tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13641055682978287972024-03-19T12:24:26.186+03:00Global Army ReviewAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.comBlogger940125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-61844019818565560582013-03-11T19:17:00.002+03:002013-03-11T19:17:53.476+03:00Lockheed Martin team delivers upgraded P-3 Orion to U.S. Customs and Border Protection<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>.</b> Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) engineers have delivered to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) a P-3 Orion with new Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) modifications.The P-3 MLU replaces all fatigue life-limiting structure with
enhanced-design components and includes a new metal alloy that is five
times more corrosion resistant than the original material, reducing the
cost of ownership for P-3 operators. The upgrade removes current
aircraft flight restrictions and extends the structural service life of
the P-3 to up to 15,000 hours, adding more than 20 years of operational
use.<br />
"This delivery continues to underscore our unique modification,
maintenance, repair, and overhaul capability," says Ray Burick, Lockheed
Martin vice president for Modification, Maintenance, Repair, and
Overhaul (MMRO) Greenville Site and Field Team Operations.<br />
This delivery marks the seventh CBP P-3 that the Lockheed Martin team
has delivered ahead of or on schedule from its facility in Greenville,
S.C., since July 2010. In 2012, CBP P-3s flew more than 6,500 flight
hours resulting in the seizure of more than 117,000 pounds of narcotics
valued at $8.7 billion.<br />
The P-3 Orion, the standard for maritime patrol and reconnaissance,
is used for homeland security, hurricane reconnaissance, anti-piracy
operations, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, intelligence
gathering, antisubmarine warfare, and, recently, to assist in air
traffic control and natural disaster relief support.<br />
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Lockheed Martin MMRO provides full-service modification, maintenance,
repair, and overhaul, and world-class engineering reach-back, ensuring
the highest quality standards while reducing aircraft downtime.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-30822700904653754542013-03-11T19:13:00.002+03:002013-03-11T19:13:50.066+03:00Embraer, Sierra Nevada defend Super Tucano’s second LAS victory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAEC982_MaYiy9A0UQdPsg0qEUmxxExPUgBw1WYrVHcQLy3J7TUBdwdMh_6JmpnlUQzsrot1gJnStlCgMec_4n16dQ2qcj2xITy__aLDqQYtvbVSionJeS_T5ankVAAVhv8plefxRzf4/s1600/A-29_Super_Tucano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAEC982_MaYiy9A0UQdPsg0qEUmxxExPUgBw1WYrVHcQLy3J7TUBdwdMh_6JmpnlUQzsrot1gJnStlCgMec_4n16dQ2qcj2xITy__aLDqQYtvbVSionJeS_T5ankVAAVhv8plefxRzf4/s320/A-29_Super_Tucano.jpg" width="320" /></a>Embraer and Sierra Nevada Corp (SNC) have defended the selection of the A-29 Super Tucano for a US Air Force contract to supply light attack aircraft to Afghanistan.<br />
"In
evaluating the competitors, the US Air Force looked at three criteria,
in priority order: mission capability, past performance and pricing in
order to determine overall best value," the two companies said in a
joint statement. "The A-29 received an exceptional rating on technical
capability and low-risk in all other categories."<br />
The statement
follows a protest to the US General Accounting Office filed by
Beechcraft, which had proposed the AT-6 Texan II for the $427 million
requirement for 20 aircraft. Beechcraft claims there were errors in the
acquisition process, although it has yet to provide details.<br />
This is the second time the Super Tucano has won the competition. After it won in 2012, however, the deal was annulled after the USAF discovered irregularities in the acquisition process. <br />
The Embraer/Sierra Nevada
statement had this to say about the competition: "In announcing the
award, the air force stated 'this award is the result of a full and open
competition' and Lt Gen CR Davis, military deputy for acquisition in
Air Force headquarters, said: 'I am confident that the source selection
process was disciplined and meticulous'.<br />
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"Even Beechcraft's CEO commented on the care and professionalism of the USAF's
selection process. In fact, this was a completely new evaluation
process, conducted by a new team and overseen by a three-star general."<br />
Embraer and its partner say the deal will support over 1,400 jobs in the USA, with the aircraft to be produced in Jacksonville, Florida. <br />
"The A-29 Super Tucano
is the right choice for the mission, the warfighter, the US taxpayer,
the American workers and our partner nations," add Embraer and SNC.
"Given the strength of our proposal and the thoroughness of the US Air
Force's evaluation process, it is unfortunate that Beechcraft is now
protesting the light air support [LAS] contract award once again."<br />
The statement concluded by saying that SNC and Embraer are "moving forward and preparing to begin operations in Jacksonville".<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-37188386404999867822013-02-26T19:37:00.002+03:002013-02-26T19:37:31.753+03:00Military draft registration could end--or expand to women <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On one side of the Hill, there's a quiet effort underway in Congress to abolish the Selective Service System, more commonly known as military draft registration.<br />
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Down the hall, in the Senate, other lawmakers are pushing instead to expand the draft registration now that the Pentagon has opened combat positions up to women.<br />
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Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Mike Coffman, R-Colo., are spearheading an effort in the House of Representatives to see the registration abolished, calling it a waste of money considering the success of the all-volunteer force.<br />
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"There is no one who wants this except 'chicken hawk' members of Congress," DeFazio said, referring to his colleagues who push for military action without having served themselves, who he accuses of being afraid to look weak on national security by supporting closing the agency.<br />
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The Selective Service costs $24 million a year, maintaining a database of 17 million potential draftees--all male--in the event the draft were to be reinstated.<br />
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Conscription was officially ended in 1973, but all young men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register.<br />
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Selective Service director Lawrence Romo, while calling the agency an "inexpensive insurance policy," said it's "the true backup for the true emergency."<br />
<br />
He'll likely find agreement from lawmakers on the other side of the Capitol building, including Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.<br />
<br />
Levin, who said he supports the expansion of the draft registration to include women, has the support of groups such as the Service Women's Action Network, who consider a women's exemption a sign of lingering inequality in the military.<br />
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“SWAN advocates for the inclusion of women into Selective Service,” said Anu Bhagwati, executive director of SWAN and a former Marine Corps captain, to NBC News. “Lifting the ban on women officially serving in combat is about giving qualified women the opportunity to serve and making our military stronger, and that would include having women register for Selective Service."<br />
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In making his announcement to lift the prohibition on women in combat roles, outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta warned the Selective Service to prepare for the possible increase in workload, should policymakers begin to include women in the draft registration.<br />
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The deadline for military departments to provide implementation plans is May 15.<br />
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Read more: http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/02/25/Military-draft-registration-could-end-or-expand-to-women/1101361825861/#ixzz2M1Xp0qSb<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-88934451248378206562013-02-26T19:36:00.002+03:002013-02-26T19:36:26.503+03:00Ukraine, Russia military mull joint housing construction in Crimea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Ukrainian and Russian Defense Ministries are studying joint housing construction in Crimea for military men of the two countries, Ukrainian Defense Minister Pavlo Lebedev has said.<br />
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"The social issue of joint participation in housing construction for Ukrainian and Russian military men, first of all, on the territory of military housing areas, which military men left, was discussed," he said at a briefing at the Desna military training center in Chernihiv region, commenting on the results of his meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu.<br />
<br />
The minister said that there are many vacant military housing areas in Crime and Sevastopol, and he said that houses should be built there.<br />
<br />
Lebedev added that this could be done via the attraction of private investment, creation of jobs and provide military men with apartments.<br />
<br />
The minister said that Ukraine has raised the issue of pensions for military men.<br />
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"Ukraine has raised the issue that if Russian military men who were transferred to the reserve and have the desire to live in Ukraine, thyme have a chance to receive pensions on the territory of Ukraine," he said.<br />
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Lebedev noted that the issue is a procedural one and Russia has similar agreements with Germany, Israel and other countries.<br />
<br />
"For Ukraine this is a chance to attract funds to Ukraine. The money will be left in the country and will develop infrastructure and other projects in Ukraine. The main thing is that people will live comfortly and they will not have to go to Russia once in three months<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-49771269376222154252013-02-26T19:35:00.003+03:002013-02-26T19:35:28.159+03:00United Arab Emirates set to buy US Predator drones <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The United Arab Emirates is close to purchasing Predator drones from a San Diego County defense contractor, sparking concern among arms control advocates.<br />
<br />
Under the proposed sale, revealed this week at a defense conference in Abu Dhabi and confirmed Friday, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. of Poway, Calif., will sell an undisclosed number of the robotic aircraft to the UAE armed forces for $197 million.<br />
<br />
The agreement would mark the first time a non-NATO country has obtained the American-made technology, which has reshaped modern warfare. The deal has drawn scrutiny from critics who worry about the technology falling into terrorists' hands or being used by governments against their own citizens.<br />
<br />
