DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.,, For 12 UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopters For Saudi Arabian National Guard

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.,, For 12 UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopters For Saudi Arabian National Guard

Source: K. V. Seth DTN News + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-158-14 August 19, 2014
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 19, 2014: Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Connecticut, was awarded a $30,351,927 modification (P00072) to foreign military sales contract (Saudi Arabia) W58RGZ-12-C-0008 for 12 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters for the Saudi Arabian National Guard. 

Fiscal 2014 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $30,351,927 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Aug. 31, 2017. 

Work will be performed in Jupiter, Florida, and Stratford, Connecticut. 

Versatile, dependable and rugged: just three reasons why 25 nations depend on BLACK HAWK helicopters for multi-mission support. With more than 2,300 aircraft in service through 30 years of legendary performance for the BLACK HAWK family, UH-60M and S-70iTM  BLACK HAWK helicopters clearly demonstrate Sikorsky's continued commitment to our customers' tactical operations.

Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

More than 2,000 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter variants are in service with the US Military and more than 600 exported.

Black Hawk helicopters have logged over four million flying hours, including a diverse range of combat missions in Grenada, Panama, in the liberation of Kuwait, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq and numerous humanitarian and rescue missions including operations in Bosnia.

The helicopters are manufactured at the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation production facilities based in Stratford, Connecticut, USA. Licensed production of Black Hawk helicopters is also carried out in Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The primary mission of the Black Hawk helicopter is as a troop carrier and logistical support aircraft, but in addition the helicopter can be configured to carry out medical evacuation, command-and-control, search-and-rescue, armed escort, electronic warfare and executive transport missions.

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter design

Black Hawk has low detectability and outstanding nap-of-the-earth flight capabilities. The aircraft is tolerant to small arms fire and most high-explosive, medium-calibre (23mm) projectiles. The flight controls are ballistically hardened and the helicopter is equipped with redundant electric and hydraulic systems.

"The S-70A Black Hawk cabin provides accommodation for 11 fully equipped troops or four litters."

The helicopter has the ability to absorb high-impact velocities. The fuel system is crash-resistant and self-sealing. The crew seats and the landing gear are energy absorbing.
UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter upgrade programme

In April 2001, the US Army approved an upgrade programme for more than 1,500 Black Hawks to UH-60M standard. The first flight of the UH60M took place in September 2003 and three helicopters have been delivered for the test programme.

"The UH-60M features new wide chord composite spar main rotor blades."
The US Army initially decided to opt for new build helicopters rather than upgrade existing airframes.

The new-build helicopter entered low-rate initial production (LRIP) in April 2005. The first of 22 new UH-60Ms was delivered in July 2006. Initial operational evaluation (OPEVAL) was successful and a decision on full-rate production of 1,227 helicopters was authorised in December 2007 with the award of a five-year contract. Under this contract six UH-60M utility and 20 HH-60M combat rescue helicopters were ordered in March 2008.

In December 2007, the US Army ordered 11 low-rate initial production (LRIP) upgrade UH60M. The UH-60M upgrade completed its maiden flight in August 2008. More than 950 aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by 2025. As of July 2012, Sikorsky had delivered 400 UH-60M helicopters.

The UH-60M features new wide chord composite spar main rotor blades (which provide 500lb more lift than the current UH-60L blade), strengthened fuselage and advanced infrared suppression.

The fly-by-wire glass cockpit has a digitised 1553 bus-based avionics suite with four Rockwell Collins multi-function displays, four-axis fully-coupled autopilot, two Canadian Marconi (CMC) electronic flight management systems, dual Honeywell embedded GPS inertial (EGI) navigation system, digital moving map and Goodrich integrated vehicle health management system (IHVMS).


The new General Electric T700-GE-701D engine (with full authority digital electronic control) is more powerful and provides additional lift during sling load operations.

Related Images:

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth + U.S. DoD issued No. CR-158-14 August 19, 2014
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DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Sonia Gandhi ~ Congress Debacle In Elections 2014 - Due To Unending Scams And Corruption In UPA Government

DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Sonia Gandhi ~ Congress Debacle In Elections 2014 - Due To Unending Scams And Corruption In UPA Government

*Robert Vadra busy ‘salvaging’ land in Bikaner

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources TOI
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 7, 2014: (BIKANER) As Narendra Modi gets ready to be sworn in as Prime Minister, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and his team are busy gathering documents to get requisite corrections done in purchase of huge swaths of land in Bikaner district. 

In the run up to the elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had pledged to probe the land deals of Vadra once it comes to power. The party had also released a CD detailing how the Ashok Gehlot government shielded the alleged dubious deals of the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi. Four Vadra companies bought land in excess to permissible limit under the Land Ceiling Act. The report of the district collector revealed that the Gehlot government changed the Land Ceiling Act, purposely to help Vadra buy lands. 

Latest reports say that Vadra has deputed a few individuals, who are camping in Bikaner and trying hard to collect documents in view of possible legal battles. A key member of Vadra team, Mahesh Nagar, is visiting Bikaner frequently.

Sources say that Nagar was holding meetings with district officials secretly and trying to collect papers from them. He was reportedly the front man when Vadra companies bought land in Bikaner.According to sources, Nagar is continuing the process of purchase of land and even in May 2014, Nagar purchased nearly 1,000 bighas in Pokhran tehsil of Jailsalmer district. 

TOI could not contact Nagar, though officials confirmed his presence in the district. Nagar reportedly belongs to Haryana. 

As per the provisions of Rajasthan Imposition of Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings Act, 1973 there is a ceiling limit of 280 bigha in the state. It means that a person is allowed to possess not more than 280 bigha of land. 

However, Gehlot government amended Section 17 of Rajasthan Imposition of Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings Act, 1973 in September 2010, that too with retrospective effect. The amendment says that restrictions on quantum of land deal shall not apply to a person who acquires the land with the prior approval of the state government or any other authority appointed by it. Moreover, records show that the "soul" of the Act was changed without debate in the state assembly. 

After taking over as chief minister, Vasundhara Raje issued letters to district collectors of Bikaner and Jodhpur for providing data of land deals in their districts. According to sources, collector of Bikaner sent a report saying that companies of Robert Vadra had purchased nearly 2,503 bigha in Bikaner district, out of which nearly 1,124 bigha had already been sold. 

According to BJP's Bikaner MP Arjun Ram Meghwal, Vadra-owned companies Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., Blue Bridge Trading Pvt. Ltd., Skylight Reality Pvt. Ltd., Real Earth Estates Pvt. Ltd. and North India IT Park Pvt. Ltd bought 1,634 hectors (6,536 bighas) (1 hector = 4 bigha approx) land in in Bikaner district. Through these companies, land had been purchased in Kolayat, Gajner, Golari, Darbari, Sarah Kishnayat, Basti Chauhanan, Sarah Sutharan villages in Kolayat tehsil.

Disclaimer statement Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein, DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions expressed herein are those of the author of the page and do not necessarily represent the corporate views of DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources TOI
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DTN News - INDIA NEWS: The Future of India's National Congress Dynastic Party Is In Doubt

DTN News - INDIA NEWS: The Future of India's National Congress Dynastic Party Is In Doubt
*Descendants of Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter Indira Gandhi have had trouble governing a changing India
*Some see the end of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty in the Indian National Congress' huge election loss

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Shashank Bengali
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 1, 2014: It is one of the most storied names in political history, a party synonymous with modern India and an inspiration for revolutionary movements led by the likes of South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh.

But a disastrous performance in the recent national elections has many wondering whether this is the end for the Indian National Congress party.

The party that has led India for most of its 67 years as an independent nation was thumped out of power, winning a paltry 44 of 543 parliamentary seats — its lowest tally by far — and prompting serious questions about the leadership of the Gandhis, the first family of Indian politics.

