CV32

Not yet, that's what we're focusing on at present. And which is taking a lot of our energies.

From Aviation Week Rebuilding IQAF Not Without Challenges Nov 9, 2008 By Robert Wall The Iraqi vision is grand: build one of the Middle East's premier air forces flying F-16s, attack helicopters and modern airlifters. But years of neglect, combat losses and domestic turmoil mean that attaining this goal will be an enormous challenge. Trying to create a new air force in what's effectively still a war zone may be an unprecedented undertaking. Nevertheless, such efforts are gaining momentum as a new generation of systems, pilots, maintenance personnel and processes starts coming into its own. Transitioning to a Western-style flying culture is proving to be an arduous task, since Iraq is hobbled by economic and security difficulties that continue to define daily life here. Although the U.S.-led Coalition Air Force Transition Team (CAFTT) - which is helping to build the Iraqi air force (IQAF) - is seeing signs of progress, the verdict is still out on whether lasting change can be achieved. The Iraqi ambitions are significant and the shopping list is long. The government already has requested information related to buying a fleet of F-16s; purchase plans for C-130Js and attack helicopters are underway. The IQAF also is considering buying an advanced jet trainer that could double as a counter-insurgency aircraft and also perform reconnaissance tasks. An often-mentioned option is the AT-6B, an armed derivative of the Raytheon T-6A Texan II trainer. "We'll need many aircraft to keep up with the capability of the Iraqi army to fight terrorists," says IQAF Col. Ahmed, a senior squadron commander in the service. (Some Iraqi officers use only their first names, for fear their families might be targeted if their identities become known.) The goal is to rebuild the air force by 2020 to have around 18,000 personnel and 550 aircraft, far below the 50,000 troops and 1,000 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft the IQAF fielded in 1990. The pace of growth already is brisk. "About a year ago, there were 750 people. Now there are 1,900, and by year-end it will be 2,800. By next year there [should] be 6,000" in the IQAF, notes U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nathan Brauner, adviser to the Iraqi training squadron. With regard to airpower, the CAFTT team has been stressing the importance of a using a Western-style approach but is nevertheless wary of taking that too far. "We have to be careful not to mirror-image," says USAF Col. Sean Frisbee, CAFTT's chief of staff. "We are not creating the U.S. Air Force; we are creating the best Iraqi air force we can," adds USAF Lt. Col. Mark Brunsworth, adviser to Iraq's C-130E squadron. The rebuilding effort started in 2004 and gathered steam around two years ago when larger numbers of former IQAF pilots started rejoining the service, says Ahmed. Safety concerns early on kept pilots from returning, he adds. As the security situation improved in the past two years, more pilots returned. But that doesn't mean security isn't still a problem. Senior IQAF officers worry about a "hit list" that has some of their names on it. Also, many pilots still don't want to be identified with their service affiliation for fear of reprisals. With the Iraqi public, the IQAF appears to be resonating well. The service has painted the Iraqi flag under its aircraft. It's the best self-protection system that can be fielded, quips one senior Iraqi officer. U.S. pilots also note that when they fly on Iraqi helicopters, they see civilians below waving - emotions not seen when the ubiquitous U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawks are overhead. That situation has helped draw former Iraqi pilots back to the service. The applicants undergo a two-step vetting process. The initial review is the same as performed for Iraqi army personnel - checking their backgrounds. But the air force then performs a more detailed investigation, which involves checking references and looking for information about the applicant in the local community to avoid opening the door to regime opponents. Persuading potential candidates to sign up with IQAF was only one of several steps that had to be taken to start the rebuilding effort, says USAF Brig. Gen. Brooks L. Bash, commander of CAFTT. First the allies had to recognize that building the air force was important - particularly to support the counter-insurgency fight - and that a well-trained IQAF would eventually allow a reduction in coalition forces. Recent progress is also related to the fact that the allied effort has been stepped up. Since early 2006, when it was recognized that not enough was being done, about 370 advisers have joined CAFTT. However, several hurdles still need to be overcome, says Bash. For example, there's a need to boost expenditures. The 2007 and 2008 budgets both came in substantially below what was requested. This year alone, the shortfall was $712 million, with $588 million provided on a $1.3-billion request. In part, Bash says, securing more funding will be dependent on the air force's gaining a stronger voice within the defense ministry. Furthermore, some basic planning skills need to be developed. Purchasing uniforms can still be difficult, and IQAF has not yet evolved sufficiently to do long-term planning. Infrastructure development is an important area that could suffer from lack of funding, according to U.S. officials. Although the U.S. plans to hand over bases to the IQAF under a "shrink and share" policy spelled out by U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the government should make some infrastructure investment in the meantime. Petraeus oversees U.S. military operations in Iraq. Perhaps one of the biggest near-term challenges is the IQAF's age profile. Most of the returning pilots are relatively old, and some would likely remain in service only a few more years. In fact, a pending government pension law could precipitate retirements among senior pilots, warns one CAFFT adviser. The situation poses "serious leadership challenges," says Frisbee. In 10 years, some of the young pilots now entering the force will be in senior positions as the older generation leaves. "We need to develop the right level of leadership," he adds. Bringing on new pilots is at a relatively early stage. On Oct. 7, the IQAF issued wings to the first three to graduate from its own training program. The service also is taking advantage of overseas opportunities. Eventually, the Iraqi air force wants to produce around 100 pilots per year, says IQAF Col. Karim, commander of the aviation training squadron at Kirkuk. Improving flying skills is not a simple task. The simulator infrastructure in Iraq is still very limited. Moreover, Iraqi government officials are reluctant to send personnel overseas. That's because, in the past, some didn't return. But CAFTT advisers believe access to simulators is important, particularly for improving instrument flying skills that are considered lacking among pilots from the former regime. One option being considered is sending some of them to neighboring countries. Other hurdles loom as well - such as English language training. This is considered less of a problem for pilots, although there, too, language skills can be problematic; for maintenance personnel, that's more the case. As for the core activity of building mission skills for the IQAF, latent tension exists between the service and the CAFTT advisers' long-term priorities. In particular, the U.S. and its partners are focused on "foundational" skills to provide rudimentary operational capabilities and to train the Iraqis to support counter-insurgency operations. In contrast, the IQAF is more interested in preparing quickly for high-end combat in which F-16s will eventually be used. Some advisers worry that the push for new high-end equipment is outpacing the IQAF's ability to field such capabilities. They note that readying pilots for F-16s would be difficult without an advanced jet trainer. But Bash is more optimistic about the pace of developments, despite the flurry of requests in recent months for new weapon systems. The F-16s are not scheduled to be fielded until the middle of the next decade, and pilots should be ready by then, he suggests. Given the lead times involved in a purchase, "it really is time for them to start thinking about these things," he adds. As for maintenance, this will almost certainly involve reliance on contractor logistics support as C-130Js and other aircraft with advanced avionics are fielded. One of the biggest operational challenges stems from the fact that Iraq is not a member of the coalition fighting in its own country. This means that certain information is not shared. For instance, flight plans for coalition air forces and intelligence data are closely guarded; radar coverage also is not passed back to the Iraqis. And there are "cultural" problems being encountered during the rebuilding effort, particularly in dealing with some of the pilots from the former regime. Crew rest, for example, is a relatively new concept. During Saddam Hussein's rule, pilots would fly whatever mission was assigned, regardless of whether they had had enough crew rest, for fear of reprisal. However, adhering strictly to crew-rest principles is not universally accepted. One senior CAFTT representative notes that the younger generation is embracing those concepts (as well as the principle of accountability); but with some senior personnel, this remains a challenge. Moreover, mid-level officers weren't encouraged to make decisions in the former organization, so getting majors and even lieutenant colonels to show initiative has at times been difficult. "The older generation is just going to have to retire," he says.

