Naval Open Source INTelligence

Navy wants commando ‘mothership’ in Middle East

2012-01-28T12:54:00.003+01:00

The Pentagon is rushing to send a large floating base for commando teams to the Middle East as tensions rise with Iran, al-Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates, among other threats.

In response to requests from U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, the Navy is converting an aging warship it had planned to decommission into a makeshift staging base for the commandos.

Unofficially dubbed a “mothership,” the floating base could accommodate smaller high-speed boats and helicopters commonly used by Navy SEALs, procurement documents show.

Read more

Fourth Chinese Navy Type 071 LPD launched at Shanghai Shipyard

2012-01-28T12:45:00.000+01:00

According to Chinese newspaper "Huantsyu shibao", Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai (part of the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group Corporation, a state owned corporation) held a launch for the fourth Type 071 class LPD. The launch was timed to happen on the Chinese New Year (January 23rd).

The name and hull number of the new ship are not known yet.

The head of Type 071 class, Kunlun Shan (hull number 998), was launched in December 2006 and commissioned in November 2007.

Read more

US Making More Powerful Bomb to Hit Underground Facilities‎

2012-01-28T12:32:00.000+01:00

Pentagon is stepping up efforts to make a bomb capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, the Wall Street Journal said on Saturday referring to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.

“The 30,000-pound [13,600 kilograms] "bunker-buster" bomb, known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), was specifically designed to take out the hardened fortifications built by Iran and North Korea to cloak their nuclear programs,” the daily said.

But initial tests indicated that the bomb, as currently configured, would not be capable of destroying some of Iran's facilities, either because of their depth or because Tehran has added new fortifications to protect them, the paper noted.

Read more

Sea King chopper replacement delayed again

2012-01-28T12:25:00.001+01:00

The manufacturer of the air force's new maritime helicopter has told National Defence it will deliver only five test aircraft this year -- opening the door to tens of millions of dollars in fines on a project the auditor general has said is late and over budget.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. is supposed to deliver a "fully mission capable" version of the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter by June or face a further $80 million in contract penalties on top of $8 million the federal government has already levied.

Senior defence officials said safety certification of the aircraft is ongoing and it's highly unlikely the giant U.S. aircraft-maker will meet its target, even though the program is years behind schedule.

Read more

Pantsir: high-precision weapon of 21st century

2012-01-28T11:40:00.001+01:00

Russia's Space Forces will be fully re-equipped with the Pantsir-S1, the S-400 and the Vityaz air defense systems by 2020, Defense Ministry spokesman Alexei Zolotukhin told reporters on Friday.

Last year, 6 Pantsir-S surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery systems were successfully tested at the Ashuluk and Kapustin Yar firing ranges in Russia.

The systems were then used for the first time during two large-scale drills codenamed Military Community-2011 and Union Shield-2011, where Pantsir-S successfully destroyed aerial targets at heights of up to 15,000 meters.

Read more

Ukraine, Russia to Launch 2 Dnepr Carrier Rockets in 2012

2012-01-28T11:36:00.000+01:00

Ukraine and Russia will carry out two rocket launches under the joint Dnepr space program, head of the National Space Agency of Ukraine Yuri Alekseyev said on Friday.

Moscow has recently decided to continue the implementation of the joint Russian-Ukrainian program to use decommissioned RS-20 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in commercial space launches under the Dnepr program.

“We are planning to carry out two launches [this year],” Alekseyev told reporters in Kiev.

Read more

U.S. may rely on aging U-2 spy planes longer than expected

2012-01-28T11:30:00.001+01:00

Wars have come and gone. But for more than half a century, the CIA and U.S. military have relied on a skinny sinister-looking black jet to go deep behind enemy lines for vital intelligence-gathering missions.

The high-flying U-2 spy plane was first designed during the Eisenhower administration to breach the iron curtain and, as engineers said, snap "picture postcards for Ike" of hidden military strongholds in the Soviet Union.

And although the plane is perhaps best known for being shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960 and the subsequent capture of pilot Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 continues to play a critical role in national security today, hunting Al Qaeda forces in the Middle East. The aging cold warrior once slated for retirement in 2015 may fight on into the next decade.

Read more

Struggling in US, F-35 Fighter Pushes Sales Abroad

2012-01-28T11:26:00.001+01:00

Detractors say the F-35 stealth fighter, the costliest military plane ever, is destined to go down as one of the biggest follies in aviation history.

But it may have found a savior: deep-pocketed U.S. allies hungry to add its super high-tech capabilities to their arsenal.

