Saturday, August 7, 2010

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY August 7, 2010 - The Real Problem In The Afghan War Is India, Pakistan And Kashmir....NSI News Source Info # 908

(NSI News Source Info) LAHORE, Pakistan - August 7, 2010: The United States is struggling to implement a strategy for Afghanistan that will improve the lives of the Afghan people and allow U.S. troops to go home. Part of what makes it so difficult is the way Washington views the conflict: through the lens of what officials have dubbed "AfPak," a war in the southern part of Afghanistan and the adjoining border areas of Pakistan. Though the acronym is falling out of official favor, the AfPak mind-set remains.
A different shorthand for the war might help. "AfPInd" may be less catchy, but it is far more useful. Peace in AfPInd requires not U.S. troops on the ground, but a concerted effort to bring India and Pakistan to the negotiating table, where under the watchful eyes of the international community they can end their hydra-headed confrontation over Kashmir.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

*DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News ~ SPECIAL APPEAL TO THE WORLD on Humanitarian grounds to support the effected flood victims in Pakistan.

*DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News ~ SPECIAL APPEAL TO THE WORLD on Humanitarian grounds to support the effected flood victims in Pakistan.

DTN News: Alenia Aeronautica, Avio And Lockheed Martin Sign Five-Year Contract To Support Italian Air Force’s C-130J fleet....NSI # 906

DTN News: Alenia Aeronautica, Avio And Lockheed Martin Sign Five-Year Contract To Support Italian Air Force’s C-130J fleet....NSI News Source Info # 906
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 5, 2010:Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica company, the leader of an industrial team with Avio and Lockheed Martin, signed a five-year contract with the Italian Air Force to provide technical and logistical support services to their C-130J airlift fleet.
The contract is worth €155 million and covers a fully integrated service to improve full efficiency and availability of the Italian Air Force's C-130J fleet.
Alenia Aeronautica will be responsible for the supply of spare parts, the management of the supply chain and the equipment maintenance (landing gear included), the maintenance of the Air Ground Equipment (AGE) and engineering support activities, including the C-130J flight simulator based at the 46th Air Brigade of Pisa.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 4, 2010....NSI News Source Info # 905

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 4, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued August 4, 2010 are undermentioned;
CONTRACTS
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Sysco Foodservice Hampton Roads, Suffolk, Va., is being awarded a maximum $250,000,000 prime vendor, indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food service distribution. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. The original proposal was Web-solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Aug. 4, 2011. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM300-08-D-3204).

DTN News: Boeing CH-47F Chinook Fielded By US Army's 10th Mountain Division....NSI News Source Info # 904

(NSI News Source Info) RIDLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa., - August 4, 2010: The Boeing [NYSE: BA] CH-47F Chinook helicopter was fielded July 30 by the U.S. Army's B Company, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. The 10th Mountain Division is the sixth Army unit to be trained and equipped with the aircraft.
"I am extremely excited that Boeing and the New Equipment Training Team were able to field and train the company on the F model Chinook so quickly," said Capt. Michael Farrell, Company B commander. "With such a short period of time between deployments, this really helped us focus on collective training."

DTN News: U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin Team Transitions Operations Of Milstar Constellation To New Advanced Extremely High Frequency Ground Control.

DTN News: U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin Team Transitions Operations Of Milstar Constellation To New Advanced Extremely High Frequency Ground Control....NSI News Source Info # 903
(NSI News Source Info) SUNNYVALE, Calif., - August 4, 2010: A joint U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] team has successfully transitioned the Milstar satellite constellation ground control system to the new Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Mission Control Segment (MCS). The AEHF MCS is now performing day-to-day operations of the Milstar satellite constellation and is poised to support deployment of the AEHF satellite constellation with first launch scheduled for August 2010.
This critical system transition required a high performance integrated team spanning many government and contractor organizations. The Lockheed Martin team led the planning and testing of the transition and provided critical technical support throughout the transition execution and subsequent weeks of operation.

DTN News: Northrop Grumman Defense Support Program Satellite Model Slated For Display At U.S. Air Force Museum....NSI News Source Info # 902

(NSI News Source Info) REDONDO BEACH, Calif., - August 4, 2010: To commemorate 40 years of exceptional reliability and on-orbit performance of its Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has configured a full-size model of a DSP satellite for display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
The 35-foot-long model is the only full-size representation of the satellite. It consists of the Structural Test Model (STM) mated to the Infrared Sensor Trailblazer component without the associated electronics. Crews completed work in May and the model was shipped in July to the museum aboard a C5 aircraft, in the same shipping container used for the actual satellite.

