India To Test Fire Barak Missile This Year

The first test flight of the Indo-Israeli long-range, surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM), also called Barak-2, will be undertaken this year, says a senior official at India’s defense research agency.

The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the prime developer of the project, says the missile, at an estimated cost of 26.06 billion rupees ($581 million), has reached its final stage. “We expect to carry out the test flight soon,” the official adds. The test flight of Barak-2 will be one of 11 missile tests scheduled by DRDO this year. It had been expected last year. According to the DRDO official, more than 70% of the content in the missile will be indigenous.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the key partner of the program, says the missile is designed to be used as a point-defense system on warships, defending against aircraft, anti-ship missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. The missile can hit targets at a range of 70-100 km (37-62 mi.).

IAF refuses last minute offers from MMRCA contenders

Indian Air Force as quoted by PTI says that it will not accept last minute offers from Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contenders. IAF says that it has evaluated the bids as per the initial offers and last minute proposals like upgrade with more powerfull engines etc is unacceptable.

There are 6 contenders for the10 billion dollar plus MMRCA tender. Lockheed Martin with F-16 IN, Boeing with F/A-18 E/F, Dassault Aviation with Rafale, Saab with Gripen, Rosoboronexport with MiG 35 and EADS with Eurofighter Typhoon are vying the 126 plane contract.

The IAF chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik had said that the price negotiations are to begin by the end of this month. A price negotiation committe is being set up for the same.

Israel, Russia Sign Space Cooperation Agreement

Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and the Israel Space Agency on Sunday signed an agreement to increase cooperation in space exploration.

"The agreement, which was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, enhances cooperation between the Israeli and Russian space agencies in the fields of space research, observation, navigation, medicine and biology in space, research in advanced materials and launchings," said a press release from the Israeli prime minister's office.

The Head of Roscosmos, Anatoly Perminov, said that bilateral cooperation in space is at the initial stage, and required efforts to establish contacts between Russian and Israeli organizations in the space-missile industry.

RAF Fires Brimstone Missiles on Libyan Armor

It has been announced that RAF Tornado aircraft have destroyed three armoured vehicles in Misrata, and three further vehicles in Ajdabiya, following a missile strike.

The Chief of Defence Staff's Strategic Communication Officer Major General John Lorimer said:

"British Tornado GR4 Aircraft, on a mission over Libya yesterday afternoon in support of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 took part in a co-ordinated missile strike against units of Colonel Gaddafi's Libyan Military.

Active Protection System (APS) that will be installed on K-2 tank

Agency for Defense Development (ADD) recently unveiled a plan to develop Active Protection System (APS) that will be installed on K-2 tank to protect the tank from enemy's anti-tank rockets and missiles.

The agency made public the image of the APS launcher along with 70-millimeter guided rocket during a defense science and technology exhibition, which was organized by the United States Pacific Command, in Hawaii on Mar. 15,

According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and ADD, the new system has been developing since 2006 with a budget of 40 billion won ($36 million) and it is scheduled to be complete within this year.

Refurbished US Frigate Transferred to Pakistan

The Pakistani warship, the PNS Alamgir, officially departed from Naval Station Mayport after several months of refurbishment and the training of its personnel on 21 March. It is scheduled to arrive at its home port in Karachi, Pakistan 53 days from now.

The PNS Alamgir started its life as the USS McInerney (FFG-8), an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate. Pakistan acquired it from the U.S. under the Department of Defense Excess Defense Articles program because the U.S. Navy planned to decommission it after 31 years of service. Pakistan signed the transfer deal on 21 April 2010 and it was formally transferred during a ceremony at Naval Station Mayport on 31 August 2010.

The frigate underwent dry docking and pier-side refurbishment at BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards from September 2010 to March 2011 using $58.7 million of Foreign Military Financing funds.

Marines Use Relay Balloons in Libya Strikes

As 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit AV-8B Harriers conducted air strikes on Libya as part of Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn, the new Lofted Communications System was operationally deployed for the first time aboard ship, March 20.

