DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US Launches Biggest Allied Airborne Drills Since Cold War

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS:  US Launches Biggest Allied Airborne Drills Since Cold War

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 18, 2015: The United States said Tuesday it has launched the biggest allied airborne drills in Europe since the Cold War ended, as fighting involving pro-Russian separatists escalated in eastern Ukraine.

Nearly 5,000 soldiers from 11 NATO allies are taking part in four weeks of "simultaneous multinational airborne operations" across Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Romania that began in Saturday, the US Army said in a statement.

"Swift Response 15 is the largest Allied airborne training event on the continent since the end of the Cold War," according to the statement from the US Army in Grafenwohr in southern Germany.

It is designed to help allied "high-readiness forces" act as one and "demonstrate the alliance's capacity to rapidly deploy and operate in support of maintaining a strong and secure Europe," it said.

The statement made no reference to the crisis in Ukraine where government troops have been fighting pro-Russian separatists since April last year, which has claimed the lives of nearly 7,000 people.

While the conflict eased after a truce in February, fighting has escalated in recent days.

The fighting has stirred the highest tensions since the Cold War ended more than two decades ago as the West accuses Russia of not only arming the rebels but sending in troops to support them. Moscow denies the charges.

NATO, a 28-country alliance led by the United States, last week defended the number of military exercises it has staged as a response to "growing Russian aggression" and refuted suggestions that they were helping make war in Europe more likely.

The US Army said the highlight of the drills will take place on Aug. 26 when allied warplanes will drop more than 1,000 paratroopers and equipment the to Hohenfels training area in Germany.

A similar drill will also take place the same day at the Novo Selo training area in Bulgaria, a former Soviet ally.

Participating in the exercises until Sept. 13 are more than 4,800 soldiers from Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Britain and the United States.

It said the exercise marks the first time the US 82nd Airborne Division has operated in Europe since supporting NATO operations in Kosovo in 1999.

*Related Images - courtesy AFP

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources AFP
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DTN News - JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE: U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia

Asian Defense News: DTN News - JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE:  U.S., NATO Troops Train in Latvia

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 17, 2014:  In light of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, the United States is demonstrating its continued commitment to collective security through a series of actions designed to reassure NATO Allies and partners of America's dedication to enduring peace and stability in the region. 

As a first response to demonstrate our commitment to the defense of our Allies, the U.S. augmented its participation in Baltic Air Policing by sending an additional six F-15s to the NATO mission.  Under operation ATLANTIC RESOLVE, U.S. Army Europe forces have deployed to Latvia, along with other Allies in the region, to conduct land forces training.  

U.S. and Latvian troops participate in a range of other joint and multilateral exercises, including SABER STRIKE, BALTOPS, and STEADFAST JAZZ.  Latvian soldiers and defense personnel also receive technical training and strategic education in the United States.

As NATO allies, the United States and Latvia are committed to each other’s defense and partner in critical areas around the world.  Latvia contributes important capabilities to the Alliance’s collective security, including the training of U.S.-certified joint terminal attack controllers (JTAC) who coordinate air support for ground units during operations.

 The government of Latvia has recognized the danger of increased cyber threats and is working together with NATO, the European Union, the Baltic states, Nordic states, and the United States to strengthen its cybersecurity.  The United States supports Latvia’s efforts through visits by U.S. experts and Latvian participation in EUCOM- and NATO-sponsored events and U.S.-based training.  The government of Latvia is also a partner in the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of governments collaborating to advance Internet freedom. 

Italian paratroopers listen during rehearsals for an air assault with U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks, a CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters during NATO exercise Steadfast Javelin II on Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia, Sept. 7, 2014. 

The helicopter crews are assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, and the Italian paratroopers are assigned to the Italian Folgore Parachute Brigade. 

