DARPA’s Vulture, High-Altitude Global Hawk UAV

Aurora Flight Sciences has received a Phase 1 contract to begin developing develop a radical new aircraft, under a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program known as “Vulture.”

DARPA’s goals for Vulture are not trivial: 5 years on station with a 450kg/ 1,000lb payload, 5kW of onboard power, and sufficient loiter speed to stay on station for 99% of the time against winds encountered at 60,000-90,000 feet. The system could act as a satellite substitute for communications relay or reconnaissance, as long as the payload fit within the weight limit.

Vulture would be more vulnerable to anti-aircraft missiles than a satellite, and could be targeted by fighter jets as well given the right launch profile; on the other hand, that closeness would improve sensor resolution and communications capability.

Israel Takes Steps towards Anti-Missile System

Israel carried out a successful test April 15 of a dummy ballistic missile that will be used in the development of an advanced missile interception system.

The Blue Sparrow, developed by Israel's Armament Development Authority, Rafael, is launched from a fighter jet at high altitude and simulates the trajectory of a ballistic missile.

Following the successful firing, the Blue Sparrow will be used in tests of the Israeli-developed, U.S.-financed Arrow system, which is intended to intercept ballistic missiles.

The system is the centerpiece of Israeli efforts to counter what it perceives as a strategic threat from arch-foe Iran, which has been developing longer-range missiles that the Jewish state fears ultimately might be armed with nuclear warheads.

Israeli concerns have been heightened by repeated predictions from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Jewish state is doomed to disappear from the map.

Iran strongly rejects Western suspicions that its nuclear program is cover for a drive to develop an atomic warhead and counters that Israel - the Middle East's sole, if undeclared, nuclear power - is the main threat to the region's security.

According to Senior US Official the U.S has agreed to connect the Jewish state to its planned ballistic missile early warning system.

India To Build New Port

India's private-sector defense giant, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), is setting up a new port facility in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The facility will be able to handle military ships including submarines, a senior L&T official said. The company is already building the hull of India's stealthy nuclear submarine, the Advanced Technology Vehicle.

The port facility, located at Kaatupalli in the Thiruvallur district, is being built jointly with the state of Tamil Nadu and is likely to cost around $750 million. The joint venture agreement to set up the facility was signed in the state's capital, Chennai.

The shipyard will have the capability to build very large crude carriers, passenger vessels and ships for specialized applications such as transporting LNG, LPG and defense applications.

Construction on the project will begin within the year, and is expected to be completed in about two years.

L&T also plans to build warships at the dry docks and jetties at the Kattupalli yard, the company official said.

L&T's defense division already makes ancillary equipment, such as propulsion steering gears and shafts, for military ships.

India May Get More Israeli AWACS Plans

The Indian Air Force wants to buy unspecified numbers of Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft from Israel in addition to the three already contracted in 2004 for $370 million each.

The air force request is near finalization at the Indian Ministry of Defence, sources said, but the price of the additional AWACS planes is still to be negotiated.

The deal already in place with Israel includes Israeli Phalcon radar mounted on three Russian Il-76 aircraft to be used as an AWACS by the Indian Air Force.

The Phalcon phased-array radar picks up a variety of signals from enemy aircraft operating up to 400 kilometers away, allowing the operator's screen to be updated every two to 14 seconds.

The air force wants additional AWACS to become part of its Aerospace Command, under development by the Indian defense forces.

The first three Phalcon AWACS aircraft will be delivered to India in September. Once operational, the AWACS would be part of a larger strategic early-warning system, comprising ground-, sea-based and airborne radars and sensors - mounted on manned aircraft, balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles and possibly unmanned submarines - to track aircraft and missiles.

Japan unveils MBT prototype

Japan's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) has unveiled the prototype of the TK-X, its new ultra-light main battle tank (MBT).

Designed to replace the ageing Type 74 and Type 90 MBTs, the '3.5-generation' tank was debuted at the Ground Systems Research Centre in mid-February.

The 40-ton tank - which has a crew of three and was designed to be lightweight in order to comply with Japanese road laws - is 10 tons lighter than the Type 90. Laws banning heavy vehicles meant that the Type 90 could not operate outside Hokkaido, except at certain training facilities. However, the TK-X is light enough to be transported on standard, commercial trailers.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is the main contractor for the TK-X, according to Colonel Hajime Oouti, chief of the TRDI's New Tank Development Section.

