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Daily News
by Gail Helmer
Jane's News Briefs
Friday, October 19, 2001Jane's Defence Weekly
USA expands reconnaissance The US National Reconnaissance Office has, within the space of just over one month, authorised three separate satellite launches. The launches are assumed to be in partial response to the 11 September terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC.
A400M nations agree on how to share work
The nine nations involved in Europe's A400M project have decided on work-share for the future military transport aircraft and appear set to sign a final contract on 16 November in Germany to acquire 212 of the aircraft.
German naval giants conclude Hellenic Shipyards buy
German shipyards Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) and Ferrostaal have completed a deal to buy Greece's backlog-heavy Hellenic Shipyards, the Greek government announced on 11 October (Jane's Defence Weekly 27 July).
US DoD approves Omani F-16 sale
The US Department of Defense (DoD) has announced its intention to sell the Royal Air Force of Oman 12 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 50 or Block 52 multi-role fighter aircraft and ordnance as part of a potential $1.12 billion foreign military sale.
Indian trainers still on hold
The prospects of the Indian Air Force acquiring desperately needed advanced jet trainers have receded further, nearly 17 years after it urgently demanded a trainer to reduce its high accident rate.
Visby programme safeguarded
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has reached agreement with shipbuilder Kockums and its parent company HDW to safeguard the future of the Royal Swedish Navy's Visby-class corvette programme.
Russian imaging satellite returns to Earth
Russia's only operating photo-reconnaissance satellite, Cosmos 2377 -launched on 29 May - returned its main descent module to Earth on 10 October. The flight lasted 133 days, about two weeks longer than the previous duration record for this class of satellite.
Jane's Defence Upgrades
Anti-terrorist response prompts 'going-to-war' upgrades for US forces The US military response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September, initiated on 7 October, has put a new emphasis on near-term 'going-to-war' upgrades of equipment and capabilities. Prior to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC, the trend had been to invest in "transformational capabilities", often at the expense of upgrades to "legacy systems". All this changed on 11 September. The US military is now looking to upgrades to boost near-term capabilities to deal with the elusive terrorist threat. This includes improving the capabilities of current systems and bringing some prototype and developmental systems to an interim operational status.
Type 23 SLEP is option for Royal Navy's ICF
Work is continuing in the UK Ministry of Defence's Director Equipment Capability (Above Water Battlespace) to examine options for an Interim Capability Frigate (ICF) to bridge the gap between the current out-of-service date of the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates and the introduction of the projected Future Surface Combatant (FSC). The proposed Type 23 Service Life Extension Programme (SLEP) is now being considered against a range of alternative options for the ICF.
Cummins bids to power Australian M113AS3
Continuing the stop-start nature that has bedevilled the Australian Army's M113 Upgrade programme (Project Land 106) so far, another likely change for the project is pending. It now appears that the original M113AS3 powerpack -the Daewoo six-cylinder diesel coupled to a ZF automatic transmission - has been dropped from consideration. JDU has learned that the Cummins Engine Company is likely to receive a request to supply its 370hp (276kW) QSC370 six-cylinder in-line diesel engine, as an alternative.
Japan eyes further F-15 upgrades
The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) is considering a further upgrade of its McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15J/DJ Eagle fighters. Including the US-built prototypes, 213 aircraft were built under licence by Mitsubishi and procured in 17 production lots between Japanese Fiscal Years (JFY) 1978-1996, of which 203 remain in service. There is already considerable variation in standard not only between the sub-versions but also between those that have already been through the Japanese Multistage Improvement Program (MSIP) programme - equivalent of the US Air Force F-15 MSIP programme.
THE JDU INTERVIEW: David Spong of Boeing MAS
The announcement that the US Air Force (USAF) has contracted the Boeing Company to conduct the Avionics Modernisation Programme (AMP) for its fleet of early-model C-130E and C-130H Hercules transport and special mission aircraft has thrown Boeing's military aerospace support organisation into the limelight. Michael J Gething talks to David Spong, President of Boeing Military Aerospace Support (MAS).
