G.222/ C-27A(click to view full) How did a half billion dollar program to provide transport aircraft to the Afghan air force go so badly wrong? The concept was sound, as tactical transportation of troops and supplies was designated as the ANAF's top priority. That's...
DID site Articles
Iraq Seeks Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters
IA-407(click to view full) In July 2008, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Iraq's formal request to buy 24 Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters that act as scouts, perform light close air support, and escort other helicopters on dangerous missions. The...
Saving Kobani: What Can Turkey, US Air Power Really Achieve?
* Turkey's refusal to step in before a bloodbath likely to happen in Kobani, a Syrian town besieged by ISIS [Deutche Welle], has been met with deadly protests locally, and heavy [USA Today] criticism [National Review] in the US. Not so fast, says Chris Kilford who...
The US Military’s International Airlift Contracts
Every year, US Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, IL issued a slew of indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contracts for "International Airlift Services" to various commercial carriers. The way these awards work is that each contractor...
Direct Sting: Thales’ Small LMM / FASGW-L Missiles
LMMs on AW159(click to view full) In early April 2011, Thales received an initial production contract for Lightweight Multi-role Missiles (LMM), to equip the UK's next-generation AW159 Wildcat naval helicopters as their "Future Anti-Surface Guided Weapon - Light"...
Australia and USA Collaborating on New Small-Ship Radars
Upgraded ANZAC concept(click to enlarge) In August 2005, Australia's Ministry of Defence reported that Australia and the United States had joined forces by signing a joint agreement to develop active phased array radar technology in Australia. The hope was that it...
Israel’s Military Exports Down by 12% in 2013
* Israel's defense exports dropped [Globes] by almost $1B to $6.5B in 2013. Still better than 2011, but lower than 2009-2010 too. For all the talk about Iron Dome, it's not necessarily meeting requirements from other countries and has been sold [Arutz Sheva] to a...
The Regional, Global, and Digital Dimensions of the ISIS Conflict
* Reuters: riots in Turkey kill 19 over failure to aid besieged Syrian Kurds. This conflict is getting increasingly regional. * The Guardian describes the hi-tech media jihad conducted by ISIS: "Isis's global media operation appears to have two key objectives: to...
US MSC Charters Westpac Express Catamaran
Westpac, Expressin'(click to view full) The Westpac Express fast ferry ship has been instrumental in changing the way the US Navy approaches sealift in the Western Pacific. It's fast enough to substitute for airlift in many cases, and large enough to move a Marine...