Archive for February, 2011

Defense Update introduces the upcoming Counter Terror Expo, to be held in London April 19-20. This unique event features a highly relevant centerpiece conference designed to deliver insight, analysis and perspective to current threats. The event also offers the chance to see over 400 exhibiting companies and hundreds of products dedicated to counter terrorism and the specialist security arenas.

The upcoming Counter Terror Expo being held in Olympia in April 2011 comes at a time of dramatic changes in the political landscape in the Middle East. In this feature Dr Dave Sloggett debates the implications of these political changes for Al Qaeda and how that may change the nature of the threat from transnational terrorism in the west.

Elisra is introducing a man-portable Communications Intelligence Direction Finding (COMINT-DF) system designed to support tactical, dismounted combat units. The compact, lightweight is carried and operated by a single person. The system designated ‘NEWS Portable’ detects, locates and monitors signals of interest from specific locations. With this on-the-move capability, soldiers can locate emitters and adjust their route according to the signal’s source.

Harris Corporation will supply Brazil’s armed forces Falcon III VHF and Falcon II man-portable HF tactical radios under a new contract worth $14 million awarded by the Federative Republic of Brazil.

The first production model of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II made its inaugural flight February 25, 2011. The jet will head to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to support developmental testing shortly after the Air Force takes delivery. Designed to meet the requirements of the U.S. Air Force, the F-35A is also the primary export version of the Lightning II.

Thales Australia has also delivered two prototypes of its Hawkei vehicle, for verification and validation under the Department’s LAND 121 Phase 4 program, which will replace part of the Army’s fleet of Land Rovers with up to 1,300 light protected mobility vehicles at an investment of more than $A1 billion.

The United Arab Emirates has announced at IDEX 2011 the conclusion of an agreement for the modernization of 135 Russian produced BMP-3 amphibious infantry fighting vehicles in service with the UAE land forces. The a $74-million upgrade contract was negotiated with Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport.

The Pentagon announced Boeing has been awarded over US$3.5 Billion in fixed price, incentive firm contract for engineering and manufacturing development of the KC-46A (formerly KC-X) aerial refuieling tanker. The awarded amount will buy 18 NewGen 767 based tankers to be delivered by 2017 as part of a $35 Billion, 179 tanker buy.

Force Protection Australasia has delivered to the Australian government two Ocelot armored vehicles - a utility and command variants of the Protected Light Mobility Vehicle (PMV-L). The vehicles are being tested in Monegeetta Proving Grounds in Victoria, under the next phase of evaluation, toward the Australian Defence Land 121 Phase 4 program. [...]

The U.S. Army has approved the fielding of a major upgrade for its Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) system, called Joint Capabilities Release (JCR). JCR implements next-generation capabilities with FBCB2, by increasing network bandwidth, security, situational awareness and response. Better suitable for communications and operation on the [...]

The U.S. Defense Department is expected to announce today (Feb. 24, 2011) the winner of a $35 billion Air Force aerial refueling tanker contract fought over by Boeing and European rival EADS for nearly a decade. The announcement is expected this afternoon, after financial markets close. The Defense Department is [...]

Thales Australia is strengthening its position in the Australian ordnance market through a newly announced strategic teaming with U.S.-based General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GD-OTS). Thales and GD-OTS have been cooperating in the Australian market for years, and the new 10 year agreement is expected to formalize and strengthen [...]

Al Jaber Group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the German company Diehl Defence have signed a joint venture for the modernization and upgrade of the Emirates’ military land vehicles. As part of this cooperation Diehl will supply components and upgrade kits including propulsion packs, suspension and tracks and [...]

BAE Systems demonstrated the improved HMMWV known as ‘Integrated SMART V’ (ISV) to U.S. Army and Marine Corps officials at the Nevada Automotive Test Center’s (NATC) annual Vehicle Systems Demonstration held February 9 in Carson City, Nevada. Additional blast-protection is expected to become part of the recapitalization program for an [...]

The Israel Air Force’s first Iron Dome counter Rocket, Artillery and Missile (C-RAM) system has passed a significant milestone last week, with the first Iron Dome battalion performing successful, intercepts of multiple targets simulating five different operational scenarios of threats fired at different trajectories and ranges. Following the successful induction [...]

MBDA has unveiled an integrated air-defense system VSHORAD (Mistral) and SHORAD (Mica-VL) systems into a multi-layered tactical air defense system. First deliveries of the new system are planned for 2014.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) is offering a new export version of the Predator unmanned aerial system. The export of the standard RQ-1 Predator system has been limited by U.S. Government export restrictions, to select NATO members and allied nations. To meet the export potential of the system GA-ASI [...]