Related story: Pakistanis in disputed Kashmir worry about rise of Indian nationalist
Aoun Sahi, Shashank Bengali

The descendants of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's erudite first prime minister, and his strong-willed daughter, Indira Gandhi, have proved less adept at governing a fast-changing India. With the party's last several years in power subsumed by corruption scandals and economic calamities, the once-revered family name increasingly reeks of a stale dynasty that has even longtime supporters clamoring for the Gandhis to step aside.

An editorial in the Hindustan Times, a national newspaper run by former Congress party lawmaker Shobhana Bhartia, said the party is "seemingly in terminal decline" and needs to find a new generation of leaders.

"It has to undergo a drastic mind-set change and reevaluate many of its core principles, among them the relevance of dynastic rule," the newspaper said.

Some critics are writing the party's obituary. "They are not going to come back," said Mohan Guruswamy, a prominent economist who has advised Congress' rival, the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party.

The party faithful counter that Congress has lost before and come back strong. "Congress has always fought back, and there is no reason it can't fight back again," said Eknath Gaikwad, a Congress lawmaker from south-central Mumbai.

Congress' decline represents an epochal change for a fractious nation long held together by the party's big-tent liberalism. It comes as India appears to be turning rightward after overwhelmingly electing the BJP, whose leader, new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rails against Congress' signature welfare and affirmative action programs aimed at historically disadvantaged lower castes and the rural poor.

Gandhi allies criticize the BJP as Hindu chauvinists, noting that none of its 282 Parliament members are from the Muslim community, which accounts for about 14% of India's 1.2 billion people. But as much as it sees pluralism as a founding principle, Congress has not embraced that ethos at the very top of its hierarchy, which is strictly a family affair.

Related story: From tea-seller to India's top job: The rise of Narendra Modi
Parth M.N.
Days after the election embarrassment, the mother-son team that leads Congress, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, met with advisors in New Delhi and reportedly offered their resignations. According to Indian news accounts in Indian media, the advisors spent more than half of the three-hour meeting imploring them not to go. The meeting ended with a unanimous statement of faith in the Gandhis' leadership.

"Not much time was left for any introspection," the Times of India reported dryly.

Longtime party officials say they have failed in campaigning, not in governing. Beginning in 2004, the party ushered in near-universal education, expanded food subsidies and introduced a landmark government transparency law. It also embarked on one of the largest welfare programs of its kind in the world, a rural employment system that guaranteed every household 100 days of wage-earning work a year. Officials say it has provided jobs to about 50 million of the poorest Indian households.

But after Congress won reelection in 2009, a parade of corruption scandals came to light. The welfare programs and economic liberalization increased incomes, which in turn pushed up prices of basic goods and contributed to inflation, one of the main complaints among working-class voters.

Scholarly Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was seen as a puppet of Sonia Gandhi and too weak to confront errant party bosses.

"The accomplishments were not well articulated, and they got lost in the hullabaloo of the election campaign," lawmaker Gaikwad said.

A 75-year-old party stalwart who joined Congress because he was inspired by Nehru, Gaikwad rejects any suggestion that the Gandhis find new blood to lead the party. Referring to the assassinations of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Sonia Gandhi's husband, Rajiv, in 1991, he said that no family has sacrificed as much for India's democracy.

India's young voters look to Narendra Modi for change
Shashank Bengali
"It's because of the Gandhi family that I am in Congress," Gaikwad said. "They're the glue that keeps the Congress together, and Congress has laid the foundations of this country."

A younger group of party officials has begun to show hints of frustration with the family's stewardship, particularly that of the 43-year-old party vice president, Rahul. Square-jawed and Cambridge-educated, he had been billed as the party's leader of the future, but his diffident and distracted performances on the campaign trail have made him a national punch line., He eked out a narrow victory for his parliamentary seat in Amethi, a Gandhi family bastion for decades.

Some party insiders are said to want a bigger role for Rahul's sister, Priyanka, a political neophyte who nevertheless drew enthusiastic crowds in her few appearances on the campaign trail. The spitting image of her grandmother Indira, she carries political baggage: Her real-estate tycoon husband, Robert Vadra, is a fixture in Indian newspapers amid allegations of corrupt land deals.

"Everyone in India makes money the way the son-in-law makes money — it's the crony capitalist system — but the family is expected to be above all this," Guruswamy said.

Analysts see real danger for Congress because it suffered major election setbacks in its longtime strongholds in the so-called Hindi heartland of north and central India. With more Indians living in urban areas, Congress' rural base has softened. So, too, has its appeal as India's founding party, with a growing number of young voters more interested in private sector jobs and clean government.

Party stalwarts point out that Congress has been down before: in 1977, when it was drubbed at the polls after Indira Gandhi instituted emergency rule, and in 2004, when a BJP-led government swept into power for the first time. Both times, the party recovered to win the next national election.

"People have written our obituary before," Gaikwad said. "In five years the people will be disillusioned by Mr. Modi and they will come back to us."

Special correspondent Parth M.N. contributed to this report.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources Shashank Bengali
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DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: How The Su-30 MKI Is Changing The IAF’s Combat Strategy

DTN News - INDIA DEFENSE NEWS: How The Su-30 MKI Is Changing The IAF’s Combat Strategy
Analysis: Internationally, a project for one year takes ten fold longer in India. Decisions are taken at a snail pace and time is wasted on unnecessary red tape bureaucracy. Defense procurement system is politically corrupt, as an example urgently needed Hawk Mk132 advanced jet trainers for Indian Air Force, which took 30 odd years to acquire at the cost of hundreds of young Indian Air Force pilots life. India is the largest democratically governed country in the world as is an exemplary system for other nations to follow suit, but at the same time the system is a curse with too many voices and noises, NO ACTION. India should have for some period a system of administration similar to China, which is straightforward with no two way decision, would benefit for the betterment of the country at large. (DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News)

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources January 5, 2014 Rakesh Krishnan Simha
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 6, 2014: The versatile and constantly evolving nature of the Sukhoi enables the Indian Air Force to think big and strike far. With the induction of large numbers of class leading Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has not only made a huge technological transition from a MiG-21 dominated fleet, its war fighting doctrine has also changed, focusing on long-range and strategic missions.

Aggressiveness is a fundamental requirement of air combat, and the IAF has traditionally been an attack orientated force. For instance, on December 3, 1971 in response to Pakistan Air Force (PAF) raids on 11 Indian airbases, the IAF responded with initial air strikes the same night, which were expanded to massive retaliatory air strikes the next morning.

In previous wars, it didn’t matter if their opponents had better aircraft and radars, IAF pilots compensated for it with their superior training and ingenuity. IAF pilots truly internalised what Sergei Dolgushin, a Russian Air Force ace with 24 victories in WWII, said is a prerequisite to be a successful fighter pilot: “a love of hunting, a great desire to be the top dog”.

Long range and two fronts
It was with the MiG-29 Fulcrum that the IAF for the very first time acquired a superior aircraft compared with those operated by the PAF. However, the qualitative edge was marginal. On the other hand the Sukhoi-30 MKI is an “air dominance fighter” that is allowing the IAF to perform a multiplicity of missions required to keep in step with India’s rising global stature. The Sukhoi’s versatility – owing to its extended range, speed, firepower and super-manoeuvrability – has given the IAF considerable leeway in deploying the aircraft in offensive missions.

In April 2013 the IAF held its largest-ever combat exercise involving as many as 400 combat aircraft plus 200 transport planes and helicopters. The exercise was aimed at testing the IAF’s capability for a two-front war against China and Pakistan, by deploying “swing forces” from the western theatre right across to the east.