The UAE, notably the city-state of Dubai, has been a crossroads for banking, finance and technology as the nation emerged as an economic hub for the Arab world. It has only recently begun to tighten regulations to limit money laundering and other shady financial endeavors that attracted Islamic militants, drug smugglers and other traffickers.<br />
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Over the last year, UAE security officials - which have drawn criticism for their surveillance tactics - have also cracked down on internal dissent after the political upheavals of the "Arab Spring."<br />
<br />
The sale would still need the approval of Congress, and there are federal restrictions on selling large drones. But General Atomics, which builds the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper hunter-killer drones used by the U.S. Air Force and CIA, has designed a new unarmed version of the Predator that would qualify for export.<br />
<br />
The remotely piloted aircraft, called the Predator XP, could be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, but will not be outfitted for weapons capability. The company did not say whether any cameras and sensor packages would be included.<br />
<br />
But the drone has the same physical dimensions, altitude, speed and flight endurance - up to 35 hours - as the original unarmed version of the Predator drone first flown by the Air Force in 1995.<br />
<br />
General Atomics redesigned the Predator - XP stands for "export" - with the sole purpose of selling it to a broader customer base, including countries in the Middle East and North Africa.<br />
<br />
The company said it had received an export license from the State Department to share technical information about the drone, but finalization of a deal is subject to other regulatory approval. Neither the State Department nor Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would comment on the proposed sale.<br />
<br />
General Atomics said a number of other regional governments had also expressed interest in the Predator XP.<br />
<br />
Frank Pace, president of the company's aircraft systems group, said General Atomics looks forward to providing "affordable, reliable and cost-effective multi-mission capabilities to the UAE armed forces for years to come."<br />
<br />
Though the company said the Predator XP cannot be weaponized, there are concerns about turning over drone technology and it someday being replicated as a missile-carrying system. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association and a longtime critic of weapons exports, worries about the effect such a sale could have on U.S. foreign policy.<br />
<br />
"This deal has potentially far-reaching implications for how the country will handle drone exports in the years to come," he said. "Congress needs to discuss and explore the long-term risks to the country and our allies in the region with the potential of the proliferation of this technology. Commercial profits cannot compromise national security."<br />
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The UAE, which has also developed its own drone, has been working to counter Iran's influence in the Persian Gulf region, especially in neighboring Bahrain, where Shiite Muslim unrest has driven two years of protests and civil strife.<br />
<br />
"The government has carried out a repressive campaign that has targeted Islamists, liberals, activists and scholars alike," said a Human Rights Watch report released last month. "The campaign has systematically violated UAE citizens' rights to free expression ... and employed tactics that directly contravene the international prohibition on arbitrary detention and forced disappearance."<br />
<br />
Given the lack of public information about the U.S. government's own drone program, it seems perilous to sell drones overseas, even if they are unarmed, said Naureen Shah, associate director of the Counterterrorism and Human Rights Project at Columbia Law School.<br />
<br />
"The U.S. has set a dangerous precedent with its use of drones as it now sees the world as a global battlefield," she said. "Are other countries also going to claim that vast authority with this technology? I guess we'll have to see."<br />
<br />
To reach the deal with the UAE, General Atomics signed an agreement with an Abu Dhabi business partner, International Golden Group, nearly two years ago.<br />
<br />
Similarly, Boeing Co. announced an agreement Monday with Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments Co. for the two firms to address the growing Middle East market for unmanned systems.<br />
<br />
For years, U.S. drone makers have been eager to tap the growing foreign appetite for high-tech - and relatively cheap - unmanned aircraft, but they have been shut out by export regulations.<br />
<br />
The U.S. already sells fighter jets, bunker-busting bombs and high-powered ship-mounted guns to a wide variety of countries. But drone sales have been largely prohibited since a 1987 international agreement reached by a group called the Missile Technology Control Regime. The group, which initially consisted of the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain, now includes 34 countries.<br />
<br />
There have been a few exceptions made for sales over the years, but the agreement put restrictions on the export of any larger unmanned aircraft - blimps, helicopters, jets - that can carry 1,102 pounds for more than 186 miles at a time. Unarmed drones smaller than these are allowed to be sold.<br />
<br />
The primary focus of the agreement was to control the spread of ballistic missiles and other weapons capable of mass destruction during the Cold War.<br />
<br />
Defense companies have repeatedly said the restrictions are outdated and may cause the U.S. to lose potential customers to nations eager to elbow their way into the market. Israel makes and sells drones to several countries, including Azerbaijan, India and Ecuador. China has more than a dozen drones in development.<br />
<br />
In its latest assessment of the industry, aerospace research firm Teal Group Corp. estimated that worldwide drone spending would almost double over the next decade, to $11.4 billion in 2022.<br />
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Anticipating the trend, the Congressional Research Service warned in a report last year that foreign competitors were getting a jump on U.S. firms.<br />
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"Much new business is likely to be generated in the market, and if U.S. companies fail to capture this market share, European, Russian, Israeli, Chinese or South African companies will," the agency said. "As part of its defense and foreign policy oversight, Congress may examine whether a balance must be struck between supporting legitimate U.S. exports and curbing the spread of (drone) technologies to dangerous groups or countries.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-39931366939038272992013-02-14T20:21:00.003+03:002013-02-14T20:21:36.007+03:00450 British UAVs Have Been Lost Or Crashed In Afghanistan And Iraq<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Guardian newspaper is reporting That Almost 450 drones operated by the British military Have crashed, broken down or lost in action beens falling on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last five years. The newspaper bases That on statistics released under Freedom of Information law.<br />
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More from the Guardian:<br />
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The Ministry of Defence disclosed for the first HAS the five time Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems used in the conflicts and the number perished That Have due to pilot error, technical faults or the undesirability of retrieving em from hostile areas.<br />
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The figures show the military HAS Reaper drone lost one since 2007 - it is the only UAV Hellfire missiles That Carries as well as monitoring and intelligence-gathering equipment. The drone, Which HAS beens not replaced, cost £ 10m.<br />
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There Have Been nine broad Losses of another UAV, the Hermes 450 . Eight of the £ 1m aircraft Were lost in Afghanistan and another in Iraq. The fleet monitoring HAS halved in size Because of the incidents.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The UAV is to suffer the MOST Desert Hawk 3 , a small hand-held UAV used by the army: 412 Have beens crashed or lost in the last five years. British Forces Have been using other mini-UAVs, the Black Hornet, and the Tarantula Hawk in Afghanistan, 25 of Them Have perished falling on operations. The Black Hornet is the latest piece of UAV equipment to be Deployed in the conflict. A mini helicopter, it is equipped with a camera and video Which Gives troops still images.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-69063818620150184352013-02-14T20:20:00.001+03:002013-02-14T20:20:13.709+03:00The Patrouille Suisse will disappear from the aerial landscape from 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Defence Minister Ueli Maurer expects to be without the services of the famous Patrouille Suisse in 2016. Formation aerobatic flight of Air Force enthusiasm for decades spectators in Switzerland and abroad.<br />
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The F-5E Tiger aircraft in the colors red-white air should disappear from the landscape, Maurer revealed through a committee meeting of the security policy of the National Council (SPC) on the Gripen aircraft. The Chair of the Committee Chantal Galladé (PS / ZH) confirmed this to the ats information published in the "Basler Zeitung" on Wednesday.<br />
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Ms. Galladé discussed the possibility of hiring older models Gripen in 2016 to ensure the transition between the F-5E Tiger and new Gripen aircraft. Mr. Maurer has not ruled out in the future to make occasional demonstrations of aerobatic flying with other devices. These would relate nonetheless more national colors.<br />
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Big popularity<br />
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Founded August 22, 1964 on the occasion of the National Exhibition and in anticipation of the fiftieth anniversary of the Swiss Air Force, the Patrouille Suisse is comprised of the best professional riders in the country, we learn on the official website of the Air Force Swiss. Quickly appreciated by the general public, it makes its first demonstration abroad in France in 1978.<br />
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It was not until 1991 and the celebrations of 700 years of Confederation to see the wings of planes of color red and white, to the delight of the spectators. Another significant change came a few years later with the replacement aircraft for the benefit of Hunter F-5E Tiger, faster and more flexible to use.<br />
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Dramatic effects<br />
<br />
The Patrouille Suisse team in 1996 six jets of an installation for blowing smoke, making his "shows" even more attractive.<br />
<br />
Based in Emmen (LU), the formation aerobatic control a total of 20 responding figures among others the names of "milking chair" or "fondue fork."<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-35999870509867092662013-02-14T20:18:00.002+03:002013-02-14T20:18:23.065+03:00Lockheed continues to upgrade Apache<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two contracts to produce continuous upgrading Apache U.S. Army helicopters Have Been Given to Lockheed Martin.<br />
