Saturday, October 22, 2011

DTN News - GERMANY DEFENSE NEWS: Germany Said To Cancel Billions In Military Plane Orders

Defense News: DTN News - GERMANY DEFENSE NEWS: Germany Said To Cancel Billions In Military Plane Orders
NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 22, 2011: EADS, the parent company of Airbus, is bracing for months of thorny negotiations with Germany as the country seeks to cancel billions of dollars’ worth of orders for military aircraft in an effort to cut its defense budget.

Thomas de Maizière, the German defense minister, is expected to present the program of radical cuts to the government’s budget committee on Oct. 26. But according to a confidential document that has been leaked to news organizations in recent days, the ministry hopes to sharply reduce its commitments to purchase a range of flying hardware, including A400M transporters, Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, as well as NH-90 transport and Tiger attack helicopters.

“This is another sad chapter in the saga of shrinking European budgets — with major industrial and political implications,” said Alexandra Ashbourne, an aerospace and defense industry consultant in London. “This is going to be very difficult for the industry to absorb, on the one hand, while on the other you will see the British, the Spanish and everyone else once again questioning Germany’s commitment to European defense.”

Less than two years after European governments agreed to a complex rescue program for the long-delayed four-engine turboprop A400M, Germany, the largest customer for the plane, now wants to buy 40 instead of 53 of the airlifters, said a government official, who confirmed the figures cited in the document but declined to be identified because the information was classified.

That would bring Germany’s commitment to the A400M below that of France, which has ordered 50. Germany had originally agreed to buy 60 A400Ms in 2003, but that order was reduced in 2009 as part of an arduously negotiated bailout in which seven NATO governments agreed to a hefty price increase to provide an additional €1.5 billion, or $2.1 billion, in financing to EADS, whose full name is European Aeronautic Defense & Space.

The cuts are part of an effort by Germany to reduce its defense budget by 20 percent. Berlin also wants to reduce its order for Typhoon fighters to 140 instead of 177, while it would like to take delivery of 80 instead of 122 NH-90 helicopters, and only 40 Tigers, half of an original order for 80.

Spokesmen for EADS and the German Defense Ministry declined to discuss the proposed cuts before Mr. de Maizière presented his proposals next week.

But Lt. Col. Holger Neumann, a Defense Ministry spokesman, conceded that there would be deep cuts and said that negotiations with EADS and its partners would be difficult.

“We have to find solutions on a consensus basis, especially concerning those projects under contract,” Colonel Neumann said. “It is not something that we can change unilaterally.”

The A400M is built by the military division of Airbus, while the Typhoon is made by a multinational consortium that includes EADS, BAE Systems of Britain and Finmeccanica of Italy. The NH-90 and the Tiger are products of EADS’s Eurocopter division.

The procurement cuts are part of a broader German effort to streamline its defense bureaucracy, dramatically reducing the size of its active-duty forces to around 185,000 from 220,000 and abolishing compulsory military service, which ended this year.

But analysts noted that canceling the orders could involve costly penalty payments for Berlin unless it managed to find alternative buyers for the equipment it no longer wants. If those buyers end up outside Europe, they added, that would eat into the company’s future export sales — considered vital to recouping research and development costs.

The A400M, for example, has yet to catch on outside Europe, with just one foreign customer, Malaysia, holding a contract for four planes.

South Africa canceled an order for eight planes in 2009, though both sides are still in discussions about possibly reviving that deal at a later date.

EADS has already written down more than €2.4 billion in cost overruns for the A400M. The first of the planes are expected to be delivered in 2014.



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DTN News - WIKILEAKS NEWS: Various Articles From International Media Originated From Wikileaks For October 22, 2011

Defense News: DTN News - WIKILEAKS NEWS: Various Articles From International Media Originated From Wikileaks For October 22, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 22, 2011: The international non-profit organization Wikileaks became world renown as a whistleblower publishing submissions of private, secret and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks and whistleblowers.

WikiLeaks states that its "primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behaviour in their governments and corporations".

Here are the news on various subjects on Wikileaks by global media/web/blogs and reactions respectively for DTN News readers and viewers;

LTTE defeat affects drug trade: Wikileaks
Nation on Sunday
The defeat of the LTTE had affected the drug trade in Asia, according to a US cable that was revealed in Wikileaks. As the Colombo Telegraph reports, the US Embassy in a communique to Washington on November 17, 2009 had said that the downfall of the ...
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SOUTH PARK 15.10 'Bass To Mouth'
Crave Online
Only Lemmiwinks can take down Wikileaks and end the Eavesdropper's reign of humiliation. Along with Lemmiwinks comes the return of the ghostly Frog Prince, as well as Swallow... and let's just say shit gets really weird. The final battle between ...
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Without credit card donations, WikiLeaks facing funding crisis ...
WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website that has been at the center of some of the world's most controversial news for the past 18 months, is facing dire economic ...
www.mcclatchydc.com/.../without-credit-card-donations.html
WikiLeaks Honduras: US Linked to Brutal Businessman | The Nation
WikiLeaks reveals: Miguel Facussé, a biofuels magnate in Honduras entangled with the drug trade, is waging a bloody war against campesinos—with American ...
www.thenation.com/.../wikileaks-honduras-us-linked-brutal-b...
Without credit card donations, WikiLeaks facing funding crisis
MiamiHerald.com
By Mark Seibel WASHINGTON — WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website that has been at the center of some of the world's most controversial news for the past 18 months, is facing dire economic times, largely, the website says, because Visa, MasterCard and ...
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WikiLeaks: Bulgarian President Runners Seen by US Diplomats
Novinite.com
The database of the whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks has US diplomatic information on 6 out of a total of 18 Bulgarian politicians, who are currently running to become the country's next president. File photo The site for investigative journalism ...
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Novinite.com
Book Review: WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by David Leigh ...
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
ORG Wikileaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, from the Guardian's David Leigh and Luke Harding, reads like a James Bond story. And the authors do not overstate the drama of theWikileaksimbroglio. The world and activities of Julian Assange, ...
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The Connection Between Wikileaks Censorship And PROTECT IP: Censorship Through ...
Wall Street Journal
It explores the “new vector” for censorship found in both the attacks on Wikileaks and the PROTECT IP Act: censorship by forcing service providers to not do business with certain websites... We welcome your thoughtful comments. ...
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WikiLeaks cables provide limited vindication for Malema
Mail & Guardian Online
The Botswana government gave the United States the green light to explore the possibility of establishing an Africa Command (Africom) base in the country when the issue was raised four years ago, American diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks show. ...
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'South Park' Mocks Phone Hacking Scandals (VIDEO)
Huffington Post (satire)
It's been a little while since Wikileaks and the News Corp phone hacking scandals have been in the news, but that doesn't mean it's too late for them to get the "South Park" treatment. On this week's episode, the boys at South Park Elementary are ...
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WikiLeaks translation group opens cables to S.Koreans
한겨레
By Choi Woo-ri “I decided to translate the leaked cables after reading an article from Hankyoreh reporting on President Lee Myung-bak's attitude on the United States and Japan that were publicized by WikiLeaks,” said Lee Dong-hyun. ...
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Unpredictable to the end, Muammar Qadaffi ruled Libya for decades
Fox 13 Now - Salt Lake City
A US diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks advised Rice that, although Qadaffi avoids making eye contact, he was a voracious consumer of news and eager for the chance to "share with you his views on global affairs." Still, Qadaffi, who had survived ...
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How To Stop the Next WikiLeaks
Slashdot
by porter235 (413926) Minimize access to sensitive docs, keep those with access happy, and most importantly, always be ethical. by Errol backfiring (1280012) I wonder when they make this compulsory for civilians as well? by assemblerex (1275164) You ...
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Brand Bites: WikiLeaks Gets Priceless, Burberry Flakes, Sappy Nappies and more
brandchannel.com
Wikileaks spoofed Mastercard's "Priceless" campaign this week. Watch the spot below, and check out place branding with a twist, and more. ... while Iceland invites citizens to show off what inspires them: Er, is Arrow promoting manorexia with "Arrow ...
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The Connection Between Wikileaks Censorship And PROTECT IP ...
By News
The always thought-provoking Yochai Benkler, has a new paper, which, unfortunately (and pointlessly given Benkler's key points), is locked up behind an MIT paywall. It explores the new vector for censorship found in both the attacks on ...
PHP Hosts
WikiLeaks not financially endangered: Assange
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange told Latin American media that his organization was far from financially endangered despite sanctions slapped on it by the ...
www.physorg.com/.../2011-10-wikileaks-financially-endanger...

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News - EADS NEWS: Airbus Military And The Royal Thai Police Join Forces To Help Thailand

Defense News: DTN News - EADS NEWS: Airbus Military And The Royal Thai Police Join Forces To Help Thailand
NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 22, 2011: The Royal Thai Police and Airbus Military have used a C295 aircraft for the transport of 12 people and 4.3 tonnes of humanitarian provisions, such as water and tents, to the province of Nakhorn Sawan, affected by the recent floods.


The mission with the C295 was initially planned just as a demonstration flight, but after these terrible events, it was changed to aid the local population. The C295 put to good use its capabilities to operate in rough environments and short and unprepared airstrips, with limited or no ground aids.

Thailand has been suffering floods and heavy rain since the end of July. The Government already indicated that over 270 people have died and more than three million people have been affected by the floods.

EADS Related News;

21 October 2011

Malaysia Airlines’ First A380 takes off from Toulouse for its maiden flight

21 October 2011

Airbus Military and the Royal Thai Police join forces to help Thailand

21 October 2011

Eurocopter Chile Delivers the First Ecureuil AS350 B3e for the Americas to Servicios Aéreos Kipreos

21 October 2011

CASSIDIAN deploys the broadband telecommunications network operated by the French National Gendarmerie at an altitude of 3,842 m

20 October 2011

TAM finalizes order for 32 A320 Family aircraft, including 22 A320neo

19 October 2011

CASSIDIAN's newly developed SPEXER™ 1000 Security Radar offers unprecedented level of critical infrastructure protection

19 October 2011

Air New Zealand orders up to 12 ATR 72-600s

19 October 2011

Eurocopter stands ready to provide the appropriate platforms for future defense needs of the Republic of Korea

19 October 2011

CASSIDIAN boosts its light UAV activity with the acquisition of SurveyCopter

18 October 2011

A350 XWB’s Trent engine rolls-out for initial flight tests

18 October 2011

Eurocopter reinforces its commitment to strengthen the Republic of Korea’s aerospace industry, and highlights the Surion and its naval derivative

18 October 2011

Eurofighter delivers to the Spanish Air Force the Typhoon nr. 300

17 October 2011

Virgin Australia inaugurates ATR 72-500 services


*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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