Archive for October, 2007
Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
BAE Systems has received a $15 million contract to provide thermal imaging sights for the U.S. Army’s Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station II (CROWS) program.
Under the five-year contract, which has a potential value of up to $200 million, BAE Systems will manufacture and deliver up to 6,500 TIM1500 thermal sights to Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS, supplier of the CROWS II system. The CROWS II program has a maximum order quantity of 6,500 remote weapon stations. Production deliveries will begin in early 2008.
“TIM1500 provides a critical infrared imaging capability to the U.S. Army’s weapon station of choice for ground vehicles,” said Michael Mawn, deputy program director for BAE Systems’ TIM1500 program. “The TIM1500 gives the warfighter a significant battlefield advantage.”
(more…)
Posted in Military News - America | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
The IAF’s communication Squadron; the official carrier of the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, visiting heads of the states and a host of other dignitaries is in the process of modernizing its fleet. The Squadron has turned sixty and celebrating its Diamond Jubilee. On this occasion, a first day cover has been released by The Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal FH Major, today in New Delhi.
The acquisition of BBJ in Apr 08 is the next step in that process. The Boeing Business Jet is a specially configured aircraft for VVIP comfort. Its interiors create a working environment befitting the VVIP’s official stature. It is more importantly equipped with the latest Self protection suit thus providing our VIPs the highest level of protection from any ground based or airborne threat. (more…)
Posted in Indian Air Force News | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
The first of two Scorpene-type submarines ordered by the Malaysian Navy has been officially named the Tunku Abdul Rahman at DCNS’s Cherbourg shipyard by Malaysian Minister for Defence Najib Tun Razak at a ceremony attended by Malaysian and French officials.
Today’s ceremony is an important milestone in the execution of the contract signed on 5 June 2002 by the Malaysian government and DCNS as it marks the completion of the construction phase. In a few weeks’ time, after completing equipment quay-side testing, the boat will be ready to start its sea trials. The Tunku Abdul Rahman is scheduled to be handed over to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) in January 2009 and the second boat at the end of the 2009’s. (more…)
Posted in Military News - Asia | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
In the course of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s recent state visit to Morocco, the Kingdom’s highest authorities confirmed an agreement between the two countries to provide the Royal Moroccan Navy with a FREMM multimission frigate.
This multimission front-line fighting ship will expand the Navy’s operational capabilities, particularly for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine missions. In addition to reduced crewing (a little over 100 officers and sailors), the ship will benefit from the many advances arising from the FREMM programme to produce a new generation of front-line vessels for the French Navy.
The FREMM programme — Europe’s most ambitious naval cooperation programme ever — calls for 27 multimission frigates for France and Italy. The 6,000-tonne vessels will be delivered in anti-submarine, anti-surface, anti-air and land strike versions to meet the client navies’ specific needs. (more…)
Posted in Military News - Africa | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
The Indian security forces achieved yet another milestone today in their endeavor towards bringing peace to the state of Assam by motivating 33 terrorists including two women cadres of ULFA and two cadres of KNLF to surrender. In a first of its kind in the recent times, a joint surrender was organized by the Army & State Police Department in the presence of Lt Gen BS Jaswal, GOC Gajraj Corps, Shri RN Mathur, DGP Assam and Maj Gen Gyan Bhushan, GOC Red Horn Division at Tamulpur, Baksa District. Shri BL Das, Principle Secy Home & Pol, Shri Khagan Sharma, IG (SB) and host of other civil, Army & Police dignitaries were also present. The event is a hallmark of the synergy which exists between the various security forces & civil administration operating in Assam.
The terrorists of 709, 109 and 27 Battalions surrendered with 19 assorted Weapons including AK 56 and AK 47 series rifles, alongwith large quantity of ammunition and explosives. A large number of family members of the terrorists, who also played a pivotal role to encourage their wards to surrender, were also present on the occasion. (more…)
Posted in Counter Terrorism | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that its joint venture with Rockwell Collins, Vision Systems International LLC (VSI), a leader in advanced Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) technology, received several new contracts with a total value of more than $60 million.
The Boeing Company awarded VSI a contract for the delivery of more than 300 additional Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS). VSI has supplied the JHMCS to Boeing since the program’s inception in 1996; this award represents their eighth production contract.
Under the Boeing agreement, VSI will provide JHMCS hardware, including spares, technical support and support equipment for the Full Rate Production - Lot 4 (FRP-4). Additional contracts will satisfy U.S. government domestic requirements for numerous aircraft such as the U.S. Air Force F-15 and F-16, Air National Guard F-15, U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F, as well as foreign military sales for Greece (F-16), Poland (F-16), Belgium (F-16), Turkey (F-16),Australia (F/A-18), Switzerland (F/A-18) and Canada (F/A-18). (more…)
Posted in Military News - America, Military News - Asia | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
The U.S. Air Force 82nd Training Wing opened a state-of-the-art, F-22 maintenance training facility at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, on Oct. 19, offering a realistic training environment for future Raptor maintainers. The schoolhouse has a area of 120,000-sq. ft. with computerized classrooms and courseware.
For instructional purposes, engineers have divided the aircraft into seven full-scale, high-fidelity training devices that replicate flight line maintenance conditions and eliminate the need to train on operational aircraft. The devices provide hands-on practice in inspection, operation, removal and installation, system-testing and fault isolation. They range from simple to highly complex, covering as few as 14 to as many as 240 separate tasks.
