Rapid Fire 2011-02-14: Cooperation between Brazil and India

• Russia plans to build up defenses and deploy armaments on Kuril Islands on its Pacific coast, islands that have been disputed with Japan since WWII. As noted last week, Mistral type LHDs will also be part of that move.

• US Navy explains exactly which repairs and maintenance won’t get funded, due to the 111th (last) Congress’ failure to pass a budget.

• Still no Mirage 2000 upgrade deal for India. But the IAF has reportedly issued RFPs to Honeywell (F125N) and Rolls Royce (Adour Mk.821), to re-engine its 60-plus fleet of twin-engine Jaguar/Shamsher strike aircraft. The total is expected to be about 200 engines, to replace the current Adour Mk.811s that power the fleet.

• Brazil’s Embraer says it may develop jointly with India a military turboprop trainer aircraft.

• Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano is a popular turboprop trainer and light attack aircraft, which may serve as a starting point for India. It’s being offered for the USA’s much-reduced Light Air Support program, and the firm is showcasing its Jacksonville, FL site. Rival Hawker Beechcraft, meanwhile, has picked Salina Airport, KS as the training center for its AT-6B program, which aims to pick up contracts from Iraq and LAS.

• Italian aerospace and defense firm Finmeccanica expects annual order from India to double over the next 4-5 years.

• JFCOM Command Gen. Raymond Odierno unveils plans to close the command down, resulting in the elimination of 2,275 jobs in Virginia.

• The AFRL is seeking proposals on development of a long endurance hand-launched UAV called the small unmanned renewable enerGy long endurance vehicle (SURGE-V). Proposals are due Mar 11/11.

• The US Navy plans to decommission the Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Memphis (SSN 691) on April 1. The iconic moment actually passed on Feb 4/11, however, when they decommissioned the USS Los Angeles.

• Herley gets subcontract worth up to $12 million over 5 years to provide diplexers and attenuators for radar warning receivers systems for military aircraft.

• Beam me up, Scotty: DARPA and NASA sponsor [PDF] 100-Year Starship Study to examine business model for long-distance manned space flight a century from now.