As you know, we're pretty laid back people here in Canuckistan. This extends, unsurprisingly, into military procurement. Rather than buy anything new, we tend to upgrade, overhaul or recycle the crap out of our equipment until it falls apart (and even then, we sometimes still use it for a while longer, e.g. Sea King helicopters). The Halifax class frigates were a long time coming. When the project began, they were the first new warships ordered since the early 1970s and the first, HMCS Halifax, didn't enter service until mid 1992. Talk about long lead time. They're good general purpose ships, with a good sensor fit and decent weaponry (improved further with the addition of Evolved Sea Sparrow). This upgrade contract first appeared in 2006, iirc, and its now three years later. Its highly unlikely that we could afford to put a fleet of new ships to sea, even a fleet of numerically more ships of a lesser capability, and still keep the Halifax class updated. (Heck, we can't even afford a new replenishment fleet, it seems). It would be nice to be able to do so, particularly for Arctic patrol and presence, but the polar ice cap might be gone by the time they made it into the fleet. Meanwhile, we take more baby steps with CF-188 upgrades, new aerial tankers, and an expanding foray into UAVs.

From RIA Novosti Russian officials blame sub deaths on fire safety fault - 2 14:26 | 10/ 11/ 2008 VLADIVOSTOK, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - A commission investigating an accident on a Russian nuclear submarine that killed 20 people and injured another 22 said on Monday the probable cause was a malfunction in the vessel's fire safety system. The tragedy, the worst since the sinking of the Kursk in 2000, occurred late on Saturday while the Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine was undergoing sea trials in the Sea of Japan. Three submariners and 17 shipyard workers died in the accident - 208 people, 81 of them submariners, had been on board the vessel. "The preliminary official conclusion is the unauthorized operation of the fire extinguishing system," Ksenia Gusentsova, spokeswoman for the chief federal inspector for the Primorye Territory, Russia's Far East, told RIA Novosti. A source in the investigating commission said on Monday that "all the scheduled investigations will be completed within the next seven days." The source said the chain of events would be reconstructed a day or two after the completion of the investigation. He added that it had also been established that safety system of the submarine's nuclear reactor had been operating in automatic mode during the trials. Earlier Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo, an aide to the Russian Navy commander, said that the submarine's reactor had not been affected by the accident, which occurred in the nose of the vessel, and radiation levels were normal. Meanwhile, Khabarovsk Governor Viktor Ishayev said on Monday that the investigation revealed that the fire safety system had operated correctly and suggested that human error could have been a factor in the deaths. "The ship has the latest fire-extinguishing system, a computer-activated alarm" Ishayev said. "According to the investigation, there is no evidence that a person was involved in the system's operation." Investigators said the deaths were caused by suffocation after Freon gas was released following activation of the submarine's fire safety system. He added that those working in the area that had donned breathing apparatus had survived, while those who failed to use safety equipment had all perished. Gennady Illarionov, a former naval submariner, told RIA Novosti, "You can't rule out that some of the civilians had not been issued with portable breathing apparatus or didn't know how to use them," And a high-ranking source at the Pacific Fleet's headquarters also questioned why portable breathing apparatus had not been used, "Perhaps the submariners did not notice the gas being released and when they realized it was already too late." Tuesday has been declared a day of mourning in Primorye Territory, where the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet is based. The incident is the worst for the Russian Navy since the sinking of the Kursk submarine in 2000 when all 118 sailors died. The construction of the Akula II class Nerpa nuclear attack submarine started in 1991 but was suspended for over a decade due to lack of funding. Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines. The Nerpa started sea trials on October 27. Gusentsova said the accident investigation commission included the commander-in-chief of the Navy, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, the first deputy defense minister, Gen. Col. Alexander Kalmykov, the chief federal inspector for the Primorye Territory, Sergei Lelyukhin, as well as investigators from the Russian Prosecutor General's Office.

From Flight International DATE: 10/11/08 SOURCE: Flight International Israel revives interest in F-22 purchase By Arie Egozi Israel may renew its request for the acquisition of Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter from the incoming US administration. "I anticipate that the Pentagon will release $140 million to let the next administration more easily extend production of the F-22," said Lockheed chief executive Robert Stevens during a 9 November press conference in Tel Aviv. While Lockheed is making efforts to keep its F-22 production line alive, the Israeli air force has again expressed interest in the stealth fighter. "This aircraft can be delivered in two years if the deal is approved, and that is very important for the security of Israel," comments one Israeli source. The issue of a Raptor deal was revived in talks during Stevens' visit to Israel, although the main focus was on the nation's planned purchase of Lockheed's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Sources say a letter of agreement on acquiring the latter type should be signed next year, with first deliveries anticipated in 2014. Israel's defence ministry issued a formal letter of request last May for the F-35, with this outlining an initial requirement for 25 US Air Force -configured, conventional take-off and landing F-35As, plus an option for another 50 aircraft. Lockheed sources confirm that the latter could include the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B, although one Israeli source notes: "The price of this version may affect the decision whether to purchase it."

