Israel Asks to Buy F-35s (Pentagon)

Israel has asked to buy up to 75 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in a deal worth as much as $15.2 billion if all options are exercised, the Pentagon said Sept. 30.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale initially would be for 25 fighters designed for conventional take off and landing.

But Israel would have the option of buying another 50 of the aircraft, either designed for conventional take off and landing or for short take off and vertical landing, the agency said.

"The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as 15.2 billion dollars," it said in a statement.

The F-35 is a stealthy new multi-role fighter built by Lockheed Martin that is intended to replace the F-16.

Israeli officials have said they plan to buy 100 fighters over the next decade.

It was unclear how soon delivery of the aircraft might begin.

The DSCA disclosed the proposed sale in a notification to Congress, which has 30 days to raise any objections to the sale. A deal would then have to be concluded with the Israelis.

"It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives," the DSCA said.

"Israel needs these aircraft to augment its present operational inventory and to enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capability," it said.

Self-Destruct Cluster Bombs By Israel

The Israeli army is equipping itself with self-destruct cluster bombs in order to lower the number of civilian victims of this type of weapon, used in the 2006 war in Lebanon, military radio said.

The army has reduced its purchases of U.S. made cluster bombs, instead buying Israel-made M-85 cluster bombs, which contain a mechanism to destroy themselves if they fail to explode immediately on impact, according to the report.

Cluster munitions spread bomblets over a wide area from a single container.

The United Nations estimates that a million cluster bombs were dropped on Lebanon by Israel between July 12 and August 14 in 2006 in the conflict with Hezbollah.

About 40 percent of these did not explode on impact and are spread among villages and orchards in the south of Lebanon.

According to a U.N. report in June, at least 38 people have been killed and 217 wounded by bomblets exploding since the end of the fighting.

The Israeli government's Winograd Commission of enquiry into the mistakes of the Lebanon war recommended the army use fewer cluster bombs in future to reduce civilian injuries.

In May, delegates from 111 countries agreed a landmark treaty in Dublin to ban the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions by its signatories.

However, the agreement lacked the backing of major producers and stockpilers including Israel, China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.

Self-Destruct Cluster Bombs By Israel

The Israeli army is equipping itself with self-destruct cluster bombs in order to lower the number of civilian victims of this type of weapon, used in the 2006 war in Lebanon, military radio said.

The army has reduced its purchases of U.S. made cluster bombs, instead buying Israel-made M-85 cluster bombs, which contain a mechanism to destroy themselves if they fail to explode immediately on impact, according to the report.

Cluster munitions spread bomblets over a wide area from a single container.

The United Nations estimates that a million cluster bombs were dropped on Lebanon by Israel between July 12 and August 14 in 2006 in the conflict with Hezbollah.

About 40 percent of these did not explode on impact and are spread among villages and orchards in the south of Lebanon.

According to a U.N. report in June, at least 38 people have been killed and 217 wounded by bomblets exploding since the end of the fighting.

The Israeli government's Winograd Commission of enquiry into the mistakes of the Lebanon war recommended the army use fewer cluster bombs in future to reduce civilian injuries.

In May, delegates from 111 countries agreed a landmark treaty in Dublin to ban the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions by its signatories.

However, the agreement lacked the backing of major producers and stockpilers including Israel, China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.

Latest-Generation Laser Engagement System for US Army

U.S. Army Soldiers at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, will begin training this year with a new and improved version of the U.S. military's laser engagement training system. The new MILES Individual Weapon System, or MILES IWS, is manufactured by Cubic Defense Applications, the defense systems business of Cubic Corporation and features lighter weight components to lighten the load of Soldiers on the move during combat training exercises.

Shipments of MILES IWS to Fort Irwin began in July and will continue through December. To date, 4,000 systems have been delivered. Fort Irwin is the first large-scale fielding to take place under Cubic's contract with the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI). Ultimately, Fort Irwin will receive 14,000 systems.

Cubic is also under contract to deliver systems to Fort Bliss and Fort Hood in Texas, and to U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency customers.

Cubic's first U.S. Army delivery of MILES IWS was to the Soldier Battle Lab at Fort Benning, Georgia, which conducted effectiveness and suitability testing on the system. A lab report issued earlier this year concluded, "Overall, the MILES IWS is more effective and suitable in a training environment than current MILES. The system requires less time to mount, less time to align, and maintains alignment resulting in more Soldier confidence and better use of training time..."

