ADS
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Uncertainty over AVIC's Z-15
IAI Unveils Plans to Convert used Boeing 767-200s into Tanker-Transports
By Stephen Trimble
Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) aircraft conversion specialist Bedek has unveiled plans to launch a new tanker-transport for the global market based on used Boeing 767-200s.Bedek had launched the 767 multi-mission tanker transport (MMTT) programme even before the Israeli government announced plans in November to acquire such an aircraft, an IAI executive says at the Singapore Airshow............Flight Global
Eurcocopter interested in Korea's KAH
By Leithen Francis
Eurocopter is interested to be involved in South Korea’s newly announced Korea Attack Helicopter (KAH) programme.“We already have a partnership with Korea on the utility helicopter and beyond that we are interested to be involved in the KAH,” Eurocopter chief executive Lutz Bertling says at the Singapore Airshow.......................FlightGlobal
Boeing postpones canted tails for F-15 Silent Eagle
By Stephen Trimble
Boeing has eliminated the distinctive canted tails from the early prototype and production configuration of the proposed stealthy Silent Eagle version of the F-15.The F-15SE flight-test prototype will incorporate radar absorbent materials and the conformal fuel tanks modified into weapons bays, says Mark Bass, Boeing F-15 programme vice-president.............FlightGlobal
Small US aerospace firm hopes for role in China's C919
By Leithen Francis
Pinnacle Energy, a US company involved in coal and alternative energy, has decided to move into the aerospace sector by buying assets from Harbin Aerospace's aircraft component part design, engineering and manufacturing business................FlightGlobal
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Iran Unveiled Three New Satellites and a Satellite Carrier
China Hacking Issue: Indian Cabinet Secretary to Meet IT Experts
Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar has called a meeting of information technology (IT) and security experts next month to formulate a response to cyber attacks on key government ministries which have been found to be linked to computers servers in China. Government sources said the February 9 meeting has been convened after a sweep of computers in the Prime Minister's Office by National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) last month and checks of the Home Ministry network by the IT experts last November found malware programmed to unauthorisedly access files and transmit them outside India.............IndianExpress
India to Test-Fly EMB 145 AEW&C in 2012
Boeing to integrate aft radar for India's P-8I
By Leithen Francis
Boeing, in an effort to sell to India, plans to put a radar on the aft section of its P-8 multi-mission maritime aircraft and rope in Raytheon to give the platform a new air-to-air capability............Flight International
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Four T-6A Military Trainer Aircraft Delivered to Iraqi Air Force
“With the T-6A, the Iraqi Air Force now has the most successful primary trainer in the world at its fingertips,” said Jim Maslowski, president, U.S. and International Government Business. “These aircraft will play a vital role in strengthening the Iraqi Air Force and providing training in support of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.” .......................Defense-Aerospace
Pakistan Eyes Acquisition of Chinese L-15 Supersonic Jet Trainer
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Pakistan may acquire the Chinese L-15 supersonic jet trainer aircraft to equip a unit to transition pilots to advanced fighters, eventually reducing the types of trainers in its fleet from four to two.The need for the aircraft has arisen despite the operation of the Air Force's current basic/advanced jet trainer, the Sino-Pakistani K-8 Karakorum, which is a highly capable aircraft that has won numerous export orders. Experts dispute whether the L-15, manufactured by Hongdu, is a good fit for Pakistan's needs.........DefenseNews
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Indian Air Force orders another 750 Akash surface-to-air missiles
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has ordered an additional 750 Akash medium-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) from state-run defence behemoth Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) at a cost of Rs 42.79 billion ($925 million), it was announced on Tuesday. "A decision to place this fresh order with BEL was taken after the IAF expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Akash missiles that are deployed in two squadrons," defence minister AK Antony said on Tuesday. The IAF will deploy 125 missiles each in six squadrons as and when BEL delivers them. "The first order for 250 missiles was placed last year on a pilot basis. The IAF has decided to deploy the weapon in more squadrons for optimal use," Antony said after inaugurating the digital flight control (DFC) computer facility at BEL here. ..............TOI
Monday, February 1, 2010
USA Proposes $1.2 billion to Train and Equip Pakistani Security Forces
US President Barack Obama on Monday proposed $1.2 billion in funding next year to help train and equip Pakistani security forces to fight Taliban militants.Created by the US Congress last year, the Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capability Fund set aside some $700 million in 2009 to train and equip the Pakistan Army and other security forces.The war spending proposed by Obama is only slightly less than in each of the last two years of the administration of President George Bush and carries considerable political perilfor the Democratic president, who took office in 2009.
