2011 ~ World Defence News

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Chinese sub logs new depth milestone

A Chinese submersible conducted the country's deepest manned dive Tuesday in the latest technical milestone for China, which theoretically puts most of the ocean floor's vast resources within its reach.

The Jiaolong undersea craft -- named after a mythical sea dragon -- reached 5,057 metres (16,591 feet) below sea level in a test dive in international waters of the northeastern Pacific, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Though less than half as deep as a record 1960 dive by the US Navy, the achievement highlights a Chinese push to catch up with advanced nations in space, sea, and polar exploration, which has revealed fast-growing technical capabilities.

The crew of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) is preparing the ship to become the first at-sea test platform for the U.S. Navy’s test variant of the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

Recently, four members of Wasp’s Air Department traveled to one of the Navy’s premier test facilities at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., to help give them a good idea of what WASP can expect when testing begins. The group consisted of Cmdr. Stephen McKone, Wasp’s Air Boss; Lt. Michael Curcio, Wasp’s Aircraft Handling Officer and F-35B Ship Integration Project Officer; Ens. Maguel Brooks, Wasp’s Air Bos’n; and Senior Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handler) Richard McCray.

Euro Hawk, the first high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE), signals intelligence (SIGINT) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk produced by Northrop Grumman for the German Bundeswehr, successfully touched down in Manching, Germany, today.

The Euro Hawk took off on July 20 at 2:50 PDT (11:50 Central European Summer Time) from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and landed at 10:06 Central European Summer Time July 21 in Manching Air Base.

The Euro Hawk will carry a new SIGINT mission system developed by EADS Deutschland GmbH (Cassidian) and integrated in Manching, Germany.

Russia enters South Korean tender with 5th-generation fighter

Russia's Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter has been placed on a short list of a South Korean tender for the delivery of advanced fighter jets, a Russian arms industry think-tank said on Monday.

Korea is seeking to buy 60 fighters with advanced stealth capability from a foreign aircraft maker in the biggest arms-procurement deal ever for the country with an estimated budget of $7.86 billion under a program code-named FX-III.

Russia's Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade cited South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) as saying that Sukhoi's fighter would compete with the F-15SE Silent Eagle from Boeing, the F-35 Lightning II from Lockheed Martin and the Eurofighter Typhoon from the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS).

Australian frigate takes part in multi-national exercise

BAB EL MANDEB STRAIT (BNS): A multi-national maritime exercise involving the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac class frigate, two Turkish naval vessels and French Mirage fighters has concluded in the Gulf of Aden.

Commanded by the RAN’s seventh Anzac class frigate, HMAS Toowoomba, exercise ‘Scimitar Exocet’ held between July 22 and 23, was aimed at contributing to maritime security in the Bab El Mandeb Strait in the Middle East.

ISLAMABAD (PTI): Pakistan plans to add 24 nuclear-capable, short-range missiles to its arsenal this year, reflecting an urge in the security establishment to seek "strategic parity in the region", according to a media report Monday.

This will be the highest number of missiles Pakistan has ever produced in a year if the government achieves the target; The Express Tribune newspaper quoted its sources as saying.

The air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles will be able to hit targets at a distance between 700 km and 1,000 km, thus putting nearly all major Indian cities within their range, the report claimed.

IAF pushes for opening of aircraft bids to replace MIG 21s

NEW DELHI (PTI): Keen on getting 126 combat aircraft as early as possible, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is pushing for the commercial bids of the two contenders – Eurofighter and Dassault – to be opened before the end of this month.

“We are pushing the Defence Ministry to open the bids of these two companies by the end of this month,” a senior IAF official told PTI.

After the opening of the commercial bids, the Defence Ministry will work out the L-1 (lowest bidder) in the tender on the basis of the life cycle cost of operating the two aircraft.

India successfully test-fires short-range Prahaar missile

CHANDIPUR–ON-SEA, ORISSA (PTI): India Thursday successfully carried out the first test-firing of its latest surface-to-surface quick reaction tactical missile `Prahaar', which has a range of 150 kms.