The program marked a major success last month when Japan chose it over the Boeing F/A-18 and the Eurofighter Typhoon as a replacement for 42 aircraft in its aging air force.

Read more

Pentagon announces cuts to Austal-built vessels

2012-01-28T11:19:00.001+01:00

Two ship classes built at Austal USA and a spy plane built in Moss Point were among the defense programs dented Thursday by a new Pentagon spending plan.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the U.S. Navy would buy two fewer littoral combat ships and eight fewer joint high-speed vessels than it had planned to by 2017.

Workers at Austal’s Mobile River shipyard build both ships.

Read more

Indigenisation to help flourish Pakistan Navy

2012-01-28T11:12:00.002+01:00

In pursuit of achieving self-reliance and impregnable defence, Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works took another leap by constructing two tugs for Pakistan Navy.

Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Projects) Rear Admiral Shafqat Javed was the chief guest at the ceremony.

He applauded the continued efforts of Karachi Shipyard towards strengthening the fighting arms of Pakistan Navy.

Read more

Russian-built frigate introduced to Indian Navy specialists

2012-01-28T11:04:00.000+01:00

“Some 200 Indian seamen and officers have “settled” on INS Teg, the first of the three ships of the 11356 project, which has been completed at Yantar – they have been introduced to the new frigate and have started familiarising themselves with its equipment under the guidance of their Russian counterparts from the Baltic Fleet,” Mikhailov said.

Today, the frigate arrived from Kaliningrad, by a seaway canal, in Baltiysk, the main naval base of the Baltic Fleet. According to the spokesman, at the end of the week, INS Teg, with a joint Russian-Indian crew, is scheduled to put to the Baltic Sea to complete its state sea trials, during which the Indian sailors will have their first experience in sailing this modern frigate.

“After its return from the Baltic Sea, we will start the procedure of handing the frigate over to the customer,” Mikhailov said. India plans to induct the ship as early as this April.

Read more

NATO Chief: Basic Components Of European Missile Defense To Be Ready By May

2012-01-28T10:52:00.001+01:00

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that the initial components of the European missile defense system is expected to be in place by the time of the Chicago Summit in May.

He said this on Thursday, while launching NATO's first ever 'Annual Report,' which gives a brief overview of the Alliance's principal achievements and challenges in 2011.

The missile defense system to defend European Allies' populations, territory and forces against the growing threat of ballistic missile proliferation is "smart defense" at its best and it embodies transatlantic solidarity, the NATO chief said in his foreword to the annual report.

Read more

Indian navy to add 49 ships, submarines

2012-01-28T10:45:00.001+01:00

The 133 ship-strong Indian Navy force of today is expected to induct a further 49 ships and submarines in the coming years, making the Indian Navy of tomorrow a highly potent and balanced service with the right mix of ships, submarines and aircraft and be truly a blue water force, according to the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra.

Addressing the Republic Day parade at the Naval Base here on Thursday, he spoke how the Indian Navy had progressed since Independence.

He reiterated that the exponential rise in offshore oil exploration and production, rapid increase in sea borne trade, greater impetus for development of ports and a steady growth in commercial traffic over the last decade had all enhanced the role and the responsibilities of the Command in ensuring safety and security of these trade and energy life lines in the eastern theatre.

Read more

Simulator helps design Royal Navy future aircraft carriers' flight deck

2012-01-27T16:34:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the deck of one of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, due in service by the end of the decade. Well, not quite the real carrier, which is under construction at Rosyth.

This is BAE Systems' simulator at Warton, the only one in the world where the F-35 aircraft meets the future pride of the 2020 Royal Navy.

But this is not about training pilots, nor honing the skills of the personnel whose deck-based task is to guide the aircraft in safely.

Read more

India’s Lakshya-2 completes 10th test flight

2012-01-27T08:52:00.000+01:00

India's Lakshya-2 target drone has completed its 10th flight test, performing the full range of functions required by India's armed forces.

In recent tests at the Balasore range of India's Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), the Lakshya-2 completed a 30-minute test flight, the DRDO said in a statement.

During the flight, the drone dove from 2600ft (800m) to 39ft, flew at this altitude for a pre-set time and then performed an automatic climb-out manoeuvre.

Read more

Lebanon to Receive U.S. Coastal Security Craft

2012-01-27T08:45:00.001+01:00

The Lebanese Navy will receive a U.S. made 43-meter Coastal Security Craft (CSC), for Maritime Security, at the end of 2011.

The Maritime Security Strategies (MSS) company of U.S.A was awarded the $29 million contract from the Department of the Navy on 14th of January.

