Elbit Systems to Supply Israel with Cardom Systems

Elbit Systems has announced that it was awarded a contract by the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) in the amount of approximately $40 million to supply Cardom systems to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Manufactured by Elbit Systems' subsidiary Soltam Systems Ltd., Cardom systems were initially supplied to the IDF in 2007 and are considered among the most advanced of their kind in the world. The systems are to be supplied over a period of four years.

The Cardom systems integrate a 120mm mortar with innovative fire control, navigation, automatic aiming and propulsion systems.

The Cardom mortars are operational by various IDF infantry units, as well as various armies around the world, including the U.S. Army.

German Navy Receives New Anti-Ship Missile

The official roll-out of the RBS15 Mk3 heavy anti-ship missile for the German Navy took place at a ceremony of the Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement. High-ranking representatives of the Federal Ministry of Defence, the Federal Office of Technology and Procurement, the German Navy as well as the industrial partners Diehl Defence and Saab Dynamics participated in the event at the naval base Kiel on September 22, 2011.

Diehl delivers the RBS15 Mk3 anti-ship missile as the main weapon system of the German Navy´s new K130 corvette. A special feature of this German-Swedish Missile is its additional capability enabling precise engagement of land targets. The launch customers include the German Navy as well as Poland which is equipping its ORKAN class speedboats with RBS15 Mk3 missiles. The delivery of the first missiles began in March 2011.

The long-range, all-weather capable “Fire-and-Forget” missile tracks its target directly above the water surface over distances of more than 200 km. By means of programmed way points, the missile´s trajectory and flight altitude can be altered several times. RBS15 Mk3 is extremely resistant to countermeasures, providing high penetration capability against air defences with guided and tube weapons. The RBS15 Mk3 version is an upgrade of Saab’s RBS15 Mk2 proven in the Swedish Navy and additional naval forces.

Singapore Introduces HIMARS Rocket Launcher

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen officiated at a ceremony to mark the commissioning of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and operationalisation of the first HIMARS Battery at Khatib Camp this afternoon. During the ceremony, Dr Ng witnessed a demonstration of the deployment and operation of the HIMARS as part of a networked force that included other land platforms.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Dr Ng highlighted the significance of the event to the Artillery and the transformation journey of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He said, "The successful induction of the HIMARS reflects well on the ability of the SAF to respond decisively to new challenges and changing circumstances in the operational environment."

Commending the gunners of 23 SA for their competency and professionalism, Dr Ng noted that while advancements in technology has enhanced the SAF's capabilities and reduced the reliance on manpower, heavier responsibility now rests on the servicemen.

Denmark Takes Over Baltic Air Police Mission

Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė and representatives of Denmark, France, Estonia, Latvia, as well as Lithuania, will attend an Air Contingent rotation ceremony at the Lithuanian Air force Air Base located in Šiauliai.

Danish Air Contingent is to replace the outgoing rotation of the Baltic Air-policing mission – French Air Force Contingent which guarded Baltic airspace since April.

On 31 August, four Danish Air Force fighters F-16 and 70 troops deployed on the Baltic Air-policing mission in the Lithuanian Air Force Air Base from their permanent place of deployment in Skrydstrup, Denmark.

Patria at the International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO in Poland

Patria takes part in the international defence industry exhibition MSPO held in Targi Kielce Exhibition and Congress Centre in Kielce, Poland on 5 - 8 September 2011. In the exhibition Patria highlights one of its key products, the Patria AMV (Armoured Modular Vehicle). In the exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to see Rosomak (Polish for Wolverine), which is a locally produced Polish version of the Patria AMV. Patria’s Polish partner, Wojskowe Zaklady Mechaniczne, is a local expert in the production of the Rosomaks.

Patria’s display includes a KTO Rosomak with Oto Melara 30mm Hitfist turret intergrated with Spike launchers. Another KTO Rosomak with CT-CV 105mm turret is also showcased. In addition the display includes a KTO Rosomak Driving simulator.

