Bangladesh Plans to Buy 24 Russian Jet Trainers

Bangladesh is planning to buy 24 Yak-130 Mitten jet trainers on $1 billion credit from Russia, Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Wednesday.

“Bangladesh has a whole list of arms it wants, but so far that is a state secret. I will reveal one little secret: The purchase of Yak-130 warplanes is a very significant subject of negotiations between Russia and Bangladesh,” Rosoboronexport Deputy Chief Viktor Komardin said at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition (LIMA-2013) that opened in Malaysia on Tuesday.

He added that negotiations on Yak-130s are due to begin later this spring. 

Lockheed Martin's EAPS Completes Successful Miniature Hit-to-Kill Interceptor Flight Test

Lockheed Martin's (LMT) Extended Area Protection and Survivability (EAPS) program successfully conducted the first Guided Test Flight to characterize the seeker, guidance, navigation and control systems of its Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK) interceptor. The very small and agile interceptor is designed to defeat Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (RAM) targets at ranges greatly exceeding those of current systems.

The test was conducted on March 22 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., in collaboration with the U.S. Army Research Development & Engineering Command/Aviation Missile Research Development & Engineering Center (RDECOM/AMRDEC). This test is another milestone in a series of technically challenging events completed under the EAPS Integrated Demonstration Science and Technology program.

The test closely replicated a tactical situation in which an enemy launches a mortar at an area protected by the MHTK intercept system. A radar successfully detected and tracked the threat in flight. The tactically configured MHTK interceptor launched vertically and flew a trajectory positioning it to detect energy from a ground illuminator reflected off the mortar target. Responding to the reflected energy, the MHTK interceptor maneuvered to fly very close to the target and gather data through its seeker as it passed the mortar in flight. Intercepting the target was not an objective of this flight test. 

Russians offered upgrade for Flogger that India rejected

Rosoboronexport offered reduced fuel-burn engine and avionics modifications but India opted for upgrading the fighter on it's own.

Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport is offering India a Mikoyan MiG-27 Flogger fighter-bomber upgrade featuring a structural life extension, new cockpit and integration of precision-guided munitions.

Head of RSK MiG's Mikoyan engineering centre Vladimir Barkovsky said the package includes the replacement of the aircraft's Tumansky R29B "with another engine with reduced fuel burn", but he declines to specify the engine. Changes would include cockpit multifunction displays and an air-to-air refuelling capability. India has more than 130 MiG-27s.

India Tests Sub-Launched Brahmos Missile

India successfully test fired a submarine-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on Wednesday, the BrahMos Aerospace Russian-Indian company said.

The missile was launched vertically from a submerged platform in the Bay of Bengal and flew its complete range of over 290 kilometers, BrahMos chief executive Sivathanu Pillai said.

Ship- and ground-launched versions of BrahMos have been put into service with the Indian army and navy. 

Russia to Get First 3 New Il-476 Cargo Planes in 2014

The first three modernized Ilyushin heavy-lift transport planes will be delivered to the Russian Defense Ministry in 2014, the aircraft’s designer said on Tuesday.

Ilyushin Aviation Complex said the prototype Il-476, also known as Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A, made the first in a series of trial flights on Monday at a testing center near Moscow.

“The flight lasted one hour and 55 minutes at altitudes between 2,000 and 10,000 meters,” the company’s press service said. 

Iran Launches destroyer "Jamaran-2" In Caspian Sea

Iran has launched a domestically built destroyer in the Caspian Sea.

President Mahmud Ahmadinejad inaugurated the guided-missile destroyer "Jamaran-2" in the port city of Anzali, about 250 kilometers northwest of Tehran.

He said the deployment aimed to bolster peace and friendship in the region but also that "the destroyer is there to meet those who want to jeopardize the security of surrounding nations." He did not elaborate. 

Iraq Accuses Ukraine of Selling Inferior Armored Vehicles

A senior Iraqi lawmaker on Thursday accused Ukraine of delivering low-quality armored personnel carriers and breaching the delivery terms of a contract signed in 2009.

“A probe into Ukrainian arms deliveries to Iraq revealed corruption with regard to Part 3 of the contract, concerning the sale of 420 armored personnel carriers, of which only about 100 have been delivered to date despite the fact that the contract was ratified several years ago,” Shiwan Muhammad Taha, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s security and defense commission, said in an interview with RIA Novosti’s Arabic-language newswire.

All the BTR-4 vehicles delivered so far have “very old, rusty bodies,” he said, adding that “the machines are dysfunctional.”

Final Rooivalk Handover Cements Relationship Between Denel and SAAF

Mike Kgobe, the CEO of Denel Aviation says the acceptance of the locally developed combat support helicopter marks the culmination of a 26 year partnership between the SAAF and Denel. “We took this proudly South African aircraft through all its stages – from design to manufacturing, upgrading and retrofitting – to the point where it will soon be deployed.

Denel will continue to be involved with the Rooivalk through on-going maintenance and repair services and providing the continued airworthiness engineering support to ensure the fleet of 11 helicopters remains mission ready.

Mr Kgobe says the Rooivalk project is indicative of the symbiotic relationship between Denel Aviation and the SAAF. “We are always ready to provide technical and ground support to ensure the operational readiness of the Air Force’s fleet.”

This relationship was strengthened last week with an agreement in which Denel Aviation will continue to deliver vital maintenance services to the SAAF, leading to continued airworthiness and the upkeep of air assets.

JHSV 2 completes builder's trials

Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) 2, the future USNS Choctaw County, conducted builder’s sea trials March 7-8, in Mobile, Ala.l

The ship, now under construction at Austal USA, is the second ship of the JHSV class.

Builder’s trials are a significant step in the construction and delivery of a ship to the fleet and are the first opportunity to operate the ship underway and test overall system performance prior to demonstration to the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV).

“JHSV 2 is the second ship in this class to go through rigorous builder’s trials testing,” said Strategic and Theater Sealift Program Manager Capt. Henry Stevens. “At this stage, JHSV 2 is more complete than the lead ship, and we are benefitting from JHSV 1′s lessons learned. This was the first step in preparing the ship for acceptance trials and delivery later this year.”

Nirbhay Cruise Missile Test Fails

India's first indigenously developed long range cruise missile 'Nirbhay' was aborted midway today after it deviated from its intended flight path and fell on land.

The missile, which failed to hit the intended target in the sea, was terminated over the Bay of Bengal after it was airborne for about 25 minutes but crashed on land at some distance from a village near Kendrapara in Odisha.

There was no loss of life or property as TV footage showed wreckage of the missile launched from here.