DTN News: General Dynamics Itronix’s New GD300 Rugged Wearable Computer Enables Unprecedented GPS And Situational Awareness For Warfighters....NSI 901

DTN News: General Dynamics Itronix’s New GD300 Rugged Wearable Computer Enables Unprecedented GPS And Situational Awareness For Warfighters....NSI News Source Info # 901
(NSI News Source Info) SUNRISE, Fla. - August 4, 2010: Combining commercial global positioning and communications technology with battlefield-rugged computing, General Dynamics Itronix is introducing the GD300 fully rugged arm- or chest-worn computer. Weighing less than 8 ounces, the Android™-based GD300 operates like an ultra-sensitive commercial GPS unit or, with the click of a cable, interfaces with tactical radios like the Rifleman Radio (AN/PRC-154) for secure access to the tactical network.
The GD300 uses a quadra-helix antenna for real-time global positioning that defies interference even when the user is positioned in mountainous regions or urban environments.

DTN News: Iran Denies Reports of Attack On Ahmadinejad....NSI News Source Info # 900

(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran- August 4, 2010: Reports that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the target of a grenade attack prompted swift and vigorous denials by the Iranian government on Wednesday, which said that a firecracker had been thrown some distance from the presidential motorcade, according to Iranian news media. By all accounts, Mr. Ahmadinejad was unhurt.Press TV, the state-run satellite broadcaster, quoted an unidentified “informed source” in the presidential office as saying the reports of an attack were false.“Some foreign news sources published reports that a grenade exploded near the motorcade of President Ahmadinejad during his visit to the western city of Hamedan on Wednesday,” Press TV said. “The source denied the allegation, saying no such attack had happened.”

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY August 4, 2010 - Assassination Sets Off Wave of Killings In Pakistani City....NSI News Source Info # 899

(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- August 4, 2010: A wave of violence after the assassination of a senior politician on Monday has left at least 47 people dead in Pakistan’s largest city, the southern port of Karachi.
The violence erupted after the politician, Raza Haider, a provincial lawmaker and the leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, was shot to death along with his bodyguard.

DTN News: First New Zealand Soldier Dies In Afghanistan....NSI News Source Info # 898

(NSI News Source Info) WELLINGTON, New Zealand - August 4, 2010: New Zealand suffered its first combat fatality in Afghanistan when a soldier died in an ambush that left another two New Zealand soldiers and an Afghan interpreter wounded, an official said on Wednesday.
The three wounded in the attack Tuesday in central Bamiyan province sustained serious injuries that were not life threatening, New Zealand Defense Force Chief Lt. Gen. Jerry Mateparae told reporters in Wellington.

DTN News: Egypt Allows Libyan Aid Into Gaza Strip....NSI News Source Info # 897

(NSI News Source Info) EL-ARISH, Egypt - August 4, 2010: Egypt allowed 200 tonnes of medical aid unloaded from a Libyan ship into the blockaded Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave, an official said on Wednesday.
A further nine trucks loaded with foodstuffs brought by the aid ship, the Jerusalem 5, will be sent to Gaza through an Israeli crossing with Egypt, said North Sinai governor's assistant Osama el-Sirgani.The vessel, which docked in the port of El-Arish on Tuesday, was organised by several Libyan charities which say they will send another ship after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which will end in the second week of September.

DTN News: Chinese Military Continues Air Defense Drills....NSI News Source Info # 896

(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - August 4, 2010: China continued a five-day military exercise on Wednesday as the country's air defense forces carried out reconnaissance, early warning, electromagnetic interference and ground-to-air attack drills.
More than 12,000 Chinese military personnel, along with seven types of military aircraft divided into Red and Blue rivals, took part in the exercise code-named "Vanguard-2010,"-- which started on Tuesday in seven cities across Henan and Shandong Provinces.

