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City firm nets $1B military contract
Relevance Score: 2.294 2009-07-18 13:25:10
London's military machine is $1-billion richer. General Dynamics Land Systems Canada will get a slice of a $5-billion investment in Canada's fleet of armoured vehicles -- and that could be just the beginning. The federal government announced yesterday it's upgrading made-in-London LAV III armoured vehicles, some of which are used in Afghanistan, as well as adding new vehicles to the military. "The LAV III upgrade is very significant. It's very good news for us," said Ken Yamashita, spokesperson for GDLS Canada, which is located on Oxford St. GDLS will sit down with the Department of National Defence and determine what the requirements will be for the upgrade and after that a contract will be issued, he said. "We're moving forward in the future for a potential contract, but we still have to determine what the work will be," Yamashita added. What is known is that the work will focus on a more powerful drivetrain and suspension to carry about 10,000 pounds more of armour and other equipment, possibly new weapons and electronics. "This certainly offers the London plant some stability, and depending on the timelines, there may be some growth," said Pete Keeting, a spokesperson for General Dynamics in Sterling Heights, Mich. It may be 12 to 18 months until work begins. About 550 of the 650 LAV IIIs in the Canadian Forces will get the upgrade in London, while there's an option for another 80 vehicles. "Our first goal is to define the requirements, but this will mean significant work for 400 Canadian suppliers. The upgrade will be based on lessons learned in Afghanistan," said Keeting. "This is good news for the Canadian defence industry all around." There may be more good news coming. Ottawa is also buying three other new vehicles to add to the government's armoured fleet, and GDLS may bid on two of those three -- meaning more work may be on the horizon. Those new vehicles are: -- A tactical armoured patrol vehicle that can fulfil a variety of roles on the battlefield, such as reconnaissance and surveillance, command and control, and acts as cargo and armoured personnel carrier. -- A close-combat vehicle that will provide the Canadian Forces with a medium-weight infantry fighting vehicle that is both highly protected and also tactically mobile. -- GDLS will likely not bid on a force mobility enhancement vehicle that supports Leopard 2 tanks. The military is purchasing 108 of the close combat vehicles, with an option to buy 30 more, and 500 tactical armoured patrol vehicles, with an option for 100 more. "We will look at those closely as (the defence department) still has to determine the requirements on those. It could be something we have a product for," said Yamashita. "If we have products that meet the requirement we will pursue it." There are about 500 hourly workers at GDLS Canada on Oxford St. and 1,200 salaried workers. "This will provide some stability for the present workforce, especially our skilled workers," said Jim Reid, vice-president of Local 27 representing GDLS workers. "There is a real shortage of skilled workers, especially welders, and I am hoping if GDLS grows they will hire some other workers who are laid off in London." Peter White, chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp., called the news a good example of the benefit of advanced manufacturing -- a bulk of the workers at GDLS are engineers, designers and other technology-related skills. "It is an outstanding announcement. This means we are making the vehicle of choice for the Canadian and U.S. military. It puts them in a phenomenal position," said White. This is one of the largest contracts awarded to the London plant. Last summer, it won a $1.2-billion deal to provide more Stryker armoured vehicles for the U.S. Army, with about half that work to go to the London plant. It also won a contract of more than $1 billion for a mine blast protection vehicle last summer, but those vehicles are made in South Africa.
DoD Announces Units for Upcoming Afghanistan Rotation
Relevance Score: 1.946 2009-07-15 17:52:38
The Department of Defense announced today the deployment of two units to Afghanistan. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Ky., and the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy, have been alerted to replace forces currently deployed in Afghanistan, in order to maintain the capabilities of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, will deploy with approximately 3,800 troops to Afghanistan in late fall 2009. The 173rd Brigade Combat Team, with approximately 3,700 troops, will deploy to Afghanistan in the winter of 2009-2010. Both units will conduct the full spectrum of combat operations. The United States continues to be NATO-ISAF’s largest troop contributor, and remains committed to leading the offensive in counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, training and equipping the Afghan national security forces and assisting with reconstruction. Force levels in Afghanistan are conditions-based and will be determined in consultation with the Afghan government and NATO.
