DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Sikorsky Unveils State-Of-The-Art Virtual Reality Center For CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter....NSI News Source Info # 1445

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Sikorsky Unveils State-Of-The-Art Virtual Reality Center For CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter....NSI News Source Info # 1445

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. - January 14, 2011

(NSI News Source Info) STRATFORD, Connecticut - January 17, 2011: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today unveiled a state-of-the-art virtual reality center for the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter program, an innovative tool to help identify gaps in a three-dimensional digital environment prior to experimental assembly. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

Through this advanced design tool, the program expects to realize cost savings and greater efficiency that can minimize delays in final assembly of the aircraft.

“The virtual reality tool allows the team to find production and maintenance issues that typically only could be found during the initial build of the aircraft,” said Dr. Michael Torok, Sikorsky vice president and chief engineer for Marine Corps programs. “With this tool, we can identify these potential problems in time to avoid them. Ultimately, this will save time and money.”

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-defense-news-sikorsky-unveils.html

DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: SuperJet International Signs Contract Worth USD 650 Million With Mexican Interjet....NSI News Source Info # 1444

DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: SuperJet International Signs Contract Worth USD 650 Million With Mexican Interjet....NSI News Source Info # 1444

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Sukhoi Company - Russia January 17, 2011

(NSI News Source Info) VENICE, Italy - January 17, 2011: SuperJet International (SJI) - a joint venture between Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica Company, and Sukhoi Holding - signed today with Mexico’s Interjet airline a contract for the purchase of 15 long range Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) aircraft in the 98 seat configuration, plus 5 options.

Based on the price list, the overall order has a value of USD 650 million. The first deliveries are scheduled for the second half of 2012.

Along with the order, SuperJet International announced the execution of a “SuperCare” Agreement with Interjet for the after-sales support of its fleet of new Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft over 10 years duration. Since its Entry Into Service, Interjet SSJ100 fleet will be supported by SJI with this tailored after-sales solution.

The Agreement is a comprehensive “per-flight-hour” program developed by SJI specifically for SSJ100 aircraft Operators. This innovative lifecycle solution has been designed to maximize aircraft availability to Operators and minimize their maintenance and administrative associated costs.

With this new milestone, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 finalizes 170 firm orders. The first deliveries to the launch customers Aeroflot and Armavia are scheduled for the first quarter of 2011.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 Programme represents the most important industrial partnership between the Russian Federation and the rest of the world in the civil aviation sector.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-airlines-news-superjet.html

DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated January 17, 2011....NSI News Source Info # 1443

DTN News: Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News Dated January 17, 2011....NSI News Source Info # 1443

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources including latest updates Defense News, Aerospace/Defense Headlines - News & Yahoo

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 17, 2011: Comprehensive daily news related to Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY.

*Comprehensive daily news related on Aerospace/Defense for the world of TODAY

Monday January 17, 2011

• Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman's Joint STARS is Key Enabler in Success of U.S. Navy/Air Force Joint Surface Warfare Network-Enabled Weapon Joint Capability Technology Demonstration
  5:05 pm - GlobeNewswire
• Sanmina-SCI Corporation Invites You to Join Its Fiscal 2011 First Quarter Earnings Conference Call
  4:05 pm - PR Newswire
• Latrobe Specialty Steel Company Names B. Christopher DiSantis as President and CEO
  3:47 pm - Business Wire
• Five Top Minds in Manufacturing Technology from Primes, Government, NASA to Keynote Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing Conference in Anaheim in April
  2:39 pm - Business Wire
• Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound Elects New Board Trustees
  2:00 pm - PR Newswire
• http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-aerospacedefense-headlines_17.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: China Takes The Lead With EFV (Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle)....NSI News Source Info # 1442

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: China Takes The Lead With EFV (Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle)....NSI News Source Info # 1442

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 17, 2011: With the U.S. Marine Corps cancelling its new EFV (Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle), all the marines have left is the elderly AAV7. Now it is the Chinese who will have the most varied, and recently built, fleet of amphibious armored vehicles. China has produced a line of amphibious artillery systems that are mounted in the 20 ton ZBD amphibious tracked armored vehicle.

The latest model mounts a 122mm howitzer in the chassis. An earlier one mounted a 122mm gun in a small turret. The ZBD 97 is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, with a 30mm autocannon (or a 100mm gun/missile launcher) in a small turret. The crew of three is accompanied by seven infantrymen in the rear. The ZBD, in the form of the ZBD 97 infantry fighting vehicle, has been in service since 2006.

