Oct. 2, 2013 – Defense News (AFP)

ANKARA — Turkey on Wednesday defended its decision to enter talks with China to acquire its first long-range anti-missile system, in spite of protests from its ally Washington.

It also made clear that no deal had yet been finalised.

"The Chinese gave us the best price," Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz told Vatan newspaper, explaining that the system's Chinese manufacturer had agreed to a co-production deal with Turkey.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Levent Gumrukcu said talks were to begin with the Chinese company, but made it clear that the selection process was still ongoing.

"The process has not yet been finalised," he said.

In an official statement last week, Turkey said it has "decided to begin talks with the CPMIEC company of the People's Republic of China for the joint production of the systems and its missiles in Turkey".

China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corp (CPMIEC) beat out competition from a US partnership of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Russia's Rosoboronexport, and the Italian-French consortium Eurosamrs in the tender.

The original contract was worth a reported $4 billion dollars, but the Chinese bid reportedly came in at a much lower $3 billion according to Turkish media.

The United States reacted with alarm to news that Ankara had chosen the Chinese firm, slapped with US sanctions for delivering arms to Iran and Syria, to build the air defence and anti-missile system.

"We had asked for joint production and a technology transfer," the Turkish minister said. "If other countries cannot guarantee us that, then we will turn to ones that can."

NATO member Turkey is a key regional ally to the United States, and currently has US-built Patriot missile systems deployed on its border to deter incoming attacks from Syria.

Turkey wants to build its own long-range air defence and anti-missile architecture to counter both enemy aircraft and missiles.

NATO has also raised concerns over possible compatibility issues between the Chinese-made system and others used within the alliance.

Yilmaz dismissed its concerns, saying: "There is no problem on that front."

The foreign ministry confirmed that Turkey had been in talks with NATO over the past few days, with Gumrukcu saying that the exchange of views with NATO allies was "only natural."

October 01, 2013 by Navantia - naval-technology.com

Navantia has signed a service contract with the US Navy for four destroyers, which will be deployed during 2014 and 2015 in the Naval Base of Rota, as part of the BMDl, according to the agreement reached between both governments in 2011 and signed in 2012. The contract includes the maintenance of these units in the periods of immobilization in Rota, and has a duration of one year, plus six optional years.

Navantia's experience in the design, construction and maintenance of the ships, as well as its excellent infrastructure and workforce skill capacity, have been decisive for the adjudication of this contract.

Likewise, the attainment of this contract with the US Navy, with the highest level of requirements, gives Navantia substantial international prestige, guaranteeing its leading position in naval military construction.

MOSCOU, 1er octobre - RIA Novosti

La Russie et les Etats-Unis ne parviennent pas à coopérer sur une série de questions, dont le déploiement du bouclier antimissile américain en Europe, en raison des divergences d'intérêts, a annoncé le chef de l'administration présidentielle russe, Sergueï Ivanov. 

"Pour des raisons objectives, nous collaborons à un niveau très élevé sur la non-prolifération des armes de destruction massive, nos deux Etats étant profondément intéressés par cette question. Quant au projet de bouclier antimissile, la collaboration est impossible, car [les Américains] poursuivent leurs intérêts et nous les nôtres", a indiqué M.Ivanov dans une interview à quatre quotidiens russes (Gazeta.ru, Komsomolskaïa pravda, Rossiïskaya gazeta et RBK Daily). 

"Personnellement, j'ai toujours entretenu de bons rapports avec mes homologues américains. Il n'y a aucun problème. Quant aux relations interétatiques, nous défendons nos intérêts et eux les leurs, c'est normal. Le président (Poutine, ndlr) l'a bien dit: +Ne pensez pas que nous cherchons à plaire aux Américains et vice versa+", a ajouté le responsable russe, qui a occupé par le passé le poste de ministre de la Défense du pays. 

Lors du sommet de l'Otan à Lisbonne en 2010, Moscou et Washington ont convenu de coopérer dans le domaine de la défense antimissile européenne. Toutefois, les parties n'arrivent toujours pas à s'entendre sur l'architecture du futur bouclier. Par ailleurs, le partenariat reste lettre morte, les Etats-Unis refusant de garantir que le futur bouclier ne menacera pas le potentiel nucléaire russe.

