Egyptian Air Force contracts for additional Airbus aircraft C295

Airbus Military HAS RECEIVED a contract for the delivery of additional EADS CASA C-295 military tactical transportation aircraft to the Egyptian Air Force (EAF).

Representing year overall third order, the latest contract covers the delivery of six C295, Bringing the total number of aircraft ordered to date by the air force to 12.

The contract includes provision of aussi associated spare parts and support equipment, as well as supporting training and field to the air force.

Commercial Airbus Military senior VP Antonio Rodriguez Barberan Said the contract REAFFIRMS the Egyptian defense ministry's confidence, as well as Demonstrating the company's Ability to Provide customer specific products.

"The C295 is exactly the kind of workhorse required for current and future airlift missions, and the MOST cost-efficient complement to heavy transport aircraft," added Barberan.

"Representing year overall third order, the latest contract covers the delivery of six C295."

The selection of the aircraft was based upon icts combat proven versatility, robustness and efficiency for daily transportation missions, as well as ease of service and low operational costs.

An initial batch of three C295 aircraft was ordered by FAE for tactical and transportation Logistical operations in October 2010.

Powered by two Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines PW127G, the C-295 is a tactical military transportation aircraft designed to perform tactical airlift, search and rescue (SAR) and maritime patrol and environmental monitoring missions.

Capable of Conducting short take-offs and landing on semi-prepared runways, the aircraft aussi Enables easy loading of mission pallets, passengers, cargo and medical evacuation litters for (MEDEVAC), communication and Logistical duties, or paratrooping operations.

Around 93 C295s out of a total of 115 aircraft ordered Have Been Delivered by Airbus to 15 different operators worldwide, Including Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Finland, Jordan, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

Deliveries under the new contract are scheduled to begin from the end of 2013.

Egypt says it seized US-made missiles near Gaza

 Egyptian authorities seized six U.S.-made missiles in the Sinai Peninsula Friday that security officials said were likely smuggled from Libya and bound for the Gaza Strip.
Libya's 2011 uprising and subsequent civil war left the country awash in weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, automatic rifles and other munitions. Since the end of the country's eight-month conflict, smugglers have transferred some of the weapons to Islamic militants in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which has faced a security vacuum since the country's own uprising, and from there onward in underground tunnels to neighboring Gaza.
Security officials said that police working on a tip from local Bedouin discovered the six U.S.-made missiles hidden in a hole in the desert outside the northern Sinai city of el-Arish before dawn on Friday. They said the anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles have a range of up to one mile.
The officials, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to media, did not specify the make of weapon.
Over the past year, Egypt's Interior Ministry has confiscated hundreds of weapons smuggled from Libya, often near the Egyptian city of Marsa Matrouh, which is located along the Mediterranean coastal highway some 270 miles northwest of Cairo. Last month, security officials seized 17 French-made missiles near el-Arish, east of Marsa Matrouh along the coast, before they could be smuggled through tunnels to the Gaza Strip.

Gaza has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since the militant Hamas group took over in 2007 following an election win two years earlier. Egyptian security often turn a blind eye to the smuggling of goods to Gaza, which ranges from cars to diapers to food, but have come down harder on weapons smuggling.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has provided funding to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct training for officials from the Libyan Ministry of Defense and the Customs Authority with the aim of reducing the illicit transfers of weapons across borders.

Lawmakers question gift of 20 F-16s to Morsi's Egypt

Key lawmakers expressing concerns about the Obama administration's plan to send 20 F-16 fighter jets to Egypt, where new President Mohamed Morsi's allegiances are as uncertain as his grip on power.
Under a foreign aid deal signed in 2010, when Morsi's U.S.-friendly predecessor Hosni Mubarak was in charge, the U.S. is giving the planes to Egypt's air force, which already has more than 200 of the aircraft. The first four jets are to be delivered beginning Jan. 22, a source at the naval air base in Fort Worth, where the planes have been undergoing testing, told FoxNews.com. But the $213 million gift is raising questions on Capitol Hill as Morsi is under fire for trying to seize dictatorial powers and allegedly siccing thugs and rapists on protesters.
Florida Rep.Vern Buchanan, who recently called for ending foreign aid to Egypt altogether, said the Muslim Brotherhood-backed Morsi government has been sending increasingly troubling signals to Washington, and giving it state-of-the-art fighter jets is a dangerous idea.
“American tax dollars must not be used to aid and abet any dictatorial regime that stands with terrorists,” Buchanan said.
Rep. Mac Thornberry, (R-Texas), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told FoxNews.com Egypt is a wild card under Morsi.

“At this point, we don't know where Egypt is headed," Thornberry said. "We should be cautious about driving them away, but we should also be cautious about the arms we provide.”
Just last week, vigilante supporters of Morsi captured dozens of protesters, detaining and beating them before handing them over to police, according to human rights advocates. Morsi-backed groups have also been accused of using rape to intimidate female protesters who have gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest a Sharia-based constitution and Morsi's neutering of the nation's legal system.

“At this point, we don't know where Egypt is headed."

