October 2008 Worldwide Defence industries industry news military equipment armoured army world

When Rheinmetall Defence invited journalists for the presentation of its “New Fox”, it was clearly evident that they do not intend to go out and offer yet another wheeled AFVs in an already crowded market. Rather, the idea behind the new Fox, designated Fuchs 1A8 is much more to offer an upgrade kit to Fuchs users, which will allow them to bring their platforms on a higher standard and simultaneously save money, thus postponing the need for a replacement program to a more distant future. Based on version 1 of the Fuchs armoured transport vehicle, the new variant boasts improved IED (improvised explosive devices) and mine protection and is therefore in line with the requirements for new-generation vehicles stemming from the combat experience in Afghanistan or Iraq.
24 October 2008

The fighting helicopter KA-52 Alligator will be received for the Russian Air Force after the homologation tests, announced Thursday the commander-in-chief of the Russian air forces, the general Alexandre Zeline. Ka-52 inherited the best performances of its predecessor, Ka-50 Black Shark. The new helicopter is adapted in particular better for the night combat. The KA-52 can work alone and in group, with permanent contact with a command post on the ground. The KA-52 can be used for various missions, as the destruction of enemy armoured tanks, the fight against targets flying at low speed, or for reconnaissance missions or support for land forces troops. Alligator which is a two-seat version of Ka-50 Black Shark, it’s a command helicopter for tactical air command, make to raise effectiveness grouped operations of fighting helicopters. About is firepower, the Alligator has nothing to envy to the Ka-50 and exceeds all the other existing combat helicopters.
23 October 2008

The Thai government has decided to buy several transport helicopters from Russia. This deal would mark a U-turn in the defence acquisition policy of Thailand, which till now has only bought arms and military equipment from the United States. According to the Russian daily a contract for three Mi-17 (Hip) Multi-Mission transport helicopters - build by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant JSC - has already be signed worth some $27.5 million.
23 October 2008

Russia's Air Force is ready to send a helicopter group with more than 100 servicemen to Chad, the Air Force commander said Thursday. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree in early September on sending a Russian military contingent to Chad and the neighboring Central African Republic in support of a UN mission in the region. The Russian peacekeeping contingent, totaling up to 200 servicemen and the four Mi-8MT helicopters, will be deployed in the conflict zone for up to a year.
23 October 2008

A small contingent of US military instructors have begun a training program scheme aimed at turning Pakistan's Frontier Corps into an effective counter-insurgency force, a US military official said Thursday.
23 October 2008

The manufacturer of Kalashnikov assault rifles has sent the first shipment of equipment to Venezuela for the licensed production of AK-103 rifles, the company said on Thursday. "The first consignment of equipment was shipped to Venezuela on October 18," Izhmash's press service said, adding that the installation of the equipment would be completed by late 2009 and the plant would go into operation in 2010. The company earlier said that Russia accounts for only 10-12% of the 1 million Kalashnikov rifles sold globally every year, with the rest being unlicensed copies.
23 October 2008

Russia an Belarussia make an association for a joint DCA defense system. The single DCA system of Russia and Belarussia will include five aviation units, ten units of ground-to-air missiles, five units of monitoring radar and a unit of radio-electronics war, announced to Thursday the commander-in-chief of the Russian air forces, the general Alexandre Zeline.According to him, the direction of the single DCA system of Russia and Bielorussia will be exerted at the beginning by the chief DCA Army of Bielorussia or Russia, but after an effect agreement, this joint DCA system will be entrusted to a general officer appointed by the presidents Russian and Bielorussia. Bielorussia will constitute the first level for the security of the air borders of Russia-Bielorussia federal state, it affirmed. According to the general, the installation of the joint DCA system of anti-aircraft defence will allow in particular to increase the control by radars with low and very low altitude along the Western borders of Federal state, of Baltic and Ukraine.
23 October 2008

Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) have successfully launched an RS-18 (SS-19 Stiletto) intercontinental ballistic missile from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, the SMF said on Wednesday. As a result of the successful launch at 13.10 Moscow time (09:10 GMT) on Wednesday, the Stiletto ICBMs, which have so far been operational for 29 years, will remain on combat duty beyond 2010. Russia's SMF regularly launch missiles to test their performance characteristics and decide whether they can remain in service. Over the past five years Russia conducted 31 test launches of RS-12M (SS-25 Sickle), R-18 (SS-19 Stiletto) and RS-20 (SS-18 Satan) ICBMs and will double the number of test launches after 2009.
22 October 2008

AM General LLC, South Bend, Ind., was awarded Oct. 21, 2008, a $179,586,188 firm/ fixed price contract for High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled vehicles to contract. Work will be performed in Mishawaka, Ind., with an estimated and completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. Bids solicited were via Broad Agency Announcement and nine bids were received.
22 October 2008

A new-generation RS-24 multiple-warhead missile system will enter service with Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) in 2009, the force commander said on Wednesday. He said the new system would "strengthen Russia's nuclear deterrence," including its capability to penetrate missile defense shields, and will serve to counter elements of a U.S. missile defense system deployed in Central Europe. The RS-24 is a new-generation intercontinental ballistic missile, which is equipped with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) warhead, was first tested on May 29, 2007 after a secret military R&D project, and then again on December 25, 2007. A new test launch of the RS-24 from the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia has been planned for the end of 2008. The RS-24 ICBM, which will replace the older SS-18 and SS-19 missiles by 2050, is expected to greatly strengthen the SMF's strike capability, as well as that of its allies until the mid-21st century. The RS-24 missile will be deployed both in silos and on mobile platforms and together with the Topol-M single-warhead ICBM will constitute the core of Russia's SMF in the future, Solovtsov said.
22 October 2008

BAE Systems has been awarded two new contracts to fit additional protection kits to more than 800 Bradley fighting vehicles at military bases in the United States and deployed in combat. The contracts, initially worth $27.6 million, have the potential to increase to over $55 million. The order will apply urban survivability kits – which include advanced survivability seats, hot box restraint kits and fire suppression kits – to 328 Bradleys and heat abatement kits to an additional 476 Bradleys. Delivery of the kits is anticipated to begin in November 2008 and be completed by May 2009.
21 October 2008

Russia may sign a contract with Venezuela in the next month on delivering BMP-3 armored personnel carriers, Russian news agency RIA Novosti said yesterday, citing the deputy head of arms exporter Rosoboronexport. This would be another major deal for Russia after the last week announcement of the contract for the delivery of 420 BMP-3M Russian vehicles to Greece. "We are preparing to deliver a large number of BMP-3 armored personnel carriers", Igor Sevastyanov, deputy director of Rosoboronexport, was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. "The contract could be signed in the course of a month," he said.
17 October 2008

Thai soldiers set-up artillery guns on the Thai-Cambodian border on October 15. Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged gunfire Wednesday along their border, a Cambodia army commander said, as a row over a disputed patch of land appeared to be escalating. Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire in a clash over disputed land which left two soldiers dead and several wounded. Cambodia and Thailand have been involved in a dispute over the Preah Vihear temple ever since it gained a World Heritage listing in July 2008.
15 October 2008

Men dressed in arab atire watch as Bulgarian forces secure an area during joint military exercise 'Bulgarian Panther 2008' with Bulgarian and US army soldiers at Novo Selo military base east of the capital Sofia Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008.
15 October 2008

Air defense units from the Moscow military district will conduct live-fire exercises Thursday using Buk-M1 air defense systems, a Russian Ground Forces spokesman said Tuesday.
The units started a series of tactical exercises Monday at the Kapustin Yar testing grounds in southern Russia, involving 1,500 personnel and about 400 combat and support vehicles.
14 October 2008

