U.S. on Verge of Activating Missile Shield Over Southern Europe

By Craig Whitlock

The U.S. military is on the verge of activating a partial missile shield over southern Europe, part of an intensifying global effort to build defenses against Iranian missiles amid a deepening impasse over the country's nuclear ambitions.Pentagon officials said they are nearing a deal to establish a key radar ground station, probably in Turkey or Bulgaria. Installation of the high-powered X-band radar would enable the first phase of the shield to become operational next year.

At the same time, the U.S. military is working with Israel and allies in the Persian Gulf to build and upgrade their missile defense capabilities. The United States installed a radar ground station in Israel in 2008 and is looking to place another in an Arab country in the gulf region. The radars would provide a critical early warning of any launches from Iran, improving the odds of shooting down a missile.Obama administration has plans to nearly double its number of Aegis ships with ballistic missile defenses, to 38 by 2015.

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Iranian Army Air Force Plans to Stage Country-Wide Military Exercises

The Iranian Army Air Force plans to stage massive and countrywide air drills this week, a senior commander announced on Monday."The wargames to be held on Mordad 9-16 (July 31-August 7) through collective cooperation of all Air Force bases are dubbed as 'Fada'eyan-e Harreem-e Vellayat' (Devotees to the Sanctity of Religious Leadership)," Air Force Lieutenant Commander for Operations Mohammad Alavi told FNA, adding that this would be the second air show to be staged under the said title. The commander announced that 43 fighter jets and warplanes, including F-4, F-5, F-7 and Sukhoi SU-24 fighter-bombers, will take part in the exercises. "Air bases in Mehrabad (Tehran), Tabriz, Hamedan, Dezfoul, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Shiraz and Isfahan are among the important Air Force bases that will take part in the drills," Alavi noted.

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Kuwait Express Interest in F-15 Silent Eagle

Kuwait has surprised Boeing by asking for information on the F-15 Silent Eagle, making it the first non-operator of classic F-15s to express an interest in the latest version of the fighter.Paul Oliver, Boeing's vice-president for the Middle East and Africa, confirms that a Middle Eastern country that is looking to "recapitalise" its air force has expressed an interest. However, he declines to say if the country is Kuwait.Boeing itself has been saying over the last year that the Silent Eagle is aimed primarily at the countries that operate classic F-15s, and it has been focused on promoting its F/A-18E/F to those who do not and are looking for new fighters.

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Qatari Air Force Seeks Up to 40 Fighter Jets

Qatar has asked a number of leading manufacturers to respond with proposals for an upgrade of its fighter fleet near the end of this month.This latest battle for supremacy in the Gulf fighter market is likely to involve BAE Systems with the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing offering the F/A-18 E/F, Dassault with its Rafale, Lockheed Martin with the F-16 and Saab offering the Gripen NG. It is not clear whether other manufacturers will submit proposals.In Europe, a BAE spokeswoman confirmed the company would respond to the Qatari request.

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General Atomics Wins Approval to Sell First Predator Drones in Middle East

By Gopal Ratnam

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. said it won U.S. approval for an export version of the Predator drone, clearing the way for the first sales of the unmanned aircraft in the Middle East. “There’s interest from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates,” Frank Pace, president of the aircraft systems group at the closely held company, said today in an interview at the Farnborough Air Show near London.

General Atomics recently received U.S. State Department approval to offer an unarmed Predator model to countries beyond the NATO bloc, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Pace said. That would allow sales in the Middle East and elsewhere to governments previously ineligible to buy the planes, he said. General Atomics see the potential for sales of as many as 100 units in the Middle East and Pakistan of the so-called Predator XP model approved for export, Pace said. “Saudi Arabia is a huge country, and if they want to cover the country well, they alone could get 50 aircraft,” Pace said.

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Flight Demonstrations of MQ-8B Fire Scout VUAS in United Arab Emirates

With the support of the United States Navy, Northrop Grumman Corporation and its industry partners (Sikorsky/Schweizer, Rolls-Royce, Raytheon, FLIR Systems, Cubic, Kearfott, Rockwell-Collins, General Electric, Sierra Nevada, Telephonics, and L-3 Communications) today successfully completed a rigorous set of flight demonstrations of the MQ-8B Fire Scout vertical unmanned aerial system (VUAS) in the United Arab Emirates under extreme environmental conditions.

The test flights were conducted in early July over a ten day period in the United Arab Emirates. They validated Fire Scout's steady system maturation and helped signal its readiness for the U.S. Navy's upcoming Operational Evaluation of the system, planned for late 2010 aboard the USS Halyburton (FFG-40).

