http://www.janes.comA special collection of articles covering Armed Forces.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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41524.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWIsrael'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. Elbit Systems first announced that it had agreed to purchase BVR Systems on 20 July. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/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/JMSA/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/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41520.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWLockheed Martin is planning to expand its business in Australia over the next few years to triple both the number of people it employs and its in-country revenues, according to Paul Johnson, chief executive officer of the company's Australian business. Speaking to Jane's on 13 November, Johnson explained that Lockheed Martin Australia's strategy for expansion was multi-tiered, encompassing partnerships with other leading firms and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as possible future... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41504.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC) has taken delivery of another four Mil Mi-17 'Hip' transport/assault helicopters, the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced on 19 November. The four Mi-17s will provide combat airlift, logistical and medical evacuation support to Afghan forces and government officials. With these aircraft, the ANAAC currently fields 25 Mi-17s, including six former Czech and three former Slovakian aircraft as well as another seven 'Hips' funded by the United... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41492.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Airbus Military C-295M has been selected as the Mexican Air Force's new medium transport aircraft, it was announced on 15 November. According to an announcement by the Mexican Treasury Department (MTD), five C-295Ms configured as military transports have been ordered, together with a logistics, aircrew training and ground maintenance package. The C-295Ms will be operated from the military air base (BAM-1) at Santa Lucia, home of the Mexican Air Force's transport fleet. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41508.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWAccording to officials from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), up to 250 examples of the JF-17 (also known as the FC-1 or 'Thunder') will be inducted into the air force in the next six to eight years, giving the aircraft a key position as the main second-line fighter to replace older Chinese F-7 fighters and A-5 ground attack aircraft. The JF-17, the unveiling of which was scheduled to take place at the PAF-run Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) north of Islamabad, joins the eight JF-17s built in... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41501.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe impact of India's updated defence procurement procedures (DPPs) on indigenous defence production will be limited unless the Ministry of Defence (MoD) allows local industry more time to draw up detailed manufacturing proposals, according to a senior academic at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi. In announcing the update in late October, the Indian MoD said the changes have the "potential to revolutionise the Indian defence industry" because it will enable "... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41497.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWTurkish company Aselsan has completed the production of 171 Volkan fire-control systems for the country's Leopard tanks. According to the Aselsan officials, the Volkan fire-control system is capable of detecting, recognising, identifiying and firing at targets from long range, both in adverse weather and battle conditions. Additionally, Aselsan has been negotiating with Chile to install the systems onto Leopard tanks in the inventory of the Chilean Army, local defence industry sources said. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41510.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe UK government's growing campaign to persuade its European allies to boost their commitment in Afghanistan by 5,000 troops hinges on increased US deployments, NATO and UK defence officials have said. "I want to use this opportunity to strongly encourage you, and your governments, to make more military resources available - extra combat forces for ISAF; extra troops for enhanced partnership and teaming with the Afghan National Security Forces; and extra troops for training, particularly ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41519.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWUK support services company VT Group is keen to acquire the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Defence Support Group (DSG) should it be put up for sale under UK government moves to shrink defence procurement costs. With an annual turnover in excess of GBP200 million and 3,800 personnel, DSG provides in-house maintenance, repair, overhaul, upgrade and support services for the UK armed forces' air and land systems. Lester added that the value of DSG's price tag would probably fall "within quite a ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41514.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWUK military chiefs now aim to use a portion of this money to buy "up to 30" more Boeing CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters by the middle of the next decade, to bring the UK Chinook fleet to "around 70" airframes. Under 'Vision 2020' a major shake-up in the basing of all the UK's military helicopters will occur and the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) AgustaWestland Merlin HC.3/3A transport helicopters would be transferred to the Royal Navy. Under 'Vision 2020' the basing of all UK helicopters ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41499.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Indonesian government has commenced a programme to draw up a comprehensive list of armed forces requirements over the next decade and beyond in a move partly aimed at boosting domestic defence industry development. Commodore Sudi Haryono, director for technology and industry in the Indonesian Ministry of Defence's Directorate General of Defence Facilities, told Jane's on 19 November that the inventory is expected to be completed in the next few months. "For equipment in the inventory that... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41485.