DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israeli Air Force To Host Major Multinational Exercise

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israeli Air Force To Host Major Multinational Exercise  

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Arie Egozi, Tel Aviv - Flight
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 9, 2013: The Israeli air force is planning to stage its largest ever multinational exercise, with at least five foreign air forces due to participate. To be mounted from Uvda air base, the manoeuvres are expected to involve "dozens" of different types of combat aircraft, local sources says.

In recent years, the Israeli air force has trained in several different countries in Europe, but this will be the first time that full squadrons from foreign nations will go to Israel to perform such a major exercise.

One air force source says that while the planned exercise may look like a local copy of the US Air Force's "Red Flag" series of exercises, it will differ by including the availability of unspecified "Israeli elements".

In preparation for hosting the multinational activity, the Israeli air force recently performed a major exercise, dubbed "Blue Flag", in which Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters from its "Flying Dragon" squadron acted in the aggressor role.

Israeli sources say many air forces are willing to join the multinational exercise, mainly because of the host nation's recent operational experience. The Israeli air force was heavily involved in the "Pillar of Defense" operation against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip late last year, with the service having attacked 1,500 targets and used 2,000 weapons across different types.

The Israel Defense Force/Air Force ordered a total of 362 F-16s, from early F-16A/Bs to the latest F-16I. Fifty of these aircraft were surplus USAF aircraft, given to Israel by the US as payment for restraint during the 1991 Gulf War despite Scud attacks. All Israeli F-16s are fitted with custom Israeli electronics.

Israeli F-16s have been used extensively in combat, and scored 47 kills to date. They were also used in the bombing of the Iraq's nuclear reactor in Osirak.

In August of 1978, when the Carter Administration's arms sales restrictions policy had reached its zenith, the government of Israel announced plans to acquire 75 F-16A/B's. The fact that Israel had just signed the Camp David agreements with Egypt, however, had established an Israel-friendly climate in Washington, and the acquisition plans were approved.

The first F-16 deliveries to Israel (all 75 Block 10 aircraft, except for 18 F-16A's and 8 B's that were originally built as block 5 but had already been converted to Block 10) took place under the Peace Marble I Foreign Military Sales program. These planes were originally intended for the Imperial Iranian Air Force, but the demise of the Shah in 1979 and the consequent rise of the Islamic fundamentalist regime caused these planes to be diverted to Israel. They had a number of internal changes that were unique to Israeli requirements, including the fitting of chaff/flare dispensers. The first IDFAF F-16, together with some other Vipers, was flown to Hill AFB, where initial pilot and ground crew conversion took place.

The first four F-16s, known as Netz (Hawk) in IDFAF service and wearing standard sand/brown/green camouflage colors, arrived in Israel in July of 1980 after an 11 hour delivery flight. IOC was achieved a few weeks later. Although the last 22 of these aircraft were put on hold by the Reagan Administration following the Raid on the Osirak reactor, final deliveries took place in 1981.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Arie Egozi, Tel Aviv - Flight
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Defense Spending Bill Includes Provision To Keep Air Guard Jets

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Defense Spending Bill Includes Provision To Keep Air Guard Jets
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources by William Petroski
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 14, 2012: A defense spending bill proposed Monday in the U.S. House would block the Air Force from eliminating F-16 aircraft at the 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines until a cost-benefit analysis can be completed.

U.S. Rep. Tom Latham said the legislation would freeze the proposed retirement of Air Force aircraft, including the Iowa Air National Guard’s F-16s. The bill would require the Air Force to finish the cost-benefit study by October, with a review by the nonpartisan General Accounting Office within 120 days of its completion.

The bill is sponsored by the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee, on which Latham serves. The Iowa Republican said he believes a review will ultimately show the 132nd Fighter Wing operates cost-effectively and should continue flying F-16 combat aircraft over the long term. He called Monday’s action a major step forward.

“This is a great victory, and we are going to fight to save the 132nd Fighter Wing,” Latham said in a phone interview from Washington, D.C.

