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Source:- Indian Navy To Soon Have 12 Mine Countermeasure Vessels To Ensure Submarine Safety The Indian Navy will soon have 12 Mines Countermeasure Vessels (MCSV) in its fleet. The expansion in fleet is thanks to talks between Goa Ship Yard (GSY), a public centre undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, and a South Korean firm. The MCSV are naval ships used to destroy naval mines. The project cost, which is estimated at Rs 32,000 crore, will help the Indian Navy detect and destroy mines that are a constant threat to submarines. “We are in talks with a South Korean company and our company is also boosting its capacities and mordernising its yard to design and manufacture vessels for the Indian Navy, as well as allies of India,” said SP Raikar, the director of operations with GSY. A Russian delegation recently visited the shipyard to hold talks on frigates which will boost capabilities of Indian navy. “The talk is on with Russia over frigates and we are hopeful,” said a source whil

Source:- Private companies to carry out 70% of production work for Light Combat Aircraft Tejas In a move that will help meet delivery deadlines, defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has decided to outsource majority of the production work of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The move will see private firms make nearly 70% of the aircraft. Presently, HAL is manufacturing LCA Mk1 and is a working on the ramping up of production capacity from eight to 16 aircraft per annum, which it expects to happen by 2019. “Major sub-assemblies such as front fuselage, centre fuselage, rear fuselage, wings et al, have been outsourced to private industry. The orders have been placed and they need about an year to supply these. Soon, nearly 70% will be made by our industry,” a senior official part of the LCA project told TOI. About 85 vendors (private firms) will be involved in the production of LCA. Some major players are: Dynamatic Technologies Ltd, Bengaluru (front fuselage); VEM Techno

Source:- Watch out China: The Indian Navy Has a New Nuclear Missile Submarine The Indian Navy will launch its second homegrown nuclear-powered submarine within the next month, according to local media outlets. This week, India’s  Economic Times  reported, citing government sources, that the second indigenous nuclear submarine will be transferred to water sometime in later September or early October. At that time, the INS  Aridhaman  will undergo extensive sea tests over the next two years before being inducted into the Indian Navy at some point in 2019. The launch of the INS  Aridhaman  follows India’s first domestically built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), the IHS  Arihant , being inducted into the Indian Navy in August of last year. That submarine made India only the sixth country after the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China to build a SSBN. The first Indian SSBN is believed to carry twelve Sagarika (K-15) submarine launched ballistic

Iraqi forces on Tuesday battled up to the edge of Al-Qaim, the largest town still held by the Islamic State group in the country, as they pushed a final assault on the jihadists. Iraq's Joint Operations Command said government troops -- backed by US air strikes and Sunni tribal fighters -- captured the village of Al-Obeidi, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Syrian border on the eastern outskirts of the town. "IS fighters resisted the advance of the troops, but the majority retreated to positions in the centre of Al-Qaim," it said in a statement. Al-Qaim and the surrounding pocket of barren desert territory along the Euphrates river is now the last remnant in the country of the self-styled caliphate IS declared after rampaging across Iraq and Syria in 2014. Iraq launched the offensive on the Al-Qaim region -- which also includes the smaller town of Rawa -- on Thursday to finish off a punishing campaign that saw it force the jihadists out their major urban strongho

Iraqi government forces on Tuesday took control of the key border crossing with Turkey in the Iraqi Kurdistan region after weeks of tensions between Baghdad and Arbil, the Turkish prime minister said. The border crossing "has been handed over to the central government" of Iraq, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told his ruling party at a televised meeting in Ankara. He said all controls at the border will now be carried out by Iraqi and Turkish officials on their respective sides. The Iraqi forces deployed at the Ibrahim Al Khalil crossing alongside Turkish forces with whom they have been carrying out joint exercises over the last weeks, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. They were to raise the Iraqi national flag and take down the flag of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) which had until now controlled the crossing, it said. The border crossing was closed while the handover was being carried out, leading to long queues, it added. There were no reports of a

Pentagon officials scrambled Tuesday to clarify how many US troops are in Syria after a general put the number at a "little over 4,000" -- far higher than previous tallies. "I think it's a little over 4,000 US troops in Syria right now that are supporting efforts against," the Islamic State group, Army Major General James Jarrard told Pentagon reporters in a briefing about the anti-IS fight in Iraq and Syria. When pressed on the issue, Jarrard backtracked. For months, the official number has only been 503. "I'm sorry. I misspoke there. There are approximately 500 troops in Syria," he said. But that number is not accurate either. It refers to what the military calls the "force management level" -- a bare minimum that does not include certain categories of personnel, such as when incoming and outgoing units temporarily overlap in the country. A US official told AFP on condition of anonymity the actual number currently is more than 1,00