Prahaar is capable of carrying different types of warheads and will be operated by the Army as a battle field support system.

"The test-firing was conducted successfully at 0820 hours Thursday. Prahaar with a capability to strike targets at 150 kms, comparable to ATACMS missile of the United States, fills the vital gap between multi barrel rockets and medium range ballistic missiles," DRDO spokesperson Ravi Gupta said.

NEW DELHI (PTI): India will get a new frigate within six to eight months from Russia that will be equipped with the BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system.

"During his visit to Russia, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma reviewed the progress of the Talwar Class follow-on warships, under construction at the Yantar shipyard there and was reassured that the first ship 'Teg' would commence trials shortly and be delivered in six to eight months," the Navy said in a release here.
The Navy chief returned on July 18 from Russia after a six-day visit during which he took stock of all the major Indian navy projects undergoing there.

Small Tanker Cum Utility Ships (STUS) MADADGAR and RASADGAR were commissioned, PNS ALAMGIR was formally inducted in the PN fleet

PN Ships RASADGAR, MADADGAR & ALAMGIR.

PNS RASADGAR

PNS ALAMGIR was formally inducted in Pakistan Navy Fleet during an impressive ceremony held at Pakistan Navy Dockyard on July 19th 2011.

Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir in a group photograph with Naval officials at Pakistan Navy Dockyard as PN Ships MADADGAR and RASADGAR; the Small Tanker Cum Utility Ships (STUS) have been commissioned and PNS ALAMGIR formally inducted in Pakistan Navy Fleet during an impressive ceremony.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Russian Navy to receive new air defense system

The Russian Navy will soon receive a new ship-based gun/missile air defense system, KBP Instrument Design Bureau, the developer of the system, said on Monday.

The system, dubbed Pantsyr-M, has been developed on the basis of the land-based Pantsyr-S1 (SA-22 Greyhound).

"Pantsyr-M will replace the Kortik air defense systems and will be installed on all new classes of Russian combat ships, from corvettes to cruisers," said Alexander Zhukov, a senior KBP official.

See The Department of Defense's first F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter touched down at its new home here July 14, marking a major milestone in the nation's military history.
Upon arrival, the jet officially became part of the Air Force inventory. It now belongs to the JSF training unit, the 33rd Fighter Wing.
Flying it in was Lt. Col. Eric Smith of the 58th Fighter Squadron, the first Air Force qualified F-35 pilot.
"It was a smooth ride in," said the colonel of the hour and 40 minute flight. "The jet behaved awesomely. I'm just so proud to bring it home to Eglin (Air Force Base)."

A Pakistani surveillance navy drone crashed near an oil refinery after hitting a bird on a routine flight, coming down in the country's largest city of Karachi on Tuesday, the navy said.

"A Pakistan Navy UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) crashed after a bird hit it. It fell near an oil refinery and there was no (other) damage," navy spokesman Commodore Irfan Ul Haq told AFP in Islamabad.

Fellow navy spokesman Commander Salman Ali told AFP that there were no casualties and that the drone had been on a surveillance flight when a bird flew into the aircraft and it came down in the Karachi suburbs.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress Tuesday of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Thailand for three UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopters and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $235 million.

The Government of Thailand has requested a possible sale of three UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopters, eight T700-GE-701D Engines (six installed and two spares), Dual MXF-4027 VHF/UHF-AM/FM communication radios, AN/ARC-201E Export SINCGARS Airborne Radio, AN/AXP-117 CXP (Common Digital IFF Transponder), government furnished equipment, engineering change proposals, spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, Aviation Mission Planning Station, Transportable Blackhawk Operations Simulator (TBOS), U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics support services, aircraft warranty, Air Worthiness Release Support, Repair and Return Support, and other related elements of logistics support.