Chennai (India) based Ashok Leyland Defence Systems Ltd. (ALDS) and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG from Munich (Germany) have concluded a Memorandum of Understanding during the IDEX defence exhibition in Abu Dhabi to co-operate in the development of advanced defense systems for the Indian Defense establishment, as well as [...]

Embraer presented today at its headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil the first of three EMB 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platforms developed for India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). These improvements will allow the installation of the advanced electronic systems currently being developed by India’s [...]

The joint U.S.-Israel Arrow Weapon System successfully intercepted a ballistic target missile today, during a flight test conducted over the Pacific Ocean. The test was part of the Arrow System Improvement Program (ASIP), conducted jointly by the Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The missile was [...]

Elbit continues the consolidation of its domestic acquisitions. Following the successful completion of buyout of the remaining ITL Lasers shares held by the public, traded on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange, Elbit Systems announed today the procurement of  30% of the remaining shares of Elisra Electronics Systems, held by IAI subsidiary Elta Systems. [...]

The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin team has delivered the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) spacecraft to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., where it will be prepared for an early May liftoff aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle. SBIRS GEO-1, with its [...]

Russia is beginning to deploy the third S-400 Triumph Air Defense Missile System with an air-defense regiment based in Russia’s Far-East. The first two S-400 regiments are already deployed near Moscow and at a base in Central Russia.

Lockheed Martin Corp. has received a $726.6 million contract modification from the U.S. Air Force for the sustainment of the F-22 Raptor fleet. This modification is for the 2011 Follow-On Agile Sustainment for the Raptor (FASTeR) sustainment contract, a Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) program providing weapon systems sustainment of the F-22 fleet at all operational bases. In [...]

Dassault is proposing to support the French Ministry of Defense Intelligence gathering operations with Heron TP Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to be leased from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Dassault and IAI have entered a teaming agreement in 2008 along with Thales and Indra, to jointly offer the Heron TP for strategic intelligence gathering services in France and Spain.

Oshkosh Defense, one of six competitors offering armored vehicles for the Canadian Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) armored vehicles replacement program, unveiled recently the version of its M-ATV tailored to meet the Canadian TAPV requirement. The coompany also plans to pursue Canada’s tender for tactical trucks, with a derivative of its MTVR model.

The Boeing EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack aircraft has entered operational servcie with the U.S. Navy. The EA-18G is the only air combat platform currenlty in servcie that delivers full-spectrum Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) capabilities along with the targeting and self-defense capabilities derived from the F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornet.

The U.S. Air Force is planning to modernize a fleet of 205 helicopters securing missile bases, at an investment of $3 billion in the acquisition. AgustaWestland is proposing the AW139M, a customized military version of the multi-role AW139 to replacing the Bell UH-1N.

Raytheon, DRS an BAE Systems have recently won orders for over 21,000 Thermal Weapon Sights worth about $195 million. The AN/PAS-13 family of sights enables Soldiers with individual and crew served weapons to see deep into the battlefield, increase surveillance and target acquisition range day or night.

A Russian Army Mi-28N ‘Night Hunter’ helicopter crashed today injuring the two crew members. The gunship commander later died of his wounds at a nearby hospital. The helicopter crashed at the southern Stavropol territory. The helicopter on a training flight when it lost control at an altitude of some 400 [...]

The 1st Infantry Regiment, the oldest unit in the French Army, is also the first unit in Europe to implement a full digitized soldier system for dismounted combat. During the past six weeks the regiment went through an extensive technical orientation process, evaluating the system in direct assault drills, urban [...]

Israel’s Derby missile is the weapon of choice for India’s Tejas fighter. A contract will be signed by March with Rafael Advanced Defence Systems Ltd to supply the air-to-air weapon for the indigenous Indian jets. P.S. Subramanya, director of India’s Aeronautical Development Agency, which is developing the light combat aircraft. According to Subramanya, a [...]

Implementing the Armed Forces 95 and Armed Forces XXI programs, Switzerland is phasing out some of its heavy armor units. As part of this program Bern will transfer 12 Leopard 2 main battle tanks (Pz 87 Leo) to Canada. More of of the Swiss Pz 87 Leo fleet was therefore [...]