The Air Force has proposed budget cuts that include eliminating all 21 of the Iowa unit’s F-16 aircraft, replacing them with a smaller unit based in Des Moines that would remotely control unmanned aircraft that would be flown elsewhere, such as Afghanistan.

The proposal would eliminate 378 people now serving with the 132nd Fighter Wing, including 81 full-time employees. The unit currently has about 1,000 airmen.

The provision affecting the Des Moines unit is within a subcommittee draft for the fiscal year 2013 defense appropriations bill, which will be considered today.

The measure includes $589 million to “pause” retirements of Guard and Reserve aircraft to allow time for more analysis of the plans.

Latham said he expects to vote in favor of the bill when it reaches the full committee, possibly as soon as next week.

He believes the measure could be passed by the full House of Representatives within the next few weeks. The proposal would then be considered by the Senate.

“I have not talked with the Senate side, but we will be making a strong case with them,” Latham said. “The House position will be very strong.”

In defending the 132nd Fighter Wing, Iowa National Guard officials have noted it has been recognized as one of the top units in the Air National Guard. In addition, Air Guard units operate at about 30 percent of the taxpayer expense when compared to active-duty Air Force units, officials said.

About 270 airmen from the Des Moines-based wing recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan.

“I think there is no question that we can show that it costs much less to maintain readiness with the Guard wing than on the active-duty side,” Latham said.

“We have tremendously experienced pilots and maintenance people that would be lost with the closing. I think a true cost-benefit analysis will justify us maintaining the 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines.”

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources by  William Petroski
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DTN News - TAIWAN DEFENSE NEWS: US Raises Hope Of Sale Of New F-16 Fighter Jets To Taiwan

DTN News - TAIWAN DEFENSE NEWS: US Raises Hope Of Sale Of New F-16 Fighter Jets To Taiwan
*Taiwan Weighed for U.S. Jet Sale at Risk of Riling China
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Bloomberg Businessweek
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 28, 2012: The Obama administration will give “serious consideration” to selling Taiwan new Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) (LMT) F-16 fighter jets, a White House official said, creating a potential new flashpoint with China ahead of next week’s high- level meetings between U.S. and Chinese officials.

A jet sale “warrants serious consideration given the growing military threat to Taiwan,” Robert Nabors, the White House’s director of legislative affairs, said in a letter yesterday to Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican.

The comments risk spawning a political clash with China as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner prepare to meet their Chinese counterparts in Beijing next week for annual talks. China, which insists that Taiwan be reunited with the mainland by force if necessary, has cut military contacts with the U.S. in the past over American arms sales to the island.

“This is going to cause huge problems for the Chinese,” Bonnie Glaser, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said in an interview. The tension may be compounded if a human-rights group’s speculation bears out that an activist who escaped house arrest in eastern China this week is holed up at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, she said.

New F-16 C/D fighters would replace aging F-5 jets and supplement a refurbishment program for Taiwan’s F-16 A/Bs that President Barack Obama’s administration announced in September.

Lockheed in Texas
Lockheed has said a Taiwanese purchase of new F-16s would help keep open its production line in Fort Worth, Texas, in Cornyn’s state.

“A contract for new F-16s to Taiwan, depending on timing and quantity, could significantly extend the F-16 production line,” Laura Siebert, a spokeswoman for Bethesda, Maryland- based Lockheed, said in an e-mail yesterday.

Lockheed fell 40 cents to $91.30 at the close in New York trading yesterday and has risen 13 percent this year.

“The Chinese position of opposing U.S. arms sales to Taiwan has been consistent, clear and firm,” Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in an e- mail yesterday.

Taiwan has pressed the U.S. for years to allow the purchase of new F-16s, saying it is falling dangerously behind in its ability to counter potential threats from China. The mainland has an arsenal that includes missiles stationed across the Taiwan Strait.

‘Near-Term’ Decision
The Obama administration plans to decide on a “near-term course of action on how to address Taiwan’s fighter gap, including through the sale to Taiwan of an undetermined number of new U.S.-made fighter aircraft,” Nabors wrote.

The U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, a trade-promotion group that has lobbied for the F-16 sales for years, read that as a pledge to provide the planes.