The armament trainer, for example, addresses 89 individual functions that technicians must perform in maintaining the F-22’s weapons bays, missile launchers, wing pylons, countermeasures dispenser and 20mm cannon. Each component of the trainer mirrors its onboard counterpart as faithfully as possible in dimensions, weight, center of gravity, color and texture. (more…)
Posted in Military News - America | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
A three-day international conference on countering terrorism was held in Sri lanka from 18 - 20 October, 2007. The theme was ‘Terrorism: A challenge to democratically elected Governments.’ The Conference, was attended by terrorism experts, from 23 countries including France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the United States and Vietnam. The conference was held by The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies at at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH)
French Anti-Terrorist Judges’ Chairman, Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere, who was the Guest of Honour, addressing the first panel of the day focused on the international responses to terrorism, traced the manner in which international efforts at responding to terrorism have evolved over the years, stating that if the fight against terrorism is an inescapable requirement, “we owe it to ourselves to reinforce our international cooperation at every level, notably by adopting multilateral or bilateral conventions in the field of judicial cooperation as well as extradition.”
Ex Chief of Indian Army, Gen. V. P. Malik said “terrorist activities anywhere will stop only when their fuel runs out.” The ex-General traced the important steps taken to counter terrorism in South Asia, emphasised the need for a regional strategy and cooperation, but essentially local’s operatives and doctrines.
Posted in Counter Terrorism | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
Singapore Ministry of Defence has exercised an option to purchase eight F-15SGs and has ordered four additional aircraft. The option is part of the original contract for 12 F-15SG aircraft announced by Singapore in 2005.
F-15SG is a derivative of the U.S. Air Force F 15E Strike Eagle, long-range, multi-role fighter. . It can simultaneously perform air-to-ground and air-to-air missions during day or night, in virtually any weather. It carries significant payload, reaches speeds in excess of Mach 2 and incorporates some of the most advanced military technologies avaliable in US.
More than 1,500 F-15s are in services of United States, Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Posted in Military News - Asia | No Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
The Royal Thaï Navy has awarded DCNS a contract worth €5 million to supply two harpoon-and-grid landing systems and two Samahé® traversing systems. The first shipset will be delivered in February 2009, the second in May 2009.
The Samahé® traversing systems will replace earlier-generation cable systems for Super Lynx helicopters on existing Thaï frigates.
The Samahé® system transfers naval helicopters from the landing/take-off spot to the parking spot inside the ship’s hangar and back. The system can accommodate naval helicopters up to 15 tonnes, including Super Pumas, NH90s and Seahawks as well as rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). All operations ensure maximum safety for crews, ship and rotorcraft, and can be undertaken up to sea state 6. (more…)
Posted in Military News - Asia | No Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
On the 19th October, DCNS delivered RSS Stalwart, the fifth Formidable-class frigate to the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). RSS Stalwart will now join the RSN for advanced trials and qualification.
The contract signed in March 2000 by wholly-owned DCNS subsidiary DCN International and the RSN calls for the delivery of six Formidable-class frigates and associated logistic support and technology transfers. The first-of-class RSS Formidable, delivered in July 2005, was designed and built by DCNS’s Lorient shipyard. The other five are being built under a major technology transfer programme by local contractor Singapore Technologies Marine at a rate of one ship every five months.
Formidable-class multirole frigates feature improved stealth, high redundancy of equipments, and a level of automation compatible with a complement of just 70. These vessels displace 3,200 tonnes for a length overall of 115 metres. The high-performance combat system enables Formidable-class frigates to undertake anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-surface missions in intense electronic warfare environments using network-centric warfare (NCW) capabilities.
Posted in Military News - Asia | No Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
Thales announces today that its KANNAD range of Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT), is ready to support the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulation for passenger safety coming into effect in July 2008. The regulation will require all aircraft carrying more than 19 passengers to be equipped with either two survival transmitters (KANNAD 406 AS) or one survival transmitter and one Automatic Fixed (KANNAD 406 AF) Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). Thales has anticipated that the ICAO would introduce this requirement and has hence introduced this state of the art ELT into its portfolio of safety, navigation, communication and surveillance equipment.
The KANNAD ELT is the result of a joint effort between Thales and Martec, a well-known manufacturer of tracking, measurement and rescue applications in multi-environments with a complete range of emergency locator products for boats, airliners, helicopters and private planes. Since its introduction in 2000, thousands of KANNAD 406 ELTs have been ordered by many airlines and air-freight companies around the world. The long anticipated move from ICAO has driven even more demand, especially from the United States, where carriers have recently chosen the KANNAD ELT to equip more than 550 aircraft. (more…)
Posted in Military News - Europe | No Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
Following his meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergeï Stanishev has given the go-ahead for an immediate start to talks on the procurement of four Gowind® corvettes. A French-Bulgarian working group has been set up to finalise the contract before the end of year.
Planned to modernise Bulgaria’s naval forces, the Gowind® corvettes are directly derived from the design and technological lead advances of the FREMM multi-mission frigates (future frontline warships for the French Navy).
The programme will be led by DCNS’s Lorient shipyard and will involve extensive cooperation with Bulyard Shipbuilding Industry (BSI) in Varna. BSI will complete an important share of the work as part of a technology transfer, resulting in significant economic benefits for Bulgaria.
Posted in Military News - Europe | No Comments »
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