Sunday, December 11, 2011

DTN News - LOCKHEED MARTIN DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed - Pentagon Order For F-35s Undefinitized

DTN News - LOCKHEED MARTIN DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed - Pentagon Order For F-35s Undefinitized

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 11, 2011: Lockheed Martin has signed an undefinitized contract that establishes a price ceiling for the fifth low rate production lot for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, company officials clarified late on Dec. 10.

The Pentagon announced earlier on Dec. 10 that it had awarded Lockheed Martin a $4 billion contract to build 30 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.

"Lockheed Martin has signed an undefinitized contract that establishes the funding for Lot 5 up to the level announced by the DoD today," said Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Laurie Quincy in an email. "The final Lot 5 contract amount will not be known until we have a definitized contract sometime in 2012."

She said in a statement that the award is welcome news for the company and its F-35 suppliers.

"This … will help ensure we continue to meet production schedules outlined by the program," Quincy wrote. "This is an important first step in paving the way for full LRIP 5 production contract negotiations with our government customer."

The fixed-price-incentive contract calls for 21 F-35A conventional take off and landing (CTOL) for the Air Force, three F-35B short-take off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft for the Marines, and six F-35C carrier variants for the Navy.

Broken down by service, two-thirds of the value of the contract - $2.65 billion - is for the Air Force; $937 million, or 23 percent, for the Navy; and $426 million, or nearly 11 percent, for the Marine Corps.

The contract also provides for "associated ancillary mission equipment and flight test instrumentation" for the planes, and flight test instrumentation for the United Kingdom.

The contract was awarded through the Naval Air Systems Command.

The next-generation F-35 is a stealthy (radar-evading), supersonic multirole fighter designed to meet the U.S. government's requirements for a new generation of transformational weapons. The single-engine JSF will be manufactured in three versions: a conventional-takeoff-and-landing (CTOL) variant for the U.S. Air Force, an aircraft-carrier version (CV) for the U.S. Navy, and a short-takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) version for the U.S. Marine Corps.

The cornerstone of the F-35 is affordability, achieved in large part through a very high level of common parts and systems across the three versions of the aircraft.

The F-35 is designed to replace aging fighter inventories, including U.S. Air Force A-10s and F-16s, U.S. Navy F/A-18s, U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18s, and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers.

DTN News - LOCKHEED MARTIN DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin Delivers Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance System To U.S. Air Force

DTN News - LOCKHEED MARTIN DEFENSE NEWS: Lockheed Martin Delivers Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance System To U.S. Air Force

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 11, 2011: An airborne signals intelligence system configured specifically for the newest C-130J aircraft has been delivered to the U.S. Air Force by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]. The system, which is part of the Senior Scout program that enables C-130 aircraft to be used for tactical signals intelligence and reconnaissance, will undergo acceptance testing in December.

Senior Scout is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system built into a trailer-like container that can be rolled on and off C-130 aircraft. This ISR suite of equipment rapidly configures standard C-130 aircraft for tactical signals intelligence, providing capabilities that exploit, geo-locate and report communications intelligence and signals of interest to air and ground component commanders.

“We are honored to continue providing the Air Force with a modern, capable signals intelligence system,” said Jim Quinn, vice president of C4ISR Systems for Lockheed Martin IS&GS-Defense. “The latest shelter configuration advances the Senior Scout capability for the next generation of C-130J aircraft.”

In addition to undergoing system upgrades, the latest Senior Scout shelter was enhanced to be structurally compatible with the newest C-130J aircraft. System interfaces were updated, and the shelter was equipped with the latest technology enhancements and improvements for maintenance access. The shelter also defines the design that will be used to upgrade the three legacy shelters over the next 24 months to ensure the entire Senior Scout fleet is C-130J compatible.

For more than 20 years Lockheed Martin has provided system development and operational support to the U.S. Air Force for roll-on palletized ISR monitoring shelters. The first Senior Scout system was fielded and was used in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Palletized shelters that can be rolled on and off cargo aircraft are an element of Lockheed Martin’s Dragon family of ISR configurations. Dragon Shield™ offers a flexible roll-on/roll-off mission suite for customers who need a platform that can perform multiple missions (airlift and ISR). All configurations within the DRAGON series incorporate a modular "plug and play" architecture for the cost-effective, rapid introduction of new capabilities and sustainment.

DTN News - BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENCE NEWS: The Cost-Effective Delivery of An Armoured Vehicle Capability - Summary

DTN News - BRITISH MINISTRY OF DEFENCE NEWS: The Cost-Effective Delivery of An Armoured Vehicle Capability - Summary

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 11, 2011: Armoured vehicles such as tanks, reconnaissance and personnel-carrying vehicles are essential for a wide range of military tasks.

Since the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, the Ministry of Defence (the Department) has attempted to acquire the vehicles it needs through a number of procurement projects.

However, none of the principal armoured vehicles it requires have yet been delivered, despite the Department spending £1.1 billion since 1998, including £321 million wasted on cancelled or suspended projects. As a result there will be gaps in capability until at least 2025, making it more difficult to undertake essential tasks such as battlefield reconnaissance.

Partly as a result of this £1.1 billion failure to yet deliver any armoured vehicles, and to meet the specific military demands of operating in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department was provided with a further £2.8 billion from the Treasury Reserve to buy Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) vehicles. The Department has used the faster UOR process to deliver mine-resistant vehicles for operations.

DTN News - U.S. AIR FORCE NEWS: Pentagon Awarded Contract To General Atomics Aeronautical Systems For 40 MQ-9 UAV

DTN News - U.S. AIR FORCE NEWS: Pentagon Awarded Contract To General Atomics Aeronautical Systems For 40 MQ-9 UAV

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 11, 2011: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Poway, Calif., is being awarded a $319,236,484 firm-fixed-price contract for 40 MQ-9 Block 1 aircraft, and 40 aircraft containers.