The ZBD series of armored amphibious vehicles are not as formidable as the EFV, but are more recent, although smaller, vehicles than the AAV7 the U.S. marines are currently equipped with. The Chinese continue to build ZBD type vehicles, and practice with them. ZBDs are typically launched from ships up to ten kilometers offshore, and can get to a beach in less than 15 minutes.

The EFV was previously called the AAAV (Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle). Weighing nearly 36 tons, the EFV is 3.4 meters (10.5 feet) tall, 3.9 meters (12 feet) wide and just under 10 meters (30 feet) long. It's armed with a 30mm automatic cannon (MK34 Bushmaster) and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun. The EFV also has better armor protection and electronics than the AAV7 it replaces. The EFV is about 25 percent heavier than the AAV7, and somewhat larger. The U.S. had planned to buy 563 EFVs to replace about a thousand AAV7s. The latter will probably be retired in a decade or so.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-defense-news-china-takes-lead.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US Firm Sweetens Turkey Helicopter Bid....NSI News Source Info # 1441

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US Firm Sweetens Turkey Helicopter Bid....NSI News Source Info # 1441

*Final Assembly for S-70i(TM) BLACK HAWK Helicopter Begins at PZL Mielec - Defense News, September 1, 2009

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources ÜMİT ENGİNSOY ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

(NSI News Source Info) ANKARA, Turkey - January 17, 2011: A helicopter manufacturer from the United States, competing with an Italian rival for a Turkish tender to jointly produce 109 mostly military-utility helicopters worth around $4 billion, sweetened its bid over the weekend.

A senior official from Sikorsky Aircraft told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that his company would guarantee that Turkey would do repair and maintenance work worth $1 billion on S-70i Black Hawk International helicopters belonging to third countries.

"Turkey will do maintenance-repair-overhaul work for the platforms of countries that have S-70i Black Hawk International helicopters. We guarantee this," the official said. "Altogether, this will be worth $1 billion for Turkey's defense industry over the next 20 years."

Sikorsky Aircraft is offering Ankara the T-70, a Turkish version of the S-70i Black Hawk International, which already features in the inventories of several countries as the export model of the U.S. UH-60 Black Hawk.

Sikorsky's rival, the Italian AgustaWestland, is proposing the TUHP 149, a Turkish version of its A149, a newly-developed utility helicopter, in the tender.

Tough competition

At the last meeting in mid-December of the Defense Industry Executive Committee, Turkey's top decision-making body for defense procurement, the highly anticipated decision for the selection of the Turkish military's next utility helicopter type did not come.

Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül told reporters at the time that Sikorsky's and AgustaWestland's offers were both judged insufficient. The main point of disagreement was the price, the minister said. "Talks with both companies will continue, but we think they should cut their prices."

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-defense-news-us-firm-sweetens.html

DTN News - INTELLIGENCE REPORT/NEWS: Attack Of The Drones....NSI News Source Info # 1440

DTN News - INTELLIGENCE REPORT/NEWS: Attack Of The Drones....NSI News Source Info # 1440

**Unmanned aircraft are now a vital tool in war zones, but our skies could soon be buzzing with spy planes that feed information back to the police – and even the paparazzi

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Owen Bowcott and Paul Lewis guardian.co.uk, Sunday 16 January 2011 20.30 GMT

(NSI News Source Info) - January 17, 2011: There is a second-and-a-half delay between the RAF operator pressing his button and the Hellfire rocket erupting from the aircraft he is controlling, circling in the sky above Afghanistan.

That's a long time in modern warfare, but the plane is an unmanned "drone" and its two-strong crew are 8,000 miles away at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada. Right now, the Reaper is being commanded from a console with twin video screens shaped to resemble a plane's cockpit.

The UK has five Reapers like this one operating in Afghanistan. With a wingspan of 66ft, they are 36ft long, reach a top speed of 250 knots and usually carry four Hellfire rockets and two laser-guided bombs. These Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – which rely on fibre optic cables, European "upstations" and satellite links – are part of an international trend towards remote combat. RAF-controlled Reapers used their weapons in Afghanistan 123 times in the first 10 months of 2010.