From Defense Aerospace Government of Canada Frigate Modernization Contract Benefits Forces and Economy (Source: Public Works and Government Services Canada; issued Nov. 8, 2008) (N.B.: All monetary amounts are in Canadian dollars) GATINEAU --- The Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, the Honourable Christian Paradis, and the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, today announced that the Government of Canada awarded two long-term contracts to Lockheed Martin Canada for the Combat Systems Integration (CSI) Design and Build and In-Service Support elements of the modernization of Canada’s 12 Halifax Class Navy frigates. “We are committed to supporting the Canadian Forces and determined to provide them with the best equipment available to do their jobs,” said Minister Paradis. “Through industrial regional benefits, this contract will also benefit the economy at a time of global economic uncertainty.” “The Conservative government considers the defence of Canada’s territorial waters a priority,” said Minister MacKay. “The modernization of our Navy frigates will ensure that our sailors are provided with first-class ships in order to defend Canada and promote Canadian interests abroad." The CSI contract, valued at approximately $1.4 billion, is for upgrading the command and control systems, redesigning the operations room and reconfiguring the ships’ mast to accommodate a new radar suite for Canada’s 12 frigates. The In-Service Support contract is valued at approximately $600 million and will ensure long-term support of the Combat Systems. The Halifax Class frigates were built in early 1990 and now require upgrades and systems modernization, particularly in the areas of marine engineering, command, control and combat systems. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Announcing its intention to award the two contracts described above, the Canadian government on Sept. 5, 2008 had said that: “Today’s announcement is part of an overall $3.1 billion program to modernize the Halifax Class Frigates which involves the following five key contracts: --Two contracts totalling approximately $2 billion to be awarded to Lockheed Martin (as per today’s announcement): The Combat Systems Integration contract, and the Command & Control System In-Service Support contract. --Two Multi-ship Refit contracts totalling $900 million, awarded to Halifax Shipyards and Victoria Shipyards in March 2008. --The Platform System Design Agent contract valued at $150 million, awarded to Fleetway Inc. in October 2006. The contractor will be required to provide industrial benefits equal to 100 per cent of the total value of the contract.”)

From Defense Aerospace USS Freedom Commissioned in Milwaukee (Source: US Navy; issued Nov. 8, 2008) MILWAUKEE, Wisc. --- The crew of USS Freedom (LCS 1) ushered in a new era in naval warfare on Nov. 8 as the ship was brought to life at Milwaukee's Veterans Park before a crowd of nearly 10,000. The ship was officially placed in commission by Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter, who remarked the Navy was commissioning not just Freedom but a new class of naval war ships. "In this platform we are making the right investments in our future security and in our prosperity," Winter said. "For those of you who will have the privilege of serving in Freedom you will play a leading role in protecting our nation's interest and in ensuring stability of the global economy. You will also be called upon to serve in a ship whose namesake defines the very aspirations of the American people and of people the world over." Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, said Freedom will never have a more important crew than its first one, for they are the ones that set the tone and standards that will endure. Freedom also represents a new concept in how and where the Navy is going to operate in executing the Maritime Strategy. "USS Freedom will sail as an instrument of that strategy. Hers will be the march of the mind, with the spear and the shield, she will proclaim and insure the freedom of the seas and the freedom of the nation," Roughead said. Freedom is an innovative combatant designed to operate quickly in shallow water environments to counter challenging threats in coastal regions, specifically mines, submarines and fast surface craft. Following the Secretary's commissioning, the ship's two commanding officers, Cmdr. Donald Gabrielson, Blue Crew and Cmdr. Michael Doran, Gold Crew, took command, set the first watch and raised the ensign. The first ensign flown over the ship had previously been flown over Baghdad. After its ceremonial unfurling, it was hauled down and presented to the ship's sponsor, Birgit Smith, in honor of her late husband's sacrifice in defense of freedom. Smith is the wife of Army Sgt. First Class Paul Smith, who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the first in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Clutching the American flag and flanked by the ship's two commanding officers and two senior enlisted leaders, Smith tearfully gave the order to the crew of Freedom, "man our ship and bring her to life." For the crew, the commissioning was the culmination of three years of hard work. "It is great to be part of a first of class new ship that is outfitted with 21st century technology," said Mineman 1st Class (SW) Jeff Steele, who has been with the crew since July 2006. "We have worked long and hard for this day and to bring her to life and go out and operate." A fast, agile, and high-technology surface combatant, Freedom will act as a platform for launch and recovery of manned and unmanned vehicles. Its modular design will support interchangeable mission packages, allowing the ship to be reconfigured for antisubmarine warfare, mine warfare, or surface warfare missions on an as-needed basis. The LCS will be able to swap out mission packages adapting as the tactical situation demands. These ships will also feature advanced networking capability to share tactical information with other Navy aircraft, ships, submarines and joint units. Freedom is the first of two LCS sea frames being produced. Freedom will be manned by one of two rotational crews, blue and gold, similar to the rotational crews assigned to Trident submarines. The crews will be augmented by one of three mission package crews during focused mission assignments. The 378-foot Freedom was constructed at Marinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisc., and was the first naval vessel to be built and commissioned on the Great Lakes since World War II. She will be home ported at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., as part of the Pacific Fleet. (ends) Pacific Fleet Commander Discusses the Littoral Combat Ship (Source: US Navy; issued Nov. 8, 2008) PEARL HARBOR --- In his latest edition of the "Rat-Pac Report" podcast, posted Nov. 5, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Robert F. Willard discussed the importance of the Navy's latest addition to its surface forces, the littoral combat ship (LCS). "The littoral combat ship is going to bring us a shallow draft ship that's very fast, carries a lot of capacity with a small crew size, that's going to be very, very efficient but also, we think, very, very effective," said Willard. "It's going to contribute what we need in terms of numbers of ships and unique capabilities of ships here in the Pacific Fleet." Approximately 400 feet long, able to travel at speeds up to 45 knots and capable of operating in water less than 20 feet deep, the LCS has flexible capabilities. "LCS is a fast, agile and networked surface combatant with a modular, focused mission design providing the combatant commanders with warfighting abilities and operational flexibility," said Capt. Steve Kelly, U.S 3rd Fleet assistant chief of staff for requirements. "The modular aspect of the LCS allows the minimally manned ships to focus on a particular mission, while maximizing the ship's operational availability." The LCS 1 recently completed its first sea trials and will make its way to its homeport in San Diego. "We in the Navy are committed to this ship and to what it will bring to expeditionary warfare and littoral environments throughout the Pacific Fleet," said Willard. "I'm excited about the littoral combat ship and what she'll provide." (ends) First Littoral Combat Ship Commissioned By U.S. Navy (Source: Lockheed Martin; issued Nov. 8, 2008) MILWAUKEE --- The nation's first Littoral Combat Ship - USS Freedom (LCS 1) - was commissioned by the U.S. Navy in Milwaukee, WI today, officially placing the Lockheed Martin-designed and constructed vessel into active service. The agile 378-foot USS Freedom -- a survivable, semi-planing steel monohull -- will help the Navy defeat growing littoral, or close-to-shore, threats and provide access and dominance in coastal water battlespace. Displacing approximately 3,000 metric tons and reaching speeds well over 40 knots, USS 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. "We are proud and excited to show the world this amazing ship," said LCS Commanding Officer Cmdr. Don Gabrielson. "LCS is here and it changes the game. Freedom has more in common with an aviation squadron than a surface ship, and her sailors will blow you away with their ability to innovate." "This is truly an exciting time for the U.S. Navy and the entire LCS program team as the nation's first Littoral Combat Ship is commissioned," said Dan Schultz, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Integrated Defense Technologies line of business. "I am extremely proud of all the men and women who worked tirelessly to bring USS Freedom to the fleet." In 2004, the Navy awarded a contract to the Lockheed Martin team to develop the first LCS. Construction began in February 2005 and USS Freedom was christened and launched in September 2006. The ship successfully completed sea trials in August 2008, achieving results superior to most first-of-class ships, and was delivered to the Navy in September 2008. This represents less than half the time typically required to design, build, launch and deliver a first-in-class combatant. Now formally commissioned, USS Freedom will transit out of the Great Lakes to Norfolk, VA and will eventually be homeported in San Diego, CA. The Lockheed Martin-led LCS industry team includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox, ship builders Marinette Marine Corporation, 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 warfighting 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.