The exercise, which involves more than 2,000 troops from nine nations, takes place across Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

A U.S. soldier, second from left, briefs Italian paratroopers during rehearsals for an air assault during NATO exercise Steadfast Javelin II on Lielvarde Airbase, Latvia, Sept. 7, 2014. The soldier is assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources DTN Defense News
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Italian Combat Vehicle In New Fight With Russian Tigr

Asian Defense News: DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Italian Combat Vehicle In New Fight With Russian Tigr

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 31, 2013: A controversial contract for the delivery of Italian light multirole vehicles (LMV) to Russia appears to have survived the recent reshuffle of the Russian Defense Ministry's leadership that saw the dismissal of Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and his arms procurement chief Alexander Sukhorukov.

But future deliveries of the Lynx may depend on new trials to be held within months as newly-appointed Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his team want to eliminate all controversy around the contract.

Serdyukov and Sukhorukov actively lobbied for the Iveco LMV M65 Lynx, which was picked over the locally produced GAZ-2330 Tigr armored vehicle in a rare departure from the military's principle of "buying domestic."

Tigr is a high-mobility multirole military vehicle manufactured by Russia’s Military-Industrial Corporation (MIC), a GAZ Group division, at the Arzamas machine-manufacturing plant.

The decision to buy Lynx has been widely publicized in Russia, after the Italian vehicle proved its superb armor protection during NATO operations in Iraq and Afghanistan but Tigr, which the maker claims is at least 70 percent cheaper, showed superior off-road performance at the Russian comparative trials in 2010 and is considered by Russian experts to be better suited to the needs of the Russian army.

© RIA Novosti.

The LMV M65 Lynx Armored Car

Russian critics have also argued the initial agreement on the purchase of 60 vehicles, signed in 2011, did not stipulate post-assembly servicing, the supply of spare parts and training of Russian personnel by Italian experts.

Russia is planning to resolve these issues through additional negotiations in the near future, according to Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov, who replaced Sukhorukov in the wake of the reshuffle in November 2012.

Russia has a solid contract for the delivery of 358 Iveco LMVs, dubbed Rys in Russian, and the ministry has no intention of scrapping this contract, Borisov said in December last year.

The first 57 vehicles were assembled last year with 10 percent local content at a plant in Voronezh. The remaining vehicles will be assembled in 2013 at a new KAMAZ plant in Tatarstan, which has the capacity to assemble up to 500 Iveco LMVs per year with 50-80 percent local content, according to KAMAZ officials.

Meanwhile, the fate of a possible huge follow-on order for LMVs in Russia has not yet been sealed.

As part of the 2011-2020 state arms procurement program, the Defense Ministry plans to buy 1,775 LMVs by 2015 for $1 billion, and they may not all be Iveco models.

In December, Shoigu ordered new comparative tests of the Rys and the improved Tigr-M, which features a new Russian-made YaMZ-534 diesel engine, improved armor, and protection against nuclear, biological and chemical threats.

The trials, to be held in the first quarter of 2013, will focus on testing the vehicles' armor, MIC spokesman Sergei Suvorov confirmed in an interview with RIA Novosti on Monday.

“Despite the claims of superb protection [by NATO standards], the Iveco vehicle’s armor has never been tested in Russia,” Suvorov said.

He also claimed Tigr-M provides adequate armor protection which covers a larger area of the vehicle interior than the Italian vehicle.

The Iveco and Tigr vehicles employ a different design philosophy in the way they use armor to protect their crews. The Russian vehicle is equipped with a solid armored shell, while the Italian model uses armor panels attached to the vehicle's frame.

The interior of the vehicles also differ significantly. The Iveco interior has several partitions, with the driver and commander separated from the passengers. In contrast, the Tigr is not internally partitioned, and any passenger can take the wheel without exiting the vehicle - an obvious safety feature in battle.

The Italian vehicle is also smaller and can seat just five people, including the driver, whereas the Tigr seats nine.

Italy, a NATO member, has produced Lynx LMVs for a number of European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Britain, Norway and Spain, at a unit cost of about $300,000.

