Monday, November 28, 2011

DTN News - OSHKOSH DEFENSE NEWS: New Oshkosh Defense Virtual Trainer Improves Safety, Reduces Military Vehicle Training Costs

Defense News: DTN News - OSHKOSH DEFENSE NEWS: New Oshkosh Defense Virtual Trainer Improves Safety, Reduces Military Vehicle Training Costs
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / OSHKOSH, Wis - November 28, 2011:

Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), has expanded its military training capabilities with the new Oshkosh Virtual Trainer. This virtual training element makes the overall vehicle training program safer and more cost-effective. Oshkosh will unveil its first virtual training module for the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) M978 Tanker at the annual Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) Nov. 28–Dec. 1 in Orlando, Fla.

“In today’s traditional HEMTT Tanker training curriculum, soldiers receive a limited amount of hands-on experience for critical procedures such as fueling and refueling,” said Dan Albrecht, senior training manager for Oshkosh Defense. “The Oshkosh Virtual Trainer provides life-like training in a safe, virtual environment, which provides soldiers with the skills they need to perform the actual tasks. In addition to enhancing soldiers’ training experience, we estimate that adding a virtual element to our comprehensive program will reduce training costs by 20 percent or more per participant.”

In a recent pilot of the inaugural Oshkosh Virtual Trainer, the HEMTT Tanker module was shown to reduce training time by two days compared to the traditional classroom approach – an efficiency that equates to a 20 percent or more cost savings per participant. During the training, 12 students were able to train simultaneously and demonstrate skill proficiency in the virtual environment before performing tasks on the actual vehicle. For example, students are able to practice fueling and refueling procedures, and recovering from a fuel spill in the virtual world, without being exposed to the real-life hazards. The interactive skill-building using virtual training is not achieved in the traditional training courses where students learn primarily from static course materials and instructor demonstrations.

In addition to reducing direct training expenses, the Oshkosh Virtual Trainer helps prevent wear and tear on the U.S. government’s demonstration vehicles and reduce costly damage to these vehicles.

The Oshkosh Virtual Trainer HEMTT Tanker module will be incorporated into training courses for U.S. Army personnel in May.

“We are excited to introduce our new virtual training capabilities to soldiers in May, and look forward to expanding the program to include more vehicle modules in the future,” Albrecht said.

In addition to its new virtual-training capability, Oshkosh Defense also provides hands-on, classroom and simulation training for operators and mechanics as part of its full life-cycle services and support on all Oshkosh Heavy and Medium Tactical Wheeled Vehicles. The company received a Best Programs (red) ribbon award from Military Training Technology for the 2011 Top Simulation and Training Companies competition.

The HEMTT Tanker Virtual Task Trainer will be on display and Oshkosh representatives will be available at I/ITSEC at DiSTI booth #2481.

About Oshkosh Defense

Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh Defense provides a global service and supply network including full life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection. For more information, visit www.oshkoshdefense.com.

About Oshkosh Corporation

Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corporation manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline, SMIT, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, visit www.oshkoshcorporation.com.

®, TM All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.


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

©

COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS

DTN News - IRAN NEWS: Enemy Of Iranian State / Iran Threatens To Bomb Turkey If U.S. Or Israel Attacks Its Nuclear Installations

Defense News: DTN News - IRAN NEWS: Enemy Of Iranian State / Iran Threatens To Bomb Turkey If U.S. Or Israel Attacks Its Nuclear Installations
*Telegraph View: The expulsion of Britain’s ambassador to Iran has provided a vivid insight into the mindset of the Islamic regime
DTN Canada Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Telegraph - UK / Daily Mail - UK
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 28, 2011: By urging the expulsion of Britain’s ambassador, Iran’s parliament has provided a vivid insight into the mindset of the Islamic Republic’s leadership. Their first thought as they retreat further into isolation and economic malaise is to credit Britain with prime responsibility for all their problems.

For over a century, British statecraft was indeed the dominant factor in Iranian politics, causing the downfall of leaders who were thought to threaten London’s interests. But the era when a string of Royal Navy bases guaranteed that the Gulf was a British lake ended several generations ago. However, the old men who misrule Iran still claim to detect a British hand behind every significant event.

The latest trigger for their suspicion appears to have been the Treasury’s (overdue) decision to exclude Iran from transactions with the UK financial system. Meanwhile, another round of UN sanctions is approaching as Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons capability become increasingly obvious.

While the regime may well ignore the parliamentary vote, it clearly believes that Britain will be the guiding force behind this diplomatic drive. When millions marched in Tehran to protest against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the rigged elections of 2009, that too was blamed on the British. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the obdurate “Supreme Leader”, claimed on that occasion that Britain was the regime’s “greatest enemy”.

