DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated March 5, 2012

Defense News: DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated March 5, 2012

 Source: U.S. DoD issued No. 155-12 March 5, 2012

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 5, 2012: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued  March 5, 2012 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

            AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron, Inc. company, was awarded a three-year contract to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance service in support of U.S. Special Operations Command with the Mid-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System II.  The value of the contract was approved up to $600,000,000.  AAI will provide the service with contractor-owned and contractor-operated equipment.  Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Md., and overseas.  U.S. Special Operations Command Headquarters Procurement Division, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity.

NAVY

            General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, Williston, Vt., is being awarded a $7,789,950 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00421-10-C-0024) to exercise an option for 21 M61A2 20mm Lightweight Gatling Gun Systems in support of fiscal 2012 F/A-18 E/F aircraft.  Work will be performed in Williston, Vt., and is expected to be completed in February 2014.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. DoD issued No. 155-12 March 5, 2012
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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Air Force And Army Conducting Joint Military Exercise In NEFA

Defense News: DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS:  Air Force And Army Conducting Joint Military Exercise In NEFA
*Ground-and-air war games, China in mind
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The Telegraph - Calcutta
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 5, 2012: The air force and the army are conducting an exercise across the eastern and northeastern states to test defences and special operations in the event of hostilities with China. This is the largest exercise of its kind.

“This time we are focused on the Brahmaputra Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Mizoram to exercise our entire capabilities in all roles in conjunction with the army to disrupt enemy intrusion and take the battle to the adversary,” Air Marshal M. Matheswaran, senior air staff officer of the Shillong-headquartered Eastern Air Command, told The Telegraph.

Codenamed “Pralay”, the exercise was designed by the Calcutta-headquartered Eastern Army Commander, Lt General Bikram Singh, and the Eastern Air Commander, Air Marshal S. Varthaman.

The exercise area is spread over the eight northeastern states and Bengal but action is mostly concentrated along the Brahmaputra Valley and Arunachal.

The air force has also deployed its assets from other commands to the east and northeast for the exercise, which is expected to conclude on March 3. “Pralay” began on February 29 but the mobilisation for it started on February 20.

More than 70 aircraft — including the airborne warning and control system (AWACS) planes, Sukhoi 30MKi, MiG-29, MiG-27 and Mirage 2000 combat planes — have been deployed.

This is the first time that the Israeli Phalcon AWACS are being tested in a simulated combat environment on such a scale. AWACS are designed to detect, acquire and designate targets for other fighter aircraft. Mid-air refuellers have also been deployed to practise long-range strike missions.

“Drills that will help us validate joint operational directives in the valleys and the hills are being emphasised,” Matheswaran said.

The air force spokesperson, Wing Commander Gerard Galway, said the eastern command holds an annual exercise. But the deployment of assets from the western and central air commands to the east shows that the scale this time is much larger.

The war-gamed scenario is of a short but intense conflict. Matheswaran said the AFNET — the air force’s own optic-fibre cable grid — was being used for voice, data and visual communication.

“This exercise is bringing out the net-centric capabilities that we are developing,” he said. The exercise would culminate by concentrating on a few unspecified areas in Assam and Arunachal.

The army’s 33, 3 and 4 Corps, headquartered in Sukna (north Bengal), Tezpur (Assam) and Rangapahar (Nagaland), are in the loop for the exercise. The 33 and 4 Corps have dual responsibilities for counter-insurgency and the China front.

In an unrelated exercise, platoons of the Indonesian and Indian armies are practising at the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairante, Mizoram.

“Exercise Garuda Shakti” is the first joint platoon-level training programme for the two armies. In an outdoor drill named “Chakravyuh”, the platoons practised busting an insurgent hideout in Mizoram’s Lushai Hills early on Thursday after a nightlong march.

“They are very sincere, devoted, well-prepared and eager to learn,” the school’s commandant, Major General A.K. Sen, said of the Indonesian troops as they “slithered” from the Indian Air Force’s Mi-17 helicopters, flown from the Kumbhirgram airbase in Silchar, Assam.

The training and attack drills were coordinated in two mixed platoons (of around 30 soldiers each) of Kostrad (the Indonesian army’s strategic reserve command) and Indian infantry troops. The exercise ends tomorrow.

China talks

India and China today agreed to soon start a maritime cooperation dialogue to prevent incidents between their growing naval forces. The suggestion had come from the Chinese.

S.M. Krishna and Yang Jiechi met today for the first foreign minister-level annual dialogue, their discussions focusing on confidence-building measures and strengthening the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) forum.

In another first, the Chinese embassy here issued a detailed statement on Yang’s meetings with Krishna, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Chinese mission generally avoids engaging with much of the Indian media, which Beijing believes to be biased against China.

However, it would seem Beijing has eventually recognised the importance of the media in shaping public perceptions of India-China ties. Foreign ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin today said China had agreed to allow Zee TV to broadcast in China.


 
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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The Telegraph - Calcutta
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DTN News - AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE NEWS: Quickstep Wins Military Aircraft Contract

Defense News: DTN News - AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE NEWS: Quickstep Wins Military Aircraft Contract
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources 9News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 5, 2012: Australia's Quickstep Holdings says it has been awarded the tender to build part of the C-130J Hercules military transport aircraft.

The Perth-based company said on Monday it would be the sole supplier of the wing flaps on Lockheed Martin's C-130J.

Quickstep managing director Philippe Odouard said in a statement the wing flaps would be built at Bankstown Airport in Sydney's west and could create 60 jobs.

The Bankstown site was previously used by current supplier Boeing Aerostructures Australia, before it consolidated its manufacturing facilities at Fishermans Bend in Melbourne.

Quickstep said first aircraft parts were due to be delivered in 2014 and that it had secured a right of first refusal on most of Boeing's existing C-130J manufacturing facilities at Bankstown Airport in Sydney.

The company closed up 2.5 cents, or 15.15 per cent, at 19 cents.

Royal Australian Air Force C-130J  Hercules Medium Transport Aircraft - Performance

The Royal Australian Air Force operates two models of the ubiquitous Hercules medium transport, the C-130H and the C-130J. They are operated by No 37 Squadron, based at RAAF Base Richmond, near Sydney.

The Hercules is a key part of the Air Force fleet, providing medium to long range transport with an excellent short dirt runway capability, allowing it to perform:

*Tactical or strategic transport duties

-Troop transport
-Special forces insertion
-Parachuting (both static-line and free-fall)
-Airdrop of stores and equipment, including four-wheel drives, inflatable boats and artillery pieces
-Search and survivor assistance, including airdrop of Air-Sea Rescue Kits (life rafts, radios, water, emergency rations)
-Disaster relief, delivering necessities domestically (eg, Katherine floods, 1998) and internationally (eg, Pakistan earthquakes, 2005)
-Medical evacuations, whether as a result of military action (eg, Timor, 1999), terrorist bombings (eg, Bali, 2002 and 2005) or natural disasters (eg, Boxing Day 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami).


 
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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources 9News
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DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Northern Fleet Gets Modernized Anti-Submarine Plane

Defense News: DTN News - RUSSIA DEFENSE NEWS: Northern Fleet Gets Modernized Anti-Submarine Plane
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ria Novosti 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 5, 2012: The Russian Navy's Northern Fleet has accepted into service a modernized Ilyushin Il-38N anti-submarine warfare aircraft, which will also carry out electronic intelligence (ELINT) duties, the Northern Fleet's press spokesman Captain Vadim Serga said on Monday.

"A modernized Il-38N was accepted into service at a Northern Fleet air base" he said. "It has a wider range of combat capabilities. These aircraft can be used for mapping the magnetic and gravitational fields of the Northern Ice sea, and also for conducting scientific oceanographic research and underwater and air reconnaissance," he added.

He did not specify if the aircraft was the first of its type to be delivered to the Northern Fleet.

The majority of the fleet's Il-38s will be modernized to the new standard, according to a source who spoke to RIA Novosti. The Il-38N is fitted with the Novella sensor system, capable of detecting targets within a 320 km radius of the aircraft as well as radar observation of underwater, surface and airborne targets.

The Novella system includes a digital computer manned by two operators. The system also has a new high resolution thermal imaging system, a magnetic anomaly detection system, an optical detection system (including laser, TV and thermal channels), gravitational anomaly detector and other equipment.

 
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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ria Novosti
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Fifth Generation Fighters Crucial To Air Superiority

Defense News: DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Fifth Generation Fighters Crucial To Air Superiority
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S. Air Force
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 5, 2012: The Air Force is the world's most advanced air and space force and, with the integration of fifth generation aircraft, is gaining new tactical advantages that transcend beyond just stealth into areas such as enhanced maneuverability, multi-role capabilities and fused sensor and avionics systems that can communicate with other weapons systems.

That's why it is imperative that U.S. forces continue to develop and begin to use fifth-generation fighters as they transition to the new Pacific-based strategy, according to Lt. Gen. Herbert J. "Hawk" Carlisle, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

During the Air Force Association monthly breakfast here Feb. 28, he said fifth-generation fighters, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor, are critical to maintaining air superiority and global precision attack core competencies.

"The threat environment is continuing to grow, so as we look at how we're going to maintain those competencies in the future, that's where fifth generation fighters come in," he said. "It's not just about stealth."

"The F-22 is better than any other aircraft in the world at air-to-ground except for the F-35, and the F-35 is better than any other aircraft in the world at air-to-air except for the F-22," said Carlisle.

The general said the Air Force can continue to maintain the most elite fourth generation aircraft in the world, but that won't prepare the U.S. to handle threats in the future.
"Our Air Force has got to keep evolving to meet these new challenges as we move forward into the future," said Carlisle.

To illustrate this evolution and fifth generation fighter jet technology, the general shared a scenario in which an F-22 data-links coordinates to a Navy submarine-launched tomahawk missile onto a target.

"Now you have two stealth platforms, a submarine and an F-22, communicating with naval ordnance," he said.

That level of interoperability is a large part of what makes the fifth generation aircraft so vital to the Air Force and U.S. military in general, he added. Aircraft must not only be stealth, but also be highly maneuverable, be able to conduct multiple roles, and these aircraft must also be able to handle sensor and avionics information in a network integrated way not only for the pilot, but for the entire joint force.

"We have to have a fused system capability and have them networked and integrated across the force," he said. "To me, that's as important on a fifth-generation fighter as anything."

 
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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Helicopter Makers Such As Boeing, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, Bell Helicopter Eye Indian Military Deals

Defense News: DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Helicopter Makers Such As Boeing, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, Bell Helicopter Eye Indian Military Deals
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Economic Times
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 5, 2012:  A raft of helicopter makers such as Boeing, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, Bell Helicopter, Eurocopter andAgustaWestland are hovering over the civil market in India. But they are also eyeing a bigger prize: military deals. The Indian armed forces are upgrading their ageing fleet and that means big orders and big money, running into billions of dollars, for these companies. 

According to Reuters, Indian Navy plans to induct 50 light helicopters. First off the block is an order for 16 multi role helicopters. Indian Army has a joint requirement for about 400 light helicopters along with the Air Force. Some companies are upbeat about the recent contact to buy war planes worth $15 billion that the government awarded to France's Dassault Rafale. 

Mick Maurer, president of Sikorsky Military Systems, says the procurement process in India is getting better. "It is more rigorous and more transparent. We believe that suits us very well." Maurer says in the long term, Sikorsky sees a 3:1 ratio vis-a-vis the military and commercial sales in terms of the size of the market. But he says both are very complementary markets. Many of the machines can be used for commercial and quasi-defence activities. 

If the civil copter market in India has come alive, it is thanks to the armed forces. Foreign companies in the defence market are bound by what is called offset obligations. India's defence procurement policy rules that foreign companies require that win contracts of 300 crore or more must procure equipment worth at least 30% of the deal amount from local suppliers to boost the homegrown arms industry. 

The Indian military has also become smarter, according to foreign company executives. "Sometimes manufacturers give a special price on aircraft, but raise the price on the support side. India has become aware of this and now looks at the total lifecycle costs in deals," says Maurer. 

The upshot is that companies like Sikorsky and Eurocopter have partnered Indian counterparts to set up base in India. Sikorsky has formed two joint ventures with the Tatas to make helicopter cabins and aircraft components. Eurocopter, which formed an Indian unit in 2010, has tieups with the Mahindras, the Tatas and governmentowned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. AgustaWestland, the helicopter unit of Finmeccanica SpA of Italy, has a joint venture with the Tatas called Indian Rotorcraft. 

All these companies plan to expand in India. Textron, the parent company of Bell Helicopter, has opened a new global technology centre in Bangalore with more than 400 engineers. Bell plans to expand the workforce there over the next year, says the company's India head, BS Singh Deo. An AgustaWestland spokesman says the company recently opened a new larger office in Delhi. Copter makers are also expanding the customer support network by establishing authorised service centres along with a posse of engineers and technicians. 

All this bodes well for the commercial market. The AgustaWestland spokesman says construction work is about to start on the Indian Rotorcraft's facility in Hyderabad , which will produce the company's eight-seat utility helicopter AW119. Sikorsky eventually plans to produce helicopters that are virtually "100% done here" . "We are already a local company," says Maurer. 

 
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