Wednesday, July 14, 2010

DTN News: Russia's New Generation S-500 Missile Defense System To Enter Service

Defense News: DTN News: Russia's New Generation S-500 Missile Defense System To Enter Service
Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 15, 2010: Russia's new generation S-500 air defense system will resolve the country's missile defense problems when it enters service, Air Force Commander Colonel General Alexander Zelin said on Tuesday.
"The S-500 air defense system is a system that will solve Russia's missile defense problems," Zelin said.
Answering a question about the S-500's technical specifications, Zelin said: "I would not compare the S-500 with the U.S. missile defense since they have different technical characteristics".
The S-500 is expected to have an extended range of up to 600 km (over 370 miles) and simultaneously engage up to 10 targets. The system will be capable of destroying hypersonic and ballistic targets.
He also added that two S-400 long-range missile defense systems would be delivered to the Far East by the end of 2010.
"We are planning to put two S-400s on combat duty at the Vostok strategic command," Zelin said.

DTN News: Russian Air Force To Buy Over 60 Fifth-Generation Fighters

Defense News: DTN News: Russian Air Force To Buy Over 60 Fifth-Generation Fighters
Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 15, 2010: The Russian Air Force will receive more than 60 fifth-generation fighters from 2015-16, the force commander said on Tuesday.
"The Air Force will start taking delivery [of fifth-generation fighters] in 2015-16. The preliminary number is over 60," Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said.
He also said the first batch of new fighters would be provided with older, "non-fifth" generation engines.
In mid-June Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin observed the 16th test flight of a prototype fighter.
Deputy Defense Minister for Arms Procurement Vladimir Popovkin said the Defense Ministry would purchase the first 6 to 10 aircraft after 2012, based on the outcome of initial tests. He said the fighter will be superior to similar U.S. models.
The prime minister said 30 billion rubles (around $1 billion) had already been spent on the project and another 30 billion would be required to complete it, after which the engine, weaponry and other components would be upgraded.
He said the fighter would have a service life of 30-35 years, if modernization and upgrades are factored in, and would be around three times cheaper than its foreign analogs
Russia's only known fifth-generation project is Sukhoi's PAK FA and the current prototype is the T-50. It is designed to compete with the U.S. F-22 Raptor, so far the world's only fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 Lightning II.
Russia has been developing its newest fighter since the 1990s. The country's top military officials have said the stealth fighter jet with a range of up to 5,500 km should enter service with the Air Force in 2015.
The PAK FA is to be armed with next-generation air-to-air, air-to-surface, and air-to-ship missiles, and has two 30-mm cannons.
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DTN News: Lockheed Wins 10-Year Contract Worth Up To $5 Billion

Defense News: DTN News: Lockheed Wins 10-Year Contract Worth Up To $5 Billion
Source: DTN News - this article / report compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources
(NSI News Source Info) ORLANDO, Fla. - July 14, 2010: Lockheed Martin Corp. said Tuesday it won a 10-year defense contract that could be worth up to $5 billion.Under the contract, Lockheed will provide logistics support to troops around the globe, from aircraft and vehicle maintenance to electronics help.
The contract was awarded by the U.S. military's special operations command.
Lockheed will repair and maintain special operations aircraft, ground vehicles, weapons and electronics. It will also manage parts and warehouses, and upgrade secure computer networks.
The US Special Operations Command has awarded Lockheed Martin an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract to provide full-scope logistics support to warfighters around the globe. The Logistics Support Contract for US Special Operations provides a wide range of mission-critical services, from aircraft and vehicle maintenance to IT and electronics support. The contract has a potential value of $5 billion over 10 years, Lockheed said.
The three primary components of the contract include - aircraft, vehicle and equipment maintenance, critical infrastructure support, and business process transformation. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will repair and maintain the fleet of special operations aircraft, ground vehicles, and weaponry and electronics equipment, to include managing a global supply chain of parts, warehouses, and depots.The company will also manage and upgrade the command’s critical infrastructure, from secure IT networks to worldwide facilities.
Subcontractors include Boeing Co.
Lockheed reported $45 billion in net sales last year.
In trading Tuesday morning, Lockheed sharesrose $1, or 1.3 percent, to $75.74.