Suvorov refused to comment on the future of the Iveco contract in Russia, saying a decision will be made by Russia’s top military leadership regardless of the outcome of the new tests.

“Our concern is to provide a reliable and efficient combat vehicle for the Russian military, which we did,” he said. “The rest is up to the military commanders.”

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ria Novosti
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DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Moves Forward On Second JSF Squadron

Asian Defense News: DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: IDF Moves Forward On Second JSF Squadron 
*Decision to continue comes despite reports of possible delays, rising costs. Israel could have 40 aircraft by end of decade
*Team goes to US to tailor F-35s for IAF
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakoov Katz - Jerusalem Post
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 12, 2012: The IDF plans to approve the procurement of a second squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at a meeting of the General Staff later this month that will convene to finalize the military’s multi-year program.

Called Oz (Hebrew for Strength), the new multi-year program is scheduled to go into effect towards the end of the year. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz will oversee deliberations on the program over the next few weeks and will bring the final plan to the government for approval.

One of the plan’s key elements is expected to be the procurement of a second squadron of F-35s despite reports of possible delays and a rise in cost.

On Tuesday, the US Senate Armed Services Committee questioned the quality of production of the aircraft by Lockheed Martin citing a “potentially serious issue” with its electronic warfare capability.

“The committee is... concerned about production quality and whether it is sufficient to ensure the delivery of JSF aircraft to the US and its allies at an affordable price,” the committee said in a report accompanying its fiscal 2013 defense budget bill.

Israel placed an order for its first squadron of F- 35s in October 2010 for $2.75 billion. Under the deal, Israel was supposed to receive 20 aircraft but the number could drop due to the rising cost per plane. The aircraft are expected to begin arriving in Israel sometime in 2017.

The fifth-generation stealth F-35 is purported to be one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world with the ability to fly undetected in enemy territory. Its uniqueness stems not only from its stealth capabilities but also due to its integrated sensor suite which provides pilots with unprecedented situational awareness and enables the sharing of information between the various aircraft.

The second contract would likely be of a similar number of aircraft and could mean – depending on when the second deal is signed – that the IAF could have 40 operational aircraft by the end of the decade.

Senate questions over the quality of production of the F-35 will compound the mounting woes of the $396b. Pentagon program, which has already been restructured three times in recent years to extend the development phase and slow production.

Italy has already scaled back its planned orders for the new, radar-evading warplane and several other countries are slowing their orders, citing budgetary pressures. Japan has warned it could cancel its order if the cost per plane rises from what it was offered.


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Yaakoov Katz - Jerusalem Post
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DTN News - ITALIAN DEFENSE NEWS: Obama Set To Arm Italy's Drones In Milestone Move

Asian Defense News: DTN News - ITALIAN DEFENSE NEWS:  Obama Set To Arm Italy's Drones In Milestone Move
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 31, 2012: President Barack Obama's administration appears set to notify the U.S. Congress of plans to arm a fleet of Italian MQ-9 Reaper drones, a step that may spur a wider spread of remotely piloted hunter-killer aircraft.

The administration could move ahead within two weeks on the proposal to let Italy join Britain in deploying U.S. drones with weapons such as laser-guided bombs and Hellfire missiles, American officials said.

Italy has a fleet of six Reapers. The sale of the technology to arm them, including bomb racks and "weaponization" kits costing up to $17 million, would help the United States redistribute the burden of its global military operations as the Pentagon's budget is being squeezed by deficit-reduction requirements.

Aides to Obama have been informally consulting the House of Representatives' and Senate's foreign affairs committees about the proposed sale to Italy since last year, congressional staff said.

The latest such period of "pre-consultations" ended May 27 without a move to block the sale, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the coming formal notification to lawmakers.

A transfer to Italy would make it harder for the United States to deny armed-drone technology if asked for it by other members of the 28-country NATO alliance or by close U.S. partners such as South Korea, Japan and Australia, arms-sale analysts said.