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The awards - for upgrading of the attack helicopter's Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight / Pilot Night Vision Sensor - are worth $ 161.7 million and Ensure That Production at the company's Missiles and Fire Control's facilities in Florida will continue into 2016.<br />
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Work under the new contracts will include generation of 482 Modernized Day Sensor Assembly Modernized Laser Rangefinder Designator kits and spares.<br />
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"These two producing batches Represent our continued confidence in Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control to Provide a high-performing, high-quality, reliable LRFD for the AH-64D / E," Said Lt. Col. Steve Van Riper, U.S. Army Apache Sensors product manager of. "We look forward to our first delivery and fielding of this capability Subsequent."<br />
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"M-DSA LRFD M-kits Ongoing Reduce obsolescence while Significantly Increasing system performance," added Matt Hoffman, director of programs at M-TADS/PNVS Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "These contracts Demonstrate the customer's commitment to our soldiers Have Ensuring superior capabilities As They carry out Their missions."<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-67546151319092469302013-02-14T20:10:00.000+03:002013-02-14T20:10:25.822+03:00The French navy team guns multitubes Dillon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Finally, modern light artillery! The Navy has acquired the U.S. company Dillon Aero M134 machine guns multitubes. This system has six carriages coupled 7.62mm capable of firing 3000 rounds per minute. Although not remotely operated and therefore require a servant, we imagine that the arrival of Dillon M134 is highly appreciated by the French sailors were forced to settle far for the defense at very short range, old "sprayers" type AN F1 from the 60s ...<br />
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Proven in many armed forces on land, sea and air (including the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy), the American system, more powerful and accurate, significantly strengthens the self-protection of buildings, especially against asymmetric threats, such as attacks speedboats. The first units are equipped French frigate La Fayette type (two per building Dillon), for which the system could be very useful during their deployments off the coast of Somalia in the fight against piracy. The use of Dillon could then expand to other platforms, such as projection and command, where the Navy wants to strengthen self-protection.<br />
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In general, the establishment of a modern light artillery remains a real need for the units of the Navy, who accuse the material lags behind other large fleets. Weakness also palpable in the field of tele-operated guns under 30mm, the first materials of this type to make their appearance with the multi-mission frigate Normandy, which will carry two 20mm cannons Narwhal and will be delivered in 2014 .<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-76246590510676415972013-02-05T13:03:00.002+03:002013-02-05T13:03:44.203+03:00Northrop showing ISR capabilities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQglm3OcOhRMqUaN38yVlwm-dMu4tYQ0-6EGnK7mqx3CTeVb2hnpIbpiLTSrXCTRk4cnzz3d6eh28ck64shUI_u7h5Tkr2yV_lqS3Boc9UABWAsxeqS8-Ky2HAvKJ5G6BxWFrBSTKY7Vg/s1600/E-2D-Advanced-Hawkeye-AEW-aircraft-source-ASDNews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQglm3OcOhRMqUaN38yVlwm-dMu4tYQ0-6EGnK7mqx3CTeVb2hnpIbpiLTSrXCTRk4cnzz3d6eh28ck64shUI_u7h5Tkr2yV_lqS3Boc9UABWAsxeqS8-Ky2HAvKJ5G6BxWFrBSTKY7Vg/s1600/E-2D-Advanced-Hawkeye-AEW-aircraft-source-ASDNews.jpg" /></a>Northrop Grumman says it's showcasing a full range of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance products this week in India.<br />
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The venue is the Aero India 2013 exhibition and air show in Bengaluru The program is organized by the Organization and Defense Exhibition begins Wednesday.<br />
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"ISR capability is critical to effective homeland security and our leadership in multiple-domain ISR Strongly positions Northrop Grumman to help create solutions for India's defense modernization," Said Mary Petryszyn, vice president, International, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "We are excited to offer our core capabilities to Advancing Indian naval, military and homeland security Priorities."<br />
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A major capability on show will be the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning system designed newly That couples Electronically Scanned radar with a matching suite of sensors, avionics, processors, software and displays.<br />
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Northrop Said the backbone of the aircraft is the more flexible AN/APY-9 radar for target detection and tracking. The system will be Demonstrated at the show by an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye crew workstation and flyable cockpit simulator.<br />
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Also on display will be the MQ-4C unmanned aircraft Triton and the lighter-than-air Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle. Triton is a maritime version of the Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system. It can fly 24-hour missions, at altitudes of as much as 10 miles and can be used in conjunction with the P-8 Poseidon, Which has-been Purchased by the Indian Navy.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-35636730637021223912013-02-05T13:01:00.002+03:002013-02-05T13:01:25.563+03:00Draws more partners Embraer KC-390 jet to<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Brazilian manufacturer Embraer Defense has added more international partners to icts marketing program for KC-390, Said to be a cheaper alternative to Lockheed Martin's C-130J.<br />
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The C-130J tactical updates the Internationally renowned transportation workhorse C-130 Hercules, the four-engine turboprop military transportation aircraft That was designed and built by Originally Lockheed precursor to Lockheed Martin.<br />
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The fast-aging C-130, modified in more than 40 versions since it first flew in the 1950s, is still used by more than 60 nations worldwide goal the tactical air transport market HAS expanded with the entry of rivals. The Hercules family still claims the longest continuous run of Production Any military aircraft in history.<br />
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Embraer says it can Compete against rivals MOST Including Lockheed Martin's C-130J. The Brazilian planemaker has-been recruiting international partners as share of a strategy to boost the competitive edge icts contender for KC-390.<br />
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The old C-130 beat off competition from Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Soviet / Russian Tupolev Tu-95 and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Lockheed Martin's updated C-130J Super Hercules can perform in-flight refueling, air-to-refueling and tanking. Embraer says it hopes to give icts KC-390 All Those features plus more.<br />
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Embraer says icts aircraft will command a lift of 23 tons against 20 tons for MOST Competitors, Which include the larger Airbus A400M, Russia's AN-12, Chinese prototype Yun-8/9 and smaller aircraft That Represent indirect competition.<br />
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Embraer is icts Extending efforts and markets by crafting a jet-powered transportation medium with a cargo capacity of around 23 tons, that 'can be refueled in the air, and can Provide refueling services to other aircraft by dedicated Adding pods, the Defense Industry Daily Said icts on website.<br />
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"The KC-390 HAS now Become a multinational effort, and may be shaping up as the C-130 's most wonderful future competitor," Defense Industry Daily said.<br />
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"A potential tie-up with Boeing just underscored the seriousness of Embraer's effort."<br />
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The Boeing Co. and Embraer Announced in June last year year agreement to Collaborate on the KC-390 aircraft program.<br />
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The two companies Agreed to share technical knowledge and specific markets Evaluate Where they may join Their sales efforts for medium-lift military transportation opportunities.<br />
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Boeing says it can bring to Embraer icts experience in military transportation and air refueling aircraft, as well as knowledge of potential markets for the KC-390.<br />
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Luiz Carlos Aguiar, president and chief executive officer of Embraer Defesa e Seguranca, says the agreement will Strengthen the "KC-390's prominent position in the global military transportation market."<br />
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Embraer says global demand for tactical transportation aircraft That can replace the C-130 planes and other transportation Exceeds 700 aircraft.<br />
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In 2011 Embraer signed a contract with DRS Defense Solutions for designing, Developing, Producing and testing the KC-390 cargo handling and aerial delivery system. The work will be Performed by DRS Training and Control Systems in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.<br />
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Some of the structural carrier's flat share will come from Portuguese companies Effective year agreement signed by Embraer and OGMA, or Industria Aeronautica de Portugal, and Empresa de Engenharia Aeronautica.<br />
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A declaration of intent entre le Brazilian and Portuguese Ministries of defense, signed in September 2010, the contract Preceded, Which emphasizes Portugal's commitment to purchasing KC-390 airplanes.<br />
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The Brazilian company AEL Sistemas, based in Porto Alegre, is another partner Supplying components for the KC-390.<br />
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"The KC-390 is designed to operate Being all over the world, in different scenarios, with the same outstanding performance," Eduardo Bonini Santos Embraer's Pinto said.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-63148210808606633802013-02-03T20:17:00.000+03:002013-02-03T20:17:58.862+03:00Vice President Biden: US Ready For Direct Nuclear Iran Negotiations <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The United States is ready for direct talks with Iran if it is serious about negotiations, Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday, backing bilateral contact many see as crucial to easing a dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.<br />
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Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Biden said Iran - which says it is enriching uranium for peaceful energy only - now faced "the most robust sanctions in history" meant to ensure it does not develop nuclear weapons.<br />