The location of the performance is Poway, Calif. Work is expected to be completed September 2013. This was a sole-source acquisition; one proposal was received.

ASC/WIIK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-10-G-3038 0017).

The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (originally the Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), capable of remote controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) for use by the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, the CIA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Royal Air Force, and the Italian Air Force. The MQ-9 and other UAVs are referred to as Remotely Piloted Vehicles/Aircraft (RPV/RPA) by the U.S. Air Force to indicate their human ground controllers. The MQ-9 is the first hunter-killer UAV designed for long-endurance, high-altitude surveillance.

The MQ-9 is a larger and more capable aircraft than the earlier MQ-1 Predator (other than loiter time), and it can be controlled by the same ground systems used to control MQ-1s. The Reaper has a 950-shaft-horsepower (712 kW) turboprop engine, far more powerful than the Predator's 115 hp (86 kW) piston engine. The increase in power allows the Reaper to carry 15 times more ordnance and cruise at three times the speed of the MQ-1. Although the MQ-9 can fly pre-programmed routes autonomously, the aircraft is always monitored or controlled by aircrew in the Ground Control Station (GCS) and weapons employment is always commanded by the flight crew.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: US President Barack Obama With West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon During Football Game At Maryland

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: US President Barack Obama With West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon During Football Game At Fedex Field In Landover Maryland

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 10, 2011:. US President Barack Obama walks across the field with West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon (R) during halftime of the Army vs. Navy annual football game at Fedex Field in Landover, Maryland, December 10, 2011. . (Photo - Getty)

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: US President Barack Obama And US Vice President Joe Biden During Football In Landover Maryland

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: US President Barack Obama And US Vice President Joe Biden During Halftime Of The Army vs. Navy Annual Football In Landover Maryland

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 10, 2011: US President Barack Obama And US Vice President Joe Biden attend the Army vs. Navy football game at Fedex Field in Landover, Maryland, December 10, 2011. . (Photo - Getty)

Friday, December 9, 2011

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: US President Barack Obama And First Lady Michelle Obama At Hanukkah Reception In The White House

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: US President Barack Obama And First Lady Michelle Obama At Hanukkah Reception In The White House

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 9, 2011: US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive for a Hanukkah Reception December 8, 2011 in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo - Getty)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated December 7, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated December 7, 2011

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 7, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued December 7,2011 are undermentioned;

ARMY

ITT Systems Corp., Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded a $121,279,103 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the services in support of the wideband satellite communications missions identified in the Operational Management System. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Fort Meade, Md.; Fort Detrick, Md.; Wahiawa, Hawaii; Landstuhl, Germany; Okinawa, Japan; Fort Gordon, Ga.; MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.; and Canberra, Australia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2019. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., is the contracting activity (W91260-12-C-0001).

The Boeing Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $141,318,475 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the services in support of 30 Apache AH-64D attack helicopters for Taiwan. Work will be performed in Mesa, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2017. One bid was solicited, with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-C-0147).

AJ Services Joint Venture I, L.L.P., Austin, Texas, was awarded a $90,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the healthcare housekeeping services in support of direct and non-direct patient care and healthcare-related settings of four principal military treatment facilities. Work will be performed in Fort Gordon, Ga.; Fort Campbell, Ky.; Fort Jackson, S.C.; and Redstone Arsenal, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2016. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The Center for Healthcare Contracting, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the contracting office (W81K04-12-D-0001).

DTN News - SOMALIA UNREST: AU Troops On Red Alert Patrol In Mogadishu

DTN News - SOMALIA UNREST: AU Troops On Red Alert Patrol In Mogadishu

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 7, 2011: African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops ride an amoured vehicle past a burning car after it exploded in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011.

The explosives-laden car went off at an area called Kilometer 4. Several people were killed and injured accoding to an eye witness and an emergency official. Somalia's capital has seen a wave of blasts since Islamists withdrew from the city in August. (Photo - AP)

DTN News - SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN KOSOVO: KFOR Soldiers Maintain Peace Between Serbs And Albanian Kosovo In Jagnjenic - Former Yugoslavia

DTN News - SECTARIAN VIOLENCE IN KOSOVO: KFOR Soldiers Maintain Peace Between Serbs And Albanian Kosovo In Jagnjenic - Former Yugoslavia

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 7, 2011: KFOR soldiers from Germany remove a barbed wire from the road in the village of Jagnjenica, near Zubin Potok December 6, 2011. Minority Serbs in Kosovo began removing barricades in the Balkan country's lawless north on Monday before a European Union ruling on Friday on whether Serbia can join the bloc.

Serbs in a small slice of mainly Albanian Kosovo, not controlled by Pristina, have been manning barricades since July when the Kosovo government tried to seize control of two border crossings there. (Photo - Reuters)

DTN News - U.S. MILITARY NEWS: US Special Forces Are Assisting Ugandan Troops To Capture LRA Chief Joseph Kony

DTN News - U.S. MILITARY NEWS: US Special Forces Are Assisting Ugandan Troops To Capture LRA Chief Joseph Kony

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 7, 2011: US soldiers assist Ugandan Airforce personnel as they package food supplies at a military airbase in Entebbbe, Uganda on December 6, 2011. The food supplies were destined for frontline Ugandan troops hunting rebel group, The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

US Presdient Barack Obama in October sent 100 special forces soldiers to track down LRA Chief and international fugitive Joseph Kony who has been active across four countries in the region for over two decades. The US state department currently gives 17 million US dollars each year to Uganda to cover the costs of transporting Ugandan forces to the affected areas. (Photo - Getty)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated December 6, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated December 6, 2011

