ArmoredD.com

Eyes in sky meant for Indian Air Force delayed for the second time

Telegraph India

SUJAN DUTTA

New Delhi, May 16: After the Russians and the Americans, with whom the Indian armed forces have issues over delays or conditions attached to their military equipment, it is now the turn of Israel to slip behind schedule for the delivery of high-tech hardware for the Indian Air Force.

A source in the Indian Air Force has confirmed that the delivery of the first Phalcon will be delayed. It was expected in September but is now more likely to reach India only at the end of the first quarter of 2009, disrupting the Indian Air Force’s force-building plans.

Israel, which is India’s second largest supplier of military equipment, has told the Indian Air Force that it will not be able to deliver the Phalcon Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems — command centres in the sky — by September this year when the first of the three aircraft was due. It has told India that its delivery of two Aerostat radars — surveillance equipment on a balloon tethered to a radar station on the ground — will also be delayed.

Continue reading ‘India: Israel lags on Phalcon delivery’ »

by Staff Writers
London (AFP) May 20, 2008

Space War

Britain has given a green light for the construction of two new “super-aircraft carriers” for the country’s Royal Navy, the defence ministry said Tuesday.

The carriers, to be named Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, will be the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever constructed in Britain, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement.

Each ship will cost 3.9 billion pounds (4.9 billion euros, 7.7 billion dollars).

Continue reading ‘Britain Gives Go-Ahead For Two “Super Aircraft Carriers”’ »

By Malin Rising - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday May 21, 2008 6:09:44 EDT

Navy Times

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Sound recordings long believed to have indicated the presence of a Soviet submarine in Swedish waters most likely came from a taxi boat, a military research agency said Monday.

The recordings were made by the Swedish military during a submarine hunt in the Stockholm archipelago in 1982, a year after a Soviet sub ran aground near a naval complex in southeastern Sweden.

The military believed the noise came from the propeller of a submarine, and the recordings strengthened suspicions that Soviet subs were intruding in Swedish waters. Sweden later lodged a diplomatic protest with Moscow.

Continue reading ‘Sweden: Soviet sub was actually a taxi boat’ »

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) May 19, 2008

Space War

The Pentagon notified Congress on Monday of the possible sale of 48 F-16 fighters to Romania as part of a deal valued at 4.5 billion dollars.

Two dozen of the fighters would be new F-16C/D Block 50/52 aircraft built by Lockheed Martin, and the other two dozen will be refurbished surplus F-16C/D Block 25 aircraft, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.

“The proposed sale will allow the Romanian Air Force to modernize its aging air force by acquiring both new and used fighter aircraft, thereby enabling Romania to support both its own air defense needs and coalition operations,” the agency said in a statement.

The sale would include engines, radars, communications systems, targeting pods, navigation systems, electronic warfare systems and electronic countermeasures systems.

Romania wants to replace its fleet of MiG-21 aircraft by 2010.

In addition to F-16s, it is looking at Swedish-made Gripen, the Eurofighter, and the French-built Rafale.

The deadline for bids had been extended until May 9.

19May2008

By Robert Hewson

Jane’s

Russian aerospace engineers have confirmed to Jane’s that China’s Chengdu J-10 fighter aircraft benefited from significant, direct input from Israel’s Lavi programme - including access to the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Lavi aircraft itself.

Continue reading ‘Chinese J-10 ‘benefited from the Lavi project’’ »

15May2008

By Jon Rosamond

Jane’s

Russia is to participate for the first time in a live NATO-led submarine escape-and-rescue exercise, according to Allied Maritime Component Command (MCC).

Exercise ‘Bold Monarch’ 2008 is due to be staged near Kristiansand, in the Northern Skagerrak region of Norway, from 26 May to 6 June.

Continue reading ‘Russia joins ‘Bold Monarch’ submarine rescue exercise’ »

By NABI ABDULLAEV
Published: 16 May 10:41 EDT (06:41 GMT)

Defense News

MOSCOW - Algeria has asked Russia to deliver 14 to 16 Su-30MKI fighters instead of the MiG-29s that the North African country had ordered but refused to accept, saying they were assembled from old parts.

If Russia agrees, it can salvage its biggest post-Soviet arms export deal.

Russian aviation industry official confirmed May 16 that the swap is being discussed by the Rosoboronexport government arms export agency and Algeria. The Russian official said that the agreement with Algeria is likely to be reached in the fall.

Continue reading ‘Fighter Swap May Restore Algeria-Russia Deal’ »

May 14, 2008 09:29 AM

Boston.com

Waltham defense contractor Raytheon Co. said today that it has successfully demonstrated the Fish Hawk, an anti-submarine weapon system, in the Gulf of Mexico.

Continue reading ‘Raytheon says Fish Hawk passes anti-sub test’ »

RIA Novosti | May 13, 2008

Defence Talk

MOSCOW: Venezuela is planning to conclude several contracts with Russia next month on the purchase of military equipment worth at least $2 billion, a leading Russian business daily said on Monday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is expected to pay an official visit to Moscow at the end of May to conclude the necessary agreements with Russia’s new President Dmitry Medvedev, who earlier pledged to maintain close military cooperation with Caracas, the Kommersant newspaper reported.

Oil-rich Venezuela is a major purchaser of Russian weapons and hardware. In 2005-2006, Venezuela ordered weaponry from Russia worth $3.4 billion, including 24 Su-30MK2V Flanker fighters, Tor-M1 air defense missile systems, Mi-17B multi-role helicopters, Mi-35 Hind E attack helicopters and Mi-26 Halo heavy transport helicopters.

Continue reading ‘Venezuela to buy Russian weaponry worth $2 bln - paper’ »

by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) May 15, 2008

Space War

The U.S. Air Force found Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE:NOC) bid to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers superior to Boeing’s in four of the five most important selection criteria.

Despite this fact, the losing bidder wants the Government Accountability Office to overturn the Air Force decision to award the contract to Northrop Grumman even though the Air Force conducted what even Boeing described as a fair, open and transparent bidding process.

Here is another reason Northrop Grumman won, drawn from a list of facts included in a redacted version of a protected Air Force selection document.

Continue reading ‘Northrop Grumman KC-45: Why We Won - Survivability’ »