Sept. 30, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Reuters; published Sept. 28, 2013)

U.S. Concerned About Turkey's Choice of Chinese Missile System (excerpt)

The United States said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to Turkey over its decision to co-produce a long-range air and missile defense system with a Chinese firm under U.S. sanctions.

Turkey, a member of the NATO military alliance, announced this week that it had chosen the FD-2000 missile defense system from China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp, or CPMIEC, over rival systems from Russian, U.S. and European firms.

CPMIEC is under U.S. sanctions for violations of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act.

"We have conveyed our serious concerns about the Turkish government's contract discussions with a U.S.-sanctioned company for a missile defense system that will not be inter-operable with NATO systems or collective defense capabilities," a State Department spokeswoman said.

"Our discussions on this issue will continue." (end of excerpt)


Click here for the full story, on the Reuters website.


(EDITOR’S NOTE: Sources in Turkey say that the reasons for choosing the Chinese missile over its competitors include its reportedly 25% lower acquisition cost and much lower running costs; the possibility of incorporating Turkish systems and subsystems; and the fear that US-supplied missiles might be incapacitated if used against Israeli missiles.)

27/09/2013 by Paul Fiddian - Armed Forces International's Lead Reporter

Turkey has selected China's CPMIEC firm to co-manufacture its long-range ground-based air defence system, thereby eliminating Russian, European and US companies from a $4 billion co-development contract.

Turkey's air defence system choice was made public on 26 September by the country's Defense Minister, Ismet Yilmaz, who at the same time confirmed the termination of a ship-building contract through which six new corvettes would have been delivered to the Turkish Navy.

Right now, Turkey doesn't have an extended-range missile defence system in operation but, via its NATO membership, does have Patriot systems deployed there.

CPMIEC's winning offering is the HQ-9 system. It was up against the Patriot (offered by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon), the S-300 (Rosoboronexport) and the SAMP/T Aster 30 (Eurosam).

Turkish Air Defence Contract

Responding to the Turkish air defence contract choice, Raytheon seemed to express disappointment. "NATO has long supported the system, deploying Patriots in five aligned countries and, in 2012, providing a requested Patriot deployment to Turkey", said representative Mike Doble. "Given this strong performance, we hope to have an opportunity to debrief and learn more about this decision."

About six months ago, CPMIEC had sanctions imposed on it by the United Nations in connection with Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act violations. It is not known precisely what these violations involved but this wasn't the first time the firm had found itself in that situation.

HQ-9 Missile System

The HQ-9 missile defence system has been in production since the 1980s. The missile itself boasts an inertial guidance system, has a horizontal range of up to 200 kilometres and travels at Mach 4.2. It is launched by a Taian TAS5380 8×8 TEL (transporter erector launcher) vehicle.

In 2012, China was the world's fifth-largest arms exporter with a five per cent market share, according to SIPRI (the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute). The lion's share of its arms exports involved sales to Pakistan, SIPRI stated.

28 septembre 2013 dhnet.be (Belga)

WASHINGTON/ BRUXELLES - Une agence du Pentagone chargé des exportations de matériel militaire américain vient de notifier au Congrès la possible vente à la Belgique de 40 missiles air-air produits par le groupe de défense Raytheon pour équiper les chasseurs F-16 ainsi que les équipements associés pour un montant de 68 millions de dollars (plus de 50 millions d'euros).Selon la "Defense Security Cooperation Agency", le gouvernement belge a sollicité les Etats-Unis pour un possible achat, en vertu de la procédure FMS ("Foreign Military Sale") d'Etat à Etat de 40 missiles AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder Block II ainsi que divers équipements associés (dont 36 missiles d'entraînement CATM-9X-2, de deux unités de guidage CATM-9X-2 Block II, et dix unités de guidage tactique AIM-9X-2 Block II et de quatre missiles d'entraînement factices), un soutien logistique et en matière d'entraînement. Le Pentagone a notifié jeudi cette possible vente au Congrès américain, en expliquant qu'elle "contribuerait à la politique étrangère et à la sécurité nationale des Etats-Unis en aidant à accroître la sécurité d'un allié de l'Otan qui continue à être une force importante pour la stabilité politique et économique en Europe". Selon le ministère américain de la Défense, la Force aérienne belge envisage d'utiliser les Sidewinder AIM-9X - la dernière version d'une famille prolifique de missiles air-air - dans le cadre de son programme global de modernisation.