DTN News: Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors Make Permanent Home In Hawaii

Defense News: DTN News: Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors Make Permanent Home In Hawaii
Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin Dt. July 12th, 2010
(NSI News Source Info) HICKAM AFB, Hawaii, - July 14, 2010: Officials at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, formally dedicated two Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-22 Raptors on July 9, inaugurating the base as the newest permanent home for the aircraft and marking the start of a partnership between the Hawaii Air National Guard and the active-duty Air Force in flying the F-22.
Pilots from the 199th Fighter Squadron, 154th Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard, and from the active-duty 19th Fighter Squadron, 15th Wing, will fly the F-22 at Hickam. A combination of Hawaii ANG personnel and active-duty airmen will maintain the base’s eventual fleet of 20 Raptors.
Ceremony speakers included Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle; U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye; Gen. Gary L. North, commander of Pacific Air Forces; and Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau.
“We at Lockheed Martin are proud to celebrate with the Hawaii Air National Guard and Hickam Air Force Base as the base becomes the newest operational home for the F-22,” said George Shultz, vice president and general manager of the F-22 Program for Lockheed Martin. “We look forward to a long-lasting partnership with the Hawaii ANG and the base in keeping the Raptor flying and further enhancing its capabilities over time, to ensure Hickam F-22s promote deterrence and stability through air power in the Pacific for decades to come.”
F-22 Raptors are assigned to seven U.S. bases. Flight testing takes place at Edwards AFB, Calif. Operational tactics development is ongoing at Nellis AFB, Nev. Pilot training occurs at Tyndall AFB, Fla. Operational F-22 aircraft are assigned to Langley AFB, Va.; Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Holloman AFB, N.M.; and Hickam AFB.
The world’s only operational fifth-generation fighter, the F-22 boasts a unique combination of stealth, speed, agility, situational awareness and lethal long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry to make it the world’s best air dominance fighter and to enable it to deter and defeat current and emerging threats. For more information on the F-22, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/products/f22/.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.
Media Contact:
Chris McGee
Office: 770-494-2578
Mobile: 770-289-3309

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Delivers First Mid-Life Upgrade P-3 Orion

Defense News: DTN News: Lockheed Martin Delivers First Mid-Life Upgrade P-3 Orion
Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin
(NSI News Source Info) GREENVILLE, S.C.,- July 14, 2010: The first Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] P-3 Orion with new Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) enhancements was delivered to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in ceremonies here today.
The newly re-winged P-3 will soon make its first flight and will immediately be a game-changer for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This aircraft is the first of many that will benefit with increased availability and reliability for critical homeland security missions.
“The P-3 Orion is unsurpassed in its flexibility in maritime patrol and reconnaissance,” said Ralph Heath, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. “The Mid-Life Upgrade will ensure this national asset continues to provide second-to-none service for the next 20 years.”
Lockheed Martin′s P-3 MLU program provides a technically proven, low-risk, cost-effective solution replacing the aircraft outer wings, center wing lower surface and horizontal stabilizer with new production components.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will receive up to 14 upgraded P-3s for deliveries planned through 2015. This first CBP MLU aircraft was completed in 14 months. To date, Lockheed Martin has 52 MLU kits under contract with six operators from four nations.
“We are excited about our partnership with Customs and Border Protection,” said Ray Burick, Lockheed Martin P-3 Programs vice president, “and we are committed to providing them with modernization enhancements to sustain the P-3 for decades to come. The MLU integrates well with our 10-year site and depot P-3 Fleet Maintenance Program, now underway with CBP.”
The MLU replaces all fatigue-life limiting structure with enhanced-design components and incorporates a new metal alloy that is five times more corrosion resistant, greatly reducing the cost of ownership for P-3 Operators. The MLU removes current aircraft flight restrictions and extends the structural service life of the P-3 up to 15,000 hours and adds 20 years of operational use.
P-3 Orion is the standard for maritime patrol and reconnaissance, and is used for homeland security, hurricane reconnaissance, anti-piracy operations, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, intelligence gathering, antisubmarine warfare and, recently, to assist in air traffic control and data gathering over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.
Media Contacts:
Alison Orne
Office: 770-494-9819
Mobile: 678-662-3106
Email: alison.orne@lmco.com
Sam Grizzle
Office: 703-413-5775
Mobile: 678-662-9162

