Deepwater Robots Developed by Navy to Dive for Dangers

Underwater mines are lurking in critical waterways around the world. Low-tech but highly destructive, they can blow up ships, destroy oil and natural-gas pipelines and wipe out telephone and Internet cables.

By U.S. Navy estimates, about 50 countries stock more than 250,000 maritime mines that could be dropped in the world’s oceans, Bloomberg Businessweek reports in its May 14 issue. China has the most extensive and sophisticated inventory of mines, according to naval analysts. If Iran had shut down the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year, as some of its officials threatened, its strategy probably would have involved deploying its stockpile of mines.

A U.S. Navy minesweeping team conducts maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf. 

“We have traditionally been under-equipped for the mine- sweeping mission” because U.S. allies picked up that role in the aftermath of World War II, says Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. “Right now the Navy is looking at mine-sweeping because the problem is getting bigger.”

The Navy currently relies on a small fleet of ships and divers dispatched from submarines to find mines and defuse them. Trained dolphins, equipped with cameras and sensors, also sniff them out. With the Pentagon facing as much as $1 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade, finding money for those missions “is going to be a huge challenge,” says Captain Duane Ashton.

Counting on Knifefish

Instead, the Navy plans to rely on the Knifefish, an underwater drone that Ashton’s Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office is developing. The Knifefish is 19 feet long (5.8 meters), weighs 1,700 pounds (771 kilograms) and is powered by lithium-ion batteries. Shaped like a torpedo, it will roam the deep seas for 16 hours at a time -- unpiloted.

The Navy is spending $170 million over the next five years to design and buy eight of the robots from General Dynamics Corp. (GD) and Bluefin Robotics Corp. It says it expects to deploy the first Knifefish in 2016, acquiring 52 by 2034.

The drones are an upgrade from a small fleet of remote- controlled underwater vehicles the Navy has used since the 1990s to comb shallow harbors and clear debris for ships. After these vehicles make out suspect objects, the Navy must send in divers to investigate further.

The more powerful Knifefish sweeps for mines by sending out low-frequency sound signals. When they bounce off a man-made object, the drone develops an image that it takes back to analysts aboard its mother ship.

It “can tell a mine from a refrigerator littering the bottom of the sea,” Ashton says.

The challenge for the Navy lies in programming the drones to operate without a pilot directing them via a cable, which would restrict their reach in deep water.

‘Can’t Just Joy-Stick’

“The ocean is so big that you can’t just joy-stick” drones, says Tom Curtin, a former scientist at the U.S. Office of Naval Research. Sea floors aren’t well-mapped and change constantly due to shifting currents and weather. Unlike their aerial cousins, underwater drones can’t connect with satellites or GPS to navigate when they’re submerged.

Eventually officials hope to build underwater drones 10 times as large as the Knifefish that could blow up mines, says Thomas Swean, team lead for ocean engineering and marine systems at the Office of Naval Research.

First the military has to develop better power sources so the bigger drones “can last three months instead of two days” without needing a recharge, Swean says.

Commercial Uses

Beyond the Navy, the gas and oil industry deploys drones for pipeline surveys and inspecting ocean rigs. Researchers use them for studying ocean warming and exploring under the Arctic ice cap.

Hydroid Inc., based in Pocasset, Massachusetts, a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime AS of Norway, has underwater vehicles from the small, 8-pound Remus 100 used for post-storm inspections of the sea to the deepwater Remus 6000 that was deployed to find debris from Air France Flight 447, which crashed off the coast of Brazil in June 2009.

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) is promoting its 10-foot-long Marlin underwater robot to inspect oil rigs and undersea pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, replacing towed vehicles that do the job now. Boeing has been touting its Echo Ranger unmanned submarine for similar missions.

The market for underwater unmanned vehicles may grow about 80 percent to 2,400 worldwide by 2016, says Steven Kopits, managing director in the New York office of Douglas-Westwood LLC, a marine market researcher based in Canterbury, U.K. The robots are priced from $50,000 for small ones used in shallow water to $1 million for a fully autonomous deepwater vehicle.

Underwater vehicles can roam the seas with more autonomy than aerial drones, says Gary Roughead, a former chief of Naval Operations who is now a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California.

“As much as people have been taken with unmanned aerial vehicles, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Roughead says.

US Air Force Quietly Assembling Near Iran

The US Air Force is quietly assembling the world's most powerful air-to-air fighting team at bases near Iran." The "aerial armada" includes a formidable team of F-22 Raptors and Air National Guard F-15 Eagles. According to Axe, "[t]he Raptor-Eagle team has been honing special tactics for clearing the air of Iranian fighters in the event of war. 

