http://www.india-defence.comDefense, military and strategic affairsNewsWeb19.orgsupport@web19.orghttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4474In the midst of the Indian Defence Ministry scurrying for aerial surveillance aircraft, speedboats and vessels for coastal security, the U.S. has offered 12 helicopters on lease to India for more effective surveillance of the Indian coastline, according to India Defence Online. While India is ruminating over the U.S. offer, it will be the first time it will be leasing aircraft from U.S for defence purposes. It may be noted that the Indian Coastguard is undergoing a shortage of helicopters, especially the twin-engine helicopters. The U.S has reportedly offered Sikorsky and Augusta Westland helicopters to India. Since coastline security framework is top priority for India, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been asked to deliver 12 Dornier aircraft to Coast Guard at the earliest. India has also requested private players to make offers for helicopters and other surveillance aircraft. India Defenceindia, usa, defensehttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4473Russia will fulfill its obligations on schedule to supply three Project 11356 frigates to India by 2012, a shipbuilding industry official said on Friday to RIA Novosti. Russia is building three Project 11356 Krivak IV class guided missile frigates for the Indian Navy at the Yantar shipyard in Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad as part of a $1.6 billion contract signed in July, 2006. "The contract's deadline is 2012. We are not expecting any delays at this point," general director of the Yantar shipyard Igor Orlov said at the 4th International Maritime Defense Show in St. Petersburg. The official said the hulls of all three vessels had been laid down at the shipyard. "The first ship will be floated out this year, the second, probably, in spring 2010, and the third - a bit later," he said, adding that the Indian government had provided sufficient and timely project financing. A delegation of Indian military officials, led by India's deputy chief of the naval staff, Vice Adm. Raman P Suthan, visited the Yantar shipyard in October last year and said it was satisfied with the pace and the construction quality. Russia previously built in 2004 three Krivak class frigates - INS Talwar, INS Trishul and INS Tabar - for India, but they all were delivered late. All of the new frigates will be armed with eight BrahMos supersonic anti-ship cruise missile systems and not the Club-N/3M54TE missile system, which was installed on previous frigates. The Krivak class frigate has deadweight of 4,000 metric tons and a speed of 30 knots, and is capable of accomplishing a wide range of maritime missions, primarily hunting down and destroying large surface ships and submarines. India Defenceindia, russia, defensehttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4472Preparing to deal with Mumbai attacks-like terror sieges, the Indian Army has started training its units deployed at various places considered as potential terrorist targets, according to DD India. "We must have troops who are well trained and equipped to carry out hostage rescue operations in situations such as the Mumbai crisis," Army sources told the news agency. The Army has assigned its Special Force (SF) units based across the country to train the personnel from regular infantry units for the purpose. "We realised that our units deployed in the peace locations should also be trained in urban warfare which is different from what we face in Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states". "Our SF troops have had a long history of dealing with extreme situations in the insurgency-affected areas of J and K and the north-east. Therefore, they have been assigned to train and prepare troops from regular infantry units for these tasks," they said. Most of the personnel undergoing training with the SF units are deployed in cities having sizable population and attract both foreign and domestic tourists in large numbers. "Army units based in cities like Goa, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Agra, Goa, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Jamnagar and various other places spread across the country are being trained to deal with hostage rescue operations as terrorists are most likely expected to strike at such places," the sources said. These infantry units will also be equipped with modern electronic gadgets and weapons, mostly used by the SF and quick reaction teams to tackle terrorists. These weapons are normally not available to them. New courses have been designed by the SF units to train the infantry troops. "Officers and men from the chosen units have started going to the SF units, which have designed special courses for them. It will help these troops increase their mental and physical endurance and skills to tackle such crises," the sources said. At the moment, Army has six SF units which are based in locations such as Udhampur and Jodhpur. "Officers and men from the infantry units will go back to their battalions and teach their own men the skills learned from SF units," they said. The decision to set up these specialised teams within the infantry units was taken after an assessment of the lessons learned during the 26/11 operations. India Defenceindia, indian army, military, terrorhttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4471After evaluation of the bidder offers of the international tender for Blast and Bullet Proof Passenger Vehicle Rough Terrain (PVRT) issued in 2008, the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) has chosen the armoured Sherpa vehicle build by French Renault Trucks Defense, to meet the liaison and reconnaissance needs, under NATO protection. The contract comprises 4 Sherpa light scout vehicles and is estimated to be worth some €1.2 million. According to the NAMSA tender, the blast and bullet proof vehicles shall meet all requirements for 1-ton PVRTs with trailer coupling with the capability to tow braked trailers of up to 3.5t gross weight. NAMSA needed a vehicles with an engine power of at least 140 kW and a load capability of minimum 5 persons as well as space for additional basic soldier gear and weapons. The blast and ballistic protection of the vehicle shall both meet STANAG Level 2A requirements. Built for use on severe road conditions and harsh environment, the vehicle should be capable of operating in temperatures ranging between -32°C and +49°C. The Renault 4x4 tactical truck Sherpa is designed to be highly mobile on difficult