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWDefence Minister Carme Chacón told a 17 November meeting of her counterparts in Brussels that Spain would lead any operation to support security sector reform in Somalia as a cornerstone of its obligations as holder of the rotating EU presidency from January 2010. EU security and defence policy chief Javier Solana told reporters that any EU mission in Somalia would be co-ordinated with other international actors, including the United States, and would have to complement existing African Union... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiwk/history/jiwk2009/jiwk20788.htm@current&Prod_Name=JIWKThree UN-appointed commissioners who will lead an independent inquiry into the 28 September security crackdown in Conakry, will visit Guinea from 25 November to 4 December. As many as 157 civilians were killed in the violent crackdown on people protesting against speculation that junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara would run for the presidency in the January 2010 election, according to local activists. Media reports have also claimed that foreigners - potentially from South Africa, among others ... - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiwk/history/jiwk2009/jiwk20792.htm@current&Prod_Name=JIWKAn alleged commander in the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) was killed in a clash with Ugandan troops in the Central African Republic, according to Ugandan media reports on 19 November. Okello Okutti, an alleged senior commander of the Ugandan LRA, was killed on 17 November in Obo, near the Central African Republic's border with Sudan, according to New Vision newspaper. In September 2009, Uganda confirmed that Bangui had authorised it to pursue the LRA into the Central African Republic. - 2009/11/20 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41491.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWSyria has declined requests for discussions on a suspected nuclear processing facility, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report released on 16 November. The report, by now-former IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei, is the latest in the continuing investigation of the site at Deir Az-Zur, also known as Al-Kibar, at which anthropogenic uranium particles were discovered after it was destroyed. Following the release of an IAEA report in November 2008 that noted a ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41498.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe failure to cultivate alliances with moderate militias and to capitalise on growing ruptures in the alliance-of-convenience between extremist Islamist insurgent groups has prevented Somalia's security forces from making any noticeable strides in securing control of the country, analysts and diplomats have told Jane's . The constraints imposed on the 5,300 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers in the African Union peacekeeping force African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have also contrived to ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41483.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWPoland, Lithuania and Ukraine have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to create a joint peacekeeping brigade that will promote Kiev's transformation towards Western-standard armed forces and boost its aspirations of joining the EU and NATO. Polish Deputy Defence Minister Stanislaw Komorowski said it was "proof of the support that Poland and Lithuania have given Ukraine. The MoU was signed by Komorowski, Lithuanian Minister of Defence Rasa Jukneviciene and acting Ukrainian Defence ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41502.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWAfter the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) was conceived, approved and funded in just three years, the SAC's 12 nations are now scrambling to train the HAW's operational and technical staff and to fill administrative posts. Borch's agency exploits the same complementarities where possible with other allied agencies too, such as BICES (Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation Systems), NC3A (the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency) and NCSA (NATO Communication and ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41473.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) released its board of inquiry findings on 14 November into the fires of 8/9 October that destroyed its ex-Newport-class tank landing ship (LST) KD Sri Inderapura . The board of inquiry, headed by Captain Rusli Ahmad RMN and comprising five other RMN officers, found that it was highly likely that the fire was caused by a short circuit that resulted in a cable on the tank deck catching fire. According to the report, the initial fire occurred while the ship was ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41479.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) will purchase two Saab 340 airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft for a total of SEK1.5 billion (USD21 million), the company announced at the Dubai Air Show on 17 November. The Saab purchase fills a long-standing capability shortfall of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence; strategic air-defence requirements including airborne intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) emerged in the mid-1990s but were delayed over funding issues. - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41488.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWBAE Systems' protest over a lucrative vehicle contract that it lost in August to Oshkosh Defense has taken another step as government auditors called US Army officials to testify at a recent hearing. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) held a two-day closed hearing beginning on 9 November to investigate further the army's award of its Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) 'rebuy' programme to Oshkosh, BAE Systems representatives told reporters on 18 November. - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41493.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWA majority of the European Defence Agency's (EDA's) 26 member nations have agreed to pool their military air transport assets to boost Europe's airlift capabilities, after nearly two years of preparation. The envisaged European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) aims to achieve initial operating capability by as early as 2014, EDA Chief Executive Alexander Weis told reporters in Brussels after the signing ceremonies. The work groups will also study how the EATF should liaise with other air transport ... - 2009/11/19 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41461.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Australian Defence Force (ADF) has released an update of its Network Centric Warfare (NCW) roadmap, showing progress but also some delays in a range of programmes aimed at ensuring the ADF is a fully networked force by 2030. The initial networked air combat force achieved IOC in 2008 as planned, but IOC for a networked combat support force has moved from 2011 to 2016 with FOC in 2018. In the joint force area, the IOC of a networked deployable joint task force headquarters has moved from ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41476.