http://www.janes.comA special collection of articles covering Research and Development.en-gbCopyright: (C) Jane's Information Group. All rights reserved.http://www8.janes.com/public/images/janes_rss.gifhttp://www.janes.comVisit http://www.janes.comhttp://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jni73257.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIHS Ypoploiarchos Mikonios and HS Plotarchis Blessas should have been handed over in July and September 2008 following modernisation by Elefsis Shipyards in Elefsina, near Athens. New equipment fitted in the Batch 1 vessels includes Thales Nederland's TACTICOS combat management system, LIROD Mk 2 tracking radar and optronic gun-control system, Mirador electro-optical tracking system and Scout Mk 2 radar; and Northrop Grumman's Bridgemaster E navigation radar. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41496.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe new Greek Defence Minister, Evangelos Venizelos, confirmed on 13 November that the three boats, located at TKMS' Greek subsidiary, Hellenic Shipyards, in Skaramangas near Athens, would be accepted and that the navy was eager to initiate sea trials for the trio. Jane's reported on 16 October that Hellenic Shipyards was in financial difficulty following the cancellation of the Archimedes programme (for the four Type 214 submarines) and the Neptune II programme (for the upgrade of three Type... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41506.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWIsrael is to accelerate its production of Arrow-2 anti-ballistic missile interceptors in case of a potential conflict with Iran, Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on 17 November. The Arrow Weapon System (AWS) is currently designed to launch two Arrow-2 interceptors against any incoming missile. The final price of the system will eventually be "significantly lower" than existing US systems such as the Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense system or the Standard Missile-3, Colonel Guy Aviram of the... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41515.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWAustralian company Metal Storm expects to receive a critical lifeline payment from foreign investor Assure Fast Holdings Limited (AFHL) no later than 23 November, although the deal has stalled on numerous occasions so far. A Metal Storm statement said: "The first-tranche payment for new equity of AUD2.1 million [USD1.925 million] is expected on 20 November but no later than close of business Monday [23 November]. Following this investment, AFHL will lend Metal Storm a further USD17.5 million. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41517.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe activities of the two organisations have included the hosting of a defence energy conference in 2009 (which the spokesperson said raised levels of awareness about the issue in Australia); improvements in the ADF's transport fuel mix (which optimised use of existing fuel types); and a closer working relationship with the DoD's research and development arm, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), as it "researches alternative and emerging fuel types and assesses their ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41512.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWSenior defence sources have told Jane's that the contenders in the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle (LPPV) programme will now have to provide prototype vehicles to participate in a 'trials of truth' drive-off at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire early next year. According to industry sources the four contenders who have been downselected are: Supacat and NP Aerospace, offering the Specialist Protected Vehicle (SPV); Babcock and Creation, with the Zephyr Specific Requirements Vehicle ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41505.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Venezuelan shipyard Diques y Astilleros Nacionales CA (DIANCA) re-delivered the S-31 Sabalo , a Type 209/1300 submarine, back to the Venezuelan Navy on 11 November following a five-year mid-life upgrade. The upgrade included modifications to the diesel engine, mast and snorkel control systems, improved data distribution and the addition of multifunction displays (MFD). The chief of the Venezuelan Navy, Vice Admiral Carlos Aniasi, stated that the Sabalo will now undergo acceptance trials ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80138.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINAustralian company Metal Storm expects to receive a critical lifeline payment from foreign investor Assure Fast Holdings Limited (AFHL) no later than 23 November, although the deal has stalled on numerous occasions so far. A Metal Storm statement said: "The first-tranche payment for new equity of AUD2.1 million [USD1.925 million] is expected on 20 November but no later than close of business Monday [23 November]. While expressing confidence that the first-tranche payment would be received ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80139.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINThe activities of the two organisations have included the hosting of a defence energy conference in 2009 (which the spokesperson said raised levels of awareness about the issue in Australia); improvements in the ADF's transport fuel mix (which optimised use of existing fuel types); and a closer working relationship with the DoD's research and development arm, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), as it "researches alternative and emerging fuel types and assesses their ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41495.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWSaudi Arabia is looking to reclaim momentum in defence research and development as one of the world's leading arms buyers by incorporating joint ventures in support of its major procurement programmes. BAE Systems was awarded a three-year, GBP500 million service support contract in October for the Saudi Typhoon fleet, which is eventually to number 72 aircraft - 48 of which will be assembled in Saudi Arabia at the Alsalam facility. The company - a joint venture between Boeing, Saudi Arabian ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jni73271.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIWith ageing single-role auxiliary vessels nearing the end of their lives, smaller navies are seeking to retain their blue water capability by replacing them with cheaper multipurpose logistic ships, combining strategic sealift and replenishment capabilities. The programme for a new support ship - the Joint Logistiek Ondersteuning Schip (JLOS - Joint Logistic Support Ship), more usually referred to as the Joint Support Ship (JSS) - started to take shape in 2003-04. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80140.