Patria’s display is located in the exhibition booth ZF-6, together with WZM.

Korea to Fit Mistal SAMs to All Patrol Boats

The South Korean Navy is planning to load man-portable Surface to Air Missiles (SAM), so-called Mistral, to all patrol boats in operation in due order to use them in antiaircraft and antiship defense purpose.

“The Navy will load Mistrals onto patrol boats that are deployed in the Yellow Sea [near the Northern Limit Line] starting the end of this month,” said an official under the Naval Operations Command. “Eventually, all patrol boats will be equipped with such weapon and we expect strong defense capabilities in the waters [near the inter-Korean maritime border] and firepower of warships.”

The official also said that it is the first time for South Korean Navy to install portable SAMs. The Navy and the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) jointly conducted performance test and evaluation on the Mistrals for six months since January this year. At the end, the mistrals received “suitability” judgment in the assessment.

South Korea Unveils First Surveillance Aircraft

As a hope of making another great leap in improving South Korea’s military might, South Korea’s first surveillance airplane, known as Airborne Early Warning and Control plane, arrived at an Air Force base on Aug. 1.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in Seoul said that a Boeing E-737 early-warning and control aircraft landed at the Air Force base in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, after completing tests by South Korean Air Force at Boeing’s factory in Seattle.

“It will go through test flights and acceptance tests before it’s handed over to our Air Force in early September,” the DAPA said.

AeroVironment Introduces Shrike VTOL Drone

AeroVironment, Inc. introduced its lightweight and man-portable Shrike VTOL unmanned aircraft system.

In August 2008 AeroVironment announced the receipt of a contract from DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to develop a portable, stealthy, persistent perch and stare (SP2S) unmanned aircraft system. Shrike VTOL represents the conclusion of this development effort.

“With more than four years of customer funding behind it, our new Shrike VTOL unmanned aircraft system is designed to address the need for a small, light-weight hovering aircraft that delivers unique surveillance and intelligence capability not provided by current solutions. Not only does Shrike VTOL hover for more than 40 minutes with a high resolution video camera, but its innovative design also allows for the transmission of several hours of live video as a remotely emplaced perch and stare sensor,” said Tom Herring, senior vice president and general manager of AeroVironment’s UAS business segment. “This new solution adds an important set of new capabilities to our existing and battle-proven family of small unmanned aircraft systems that are saving lives in theater today.”

Brazil Launches $680M Rocket Launcher Program

The Federal Government gave a clear signal yesterday that it intends to pursue the consolidation of a defense industrial base in the country. A decree signed by President of the Republic Dilma Rousseff released additional credit of R $ 45 million to launch the Astros Project 2020, aimed to equip the Brazilian Army.

The project, which has total value of 1.09 billion reals, provides for the acquisition of the most advanced surface-to-surface missile launch system developed in-country. The Astros 2020 is an evolved version of the Astros II, the best-selling product manufactured by Avibras Aerospace. Exported to many countries, the Astros system is considered a market-leader among the small, select and highly competitive group of manufacturers of such systems.

Altogether, the project includes the acquisition of 49 vehicles for the Army, divided into three batteries: 18 launch vehicles, 18 ammunition resupply vehicles, three fire control units, three weather stations, three recovery vehicles and three armored command and control vehicles for each battery and another, final vehicle for integrated command and control.

The main advantage of the new concept is the incorporation of the AV-TM, a high-precision cruise missile with a range of 300 km. Unlike the rockets - which have a ballistic trajectory, defined from the impulse they receive at launch – this missile is guided and its trajectory can be controlled. Another important advance is in the system’s electronics, which is now entirely digital.