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"But we have also made clear that Iran's leaders need not sentence their people to economic deprivation and international isolation," Biden said. "There is still time, there is still space for diplomacy backed by pressure to succeed. The ball is in the government of Iran's court."<br />
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To date, fitful talks on Iran's nuclear program have been between Tehran and the EU's top diplomat representing six world powers including Washington. But analysts have suggested that with his re-election behind him, President Barack Obama might have more leeway to take on direct negotiations with Iran.<br />
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That makes the year ahead critical for chances of overcoming a stand-off which, if left to fester further, could see Iran approach nuclear weapons capability, possibly provoking military action by Israel that could inflame the Middle East.<br />
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Progress on Iran would also help ease regional tensions as the United States prepares to pull most combat troops out of Iran's neighbor Afghanistan by the end of 2014.<br />
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Asked whether Washington might consider direct talks with Iran to smooth the process, Biden said, "When the Iranian leadership, Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei), is serious.<br />
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"We have made it clear at the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally with the Iranian leadership, we would not make it a secret that we were doing that, we would let our partners know if that occasion presented itself.<br />
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"That offer stands, but it must be real and tangible and there has to be an agenda that they are prepared to speak to. We are not just prepared to do it for the exercise."<br />
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Negotiations with Iran have so far been overseen by European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on behalf of France, Britain, Germany, China, Russia and the United States. But they have made scant headway, raising fears Iran is simply playing for time while it develops nuclear know-how.<br />
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Ashton has asked Iran to hold a round of talks this month and on Friday called on Tehran to abandon plans to install and operate advanced centrifuges that would speed up its ability to enrich uranium - potentially making it easier for it to produce the highly-enriched uranium needed for nuclear weapons.<br />
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Many believe no deal is possible without a U.S.-Iranian thaw, requiring direct talks addressing myriad sources of mutual mistrust and hostility lingering since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and the hostage crisis at the U.S. embassy in Tehran.<br />
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Iran has avoided direct, public talks with the United States, though some suggest Tehran would eventually welcome an opportunity to end its international isolation.<br />
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Speaking at a news conference in Munich, Republican Senator John McCain said he would have no objection to direct talks but questioned how much these would achieve if fundamental questions over Iran's nuclear program remained unresolved.<br />
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"I don't know when we will have direct talks between the United States and Iran. That is a subject for the president of the United States. I don't think anyone here objects to that," he said. But he added, "to have grounds for optimism, I think, would be a mistake."<br />
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"DECISIVE YEAR ON IRAN"<br />
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With Iran holding its own presidential elections in June, hopes of progress before then are limited.<br />
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The United States and its allies, however, do not have an indefinite amount of time to negotiate. Notwithstanding the current stalemate, Iran's nuclear program is advancing and international consensus on sanctions may be hard to maintain.<br />
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Israel, which describes the prospect of Iran being able to weaponize enriched uranium as an existential threat, has made clear it would be ready to bomb the nuclear sites of its arch-enemy to prevent that outcome. The United States has also said it would not rule out the use of military force.<br />
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Speaking at the Munich conference, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that "2013 is the decisive year on Iran, especially for political reasons.<br />
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"We had elections in the United States and Israel, we will have elections in June in Iran; we see increasing capabilities especially with the issue of enrichment - let us be very frank, we did not have progress in the last 12 months, so it is obvious that we have to use this year.."<br />
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Russia, which has been impatient with decades of U.S. hostility to Tehran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution but backed U.N. Security Council sanctions since 2006, repeated on Saturday the need to find a diplomatic solution.<br />
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"Iran must know the overall game plan, it must see what is in it for it in this process. We need to convince Iran that this is not about regime change ... this mistrust must be overcome," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the conference.<br />
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That comment was echoed by Westerwelle.<br />
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"If we want to reach this goal, it would be wrong to discuss all these military options and possibilities. It is now important to focus our whole attention, all our effort for a diplomatic and political solution."<br />
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This would have to include a relief from sanctions as well as recognition of Iran's right to enrich uranium to the lower levels needed for civilian nuclear fuel, security analysts say.<br />
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Iran made no immediate comment on the possibility of direct talks with the United States, but its foreign minister was due to address the annual Munich Security Conference on Sunday.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-80943520478881058702013-02-02T12:04:00.002+03:002013-02-02T12:04:26.903+03:00Thales opens Canadian center<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A defense and security center to develop and showcase Thales Canada's technology for the country's military has been inaugurated in the province of Ontario.<br />
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The center is in Queen's University's Innovation Park in Kingston.<br />
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Thales said its initial focus will be on its continuing work for the Canadian army's Land Command Support System, including the design, development and support of the army's command-and-control system.<br />
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"The Innovation Park site will allow Thales to expand its support to educate; develop procedures, training packages, simulations and demos; and better plan user engagement activities at Canadian army sites," said Mark Halinaty, vice president and general manager of Thales Canada, Defense and Security.<br />
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"Expanding our presence and capabilities here, close to our customer at CFB Kingston, also allows us to build our relationships with Queen's University and the Royal Military College through access to highly qualified personnel and engagement in leading-edge research initiatives."<br />
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Thales Canada said it is involved with Queen's University researchers to improve command-and-control training by using "disruptive new software architectures and human-machine-interface technologies."<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-38003274602375635562013-02-02T11:02:00.000+03:002013-02-02T11:02:02.492+03:00Afghan air force must adapt post-ISAF, says Hammond<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ending the involvement of nations fighting Including the UK and the USA in Afghanistan's fight against the Taliban will require the nation to use the limited resources available to it, DESPITE issues currently facing two icts of key equipment areas.<br />
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"On air support, Including rotary, there is a Plan to Provide basic air capability to the Afghans through the Afghan air force," UK defense secretary Philip Hammond Told a House of Commons Defence Committee hearing on 23 January.<br />
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"It Would Be Goal nothing like the level of air capability que le ISAF [NATO-led International Security Assistance Force] forces, have. 'Em That will require to adapt Their method of operations to the level of available enablers That Are for Them."<br />
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Hammond gave evidence to the committee days after discussing Afghanistan's nascent defense capabilities falling on a January 19 meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in London.<br />
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Flightglobal's World Air Forces directory for 2013 lists Kabul's armed forces, as Having a combined 98 aircraft in active use at the end of 2012, with this total Including a combined 31 Alenia Aermacchi C-27A (G222) and Cessna 208 Caravan fixed-wing transport. Rotorcraft operated by the Afghan National Army Air Corps include 67 Bell UH-1H transport and Mil Mi-8/17-series more Mi-35 assault helicopters and trainers MD530.<br />
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Recent reports suggest the U.S. Air Force may terminate a deal to supporting Afghanistan's refurbished C-27AS from later this year, with Washington Believed to be Promoting the introduction of second-hand Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules to equip the Afghan National Security Forces INSTEAD.<br />
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The USAF HAS aussi slipped a decision to select a Planned fleet of 20 light air support aircraft for the Afghan air force by several months from January 2013. This leaves little prospect for Either the rival Hawker Beechcraft AT-6 or Sierra Nevada / Embraer A-29 Super Tucano to be limited in use even before fighting coalition forces, halt activities before the end of 2014.<br />