The tank's 120 mm smoothbore gun was developed by Japan Steel Works, which also produces the Rheinmetall L44 120 mm smoothbore gun for the Type 90 under licence. It will fire a newly developed type of ammunition, dubbed 'armour-piercing ammunition III'. The two-man turret has a more advanced automatic loading system than the Type 90 which would be a particular advantage during operations on uneven terrain. 

Latest version of the Royal Navy's Tomahawk

The latest version of the Royal Navy's Tomahawk land attack missile (TLAM) has been declared operational - three months earlier than planned.

Used to arm submarines, the new Tomahawk Block IV missile is considerably more capable than its predecessors. It has a significantly reduced response time and can fly further, striking land targets from the sea up to one thousand miles away with even greater precision. They are able to re-target or safely abort in flight and can relay images en route. The missile was first successfully test fired from a Royal Navy submarine.

The Tomahawk missiles can be carried by Trafalgar Class attack submarines and will be deployed in the new Astute Class when they enter service. HMS Torbay is the first submarine to be operationally equipped with them.
 
Background Information:
1. The MoD purchased 64 of the TLAM Block IV missiles from the United States in a £70M deal signed four years ago. In addition, £25M has been spent to provide the submarine and ashore command and control systems necessary to exploit its new capabilities.
2. TLAM is built in the US by Raytheon. Its plant at Glenrothes, Fife, manufactures some of the electronics. In addition, part of the upgrade work to enable the submarine fleet to carry the updated missiles has been carried out by BAE Systems and Ultra Electronics in the UK.

HMS Torbay Top Uk Submarine Back in Action

It is the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Torbay.Which is returning to the Fleet following a year-long £8M refit at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, which has equipped her to be the most powerful boat in the fleet.

In addition to routine maintenance work, the Trafalgar class submarine has been upgraded to carry the latest longer-range Block 4 version of the Tomahawk cruise missile and an improved version of the world-leading Sonar 2076 system.

General characteristics
Builder: Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd

Displacement: 4,750 tons surfaced, 5,208 tons submerged

Length: 85.4 meters

Beam: 9.8 meters

Draught: 9.5 meters

Complement: 18 officers, 112 ratings

Propulsion: 1 x Rolls-Royce PWR1 pressurized water cooled nuclear reactor delivering 15,000 shp for 30 kt max

Armament: five tubes capable of firing:Spearfish torpedoes,Tomahawk missiles

Sensors:sonar (bow, flank, active intercept, and towed arrays)periscopes (attack and search)collision avoidance radar


Background Information
HMS Torbay is one of seven 5,200 tonne Trafalgar class nuclear-powered submarines, and entered service in 1987. All of the class are based at HM Naval Base Devonport, in Plymouth.

Under the Swiftsure and Trafalgar class Final Phase Update programme, the newest four Trafalgar boats are being upgraded to bring their equipment up to the standard of the successor Astute class.

The overhaul for HMS Torbay is part of a programme to upgrade all the Royal Navy's Trafalgar Class submarines, and ensure they remain at the forefront of Britain's underwater warfare capabilities until the end of the next decade

The 84m long Trafalgar class boats are armed with Spearfish torpedoes, Tomahawk cruise missiles and Sub-Harpoon missiles. They carry 130 crew and can remain submerged indefinitely. The reactor needs refuelling on average only twice during the boat's service life.

Tomahawk Block IV missiles are built by Raytheon in the US, with missile electronics supplied by its subsidiary in Glenrothes, Fife. BAE Systems and Ultra Electronics in Middlesex have also played a key role in electronics and other aspects of the submarine upgrade to enable launch of the new missile.

The latest version of Tomahawk, successfully tested by the Royal Navy last year, is more responsive and flexible than its predecessor and at a significantly lower unit cost. With a third longer range than its predecessor, it can hit targets 1000 miles away, be retargeted in flight, and can send back images to boost intelligence gathering.

The fully integrated Sonar 2076 is manufactured by Thales Underwater Systems Ltd at Templecombe, Somerset, with design, software development and systems engineering carried out at Cheadle Heath, Manchester and Church Crookham in Hampshire.

It would give a great boast to Royal Fleet.

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