2013-09-20 xinhua

Les Etats-Unis ont promis à l'Inde de lui fournir des technologies militaires de pointe, en amont de la visite prévue du Premier ministre indien Manmohan Singh à Washington la semaine prochaine, a rapporté jeudi la presse locale.

Le secrétaire adjoint américain à la Défense Ashton B. Carter, actuellement en visite　en Inde, s'est entretenu avec le Conseiller indien pour la sécurité nationale Shiv Shankar Menon, la ministre des Affaires étrangères Sujatha Singh et le ministre de la Défense RK Mathur dans la capitale du pays, où il a souligné la nécessité de mener plusieurs projets militaires de co-développement et de co-production pour raviver les relations stratégiques bilatérales, a rapporté le journal Times of India.

A l'heure actuelle, la Russie est le premier fournisseur de l'Inde en matière de défense.

M. Carter a déclaré que les Etats-Unis cherchent à s'associer avec l'Inde via "l'ensemble du spectre" des capacités de défense et "sans frontière" préétablie, en proposant des installations de fabrication communes pour la prochaine génération de missiles antichar guidés Javelin, précise le Times of India.

L'Inde a prévu de dépenser plus de 100 milliards de dollars dans les acquisitions d'armes au cours de la prochaine décennie.

Sept. 25, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Lockheed Martin; issued September 24, 2013)

Lockheed Martin-Built Trident II D5 Missile Achieves A Total of 148 Successful Test Flights Since 1989

SUNNYVALE, Calif. --- The U.S. Navy has conducted four successful test flights of the Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missiles built by Lockheed Martin. The U.S. Navy launched the unarmed missiles Sept. 10 and 12 in the Atlantic Ocean from a submerged Ohio-class submarine home-ported at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia.

This event marked the 145th, 146th, 147th and 148th successful test flights of the D5 missile since design completion in 1989 – a reliability record unmatched by any other large ballistic missile.

"This ultra-capable system serves a critical role in deterring aggression," said Doug White, vice president of Fleet Ballistic Missile programs, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, the Navy's Trident missile prime contractor. "We are dedicated to supporting Navy Strategic Systems Programs in assuring the system's continued readiness, reliability, performance and affordability."

The Navy launched the missiles as part of Follow-on Commander's Evaluation Tests. The missiles had been converted into test configurations using kits produced by Lockheed Martin that contain range safety devices and flight telemetry instrumentation. As required by the Department of Defense's National Command Authority, the U.S. Navy conducts a continuing series of operational system evaluation tests of the Trident Strategic Weapon System under the testing guidelines of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

First deployed in 1990, the D5 missile is currently aboard U.S. Navy Ohio-class and U.K. Royal Navy Vanguard-class submarines. The three-stage, solid-propellant, inertial-guided ballistic missile can travel a nominal range of 4,000 nautical miles and carries multiple independently targeted reentry bodies. The Fleet Ballistic Missile team has produced six generations, each more capable than its predecessor: the Polaris A1, Polaris A2, Polaris A3, Poseidon C3, Trident I C4 and Trident II D5 missiles.

Lockheed Martin has been the Navy's strategic missile prime contractor since the program's inception in 1955. The United States and the United Kingdom signed the Polaris Sales Agreement in 1963, which was modified in 1982 to provide for the Trident II D5 missile system. Since 1968, Lockheed Martin has provided program management and engineering services to the Royal Navy under the terms of the agreement.

Lockheed Martin employees, principally in California, Georgia, Florida, Washington, Utah, Virginia, Scotland and England, support the design, development, production, test, operation and sustainment of the Trident Strategic Weapon System.

