DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Lockheed Martin Corp., For MH-60R Helicopters Under FMS Program

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Lockheed Martin Corp., For MH-60R Helicopters Under FMS Program

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth +  U.S. DoD issued No. 773-13 November 5, 2013
(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - November 13, 2013: Lockheed Martin Corp., Owego, N.Y., is being awarded $10,458,900 for firm-fixed-price delivery order 4092 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-09-G-0005) for non-recurring engineering efforts for development and testing of the system configuration 15 series modifications to the MH-60R VHF Omni-directional Range/Instrument Landing System, crash data recorder, and ABS-B Out for the Government of Australia under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program. 

Work will be performed in Owego, N.Y., and is expected to be completed in February 2016. 

FMS funds in the amount of $10,458,900 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. 

The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

The Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk multimission helicopter replaces SH-60B and SH-60F helicopters in the US Navy's fleet and combines the capabilities of these aircraft. MH-60R is also referred to as 'Romeo'.

The helicopter is equipped for a range of missions, including: anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), search and rescue (SAR), naval gunfire support (NGFS), surveillance, communications relay, logistics support and personnel transfer and vertical replenishment (VERTREP). For vertical replenishment missions, the helicopter is fitted with a 2,721.55kg (6,000lb) cargo hook. Lockheed Martin, Owego, is the mission systems integrator.

MH-60R Seahawk helicopter development
The maiden flight of the MH-60R took place in July 2001. The first low-rate initial production (LRIP) helicopters were remanufactured SH-60Bs but the following MH-60Rs are all new-builds.

The first new production MH-60R helicopter was delivered in August 2005. Operational evaluation (OPEVAL) was completed in October 2005 and full-rate production approved in April 2006.

Production levels are due to increase to up to 30 helicopters a month. The US Navy expects to operate 252 MH-60R helicopters by 2015.

In October 2007, the US Navy established the first of five MH-60R squadrons, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71 at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, San Diego.

In March 2008, the MH-60R conducted first 'at sea' operations from the USS Preble (DDG-88) Aegis destroyer. First operational deployment of the helicopter was completed in early 2009 with the USS Stennis carrier group.

The helicopter operates from frigates, destroyers, cruisers, amphibious ships and aircraft carriers and is suitable for intense littoral warfare operations for handling numerous contacts in confined spaces, and for open-water operations

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth +  U.S. DoD issued No. 773-13 November 5, 2013
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DTN News - GREETINGS 2013: New Year Revellers Begin Welcoming First In New Zealand followed by Australia

DTN News - GREETINGS 2013: New Year Revellers Begin Welcoming First In New Zealand followed by Australia

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 31, 2012: Celebrations are being held around the world to mark the new year, with the city of Auckland in New Zealand holding the first major events of 2013.

Crowds began to gather on Monday evening in Sydney in anticipation of the city’s famous firework display.

Big shows are also planned in many other cities globally.

Celebrations will also be held for the first time in Burma, where large public gatherings were banned by its previous military rulers.

Tens of thousands are expected to attend the celebrations in Rangoon, which will feature a fireworks display and performances by Burmese entertainers.

Reports say the festivities will be broadcast live on Burmese television.

The celebration is seen as the latest sign of the country’s liberalisation under its military-backed civilian government.

However, there is a subdued atmosphere in the Indian capital Delhi, following the death last week of a 23-year-old victim of a brutal gang rape.

The army has cancelled its celebrations across the country, as have the governments in the states of Punjab and Haryana.

Thousands of residents and clubs have also called off new year celebrations. protests over the case continued on Monday.

Later on, festivities will be held in European cities including Moscow, Paris and London.

More than two million people are expected to be on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach.

New York will mark the new year with the traditional New Year’s Eve countdown and ball drop over Times Square.


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DTN News - PICTURES OF TODAY: Pictures Of November 17, 2011

DTN News - PICTURES OF TODAY: Pictures Of November 17, 2011

Source: DTN News

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 17, 2011: View the latest pictures, photos and images events unfolding around the world of Today, prepared, compiled and presented By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News.

Todays theme - November 17, 2011 - OBAMA IN AUSTRALIA, SYRIA UNREST plus others;

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP, Getty, Reuters & Boeing

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DTN News - PICTURES OF TODAY: Pictures Of November 16, 2011 Presented By DTN News

DTN News - PICTURES OF TODAY: Pictures Of November 16, 2011 Presented By DTN News

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(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 16, 2011: View the latest pictures, photos and images events unfolding around the world of Today.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources AP, Getty & Reuters

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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. To Build Up Military Base In Darwin To Counter Growing Chinese Influence

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. To Build Up Military Base In Darwin To Counter Growing Chinese Influence

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Laura Meckler WSJ

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada, November 13, 2011: President Barack Obama will announce an accord for a new and permanent U.S. military presence in Australia when he visits next week, a step aimed at countering China's influence and reasserting U.S. interest in the region, said people

familiar with his plans.

