Northrop ICBM Team in Test Launch of Minuteman III

The Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Prime Team, led by Northrop Grumman Corporation participated in an Air Force Global Strike Command flight test of an operational Minuteman III ICBM launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on June 22, 2011.

Designated Glory Trip 204GM, the launch proceeded as planned with the missile traveling some 4,800 miles in about 30 minutes. The Minuteman III carried a single re-entry vehicle that was specially instrumented to measure various performance parameters.

The re-entry vehicle landed on target in a pre-designated area within the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site near Kwajalein Atoll in the western chain of the Marshall Islands. The launch was supported by personnel from the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., which removed the missile from the alert force.

Russia set to take part in new Indian submarine tender

Russia will participate in a new tender on the delivery of six diesel-electric submarines for the Indian Navy, the state-run exporter Rosoboronexport said.

Russia dropped out of the first Indian submarine tender in 2009.

"There is a new tender, with the new requirements, and together with [Russia's] Rubin design bureau we are making a proposal to India for Amur 650 class submarines," Azizov told reporters at IMDS-2011 naval show in St. Petersburg on Friday.

India commences work on 2nd N-submarine

Construction of India’s second nuclear submarine has begun at a classified facility in Visakhapatnam, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

This project was launched just 24 months after India’s first nuclear submarine INS Arihant was commissioned.

The second programme took far lesser time than Arihant to reach the shipyard from the drawing board. This time we had a clear plan and we had learned a lot from our mistakes,” top sources told the daily.

Auto cos, L&T vie for Army’s $10-bn combat vehicle order

Ashok Leyland (ALL), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Bharat Forge, Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) are among those who have bid for a $10-billion (R44,000 core) defence ministry contract to supply combat vehicles for the Indian Army. The size of the tender is comparable to the one for combat aircraft being finalised by the ministry.

The ministry will shortlist two vendors for Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) by July end, based on technical and commercial criteria under the ‘buy & make’ category. Under this category, only Indian companies with technical and financial capabilities are asked to submit bids.

Infantry combat vehicles are armoured vehicles carrying soldiers and supporting main battle tanks with firepower in war. Their armour is lighter than main tanks’ but heavier than armoured personnel carriers’.

Russia charges Chinese man with contraband of military equipment

Customs authorities in Russia's Far East have launched a criminal case against a Chinese citizen who attempted to smuggle spare parts for Russian MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters last year, a customs' spokesperson said on Friday.

The man, whose identity has not been revealed, was caught at one of the border checkpoints in Transbaikal region in July last year. Customs officials found six stepping motors, two piston pumps, 54 connectors, an elapsed-time meter and other parts in the trunk of his car.

"It took experts from the Defense Ministry almost a year to prove that the confiscated equipment is part of assembly kits for MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets," Yulia Philipova said.
"A criminal case has been opened," she said.

Egypt to Build 125 Additional M-1A1 Tanks in $1.3 Bn Deal

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress Friday of a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Egypt for 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits for co-production and associated weapons, equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $1.329 billion.

The Government of Egypt has requested a possible sale that includes 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits for co-production, 125 M256 Armament Systems, 125 M2 .50 caliber machine guns, 250 M240 7.62mm machine guns, 125 AGT-1500 M1A1 series tank engines and transmissions, 120mm test cartridges, spare and repair parts, maintenance, support equipment, special tool and test equipment, personnel training and equipment, publications and technical documentation, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. Articles may be provided in furtherance of a co-production agreement.

The estimated cost is $1.329 billion.

Blohm + Voss Launch Production of the First Class 125 Frigate

With an official ceremony in Hamburg on 9 May 2011 Bloom + Voss initiated the production of the first Class 125 Frigate. Among the numerous guests were the Chief of Staff Navy, Vice Admiral Schimpf, members of the Naval Staff, representatives from politics, defense and industry, as well as representatives from the Naval Office, the Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) and its agencies.

The German Navy procures four Class 125 Frigates, a completely new and innovative type of vessel that will usher in a new era of ship operation. In comparison to the preceding classes the new vessels require significantly less personnel for operation. They are designed for intensive use and long endurance periods at sea of up to 2 years without scheduled yard periods.

The F125 is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and effectors that support stabilization tasks and, at the same time, provide the capabilities to detect, identify and counter asymmetric threats. The equipment includes a TRS-3D/NR multi-functional radar by EADS/CASSIDIAN, as well as a powerful electrooptical component to ensure the continuous surveillance, detection and tracking of targets at short and very short range.

Iran Fires Anti-Ship Missiles Near Key Gulf Strait

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on July 6 launched several anti-ship missiles near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the country's Arabic-language television channel Al-Alam reported.