KARACHI: PN ships Madadgar and Rasadgar, the Small Tanker cum Utility Ships (STUS) have been commissioned and PNS Alamgir formally inducted in Pakistan Navy Fleet during an impressive ceremony held at Pakistan Navy Dockyard here on Tuesday.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir graced the occasion as chief guest while the ceremony was also attended by officials from Ministry of Defence (MoD), Flag Officers from Pakistan Navy, senior management of Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) and other distinguished guests.

The Indian government's long-delayed green light to French defence majors Dassault and Thales to undertake the Mirage-2000 combat fighter upgrade is yet another indicator of New Delhi forging stronger strategic links with Paris.

Over the last decade, French defence vendors have bagged, or are the leading contenders to win a number lucrative Indian arms contracts, including the $11-billion medium, multi-role combat aircraft tender for 126 aircrafts for the Indian Air Force, and the estimated $2.4-billion Mirage-2000 upgrade.

LONDON (PTI): As India prepares to open the commercial bids for the USD 10.8 billion tender for 126 medium range multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA), Eurofighter hopes to make the country a partner in its Typhoon fighter jet programme which it says would be a game-changer.

"We are offering India to become a full participant in the programme...fully or partially whatever India chooses to do...get involved in future developments. Combat aircraft programme never stops. It will operate over decades," said Peter Maute, Senior Vice-President of Cassidian Air Systems, the security and defence company of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).

BEIJING (BNS): The Chinese Navy has launched its largest amphibious warship ‘Jinggangshan’ in Shanghai, according to media reports.

The vessel is the second Type 071 dock landing ship and has been built by the Shanghai-based Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard.

The warship was officially launched in Shanghai, the official China Daily said Tuesday quoting media reports.

ISLAMABAD (PTI): Pakistan's Navy has inducted a guided missile frigate provided by the US into its fleet, besides commissioning two small tanker-cum-utility ships.

The frigate PNS Alamgir and the small tanker-cum-utility ships PN Madadgar and PN Rasadgar were commissioned and inducted during a ceremony at the Karachi naval dockyard Tuesday.

PNS Alamgir, which was formerly the USS McInerney, is an Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate.

Irkut to supply 40 Su-30 fighters to Russian Air Force

Russia's Irkut aircraft holding is in talks with the Defense Ministry on the delivery of up to 40 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters to the Russian Air Force, the company said on Monday.

"We will sign a contract with the Defense Ministry next year," Irkut President Alexei Fyodorov said.

The contract stipulates the initial delivery of 28 fighter jets and the supply of an additional 12 aircraft as an option.

The Su-30 Flanker-C is a twin-engine, two-seat multirole fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. Russia currently operates four of these fighter jets.

The Ministry of Defence has announced that, in the coming days, the UK will deploy an additional four RAF Tornado GR4s to Gioia del Colle air base in Italy, primarily in the reconnaissance role to further support operations over Libya.

The aircraft are in addition to 12 RAF Tornados already deployed at Gioia del Colle. This latest deployment is intended to bolster NATO's reconnaissance capability. Equipped with RAPTOR (Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado) pods, RAF Tornados can provide extremely detailed reconnaissance imagery over large areas.

The deployment will have no effect on operations in Afghanistan.

In an update on Libya operations, Major General Nick Pope, the Chief of the Defence Staff's Communications Officer, said:

Navy orders submarine weapon control unit spares

The South African Navy is buying unspecified weapon control unit spare parts for its fleet of three Heroine-class Type 209 diesel-electric attack submarines (SSK). The deal, worth R5 826 188.24, was awarded to Cybicom Atlas Defence last week and follows a number of other spares orders for the subsurface fleet in recent months.

This includes the procurement of optronic “submarines depot spares” from Carl Zeiss Optronics worth R3.9 million last month and the acquisition of spare pneumatic cam switching devices worth R1.3 million from Siemens Ltd in May.

Source : http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17239:navy-orders-submarine-weapon-control-unit-spares-&catid=51:Sea&Itemid=106

India approves $2.4 bn French Mirage jet upgrade

India has approved a $2.4-billion proposal from French defence groups to upgrade its fleet of 51 ageing Mirage fighter jets, a military source said on Thursday.