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - December 6, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued December 6,2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

NAVY

Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $60,360,995 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2404) for the procurement, production, and test of the Integrated Shipboard Electronics (ISE) for Landing Platform Dock (LPD) 26 with an option for LPD 27 ISE. This contract includes options, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $111,347,220. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by February 2017. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Wyle Laboratories, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., is being awarded a $33,693,891 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract (N00421-03-D-0015) to execute an award term for continued E-2C/E-2D/C-2 planning, program, and financial services in support of the Navy (79 percent); and under the Foreign Military Sales Program, the governments of France, Taiwan, Egypt, Japan, Singapore, and Canada (21 percent). Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in December 2012. No funding is being obligated at time of award. Funding will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Deloitte Consulting, L.L.P., Lexington Park, Md., is being awarded a $30,071,729 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract (N00421-03-D-0014) to execute an award term for continued E-2C/E-2D/C-2 planning, program, and financial services. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in December 2012. No funding is being obligated at time of award. Funding will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

DTN News - NATO ATTACK ON PAKISTAN: US officials Say Pakistan Leaving Liaison Centers

DTN News - NATO ATTACK ON PAKISTAN: US officials Say Pakistan Leaving Liaison Centers

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - December 6, 2011: Pakistan is pulling its troops out of at least two of the three centers meant to coordinate military activity across the Afghan border in apparent retaliation for NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, U.S. military officials said.


The move will hamper U.S. efforts to liaise with Pakistani forces, increasing the risk that something could go wrong again, said the officials late Monday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The U.S. and Pakistan have offered different accounts of what led to the NATO attacks against two army posts along the Afghan border before dawn on Nov. 26, but the deadly incident seems to have been caused in part by communication breakdowns.

The soldiers' deaths have plunged the already strained U.S.-Pakistan relations to an all-time low, threatening Washington's attempts to get Pakistan to cooperate on the Afghan war despite billions of dollars in American aid.

Pakistan retaliated immediately by closing its Afghan border crossings to NATO supplies, demanding the U.S. vacate an air base used by American drones and boycotting an international conference held Monday in Bonn, Germany, aimed at stabilizing Afghanistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that Pakistan wants to repair relations with the United States.

But the military's decision to abandon the border coordination centers shows it is still outraged over the incident, which it has called deliberate - an allegation denied by the U.S. The Pakistan army is considered the strongest organization in Pakistan and will likely determine the future course of ties with the U.S.

Pakistan may still have troops at the coordination center in Torkham in the country's northwest Khyber tribal area, but has pulled out of the other two along the border, said the U.S. officials.

The Pakistani military did not immediately respond to request for comment.

NATO attacks have killed Pakistani troops at least three different times along the porous and poorly defined border since 2008, but the incident on Nov. 26 in the Mohmand tribal area was by far the most deadly.

U.S. officials have said the incident occurred when a joint U.S. and Afghan patrol requested air support after coming under fire. The U.S. checked with the Pakistan military to see if there were friendly troops in the area and were told there were not, they said.

Monday, December 5, 2011

DTN News - RUSSIA NEWS: Russian Election Results Will Be Shock For Vladimir Putin

DTN News - RUSSIA NEWS: Russian Election Results Will Be Shock For Vladimir Putin

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 5, 2011: So when he awoke on Monday morning and saw that support for his United Russia party appeared to have fallen to just under fifty per cent from a stellar 64 per cent of the vote four years ago it must have left a bitter taste in his mouth.

In a de facto one party state where the ruling elite controls all the levers of power embarrassing setbacks like this are not supposed to happen.


Nor, it appears, did Mr Putin's party even win all of its votes fairly. The country's only independent election watchdog uncovered thousands of breaches of electoral law and was itself targeted by the authorities to make its life more difficult.

Mr Putin's Soviet-style party easily won Sunday's parliamentary election anyway. Its closest rival, the Communists, look to have garnered around only twenty per cent of the vote. But the precipitous drop in United Russia's popularity ahead of Mr Putin's own planned return to the Russian presidency next May will have the Kremlin worried.
Sunday's vote was the first chance ordinary Russians had been given to pronounce on his decision to return to the Kremlin next year for a third time. It was hardly the ringing endorsement he had hoped for.

One reason for that is indisputably that some Russian voters are beginning to grow tired of the Putin show and to resent the fact that they are not being offered any alternative.

The former KGB spy's personal popularity ratings are still above fifty per cent but they have been gradually falling.

The manner in which he and the Kremlin have stage-managed political life in the last year has not helped.

Many Russians felt that Mr Putin, who was president from 2000 to 2008, was the right 'muzhik' or real man to "put Russia back on its knees" after the anarchic 1990s.

He was credited with saving the motherland from chaos, restoring order, and then presiding over an unprecedented oil-fuelled decade-long rise in living standards.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

DTN News - DEV ANAND: Indian Legendary Bollywood Actor Dev Anand Passed Away In London

DTN News - DEV ANAND: Indian Legendary Bollywood Actor Dev Anand Passed Away In London

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 4, 2011: Veteran Bollywood actor and director Dev Anand attends a news conference for the premiere of his film "Mr. Prime Minister" in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad in this December 29, 2005 file photo. Anand died on December 3, 2011 after a heart attack in London, according to local media. (Reuters)

Dev Anand, the style icon of 1950s and 1960s, scripted a fashion statement with his scarves, mufflers and jackets and his singnature puff, inspired by his childhood ideal Gregory Peck. The newage designers describe him as a trendsetter.

DTN News - NATO ATTACK ON PAKISTAN: Protesters Set Fire To Obama's Effigy In Multan For Air Strike Killing 24 Pakistani Soldiers

DTN News - NATO ATTACK ON PAKISTAN: Protesters Set Fire To Obama's Effigy In Multan For Air Strike Killing 24 Pakistani Soldiers

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 4, 2011: Activists of Pakistan Mutahidda Shehri Mahaz set fire an effigy of US President Barack Obama during a protest in Multan on December 3, 2011.

