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    Tactical Air Defense Submits Proposal to Purchase Military Aircraft
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Tactical Air Defense Submits Proposal to Purchase Military Aircraft   CARSON CITY, Nev., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tactical Air Defense Services, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: TADF), an Aerospace/Defense Services contractor that offers air-combat training, aerial refueling, aircraft maintenance, disaster response services, and other Aerospace/Defense services to the United States and Foreign militaries and agencies, is pleased to announce that it has submitted a proposal for the purchase of 12 Dassault Mirage military aircraft to the government of a foreign allied country.   To support its air services growth strategy, post-acquisition of Tactical Air Support, Inc., ("Tac-Air"), TADF believes that the acquisition of the 12 Mirage military aircraft would better position the Company, together with Tac-Air, to capture the aerial services contracts that it is currently pursuing or evaluating with the U.S. and foreign-allied governments.   The Mirage aircraft that TADF is negotiating to purchase are advanced super-sonic fighter jets that are used by militaries around the world. To know more about Dassault Mirage aircraft, please go to www.dassault-aviation.com/en/defense.html.   Alexis C. Korybut, Chief Executive Officer of TADF, stated, "We believe the acquisition of a fleet of Mirage aircraft, in conjunction with the military aircraft currently owned by Tac-Air, would position TADF to capture a much larger portion of the rapidly growing business of supplying aerial services to the U.S. and foreign militaries."           PRNewswire

    Sikorsky Challenges Navy Plan
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Sikorsky Challenges Navy Plan To Buy Russian-Made Helicopters for Afghanistan   By EZRA R. SILK and ERIC GERSHON, esilk@courant.com -- 8:42 PM EDT, August 4, 2010     Sikorsky Aircraft has formally protested a Navy plan to buy the same Russian-made helicopters for military operations in Afghanistan that the Russians used there during the 1980s.   In a document filed with the federal government Tuesday, the Stratford-based helicopter company challenged the Navy's plan to acquire 21 additional Mi-17 helicopters built by Kazan Helicopters of Russia, which is affiliated with a Russian state corporation.   Sikorsky said it should be allowed to compete for the contract because there is an alternative — its own S-61 helicopter, developed in the late 1950s. Sikorsky said it had recently provided S-61 aircraft to the U.S. Department of State for use in Afghanistan.   The Navy intends to provide the helicopters for the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, which trains the Afghan National Army Air Corps, Sikorsky said.   The military already has been criticized by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., for procuring the Russian helicopters for the war effort. U.S. Air Force officials responded last month, saying that almost all Afghan Air Corps pilots were trained to fly Russian helicopters, and that training an entire flight crew can take two to five years.   "The Mi-17 fits in directly with the experience of Afghan pilots' and mechanics' training," said Richard Aboulafia, a defense industry analyst with the Virginia-based Teal Group. "They need something simple, robust, maintainable — something basically that isn't built today, unless you're in Russia."   Sikorsky spokesman Paul Jackson says the company could provide the necessary training for Afghan pilots, but declined to provide an estimate for how long that would take.   According to the protest document, the Navy sought bids for the work on July 8, but specified that it wants Mi-17-variant helicopters and parts, which are built only by Kazan. The bids are due today.   Aboulafia characterized the dispute as a "race to the past."   "Its like saying we want to buy an obsolete Russian truck that was still built today and an American company saying we have all these leftover 1960s trucks that we can retrofit," he said. "If you want something that the Afghans can easily interface with as quickly as possible, then Mi-17s are the way to go. If you want U.S. industry to benefit from U.S. cash, you understand the Sikorsky argument."   Sikorsky said it wants "a full and open competition that is not unduly restrictive on the basis of a particular brand-name peculiar to just one manufacturer."   Sikorsky, a division of Hartford-based United Technologies Corp., filed its protest with the Government Accountability Office in Washington. The GAO's Bid Protest Forum will have 100 days to write a recommendation to the agencies involved.   "This is an unusual situation," said Ralph White, managing associate general counsel for procurement law at the GAO. "The Navy has specified that it wants a Russian helicopter. We haven't seen many instances of that kind of limitation and we'll wait and see what the Navy has to say."   Mark Wright, a Department of Defense spokesperson, declined to comment.   Dodd and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, condemned previous Mi-17 procurements in a December 2009 open letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Jackson declined to say whether Sikorsky had lobbied Dodd or Delauro, but that the company has voiced its "concerns with appropriate channels."   Dodd affirmed the Sikorsky protest in a statement Wednesday.   "I find it troubling that [the Department of Defense] would supply aircraft for our Afghan partners without holding a fair and open competition to include helicopters made right here in Connecticut by Connecticut workers," he said.                 CTnow