From BBC News Twenty die on Russian submarine Page last updated at 11:44 GMT, Sunday, 9 November 2008 At least 20 people have died in an accident on a Russian nuclear submarine when a fire extinguishing system was activated by mistake. Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman Igor Dygalo said both sailors and shipyard workers died in the accident, which occurred during sea trials. The dead were suffocated by freon gas, which is used to put out fires as it removes oxygen from the air. The vessel was not damaged and there was no radiation leak, Mr Dygalo said. It is the worst incident for the navy since the sinking of the Kursk submarine in 2000, which left 118 dead. Injured evacuated Military prosecutors are investigating the incident, but the name and class of the submarine involved have not been officially revealed. There were 208 people on board at the time, 81 of whom were servicemen. The dead are reported to be six sailors and 14 civilians. Twenty-one injured people, reported to be suffering from various degrees of poisoning, were transferred from the submarine to the destroyer Admiral Tributs and taken to hospitals near Vladivostok. The dead were transferred to morgues nearby after the vessel, which had been undergoing sea trials in the Sea of Japan, returned to port at Bolshoi Kamen, near Vladivostok, in the far eastern Primorsky territory. Capt Dygalo said the incident happened after the fire extinguishing system "went off unsanctioned". But questions are being asked about why there were so many casualties. Vera Sanzhonova, the wife of one of those on board, said she had not had word about her husband since the accident. "My husband is not in the list of injured, and not in the list of dead. Many have already called their wives and said that they are okay, but he hasn't called me. I know that some people have not been identified yet," she said. The BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says that in normal cases of a fire on board a submarine, the area would be evacuated and sealed off before pumping in freon gas. RUSSIAN SUBMARINE DISASTERS 6 Sept 2006: Two die after fire in Viktor-III class Daniil Moskovsky 28 Aug 2003: Nine die after decommissioned November class K-159 sinks 12 Aug 2000: 118 die in sinking of Oscar-II class Kursk 7 Apr 1989: 42 die after fire in Soviet-era Komsomolets The gas removes oxygen from the air - to put out the fire - but if anyone is still trapped inside that area, they face suffocation. Vladimir Markin, an official from Russia's top investigative agency, later said forensic tests had confirmed that freon was the cause of death. Reports say the incident occurred in the nose of the submarine. The nuclear reactor, which is in the stern, was not affected. "I declare with full responsibility that the reactor compartment on the nuclear-powered submarine is working normally and the radiation background is normal," Capt Dygalo said, quoted by Itar-Tass news agency. A shipyard source told the RIA Novosti news agency the vessel was the K-152 Nerpa, an Akula-class submarine, but this has not been confirmed. Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman Igor Dygalo said there had been no radiation leaks The Nerpa is due to be leased to the Indian navy, and Indian naval personnel were due to travel to Vladivostok earlier this month to train on board the submarine ahead of its transfer, according to the website Indian Defence. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is being kept fully informed about the incident, his press service said. Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Kolmakov and Navy Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Vysotsky are flying to the scene of the incident. Russia's worst submarine disaster happened in August 2000, when the nuclear-powered Kursk sank in the Barents Sea. All 118 people on board died. The then president, Vladimir Putin, was criticised for being slow to react to the incident and reluctant to call in foreign assistance.