Lockheed Martin leads the industry in performance and domain expertise in strategic missile and missile defense systems, designing and producing ballistic missiles, interceptors, target missiles and reentry systems with unmatched reliability and a focus on affordable high-quality systems and services.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The corporation's net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

SEOUL, 24 septembre - RIA Novosti

La Corée du Nord semble se préparer à un nouvel essai balistique, rapporte mardi l'agence d'information sud-coréenne Yonhap se référant à des experts américains.

Les analystes mettent en relief le retour dans l'arène publique d'un certain Pak Do Chun, chargé du développement des programmes nucléaire et balistique de Pyongyang. Le nom de ce secrétaire du Parti du travail n'a pas été évoqué dans les médias nord-coréens depuis mai dernier. Certains experts ont alors expliqué cette "disparition" par une rétrogradation en raison d'une série d'échecs techniques dans le développement du programme balistique.

"Le retour de Pak Do Chun pourrait signifier que tous les problèmes sont réglés et que la Corée du Nord est prête à lancer un nouveau missile balistique, ce qui aura probablement lieu cet automne", indique Alexandre Mansourov, spécialiste du portail américano-sud-coréen 38North.

Auparavant, les experts du site, se basant sur des images satellitaires, ont estimé que la Corée du Nord avait réalisé, dans la période entre le 25 et le 30 août, un essai du moteur-fusée d'un missile à longue portée sur sa base de lancement de Sohae.

La semaine dernière, les médias ont rapporté qu'un satellite avait détecté de la vapeur blanche s'élevant au-dessus de l'installation nucléaire de Yongbyon, dont le fonctionnement a été suspendu en 2007, ce qui laissait penser que le site nucléaire avait été mis en marche ou était sur le point de l'être.

24/09/2013 Ministère de la Défense

Lundi 23 septembre 2013, les forces aériennes stratégiques ont effectué, avec succès, un tir d’évaluation des forces (TEF) du système d’arme «Avion ravitailleur C135 / Mirage 2000N / Missile air sol de moyenne portée amélioré (ASMPA)», opération représentative d’une mission réelle de dissuasion nucléaire.

Un équipage de l’escadron de chasse 2/4 «La Fayette» a décollé de la base aérienne 702 d’Avord pour une mission de plus de trois heures qui a rassemblé toutes les phases caractéristiques de ce type de mission: vol en haute altitude, ravitaillement par un C135 du groupe de ravitaillement en vol 2/91 «Bretagne» pour l’allonge stratégique, pénétration en basse altitude, suivi de terrain et tir d’un missile ASMPA (sans charge nucléaire) sur sa cible.

Depuis le centre DGA Essais de missiles – site de Biscarrosse, les autorités civiles et militaires ont pu suivre l’évolution du missile qui a respecté, en tout point, le profil de vol attendu.

Cette opération qui a réuni personnel et moyens de l’armée de l’air, de la direction générale de l'armement (DGA) et de l’industriel MBDA, constitue un succès qui concrétise les performances et la fiabilité de ce système d’arme. Garant de la crédibilité technico-opérationnelle de la composante aéroportée de la dissuasion nucléaire, ce TEF démontre les capacités des forces aériennes stratégiques qui assurent la permanence de leur mission depuis bientôt cinquante ans.

23/09/2013 LTN MORELLE - Sources : 12e RC - Armée de Terre

Du 2 au 23 septembre 2013, l’escadron d’éclairage et d’investigation de la 2e brigade blindée a réalisé une formation de spécialité élémentaire ACMP (arme antichar moyenne portée), en vue de sa future projection au Mali en 2014.

Plus d’une trentaine de jeunes « éclaireurs » ont suivi cette formation de trois semaines, au quartier du 12e régiment de cuirassiers (12eRC) d’Olivet, afin d’acquérir les savoir-faire inhérents à l’utilisation du système de tir Milan.

Destiné au combat antichar à moyenne portée et capable de tirer ses missiles de jour comme de nuit grâce à sa lunette thermique, le système de tir Milan est un armement de pointe complexe, qui doit être parfaitement maîtrisé par un binôme indispensable à son bon fonctionnement : le chef de pièce et le tireur.