"We welcome Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Navy to the UAE for continued testing of the Fire Scout," said Ali Al Yafei of ADASI (Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investment). "As a VUAS, Fire Scout has many unique capabilities to offer and we're looking forward to reviewing the results of this in-country testing."

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U.S. extends Global Hawk 's Stint in Persian Gulf

The U.S. Navy has extended by one year the time its first high-altitude drone will monitor oil shipments and other maritime activity in the Persian Gulf region, according to officials.Northrop Grumman Corp. built the plane, a demonstration version of its Global Hawk that's used by the Air Force, as the first model in a $9 billion Navy program for 68 unmanned planes to provide reconnaissance in five areas of the world.The aircraft has been flying over the Gulf region since February 2009 and was slated to end its patrols this year to undergo additional stateside testing and development. The U.S. 5th Fleet has asked the stint be extended.

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Royal Air Force of Oman Takes Delivery of Its First NH90 Helicopters

NHIndustries is pleased to announce the delivery on time of the first batch of two NH90 multipurpose helicopters ordered by the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO). The Certificate of Transfer of both helicopters occurred on June 23 on the Royal Air Force of Oman base of Musana after a very demanding two month evaluation period in severe operational conditions. This initial delivery which marks the first delivery of an NH90 in the middle east will be followed ahead of schedule, in July, by the acceptance process of the second batch of NH90.

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Rafale Fighters Sale Talks with UAE Moving Forward

Technical talks on the sale of Rafale fighters to the United Arab Emirates are wrapping up, Defence Minister Herve Morin said Tuesday, adding that France was likely to pick up part of modernisation costs.Morin said the costs of the modernisation was in the order of two billion euros, not four to five billion euros as has been speculated, and that France would likely absorb some of the costs as it had planned to carry them out anyway.

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Russia to Complete Delivery of Pantsir-S1 Air Defense Systems to UAE This Year

Dzirkaln has confirmed that Russia will finish delivering Pantsir-S1 short-range air defense systems to the United Arab Emirates by late 2010."This year the delivery will be completed. Two more shipments of these vehicles will be delivered and the contract on the delivery will be fulfilled," he said.Russian signed a $734-million contract with the United Arab Emirates in 2000 on purchasing 50 Pantsir-S1s.It is designed to protect point and area targets and carries up to 12 two-stage solid-fuel surface-to-air missiles in sealed ready-to-launch containers.The system also has two dual 30 mm automatic cannons that can engage targets at a range of up to 4 km.The talks in Abu Dhabi are to focus on the "full modernization of a large number of BMP-3s in an effort to seriously increase their combat capability," the Russian official said.

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Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies to attack Iranian nuclear sites

Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.“The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,” said a US defence source in the area. “They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the [US] State Department.”

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Turkish navy to break Israel's siege of Gaza

“As part of the open conflict between Turkey and Israel following the massacre against the ‘freedom sail’ to Gaza and the protest sparked in the world, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering going to Gaza himself in order to break the blockade imposed on the Strip.” Al-Mustaqbal also reports that Erdogan has informed the US Administration of his plan to send a Turkish naval escort with another flotilla of aid, but that the Americans have requested the Prime Minister delay the plan.

It is not clear whether Erdogan would actually board the flotilla himself, but Al-Mustaqbal (Future) newspaper describes the source of the story as “knowledgeable”.The prospect of the naval confrontation between Turkey and Israel is a dangerous escalation of the crisis, potentially resulting in open conflict between the two states, which could easily draw in Israel’s traditional enemies.The move could be seen as an attempt by Turkey to force the hand of the UN and US to act on the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

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UAE to Get Letter of Agreement for Purchase of THAAD in Next Three Months

The UAE is approaching a milestone in its plans to purchase the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile system for an estimated US$7 billion (Dh25.71bn) from the US, according to officials from the American defence company Lockheed Martin.A sale would mark the first time the THAAD system has been exported by the US and underscore the deep ties forming between America and the Emirates.

The UAE could receive a “letter of agreement” from the US government later this summer after the two administrations made progress on their negotiations over the sensitive technology, said Dennis Cavin, the vice president of air and missile defence strategic initiatives at Lockheed.

