Monday, February 22, 2010

DTN News: The Utility Of Assassination

DTN News: The Utility Of Assassination *Source: By George Friedman STRATFOR (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 23, 2010: The apparent Israeli assassination of a Hamas operative in the United Arab Emirates turned into a bizarre event replete with numerous fraudulent passports, alleged Israeli operatives caught on videotape and international outrage (much of it feigned), more over the use of fraudulent passports than over the operative’s death. If we are to believe the media, it took nearly 20 people and an international incident to kill him. STRATFOR has written on the details of the killing as we have learned of them, but we see this as an occasion to address a broader question: the role of assassination in international politics. Defining Assassination We should begin by defining what we mean by assassination. It is the killing of a particular individual for political purposes. It differs from the killing of a spouse’s lover because it is political. It differs from the killing of a soldier on the battlefield in that the soldier is anonymous and is not killed because of who he is but because of the army he is serving in. The question of assassination, in the current jargon “targeted killing,” raises the issue of its purpose. Apart from malice and revenge, as in Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the purpose of assassination is to achieve a particular political end by weakening an enemy in some way. Thus, the killing of Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto by the Americans in World War II was a targeted killing, an assassination. His movements were known, and the Americans had the opportunity to kill him. Killing an incompetent commander would be counterproductive, but Yamamoto was a superb strategist, without peer in the Japanese navy. Killing him would weaken Japan’s war effort, or at least have a reasonable chance of doing so. With all the others dying around him in the midst of war, the moral choice did not seem complex then, nor does it seem complex now. Such occasions rarely occur on the battlefield. There are few commanders who could not readily be replaced, and perhaps even replaced by someone more able. In any event, it is difficult to locate enemy commanders, meaning the opportunity to kill them rarely arises. And as commanders ask their troops to risk their lives, they have no moral claim to immunity from danger. Now, take another case. Assume that the leader of a country were singular and irreplaceable, something very few are. But think of Fidel Castro, whose central role in the Cuban government was undeniable. Assume that he is the enemy of another country like the United States. It is an unofficial hostility — no war has been declared — but a very real one nonetheless. Is it illegitimate to try to kill such a leader in a bid to destroy his regime? Let’s move that question to Adolph Hitler, the gold standard of evil. Would it be inappropriate to have sought to kill him in 1938 based on the type of regime he had created and what he said that he would do with it? If the position is that killing Hitler would have been immoral, then we have a serious question about the moral standards being used. The more complex case is Castro. He is certainly no Hitler, but neither is he the romantic democratic revolutionary some have painted him as being. But if it is legitimate to kill Castro, then where is the line drawn? Who is it not legitimate to kill? As with Yamamoto, the number of instances in which killing a political leader would make a difference in policy or in the regime’s strength is extremely limited. In most cases, the argument against assassination is not moral but practical: It would make no difference if the target in question lives or dies. But where it would make a difference, the moral argument becomes difficult. If we establish that Hitler was a legitimate target, than we have established that there is not an absolute ban on political assassination. The question is what the threshold must be. All of this is a preface to the killing in the United Arab Emirates, because that represents a third case. Since the rise of the modern intelligence apparatus, covert arms have frequently been attached to them. The nation-states of the 20th century all had intelligence organizations. These organizations carried out a range of clandestine operations beyond collecting intelligence, from supplying weapons to friendly political groups in foreign countries to overthrowing regimes to underwriting terrorist operations. During the latter half of the century, nonstate-based covert organizations were developed. As European empires collapsed, political movements wishing to take control created covert warfare apparatuses to force the Europeans out or defeat political competitors. Israel’s state-based intelligence system emerged from one created before the Jewish state’s independence. The various Palestinian factions created their own. Beyond this, of course, groups like al Qaeda created their own covert capabilities, against which the United States has arrayed its own massive covert capability. Assassinations Today The contemporary reality is not a battlefield on which a Yamamoto might be singled out or a charismatic political leader whose death might destroy his regime. Rather, a great deal of contemporary international politics and warfare is built around these covert capabilities. In the case of Hamas, the mission of these covert operations is to secure the resources necessary for Hamas to engage Israeli forces on terms favorable to them, from terror to rocket attacks. For Israel, covert operations exist to shut off resources to Hamas (and other groups), leaving them unable to engage or resist Israel. Expressed this way, covert warfare makes sense, particularly for the Israelis when they engage the clandestine efforts of Hamas. Hamas is moving covertly to secure resources. Its game is to evade the Israelis. The Israeli goal is to identify and eliminate the covert capability. Hamas is the hunted, Israel the hunter here. Apparently the hunter and hunted met in the United Arab Emirates, and the hunted was killed. But there are complexities here. First, in warfare, the goal is to render the enemy incapable of resisting. Killing just any group of enemy