The Guards fired two Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf) anti-ship missiles, which Iran says are capable of Mach 3 speed and can hit targets at a distance of 186 miles.

According to Al-Alam, the missiles, which carry a 1,433-pound (650-kilogram) warhead, have been entirely designed and built by the Revolutionary Guards, who are in charge of Iran's missile program and ballistic arsenal.

Storm Over German Sale of 200 Battle Tanks to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is buying hundreds of tanks from Germany, a Saudi security source has said, in a multi-billion-euro deal that German opposition lawmakers have criticized as going against export guidelines.

A security source in Saudi Arabia said Monday that the oil-rich Gulf state would be buying 200 state-of-the-art Leopard tanks from Germany in a deal that has caused a political row in Germany.

"So far, Saudi has bought 44 tanks from Germany and in total wants to buy 200 tanks from Germany," a security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency.
The source declined to give a value for the purchase, saying it was a multi-billion euro deal involving the German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall.

Indian Army's Future Main Battle Tank (FMBT) project likely to be delayed

Army's futuristic tank programme is likely to be delayed, with the military still procrastinating over its requirements, more than six months after it was scheduled to hand it over to the country's defence research establishment. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is yet to receive a critical document listing the Army's technological and combat wish list for its Future Main Battle Tank (FMBT).

The DRDO was keen on finalising the design for the ambitious project by 2013. No indications have been provided by the Army as to when it will hand over the Preliminary Specifications Qualitative Requirements (PSQR), which is seen as a sanction to kick-start development activities on the FMBT. "The draft PSQR finalised by a former DGM is now being refined by the newly-appointed DGM. Nothing has been finalised yet, and we have not even started any discussions on it," said P Sivakumar , director of Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment.

The document, which is expected to provide a clear technological roadmap of the country's much-vaunted next generation battle tank by broadly listing its main features, is the precursor to the General Staff Qualitative Requirement (GSQR) document, which in turn, details its exact features. Due to the delay, drafting the GSQR document would go beyond the year 2012-13.

India set to drop anchor off China

India has taken the first tentative steps towards establishing a “sustainable maritime presence” in the South China Sea, not far from the Chinese mainland.

With Indo-Vietnamese naval cooperation set to strengthen in the days to come, Vietnam has allowed Indian naval warships to drop anchor at its Nha Trang port in southern Vietnam during naval goodwill visits, well-placed government sources have confirmed.

Sources said the Indian Navy was perhaps the only foreign Navy in recent times to have been given this privilege by the Vietna-mese at a port other than Halong Bay, near Hanoi.

SELEX Galileo to Supply Further Grifo Radars to Brazillian Air Force

SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica Company, and Israel’s Aeroeletronica International Ltd, an ELBIT Systems Ltd company, have signed a contract for the supply of 11 further Grifo F/BR radars to upgrade Brazilian F-5 planes.

The Grifo has been in service with the Força Aérea Brasiliera during the last 10 years, delivering unrivalled situational awareness and strike capability to its pilots.

The signing of the contract further strengthens the excellent reputation of the Grifo radar which, in all variants, has achieved sales in excess of 450 units, satisfying the most demanding end users such as the Air Forces of Singapore, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Pakistan and South Korea.

Third Skjold-class FPB Delivered to Norway

On the 30th of June 2011, DCNS delivered the third-of-class fast patrol boat, P963-Steil, to the Royal Norwegian Navy. The six-boat Skjold programme is led by a consortium comprising DCNS and two Norwegian contractors with DCNS acting as the combat system design authority and co-supplier.

The Norwegian authorities entrusted the Skjold programme to a consortium of three contractors with DCNS as the combat system design authority and co-supplier. DCNS is working with Norwegian contractors Umoe Mandal and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Skjold FPBs are designed specifically for maritime security & safety missions in Norway’s littoral waters. The combat system is tailored to demanding environments and reduced crewing. The state-of-the-art communications and sensor suites are fully compatible with active participation in international and NATO-led operations. With a length of around 50 metres, Skjold-class FPBs are heavily armed for their size. The combat system features eight anti-ship missiles and a 76 mm gun that can engage several targets at once at ranges exceeding 12 kilometres.

Construction Begins on First Mobile Landing Platform

The Navy announced the start of construction of the first Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) ship at the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) shipyard in San Diego, Calif., June 30.

Following the successful production readiness review — an evaluation of the ship's design maturity, availability of materials, and the shipbuilder's ability to successfully start construction — the Secretary of the Navy certified the design and informed Congress that the design of MLP was more than 85 percent complete and ready to proceed with fabrication.

