Saturday, April 9, 2011

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar at a function in Brampton, Ont., Canada....NSI News Source Info # 1798

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar at a function in Brampton, Ont., Canada....NSI News Source Info # 1798

Conservative leader and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar (R) to the Canadian premiere of Kumar's film "Thank You" during a campaign stop at a theatre in Brampton, Ontario April 8, 2011. Canadians will head to the polls in a federal election on May 2.

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: A400M Backers Agree Profit-Sharing Deal....NSI News Source Info # 1797

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: A400M Backers Agree Profit-Sharing Deal....NSI News Source Info # 1797
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 9, 2011:

The seven countries that are funding the latest Airbus military transport aircraft have agreed on a profit-sharing formula for its export sales.


The contract, which was signed in Seville on Thursday by the countries’ armament directors, marks the final stage in the normalisation of the €31bn ($44bn) A400M project that is already four years late and more than €11bn over budget.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/04/dtn-news-defense-news-a400m-backers.html


DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Stealth Coatings Applied To F-22....NSI News Source Info # 1796

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Stealth Coatings Applied To F-22....NSI News Source Info # 1796
**USAF says coatings don't reduce radar cross section
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 9, 2011:

The USAF has some of the most capable aircraft in the world within its fleet. Many of the aircraft that it fields in any conflict are older and were designed decades ago; but it also has some very capable next generation aircraft like the F-22 and the F-35 that will be coming online in the next few years.

The F-22 and the F-35 are similar in that they are both fighter aircraft that are designed from the outset to have stealth characteristics to make them harder to see by enemy radar. With the F-35 being the newer aircraft, it has more advanced radar-absorbing coatings on the surface than the F-22. Lockheed has announced that it is now integrating some of the more advanced coatings the F-35 uses onto the F-22 fighters coming of the assembly line.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/04/dtn-news-defense-news-f-35-stealth.html

DTN News - LIBYA NO-FLY ZONE: Factbox ~ NATO Military Operations Against Libya's Gaddafi....NSI News Source Info # 1795

DTN News - LIBYA NO-FLY ZONE: Factbox ~ NATO Military Operations Against Libya's Gaddafi....NSI News Source Info # 1795
(NSI News Source Info)

BRUSSELS

- April 9, 2011:

Following are latest available details of Western military operations in Libya.

* The following NATO countries are participating in the alliance's operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Romania, Spain, Sw

eden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Britain, United States.

* NATO forces have a total of about 195 aircraft at their disposal.

* Since NATO assumed command of Western military operations in Libya, its aircraft have made 1,434 sorties, including 587 intended as strike missions. On April 8, it conducted 156 sorties and 60 strike missions. Not all strike sorties have led to targets being hit.

* Eighteen vessels are patrolling the Mediterranean to enforce a U.N.-mandated arms embargo. Twenty-two vessels were stopped by NATO forces on April 8 to determine what they were carrying and their destination; no boardings were conducted.

Nearly 170 vessels have been halted and six boardings conducted since the beginning of arms embargo operations.

* On Saturday, forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi shelled the western outskirts of the rebel-held town of Ajdabiyah as fighting erupted again on the eastern front.

* The rebels said they intended to take Brega on Saturday and some had penetrated the outskirts.

* The Red Cross said on Saturday it was extending its activities to western Libya, as a ship loaded with medical supplies docked in the besieged port city of Misrata and its aid workers made their way to Zawiyah.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/04/dtn-news-libya-no-fly-zone-factbox-nato.html

DTN News - Asian Defense News: China Not To Import Jeep Wrangler Over Safety Issues....NSI News Source Info # 1794

DTN News - Asian Defense News: China Not To Import Jeep Wrangler Over Safety Issues....NSI News Source Info # 1794
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 9, 2011:
China would suspend import of Jeep Wrangler vehicles because of reported safety hazards. Many vehicles have abruptly caught fire, the country's product quality watchdog has said.

Consumers in China have reported several cases of imported Jeep Wranglers catching fire. Investigations found that the fires were the result of a problem in the vehicles' automatic transmission systems, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement.

The Jeep Wrangler is a four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle (SUV) manufactured by American automaker Chrysler and is now in its fourth generation. The Wrangler debuted in 1987, was revised in 1997 and again in 2007.

The administration, however, did not mention whether the reported incidents resulted in casualties, according to Xinhua.

It urged Chrysler to determine the cause of the problem and solve it.


DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Photo Release -- U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman Accomplish Goals For At-Sea Demonstration Of Maritime Laser....NSI # 1793

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Photo Release -- U.S. Navy, Northrop Grumman Accomplish Goals For At-Sea Demonstration Of Maritime Laser....NSI News Source Info # 1793
**High-Energy, Solid-State Laser Shows Lethality Against Small Boat Threats
(NSI News Source Info)
NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY POINT MUGU, Calif., - April 9, 2011: The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) have successfully demonstrated high-energy, solid-state laser defenses at sea by completing a "counter-material" test of the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD) against small boats.

Northrop Grumman designed and built the MLD for the Office of Naval Research, leveraging a laser built by Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command /Army Forces Strategic Command and the High Energy Laser Joint Technology Office.

Open ocean tests were conducted between October 2010 and April 2011 at the Pacific Ocean Test Range near San Nicolas Island off the Central California coast. For these tests, the laser system was installed on the Navy's Self Defense Test Ship, the USS Paul Foster.

While underway, the MLD system initially tracked and lased land targets. The solid-state, directed energy system then tracked and damaged moving, remotely piloted, unmanned small boats traveling at representative speeds and ranges, company executives said.
"The results show that all critical technologies for an operational laser weapon system are mature enough to begin a formal weapon system development program," said Steve Hixson, vice president, space and directed energy systems at Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "Solid-state laser weapons are ready to transition to the fleet."

DTN News - AFGHANISTAN WAR NEWS: Troops Are Political Dynamite In Budget Battle....NSI News Source Info # 1792

DTN News - AFGHANISTAN WAR NEWS: Troops Are Political Dynamite In Budget Battle....NSI News Source Info # 1792
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 9, 2011:

A looming government shutdown would be felt thousands of miles away by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and there could be a high political cost for the lawmakers who let it happen.

Soldiers will not get their paychecks for the duration of the shutdown, leaving their families at home struggling to pay the bills.

Some relatives are already furious.

"Thanks for sending my husband to war and not paying him in return," the wife of one soldier exclaimed on a website, fearing delayed pay in the case of a shutdown.

The sharp reaction among military families underscores the political dangers for Republicans and Democrats if they fail to reach agreement on funding the government for the remainder of fiscal 2011 by midnight on Friday.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/04/dtn-news-afghanistan-war-news-troops.html

Friday, April 8, 2011

DTN News - JORDAN DEFENSE NEWS: Jordan Joins Libya Mission In Non-Combat Role....NSI News Source Info # 1791

DTN News - JORDAN DEFENSE NEWS: Jordan Joins Libya Mission In Non-Combat Role....NSI News Source Info # 1791
(NSI News Source Info)
AMMAN, Jordan
- April 8, 2011:
Jordan has launched participation in the NATO no-fly zone mission over Libya.

Officials said Jordan's military was transporting non-combat equipment as part of humanitarian missions in Libya. They said the Jordanian role would continue indefinitely.

On April 5, the Royal Jordanian Air Force transported 10 tons of medical and humanitarian supplies to Libya. Officials said two unidentified air transports arrived in the Libyan city of Benghazi, which has been under rebel control.

DTN News - NORWAY DEFENSE NEWS: Norway Is Buying Four F-35 Jets....NSI News Source Info # 1790

DTN News - NORWAY DEFENSE NEWS: Norway Is Buying Four F-35 Jets....NSI News Source Info # 1790
(NSI News Source Info) TORONO, Canada - April 8, 2011:
The Government has decided that Norway will buy four F-35 trainer, saidDefense Minister Grete Faremo in his speech at the Labour Party's national convention Thursday. The four-season the planes will cost4.8 billion. Norway to replace its F-16 fighter aircraft in all likelihood be replaced by the American F-35.

Norwegian F-16 aircraft are ripe for replacement for up to 31 years of service. Norway's 72 F-16 aircraft were delivered between 1980and 1984, while two suppleringsfly was delivered in 1989.

- Acquisition of the four planes is an important step to maintain a satisfactory operational combat aircraft capacity in the transitionphase between the F-16 and F-35, says defense minister.

The four aircraft delivered in 2016, while the main deliveries of combat aircraft is scheduled from 2018. Training aircraft are to be used for education and training of fighter pilots in Norwegian United States.

The government will submit a proposal for the acquisition of trainers for the Parliament, said the Defense Ministry.

Asian Defense News: Singapore News ~ Relatives Of NSF’s Girlfriend Convicted Of Assault....NSI News Source Info # 1789

Asian Defense News: Singapore News ~ Relatives Of NSF’s Girlfriend Convicted Of Assault....NSI News Source Info # 1789
April 8, 2011: Men who assaulted a full-time national serviceman (NSF) for seeing his underaged girlfriend were found guilty by a Singapore court on Thursday.19-year-old Lee Poh Kiang dated a 14-year-old girl in 2009 despite objections from the girl's family, reported the Straits Times.

In that year, the girl's father, uncle and four other men took away Lee's cellphone and abducted him to a cemetery at midnight. The group then threw physical punches at Lee who was 17 then, and threatened to kill him with a samurai sword.

Before letting Lee go, the girl's father, 43, and uncle, 38, warned him to stay away from his daughter.