"I think that if you sell armed drones to Italy, you will very likely make a decision that any member of NATO that wants them can also get them," said a former congressional staff member who followed the issue.

Some lawmakers fear that a decision to arm Italian drones may spur overseas sales of related technology by Israel, Russia and China.

The United States has used its MQ-9s to hunt and kill members of al Qaeda and its allies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistani tribal areas.

Britain, the first foreign country to get U.S. technology to arm its Reapers, is considered a special case. Many U.S. officials and members of Congress view it as Washington's staunchest and most reliable ally.

The State Department does not comment on proposed sales of U.S. military hardware until formal notifications have been completed. But a State Department official described Italy as a strong NATO ally which contributes significantly to coalition operations.

"The transfer of U.S. defense articles and service to allies like Italy enables us to work together more effectively to meet shared security challenges," said the official, who declined to be named.

SPREAD DRONES, OR LIMIT THEM?

Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has publicly opposed the transfer of armed drones. "There are some military technologies that I believe should not be shared with other countries, regardless of how close our partnership," Feinstein, a California Democrat, said last year.

She said she would put armed drones in the category of weapons the United States should try to rein in, not spread.

Turkey is among countries that have been seeking to buy U.S. unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. The MQ-9 Reaper is larger and more capable than the earlier MQ-1 Predator, both built by General Atomics.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Chicago last week that Obama was leaning toward selling UAVs to Turkey, which has fought separatist Kurdish rebels for decades in a conflict that has killed 40,000 people.

"The administration's position (toward a sale) is favorable," Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency quoted Gul as saying after he met Obama. "They are trying to convince Congress."

A proposed U.S. arms sale to Turkey may proceed unless lawmakers enact joint resolution barring it, an event that has never occurred.

The Obama administration says that all exports of sensitive military technology are considered on a case-by-case basis under a general policy of "restraint," taking into account national security and foreign-policy considerations as well as U.S. multilateral commitments.

Purchasers of U.S.-made military systems must agree to a strict set of "end-use" conditions designed to limit the system to approved uses such as self-defense and United Nations missions. They also must agree to let the United States monitor their adherence to these conditions.

Italy has sought to arm its drones for use in Afghanistan, where it maintains about 3,950 troops. But it initially wanted the drones themselves for such things as border patrols, the former congressional staff member said.

TEAL Group, a U.S. aerospace consultancy, estimated in April that worldwide UAV spending will almost double over the next decade, totaling more than $89 billion in the next 10 years.

(Editing by Christopher Wilson)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
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DTN News - BOEING NEWS: Boeing Announces Sixth Leg of 787 Dream Tour

Asian Defense News: DTN News - BOEING NEWS: Boeing Announces Sixth Leg of 787 Dream Tour
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Boeing
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 11, 2012: Boeing (NYSE: BA) will bring the 787 Dreamliner to seven more cities on the sixth leg of the Dream Tour later this month and continuing into May. Stops include cities in the U.K., Norway, Italy and the U.S.

"The Dream Tour has provided us with a great platform to show customers, partners, government officials and other stakeholders just what the team has achieved with the 787," said Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "It's an honor to showcase this airplane as we bring it around the world."

The airplane will depart from Seattle on April 21. The dates listed below are landing dates for each city or airport. Customers, employees, partners, government officials and other stakeholders will be invited to attend tour events at each location. There are no general public tour opportunities.

• April  22– London's Heathrow Airport
• April  23 – Manchester Airport
• April 25 – London's Gatwick Airport
• April 27 – London's Heathrow Airport
• May 1 – Oslo, Norway
• May 4 – Taranto, Italy
• May 7 – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport - Washington, DC
• May 11 – Dallas, Texas
• May 14 – St. Louis, Missouri

More than 44,500 guests from around the world will have toured the airplane at the end of the fifth segment of the tour later this week and the airplane will have logged more than 82,366 nautical miles (152,542 km). The sixth segment will add an estimated 12,750 more guests and an additional 15,500 nmi (28,702 km).