- Rep. Mac Thornberry, (R-Texas)

The U.S. government ordered and paid for the fighter jets for Egypt's military back in 2010. But since Mubarak's ouster, the democratically elected Morsi has sent mixed signals about whether he wants an alliance with Washington, even meeting with leaders in Iran earlier this year.
"The Morsi-led Muslim Brotherhood government has not proven to be a partner for democracy as they had promised, given the recent attempted power grab," a senior Republican congressional aide told FoxNews.com.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, (R-Fla.), who chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, recently criticized U.S. military aid to Egypt:
“The Obama administration wants to simply throw money at an Egyptian government that the president cannot even clearly state is an ally of the United States,” Rep. Ros-Lehtinen said.
The package had to be approved by lawmakers in Washington. While the basic F-16 has been a military workhorse for top air forces for more than 25 years, the cockpit electronics are constantly updated and the models Egypt is getting are the best defense contractor Lockheed Martin makes.
"This is a great day for Lockheed Martin and a testament to the enduring partnership and commitment we have made to the government of Egypt," said John Larson, vice president, Lockheed Martin F-16 programs. "We remain committed to providing our customer with a proven, advanced 4^th Generation multirole fighter."
"In an air combat role, the F-16's maneuverability and combat radius exceed that of all potential threat fighter aircraft," the U.S. Air Force description of the plane reads.

"The F-16 can fly more than 500 miles, deliver its weapons with superior accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point. An all-weather capability allows it to accurately deliver ordnance during non-visual bombing conditions."
A Pentagon spokesman said the U.S. and Egypt have an important alliance that is furthered by the transfer.
"The U.S.-Egypt defense relationship has served as the cornerstone of our broader strategic partnership for over thirty years," said Lt. Col. Wesley Miller. "The delivery of the first set of F-16s in January 2013 reflects the U.S. commitment to supporting the Egyptian military's modernization efforts.  Egyptian acquisition of F-16s will increase our militaries' interoperability, and enhance Egypt's capacity to contribute to regional mission sets."
But Malou Innocent, a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute, warned that Egypt's murky intentions could lead to the prospect of U.S. ally Israel facing an air assault from even more U.S.-made planes.
“Should an overreaction [by Egypt] spiral into a broader conflict between Egypt and Israel, such a scenario would put U.S. officials in an embarrassing position of having supplied massive amounts of military hardware … to both belligerents,” Innocent said. “Given Washington's fiscal woes, American taxpayers should no longer be Egypt’s major arms supplier.”

TAI to sell Anka UAVs to Egypt

Egypt has agreed to purchase 10 Anka unmanned air vehicles made by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).
The Anka development was accelerated after Turkey cut all defence relations with Israel as a result of an Israeli navy confrontation with a "peace flotilla" that sailed from Turkey for the Gaza Strip in 2010.

Turkey's air force has purchased and still operates Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1s, but the nation's army recently announced its intention to cancel a further planned procurement of Aeronautics Defense Systems Aerostar tactical reconnaissance systems.
TAI says the developmental Anka can carry a payload of 250kg (550lb) for 24h. Maximum take-off weight is 1,500kg. The company earlier this year said it was in talks with the Turkish military over a planned 10-aircraft launch order, with deliveries expected to begin within two years of a contract signature.


Israeli sources say the proposed new deal is intended to project the close ties between Turkey and the new regime in Egypt, and not just to meet the latter's operational needs.
Cairo is also reportedly trying to acquire General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Predator UAVs from the USA, but Washington has been hesitant to approve such a deal until the situation in post-Arab Spring Egypt becomes clearer.

And if Egypt was the first country customer Rafale ...

In early summer 2011, the Egyptian military sent him to Paris an "expression of interest" for the Rafale. Paris was embarrassed and Dassault Aviation is not interested.

It was early in the summer of 2011 shortly after the pressure of the Egyptian street has been the head of Hosni Mubarak in February. At that time, the military, including Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who headed the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), expecting at any time to return power to civilians. But they have money. And want to spend before their departure. "We realized they had lots of kitties," said one expert dossier to "latribune.fr." Another source confirms that "there was in the Egyptian military frenzy to sign arms contracts." Cairo is well received in Paris "expression of interest" for the tricolor fighter, the Rafale, according to several sources. Egyptian military would provide much between 12 and 20 aircraft.

Dassault Aviation not interested

Surprising that embarrasses a request, it seems, France. However, Paris does not want to offend Egypt with whom she discusses other contracts. For its part, the manufacturer of the Rafale, Dassault Aviation, it is much less diplomatic. It is really not interested in this operation as it seeks to resettle the Mirage 2000-9 of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the sale of 60 Rafale in Abu Dhabi. Why not Egypt, which has in its fleet of Mirage 2000 upgrade old. First export customer of the single-engine designed by Dassault Aviation, Cairo was paid in early 2000 20 Mirage 2000 (16 EM and 4 Mirage 2000 Mirage 2000 WB) and the first copies were received in 1986. However, Paris began to discuss with Cairo to understand the needs of the Egyptian military. Egyptian drivers even try the Rafale. But it will not go away.

The reluctant France under the regional geostrategic context

The French government is very reluctant to sell the Rafale in a country still very unstable at the time the threat of the Muslim Brotherhood. In addition, Israel would have been opposed to the sale to the image of the recent acquisition of two German submarines U-209 by Egypt. Berlin and Cairo concluded in summer 2011 the sale for an amount of 920 million euros. Finally, the United States would probably never be allowed to Cairo to offer Rafale. We must remember that the source code of Egyptian F-16 are locked by Washington. These devices "can not fly when they are approaching the Israeli border," says an observer.