Lee reported the assault incident to the police. When the girl's father and uncle found about the charge, they were said to have had taken him to a karaoke lounge and had tried to persuade him to change his police statements.

After a hearing lasting three weeks, District Judge Sarjit Singhconvicted the men on Thursday of being part of an unlawful assemblyarmed with deadly weapons that hurt and abducted Lee.

Defence counsel Subhas Anandan said the family intends to appeal the convictions.

The men will be sentenced on 21 April. Their accomplices, who are unidentified, are still at large.

http://asiandefensenews.blogspot.com/2011/04/asian-defense-news-singapore-news_08.html

Asian Defense News: Singapore News ~ Photos Of Man In ‘Army Skirt’ Create Buzz....NSI News Source Info # 1788

Asian Defense News: Singapore News ~ Photos Of Man In ‘Army Skirt’ Create Buzz....NSI News Source Info # 1788
April 8, 2011: Move over, army maid. Now photos of a man wearing a camouflage skirt in public in Singapore is generating buzz online.

The photo, originally uploaded on STOMP, surfaced barely a week after pictures of a maid carrying an full-time national serviceman's (NSF's) backpack sparked an online debate about Singapore's youth being too "soft".The eyewitness, who gave his name as Norman, took the photo. He said, "I saw him at Parkway Paradeshopping centre, calmly waiting in line at a money changer, despite the stares he was getting from people around him."

"The skirt was in the style of a Scotsman's kilt, and had three of the original-style pockets on it, one at the side and two in the front. It looked quite professionally-made."

Describing the man as appearing to be in his mid-forties, he added that the skirt looked like it was made from an old Army No. 4 uniform, and even had button-on pockets sewn onto it.

While some netizens have labelled him a 'softie', others think we need to lighten up.

Insurance agent Tan Li Peng, 26, told Yahoo! Singapore, "First we have maids carrying our army backpacks, now men are donning 'army skirts'. I feel embarrassed as a Singaporean guy."

23-year-old undergraduate Royston Lin added, "It's strange to see a man walking around in a skirt in public. But I guess that's in the context of Singapore's social norms. In Scotland it would be perfectly acceptable. Perhaps he should be mindful of the culture he's in."

Others like 21-year-old student Nuraliza H. said, "I think we need to lighten up. He's just experimenting and having fun. After all, I've seen male runway models wearing kilts too."

Fashion-forward, or plain bizarre? You be the judge.

http://asiandefensenews.blogspot.com/2011/04/asian-defense-news-singapore-news.html

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated April 7, 2011....NSI News Source Info # 1787

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated April 7, 2011....
NSI News Source Info # 1787
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 7, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued April 7, 2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

NAVY

DRS Technologies, Inc., Herndon, Va., is being awarded a $169,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract (N65236-07-D-5120) for satellite internet protocol services to support Morale, Welfare and Recreation and other non-Global Information Grid operations and programs supported by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, European Office. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract, including this modification, to $497,000,000. Work will be performed in Southwest Asia (95 percent) and Europe (5 percent), and is expected to be completed December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Commerce Business Daily’s Federal Business Opportunities website, and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems e-Commerce Central website, with four offers received. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity.

Alliant Techsystems, Inc. (ATK), Missile Subsystems and Components Division, Rocket Center, W.Va., was awarded on April 5 an estimated $29,000,000 cost, no-fee facilities acquisition contract for restoration projects in support of the Navy’s continuing restoration program at Allegany Ballistics Laboratory. The Allegany Ballistics Laboratory is a government-owned, contractor-operated, Navy Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant. The Navy’s operating contractor is ATK. Work will be performed in Rocket Center, W.Va., and is expected to complete by April 2013. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-11-E-4310).

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/04/dtn-news-us-department-of-defense_07.html

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Convert Or Go To Hell ~ Tablighis Tell Non-Muslim Patients At Government Hospitals....NSI News Source Info # 1786

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Convert Or Go To Hell ~ Tablighis Tell Non-Muslim Patients At Government Hospitals....NSI News Source Info # 1786
(NSI News Source Info) KARACHI, Pakistan - April 7, 2011:

Thursday, April 7, 2011

NSI News Source Info # 1785

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: Chinese Aircraft Carrier May Be Near Completion....NSI News Source Info # 1785
(NSI News Source Info)

BEIJING, China

- April 7, 2011:

The Chinese state news agency has posted photographs of an aircraft carrier under reconstruction that appears to show the warship near completion. Captions with the photos said that construction would end soon, and that the carrier is expected to sail later this year.


The photos of the carrier, the Varyag, which China bought from the Ukraine in 1998, appeared Wednesday on the Web site of Xinhua, the state news agency. It was the first time that Xinhua had given visual evidence of the carrier project, which is widely seen as a linchpin of China’s military modernization and naval ambitions. The carrier is being rebuilt in the waters of Dalian, a coastal city in eastern China.