DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing And Israel Aerospace Industries Mark 10 Years Of Cooperation

DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing And Israel Aerospace Industries Mark 10 Years Of Cooperation

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 27, 2012: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has renewed its work agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on the Arrow Weapon System, and enhanced the IAI-Boeing Strategic Teaming Agreement to explore and develop new opportunitiesin the missile defense arena. Leaders of both companies gathered at IAI headquarters in Tel Aviv on Jan. 19 for a signing ceremony that also marked the 10th anniversary of the Boeing and IAI partnership.

"The Arrow program demonstrates Boeing's commitment to developing international missile defense partnerships around the globe," said Boeing Network & Space Systems President Roger Krone. "We are pleased to mark this 10-year milestone by expanding our cooperation on missile defense initiatives with our partner IAI."

Over the past 10 years, Arrow, the world's first operational national missile defense system, has become a vital anti-ballistic-missile defense strategy for Israel's national defense. IAI is the prime contractor for the Arrow Weapon System. It initiated, developed and deployed the in-service Arrow 2 program and, together with Boeing, is developing the Arrow 3 system -- a crucial asset in Israel's multi-tier anti-ballistic-missile defense strategy.

"This new agreement is the next logical step in our relationship with Boeing and a strong opportunity for both companies to play a bigger role in the missile defense market. It is based on a strong foundation of successful cooperation," said Itzhak Nissan, IAI president and CEO.

"Boeing's relationship with IAI has produced an innovative, versatile and affordable advanced missile defense capability. We look forward to our continued partnership and the development of the next generation of Arrow interceptor," said Greg Hyslop, vice president and general manager of Boeing Strategic Missile and Defense Systems.

The Arrow program has been a cooperative effort between the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Israel Missile Defense Organization since 2002.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-israel-defense-news-boeing-and.html

DTN News - US DEFENCE BUDGET CUTS: More Drones But 80,000 Fewer Troops

DTN News - US DEFENCE BUDGET CUTS: More Drones But 80,000 Fewer Troops


(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 27, 2012: The United States is to increase its fleet of unmanned drones by nearly a third and rely more on small, specially trained ground units as part of a slimmed down military.


As part of massive cuts to its budget, the army plans to shed 80,000 soldiers over the next few years, defence secretary Leon Panetta announced yesterday.


But he added the enforced belt-tightening would be an opportunity to modernise the military, with a focus on technology and the use of agile, rapid-deployment combat teams.


The US would also be refocusing it attention towards China and the Pacific, while seeking strategic partnerships in areas in which it will be cutting its presence, such as Europe.


The rethink was prompted by the need to find $487 billion (£310bn) in spending cuts over the next decade. Mr Panetta conceded it meant slashing the number of soldiers in the army from about 570,000 to 490,000 over the next decade.


Speaking from the Pentagon, he said: “The military will be smaller and leaner. But it will be agile, flexible, rapidly deployable and technologically advanced. It will be a cutting-edge force”.


He said he refused to allow the “hollowing out” of the US’s military might, and that the new strategy would “emphasise special operation forces”.


The effectiveness of these small, dedicated units was seen in the assassination of terror chief Osama bin Laden last year and the rescue of a US aid worker and her Danish colleague from Somali pirates this week.


The envisaged refocusing on smaller rotational bases will be at the expense of larger military sites, with closures expected to take place as part of the budget cuts.


There will be more money available for technologically advanced weapons and measures to counter cyber-terrorism.


Mr Panetta did not say how many more drones would be developed under the plan, but an increase of about 30 per cent has previously been reported.


Any rise in the use of umanned aircraft is likely to be met with suspicion by those who believe that their use endangers innocent life.


Figures from the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism show CIA drones stuck Pakistan 75 times in 2011, causing up to 655 fatalities. The majority of those killed were alleged militants, but as many as 126 civilians may also have lost their lives, the figures suggest.


The shrinking of the US army was signalled earlier this month in comments made by president Barack Obama.


Outlining plans to trim the armed forces, he said the US was ”turning a page on a decade of war”, with the end of hostilities in Iraq and the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan.