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Afghanistan's new generation of military pilots so far Have Participated in a non-combat role Largely in the country, flying Accompanied by other ISAF mission aircraft. Previously NATO HAS spoken of the nation's air force as Being ble to offer year operationally independent capability only Effective 2017.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-89623335951819434142013-02-02T11:01:00.001+03:002013-02-02T11:01:16.547+03:00Ultra Electronics Marine Systems Maintenance Work To Do On Victoria Class Submarines<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The government has Announced award contract to Ultra Electronics Marine Systems Inc., Of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for work on the NCR's submarines.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCk0EFokwSVK4PJUjuIY2oBlCEDFkzAFIEV-_Mt4DNwNvLTcUOruTph_LZ-gMZZA9ZfUkiB5cQy5wCCwd78dZk0sbiXjmHYUZPrZh9GXYdLD_8fEfScKx7wJMrkQtrtJQ9ULKZN7Gris/s1600/HMCS_Victoria_SSK-876-photo4-DND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCk0EFokwSVK4PJUjuIY2oBlCEDFkzAFIEV-_Mt4DNwNvLTcUOruTph_LZ-gMZZA9ZfUkiB5cQy5wCCwd78dZk0sbiXjmHYUZPrZh9GXYdLD_8fEfScKx7wJMrkQtrtJQ9ULKZN7Gris/s1600/HMCS_Victoria_SSK-876-photo4-DND.jpg" /></a></div>
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The $ 6.9 million contract covers maintenance work on the towed-array sonar on Canada's fleet of four Victoria-class submarines, selon the news release from DND. Carried out the work under this three-year contract.<br />
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Canada's submarine fleet will reach steady state in 2013, with the completion of the Extended Docking Work Period Ongoing for HMCS Chicoutimi, selon the release. Steady state means clustering Canada will Have three of the four submarines available for operations. One submarine will be taking icts turn in the rotation for extended service at all times.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-73648402303073465742013-02-02T10:58:00.000+03:002013-02-02T10:58:05.083+03:00Franco-British cooperation: a high-flying adventure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Franco-British cooperation continues on his way. Recently, two significant events have illustrated the strong links between the Air Force and the Royal Air Force (RAF).<br />
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February 1, 2013, General Denis Mercier, Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CEMAA) and its counterpart AirChief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, WOD co-signed (Of Objectives Directive - Directive annual performance) City of air and air base 117, Paris. This document, updated every year, nearly 80 joint projects between the two air forces.<br />
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Under the Franco-British agreements, two pilots, Captain Marc-Antoine Gérard and Flight Lieutenant Matt Johnstone are sharing on fighter aircraft Rafale and Typhoon last generation since September 2012.<br />
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On 17 January 2013, the Rafale C104, Flight Lieutenant Johnstone made his "drop" in the transformation Rafale squadron 2/92 "Aquitaine" air base 113 Saint-Dizier. On the descent of the aircraft, fighter pilot is thus expressed: "I have been very well received in the Air Force and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead. I hope to play an important role in Franco-British relations. I had the chance to make the first solo on my birthday and I can not wait to go back in flight<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-48818438095597304842013-01-29T06:55:00.000+03:002013-01-29T06:55:16.720+03:00Not Even the Pentagon Bomb Squad Knows How Fast Insurgent IEDs Degrade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Like all wars, the war in Afghanistan must someday end. But the end of its signature weapon may not arrive on the same schedule.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1B98vB-DDHbdw933q0tjtq7OzmfoaYySP1NRrr2O53jWs5uU7RAe9LNcF5i67sin8JL3lEy-BOBuIa76NYStVYr9x_i6Cs1sVlxwOxgjddl6abtEMxQ8KkUILLi0QI6bskS9z2aj1c7g/s1600/as.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1B98vB-DDHbdw933q0tjtq7OzmfoaYySP1NRrr2O53jWs5uU7RAe9LNcF5i67sin8JL3lEy-BOBuIa76NYStVYr9x_i6Cs1sVlxwOxgjddl6abtEMxQ8KkUILLi0QI6bskS9z2aj1c7g/s320/as.jpg" width="320" /></a>Insurgents’ homemade bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, look increasingly like a lasting fixture on the early-21st century battlefield. The Pentagon’s bomb squad warns that the cheap, easily fabricated family of explosives are spreading all around the world. But it doesn’t know how long the devices themselves last.<br />
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The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, JIEDDO, collects sheafs of data about the bombs. It knows what sorts of materials go into the bombs, where the materials come from, what countermeasures succeed at stopping the blasts (and which ones fail), and how many of them turn out to be duds. But to date, it hasn’t acquired any data about the lifespan of an improvised explosive device. “There are no historical records or analysis documenting how effective emplaced and undetonated IEDs may become over time,” David Small, JIEDDO’s spokesman, tells Danger Room.<br />
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That means the U.S. is largely blind to how long an explosive device nestled in an Afghan culvert will remain a threat to civilians even after the hypothetical day when insurgents close their bomb factories. (After all, those factories don’t stamp a date of manufacture on their deadly weapons.) The fact is IEDs are constructed to kill people with minimal technological sophistication. They’re not constructed to be durable. But the science associated with the materials used in the bombs indicates that they’re likely to remain lethal for a year or more after they’re assembled.<br />
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Start with the kind of bang used in the bomb. In Iraq, the devices were often artillery shells or other military-grade hardware daisy-chained together, resulting in a patient, long-lasting bomb. Same for those that used plastic explosives, explains Augustus Way Fountain III, the Army’s senior research scientist for chemistry. “As long as they’re encased and don’t have access to extreme heat,” Fountain says, the bombs are “very, very stable, [lasting] years.”<br />
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But those types of devices aren’t often seen in Afghanistan. There, the vast majority of bombs JIEDDO has discovered — some 97 percent — rely on homemade explosives for their explosive force. Sixty percent of that homemade explosive comes from ammonium nitrate derived from Pakistani fertilizer; much of the rest uses potassium chlorate. Ammonium nitrate will degrade based on environmental factors — most importantly, water in the air.<br />
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When humidity reaches 55 percent, ammonium nitrate will start absorbing moisture, starting a chemical degradation process. At 15 percent saturation, JIEDDO estimates, the ammonium nitrate probably won’t detonate; at 20 percent, it definitely won’t. “It just gets mushy, harder to work with,” says Jimmie Oxley, a professor of chemistry who focuses on explosives at the University of Rhode Island. (Potassium chlorate, not so much.)<br />
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Insurgents, however, have ways of mitigating that. Often the ammonium nitrate or potassium chlorate will be stored in plastic palm-oil jugs, which keeps the moisture out. In the jugs, “they’re pretty much impervious” to the elements, Fountain says. Even without them, the climate in which they’re produced tends not to break down the dangerous compounds. “In the dry, arid environment they’re manufactured in,” he continues, “they can last for a long time.”<br />
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Oxley notes that in lab conditions, ammonium nitrate is good for something like a decade. In the real world, “when you look at what [information] the suppliers of ammonium nitrate provide, they usually put a two-year shelf life on their products,” she says. Putting the explosive in plastic jugs, burying it in dry soil — all of that acts as a preservation agent for the bombs. “It’s safe to say they can last a year or two,” Oxley judges, and potassium chlorate-based bombs, which lack the same sensitivity to moisture, are probably good for longer.<br />
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At the same time, just because a bomb is capable of detonating doesn’t mean it will. And lots of things impact whether a bomb detonates (and degrades) besides the explosive used: its construction, its wiring, its detonation mechanisms. As befitting a bomb that costs, on average, $265 to construct, most improvised explosive devices fail. Between April 2011 and April 2012, they saw a 25 percent drop in effectiveness. And they get spotted: according to JIEDDO’s most recent data, U.S. troops encountered over 3,000 IEDs during the final three months of 2012, and safely cleared 69 percent of those they encountered in vehicles and 86 percent of those they encountered on foot.<br />
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At least some that failure rate can be attributed to the U.S.’ array of sensors and intelligence methods. But that’s about to drop off, as U.S. troops come home. Lt. Gen. James L. Terry, the day-to-day commander of the war, told Pentagon reporters on Wednesday he was concerned about Afghan troops’ relatively immature counter-IED technology.<br />
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But even if insurgent bombs grow more sophisticated, numerous and effective, they’re nothing like the danger from landmines. For one thing, the point of tiny military-grade landmines is to litter a swath of territory to deny it to an adversary. IEDs are usually placed along a road that an adversary travels, and not in great concentrations. For another, the casing and detonation devices of the mines are usually more reliable — and built to resist degradation. In 2011, according to the most recent report from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the mines killed or wounded 4,286 people in six countries in 2011.<br />
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“I’ve disassembled mines in the Falklands islands, a very harsh climate,” says Colin King, a former British Army bomb-disposal officer, “and the last ones I did were more than 30 years [older] than the event, and some of those were in perfect condition 30 years on. I’ve seen some in Cambodia and in Jordan, particularly in Cambodia where you’ve got a wet climate and poor quality mines, which were nonfunctional very, very quickly. But there are very few IEDs that are going to last for years.”<br />