The cost of operating modern aircraft, however, and the size of modern air fleets, are both working to put a crimp in that option. Full battlefield coverage that can respond to any emergency within a few minutes is either cost-prohibitive, or beyond most militaries’ capabilities. Fortunately, the rise of precision artillery fire offers an alternative with less reach, but 100% persistence and availability within its range. By 2010, MBDA expects to begin selling a loitering attack UAV called ‘Fire Shadow’ for use in Afghanistan. This one-shot, rocket-boosted UAV sports a range of 165 km, 10-hour endurance, and a 50 pound warhead. To succeed, however, it will have to outclass an already-fielded option: British forces began using the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System’s M30/31 GMLRS 227mm GPS-guided rockets and their 200 pound warheads in 2007, as a significant supplement to the UK’s close support options. British forces have recorded over 140 firings of the rockets in Afghanistan, which have earned GMLRS a nickname: “the 70 km sniper”. But the standard M270 MRLS need more protection for the use in Afghanistan, and against de bomb killer. The new modification project of Bar armour and applique armor now surround the cab, to provide protection against small arms fire and even odds against RPGs. Wire cutters have been added. Some mine protection was added under the vehicle, and energy-absorbing seats minimize the shock transmitted from an underbody blast into the backs of the 3-man crew. A machine gun is mounted on top, supported by 3 thermal imaging cameras with driver and vehicle commander screens for night-time operation and better awareness of nearby threats.
13 October 2008

Military parade in the center of Madrid during the holiday known as Dia de la Hispanidad or Spain's National Day, in Madrid, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008.
See full pictures gallery, Spanish Military Parade National Day 2008.
12 October 2008

Russian President Dimitry Medvedev observed on Sunday the test launch of a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia.Medvedev announced that the Topol missile had successfully hit the target at the Kura test range in the Russian Far East at 11:50 a.m. Moscow time (7:50 GMT). Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) approximately the same size and shape as the U.S. Minuteman ICBM. The first Topol missiles became operational in 1985. Although the service life of the SS-25 was extended to 21 years after a series of successful test launches last year, the missile will be progressively retired over the next decade and be replaced by a mobile version of the Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle B) missile.
12 October 2008

The Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation (NDLO) announced that it has signed a new contract with IVECO for further 47 new light armoured vehicles. "We have procured 60 vehicles of this type so far. With another 47, we are strengthening our car inventory," said Project Manager Karl Johhny Thomassen. The first vehicle will soon be delivered to the NDLO for testing. As soon as NDLO has the results they need, the configuration will be locked and IVECO can start the second production line. The first vehicles are expected to be delivered by late 2009.
10 October 2008

Forecast International reports that an Aug 20/08 land mine attack that killed 3 Polish soldiers in their Hummer is causing the same kind of rethink that other advanced armies have been experiencing. In response, reports in the Polish press indicate that Poland is seeking an emergency buy of 40 MRAP vehicles, with deliveries to conclude before the end of 2008. The contenders are reported to be BAE OMC’s RG-31 Mk5E extended version, Force Protection’s Cougar, or KMW’s Dingo 2. This early buy is expected to be followed by a follow-on tender for 140 vehicles, using more standard tender procedures.
09 October 2008

The Velos system is the air defence backbone of the Hellenic Air Force. In 2006 Rheinmetall Defence subsidiary Oerlikon Contraves finalized a contract to overhaul and upgrade the system so as to assure logistical support for the system in future, to train troops with advanced technology and simulators, and – thanks to Ahead 35 mm ammunition – to provide the Greek military with a unique capability against small targets such as cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and high-speed anti-radiation missiles. The Velos fire unit consists of a Skyguard fire control system that controls two Oerlikon 35 mm guns as well as two missile launchers equipped with the medium range Sparrow missile. A long-range SUGI radar coordinates the systems, and a Link-11B has been introduced for full integration into the Greek air defence system.
09 October 2008