The fighters join a growing naval armada that includes Navy carriers, submarines, cruisers and destroyers plus patrol boats enhanced with the latest close-in weaponry." According to Axe, the Air Force has not "maintained a significant dogfighting presence in the Middle East" for years. In the years following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the US Air Force deployed ground-attack fighters "such as A-10s, F-16s, and twin-seat F-15E Strike Eagles". 

In light of structural problems with the "1980s-vintage F-15Cs", Axe reported that "[t]he Air Force fixed the F-15s and partially patched up the F-22s just in time for the escalating stand-off over Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program." Axe: "In March the Air Force deployed the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing, flying 20 standard F-15Cs, to an 'undisclosed' air base in Southwest Asia"; Axe suggested that this air base is either in the United Arab Emirates or Qatar. 

Col. Robert Brooks has said that the Massachusetts Guardsmen would be ready "should Iran test the 104th". Axe discussed that the "US dogfighting armada" assembling near Iran would likely use tactical methods such as the silent exchange of data through radio data-links and flying in stealth mode in small numbers in order to "wipe out the antiquated but determined Iranian air force" in the event that war breaks out in the Middle East. Even so, Axe concluded in that even though the air-to-air fighters and pilots are ready, "[h]opefully they won't be needed." 

In light of increasing military tension in the Middle East, the Associated Press reported Thursday that Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz has said that "other countries have readied their armed forces for a potential strike against Iran's nuclear sites to keep Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons." Whereas Gantz did not elaborate as to which nations are willing to support an attack or take direct action against Iran, Gantz's "comments were one of the strongest hints yet that Israel may have the backing of other countries" in possibly striking Iran.

 Gantz: "The military force is ready. Not only our forces, but other forces as well." Gantz told the Associated Press, "We all hope that there will be no necessity to use this force, but we are absolutely sure of its existence."

Cost concerns over F-22 Raptor modernization plan

The U.S. Air Force expects to invest $9.7 billion into their fleet of F-22 jet fighters to develop and retrofit new capabilities into the complex stealth aircraft, an action the service did not anticipate for the program, putting the Raptor under the congressional microscope.

Fighter aircraft modernization is not new within the Department of Defense (DOD). In fact, the Air Force and Navy have modernized many of their fighter and attack aircraft over the past several decades, like the F-15, F-16 and F/A-18 programs. These programs each began with the expectation that their aircraft would be upgraded over time, the F-22 did not.

The F-22A began as a single-step program and did not anticipate the need for future modernization. Concerns over the mounting cost of the F-22A modernization prompted an examination by Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The GAO released their report on Thursday that examined the history of the modernization programs of the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, and compare those legacy programs with the F-22A modernization program. The F-117A stealth fighter was not included in the report because of the highly classified nature of the program.

To identify differences and similarities between the F-22A modernization program and those of the selected legacy programs (F-15, F-16 and F/A-18), the GAO reviewed official service history documents and current and historical program documents; analyzed program cost, schedule, performance, and quantity data; and spoke with current and former Air Force, Navy, and contractor officials.

F-22A program

The Air Force’s F-22A Raptor is the only operational tactical aircraft incorporating a low observable (stealth) and highly maneuverable airframe, advanced integrated avionics, and a supercruise engine capable of sustained supersonic flight.

From the outset, the Air Force’s F-22A development strategy was to pursue a quantum leap in capability in a single development program, referred to as a single-step approach, to develop and field a stealthy aircraft with advanced capabilities to replace its aging F-15C/D fleet and perform air superiority missions.

The F-22A acquisition program began in 1991 with an intended development period of 12 years and planned a procurement of 648 aircraft. The system development and demonstration period eventually spanned more than 14 years, during which time threats, missions, and a number of requirements changed. As a result, development costs substantially increased and procurement quantities greatly decreased—resulting in the procurement of only 179 aircraft, plus nine development aircraft. The final Lockheed Martin-built F-22 rolled off the assembly line in December.

Modernization

In 2003, the Air Force established a F-22A modernization program primarily to develop and insert new and enhanced ground attack capabilities that were considered necessary to meet current and future threats. These upgrades were not part of the initial development program. The modernization program is broken into four phases, known as increments, with each phase being made up of multiple projects:

    Increment 2, the initial phase of modernization, addressed some requirements deferred from the acquisition program and added new ground attack capability. It has been fielded.

    Increment 3.1 began fielding in November 2011 and adds enhanced radar and enhanced air-to-ground attack capabilities.

    Increment 3.2A is a software upgrade to increase the F-22A’s electronic protection, combat identification, and capability to receive data over DOD’s Link-16 data network.

