Helicópteros do Brasil S.A.-Helibras, Eurocopter subsidiary in Brazil, signed on the 24th of December 2009 a contract to upgrade 34 AS365K Panther helicopters of the Brazilian Army Aviation. This is the largest service contract signed by the Brazilian subsidiary in more than 30 years of presence in the country. This Programme will lead to a new generation of Panther helicopters that benefit from the last technical evolutions developed by Eurocopter.

The objective is to extend the life of the current fleet by at least 25 years thank to modernisation (32 aircrafts) and reconstruction (2 aircrafts).

The upgrade consists of new Turbomeca Arriel 2C2 CG engine managed by a FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) with up to 15% increased continuous power and various contingency ratings.

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On 3 September 2009, DCNS signed detailed contracts in Rio de Janeiro for the construction of four conventional-propulsion submarines for the Brazilian Navy and a vast technology transfer programme covering design assistance – under the Brazilian Navy’s design authority – with the non-nuclear portion of Brazil’s first nuclear-powered submarine and assistance with the design and construction of both a naval base and a naval shipyard.

This success follows the signing of a framework contract on 23 December 2008 under the strategic defence cooperation agreement between France and Brazil signed on the same day by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

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There are no current threats to U.S. servicemembers serving in Honduras following last week’s ouster of the Honduran president, U.S. Southern Command officials said today.

The 600 American soldiers, sailors and airmen based at Soto Cano Air Base are staying on the base and not conducting exercises with the Honduran military, said Robert Appin, deputy director for public information and outreach at Southern Command in Miami.

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