The helium-balloon transmission system was used to bridge the gap in communications from ship to Harriers conducting air strikes against the Libyan Leader Muammar al-Qadhafi's ground forces and air defenses, as part of an international effort to halt an offensive against the Libyan populace.

Normally, Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft would be used to relay and ensure command and control from the ship. The system, which was first tested in Kuwait in January 2009 during the MEU’s sustainment training for its 2008/2009 deployment, costs a fraction of the expense to put additional aircraft in the air and doesn’t risk additional lives.

US Navy Christens Latest LPD Ship

The Navy christened its newest amphibious transport dock ship, USS Arlington (LPD 24), during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., March 26.

The ship is named for the city of Arlington, Va., honoring the 184 victims in the air and on the ground, who lost their lives when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon Sept. 11, 2001.

"Sailors of the Arlington, you are the spirit that will carry this ship forward," said Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert. "This is the ship we'll need for the future. She's exactly what we called for when we looked out on our cooperative strategy for the 21st century."

Ground operation in Libya could start in April - Russian intelligence

The international coalition force is planning a ground operation in Libya that could start in late April, a high-ranking Russian intelligence service source said on Friday.

"Information coming via different channels shows that NATO countries, with the active participation of Britain and the United States, are developing a plan for a ground operation on Libyan territory," he said.

"From all indications, a ground operation will be launched if the alliance fails to force the Gaddafi regime to capitulate with air strikes and missile attacks."

Russia ready to equip 1st Borey class sub with Bulava missiles

A missile production plant in southern Siberia has produced enough Bulava ballistic missiles to complete its tests and arm the first Borey class strategic submarine, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Monday.

"A batch of missiles sufficient to finish the tests and equip one submarine has been produced already. Larger production would cause the missiles to stock up," Ivanov said after a meeting of defense industry officials in the southern Siberian republic of Udmurtia.

Russia to double production of ballistic missile systems - Putin

The production of ballistic missile systems in Russia will double starting in 2013, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

"The Armed Forces will receive new strategic and tactical missile systems, such as RS-24 Yars, Bulava and Iskander M," Putin said at a meeting with defense industry officials in the southern Siberian republic of Udmurtia. "Starting from 2013, the production of [ballistic] missile systems must be doubled."

Putin said Russia will invest 77 billion rubles ($2.6 bln) in the production of ballistic missiles in line with a state program on the modernization of the defense industry until 2020.

Qatar Seizes Two Iranian Boats With Arms

Qatar, which has sea borders with Bahrain and Iran, has seized two Iranian boats in the Gulf carrying weapons, a Kuwaiti electronic newspaper reported on March 27.

The boats were intercepted off Al-Zubara coast, northeast of Qatar and close to the country's territorial waters with Bahrain, Al-Aan said, citing sources it did not identify.

The sources provided no details on the crew, the date of the operation or the destination of the boats. There was also no confirmation of the report from authorities in the Qatari, Bahraini or Iranian capitals.

Sunni-ruled Bahrain, where Shiite-led protests broke out on Feb. 14, accuses Shiite-led Iran of meddling in its affairs and elements of the Bahraini opposition of links with foreign powers.

Al-Qaida Snatched Missiles in Libya: Chad President

al-Qaeda's offshoot in North Africa has snatched surface-to-air missiles from an arsenal in Libya during the civil strife there, Chad's president said in an interview to be published March 28.

Idriss Deby Itno did not say how many were stolen, but told the African weekly Jeune Afrique that he was "100 percent sure" of his assertion.

"The Islamists of al-Qaida took advantage of the pillaging of arsenals in the rebel zone to acquire arms, including surface-to-air missiles, which were then smuggled into their sanctuaries in Tenere," a desert region of the Sahara that stretches from northeast Niger to western Chad, Deby said in the interview.

Qatar Becomes First Arab State to Overfly Libya

Qatari warplanes have flown over Libya, becoming the first Arab state to take part in military operations to enforce a no-fly zone under a U.N. resolution, its air force announced March 25.

The air force said an undisclosed number of planes had "overflown sister Libya as part of the international coalition" to enforce the no-fly zone imposed on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces "to protect civilians."

It did not specify a date for the start of Qatari operations nor a location for the first flights, in a brief statement carried by state news agency QNA.