Islamabad has so far refused to take part in a US inquiry into air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, exacerbating fears of a prolonged US-Pakistani crisis as a result of the attack.
(Photo - Getty)

Friday, December 2, 2011

DTN News - AFGANISTAN TODAY: Afghan Police Officer Demonstrating His Skill During Graduation Ceremony In Adreskan, Herat Province

DTN News - AFGANISTAN TODAY: Afghan Police Officer Demonstrating His Skill During Graduation Ceremony In Adreskan, Herat Province

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 2, 2011: An Afghan police officer demonstrates his skills during a graduation ceremony in Adreskan, Herat province west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. Around 500 policemen and officers graduated after four months of training.

The process of taking over security from over 130,000-strong NATO-led ISAF forces by Afghan troops will be completed by the end of 2014 when Afghanistan will take over the full leadership of its own security duties from U.S. and NATO forces. (Photo - AP)

DTN News - AFGANISTAN TODAY: Afghan Authorities Taking Over Security Control From NATO Forces In City Of Charikar In Parwan Province

DTN News - AFGANISTAN TODAY: Afghan Authorities Taking Over Security Control From NATO Forces In City Of Charikar In Parwan Province

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 2, 2011: Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (R), head of the Transition Commission, gives the national flag of Afghanistan to Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers during a ceremony to hand over security control in the city of Charikar in Parwan province on December 1, 2011.

The second wave of Afghanistan's transition from foreign to local control officially started on December 1 as NATO forces handed over most of a peaceful province to Afghan authorities. All bar two districts of Parwan province, north of the capital Kabul, are being handed to Afghan control. (Photo - Getty)

DTN News - AFGANISTAN TODAY: US Soldiers Wrap Their Flag During Handing Over Security Control To Afghan Authorities At Charikar In Parwan Province

DTN News - AFGANISTAN TODAY: US Soldiers Wrap Their Flag During Handing Over Security Control To Afghan Authorities At Charikar In Parwan Province

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 2, 2011: US soldiers wrap their flag during a ceremony to hand over security control in the city of Charikar in Parwan province on December 1, 2011.

The second wave of Afghanistan's transition from foreign to local control officially started on December 1 as NATO forces handed over most of a peaceful province to Afghan authorities. All bar two districts of Parwan province, north of the capital Kabul, are being handed to Afghan control. (Photo - Getty)

Thursday, December 1, 2011

DTN News - AFGANISTAN TODAY: NATO Forces Handed Over Security Control To Afghan Authorities In City Of Charikar In Parwan Province

DTN News - AFGANISTAN TODAY: NATO Forces Handed Over Security Control To Afghan Authorities In City Of Charikar In Parwan Province

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 1, 2011: Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (2L), head of the Transition Commission, and Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak (L) inspect the guard on honour during a ceremony to hand over security control in the city of Charikar in Parwan province on December 1, 2011.

The second wave of Afghanistan's transition from foreign to local control officially started on December 1 as NATO forces handed over most of a peaceful province to Afghan authorities. All bar two districts of Parwan province, north of the capital Kabul, are being handed to Afghan control. (Photo - Getty)

DTN News - UAVs ~ NEXT GENERATION WARFARE TECHNOLOGY: Korea Develops Unmanned Tiltrotor Aircraft

DTN News - UAVs ~ NEXT GENERATION WARFARE TECHNOLOGY: Korea Develops Unmanned Tiltrotor Aircraft

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 1, 2011: Last August, Sikorsky revealed the company’s new strategic move by joining in partnered with Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), which has been developing the Smart unmanned air vehicle (UAV) tiltrotor for about nine years.

KARI had originally partnered with Bell several years ago to develop a more capable version of the latter’s HV911 Eagle Eye. Bell dropped out of the partnership in 2005, then canceled the Eagle Eye following several mishaps in flight testing.

KARI, however, continued developing the Smart UAV and achieved first flight in 2008.

Sikorsky has experimented with various rotory-wing configurations over its history, including most notably the coaxial rotor of the X2 high-speed helicopter.

Korea on Wednesday unveiled its first unmanned tiltrotor aircraft, capable of vertical takeoff and landing as well as high-speed navigation.

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute disclosed the new “smart” aircraft at the aerospace center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province.

The state-funded aerospace think tank is negotiating with government agencies for commercial use of the vehicle.

“We have just completed the research and development program, and are in talks with the ministries of defense, land and knowledge economy about the next step,” said Park Kyun-je, chief of KARI’s smart aerial vehicle development center.

“Our UAV can now fly at about a speed of 400 kph, and our aim is to raise it to 500.”

Most helicopters’ maximum speed is between 200 and 300 kph.

In addition to military use by the Navy and the Marines, KARI expects the aircraft to be useful for reconnaissance of coasts and islands, prevention and control of forest fires, transportation monitoring and atmospheric and environmental observation.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

DTN News - NATO ATTACK ON PAKISTAN: Pakistan Boycotts Key Afghan Summit Over NATO Attack

DTN News - NATO ATTACK ON PAKISTAN: Pakistan Boycotts Key Afghan Summit Over NATO Attack

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - November 29, 2011: Pakistan decided Tuesday to boycott a key international conference on Afghanistan next month, ramping up its protest over lethal cross-border NATO air strikes that have plunged US ties into deep crisis.

The decision was taken at a Pakistani cabinet meeting in the eastern city of Lahore, just days after Islamabad confirmed it was mulling its attendance in the German city of Bonn, where Pakistan's participation was considered vital.

