NEW DELHI — India inducted its frontline Sukhoi combat aircraft at its air force’s Halwara base in the northern state of Punjab, bordering Pakistan, on Sept. 25. The Su-30MKI, the Indian-built version of the Russian combat aircraft, will replace the now phased-out, Soviet-origin MiG-23 fighters in the 220 Squadron also known as “Desert Tigers,” a defense ministry official says. The first batch of Su-30MKIs was inducted into the Indian air force (IAF) in September 2002.
There is little political, deterrent or military value in either the U.S. or Israel bombing Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, say participants at this week’s Air Force Association air warfare symposium here. “If the Iranians really wanted a store of enriched uranium, they could buy it,” says a U.S. official with links to the U.S. military’s cyber and operations communities. “And they don’t have to process it themselves except for the national prestige it would give the country and to keep the international spotlight on Tehran.”
The U.S. Navy’s first Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) (AFSB(I)) USS Ponce is making its debut at the International Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2012 (IMCMEX 12) through the end of this month. Designated as an amphibious transport dock (LPD) more than 41 years ago, Ponce was converted and reclassified as an AFSB(I) in April and arrived in Bahrain for duty on July 6, to fulfill a longstanding U.S. Central Command (Centcom) request.
NEW DELHI — The Indian air force (IAF) plans to deploy nearly 15 airborne warning and control systems during the next 10 years. “India is planning additional airborne warning and control system projects with radars atop larger aircraft such as the IL-76, Boeing 777 or Airbus 320,” according to a defense ministry official. The announcement comes on the heels of the arrival of the first of three Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft from Brazil’s Embraer Defense and Security on Aug. 17.
AIR FORCE Raytheon, McKinney, Texas (FA8620-06-G-4041, DO 001211), is being awarded a $44,032,247 contract modification for the Reaper/Predator Program. This contract modification is for Multi-spectral Targeting System, Target Location Accuracy, High- Definition Video and Targeting Improvements. The location of the performance is McKinney, Texas. The work is expected to be completed by July 17, 2015. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/WIIK, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Talk of restarting the production line aside, the true financial focus now and in coming years for the U.S. Air Force will be aimed at maintaining the nation’s stealthy F-22 Raptor. For fiscal 2012, for example, the Air Force is spending about $803.4 million to modify and sustain the Raptor, compared to $132.2 million to produce the F-22, according to data provided by Avascent050, an online market analysis toolkit for global defense programs.
Boeing has confirmed a $1.9 billion U.S. Navy order for 11 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, which the company describes as a “stepping-stone to full-rate production.” The order represents the manufacturer’s third low-rate initial production award, and follows two in 2011 that combined for 13 aircraft. The new order will take the Navy’s total fleet to 24, as part of an overall plan to acquire 117 as replacements for the Lockheed Martin P-3.
AIR FORCE Telephonics Corp. Farmingdale, N.Y. (FA8730-12-C-0007), is being awarded a $60,082,968 firm-fixed-price contract award for the production of 19 UPX-40s to include hardware installation kits, installation support, manufacturing and sustainment support. The location of the performance is Huntington, N.Y. The work is expected to be completed by Oct. 19, 2018. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/HBSK, Hanscom AFB, Mass.
Belarus plans to add more Russian-made military aircraft to boost its border patrol capabilities. “We discussed many issues related to the air force. I asked for assistance and I got it,” the president of the former Soviet Republic, Alexander Lukashenko, told reporters following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
TOO CONFIDENT: Analysts at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) believe aerospace and defense executives may be “overconfident” in the information security practices at their respective organizations, given the trends of information security budget slashing, rising security incidents and accelerating technology development. The survey of more than 200 executives found that “72% of respondents are confident that they have instilled effective security behaviors into their organization’s culture, yet most do not have a process in place to handle third-party breaches,” PwC says.
Click here to view the pdf F-22 Spending Profile Fiscal 2008-2017 ($ in thousands) F-22 Spending Profile Fiscal 2008-2017 ($ in thousands) Type of Expense Sum of $Ks FY08 Sum of $Ks FY09 Sum of $Ks FY1
FRANKFURT — Germany’s federal government is voicing serious concerns internally about the planned merger of EADS and BAE Systems. A Ministry of Economics and Technology report, destined for the federal parliament’s economics committee, points to a series of issues that puts the proposal’s viability in question.
With Congress gone and no deal to prevent a nearly $1 trillion across-the-board budget cut from taking effect next January, a group of senators is laying the groundwork for proposals to delay the penalty known as sequestration.
A report destined for the German parliament’s economics committee lists numerous concerns about the proposed merger of EADS and BAE Systems. The Ministry of Economics report says the proposed golden shares, which are supposed to give governments veto rights on key strategy questions, are not absolutely certain to provide the kind of protection to state interests that EADS and BAE Systems claim. The report also questions the legality of issuing golden shares to three governments under current European law.
No one ever accused South Korea's Agency for Defense Development of lacking ambition. But as it pushes ahead with its effort to indigenously develop a stealth fighter, the agency faces renewed accusations of a lack of realism, and it is simply being overlooked when it comes to funding.
As Tom Enders tells employees in a letter, he is convinced that the planned merger of EADS and BAE Systems offers a “singular chance.” But there is a problem: Investors are notably uninspired and European governments lukewarm. There is a real possibility that the deal may still fall through.
Using cockpit simulators for a Brazilian air force F-5 in Porto Alegre and an F/A-18E/F at its military aircraft headquarters in St. Louis, Boeing has demonstrated how it can link a network of simulators across distances as great as 5,000 mi. Boeing has been strengthening its manufacturing and technology ties with Brazil for several years in a number of areas, but nowhere more so than in its drive to demonstrate advanced systems capabilities and win the Brazilian air force's F-2X fighter competition.