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe contract for the new HETs, awarded to US-based Oshkosh Defence, will see the company deliver "more than 40" trucks to Egypt in the early part of 2010, alongside their associated low-loader trailers in kit form. The trailers are capable of supporting M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks and will be assembled locally alongside the Egyptian Abrams licensed production line near Cairo over the 12 months following delivery. As well as the HETs, the Egyptian Army deploys 6x6 Medium Tactical Trucks and ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41464.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWUS Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has announced the creation of a Department of Defense (DoD) task force to focus on countering the improvised explosive device (IED) threat in Afghanistan. The DoD is also considering buying additional M-ATVs if President Barack Obama decides to send more troops to Afghanistan. "If the president makes a decision to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, we would look at this in terms of whether we needed to buy more [M-ATVs]," said Gates; 6,644 ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41477.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWKuwait has signed a USD20.5 million contract with Raytheon to support the upgrading of its Patriot Advanced Capability 2 (PAC-2) missile system to PAC-3 standard, a company spokesperson told Jane's on 17 November. Speaking at the Dubai Air Show, Michael Wood, business development manager at Raytheon, said that the upgrades to the Kuwaiti surface-to-air missile systems are designed to enhance their detection of small targets in a cluttered environment, their ability to discriminate and ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41456.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) has taken delivery of its third Cessna AC-208B Combat Caravan, Alliant Techsystems (ATK) announced on 16 November. ATK, which is responsible for converting the utility aircraft to the IQAF's military specifications, has now delivered 11 modified C-208 Grand Caravan aircraft to Iraq, including three Hellfire air-to-surface missile armed AC-20Bs. On 11 November, the US Air Force announced that an IQAF Combat Caravan had launched a Hellfire missile for the first time. - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41482.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThales Air Systems is to deliver 19 Ground Smarter 100 radar systems to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the company announced at the Dubai Air Show. The IAF will use the mobile radar system to perform low-altitude target tracking. The company won the contract following a prolonged bidding process in which Elta Systems and Selex Galileo also submitted systems. - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41486.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has withdrawn its Westland/Aerospatiale SA 330E Puma HC.1 transport helicopter force from Northern Ireland, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 18 November. Nine helicopters from 230 'Tiger' Squadron, based at Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station [formerly RAF] Aldergrove, near Belfast, performed a diamond formation flypast as they left the station on 17 November en route to the Pumas' main operating base at RAF Benson in southern England. A nine-ship ... - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41470.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed a contract in excess of CHF500 million (USD500 million) for 25 Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainer aircraft, the company announced on 17 November. The United Arab Emirates Air Force & Air Defence (UAE AF & AD) pilot training is carried out in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In February the UAE revealed that it had agreed to purchase 48 Aermacchi M-346 Master advanced lead-in fighter trainer aircraft to fulfil its Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) requirement. - 2009/11/18 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41474.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWEurofighter has signed a EUR600 million (USD892 million) contract with the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) to provide support for the Typhoon fleet of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiano - AMI). The contract will support AMI technical and logistical support activities at the Grosseto and Gioia del Colle airbases and at the 1st RMV (Reparto Manutenzione Velivoli) at Cameri: the air force's main logistics base. On 21 June the air wing obtained NATO's ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41467.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe first Saab 340 Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has made its maiden flight, the company announced on 16 November. The aircraft was joined for the flight, which lasted just over two hours, by the first Saab JAS 39D Gripen combat aircraft for the RTAF. The order included six Gripen C/D aircraft with associated equipment and services; a Saab 340 AEW&C aircraft equipped with Erieye radar and datalinks; a Saab 340 aircraft for ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41460.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWInitiatives to transform Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) into a more businesslike and commercially orientated entity were unveiled on 13 November by DMO Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gumley. The DMO is responsible for acquiring and sustaining equipment for the whole of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and has AUD100 billion (USD92 billion)-worth of programmes and sustainment under its management. Existing DMO agreements will be progressively revamped by 2011 from memoranda... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiwk/history/jiwk2009/jiwk20769.htm@current&Prod_Name=JIWKOn 16 November, Peruvian President Alan García held an emergency National Security Council meeting to discuss the case of a Peruvian military NCO detained for allegedly spying for Santiago. The case of Víctor Ariza Mendoza, a Peruvian air force NCO arrested in October and accused of spying for Chile and treason, has dominated the news agenda in Peru, threatening to worsen already delicate relations between the two countries. Peruvian President Alan García speaks about alleged Chilean spying ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41468.