    Increment 3.2B is expected to increase the F-22A’s geolocation, electronic protection, and Intra Flight Data Link capabilities and integrate AIM-9X and AIM-120D missiles.

Some of the key content originally planned for Increment 3.2B has been deferred, the estimated cost of the overall modernization program has doubled, and the schedule has slipped by seven years—which program officials attribute to requirements and funding instability. The most recent program schedule indicates that 3.2B will begin fielding in 2017.

“Based on F-22A flight hour data provided by the program office our analysis indicates that a large number of aircraft are likely to have flown more than 1,500 hours, or nearly 20 percent of their 8,000-hour service lives, before the Increment 3.2B upgrades are fielded,” the GAO says.

Taking these modernizations and comparing them to the older F-15, F-16 and F/A-18 programs is not easy.

“Accurately identifying and comparing the total cost of each [aircraft] modernization program is difficult,” the GAO says in their report. “Each of the programs, including the F-22A, initially managed and funded modernization as a continuation of its baseline program, so modernization costs and funding were not clearly identified in selected acquisition reports or budget documents."

“The F-22A program is more complex and costly than the legacy programs, primarily because the new capabilities have to be retrofitted onto complex, stealth aircraft that have integrated avionics systems, which, according to program and contractor officials, adds labor hours and cost,” the GAO report says. “Legacy modernization programs were less complex, and thus less costly, and incorporated mature technologies onto new production aircraft.”

Development of the F-22A took more than 14 years, encountered significant cost increases and quantity reductions, and has not yet fully met established requirements, specifically those related to reliability and maintainability, the GAO report says.

All of the legacy programs encountered difficulties during their initial development programs, yet they all delivered initial increments of operational aircraft within five to seven years.

"When the F-22’s mission changed in 2003, the resources—primarily technology and funding—needed to meet the new requirements had not been fully developed or identified," the report says. "As a result, the cost, schedule, and performance projections for the F-22A modernization program were not well founded and, over time, costs have doubled and the delivery of the full required capability has been delayed by more than seven years.

"As DOD pursues more complex and costly fighter aircraft to meet the advanced threats of the future, it is increasingly important that programs begin planning for incremental modernization at the earliest possible point."

Panetta pushes Brazil to buy Boeing fighter jets

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made a personal pitch for Brazil to pick Boeing when it decides on a contract for fighter jets worth at least $4 billion.

Speaking in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, Panetta said that the purchase of the F/A-18 Boeing-made Super Hornet fighters would give Brazil access to new technology sharing and would “transform” the relationship between Brazil’s defense and aerospace industries and U.S. companies.

“This offer, which has the strong support of the United States Congress, contains an unprecedented advanced technology sharing that is reserved for only our closest allies and partners,” Panetta said. “We have put forward a very strong offer. It is an offer that reflects how important this partnership is to the United States.”

Boeing is in competition to sell 36 Super Hornets with France’s Dassault and Sweden’s Saab.

Panetta’s push for Brazil to choose Boeing comes as Brazilian aerospace company Embraer is engaged in a contentious contract dispute with the Pentagon.

Embraer was awarded a $355 million contract, partnered with Sierra Nevada Corp., to build 20 Super Tucano light attack aircraft for the Afghanistan army.

But Embraer’s competitor Hawker Beechcraft sued in federal court after it was disqualified from the competition, and the Pentagon in February canceled the contract due to its own documentation problems.

The issue has been a sore spot for the Brazilian company, which is trying to break into the U.S. defense market, and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff lobbied President Obama on the issue during a White House visit earlier this month.

The Pentagon restarted the competition for the Light Air Support Contract and said an award would not likely come until 2013.

Brazil’s Defense Minister Celso Amorim said at a press conference with Panetta on Tuesday that Brazil was “sad” Embraer’s contract had been canceled.

“Naturally, I cannot say that the entire relationship is going to depend on this particular example,” he said.

US taxpayers shelling out billions for faulty weapons

The Pentagon has frittered away billions in taxpayer cash on not fully tested arms, a government watchdog report says. While the policy grants the military access to cutting-edge technology, the public can be left footing the bill for faulty weapons.

A report issued by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Friday shed light on the controversial policy of “concurrency” which approves untested weapons for production and use.

“While some concurrency is understandable, committing to product development before requirements are understood and technologies mature, or committing to production and fielding before development is complete, is a high-risk strategy that often results in performance shortfalls, unexpected cost increases, schedule delays and test problems,” said the report.

The investigations focused specifically on the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) that has spent over $80 billion since its creation in 2002.