terrain and has a payload of 2 to 3 tons. Following the recent success in 2007 and 2008 of the Sherpa as shelter carrier and tactical vehicle for NATO and the last order by the French authorities of the tactical Sherpa Syracuse III, the Sherpa range confirms its reliability with this new international reference, according to a company spokesman.India Defencefrance, defense, renaulthttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4470Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been awarded a $16.5 million order to deliver paveway II Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds (E-LGTR) to the U.S. Navy. This award represents the fourth option to a 2005 indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, valued in excess of $114 million. Under the award, Lockheed Martin will extend production deliveries of E-LGTRs to the U.S. Navy during 2010. This will bring the total quantity of LGTRs awarded on this contract to over 50,000. “It is critical that our Warfighter has the tools to train exactly as they fight. Lockheed Martin’s E-LGTR is a proven, combat representative munition that provides the Warfighter with operationally realistic and cost-effective direct-attack weapons employment training,” said Capt. Mat Winter, U.S. Navy Precision Strike Weapons Program Manager. “From the training ranges to the battlefield, I have received positive feedback on the E-LGTRs impact on the Warfighter’s mission effectiveness. With this contract award, I look forward to our continued partnership to ensure the Warfighter is ready to fight, and win.” The paveway II E-LGTR is used to maintain aircrew proficiency and eliminate consumption of paveway II Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) inventory when training aircrews in live-fire exercises and weapons delivery. Recognized worldwide as the only available live-fire training solution for Warfighters, the E-LGTRs are a cost-effective training solution for all paveway II laser guided weapons. The E-LGTR is fully compatible with F-16, FA-18, AV-8 and multiple international platforms. Lockheed Martin has delivered over 82,000 units to U.S. Navy and international customers since 1992, representing a savings in excess of $1.3 billon when compared to training with paveway II tactical weapons. Paveway is a generic term, developed by the U.S. Air Force, for laser guided weapon systems. Lockheed Martin is a fully qualified provider of paveway II LGB and Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb kits and provides these systems to the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and international customers. Lockheed Martin also supports paveway weapon systems by being the sole source provider of the paveway II E-LGTR. India Defenceusa, defense, lockheed martinhttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4469Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has received a $36.1 million Foreign Military Sales award from the U.S. Army to provide the State of Kuwait with Patriot Configuration-3 radar upgrade depot test equipment, training and related technical services. This depot test equipment contract complements a June 2008 $148 million U.S. government order placed with Raytheon to upgrade Kuwait's Patriot system to Configuration-3. "This depot equipment provides an imperative aspect for the State of Kuwait to maintain continuous Patriot system readiness," said Sanjay Kapoor, vice president for Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). "These awards for the State of Kuwait are additional indications of the continued expansion of Patriot as the cornerstone of our international partners' integrated air and missile defense systems." Work under this contract will be done at three Raytheon centers in Massachusetts - Raytheon IDS headquarters in Tewksbury, the Integrated Air Defense Center in Andover, and the Surveillance and Sensors Center in Sudbury - as well as at the Seapower Capability Center, Portsmouth, R.I. Raytheon IDS is the prime contractor for both domestic and international Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems and systems integrator for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles. India Defencekuwait, defense, raytheonhttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4468Vandenberg Air Force Base officials launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile configured with a National Nuclear Security Administration test assembly from North Vandenberg at 3:01 a.m. PDT June 29. The launch was an operational test to verify the weapon system's reliability and accuracy. The missile carried three unarmed re-entry vehicles approximately 4,190 miles at speeds in excess of 24,000 mph to their predetermined targets near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Col. David Buck, the 30th Space Wing commander, was the mission's launch decision authority. Lt. Col. Lesa K. Toler, the 576th Flight Test Squadron commander, was the mission director for this test launch. Throughout the preparation and execution of the mission, maintenance and operations task force personnel from the 91st Missile Wing out of Minot AFB, N.D., integrated with the 576th FLTS to perform operational tasks. Members of the 576th FLTS installed tracking, telemetry and command destruct systems on the missile to collect data and meet 30th Space Wing safety requirements. "It's really something when you see a truly outstanding team come together," Colonel Buck said. "These are dangerous times we're living in right now. It's extremely important our combatant commander has the capabilities he needs to perform the mission of fighting and winning our nation's wars. Testing an operational asset pulled from the missile field at Minot provides us confidence our weapon system is capable of performing when needed." The data collected will be used by the entire ICBM community, including the U.S. Strategic Command planners and Department of Energy laboratories.India Defenceusa, missile, defensehttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4467Russia will participate in an open tender for the supply of next-generation diesel-electric submarines to the Indian Navy, according to a senior official of the Russian state arms export agency. "We will offer India an export version of the Lada class diesel submarine - the Amur class vessel. We will take part in the Indian tender when it is announced with these submarines or vessels of another class," said Oleg Azizov, who is leading Rosoboronexport's delegation at the International Maritime Defense Show 2009 in St. Petersburg. "We have a bilateral cooperation agreement [in the military-technical sphere] until 2020, which includes the possibility of supplying submarines to this country," Azizov added. Amur Class The Project-677, or Lada class, diesel submarine, whose export version is known as the Amur 1650, amongst other things, features a new anti-sonar coating for its hull, an extended cruising range, and advanced anti-ship and anti-submarine weaponry, including the Klub-S integrated cruise missile systems. The project's general designer Yuri Kormilitsin has said: "The submarine has been conceived as a kind of an underwater sea hunter, capable of destroying any target – surface naval ships, transport vessels, or submarines – using torpedoes, missiles, mines and also with the help of frogmen." The use of state-of-the-art acoustic protection systems and original engineering innovations on Amur-class submarines will make them several times quieter than the earlier Project 877 Kilo-class submarines, a number of which currently serve with the Indian Navy. Control of the submarine, its armament and equipment is highly automated and carried out from operators' consoles concentrated in the main control room. While the Project 877 EKM submarines represent an earlier, third, generation of submarines, the Amur-class are represent the fourth generation. The Amur will be available in two classes - the 950 and the 1650. The 950 comes equipped with 10 vertical universal missile launchers, capable of launching the Klub-S anti-ship/land attack missiles. These could also be adjusted to take onboard the Indo-Russian BrahMos submarine-launched supersonic cruise missile. The entire salvo of 10 missiles can be launched in duration of two minutes.India Defenceindia, russia, defense, rosoboronexporthttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4466General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy's Naval Inventory Control Point for the refurbishment of radomes for the EA-6B fighter jet. The initial award value is $2 million with a total potential value of $10 million over five years if all options are exercised. According to Senior Program Manager Daran Eastridge, "We produce a wide array of radomes ranging from fighter and cargo aircraft noses, wings, tails and fuselages to commercial nose weather radomes and radomes for specialized applications. Our experience on both commercial and military aircraft creates value for our customers." Engineers at General Dynamics' Marion, Va., facility will refurbish existing EA-6B radomes. The work will include quality inspection, cleaning, fabrication and painting. The refurbished radomes will be used onboard EA-6B aircraft for both the Navy and the Marine Corps. General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products' site in Marion produces a wide variety of products to support commercial and military aerospace applications. Work at the site includes the design, development and manufacturing of aircraft radomes, advanced aircraft composite structures and mobile shelter systems. Products include: aircraft radomes, missile and ground-based platforms, control surfaces, fairings, engine components, landing gear, weapons bay doors, primary helicopter structures, and lightweight composite vehicle-mounted shelter systems. The site spans three state-of-the-art facilities which house approximately one million square feet of manufacturing space. General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 92,900 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies.India Defenceusa, defense, general dynamicshttp://www.india-defence.com/reports-4465 The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics issued an acquisition decision memorandum (ADM) today that implements decisions regarding the Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Team (FCS BCT) program announced by Secretary Robert M. Gates in April. FCS is the Army’s largest modernization program. In making decisions for the fiscal 2010 FY10 Gates expressed a specific concern that the portion of the FCS program to field new manned combat vehicles did not adequately reflect the lessons of counterinsurgency and close quarters combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was further troubled by the terms of the current single contract covering the whole FCS effort. The restructuring ordered today addresses these issues. he ADM released today cancels the Future Combat Systems Brigade Combat Team (FCS BCT) program and in its place directs the Army to transition to a modernization plan consisting of a number of separate but integrated acquisition programs to meet the secretary’s objectives. Those integrated programs include one to spin out the initial increment of the FCS program to seven infantry brigades in the near term and additional programs for information and communications networks, unmanned ground and air vehicles and sensors, and an integration effort aimed at follow-on spinouts to all Army brigades. The ADM also terminates the manned ground vehicle portion of the previous FCS program and directs an assessment with the Marine Corps of joint capability gaps for ground combat vehicles. The assessment will inform new requirements for Army ground combat vehicle modernization, leading to the launch of a new acquisition program in 2010. The termination of the Manned Ground Vehicles portion of the FCS program will negatively impact the Army’s ability to develop the Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon (NLOS-C) independent of the FCS development timeline as required by the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2009. The department is working closely with the Congress to determine the appropriate path forward for the NLOS-C. The ADM directs the Army to identify the most efficient means to end the manned ground vehicle development effort with the least cost to the taxpayer and to use work already completed in any follow-on ground combat vehicle developmental programs. The Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) has established a task force to examine critical issues in Army-wide modernization. This modernization task force will lead a comprehensive review of force designs, the BCT modernization plan, network integrated architectures, and ground combat vehicle operational requirements. “The BCT modernization strategy will yield a versatile mix of BCTs that will leverage mobility, protection, information, and precision fires to conduct effective operations across the spectrum of conflict,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Vane, director, Army Capabilities Integration Center, TRADOC. India Defenceusa, defense