soldiers is not the point. Indeed, diverting resources to engage the enemy on the margins, leaving the center of gravity of the enemy force untouched, harms far more than it helps. Covert warfare is different from conventional warfare, but the essential question stands: Is the target you are destroying essential to the enemy’s ability to fight? And even more important, as the end of all war is political, does defeating this enemy bring you closer to your political goals? Covert organizations, like armies, are designed to survive attrition. It is expected that operatives will be detected and killed; the system is designed to survive that. The goal of covert warfare is either to penetrate the enemy so deeply, or destroy one or more people so essential to the operation of the group, that the covert organization stops functioning. All covert organizations are designed to stop this from happening. They achieve this through redundancy and regeneration. After the massacre at the Munich Olympics in 1972, the Israelis mounted an intense covert operation to identify, penetrate and destroy the movement — called Black September — that mounted the attack. Black September was not simply a separate movement but a front for various Palestinian factions. Killing those involved with Munich would not paralyze Black September, and destroying Black September did not destroy the Palestinian movement. That movement had redundancy — the ability to shift new capable people into the roles of those killed — and therefore could regenerate, training and deploying fresh operatives. The mission was successfully carried out, but the mission was poorly designed. Like a general using overwhelming force to destroy a marginal element of the enemy army, the Israelis focused their covert capability to destroy elements whose destruction would not give the Israelis what they wanted — the destruction of the various Palestinian covert capabilities. It might have been politically necessary for the Israeli public, it might have been emotionally satisfying, but the Israeli’s enemies weren’t broken. Consider that Entebbe occurred in 1976. If Israel’s goal in targeting Black September was the suppression of terrorism by Palestinian groups, the assault on one group did not end the threat from other groups. Therefore, the political ends the Israelis sought were not achieved. The Palestinians did not become weaker. The year 1972 was not the high point of the Palestinian movement politically. It became stronger over time, gaining substantial international legitimacy. If the mission was to break the Palestinian covert apparatus to weaken the Palestinian capability and weaken its political power, the covert war of eliminating specific individuals identified as enemy operatives failed. The operatives very often were killed, but the operation did not yield the desired outcome. And here lies the real dilemma of assassination. It is extraordinarily rare to identify a person whose death would materially weaken a substantial political movement in some definitive sense — i.e., where if the person died, then the movement would be finished. This is particularly true for nationalist movements that can draw on a very large pool of people and talent. It is equally hard to reduce a movement quickly enough to destroy the organization’s redundancy and regenerative capability. Doing so requires extraordinary intelligence penetration as well as a massive covert effort, so such an effort quickly reveals the penetration and identifies your own operatives. A single swift, global blow is what is dreamt of. Covert war actually works as a battle of attrition, involving the slow accumulation of intelligence, the organization of the strike, the assassination. At that point, one man is dead, a man whose replacement is undoubtedly already trained. Others are killed, but the critical mass is never reached, and there is no one target who if killed would cause everything to change. In war there is a terrible tension between the emotions of the public and the cold logic that must drive the general. In covert warfare, there is tremendous emotional satisfaction to the country when it is revealed that someone it regards as not only an enemy, but someone responsible for the deaths of their countryman, has been killed. But the generals or directors of intelligence can’t afford this satisfaction. They have limited resources, which must be devoted to achieving their country’s political goals and assuring its safety. Those resources have to be used effectively. There are few Hitlers whose death is morally demanded and might have a practical effect. Most such killings are both morally and practically ambiguous. In covert warfare, even if you concede every moral point about the wickedness of your enemy, you must raise the question as to whether all of your efforts are having any real effect on the enemy in the long run. If they can simply replace the man you killed, while training ten more operatives in the meantime, you have achieved little. If the enemy keeps becoming politically more successful, then the strategy must be re-examined. We are not writing this as pacifists; we do not believe the killing of enemies is to be avoided. And we certainly do not believe that the morally incoherent strictures of what is called international law should guide any country in protecting itself. What we are addressing here is the effectiveness of assassination in waging covert warfare. Too frequently, it does not, in our mind, represent a successful solution to the military and political threat posed by covert organizations. It might bring an enemy to justice, and it might well disrupt an organization for a while or even render a specific organization untenable. But in the covert wars of the 20th century, the occasions when covert operations — including assassinations — achieved the political ends being pursued were rare. That does not mean they never did. It does mean that the utility of assassination as a main part of covert warfare needs to be considered carefully. Assassination is not without cost, and in war, all actions must be evaluated rigorously in terms of cost versus benefit. This report may be forwarded or republished on your website with attribution to http://www.stratfor.com/ Disclaimer statement Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.

DTN News: General Dynamics To Supply 250 RG-31 MRAP Vehicles To the U.S. Defense Department

DTN News: General Dynamics To Supply 250 RG-31 MRAP Vehicles To the U.S. Defense Department *Source: DTN News / General Dynamics (NSI News Source Info) LONDON, Ontario, Canada - February 23, 2010: U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada a $227.4 million delivery order to produce 250 RG-31 Mk5E vehicles for its Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program. General Dynamics Land Systems, the Canadian company’s parent corporation, is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
Vehicle production will occur at BAE Systems Land Systems OMC of Benoni, South Africa. Deliveries will be completed by October 2010.
This contract is in addition to the 1,402 RG-31 Mk5 vehicles already supplied by General Dynamics under the MRAP program. Separately, an additional 584 RG-31s were previously ordered by the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command for route-clearance vehicles.
“We appreciate the confidence that the U.S. military has in the RG-31 vehicle, as they conduct their missions in a dangerous and uncertain environment,” said Dr. Sridhar Sridharan, senior vice-president of General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to once again assist in protecting the lives of U.S. soldiers.”
The contract was signed through the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Crown Agency of the Canadian Government.
General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada, located in London, Ontario, Canada, is a business unit of General Dynamics Land Systems of Sterling Heights, Michigan. For over 30 years, more than 2,000 highly skilled technical employees have designed, manufactured, delivered and supported to global customers a unique family of light armoured vehicles (LAV). More information on the company is available at www.gdlscanada.com.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 91,700 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated February 22, 2010