“They are committing to new aircraft as part of their strategy to assist Taiwan in maintaining a credible defense,” Rupert Hammond-Chambers, the council’s president, said in an e- mail. “We had to date not been successful in getting the administration to admit” that the difference in the number of fighter jets on each side of the Strait is significant, he said.

A spokesman for Taiwan’s representative office in Washington said he didn’t know whether his country had been notified of a potential sale.

“We always appreciate U.S. concern and appreciation of Taiwan’s defense needs,” the spokesman, Frank Wang, said in an interview.

Upgrades Instead
The U.S. parried Taiwan’s request for new fighters in September, agreeing only to a $5.3 billion package to upgrade Taiwan’s older F-16s with new radar, smart bombs and laser- guided equipment. It was the first time in several such announcements that China didn’t suspend military talks.

Chinese officials considered their response last year restrained, Glaser said.

“They believed when we made the decision on the upgrades that that was a done deal and that we were not going to consider going forward with sales of new fighters,” she said. “This will, I think, come to them as a major shock.”

Yesterday’s letter from Nabors differs from a Feb. 15 letter to Cornyn from Acting Undersecretary of Defense James Miller in response to the lawmaker’s demand that the administration acknowledge Taiwan’s defense needs, including F-16s. That came after Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta presented a new defense strategy in January that shifted more attention to the Asia-Pacific region.

‘Cannot Match’
Miller cited announcements of more than $12 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in the previous two years and the conclusions of an earlier report to Congress that Taiwan “cannot match the Mainland one-for-one.”

“We believe the F-16 A/B upgrade effectively meets Taiwan’s current needs,” Miller wrote, while saying the Pentagon would “continue to consider Taiwan’s requests.”

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said U.S. policy hasn’t changed, and he offered a more non-committal variation on Nabors’ comment about a “near-term course of action.” Vietor said the administration would work with Taiwan “on its development of a comprehensive defense strategy and a resourcing plan.”

“We take very seriously our commitment to Taiwan’s defense as outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act,” Vietor said yesterday in an e-mail. “We do not comment on future possible foreign military sales unless formal congressional notification has taken place.”

Cornyn’s Leverage
Cornyn released Nabors’ letter yesterday after lifting a hold the senator had placed on the administration’s nomination of Obama aide Mark Lippert for assistant secretary of defense for Asia, using the nomination as leverage to press for fighter jet sales to Taiwan. Nabors didn’t specify whether, when or how many fighters the administration would consider.

“We are mindful of and share your concerns about Taiwan’s growing shortfall in fighter aircraft,” Nabors wrote to Cornyn. “We recognize that China has 2,300 operational combat aircraft, while our democratic partner Taiwan has only 490.”

The Obama administration has sought to improve military relations with China while calling repeatedly for the Chinese leadership to be more open about technology it’s developing that could threaten U.S. access in the Asia-Pacific region.

China said in March that it plans to increase defense spending 11.2 percent this year. The country’s defense spending is the second highest in the world after the U.S.

To contact the reporter on this story: Viola Gienger in Washington at vgienger@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: John Walcott at jwalcott9@bloomberg.net 


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Bloomberg Businessweek
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.DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To ITT Corp For The Procurement Of 15 AN/ALQ-211(V) Related To Royal Air Force Oman F-16 C/D Model Production Aircraft

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS:  U.S. DoD Awarded Contract To ITT Corp For The Procurement Of 15 AN/ALQ-211(V) Related To Royal Air Force Oman F-16 C/D Model Production Aircraft
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources DTN News / U.S. DoD issued No. 307-12 April 25, 2012
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - April 26, 2012:  ITT Corp., Clifton, N.J., is being awarded a $47,530,000 firm-fixed-price contract to procure 15 AN/ALQ-211(V); four airborne integrated defensive electronic warfare suites; and two sets of antenna couplers for support production.  

The effort is in support of the Royal Air Force Oman F-16 C/D model production aircraft.  The location of the performance is Clifton, N.J.  

Work is to be completed by Dec. 31, 2014.  WR-ALC/GRWKB, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8540-12-C-0014).     