Last year, design faults were discovered in the US military’s missile defense mechanism, requiring an overhaul. The GAO estimates that the cost of testing the new system following the changes has increased “from $236 million to about $1 billion.”

The GAO also warned Congress that faults in the new jet model Joint Strike Fighter will allegedly require “unprecedented funding” if it is to be put into action on US aircraft carriers. The craft’s development is already over-budget by approximately $15 billion.

The Pentagon’s head weapons buyer Frank Kendall branded the government’s plans to purchase the craft in spite of soaring costs “acquisition malpractice.”

The report concludes that the US Department of Defense should “reduce concurrency” with a view to minimizing monetary losses through faulty equipment.

In addition it said that the Department of Defense had consistently failed to address “implications for concurrency in the future” as stipulated in the report.

­

World's largest military drain

The US weapons budget is the largest in the world, the government reportedly dedicating $711 billion to military spending in 2011 according to a study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The GAO did not release an audit of US military spending in 2011 on the basis that there “were widespread internal control weaknesses, significant uncertainties, and other limitations” that prevented it from an accurate calculation.

Where military spending is concerned, the US government has been dogged by accusations of unprecedented wastage and fraud. An investigation carried out in September 2009 by the Wartime Contracting Commission revealed that between $31 and $60 billion of funds had been lost through mismanagement and fraud during the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush administration severely underestimated the cost of the latter campaign, which meant US citizens paying for the extra expenditure in raised taxes.

In spite of the economic downturn the US increased its military budget by $13 billion in 2011, drawing upon taxpayers’ funds.

According to projections made by the US Congress Joint Economic Committee, the average American family is expected to pay $46,000 in raised taxes to foot the bill for the country’s overstretched military.

The Obama administration has made a pact with the Afghan government to support the country’s developing security forces for up to a decade after the official US troop withdrawal in 2014. If the funding is approved by Congress, Washington will be obliged to supply $4 billion to Afghanistan annually.

BAE Systems to upgrade EW capabilities on saudi fighter jets

BAE Systems today announced a $367M contract to deliver 70 Digital Electronic Warfare Systems (DEWS)/Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS) to upgrade F-15S fighter jets in support of the Royal Saudi Air Force.

BAE Systems looks forward to providing the Royal Saudi Air Force with this superior electronic capability,” said John Nyilis, product line director at BAE Systems. “Through these efforts the Kingdom’s existing fighter F-15 fighter aircraft will match the capabilities of the next generation of F-15 SA fighter jets currently in development.

DEWS is a state-of-the-art integrated digital electronic warfare system which provides advanced radar warning and countermeasure capabilities to legacy and new platforms. The system protects aircraft by providing situational awareness, offensive targeting support, and self-protection.

Our DEWS/CMWS product can be modified for a wide variety of platforms, providing our customers with the ability to ensure system commonality,” said Nyilis.

BAE Systems will deliver the DEWS/CMWS system to Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia under a Foreign Military Sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The work will be performed in Nashua, N.H., Totowa, N.J., and Austin, Texas and is scheduled to be completed by November 2018.

Republicans eye missile-defense site on East Coast

Republicans who control the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee called on Wednesday for studies on what could become a third missile-interceptor site in the United States, this one on the East Coast.

The plan would require the secretary of defense to conduct an environmental impact review by December 31, 2013, on "possible locations on the East Coast of the United States for the deployment of a missile defense site."

U.S. forces currently deploy a combined total of 30 operational missile interceptors in silos in Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California.

The three-stage interceptors are part of a layered shield against limited numbers of missiles that could be fired by a country like North Korea or Iran, some day potentially carrying a nuclear warhead.

The proposed step toward a third site is to be considered Thursday by the Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces, an early stage of the crafting of the annual defense authorization bill that guides military policy.

The proposal was made public by Representative Howard McKeon, chairman of the full committee, and Representative Michael Turner, the subcommittee head. Such legislation is likely to be adopted by the full, Republican-controlled committee. It would have to be meshed with a companion defense authorization bill in the Democratic-controlled Senate, which has not yet put one together.

It was not immediately clear whether the Obama administration would support such steps toward an East Coast missile site.

The House Republicans' measure would require the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency to develop a plan for the deployment of an East Coast site to be operational not later than the end of 2015.

Advocates of an East Coast site have said it would bolster the Boeing Co-managed ground-based shield against any intercontinental ballistic missiles that could be fired from Iran. One likely site is Fort Drum in northern New York state, according to experts.

"The committee is aware that a cost effective missile defense site located on the East Coast of the United States could have advantages for the defense of the United States from ballistic missiles launched from the Middle East," the bill said.