"The cabinet has decided not to attend the Bonn meeting," a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The prime minister's office said the cabinet agreed that "unilateral action" such as Saturday's strike in the tribal district of Mohmand and the May 2 US killing of Osama bin Laden near the capital was "unacceptable".

US-led investigators have been given until December 23 to probe the attacks, threatening to prolong significantly Pakistan's blockade on NATO supplies into Afghanistan implemented in retaliation for the killings.

The US military appointed Brigadier General Stephen Clark, a one-star air force general based in Florida, to lead the investigation into the attack.

The team, set to include a NATO representative, is yet to arrive in Afghanistan but an initial military assessment team went to the border at the weekend after Saturday's catastrophic strike killing 24 Pakistani troops.

The Afghan and Pakistani governments are also being invited to take part. There was no immediate reaction from Islamabad or Kabul, although some analysts voiced surprise that it will take as long as nearly four weeks.

A Western military official in Kabul said the schedule for the findings being delivered was "way quicker" than initially expected.

US-Pakistani ties have been in free fall since a CIA contractor killed two Pakistanis in January and Saturday's attack raises disturbing questions about the extent to which the two allies cooperate with each other.

Islamabad insists that the air strikes were unprovoked, but Afghan and Western officials have reportedly accused Pakistani forces of firing first.

"With the kind of technology available to the US and NATO, it was expected they would be able to do it (the investigation) much earlier, not more than two weeks," Pakistani defence analyst Talat Masood told AFP.

Monday, November 28, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated November 28, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated November 28, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - November 28, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued November 28,2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

NAVY

AAI, Corp., Goose Creek, S.C. (N61340-12-D-5101); Aero Simulation, Inc.*, Tampa, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5102); The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo. (N61340-12-D-5103); CAE USA, Inc., Tampa, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5104); Computer Science Corp., Falls Church, Va. (N61340-12-D-5105); Cubic Simulation Systems, Inc., Orlando, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5106); Indra Systems, Inc., Winter Park, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5107); FlightSafety International, Inc., Broken Arrow, Okla. (N61340-12-D-5108); J.F. Taylor, Inc.*, Lexington Park, Md. (N61340-12-D-5109); L-3 Communications Corp., Arlington, Texas (N61340-12-D-5110); Lockheed Martin Global Training and Logistics, Orlando, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5111); QinetiQ North America, Inc., Huntsville, Ala. (N61340-12-D-5112); Rockwell Collins Simulation & Training Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (N61340-12-D-5113); Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va. (N61340-12-D-5114); Symvionics, Inc.*, Arcadia, Calif. (N61340-12-D-5115); Kratos Technology & Training Solutions, Inc., San Diego, Calif. (N61340-12-D-5116); Thales USA Defense & Security, Inc., Arlington, Va. (N61340-12-D-5117); and Veraxx Engineering*, Chantilly, Va. (N61340-12-D-5118), are each being awarded a contract under the Training Systems Contract (TSC) III LOT I multiple award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Aero Simulation, Inc.*, Tampa, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5201); CymSTAR, L.L.C.*, Broken Arrow, Okla. (N61340-12-D-5202); Environmental Tectonics Corp.*, Southampton, Pa. (N61340-12-D-5203); J.F. Taylor, Inc.*, Lexington Park, Md. (N61340-12-D-5204); Logistics Services International, Inc.*, Jacksonville, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5205): Opinicus Corp.*, Lutz, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5206); Symvionics, Inc.*, Arcadia, Calif. (N61340-12-D-5207); TJ Drafting & Design, Inc.*, Christmas, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5208); Triton Joint Venture, L.L.C.*, Orlando, Fla. (N61340-12-D-5209); and Veraxx Engineering*, Chantilly, Va. (N61340-12-D-5210) are each being awarded a contract under the TSC III LOT II multiple award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. These multiple award contracts provide for training systems design, development, production, test and evaluation, delivery, modification, and support. Included within this contract is associated instructional systems development products and training systems support, which includes interim contractor support or contractor engineering and technical services and provisioning for the initial support period. The scope of the TSC III multiple award contract is intended to encompass the training systems requirements of Naval Air Systems Commands Aviation Training Systems Program Office, as well as the Program Directorates for Aviation; Surface; Undersea; and Cross-Warfare/International at the Naval Air Warfare Center Training System Division. The aggregate not-to-exceed amount for these multiple award contracts, inclusive of options, is $2,000,000,000, and the companies will have the opportunity to complete for delivery orders under their respective LOTs. Work will be performed at each awardee’s facility site, or at existing or future training sites. All orders are expected to be placed by November 2016, and all performance must be complete by November 2022. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively procured via a multiple award electronic request for proposals, and 35 offers were received for LOT I. LOT II was procured as a 100 percent small business set-aside, and 27 offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training System Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity.

BREMCOR, Arlington, Va., is being awarded a $21,028,650 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N62470-06-D-4611) to exercise option five for base operation support services at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The work to be performed includes, but not limited to, the following functions: port operations, base support vehicles and equipment, elevator maintenance, equipment maintenance, utilities, environmental, transportation, bachelor housing, fire alarms, wastewater, steam, and facility management. Work also provides service calls consisting of repairs of base facilities, utilities, transportation, and fire alarm systems. The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $115,046,778. Work will be performed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and is expected to be completed November 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity.