A U.S. Department of Defense press release said the deal would be executed under the Foreign Military Sales Program.

Read more

MoD could sell RAF Northolt

2012-01-27T08:06:00.003+01:00

RAF Northolt
The Ministry of Defence is considering selling off RAF Northolt to raise funds, with the possibility that the historic airfield could become a satellite for Heathrow, it has been reported.

According to the Guardian, the north London RAF station could be sold for commercial development, even potentially offering a "less ridiculous" alternative to 'Boris Island'.

But Air Commodore Andrew Lambert said it would be a "great shame" to lose the station.

Read more

Iranian F-14 fighter jet crashes in country’s south; both pilot and co-pilot killed

2012-01-27T08:02:00.003+01:00

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency says a U.S.-made F-14 Iranian fighter jet has crashed in Bushehr province in southern Iran.

Provincial governor Mohammad Hossein Jahanbakhsh says both the pilot and the co-pilot were killed in Thursday’s crash.

The Fars report says the fighter plane crashed due to technical failure and that authorities have recovered the wreckage outside Bushehr, a port city with the same name as the province. Bushehr is known as the location of Iran’s first nuclear power plant

Read more

Sub-Based Global Strike Weapon Reborn; Questions Remain

2012-01-27T07:54:00.001+01:00

The Pentagon is again looking to its submarine fleet to fill a long-standing need for a prompt global strike weapon, according to the department's fiscal 2013 spending plan.

The Navy will finance development work on an "undersea conventional prompt global strike option" as part of its share of DoD's $525 billion budget request for FY-13, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said during today's press conference at the Pentagon.

He did not go into detail on whether the weapon would be carried by the older Ohio-class submarines or the Virginia-class boats currently being built by the Navy.

Read more

US Warship Calls at Ukrainian Port Amid Protests

2012-01-27T07:48:00.002+01:00

A U.S. guided missile cruiser stopped at the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol on Thursday with a group of some 50 protesters chanting “Yankee, go home!” and “No to NATO!”

The USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser, is on a mission in the Black Sea and is to visit the ports of Constanta, Sevastopol and Odessa.

It carries 26 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers and has elements of a missile defense system on board.

Read more

Sharp Shooting Analysis

2012-01-27T07:42:00.000+01:00

In the design of almost any new high explosive ammunition, the most complex and often problematic component is the fusing system.

The fuse must incorporate a Safe and Arm device to ensure that the projectile may only enter the armed state following exposure to firing forces and after reaching a safe distance from the muzzle of the weapon.

Engineers at System Design Evaluation (SDE) have constructed rigid and flexible body MSC Adams models to study the motion and strength of the design of fuse mechanisms to identify potential design issues and assist with analysis of trial results.

Read more

Iraq retains interest in Czech fighter

2012-01-27T07:34:00.001+01:00

Iraq is interested in purchasing jet fighter aircraft from the Czech Republic, the Czech Ministry of Defense says.

The plane, the L-159 ALCA, is suitable for ground support missions and is manufactured by Aero Vodochody.

It has a maximum speed at sea level of about 580 mph and carries Maverick air-to-ground missiles.

It has been in service with the Czech air force since the year 2000.

Read More

F/A-18E/F contract brings DOD aircraft orders this week to 25 in deals worth $2.2 billion

2012-01-27T06:58:00.001+01:00

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) military aircraft purchases continued to roll along on Wednesday, with a U.S. Navy order of 15 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carrier-based jet fighter-bombers under terms of a $687.5 million contract modification.

Wednesday's order brings this week's DOD combat aircraft orders to 25 in three separate deals collectively worth nearly $2.2 billion.

U.S. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., Wednesday ordered 14 F/A-18E single-seat strike fighters and one F/A-18F two-seat fighter bombers from The Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis.

Read more

UK considers Rafale and F-18 as 'interim aircraft'

2012-01-27T06:50:00.002+01:00

Ministry of Defence concerns over the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter have led to military chiefs looking at other fast jets for the UK's aircraft carrier, it has been reported.

According to The Times, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar, the current commander-in-chief fleet, said concerns were growing about rising costs and delays in the JSF programme, something now worsened by order cuts from the US.

Soar, who was addressing defence companies at the ADS Maritime Interest Group, reportedly said the UK might not receive the $100m per piece F-35 jets until a decade after the delivery of the carrier, currently set for 2019.

Read more

New drone can land on aircraft carrier

2012-01-27T06:45:00.000+01:00

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 just 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.

Read more