From AFP More than 20 killed in Russian nuclear sub accident: spokesman 2 hours ago MOSCOW (AFP) — More than 20 people were killed and another 20 injured when a fire extinguishing system was inadvertently activated aboard a Russian nuclear submarine in the Pacific Ocean, the Russian navy said Sunday. "During sea trials of a nuclear-powered submarine of the Pacific Fleet the firefighting system went off unsanctioned, killing over 20 people, including servicemen and workers," said Captain Igor Dygalo, the navy's spokesman. The accident did not apparently affect the submarine's nuclear reactor. "The submarine is not damaged, its reactor works as normal, and background radiation levels are normal," Dygalo stated. Dygalo told AFP that President Dmitry Medvedev was being kept informed about the situation by Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and had already ordered a "full and meticulous" investigation of the incident. The incident recalled the 2000 Kursk disaster, when 118 crewmen died when their nuclear submarine sank after an onboard explosion in the Barents Sea. The Kremlin was harshly criticised at home and abroad for its sluggish and secretive response to the Kursk disaster, but seemed to be moving quickly to avoid a repetition this time. Dygalo said Medvedev had also ordered the defence ministry to provide "all possible aid and support to the victims' families." The submarine was carrying out sea trials when the accident occurred and the stricken vessel was ordered to put in to a port on Russia's far east coast temporarily, he added. The spokesman did not say exactly where the incident occurred or specify which port the submarine would return to. Twenty-one people with varying degrees of injuries were evacuated from the submarine, Dygalo said. A total of 208 people were aboard the submarine when the accident happened, but of those only 81 were servicemen while the others were naval technicians and specialists. Fire suppression systems on submarines are relatively sophisticated and may rely on chemical liquids. It was unclear however how the accidental activation of the system on the Russian sub resulted in the deaths and injuries. The submarine, accompanied by a rescue ship, the Sayani, was steaming towards a Russian Pacific Ocean port for temporary basing and was due to arrive in some 10 hours, Dygalo said. The destroyer Admiral Tributs went ahead of the convoy to deliver the injured to port, he added. The name and type of the submarine was not released. However, in October officials from the Amur shipyard reported the launch of sea trials for the nuclear submarine Nerpa, of the Shchuka-B type (Akula in NATO classification), the RIA Novosti news agency said. [CV32: Emphasis mine. It appears that this could be the submarine involved]. Since the Kursk disaster in August 2000, Russia has seen a string of accidents and mishaps with its naval submarines. Nine sailors died aboard a K-159 submarine when it sank in the Barents Sea in August 2003 while being towed to port for decommissioning. Only one of the seamen on board was rescued alive. In 2005, a mini-submarine of the Pacific Fleet got snared in a fishing net, leaving the crew trapped underwater with dwindling oxygen supplies. A British rescue team using a high-tech mini-submarine managed to extract the Russian vessel and there was no loss of life.

Right now (and for the foreseeable future), airborne troops are modeled purely as ordnance (i.e. bombs), and can only be deployed as single-use weapons. They cannot take, hold or convert an enemy installation for friendly use. This is something, however, that's on the 'wish list'.

From Navy Times San Antonio laid up in Bahrain By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer Posted : Friday Nov 7, 2008 9:43:49 EST NORFOLK, Va. — The troubled amphibious transport dock San Antonio — in the middle of its first deployment — has been forced to undergo two weeks of maintenance in Bahrain due to leaks in its lube oil piping system, Navy officials said. “They had a scheduled port visit,” said Lt. Nate Christensen, spokesman for 5th Fleet in Bahrain. “They’re in port for two weeks for a maintenance availability on some lube oil deficiencies. It’s related to the diesel generators.” Pat Dolan, a spokeswoman at Naval Sea Systems Command, confirmed that the problem involved leaks in the system. The yard period began earlier this week, although the exact day was unavailable. In late August, on the eve of its maiden deployment, San Antonio was stuck at the pier for two days with a broken stern gate while the rest of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group got underway. That was the latest in a string of performance problems with a ship that was delivered late and at $1.8 billion, $1 billion higher than planned. A July 2005 inspection report made clear the first ship of the LPD 17 class would have perpetual problems. Inspectors found “poor construction and craftsmanship ... throughout the ship,” and officials singled out problems with wiring. “Poor initial cable-pulling practice led to what is now a snarled, over-packed, poorly assembled and virtually uncorrectable electrical/electronic cable plant,” the report said. Its condition — along with another poor performance in 2007 — prompted Navy Secretary Donald Winter to publicly chide shipbuilder Northrop Grumman, saying the fleet “still does not have a mission-capable ship” two years after delivery. Now in the Persian Gulf, San Antonio needs an extra-long pit stop for a problem that was foreshadowed in the July 2005 inspection report. “Lube oil temperature regulating valves in the main propulsion diesel engine (MPDE) lube oil systems were improperly set. Incorrectly regulated MPDE engine lube oil temperature prevented the ship from making full power for a sustained period.” The April 2007 inspection report notes several subsequent lube oil problems. While the ship is under repair in Bahrain, off-duty crew will be taking liberty ashore as well as conducting community relations projects, Christensen said.

From Flight International DATE: 06/11/08 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com PICTURE: J-10 debuts at Airshow China 2008 By Barbara Cockburn China's J-10 strike fighter aircraft, made its debut during an aerial display on 4 November in front of a crowd of spectators at the 7th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, known as Airshow China, held in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province.

Take note, all you folks who are irked when a little jet like the MiG-21 sneaks up on you in HCE. The latest issue of Air Forces Monthly has an article about recent Rafale operations aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and how both sides were very careful not to reveal too much about their true capabilities, though they were operating side by side aboard the same carrier. But we're all allies, right?

