majalah militer

February 8, 2009, Kaliningrad -- The Russian missile frigate Neustrashimy, which took part in the anti-pirate operations in the Gulf of Aden, returned to its home port of Baltiysk on Sunday.

The Pacific Fleet's Admiral Vinogradov destroyer replaced the Baltic Fleet frigate in the Gulf of Aden in January and is now escorting civilian vessels through areas where Somali pirates are active.

The Neustrashimy was met in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad by Governor Georgy Boos, Baltic Fleet Commander Viktor Mardusin and government officials from Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The Neustrashimy entered service 16 years ago and since last September has been on duty in the Mediterranean and Red seas, escorting over 50 commercial vessels through the Gulf of Aden since joining international anti-pirate operations off the coast of Somali in late October.

It is the only Project 1154 Yastreb class missile frigate in active service with the Russian Navy to have been built before the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is designed as a general purpose ASW ship to follow on from the Krivak class frigates and incorporates some stealth technology.

The Neustrashimy's armament includes SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, SA-N-9 Gauntlet SAM, a 100-mm gun, torpedoes and depth charges. The frigate also carries a Ka-27 ASW helicopter. (RIA Novosti)

February 7, 2009, Warsaw -- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will discuss the U.S. missile defense shield planned for Central Europe with Vice President Joe Biden during a meeting at a security conference in Germany on Saturday.

Tusk told journalists in Warsaw before leaving for the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy that the controversial missile shield - opposed by Russia as a threat to its national security - would be one of the main topics he would discuss with Biden.

"We are a very honest partner of the United States, and if we agree something with the Americans we always keep our word," he said at a news briefing. "We are ready to participate in this project, but the decision, of course, is with the American side."

Moscow has strongly opposed U.S. plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic by 2013 as a threat to its security and nuclear deterrent. Washington says the defenses are needed to deter possible strikes from "rogue states" such as Iran.

President Dmitry Medvedev threatened in November to retaliate if the plans go ahead by deploying Iskander-M missiles in the country's westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad, which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov told the Munich conference on Friday that Moscow would not deploy Iskander missile systems in the Kaliningrad Region if Washington gave up its missile shield plans.

Medvedev "from the very start said clearly" that if "there are no interceptors in Poland and the Czech Republic ... there will be no Iskanders in Kaliningrad," he said.

Top Russian officials have repeatedly expressed hopes that President Barrack Obama will step back from deploying the system, which the George W. Bush administration worked hard to get agreement on with Poland and the Czech Republic. (RIA Novosti)

February 7, 2009, Washington -- The U.S. Air Force has ordered 15 C-17 military transport planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing valued at $2.9 billion, the Pentagon announced Feb. 6.

"The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to McDonnell Douglas Corporation of Long Beach, California, for an amount not to exceed $2.95 billion ... for the procurement of 15 C-17 aircraft," the Department of Defense said in a statement.

The contract revives the fortunes of the C-17, the heart of the U.S. Air Force's fleet of long-range transport planes.

Boeing had been on the verge of scrapping C-17 production in 2006 when orders for the plane dried up. (defensenews.com)

February 7, 2009, Bangalore -- BAE Systems will have its biggest-ever presence at Aero India 2009 with the British aero major launching its newly developed autonomous air vehicle, Mantis.

for the first time at an international air show. This is significant as ADA India is heavily into UAVs with the launch of its indigenous Nishanth.

BAE Systems' theme for the event is `Autonomy - specifically autonomous air vehicles'. Apart from Mantis, the new autonomous Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) being developed by BAE Systems, Herti, another UAV, will hold pride of place outside the BAE Systems pavilion.

Defence experts point out: "India has already gone in for the Hawk from BAE. An UAV like Mantis would be very useful in terms of technologies that we can learn. While Nishanth is good, we hear Mantis is highly sophisticated. There is a good chance that we can collaborate with BAE on UAVs."

With an entire pavilion for itself, BAE Systems will be displaying products from across our aerospace capabilities, including the Typhoon and Hawk. There will be products not displayed in India before, such as special seating for helicopters that protect aircrew from spinal injuries in crashes and hard landing -- the leading cause of injury to heli pilots.

The Mantis itself is a technology demonstrator programme and brings together technologies, capabilities and systems that will demonstrate the potential of a large unmanned autonomous aircraft.

Phase one of the programme will see BAE Systems working alongside the UK MoD and industrial parties, including Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, GE Aviation, SELEX Galileo and Meggitt.

Mark Kane, managing director of autonomous systems and future capability at BAE Systems, said: "Mantis is another important step forward in the development of UAS capabilities. The aim is to prove that the integrated technologies on Mantis, that build on several years of autonomous UAS experience within BAE Systems and the wider UK industry, can provide the tangible military capability and levels of performance required for the future." (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)