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $17,262,617 firm-fixed-price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-11-G-0001) for the design, development, and installation of engineering change proposal (ECP) 618 retrofit kits for eight Royal Malaysian Air Force F/A-18 aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales Program. This contract action also includes training for ECP 618 and ECP 624, and the installation of other systems that are part of the Malaysian upgrade. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo. (70 percent), and Butterworth, Malaysia (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

DTN News - OSHKOSH DEFENSE NEWS: New Oshkosh Defense Virtual Trainer Improves Safety, Reduces Military Vehicle Training Costs

DTN News - OSHKOSH DEFENSE NEWS: New Oshkosh Defense Virtual Trainer Improves Safety, Reduces Military Vehicle Training Costs

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / OSHKOSH, Wis - November 28, 2011: Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), has expanded its military training capabilities with the new Oshkosh Virtual Trainer. This virtual training element makes the overall vehicle training program safer and more cost-effective. Oshkosh will unveil its first virtual training module for the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) M978 Tanker at the annual Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) Nov. 28–Dec. 1 in Orlando, Fla.

“In today’s traditional HEMTT Tanker training curriculum, soldiers receive a limited amount of hands-on experience for critical procedures such as fueling and refueling,” said Dan Albrecht, senior training manager for Oshkosh Defense. “The Oshkosh Virtual Trainer provides life-like training in a safe, virtual environment, which provides soldiers with the skills they need to perform the actual tasks. In addition to enhancing soldiers’ training experience, we estimate that adding a virtual element to our comprehensive program will reduce training costs by 20 percent or more per participant.”

In a recent pilot of the inaugural Oshkosh Virtual Trainer, the HEMTT Tanker module was shown to reduce training time by two days compared to the traditional classroom approach – an efficiency that equates to a 20 percent or more cost savings per participant. During the training, 12 students were able to train simultaneously and demonstrate skill proficiency in the virtual environment before performing tasks on the actual vehicle. For example, students are able to practice fueling and refueling procedures, and recovering from a fuel spill in the virtual world, without being exposed to the real-life hazards. The interactive skill-building using virtual training is not achieved in the traditional training courses where students learn primarily from static course materials and instructor demonstrations.

DTN News - IRAN NEWS: Enemy Of Iranian State / Iran Threatens To Bomb Turkey If U.S. Or Israel Attacks Its Nuclear Installations









DTN News - IRAN NEWS: Enemy Of Iranian State / Iran Threatens To Bomb Turkey If U.S. Or Israel Attacks Its Nuclear Installations

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 28, 2011: By urging the expulsion of Britain’s ambassador, Iran’s parliament has provided a vivid insight into the mindset of the Islamic Republic’s leadership. Their first thought as they retreat further into isolation and economic malaise is to credit Britain with prime responsibility for all their problems.

For over a century, British statecraft was indeed the dominant factor in Iranian politics, causing the downfall of leaders who were thought to threaten London’s interests. But the era when a string of Royal Navy bases guaranteed that the Gulf was a British lake ended several generations ago. However, the old men who misrule Iran still claim to detect a British hand behind every significant event.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

DTN News - SYRIA UNREST: Arab League Punishes Syria Over Violent Crackdown


DTN News - SYRIA UNREST: Arab League Punishes Syria Over Violent Crackdown

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / CAIRO, Egypt - November 27, 2011: The Arab League approved tough economic sanctions against Syria on Sunday to press it to end its violent crackdown against antigovernment protesters, an unprecedented step against an Arab country.

The sanctions — including a travel ban against Syrian officials and politicians, a halt to dealings with the Syrian Central Bank and the end of Arab-financed projects in the country — will be another blow to the Syrian economy, which is suffering from sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States.

The Arab League, meeting outside Cairo, approved the measures after Syria said it would not admit Arab civilian and military observers to oversee a peace agreement intended to end the bloodshed.

“The position of the people, and the Arab position, is that we must end this situation urgently,” the Qatari foreign minister, Hamad bin Jassem, said after announcing the sanctions, which were supported by 19 of the league’s 22 countries. “It has been almost a year that the Syrian people have been killed.”

Syria had accepted the peace agreement on Nov. 2, promising to end a military crackdown that, according to the United Nations, has killed more than 3,500 people since March. But the violence has continued unabated, and the monitors were proposed as a last-ditch effort to save the plan and give Syria another opportunity to comply.

Mr. Jassem said that the sanctions would take effect immediately and that the resolution called for the United Nations Security Council to adopt similar measures.

The Syrian government and its supporters denounced the sanctions as an attempt by outsiders to break up the country.

“In the war against Syria, the economic will take the place of the limited possibility of military intervention,” said a Lebanese analyst who is close to Syria, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The sanctions, he said, aim “to deconstruct Syria, not to reform Syria.”

In a letter to the league on Saturday, Syria’s foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, accused the organization of seeking to turn the Syrian crisis into an international one and “to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs.”

Analysts said they expected the impact of the sanctions to be limited, in large part because Syria’s largest trading partners will not participate.

Economists estimate that about 50 percent of Syrian trade is with the Arab world, but the largest chunk of that is with its immediate neighbors, including Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan.

DTN News - SYRIA UNREST: Arab League To Vote Sunday On Sanctions Against Syria





DTN News - SYRIA UNREST: Arab League To Vote Sunday On Sanctions Against Syria
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / CAIRO, Egypt - November 27, 2011: Syria buried 22 members of the armed forces Saturday, including six elite pilots, as the government reinforced its message that the 8-month-old revolt against President Bashar Assad is the work of terrorists and foreign agents, not patriotic Syrians seeking reform.

But with no sign of violence abating, an Arab League committee agreed Saturday on a draft of recommended sanctions against Syria, including halting co-operation with the nation's central bank and stopping flights to the country. The 22-nation body will vote on the recommendations Sunday in Cairo.

If the Arab League were to go ahead with the move, it would be a huge blow for a regime that considers itself a powerhouse of Arab nationalism.

Syria is facing mounting international pressure to end the bloody crackdown on the uprising against Assad's rule that the U.N. says has killed more than 3,500 people. The European Union and the United States have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Assad and his regime, including a ban on the import of Syrian oil.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

The Clintons - Bill and Hillary before they were Bill and Hillary

The Clintons - Bill and Hillary before they were Bill and Hillary

BHGSG News - November 26, 2011: William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III; August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001.



DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan And China Participate In Anti-Terrorist Drill

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan And China Participate In Anti-Terrorist Drill

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 26, 2011: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers and Pakistani commandos from the Special Service Group (SSG) participated in a joint military exercise in Jhelum as part of a Pakistan-China anti-terrorist drill. – Text and photos by Agencies.

Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers and Pakistani commandos from the Special Service Group (SSG) shout “Long live China, long live Pakistan” as they wrap up their two-week military exercise. – AFP Photo.

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan And China Participate In Anti-Terrorist Drill

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan And China Participate In Anti-Terrorist Drill

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 26, 2011: DTN News - Nov. 26, 2011: The Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers and Pakistani commandos from the Special Service Group (SSG) participated in a joint military exercise in Jhelum as part of a Pakistan-China anti-terrorist drill. – Text and photos by Agencies.

Pakistan's army chief General Ashfaq Kayani (L) and General Hou Shusen (R), Deputy Chief of Staff of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), watch the Pakistan-China anti-terrorist drill. –AFP Photo

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Nato Helicopters 'Kill Pakistan Checkpoint Soldiers' - Pakistan Halts Supplies After Nato Kills 25 Troops

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Nato Helicopters 'Kill Pakistan Checkpoint Soldiers' - Pakistan Halts Supplies After Nato Kills 25 Troops

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 26, 2011: Pakistani officials have accused Nato helicopters of firing on a military checkpoint near Pakistan's Afghan border, killing 25 soldiers.

The "unprovoked and indiscriminate" attack took place in the Pakistani tribal region of Mohmand, the Pakistani military said in a statement.

In response, Pakistan has closed the border crossing for supplies bound for Nato forces in Afghanistan.

Nato said it was aware of "an incident" near the border and was investigating.

The alleged attack took place at the Salala checkpoint, about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) from the Afghan border, Reuters reports, at around 02:00 local time (21:00 GMT).

If confirmed, the attack would further complicate US-Pakistan relations, already under strain following a unilateral US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan in May.

Unnamed officials initially put the toll at up to eight, including an army major, but it has since risen.

At least seven soldiers were wounded.

The military gave no official toll, saying casualties were reported but details were awaited.

'Supplies halted'
Masood Kausar, governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, condemned the attack in a statement, reported AFP news agency.

"Such cross-border attacks are unacceptable and intolerable," he said, adding that the government would take up the matter at the highest level and launch a thorough investigation.

In apparent response to the attack, lorries and fuel tankers were being stopped at Jamrud town in the Khyber tribal region near the city of Peshawar, officials and local media said.

"We have halted the supplies and some 40 tankers and trucks have been returned from the check post in Jamrud," Mutahir Zeb, a senior government official, told Reuters news agency.

Pakistani troops are involved in fighting the Taliban in the crucial border region area. Hundreds of militants have been resisting attempts by the security forces to clear them from southern and south-eastern parts of the district.

Friday, November 25, 2011

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Indian Navy Gets Ready To Add More Muscle

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Indian Navy Gets Ready To Add More Muscle

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / NEW DELHI, India - November 25, 2011: India is all set to formally launch the hunt for over 75 heavy-duty "stealthy'' naval helicopters with potent anti-submarine and anti-warship warfare capabilities, as also customized for amphibious assaults and commando operations against conventional, terror, piracy and other threats.

The Defence Acquisitions Council, chaired by defence minister A K Antony, on Friday discussed the mega naval multi-role helicopter (NMRH) project, which is likely to cost well over $2 billion.

"The global tender for NMRH will be issued soon. The project is likely to get even bigger at a later stage, with more such helicopters being ordered after the first 75. An initial lot will be obtained off-the-shelf from abroad, while the rest will be manufactured in India with the foreign collaborator's help,'' an MoD source said.

The NMRH acquisition will be in addition to the ongoing Rs 2,000 crore procurement of 16 multi-role helicopters, wherein the field trial evaluation report of European NH-90 and American Sikorsky-70B is now being examined by MoD to select the final winner.

Navy is also going in for new carrier-borne fighter jets, maritime patrol aircraft and drones, which together will cost around Rs 85,000 crore. These include 45 Russian MiG-29Ks for $2 billion and 12 American P-8I long-range reconnaissance aircraft for over $3 billion.

With China looming large on the radar screen, India wants to build a powerful three-dimensional Navy to protect its geostrategic interests stretching from Hormuz Strait to Malacca Strait. As part of the over Rs 300,000 crore long-term naval plans, 48 warships are already on order, as first reported by TOI.

"The NMRH, weighing 9-12.5 tonne each, will operate from the flight decks of frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers. Five global aviation majors indicated their interest to our initial queries,'' said a source.

The new helicopters, with an operational life of over 30 years, will replace the older Sea King helicopters and meet requirements of the expanding Navy. Their "primary roles'' will include anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, special and commando operations, and amphibious assault and troop carriage.

The "secondary roles'', in turn, will include electronic intelligence and anti-piracy, search and rescue, casualty evacuation and external cargo carrying. Navy wants the helicopters to be equipped with advanced avionics and weapons suites - including state-of-the-art-radars, light-weight torpedoes, depth charges, 70mm rockets and 20mm guns -- to "detect, identify, classify and destroy'' aerial, surface and sub-surface threats.

Incidentally, the Indian armed forces are planning the induction of over 900 helicopters over the next 15 years. They include 384 light-utility and observation, 139 medium-lift, 114 light combat, 22 heavy-duty attack, 15 heavy-lift, 12 VVIP, five maritime early-warning and, of course, 186 Dhruv advanced light helicopters.