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThales Angénieux will provide the French military with 1,500 night-vision goggles for its helicopters, the company announced on 13 November. Deliveries of the HELIE (Helicopter Light Intensifier Equipment) will begin in 2011 and continue for the following five years. The goggles have been ordered for the helicopter pilots of the army air corps, the air force, the navy, the Gendarmerie, Civil Security and Customs, Thales said in a statement. - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41452.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWAt least one of the US Navy (USN) MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) currently undertaking anti-piracy patrols from the Seychelles has been equipped with a previously unseen equipment fit a 4 November 2009 US Africa Command (AFRICOM) photograph has revealed. The photographed UAV is also equipped with the AN/DAS-1 Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS) - B electro-optical target detection, ranging and tracking turret and may have provision for an AN/APY-8 Lynx Block 20 ground moving ... - 2009/11/17 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiwk/history/jiwk2009/jiwk20740.htm@current&Prod_Name=JIWKCrime figures released on 28 October in Canada have highlighted the problem of gang-related crime in Vancouver in the run-up to the Winter Olympics, to be held in the city in February 2010. Van Loan has called Vancouver "the gang crime capital of Canada". Despite gang-related crime in Vancouver being less of a direct security threat to the Winter Olympics than a terrorist incident or an organised protest, it nevertheless poses a problem for Canadian security services. - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiwk/history/jiwk2009/jiwk20761.htm@current&Prod_Name=JIWKAfter calling for his country to "prepare for war" with Colombia, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez on 13 November claimed that Colombia and the US had a "diabolical" plan to invade Venezuela. In mid-October, 11 Colombians were kidnapped and killed in the Venezuelan border state of Táchira; in late October, Caracas claimed it had arrested four Colombian spies; on 2 November, two Venezuelan national guards were killed by gunmen near the border; and on 13 November, Colombian authorities detained... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiwk/history/jiwk2009/jiwk20752.htm@current&Prod_Name=JIWKThat 'closure' was achieved with the recognition of Rwasa's National Liberation Forces (Forces Nationales de Libération: FNL) as a political party, his renunciation of armed struggle at a demobilisation ceremony, and the promised sweetener of 33 (mainly minor) positions in government for the group. In fact, such splits are the hallmark of Burundi's political culture, and all the country's main political parties - the FDD, Frodebu and also the Union for National Progress (Union pour le Progrès... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiwk/history/jiwk2009/jiwk20768.htm@current&Prod_Name=JIWKThe two coalition partners, the Democratic League of Kosovo (Lidhja Demokratike e Kosovës: LDK) of President Fatmir Sejdiu and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (Partia Demokratike e Kosovës: PDK) of Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, a former Kosovo Liberation Army commander, have been locked in municipal tussles across the country. Veteran Serb leaders from Kosovo enclaves were dismissed last week from the Serb National Council, an official forum for Kosovo Serbs, in a clear sign of further ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jiwk/history/jiwk2009/jiwk20767.htm@current&Prod_Name=JIWKThe statement that Georgia's military capabilities have improved over the past 12 months is hardly surprising considering that a year ago the military was still reeling from the rapid defeat it suffered against Russian forces. Earlier in November the Russian media, citing sources from the Russian intelligence services and military, reported that Georgia was to receive USD100 million worth of weaponry from United States intermediary companies, with Washington's consent. This was apparently to ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41454.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWA Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) Panavia Tornado IDS strike aircraft crashed on 15 November, according to local media reports. The RSAF has been involved in a comprehensive upgrade of its ground attack Tornado fleet known as the Tornado Sustainment Programme (TSP). RSAF Tornado TSP aircraft have been seen operating from BAE Systems' Warton site in the UK carrying test versions of the Storm Shadow long-range cruise missile and Brimstone anti-armour weapon, as well as the Air-Launched ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41449.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe first of an expected six Royal Air Force (RAF) AgustaWestland AW101 Merlin HC.3/3A transport helicopters has arrived in Afghanistan to boost the UK's battlefield-lift helicopter capability, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 16 November. The helicopter from 78 Squadron, based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, was airlifted from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, to Camp Bastion - the main base for British forces deployed to Helmand province - aboard a 99 Squadron Boeing C-17 Globemaster ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/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/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41455.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWA Vietnam People's Army Air Force (Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam) MiG-21UM 'Mongol-B' two-seat combat trainer aircraft crashed on 12 November with the loss of both crew, according to local media reports. Regional news reports quoted a Vietnamese military officer as saying that the Soviet-era aircraft exploded in mid-air about 200 km northwest of the capital, Hanoi. The MiG-21UM is the lead-in fighter trainer for the single-seat MiG-21bis 'Fishbed-L/N', of which Vietnam operates approximately ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00http://www8.janes.com/JDIC/JMSA/documentView.do?docId=/content1/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2009/jdw41445.htm@current&Prod_Name=JDWThe US Navy (USN) has taken delivery of the first of five Eurocopter H-72A training helicopters, EADS North America announced on 12 November. The navy's H-72A fleet will be based at the US Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland, where it is to be used to train test pilots from the US military and allied countries. In addition to the current production of H-72As and UH-72As, EADS North America is offering an Armed Scout 645 variant for the US Army's armed aerial ... - 2009/11/16 00:00:00