TECHNOLOGY INSERTION:
Ukrainian upgrade technology on parade A significant number of indigenous Ukrainian upgrades were presented in public for the first time at the Kiev military parade to celebrate the former-Soviet republic's 10 years of independence on 24 August 2001. Among the 300+ military vehicles taking part, many were new or extensively modified designs. Jim Kinnear reports.
Jane's Foreign Report
Hizbullah reinforced
Ready to counter feared attack by Israel or America ALTHOUGH relative quiet has reigned in south Lebanon since Israel's withdrawal from the area in May 2000, FOREIGN REPORT's proven sources in Lebanon say the region is a tinderbox with the types and quantities of weapons amassed there reaching unprecedented levels.
Arabs against Bin Laden
YASSER ARAFAT, president of the Palestinian Authority, was one of the first Arab leaders to oppose Osama bin Laden. Perhaps he had learned a lesson from the Gulf War when he supported Saddam Hussein in invading Kuwait and lost the sympathy and funds of Kuwait and the rest of the Gulf states. Now most Arab states have turned against Bin Laden. President George W Bush's support for a Palestinian state and the tours of the British prime minister, Tony Blair, have helped. Some Arab leaders now see some good coming out of the events of 11th September. The Arabs are taking Bush and Blair seriously. The Arabs know Bush and Blair cannot win their war against terrorism without Arab help. Our sources say several of the leaders are hoping to use the opportunity to establish a new relationship between America and the Arab world.
Anthrax: America and Iraq
IT IS the perfect biological weapon. Its bacteria can form spores to preserve themselves when faced with a hostile environment. Spores will survive being ground up, dried, buried or sprayed around, but will revive when conditions are suitable, such as inside a human nose.
Decision time for Bush and Blair
SOME TWO WEEKS after the start of Western military operations in and around Afghanistan, American leaders had a daunting list of tasks. They had not only to defeat the Taliban and capture Osama bin Laden but also to manage the inflated expectations of American public opinion about what how quickly a military operation can bring victory and to nurture the anti-Taliban alliance. Some of these aims are incompatible. For President Bush, the difficulties are now coming to the surface. The war is proceeding, but not too well. Here are some of the president's secret worries, until now kept hidden inside the White House.
Curtains for Castro
While high-ranking officials throughout Latin and South America feted Fidel Castro in mid-August in honour of his 75th birthday, Cuban exiles in the United States were cheered by recent reports of Castro fainting during a speech in Havana, and stumbling during a public ceremony to celebrate his birthday in Venezuela. Anti-Castro groups are increasingly confident that the failing health of the Cuban leader has signalled the beginning of the end of the Castro regime. If this is true, Castro has done little to prepare Cuba for the economic reform and political liberalisation that will immediately follow his death.
Jane's Intelligence Digest
Targeting Abu Sayyaf
With the international campaign to combat terrorism being intensified, the Philippine government has stepped up its offensive against the militant Abu Sayyaf group, which some intelligence sources claim has been receiving arms, training and other logistical support from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network. Jane's Intelligence Digest's local correspondent has prepared a report.
Jane's Terrorism and Security Monitor
Afghan United Front ready to help US forces
The assassination of the Afghan United Front's top military commander, Ahmadshah Massoud, cannot fail but to have a profound impact on the predominantly northern opposition alliance, the United Front. The timing of this act is also significant, for it occurred just two days before the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. Massoud's murder thus effectively eliminated the services of a potent prospective ally in America's war against terrorism just when they are needed most.
United States
Protecting the homeland after September 11 The suicide plane attacks on New York's World Trade Centre and Washington's Pentagon on 11 September made clear that US intelligence and security measures were seriously lacking. The war against Osama bin Laden has been going on at least since the first World Trade Centre bombing in February 1993, which was followed by the attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998 and the suicide attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000. However, nothing that Washington did during that time had any deterrent effect, giving rise to the suspicion that the deadly threat of terrorism was not taken seriously enough.