DTN News: South Korea Vows Counter-Attack If North Opens Fire During Drills....NSI News Source Info # 895

(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - August 4, 2010: South Korean military officials say they are ready to respond if North Korea carries out its threat to attack during the South's latest military drills. The drills are part of South Korea's response to the sinking of one of its navy ships in March, an act blamed on Pyongyang.
South Korea's Defense Ministry says the exercise, which begins Thursday, will involve a submarine, a destroyer and nearly 30 other vessels, as well as aircraft. Forty-five hundred army, navy, air force and coast guard troops will be deployed.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 3, 2010....NSI News Source Info # 894

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 3, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued August 3, 2010 are undermentioned;
CONTRACTS
SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
Lifeport Interiors, Inc., Woodland, Wash., is being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum value of $47,000,000 for production of an aircraft occupant ballistic protection system in support of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Technology Applications Program Office. The work will be performed in Woodland, Wash., and the contract period of performance will expire on July 29, 2015. The minimum order amount of $20,971,424 will be obligated with the basic contract as Delivery Order 0001. USSOCOM is the contracting activity (H92241-10-D-0009).
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-us-department-of-defense_03.html

DTN News: F-16 Unit News 22nd FS Participates In Allied Strike 2010....NSI News Source Info # 893

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 3, 2010: The 22nd Fighter Squadron will boast its name, "The Big 22," when it launches two F-16 Fighting Falcons twice a day Aug. 2-5 during Allied Strike 2010.
The 16 22nd FS pilots flying these sorties are part of the approximately 200 military personnel and 24 aircraft from the U.S. and five European nations participating in AS10, which is Europe's premier close air support exercise held annually to conduct robust, realistic CAS training. The training also assists in building partnership capacity among allied NATO nations and joint services that help refine the latest operational CAS tactics.

DTN News: CH-53K Helicopter Program Achieves Successful Critical Design Review....NSI News Source Info # 892

(NSI News Source Info) STRATFORD, Conn., - August 3, 2010: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation announced today the successful completion of the CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter Program Critical Design Review (CDR) event, signaling the program is ready to proceed to assembly, test and evaluation.Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.
The joint Sikorsky/Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) CH-53K helicopter program team hosted a weeklong meeting in late July to gather stakeholders and key collaborators from government and industry for an in-depth aircraft design review.
At the review, the CH-53K team successfully demonstrated that the design meets the system requirements, setting the stage for the next phase of the program.
Review participants included members of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, NAVAIR, Sikorsky Aircraft, and 21 major industrial partners who displayed component exhibits that augmented technical presentations.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-ch-53k-helicopter-program.html

DTN News: U. S. Government Has $114 Billion To Spend On Contractors Before September 30....NSI News Source Info # 891

(NSI News Source Info) MCLEAN, Va. - August 3, 2010: FedSources, a Washington Management Group company and the recognized leader in government market intelligence, today released a new report that maps out predicted government spending between now and September 30, 2010 – the end of the government fiscal year.
FedSources' Identifying & Capturing Fiscal Year-end Dollars report identifies which agencies have the most to spend, and which services and product areas are likely to get the most buying attention from these agencies.

DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated August 3, 2010....NSI News Source Info # 890

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 3, 2010: Comprehensive daily news related on Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.
*Comprehensive daily news related on Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.
Tuesday August 3, 2010
Telephonics to supply the Mexican Navy with its APS-143C(V)3 radar for the CN-235 aircraft10:17 am - Business Wire
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Issues WARN Notifications for Louisiana10:00 am - GlobeNewswire

DTN News: Indian Air force Gets US planes Minus Security Net....NSI News Source Info # 889

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - August 3, 2010: New Delhi, Aug. 2: The Indian Air Force has contracted six aircraft for the special forces for $1 billion without military-grade secure equipment because Washington denied the technology after New Delhi refused to sign a communications secrecy pact.
The air force is now in the process of contracting another 10 very heavy strategic airlifters under the same technology-denial regime for an estimated $3 billion.

DTN News: Tiger Attack Helicopters Earns Its Stripes In Afghanistan....NSI News Source Info # 888

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 3, 2010: The EC665 Tiger HAP (combat support) helicopter operated by the French Army's 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment, has now logged more than 1,000 flight hours in Afghanistan in less than a year.
With an availability rate of 90% in extremely harsh operating conditions, the Tiger has once again demonstrated excellent performance and operability levels for both reconnaissance missions and combat support operations for joint tactical groups (GTIA), which have been unanimous in their praise.