Baker Spring, a missile-defense expert at the Heritage Foundation think tank, said current U.S. capabilities for countering long-range missiles were geared chiefly toward North Korea, providing greater defense of the western United States than the east.

AirMule UAS to fly with new hydraulics

Urban Aeronautics will soon perform the first flight of an AirMule ducted fan unmanned air system (UAS)  fitted with a double-redundant hydraulic system.

The enhancement will allow for uninterrupted rotor pitch control in the event of a failure to one of the pressure supply lines.

The new design underwent full power tests in mid-March, says company president Rafi Yoeli. These included self-induced failures to verify that the automatic failure detection and switch-over to the standby system was performed correctly by the on-board computers.

Yoeli says that a Controp D-Stamp stabilized electro-optical payload was also recently installed on the programme's first prototype air vehicle.

The sensor provides part of the AirMule's auto-land system, which will enable the aircraft to guide itself to land over any high contrast marker in a combat zone. Where a landing site cannot be highlighted by placing a physical marker, a laser spot from an airborne designator could be used.

Urban Aeronautics plans to perform an automatic precision landing demonstration before the end of the year using a second prototype AirMule, which is now in production.

Powered by a Turbomeca Arriel 2 940shp (700kW) engine, this will have a maximum take-off weight of 1,400kg (3,100lb) and offer an endurance of 5h.

The second prototype will also be used to perform a series of flights in southern Israel which, Yoeli says, will be open to viewing by potential customers.

Falklands War Documents - Classified Signal

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. E.O. 12065: RDS.'-3 4/22/12 :(FRIEDMAN, TB) OR-P TAGS: PBOR, AR, UK, FA SUBJ: A CONSIDERED ARGENTINE VIEW OF THE SITUATION 1. ARGENTINE CIVILIAN AND MILITARY LEADERSHIP HAVE NOW HAD TIME TO DIGEST THE MEANING OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC CRISIS AND ASSESS ITS PROBABLE IMPACT. AN EMBOFF HAD A CONVERSATION APRIL 21 WITH A WELL-INFORMED POLITICIAN WHO HAS SERVED IN AND GENERALLY SUPPORTS THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT. WE BELIEVE HIS COMMENTS REFLECT THE THINKING OF THE KEY CONSERVATIVE CIVILIAN ELEMENTS WHO HAVE COOPERATED WITH THE MILITARY SINCE 1976. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 BUENOS 02450 01 OF 02 222305Z

IN THAT CONVERSATION OUR SOURCE WAS EXTREMELY OF THE GALTIERI GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO INVADE THE FALKLANDS AND DARKLY PESSIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE. FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF HIS REMARKS:

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: ALAN H FLANIGAN DATE/CASE ill: 26 MAR 2007 200601451

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A) THE GALTIERI GOVERNMENT WOULD FALL IF IT DID NOT OBTAIN A FIXED COMMITMENT FROM THE BRITISH FOR RECOGNITION OF ARGENTINE SOVEREIGNTY IN THE MALVINAS. THE DATE FOR EFFECTIVE SOVEREIGNTY IN THE MALVINAS. THE DATE FOR EFFECTIVE SOVEREIGNTY COULD BE IN SIX MONTHS, A YEAR OR EVEN PERHAPS LONGER, BUT A DEADLINE WOULD HAVE TO BE ESTABLISHED. B) GALTIERI MIGHT SURVIVE IN OFFICE IF HE GETS THAT COMMITMENT, BUT SUCH SURVIVAL IS FAR FROM CERTAIN. IF GALTIERI DOES CLEARLY "WIN, II HIS NEXT MOVE MIGHT BE TO SEEK POPULAR ELECTION AS PRESIDENT AS EARLY AS THIS YEAR. (COMMENT: GALTIERI'S PROSPECTS IN?ANYTHING APPROACHING AN HONEST ELECTION WOULD SEEM EXCEEDINGLY SLIM TO US.) C) GALTIERI WILL SURELY FAIL IF THERE IS NO FIXED DATE FOR ARGENTINE SOVEREIGNTY. FROM GALTIERI'S PERSPECTIVE IT WOULD BE BETTER TO FIGHT A LOSING WAR--AND OUR SOURCE WAS SURE ARGENTINA WOULD LOSE--THAN SURRENDER ON THE SOVEREIGNTY ISSUE. D) THERE ARE NO POLITICIANS IN THE COUNTRY WHO THINK THAT THE INVASION OF THE ISLANDS WAS ANYTHING OTHER THAN A COLOSSAL ERROR. THERE IS A WIDESPREAD BELIEF THAT THE PRESIDENT AND HIS ADVISORS ARE INCOMPETENT. E) IF THERE IS A MAJOR INCIDENT IN WHICH LARGE NUMBERS OF ARGENTINES ARE KILLED (IIA SHIP IS SUNK AND 400 DIE") THE PUBLIC WILL BE UNCONTROLLABLE. AMONG THEIR TARGETS WILL BE THE US EMBASSY, HE SAID.