Après de nombreuses heures d’apprentissage, les stagiaires ont appris à déployer leurs postes de tir dans des temps records, afin d’appliquer des feux au plus vite, au sol ou sur véhicule blindé léger (VBL). Puis ils ont poursuivi leur entraînement par une longue série de séances de tir sur simulateur.

Après une évaluation finale des acquis, les jeunes tireurs Milan se sont vus attribuer le précieux CATi (certificat d’aptitude au Tir), qui leur permettra d’envoyer des missiles réels contre les cibles du CEITO et du CEITA (centres d’entraînement de tirs opérationnels) en octobre et novembre prochain. Ils formeront ainsi les 6 futures patrouilles antichars, projetées sur le théâtre malien en 2014.

September 23, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Government Accountability Office; issued Sept. 20, 2013)

ICBM Modernization: Approaches to Basing Options and Interoperable Warhead Designs Need Better Planning and Synchronization

The Department of Defense (DOD) has identified capability requirements and potential basing options for the Minuteman III follow-on intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and the Department of Energy (DOE) has begun a parallel study of options to extend the life of its warhead, but neither department plans to estimate the total system costs for the new missile and its warhead.

GAO’s work on cost estimating has found that a reliable cost estimate is critical to any program by providing the basis for informed decision making. The Nuclear Weapons Council—the joint activity of DOD and DOE for nuclear weapons programs—is responsible for coordinating budget matters related to nuclear weapons programs between the departments, and is engaging in an effort to broadly synchronize nuclear weapons life-extension programs with delivery-system modernization efforts, but has not asked either department to provide estimates of the total system cost. In the absence of such a request, neither department is developing total cost estimates.

Further, DOD’s plan to study ICBM follow-on options does not include the council as a stakeholder to synchronize the missile and warhead efforts to help ensure that the study considers an enterprise-wide perspective. Without timely cost estimates and updates on the status of the ICBM follow-on study, the council may be unable to provide guidance and direction on the study, or consider its implications and potential effects on other nuclear weapons modernization efforts.

DOD and DOE have prepared a long-term plan that incorporates interoperable warheads into the stockpile, and although they have begun studying the feasibility of designing such a warhead, the Navy has had limited participation thus far. The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review recommended the Nuclear Weapons Council study the development of an interoperable warhead that could be deployed on both Air Force and Navy ballistic missiles, and the council has requested the Air Force, Navy, and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to commit resources to the study.

Although the Air Force and NNSA have been examining warhead concepts, the Navy has not fully engaged in the effort because (1) other, ongoing modernization programs are higher Navy priorities, and (2) it has concerns about changing the design of the warhead. The Navy’s further participation is uncertain because it has not identified the resources needed to continue with the program once the study is completed, if the interoperable warhead is adopted.

Consequently, the Navy will be poorly positioned to perform the more-detailed analyses needed to validate the approved design, potentially resulting in program delays. The Nuclear Weapons Council guidelines governing nuclear weapons refurbishments, and the corresponding DOD instruction, do not require the Air Force and Navy to align their programs and resources before beginning joint-service warhead studies. For example, DOD’s instruction states that the military departments are to develop procedures for certain joint DOD-DOE activities, but it is unclear about aligning their programs and resources with each other.

If the guidance and DOD instruction are not updated, the services may not be prepared to participate in future joint-service studies.

WHY GAO DID THIS STUDY

U.S. nuclear weapons—both the bombs and warheads and their delivery systems—are aging beyond their intended service lives. The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review recommended that the Nuclear Weapons Council study options for extending the life of ICBM warheads, including the potential for developing a warhead that is interoperable on both Air Force and Navy missiles. In 2013 DOD will initiate a study to identify a replacement for the Minuteman III missile.

This report addresses the extent to which (1) DOD has assessed the capability requirements, potential basing options, and costs for the follow-on to the Minuteman III ICBM; and (2) DOD and DOE have explored the feasibility of incorporating an interoperable warhead concept into the long-term nuclear weapons stockpile plan.

GAO analyzed DOD and NNSA policies, plans, guidance, and other documents; and interviewed officials responsible for planning the Minuteman III follow-on and the warhead life-extension program.


Click here for the full report (48 PDF pages) on the GAO website.