DTN News: Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned System Successfully Completes Testing Under Extreme Environmental Conditions

Defense News: DTN News: Northrop Grumman's Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned System Successfully Completes Testing Under Extreme Environmental Conditions
Source: DTN News / Northrop Grumman
(NSI News Source Info) ABU DHABI, UAE, - July 14, 2010: With the support of the United States Navy, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC- News) and its industry partners (Sikorsky/Schweizer, Rolls-Royce, Raytheon, FLIR Systems, Cubic, Kearfott, Rockwell-Collins, General Electric, Sierra Nevada, Telephonics, and L-3 Communications) today successfully completed a rigorous set of flight demonstrations of the MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical unmanned aerial system (VUAS) in the United Arab Emirates under extreme environmental conditions.
A social media version of this news release, which includes key facts, quotes, photos, video clip and other relevant links and information can be found athttp://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=196314
The test flights were conducted in early July over a ten day period in the United Arab Emirates. They validated Fire Scout's steady system maturation and helped signal its readiness for the U.S. Navy's upcoming Operational Evaluation of the system, planned for late 2010 aboard the USS Halyburton (FFG-40).
"We welcome Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy to the UAE for continued testing of the Fire Scout," said Ali Al Yafei of ADASI (Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investment). "As a VUAS, Fire Scout has many unique capabilities to offer and we're looking forward to reviewing the results of this in-country testing."
The Fire Scout demonstrations included numerous takeoffs and landings in hot, windy and sandy conditions in temperatures as high as 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit). The VUAS also conducted various test flights at altitudes up to 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) . These demonstration missions included non-line-of-sight operations that showcased Fire Scout's ability to operate autonomously in remote locations, and its FLIR Systems electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensing capabilities used to locate and acquire targets.
Video imagery from the testing was presented today at a post-testing event to an audience of interested multi-national government agencies, and domestic and international media. The imagery, a compilation of video produced by Fire Scout's sensors during field trials, demonstrated the VUAS's real-time imagery-transmission capability, a vital element of the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions it performs for military forces.
"Today's demonstration was very impressive and reinforces the continued maturation of the Fire Scout system and its capabilities," said John Brooks, president of Northrop Grumman International Inc. "Northrop Grumman thanks the UAE for being such a gracious host and offering us the opportunity to test Fire Scout in the extreme heat of summer. The UAE represents an important partnership for Northrop Grumman and our customers internationally demand the best. We are committed to continuing to meet and exceed their expectations."
The only U.S. Department of Defense VUAS program of record, Fire Scout is a mature, flexible and reliable system whose capabilities can serve as a true force multiplier.
"The capabilities that Fire Scout delivers to warfighters really stood out today," said Duke Dufresne, sector vice president and general manager for the Strike and Surveillance Systems Division of Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "It's clear from this demonstration that Fire Scout can do exactly what it's designed to do: extend the range at which we can gather crucial information during peacekeeping or wartime missions."
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visitwww.northropgrumman.com for more information.
Contact:
Nathan Drevna
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
(703) 741-7393
(571) 286-8440 mobile
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DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY July 14, 2010 - "We're Hiding Rogue Afghan Gunman" Says Taliban