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PA-01 INRE-OO SAL-01 ANAE-OO ICAE-OO /090 W ------------------214542 222324Z /60 o R 222103Z APR 82 FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3354 INFO AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY BRASILIA AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO AMEMBASSY ROME USMISSION USNATO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK USCINCSO QUARRY HTS PN USCINCLANT NORFOLK VA DIA WASHDC JSI-4A/JSI-4B/DB-3E/DB-3B/DC-4A CON F IDE N T I A L SECTION 2 OF 2 BUENOS AIRES 2450 USCINCSO FOR INTAFF, CINCLANT FOR POLAD F) IF GALTIERI IS OUSTED AS A RESULT OF THE CRISIS, HE WILL BE REPLACED BY AN ARMY GENERAL. ONE SCENARIO WOULD PRODUCE A RIGHT-WING NATIONALISTIC DICTATORSHIP. ANOTHER, WHICH THE SOURCE PREFERRED, WOULD BE THE SELECTION. OF:, A GENERAL TO .PRES IDK OVER :;A TRANSITION . . TO DEMOCRACY ..HE SAID THERE,. IS NO ,ACT.I:vE~-DUTY GENERAL WHO COULD PERFORM THIS TASK. AMONG THE RETIRED , FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, EX-PRESIDENTS VIDELA AND VIOLA' . ARE BOTH OUT OF THE RUNNING. THE TWO WHO HAVE THE BEST CHANCE ARE GENERALS HORACIO LIENDO AND VILLAREAL BOTH OF WHOM HAVE GOOD POLITICAL CONNECTIONS. THEY SHARE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 BUENOS 02450 02 OF 02

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TIES TO PERONIST POLITICIANS AND FRONDIZI'S MID. VILLAREAL ALSO HAS GOOD TIES TO CONSERVATIVE POLITICIANS AND THE RADICALS (RADICALS HAVE TOLD US THIS TOO) . LIENDO HAS LINES OUT TO THE PERONIST UNIONS AND VILLAREAL COULD MATCH HIM VERY QUICKLY. OUR SOURCE CONCLUDED, AND ONE OF LIENDO'S ADVISERS HAS AGREED, THOHEUAT ON BALANCE VILLAREAL IS THE FAVORITE IN SUCH A SWEEPSTAKE. G) IN THE LAST FEWNDAYS OR SO THE GOVERNMENT HAS PULLED BACK FROM SUGGESTING PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY THAT ARGENTINA IS REACHING OUT TO THE SOVIET UNION. IT HAS ALSO DAMPENED DOWN THE ANTI-AMERICAN CAMPAIGN THAT WAS

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GETTING UNDERWAY. THE SOURCE MADE THE POINT SEVERAL TIMES, THAT HE WAS NEVER VERY HAPPY WITH GALTIERI!S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE UNITED STATES WHICH MADE ARGENTINA SEEM A 'US SATELLITE. ARGENTINA SHOULD BE PRO-WESTERN BUT INDEPENDENT AND GALTIERI EXCEEDED WISE AND REASONABLE LIMITS. H) OUR SOURCE SAID HE IS NOW 41 YEARS OLD AND HE NOW KNOWS T~T DURING HIS LIFETIME HE WILL NEVER SEE A lfSERIOUS" ARGENTINA. HE MEANT BY THIS A STABLE, DEMOCRATIC AND PROSPEROUS COUNTRY. HE SAID HIS CHILDREN MAY BUT HE WON 'T. I) THE TROOPS NOW IN THE MALVINAS ARE YOUNG AND ILLTRAINED. SHLAUDEMAN

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General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers USNS Medgar Evers

General Dynamics NASSCO today delivered USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE 13) to the U.S. Navy.  The ship is named in honor of the slain African-American civil rights leader from Mississippi who served as the state’s first-ever field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Construction of the USNS Medgar Evers began in April 2010.  NASSCO has incorporated international marine technologies and commercial ship-design features into T-AKE-class ships, including an integrated electric-drive propulsion system, to minimize operating costs during each ship’s projected 40-year service life.  During the course of the decade-long T-AKE Program, NASSCO has implemented more than 20,000 ideas to drive down costs and improve quality and more than 1.5 million hours have been invested in employee training since 2006.  With a cargo capacity of more than 10,000 tons, the primary mission of T-AKE ships is to deliver food, ammunition, fuel and other provisions from shore stations to combat ships at sea.