Sukhoi T-50 Has Implications for US Air Force

The chief of Russia’s air force announced this week that the PAK FA, Russia’s fifth-generation stealth fighter, will enter service in 2015. This would be close to the time when two U.S. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter variants for the U.S. Air Force (F-35A) and the Navy (F-35C) are expected to attain initial operational capability in 2016. This display means the U.S. must keep its own Joint Strike Fighter program on schedule for production.

The public flight of a PAK FA’s T-50 prototype before the world, at the MAKS–2011 International Aviation and Space Salon, is a demonstration of Russia’s firm commitment to develop this aircraft for its own use and to sell it around the world.

Russian authorities have declared that they intend to acquire 60 PAK FA aircraft by 2020. Russia’s stated objective is to acquire 250 fifth-generation aircraft, but more are possible. India would acquire at least 250 and up to 300 of its PAK FA version, the Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft.

North Korea upgrades jamming devices

North Korea is upgrading jamming devices to disrupt South Korean military communications, Yonhap news agency said, citing a defence ministry report.

The communist state has some 20 types of jamming devices mostly imported from Russia and it has been developing a new device with a range of more than 100 kilometres (60 miles), the South Korean news agency said on Tuesday.

Yonhap cited a defence ministry report to the parliamentary defence committee. The ministry declined to comment, saying the report was confidential.

BAE Systems Conjures Up Invisibility Cloak

BAE Systems has tested an ‘invisibility cloak’ that allows a vehicle to blend into its surroundings. The system, which can work over infra-red and other frequencies, will be displayed in infra-red mode on a BAE Systems CV90 armoured vehicle at the UK Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition later this month.

Known as "Adaptiv", the patented technology is based on sheets of hexagonal 'pixels' that can change temperature very rapidly. On-board cameras pick up the background scenery and display that infra-red image on the vehicle, allowing even a moving tank to match its surroundings. Alternatively, it can mimic another vehicle or display identification tags, reducing the risk of fratricide.

Current work focuses mainly on the infra-red spectrum, as this is most important to the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), which funds part of the work. However, BAE Systems engineers have combined the pixels with other technologies, which provide camouflage in other parts of the electro-magnetic spectrum at the same time to provide all-round stealth, which will be developed further over the next few years.

Swedish AF Takes Gripen to Bulgarian Show

The Swedish Air Force will participate in the event with four Gripen fighters. SwAF pilot Martin Hansson will perform a stunning air display during both Saturday and Sunday. Gripen will also be shown on the static display.

Saab invites all BIAF visitors to their stand to meet the team and to learn more about the Swedish Gripen fighter. Invited guests will also get a chance to test their flying skills in the Gripen simulator.

Gripen is in operational service with the Swedish, Czech Republic, Hungarian, South African and Royal Thai Air Forces. The UK Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS) is also operating Gripen as its advanced fast jet platform for test pilots worldwide.

China ship with 22 labs spied on India

India detected a Chinese spy ship disguised as a fishing trawler in the Indian Ocean a few months ago. By the time ship figured in the Indian radars, it had operated already for about 22 days and was positioned off-the cost of Little Anadaman - an area which is considered sensitive and crucial in the ongoing battle for supremacy over the Indian Ocean region between India and China.

Immediately after detection an Indian Navy Ship was sent after it. However, since the Chinese ship was in international waters, no punitive action could be taken against it. The Indian Naval ship, instead, tailed the Chinese ship sending out a clear message that India was aware of its actual mission. In order to avoid the Indian Navy tail, the Chinese Ship moved towards Sri Lanka and docked at the Colombo. Inquiries by the Indian security agencies revealed that ship as many as 22 Laboratories on board.

A report sent up to government, which NDTV has access to, claims that the Chinese ship was mapping the Indian Ocean and picking up crucial Bathymetric data. Other Laboratories on board the ship were designed to collect data on the currents of the Indian Ocean, the temperature at various depths and also very crucially, underwater obstructions and obstacles. Bathymetric data is crucial for submarine and Carrier based operations. Information about ocean currents, on the other hand, is crucial if torpedoes are to be used.