DTN News: Force Protection Receives $19.9 Million Field Service Awards....NSI News Source Info # 887

(NSI News Source Info) LADSON, SC - August 3, 2010: Force Protection Industries, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Force Protection Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT), a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of survivability solutions and provider of total life cycle support for those products, today announced that it has received firm fixed price modifications to existing contract M67854-07-C-5031 with a total value of approximately $19.9 million for continuing field service support work in Afghanistan, Kuwait and the continental United States. All work under these modifications is expected to be complete in August, 2011.

DTN News: India Plane Demand Seen $130 Billion Over 20 Years According Dinesh Keskar Of Boeing....NSI News Source Info # 886

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - August 3, 2010: India's expanding aviation sector will require 1,150 commercial jets valued at $130 billion over the next 20 years, a Boeing Co (BA.N) executive said on Tuesday.
Dinesh Keskar, the head of the U.S. aircraft manufacturer's operations in India, said with more private carriers entering the aviation sector the demand for aircraft was increasing.
"This is a market representing more than 4 percent of Boeing commercial airplanes' worldwide forecast," he told reporters.
In 2009, the firm had said India would require 1,000 planes worth $100 billion over 20 years.
"We went through the deepest recession in the history of aviation but now India's recovery is one of the fastest," Keskar said.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-india-plane-demand-seen-130.html

Monday, August 2, 2010

DTN News: Boeing P-8A Poseidon Aircraft T3 Enters Flight Test....NSI News Source Info # 885

(NSI News Source Info) SEATTLE, - August 2, 2010: Boeing [NYSE: BA] P-8A Poseidon aircraft T3 successfully completed its first flight test in Seattle on July 29. T3 is the P-8A program's mission-system and weapon-certification aircraft.
During the two-hour and 48-minute flight from Boeing Field, Boeing and U.S. Navy test pilots performed airborne systems checks including engine accelerations and decelerations, autopilot flight modes, and auxiliary power unit and engine shutdowns and starts.
In the coming weeks, T3 will join the two P-8A test aircraft currently at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and complete additional ground and flight tests.
"At Pax River, the Boeing and Navy team will use some of the ground test data we've gathered in Seattle for in-flight separation and delivery accuracy tests that will occur later this year," said Chris Ahsmann, P-8A chief engineer for Boeing.
T3 is one of six flight-test aircraft that are being assembled and tested as part of the U.S. Navy System Development and Demonstration contract Boeing received in 2004. Airworthiness-test aircraft T1 entered flight test in October 2009 and arrived at the Navy's Patuxent River facility in April of this year. T2, the primary mission-system test aircraft, arrived at Pax River in June.
The Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8A anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-boeing-p-8a-poseidon-aircraft.html

DTN News: South Korea TODAY August 2, 2010 - 100 Chinese Jets Fly In Exercise Against US Raptors....NSI News Source Info # 884

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 2, 2010: China had a large-scale exercise over Shandong Province with about 100 fighter jets while U.S. F-22 Raptor fighters flew over the East Sea off the Korean Peninsula during the U.S.-South Korea naval drills.
Ming Pao, a pro-Chinese newspaper in Hong Kong, reported that some 100 newest fighter jets made a sortie into the sky of Qingdao. “It was 40 minutes of exercise covering all over the sky of the eastern province so as that the residents in Qingdao could witness.”
Qingdao is the main port of the North Sea Fleet Command of the People’s Liberation Army, which protects Beijing, the capital city of China, and supervises the airspace above the Bohai Bay, 460 km west of Pyeongtaek, Korea, where U.S. Armed Forces in Korea are headquartered. Yet, an official in charge of national security and diplomacy said the exercise in Qingdao “is groundless.” Another official in charge of national defense said, “The fleet of the total fighter jets that took off and landed on July 26 numbered almost 100 but there was no evidence that many jets flew in formation.”

DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated Monday August 2, 2010....NSI News Source Info # 883

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 2, 2010: Comprehensive daily news related on Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.
*Comprehensive daily news related on Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.
Monday August 2, 2010
*At least 7 dead in Siberia plane crash-ministry 3:17 pm - at Reuters
*
AIA Recommends Steps for Continued Leadership in Space 3:11 pm - Business Wire
*
EADS Defence & Security Delivers Naval Radar to Lockheed Martin for U.S. Littoral Combat *Ship Program 3:00 pm - Marketwire
*
WSI Awarded Strategic Petroleum Reserve Contract 2:58 pm - PR Newswire

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated August 2, 2010....NSI News Source Info # 882