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINIndia needs to provide greater support to small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) entering the defence sector as the country embarks on a military modernisation process over the next decade, according to a report published by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Ernst & Young. AM Barbora's remark came one day after another Indian industry organisation, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), repeated its call for the government to raise the limit on ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41503.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe army is starting the Hellfire flight tests with an eye towards the deployment of the first Hellfire-armed QRC-2 Sky Warriors to Iraq or Afghanistan in August 2010. Sky Warrior QRC-1 aircraft - which, like QRC -2, consist of four UAVs and two ground stations - deployed to Iraq in August, flying alongside Sky Warrior Block 0 aircraft that were already in theatre. The first army unit (a combat aviation brigade) will be equipped with the programme of record Sky warrior aircraft - including 12... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41475.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe C-295 MPA fleet is fitted with the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/APN-241 navigation radar; Elta Systems EL/M 2022A(V)3 maritime surveillance radar; FLIR Systems Star Safire IV thermal-imaging, night-vision and infrared camera system; a Swedish Space Corporation Ericsson side-looking airborne radar, an Elisra Electronic Systems radar warning receiver; panoramic windows; life rafts; and a pod-mounted searchlight system. Three of the aircraft will be fitted with Airbus Military's ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41490.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe US Air Force (USAF) and Boeing have partnered to test a new mobile, ground-based solid-state laser that can shoot down small unmanned aircraft. Boeing declined to elaborate on the range of the MATRIX laser, except to say that it provided acquisition, pointing and tracking at "long ranges using relatively low laser power," according to Gary Fitzmire, vice-president and programme director of Boeing Missile Defense Systems' Directed Energy Systems unit. Other systems tested at China Lake ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41489.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe growing demand for situational awareness and protection has pushed US Army Stryker infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) to their performance limits and an upcoming modernisation plan will have to augment many of their core systems, according to a programme official. Col Lamb said the modernisation programme therefore intends to redesign the vehicle's driveline, suspension, power generation and data management systems. Strykers were to serve as an interim vehicle while the army developed its ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12639.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRThe Polish Air Force is due to formally accept the first production PRP-25 Gunica transportable passive air surveillance and electronic intelligence (ELINT) system in early December. PIT characterises Gunica as a system that "combines the capabilities of the well-known Czech Vera and BORAP systems". The Gunica is intended to be integrated with the Polish Air Force's PIT-developed Wolczenica EW command-and-control system, and in particular with that system's SDKR-10M command post. - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jni73269.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIShipbuilding and ship repair company Kockums has been contracted by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration to undertake a life-extension refit for the Royal Swedish Navy's 25-year-old intelligence-gathering vessel (AGI). Built by the Karlskronavarvet shipyard (which merged into Kockums in 1989) and commissioned by the navy in June 1984, the 1,400-ton HMS Orion is equipped with a comprehensive signal intelligence suite to monitor, analyse and record radar emissions and communication ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80134.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINJordan's King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) has signed five separate defence production and technology transfer deals with western defence companies, it was reported on 19 November. KADDB will work with Turkey's Aselsan to produce night-vision and thermal imaging technologies in Jordan, said the Jordan Times . The organisation will also design and develop unmanned aerial vehicles with Italian company Selex Galileo and maintain F-16 aircraft in collaboration with Dutch ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80129.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINIn-Q-Tel - the not-for-profit venture capital firm established by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) - has agreed to make a "strategic investment" in US company FireEye Inc in order to "advance cyber security in the US intelligence community". FireEye already has the backing of a number of venture capital firms (specifically, Sequoia Capital, Norwest Venture Partners, JAFCO, SVB Capital, DAG Ventures and Juniper Networks). It has previously been reported by news outlets such as the ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80133.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINIsrael's Elbit Systems has completed its acquisition of BVR Systems Ltd for GBP34 million (USD57 million), it was announced on 19 November. Located in Rosh HaAyin, Israel, BVR Systems develops and produces training, simulation and debriefing systems for air, sea and ground forces. The four years since saw Elbit purchase a minority stake in Mikal Group; nuclear, biological and chemical systems specialist Kinetics; Shiron Satellite Communications; a minority stake in defence navigation and ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jni73268.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIThe keel for the first next-generation aircraft carrier for the US Navy (USN) was laid by shipbuilder Northrop Grumman at its Newport News yard in Virginia on 14 November. Construction of Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) is taking place under a USD5.1 billion detailed design and manufacturing contract awarded to Northrop Grumman in September 2008. Gerald R Ford has a new island superstructure, a dual-band radar, electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) in place of steam-powered catapults, a Joint... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80131.