Daily News
by Gail Helmer
[ Send Us News | Archives ]
Silent Hunter II Ships
Ubi Soft Entertainment has announced that Silent Hunter II has shipped to stores. Click here for previous coverage.
IL-2 Goes Gold
Ubi Soft Entertainment has announced the IL-2 has gone gold and will begin shipping to stores on November 20. Click here for previous coverage.
EA Platinum Service Discontinued
Electronic Arts has announced that it is discontinuing its EA Platinum subscription service as of December 7, 2001. The service is a paid part of EA.com, the publisher's online game portal. The company is also canceling several online games that are featured in the service, including Air Warrior. Subscriber accounts will not be billed for any subscription fees after November 6.
Military News
Lockheed Martin C-130 Upgrade Business Continues to Grow
Lockheed Martin's C-130 modification and upgrade business continues to grow, as the Swedish Air Force recently signed a contract to convert one of its C-130E Hercules transports to an aerial tanker. The contract covers the conversion of a C-130E to a tanker by using Flight Refueling Limited (FRL) equipment in conjunction with an Aero Union Corp. dual-walled, fuselage-mounted, 1,800 gallon fuel tank. The system will be installed in late 2002, and the converted aircraft will be returned to service in the first quarter of 2003.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company also recently began a similar tanker conversion program for two of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) C-130Hs. Two other Malaysian aircraft, now standard size C-130Hs, will be converted to the extended fuselage length C-130H-30 configuration.
Lockheed Martin recently shipped the first fuselage sections to Malaysia. The company is providing engineering, kits and installation support for the conversion under subcontract to the Malaysian company Airod SDN. BHD. This conversion is accomplished by inserting a 100-inch long plug aft of the cockpit and an additional 80-inch long plug aft of the wings behind the paratroop doors. This increases the available cargo volume by 33 percent. The aircraft's internal cargo handling system is also modified to cover the extensions.
The second part of the Malaysian Upgrade calls for Lockheed Martin to provide Airod with modification kits to equip two C-130Hs with a self-contained air-to-air refueling system. This system is designed as roll-on-roll-off equipment, which allows for an air-to-air refueling capability while preserving the aircraft's ability to function as a transport. Modification of the first of two aircraft will begin in third quarter of 2002.
Russia's Rosoboronexport: Marking Our First Anniversary
Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport is celebrating its first anniversary and we believe the timing is good to sum up the results of the past year.
The Rosoboronexport was established exactly a year ago when Russian President Vladimir Putin's November 4, 2000 decree consolidated several Russian arms traders to avoid unnecessary competition. The company diligently fulfils the pre-merger obligations of these traders. Rosoboronexport's revenues year-to-date total U.S. $2.8 billion, with the full-2001 figure projected at $3.2 billion.
Rosoboronexport has been enjoying a constant, strong demand for its products, including MiG and Sukhoi fighters, Kamov and Mi gunships and transport helicopters, S-300 air defense systems, BUK-M1-2 Air Defense Missile System, IGLA Portable Missile launcher, Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, Arena active missile defense systems, BMP-3 tracked infantry combat vehicle Kilo-class diesel submarines, Zubr, Murena and Chilim hovercraft, to name but a few.
The company also does a great deal of upgrading. In particular, they are currently overhauling the Russian-built MiG-21 fighters for India's Air Force. They have developed a program for the comprehensive upgrade of previously supplied equipment, including gunships and vastly popular and numerous T-72 tanks.
Recently, Russian military equipment producers have teamed up with a number of South African companies to upgrade Mirage F1 and Mirage III fighters by adjusting to them Russian RD-33 engines and R-73 air-to-air missiles.
In addition to supplying military-grade manufactured goods and components, Rosoboronexport provides production and maintenance technologies.
Armed with aggressive marketing tools, Rosoboronexport is actively expanding its sales geography. Currently, we cooperate with over 60 countries on a permanent basis, and we have representative offices in 33 countries.
Lately, the company has also introduced an "oil-for-arms" plan, in partnership with Russian oil and gas majors such as Lukoil, Gazprom and Rosneft.
Another priority of the company is to attract foreign and domestic investment in Russia's military industry.
Last August, Rosoboronexport signed a strategic partnership agreement with State Investment Corporation, which envisages joint investment projects and foreign trade transactions intended to upgrade the sector's facilities.
To stimulate the production and exports of Russia's military-grade products, Rosoboronexport has been authorized to participate in the creation of state holding companies that would consolidate arms manufacturers.
The company plans to receive in trust state stakes in these manufacturers, which are currently managed by banks and companies investing in the production of competitive arms.