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-us-defence-budget-cuts-more.html

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Military Parade On India's 63rd Republic Day Celebrations

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Military Parade On India's 63rd Republic Day Celebrations 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 26, 2012:  Indian soldiers march during the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26, 2012. India celebrated its 63rd Republic Day under heavy security and a large military parade, with Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as the chief guest of the event. 

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DTN News - UKRAINE DEFENSE NEWS: Ukraine Boosts Military Budget By 30%

DTN News - UKRAINE DEFENSE NEWS: Ukraine Boosts Military Budget By 30%

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 26, 2012: Ukraine’s 2012 military spending will increase by around 30 percent, to about $2 billion or 1.1 percent of GDP, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s financial department said on Wednesday.

The ministry expects to spend about $120 million for purchases and modernization of military equipment, as well as scientific and military design projects, including the production of L-39 Albatros jet trainers and MiG-29 fighter jets. Ukraine’s existing fleet of MiG-29, L-39 and Su-25 close air support aircrafts will also be modernized.

Head of Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Financial Department Lt. Gen. Yvan Marko said 21 jets, five helicopters and 612 vehicles will be repaired and modernized this year.

Ukraine’s 2012 state defense order will stand at $184 million, four times more than last year, including $54 million to build a corvette-class ship and $13 million for the construction of the Sapsan multifunctional missile system.

Ukraine’s military budget amounted to 0.8 percent of GDP on average over the past few years, substantially less than the average 1.3 percent of other Eastern European states.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-ukraine-defense-news-ukraine.html

DTN News - DRONES DEFENSE NEWS: New Drone Has No Pilot Anywhere, So Who's Accountable?

DTN News - DRONES DEFENSE NEWS: New Drone Has No Pilot Anywhere, So Who's Accountable?

   

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 26, 2012: The Navy's new drone being tested near Chesapeake Bay stretches the boundaries of technology: It's designed to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, one of aviation's most difficult maneuvers.

What's even more remarkable is that it will do that not only without a pilot in the cockpit, but without a pilot at all.

The X-47B marks a paradigm shift in warfare, one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences. With the drone's ability to be flown autonomously by onboard computers, it could usher in an era when death and destruction can be dealt by machines operating semi-independently.

GRAPHIC: How the X-47B lands

Although humans would program an autonomous drone's flight plan and could override its decisions, the prospect of heavily armed aircraft screaming through the skies without direct human control is unnerving to many.

"Lethal actions should have a clear chain of accountability," said Noel Sharkey, a computer scientist and robotics expert. "This is difficult with a robot weapon. The robot cannot be held accountable. So is it the commander who used it? The politician who authorized it? The military's acquisition process? The manufacturer, for faulty equipment?"

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-drones-defense-news-new-drone.html

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Afghan-Led Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Afghan-Led Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 26, 2012: An Afghan-led and coalition-supported security force captured a Taliban leader during an operation in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The leader coordinated roadside bomb and ambush attacks against Afghan forces along Route 1 in Helmand province, officials said.

The security force also seized 15 pounds of opium and detained an additional suspected insurgent.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined patrol seized about 500 pounds of marijuana and about 45 pounds of marijuana seeds in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province.

-- In the Zharay district of Kandahar province, a combined force seized 300 pounds of marijuana and detained several suspects while searching for a Taliban facilitator who plans attacks against coalition forces and moves weapons and ammunition throughout Kandahar.

-- A combined force captured a Taliban leader and detained another suspect in the Sayyidabad district of Wardak province. The leader planned assassinations and direct-fire attacks against Afghan government officials.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A coalition airstrike killed an insurgent after he attacked coalition forces with small-arms fire in the Alishing district of Laghman province.

-- Coalition forces arrested six people found with Afghan army uniforms and weapons in the Alingar district of Laghman province.

-- Coalition troops detained three people suspected of being bomb makers in the Terezaki district of Khost province.

-- Afghan police detained a man who had two assault rifles and ammunition in the Zurmat district of Paktia province.

-- Coalition troops detained a man for having bomb-making materials Khost’s Khost district.

-- Afghan border police detained a man as a person of interest in Paktia’s Jaji district.

-- A combined patrol found about 550 pounds of hashish and multiple 82 mm mortar rounds in Kandahar’s Panjwai district.