Obama announced in December he was adding 30,000 more US troops to the Afghan war effort to join the 68,000 already fighting the Taliban. To pay for this surge, Obama on Monday asked for an additional $33 billion in the fiscal 2010, on top of about $130 billion that the Congress has already approved for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars through Sept 30, 2010.
USAF, USN and JASDF to Conduct Exercise Cope North 10-1
U.S. aircraft participating in the exercise include: the F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 18th Aggressor Squadron, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska; the B-52 Stratofortress from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, currently deployed to Andersen AFB; and the U.S. Navy EA-6B Prowler from VAQ-136 Carrier Air Wing Five, Atsugi, Japan. JASDF aircraft will include the F-2 support fighter aircraft from the 6th Squadron, Tsuiki Air Base, Japan, and the E-2C Hawkeye from the 601st Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan.
Cope North is one of the longest-running series of exercises in the Pacific theater. Since the first Cope North exercise in 1978, thousands of American and Japanese Airmen have honed skills that are vital to maintaining a high level of readiness. A media day is scheduled for Feb. 10. Media interested in covering the exercise should contact the 36th Wing Public Affairs office at 366-4202.
Indian Navy to induct Mig-29K fighter jets on Feb 19
The Indian Navy will induct on Feb 19 the first four Russian-made Mig-29K combat jets for deployment on the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov."The aircraft will be formally inducted Feb 19," a senior Indian Navy official told. The fighters are operating offshore Goa in the absence of aircraft carrier Gorshkov, which is to be commissioned as INS Vikramaditya. The combat jets had arrived in the country in knocked down condition last year Dec 4.
"The jets have been assembled and the Russian pilots are flying them. It is a standard procedure. Very soon Indian Navy pilots will take over from them," the official added. The jets were purchased by the Indian Navy as part of a $1.5 billion deal signed with Russia in January 2004 for Admiral Gorshkov. Of this, $740 million was meant for the aircraft and the balance for refitting the carrier. The Russians have now upped the price to between $2.2 billion and $2.9 billion and negotiations are currently under way. ................India Times
Indian Air Force Issues RFP for 75 Basic Trainer Aircraft
Ravi Sharma
Looking to acquire 75 basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Ministry of Defence has issued a request for proposal (RFP) to a dozen global aircraft manufacturers. The manufacturers including such global names as Embraer (aircraft name in brackets) (Tucano), Pilatus (PC-7 or PC-/9), Raytheon (T-6 Texan), Finmeccanica (M-311), Grob Aircraft Company (G-120TP), EADS PZL (PZL-130-TC-11 Orik) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KT-1) are required to submit their proposals by March 17. ..........Hindu
Sale of F-16 jets and Submarines to Taiwan is still under Discussion
However, the deal did not cover the advanced F-16C/D fighter jets and the diesel-fueled submarines Taiwan had been requesting for several years.Taiwan and the U.S. were still discussing those two weapons systems and Washington was evaluating their sale, Wu said.The premier also told reporters that the government would calculate if the cost of the package announced by the U.S. was not too high. The weapons had to come at a reasonable price for a useful quality level, he said.....................E-Taiwan News
India is likely to Take Delivery of K-152 Nerpa by June 2010
India is likely to take delivery of a Russian nuclear-powered submarine, K-152 Nerpa, on a 10-year lease by June this year.The Akula-II class submarine, which India has sought for long, was inducted into the Russian Navy last December after delayed sea trials due to a mishap on board in 2008.India hopes to train its personnel on board the Russian submarine, to be rechristened INS Chakra, as its expects to operate an indigenously developed nuclear-powered vessel.
It had last July launched nuclear-powered INS Arihant, which is at present under construction in Visakhapatnam and is expected to join the fleet in about two years."The Nerpa is expected to join the Indian Navy by June.It could be inducted in April or May. But, yes, certainly by June," Navy sources said here today.