Lockheed Martin To Provide JSF Pilot And Maintainer Training
Lockheed Martin Training will provide pilot and maintainer training for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, the multirole strike fighter for the US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Air Force.
Lockheed Martin Training, lead by Orlando-based Information Systems, will manage a diverse team including Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Lockheed Martin's Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems businesses, Northrop Grumman, BAE and yet to be selected contractors leveraging military training expertise in instructional systems, courseware, training simulators and management systems
Lockheed Martin Information Systems will be responsible for the management, design, development, and delivery of integrated pilot and maintenance training system under the 10-year contract worth up to $750 million.
Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems will develop the correlated visual and sensor database for the pilot training suite, a modular design to support training at schoolhouses, operational squadrons and at deployed sites.
"With this selection, the critical JSF training component has been placed in the hands of the experts. The affordability designed into our solution results from investments made in systems engineering development and integrated product development over many years," said John Hallal, President of Lockheed Martin Information Systems.
Variants of the JSF will be fielded beginning around 2008 to replace current aircraft including the A-10, F-16, F/A-18C, AV-8B Harrier and the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier.
British Army To Get New Super Accurate Guided Rockets And Shells
The British Army is to get new guided rockets and shells which will be able to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy at ranges of up to 150 kilometres - five times that of existing systems.
BAE Systems Future Systems has won a competition for a £9 million assessment phase contract, during which the best technologies for the Indirect Fire Precision Attack (IFPA) project will be chosen.
Defence Procurement Minister Lord Bach said, "IFPA is just one of a group of major projects for new guns, ammunition, missile and rocket systems that will give the Army the kind of reach and punch that could only have been dreamed of a few years ago."
IFPA is likely to employ guided shells and fibre optic or satellite guided rockets that will give the Army the ability to reach and destroy fixed and mobile targets across the battlefield, once located by unmanned aerial vehicles and other surveillance systems. This project will allow artillery to develop from a primarily area weapon capability into one that can accurately attack individual targets, such as command centres and armoured vehicles."
The first of the new generation weapons, with a range of about 60 kilometres, is expected to be in the hands of troops from 2006, with the full 150 kilometre range capability achieved by 2015. The BAE Systems consortium is expected to employ between 20 and 30 staff on IFPA during the assessment phase.
First Advanced Gun System Barrel Completes Safety Tests
United Defense's first Advanced Gun System (AGS) barrel has been successfully proof tested at its gun test facility in Elk River, Minnesota. It fired eleven shots using test projectiles at pressures ranging from approximately 50% below to 50% above normal operating pressure of 45kpsi.
This barrel, along with the second test barrel now completing production at United Defense's facility in Louisville, KY, will be key resources for testing projectile designs for the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) Demonstration Programme.
"The test firing marks a milestone for both the DD 21 and AGS programmes because it is the first piece of equipment to be in the testing phase," said Jim Schoppenhorst, AGS Programme Manager for United Defense. "Most of the other work is in design and development, but the firing of this barrel demonstrates that the programmes are moving along on schedule and meeting programme requirements."
The Advanced Gun System was designed to equip the DD 21 Zumwalt Class Destroyer with the capability to fire munitions up to 100 nautical miles at a sustained rate of 12 rounds per minute. However, the Pentagon pulled the plug on the DD21 programme last week, replacing it with a DD(X) programme, although technology being developed for the DD21 will be evaluated for the new programme.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark said the DD(X) programme reflected an awareness that effectively defeating future threats, while accomplishing naval missions, will require a range of naval capabilities and different surface platforms.
"One size fits all will not work on the future battlefield," Clark said. "We must continue to exploit the robust R&D effort made on DD 21 even as we focus our research and technology funding of other approaches such as the Littoral Combat Ship concept."
"The barrels for the [AGS] have been designed to fire a family of ammunition," said Tom Pfenning, Projectile Development Lead for the AGS program. "In the past, Navy guns had the ability to fire an assortment of ballistic and some advanced projectile types, but with this gun and a potential family of munitions, AGS will provide significantly increased capability and a significantly extended range."
United Defense began the design of the AGS in 1999, under contract to Bath Iron Works, the lead contractor for the DD 21 Shipbuilding Alliance. During 1999, United Defense conducted detailed analyses and trade studies for the AGS and recommended numerous design aspects of the AGS including a conventional single-barrel 155-mm naval gun that fired at 12 rounds per minute. With the acceptance of these recommendations by the Alliance and the Navy, United Defense began preliminary design of the AGS in November 2000.
