Sunday, June 07, 2009

DTN News: Sultanate Of Oman Acquires C-130J Super Hercules

DTN News: Sultanate Of Oman Acquires C-130J Super Hercules *Source: Lockheed Martin Corporation
(NSI News Source Info) MARIETTA, Ga. - June 7, 2009: Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Sultanate of Oman for a C-130J Super Hercules. The aircraft, to be delivered in mid-2012, is in the longer C-130J-30 configuration. The Indian Air Force purchased six C-130Js in early 2008 at a cost of up to US$ 1.059 billion. It is a package deal with the US government under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, and India has retained options to buy six more of these aircraft for its special forces for combined army-air force operations. A C-130J Super Hercules is cleaned in the new wash system at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. The Canadian Forces signed a US$1.4 billion contract with Lockheed Martin for 17 new C-130J-30s on 16 January 2008, as part of the procurement process to replace the existing CC-130E and H models. The C-130J will be officially designated CC-130J Hercules in Canadian Forces service. The Royal Norwegian Air Force has decided to purchase four C-130Js to reinforce their transport capacity when it was discovered that their forty-year-old C-130s were unserviceable during a wing change. The first aircraft was delivered in November 2008. The Government of Qatar has also placed an order for four C-130Js, spare parts and training for the Qatari Emiri Air Force for a total of US$393.6 million. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2011. The Iraqi Air Force has requested six new C-130J-30s, while the Israeli Air Force is seeking to purchase nine C-130J-30s. The United Arab Emirates Air Force announced an order for twelve C-130J transport aircraft at the 2009 IDEX, with an announced value of US$1.3 billion. "The C-130J is ideally suited to the operating conditions found in Oman and other areas of the Gulf," said Jim Grant, vice president for business development at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "Again we see a country that has recognized all the proven qualities of this world–leading airlifter purchasing additional aircraft." Oman currently operates a fleet of three C-130Hs purchased in the early 1980s. The new C-130J will be used to further support Omani operations where its ability to operate out of remote austere airstrips will be invaluable. This order for Oman brings to 11 the number of countries that have acquired C-130Js. Other nations which are operating or have ordered the C-130J include Australia, Canada, Denmark, India, Iraq, Italy, Norway, Qatar, the United Kingdom and the United States. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

DTN News: U.S. President Barack Obama Returns From His Middle East And Europe Tour

DTN News: U.S. President Barack Obama Returns From His Middle East And Europe Tour
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - June 7, 2009: U.S. President Barack Obama returns to the White House following a trip to Normandy for a D-Day commemoration and Egypt where he delivered a speech outlining his vision for relations with the Muslim world, Sunday, June 7, 2009.
U.S. President Barack Obama returns to the White House on Marine One in Washington, June 7, 2009.
Obama returned in Washington from Paris after his Middle East and Europe tour.

DTN News: Peru TODAY June 7, 2009 - Peruvian Military Patrol To Control Violence In Northern Amazon

DTN News: Peru TODAY June 7, 2009 - Peruvian Military Patrol To Control Violence In Northern Amazon
(NSI News Source Info) LIMA, Peru - June 7, 2009: Members of the Peruvian military patrol the streets of Bagua, more than 1000 kms southeast of Lima, Peru on June 7, 2009. Peru's defense minister Sunday raised to 34, including 23 police officers, the number of people killed over the weekend in an explosion of violence between indigenous groups and security forces in the country's northern Amazon.
Indigenous communities, protesting for their land rights, said the number of civilians killed in the 24-hour orgy of violence Friday and Saturday was higher than the official count, giving Peruvian media conflicting tallies that ranged from a dozen to as many as 30 dead natives.

