China-Russia war games 'not linked to India missile'

China-Russia war games 'not linked to India missile'

China has said that upcoming joint war games between China and Russia are not organised in response to India's successful ballistic missile launch and are instead aimed at upholding regional peace.

According to China's defence ministry, the two neighbours will hold joint naval exercises in the Yellow Sea off the coast of the eastern port city of Qingdao from April 22-27.

India on Thursday successfully test fired a new missile capable of delivering a one-tonne nuclear warhead anywhere in rival China, marking a major advance in its defence capabilities.

India views the rocket, which has a range of 5,000 kilometres, as a key boost to its regional power aspirations and one that narrows -- albeit slightly -- the huge gap with China's technologically advanced missile systems.

"This joint military exercise is a long scheduled one between China and Russia in order to uphold regional peace and stability," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters on Thursday.

"This is not linked (to the Indian missile test)," he said.

Beijing and Moscow agreed to hold the joint exercises during a visit to Russia last year by Chen Bingde, chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army.

"The joint exercises will strengthen the naval forces' ability to jointly confront new regional threats and demonstrate their confidence to maintain peace and stability in the region and world," Chen said in a statement on the defence ministry website.

The drills will focus on joint maritime defence and protection of navigation and will involve 16 Chinese ships and two submarines and four vessels from Russia's Pacific Fleet, as well as Russian war planes and naval infantry, the statement said.

With eye on China, India tests new long-range missile

With eye on China, India tests new long-range missile

India on Thursday successfully test fired a new missile capable of delivering a one-tonne nuclear warhead anywhere in rival China, marking a major advance in its defence capabilities.

 

Watched by hundreds of scientists, the Agni V was launched from a test site off the eastern state of Orissa.

India views the rocket, which has a range of 5,000 kilometres, as a key boost to its regional power aspirations and one that narrows — albeit slightly — the huge gap with China’s technologically advanced missile systems.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A K Antony congratulated the nation’s defence scientists on the “successful” launch, with Antony calling the achievement “a major milestone in India’s missile programme”.

The test leaves India knocking at the door of a select club of nations with inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which have a minimum range of 5,500 kilometres.

Currently only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — possess a declared ICBM capability.

“I am announcing the successful launch of Agni V making history and making our country proud in the area of missile technology,” V K Saraswat, head of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which made the missile, said.

He said India was now a “missile power”. DRDO spokesman Ravi Gupta insisted the Agni V was a “non country specific” deterrent, but analysts noted it extends India’s missile reach over the entire Chinese mainland, including military installations in the far northeast.

Agni, which means “fire” in Sanskrit, is the name given to a series of rockets India developed as part of its ambitious integrated guided missile development project launched in 1983.

While the shorter-range Agnis I and II were mainly developed with Pakistan in mind, later versions with a range of 3,500 kilometres — are perceived as China-centric deterrents.

A team of 800 have worked on the indigenously developed Agni V over the last three years, using new materials and technology to build motors capable of increasing the propulsion and speed of the new missile.

“Firstly you have a phenomenal range so every single significant city — Beijing, Shanghai — will come within its range,” retired Air Force officer Kapil Kak from the Centre for Air Power Studies in India.

“Secondly, it has a very, very high speed compared to previous missiles…But the key issue is that this missile can be pushed to 8,000 kilometres.

“The significance there is that India then demonstrates the capability to make an ICBM,” he added.

There was no official reaction in China, but the state-run Global Times newspaper warned India “should not overestimate its strength” in an editorial published on Thursday.

“India should be clear that China’s nuclear power is stronger and more reliable. For the foreseeable future, India would stand no chance in an overall arms race with China,” it added.

The two Asian giants, each with a population of more than one billion, have prickly relations and a legacy of mistrust that stems from a brief but bloody border war in 1962.

In public, their leaders stress that trade is booming and that the world is big enough to accommodate both of them as they develop economically.

China’s military arsenal is far larger and far more technologically advanced than India’s, which is why the Agni V is so important, according to Monika Chansoria, a senior fellow at the Delhi-based Centre for Land Warfare Studies.

Cassidian's global vision

Cassidian's global vision

EADS defence arm Cassidian's financial performance was on track in 2011, notwithstanding a major restructuring effort and the austerity measures being introduced in its European home markets France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

Cassidian reported reduced revenues of €5.8 billion ($7.6 billion) and orders worth €4.1 billion for 2011, representing falls of 2% and 3% respectively against 2010. More notable were the 28% decline in earnings before interest and taxes - down to €331 million - and 8% reduction in orders backlog, to €15.5 billion.