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Indian Navy Gets Ready To Add More Muscle

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Indian Navy Gets Ready To Add More Muscle

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / NEW DELHI, India - November 25, 2011: India is all set to formally launch the hunt for over 75 heavy-duty "stealthy'' naval helicopters with potent anti-submarine and anti-warship warfare capabilities, as also customized for amphibious assaults and commando operations against conventional, terror, piracy and other threats.

The Defence Acquisitions Council, chaired by defence minister A K Antony, on Friday discussed the mega naval multi-role helicopter (NMRH) project, which is likely to cost well over $2 billion.

"The global tender for NMRH will be issued soon. The project is likely to get even bigger at a later stage, with more such helicopters being ordered after the first 75. An initial lot will be obtained off-the-shelf from abroad, while the rest will be manufactured in India with the foreign collaborator's help,'' an MoD source said.

The NMRH acquisition will be in addition to the ongoing Rs 2,000 crore procurement of 16 multi-role helicopters, wherein the field trial evaluation report of European NH-90 and American Sikorsky-70B is now being examined by MoD to select the final winner.

Navy is also going in for new carrier-borne fighter jets, maritime patrol aircraft and drones, which together will cost around Rs 85,000 crore. These include 45 Russian MiG-29Ks for $2 billion and 12 American P-8I long-range reconnaissance aircraft for over $3 billion.

With China looming large on the radar screen, India wants to build a powerful three-dimensional Navy to protect its geostrategic interests stretching from Hormuz Strait to Malacca Strait. As part of the over Rs 300,000 crore long-term naval plans, 48 warships are already on order, as first reported by TOI.

"The NMRH, weighing 9-12.5 tonne each, will operate from the flight decks of frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers. Five global aviation majors indicated their interest to our initial queries,'' said a source.

The new helicopters, with an operational life of over 30 years, will replace the older Sea King helicopters and meet requirements of the expanding Navy. Their "primary roles'' will include anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, special and commando operations, and amphibious assault and troop carriage.

The "secondary roles'', in turn, will include electronic intelligence and anti-piracy, search and rescue, casualty evacuation and external cargo carrying. Navy wants the helicopters to be equipped with advanced avionics and weapons suites - including state-of-the-art-radars, light-weight torpedoes, depth charges, 70mm rockets and 20mm guns -- to "detect, identify, classify and destroy'' aerial, surface and sub-surface threats.

Incidentally, the Indian armed forces are planning the induction of over 900 helicopters over the next 15 years. They include 384 light-utility and observation, 139 medium-lift, 114 light combat, 22 heavy-duty attack, 15 heavy-lift, 12 VVIP, five maritime early-warning and, of course, 186 Dhruv advanced light helicopters.

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: India-Afghan Strategic Pact - The Beginnings Of Regional Integration

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: India-Afghan Strategic Pact - The Beginnings Of Regional Integration

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 25, 2011: A strategic partnership agreement between India and Afghanistan would ordinarily have evoked howls of protest from Pakistan which has long regarded its western neighbour as part of its sphere of influence. Islamabad has, in the past, made no secret of its displeasure at India’s role in Afghanistan including a $2 billion aid effort that has won it goodwill among the Afghan people, but which Pakistan sees as New Delhi’s way to expand influence.

Instead the reaction to the pact signed last month during President Hamid Karzai’s visit to New Delhi, the first Kabul had done with any country, was decidedly muted. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said India and Afghanistan were “both sovereign countries and they have the right to do whatever they want to.” The Pakistani foreign office echoed Gilani’s comments, adding only that regional stability should be preserved. It cried off further comment, saying it was studying the pact.

It continued to hold discussions, meanwhile, on the grant of the Most Favoured Nation to India as part of moves to normalise ties. Late last month the cabinet cleared the MFN, 15 years after New Delhi accorded Pakistan the same status so that the two could conduct trade like nations do around the world, even those with differences.

And on Thursday, Gilani met Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the margins of a regional summit in the Maldives and the two promised a new chapter in ties, saying the next round of talks between officials as part of an engagement on a range of issues will produce results. Afghanistan or the pact, was scarcely mentioned in public, although it is quite conceivable that the two would have talked about it.

Is there a shift in the ground, in both India and Pakistan ? Pakistan is battling multiple crises, including ties with the United States that at the moment certainly look worse than those with India. It is also struggling to tackle a melange of militant groups that have metastasized into a mortal danger for the Pakistani state itself and a deep economic downturn that a nation of 180 million people can ill-afford at this time. While it continues to invest time and energy in Afghanistan, a large part of the war has come home too and it is struggling to enforce its writ on its side of the Pasthun-dominated lands that straddle the two countries. A lessening of tensions with India can only help at this point.

India, meanwhile, has shot out of the blocks building a trillion-dollar economy that dwarfs everyone else’s in the region, not just in size but also growth rates even if it is slowing down now. It still has a long way to go to meet the aspirations of a billion plus people and realise its own potential, though. It needs peace within and on the borders and it needs closer economic ties with all its neighbours. Its economic stakes are rising across the region including Afghanistan where Indian firms, along with the Chinese who preceded them, are the only ones prepared to risk blood and treasure to exploit its mineral resources. Conversely if a pomegranate farmer in southern Afghanistan- the Taliban heartland – wants to sell his produce to the booming Indian market, New Delhi wants to do whatever it can to try and make that possible.

A hostile Pakistan until now has balked at trade and transit, but if India and Pakistan begin to have normal trade ties following the breakthrough on MFN, then easier flow of goods from Afghanistan seems a natural possibility. The long-running project to pipe gas from Turkmenistan and through Afghanistan, Pakistan and then India may seem less of a dream as the economies of India and Pakistan begin to interlock and both sides develop stakes in the well being of the other to protect their investments and trade.