Special Report
September 11: Anatomy of an intelligence failure Only months before the horrific terrorist attacks of 11 September, State Department officials had assured the public that the USA had Osama bin Laden "in a box". Also adept at portraying this confident picture was the director of central intelligence, George Tenet, a master at public relations for the CIA who frequently appeared in press articles as the cigar-chomping spy chief uncovering one terrorist plot after another, often just in the nick of time.
Islam
Intifada forges ties between Islam's odd bedfellows. As US intelligence agencies search for the perpetrators of the attacks of 11 September, it is becoming obvious that fundamentalist terrorism is becoming 'internationalised' as autonomous or formerly hostile parties are beginning to pool resources and expertise. Two conferences earlier this year in Beirut, Lebanon and Tehran, Iran cemented these nascent relationships, and as analysts look for information, they could make no better start than perusing lists of the attendees. Almost unnoticed by the world media, the Carlton Hotel in Beirut on 29-31 January hosted the Quds (Jerusalem) Conference, a meeting with ominous implications not only for Israel, but the world. The opening sessions on 28 January were held in the UNESCO palace. The catalyst for the meeting was the Palestinian Al-Aqsa Intifada and Israel's repression of the uprising.
Middle East
Arab world uneasy about US war on terrorism The apocalyptic events of 11 September in the USA have triggered seismic changes in the Middle East's political landscape, some visible and others still unfolding. There is a sense of unease throughout the region, akin to being plunged into uncharted waters. As the Bush administration seeks to build an international coalition against global terrorism, it is soliciting help from states such as Iran, Syria, Sudan and Libya that only a few weeks ago were classified as 'rogue states' and supporters of terrorism. Such a move points to policy changes that were unthinkable a few weeks earlier.
Insight
Demystifying Iran's anti-terrorist stance Those Iran-watchers who rejoice today over Iran's refusal to join a prospective US-led coalition might regret it tomorrow. There seem to be signs indicating that a pattern of indirect US-Iran de facto co-operation, rather than coalition, might be developing against the plague of international terrorism.
International
Interpol creates task force to hunt terrorists in Europe With one US Congressman labelling the 11 September terrorist attacks against the USA a "catastrophic failure of US intelligence" and another senator dubbing it "a failure of great dimension", it is probable that changes will be made in the way in which the USA goes about its national security business. However, given the effect of some 700 arrests or detentions to date in half a dozen countries, it is also clear that the network of terrorists that implemented the hijackings operated not only in the United States but also across the European Union. What is less clear is how co-ordinated and effective the international police and security service response to the atrocities will be. Recent developments, however, offer a glimpse of possible responses.
Jane's Intelligence Watch Report and Jane's Terrorism Watch Report
Afghanistan
- The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported on 16 October that Pakistan has urged the US to attack and kill Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar with air-strikes as the quickest way to end its conflict with Afghanistan. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf told reporters, "It could be over in one day if you take out Mullah Omar and his leadership. Once you've done that the campaign is over." There is intense speculation in Pakistan that the Taliban are seeking via Pakistan a negotiated end to the conflict.
Tanzania
-Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) - Nipashe news agency reported on 15 October that Ahmed Khalfan Ghaliani, one of 22 suspects on the FBI's watch list of suspects involved in the 11 September terrorist attacks in the US, is not in Tanzania. Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Adadi Rajab stated the Ghaliani might return to Tanzania, and appealed to the public to contact the CID if Ghaliani was spotted, offering a "huge reward."
Angola -
National Union for the Total Independence of Angola [Uniao Nacional para a Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA)] - A UNITA attack on Assuncao, 99 miles (160 km) from the coastal province of Benguela killed four people and wounded four others, BBC reported on 15 October. Angolan armed forces prevented UNITA rebels from stealing cattle and other goods during the attack.