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINA senior UK defence industry executive has urged politicians not to discount what they may consider to be marginal cuts to funding when it comes to the planning of UK defence budgets, as the country awaits the first Strategic Defence Review (SDR) in more than a decade. Speaking under the Chatham House rule at a top-level defence seminar held in London on 19 November, the industry figure acknowledged that defence cuts are inevitable but added: "There is the crude thought, in politicians' minds... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80121.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINIsrael-based defence electronics company Elbit Systems has posted a 63.7 per cent rise in net profits of USD58.3 million for the third quarter of 2009, partly driven by a rise in demand for night-vision equipment. In addition, UAS Dynamics - the joint venture (JV) of General Dynamics and Elbit Systems that was stood up in May to compete to meet US Department of Defense unmanned aerial systems (UAS) requirements - told Jane's in October that it has up to four programmes in its sights. - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80117.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINBoth BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin have formally submitted their bids for the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP). BAE Systems submitted its 8,000-page bid on 17 November, a day before the formal deadline, and Lockheed Martin followed on 18 November. Lockheed Martin refutes all of BAE Systems' safety claims out of hand. - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80119.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINState-owned Indian defence company BEML (formerly known as Bharat Earth Movers Limited) has paid the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) dividends worth INR270 million (USD5.8 million), the MoD announced on 17 November. The MoD added that BEML sales in FY09-10 were expected to reach INR35 billion, a 16 per cent increase over FY08-09. Sales from the defence sector account for around 20 per cent of revenues, while mining and construction contributed to 60 per cent and the remainder to sales in the... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80125.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINAgustaWestland's announcement on 17 November came after Russian Helicopters - the state-owned holding company behind Russia's principal rotary wing firms and a division of OPK Oboronprom - said on 16 November that it had established International Rotorcraft Services with UAE-based Air Freight Aviation Ltd. "The newly found company will service Russian-made civil helicopters in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan," Russian Helicopters said in a statement. Air Freight Aviation - which is ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41481.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWBoth BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin have formally submitted their bids for the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP). BAE Systems submitted its 8,000-page bid on 17 November, a day before the formal deadline, and Lockheed Martin followed on 18 November. Lockheed Martin refutes all of BAE Systems' safety claims out of hand. - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12640.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRIsraeli vehicle armouring specialist Global Shield is developing a new 4x4 light armoured vehicle and is planning to unveil it in March 2010. The platform is rapidly adaptable to different applications, able to accommodate a guided weapons firing post, a tactical communications suite, a remotely operated weapons station, long-range observation sensors or a medical evacuation kit. Computer-generated image of Global Shield's Omer armoured troop carrier, which is due to make its debut in March ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41478.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWAs Alan Way, International Business Development Manager of Spirent Communications, explained in a recent UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) IP Security Seminar: "Today's network security needs a holistic approach in which endpoint or perimeter security could be potentially the weakest link. However well designed the defences, the very complexity of communications networks means they must be exhaustively tested against every known type of attack and also under a whole range of ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41469.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWWhile details of the latest talks were not available, Tauscher has previously hinted that the command centre for a revised ballistic missile defence (BMD) system could be based in the Czech Republic. A defence co-operation work group headed by Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Alexander Vershbow arrived in Prague on 6 November to discuss the inclusion of the Czech Republic in the revised architecture of the proposed BMD shield. "The Czech Republic, within the ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jni73266.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIThe US Navy (USN) has awarded Boeing a USD275,000 study contract associated with its plans to operate the MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from its P-8A Poseidon multirole maritime patrol aircraft, a company spokesperson told Jane's on 17 November. The contract, which was originally announced on 11 November, will see Boeing undertake a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system of the magnetic anomaly detector (MAD)-equipped ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12612.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRThe USMC's command, control, communications, computing and intelligence (C4I) capability is no exception. At present for the USMC, at the tactical level much of this is voice communications; data capability will come in due course. The SWAN programme has provided a significant increase in satcom capability to the USMC. - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12633.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRAgustaWestland's AW159 Lynx Wildcat (formerly Future Lynx) helicopter took to the air for the first time at the company's Yeovilton facility in southern England on 12 November. The British Army, which will operate 34 Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopter (BRH)-variant Lynx Wildcats, will, in addition to battlefield reconnaissance, use the aircraft for command-and-control, transportation of troops and light stores, special forces fire control, to offer force protection and military aid to ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdin80102.