Perhaps we should rejoice in the status that all this accords us. Perception can amount to reality in international affairs, so the fact that Iran vastly overestimates our national power should cause us to be more assertive. And if Tehran’s ossified, brutal leaders regard us as their foremost opponent, that is an honour indeed.

*Iran Threatens To Bomb Turkey If U.S. Or Israel Attacks Its Nuclear Installations

Iran will bomb Turkey if the U.S. or Israel tries to destroy its nuclear installations, a senior military commander warned today.


General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the aerospace division of the powerful Revolutionary Guard, threatened to target Nato's missile defence shield in the neighbouring country.

The system which Turkey only agreed to install in September, is designed to prevent Iranian missile attacks on Israel.

Warning: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seen meeting veterans in Tehran today, said plans to attack Turkey was part of Iran's strategy of respinding ¿to threats with threats¿

map2.jpg


Preparing: Khamenei, flanked by military and Revolutionary Guards commanders, reviews female members of the Basij militia in Tehran today

Provoking: Masked members of Iran's paramilitary Basij militia parade in front the former U.S embassy


The warning is part of is part of a new strategy devised by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that consists of responding ‘to threats with threats’.


General Hajizadeh said: ‘Should we be threatened, we will target NATO's missile defense shield in Turkey and then hit the next targets.’


Tensions have been rising between Iran and the West since the release of a report earlier this month by the International Atomic Energy Agency.


VOTE TO EXPEL UK AMBASSADOR

Iranian lawmakers today voted to expel Britain's ambassador to Tehran in a new outbreak of hostility towards its old imperial foe.

To a chorus of ‘death to England’ shouts, parliamentarians approved a bill requiring reduced diplomatic relations due to London’s support of upgraded U.S. sanctions.

During an open session broadcast live by state radio, 171 out of 196 MPs present voted for in favour of the measure.

Unlike the U.S., which has had no ambassador in Iran since the 1979 hostage crisis, Britain has maintained full diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic.

However, Iranians have long been suspicious of the UK in large part due to Britain’s long-held influence on its rulers and economy prior to the Islamic revolution.

Britain's Foreign Office today said the decision to order the country's ambassador, Dominick John Chilcott, to leave Tehran was regrettable.

‘This unwarranted move will do nothing to help the regime address their growing isolation, or international concerns about their nuclear program and human rights record,’a spokesman said.

‘If the Iranian government acts on this, we will respond robustly in consultation with our international partners.’

It said for the first time that Tehran was suspected of conducting secretexperiments whose sole purpose was the development of nuclear arms.


The U.S. and its Western allies suspect Iran of trying to produce atomic weapons, and Israel, which views Tehran as an existential threat, has warned of a possible strike on Iran's nuclear programme.


Iran says its programme is for peaceful purposes.


A military installation in the Turkish town of Kurecik, some 435 miles west of the Iranian border, has been designated as the radar site, according to Turkish government officials.

General Hajizadeh said the United States also plans to install similar stations in Arab states, which has spurred Iran to alter its military defence strategy.


Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all statematters, is also commander in chief of Iran's armed forces.


Another senior Guard commander, Yadollah Javani, threatened that Tehran will target Israel's nuclear facilities should the Jewish state attack Iran.


‘If Israel fires a missile at our nuclear facilities or vital installations, it should know that Israel's nuclear centres will be the target of our missiles,’ the semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.


Also Saturday, the chief of Iran's elite Quds Force said he doesn't fear assassination and is ready for ‘martyrdom.’


The comments by Quds Force commander Brigadeer General Ghassem Soleimani were published in several Iranian newspapers.


The Quds Force is the special foreign operations unit of the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard, and Soleimani is a key figure in Iran's military establishment but rarely speaks in public.

Fervour: Young militia members flash victory signs in front of an anti-U.S. mural painted on a wall in Tehran

Ready for war: Soldiers on Tehran's streets has become an increasingly common sight in recent weeks

Menacing: Balaclava-wearing members of the Basij militia were out in force during an anti-U.S. protest on Friday

Debate: Iran's parliament today as it approved a bill to reduce Tehran's diplomatic relations with London and withdraw the country's ambassador to Britain


Tensions have increased in recent weeks between Iran and the U.S., with several American neoconservatives urging the Obama administration to use covert action against Iran and kill some of its top officials, including Soleimani.


The force has been accused by the Americans of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington. Two men, including an alleged member of Iran's Quds Force, have been charged in New York federal court in the case.

Iran has dismissed the American claims as a ‘foolish plot’, saying U.S. officials have offered no proof.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066959/Iran-threatens-bomb-Turkey-U-S-Israel-attack-nuclear-installations.html#ixzz1ezOmU7pO

Disclaimer statement
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

©

COPYRIGHT (C) DTN NEWS DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS