PDX Independent Defense Website
Archive for May 2008
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 28 May 16:26 EDT (12:26 GMT)
TEHRAN - Iran and its close ally Syria have signed a new defense cooperation pact, Iranian media reported May 28, just a week after news broke that Israel had begun indirect peace talks with Damascus.
“The two countries pledge their mutual support regarding territorial independence and integrity in terms of international and regional authorities,” the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
By vivek raghuvanshi
Published: 30 May 12:27 EDT (08:27 GMT)
NEW DELHI - The Indian Defence Ministry has issued a request for proposal (RfP) to buy 22 attack helicopters for about $25 million per platform, including weapons, to boost the Air Force’s surveillance and combat capabilities.
Issued May 23, the RfP was sent to AgustaWestland, Boeing, Eurocopter, Khazan and Bell Helicopter.
An Air Force official said the helicopter should weigh 2,500 kilograms or more when empty and have two engines. It must be highly agile, have advanced anti-armor capability, and include provision for a turret gun of 20mm or higher caliber and be able to fire 70mm rockets at a range of 1.2 kilometers.
Bonhomme Richard will be the target for retiring research sub
By Jennifer Grogan , Published on 5/30/2008
Groton
THE U.S. NAVY PLANS TO USE ITS only research submarine to help a local foundation find the wreck of John Paul Jones’ Revolutionary War ship the Bonhomme Richard.
It was Sept. 23, 1779, and cannonballs from the HMS Serapis had shredded the hull of the Bonhomme Richard.
Jones was in command of a burning, sinking ship. Half of his crew members were dead or wounded.
His adversary shouted to him, asking if he would surrender.
Continue reading ‘Navy Lends A Hand In The Search For A Legendary Ship’ »
by Staff Writers
Vidsel, Sweden (SPX) May 28, 2008
On Saturday March 15 2008 the RBS15 Mk3 was launched at the FMV test range Vidsel in northern Sweden, witnessed by government delegations from several nations such as Sweden, Germany and Poland.
The missile was launched from a truck, previously belonging to the Swedish Armed Forces Coastal Missile Battery, and primed to perform a land attack mission at long range. The missile cruised over various terrain profiles via a large number of waypoints.
It passed several sea targets within lethal range before it performed a high-G pop-up manoeuvre and hit the land target at a high dive angle.
Last Updated: 10:35PM BST 27/05/2008
A British nuclear-powered submarine was damaged when it collided with rocks in the Red Sea, the Ministry of Defence has said.
HMS Superb hit an underwater rock on Monday and damaged its sonar equipment, forcing it to surface.
None of the crew was hurt and the submarine is watertight, an MoD spokesman said.
Continue reading ‘HMS Superb nuclear submarine damaged in Red Sea crash’ »
The Integrated Regional Information Networks | May 20, 2008
JOHANNESBURG: The southern African contribution to the African Standby Force (ASF) to fulfil the African Union’s (AU) peacekeeping ambitions will depend heavily on South Africa, but with its army already overstretched, underfunded and struggling to meet existing commitments, regional military experts believe this will be a burden the country cannot carry.
Five regional brigades - southern, eastern, central, western and northern – were scheduled for activation in 2010 to respond to threats to peace on the continent. In southern Africa the ASF would be deployed through the Southern African Development Community (SADC) under AU or UN mandates, and would be on standby in the regional body’s host country, Botswana.
Continue reading ‘SOUTHERN AFRICA: Who will pay for peacekeeping?’ »
Northrop Grumman | May 20, 2008
Newport News VA: Northrop Grumman’s Shipbuilding sector reached an important construction milestone May 18 when it completed the final hull welds of the Virginia-class submarine New Mexico (SSN 779). This accomplishment, known as “pressure hull complete,” signifies the hull sections being joined to form a single unit.
It is the last major milestone before the ship’s christening later this year at the company’s Newport News, Va. facilities.
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, a newly-formed sector of Northrop Grumman, combined the former Northrop Grumman Ship Systems and Newport News shipbuilding sectors.
Continue reading ‘Pressure Hull Complete On THe New Mexico Submarine’ »
agence france-presse
Published: 23 May 11:06 EDT (07:06 GMT)
LONDON - A British coroner called May 23 for the country’s entire fleet of Nimrod spy planes to be grounded, at the end of an inquest into a 2006 crash in Afghanistan that killed 14 servicemen.
Andrew Walker said the victims in the tragedy, in which the Nimrod plane exploded in mid-air shortly after refueling, could not have known that it was not airworthy.
Continue reading ‘British Coroner Calls for Nimrods to be Grounded’ »
Raytheon’s Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile successfully completed its first acquisition and tracking mission March 3, marking the first phase of system field testing at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. “The success of this mission is a significant achievement for the SLAMRAAM program as we move into the testing phase,” said Pete Franklin, vice president for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems’ National and Theater Security Programs.
Continue reading ‘Raytheon’s SLAMRAAM A Success In First System Field’ »
New York Sun Editorial
May 21, 2008
“We need to be much more clear with Russia when we disagree with them,” was the way Senator McCain’s national security adviser, Randy Scheunemann, put it to our Eli Lake back in March for an article we ran out on our front page under the headline, “McCain Backs Tougher Line Against Russia.” Well, here’s a perfect opportunity at which a little American clarity toward Moscow could go a long way.
A group of Syrian military officials arrived in the Russ capital on Monday for a five day visit. According to a report by the Russian state news agency, Novosti, the Syrian delegation is led by Syrian Air Force and Air Defense Commander General Akhmad Al Ratyb. General Ratyb is a regular visitor to Russia; he was also there in December of 2006.