PTI
Chinese Submarine Entered Taiwan Waters
A Taiwanese newspaper has reported that a Chinese submarine entered Taiwan's territorial waters, but retreated after Taiwanese navel vessels set out to locate it. Taiwan's defense ministry declined to comment on today's story in the United Evening News. The newspaper says the incident occurred on Jan 27 when helicopters detected the presence of a submarine off the southern Taiwanese port of Kaohsiung during an exercise. The newspaper says the sub left Taiwanese waters after the island's navy launched a search. It says it got to within 24 nautical miles of the port.........TOI
India to Host Four-day Naval Wargame, Milan-2010
India will host the largest four-day naval wargame, Milan-2010, involving 12 nations in the Asia Pacific region from Thursday, in which means to counter terror threats to coastal and island territories would be debated keeping in mind the attacks in Mumbai. “There would be a discussion (during Milan-2010) on maritime terror and the means to counter the attacks like what happened in Mumbai,” Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign Cooperation and Intelligence), Rear Admiral Sudharshan Shrikhande told reporters here on Monday. .............Hindu
Agni III will be flight-tested any time between February 6 and 8
Agni III will be flight-tested any time between February 6 and 8. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is planning to conduct the test at the Inner Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast. Sources at the defence base in Chandipur said the surface-tosurface missile, with a strike range of about 3,500 km, would be test-fired in full operational stage.............ExpressBuzz
Pakistani President Pushed Away from NCA’s Chairmanship
The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) has been assigned a significant role in the National Command Authority (NCA) while the president of Pakistan, despite being the supreme commander of the armed forces under the Constitution, figures nowhere in an extremely essential law passed by the National Assembly last week.The CJCSC may be delegated all powers and functions resting with the NCA by its chairman, the prime minister in this case, certain amendments in the ordinance promulgated by Pervez Musharraf on Dec 13, 2007, which has now passed, said.
The 10-page bill does not contain the words of the president of Pakistan even once whereas the prime minister is the focal point of all powers. For various reasons, including the pressure exerted by the PML-N on the government in closed-door meetings, President Asif Zardari was pushed away from the seat of NCA’s chairmanship.
Its clause 4 that had provided that the prime minister will be vice-chairman of the NCA has been replaced with this amendment: “Powers of the Chairman: All the powers and functions shall rest with the NCA on whose behalf, the chairman will exercise these powers and functions who may in consultation with the NCA and subject to such limitations as he may specify, delegate any of these powers and functions to the CJCSC and the director-general, Strategic Plans Division (DG SPD), who may further sub delegate the same to any NCA employee.”
Another amendment bestowed an added power to the CJCSC in the appointment of the DG SPD. The Clause 5, which provided that the SPD shall function as the secretariat of the NCA and shall be headed by a director-general to be appointed by the chairman, was replaced with this insertion: “The SPD shall function as NCA Secretariat and shall be headed by a director-general to be appointed by the chairman on the recommendation of the CJCSC. The director-general shall be serving lieutenant-general who may continue after retirement for completion of assigned projects.”
The president had every authority in the original ordinance wherein the prime minister had a secondary role and had been designated as the vice-chairman of the NCA, which was considered by the PML-N a derogatory position for the chief executive that persuaded the ruling party to delete it and make the premier the chief of the NCA, sidelining the president.The permanent (not ex-officio members, as was provided in the original ordinance) members of the NCA now include ministers for foreign affairs, interior, finance and defence, the CJCSC, services chiefs and the SPD director-general.
