INDIAN ARMED FORCES CHIEFS ON
OUR RELENTLESS AND FOCUSED PUBLISHING EFFORTS

SP's MAI - Issue No. 10 | May 16-31, 2012

Issue Features

• 

  MILITARY / VIEWPOINT
  Pressure from Uncle Sam
  By Lt Gen (Retd) PC Katoch

  US-Pakistan strategic partnership will likely continue to outweigh US-India equation because of US national interests in Afghanistan and Central Asia

• 

  AEROSPACE
  Airbus Military A400M receives initial type certificate from EASA

  Airbus Military has received the initial type certification for the A400M new generation airlifter, marking a key milestone on the road to first delivery...

• 

  INTERNAL SECURITY / CYBER
  Cassidian CyberSecurity to be set up

  EADS Cassidian are to create a new dedicated business, Cassidian Cyber-Security, entirely devoted to addressing the fast-growing cyber security market across Europe and Middle East...

• 

  CORPORATE
  Sikorsky, Terma to explore additional potential collaborations

  Sikorsky Aircraft and Terma have announced that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in February 2010...

• 

  TECHNOLOGY
  DARPA seeks technology to see through clouds for warfighter support

  Warfighters who encounter enemy forces on the ground benefit from overhead aircraft support. Some capabilities are lost, however, when cloud-cover obscures the view.

• 

  MILITARY / CONFERENCE REPORT
  Streamline DPP
  By Sucheta Das Mohapatra

  A day-long conference on the Defence Procurement Procedure organised by SP Guide Publications in collaboration with ORF in New Delhi on May 2 emphasised on the need to streamline our defence procurement system...

• 

  AEROSPACE
  Australia buys 10 C-27J

  The Royal Australian Air Force will buy ten C-27J transport aircraft to replace the DHC Caribous it retired in 2009. Deliveries of C-27J will begin in 2015.

• 

  INTERNAL SECURITY / CYBER
  US, China should work together on cyber: Panetta

  Because the United States and China have developed technological capabilities in the cyber arena, the nations must work together to avoid misperception that could lead to a crisis, the Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has said.

• CORPORATE
  Rafael invests in a Brazilian aerospace company

  The Israeli defence company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced the acquisition of a 40 per cent stake in the Brazilian aerospace company GESPI Aeronautics, deepening its position in the growing Brazilian homeland security and defence market.

• TECHNOLOGY
  UK develops virtual training concept

  The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) of the United Kingdom has developed a new virtual training concept that will enable the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to train its armed forces to combat ready proficiency.

• 

  MILITARY / INTERVIEW
  ‘India will be near the top of the world’s strongest economies in 10 to 20 years’
  By SP’s Team

  Mike Alvis, Vice President of International Business Development, ITT Exelis

• 

  AEROSPACE
  Boeing KC-46 tanker programme completes prelim design review

  The Boeing KC-46 tanker programme has completed a preliminary design review (PDR) with the US Air Force...

• 

  INTERNAL SECURITY / BREACHES
  Demi Lovato’s hair yanked

  Not even a strong presence of bodyguards could protect Demi Lovato’s luscious locks from overzealous fans in Venezuela recently.

• CORPORATE
  Saab expands ties with AEL Sistemas S/A of Brazil

  In connection with Saab’s Gripen NG proposal to Brazil the Defence and Security Company, has expanded its planned cooperation with Aeroeletronica Ltda (AEL) of Brazil and now also includes development, production and long term logistics of the Gripen NG avionics package.

• 

  MILITARY / MILESTONE
  INS Viraat completes 25 years

  INS Viraat has completed 25 years in the Indian Navy. HMS Hermes became INS Viraat on May 12, 1987, under the command of Captain (later Vice Admiral) Vinod Pasricha.

• 

  AEROSPACE
  Goodrich products on Embraer’s KC-390 military transport aircraft

  Goodrich Corporation has been selected to provide the air data system, ice detector, windshield ice protection controller...

• 

  INTERNAL SECURITY / BREACHES
  Security failure emerges at Ben-Gurion Airport

  In 2011, an Israeli Air Force officer was detained at Budapest Airport after a gun was found in his baggage, casting doubts on security procedures at Ben-Gurion Airport where he boarded a plane to the United States, via Hungary.

• CORPORATE
  Kratos to acquire Composite Engineering

  Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, a leading national security solutions provider in US, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the stock of Composite Engineering, Inc.

• 

  MILITARY
  Indian Ocean security a concern: Defence Minister

  Describing the emerging security matrix in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as “really complex”, with “some political developments” and worrisome factors...