“As demonstrated on our successful sea trials three weeks ago, the Medgar Evers is ready for immediate service,” said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO.  “The 12 deployed T-AKE ships are performing and proving their ability to serve the fleet in their primary missions and in a variety of other roles.”

Including the Medgar Evers, NASSCO has delivered the first thirteen ships of the T-AKE (Lewis and Clark) class to the Navy.  The fourteenth ship and final ship of the class, USNS Cesar Chavez, will be christened and launched on May 5, before its delivery in fourth quarter 2012.

US minesweepers carry out exercises in Persian Gulf

US warships are carrying out minesweeping exercises and operations across the Persian Gulf, Press TV reports.

The US military recently deployed four new minesweepers in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, adding to at least 80 US warships currently based in the region, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The new US minesweepers are supplied with radio control equipment to detect and destroy underwater mines.

The latest report comes a few weeks after the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) nuclear-powered aircraft carrier entered the Persian Gulf along with guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78), USS Nitze (DDG-94), USS James E. Williams (DDG-95) and USS Vicksburg (CG-69). The warships joined the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

The United States and nine other countries staged a joint military exercise, codenamed Main Connection 2012, in Bahrain from April 8 to 18.

Pentagon explains why hypersonic, Mach 20 drone failed

The Pentagon has finally released a report about what went wrong when its Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV-2) failed just minutes into a test flight last year and barreled into the Pacific Ocean.

The unmanned, arrowhead-shaped aircraft, which one day could allow the US to strike anywhere across the globe in less than 60 minutes, was strapped to a rocket and launched from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base last August.

The drone coasted at speeds of 13,000mph (21,000kmph) -- 20 times the speed of sound -- through the Earth's atmosphere for less than three minutes before ultimately failing and switching into abort-mode just nine minutes into the flight. It splashed down short of its intended target near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) said an analysis of the crash showed that high speeds peeled off larger-than-expected portions of the vehicle's skin.

    'HTV-2's first flight test corrected our models regarding aerodynamic design.'

Officials anticipated some of the outer shell would gradually wear away, but rapidly-forming gaps on the skin created strong shock waves around the HTV-2 and caused it to roll abruptly, the report said.

Military researchers, however, were hopeful that they could learn from the mistakes of the failed flight, especially after the first HTV-2 mission in April 2010 -- which also terminated early -- prompted successful adjustments to the craft's aerodynamic design.

"HTV-2's first flight test corrected our models regarding aerodynamic design within this flight regime," Air Force Maj. Chris Schulz, DARPA program manager, said in a statement. "We applied that data in flight test two, which ultimately led to stable aerodynamically controlled flight."

Schulz added that data collected during the second test flight "revealed new knowledge about thermal-protective material properties and uncertainties" for flights at such a high speed in our atmosphere. Going forward, that data will be used to modify how the vehicle's outer shell responds to heat stress, DARPA said.

Brazil/US defence summit to consider military technology transfer and South Atlantic

Brazil wants the US to eliminate barriers to the transfer of military technology, an issued that will be addressed on Tuesday April 24, in Brasilia when US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta meets with his peer Celso Amorim.

Panetta will have much to discuss if it wants to convince Brazil of purchasing US fighter jets Panetta will have much to discuss if it wants to convince Brazil of purchasing US fighter jets

“It is of great significance that there are no obstacles in the purchase of equipment with high military technology content” said Amorim in statements to Folha de Sao Paulo.

Amorim and Panetta will be meeting on Tuesday in Brasilia to open the new “Cooperation Dialogue in Defence” subscribed during the recent visit of President Dilma Rousseff to Washington and which Brazil hopes it contributes to end with restrictions to technology transfer, according to the Sao Paulo influential daily.

The Brazilian minister recalled the restriction imposed by the US in 2006 to the sale of 24 Super Tucano turbine training aircraft to Venezuela. The Super Tucano is manufactured by Brazil’s leading air industry Embraer but some of its avionics is US made.

Washington then managed to stop the sale because of the US components but it has been an experience very much recalled by Brazil which is currently negotiating a major purchase of 36 fighter jets (several billion dollars contract) with bidders France, Sweden and the US, and for Brazil the priority is the transfer of technology.

Besides, the recent cancelling by the Pentagon of a 380 million dollars contract with Embraer to supply light aircraft for the Afghan Air Force was very much criticized by Brazil, particularly since the decision allegedly was reversed to favour a US company.

Another important issue in the defence bilateral talks between Panetta and Amorim figures the resurgence of the US Fourth Fleet with an area of influence which includes the South Atlantic and Brazil and the rest of the region want to see “free of foreign military presence”.