RESTRUCTURING EFFORT

"Numbers are numbers, but sometimes they need interpretation," says chief executive Stefan Zoller. "Last year we turned the company upside down, and what we delivered was ahead of plan."

Restructuring the company is a major undertaking. Savings of €161 million were achieved in 2011 and a further €1 billion is targeted in 2014. Measures adopted last year resulted in associated costs of €38 million, while undisclosed programme changes sapped a further €34 million from earnings.

In its annual results document, EADS also identified its defence unit's contribution as having been "burdened by a significant increase in research and development" spending - a factor Zoller says will be critical to its future business success.

Cassidian allocated €275 million to R&D activities in 2011, marking a €24 million rise over 2010 and a 64% upturn since it spent €168 million in 2007.

Zoller notes that the company's home customers now expect industry to self-fund R&D work. "With the Eurofighter, we will develop the [active electronically scanned array] radar and other elements, and the nations will come in later," he says. But with Europe to remain cash-strapped, he believes such work could increasingly be conducted with international partners.

"We have gone from national to European consolidation, but now the austerity plan means that all of Europe together cannot sustain the technology base, even if we share. So either Europe buys from elsewhere, or we have to share the development of new technologies beyond Europe.

"What we lose in the home markets must be compensated on the global market - it's a new equation," Zoller says. "We have to go where the business is."

Asia and the Middle East represent the strongest current opportunities, and Cassidian is now established in 10 nations outside its European homes. "We invest a lot in market proximity and customer intimacy," Zoller says. One such example is India, where it is to provide technical support on domestic projects, while also retaining some hope of securing a Eurofighter Typhoon order.

"Our target over the next five years is to have a 50:50 share in global versus domestic revenues," says chief financial officer Gerlinde Honold. Revenues from the global sector have already risen from 22% of business in 2007 to 31% last year. More must be done, however, as just 7% of the company's workforce is currently based outside of Europe.

For now, Eurofighter remains a key programme, with Cassidian having received an €840 million contract in late March to support aircraft flown by Germany and Spain for the next five years.

The company's figures for 2012 will also benefit from a major contract for MBDA Mica air-to-air missiles signed by India early this year. Zoller says its provision of control stations for NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance system will be worth "a couple of hundred million" euros through a deal likely to be confirmed in May.

UNMANNED SETBACK

The last financial year brought a personal blow for Zoller, with the halting of development work on the Talarion medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system after a major investment lasting several years.

Talarion attracted interest, but crucially no state funding, from Germany, Italy and Turkey. But Zoller is holding on to his dream of eventually seeing a common European system advance, with an industrial share for all partners - including France and the UK.

"We may see a little bit of a delay," he says. "But overall a one-European solution would be good news, with a bigger scale and bigger numbers." Pointing to his company's lengthy R&D activity on the Talarion, he adds: "We have spent so much money, time and effort in the last 10 years to get where we are. That is why I am quite positive."

US, Philippines hold war games amid China tensions

US, Philippines hold war games amid China tensions

Thousands of US soldiers will begin nearly two weeks of war games in the Philippines on Monday as the two nations look to strengthen their military alliance amid concerns over China's rising power.

The Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises are an annual event but this year are expected to attract a greater focus with some of the drills set to be held close to sensitive South China Sea waters claimed by the Chinese.

The Philippines insists the exercises, involving 4,500 US personnel and 2,300 Filipino troops, should not be seen by China as a provocation.

"Our aim is not against any country, our aim is to protect maritime security and to protect the interests of our country," Major Emmanuel Garcia, Philippine military spokesman for Balikatan, told AFP.

Nevertheless, Garcia confirmed US and Philippine ships will stage drills in waters facing the South China Sea, while Filipino leaders have repeatedly said that China is one of the country's main "maritime security" concerns.

China claims all of the South China Sea as a historic right, even waters close to the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.

The competing claims to the strategically vital waters have long made the area one of Asia's potential flashpoints for military conflict.

The Philippines has complained over the past two years that China has become increasingly aggressive in staking its claim to the waters, accusing the Chinese of acts such as firing warning shots at Filipino fishermen.

