Defense Technology International - December 2007 - (Page 10)

AROUND THE WORLD NEWS BRIEFS FIRST HAWKS LAND IN INDIA BAE Systems has delivered the ﬁrst two Hawk Mk 132 advanced jet trainers to the Indian air force. The contract, signed in March 2004, calls for 66 aircraft—24 will be built in the U.K. and 42 will be manufactured under license in India by Hindustan Aeronautics. All aircraft are slated to be operational by 2010-11. The Hawks will be used in Stage III applied training beginning in June 2008, and to train engineering ofﬁcers and technicians. Four more jets are scheduled to be delivered late this year, and six in February. BAE Systems, in partner- BAE SYSTEMS ship with the Royal Air Force, also provides a training program for 75 Indian pilots using the Hawk ﬂeet at RAF Valley, a training base in Wales. I BUILDING SEA POWER India’s acquisition of an amphibious assault ship from the U.S. Navy this year is encouraging the burgeoning regional power to rethink naval strategy and shipbuilding infrastructure, says James Clad, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia. The 17,000ton former USS Trenton, now the INS Jalashwa, has increased India’s expeditionary capabilities at a time when the country’s economic and diplomatic sway threatens to outstrip its military prowess. India, Clad says, is increasingly “a power with global reach.” But its ﬂeet is mostly trends in India’s military development. He highlights the recent “Malabar” exercise in the Bay of Bengal that brought together nearly 30 warships from ﬁve countries, including two U.S. aircraft carriers and the Indian light carrier Viraat (left). The U.S. NAVY exercise demonstrated the underlying professionalism that is the navy’s greatest strength, according to Clad. I To watch a video of helicopter landings on a frigate in moderate and bad weather, go to DTI’s homepage: AviationWeek.com/dti, and click on ‘Extras for this issue’ under ‘DTI Interactive.’ Russian-made vessels optimized for short-range defense. “The [Indian] navy realizes that to modernize the ﬂeet, [it must] diversify sources [of ships],” says Amer Latif, an advisor to Clad. Growing demand for maintenance stemming from the Trenton acquisition should spur improvements. Clad sees positive The Pentagon in a surprise move added 2,380 orders to the ﬁrst round of Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle purchases: 1,000 from Navistar/International Trucks, 780 from Force Protection and 600 from BAE. The orders solidify the dominant positions these companies have among the roughly dozen MRAP manufacturers (DTI October, p. 46). Foreign armies are taking notice of the 15-25-ton armored trucks. In November Spain announced a two-phase competition to buy as many as 575 MRAP-style vehicles through 2013. Some of the successful U.S. designs are contenders, including General Dynamics Land Systems’ RG-31 and the Golan (right) from Rafael/Protected Vehicles Inc. The second round of U.S. purchases, boasting better armor to protect against explosively formed penetrators, is to begin in January and might total 5,000-8,000 vehicles. I 10 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL DECEMBER 2007 PROTECTED VEHICLES INC. PENTAGON BOOSTS MRAP PROCUREMENT www.aviationweek.com/dti http://AviationWeek.com/dti http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Defense Technology International - December 2007

Defense Technology International - December 2007 Contents Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch BrahMos: Ramjet Ship Killer r-e-s-p-e-c-t Deja Vu Trump Card Dubai Demos Agile Helos Joint Force Online Charge UGVs Creep, Crawl to Victory Sweet Ride Fast, Lethal Ship Defense Networking Stealth: Why Raptors Can't Talk The Net Cutting Edge First Person In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - December 2007

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