The Dream Tour airplane, ZA003, is outfitted with the 787's special cabin features including a welcoming entryway, dramatically larger dimmable windows, bigger bins and dynamic LED lighting. The airplane is configured with a luxurious business-class cabin, an overhead crew rest compartment and an economy class section.

Dates and locations for additional tour stops will be announced approximately one month in advance. At many of the stops, local media will have the opportunity to participate in tours of the airplane and discussions with Boeing executives and pilots.

For updates on the 787 Dream Tour, including videos, photos and reports from the tour stops, visitwww.newairplane.com/787/dreamtour.

Contact:
Lori Gunter
787 Communications
+1 206 931 5919

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Boeing
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Asian Defense News: DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: The Israeli Red Flag

Asian Defense News: DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: The Israeli Red Flag
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 24, 2012: For the third time in the last six months the Israeli Air Force has hosted foreign fighter pilots for tactical training. Israeli fighter pilots are considered the best trained in the world, and Israel maintains a special training program, complete with pilots trained and equipped to operate as likely foes would, to train their own pilots. The latest nation to send fighters and pilots for training is Poland, flying F-16s in for that purpose. Previously, Italy had sent Typhoons and Tornados and Greece F-16s.

The Israeli training center is based on the one pioneered by the U.S. Air Force Red Flag program and the U.S. Navy's Top Gun training. Using American aircraft for "aggressor (or dissimilar) training" began in the 1960s. The original "Top Gun" fighter pilot school was established in 1969, by the U.S. Navy, in response to the poor performance of its pilots against North Vietnamese pilots flying Russian fighters. What made the Top Gun operation different was that the training emphasized how the enemy aircraft and pilots operated. This was called "dissimilar training". In the past, American pilots practiced against American pilots, with everyone flying American aircraft and using American tactics. It worked in World War II because the enemy pilots were not getting a lot of practice and were using similar aircraft and tactics anyway. Most importantly, there was a lot of aerial combat going on, providing ample opportunity for on-the-job training. Not so in Vietnam, where the quite different Russian-trained North Vietnamese were giving U.S. aviators an awful time. The four week Top Gun program solved the problem. The air force followed shortly with its Red Flag school.

Over the last 40 years the two training programs have developed differently, and the entire concept of "dissimilar training" has changed. The navy kept Top Gun as a program to hone a fighter pilot's combat skills. The air force made their Red Flag program more elaborate, bringing in the many different types of aircraft involved in combat missions (especially electronic warfare). But after the Cold War ended it became increasingly obvious that none of America's potential enemies was providing their fighter pilots with much training at all.

In other words, the dissimilar training for U.S. fighter pilots was not as crucial as it had been during the Cold War. Actually, it had been noted that flying skills of Soviet pilots was declining in the 1980s, as economic problems in the USSR caused cuts in flying time. During that period American pilots were actually increasing their flying time. Moreover, U.S. flight simulators were getting better. American pilots were finding that even the game oriented combat flight simulators had some training value.

So in the late 1990s, Top Gun and Red Flag found their budgets cut. But the programs remain, as does the memory of why they were set up in the first place. If we find that, say, China is continuing to improve its combat aviation, and gives its fighter pilots more flying time and their politicians maintain a bellicose attitude towards the U.S., there will be a need to increase American Top Gun training. Because of the new Chinese "dissimilar training" effort, the U.S. Top Gun and Red Flag schools are being restored to their former prominence, and Israel has become one of the best Red Flag operations outside the United States. The Chinese move is certainly a very meaningful one, as it shows that they are serious about preparing their pilots to fight and defeat Taiwanese and American pilots. Dissimilar training is how that is done and for most nations Israel is the nearest place to get it.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
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