Turkey Selects Chinese HQ-9 / FD-2000 Surface-to-Air Missile Air Defense System For T-LORAMIDS

Turkey has decided to select as winner the HQ-9 / FD-2000 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Air Defense System from China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corp (CPMIEC) for the T-LORAMIDS project that is to provide Turkey with long-range air defense against aircraft and missiles that it currently lacks.

CPMIEC is to collaborate with Turkey to produce a variant of the HQ-9 / FD-2000 locally after delivery of the initial systems. The other losing contenders in the tender were Russia's S-300, the Patriot system from the United States and the Eurosam SAMP/T Aster 30 from France and Italy.

Turkey's NATO partners had tried to dissuade it from selecting the Chinese system after Turkey had said that it was leaning towards the Chinese option by warning that they might not cooperate in integrating the FD-2000 with existing systems that are mostly western in origin.

Despite western objections, Turkey's Defense Industry Executive Committee, which is in charge of major procurement decisions and headed by the Prime Minister, still decided that the FD-2000 was the best fit for its needs.

UAE signs 750 MRAP deal and other contracts worth $1.42 billion

The United Arab Emirates has signed 17 contracts worth 5.2 billion Dirham or roughly $1.42 billion, including:

• a 1.4 billion Dirham or $381 million contract with the Oshkosh Corporation from the United States for the delivery of 750 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATVs) in 2013
•  a 722 million Dirham or $196 million contract with General Atomics for export Predator XP unmanned aircraft
• a 720 million Dirham or $196 million contract with Tawazun for the purchase of CIRIT laser guided missiles
• a 472.7 million Dirham or $128.7 million contract with Russia’s KBP for the delivery of ammunition
• a 375.4 million Dirham or $102.2 million contract with the Abu Dhabi Ship Building Company for the installation of Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM)
• a 140 million Dirham or $38 million contract with the Italian Fincantieri to provide technical support for naval vessels it recently acquired

The M-ATV is lighter, smaller and more maneuverable than previous generation MRAP vehicles, while maintaining their levels of protection with its Plasan composite armored hull. The vehicle has a:

• length of 6.27 m
• width of 2.49 m
• speed of 105 km/hr
• range of 510 km
• maximum weight of 14700 kg

The Oshkosh M-ATV has been selected by the armed forces of the United States as its primary MRAP vehicle.

The Predator XP is an export version of the medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The Predator has:

• a length of 8.22 m
• a wingspan of 14.8 m
• a height of 2.1 m
• an empty weight of 512 kg
• a max takeoff weight of 1020 kg
• a max speed of 217 km/hr
• a max range of 1100 km
• a max endurance of 24 hrs

The Predator XP cannot be armed, but is suitable for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

The CIRIT is an air-to-surface missile developed by Turkey's RoketSan for helicopters and UAVs. The missile has:

• a length of 1.9 m
• a diameter of 70 mm
• weighs 14 kg
• a warhead of 3 kg
• a maximum range of 8 km

The CIRIT is fitted with a semi-active laser-guided seeker.

Earlier this month, the UAE received the first of 3 A330 MRTT multi-role tanker and transport aircraft it ordered from Airbus. The UAE is also negotiating the potential purchase of the Typhoon or Rafale fighter aircraft, but no contract has been signed.


http://gulfnews.com/business/general/uae-armed-forces-sign-17-deals-1.1147973

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US Report Details Unresolved Issues With F-35 Program

An 18 page Pentagon report recently sent to the United States Congress has provided some details about the current state of the F-35 fighter Lightning II program, which at $396 billion makes it the most expensive weapons program in the history of the United States.

Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor, is to build 3 different models of the F-35 fighter for the United States, which plans to purchase 2443 of the aircraft. In addition, the plane will likely be acquired by eight other nations that helped pay for its development, including:

• Australia, 
• Canada, 
• Denmark, 
• Italy, 
• the Netherlands, 
• Norway, 
• Turkey,
• the United kingdom 

While Lockheed Martin has reported the F-35 plan overall remains on track with continued progress on flight tests, software development, and was demonstrating exceptional stability, the highlights of the report include the following:

• the program has completed a third or 20,000 of all planned test flights and has 39,579 left to go
• certain tests planned for 2012 by Lockheed Martin were not accomplished, but overall the number of tests completed in 2012 of 1092 exceeded the number planned of 927 by performing some future tests earlier
• the F-35A completed 30 percent less tests than planned due to problems with the weapon bay doors, operating limits of the aircraft and problems with the air refuelling system, which required new instrumentation
• the F-35B for the Marine Corps has issues with the engine lift fan built by Rolls Royce, a supplier to the engine maker, Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp
• durability testing of the F-35B had to be halted after multiple cracks were found on the underside of the plane's fuselage
• the F-35C has problems with the ability to transfer video and imagery data to ships and a potentially serious problem with the coolant system
• during high-speed, high-altitude flights, the stealthy coatings peeled off on horizontal tail surfaces due to higher-than-expected temperatures
• software packages from Lockheed Martin needed to support flight tests were delayed or not complete when delivered
• both the advanced helmet and the computerized logistics system have issues that remain unresolved 
• weapons integration testing has been delayed by numerous factors, including problems with radar performance
• flight operations are currently banned within 25 miles of known lightning conditions due to issues with the system that protects the plane from fuel tank explosions caused by lightning
• the mean time between critical failures has increased and the aircraft weight has remained steady, but the aircraft's performance remains below the level expected at this point in time

Overall, the report revealed the F-35 fighter aircraft has yet to mature due the continued developmental problems of the program, which has already been restructured 3 times before to slow down production and allow continued development.


http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-report-cites-lack-maturity-lockheed-f-35-012237872--finance.html

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