From Flight International DATE: 06/11/08 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com VIDEO: US Red Flag pilot candidly assesses Su-30MKI’s limits, Rafale’s dirty tricks By Stephen Trimble US Air Force pilots flying Boeing F-15s “dominated” and “amazed” Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKI pilots in a recent exercise, but still expect that legacy F-15s and Lockheed Martin F-16s will swiftly lose their competitive edge to the Russian export fighters. Those remarks came in an explicitly candid assessment by an unidentified USAF pilot posted on 4 November on the YouTube online video sharing service. “Now what I’m scared of is Congress is going to hear that and go – ‘Great, we don’t need to buy any more airplanes. No, no, no, no,'” the pilot tells an audience that includes retired air force leaders. He adds that “it’s only a matter of time” before the IAF Su-30 pilots learn how to overcome the manoeuvre used so successfully against them at the international Red Flag exercise. The F-15 pilots used their simulated combat experience against the thrust vectoring capability of the Lockheed Martin F-22 to exploit a vulnerability of the Su-30 in a hard turn, the pilot said.“So we start to pull in on him, and then all of a sudden you start to see the [su-30’s aft-] end kick down and he starts doing vectored thrust,” the pilot says. “But now he starts falling out of the sky. He’s falling out of the sky so fast that you don’t even have to go up,” the pilot adds. “You just have to pull back on the stick a little bit, pull the throttle, go to guns and come in and drill his brains out.” Even so, the professionalism and skill of the IAF pilots at Red Flag gained the respect of the USAF pilots. However, French Air Force pilots, who deployed to the same event with the Dassault Rafale fighter, apparently engaged in non-friendly activities.“They never really came to any merges,” the pilot explains. “What they were really doing was, they had all their sensors on sniffing and seeing how our radars worked. And that’s really all they were doing out here. They came out here and they watched the whole flight, with their newest airplane and their newest electronic receiving units, and sucked up all the ‘trons in the air.” The pilot also says the IAF’s MiG-21 Bison aircraft, modified with Israeli radar, active radar missiles and electronic jammers, are nearly “invisible” to the F-15 and F-16’s current mechanically-scanned arrays, allowing the Indian pilots to sneak past the USAF radar screen and engage the F-15s and F-16s in dogfights. “The MiG-21 had the ability to get in the scissors with you at 110kts at 60 degrees nose high and go from 10,000 to 20,000 feet,” he said. The Su-30MKI deployment to Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, for the exercise was complicated by the low-reliability of the Russian made engines, the pilot adds. “One of the things the Indians were very disappointed in, was when they FOD’d an engine out, the Russians make them send the engine back to Russia, and then they’ll send them a new one,” the pilot says. “So, not the perfect situation for them being here in the United States with those engines.” The pilot did not identify himself in the videos, but there were several clues to his status. He wore a fighter pilot’s G-suit, and he referred to a patch on his shoulder that indicated he was a member of the Fighter Weapons School at Nellis AFB. He also referred to Nellis as “here”, indicting this was the location where his lecture took place.

The Flight International website has a video of her passing through the flood barrier. Pretty cool. HMS Illustrious arrives

From Jane's Analysis: Why 2009 could be the year of the Gripen By Craig Caffrey 06 November 2008 The next 18 months will see Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Switzerland make final selections for their respective fighter procurement competitions, with sales of up to 523 aircraft worth at least USD35 billion-USD40 billion at stake. It will be a truly crucial period in shaping the future of the global fighter market. The common link between these eight contests is the presence of the Saab Gripen in the bidding process. So far the Gripen's success in the export market has been limited, with contracts for 60 aircraft in place across the Czech Republic (14), Hungary (14), South Africa (26) and Thailand (6). Saab hopes, and Jane's Defence Forecasts believes, that the next 18 months may see this number increase significantly. Competition is fierce to fill these eight national requirements, with the following among the Gripen's competitors in the various contests: Boeing's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; Dassault's Rafale; the Eurofighter Typhoon; Lockheed Martin's F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-35 Lightning II; and RAC MiG's MiG-35. Jane's believes the Gripen team has reasons for optimism, however. First of all, in terms of the aircraft's capability, Saab is offering its enhanced Gripen NG (Next Generation) variant for the Brazilian, Danish, Dutch, Indian and Norwegian requirements, which incorporates a number of significant improvements over the baseline Gripen C/D. These enhancements include: an active electronically scanned array radar developed in conjunctionwith Thales (due to begin flight testing in 2009); General Electric F-414G engines, which provide increased thrust and maximum take-off weight; additional weapons stores; enhanced avionics and electronic warfare capabilities; and increased range. These new capabilities are currently being developed through the Gripen Demonstrator programme, which was approved by Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) in October 2007 and unveiled the following April. According to Saab, further enhancements will be rolled out in three-year increments, to enable continuous development of the platform over the life of the programme and removing the need for comprehensive and expensive mid-life upgrade programmes. Development and incorporation of specific customer-funded requirements is also envisaged as part of a 50-year programme plan. While currently in the developmental stage, the Gripen NG programme would be accelerated in the event of a contract win and the aircraft would be available to enter service from 2014. With regard to cost, the Gripen NG is viewed by Jane's as competitive in terms of both acquisition and through-life support costs when compared to its rivals. Bob Kemp, sales and marketing director for Gripen International, citing figures produced for the Dutch fighter contest, said Saab believes that the Gripen NG, as part of an 85-aircraft fleet, would cost EUR6 billion (USD7.6 billion) less than the F-35 in terms of life-cycle costs over a 30-year period. At a unit cost of between USD50 million andUSD60 million, the Gripen also offers the lowest-cost platform in terms of acquisition expenditure. By comparison, according to Fiscal Year 2009 US Air Force (USAF) and US Navy (USN) budgetary documentation, the unit costs of the F-35 and F/A-18E/F are USD83.1 million and USD82.7 million respectively. Unsurprisingly in such a competitive market, each of the contenders in these fighter contests has its strengths and weaknesses and much will depend on the specific circumstances, priorities and requirements of the customer nations. As such, some contests are better suited to the Gripen proposal than others, particularly in Europe. [CV32: I'm inclined to agree].