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Science and experience indicates as much. But the data, alas, is lacking. “There are anecdotal reports of IEDs being emplaced underneath roads, paved over and then detonated a long time after, but this is neither reported frequently nor trending to warrant consistent tracking,” JIEDDO’s Small says. “The bottom line: There is no exact answer to degradation.”<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-34872602761012043852013-01-29T06:49:00.001+03:002013-01-29T06:49:38.598+03:00Russia Denies Selling China A New Fleet Of Deadly Bombers <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 14.53125px;">It looks like the news that China had just bought the entire Tu-22M3 Backfire bomber production line was unfounded.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 14.53125px;">According to the ITAR-TASS News Agency, the Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms export corporation denied any negotiations with China on the Backfire bombers.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 14.53125px;">Reports about the upcoming supply to China of Tu-22 strategic bombers is pure “newspaper’s duck”, Rosoboronexport spokesman Vyacheslav Davidenko said.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 14.53125px;">Usually, the Russian state intermediary agency for military import/export doesn’t comment news other than that published on official media outlets. However, they felt the need to deny the news of the Backfire sale since the aircraft is a strategic asset that, as such, can’t be sold to foreign countries.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 14.53125px;">As written in the first article on the topic, it was the third time in recent years that Chinese websites and Russian media outlet had given the news that Russia was about to sell China what needed to build 36 long-range swing wing attack planes to counter the U.S. Navy in the South China Sea.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 14.53125px;">Once again, it was just speculation.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 14.53125px;">Nevertheless, the U.S. Navy must remain vigilant: the Chinese already have their own strategic plane, the Xian H-6K, a license-built version of the Soviet Tu-16 Badger capable to carry up to six cruise missiles.</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-86856283203987434662013-01-29T06:48:00.000+03:002013-01-29T06:48:06.878+03:00In Speech, Japanese PM Points to Beefed-Up Military<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Japan faces a “diplomatic and security crisis,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Jan. 28, a day after his defense minister announced plans to strengthen the military amid a bitter dispute with China.<br />
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The proposal to raise the defense budget by 40 billion yen ($441 million), or about 0.8 percent in the year starting from April, sparked criticism from Beijing. The plan also calls for a small increase in personnel for the228,000-strong military, the first such rise in about 20 years.<br />
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Abe, in his first speech to parliament since taking office last month, spoke of “continuous provocations” faced by his country, “causing us to face a diplomatic and security crisis.”<br />
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“By taking full measures to develop, manage and safeguard remote islands near our borders, I declare now that, under this cabinet, we will firmly defend the lives and property of Japanese people as well as our territories, territorial waters and territorial air space,” he added.<br />
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Tokyo’s plans sparked criticism from Beijing amid the sovereignty dispute over an East China Sea island chain.<br />
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“Japan’s moves in the military and security field will always be a high concern for its Asian neighbors,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters in Beijing. “We hope the Japanese side can be committed to peaceful development, respect the concerns of the regional countries, take history as a mirror and do more for regional peace and stability.”<br />
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Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera announced the proposed spending rise Jan. 27. He also said the military would add nearly 300 personnel to help defend the disputed islands, which Tokyo calls the Senkakus but are known as the Diaoyus in China.<br />
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“With this budget, our existing aircraft can become fully activated. We will be able to build a stronger system” to monitor our territory, Onodera said.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-2101426870693533032013-01-29T06:45:00.002+03:002013-01-29T06:45:28.577+03:00China Unveils Military Plane That Boosts Global Reach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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China’s new heavy-lift transport aircraft and a successful missile interception test are key steps in expanding the strength and reach of China’s armed forces, analysts and state media said Jan. 28.<br />
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The Y-20, China’s biggest home-produced military transport jet to date, took to the skies for its maiden flight Jan. 26 in the northwest of the country, just months after Beijing’s first aircraft carrier entered service. Pictures showed the bulky green plane — an aircraft that will enable China to project military power across vast distances — soaring into a clear blue sky.<br />
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The state-run Global Times hailed the flight of the plane, numbered 20001, as a “significant milestone,” saying China needed the aircraft to “enhance its global power projection”.<br />
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The Y-20 will allow China’s military to end its dependence on the Russian-made Il-76, a mainstay of humanitarian and disaster relief around the world, the paper quoted a military expert as saying.<br />
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The Y-20 has a maximum payload of 66 tons, which it can carry as far as 4,400 kilometers (2,700 miles), the China Daily said, and with 55 tons onboard, it could fly from western China to Cairo. It is big enough to hold the heaviest tank used by China’s army, the paper added, quoting a military expert as saying that “the heavy air freighters will ensure that we are able to safeguard our interests overseas.”<br />
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“With them, we can transport our people or large equipment to farther destinations,” said Liang Fang, professor of strategy at the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) National Defense University.<br />
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The test flight was a “big step” for China’s air force, said Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of the Canadian-based Kanwa Defense Review, but Chang added that theY-20 was technologically inferior to other military transport planes.<br />
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True figures for the Y-20’s maximum load and flying range were likely to be lower than those cited in state media, he added, due to the plane’s reliance on a “very old” Russian-designed engine.<br />
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“(The engine’s) oil consumption is very bad; it wastes a lot of fuel,” he said, pointing out that because of noise, some developed countries have banned aircraft using it from landing, threatening its potential appearance at European air shows.<br />
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The Y-20 is likely to take at least another five years to enter operational service, he added, and its design appeared to incorporate features from the world’s most advanced military cargo plane, the U.S.-made Boeing C-17 Globemaster.<br />
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But Chang said that the C-17 was a “much better plane,” in part because it apparently uses a much higher proportion of lightweight composite materials, which China struggles to produce.<br />
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The U.S. Air Force says on its website that it has more than 200 C-17s in its inventory.<br />
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Also over the weekend, China announced a successful land-based missile interception test following an earlier one in 2010, the official news agency Xinhua reported.<br />
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“The test has reached the preset goal,” it quoted a defense ministry official as saying, without giving detailed information. “The test is defensive in nature and targets no other country.”<br />
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In a commentary Jan. 28 on the launch, Xinhua said the test, together with “a string of other military equipment progress,” including the aircraft carrier and the heavy-lift plane, demonstrate China’s “fast-growing ability to defend its own national security and deter any possible threats”.<br />
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But it added that the advances were purely defensive, denying any “ill-grounded ‘China threat theory’.”<br />
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China more than doubled its publicly declared military spending from 2006 to 2012, roughly in line with economic growth but rattling its neighbors inAsia. It insists its army expenditure is not aimed at any other country.<br />
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China is currently locked in a bitter dispute over the sovereignty of the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus, in the East China Sea.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-19993163055243346162013-01-29T06:23:00.003+03:002013-01-29T06:23:37.136+03:00Is China Next To Suffer A Debt Crisis?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ever since the sovereign debt crisis in Europe and the pending one in the United States, investors and financial pundits have been wondering whether the next big shoe to drop was in China. After all, it’s the world’s second largest economy after the U.S., and its government spends like a drunken sailor.</div>
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While the chances of a full blow China debt crisis are low, the risk is real, warns Barclays Capital in a 31 page report released Monday.</div>
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China is a closed system. The debt remains in the hands of the public. Foreign entities pose no real threat to it,unlike in other countries where foreign investors could sell out of debt or short it, causing large spikes in yields and making interest payments less affordable. Think Greece and Spain for example. China is at no one’s mercy, except its own.</div>
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The real result of China’s overspend is a <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Japanification</em> of its economy in the long-run. For the country itself, it might not be such a terrible thing. Japan is modern. It is home to some of the biggest brands in the world. Society is stable and middle class. China is not yet any of those things. And while comparing China to Japan is like comparing Brazilian soccer players to Argentinians, the debt of the Chinese government and its state-owned banks is growing and that points to a slowdown in the China growth story.</div>
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That slow down is not five years away. It is now. One of the reasons why China is not going to grow double digits is because Beijing knows it has to cool it on its fixed asset investment plans, many of which have been wasteful.</div>
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The good news is that most of that investment has not been wasteful. And so it would appear, by Barclays’ own analysis from their staff in Hong Kong, that stagnation is more likely the outcome than a European style debt crunch in a worst case scenario.</div>
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There are several factors supporting the case for a low probability of fiscal stress in China, Barclays Capital analysts led by Yiping Huang wrote in the report.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: navy; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Neither Broke, Nor Breaking</strong></span></div>
