Rapid Fire 2011-07-25: Digital Army Program (DAP)

• Airborne Mobility Command point to the increase in airdrops over Afghanistan over the past five years as evidence of the growing importance of  Joint Precision Aerial Delivery Systems (JPADS) to operations.

• The French Government’s agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Dassault for the production and purchase of Heron TP long range UAVs is expected to cost $500 million.

• Elbit announces that the Israeli Ministry of Defence has awarded the company with a $40 million follow-on order for the Digital Army Program (DAP) [PDF].  The announcement comes as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announces that it has embarked upon the follow-up phase of the DAP.

• A leaked memo written by the UK’s Chief of the General Staff appears to contradict assurances made by the Government that no more troops will be made redundant before the end of the Afghan campaign in 2015. The news comes after the United Kingdom National Defence Association (UKNDA) branded recent memo leaks as examples of deliberate disinformation from within the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

• Ahead of next month’s Operation Nanook 2011, Canada’s annual arctic military exercises, Defence Minister Peter MacKay reveals that the number of Canadian Rangers has increased since 2007.

• The US Navy deployment to Libya, counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia and budget issues make a similar response to the growing problem of West African piracy problematic.

• Taiwan reveals that a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Su-27 fighter crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait in late June. The Su-27 was in pursuit of a US U-2 reconnaissance plane. Taiwan responded by scrambling two F-16s to the area.

• Meanwhile China and South Korea will hold an inaugural defense dialogue in Seoul this week. News that Pyongyang tested its intercontinental ballistic missile prior to the attack on Yongpyeong Island may force North Korea onto the agenda.

• Reportlinker adds iCD Research’s Global Aerospace Industry Outlook Survey 2011-2012: Industry Dynamics, Market Trends and Opportunities, Buyer Spend and Procurement Strategies to its list of publications.