Tensions spiked again this month when Philippine and Chinese ships became locked in a standoff at a tiny set of islets called Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

Indian Army to acquire new air defence system

Indian Army to acquire new air defence system

Indian Army has initiated the process of acquiring new gun systems to take on enemy aircraft and missiles.

"The Army is planning to procure air defence guns having a calibre of more than 30mm and is capable of engaging air targets," Army officials said.

The process to acquire these guns has been initiated after Army Chief General V K Singh in his letter to the Prime Minister had contended that 97 per cent of the air defence guns in the Indian Army were facing obsolescence.

The Army officials said the service has issued a global Request for Information in this regard recently listing its requirements.

The Army has specified that the gun should be capable of being transported by broad gauge rakes of the Railways.

The Army Air Defence has initiated several other tenders also for replacing its Russian-origin air defence systems.

For upgrading the capabilities of the Army Air Defence (AAD), the Defence Ministry recently said that it has signed contracts for procuring Akash Missile Systems and steps were being taken for upgrading self-propelled air defence and Schilka air defence systems.

After the Army Chief pointed out these deficiencies to the government, Defence Minister A K Antony had held meetings to review the capital acquisitions of the force.

The Defence Ministry has also taken several steps to do away with the shortage of tank ammunition and has signed contracts with the Russian Rosobornoexport for supplying ammunition for the T-90 tanks.

100 soldiers buried in Siachen avalanche: ISPR

100 soldiers buried in Siachen avalanche: ISPR

As many as 100 jawans of Pakistan Army including a colonel were buried under avalanche in Skardu’s Siachen Gyari Sector—the army’s highest battalion headquarters, ISPR said on Saturday.

According to army spokesman Athar Abbas, Pakistan Armed Forces kick-started rescue operation to winch the trapped soldiers as soon as possible.

He said in statement that snap dogs and helicopters were also used in rescue operation which was conducted by hundreds of troops. The incident took place in Saturday's wee hours at 6 AM, Spokesman said added that rescue activities were underway in the area. The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya , just east of the Line of Control between India-Pakistan. Earlier media reports said an avalanche hit the Siachen base camp of the army trapping over 150 of jawans. An avalanche buried about 150 Pakistani soldiers near the Siachen glacier on the border with India.

Boeing bulllish on Chinook winning Indian competition

Boeing bulllish on Chinook winning Indian competition

Boeing is confident that the CH-47F Chinook will win India's competition for 15 heavy lift helicopters.

Flight trials for the CH-47F and the Russian Mil Mi-26 have been completed and offset proposals have been submitted to India's ministry of defence, says Boeing. The comments were made by Boeing executives at India's Defexpo 2012 show in New Delhi.

They say the CH-47F has met all technical requirements and that the next step is likely to be the opening of commercial bids, which could occur in May.

The request for proposal (RFP) suggests that the first aircraft will need to be delivered to the Indian army within three years of the contract signing. Following this, all 15 helicopters will need to be delivered within one year. The RFP placed great emphasis on the lifecycle costs involved in operating the two helicopters.

Boeing says it is currently producing five Chinooks per month at its Philadelphia factory.

The CH-47F and Mi-26 are radically different helicopters. The Chinook uses a tandem rotor layout compared with the Mi-26's conventional helicopter layout with a main and tail rotor.

The Mi-26 is much larger, with a maximum take off weight of 56,000kg (123,000lb) compared with the Chinook's maximum gross weight of 22,668kg.

The Chinook, however, can be transported in the hold of the C-17 Globemaster III, of which India has ordered 10 examples. Boeing says this greatly enhances the CH-47F's ability to be deployed to distant locations.

They note that the CH-47F used in the India flight trials flew into India aboard a C-17 and was able to conduct a flight just hours after arriving.

India to issue RFP for maritime patrol requirements

India to issue RFP for maritime patrol requirements

India is readying requests for proposals (RFP) for two maritime patrol requirements: the navy's Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft and the coast guard's Medium Maritime Patrol (MMP) aircraft.

Both requirements are likely to be for six aircraft initially, with options for six more, say industry sources. One source said the initial MMP requirement could be for nine aircraft.

The sources spoke to Flightglobal at Defexpo India 2012, where airframers displayed models of maritime patrol aircraft. RFPs for both requirements are expected in 2012, with one source saying the MMP RFP could be issued in April or May. India issued requests for information (RFIs) for both requirements in 2010.