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120th K-8E Karakorum Jet Trainer Handed Over to Egyptian Air Force

120th locally manufactured K-8E Karakorum training aircraft was handed over to the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) in a ceremony under the Sino-Egyptian co-production program for the K-8E. Chinese Aviation Technology Import-Export Cooperation (CATIC) and Egyptian Defense Ministry signed a contract in1999 to produce 80 aircraft of K-8E in first stage and another 40 in second stage to meet the modern training requirements of the Egyptian Air Force. Egyptian Air Force opted for the K-8E aircraft to replace their old Czech L-29 jet trainers.

Under this contract, Aircraft Factory of Egypt was to produce the K-8E training aircraft. More than 200 Chinese technicians were sent to Cairo for this project. The co-production of the K-8E in Egypt consists of three stages. In the first stage China supplied all the main parts of the aircraft for the assembly of a complete aircraft. In second stage share Egyptian contents was increased and by the end of the programme Egypt manufactured the major parts and independently assemble the planes.

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Israel to Deploy Dolphin Class Submarines Armed with Nuclear Cruise Missiles in Gulf

Three German-built Israeli submarines equipped with nuclear cruise missiles are to be deployed in the Gulf near the Iranian coastline.The submarines of Flotilla 7 — Dolphin, Tekuma and Leviathan — have visited the Gulf before. But the decision has now been taken to ensure a permanent presence of at least one of the vessels.Each of the submarines has a crew of 35 to 50, commanded by a colonel capable of launching a nuclear cruise missile.

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Australian troops sent home from Middle East for getting pregnant

FOUR female troops have been sent home from the Middle East after getting pregnant. All female soldiers are pregnancy tested before they leave Australia and fraternisation is banned on operations, but that didn't stop the four from finding a way to conceive.The Australian Defence Force said all troops on overseas duty were counselled about safe sex and contraception before they left Australia and they would be doubly reminded of those principles in future.Australian troops are much better behaved than their British counterparts - last year more than 100 British female soldiers were sent home for being unable to say no to a man in uniform.Defence did not say if any of the pregnancies had actually occurred on operations....................................Read more

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Lockheed Martin Awarded Contract For Kuwait Air Force KC-130J Tankers

Lockheed Martin has received a $245 million contract from the U.S. Government for the Foreign Military Sale of three KC 130J tanker aircraft to Kuwait. The program will be managed by the U.S. Navy.

The Kuwait Air Force’s new KC-130Js will provide aerial refueling for its F 18 fleet and augment its current airlift fleet of three Lockheed Martin L-100s. Kuwait’s KC-130Js also will perform air mobility, disaster relief and humanitarian missions throughout the world.

“We are proud to add yet another country to the growing worldwide C-130J community,” said Jim Grant, Lockheed Martin vice president for C-130 business development. “The combination of tanking and airlift missions yet again shows the tremendous versatility of this proven aircraft. KC-130Js have been used in high-tempo operations for the last five years and will provide Kuwait with an effective, efficient and reliable multi-mission capability.”

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Euro Tech to Revamp Lebanese Gazelle and Puma Gelicopters

Lebanon has signed an agreement with the French company Euro Tech --specialized in revamping and equipping planes -- to revamp 13 Gazelle-type helicopters owned by Lebanon and equip the Puma helicopters granted by the UAE to Lebanon, according to the Central News Agency.The agreement implies revamping the helicopters and training Lebanese pilots on flying the French-manufactured Puma helicopters.

The Puma helicopters are expected to start arriving within the first half of 2010 in two batches, the first includes four helicopters and the second includes six.Earlier media reports said that France was worried that providing the Lebanese army with weapons, including missiles for the Gazelle helicopters, could end up in Hizbullah hands.France's stance was conveyed during a visit by Prime Minister Saad Hariri to Paris.

It came in response to Hariri's request to provide Lebanon with Gazelle missiles since the Lebanese Air Force used up all the rockets against Fatah al-Islam militants during the battle of Nahr el-Bared in 2007.Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat on Friday cited well-informed sources as saying that French officials and while expressing willingness in principle to provide Lebanon with weapons, French military commanders, however, voiced fear that such missiles could end up in Hizbullah hands and used in war against Israel.

As-Safir newspaper, for its part, said French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has said that talks tackled "specific issues on the process of modernization of the Lebanese army," without being committed to steps toward arming the Lebanese army, particularly to provide helicopters with missiles.The French position matched the U.S.' stance which was not enthusiastic about the issue of providing the Lebanese Air Force with weapons that could be used against Israel. The ten Puma helicopters that were part of UAE grant to Lebanon were also to be used for light transport and liaison roles and not for combat.