The first advanced version of the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Project 955A Borei-class (North Wind) – the Knyaz Vladimir (Prince Vladimir) – will be floated out this coming November, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Korolev, said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. “In the near future, the Severodvinsk-based Sevmash Shipyard will float out a new nuclear-powered missile underwater cruiser, the Knyaz Vladimir, from the slipway. The event will take place in November,” he said. Korolev earlier said that the fourth Borei-class boomer was supposed to have been floated out in August. The Knyaz Vladimir was laid down in 2012 and will become the fourth submarine in the series of eight Borei-class underwater cruisers and the first submarine of the advanced Borei-A Project. Three subs of this class have already been delivered to the Navy. In 2014, two submarines – the Knyaz Oleg (Prince Oleg) and the Generalissimus Suvorov – were laid d

Russia said Tuesday its submarine deployed in the Mediterranean fired three ballistic missiles to destroy a command post of the Islamic State group in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province. “A missile strike with three Kalibr missiles destroyed a command post with large numbers of militants and armed vehicles and also a large weapons and ammunition depot,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement posted on Facebook. It said the strikes targeted the area around the town of Abu Kamal, one of the few remaining urban strongholds of IS in Syria. The ministry added it could confirm “the destruction of all the given targets.” It posted a video on Twitter of a missile blasting out of the sea. There have been heavy clashes between the Syrian army and the Islamic state group in the city of Deir Ezzor, capital of the Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria. Russia said Tuesday that its Veliky Novgorod submarine has carried out four cruise missile strikes on terrorist groups since it was

Defense IT Navy modernizes SIPRNet and NIPRNet for barges By Morgan Cole Oct 31, 2017 The Navy is upgrading its Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) and Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet) as part of an effort to modernize its barges in the San Diego area.  SIPRNet is the system that grants access to a Secret IP data service, allowing for point-to-point connectivity between computer networks.   On Oct. 25, eight small businesses -- Delphinus Engineering Inc.,  Q.E.D. Systems Inc., Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., Tecnico Corp., Southcoast Welding & MFG LLC, Bay City Marine Inc., Pacific Ship Repair & Fab Inc. and Miller Marine Inc. -- were awarded contracts with a combined maximum ceiling value of $35,000,000 over a five-year ordering period.   In exchange, these companies will provide depot level repairs, interior and exterior preservation, barge modernization upgrades (including upgrades of these secure networks) and dockside and dr

Source:- Australia weighing closer democratic ties Indian and Japam to rebuff China : Aussia Media Acting Prime Minister Julie Bishop has signalled Australia is open to reviving plans for a sensitive four-way diplomatic and security co-operation with the United States, India and Japan – an arrangement that has historically angered China, which sees it as a containment strategy. It is understood that Ms Bishop recently discussed with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono the prospect of setting up formal four-way meetings among the major democracies – known as the “quadrilateral dialogue” – and how to encourage India’s involvement. Acting Prime Minister Julie Bishop has signalled Australia is open to reviving plans for a sensitive four-way diplomatic and security co-operation with the United States, India and Japan – an arrangement that has historically angered China, which sees it as a containment strategy. It is understood that Ms Bishop rece

Source:- New Delhi not abandoning Russian-Indian project to develop cargo aircraft : Russian Media India has not formally given up the joint project to develop a Multipurpose Transport Aircraft, Igor Bevzyuk, Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) Program Manager at the Ilyushin Aviation Complex Public Joint Stock Company, told TASS. “The requirements for the Russian-Indian Multipurpose Transport Aircraft have been outlined after a fairly long period. However, the risks related to the implementation of some of the requirements have led to freezing this project, although de jure the Indians have not abandoned it completely,” he said. Commenting on the possible reasons for the project’s suspension, Bevzyuk noted “the set of requirements to the aircraft has led by a high degree of technical risks.” The framework agreement on developing cargo aircraft capable of carrying up to 20 tonnes for the Russian and Indian Air Forces was signed in September 2010. In 2015, media reports said Moscow and