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated February 22, 2010 *Source: U.S. DoD issued February 22, 2010 (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - February 23, 2010: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued February 22, 2010 are undermentioned; CONTRACTS
AIR FORCE ~Northrop Grumman Defense Mission Systems, Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $77,915,492 contract which will provide the maintenance and support of the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node system in support of overseas contingency operations through fiscal year 2010. At this time, $71,181,700 has been obligated. 653 ELSG/PK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8726-09-C-0010). ~Boeing Co., Wichita, Kan., was awarded a $35,403,359 contract which will provide continuing contractor logistics support for the VC-25A aircraft. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 727 ACSG/PKB, Tinker Air Force Base, Nev., is the contracting activity (FA8106-09-C-0005). ~Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nev., was awarded a $9,267,712 contract which will provide for the design, development, testing and evaluation of research and development prototype capability that improves mission effectiveness through the use of automated analysis for real time situational awareness and assessment. At this time, $148,455 has been obligated. AFRL/RIKE, Rome, N.Y., is the contracting activity (FA8750-10-C-0040). NAVY ~Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co., Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded $5,574,000 for firm-fixed-price task order #0002 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62478-09-D-4015) for repair of wharf S-20 at Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The work to be performed provides for selective removal work; concrete rehabilitation; marine concrete; refurbish marine hardware; concrete fender piles; fender system; hydro-pneumatic floating fenders; metal fabrications; coating of waterfront steel structures; pavement markings; oil spill containment booms; low pressure compressed air; water distribution; sanitary sewer; exterior salt water distribution system; electrical work; and incidental related work. Work will be performed in Oahu, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by September 2011. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. ~Government Contracting Resources, Inc.*, Pinehurst, N.C., is being awarded a maximum $15,152,401 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity base operating support services contract at Naval Support Activity Panama City. The work to be performed provides for facility management services; facilities investment services consisting of operation, maintenance, repair, minor construction and alteration services for buildings, structures and facility systems, water treatment services, backflow preventer maintenance, locksmith services, re-lamping services, roof inspections, fire protection, etc.; pest control; grounds maintenance; street sweeping services; and environmental services consisting of completing samplings and inspections. Work will be performed in Panama City, Fla., and is expected to be completed September 2014. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online Web site, with three offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-10-D-0761). *Small business

DTN News: Russia To Produce Most Arms Domestically -Says Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin

DTN News: Russia To Produce Most Arms Domestically -Says Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin *Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - February 23, 2010: Russia's Army will mostly use domestically-built arms, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin told Ekho Moskvy radio on Saturday."The national defense sector will shoulder [the production of] most arms. The purchase of military equipment abroad will be made only in those fields where there are flaws," Vladimir Popovkin said. He said "flaws" were reported in the production of sophisticated arms, including unmanned aircraft. "Work is underway to develop drones and train people," the deputy defense minister said. He confirmed Russia's Defense Ministry would import drones in 2010. Popovkin admitted that the Army had bought little over the past 15 years and that the Defense Ministry had funds to maintain strategic nuclear forces and repair operating arms only. He said the Army currently had a large fleet of outdated equipment. "We have some 20,000 tanks, while we need 5,000 to 6,000, and there are over 200,000 combat vehicles and several thousands aircraft, but the quality of hardware leaves much to be desired," Popovkin said. He pledged the ministry would scrap unneeded hardware or put it to international auctions through the country's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport. Popovkin also said arms producers would soon handle servicing and warranty maintenance of hardware, and that the Defense Ministry was considering leasing arms.

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 23, 2010 ~ Taliban Turn Down President's Offer

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 23, 2010 ~ Taliban Turn Down President's Offer *Source: DTN News / Reuters (NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - February 23, 2010: The Taliban on Sunday rejected President Hamid Karzai's latest call for peace, despite pressure from a NATO offensive and the capture of its No. 2 leader.Afghan President Hamid Karzai inspects a guard of honour during the opening of the new Afghan parliament session in Kabul February 20, 2010. The Kabul government is reaching out to foot soldiers calling on them to join a reintegration program in exchange for cash, jobs and land. The reintegration plan, which will be funded by the West and led by the Afghan government, forms part of efforts by Washington and its allies to build a foundation for the start of a gradual U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in July 2011. The United States and its allies have so far spoken only of reconciliation with those Taliban who renounce violence, sever ties with al-Qaida and accept the Afghan constitution. The Taliban have repeatedly turned down Karzai's peace proposals, saying foreign troops should leave Afghanistan first, but some tentative "talks about talks" have taken place. U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke said a number of fighters and groups were trying to "come in from the cold" as a NATO offensive pushes on. He did not specify how many.