Unlike the navy's long-range maritime patrol aircraft requirement, which will be filled by the Boeing 737-based P-8I Neptune, the RFI suggests India will not require the MRMR to have anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, with the aircraft focused on the maritime patrol mission and capable of carrying anti-ship missiles. It will replace India's 12 Britten-Norman Islanders.

In the 2010 RFI, the navy stated that the MRMR aircraft will require a top speed of 300kt (556km/h) or greater and a patrol speed of 200kt. It will require a full self protection suite, including radar and laser warning receivers, an active electronically scanned array (AESA) surface-search radar and a forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensor.

One possible contender for the requirement could include a variant of the P-8I, although Boeing representatives at the show said they want to see the RFP before deciding how to address the MRMR campaign. They pointed out that a P-8I variant would be make sense from a logistical and crew training perspective given that India has already ordered eight P-8Is for long-range patrol.

Other contenders for the MRMR could include the Saab 2000 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), the Airbus Military C295 MPA, and the Israel Aerospace Industries ELI-3360 (based on the Bombardier Q400). A previously issued RFP for the MRMR was withdrawn in early 2009.

Sources say the MMP requirement is somewhat less well defined. "Based on the RFI, the MMP is a really big beast," says one source from a European airframer.

The RFI called for a diverse range of missions, including search and rescue, anti-surface warfare, environmental monitoring and medical evacuation with three intensive care stations.

"We're not sure if all the capabilities need to be present all the time, or whether they can be changed in or out," says the source.

Australia Moves On Growler

Australia Moves On Growler

The Australian government is moving forward with plans to upgrade its F/A-18E/F fleet with Growler electronic-attack equipment.

The military already has taken 12 of its 24 aircraft wired for the electronic-attack system and now is laying the groundwork to equip them for the EA-18G role, although the final decision to do so will not come until later this year, says Defense Minister Stephen Smith.

At this point, Australia is committing to A$19 million ($19.7 million) in long-lead items, a move necessary to keep the Northrop Grumman production line open with the U.S. program slowly coming to an end. The initial commitment is for six kits, with options for six more.

As to the long-term procurement, which would come in the form of a foreign military sales contract, Smith notes “we are in the process of doing that exhaustive assessment, both in terms of the capability, the cost and how it matches other competing priorities and those judgments and decisions will be made in the course of this year.”

Australian officials say their interest in the capability was underscored by the U.S. Navy experience with the EA-18G in Libya. “It lowers risk for everybody in the battle space and I’m continuing to move forward with the capability and hope that we can actually fit it within the budget space,” says Royal Australian Air Force Chief Geoff Brown.

The deal would mark the first export of the EA-18G but also more generally of that type of capability. The U.S. never authorized the release of the EA-6B Prowler.

Meanwhile, Smith has faced pressure from the opposition to move forward on buying Global Hawk unmanned aircraft for maritime surveillance, but says he wants to continue to hold off. “The United States is developing a Global Hawk for maritime surveillance but it is currently not yet in existence. So I don’t know that it’s a sensible thing to do to immediately purchase something which has not yet been developed,” he tells reporters.

U.S. Army Targets Vehicle Industrial Base

U.S. Army Targets Vehicle Industrial Base

Over the next several years, more than a few big-ticket items in the Army’s annual budget will reach major milestones—transitioning from new-build production to long-term sustainment accounts. Overall, 37 Army systems will make that switch, moving Army dollars away from the production line to the often more complicated—and very expensive—world of spare parts, upgrades and reset contracts.

The list is being led by some assembly-line stalwarts like Bradley, Stryker, Abrams tank and Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, which all reach the end of their production schedules over the next two years. “We’re going to really have some tough times ahead in U.S. manufacturing related to medium vehicles,” the Army’s Ground Combat Systems chief, Scott Davis, said at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) conference here earlier this year. To try to keep those vehicle production lines warm, the Army and industry are pushing for international sales of the Bradley, Abrams and Stryker, and have received “a fair amount of interest” from a variety of potential clients, Davis added, without identifying them. To expedite those potential sales as much as possible “would really help us address some of the gaps we see in front of us in the manufacturing base.”