[ Send Us News | Archives ]
by Gail Helmer
Wednesday November 07, 2001
- Silent Hunter II Ships
- IL-2 Goes Gold
- EA Platinum Service Discontinued
- Lockheed Martin C-130 Upgrade Business Continues to Grow
- Russia's Rosoboronexport: Marking Our First Anniversary
- Lockheed Martin To Provide JSF Pilot And Maintainer Training
- British Army To Get New Super Accurate Guided Rockets And Shells
- First Advanced Gun System Barrel Completes Safety Tests
Silent Hunter II Ships
Ubi Soft Entertainment has announced that Silent Hunter II has shipped to stores. Click here for previous coverage.
IL-2 Goes Gold
Ubi Soft Entertainment has announced the IL-2 has gone gold and will begin shipping to stores on November 20. Click here for previous coverage.
EA Platinum Service Discontinued
Electronic Arts has announced that it is discontinuing its EA Platinum subscription service as of December 7, 2001. The service is a paid part of EA.com, the publisher's online game portal. The company is also canceling several online games that are featured in the service, including Air Warrior. Subscriber accounts will not be billed for any subscription fees after November 6.
Military News
Lockheed Martin C-130 Upgrade Business Continues to Grow
Lockheed Martin's C-130 modification and upgrade business continues to grow, as the Swedish Air Force recently signed a contract to convert one of its C-130E Hercules transports to an aerial tanker. The contract covers the conversion of a C-130E to a tanker by using Flight Refueling Limited (FRL) equipment in conjunction with an Aero Union Corp. dual-walled, fuselage-mounted, 1,800 gallon fuel tank. The system will be installed in late 2002, and the converted aircraft will be returned to service in the first quarter of 2003.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company also recently began a similar tanker conversion program for two of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) C-130Hs. Two other Malaysian aircraft, now standard size C-130Hs, will be converted to the extended fuselage length C-130H-30 configuration.
Lockheed Martin recently shipped the first fuselage sections to Malaysia. The company is providing engineering, kits and installation support for the conversion under subcontract to the Malaysian company Airod SDN. BHD. This conversion is accomplished by inserting a 100-inch long plug aft of the cockpit and an additional 80-inch long plug aft of the wings behind the paratroop doors. This increases the available cargo volume by 33 percent. The aircraft's internal cargo handling system is also modified to cover the extensions.
The second part of the Malaysian Upgrade calls for Lockheed Martin to provide Airod with modification kits to equip two C-130Hs with a self-contained air-to-air refueling system. This system is designed as roll-on-roll-off equipment, which allows for an air-to-air refueling capability while preserving the aircraft's ability to function as a transport. Modification of the first of two aircraft will begin in third quarter of 2002.
Russia's Rosoboronexport: Marking Our First Anniversary
Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport is celebrating its first anniversary and we believe the timing is good to sum up the results of the past year.
The Rosoboronexport was established exactly a year ago when Russian President Vladimir Putin's November 4, 2000 decree consolidated several Russian arms traders to avoid unnecessary competition. The company diligently fulfils the pre-merger obligations of these traders. Rosoboronexport's revenues year-to-date total U.S. $2.8 billion, with the full-2001 figure projected at $3.2 billion.
Rosoboronexport has been enjoying a constant, strong demand for its products, including MiG and Sukhoi fighters, Kamov and Mi gunships and transport helicopters, S-300 air defense systems, BUK-M1-2 Air Defense Missile System, IGLA Portable Missile launcher, Smerch multiple launch rocket systems, Arena active missile defense systems, BMP-3 tracked infantry combat vehicle Kilo-class diesel submarines, Zubr, Murena and Chilim hovercraft, to name but a few.
The company also does a great deal of upgrading. In particular, they are currently overhauling the Russian-built MiG-21 fighters for India's Air Force. They have developed a program for the comprehensive upgrade of previously supplied equipment, including gunships and vastly popular and numerous T-72 tanks.
Recently, Russian military equipment producers have teamed up with a number of South African companies to upgrade Mirage F1 and Mirage III fighters by adjusting to them Russian RD-33 engines and R-73 air-to-air missiles.
In addition to supplying military-grade manufactured goods and components, Rosoboronexport provides production and maintenance technologies.
Armed with aggressive marketing tools, Rosoboronexport is actively expanding its sales geography. Currently, we cooperate with over 60 countries on a permanent basis, and we have representative offices in 33 countries.
Lately, the company has also introduced an "oil-for-arms" plan, in partnership with Russian oil and gas majors such as Lukoil, Gazprom and Rosneft.
Another priority of the company is to attract foreign and domestic investment in Russia's military industry.
Last August, Rosoboronexport signed a strategic partnership agreement with State Investment Corporation, which envisages joint investment projects and foreign trade transactions intended to upgrade the sector's facilities.
To stimulate the production and exports of Russia's military-grade products, Rosoboronexport has been authorized to participate in the creation of state holding companies that would consolidate arms manufacturers.