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Despite its high level of total government liabilities $23-46 trillion yuan – the government’s balance sheet remains healthy. China’s debt-to-GDP ratio is around 65 percent compared to over 100 percent for the U.S. and more than 200 percent for Japan, including all public debt and contingent liabilities.</div>
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The latest available Ministry of Finance data showed that in 2009, assets of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) totaled $53.3 trillion, of which $27.9 trillion belonged to the central government and $25.5 trillion belonged to local governments. In other words, right now, the central government’s assets are still sufficient to cover its liabilities.</div>
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Second, the Chinese government remains in a strong fiscal position, owing to rapid revenue growth from taxes and fees and Beijing’s prudent fiscal management. Fiscal revenue rose 25 percent to a record $10.4 trillion in 2011. The total budget deficit was just 1.1 percent of GDP, even after a 21 percent yearl increase in expenditures to $10.9 trillion, Barclays reported. Even including contingent liabilities, total public debt remains manageable. Using different assumptions of the country’s pension fund gap, the ratio of China’s national debt to its GDP ranges from 62 percent to a high 97 percent.</div>
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Lastly, China has several options available to finance its rising liabilities. Barclays sees the pension fund problem being the biggest long term drain on government resources. The one-child policy has led to less workers supporting more retirees.</div>
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Drawing from international experience, the World Bank suggested that China could raise contribution rates, or use general revenues or dedicated social security taxes to cover contingent liabilities, in addition to direct transfers of state-owned assets. Beijing could issue more debt, and local governments could gradually be allowed to tap the capital markets for more debt financing instead of relying on the center.</div>
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What does this mean for the Chinese economy?</div>
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As the government spends more to finance its contingent liabilities, the cost of capital in China should rise, Huang writes.</div>
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“This is in line with what we would expect following financial liberalization,” Huang says in the report. “Higher costs of capital may further squeeze corporate profits, increase financial market volatility and result in the consolidation of some heavy and highly leveraged industries.”</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-21019237011461682892013-01-29T06:22:00.003+03:002013-01-29T06:22:29.619+03:00The Cloud Over China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Beijing has some seriously bad air. How bad? On a scale of 1 to 500, the United States Environmental Protection Agency says anything over 100 is unhealthy and anything above 400 is an emergency. Recently, the pollution index for Beijing hit 755. For purposes of breathing, it's like being downwind of a forest fire while smoking a cigar.<br />
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China's communist rulers normally suppress news like that. In 2009, when the U.S. embassy in Beijing started putting air quality numbers on its Twitter feed, the government demanded in vain that it stop. But when your air contains enough foreign matter to mold bricks, it's hard to claim the sky is blue. And lately, the authorities have decided censorship of the topic is futile.<br />
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"I've never seen such broad Chinese media coverage of air pollution," a Beijing consultant named Jeremy Goldkorn told The New York Times. "From People's Daily to China Central Television, the story is being covered thoroughly, without trying to put a positive spin on it." In November, the outgoing president actually acknowledged the need to combat environmental destruction.<br />
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Pollution is not the only detectable thing in the Chinese air lately. This month, after the government interfered with an editorial in a national newspaper based in Guangzhou, protesters mounted some of the boldest demonstrations since the 1989 Tiananmen Square movement -- while for several days, police stood by and let them.<br />
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Chants were heard that ordinarily could have brought harsh punishment: "Down with the Communist Party!" Unlike Tiananmen, these didn't end in mass bloodshed. The newspaper whose staffers had threatened to strike was not closed down.<br />
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Almost unnoticed amid all this was a report by the official news agency that the government plans to dismantle its notorious system of "re-education through labor," where petty criminals, religious people and dissidents have often been imprisoned without trial. "If it can be abolished this year, I think it's an extremely important step toward rule of law," Peking University law professor He Weifang told Reuters.<br />
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That may be expecting too much. At least since 1989, human rights advocates have hoped China would soon evolve into a freer, more democratic society, but so far they have always been disappointed.<br />
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The 2008 Beijing Olympics were supposed to push the government toward openness and tolerance. Instead, the artist who helped design the famous "Bird's Nest" stadium, Ai Weiwei, wound up in detention for making noise about official abuses. In 2011, the government mounted a particularly brutal offensive against malcontents.<br />
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But authoritarian governments don't last forever, and this one faces changes it can't control. Back in 1996, Asia scholar Henry Rowen of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University noted that when countries reach a per capita income level of $8,000 (unless the money comes mostly from oil), they invariably become freer. Given China's pace of economic development, he predicted that it would become a democracy "around 2015."<br />
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When I called him the other day to ask about that forecast, Rowen sounded optimistic. Ever-growing incomes and a growing middle class are not the only stimuli for positive change, he noted: "Rising education levels also predispose people to voice their views on things that affect their sense of justice or that directly affect their lives."<br />
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Because of the rise of capitalism in China, the country's people have gained a large measure of freedom -- in such critical matters as where they work, where they live and where they may travel. The sphere of personal autonomy is vastly larger than it was in the dark days of Mao Zedong.<br />
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Technology holds promise. "The blogosphere is a very lively place, and it's huge," he says. "The censors have an impossible job to shut off things they don't like." People unhappy with the government can now easily find others who agree and mobilize to spread the word.<br />
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Chinese have also taken to traveling abroad -- particularly to Taiwan, which has fiercely contested elections, an aggressive press and wide-open debate. It's living proof that democracy can develop in China without disastrous social upheaval or mass violence.<br />
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It's no surprise that the Communist Party thinks it can prevent such change on the mainland. Autocratic regimes rarely leap at the chance to empower the citizenry. But this one is not exempt from the powerful forces unleashed by China's transformative economic miracle.<br />
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The Communist Party insists the old dictatorial system works fine for a modern society. It's a familiar message, but somehow, the Chinese are choking on it.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-84082170266216635782013-01-25T09:00:00.001+03:002013-01-25T09:00:34.854+03:00Unplanned pregnancies may be on rise in military<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Despite access to free contraceptives, unplanned pregnancies are a rising problem for women in the U.S. military, according to a new study.<br />
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Nearly 11% of more than 7,000 active-duty women surveyed by the Department of Defense in 2008 reported an unplanned pregnancy during the previous year. That's 50% higher than the average rate in the United States, the study authors say. The study, publishing next month in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, also notes that the rate has increased since 2005.<br />
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Authors Dr. Daniel Grossman and Kate Grindlay analyzed data from the 2005 and 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors, which they obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.<br />
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"It's alarming," Grossman said of the increasing rate. "When you're in the military, that's actually one time where you have access to free, good quality health care. ... It really highlights the need to better address contraceptive care."<br />
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The military offers FDA-approved contraceptives, including emergency contraception, at no cost in its medical facilities, according to Shoshona Pilip-Florea, spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.<br />
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"It's important to note that contrary to the study, Navy Medicine has consistently found that the number of unintended pregnancies among female sailors and Marines is comparable to the national rates in the general population," Pilip-Florea wrote in an e-mail.<br />
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Military to open combat jobs to women<br />
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The consequences<br />
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Unplanned pregnancies can have a significant impact on the health of military personnel and on troop readiness, according to the study.<br />
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Servicewomen who become pregnant unexpectedly while at home cannot be deployed, which may affect their career. Servicewomen who become pregnant while overseas must be sent home, which can cost the military around $10,000.<br />
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Research has shown approximately 43% of unplanned pregnancies in the United States end in abortion. "For women in the military, that can represent a huge challenge," Grossman said.<br />
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Federal law allows abortion to be covered at military facilities only when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or threatens the life of the woman. And going off-base for medical care in places like Afghanistan or Iraq can be extremely dangerous, Grossman said.<br />
