China continues to refute the findings of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) annual report on its military and security policies. The deputy secretary of the China Society of Military Science labels the report as ‘groundless’ and a product of Cold War thinking.
BAE Australia has delivered the 1st Hobart Class Destroyer ship block to project lead, ASC, but only after some very high profile problems at their shipyard.
The first photographs emerge of Chinese aircraft on display at the Changchun First Aviation Open Day. The pictures come days after photographs suggesting that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) J-11B heavy fighter is operational.
Opinions vary as to the make and role of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that crashed over southwest Pakistan last week.
Data recently compiled by Bloomberg shows that ManTech, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin are among 9 companies that receive 70% of their revenue from the US government. Bloomberg also predicts that such companies have the most to lose from the recently announced budget cuts.
A Russian defense industry insider claims that China’s fifth-generation J-20 fighter may be be based upon the Mikoyan 1.44 rejected by Moscow during its tender to develop a stealth fighter.
Meanwhile Russia’s state-run Rosoboronexport reveals that it will sell $9 billion-worth of arms and equipment throughout 2011. One customer could be Venezuela, whose President, Hugo Chavez, today thanked Moscow for its help in re-equipping its armed forces.
The website Spend Matters UK/Europe reveals that the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is paying US consulting firm Alix Partners almost £4,000 ($6,500) per day to help find savings in contract negotiations.
Arguments over Israel’s defense budget continue, as the Defense Ministry accuses the Treasury of using defense expenditures to cover up its mistakes.
CACI International reports Fourth Quarter FY2011 revenue of $963.2 million, a 13.5% increase on the corresponding period for FY2010. The US Department of Defense (DoD) accounted for almost $780 million in revenue.
AEE Technology Co. becomes the first Chinese company to exhibit at AUVSI North America 2011. The company showcased its F50, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) billed as capable of monitoring protests.
Russia’s state-run Rosoboronexport reveals that it has lost $4 billion-worth of defense export contracts with Libya.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta tells the National Defense University that the United States can enact budget cuts without compromising national security.
Protests across Israel have prompted a rethink of defense expenditure plans. The Government is considering starting its five-year spending plan in 2013. Investment in training, missile and rocket interception systems are expected to compensate for troop reductions.
The Technical Director of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory says at AUVSI North America 2011 that the US Marines see the AeroVironment Switchblade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as a suitable armed platform for top-down attack capability.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force claims its re-equipment program is steadily progressing despite problems with delivery and funding. Col General Alexander Zelin added that Russia’s T-50 stealth fighter will be delivered by 2014-15.
China labels rumors that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency provided access to the US Black Hawk stealth helicopter destroyed in the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound as ‘groundless and ridiculous’.
A senior Russian defense official claims that the Sukhoi T-50/PAK-FA stealth fighter will be the ‘principal plane’ of the Russian and Indian Air Forces.
A new Pike Research report predicts that the military fuel cell market will reach $1.2 billion by 2017, an increase from $9 million in 2011.
Moscow’s MAKS 2011 air show has prompted a number of developments concerning Russia’s military and defense industry. Russia’s Air Force is expected to receive 450 helicopters this year, including the Kamov Ka-52 Alligator. The state-run United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) plans to provide the Air Force with 20 new aircraft a year. UAC is also keen on securing a contract to supply the military with 10 Antonov AN-124 freighters.
Elbit Systems’ Second Quarter 2011 Results show revenues at $691.6 million, as compared with $603.3 million for last year’s corresponding quarter. C4I and airborne systems were leading contributors to the increase.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is considering aerial refueling options for the upgraded version of its Heron unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
The DoD Inspector General’s internal audit of DARPA contract awards will likely pay close attention to business conducted with RedXDefense, a bomb detection company co-founded by the current director of DARPA.
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and South Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell, says that US foreign policy needs to make the transition from the immediate challenges of the Middle East to address ‘long term and deeply consequential issues in Asia’.
South Korean media relays that a Chinese Army publication sees the country’s first aircraft carrier as being utilized to deal with territorial disputes. This contradicts the Chinese Defense Ministry’s assertion that the carrier is for training purposes only.
The UK’s Disposal Services Authority (DSA) is assuming greater responsibility for plugging the £36 billion black hole in the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) budget. Products it is seeking to dispose of include a replica Harrier jet, Saxon armored personnel carrier and luxury watches for intelligence agents.
Rumors are circulating that the Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency provided Chinese engineers with access to the remnants of the Black Hawk stealth helicopter that crashed during the US raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.
Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Buck Mckeon (R-CA) is among senior Republican lawmakers to have written a letter to the White House and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta requesting disclosure of interim results of a comprehensive review of military spending.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) confirms the launch of the Lockheed Martin developed Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2). DARPA indicates that the HTV-2 reached a speed of Mach 20 and provided nine minutes of data before crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and fellow members of the Defense Energy Security Caucus (DESC) send a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urging him to spare research into renewable energy solutions from budget cuts.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister says the country may privatize some of its defense industries. However those deemed as ‘strategic defense companies’ are like to remain under state control.
A leaked report prepared by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) says that the Royal Navy is ‘woefully unprepared’ for future operations within the Arctic Circle. There is particular concern that cold weather measures have not been built into warships, including the new Type 45 destroyers.
Russia is to unveil its first strike UAV at next week’s MAKS 2011 air show. Vega will be showing a mock-up of the Lutch, a UAV based on the Sigma 5 piloted aircraft.
China ends months of intrigue and speculation by announcing that its first aircraft carrier has now left port to conduct sea trials.
With $6,000 and a military surplus FMQ-117B target, you too can build a UAV that hacks phones and intercepts Wi-Fi signals. Bet the paparazzi will love that one. No word from Mr Murdoch yet.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen thanks General David Petraeus for his command of coalition troops, and hails the handing over of Bamiyan province to Afghan security forces as the beginning of full transition.
UK Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox is set to unveil a radical overhaul of the British Army. It is expected that regular troop levels will fall from 101,000 to 82,000 by 2020. Dr Fox is also expected to endorse a review of the UK’s use of its reserve forces for frontline activities.
L-3 uses the UK’s Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) to unveil its Spydr intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft. The Spydr is based upon Hawker Beechcraft’s King Air 350-ER with the potential to be equipped with L-3’s processing, exploitation and dissemination systems.
Australia welcomes another 3 of its 24 ordered F/A-18F Block II Super Hornet fighters, bringing its fleet to 18.
Belarusian defense firms are to exhibit over 40 types of electronic equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) at next month’s MAKS-2011 air show near Moscow. Among the products on display will be the Strela target drone and Grif-1 UAV.
Czech Republic’s Defense Minister warns that further budget cuts may bring into question the country’s ability to fulfil its commitments to NATO.
Yemeni forces launch an offensive to recapture the southern town of Zinjibar. The town was captured by Islamist militants in May.
As defense expenditure in the United States is set to decrease, Boeing’s KC-46A and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 projects may fall victim to Government reluctance to absorb cost growth.
Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen and Defense Under Secretary for Policy Michelle Flournoy testified at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on President Obama’s Afghanistan troop reduction plan – C-Span video.
The UK’s RUSI think tank and Cranfield University publish their joint paper [PDF] on reform of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Proposed changes outlined in The Defence Reform Agenda include military reorganization away from single service orientation and organizational change to stimulate greater financial accountability.
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India (ASSOCHAM) calls for the raising of permissible limit of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the defense sector from 26% to 49%. ASSOCHAM believes that increased FDI will stimulate technology transfers and develop the Indian defense sector’s capabilities.
Speculation regarding China’s stealth fighter program is now accompanied by intrigue over its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The Dew Line publishes a photograph of a UAV flying above a Chinese naval vessel on exercises near Okinawa which does not appear to resemble China’s ASN-209 or ASN-802 drones.
Officials from the Malaysian, Indonesian and South Korean Ministries of Defense to discuss regional development of armored vehicle fleets at the 3rd Armoured Vehicles Asia conference in Singapore. The announcement comes after Malaysia’s recent decision to award the BAE Systems NSS joint venture a $557 million to supply its armed forces with 257 AV-8 8×8 wheeled armor vehicles.
Danger Room reports on the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s hearing on General David Petraeus becoming the next Director of the CIA. They suggest that Petraeus’ remarks are the closest a top intelligence official has come to saying that unmanned airstrikes are not the CIA’s only counterterrorist measure.
The Aerospace Industries Association voices its concerns about cuts to national security space programs outlined in the 2012 House Defense Appropriations Bill.
L-3 Communications’ Chief Executive believes the company is well placed to cope with the downturn in defense spending, sees the Middle East and India as its growth markets.
Harris Corporation receives a $23 million contract to supply the Department of Defense with RF310M-HH handheld tactical radios.
The Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox, tells Parliament that the cost of UK military operations in Libya could reach £260 million ($416 million). Net estimate costs of military operations for six months is in the region of £120 million ($192 million), with an additional £140 million ($224 million) to replenish munitions.
Italy gives its new M-346/T-346A lead-in fighter trainer jets military type certification, a long but critical step in customer acceptance of a new type.
DoD Buzz posts its final report from the Paris Air Show. Its verdict is that while the civil and commercial aerospace sector enjoyed the show, their defense counterparts were largely in “survival mode”.
Danger Room reports on the latest development in “active protection” technology. Artis’ Iron Curtain system fires its countermeasure at the last moment before the munition hits its target.
