Fórum Defesa Brasil

Navy Awards Boeing $44M Missile Deal


© 2006 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy on Monday awarded a contract worth about $44.3 million to a unit of Boeing Co. for 28 missiles for five of its international partners.

The contract is a modification to a previous award to McDonnell Douglas Corp., for 28 Harpoon all-up-round missiles. The governments of Chile and Pakistan will each receive 10 missiles, four are for Canada, and two each for Australia and Malaysia.

The contract also includes various other warhead sections and containers for the foreign governments. Work is expected to be completed in June 2007.

Shares of Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company, rose 43 cents to $77.85 in after-hours trading on the INET electronic stock exchange after losing $1.49 earlier in the day on the New York Stock Exchange.

"JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY - AUGUST 02, 2006

Chile set to decide on S-3Bs
Richad Scott Jane's Naval Consultant
London

Chile is weighing up whether to acquire a number of ex-US Navy (USN) S-3B Vikings to perform surface surveillance along its coastline.

Deployed from USN carriers, the S-3B provides multimission support to battle group and joint commanders as the

carrier strike group's primary anti-surface warfare platform. In addition, it provides electronic surveillance, overland strike support and aerial refuelling.

Powered by twin General Electric TF-34-GE-400B turbofan engines, the aircraft's mission suite includes the AN/APS-137 surveillance radar, a long-range electro-optical/infra-red sensor and the AN/ALR-76 electronic support measures system.

Although the aircraft itself has significant life remaining, the USN opted in October 2002 to retire the S-3B from its carrier air wings by the end of 2009, commensurate with the fielding of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The service is now working with Lockheed Martin, the aircraft's manufacturer, to offer surplus S-3Bs for further service overseas, with opportunities identified in Latin America, Central Asia and the Black Sea rim.

'We think excess article S-3Bs will prove attractive on the grounds of low costs of ownership, a high dash speed, good low-level handling, a high-performance sensor suite and a long airframe life,' said Rick Kirkland, vice president of Lockheed Martin's newly formed Maritime Surveillance Enterprise.

'The average airframe life expectancy is 23,000 hours, but the average life of the fleet today is only 11,000 hours.'

Chile is currently at the front of the queue and looking to acquire a quantity of aircraft, 'which is more than six and less than 12', according to Kirkland.

'The US Navy and the Chilean Navy have agreed the structure of the government-to-government transfer. We expect to hear whether the deal will go through in the next few months ... certainly by the end of the year,' said Kirkland.

In parallel with the government-to-government activity, Lockheed Martin has established a broad contractor support team, including engine manufacturer General Electric, to offer through-life support.

'Our intention is to offer Chile a full service to sustain, refresh and support the aircraft should it decide to proceed with the S-3B acquisition,' Kirkland said."

-La US Navy ofrecerá los S-3B Viking como donación a determinados clientes seleccionados como Bulgaria, Rumanía, Singapur y Chile.
Se trata de los aparatos que serán retirados del servicio a partir del 2009, cuando entren en servicio los nuevos Superhotnets y Growlers, pero que les resta un remanente de 12.000 horas de vuelo.
El S-3 ofrece una capacidad importante de reconocimiento además de ataque y reabastecimiento. Están equipados con radar de apertura sintética para vigilancia marítima y FLIR para reconocimiento sobre tierra.
La entrega seguiría un modelo de donación en lugar de venta, por el que el receptor se haría cargo de los gastos de operación y las modificaciones necesarias, siendo Lockheed Martin la encargada de negociar el contrato de apoyo pertinente.