Colombia -
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia [Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)] and United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia [Autodefensas Unidos de Colombia (AUC)] - Caracol Radio reported on 15 October that the Colombian government will attempt to prevent open conflict between AUC and FARC units in the southwest of the country. Interior Minister Armando Estrada said, "We are going to employ the state's legitimate force to prevent either of these barbaric groups from feeling unrestrained." Estrada referred to a recent comment by FARC spokesman Pablo Catatumbo that FARC guerrillas will pursue AUC units responsible for actions such as the recent killing of 24 peasants in Buga village in Valle del Cauca province.
The Philippines -
Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) - The Advertiser newspaper reported on 16 October that ASG guerrillas have threatened to execute two American hostages unless the government of President Gloria Arroyo ends military offensives and initiates talks. ASG leader Abu Sabaya stated in an interview with DZRZ radio, "We will execute Martin and Gracia (Burnham) if they do not stop this rescue operation." Arroyo has sent 5,000 security forces to Basilan island to quell the ASG insurrection. Burnham said during the interview, "The message from Abu Sayyaf is that Americans everywhere are in danger. We have been targeted because we are Americans."
Turkey -
Kurdistan Workers' Party [Partiya Karkaren Kurdistan (PKK)] and People's Democracy Party (HADEP) - Anadolu Ajansi news agency reported on 15 October that security forces are searching for HADEP Silopi district member Serdar Tanis, who escaped police custody in the company of PKK members. Tanis's father received a letter from the PKK Central Committee stating that his son had joined the organization and is now at a PKK camp in Dolokaki.
Jane's World Airlines
AIR MAURITIUS ACQUIRES ATR 72-500
Based in Port Louis, Air Mauritius has signed a letter of intent with Avions de Transport Regional (ATR), for the acquisition of one new generation ATR 72-500 to be delivered in June 2002. The new aircraft will replace the existing ATR 42-300 and will be operated on the airlines inter-island route network. Air Mauritius is the national airline of the Republic of Mauritius operating to 30 destinations.
ALASKA AIRLINES AND HAWAIIAN AIRLINES FORM AN ALLIANCE
Alaska Airlines has entered a comprehensive marketing agreement with Hawaiian Airlines which will include reciprocal codesharing and participation in each other's frequent flyer programmes. The agreement was effective from 1 October 2001 and will also benefit Alaska's sister carrier, Horizon Air. The new alliance will enable Hawaiian to enter into 21 new markets.
CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES AND JAPAN AIR SYSTEM LAUNCH NEW CODESHARE
China Southern Airlines and Japan Air System (JAS) will launch a new joint codeshare service between Guangzhou and Tokyo beginning 29 October 2001. The airlines already codeshare on routes between Guangzhou and Osaka and Guangzhou and Fukuoka. The expanded partnership is part of an overall global strategic plan by China Southern which also has codeshare agreements with Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Asiana Airlines.
DELTA AIR LINES SELLS SKYWEST AIRLINES STAKE
Delta Air Lines, a founding member of the global alliance SkyTeam, has sold its stake in SkyWest Airlines. Delta has sold 6.2 million shares of SkyWest's common stock worth US$125 million.
EUROCELTIC AIRWAYS ANNOUNCES NEW ROUTE
Luton-based, UK airline Euroceltic Airways has announced a new Liverpool to London Luton route commencing 17 October 2001. Launched in February 2001 with a thrice-weekly London Luton to Waterford service, Euroceltic's fleet consists of two Fokker F27-500 aircraft.
SABENA REVIEWS HYPOTHESIS OF NEW BUSINESS PLAN
The future of the Belgian flag carrier Sabena has been under review by both Sabena's management and the Belgian State. Sabena has a short-term priority to secure operations and it's board of directors has met to study the first hypothesis of the 'new Sabena' business plan which includes the launch of three projects, namely elaborating a plan for a new Company and looking for private investors; concentrating on finding industrial partners for the subsidiaries and setting up a social fund which has been developed by the Belgian government and the Trade Unions.
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