient péri. Des chars qui s'étaient déployés dimanche sur la corniche et dans les quartiers sud s'y trouvaient toujours.

Le mouvement de contestation a appelé à "un mardi de solidarité avec les détenus", en dépit de la répression. Selon l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'homme, "des milliers d'hommes ont été conduits par les forces armées et de sécurité dans le stade municipal pour interrogatoire. Ils y sont frappés alors que plus de 400 personnes sont toujours détenues par les autorités sécuritaires". Parmi eux, les chefs de file de la contestation, dont cheikh Anas al-Ayrout, considéré comme le leader du mouvement, et Bassam Sahiouni.

A Damas, la capitale, quelque 200 personnes ont manifesté lundi soir pour demander la levée du siège des villes, avant d'être dispersées par les forces de sécurité. Les manifestants, réunis place Arnousse, ont entonné l'hymne national. Plusieurs d'entre eux ont été arrêtés, dont l'écrivain et journaliste Ammar Daioub et le médecin Jalal Nofal, selon l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'homme. Les protestataires arboraient des pancartes appelant à "la levée du siège des villes", à "l'arrêt des tirs", et plaidant pour "le dialogue national comme solution" à la crise et pour "une société civile libre".

May 9, 2011 By Dan Williams/Reuters AviationWeek.com

JERUSALEM - Israel may get its first F-35 warplanes, seen as a bulwark against arch-enemy Iran, from the U.S. only in 2018 due to production delays, an Israeli newspaper said on Monday. But the Haaretz daily said Israel is unlikely to buy jets from a rival American manufacturer as a stop-gap. Israel bought around 20 of the radar-evading Lockheed Martin F-35s, along with ancillary equipment, for $2.75 billion last year, saying delivery would start in 2016 or 2017. Scheduling and budget glitches may have postponed that by a year, Haaretz said. It quoted Ehud Shani, director-general of Israel’s Defense Ministry, as playing down the hold-up. “I am not nervous about it,” Shani said, adding that he saw a boon for Israel’s bid to incorporate products from its own electronic warfare, communications and other high-tech systems in the F-35, which is also known as the Joint Strike Fighter. “This may actually serve our interests. I favor an aircraft with as many Israeli-made systems as possible,” he said. U.S. officials had generally opposed the proposed changes as overly costly and potentially counter-productive. “In the original timetable, it was argued that there was no time” to incorporate such systems into the Israeli F-35s, Shani said. “We will hear their conclusions and I expect a dialogue with the Americans over the new timetable and the changes.” Israel’s current warplanes are mainly Lockheed F-16s and F-15s produced by Boeing, another U.S. manufacturer. Boeing had lobbied Israel to buy more F-15s but Shani dismissed as “not relevant” the possibility that such jets would stand in for the lagging F-35s. Haaretz said the Jewish state expected a faster pace of delivery once the first F-35s arrived, and could eventually order up to 10 more of them. Israel was the first F-35 buyer outside the aircraft’s co-development group comprising the United States, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway. The partners have been projected to buy about 730 jets.