One way to shore up the ground vehicle industrial base would be to move forward with the Armored Multipurpose Vehicle (AMPV) program. It would—assuming funding comes though in subsequent budgets—replace the 3,800 aging M113 infantry carriers in Heavy Brigade Combat Teams, and shore up a gap in vehicle manufacturing after the Bradley and Stryker lines go cold in 2013 and 2014. But it will not be cheap. In early assessments, the Army identified a unit cost of $2.4 million, though Davis added that the number would come down by the time the program issued contracts.

The Army reached an initial development decision Feb. 9, and has been busy evaluating existing systems that might fit the bill. Developers started with 115 different vehicles on the list, but have since winnowed it down to about seven. The end result, however, is “probably a system that the Army already owns,” Davis said. Known interested parties are General Dynamics, which wants to pitch its Stryker, and BAE Systems, which is working on a variant of the Bradley. “If [the AMPV] ends up being a capital system —for speculative purposes, a modified Bradley or Stryker—it would certainly help that manufacturing industrial base,” Davis said. “We are pressing as hard as possible to get the analysis of alternatives done ahead of where it’s currently planned so we can move onto the next step.”

Heidi Shyu, the Army’s principal deputy assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, has said her office is working on identifying the “critical” industrial base, especially second- and third-tier suppliers that provide subsystem components and can ill afford the drop-off in new work. These smaller suppliers are “actually even a bigger concern” for the Pentagon, she said at AUSA, since if they go out of business, rebuilding that supply chain will be difficult. Shyu hit on one of the recurring themes at the conference this year: the idea of the “intellectual industrial base” that Davis considers “probably the most sensitive and one that is critical to maintain” as new builds slow to just a few systems.

“Most of what we need to maintain is the intellectual know-how” to design new vehicles “so when you next time need to buy, it’s still there,” said Kevin Fahey, head of combat support and combat service support for the Army. “We have large fleets and will have large fleets in the future,” Fahey added, “so when you’re not in production one of our main challenges is spare and repair parts that come from second- and third-tier suppliers.” Following Shyu’s lead, Fahey says that his office’s primary focus is identifying critical capabilities that need to be maintained, and figuring out a way to maintain them.

As budgets tighten and the Army continues to invest in new platforms like the Ground Combat Vehicle and Joint Light Tactical Vehicle while also modernizing its communications networks, “we’re trying hard to ensure that there are sufficient sustainment dollars to sustain those big systems,” Davis said. Part of the problem, however, is that some of the newest vehicles such as the A3 Bradley and the Abrams SEP II tank will be among the most expensive to sustain, given their new electronics and sensor content.

USAF long-range radar program proceeding with revised acquisition strategy

USAF long-range radar program proceeding with revised acquisition strategy

 The Air Force program to provide a new ground-based, long-range radar system is moving forward with a revised acquisition strategy. The program office recently held an industry day here to explain the changes and its latest draft request for proposal.

The Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar (3DELRR) will be the principal U.S. Air Force long-range, ground-based sensor for detecting, identifying,tracking, and reporting aircraft and missiles in support of theater commanders. It will replace the current Air Forceradar, the TPS-75.

"A combination of several factors, including a somewhat atypical acquisition strategy and the U.S. budget crisis, led to the change," said Lt. Col. Brian McDonald, 3DELRR program manager.

A September 2007 memorandum from John Young, then the acting undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, encouraged competitive prototyping up to Milestone B. Originally, the 3DELRR Program had been planning to award to a single contractor prior to Milestone B.

"We modified the strategy to further leverage competition to look at needed capability, different approaches to delivering that capability and doing so in the most affordable manner," McDonald said.

During the industry day briefing, he also showed how the program budget had been reduced in the Fiscal Year 2013 President's Budget by approximately $80 million over the next five years compared to the 2012 budget.

McDonald cited industry offerings as a third factor.

During his presentation in the base theater, McDonald walked through a graphical depiction of the revised acquisition strategy and the changes that have been made.

Now, up to three contracts may be awarded as an outcome of the upcoming full and open competition to complete the Technology Development Phase, referred to as the Pre-Engineering and Manufacturing Development (Pre-EMD) period. The 3DELRR source selection will use the lowest price technically acceptable approach, which is also a significant change.

"Competitive offerors must be at the same maturity level as the government has attained on this program," said McDonald. "We do not want to turn back the clock. We want to move forward from the government investment to date."

In addition, fixed price contracts, including Firm Fixed-Price and/or Fixed-Price Incentive Firm, are planned for the Pre-EMD, EMD, and low rate initial production phases from what was once a cost plus incentive fee approach.