According to the law, the NCA shall have powers to perform all such functions that are necessary to implement objects and purposes of this legislation, which include, “without being limited, to exercise complete command and control over all nuclear and space-related technologies, systems and matters; to supervise, manage and coordinate the administration, management, control and audit of budget, programmes and projects, etc., of the strategic organisations; to authorise undertaking of specialised scientific and technological work; to prescribe specific terms and conditions of the employees including but no limited to, appointments, removals, promotions, transfers, integrity and reliability assessment and other related matters; to create classification amongst employees based on the sensitivity of the functions, nature of assignment, security considerations and in the interest of security of Pakistan; to take measures regarding employees in respect of their movement, communication, privacy, assembly or association, in the public interest or in the interest of integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or friendly relations with foreign states and public order; to place such restrictions and limitation on the employees that are necessary in the interest of the confidentiality of the functions, assignments, jobs, etc., being performed by such employees or the class of employees; to ensure security and safety of nuclear establishments, nuclear materials and to safeguard all information and technology relating to these matters; to ensure security and safety of establishments and facilities, etc., of the Strategic Organizations; and to render security and ensure safety of serving or retired e employees or any other person.”
More powers of “the NCA are to authorise possession and use of firearms to security force personnel who are in the service of the NCA; to take action, issue appropriate orders and instructions as it may deem fit or in order to advance or achieve the purposes of its establishment and in order to facilitate the performance of actions or functions that are incidental and ancillary thereto; to take implementing measures and assist the federal government pursuant to any obligation on Pakistan relating to non-proliferation, safety, security, accidents, terrorism and any other related matters; to take measures in respect of the movement, communication and interaction etc., of any employee or person, who is suspected of an attempt to commit an offence under this legislation; to carry out the functions of fact finding, inquiry, investigation, prosecution, etc., of offences under this law and to that end authorise any official of the NCA or entrust any or all of this functions to any official outside the NCA partly or fully, as the case may be; to acquire property movable or immovable in its own name or in the name of a designated official or a Strategic Organisation; and to enter into agreement, contracts and other like transactions.”
Singapore Air Force Displays G550 AEW platform Singapore Airshow
By Siva Govindasamy
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is publicly displaying its modified Gulfstream 550-based airborne early warning (AEW) platform for the first time at the Singapore Airshow.Singapore received its first aircraft in February 2009 and has ordered four of the G550s. The service has been highly secretive about the aircraft, which Flight International understands has been modified to carry the Elta conformal AEW platform.
While the RSAF has never confirmed the specifications, we understand that it has a similar configuration to the Israeli air force's G550-based conformal AEW (CAEW) aircraft, which entered service early 2008.Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary Elta says the CAEW platform offers a mission endurance of 9h when operating at an altitude of 41,000ft (12,500m) and 185km from its home base. The aircraft features dual S-band radar arrays at the front and rear, plus L-band sensors on the fuselage side, providing 360° coverage. Israel's configuration has six on-board operator stations.
The modified G550 also has pod-housed electronic support measures equipment, plus satellite communications and line-of-sight datalinks. Elta says the airframe modifications have "minimal impact" on the business jet's performance.According to a previous statement by Singapore's defence ministry, the formal delivery period for its G550 AEW aircraft is late 2008 to 2010. The aircraft will replace four Northrop E-2Cs that have been in service for more than 20 years. Industry sources say that the four AEW-configured aircraft are expected to cost the island state up to $1 billion.A fifth, unmodified, business jet is also being acquired to support training activities from 2012 under a 20-year private finance initiative deal with ST Aerospace. ..........................FLIFGT GLOBAL
PAK-FA prototype flight in Russia
On Friday morning, Sukhoi Company (JSC) and the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) celebrated its latest success in the ambitious and prestigious fifth-generation fighter aircraft project, the PAK FA. The T-50 prototype aircraft left the ground at the KNAAPO factory aerodrome in Russia’s Far East and made its first basic manoeuvres during a 47 minute flight.Congratulating all participants of the project on the occasion of the maiden flight, Alexey Fedorov, President and Chairman of control board of UAC, said that it “opens a new horizon for the Russian aviation for the rest of the 21st century and, hopefully, even further. Successful beginning of flight trials on the next-generation aircraft stimulates us for new achievements and sparks our desire to create.”
According to RIA Novosti, India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is involved with a 25 per cent share in design and development of the aircraft and will create a twin-seat fighter based upon the single-seat concept within the FGFA programme to meet Indian Air Force requirements. The two countries, which already maintain strong co-operation in the military aviation sector, share the costs of the project, estimated at some $8 to $10 billion. Both countries reportedly are planning to purchase 250 aircraft.
Wrapping up two decades of Russian development work