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWFrench aerospace and defence systems group Safran and United Arab Emirates (UAE) technology house Bayunda Aviation Technology (BAT) have signed accords creating two joint venture (JV) companies with an eye on the Middle East market. Snecbat Engine Technologies (a JV of Safran's propulsion subsidiary Snecma and BAT) and Sagembat Defence (a JV between Safran's defence and security unit Sagem and BAT) were signed into existence on 15 November by Snecma chief executive Philippe Petitcolin, Sagem ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41465.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe first conventional variant of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to be 'optimised' with an improved structure and aerodynamics has made its inaugural flight, the company announced on 16 November. The aircraft, known as the AF-1, is the second conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) fighter to roll off the F-35 production line. During the test-flight on 14 November, the optimised AF-1 took off from Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth production facility in Texas and... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12610.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRThis called for a full overhaul of the hull and machinery, together with the insertion of the AIP system hull plug (using the same Siemens PEM fuel cell technology already adopted for the Type 214 submarine) and a comprehensive combat system modernisation. As conceived, SUBTICS brought together DCNS and Thales' shared experience of French Navy submarine sonar, command and weapon-control systems - specifically the TSM 2233 sonar suite, TITAC tactical data system and LAT-NG weapon-control ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41466.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe US Navy (USN) has awarded Boeing a USD275,000 study contract associated with its plans to operate the MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from its P-8A Poseidon multirole maritime patrol aircraft, a company spokesperson told Jane's on 17 November. The contract will see Boeing undertake a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system of the magnetic anomaly detector (MAD)-equipped MECC. Boeing will begin testing the MECC sensor ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/idr/history/idr2009/idr12636.htm@current&Prod_Name=IDRDubbed PILOTT (Portable Integrated Laser Optical Target Tracker), the system weighs 9.3 lb (4.2 kg) without batteries and alone provides most of the functionality currently available to US forces through a combination of the company's own M25 SPOTTR (Stabilised Portable Optical Target Tracking Receiver) and Northrop Grumman's SOFLAM laser designator and Mk VIIE laser target locator. PILOTT is also likely to be offered for the UK Joint Fires Integration (JFI) programme, the successor to the ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41463.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe UK Royal Navy's (RN's) first new Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) departed Barrow-in-Furness on 15 November for HM Naval Base Clyde in Faslane, where the boat will be based, BAE Systems has confirmed. Up to seven Astute-class submarines are expected to be built at BAE Systems Submarine Solutions in Barrow to replace the RN's ageing Trafalgar-class SSNs. Boat 4 - the first in batch 2 - was laid down in March 2009 and is expected to be handed over in 2014, with the as-yet... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41459.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWChina's two largest shipbuilders - the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) - are set to launch initial public offerings (IPOs) in the first half of 2010, state news reported on 13 November. Details of the CSSC IPO were not available, although Jane's expects the structure of this sale to be similar to that of CSIC's. As well as constructing a large variety of commercial ships, CSSC and CSIC manufacture submarines, missile ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jni/history/jni2009/jni73264.htm@current&Prod_Name=JNIChina's two largest shipbuilders - the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) - are set to be partly privatised in the first half of 2010, state news reported on 13 November. CSIC recorded Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08) sales of CNY103.2 billion (USD15 billion), up 26 per cent on the previous year, and pre-tax profits climbed 20 per cent to CNY6.18 billion. As well as constructing a large variety of commercial ships, CSSC and CSIC ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80094.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINIndia and Australia signed an agreement on 12 November that strengthens co-operation in a wide range of fields, including defence policy, and increases the possibility of defence trade between the two countries. Although defence trade and defence research and development are not specified in the agreement, Jane's notes that the pact will strengthen the ability of Australian industries to enter the growing Indian defence market. Earlier in 2009, Terry Whelan, the head of Australia's Defence ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80096.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINChina's two largest shipbuilders - the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) - are set to launch initial public offerings (IPOs) in the first half of 2010, state news reported on 13 November. Details of the CSSC IPO were not available, although Jane's expects the structure of this sale to be similar to that of CSIC's. As well as constructing a large variety of commercial ships, CSSC and CSIC manufacture submarines, missile ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41451.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe AgustaWestland AW149 multirole utility helicopter made its maiden flight on 13 November, the company has announced. According to the company, the first prototype is fully representative of the AW149's final configuration with respect to the airframe and avionics, while the second prototype will fly in the final configuration incorporating two 1,490 kW (2,000 shp) GE CT7-2E1 turbines with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and a new transmission system. The AW149 will be capable... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JDIM/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdin/history/jdin2009/jdin80102.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDINFrench aerospace and defence systems group Safran and United Arab Emirates (UAE) technology house Bayunda Aviation Technology (BAT) have signed accords creating two joint venture (JV) companies with an eye on the Middle East market. Snecbat Engine Technologies (a JV of Safran's propulsion subsidiary Snecma and BAT) and Sagembat Defence (a JV between Safran's defence and security unit Sagem and BAT) were signed into existence on 15 November by Snecma chief executive Philippe Petitcolin, Sagem ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00