The revised strategy includes a minimum of three full and open competitions to reach full operational capability. McDonald pointed to the third competition that will award scope beyond Milestone B to a single contractor.

"There will be much activity, in parallel, leading up to Milestone B," explained McDonald. "We will need a strong, crisp effort by industry on these contracts while the program office simultaneously conducts the next source selection and prepares for Milestone B."

One change that McDonald strongly emphasized was the early examination of cost versus capability trade-offs. While there has been no change in the 3DELRR requirements since Technical Requirement Documents Revision D was posted in October 2011, McDonald explained the plan to issue a new revision, during the period of performance, against which successful bidders would produce their preliminary designs.

"We need to look closely at cost versus capability," he said. "The first contractual activity is to complete detailed analyses of top cost drives to see how cost varies as capability is incremented. Are there relatively large cost savings to be gained by relatively small reductions in capability and, if so, what's the risk?"

McDonald discussed how the acquisition community and operational community will then come together to set 3DELRR requirements.

The 3DELRR program has also been selected as a "designated system" to participate in the Defense Exportability Features Pilot Program, to potentially increase sales and lower production costs.

"I'm excited to be a pilot for the Defense Exportability Features Program because it's forward thinking, it's good for the U.S. government and it's good for U.S. industry," McDonald said. Addressing the audience of mostly company representatives, he added, "I hope you're excited too."

The 3DELRR Program Office is planning for a Defense Acquisition Board in late April and, if approved, anticipates release of the final RFP in May. Currently, the program office expects to award the contracts, totaling approximately $108 million dollars, by late August.

"No one is immune from the budget crisis," said McDonald. "This acquisition strategy is our response. Now, we need strong industry performance to offer the most affordable solution that provides this needed capability to our warfighters."

Additional US Aid for Iron Dome Systems

Additional US Aid for Iron Dome Systems

On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced that it intends to request that the US Congress approve the transfer of additional funds to Israel, in order to assist with the procurement of additional units of the Iron Dome missile interception system.

An announcement issued by the US Department of Defense stated that the interception batteries have been of crucial significance in recent weeks, and that Israel and the Pentagon have discussed increasing US aid to procure more systems.

The two sides have been in contact for some time in an effort to gain support for the procurement of new batteries. The specific details of the US aid package are expected to be concluded soon.

In recent weeks, contact between the two sides has accelerated as a result of the recent escalation in Israel’s south. Currently, Israel has three operational batteries, with a fourth battery expected to become operational soon.

More than 300 rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza in the last round of fire. The Iron Dome intercepted 80% of the missiles within its range – a much higher percentage than was expected.

Israeli Airbases in Azerbaijan

Israeli Airbases in Azerbaijan

Is Israel maintaining airbases in Azerbaijan? “Foreign Policy Magazine” is reporting that Israel has obtained permission from the Azerbaijani government to use four abandoned air force bases, located close to Iran’s border.

According to US sources, these are abandoned bases from the soviet era in the country. A former US intelligence senior official told the magazine, “It’s not certain that there’s a signed agreement between Jerusalem and Baku. However, I’m sure that if Israel wants to use those bases as part of an attack on Iran – no one in Azerbaijan would have an issue with it. After all, the countries have had strong ties for two decades.”

“We are following the developments between Israel and Azerbaijan," said another source in the US administration, “and we are not happy over them.” A source in the CIA told the magazine that in his opinion, Israel would not use the airbases in the framework of the initial attack of Iran’s nuclear facility. Rather, they would be used in the event of another attack.

An Israeli Shell in an Indian Tank

An Israeli Shell in an Indian Tank

India is equipping its Arjun tanks with the LAHAT missile produced by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The missile will provide the tank with the ability to hit moving targets from great distances while in motion.

IAI developed and produced the LAHAT – a laser-guided missile that can be launched from a tank's cannon, reaching its target by homing in on a laser spot. The shell-missile weighs approximately 12 kg and has a range of 8 kg, including a lethal 2.5 kg warhead.

Despite the many technical difficulties the Arjun tank project experienced over the years, its serial production and is well underway.

The Indian army recently announced that it intends to order 250 more improved Arjun tanks following the conclusion of the user tests. The newer version has received dozens of improvements compared to the MK-1 variant.