The US Fourth Fleet is a command of the United States Navy in the South Atlantic, operating as a component of the joint US Southern Command and US Fleet Forces Command.

The Fourth Fleet is based at Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida and is responsible for US Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean, and Atlantic and Pacific Oceans around Central and South America.

The Fleet began operations again in the summer of 2008 but was not fully staffed until 2009. According to the US State Department the Fourth Fleet's aim is to assist in narcotics interdiction efforts, humanitarian and goodwill interventions, and joint training with regional security partners.

However Brazil considers the South Atlantic strategic and refers to it as the “blue Amazon”, an area which must be limited to the coastal states and no foreign influence.

Panetta will also be talking about coordination of efforts to help combat organized crime and drug trafficking in Central America which seems to be ever increasingly under the influence of the cartels, mainly from Mexico where President Felipe Calderon offensive has forced many of the main groups to move out of the country.

Rolls-Royce awarded $598 million V-22 engine contract

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has signed a $598 Million contract with the US Department of Defense for 268 AE 1107C engines for US Marine Corps and Air Force V-22 aircraft.

In the first year, Rolls-Royce will deliver 70 engines valued at $151 Million. The contract includes four additional option years, with deliveries expected to total 268, including spare engines. Rolls-Royce is the sole manufacturer of the engines for the V-22 and has delivered 550 AE 1107C engines to the US Department of Defense.

Patricia O’Connell, Rolls-Royce, President Customer Business – North America, said, “Rolls-Royce continues to be the world leader in tilt-rotor engines and this long-term contract reflects the confidence our customer has in our expertise and our technology. Throughout the length of this contract, we will strive to further improve performance and capability of this unique aircraft.”

The Rolls-Royce turboshaft engines help provide the unique capability for the V-22, allowing the tilt-rotor aircraft to take off and land like a helicopter, and to rotate its engines forward to fly like an airplane. The V-22 aircraft can carry more troops, fly faster and has greater range than the helicopters it will replace.

The AE 1107C has amassed over 260,000 engine flight hours.

    Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.

    As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in more than 80 countries.

    Annual underlying revenues were £11.3 billion in 2011, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at £62.2 billion at 31 December 2011, providing visibility of future levels of activity.

    Rolls-Royce employs over 40,000 people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers. 

    In 2011, Rolls-Royce invested £908 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions. 

    Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research.

    The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.

Iranian Media - Daily Crap from Mad Mullah's - Data on downed US drone decrypted: IRGC Cmdr.

The RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft (shown) was downed by Iran's armed forces in the east of the country on December 4, 2011.

A senior Iranian commander says Iran has successfully decoded all the records on the downed US RQ-170 Sentinel reconnaissance drone.

Iran has easily cracked the codes on the data of the drone’s operations and tasks recorded on the aircraft’s memory, said Navy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi.

There were “numerous codes, but we obtained all the information on its memory, including protocols, repairs and flight sorties; for instance, the data of a flight after repairs in 2010 or the [drone’s] deployment in the operation against [slain al-Qaeda leader Osama] bin Laden in Pakistan,” IRNA quoted the commander as saying on Sunday.

On December 4, the Iranian military's electronic warfare unit announced that the country successfully downed the US RQ-170 Sentinel stealth reconnaissance aircraft inside Iran with minimal damage.

The aircraft, designed and developed by the American company Lockheed Martin, had crossed into Iran's airspace over the border with neighboring Afghanistan.

The naval commander also criticized the presence of extra-regional forces in the Persian Gulf and stated, “The Islamic Republic has dominance over the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.”

Taiwan mulls sealing fresh arms deal with Washington

Taiwan is planning to clinch an arms deal with the United States and buy four warships as part of efforts to boost the island nation’s military in face of any ‘threats’ from China.

Taiwan’s defense ministry proposed the idea of the military agreement with Washington to President Ma Ying-jeou last month and has set plans to allocate the budget for the arms deal next year.

The new treaty, if inked, will bring the total number of Taiwan’s warships to 12.

The four Perry-class frigates, separately built in the 1980s and to be retired by the US navy lately, are aimed to replace the Taiwan navy's fleet of eight Knox-class frigates.

Tensions between Taiwan and China have reduced after the incumbent president took office in 2008. The Taiwanese leader believes that his party's policy of rapprochement with China has benefited the island's economy and he beefed up trade links, and allowed more Chinese tourists to visit the island.

China stopped defense ties with the US in 2010 when Washington announced plans to sell more than $6 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan.

China and Taiwan have been at loggerheads for more than 60 years after their split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.