-- A combined patrol found and destroyed about 1,000 pounds of hashish in Kandahar’s Zharay district.

-- A combined force found and destroyed about 660 pounds of hashish in Helmand’s Musa Qalah district.

In other Afghanistan news, Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, International Security Assistance Force commander, joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai in condemning a recent insurgent rocket attack on a home in the Allasai district of Kapisa province that killed a woman and a child and injured seven other people.

"Continued deliberate attacks on the people of Afghanistan that result in the brutal murder of defenseless women and children clearly show that this heartless insurgency has no moral compass whatsoever," Allen said. "I join President Karzai in extending my deepest sympathies to the families of those who were killed, and in praying for the fastest recovery of those who were injured in this needless tragedy.”

Allen added that Taliban leader Mohammed Omar's “deafening silence and inaction in stopping these ongoing attacks against innocent Afghan civilians shows that his foot soldiers are now giving the orders while he and his inner circle reside in comfort, allowing the killing of their own brothers and sisters."

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-afghan-war-news-afghan-led.html

DTN News - IRAN NEWS: Iran Defiant As EU Imposes Oil Embargo

DTN News - IRAN NEWS: Iran Defiant As EU Imposes Oil Embargo

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 26, 2012: Iran has accused the European Union of waging "psychological warfare" after the bloc banned imports of Iranian oil over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.

The oil ban, which was approved at a meeting in Brussels on Monday, along with sanctions against Iran's central bank and other measures, came as Western powers stepped up pressure on Iran to return to negotiations amid concerns that it is moving closer to building nuclear weapons.

"The method of threat, pressure and unfair sanctions against a nation that has a strong reason for its approach is doomed to fail," Ramin Mehmanparast, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, told the state broadcaster.

"European Union sanctions on Iranian oil is psychological warfare," Mehmanparast said. 

"Imposing economic sanctions is illogical and unfair but will not stop our nation from obtaining its rights."

Iran's oil ministry issued a statement saying the sanctions did not come as a shock. "The oil ministry has from long ago thought about it and has come up with measures to deal with any challenges," it said, according to the IRNA news agency.

Mehmanparast said: "The European countries and those who are under American pressure, should think about their own interests. Any country that deprives itself from Iran's energy market, will soon see that it has been replaced by others."

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-iran-news-iran-defiant-as-eu.html

DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: Norwegian Carrier Aims High With 222 Aircraft Orders

DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: Norwegian Carrier Aims High With 222 Aircraft Orders


 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 26, 2012: Norwegian Air Shuttle plans to buy 222 new aircraft worth $21.1bn from Boeing and Airbus in a move that heralds its ambition to become one of Europe’s leading low-cost airlines. Boeing secured its largest ever European deal through a firm order by the Oslo-based airline for 122 737 narrow-body aircraft, worth $11.4bn at list prices.


Norwegian also departed from its previous policy of only operating Boeing aircraft by making a commitment to purchase 100 A320 narrow-body aircraft from Airbus, worth $9.7bn at list prices.


Analysts said Norwegian’s orders looked like a bet on the demise of SAS, the struggling Scandinavian carrier.


Norwegian’s shares closed up almost 13 per cent at NKr74.5. Shares in SAS dropped 1 per cent to SKr9.


Bjorn Kjos, Norwegian’s chief executive and one of its founders, told the Financial Times that the airline would focus its expansion on Nordic countries, although he highlighted plans to open a new operating base this March in Malaga, Spain.


“If we have the newest equipment and one of the best cost bases in the world, we can more or less set up operations wherever we want,” said Mr Kjos, a former fighter pilot in the Norwegian air force, who is also a lawyer and author of a spy thriller.


Mr Kjos also highlighted Norwegian’s plans to begin long-haul operations next year, with flights linking Scandinavia with Asia and the US.


Norwegian started its low-cost carrier operations in 2002. It has operating bases in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, although Norwegian’s routes reach beyond Europe into north Africa and the Middle East.


Its fifth-largest shareholder is Finnair, Finland’s flag carrier.


Aircraft financing has become more difficult to obtain since the financial crisis, but Mr Kjos expressed confidence that Norwegian’s orders with Boeing and Airbus would secure loan guarantees from European and US export credit agencies.