Rheinmetall Defence's Land Systems division, one of the world's leaders in the development and production of armoured recovery vehicles, was awarded a contract in July 2004 to supply the Greek Army with 12 armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs). The vehicles are based on a Leopard 2 tank chassis equipped with a crane, winches, dozer blade and recovery systems. By March 2007, the 12 ARVs had been delivered to the Greek military right on schedule. Following the required quantitative and qualitative checks and function tests, the ARVs have now been successfully integrated into the Greek Army, whose rigorous acceptance tests left no doubt as to the reliability and perfect construction of the vehicles. Initial reports indicate that the new ARVs are performing extremely well. In addition to the ARVs, Rheinmetall also supplied the Greek Army with the necessary special tools, measuring and testing equipment and technical documen­tation. During the delivery process, Rheinmetall's experienced team also supported the Greek Army staff with theoretical, operational and maintenance training.
09 October 2008

According to an announcement made by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready to place an order for ten Oplot main battle tanks (MBT), three Atlet Armoured Repair and Recovery Vehicles (ARRV) and 10 BTR-4 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC). This was announced by the Chief of General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Sergey Kirichenko during his visit to the State-owned Enterprise Kharkov Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau (KMDB).The upgraded Oplot MBT differs in many aspects from its previous version that was demonstrated during the parade in Kiev in 2001. According to some media reports, this tank is the most protected MBT in the world, as it is immune to all existing and newest-generation anti-tank projectiles. The pictures of the upgraded Oplot show some innovations into its traditional design, including a panoramic sight and remote-controlled anti-aircraft machine gun.
07 October 2008

The Russian strategic ballistic Troops will fire an intercontinental missile RS-12M Topol since the cosmodrome from Plessetsk during a military exercise with the staff headquarter of Omsk, from the 08 to the 12 October under the command of the general Nikolaï Solovtsov. Some of 3.000 men and 250 armoured fighting and special vehicles will be engaged with the operations, according to the official sta tement.
TheTopol is a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile designed in the Soviet Union and in service with Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces. It was assigned the NATO reporting name SS-25 Sickle.
06 October 2008

Russia and Greece are drafting an intergovernmental agreement and a contract for the supply of 420 BMP-3M infantry fighting vehicles, a spokesman for Russia's arms export monopoly, said on Monday. He also said that the BMP-3M will be showcased at the Defendory International 2008 arms show due to take place in Athens, Greece, from October 7-11.
06 October 2008

Attendees of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition will have the opportunity to see an impressive range of vehicle and engine products from Navistar Defense, LLC.
The company is displaying its all-new MaxxProTM Dash, a durable MaxxForceTM engine for defense applications and the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)—a joint project between Navistar and BAE Systems.
06 October 2008

The Russian defence company Rosoboronexport present at Defendory 2008, the defence exhibition to Athens, in Greece, the latest prototype of the armoured infantry fighting vehicle BMP-3M, say Nikolaï Dimidiouk export marketing director of Rosoboronexport. This is the highlight of this exhibition, the vehicle is already in Greece.
Russia will also present air-defence vehicle Tor, and new generation of Buk, who can fire on four targets at the same time.
Russia will be there also with main battle tanks and artillery weapons. The navy forces will be presented with submarine project 636 and hovercraft boats, say the head management of Rosoboronexport.
02 October 2008

Russia will deliver an additional 18 Smerch multiple rocket launch systems to India, the state-run arms exporter said on Wednesday."This agreement was reached during the Russian defense minister's recent visit to Delhi," Nikolai Dimidyuk of Rosoboronexport said. The Smerch MRLS can effectively engage any type of target within a range of 20 to 90 kilometers, and is operated by a crew of three servicemen. Russia is soon to start delivering 38 Smerch-M 9À52-2 MRLSs to India under a $450 million contract signed two years ago. In August, Rosoboronexport signed a $300 million contract for the delivery of additional Smerch systems.
01 October 2008