Defense News: DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY July 14, 2010 - "We're Hiding Rogue Afghan Gunman" Says Taliban
Three Nato soldiers and five Afghan civilians have died in a Taliban suicide attack on a police base in southern Kandahar province, Nato said.
Source: DTN News - this article / report compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including BBC News & Sky News
(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - July 14, 2010: The Taliban has said the renegade Afghan soldier who killed three British troops, including a senior commander, has joined its cause and is under its protection.
The killer launched his attack on soldiers from 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles at a joint patrol base near Helmand Province's capital, Lashkar Gah, in southern Afghanistan.
He shot the company commander in his sleeping quarters and killed the other two in the base's command centre using a shoulder-mounted rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
Describing it as a "suspected premeditated attack", the Ministry of Defence said the soldiers' families have been informed. Four other soldiers were wounded.
Reporting from Afghanistan, British Forces News correspondent Lorna Ward said: "The Taliban has released a statement that says (the gunman) has joined the cause and it is harbouring him.
"He is obviously on the run. There is now a joint Nato and Afghan effort to find him."
Questions are now being raised about some of the British Government's key aims in Afghanistan. Foreign Secretary William Hague has described the attack as "treacherous", while Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the "appalling" incident.
But both stressed it should not change the strategy of working alongside Afghan forces.
A massive programme to expand the Afghan security forces is under way. The goal is that the army should grow from 85,000 in 2009 to 134,000 by 2011.
Mr Hague said: "We must not let this turn us against working with the Afghan national security forces.
"It is by building up their capabilities that eventually international troops are able to leave Afghanistan."
This is the second time members of Afghanistan's security forces turned on UK troops with tragic results.
Five British soldiers were killed and six injured when an Afghan policeman opened fire at a secure checkpoint in Nad-e-Ali in Helmand in November.
Sky News' foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said the latest attack will be "devastating for morale".
He added: "If the Taliban were proven to have a policy of trying to get as many people inside the Afghan army as possible that would be a serious, serious threat."
Marshall said the quality of the Afghan soldiers has improved but there is still a huge amount of work to do.
He said it was also vital efforts were made to establish more "cohesion" between Pasthu Afghan soldiers - from the south where the British are based - and ethnically different troops from the north.
Marshall said: "The Afghan army is better than it was a few years ago and the training is having an effect, but that concept of discipline is not there.
"There is a flaw in the strategy unless they can get more cohesion within the Afghan army and ensure they all think they are Afghans rather than Pashtus."
Lieutenant Colonel James Carr-Smith, spokesman for Task Force Helmand, said the killings were thought to be the actions of a "lone individual".
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and the Afghan Ministry of Defence launched a joint investigation into the killings.
In a separate incident in Sangin district on Tuesday, a Royal Marine was shot dead while on foot patrol.
The marine from 40 Commando Royal Marines was serving as part of Combined Force Sangin. Next of kin have been informed.
The British death toll in the Afghan campaign since 2001 now stands at 318.
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DTN News: U.S. May Label Pakistan Militants As Terrorists