DTN News: Iran TODAY February 23, 2010 ~ Iran Says It Hopes To Begin Building 2 Uranium Enrichment Sites Soon Deep Inside Mountains

DTN News: Iran TODAY February 23, 2010 ~ Iran Says It Hopes To Begin Building 2 Uranium Enrichment Sites Soon Deep Inside Mountains *Source: DTN News / Ali Akbar Dareini, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - February 23, 2010: Iran said Monday it plans to build two new uranium enrichment facilities deep inside mountains to protect them from attack, a new challenge to Western powers trying to curb Tehran's nuclear program for fear it is aimed at making weapons. Ali Akbar Salehi, who is also Iran's vice-president, said Tehran intends to use its more advanced centrifuges at the new sites, a decision that could add to growing concerns in the West over Tehran's program because the technology would allow Iran to accelerate the pace of its program. The two plants are among 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities Iran approved the construction of in November, a dramatic expansion of the program in defiance of U.N. demands it halt enrichment. "Hopefully, we may begin construction of two new enrichment sites in the next Iranian year as ordered by the president," the semiofficial ISNA quoted Salehi as saying Monday. The Iranian calendar year begins March 21. "As of now, our enrichment sites ... will be built inside mountains," Salehi added, according to ISNA. The decision appears to be aimed at shielding the facilities from potential military attack. Israel considers Iran's nuclear program a strategic threat, and has hinted at the possibility of airstrikes against Iran if world pressure does not halt Tehran's nuclear efforts. The Israelis have launched such strikes in the past. In 1981, an Israeli air attack destroyed an unfinished nuclear reactor in Iraq. Israel also hit a suspected nuclear facility in Syria in September 2007. Iran's enrichment of uranium is the central concern of the United States and other nations negotiating with the country over its disputed nuclear program. The technology can be used to generate fuel for power plants and isotopes for medical purposes, but it can also be used to make weapons-grade uranium for atomic bombs. Tehran insists its enrichment work is only meant for peaceful purposes, but Washington and its allies worry the program masks efforts to build a nuclear weapon. Tehran has already said it may install its more advanced centrifuges at its small enrichment site near the holy city of Qom, which was made public last September. The new centrifuges are more advanced than the decades-old P-1 type centrifuges in use at the country's main enrichment facility at Natanz, in central Iran. Centrifuges are machines used to enrich uranium - a technology that can produce fuel for power plants or materials for a nuclear weapon. Uranium enriched to a low level is used to produce fuel, but further enrichment makes it suitable for use in building nuclear arms.
The new models will be able to enrich uranium much faster than the old ones - which means Iran could amass more material in a shorter space of time that could be turned into the fissile core of missiles, should Tehran choose to do so. Salehi said the new enrichment sites will be equal to that of Natanz in terms of production capacity but smaller in geographical size, another indication that more advanced centrifuges will be installed, requiring less space to churn out the same enriched uranium. More than 8,600 centrifuges have been set up in Natanz, but only about 3,800 are actively enriching uranium, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The facility will eventually house 54,000 centrifuges. Tehran produced its first batch of uranium enriched to a higher level earlier this month, prompting the U.S. and its allies to seek new U.N. Security Council sanctions.

DTN News: LONGBOW LLC Awarded $86 Million To Support And Sustain U.K. Apache Attack Helicopters

DTN News: LONGBOW LLC Awarded $86 Million To Support And Sustain U.K. Apache Attack Helicopters *Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin (NSI News Source Info) ORLANDO, FL, - February 23, 2010: The LONGBOW Limited Liability Company, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and Northrop Grumman [NYSE: NOC], was recently awarded an $86 million contract from AgustaWestland to support LONGBOW FCR systems on the United Kingdom Apache AH Mk-1 aircraft. “The LONGBOW FCR is an essential element of U.K. Apache operations in Afghanistan,” said Jerry Garman, LONGBOW LLC president and director of LONGBOW programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “Through this partnership with AgustaWestland, we will ensure the highest operational availability and system reliability at the lowest sustainment cost.” The four-year contract includes engineering services, integrated logistics and an in-country repair capability. Support services will continue through March 2014, and will be performed at Wattisham Airfield in the U.K.; Lockheed Martin facilities in Ocala and Orlando, FL; and Northrop Grumman facilities in Baltimore, MD. The contract is a component of the integrated operational support provided by AgustaWestland to the Ministry of Defence. A formal signing ceremony at the U.K. Apache main operating base at Wattisham Airfield in October marked the launch of this effort. For more than a decade, the LONGBOW FCR has provided Apache aircrews with target detection, location, classification and prioritization. In all weather, over multiple terrains and through any battlefield obscurant, the radar allows automatic and rapid multi-target engagement. The LONGBOW FCR integrates with the M299 smart launcher and the LONGBOW HELLFIRE missile, enhancing the Apache’s lethality fourfold and increasing survivability sevenfold. Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 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 2009 sales of $45.2 billion.