Deck crew of USS Kearsarge work with helicopters at sea, some 80 nautical miles North of Panama City, Panama as a part of annual Operation Panamax 2006 a multinational training designed to protect the Panama Canal from a possible attack or emergency Friday, Aug. 25, 2006. Participating in this annual training are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Rep. Dominican, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, United Kingdom, U.S., and Panama. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

Deck crew of USS Kearsarge waits for blast off helicopters at sea, some 80 nautical miles North of Panama City, Panama as a part of annual Operation Panamax 2006 a multinational training designed to protect the Panama Canal from a possible attack or emergency Friday, Aug. 25, 2006. Participating in this annual training are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Rep. Dominican, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, United Kingdom, U.S., and Panama. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)

The Mexican Helicopter Carriers
August 13, 2006: The United States is giving Mexico two recently decommissioned amphibious ships. The two (formerly USS Ogden and USS Cleveland) are Austin class LPDs that entered service in the 1960s. These are large ships, 570 feet long and displacing 17,000 tons. The flight deck can hold half a dozen large helicopters, and support simultaneous landings and takeoffs. The well deck can hold up to 24 landing craft (like AAVs), or four lighter type boats, for transferring cargo and personnel. These ships require a crew of 420, and can carry up to 800 combat troops.

What would Mexico do with these two ships? Mexico has a very long coastline, which is not well-endowed with ports or even good sheltered harbors. A couple of Austins would be very useful in the event operations have to occur in such areas. In a word, disaster relief and coastal patrol. These LPDs are basically floating patrol boat and helicopter bases. The troops berthing spaces could be used for storing relief supplies, in addition to the space already available for some 2,000 tons of supplies and equipment. There are also seven cranes on board (one 30-ton and six 4-ton cranes). The elevator from the flight deck to the hanger deck can carry eight tons. There are tanks for 224,500 gallons of aviation fuel and 119,000 gallons of vehicle fuel.

To build new, the Austin class ships would cost about a billion dollars each. They cost the U.S. Navy about two million dollars a month to operate, but the Mexican navy, with a lower operating tempo and lower labor costs, could probably operate them for about half a million dollars a month each. The Mexican Navy is probably the most professional of their services, and is highly regarded by American officers and sailors who have worked with them. This probably played a part in the decision to hand over these two large ships.

The only weapons carried were four automatic cannon for stopping anti-ship missiles or small boats. These have already been removed. Mexico would probably mount a few heavy machine-guns.

Bautismo de Patrullero de Alta Mar Británico

Se trata del HMS Clyde, que estará destinado a vigilar las aguas próximas a las Islas Malvinas.
(NM) Con la tradicional ceremonia de bautismo, el pasado jueves 7 de septiembre fue botado el HMS Clyde en los astilleros VT Shipbuilding, de la Base Naval de Portsmouth, Inglaterra.
A la ceremonia asistieron la representante del gobierno de las Islas Malvinas en Londres Sukey Cameron y el miembro del Consejo Legislativo Richard Stevens. La madrina del buque fue la señora Lesley Dunt, esposa del Vicealmirante Peter Dunt, Director de Patrimonio de Defensa británico.
Durante el acto fue leído un mensaje firmado en forma conjunta por el gobernador de las Islas Alan Huckle y el Comandante Militar, Comodoro (RN) Ian Moncrieff, en cual se hace referencia a la próxima llegada del buque para el 25º aniversario del conflicto con Argentina.
Se trata de un buque de clasificado como Offshore Patrol Vessel Helicopter (OPVH), es decir, Patrullero de Alta Mar con plataforma para helicópteros, de 81,5 metros de eslora (largo), 13,6 metros de manga (ancho) y 3,8 metros de calado. La plataforma para el aterrizaje de helicópteros puede soportar el anavizaje de helicópteros del tamaño del Sea King y hasta del el moderno Merlin.
Posee un radar de búsqueda aire y superficie y está armado con un cañón de 30 mm. La tripulación es de 36 personas y puede navegar 5.500 millas náuticas a 12 nudos. La velocidad máxima es de 21 nudos.
El buque reemplaza a los de la clase Castle y entrará en funciones en aguas del Atlántico Sur durante 2007, como parte de los festejos preparados para la ocasión.

Looks like russia finished re-fit of it's 'Bryansk' Delta IV boomer...

Ракетный подводный крейсер стратегического назначения К–117 "Брянск" - тысячная подводная лодка, собранная на верфях ФГУП "Звездочка", выведен из эллинга.

Carlos Mathias escreveu:Karáleo!