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - August 2, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued August 2, 2010 are undermentioned;
CONTRACTS
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
ExxonMobil Corp., Fairfax, Va. is being awarded a maximum $99,520,398 fixed-price with economic price adjustment, sole-source contract for fuel. Other location of performance is Italy. Using service is Navy. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is April 30, 2012. The Defense Energy Support Center, Richmond, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-10-D-0487).
Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a maximum $51,364,935 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for radio parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is June 30, 2013. The Defense Logistics Agency Philadelphia (DSCR-ZC), Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (N00383-06-G-068B-THAN)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

DTN News: Russia Revives Caspian Sea Monster....NSI News Source Info # 881

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 1, 2010: The Russian government has commissioned the renewal of the “Caspian Sea Monster,” the legendary ground effect vehicle (GEV). Only 30 such crafts were built in the Soviet Union over two decades.
The revival of GEV production was announced by the Alekseev design and construction bureau, which used to be the leading producer of such vehicles. According to its production branch director, Evgeny Meleshko, the bureau is working on a big model. It will spend two years making the new design with the first tests to be launched in 2012.
“For our company it’s a big project, and most of our specialists will be working on it,” Meleshko told Interfax news agency.
GEVs are high-speed naval vehicles that fly just over the surface thanks to a high-pressure air cushion created by its wings. The first prototype with a wingspan of 37.6 meters and a hull length of about 100 meters could travel at 250 knots and had a maximum take-off weigh of 544 tons.
The Soviet Union produced several models, including one for amphibian troops transportation and a cruise missile carrier. There was also a project for a strategic GEV armed with ballistic missiles.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-russia-revives-caspian-sea.html

DTN News: Modernization Urged For PLA Army To Boost Combat Capacity....NSI News Source Info # 880

(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - August 1, 2010: China's armed forces will continue to enhance its capabilities and military readiness to safeguard sovereignty, security and development of the nation, Defense Minister Liang Guanglie said Saturday.
Liang made the remarks while addressing a reception held in Beijing to mark the 83rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Aug. 1.
"We will continue to strengthen the PLA's capability to accomplish diversified military tasks, particularly for winning regional wars under informationized circumstances, to firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development," he said.
He said China's core security interest will always guide the development of the Chinese army.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-modernization-urged-for-pla.html

DTN News: Australian Weapons Found In Hands Of Taliban, WikiLeaks Reveals....NSI News Source Info # 879

(NSI News Source Info) SYDNEY, Australia - August 1, 2010: Australian weapons and equipment have repeatedly been discovered among Taliban stockpiles, raising fears that Afghan troops trained by Diggers have been pilfering military supplies.
Documents released by the WikiLeaks website show that in the past six years International Security Assistance Force troops have uncovered Australian mortar shells, a hand-grenade and other equipment when defusing roadside bombs and capturing Taliban weapons stores.
Australian soldiers have trained hundreds of Afghan army soldiers, and work alongside Afghan police.
Last December a NATO patrol found Australian equipment in a Taliban weapons cache, alongside AK-47 rifles and materials to make roadside bombs. The equipment found is used by Australian soldiers to ensure their safety during offensives, and if used by insurgents it could disrupt the distinct advantage held by NATO troops.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-australian-weapons-found-in.html

DTN News: Gasoline Shortage In Iran Threatens Regime....NSI News Source Info # 878

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 1, 2010: The problem for the regime is that there is no short-term solution to the gas crisis, and all of the conflicts are interconnected and exasperate each other. The discontent will fuel the political activists. The rising fuel prices will cause more workers to be fired or go unpaid just as they face increasing need for income. The bazaar merchants will be hurt as customers become cash-strapped, the cost of products increase, and they have to pay 15 percent more in taxes to the regime that uses violence and intimidation against them. The regime can try to ration the gasoline and reduce subsidies, but the last time that was tried, in 2007, it resulted in burning gas stations.