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s software-defined Multi-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (MB SAR), recently provided counter-improvised explosive device (IED) support assisting the drawdown of U.S. combat troops in Iraq. The radar was deployed aboard a U.S. Navy NP-3D Orion aircraft, which performed missions as a part of Task Force Observe, Detect, Identify and [...]

BAE Systems, Land Systems South Africa will produce survivability and mobility upgrades kits for the RG31 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles under an order received from General Dynamics Land Systems Canada (GDLS-C), as part of the teaming agreement between the two companies. The order is worth more than ZAR900 million ($130 [...]

Upgrading the U.S. Army RC-12X Guardrail fleet of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft under a U.S. Army task order, Northropt Grumman is scheduled to deliver the first aircraft in the second quarter of this year. The company has already delivered the first two upgraded planes in January 2011. The second pair [...]

The Navy and BAE Systems are entering a two-year Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program to integrate and demonstrate the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) on the U.S. Marine Corps’ AV-8B and U.S. Air Force’s A-10 aircraft platforms. The need for such light, precision guided weapon evolved [...]

Pakistan successfully tested Hatf-VII nuclear-capable cruise missile which flew up to of a range of 600 km. The missile, also called Babur (after the 16th-century Muslim ruler, founder of the Mughal Empire) is designed to reach up to 750 km, fired from ground launchers, surface ships and, potentially, submarines. According [...]

Raytheon Company completed a series of free-flight demonstrations of the Joint Standoff Weapon(JSOW) AGM-154-C from an F-16IN fighter aircraft. The tests were part of the Indian Air Force’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition.   JSOW is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground weapons that employs an integrated GPS- inertial navigation [...]

On Thursday, Feb 10, 2011 Boeing and EADS submitted their final proposal for the U.S. Air Force’s KC-X tanker competition. Both proposals address the Air Forces’ mission in two different approaches with different platforms. The stakes are high, as the two companies are competing to win an initial contract for [...]

Aero India 2011 Photo Gallery, All Photos Credit: Indian MoD

Elta is offering a broad line of radars to address specific Indian interest in air defense, weapon systems and ground surveillance solution. Most of Elta’s modern radars are already utilizing active electronic scanning arrays, which have been further enhanced in recent years with the introduction of Transmit/Receive modules based on [...]

IAI is extending the functionality of its Ehud Air Combat Maneuvering System (ACMI) with the introduction of new training pods designed for combat and assault helicopters. The new pod designated THRUST is modeled like a Hellfire missile, and is carried on AH-64 Apache gunships on standard weapon stations. A strap-down [...]

Two years ago Controp unveiled its new, aerostat-optimized EO multi-sensor payload system. Since its introduction, SPEED-A has been operational in combat by several military forces, used for border and force protection, providing unsurpassed persistent surveillance performance. The lightweight (23kg) system has already been deployed on the Skystar 300 tactical aerostat [...]

Indian defense officials have given conflicting statements about the country’s long-awaited fighter selection, Aviation Week reporting. At Aero-India, Defense Minister A.K. Antony indicated the final choice on the winning offer will be pushed to March 2012, while Air Force Chief Marshal P.V. Naik saying the selection will be announced as [...]

The U.S. Army is increasing the number of Common Remotely Operated Weapon Stations (CROWS II) bought from Norwegian arms manufacturer Kongsberg Defence. The Army awarded the company additional $120 million on February 9, 2011, effectively increasing the maximum quantity of from 10,349 units to 11,690 units, to be delivered by [...]

Since its establishment as a commercial company, Rafael maintained continuous growth, generating annual revenue above one billion US$ in 2009. India provides a major growth opportunity for Rafael – the company has invested much in preparing its presence in the Indian market through joint ventures and establishment of local operations [...]

In the past two years Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has demonstrated its continued growth momentum. IAI is opening 2011 with a swing- its 2010 reported backlog exceeding $9 billion. India, as one of IAI’s strategic markets, is deriving a substantial part of this growth. According to Izhak Nissan, IAI CEO, [...]

BAE Systems recently received a $47 million contract modification to modernize 95 M2/M3 Bradley armored vehicles, through the reset process – replacing old and damaged components with updated equipment and technology. “As the mission and combat environments for our soldiers are changing, we are working to provide a modernized Bradley [...]

ThalesRaytheonSystems, a joint venture between U.S. based Raytheon and the European Thales group has been selected by the U.S. Marine Corps to demonstrate a Common Aviation Command and Control System (CAC2S) under the program’s phase II, $5 million segment. According to Kim Kerry, chief executive officer, ThalesRaytheonSystems, U.S. Operations, the system [...]