Improvements include its mobility, brigade-power, and the capability to fire missiles through a gun barrel. The tank will also be equipped with advanced reactive shielding.

The Indian Army has committed to continue procuring the tanks if the improvements prove worthy during testing. Four brigades equipped with the Arjun tanks are expected to be operational by 2016.

F-15 Deal Exemplifies Mideast Modernization

F-15 Deal Exemplifies Mideast Modernization

Boeing’s $11.4 billion F-15 sale to Saudi Arabia shows how the Middle East region is still a big factor in combat aircraft development, despite the attention paid to China and emerging markets such as India and Brazil.

The deal includes not only 84 new-build F-15SAs, which will sustain production in St. Louis through 2018, but also the upgrade of 70 older F-15S fighters to the new configuration, a major rework to be carried out in-country. (The $11.4 billion does not include the last element.)

The F-15SA is the second version (after Singapore) to be delivered with the APG-63(V)3 active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. It is the first to have BAE Systems’ digital electronic warfare system (DEWS), a complete replacement for the Northrop Grumman ALQ-135, which has evolved on the F-15 throughout the life of the program. DEWS is expected to be less costly to support, more reliable and easier to reprogram than earlier systems. Like the Singaporean aircraft, it has a Lockheed Martin AAS-42 infrared search-and-track system, known as Tiger­Eye on the F-15.

The Saudi variant is the first all-fly-by-wire F-15, which is expected to reduce maintenance requirements because the controls are self-rigging. It has a so-called PDM-free wing that does not require periodic depot maintenance on its structure. Another change is that the wing stores stations Nos. 1 and 9 are activated, mainly in order to carry a larger air-to-air load in conjunction with air-to-surface weapons. The Saudi order includes AGM-88B High-Speed Antiradiation Missiles from U.S. stocks.

Also part of the F-15 agreement is the supply of Goodrich DB-110 long-range oblique photography (Lorop) reconnaissance pods. In public, Lorop pods have been eclipsed by UAVs, but the Royal Air Force has used the DB-110-based Raptor pod extensively on Tornados, and the Thales Areos pod carried by Rafale was valuable in Libya. Egypt has ordered DB-110 pods for its F-16.

Boeing is also looking at Kuwait as a potential market for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and has not given up on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The latter market may be open following the public criticism of France’s Rafale offer at last November’s Dubai air show, with the Emirates scolding Dassault for the commercial terms it was offering and seemingly inviting other bids. In February, however, French press reports indicated that the UAE order for Rafale was still under discussion, with President Nicolas Sarkozy due to visit the region in late March, before France’s election.

A continuing factor in Middle East security is that the U.S. is not talking about the export of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Arab nations, and restricts the sale of long-range weapons. The F-15SA is being delivered with the AGM-88B—superseded in U.S. production in the 1990s—and the latest AIM-120D version of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (Amraam) is not cleared for export.

This could lead to an increasing gap in air combat capability between Middle East nations and Israel, particularly if the latter pursues Rafael’s Future Air-to-Air Missile (FAAM). This revolutionary weapon is the intentional offshoot of the Stunner interceptor used in the David’s Sling missile defense system, which was designed as a two-stage weapon, the upper stage being smaller than Amraam and capable of being used as an AAM with minimal changes. FAAM is a highly agile, hit-to-kill weapon (with no warhead or fuze) with a combined millimeter-wave radar and imaging infrared seeker.

Heavy offensive weapons included with the Saudi package are of the direct-attack type (laser-guided and GPS-guided bombs). Rafale is available with the Sagem Hammer (highly agile modular munition extended range) weapon family, which can use its rocket sustainer to attain a standoff range up to 60 km (35 mi.), and includes four warhead sizes and three guidance systems, with a common airframe and systems interface. The GPS-inertial version, of which more than 100 were used in the early stages of last year’s operations in Libya, has been joined in service by an autonomous imaging infrared model (using a template for guidance), and a laser-guided version capable of engaging moving targets (at up to 50 mph) is under test.

Additionally, Rafale carries the MBDA Storm Shadow/Scalp-EG cruise missile, also used in Libya. Technically, this weapon is covered by the Missile Technology Control Regime, but France and the U.K. nevertheless sold the Black Shaheen variant to the UAE in the 1990s to arm its Mirage 2000-9s. A Saudi Panavia Tornado, meanwhile, was seen several years ago undergoing tests with Storm Shadow in support of an upgrade program.