DTN News: China Orbits Fifth Navigation Satellite....NSI News Source Info # 877

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - August 1, 2010: China has successfully launched its fifth navigation satellite into orbit as part of a project to develop its own global satellite navigation system, official news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.
The Long-March-3 rocket with the Beidou (Compass) satellite onboard was launched at 9:30 p.m. GMT on Saturday from the Xichang space center in the country's southwest.
By 2020, China plans to form a network of a total of 35 satellites, capable of providing global navigation service to users around the world.
Beidou currently provides navigation services within China and the neighboring region. After completion, the project would become an equivalent of the U.S.'s Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Glonass, and Europe's Galileo.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-china-orbits-fifth-navigation.html

DTN News: In Pakistan, Echoes of American Betrayal....NSI News Source Info # 876

(NSI News Source Info) KARACHI, Pakistan - August 1, 2010: PAKISTAN’S premier intelligence agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, has been accused of many bad things in its own country. It has been held responsible for rigging elections, sponsoring violent sectarian groups and running torture chambers for political dissidents. More recently, it has been accused of abducting Pakistanis and handing them over to the United States for cash.
But last week — after thousands of classified United States Army documents were released by WikiLeaks, and American and British officials and pundits accused the ISI of double-dealing in Afghanistan — the Pakistani news media were very vocal in their defense of their spies. On talk show after talk show, the ISI’s accusers in the West were criticized for short-sightedness and shifting the blame to Pakistan for their doomed campaign in Afghanistan.

DTN News: Kiss This War Goodbye....NSI News Source Info # 875

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada- August 1, 2010: IT was on a Sunday morning, June 13, 1971, that The Times published its first installment of the Pentagon Papers. Few readers may have been more excited than a circle of aspiring undergraduate journalists who’d worked at The HarvardCrimson. Though the identity of The Times’s source wouldn’t eke out for several days, we knew the whistle-blower had to be Daniel Ellsberg, an intense research fellow at M.I.T. and former Robert McNamara acolyte who’d become an antiwar activist around Boston. We recognized the papers’ contents, as reported in The Times, because we’d heard the war stories from the loquacious Ellsberg himself.
But if we were titillated that Sunday, it wasn’t immediately clear that this internal government history of the war had mass appeal. Tricia Nixon’s wedding in the White House Rose Garden on Saturday received equal play with the Pentagon Papers on The Times’s front page. On “Face the Nation” the guest was the secretary of defense, Melvin Laird, yet the subject of the papers didn’t even come up.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-kiss-this-war-goodbye.html

DTN News: Venezuela Deploys Military Units In Colombia Row....NSI News Source Info # 874

(NSI News Source Info) CARACAS, Venezuela- July 31, 2010: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday said he deployed military units to repel a possible attack after Colombia claimed last week his country harbored leftist rebels, but said he hoped to mend ties soon.
Chavez severed relations with U.S. ally Colombia last week over Bogota's charges his oil exporting country allowed Colombian guerrillas to stay in camps.
He has since said Colombia was preparing a military attack. Colombia denies the charge, and most analysts say a war between the countries is very unlikely.
"I should tell you we have deployed units to defend our sovereignty in case of an aggression, air defense units, air units, infantry, special operations," Chavez said in a phone call to a state TV station, adding that a Colombian aircraft had violated Venezuela airspace for five minutes this week.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/08/dtn-news-venezuela-deploys-military.html

DTN News: US Chopper Down In Afghanistan....NSI News Source Info # 873

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - July 31, 2010: A US helicopter has crashed in northeastern Afghanistan as the death toll of foreign forces in the volatile country continues to set new records.
The US Air Force chopper went down in the Afghan province of Kunar on Saturday, a Press TV correspondent reported. The US military's press office in Kunar said the helicopter made an emergency landing in the area due to technical failures.It added that a number of soldiers have been injured in the incident.
The US-led alliance did not provide further details about the crash and it still remains unclear how many people were aboard the chopper.Meanwhile, the Taliban claimed they shot the helicopter down by an RPG rocket. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said all forces onboard have been killed.
The Taliban have reportedly shot down several NATO helicopters over the past months in different parts of Afghanistan.
The latest incident comes as July has become the deadliest month for American forces stationed in war-torn Afghanistan since the start of the war in 2001.
http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2010/07/dtn-news-us-chopper-down-in-afghanistan.html

DTN News: Iran To Unveil New Defense Projects....NSI News Source Info # 872

(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - July 31, 2010: Iran's defense minister says by inaugurating dozens of defense projects, Tehran will respond to the sanctions imposed against the country.
Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi vowed to give a practical response to enemy-imposed sanctions on August 22, which has been dubbed as the “Defense Industry Day.”
The Iranian general went on to highlight the “strategic and unique role of the defense ministry in developing Iran's defense industry.” The West alleges that Iran is pursuing a military nuclear program -- an allegation denied by Tehran.
On June 9, the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution imposing a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. Shortly afterwards the US and EU imposed unilateral sanctions against Iran.