"The defence secretary has agreed to the proposal put forward by French defence majors Dassault and Thales and (European group) MBDA for the Mirage-2000 retrofit," the source in the Indian Air Force (IAF) told AFP.

The upgrade is expected to include advanced navigation systems, mission computers, electronic warfare systems and radars.

The work is likely to take nine years and will see two of the Mirages being retro-fitted in France. The remaining aircraft will be upgraded at the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics base in Bangalore.

The Deal had been stuck for five years due to differences over costs and the proposed benefits to the IAF, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

Overhaul of the fleet will add 20-25 years to the life of the Mirages, which joined the Indian air force in the mid-1980s.

Indian Navy decommissions oldest ship 'INS Sharabh'

PORT BLAIR (PTI): The oldest commissioned ship of the Indian Navy, a landing ship tanker, 'Sharabh', was given a fond farewell after 35 years of service with a guard of honour and the naval band playing the Last Post.

The National Flag, Naval Ensign and the Decommissioning Pennant were hauled down for the last time at sunset symbolising the end of her service to the country, Indian Navy Public Relation Officer of Andaman & Nicobar Command Lt Commander Mannu Virk told to PTI.

BRISBANE (BNS): The Australian Air Force on Friday received three new US-made F/A-18F Super Hornets, bringing the total number of such fighters in its fleet to 18.

The fourth batch of Boeing-made fighters, worth over 175 million AU dollars, landed at the Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Queensland.

Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare, while welcoming the new planes said, “The Super Hornet gives the Royal Australian Air Force the capability to conduct air-to-air combat; to strike targets on land and at sea; to suppress enemy air defences; and to conduct reconnaissance.”

India to Modernise Mirage 2000 Fighter Aircraft Fleet

Indian MoD approves $2.4 billion upgrade contract for Dassault, Thales and MBDA

With another recently approved multi-billion dollar defence contract, India is giving its armed forces modernisation efforts a significant push. According to AFP, Defence Secretary Shri Pradeep Kumar approved the offer by leading French defence companies Dassault and Thales, as well as by the European MBDA group, to upgrade India’s ageing fleet of Mirage 2000 ‘Vajra’ fighter aircraft at a cost of some $2.4 billion.

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Boeing EA-18G Growlers Complete 1st Combat Deployment

Boeing EA-18G Growlers operated by U.S. Navy electronic attack squadron VAQ-132 safely returned to their home base at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., on July 9, after completing an eight-month deployment that included combat operations in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) areas of responsibility.

During the deployment, VAQ-132’s personnel and aircraft supported CENTCOM operations in Iraq before quickly transitioning to AFRICOM to conduct operations supporting NATO in Libya.

VISAKHAPATNAM (PTI): Aiming at extending its coastal and offshore surveillance and patrol, the Indian Navy has commissioned indigenously built Fast Attack Craft (FAC) in a function held at the eastern naval command here.

Designed and built by state-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, INS Koswari is a highly manoeuvrable craft and ideally suited for deployment along the coast, a defence release said.

NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian government has cleared proposals worth over $3 billion for upgrading the fleet of 51 Mirage 2000 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

As per the proposals, French firms Dassault and Thales will upgrade the aircraft, which will add 20-25 years to the life of the Mirages, inducted by the IAF in the mid-80s.

"The proposals related to upgrade of the Mirage 2000 were cleared by a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)," a defence ministry official said Wednesday.

Eurofighter Typhoon to Display Agile Multi-Role Capability at RIAT 2011

The Eurofighter Typhoon will be making a rare demonstration of its unrivaled agility and engine power with a full weapon load air display at this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) from the 15th to 17th July at RAF Fairford.

BAE Systems Chief Test Pilot for Combat Air, Mark Bowman, will fly a Warton based development aircraft (IPA 5) on each day of the show and a full scale replica of the aircraft, including full weapon display, will be available for general public access.

In addition, the RAF will have a Typhoon on display in the static aircraft park.