The agreement will lead to an increase in U.S. naval operations off the coast of Australia and give American troops and ships "permanent and constant" access to Australian facilities, the people said. While no new American bases will be built under the plan, the arrangement will allow U.S. forces to place equipment in Australia and set up more joint exercises, they said.

The move could help the U.S. military, now concentrated in Japan and South Korea in Northeast Asia, to spread its influence west and south across the region, including the strategically and economically important South China Sea, which China considers as its sovereign territory.

It was unclear how much the new presence would cost the Pentagon, which is facing years and hundreds of billion dollars in spending cuts.

But the expanded military presence is designed as a demonstration of U.S. commitment to the region, part of an effort to refocus on Asia as the U.S. withdraws from Iraq and draws its forces down in Afghanistan, officials in both countries said.

"It will demonstrate U.S. resolve, not just for Australia, but in the region," Maj. Gen. Tim McOwan, the Australian defense attaché in Washington, said in an interview this week.

At a daily press briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Chinese officials "hope relevant countries' bilateral cooperation will be conducive to the Asia-Pacific region's security, peace and stability."

The strategy comes weeks after China sent its first its first aircraft carrier to sea, a defining moment in its effort to become a top-tier naval power that seeks to challenge U.S. military supremacy in Asia and protect Chinese economic interests that now span the globe.

Several Asian nations, fearful of the threat China poses, also are beefing up their arsenals, fearing that the U.S. security umbrella is being eroded by China's enhanced capabilities and possible U.S. defense cuts.

One base slated for the stepped-up American presence is in Darwin, on the country's north coast. Other locations are possible, including one near Perth, on the west coast, one person said.

"Strategically, we want to be able to reassure the rest of Asia that the American presence is still strong in the 21st century as China develops its force," said Ernie Bower, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

Officials declined to detail how many new troops or sailors would be part of the U.S. effort, or how many ships would be stationed in the area, ahead of Mr. Obama's announcement next week. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, while traveling throughout the region last month, vowed an expansion in U.S. influence, but also declined to specify costs or force sizes.

An administration official said the stepped-up presence will be phased in over several years under the agreement. The deal isn't yet final and details could change.

On his trip, Mr. Obama will mark the 60th anniversary of the U.S.-Australian alliance with a speech to Parliament and a visit to a military base in Darwin, where he and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will jointly address Australian troops.

Neither leader is expected to characterize the move as directly confronting the Chinese. But U.S. officials said one of the goals of Mr. Obama's Asia trip is to clarify free access to the South China Sea.

Mr. Panetta, after a meeting with the Australians in September, said that enhanced military cooperation would counter "threats and challenges" to come. "Security and prosperity of our two great nations depends on the security and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

The full range of U.S. naval ships is expected to rotate through the joint facilities, stopping for exercises as well as repairs and other shore work. Naval aircraft also will have access to a base in Darwin.

The increased U.S. presence will be a rotating force, one person said. In September, Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the enhance cooperation would be "more ships in, ships out; more planes in, planes out; more troops in, troops out."

Gen. McOwan, the defense attaché, said the increase in U.S. naval operations will send a message to the Chinese that the U.S. is committed to defending the security of regional sea and air trade routes. The stepped-up American presence will reassure Australia and well as other countries in the region that the U.S. is engaged at a time when Chinese intentions are uncertain, he said.

Still, Gen. McOwan added that the American commitments Mr. Obama plans to announce are "not going to frighten the Chinese."

"It's more symbolic than real," he said.

—Julian E. Barnes,

Brian Spegele

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Laura Meckler WSJ

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DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: Qantas Overhauls With $9 Billion Fleet Order

DTN News - AIRLINES NEWS: Qantas Overhauls With $9 Billion Fleet Order

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / SYDNEY, Australia - August 16, 2011: Australia's Qantas Airways (ASX:QAN.AX - News) is setting up two new airlines in Asia and ordering $9 billion of new Airbus (Paris:EAD.PA - News) aircraft as part of a do-or-die makeover to salvage its loss-making international business.

Qantas will also cut 1,000 jobs in Australia as it shifts its focus to the world's fastest-growing aviation market, triggering threats by unions to block the move and a government pledge to scrutinize the plans.

Qantas, which has been reviewing its offshore operations to cut costs and unprofitable routes, said it will launch a new, premium Asian airline and a Japanese budget carrier, the latter jointly with Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi Corp (Tokyo:8058.T - News).

