Boeing touts fighter jet to rival F-35 — at half the price

In a dogfight of defence contractors, the hunter can quickly become the hunted. It's happening now to the F-35.

The world's largest defence contractor, Lockheed Martin, is trying to convince wavering U.S. allies — including Canada — to stick with its high-tech, high-priced and unproven F-35 stealth fighter. But the F-35 is way behind schedule, way over budget and, now, it's grounded by a mysterious crack in a turbine fan.

After years of technical problems, it's a tempting target for Lockheed Martin's rivals.

It's no surprise, then, that the No. 2 defence contractor, Boeing, smells blood.

With Ottawa now reviewing its previous commitment to buy the F-35, Boeing is making an aggressive pitch to Canadian taxpayers, offering to save them billions of dollars if they buy Boeing's Super Hornets instead.

Boeing isn't pulling its punches. The Super Hornet, it says, is a proven fighter while the F-35 is just a concept — and an expensive one at that.We call it competing with a paper airplane," says Ricardo Traven, Boeing's chief test pilot for the Super Hornet. A Canadian who flew fighters for 15 years in the Canadian air force, Traven dismisses the F-35 as a "shiny brochure of promises," and contrasts it with "the real thing," which looms behind him in a top-secret hangar at Boeing's vast production line in St. Louis, Missouri.

Saab receives order for upgrade of mission system Erieye for Brazil

Defence and security company Saab has received order from Brazilian Embraer Defense and Security on upgrade of the Erieye AEW&C Mission System. The total order amounts to 380 MSEK.

The contract is for the delivery of an upgrade of the existing Erieye AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning and Control) systems, as part of the modernization programme for the Embraer 145 AEW&C, named E-99 in the Brazilian Air Force. The E-99 is important within the Brazilian Air Force in the control of airspace and border surveillance and the upgrade will bring a substantial increased operational capability.

"Saab's Erieye AEW&C Mission system provides excellent surveillance capabilities and control over air and sea targets. We are very proud to supply these systems to Brazil where it plays an important role in national security,” says Micael Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Electronic Defence Systems.

The upgrade of the Erieye AEW&C Mission System will be delivered from 2014 until 2017.

Saab’s Erieye AEW&C Mission System has been well received on the market. The first system for Brazilon the Embraer 145 became operational 2002. Erieye is also in operations on Embraer 145 in Mexico and Greece. The very first Erieye system was delivered in 1997 for aircraft model 340 for the Swedish Air Force. Customers of the Saab 340 system also include Thailand and the United Arab Emirate. Saab is also delivering Erieye to Pakistan, installed on the Saab 2000 aircraft.

MoD wastes £6.6bn on kit and supplies it does not need as it tries to save money by cutting troops

Military chiefs waste 6.6bn of taxpayers' money on unnecessary stock

MoD spend £1.1bn on computer system to fix stock control 'weaknesses'

The Ministry of Defence is squandering billions of pounds on kit and supplies it does not need while trying to save money by getting rid of troops.
Military chiefs are wasting ‘unacceptable’ sums of taxpayers’ cash by buying and hoarding excess equipment, according to a scathing report today.
MPs on the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee found at least £6.6billion of stock was either unused or over-ordered.

The top civil servant at the MoD, permanent secretary Jon Thompson, admitted there were ‘problems’ in managing the inventory of kit and equipment. He said the cash-strapped department was spending £1.1billion on a computer system to tackle ‘weaknesses’ in stock control.

The cross-party committee’s report will be a blow to morale as the fighting capability of the Army, Royal Navy and RAF continues to be reduced.

Grob Eyes Australian Opportunity for G120TP

Grob Aircraft mounted a major push for its G120TP basic trainer at this year's Avalon air show, with its stand including a simulator for the type, as it eyes an upcoming requirement to replace the Royal Australian Air Force's fleet of 63 Pilatus PC-9/9As.

Andre Hiebeler, chief executive of Grob Aircraft, says the G120TP can "eat into" up to 60-70% of the syllabus provided by higher-end tandem-seat turboprop aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-21, which is also likely to compete for the Australian deal.


Canberra's requirement is designated AIR 5428, and calls for a complete training solution, including simulators and aircraft. Grob envisages the RAAF using the G120TP in conjunction with a more advanced basic trainer type.

Hiebeler notes that only 45% of pilots trained by the Australian military end up in the air force. Of these, only a small portion transition to fighters such as the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet or F/A-18F Super Hornet. The majority become transport aircraft or helicopter pilots, making the G120TP, with its side-by-side configuration, a suitable training platform.

Indonesia to purchase UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from United States

Indonesian army Black Hawk helicopters Would purchase from the United States this year, in a bid to Strengthen icts weaponry, a military officer Said here on Monday, February 25, 2013. The Plan is the share of Indonesian government's efforts to Modernize icts weaponry.

"Black Hawk is a good choice," Said General Pramono Eddie Wibowo, Indonesian army chief of staff signing Effective year agreement entre le army, oil and gas firm PT. Pertamina Persero and BRI bank here at the army headquarters.

Phantom Eye completes second flight

 Boeing's Phantom Eye, a hydrogen-powered test bed, Has Made icts second flight. The test was the first to Effective falling on hard landing its a June, 2012 maiden flight destroyed landing icts share of landing gear.

The uncrewed test bed was developed by Boeing's Phantom Works division advanced aircraft to Demonstrate That Could stay airborne for up to four days at a time with payloads up to 204kg (450LB).