    Iran denied S-300 Air Defense System
    Erik
    By Erik,
      The Belarusian government denied on Wednesday rumors that Minsk had allegedly sold S-300 air defense systems to Iran.   The Associated Press earlier cited the Iranian semi-official news agency Fars as saying that Iran had acquired two S-300PT (SA-10 Grumble) systems from Belarus and two more systems from an unidentified supplier. Iranian officials have not confirmed the fact so far.   "The State Military-Industrial Committee can officially state that Belarus has never held talks with Iran on the deliveries of the S-300 air defense systems," committee's spokesman Vladimir Lavrenyuk told RIA Novosti.   "Belarus has never supplied S-300 systems or their components to Iran," he said, adding that Minsk strictly complied with international arms control regulations.   Jane's Defense Systems News reported as far back as in January 2008 that Tehran was in the final stages of negotiations with Belarus for the acquisition of two surplus trailer-mounted towed S-300PT systems.   These outdated systems were deployed near Minsk and Belarus allegedly asked $140 mln for the two systems (including parts, maintenance and training).   The actual sale has never been confirmed. Belarus has no right to resell air defense systems supplied by the Soviet Union and later the Russian Federation.   Russia signed a contract on supplying Iran with at least five S-300 systems in December 2005, but the contract's implementation has so far been delayed.   On June 9, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1929 imposing a fourth set of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, including tougher financial controls and an expanded arms embargo.   The sale of S-300 air defense systems is believed to fall under the sanctions, though earlier Russia said the delivery would not be affected since the weapons are not included in the UN Register of Conventional Arms.   The S-300 PT is capable of shooting down aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missile warheads at ranges of over 90 miles (144 kilometers) and at altitudes of about 90,000 feet (27,432 meters).   MINSK, August 4         RIA Novosti

    Emergency Israeli landings in Romania
    Erik
    By Erik,
      JERUSALEM (JTA) August 3, 2010 -- Two Israeli military helicopters made emergency landings in Romania following a technical failure.   The emergency landings Tuesday morning came a week after another Israeli helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain during a joint search-and-rescue military exercise, killing six Israeli soldiers and one Romanian soldier.   The helicopters forced to make emergency landings were returning to Israel from the 10-day exercise. They are being repaired at a Romanian air base near Bucharest, Haaretz reported.   Seven of the CH-53 Yasur helicopters participated in the exercise.   The helicopter landed, following regular protocol, after an emergency light went on in the aircraft. The second helicopter landed also following standard procedure, according to Ynet.       JTA

    Fire Destroys Russian Naval Base
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Russian hellish fires completely destroyed naval base outside Moscow: 200 aircraft burnt down   The forest fire has destroyed a large Russian naval base outside Moscow. Its occurred on July 29, but became known only on August 3. A Russian news agency, Life News, was the first to report about the incident: according to its data, 200 aircraft with the value of about $ 670 million had been reduced to ashes outside Moscow.   The very base of 100 hectares was completely burnt down, the agency reported citing its source.   Other sources confirm the report.   "Initial inquiry is being conducted on a fire on the naval base", the military investigations department at the Moscow military district commented on the information, giving neither the number of military aircraft, nor the damages caused fires.   Later, the ITAR-TASS news agency issued a statement by the defense ministry: indeed, "the upstream fire spread to the territory of one of the units in the Kolomna district on July 29".   "The fire spread over to a secret unit of the area of 100 hectares in 10 minutes", a source of Life News said. At the same time, it said, it is not only from an emergency situation from that the servicemen suffered.   "One building in the storage area of the Navy was also burnt down. The damage there is several times less - about $ 33 million", the source added.   Official spokesman for Investigations Committee, Vladimir Markin, confirmed that an initial inquiry into the fire is being conducted by the military investigations department. The fire occurred on Thursday 29 July. It took place at about 04:00 pm on the storage base of aviation and technical equipment belonging to the Russian Navy, which is located near the town of Kolomna, Moscow Region, Markin said to the Moscow Interfax news agency.   He said nothing about 200 jets and helicopters and $ 670 million damage, but pointed out that the HQ, a financial unit, a club, two buildings of the car park, 13 storage facilities with different aircraft, 17 open storage areas for equipment with cars on them, were burnt down.   "On July 30, the hotbeds of fire were localized. No one was suffered as a result", claims Markin.   According to unofficial data, the Central Aerotechnical Base (CAB) of the Russian Navy Air Force and Air Defense is located on the outskirts of the town of Kolomna (Shurovo District in Moscow Region).   The main tasks of the military unit are receiving, storing and processing aerial, hydrographic and navigating equipment coming from industrial enterprises, aviation and technical units, military schools and repair facilities of the Navy.   Russian Northern Fleet, Pacific Fleet, Baltic Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, the Caspian flotilla, the St. Petersburg Naval Base, units of the Russian Navy Air Forces, received maintenance at the CAB for 60 years.   No more. The fire completely destroyed this largest military base of the Russian Navy.         Department of Monitoring Kavkaz Center

    NORAD and Russia Joint Air Defense Drills
    Erik
    By Erik,
        The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the Russian Air Force will hold their first-ever joint air defense exercise on August 8-11, NORAD said.   The exercise, dubbed VIGILANT EAGLE, involves Russian, Canadian and U.S. Air Force personnel operating from command centers at the Elmendorf airbase in Alaska, and in Khabarovsk, Russia.   "Airborne warning and control aircraft [AWACS E-3B and A-50] from Russia and the United States will be involved along with fighter-interceptor aircraft and refueling aircraft from both countries," NORAD said in a statement on Tuesday.   The exercise scenario, put together by NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, will create a situation that requires both the Russian Air Force and NORAD to launch or divert fighter aircraft to investigate and follow a U.S. flagged commercial air carrier on an international flight that has been taken over by terrorists.   The exercise will be carried out under a cooperative military agreement between Russia and the United States, which tasks NORAD, the bi-national U.S. and Canadian command, and the Russian Air Force to conduct a live-fly exercise for up to five days.               RIA NOVOSTI

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