DTN News: Russia Displays Helicopters In The USA

DTN News: Russia Displays Helicopters In The USA *Source: DTN News / Russian Helicopters (NSI News Source Info) Houston, TX - February 22, 2010: Russian Helicopters will showcase a lineup of rotorcraft built for the North American market and Latin America at Heli-Expo 2010, starting 21 February. Russian Helicopters is the holding company of the Russian rotorcraft industry. Consolidation of industry enterprises was completed in 2009, and helicopters are now offered under a unified brand in all segments: light, medium, and heavy. Russian rotorcraft are currently operated in 100 countries worldwide, including the USA and Canada, and also Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Venezuela, and other countries in Latin America. Russian Helicopters offers a diversified Russian rotorcraft lineup to partners in the Americas capable of performing any missions, from carrying people and commercial operations to special operations in natural disaster areas. Light helicopters feature the Mi-34C1, Ka-226T, and Ansat. The Mi-17, Ka-32A11BC, and Mi-38 are in the medium segment, while the Mi-26T is a heavy helicopter. These rotorcraft may be employed in corporate, passenger, cargo, search and rescue, construction, patrol, and firefighting missions. The Mi-34C1, capable of the most complex aerobatics, is the helicopter of choice for amateur pilots and professional sports pilots. The combination of ease of operation and maintenance, reliability, low cost, and unique payload and altitude capabilities make Russian rotorcraft one of the most rational options on the global market. Russian Helicopters is creating a global support network based on certified MROs and joint service enterprises. This will allow the company to support Russian rotorcraft throughout their entire lifecycle, from delivery to scrapping. New MROs are being opened and existing ones are being certified in line with this initiative. The existing MRO infrastructure coincides with the Russian Helicopters sales geography. For instance, several service and repair centers are undergoing certification in Europe, ultimately leading to the creation of a legitimate system of integrated logistics support in that region. Russian Helicopters MRO centers exist in virtually all countries of the CIS. In 2009—2010 such centers will be built in South-East Asia, Central and South Africa, and in Latin America. “Our American partners are already well acquainted with the Mi-8/17 type and Ka-32A11BC helicopters that are among the most reliable and popular rotorcraft in the world. They are effectively operated in 100 countries worldwide. We are openly cooperating with our existing partners and will be happy to establish new partnerships on both American continents,” Russian Helicopters COO Andrei Shibitov. Russian Helicopters showcased its light helicopters. The Mi-34C1 fitted with the piston engine was custom-built for the Russian helicopter sports team. The sports version of the Mi-34C1 is capable of performing the entire aerobatics program of the ultra-maneuverable MiG-29M2 fighter with vectored thrust. The light multi-role Turbomeca Arrius 2G2-equipped Ka-226T can be employed in urban high-rise construction, surface surveillance, and police operations, including drug interdiction. According to Russian Helicopters experts, this can be particularly useful on the Latin American market. The coaxial (dual rotor) configuration gives the Ka-226T an advantage in payload and altitude (up to 23000 ft). The light Ansat is a comfortable Russian-made corporate helicopter with a spacious cabin that can accommodate any additional equipment. For other missions the Ansat can be fitted with an emergency system for landing on water, searchlight, hoist, firefighting or crop spraying equipment. Additional fuel tanks may be installed to increase maximum range. The medium multi-role Mi-17 (and modifications) is used in passenger and cargo transportation. They are very popular in the world with 12 thousand delivered to date. The helicopter can perform a number of tasks both day and night in any weather and climatic conditions at any spot on the globe, including Iraq and Afghanistan. The Mi-17 is the helicopter of choice for oil development companies with offshore sites. It can land on ships and oil platforms. The Mi-171 can stay up in the air for 8 hours and cover up to 746 miles. Such helicopters were employed in rescue operations after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. The Ka-32A11BC can be employed in a wide number of missions. It can carry passengers and cargo, perform construction and engineering, firefighting, search and rescue, emergency, and patrol tasks. The helicopter may be fitted with any necessary additional equipment according to mission. October 2009 saw EU certification of the Ka-32A11BC. The Russian-made helicopter was granted type certificate EASA.IM.R.133 allowing any company to operate it commercially on the international markets. The new cargo and passenger Mi-38 is designed for transportation, forestry, construction, loading/unloading, search and rescue, emergency, medevac, and geologic exploration operations and may also be used as a comfortable corporate shuttle for 20—30 passengers. The Mi-26T is the world’s heaviest-lifting helicopter to go into production, boasting unrivalled performance and economy. These helicopters are employed by the ISAF in Afghanistan in a wide range of missions, including the evacuation of US troops and recovery of damaged ISAF helicopters. US President Barack Obama officially thanked the crew of the Mi-26T belonging to the Russian company Vertikal-T for successfully recovering a CH-47 Chinook from the Kandahar region in October 2009. In China, the Mi-26T took part in rescue operations after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Its unique performance allowed it to transport rescue teams and heavy equipment, and to evacuate people in significant numbers at a time. The Mi-26T is capable of carrying up to 20 tons internally or externally. Russian Helicopters, JSC is an affiliated company of UIC Oboronprom. It is the managing body of the following helicopter industry enterprises: Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, Kamov, Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, Kazan Helicopters, Rostvertol, Progress Arsenyev Aviation Company, Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise, Vpered Moscow Machine-Building Plant, Stupino Machine Production Plant, Reductor-PM, Helicopter Service Company (VSK), Novosibirsk Aircraft Repairing Plant and Ural Works of Civil Aviation. UIC Oboronprom, JSC is a multi-profile industrial and investment group established in 2002. Its main tasks include helicopter engineering (Russian Helicopters managing company), engine-building (United Engine Industry Corporation managing company), air defense systems and complex electronic systems (Defense Systems holding company), and other machine-building activities. The companies of the group reported revenues of over 130 billion roubles in 2009.