Al-Markaziya news agency

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BAE to Display UAVs and Eurofighter at Bahrain International Air Show 2010

by Marcel van Leeuwen

Visitors to the inaugural Bahrain International Air Show, to be held from 21-23 January 2010, will be able to see at first hand BAE Systems’ innovative technology in the form of MANTIS and HERTI, its unmanned air systems, and a full size replica of the Eurofighter Typhoon, the world’s most advanced multi-role/swing role combat aircraft. Through the Royal Bahraini Air Force and the Bahrain Defence Force, BAE Systems’ Hawk and Avro RJ100 in VIP configuration will also be represented.

“As one of the first companies to sign up, BAE Systems is delighted to be participating in the inaugural Bahrain International Airshow, particularly as the VIP nature will make it different to other air shows,“ commented Simon Keith, Managing Director – Middle East, Africa & Asia Pacific for BAE Systems.

“Bahrain is an important market for us and we have a strong relationship with both Royal Bahraini Air Force with the Hawk Trainer and the Bahrain Defence Force and their Avro RJ aircraft. We are looking forward to forging stronger bonds with Bahrain and to fully supporting them in protecting the nation and its people,” he continued.

As the premier global defence, security and aerospace company, BAE Systems is well known for its leading fighter aircraft and is now leading the way in the UK’s unmanned autonomous air capability.MANTIS and HERTI are next-generation autonomous air systems, with emphasis placed on the levels of autonomy designed into the system and the concept of operations developed for effective deployment and operation.

MANTIS, the UK’S largest fully autonomous unmanned aircraft, completed its maiden flight in Woomera, South Australia in Autumn 2009 and, during subsequent flights it successfully completed a series of trials demonstrating the capability of the system and the potential of large unmanned systems to support future UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) operational needs. The MANTIS programme is jointly funded by UK MOD and UK Industry.

With its ability to take off, complete a full mission and land – all at the click of a computer mouse – HERTI has been designed to meet a wide variety of operational needs, both cost effectively and with extremely high levels of reliability while removing the need for an operator or pilot to control the aircraft from the ground. When coupled with BAE Systems’ Imagery Collection & Exploitation (ICE) system, the aircraft offers real potential in the fields of maritime, coastline, border and military surveillance as well as showing broader potential for areas such as pipeline, plant and infrastructure surveillance, and insurgent detection.

Eurofighter Typhoon, Europe’s newest high-performance multi-role fighter, is capable of deployment in a wide range of roles, including air policing, air defence as well as ground attack. The Typhoon is a multi-role/swing-role combat aircraft that is in service with the four partner nations of Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK as well as export customers, Austria and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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United Arab Emirates has Signed a Contract for Six C-17 Globemaster III

Boeing and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force and Air Defence today announced that the UAE has signed a contract for the acquisition of six Boeing C-17 Globemaster III advanced airlifters. The UAE, which announced in 2009 that it would modernize its airlift capabilities with the C-17, is the second Middle East nation to order the airlifter.

"The C-17 will give the UAE the ability to perform a variety of humanitarian and strategic lift operations around the world in support of both national and international missions," said Major General Staff Pilot Faris Mohamed Al Mazrouei. "These missions require us to be ready for any contingency at any time and any place, and the C-17 meets our requirements."

Under the agreement, the UAE will take delivery of four C-17s in 2011 and two in 2012. Financial terms are not being disclosed."Boeing is pleased that the UAE Air Force has selected the C-17 to meet its airlift requirements for the 21st century," said Jean Chamberlin, Boeing vice president, Global Mobility Systems. "The C-17 consistently posts mission capability rates that are among the best in the world, earning it high marks for its industry-leading quality and reliability."

Boeing will provide support for the UAE C-17s through the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership, an agreement under which Boeing is responsible for all C-17 sustainment activities, including material management and depot maintenance support."As a tactical and strategic airlifter, the C-17 is a perfect fit for the requirements of the United Arab Emirates Air Force," said Tommy Dunehew, Boeing Global Mobility Systems vice president of Business Development. "In addition to being able to land and take off on short, unimproved runways, it has the highest mission capability rate of any airlifter."

The C-17 can carry large combat equipment and troops or humanitarian aid across international distances directly to small austere airfields anywhere in the world. With a full payload of 170,000 pounds, the C-17 can fly 2,400 nautical miles and land in 3,000 feet or less.There are currently 212 C-17s in service worldwide -- 19 with international customers. The U.S. Air Force, including active Guard and Reserve units, has 193. International customers include Qatar, the UK Royal Air Force, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations

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