* The latest Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN) draft RFP was posted by the US Navy on fbo.gov last week and modified yesterday. Responses expected by March 30. The final RFP was supposed to be released by December 2011 but obviously this has been delayed.
* A group of 6 Republican congressmen wrote to the House Appropriations Committee to protest the use of Overseas contingency operations (OCO) funds as a budget gimmick.
* India’s Air Force has lost 33 fighter aircraft since 2008 according to Defence Minister A K Antony.
* Russia intends to spend at least 2.8% of GPD on defense for the rest of the decade.
* The British Royal Navy is trialling new dark blue uniforms that are designed so you can put them on quickly.
* The author of the Thin Pinstriped Line weblog likes the Netherlands’ HNLMS Holland class. The first 2 of a planned 4 offshore patrol quasi-frigates have been commissioned recently.
* One path to losing an MQ-1B Predator: 1) do not state the serviceable life of quill shafts in maintenance manuals, 2) do not replace said quill shaft thus exceeding its serviceable life, 3) a broken quill shaft because of fatigue forces the aircraft’s propeller to an abnormal angle, and 4) about $3.9M in lost equipment. See the full report, and this accident report from July 2009.
* US Air Force Special Operation Command MC-130Js will now be called Commando II. They were dubbed as “Combat Shadow II” so far.
* Canada is receiving its Leopard 2 tanks in the video below: