DTN News - SAUDI ARABIA DEFENSE NEWS: BAE Systems Signs Saudi-Eurofighter Deal

Defense War News Updates: DTN News - SAUDI ARABIA DEFENSE NEWS: BAE Systems Signs Saudi-Eurofighter Deal
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Rhys Jones - Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 4, 2012: British defence contractor BAE Systems said a contract to build 48 Typhoon aircraft in Britain for the Saudi Arabian air force had been signed but changes to the price of the deal had yet to be agreed.

BAE had expected changes to the terms of the deal to be signed off in 2011, but it warned in January this year that talks over proposed adjustments to the final assembly of the last 48 of the 72 Typhoon aircraft would continue into 2012 and could hit 2011 profit.

The proposed changes -- such as the creation of a maintenance facility in Saudi Arabia, the addition of new capability to some aircraft and the formalisation of price changes -- could affect the price of the deal.

The Salam deal to build a total of 72 aircraft was signed in 2007 and is worth around 4.5 billion pounds ($7.21 billion), with the first squadron of 24 already delivered to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).

"The contract for the final assembly of 48 Typhoon aircraft in the UK has now been signed and final assembly has commenced at our Warton facility, discussions are ongoing with regard to the creation of a maintenance facility in Saudi Arabia and the formalisation of price variations," BAE said in an email sent to Reuters on Tuesday.

"In terms of ... conversion to Tranche 3 and formalisation of price escalation, good progress has been made with budgets approved in December 2011 through the royal decree. Negotiations on price escalation will continue into 2012."

Conversion of the jets to a Tranche 3 variant will see new missile and radar technology added to the Typhoon.

The Saudi royal decree, which was signed off at the end of 2011, releases some 1.5 billion pounds ($2.40 billion) on top of the existing Salam programme commitment for a series of enhancements, BAE said.

Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz is due to meet British Prime Minister David Cameron and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond in London later on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia is a key Arab ally and a major buyer of British-made defence equipment.

Prince Salman is responsible for securing multi-billion dollar arms purchases, which have been used to cement Saudi Arabia's ties with the West. He is also seen as a possible candidate to one day rule the conservative Islamic kingdom.

Earlier this year two Western defence sources said Saudi Arabia, which placed a $29.4 billion order for new Boeing F-15 jets in late 2011, was in the early stage of talks to increase its Typhoon order by as many as 48 aircraft.

Earlier this year BAE said talks with Saudi over changes to its order for 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets would continue into 2012. The delay hit its earnings last year, which fell 7 percent.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Rhys Jones - Reuters
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DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: The Israeli Red Flag

Defense War News Updates: DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: The Israeli Red Flag
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 24, 2012: For the third time in the last six months the Israeli Air Force has hosted foreign fighter pilots for tactical training. Israeli fighter pilots are considered the best trained in the world, and Israel maintains a special training program, complete with pilots trained and equipped to operate as likely foes would, to train their own pilots. The latest nation to send fighters and pilots for training is Poland, flying F-16s in for that purpose. Previously, Italy had sent Typhoons and Tornados and Greece F-16s.

The Israeli training center is based on the one pioneered by the U.S. Air Force Red Flag program and the U.S. Navy's Top Gun training. Using American aircraft for "aggressor (or dissimilar) training" began in the 1960s. The original "Top Gun" fighter pilot school was established in 1969, by the U.S. Navy, in response to the poor performance of its pilots against North Vietnamese pilots flying Russian fighters. What made the Top Gun operation different was that the training emphasized how the enemy aircraft and pilots operated. This was called "dissimilar training". In the past, American pilots practiced against American pilots, with everyone flying American aircraft and using American tactics. It worked in World War II because the enemy pilots were not getting a lot of practice and were using similar aircraft and tactics anyway. Most importantly, there was a lot of aerial combat going on, providing ample opportunity for on-the-job training. Not so in Vietnam, where the quite different Russian-trained North Vietnamese were giving U.S. aviators an awful time. The four week Top Gun program solved the problem. The air force followed shortly with its Red Flag school.

Over the last 40 years the two training programs have developed differently, and the entire concept of "dissimilar training" has changed. The navy kept Top Gun as a program to hone a fighter pilot's combat skills. The air force made their Red Flag program more elaborate, bringing in the many different types of aircraft involved in combat missions (especially electronic warfare). But after the Cold War ended it became increasingly obvious that none of America's potential enemies was providing their fighter pilots with much training at all.

In other words, the dissimilar training for U.S. fighter pilots was not as crucial as it had been during the Cold War. Actually, it had been noted that flying skills of Soviet pilots was declining in the 1980s, as economic problems in the USSR caused cuts in flying time. During that period American pilots were actually increasing their flying time. Moreover, U.S. flight simulators were getting better. American pilots were finding that even the game oriented combat flight simulators had some training value.

So in the late 1990s, Top Gun and Red Flag found their budgets cut. But the programs remain, as does the memory of why they were set up in the first place. If we find that, say, China is continuing to improve its combat aviation, and gives its fighter pilots more flying time and their politicians maintain a bellicose attitude towards the U.S., there will be a need to increase American Top Gun training. Because of the new Chinese "dissimilar training" effort, the U.S. Top Gun and Red Flag schools are being restored to their former prominence, and Israel has become one of the best Red Flag operations outside the United States. The Chinese move is certainly a very meaningful one, as it shows that they are serious about preparing their pilots to fight and defeat Taiwanese and American pilots. Dissimilar training is how that is done and for most nations Israel is the nearest place to get it.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
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DTN News - OMAN DEFENSE NEWS: Oman Orders Second Squadron Of F-16s

Defense War News Updates: DTN News - OMAN DEFENSE NEWS: Oman Orders Second Squadron Of  F-16s

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources F-16.net
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - December 22, 2011: The US Department of Defense on December 14th, has announced that Lockheed Martin have been awarded $600M fixed-price contract for a Foreign Military Sales program that will provide the government of Oman 12 additional F-16 C/D block 50 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft.

The exact verbiage of US DoD released - 1021/11 on December 14, 2011 is as " Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $600,000,000 dollar firm-fixed-price, time-and-material and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a Foreign Military Sales program that will provide the government of Oman with following:  12 F-16 C/D Block 50 Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (10 C models, two D models); support equipment; technical orders; and integrated logistics support.  The location of the performance is Fort Worth, Texas.  Work is expected to be completed Nov. 30, 2016.  This was a sole-source acquisition.  Therefore, one proposal was received.  ASC/WWMK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8615-12-C-6011)."

The order consists of 10 single seater 'C-Models' and 2 'D-Models' and in addition to assembling the aircraft at its Fort Worth site in Texas, Lockheed will also provide associated support equipment and logistics services, the DoD said. Work under the deal should be concluded by November 2016.

The F-16 production line at Fort Worth seems to have improved as this is the second order to come in matter of weeks after Iraq also placed a follow on order for 18 additional F-16s. Just six months ago, Lockheed officials were warning that F-16 production could come to a halt by the end of 2013. With these new orders that same line will extend production to well into 2015.

Oman's surprise selection appears to have dashed the UK's hopes of selling Eurofighter Typhoons to the nation.

The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) currently has 12 F-16C/D block 50 aircraft (8 'C-models' & 4 'D-Models'), delivered as part of Peace A'sama A'safiya Program, thus making the country the 23rd customer for the F-16 and the 5th Arab airforce F-16 customer.

Privately, senior Eurofighter sources seemed sanguine about the F-16 order. “Oman always intended to buy a further squadron of F-16s, so this is no surprise, and is entirely consistent with its ambitions to expand and modernise its air force. The Typhoon negotiations continue to make great progress,” a source said.

It is not even certain that the F-16 deal will alter Omani plans to keep its ageing Jaguars (which were recently re-winged) in service as long as support from India is available.

The Omani F-16 order comes only weeks after Iraq placed a follow-on order for 18 additional F-16s. These new orders will ensure F-16 production out to 2015.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources 
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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India Set To Finalise Fighter Jets Deal

Defense War News Updates: DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: India Set To Finalise Fighter Jets Deal

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources India Today

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 25, 2011: In a crucial milestone for India's "mother of all deals" - its prolonged $12-billion effort to acquire 126 fighter jets - the Defence Ministry will open the commercial bids of the two finalists on November 4 at South Block.

France's Dassault Aviation and the European EADS were informed this week that their representatives would be required to be present when their bids (for the Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon respectively) are opened by a Contract Negotiation Committee (CNC).

Representatives of both firms will need to authenticate the confidential sealed envelopes containing their bids, before they are opened for the final comparison.

Following procedure, the final bids will be compared to a benchmark price - a reasonable, acceptable price for the contract - before adjudging the lowest bidder from the two. For both companies, the stakes are enormously high.

At $12-billion, and the near certainty that the final contract will be for a significantly larger sum, the IAF's MMRCA is quite simply the largest active acquisition of aircraft in recent memory, and one that both final contenders have invested millions in pitching for.

The Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale are by far the costliest jets in the reckoning, and with both fighting a two-horse race to the finish line, India will be committed to spending a colossal sum of money on the acquisition.

In April this year, as earlier reported by Headlines Today, four other contenders were eliminated from the competition in a shock setback for the companies involved.

Those who were dropped from the reckoning included Sweden's Saab (Gripen), US firms Boeing and Lockheed-Martin with the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-16 Super Viper respectively, and India's largest defence supplier Russia with its MiG-35.

Interestingly, the four eliminated companies remain in India, firm in the belief that the cost of their rivals in the finals make this make-or-break situation swing either way.

Related News;

The deal is worth $12 billion.

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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources India Today

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