Norwegian’s orders should increase its fleet from the current 64 to between 150 and 200 by 2020, because some of the new aircraft will replace existing ones.


Ryanair, Europe’s leading low-cost airline by passenger number, has 277 aircraft, while EasyJet, the second largest, has 204.


Andrew Lobbenberg, analyst at RBS, said Norwegian’s orders looked like “a gamble on SAS failing”.


The deals with Boeing and Airbus underline how airlines are keen to buy fuel-efficient aircraft because of high oil prices.


Norwegian is buying planned new aircraft that should burn between 10 and 15 per cent less fuel than existing ones.


Airbus will start delivering its A320neo aircraft to Norwegian in 2016, and Boeing will begin supplying its 737 Max jets in 2017.


Boeing on Wednesday announced strong fourth-quarter results, although it said profitability would be dented in 2012 by higher pension costs.


http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-airlines-news-norwegian.html

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Russia Hands Over Nerpa Nuclear Submarine To India

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: Russia Hands Over Nerpa Nuclear Submarine To India

 (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 23, 2012: Russia’s K-152 Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine has been handed over to the Indian Navy, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported on Monday.

In line with the contract worth over $900 million, the Project 971 Shchuka-B (NATO: Akula II) class sub has been leased to India’s Navy for ten years. It will be renamed the INS Chakra.

The ceremony took place in the Far Eastern Primorye Territory. Russian submariners trained their Indian colleagues to steer the Nerpa in the Pacific Ocean.

The event was attended by Indian ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra, United Shipbuilding Corporation head Roman Trotsenko, Eastern Military District commander Admiral Konstantin Sidenko and other officials.

The submarine’s displacement is 8,140/12,770 tons. Its maximum speed is 30 knots, maximum operating depth, 600 m; its endurance is 100 days with a crew of 73. The vessel is armed with four 533mm torpedo tubes and four 650mm torpedo tubes.

India has become the sixth operator of nuclear submarines in the world, after the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China, though it previously leased another Russian submarine which was then returned.

Twenty sailors died on the Nerpa in 2008 after the vessel’s fire-suppression systems were accidentally triggered during sea trials, releasing toxic gases.

http://defense-technologynews.blogspot.com/2012/01/dtn-news-india-defense-news-russia.html

DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon Being Celebrated In Beijing China

DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon Being Celebrated In Beijing China

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 22, 2012: A Chinese young performer dressed in dragon costumes prepares to perform at a temple fair to celebrate the Lunar New Year of Dragon on January 22, 2012 in Beijing, China. Falling on January 23 this year, the Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, which is based on the Lunisolar Chinese calendar, is celebrated from the first day of the first month of the lunar year and ends with Lantern Festival on the Fifteenth day. (Photo - Getty)

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DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon Being Celebrated In Beijing China

DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon Being Celebrated In Beijing China

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 22, 2012: A Chinese young performer dressed in dragon costumes prepares to perform at a temple fair to celebrate the Lunar New Year of Dragon on January 22, 2012 in Beijing, China. Falling on January 23 this year, the Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, which is based on the Lunisolar Chinese calendar, is celebrated from the first day of the first month of the lunar year and ends with Lantern Festival on the Fifteenth day. (Photo - Getty)

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DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon Being Celebrated In Semarang Indonesia

DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon Being Celebrated In Semarang Indonesia

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 22, 2012: Soldiers perform a dragon-dance in front of Tay Kei Sek temple in Semarang, Central Java January 23, 2012. The Lunar New Year begins on January 23 and marks the start of the Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac. (Photo - Reuters)

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DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon

DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 22, 2012: Chinese travellers wait to catch a train at the West Railway Station in Beijing, China, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. Millions of Chinese are expected to cram onto China's bus and train network to return home for the Chinese Lunar New Year which falls on Jan. 23, 2012. (Photo - AP)

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DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon

DTN News: 2012 Chinese New Year ~ Year Of The Dragon 

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 22, 2012: A man carries his belongings to Beijing West Railway Station to catch a train in Beijing, China, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. Millions of Chinese are expected to cram onto China's bus and train network to return home for the Chinese Lunar New Year which falls on Jan. 23, 2012. (Photo - AP)

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