Indonesia and South Korea are getting ready to sign an MoU on the joint-development of a KFX fighter jet program (dubbed Boramae) later this year, following a letter of intent in March 2009 on Indonesian participation in a KFX study. When enacted, the MOU will provide a breakthrough for both countries in terms of bilateral defense collaboration and aircraft technology indigenization.

The defense community and members of parliament believe that the cooperation will help the revitalization of the Indonesian defense industry. MPs urged the government to conduct a feasibility test before embarking on a US$2 billion venture that spans across an eight-year period. It is expected from the collaboration that five prototypes will be built before 2020.

BEIJING (PTI): China's ambitious new long range ballistic missile with a range of 2,700 km dubbed as carrier-killer is undergoing tests, a top military official has said.

Chen Bingde, chief of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Staff acknowledged that China is developing Dongfeng-21D with an ability to strike moving targets - including aircraft carriers - at sea.

Super destroyer HMS Diamond enters service

The Royal Navy's newest and most advanced air defence destroyer HMS Diamond has entered service after completing extensive sea trials.

It is armed with the Sea Viper missile defence system which is capable of tracking and defending against multiple supersonic targets simultaneously. The system is backed by long and short range radar and missile systems that can search in excess of 400km.

The Chinese navy missile frigate Ma’anshan has, in a landmark move, completed the first port-to-port escort of a World Food Programme ship bound for Somalia.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 054 frigate escorted the World Food Programme (WFP) ship MV Dream to Berbera and Bosasso in Somalia, completing her mission on July 5.

The MV Dream was carrying a cargo of 5,900 tonnes of food-aid, including maize and oil, the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) said in a statement.

Kochi (PTI): INS Viraat, India's sole aircraft carrier, is here for annual maintenance work, estimated to cost around Rs 30 crore.

Underwater cleaning and painting work besides checking of underwater fittings are among the works being carried out. No major structural changes are being done now, officials said.
Depending on the progress of the work, the vessel is likely to be here for a few months, its commander Captain R Hari Kumar told reporters on board the unique warship, docked at the Ernakulam wharf.

BEIJING (BNS): China has, for the first time, officially confirmed reports that it is building an aircraft carrier it acquired from Ukraine in 1998.

“I have nothing more to say about Chinese aircraft carriers, since prominent media outlets have already reported on them so much,” Chen Bingde, chief of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Staff, said Monday.

“Our American friends all know that China bought an old aircraft carrier, the Varyag, from Ukraine. It’s very valuable for us to research these things this way,” the top military official was quoted as saying by the China Daily newspaper.

Eurofighter Working to Strengthen Strategic Partnership with Japan

Reflecting the strong commitment to deepen the strategic partnership with Japan, the Supervisory Board of Eurofighter GmbH will for the first time hold a board meeting in Tokyo.

Senior executives from Eurofighter partner companies (BAE Systems, Alenia Aeronautica, and Cassidian in Spain and Germany) are visiting Japan from 5 July to 8 July to discuss the status of the Eurofighter Typhoon F-X campaign and strategic next steps, and to hold talks with Ambassadors of the four consortium member-nations – the U.K., Germany, Italy and Spain.Eurofighter, its partner companies and the four member-nations are working to strengthen industrial and technological relations with Japan. All four partner countries are supporting and are committed to the Eurofighter F-X campaign, which is being led by the U.K. government and BAE Systems.

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Sunday, June 26, 2011

Pakistan's JF-17 V/S India's LCA-Tejas; Comparison With Latest Figures

The major rival brothers in the world, who have been fighting against each other since their birth, earlier used to fight with foreign weapons. but now they want to fight in a new style, that is with their indigenous weapons.

Pakistan as a member of US led military pact CENTO and SEATO started receiving high tech weapons of that time with money to keep an eye on India and launch an assault when needed. Seeing this India began to import weapons from Soviet Union and starting upgrading its force. Both the countries started filling up their inventory at the same time and today both are facing the problems of their ageing fighters aircrafts.