The new airlines will fly Airbus A320 jets, cementing their reputation as the plane of choice on regional networks over archrival Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - News) Qantas, which also flies Boeing's best-selling 737 narrowbodies, plans to acquire up to 110 of the Airbus planes, worth more than $9.4 billion.

As Qantas rebases its loss-making international operations in Asia, it also plans to give up some of its long-haul routes and retire older planes as well as cut jobs.

"Right now 82 out of every 100 people flying out of Australia are choosing to fly with an airline other than Qantas, not including Jetstar," the airline's Irish-born chief executive, Alan Joyce, told a news conference.

Joyce has cut costs and jobs since taking the helm at Qantas in 2008, with growth increasingly focused on the budget offshoot Jetstar, which he ran before becoming chief executive.

"To do nothing, or tinker around the edges, would only guarantee the end of Qantas International in our home Australian market. That would be a tragedy," he said, adding that the international operation's cost base was around 20 percent higher than its major rivals.

Joyce said the new premium airline was expected to be launched next year with an initial fleet size of 11 A320s. It may based in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and would not be majority owned by Qantas, he said. China was also being considered, one source familiar with the airline earlier told Reuters.

Qantas has an existing relationship with Malaysia's AirAsia (Kuala Lumpur:AIRA.KL - News), which this week agreed to swap shares with Malaysian Airline system (Kuala Lumpur:MASM.KL - News) as part of a partnership deal.

Qantas shares closed down 0.33 percent at A$1.52.

"It's a prudent move," said Jason Teh, a portfolio manager at Investors Mutual, which does not own Qantas shares.

"That's a way to get your costs down. If you know your return on capital's going to be thin, share your capital base. The international business is more cyclical and poses more competitor threats than their domestic business."

POLITICAL AND UNION RESISTANCE

The plan announced by Qantas drew immediate fire from several quarters. Australian Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said the government will examine the plan to ensure it does not breach the airline's privatization rules.

"The Australian government very firmly believes in an Australian-based and majority Australian-owned Qantas," he said.

The Qantas Sale Act of 1992 requires the airline's operational base and headquarters to be in Australia, foreign ownership is capped at 49 percent and the name Qantas is preserved. At least two-thirds of the board and its chairman must be Australians.

Trade unions and a key independent senator have said they could also seek legislative or regulatory steps to ensure Qantas remains an Australian-owned company.

Qantas faces a likely escalation of industrial action at home over the plan's estimated 1,000 job cuts, with trade unions opposed to any move by Qantas to shift its international operations offshore. About 200 pilot jobs were expected to be included in the cuts.

"Until we get an assurance from Alan Joyce that future Qantas flights will be operated by Qantas pilots, instead of outsourced and offshored alternatives, we will be doing everything we can to stop this destructive strategy for Qantas's future," Barry Jackson, president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, said in a statement.

FOCUS ON ASIA

Qantas' plan refocuses its offshore business squarely on Asia, a region that should account for more than half of global airline profits this year, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Qantas plans to acquire between 106 and 110 Airbus A320 aircraft, including planes for Jetstar Japan and the new premium Asia-based airline. Between 28 and 32 planes of these would be current-generation A320s and the rest the fuel-efficient, next-generation A320neo aircraft.

Airbus has scored resounding victories over Boeing with its narrow-body A320neo aircraft, taking a commanding lead in the single-aisle market once dominated by Boeing's 737 family.

Just last month AirAsia announced a deal worth $18.2 billion at list prices for 200 A320neo planes while AMR Corp's (NYSE:AMR - News) American Airlines, previously an all-Boeing customer, ordered 260 narrow-body A320 planes.

Qantas and its regional brand QantasLink have mixed fleets with notable Boeing narrowbody and widebody presences. Jetstar has only Airbus narrowbodies, but it has orders for Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

"I would count this as a loss for Boeing," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst at The Teal Group, noting Airbus has "core strength" in narrowbody markets with Asian low-cost carriers.

Qantas also delayed the delivery of its final six A380s for up to six years in a move aimed at conserving capital and bolstering its balance sheet.

It said it would retire four Boeing 747s and would make no change to its existing order of Boeing 787s.

Qantas reaffirmed its earnings guidance, though it said the restructuring would cost more than A$350 million ($367 million).

($1 = 0.955 Australian dollar)

(Additional reporting by Rob Taylor in Canberra, Sonali Paul and Victoria Thierberger in Melbourne and Kyle Peterson in Chicago; Writing by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Ed Davies, Matt Driskill and Matthew Lewis)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

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