* India is increasing its defense budget for 2012-13 by 17% to Rs 1,93,407 crore (about $38.5B). The Business Standard opines that the nominal double-digit growth is misleading.
* The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its latest report [PDF] on international arms imports and exports. India remains the #1 importer at 10% of global imports.
* DARPA wants to develop new year-round monitoring capabilities in the Arctic, above and below the ice, for example to measure under-ice acoustic propagation. Their Proposer’s Day on the topic is scheduled for March 30, with $4M in funds to follow that they will spend in awards of about $250K-$500K.
* Canada expects to save $90M a year from pulling out of some NATO programs such as AGS, according to the Ottawa Citizen. The Canadian government also clarified that it has not yet actually signed a contract to order JSFs. What they have is a Memorandum of Understanding. Looking for wiggle room, or cold feet?
* Norway found its C-130J-30 that had gone missing during an exercise last week. The plane had crashed on a mountain in Sweden, killing all 5 members of the crew.
* The widow of the USAF pilot who died in an F-22 crash in 2010 is suing Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Honeywell International and Pratt and Whitney. The lawsuit, filed in Illinois earlier this month, alleges that the aircraft was “unreasonably defective.”
* After the Department of State, the row between the US and Thales Alenia is now involving Congress.
* Another half-dozen FY13 defense hearings are scheduled in the US Congress this week.