AeroVironment Introduces Shrike Vertical Take-off And Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aircraft System

MONROVIA, Calif., Aug. 30, 2011 – AeroVironment, Inc. today introduced its lightweight and man-portable Shrike VTOL™ unmanned aircraft system.

In August 2008 AeroVironment announced the receipt of a contract from DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to develop a portable, stealthy, persistent perch and stare (SP2S) unmanned aircraft system. Shrike VTOL represents the conclusion of this development effort.

“With more than four years of customer funding behind it, our new Shrike VTOL unmanned aircraft system is designed to address the need for a small, light-weight hovering aircraft that delivers unique surveillance and intelligence capability not provided by current solutions. Not only does Shrike VTOL hover for more than 40 minutes with a high resolution video camera, but its innovative design also allows for the transmission of several hours of live video as a remotely emplaced perch and stare sensor,” said Tom Herring, senior vice president and general manager of AeroVironment’s UAS business segment. “This new solution adds an important set of new capabilities to our existing and battle-proven family of small unmanned aircraft systems that are saving lives in theater today.”

Herring said the Shrike VTOL system delivers the superior imagery, endurance and encrypted video found in all AeroVironment small unmanned aircraft systems. Operating quietly enough to go virtually undetected, Shrike weighs approximately five pounds and is small enough to fit in a backpack.

Adds VTOL, hover, perch and stare capability to battle-proven family of small unmanned aircraft systems (Raven, Wasp, Puma AE)
Enables frontline military and non-military missions requiring vertical launches and landings without additional infrastructure
Operated by AeroVironment’s common Ground Control System to ensure ease of use and acceptance
Result of more than four years of DARPA-funded research and development to create a portable, stealthy, persistent perch and stare capability

Arjun MKII will cost Rs 37 Crore, which is more than Abraham

Defense Minister Of India informed the parliament that each Arjun MKII will cost Rs 37crore which is roughly 8 million USD. This information was provided in reply to a question. Arjun MK-I costs around 16-17 crore Rs per tank.

The official release to a question on the price of the Arjun is attached below


MARK-II VERSION OF ARJUN TANK
New Delhi: Bhadrapada 07, 1933
August 29, 2011
Limited technical trials with some major and minor improvements on Main Battle Tank (MBT) Arjun Mark-I, as part of MBT Arjun Mark-II, have been carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the deserts of Rajasthan.
Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has cleared the proposal for placement of indent for 124 Nos. of MBT Arjun Mark-II on Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF), Avadi, Chennai. Placement of indent by the Army on Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is being further processed.
The likely estimated cost of each MBT Arjun Mark-II with ail major/minor improvements will be approximately Rs.37 crore.
The first batch of MBT Arjun Mark-II is likely to be productionised by 2015.
This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri Naveen Jindal in Lok Sabha today.

China At It again, Chinese Spy Ships Collecting Data For Future War In Indian Ocean

Chinese spy ships in Indian waters trying to collect data for future battle group invasion into our water. Plus they are trying to collect data on our missiles so that they can develop counter measures.

Pakistani Troops Massacred By The Talibs

At least 200 Taliban fighters crossed from Afghanistan into Pakistan and killed more than 25 soldiers and police, Pakistan's military says.

The fighters launched an early morning attack on seven military checkpoints in north-west Chitral district.The military said its troops fought off the attackers, killing 20 of them while the rest fled back into Afghanistan.

It is the latest in a series of cross-border raids that have raised tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.Pakistani officials said that these recurrent attacks have been launched from an area of eastern Afghanistan where the US has largely pulled out its troops.

The raids have increased tension between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US.

Armed with heavy weapons, the militants seized control of a local village after attacking the security checkpoints in Chitral district, said local police official Nizam Khan. Pakistani forces responded to the raid and killed nine insurgents, he said.

In its statement, the Pakistani military blamed the attack on Pakistan and Afghan Taliban-linked fighters who have sought refuge in the Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan, from which the US largely pulled out of a year ago.

It said the "scanty presence" of Nato and Afghan forces in the border areas allow "terrorists" to use those areas as "safe havens", from which they "have mounted repeated attacks against... security forces posts and isolated villages".The militants chanted ”God is great!” and ”Long live jihad!” as they fought, said Capt. Abdul Ghani, another member of the paramilitary forces.