From Aviation Week's ARES Blog Red Flag Exposé Posted by David A. Fulghum at 11/5/2008 3:22 PM CST French pilots flying the new Dassault Rafale appeared to be collecting electronic intelligence on India’s even newer Su-30MKI aircraft during a September Red Flag exercise at Nellis AFB, Nev., contends a USAF pilot briefing retired U.S. generals. The French were originally going to bring the older Mirage 2000-5 until they discovered the Indians were bringing their new Su-30MKIs, he said. They then switched and brought their Rafales with more sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment. Aviation Week has a full article for AWIN subscribers on the pilot's observations (Update: We've posted it to our homepage here.) The video was made available online at YouTube.com, and our friend Stephen Trimble at The Dew Line has blogged about it there as well. YouTube vid 1 YouTube vid 2 Foreign air force officials admit that they anticipate intelligence-gathering will go on at an event like Red Flag. India’s Su-30MKI carries the Bars radar developed by the Tikhomirov Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Design (NIIP), which also designed the Irbis passive electronically scanned array radar for the Su-27SM2 (Su-35). NIIP also is working on the radar suite for Sukhoi’s fifth-generation fighter design, the T-50, to meet the Russian air force’s PAK-FA requirement. Indian pilots told Aviation Week that they were operating the radar only in the training mode, which limited its range and spectrum of capabilities. Once at Red Flag, “90% of the time [the French] followed the Indians so when they took a shot or got shot” they would take a quick shot of their own and then leave,” he said. “They never came to any merges” which starts the dog fighting portion of any air-to-air combat. He contended that French pilots followed the same procedure during Desert Storm and Peace Keeping exercises. When U.S. aircrews were flying operations, the French would fly local sorties while “sucking up all the trons” to see how U.S. radars worked, he said. But the U.S. apparently isn’t ignorant of the Su-30MKI’s radar either. The Su-30 electronically scanned radar is not as accurate as the U.S. built active electronically scanned radar carried by the F-22 and some F-15s, he said. Also, “it paints less, sees less” and is not as discriminating.

From Aviation Week USAF Pilot Critiques Red Flag Action Nov 5, 2008 David A. Fulghum and Graham Warwick Indian pilots flying Su-30MKIs are extremely professional, but they're still learning how to best fight with their new aircraft. That opinion comes from an unidentified, senior F-15 pilot taped while briefing senior retired U.S. Air Force officers about the most recent Red Flag exercise. The video was made available online at YouTube.com. The French pilots flying the new Dassault Rafale appeared to be there to collect electronic intelligence on the Indian aircraft, contends the USAF pilot, who wears an Air Force Weapons School graduate patch. The French were originally going to bring the older Mirage 2000-5 until they discovered the Indians were bringing their new Su-30MKIs, the pilot says. They then switched and brought their Rafales with more sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment. Once at Red Flag, "90 percent of the time they followed the Indians so when they took a shot or got shot" they would take a quick shot of their own and then leave," he said. "They never came to any merges," which starts the dogfighting portion of any air-to-air combat. He asserts that French pilots followed the same procedure during Desert Storm and Peace Keeping exercises. When U.S. aircrews were flying operations, the French would fly local sorties while "sucking up all the trons" to see how U.S. electronics, like radars, worked, according to the pilot. He praised the Indians as extremely professional and said they had no training rule violations. However, they "killed a lot of friendlies" because they were tied to a Russian-made data link system that didn't allow them to see the picture of the battlefield available to everyone else. The lack of combat identification of the other aircraft caused confusion. But the U.S. apparently isn't ignorant of the Su-30MKI's radar either. The Su-30 electronically scanned radar is not as accurate as the U.S.-built active electronically scanned radar carried by the F-22 and some F-15s. Also, "it paints less, sees less" and is not as discriminating. He praised the F-22 as the next great dogfighter. But he faulted the fact that it carries too few missiles and contends that the on-board cannon could be a life-saver, particularly against aircraft like the MiG-21 Bison flown by the Indians. It has a small radar cross section, as well as an Israeli-made F-16 radar and jammer. The latter makes them "almost invisible to legacy F-15C and F-16 radars" until the aerial merge or until it fires one of its Archer, active radar missiles, the U.S. pilot says. Against the much larger RCS Su-30MKI, the F-16s and F-15s won consistently during the first three days of air-to-air combat, he continues. However, that was the result of trying to immediately go into a post-stall, thrust-vectored turn when attacked. The turn then creates massive drag and the aircraft starts sinking and losing altitude. "It starts dropping so fast you don't have to go vertical [first]. The low-speed tail slide allowed the U.S. aircraft to dive from above and "get one chance to come down to shoot," the pilot says. "You go to guns and drill his brains out." The Su-30 is jamming your missiles so...you go to guns and drill his brains out." U.S. pilots conclude that the Su-30MKI is "not [an F-22] Raptor," he further says. "That was good for us to find out." But when the Indian pilots really learn to fight their new aircraft - "they were too anxious to go to the post-stall maneuver," he says-- the USAF pilot predicts that they would regularly defeat the F-16C Block 50 and the F-15C with conventional radar. A final weakness in the Su-30MKI was its engine's vulnerability to foreign object damage which required them to space takeoffs a minute apart and slowed mission launches.

I think this move is more about keeping options open with respect to the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) than it is about neutralizing the US missile defense shield.

I would say its been 'steady'. Personalities come and go in the Harpoon world, but it seems there's always been a core group of people who refuse to let the game(s) wither and die. And, largely because of that, Harpoon has actually gotten better with the passage of time rather than being relegated to the dust bin. Not many games can make that claim to fame. We're very proud to be part of that effort.

From RIA Novosti Libya 'ready to host Russian naval base' 10:09 | 31/ 10/ 2008 MOSCOW, October 31 (RIA Novosti) - Libya is willing to host a Russian naval base as a means of security against any possible U.S. attack, a Russian business daily said on Friday. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi will pay an official visit to Russia at the invitation of President Dmitry Medvedev from October 31 to November 2. The Kommersant newspaper cited a source close to the preparations for the visit as saying that the Libyan leader was planning to raise the naval base issue during talks with the Russian leadership. "The Libyan leader believes that a Russian military presence in the country would prevent possible attacks by the United States, which despite numerous Libyan attempts to amend bilateral relations is not in a hurry to embrace Colonel Qaddafi," the paper said. Russia desperately needs a naval base in the Mediterranean to establish a permanent military presence in the region. As a sign of a possible deal with Libya, Russian warships have recently paid a number of visits to the North African country. A naval task force from Russia's Northern Fleet, led by the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, visited the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in October and the Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet has also recently called at Tripoli to replenish supplies. Another Russian business daily, Vedomosti, said last week that deals to supply arms to Libya worth more than $2 billion could be signed during Qaddafi's visit. Qaddafi, who has ruled oil and gas-rich Libya since 1969, last visited the Russian capital in 1985, before the breakup of the Soviet Union. The paper also cited an official in the Russian Technology Corporation as saying that contracts had been discussed on the supply of 16 SU-30 MKI Flanker-H multirole fighters, T-90 tanks, and TOR-M2E air defense systems to Libya. Libya's Soviet-era $4.6 billion debt was recently written off in lieu of a host of new contracts, the largest being a $3 billion deal under which the Russian Railways monopoly is to build a 554-km (344-mile) railroad in Libya. The deal was signed when the then president and current prime minister, Vladimir Putin, visited the country in April 2008.