MLP 1 will be the first-of-class ship, delivering a flexible platform to support the Maritime Prepositioning Ship squadrons. The Navy's Strategic and Theater Sealift program in the Program Executive Office (PEO), Ships is procuring the vessels for the Navy.

NSM Demonstrates Precision Land Strike

Kongsberg has conducted the first ever live-fire with the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) against a land target. This demonstration is a milestone in Kongsberg’s missile business extending the portfolio of operational capabilities from the sea-target domain to include precision strike against land targets.

The missile was launched from a land-based mobile vehicle platform which is part of the Polish Navy Coastal Squadron. The missile performed a tactical flight in excess of 150 km, before precisely hitting the specified land target.

“This firing documents the versatility of and positions NSM as the first choice for long range precision strike against heavily defended targets,” says Harald Ånnestad, President of Kongsberg Defence Systems.

Reduction in UK Nuclear Warheads Begins

The programme for implementing the reductions in the number of UK nuclear warheads, as announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), has commenced, Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox announced today.

As part of his statement on the SDSR on 19 October 2010 Prime Minister David Cameron said that the Government had reviewed the UK's deterrence requirements and concluded that the requirement could be met for an effective and credible deterrent with a smaller nuclear weapons capability.

Mr Cameron said that over the next few years the current deployed capability would be reduced in scale and this reduction would be incorporated into plans for the successor submarine.

Active Defence System Tested on Fuchs Vehicle

The German Bundeswehr is currently testing the newly developed standoff Active Defence System (ADS), which has already undergone successful road tests at the WTD 41 test center in Trier. In order to thoroughly analyse how the system functions as well as its operational effectiveness, the ADS has been installed into a Fuchs/Fox armoured transport vehicle for testing purposes. The Active Defence System is designed to provide practically any standard military vehicle – not just Bundeswehr systems – with significantly improved protection from operational threats.

The ADS belongs to a new generation of active standoff protection technologies. It is the world's most advanced and effective system for protecting military vehicles in practically all weight classes from modern operational threats, especially rocket propelled grenades, guided missiles and certain improvised explosive devices.

Adhering to the hard-kill principle, ADS is the world's only system that is capable of preventing attacks launched in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle, i.e. in a radius of approximately 10-15 metres. Sensors detect an incoming threat such as a shaped charge warhead or antitank guided missile very close to the vehicle. Within microseconds, the system springs into action, instantly destroying the incoming threat just before it hits its intended target. The downward direction of the ADS makes it the only high-performance, close-range protective system that minimizes collateral damage in the area around the vehicle.

Indian cold start nuked by Pakistan?

IN THE beginning of May, Just about the time when Indian Army’s major war game in Thar Desert, testing and refining its new concept of war against Pakistan ‘The Cold Start’, watched by top Indian political dignitaries was concluding, Pakistan announced that it has developed a short range tactical nuclear missile NASER basically to deal with this Indian Cold Start Concept.

Pakistan has developed two short range (60km) nuclear capable missiles Hataf-9 and NASER. They are easy to transport and are capable of launching small yield plutonium tipped nuclear warheads. These missiles are basically called tactical nuclear missiles. They are meant to be used in close ranges in actual battlefield against attacking enemy armoured columns and ground troops. Actually these have been supplied to Pakistan by China. In other words, China is also accepting the fact that it is part of this game of tactical nuclearisation of battle field.

Cold Start concept has been developed after the lessons learned during the mobilization of Indian Army in 2001 against Pakistan, following the Pakistan sponsored Jehadi attack on Indian Parliament. Indian Army took three weeks to fully get mobilized. When it was finally ready to get into Pakistan from its launching pads, the Indian political hierarchy chickened out.

Syrian troops close in on Lebanon border

Syrian troops pushed towards the Lebanese border as they pressed a deadly crackdown in central towns ahead of Monday's opposition meeting in Damascus on the country's unrest, activists said.

The latest violence in Kseir, near the flashpoint city of Homs, forced "hundreds" of people to flee over the border into Lebanon, the activists said.

The exodus came as Turkey, where about 12,000 Syrians have already taken refuge in recent weeks, scrambled to erect a border tent city to accommodate a possible new influx of refugees.

Iran unveils new underground missile silo

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Monday unveiled an "underground missile silo" which the elite force said will allow them to launch the country's long-range ballistic missiles, state television reported.

The broadcaster showed footage of a facility at an unknown location, with an "underground missile silo" holding a projectile described as a Shahab-3.

The unveiling came as the Guards on Monday began a military exercise, codenamed Great Prophet-6, which was to include the launching of different range ballistic missiles.