The report continues, "The MILES IWS provides more realism in training through more accuracy primarily attributed to alignment retention and weight reduction. The system provides Soldiers with a user friendly and rugged replacement for the current MILES."
Like its predecessor systems, Cubic's MILES IWS allows troops to train with actual weapons during force-on-force exercises. Cubic's laser transmitters and detectors are attached to the trainee's weapon, helmets and training harness. Tracking devices keep track of each trainee's position location, while other MILES IWS components provide real-time feedback on weapon engagements, and record the event for after-action review.

"Cubic is proud to deliver this greatly improved system to Fort Irwin, one of the nation's premier predeployment training sites," said Ray Barker, executive vice president for Business Development and Strategy for Cubic Defense Applications. "MILES IWS offers superior training over basic MILES and has long-term sustainability because it is easy to upgrade. It is interoperable with previous configurations of MILES and with the Initial Homestation Instrumentation Training System (I-HITS), the U.S. Army's new deployable combat training center. MILES IWS is giving the U.S. Army and PEO STRI good value now and into the future."

Cubic Defense Applications (CDA), one of Cubic Corporation's major segments, is a world leader in realistic combat training systems, mission support services and defense electronics. The corporation's other major segment, Cubic Transportation Systems, designs and manufactures automatic fare collection systems for public mass transit authorities.

Delivery of 10,000 MRAP in Iraq , Very Soon

The 10,000th mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle is scheduled to be delivered to troops supporting Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom Sept. 25 by Air Mobility Command Airmen.

MRAPs were introduced in 2007, and AMC Airmen have been working around-the-clock planning, coordinating and executing air transport missions to rush the lifesaving vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Using a variety of aircraft, including C-5 Galaxies, C-17 Globemaster IIIs and contracted AN-124s, AMC officials have transported nearly 3,000 -- roughly one third -- of the total number of MRAPs delivered to the warfighters.

MRAPs are constructed with V-shaped hulls and a raised chassis design to deflect underbelly blasts, and have proven to be lifesavers against improvised explosive devices, small arms fire and mines.

"Our Airmen are directly helping to keep our troops on the ground safer," said Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, the commander of Air Mobility Command. "I'm extremely proud of them and their efforts to speed the delivery of this lifesaving equipment to our forces."

The efforts of AMC's Airmen are part of a multiservice effort to quickly get the vehicles in the hands of troops on the ground. The Air Force was the primary delivery option for MRAPs until December, when the Navy also began transporting the vehicles.

"It's a great feeling to deliver MRAP vehicles to the (area of responsibility) because of the impact on safety it provides other servicemembers," said Master Sgt. Bill Lesage, a C-17 loadmaster with the 14th Airlift Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. "At the end of a long duty day, you really feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that the MRAP is saving lives."

Atomic Submarines for India

A top Pakistan Newspaper "Jang" has claimed that Russia has provided India with two Atomic Submarines after a secret deal between two countries.One of the Submarine named as "Mittri" is old version. Other submarines is reported as "JONI" . This news is being circulated in Pakistan media.It is going to be a great threat for Pakistan. India has not still rejected this claim of "JANG" newspaper.
Indian Admiral has also declared that India will be able to build a nuclear submarine in the next year.

First Littoral Combat Ship Delivered to US Navy

The Lockheed Martin led industry team delivered the nation's first Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom (LCS 1), to the U.S. Navy on 22 September 08. The delivery milestone marks the Navy's preliminary acceptance of LCS 1, clearing the way for the ship's crew to prepare her for commissioning and service.

The 378-foot Freedom -- a survivable, semi-planing steel monohull -- will help the Navy defeat growing threats and provide access and dominance in the littoral battlespace. Reaching speeds over 40 knots and displacing 3,000 metric tons, Freedom is a fast, maneuverable and networked surface combatant with operational flexibility to execute focused missions, such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and the potential for a wide range of additional missions including maritime interdiction and humanitarian/disaster relief.

In 2004, the Navy awarded a contract to the Lockheed Martin team to develop the first LCS. Construction began in February 2005 and Freedom was christened and launched in September 2006. This represents less than half the time typically required to design, build, launch and deliver a first-in-class combatant. Freedom successfully completed sea trials in August 2008 and will be commissioned on November 8, 2008 in Milwaukee, WI and eventually home-ported in San Diego, CA.

The Lockheed Martin-led industry team for LCS also includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox, ship builders Marinette Marine, a subsidiary of The Manitowoc Company, Inc. and Bollinger Shipyards, as well as best-of-industry domestic and international teammates to provide a flexible, low-risk war fighting solution.

Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2007 sales of $41.9 billion.