Source:- India & Kabul play new round in Great Game: Chabahar The much-awaited Chabahar route for Indo-Afghan trade, has finally taken off. The first shipment of wheat to Afghanistan has left Kandla port for Chabahar port in Iran, and then through the land route via Iran into Afghanistan. This will catapult the Indo-Afghan bilateral relationship into another level, besides strengthening the trilateral relationship between India, Afghanistan and Iran, and also increasing linkages between Kabul and Tehran. Equally important are two further questions: How will the activation of Chabahar port and the Zahedan-Zaranj-Kabul highway help increase Afghanistan as a transit for Central Asian countries into the Arabian Sea? And would this reduce Kabul’s dependence on Islamabad, thereby increasing the former’s leverage over the latter, especially over the Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade agreement? Chabahar and the India-Iran-Afghanistan Trilaterals The activation of Chabahar for Indian

Source:- India’s Medium Lift Combat Helicopters to Get Advanced Weapons Upgrade The Indian Air Force’s medium-lift helicopters of Russian origin are heading in for yet another upgrade. The Indian Air Force has announced the purchase of 7.62 x 51 mm caliber heavy machine guns that would be fitted to these helicopters for military operations. “India’s Ministry of Defense intends to procure helicopter mounted machine guns along with associated spare parts, equipment, and ammunition. The guns should have an effective range of 1,000 meters or more which will be fitted onto medium lift class helicopters on the entry doors of both sides. It should be easily detachable,” the Request for Information (RFI) reads. The RFI further specifies that the sighting system should be stabilized and should be able to aim by day and night with appropriate magnification in both the environments. The document indicates that the helicopters would be deployed at the western border. Medium Lift Helicopters of 

Source:- China denies report of plan to build tunnel to divert Brahmaputra waters China on Tuesday rejected as “false and untrue” a media report that it was planning to build a 1,000- km long tunnel to divert water from the Brahmaputra river in Tibet close to Arunachal Pradesh to the parched Xinjiang region. Hong Kong-based  South China Morning Post  on Monday said that Chinese engineers were testing techniques that could be used to build the tunnel, the world’s longest. “This is untrue. This is a false report,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing when asked about the report. China will continue to attach great importance to cross- border river cooperation, she said. According to the report, the proposed tunnel, which would drop down from the world’s highest plateau in multiple sections connected by waterfalls, would provide water in China’s largest administrative division, comprising vast swathes of deserts and dry grasslands. The water would b

I've learned a new word today: trifecta. I learned it from Stephen Pollard after he tweeted: He was talking  Newsnight  editor I an Katz's decision to dump the BBC for Channel 4.

The Afghan government’s ability to control its territory has “deteriorated” as the Taliban has gained control of additional districts, according to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). SIGAR’s latest report only confirmed the downward trend in Afghan government control that has been noted in ongoing analysis by  FDD’s Long War Journal . SIGAR’s evaluation is based on data provided by US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and Resolute Support, NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. It is likely the best case scenario provided. In the past, both USFOR-A and Resolute Support have significantly underestimated and understated the Taliban’s control of districts. “The Afghan government’s district and population control deteriorated to its lowest level since SIGAR began analyzing district-control data in December 2015 and population-control data in September 2016,” the report noted. According to the report, as of Aug. 2017, the Taliban controlled 13 districts

IJU fighters training in an undisclosed location of Afghanistan The Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), an al Qaeda-affiliated group loyal to the Taliban, released a video showcasing a training camp for its ‘special forces’ that is purportedly located somewhere in Afghanistan. The video is of higher quality than the group normally produces, indicating increased media capabilities. The IJU video, which is dated from earlier in October, shows its fighters training in a compound, undergoing hand-to-hand combat and urban warfare training. The jihadists are seen practicing how to storm buildings, clear rooms, and take prisoners. The trainees are also taught marksmanship with small arms and suppressed rifles. Additionally, the jihadists are trained to use motorcycles to conduct assassinations. In addition to the video, a small photo set showing further marksmanship training was also released. It is unclear where the training camp is located in Afghanistan, but the IJU is known to operate in north

Indonesia's Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that the 11 Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker E jet fighters, which were ordered from Russia, would be well-equipped with weapons, or in other words is full gear. The signing of the purchase would be conducted in November, he added. Previously, Rostec had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesia’s state-owned firm PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia on the barter trade of 11 Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker E with some commodities. Su-35 is a Russian multirole fighter equipped with an airborne radar and a phased array antenna, as well as thrust vector control engines. It can achieve a speed of up to 2.5 thousand km/h, its flying range is 3.4 thousand km, and combat radius is about 1.6 thousand km. The fighter is equipped with a 30mm gun and has 12 mounting points for bombs and rockets. -ends- Let's block ads! (Why?) from Defense Aerospace - Press releases http://ift.tt/2gZ8Ctd via Defense

SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS, Brazil --- Embraer and American Airlines Inc. signed a firm order for ten E175 jets. American Airlines is exercising its purchase rights from its original contract with Embraer signed in 2013. This new order is in addition to the one placed in April for four aircraft; is valued at USD 457 million, based on current list prices, and will be included in Embraer’s fourth-quarter backlog. Deliveries begin in 2018 and continue through mid-2019. Combined with the airline’s two previous orders for the E175, this new contract results in a total of 74 E175s for American Airlines. American Airlines selected Envoy, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group Inc., to operate the ten aircraft, which will be configured with 12 First Class, 20 Main Cabin Extra, and 44 Main Cabin seats, for a total of 76 seats. “Because of its excellent operational performance, the E175 has proven to be the right solution for American. This repeat order demonstrates the confidence that

The Pentagon has conceded that congressional watchdogs were “factually accurate” when they reported that the F-35 program is facing sustainability challenges but remain adamant that everything is under control. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report Friday, stating that the Department of Defense’s (DoD) F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) is “facing sustainment challenges that are affecting warfighter readiness.” The review said the Pentagon’s ability to repair F-35 parts at military depots are six years behind schedule, resulting in an average repair time of 172 days, twice the program’s objective. It added that the DoD is experiencing a shortage in spare parts, which has been “degrading readiness,” and that a parts shortage has led to around 22 percent of F-35’s not being able to fly from January to August this year. The inability to have regular flights has made it difficult for the Pentagon to enter into a performance-based sustainment contract with the prime c

Iran's president on Sunday said his country would continue building weapons including developing missiles as the United States prepares new sanctions over its ballistic missile programme. "To defend our nation and territorial integrity, we will build all the weapons we will need," Hassan Rouhani told parliament in statements broadcast on state television. Recent Iranian missile launches have triggered US sanctions and accusations they violate the spirit of a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers. Signed by Iran, Germany, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, the landmark accord saw economic sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear activities. "We have built missiles, we are building some and will continue to do so because it does not violate any international regulations -- not even the UN Security Council's Resolution 2231" endorsing the deal, Rouhani said. Under Resolution 2231, Tehran is "ca

More than 1,800 unclassified spacecraft are being tracked as they orbit earth, according to Space-tracl.org, the public data base for such items. They are communicating with receivers on the ground as well as each other. Who is watching to make sure none of those signals are nefarious, aimed at disrupting communications between the satellites and the warfighters in various theaters who rely on those signals to conduct their missions? The 16th Space Control Squadron, located on Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is monitoring the situation. The squadron is at the forefront of the Air Force's defensive space control efforts, utilizing multiple weapons systems with a nearly global reach in defending critical satellite communication links. The 16th SPCS defends access to the space domain by identifying, characterizing, and geolocating sources of electromagnetic interference on U.S. military and commercial satellites. That means the squadron externally monitors signals being broadcas

China's ruling Communist Party has dusted off a Mao-era honorific for President Xi Jinping, cementing his status as the most powerful ruler since the Great Helmsman himself. The term "lingxiu" has more reverential and spiritual connotations than the ordinary term for leader, and has not been used since the time of Mao's successor Hua Guofeng. But it has begun to pop up again in state media and in government meetings. After the 19th party congress ended last Tuesday, Xi was formally handed a second term as its leader. With no clear successor emerging in a revamped ruling council, known as the Politburo Standing Committee, he could dominate the nation for decades to come. Xi's eponymous ideology was enshrined in the party's constitution -- a honour not given to his two predecessors Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, whose contributions remain anonymous. China's historic achievements since the 18th party congress were "most importantly and most fundamental

  🇸🇭 The postal service of St. Helena has issued 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on the subject of "Post box walks". As usual, with issues sold through the philatelic agency,  CASCO , I can not yet find any details of the issue aimed at collectors to encourage them to buy the stamps (unlike the quite excellent Pobjoy Stamps/Creative Direction which provides superb publicity about the upcoming issues of its client postal administrations including those of St. Helena's two dependencies - Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension) and therefore, at this stage, do not know the date of issue of this interesting set nor indeed any other details of the stamps. Rating:- ****.   There has also been a set of 4 stamps which commemorate Christmas 2017 put out by the postal service of St. Helena. The very attractive stamps depict colourful flowers and would look very bright and cheerful on the Christmas mail sent from St. Helena. Again, I have not yet seen any information