British forces are also using smaller drones, such as Lockheed Martin's hand-launched Desert Hawk. The lightweight surveillance aircraft is flown by Royal Artillery controllers to provide army patrols with "over the hill" vision for improved reconaissance. Last summer the Ministry of Defence ordered £3m worth of an enhanced version that will give troops in Afghanistan "greater situational awareness" and upgraded "target acquisition" capabilities. On the US side, there were more than 100 CIA-led drone strikes in Pakistan last year and the Pentagon is about to deploy its intimidatingly named Gorgon Stare airborne surveillance system, a multi-image video device for tracking suspects across large areas.

But interest in UAVs is not limited to the military. Advances in remote control, digital imagery and miniaturised circuitry mean the skies might one day be full of commercial and security drones.

They're already being used by the UK police, with microdrones deployed to monitor the V festival in Staffordshire in 2007. Fire brigades send similar machines to hover above major blazes, feeding images back to their control rooms. And civilian spin-offs include cheaper aerial photography, airborne border patrols and safety inspections of high-rise buildings.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-intelligence-reportnews-attack.html

DTN News - BREAKING NEWS: Chinese President Hu Jintao Says U.S., China Must Work Toward Mutual Trust....NSI News Source Info # 1439

DTN News - BREAKING NEWS: Chinese President Hu Jintao Says U.S., China Must Work Toward Mutual Trust....NSI News Source Info # 1439

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Keith B. Richburg Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, January 17, 2011

(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - January 17, 2011: Chinese President Hu Jintao, who travels to Washington this week for astate visit after a year marked by disputes and tension with the United States, said the two countries could mutually benefit by finding "common ground" on issues from fighting terrorism and nuclear proliferation to cooperating on clean energy and infrastructure development.

"There is no denying that there are some differences and sensitive issues between us," Hu said in written answers to questions from The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. "We both stand to gain from a sound China-U.S. relationship, and lose from confrontation.''

To enhance what he called "practical cooperation" on a wide range of issues, Hu urged an increase in dialogues and exchanges and more "mutual trust." He said, "We should abandon the zero-sum Cold War mentality," and, in what seemed like an implicit rejection of U.S. criticisms of China's internal affairs, said the two should "respect each other's choice of development path."

Hu took aim at the international currency system, now dominated by the dollar, calling it a "product of the past." China has moved to make its currency, the renminbi, convertible on international markets, and Hu pointed to Chinese efforts to boost its use in trade and investment. But he cautioned against any suggestion that the renminbi, also called the yuan, might soon become a new reserve currency. "It takes a long time for a country's currency to be widely accepted in the world," Hu said.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-intelligence-reportnews_17.html

DTN News: Korean Top Stories / Headlines News Dated January 16, 2011....NSI News Source Info # 1438

DTN News: Korean Top Stories / Headlines News Dated January 16, 2011....NSI News Source Info # 1438

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The Korean Times, The Korea Herald & Korean News (North Korea)

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 16, 2011: Comprehensive daily news related to Korea for the world of TODAY.

*Comprehensive daily news related to Korean Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY

Talented foreign residents to get favors in naturalization Talented professionals will be given the chance to be naturalized even if their residential period falls short of the legal minimum of five years. Indirect investors along with d.. Reserve forces to conduct front-line exercises Members of the nation's Reserve Forces will be deployed to front-line areas for the first time during joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises later this year, Yonhap News Agenc.. http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-korean-top-stories-headlines.html

DTN News: Iraq Top Stories / Headlines News Dated January 16, 2011....NSI News Source Info # 1437

DTN News: Iraq Top Stories / Headlines News Dated January 16, 2011....NSI News Source Info # 1437

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources The New York Times & Yahoo

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 16, 2011: Comprehensive daily news related to Iraq for the world of TODAY.

*Comprehensive daily news related to Iraq Top Stories / Headlines News for the world of TODAY

Baghdad Raids on Alcohol Sellers Stir Fears

By JOHN LELAND

A flurry of attacks on those who sell alcohol in Baghdad has raised concerns about an accelerated movement toward strict Islamic law.

January 15, 2011

MORE ON IRAQ AND: ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, SHARIAH (ISLAMIC LAW),BAGHDAD (IRAQ), ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ

3 U.S. Service Members Killed in Iraq

By JOHN LELAND

Three American soldiers were killed and one wounded in Iraq on Saturday, raising to five the number of service members this year.

January 15, 2011

MORE ON IRAQ AND: UNITED STATES DEFENSE AND MILITARY FORCES

In Iraq, Biden Reaffirms Deadline for Troops’ Exit

By JOHN LELAND

The vice president visited Baghdad at a time when the re-elected prime minister has yet to fill key security positions.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-iraq-top-stories-headlines.html

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing Remanufactures AH-64A Apaches To AH-64D Block II....NSI News Source Info # 1436

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing Remanufactures AH-64A Apaches To AH-64D Block II....NSI News Source Info # 1436

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources U.S Department of Defense; issued January 14, 2011

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 16, 2011:

The Boeing Company, Defense, Space & Security, Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $190,239,373 firm-fixed-price contract Jan. 12, 2011. The award will provide for the remanufacture of 72 AH-64A aircraft into AH-64D aircraft along with one Longbow Crew Trainer.

Work will be performed in Mesa, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2014. One bid was solicited with one bid received.

The U.S. Army Contracting Command, AMCOM, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-06-C-0093)

When the US Army bought the AH-64D Apache Longbow, with the characteristic mast-mounted radars to control the Hellfire II Longbow dual-guidance laser/millimeter wave missiles, it bought them as remanufactures from its existing AH-64A fleets. By 2006, a total of 501 helicopters had been delivered in AH-64D Block I and the more advanced AH-64D Block II variants. At that point, production was supposed to stop, and Block III conversions would begin.

Unfortunately, late technologies like JTRS radios, and other impediments, have given the Block III program a late start. In order to avoid a production line shutdown, which would require a very expensive restart, the US military decided to go on buying more AH-64D Block IIs until Block III was ready. Additional helicopters bought under that approach are “Extended Block IIs” – extended in their production line, not their technology. Further orders and options that stretch Block II production are “Extended Block II Plus,” or AH-64D EBII+.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-defense-news-boeing.html

DTN News - PAKISTAN TODAY: Attacks Down Almost 20 Percent In Pakistan....NSI News Source Info # 1435

DTN News - PAKISTAN TODAY: Attacks Down Almost 20 Percent In Pakistan....NSI News Source Info # 1435

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP

(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - January 16, 2011: The number of suicide bombings and other attacks in Pakistan declined nearly 20 percent last year as a result of Pakistani military operations, better surveillance by law enforcement agencies and the death of key militants in U.S. drone strikes, a think tank said Sunday.

But the militant threat remains dire, and the Pakistani government has yet to develop a comprehensive policy to eradicate Islamist militants who continue to plague the country, warned the Pak Institute for Peace Studies.

"Better coordination among intelligence agencies, capacity building of law enforcement agencies, curbs on terrorism financing and, most importantly, adequate measures to prevent banned militant groups from operating across the country remained persistently lacking," said a new report by the group.

Pakistan's anti-terror efforts are a key focus of the Obama administration, which wants the country to do more to target Taliban militants who regularly launch attacks against U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The number of militant, insurgent and sectarian-related attacks in Pakistan declined from 2,586 in 2009 to 2,113 last year. But the number of people killed in attacks only dropped about 3.5 percent, from 3,021 to 2,913.

Despite the general decline, attacks roughly tripled last year in Pakistan's two largest cities, said the report, a sign that militants are having greater success exporting the fight far from their northwest heartland along the Afghan border.

In Karachi, a teeming city of some 16 million that has a long history of religious, political and ethnic violence, 93 attacks killed 233 people last year, up from 24 attacks that killed 65 in 2009.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-pakistan-today-attacks-down.html

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: President Nathan Commissions 447 As SAF Officers....NSI News Source Info # 1434

DTN News - SINGAPORE DEFENSE NEWS: President Nathan Commissions 447 As SAF Officers....NSI News Source Info # 1434

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources MinDef Singapore dated Jan 15, 2011

(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - January 16, 2011: President S R Nathan reviewed a commissioning parade at the SAFTI Military Institute this evening, where 378 Army, 39 Air Force and 30 Navy officer cadets were commissioned as officers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

Speaking at the parade, President Nathan encouraged the graduands to be "leaders who are professional, committed, caring and who always act with integrity." He also emphasised the important role of an SAF officer as a commander in inspiring and developing a deep sense of mission and purpose in their men. He said, "Lead by example. Inspire your men and women to follow you by demonstrating a high degree of professionalism and discipline. Spare no effort when training your men and women and never compromise on performance standards. But always have their safety at heart. Lead wisely."

The parade marked the completion of 38 weeks of rigorous training at the Officer Cadet School. The demanding and realistic training exercises conducted during this course provided valuable opportunities for the officer cadets to develop their combat,planning and leadership skills. The newly commissioned officers will go on to assume command, instructional or staff appointments in the SAF.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2011/01/dtn-news-singapore-defense-news_16.html