• 

  AEROSPACE
  Lockheed Martin F-35Bs ferried to Eglin, marking 25th DoD delivery

  Two Lockheed Martin F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) production aircraft were ferried to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, recently...

• 

  INTERNAL SECURITY / BREACHES
  Sophisticated’ underwear bomb uncovered

  A new, “more sophisticated” underwear bomb style has been discovered by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Yemen in April 2012.

• CORPORATE
  Tom Herring is now CEO at AeroVironment

  AeroVironment has announced a realignment of its senior management team to support its growth plans. The company promoted Senior Vice President and UAS General Manager Tom Herring to the newly established position of Chief Operating Officer.

• 

  MILITARY
  US Navy’s third littoral combat ship completes acceptance trials

  United State’s third littoral combat ship, USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) has completed its US Navy acceptance trials and will be delivered to the Nav...

• 

  AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  Successful flight of Rustom-I

  Indigenously designed and developed Rustom-1 made 14th successful flight recently at Kolar with attainment of about 11,500 ft AGL (above ground level) and speed of above 140 kmph during 2 hrs 10 minutes of cruise.

• INTERNAL SECURITY
  NCTC discussions to continue

  The meeting of the Chief Ministers of all States on National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) concluded in Delhi with the States highlighting various concerns on the issue and offered different suggestions to strengthen the counter-terrorism apparatus in the country.

• 

  MILITARY
  ITT Exelis bags enhanced night vision goggles Contract

  The US Army has qualified an ITT Exelis goggle that allows soldiers to detect and identify potential threats while maintaining a secure position in various environmental conditions during nighttime missions.

• 

  AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  K-MAX deployment extended

  Lockheed Martin has announced that two unmanned K-MAX helicopters will remain in theatre in Afghanistan until September on a deployment extension.

• INTERNAL SECURITY / CYBER
  Lockheed Martin to assist DoD in dealing with cyber crime

  Lockheed Martin (LMT) will team with the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) to thwart another type of enemy – cyber criminals.

• 

  MILITARY
  Goodrich delivers first composite sail cusp for Virginia class submarine

  Goodrich Corporation recently delivered its first composite sail cusp to Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS)...

• 

  AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  Brazil’s Falcão’s first flight before July

  Brazilian firm Avibras is concluding final assembly of the prototype of the ‘Falcão’ [Falcon] unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)...

• INTERNAL SECURITY / BREACHES
  Over 5,000 computer security lapses in NASA

  NASA had 5,408 computer security lapses in 2010 and 2011, including the March 2011 loss of a laptop computer that contained algorithms used to command and control the International Space Station (ISS), the agency’s Inspector General recently told the US Congress.

• 

  MILITARY
  ATK gets small calibre ammunition orders

  ATK has received orders totalling more than $266 million for small calibre ammunition under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with the US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island.

• 

  AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  Camcopter S-100 completes Italian Navy flight

  Schiebel’s Camcopter S-100 has taken a further step in consolidating its strong maritime position by being the first UAS (unmanned air system)...

• MILITARY
  Raytheon fires Excalibur from G6 self-propelled howitzer

  Raytheon has fired four Excalibur 155mm precision-guided artillery projectiles from the Denel-manufactured G6 self-propelled howitzer as part of a field trial demonstration.

• 

  AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  Finland selects Orbiter 2

  Finland’s defence ministry has selected Aeronautics Defense Systems’ Orbiter 2 unmanned air system (UAS) for its operational needs.

• 

  AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  UAV market to grow mostly in Europe, Asia

  Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, have repeatedly proved their worth in recent conflicts.

• AEROSPACE
  Turkey’s first modernised T38M prototype delivered

  The first prototype of TAI-modernised T38 jet trainer aircraft was delivered to Turkish Air Force (TurAF) recently at TAI’s facilities.

• AEROSPACE
  Pratt & Whitney delivers 50th F135 engine for F-35

  Pratt & Whitney has delivered the 50th production F135 engine – powering Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II – to the US Department of Defence.

• AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  BAE prepares to test long-endurance drone

  BAE Systems has taken a step closer to removing pilots from fighter jets by launching the first major test flights for a new generation of intelligent drone aircraft.

• AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  Boeing provides tactical cross-domain capabilities for Predator/Reaper RPV

  Boeing has completed the first delivery of its tactical cross-domain technology, eXMeritusHardwareWall, to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) for integration into the ground control station (GCS) of the Predator/reaper remotely piloted vehicle (RPV).

• AEROSPACE / UNMANNED
  Shadow Hawk munition launched from Shadow UAS

  Lockheed Martin successfully conducted the first launch of a Shadow Hawk precision-guided weapon recently from a Shadow 200 unmanned Air system (UAS), achieving a direct hit on the target.