As part of the war games, Sukhoi-30MKIs flew 1800 km bombing missions from Chabua in Assam to the western front, with mid-air refuelling. This is possible because the Sukhoi has a range of 4.5 hours on internal fuel, and IAF pilots are known to lead missions over 10 hours.

BrahMos and the mini air force
The Su-30 MKI has 12 hard points for missiles and bombs. The IAF is carrying out structural modifications on the Sukhois to enable them to carry the air launched variant of the BrahMos cruise missile. If the contracting firms are able to reduce the mass and weight of the missile, the aircraft would be able to carry up to three of these missiles.

In previous wars the IAF avoided attacks on non-military infrastructure, preferring to target tanker farms and military bases. The decision to equip the Sukhois with the BrahMos creates new synergies and signals a new intent. The Sukhoi’s radar can detect tall buildings at a distance of 400 km and small building at 120 km. The BrahMos is a highly destructive missile and belongs to a class of Russian missiles that are designed to cut small warships in half. So in the next war expect a lot of damage to enemy infrastructure – dams, power stations and industrial clusters are all likely to be targeted.

There is another ominous angle. India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC) has asked for 40 nuclear capable strike aircraft to be used conjointly with land-based and submarine launched ballistic missiles. Although it’s not clear whether the IAF or the SFC will operate this mini air force, what is clear is that exactly 40 Su-30 MKIs have been converted to carry the BrahMos. That’s some coincidence.

A nuclear warhead on an air-launched BrahMos fired from a super-manoeuvrable Su-30 MKI won’t just further enhance the IAF’s strike capability and aircraft survivability, it would also complicate the enemy’s defence planning.

Mission capable
Such complex missions require powerful navigation systems. India has chosen to buy barebones Sukhois from Russia and then cram them with Israeli and French equipment. Plus, the already excellent Bars radar, which can track an aircraft at 125 km and a battle tank 40 km away, is being replaced with the Russian Zhuk active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars.

Another quantum leap the IAF is making is in beyond visual range (BVR) missiles for the Su-30 MKI. Complementing the Zhuk radar will be the Novator KS-172 air-air missile, with an estimated 300-400 km range and a speed of Mach 4. If Russia and India can bring this missile to production, the IAF will finally be capable of anti-AWACS and anti-satellites missions.

The Su-30 MKI has also given a fillip to the DRDO, which has designed and developed the aircraft’s electronic counter measures suite, including the radar warning receiver and frequency hopping radios and identify friend or foe system. Irkut President Alexy Fedorov says the Su-30 MKIs are being upgrade to the ‘Super Sukhoi’, which has features similar to a fifth generation aircraft.

Numbers game
It is a fact that quantity has a quality all its own. Including aircraft under order, India’s Sukhoi-30 MKI fleet is currently pegged at 272. It is an impressive number for such a high-end and expensive weapons platform. This shows a keen sense of judgement by the IAF, which realises that 100 per cent fleet utilisation is impossible and having a large number of air superiority aircraft around is the key to getting the job done.

With such numbers at its disposal, the IAF is now able to build a network of bases around the country. Earlier, because of the low range of its fighter aircraft and coupled with the fact that the IAF had to quickly deploy them in war, most Indian air bases – such as Adampur, Jammu, Amritsar and Jodhpur – were close to the Pakistan border.

But now Sukhois are also being stationed at places such as Thanjavur in the deep south, Chabua in the northeast and Pune in western India. Because of its long legs and speed the Sukhois can join battle at a few hours notice.

A worrying factor, however, is the planned force of 272 Sukhois falls well short of the 400 Sukhoi-30 equivalents and knockoffs in the Chinese air force. If the 126 French Rafales are inducted over the coming years, India should achieve at least quantitative parity with China. That is, until the Chinese stealth fighters arrive. 

*Related Images of Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKI

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources January 5, 2014 Rakesh Krishnan Simha
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*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
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