Phantom Eye was airborne for just over year hour, reaching altitudes of 8,000 ft, ending in what Boeing calls a "picture-perfect landing."

Boeing Brings Advanced Training Capabilities to U.S. Navy's T-45 Fleet

Ground-based flight simulators prepare pilots student

- Four operational flight trainers built by Boeing [NYSE: BA] are up and running at Naval Air Station Pensacola (Fla.) ALLOWING the U.S. Navy to shift some training for T-45 aircraft icts to the ground and Thereby Improve safety and save money.

The flight simulators use high-fidelity, state-of-the-art visuals to train naval flight officers (NFO) on the ground, saving time and Freeing up the aircraft for flight instruction live. Nfos specialize in airborne weapons and sensor systems operating from the back seat of the aircraft.

The devices are used by the Navy to Provide transition to advanced instruction for F/A-18, EA-18G and EA-6B platforms. Students are trained in navigation, communication, emergencies, target identification and weapons employment, and basic carrier operations, Among other learning objective.

RSAF gets refueling jet

A new airborne refueling plane was inducted into the Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft fuel fleet at Riyadh Airbase yesterday.
The new plane, called a330mrtt will supply fuel to F15s, Tornadoes and Typhoons while flying, bringing to six the number of airbus-made a33mrtt air refueling planes.
The plane, which belongs to the TRA72-600 airbus generation, will also serve as passenger and light payload carrier, the SPA reported.

The Terrifying Shortage of U.S. Cyberwarriors.

When Kevin Mandia, a retired military cybercrime investigator, decided to expose China as a primary threat to US computer networks, he did not have to consult with US diplomats in Beijing or declassify tactics to safely reveal government secrets.

He compiled a 76-page report based on seven years of work by his company, Mandiant, and produced the most detailed public account yet of how, he says, the Chinese government has been hacking major US companies.

It was not news to his commercial rivals, or the US government, that systematic attacks could be traced to a nondescript office block outside Shanghai that Mandia believes was run by the Chinese army.

What was remarkable was that the extraordinary details – code names of hackers, one's affection for Harry Potter and how they stole sensitive trade secrets and passwords – came from a private security firm without the official backing of the US military or intelligence agencies responsible for protecting America from a cyber-attack.

The report, welcomed by both government and industry, represents a notable alignment of interests in Washington: the Obama administration has pressed for fresh evidence of Chinese hacking that it can leverage in diplomatic talks without revealing secrets about its own hacking investigations, and Mandiant makes headlines with its sensational revelations.It also shows the balance of power in America's cyberwar has shifted to the $30bn-a-year (£19.7bn-a-year) computer security industry.

Trying To Stop The Bomb Makers In Pakistan And Afghanistan

The United States and Pakistan will begin working together on a new fertilizer formula that could be a significant technological step to limit the ability of terror groups to make improvised explosives and car bombs using the ingredient.

An agreement to try to make a product more inert was reached last week after Pakistani officials from Fatima Group, a major fertilizer manufacturer, met with Pentagon officials.

"Such a long-term solution would be a true scientific breakthrough," Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, the head of the Pentagon's Joint Improved Explosive Device Defeat Organization, said in a statement.

Barbero met with Fatima representatives to urge them again to take steps to control fertilizer inventories. The meeting itself was a step forward since the Pakistani government previously had stopped the U.S. military from talking directly to the company.

Fatima Group is the Pakistani-based producer of calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN). It was developed as a non-explosive alternative to ammonium nitrate, long a key ingredient in homemade bombs used widely in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. But it can be converted into an explosive mixture.

Hundreds of American troops have been killed by improvised explosive devices containing the material.

Pakistan and the United States will now work on a "reformulated" CAN product in hopes of reducing its effectiveness in homemade bombs.

It is produced by two factories in Pakistan that are both owned and operated by Fatima. It also has now confirmed to the Pentagon in writing that it has suspended sales of CAN fertilizer products in the border provinces to 228 dealers in the area.

It is also working on plans for more readily visible bagging of CAN in hopes Pakistani border control agents will stop smuggling when they see it. Barbero is still pressing for color dying so it can more readily be identified.

India arrests man accused of spying for Pakistan

Indian police say they have arrested a man suspected of passing military secrets to arch-rival Pakistan.

The man, an Indian citizen, was held in the western state of Rajasthan near the two countries' border.

Police say he passed details of military exercises held last week to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

India and Pakistan frequently accuse each other of spying. The arrest comes after weeks of tension over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

The alleged spy is accused of "passing information related to Indian defence installations and military activities", senior police officer DS Dinkar told AFP news agency.

One report says his telephone calls to a relative in Pakistan, who it is alleged works for Pakistani intelligence, were intercepted.

Chinese transport "workhorses" extending military's reach

China is expanding its long-neglected fleet of supply ships and heavy-lift aircraft, bolstering its military prowess in support of missions to enforce claims over disputed territory and to defend Chinese interests abroad.

These transport workhorses are unlikely to arouse the same regional unease as the steady rollout of high performance fighters, long-range missiles or potent warships, but they are a crucial element of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) three-decade military build-up, defense analysts say.

Over time, the air and sea support will give the world's second-largest navy greater geographical reach and will enhance the PLA's capacity to assist troops on distant battlefields, potentially including Taiwan if Beijing were to launch a military assault to take control of the self-governing island.

China's state-owned shipyards last year launched two 23,000-tonne type 903 replenishment ships, according to reports and photographs published on Chinese military affairs websites and blogs, with further orders in the pipeline.