The company plans to receive in trust state stakes in these manufacturers, which are currently managed by banks and companies investing in the production of competitive arms.
Lockheed Martin To Provide JSF Pilot And Maintainer Training
Lockheed Martin Training will provide pilot and maintainer training for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, the multirole strike fighter for the US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Air Force.
Lockheed Martin Training, lead by Orlando-based Information Systems, will manage a diverse team including Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Lockheed Martin's Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems businesses, Northrop Grumman, BAE and yet to be selected contractors leveraging military training expertise in instructional systems, courseware, training simulators and management systems
Lockheed Martin Information Systems will be responsible for the management, design, development, and delivery of integrated pilot and maintenance training system under the 10-year contract worth up to $750 million.
Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems will develop the correlated visual and sensor database for the pilot training suite, a modular design to support training at schoolhouses, operational squadrons and at deployed sites.
"With this selection, the critical JSF training component has been placed in the hands of the experts. The affordability designed into our solution results from investments made in systems engineering development and integrated product development over many years," said John Hallal, President of Lockheed Martin Information Systems.
Variants of the JSF will be fielded beginning around 2008 to replace current aircraft including the A-10, F-16, F/A-18C, AV-8B Harrier and the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier.
British Army To Get New Super Accurate Guided Rockets And Shells
The British Army is to get new guided rockets and shells which will be able to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy at ranges of up to 150 kilometres - five times that of existing systems.
BAE Systems Future Systems has won a competition for a £9 million assessment phase contract, during which the best technologies for the Indirect Fire Precision Attack (IFPA) project will be chosen.
Defence Procurement Minister Lord Bach said, "IFPA is just one of a group of major projects for new guns, ammunition, missile and rocket systems that will give the Army the kind of reach and punch that could only have been dreamed of a few years ago."
IFPA is likely to employ guided shells and fibre optic or satellite guided rockets that will give the Army the ability to reach and destroy fixed and mobile targets across the battlefield, once located by unmanned aerial vehicles and other surveillance systems. This project will allow artillery to develop from a primarily area weapon capability into one that can accurately attack individual targets, such as command centres and armoured vehicles."
The first of the new generation weapons, with a range of about 60 kilometres, is expected to be in the hands of troops from 2006, with the full 150 kilometre range capability achieved by 2015. The BAE Systems consortium is expected to employ between 20 and 30 staff on IFPA during the assessment phase.
First Advanced Gun System Barrel Completes Safety Tests
United Defense's first Advanced Gun System (AGS) barrel has been successfully proof tested at its gun test facility in Elk River, Minnesota. It fired eleven shots using test projectiles at pressures ranging from approximately 50% below to 50% above normal operating pressure of 45kpsi.
This barrel, along with the second test barrel now completing production at United Defense's facility in Louisville, KY, will be key resources for testing projectile designs for the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) Demonstration Programme.
"The test firing marks a milestone for both the DD 21 and AGS programmes because it is the first piece of equipment to be in the testing phase," said Jim Schoppenhorst, AGS Programme Manager for United Defense. "Most of the other work is in design and development, but the firing of this barrel demonstrates that the programmes are moving along on schedule and meeting programme requirements."
The Advanced Gun System was designed to equip the DD 21 Zumwalt Class Destroyer with the capability to fire munitions up to 100 nautical miles at a sustained rate of 12 rounds per minute. However, the Pentagon pulled the plug on the DD21 programme last week, replacing it with a DD(X) programme, although technology being developed for the DD21 will be evaluated for the new programme.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark said the DD(X) programme reflected an awareness that effectively defeating future threats, while accomplishing naval missions, will require a range of naval capabilities and different surface platforms.
"One size fits all will not work on the future battlefield," Clark said. "We must continue to exploit the robust R&D effort made on DD 21 even as we focus our research and technology funding of other approaches such as the Littoral Combat Ship concept."
"The barrels for the [AGS] have been designed to fire a family of ammunition," said Tom Pfenning, Projectile Development Lead for the AGS program. "In the past, Navy guns had the ability to fire an assortment of ballistic and some advanced projectile types, but with this gun and a potential family of munitions, AGS will provide significantly increased capability and a significantly extended range."
United Defense began the design of the AGS in 1999, under contract to Bath Iron Works, the lead contractor for the DD 21 Shipbuilding Alliance. During 1999, United Defense conducted detailed analyses and trade studies for the AGS and recommended numerous design aspects of the AGS including a conventional single-barrel 155-mm naval gun that fired at 12 rounds per minute. With the acceptance of these recommendations by the Alliance and the Navy, United Defense began preliminary design of the AGS in November 2000.