Is the Colonel still a kook? From Aviation Week's ARES Blog Moscow Eyes Strategic Port of Benghazi as Second Med Naval Station Posted by David Eshel at 11/4/2008 9:01 AM CST Colonel Mummar el-Qaddafi, Libya's longtime controversial leader, visited Moscow over the weekend and apparently offered the Port of Benghazi to Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev during their talks in the Kremlin last Saturday. The port is located in a highly strategic position, on the north east coast on the Gulf of Sidra, facing southern Europe. No wonder then that prominent Russian naval officers are happy with this lucrative offer. “Russia is interested in getting access to naval bases in the Mediterranean as this would expand the operational reach of our Navy,” said Admiral Ivan Kapitanets, former deputy Navy commander of the former Soviet Union and Russia. Russia’s relationship with Libya has been deeply rooted in the days of the Cold War, when Libya was a primary Soviet client state in the Middle East and the Soviet navy had air stations and access to naval facilities in Libyan ports. But Qaddafi's Libya was seen as a rogue state by Washington until it agreed to give up a weapons of mass destruction programme in 2003, trying hard to mend its ties with the West. Thus, the colonel's latest move seems strange and dangerous. Last April, then Russian President Vladimir Putin made a high-profile visit to Libya. It seems that a massive $2bn arms sales package had been discussed, including modern Su-35 “Flanker” and MIG-29SMT “Fulcrum” fighter jets, S-300 strategic air defense systems, Tor-M1 and possibly Tor-M2E point-defense surface-to-air missiles Su-30 fighter planes and advanced T-90 battle tanks. Such a move could signal Moscow is sending warning signals to the West, that Russia still has a big footprint in the Middle East. As Russia’s naval activity increases, Russian warships docked in Libya last month before heading for Venezuela to take part in joint naval exercises. The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier and Moskva missile cruiser are frequently cruising in the Mediterranean. Now, major combatants like the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great), the large ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko and the Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate have also paid calls at the Syrian port of Tartus, in which Russia wishes to build its main Mediterranean station. Having similar access to facilities in Benghazi, could further challenge NATO's Sixth Fleet base at Naples, just round the corner in southern Italy.

And ... From Jane's Analysis: Reducing F-35 purchase could save UK up to USD5.8bn By Craig Caffrey 31 October 2008 As the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) struggles to cope with the budgetary pressures of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and a massive equipment modernisation process, major cuts in one or more programmes appear to Jane's to be inevitable. The global financial crisis and the UK's subsequent response in October (including the multi-billion pound buttressing of the banking system and a commitment to increase public spending to offset recession) has since added to the strain felt by the Treasury. Lingering hopes that extra funding would be made available to supplement the defence budget in the short to medium term appear to have been dashed. Despite already scaling back programmes such as the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) Type 45 destroyer (which has dropped from an initial requirement of 12 ships to six at present) and the UK Royal Air Force's (RAF's) Nimrod MRA.4 maritime patrol aircraft (the originally envisaged 21-aircraft order has since dropped to 12), further cuts are expected to be announced in order to address the deficit in the defence budget. Speculation over which projects are most at risk is continuing. Jane's Defence Forecasts believes that one programme that could see drastic cuts is the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) programme through which the RAF and RN intend to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multirole fighter. According to the MoD, the UK's current planning assumption is to purchase up to 150 short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft. Jane's believes this total is likely to be reduced down to around 85-100 aircraft when the production contract is finalised, creating savings of at least USD4.5 billion (GBP2.7 billion) to USD5.8 billion in acquisition costs alone. The potential for cutting the programme stems from the fact that JCA is the only high-profile, high-cost project that the MoD could scale back significantly without detrimentally affecting the capabilities of the UK's armed forces in future. A reduction in the number of F-35s procured to as few as 85 aircraft would allow the RAF to maintain its current fast jet combat aircraft inventory levels while at the same time increasing the capability and flexibility of the force.

From Jane's Funding may delay UK's first JSF purchase By Tim Ripley 4 November 2008 UK procurement officials are considering options to push back the first purchase of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft, amid growing speculation that funding shortfalls are threatening UK participation in the programme. Jane's has learnt that UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials have raised the possibility of not buying three low-rate initial production (LRIP) aircraft over the next two years at a cost of some GBP450 million (USD742 million) and delaying purchases until production-standard aircraft are available in the middle of the next decade. A decision not to acquire LRIP JSFs was recently taken by Italy, Lockheed Martin announced on 10 October. The ministry's highest procurement planning group, the Investment Appraisals Board (IAD), is due to make recommendations on the LRIP JSF purchase at its January meeting. However, some ministry sources suggest a delay might be used as a mechanism to save UK participation in the US-led programme by pushing back the JSF spending 'bow wave' until well into the next decade, easing the ministry's 'funding gap' in the near term. The UK MoD was not able to respond to Jane's ahead of publication.

That's good news. Welcome back, Al. At the risk of ruffling some feathers, I think it is a fair statement to say that HCE has fewer bugs than ANW. Mind you, ANW is a considerably more complex piece of code. The PlayersDB is a custom database for Harpoon 3/ANW. If you're buying ANW, then you may want to consider the PlayersDB. It is one of several custom databases available, and appears to be the most popular for multiplayer (MP) games. Hard to say until we know which version of Harpoon you intend to dive into: HCE or ANW, or both! Thanks, Al. We appreciate that. I'm confident that you'll find HG to be a friendly, helpful place.