DTN News: Sikorsky S-92® Helicopter Fleet Reaches 200,000 Flight Hour Milestone

DTN News: Sikorsky S-92® Helicopter Fleet Reaches 200,000 Flight Hour Milestone *Source: DTN News / Sikorsky Aircraft (NSI News Source Info) HOUSTON, Texas - February 22, 2010: Sikorsky Aircraft’s S-92® helicopter fleet recently passed 200,000 total flight hours, the company announced today at the Heli-Expo exhibition. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX). The first production S-92 helicopter was delivered in late 2004. There are now 105 S-92 helicopters in operation in 21 countries around the world. Helicopters in demanding operations can average more than 150 hours per month, and several operators are flying 40,000 hours per year or more on their S-92 helicopter fleets. More than a dozen of the aircraft in the worldwide fleet have flown more than 5,000 flight hours to each, to date, and the highest time S-92 helicopter has amassed 8,100 hours. As the S-92 helicopter fleet grows and the product line matures, Sikorsky is continuing to invest to bring new capabilities and advanced technologies onto the platform. “We have made some important improvements to this aircraft and look forward to celebrating continued milestones for the S-92 helicopter fleet with our customers,” said Shane Eddy, Vice President, Commercial Programs. The S-92 helicopter was the first helicopter in its class certified to the latest and most stringent FAA/JAA standards, and remains the only aircraft in its class to meet those standards without exception or waiver. The aircraft perform a variety of missions including search and rescue off the U.K. coast, offshore oil transport in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, and Head of State transport for the leaders of several nations. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries. Sikorsky Aircraft Related News 02.21.10 Sikorsky S-92® Helicopter Fleet Reaches 200,000 Flight... More 02.21.10 Sikorsky Search and Rescue S-92® Helicopters... More 02.21.10 Thomas McQuade Named to Succeed John Agor as President... More