Chitral is located across the border from the Afghan districts of Nuristan and Kunar, both of which house significant numbers of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban fighters.

The military said 25 paramilitary soldiers and police had been killed in Saturday's attack, but a local officials put the death toll at around 36.

Mahindra Delivers Special Mine Protected Vehicles For Jharkand Police

courtsey  http://motorids.com

The first lot of six mine-protected vehicles jointly developed by BAE Systems and India's auto major, Mahindra Group, has been delivered to the state police of Jharkhand, which are fighting an internal Maoist insurgency.

Defence Land Systems India, a joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra and BAE Systems Plc,expects to sell more MPV-I next fiscal as it eyes big orders from the Home Ministry for CRPF and other state police forces for mine protected vehicles.

"We are among the four companies identified for Indian Army's future infantry combat vehicle, out of which two will be shortlisted. Already we are preparing ourselves to be ready if we are shortlisted for that," Defence Land Systems India (DLSI) Managing Director and CEO, Khutub Hai told PTI.

Moreover the company is "also looking at design and development of artillery systems" to widen its portfolio.

He said the company is leveraging on technology from BAE Systems and develop products that are cost effective but at par with global standards.

Commenting on the MPV-I, Hai said:"This is the first such vehicle of its kind indigenously manufactured by the private sector industry being delivered to the police forces in the country." While declining to disclose order size from Jharkhand Police, he said the firm expects to sell a total of about 20- 25 MPV-Is this fiscal.

"This will include repeat order from Jharkhand Police, which will be slightly bigger than the first order and also from five to six states which are actively combating Naxalites," Hai said without disclosing further details.

"For the next fiscal we are confident of doing about 100 MPV-Is and we are expecting orders from various state police forces," he said.

Globally such vehicles cost around about half a million dollars but DLSI is offering it "at a much lesser rate", he said.

Mahindra Defence Systems is producing a variety of military vehicles for the Indian Army and the paramilitary forces. The Army's requirement for special military vehicles is estimated to be more than $3 billion.

The Army proposes to purchase more than 10,000 light military vehicles over the next five to seven years valued at more than $2 billion, and the majority of these will be produced by private defense companies in collaboration with overseas firms.

These vehicles will be purchased in phases. The Army requires that the vehicles include four-wheel drive, a high power-to-weight ratio, are capable of traveling 80 kilometers per hour and carrying rocket launchers, and are equipped with GPS navigation.

The company's Prithla plant has a capacity to produce up to 800 vehicles a year, of which up to 120 are MPV-Is. In the last three to four years the company has invested about Rs 60 crore on the plant.

MiG Denies Helping China In J-20 Black Eagle Project

Russia has never transferred any stealth technology to China to assist it with its J-20 Black Eagle fifth-generation stealth fighter prototype, Russian plane maker MiG said on Friday.
"We are not delivering any equipment to China, and never have," MiG spokeswoman Yelena Fyodorova said.

MiG's statement follows claims in the Russian and foreign press last week that China's J-20, unveiled over six months ago, is based on technology and components from the Russian Mikoyan Article 1.44, a stealth technology demonstrator aircraft, development of which was suspended.
Some analysts say the aircraft have close similarities.

"The back end of the J-20 looks awfully like the 1.44, as does the overall layout with delta canards," said Douglas Barrie, an air warfare specialist at the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies.

"If it's a coincidence, it's a striking one. Russia may have provided technical support, but there is nothing substantial to prove that. China has however relied on Russia for much of its defense procurement for a decade and a half," he added.

China's J-20 Black Eagle is thought to be conceptually similar to the U.S. F-22 Raptor and the Russian T-50 jets, but is likely to be just a technology demonstrator or prototype rather than a viable fighter.

China has been working on a future fighter program since the mid-1990s, but the J-20 is not expected to enter service before 2018-2020.

Earlier in the month, Mikhail Pogosyan, the head of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation said that China's fifth-generation fighter program is more for effect than substance and branded the maiden flight as a "show-off."

China relied on the Soviet Union for much of its aviation technology until the Sino-Soviet split after 1961. China then carried on developing copies of Soviet and Russian aircraft.

Beijing also relies on Russian engines, radars and electronic components for many of its other aircraft, such as the JF-17 fighter it developed jointly with Pakistan.