French Navy to Trial Schiebel's Unmanned Helicopter


November 3, 2009 -- The French Navy will lease the Camcopter S-100, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) produced by Austrian company Schiebel, for experimental trials under a contract awarded by the French defence procurement agency DGA.

The trials will analyse the advantages of a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) craft as well as the Thales Optronics Agile 2 electro optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensor.

Thales Aeronautical Systems, as a subcontractor to Schiebel, will assist the army in arranging and organising the flight and frequency permits.

Schiebel's Camcopter S-100 UAV is a combat-proven military UAV that does not require supporting launch or recovery equipment and can operate day and night in any atmospheric conditions on land and at sea with a beyond line-of-sight capability to 200km.

The aerial vehicle has a payload capacity of 75lb and provides long endurance for over six hours at a service ceiling of 18,000ft.

The unmanned helicopter will also be leased for two weeks of demanding trials for the French Army.

The experimental trials are scheduled for the first half of 2010.

naval-technology.com

Raytheon To Upgrade South Korea's Patriot Air and Missile Defense Systems


December 1, 2009 TEWKSBURY, Mass. | Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $17.2 million Foreign Military Sales contract modification to deliver capability upgrades for South Korea's Patriot Air and Missile Defense System.

With emphasis on upgrading the global Patriot fleet, Raytheon will deliver prime-power equipment as an alternative power source for Patriot system operations and will deliver communications equipment to enhance Patriot interoperability with air defense command centers.

This contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., augments Raytheon's ongoing efforts as systems integrator for South Korea's Patriot SAM-X program. To date, Raytheon has been awarded more than $280 million in contracts to support the Patriot SAM-X program.

"This is an opportunity to further our working relationship with the South Korean industry," said Sanjay Kapoor, vice president for Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). "Raytheon's major subcontract partner in South Korea, EHWA Technologies Information, has a robust and proven portfolio of products in power systems for the Republic of Korea Air Force and will be a key partner for these improvements."

EHWA Technologies Information will produce the frequency converter kits that will provide the option for Patriot system components to be powered via the central power infrastructure, removing the dependence on mobile tactical generators as the only source of power. This will significantly reduce system maintenance costs and enhance operational flexibility.

Work under this contract will be performed by Raytheon IDS at its Integrated Air Defense Center in Andover, Mass., and at Raytheon subcontractor facilities in South Korea.

Raytheon IDS is the prime contractor for both domestic and international Patriot air and missile defense systems and systems integrator for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles.

Indonesian navy gets new KR Banjarmasin warship

KRI Banjarmasin. (Foto: detikFoto)

November 28, 2009, Jakarta -- The Indonesian Navy got new KRI Banjarmasin-592 warship manufactured by PT PAL, on November 28, 2009.

Surabaya-based PT PAL, Indonesia`s shipbuilding and maintenance company, symbolically handed over the news warship of a Landing Platform Dock (LPD) type, to the defense ministry, which later passed it on to the Indonesian Navy, at a military ceremony in Surabaya, on Saturday.

Among those present at the ceremony were Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, TNI (Indonesian Defense Forces) General Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Didik Heru Purnomo, and Naval Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Agus Suhartono.

The KRI Banjarmasin was one of two 125-meter LPD manufactured by PT PAL.
Commodore Iskandar Sitompul, a spokesman of the Indonesian Navy, said the KRI Banjarmasin was the third LPD joining the Navy. The two other LPDs were built by South Korea`s Daewoo International Corporation and received by the Indonesian Navy last year.

The latest LPD built by PT PAL was better equipped that the previous two others.
The KRI Banjarmasin-592 warship has capacity to carry five helicopters, while the previous LPDs only two helicopters. The speed has also been improved from 15 knot to 15.4 knot. PT PAL has manufactured more than 150 ships of various types since 1980.

ANTARA News

Powered by Blogger