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Readers skirmish over women in battle<br />
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Behind the numbers<br />
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Sexual assault could be playing a role in the military's high number of unplanned pregnancies, the study authors noted.<br />
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Research shows an estimated 20% to 40% of servicewomen experience rape or attempted rape during their military career. (Exact numbers are difficult to obtain; the Department of Defense estimates more than 80% of incidents are never reported.)<br />
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A lack of sexual education and fears about repercussions could also be contributing factors, the authors said.<br />
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In 2012, Grossman and Grindlay published results from a small online survey about the use of contraception in the military. Close to 60% of the 281 servicewomen surveyed said that contraception was easy or somewhat easy to obtain. The most common reason women cited for not using birth control while deployed was not planning to have sex.<br />
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More than half of the respondents said they did not speak to a military medical provider about birth-control options before deploying. Some felt policies prohibiting or discouraging sex during deployment prevented them and/or their doctors from initiating a conversation about contraception, the study authors said.<br />
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Not being able to access their preferred method of birth control was also cited as a reason for not using contraception. Vaginal rings often cannot be used due to refrigeration needs and refills of patches or pills may be delayed due to transportation issues.<br />
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Like many Americans, military personnel most frequently choose the pill and condoms for contraception, Pilip-Florea said.<br />
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"These methods are much more failure-prone than long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) such as intrauterine devices and hormonal implants," she said. "Increasing the acceptance and usage of LARCs may decrease the unplanned pregnancy rate."<br />
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Moving forward<br />
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Some branches of the military have already begun to address these issues. The Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center created the Sexual Health and Responsibility Program (SHARP) in 1999 to help reduce the occurrence of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies.<br />
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"Policies and programs, like SHARP, have been put in place to help minimize these barriers," Pilip-Florea said. "As a result, we believe those mentioned by Dr. Grossman may exist in isolated cases but do not represent a systemic problem."<br />
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In 2012, the Navy issued a policy requiring all females to be offered contraception services immediately after receiving orders to make sure they have time to find a contraception method before being deployed, Pilip-Florea said.<br />
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Navy medical facilities also have a film on the different kinds of contraceptives; the facilities will soon receive another film on the consequences of unplanned pregnancies.<br />
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The Navy also plans to add a "multi-hour, facilitated classroom lecture on family planning" to their mandatory training after boot camp, according to Pilip-Florea.<br />
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Grossman acknowledged these efforts, but said more needs to be done across all branches to provide education and access to contraception for servicewomen.<br />
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"These findings highlight an important public health problem within the military that has not been adequately addressed," the study authors wrote.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-27230917028645042602013-01-25T08:54:00.000+03:002013-01-25T08:54:06.842+03:00Pratt Shifts to Sustainment as Last F119 Delivered<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This article first appeared in Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.<br />
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Pratt & Whitney has delivered the last production F119 engine for the Lockheed Martin F-22 stealth fighter, and is shifting its attention to support continuing development of component improvements.<br />
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Handed over on Jan. 17, the 507th F119 was the last of 39 spare engines ordered by the U.S. Air Force following the decision to terminate production of the F-22 after 187 aircraft. The final F-22 was delivered in May 2012.<br />
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"The F119 was the first afterburning, low-observable engine, the first with supercruise and the first production engine with thrust vectoring," says Bennet Croswell, president of military engines at Pratt & Whitney.<br />
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Production tooling unique to the F119 will be stored, as it has been for the F-22, under a shutdown plan coordinated with the Air Force, he says. Pratt’s involvement now will focus on supporting depot maintenance of the engine at Tinker AFB, Okla.<br />
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Depot overhaul of the first engine to reach its full hot-section life of 4,300 cycles -- equivalent to 8-10 years in service -- has been completed at Tinker. Four more will be moved to Tinker this year as overhauls ramp up.<br />
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"We have pacer engines that fly more and are ahead of the rest of the fleet," Croswell says. "The first engine looked great." Pratt is now looking at the opportunity to extend the life of some parts.<br />
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Previously, Pratt extended the overhaul interval on its F100 engine 50% by increasing the life limits on some parts and redesigning others to make them last longer. A similar process is expected on the F119, Croswell says.<br />
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An ongoing component improvement program is expected to yield life and performance enhancements for the F119. A similar program is getting underway at Pratt for the F135 engine in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.<br />
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Production of the F135, which takes its core from the F119, is ramping up. Pratt had delivered 87 F135s through Jan. 7. "We are delivering to contract and delivered 48 in 2012 (versus 45 F119s at full-rate production) after doubling production capacity in 2011," says Tyler Evans, F135 program director.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366823090690095294noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1364105568297828797.post-10453819952203393862013-01-25T08:52:00.002+03:002013-01-25T08:52:48.523+03:00Random alcohol tests for sailors in US<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The Navy said Wednesday it will conduct random blood-alcohol tests on its sailors in the United States starting next month, a sign of how concerned the service's leaders have become about the effects alcohol abuse is having on the force.<br />
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The tests are part of Navy Secretary Ray Mabus' 21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative, an expansive program intended to improve the well-being of sailors and Marines after more than a decade at war.<br />
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The Marines announced it would carry out its own random alcohol tests last month. While alcohol has long played a part in the Navy's culture, Navy officials stressed they aren't trying to stop sailors from drinking altogether, but are concerned about their health and safety.<br />
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The Navy said it will use the blood-alcohol tests to determine whether someone is fit for duty or may need counseling. Any sailor whose blood-alcohol level is .04 or higher when reporting for duty won't be allowed to work. In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, a driver with a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol is considered drunk.<br />
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A positive test result for a sailor reporting to work - a reading of 0.02 percent or higher - won't be used to punish sailors. But the Navy said it could be used to refer him or her to a drug and alcohol program adviser.<br />
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Adm. Mark Ferguson, vice chief of naval operations, said the random tests could help spot sailors who need support before "an incident occurs due to the irresponsible use of alcohol." He also wrote in a message outlining the new details of the policy to the fleet that the tests will serve as a safety measure and raise awareness among commanding officers of a crew's "culture of alcohol use."<br />
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Alcohol is of particular concern because of the role it frequently plays in other destructive behaviors such as suicide and sexual assault. Alcohol also has played a factor in the dismissals of a number of commanding officers in recent years.<br />
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"Deterring irresponsible use of alcohol is essential to the readiness of our fleet and ensuring the health and safety of our service members and units," Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, said in a statement.<br />
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In a pilot program with 13 commands this past summer, nearly 7,500 sailors were subjected to random alcohol tests. Of those, 87 tested positive for alcohol.<br />
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"The test verified that the majority of our service members, who choose to drink alcohol, do so responsibly. It also verified that our commanding officers need a flexible program that serves to increase the Navy's awareness about the impacts of alcohol," Gortney said in a statement.<br />
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By May 24, the Navy expects to have hand-held alcohol detection devices available for nearly 2,000 commands.<br />
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The 21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative was unveiled by Mabus in a rare 'all-hands' call aboard a ship in Norfolk last March that was broadcast to sailors around the world. Among other things, it also focuses on preventing suicides, sexual assaults and increasing physical fitness. The Navy has also begun conducting random urine tests for synthetic drug use under the initiative.<br />
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Unlike the alcohol tests, those who test positive for synthetic drug use are subject to punishment.<br />
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Read more: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/20663279/navy-random-alcohol-tests-for-sailors-in-us#ixzz2IxojqaCA<br />
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