Defense News: DTN News: U.S. May Label Pakistan Militants As Terrorists
Source: DTN News - this article / report compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including Times of India, BBC News & The New York Times - by MARK LANDLER and THOM SHANKER
(NSI News Source Info)WASHINGTON, U.S.A. - July 14, 2010: The new American military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus, is pushing to have top leaders of a feared insurgent group designated as terrorists, a move that could complicate an eventual Afghan political settlement with the Taliban and aggravate political tensions in the region.
General Petraeus introduced the idea of blacklisting the group, known as the Haqqani network, late last week in discussions with President Obama’ssenior advisers on Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to several administration officials, who said it was being seriously considered.
Such a move could risk antagonizing Pakistan, a critical partner in the war effort, but one that is closely tied to the Haqqani network. It could also frustrate the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, who is pressing to reconcile with all the insurgent groups as a way to end the nine-year-old war and consolidate his own grip on power.
The case of the Haqqani network, run by an old warlord family, underscores the thorny decisions that will have to be made over which Taliban-linked insurgents should win some sort of amnesty and play a role in the future of Afghanistan. Mr. Karzai has already petitioned the United Nations to lift sanctions against dozens of members of the Taliban, and has won conditional support from the Obama administration, so long as these people sever ties to Al Qaeda, forswear violence and accept the Afghan Constitution.
“If they are willing to accept the red lines and come in from the cold, there has to be a place for them,” Richard C. Holbrooke, the administration’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said to reporters at a briefing on Tuesday.
From its base in the frontier area near the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani is suspected of running much of the insurgency around Kabul, the Afghan capital, and across eastern Afghanistan, carrying out car bombings and kidnappings, including spectacular attacks on American military installations. It is allied with Al Qaeda and with leaders of the Afghan Taliban branch under Mullah Muhammad Omar, now based near Quetta, Pakistan.
But the group’s real power may lie in its deep connections to Pakistan’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, which analysts say sees the Haqqani network as a way to exercise its own leverage in Afghanistan. Pakistani leaders have recently offered to broker talks between Mr. Karzai and the network, officials said, arguing that it could be a viable future partner.
American officials remain extremely skeptical that the Haqqani network’s senior leaders could ever be reconciled with the Afghan government, although they say perhaps some midlevel commanders and foot soldiers could. Some officials in Washington and in the region expressed concerns that imposing sanctions on the entire network might drive away some fighters who might be persuaded to lay down their arms.
The idea of putting the Haqqani network on a blacklist was first made public on Tuesday by Senator Carl Levin, Democrat of Michigan, who has just returned from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mr. Levin did not disclose any conversations he might have had with General Petraeus on the subject.
The Haqqani network is perhaps the most significant threat to stability in Afghanistan, said Mr. Levin, a powerful voice in Congress on military affairs as chairman of the Armed Services Committee. Mr. Levin also advocated increasing attacks against the organization by Pakistan and by the United States, using unmanned drone strikes.
“At the moment, the Haqqani network — and their fighters coming over the border from Pakistan into Afghanistan — is the greatest threat, at least external threat, to Afghanistan,” Mr. Levin said at a morning breakfast with correspondents.
“More needs to be done by Pakistan,” he added. “The Pakistanis have said they now realize, more than ever, that terrorism is a threat to them — not just the terrorists who attack them directly, but the terrorists who attack others from their territory.”
Placement on the State Department’s list would mainly impose legal limits on American citizens and companies, prohibiting trade with the Haqqani network or its leaders and requiring that banks freeze their assets in the United States.
But Mr. Levin noted that the law would also require the United States government to apply pressure on any nation harboring such a group, in this case Pakistan.
In Kabul, a spokesman for General Petraeus said he would not comment on any internal discussions. But in public General Petraeus has expressed alarm about the network and has talked about his desire to see the Pakistani military act more aggressively against the group’s stronghold in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan.
In testimony before Mr. Levin’s committee last month, General Petraeus said he viewed the network as a particular danger to the mission in Afghanistan.
He said he and other senior military officers had shared information with their counterparts in Pakistan that showed the Haqqani network “clearly commanded and controlled” recent attacks in Kabul and against the Bagram Air Base outside Kabul, which is controlled by the United States.
The focus on a political settlement is likely to intensify next week at a conference in Kabul, to be headed by Mr. Karzai and attended by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other officials. Mr. Karzai recently signed a decree authorizing the reintegration of lower-level Taliban fighters, and Mr. Holbrooke said the meeting would kick off that program, which will be financed by $180 million from Japan, Britain and other countries, as well as $100 million in Pentagon funds.
But Mr. Karzai is eager to extend an olive branch to higher-level figures as well. His government wants to remove up to 50 of the 137 Taliban names on the United Nations Security Council’s blacklist. Mr. Holbrooke, the special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, said the administration supported efforts to cull the list, but would approve names only on a case-by-case basis. Certain figures, like Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, remain out of bounds, he said.
For its part, the United States is trying to keep the emphasis on the low-level fighters, rather than the leadership. The planned American military campaign in Kandahar, officials said, could weaken the position of Taliban leaders, making them more amenable to a settlement.
Still, the United States backs “Afghan-led reconciliation,” Mr. Holbrooke said. And he said the administration was encouraged by recent meetings between Mr. Karzai and Pakistani leaders, which he said were slowly building trust between these often-suspicious neighbors.
“Nothing could be more important to the resolution of the war in Afghanistan,” he said, “than a common understanding between Afghanistan and Pakistan on what their strategic purpose is.”
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