U.S., NATO Consider Arming Libyan Opposition

The United States and its allies are considering supplying weapons to the Libyan opposition, The Washington Post reported March 26.

President Barack Obama's administration believe the U.N. resolution that authorized international intervention in Libya has the "flexibility" to allow such assistance, it reported, citing unnamed U.S. and European officials.

According to The Post, Gene Cretz, the recently withdrawn U.S. ambassador to Libya, said administration officials were having "the full gamut" of discussions on "potential assistance we might offer, both on the non-lethal and the lethal side."

Russia's Top General Says Libyan Air Strikes 'Failed

Russia's top general called air strikes in Libya unsuccessful on March 26 and gave his opinion that a ground operation would likely be needed to topple the Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

"Air (strikes) as I see it have not given them results," the chief of staff of Russia's armed forces, Gen. Nikolai Makarov told the Interfax news agency in Moscow.

"If their aim was to topple the regime of Gadhafi, then probably they will not manage without a ground phase," he was quoted as saying. "I would not rule it out."

BDL inks Rs 14,000-cr deal with Army for Akash missiles

In one of the biggest Defence production contracts, Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) has signed a Rs 14,000-crore contract with the Indian Army for the production of Akash, the surface-to-air (SAM) missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The public sector undertaking, BDL, recently received an order for the Air Force version of Akash for over Rs 1,000 crore, the Chairman and Managing Director, Major Gen Ravi Ketarpal, said in a release from the company.

The Akash missile has a range of 25 km with a low reaction time of 15 seconds. It can shoot down aircraft, helicopters and UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) travelling at speeds of up to 700 m/sec. The weapon system is capable of engaging targets in all weather conditions.

DRDO looks beyond HAL for Tejas production

Over the last two decades, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and the DRDO’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) have cooperated closely in developing the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to replace the ageing MiG-21s of the Indian Air Force. Now, with 40 fighters on order for the IAF’s first two Tejas squadrons, ADA is pushing HAL to outsource more of the Tejas’ production, including to the private sector, to boost production to the levels needed by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

A high-level HAL team is touring the production facilities of the world’s three biggest fighter manufacturers — Boeing and Lockheed Martin in the US; and Eurofighter in Europe — to examine how Tejas’ production can be raised from the eight fighters per year that HAL’s Tejas production line in Bangalore will start building next year. The IAF will eventually need 120-140 Tejas, while the Navy will require another 20-40 fighters.

The DRDO aeronautics chief, Prahlada, who also oversees ADA, told Business Standard, “We have asked HAL to find a way to step up Tejas production. They should look for alternatives, like more outsourcing, or setting up joint ventures [to build sub-systems of the Tejas]. This will also help HAL to grow. But each agency knows its own problems best… only they know where the shoe pinches! So, HAL knows best how to fix their problem.”

India's CAG hits out at delays in indigenous warship projects

India's indigenous warship-construction can give the Tejas light combat aircraft and the Arjun main-battle tank a run for their money in terms of colossal delays and cost overruns, which ultimately impacts the operational readiness of armed forces.

It's a no-brainer that India needs a robust defence-industrial base (DIB) with private sector participation, instead of being strategically-vulnerable as it is due to an overwhelming dependence on imported weapon systems, if it ever wants to fulfill its aspirations of becoming a superpower. But the way crucial defence projects are run in the country needs a complete overhaul, with concrete long-term planning to systematically build military capabilities indigenously.

Tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the latest CAG report is a stinging indictment of the way the defence ministry, Navy and defence shipyards plan and execute construction of destroyers, frigates and corvettes.

Slovenia Cancels Controversial Armored Vehicle Deal with Patria

The Slovenian government has decided to cancel the nation’s controversial armoured vehicle order from the Finnish defence contractor Patria.

The cabinet's decision on Thursday was unanimous.

The majority-state-owned Patria said late Thursday that it had not been informed of any change to the deal.

In 2006, Slovenia agreed to buy 135 armoured vehicles from Patria. The contract was worth nearly 280 million euros.

Patria executives are suspected of bribing Slovenian leaders to secure the deal.