Royal Air Force Oman F-16

On October 4th, 2001, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale of F-16C/D fighters and associated weapons, equipment and technical and logistical support to Oman. The Government of Oman wanted to purchase 12 F-16C/D Block 50 aircraft. The estimated cost of the total deal is $1.1 billion, if all options are taken.

In May 2002, the Sultanate of Oman signed an agreement with the U.S. government to purchase 12 Advanced Block 50 F-16s in the Peace A'sama A'safiya (Clear Skies) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The agreement includes eight single-seat F-16Cs and four two-seat F-16Ds, powered by the General Electric F110-GE-129 engine.

On August 4th, 2005, the the Royal Air Force of Oman accepted the first F-16 at Lockheed's Fort Worth facilities. The first Oman F-16 is a two-seat F-16D model and was accepted by the U.S. government (as agent for Oman in the FMS process) on July 19, 2005, one month ahead of schedule. The first single-seat F-16C version flew in August 2005 and was accepted in September. These two aircraft were ferried to Oman in mid- October 2005 to support the 35th National Day celebrations on November 18th. The remainder of the aircraft will be ferried to Oman during 2006.

Follow on buy

On August 3rd, 2010 a new order for another 18 F-16s was announced. Final contract negotiations have to be concluded before this order gets a green light. Eventually, on December 14th, 2011 it was announced that a further order of 12 F-16s was imminent, compromising 10 C-models and 2 D-models. The program is worth $600 million and will be concluded by 2016.


*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources DTN News / U.S. DoD issued No. 307-12 April 25, 2012
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DTN News - INDONESIA DEFENSE NEWS: Indonesia To Buy 24 Refurbished US F-16 Fighters

DTN News - INDONESIA DEFENSE NEWS: Indonesia To Buy 24 Refurbished US F-16 Fighters

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

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - November 19, 2011: The United States plans to supply 24 refurbished F-16C/D fighter aircraft to Indonesia, the presidents of the two countries announced in Bali on Friday on the fringes of an Asia-Pacific summit.

It was the second militarily significant announcement of President Barack Obama's ongoing nine-day Asia-Pacific trip.

The upgraded Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-16s will give Indonesia a "much-needed" capability to protect its sovereign airspace, the White House said in a "fact sheet" that emphasized the relatively low price tag, put at $750 million by the Pentagon.

Under a separate tightening of ties with Australia, U.S. Marines will start rotating through northern Australia next year, eventually growing to a 2,500-strong task force, the two governments said during a visit by Obama before he flew to neighboring Indonesia for the summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Jakarta was seeking more capable F-16s able to carry out operations "in the outermost border regions of Indonesia."

The air force's existing fleet of 10 F-16 A/Bs cannot do this, the agency said in a mandatory notice of the tentative deal to the U.S. Congress. It put the estimated cost at $750 million. The aircraft are from excess U.S. inventory.

"The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner that has been, and continues to be, an important force for economic progress in Southeast Asia," the notice to lawmakers said.

The White House said the plan was to start deliveries by July 2014, as requested by Jakarta. The deal would help boost Indonesia air defenses significantly "without compromising the defense budget and other national priorities," it said.

The transfer of F-16C/D models to Indonesia may raise new questions about Obama's refusal to meet Taiwan's standing request for 66 new F-16C/Ds of its own to help deter China, which regards the island as a rogue province.

The Obama administration in September notified Congress of a proposed $5.85 billion weapons package for Taiwan, including upgrades of 145 F-16 A/B fighters but none of the C/D models that Taiwan has sought.

Obama said on Thursday in Canberra the U.S. military would expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific despite budget austerity, declaring the United States was "here to stay" as a Pacific power that would help shape the region's future.

The F-16 deal involves the overhaul of 28 United Technologies Corp (UTX.N) Pratt & Whitney engines including spares. The aircraft will have the most advanced "Modular Mission Computer" produced by Raytheon Co (RTN.N), along with improved radar, avionics and the capability to carry and field more advanced weaponry and sensors, the White House said.

(Editing by Todd Eastham)

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

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