DTN News: Malaysia Prefers Su-30MKM Fighters And Phasing Out MiG-29N/UB Fighters

DTN News: Malaysia Prefers Su-30MKM Fighters And Phasing Out MiG-29N/UB Fighters (NSI News Source Info) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - June 7, 2009: Malaysia is getting rid of its MiG-29 fighters, and replacing them with Su-30s. Three years ago, Malaysia bought two more MiG-29s, in addition to the 18 it got in the 1990s. In 2003, Malaysia ordered 18 Su-30MKM aircraft. The first two were delivered in May 2007. Four more were delivered in 2007 and four in March 2008 Deliveries are scheduled to conclude by the end of 2008. Also in 2003, Indonesia ordered two Su-30MKK aircraft. A further three Su-30MK2 aircraft were ordered in August 2007. In March 2006, Algeria placed an order for 28 Su-30MKA aircraft. The first was delivered in December 2007. In July 2006, Venezuela placed a contract for 24 Su-30MKI aircraft. The first eight were delivered in May 2007 and deliveries concluded in August 2008. An order for 12 additional aircraft is planned. The Indian Air Force ordered 40 aircraft in 1996 and an additional ten aircraft in 1998. 18 Su-30K have been delivered which will be upgraded to MKI standard, starting in 2006. "The SukhoiSu-30M is a multi-role two-seater fighter, broadly comparable to the AmericanF-15E." First deliveries of ten Su-30MKI full specification aircraft with thrust vectoring and phased array radar took place in September 2002 and deliveries were completed in December 2004. Hindustani Aeronautics (HAL) is also contracted to build 140 aircraft in India between 2003 and 2017, under a licensed production agreement. The first indigenously assembled aircraft was delivered in November 2004. 38 Su-30MKK and 24 navalised Su-30MK2 aircraft, which do not have thrust vectoring capability, are in service with the Chinese Air Force. Two of those were lost due to accidents. Malaysia has since ordered 18 Su-30 fighters, and will apparently order more to replace the MiG-29s. Malaysia also bought eight F-18Ds in the 1990s, and is keeping those. Most of these Russian aircraft have provided satisfactory service. Malaysia was long a users of U.S. aircraft, so they have been able to compare Russian and American warplanes. The Russian aircraft cost less than half as much as their American counterparts. The Malaysians find that an acceptable situation, even though they face better trained pilots flying F-16s in neighboring Singapore. The MiG-29 entered Russian service in 1983, as the answer to the American F-16. Some 1,600 MiG-29s have been produced so far, with about 900 of them exported. The 22 ton aircraft is roughly comparable to the F-16, but it depends a lot on which version of either aircraft you are talking about. Russia is making a lot of money upgrading MiG-29s. Not just adding new electronics, but also making the airframe more robust. The MiG-29 was originally rated at 2,500 total flight hours. At that time (early 80s), Russia expected MiG-29s to fly about a hundred or so hours a year. India, for example, flew them at nearly twice that rate, and now Russia is offering to spiff up the airframe so that the aircraft can fly up to 4,000 hours, with more life extension upgrades promised. This won't be easy, as the MiG-29 has a history of unreliability and premature breakdowns (both mechanical and electronic). Recently, Russia grounded all of its MiG-29s in order to check for structural flaws. Compared to Western aircraft, like the F-16, the MiG-29 is available for action about two thirds as much. While extending the life of the MiG-29 into the 2030s is theoretically possible, actually doing so will be real breakthrough in Russian aircraft capabilities.

DTN News: Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Kyrgyzstan: Let U.S. Air Base Stay Open

DTN News: Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Kyrgyzstan: Let U.S. Air Base Stay Open
(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - June 7, 2009: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has asked Kyrgyzstan to change its position on the future of a key U.S. air base which Bishkek has ordered closed, a Kyrgyz official said June 6. Kyrgyzstan voted in March to evict U.S.-led coalition forces from the airbase at Manas, a vital hub for the U.S. military and NATO allies and used to ferry troops and supplies in and out of conflict-torn Afghanistan. Maksim Kaganer, deputy head of the Kyrgyz presidential secretariat, told the Azattyk radio that Karzai sent a letter to Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev requesting him to reconsider the decision. "He is asking Mr Bakiyev to show support to the people of Afghanistan in the fight with terrorism and allow the future use of the Manas base for international forces carrying out operations in Afghanistan." A source in Kyrgyzstan's foreign ministry told AFP that Karzai has offered to take part in one-on-one discussions with Bakiyev, possibly at a regional security summit meeting in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg this month. "The key themes will be questions of providing assistance in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the anti-terrorist coalition force at Manas based on Kyrgyz territory," the source said. The Kyrgyz government had announced it was evicting the U.S. military after Moscow agreed to provide more than $2 billion of loans and aid to the impoverished former Soviet republic. Since the closure was announced, Washington has secured transit routes for non-lethal cargo through several other Central Asian states, but the agreements do not address the problem of troop and military material transport.