Navistar Debuts Its Husky TSV At UK Vehicle Show
Relevance Score: 1.896 2009-07-01 09:36:37
Navistar Defense has debuted its International Husky Tactical Support Vehicle (TSV) at the U.K. Ministry of Defence vehicle show known as DVD. In April, the Ministry of Defence awarded the company a contract to provide 262 Husky vehicles. Organized by the Ministry's Defence Equipment and Support division, DVD offers attendees the chance to see vehicles in action on the show's off-road course. Specially designed to meet U.K. urgent operational requirements in Afghanistan, the lighter and more mobile Husky is built to navigate the rough Afghan terrain, while offering added protection from ballistics fire, mines and roadside bombs. The Husky, which is the medium variant for the TSV program, will be procured in three vehicle types: patrol, ambulance and command vehicle. Integrated with U.K. specific systems by Dytecna, the vehicle accommodates a four-person crew and is equipped with a MaxxForce D 6.0 L V8 engine, Allison five-speed automatic transmission, and also incorporates Plasan Sasa's armouring solution. Last month, Navistar also delivered its first two Husky prototypes, ahead of schedule, to undergo final requirements testing before full production begins this summer. "The Navistar team is going after an aggressive delivery commitment to provide our U.K. forces with the equipment they need as soon as possible," said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. "Not only will we deliver quickly to support those in theater, but Navistar is prepared to rapidly incorporate design changes into our vehicles as in-theater threats evolve."
Kentucky Guard Team Heading To Afghanistan.
Relevance Score: 1.892 2009-07-10 22:09:46
Lots of Kentucky National Guard personnel are going to Afghanistan, but in a non-combat capacity. Public Affairs Officer First Lieutenant Stephen Martin says the group will help Afghans boost their local agricultural economies. “The Agribusiness Development Team is a team of soldiers and airmen, 64 soldiers and airmen, who are going to Afghanistan as part of a unique mission for helping develop the agricultural industry over there, to help build up the economy,” Martin said. He says team members have a variety of skills and backgrounds in agricultural matters. The group will be send to Afghanistan after several weeks of mobilization training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. This mission will last one year.
Australia To Deploy Israeli-Made UAVs In Afghanistan.
Relevance Score: 1.857 2009-09-09 16:50:41
Australian Defense Minister John Faulkner informed that the Royal Australian Air Force would begin deploying the Israel Aircraft Industry-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicle during missions in Afghanistan. The announcement follows an agreement between Australia and Canada, whose armed forces work closely together in Afghanistan. According to the deal, the RAAF will lease the UAV from the Canadians for an estimated US $81 million. The Heron UAV operates at an altitude of 30,000 feet, and can remain in the air for up to 40 hours. In August 2008, the IAI won a tender with the MDA company to start supplying the Canadian military with the Heron. The Australian Defense Minister added that the Heron would deliver its forces in Afghanistan with vital aerial support.
Israel Drones To Be Used by Germany In Afghanistan.
Relevance Score: 1.830 2009-11-03 19:59:02
Israel Aerospace Industries said it would supply unmanned spy planes to Germany that will see action in Afghanistan early next year. The Heron drones will be deployed by the German air force in northern Afghanistan in early 2010 for reconnaissance missions, the company said in a statement. It would not reveal how many drones were sold or for how much but informed it was a multimillion dollar deal. Germany's Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement confirmed it had inked an agreement to purchase the aircraft. Israeli drones have previously been supplied to coalition forces to gather intelligence data on Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Heron is Israel's largest surveillance drone, with a 54-foot wingspan and an ability to fly for as long as 30 hours at a time at a speed of 140 mph (225.3 kph) and a height of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters).
AirField Stands Up 2nd wing In Afghanistan.
Relevance Score: 1.807 2009-07-10 22:31:45
The buildup of airmen inside Afghanistan met another milestone with the standing up of the second wing in Afghanistan. The 451st Air Expeditionary Wing was formally established during a July 2 ceremony at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan. Commanding the new wing is Brig. Gen. Guy M. Walsh. Before taking the Kandahar assignment, Walsh served in the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Wing, home to C-130Js and A-10 Thunderbolts. He also served in 2005 as the director of staff for the Combined Air Operations Center at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The Air Force has been at Kandahar since 2001, but troops there answered to a wing headquartered several hundred miles away at Bagram Airfield. The mission at Kandahar has steadily grown to include a C-130J squadron, aerial port operations, combat search and rescue sorties and MQ-1 Predator flights.
Military Alone Is Not An Appropriate Solution To Afghan Problem.
Relevance Score: 1.799 2009-08-06 02:57:36
The new Secretary General of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Wednesday ruled out the military alone as solution to Afghan imbroglio. "We have to realize that there is no military solution solely to the situation in Afghanistan and we need a broader perspective and comprehensive approach," NATO's top man told a joint press conference with President Hamid Karzai here. He further stressed that military efforts, hand in hand with a strong commitment from the international community to reconstruction in Afghanistan, is crucial for having solution. Meanwhile, NATO's chief said that peace talks would be held with "those who lay down their arms." He also ststed that more than 40 countries are present in Afghanistan and "I can assure you to remain in Afghanistan as long as needed." This is the first visit of Rasmussen to Afghanistan as NATO chief since assuming office on Aug. 1. The former Danish Prime Minister over the rebuilding of Afghan national security forces said that the alliance would continue to train Afghan army and Afghan police until they take charge of the security of their country from the international troops.
Flagstaff Resident Killed In Afghanistan
Relevance Score: 1.790 2009-07-15 02:30:46
A former Flagstaff police officer serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan has been killed during a military operation. Staff Sgt. Eric James Lindstrom was a member of the 10th Mountain Division. His father, Ric Lindstrom, told the Arizona Daily Sun that his 27-year-old son was killed by gunfire. Lindstrom's death hasn't been officially announced by the Department of Defense. Lindstrom said his son had been deployed at a remote base near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and had been in several firefights in the last few months. Eric Lindstrom joined the Army at 17 after he graduated from Flagstaff High School in 1999. After four years of service including one tour of duty in Iraq, Lindstrom returned to become a Flagstaff Police Department officer. After four years with the department, he returned to the Army and was subsequently sent to Afghanistan.
PEO Soldier unveils lighter, more lethal weapons systems
Relevance Score: 1.785 2009-06-09 22:19:12
Two weapons in development are expected to be more precision-oriented, lighter and lethal: the laser-sighted XM-25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System and the Lightweight .50-Caliber Machine Gun. The XM-25 will undergo field-testing this summer while the LW50MG is already being tested by Soldiers. Program Executive Office Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Va., opened its doors earlier this month to give the media a look at the two weapons and other new gear in development that will lighten a Soldier’s load yet improve survivability, lethality and comfort. XM25: First shoulder-fired ‘smart’ weapon The semi-automatic, shoulder-fired XM-25 with a five-round magazine of 25mm dual-warhead ammunition weighs in at about 14 pounds (about the same as an M-16 with a 203 grenade launcher) yet it’s only a few inches longer than an M-4 Carbine with the shoulder stock extended. Decked out in Army Combat Uniform camouflage, its toy weapon appearance belies its expected lethality. Richard Audette, deputy program manager for Soldier weapons, said the technology behind the XM-25 is a leap ahead because it’s the first smart weapon system with a smart round in small weapons. “The way a Soldier operates this is you basically find your target, then laze to it, which gives the range, then you get an adjusted aim point, adjust fire and pull the trigger,” he said. “Say you’ve lazed out to 543 meters… when you pull the trigger it arms the round and fires it 543 meters plus or minus a one-, two- or three-meter increment, then it explodes over the target.” That, he added, makes it a full-solution fire control weapon. Audette said the evaluations this summer will test accuracy and effectiveness, and because it’s a completely different type of weapon system its use will call for different tactics. “For example, in Iraq we had many instances where there was a sniper firing from a rooftop and you have a squad trying to engage that target, but the Soldiers couldn’t get to him with the weapons they had, so they’d call in the Air Force to drop a JDAM (joint direct attack munition),” he said. “We can take out the target at $25 per XM round as opposed to a $20,000 to $50,000 JDAM.” According to Audette, ranges in Afghanistan are longer than in Iraq. He said the XM-25 has an effective range of 750 meters, which is longer than an M-16 and M-4 and outperforms the 40mm M-203 grenade-launcher range by more than double. LW50MG: Less weight, better accuracy The MK-25 doesn’t offer a Soldier any weight-savings, but the Lightweight .50-Caliber Machine Gun definitely will coming in with tripod at 64 pounds – half what the M-2 .50- caliber heavy machine gun weighs. With the addition of a modified M-145 machine-gun optic, the LW50MG will be more accurate and quicker to reach its target because it will also have 60-percent less recoil than the M-2, which has been an Army staple in some form or another since 1921. Col. Doug Tamilio, program manager for Soldier weapons for Soldier lethality and weight reduction, said the Army has more than 34,000 of the M-2s, each weighing in at 128 pounds with 256 moving parts, but the prototype LW50MG has not only half the weight, it also has only 128 moving parts. “The M-2 is a great weapons system, but before you fire it, you have to set the head space and timing and if you want to change a barrel out, you have to unscrew it, pull it out, then insert and screw in a new barrel; then you have to open the feed tray cover… if you fail to check it or do something improperly, you could have an issue with a round going off because it doesn’t have a safety on it,” he said. To fix that problem, PEO Soldier developed a quick-change barrel kit which allows Soldiers to simply pull out the barrel without having to screw in a new one. They simply insert a new barrel, lock it in place and start firing – the barrel moves but not the carriage which allows the LW50MG to carry the M-145 machine-gun optic, which is the one used on the 7.62-caliber M-240 medium machine gun. “It has a lower cyclic rate, but because it has much less recoil and can fit a sight, it allows a Soldier to get a hit on a target much quicker and to hold that target with the sight,” Tamilio said. “It’s still in the development stage, but it has proven out to be very, very durable and accurate firing the same .50-caliber rounds the same distance.” Another plus to the lightweight machine gun low recoil is that the tripod spade grips won’t have to be slammed into the ground and sandbagged to hold the weapon in place.