DTN News: Boeing Completes Phase 2 Of Turkish Industrial Participation Program

DTN News: Boeing Completes Phase 2 Of Turkish Industrial Participation Program *Source: DTN News / Boeing (NSI News Source Info) ANKARA, Turkey, - February 22, 2010: The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced it has successfully completed the second phase of its industrial participation program for the Peace Eagle 737 Airborne Early Warning & Control aircraft program for the Turkish Air Force. Boeing finished Phase 2 on time and exceeded this phase’s $270 million requirement by $21 million, demonstrating the company’s continued success in meeting its industrial cooperation commitments. “Reaching this milestone continues our long-standing commitment to invest in the regions where we do business,” said Gwen Kopsie, director of International Industrial Participation for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “This accomplishment further reinforces our focus on developing partnerships and issuing contracts that will result in long-term, high-value jobs in Turkey while further establishing Boeing as an enduring partner to Turkish industry. The Boeing Company has completed projects with 15 Turkish companies and institutions over the past six years.” Boeing completed Phase 1 of the program in 2006. The company remains on track to fulfill all three phases of the $930 million program for Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense Undersecretariat for Defense Industries. In addition to the Peace Eagle industrial participation program, Boeing also supports the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries’ efforts to increase Turkish technology and small-business activities through a NATO Airborne Warning and Control System industrial participation program. That program is on track for completion later this year. “Boeing’s relationship with Turkey spans more than 60 years,” said Greg Pepin, president of Boeing Turkey. “Today, Boeing is a major contributor to the Turkish economy through its industrial participation programs, which support more than 1,000 direct jobs and will place work worth a total of more than $1.2 billion in Turkey through 2013. Boeing has many suppliers and customers in the region and enjoys close, mutually beneficial collaboration with airlines, government, academic institutions and industry.” Boeing has successfully implemented industrial participation programs totaling more than US$41 billion in nearly 40 countries over the past 30 years. A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY February 22, 2010 ~ Taliban Arrest Motives Questioned

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY February 22, 2010 ~ Taliban Arrest Motives Questioned *Source: DTN News / Al Jazeera (NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - February 22, 2010: Pakistan's latest moves against Taliban fighters on their territory have been hailed by the US, but others have questioned whether the increased co-operation is a ploy by Islamabad to assert its position as a key player in negotiations with the movement. Mullah Brader, a trusted friend of Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, was believed to be one of the key negotiators for the Taliban in Saudi Arabian-backed reconciliation and reintegration talks. He was recently arrested in Karachi in a joint Pakistan-US operation, according to US media reports, and is now apparently being interrogated by US and Pakistani agents. It remains to be seen how his arrest impacts the negotiations. Two other Taliban commanders from northern Afghanistan have also reportedly been detained in Pakistan in recent weeks. Imtiaz Gul, a specialist on Pakistan's tribal region and author of The Al Qaeda Connection told Al Jazeera co-operation between Pakistan is improving. "I think that the military establishment has started co-operating with the United States now that the US has also started viewing the military establishment in Pakistan with more trust. "There seems to be a very clear policy shift as far as Pakistan's relations with the Afghan Taliban are concerned - because they are also directly impacting the situation inside Pakistan," he said. Despite the fact that Islamabad is apparently now providing the co-operation long demanded by Afghanistan, officials in Kabul have made little comment about the arrests. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports from Kabul on whether Pakistan's latest moves are helping or hindering attempts to end the conflict with the Taliban. IN DEPTH Your Views: Is it time to cut a deal with the Taliban? Timeline: Afghanistan in crisis The Taliban's influence in Pakistan Operation Moshtarak at a glance Talking to the Taliban Pakistan's war