DTN News: Malaysia Calls For Calm Over Border Dispute With Indonesia

DTN News: Malaysia Calls For Calm Over Border Dispute With Indonesia *Indonesia And Malaysia Laying Claim To Islands....By DTN News Defense-Technology News December 12 2008
(NSI News Source Info) KUALA LUMPUR - June 7, 2009: Malaysia's deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin called for calm Thursday amid reports that Malaysian warships had entered oil-rich waters off northeastern Borneo also claimed by Indonesia. The Celebes Sea (or the Sulawesi Sea (Malay: Laut Sulawesi)) of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia. The Sea is in the form of a huge basin, and plunges as deep as 20,300 feet (6,200 m). It extends 420 miles (675 km) north-south by 520 miles (837 km) east-west and has a total surface area of 110,000 square miles (280,000 km²). The sea opens southwest through the Makassar Strait into the Java Sea. The Celebes Sea is a piece of an ancient ocean basin that formed 42 million years ago in a setting far from any land mass. By 20 million years ago, crustal movement had pushed the Celebes basin close enough to the Indonesian and Philippine volcanoes to receive volcanic debris. By 10 million years ago the Celebes Sea was inundated with continental debris, including coal, which was shed from a rapidly growing young mountain on Borneo and the basin had docked against Eurasia. The border between the Celebes and the Sulu Sea is at the Sibutu-Basilan Ridge. Strong ocean currents, deep sea trenches and seamounts, combined with active volcanic islands, result in complex oceanographic features. Indonesia says Malaysian warships entered the disputed Ambalat area in the Sulawesi sea last week and that an Indonesian navy ship came within moments of firing at a Malaysian vessel. "We want to avoid any form of provocation that can cause unpleasantness. We must handle the matter with caution," Muhyiddin was quoted as saying by Bernama, the Malaysian news agency. Muhyiddin was also quoted as saying that Malaysia had good relations with Indonesia and that it did not want to cause any problem that could hurt ties. In Jakarta, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia would never back down from a fight but that dialogue was the best way to resolve the dispute. "The government has never been lenient on the border violations committed by Malaysian warships in Ambalat waters," Yudhoyono said during a talk show on Anteve TV station. "Although we have to drive intruders away, we don't need to open fire on them unless absolutely necessary," he added. International borders in the area off Borneo island have yet to be determined, with each country claiming the area as its own. Malaysia claims the area based on a 1979 maritime chart, while Indonesia bases its claims on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which states the area belongs to Indonesia. Muhyiddin said the Malaysian security forces patrolling the Ambalat waters had performed their duties responsibly and in accordance with regulations. "Both parties must avoid any action that can raise controversy," he said. Meanwhile, Malaysia's military chief Abdul Aziz Zainal denied that Malaysian warships had entered the waters around Ambalat, adding that he would visit Jakarta Tuesday to discuss the issue.

DTN News: UNBELIEVABLE In Swat Valley, Pakistan - Army Fighting Taliban And Organizing Fashion Show To Raise Funds....Three Cheers For A Good Cause

DTN News: UNBELIEVABLE In Swat Valley, Pakistan - Army Fighting Taliban And Organizing Fashion Show To Raise Funds....Three Cheers For A Good Cause
(NSI News Source Info) LAHORE - June 7, 2009: Models take to the stage during a charity fashion show organized by the Pakistan Fashion Designers Council in Lahore June 7, 2009.
The show was held to raise money for internally displaced persons fleeing military operations in the Swat valley region. About 2,000,000 PKR ($25,000) was raised, event organizers said.

DTN News: Egypt Rejects 50,000 Tons Of 'Inedible' Russian Grain

DTN News: Egypt Rejects 50,000 Tons Of 'Inedible' Russian Grain
(NSI News Source Info) CAIRO - June 7, 2009: Egypt's top prosecutor has ordered an import company to return a large delivery of wheat purchased from Russia and reimburse the state, the Egyptian news agency MENA reported on Sunday. The wheat, weighing 52,500 metric tons, was bought from Russia for $9.6 million. The Prosecutor General's Office says the grain was found to be unfit for consumption. Prosecutor General Mahmoud Abdel Maged has given instructions for a commission to be set up to oversee the return of the wheat to Russia. Inspectors from the Egyptian Health Ministry said the grain contained admixtures, insects and heavy metals above the permissible levels. The grain was shipped in via the Safaga port without receiving a sanitary certificate, and was seized on May 13. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, attending the World Grain Forum in St. Petersburg, denied Egypt's accusations of inedible grain exports. "We export only good-quality grain," he said.

DTN News: Russia's Top Agricultural Bank Could Place $1 Billion In Eurobonds

DTN News: Russia's Top Agricultural Bank Could Place $1 Billion In Eurobonds
(NSI News Source Info) ST. PETERSBURG - June 7, 2009: The Russian Agricultural Bank, the country's largest state-run banking institution extending loans to domestic agribusiness, could place an additional $1 billion in Eurobonds, the bank's CEO said on Sunday. "Our placement on the market will depend on the market situation and demand for bond issues. I can't answer exactly the question on the possibility of borrowing money through Eurobonds. But if we resort to borrowing, we will seek only long-term funds with maturities between five and 10 years," Yuri Trushin told the World Grain Forum in St. Petersburg. The Russian Agricultural Bank, the country's third largest bank in terms of equity, placed Eurobonds worth $1 billion at a fixed interest rate of 9% per annum on June 4. Trushin said Russia still lacks sources of long-term borrowing, forcing the country to seek loans on the international market. He said the Russian Agricultural Bank was expected to extend 400 billion rubles ($9.4 billion) in loans to domestic agricultural producers in 2009.

DTN News: D-Day's World War Two Military Vehicles Displayed At Arrowmanches, France

DTN News: D-Day's World War Two Military Vehicles Displayed At Arrowmanches, France
(NSI News Source Info) ARROWMANCHES, FRANCE - June 7, 2009: World War Two military enthusiats gather on the beach prior to the Normandy Veterans Final Salute on June 6 2009 in Arrowmanches, France.
Several hundred of the remaining veterans of the Normandy campaign have returned to France, many for the final time, to take part in commemorations to mark the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 1944.