Briefings : Albion, Cyber Security, Greyhound

• HMS Albion has arrived back to the UK after taking part in the large Auriga exercise off the eastern coast of the US. The amphibious ship and the Royal Marines 42 Commando took advantage of the training opportunities over in the USA.
• The MOD is tightening up cyber security, and as less than half of the 340 laptops lost or stolen from the MOD over the last 2 years are said to have been encrypted you can see why. Unencrypted media is now to be banned and personal data handling to be improved.
• The US Navy are looking into the possibility of remanufacturing its fleet of C-2A Greyhound carrier on-board delivery transports.
• China has launched another surveillance satellite, the 6th this year. Yaogan Weixing-10 has SAR and high resolution optics officially for "scientific experiments and crop surveys" though the satellite along with 2 others form a maritime surveillance formation.
• Kuwait wants to buy 209 Patriot MIM-104E missiles. 
• Scientists have developed an invisibility cloak out of silk. At the moment it only works on light outside of the visible spectrum but they hope one day it can work there too. Its main use will be in medical science however.
• Astute has had to return to port during its sea trials following problems with its anchor.

Briefings : Drug haul, Mantis, B-1B

• T42 destroyer HMS Manchester has helped capture drugs in the Caribbean worth £1.5 million in the UK. A Lynx helicopter from the destroyer detected a drug runner's speed boat off the island of Montserrat and directed a police boat to intercept. Twelve 25KG bales of cannabis were later found.

• BAE Systems has completed a successful flight test programme with it's Mantis MALE UAV demonstrator in Australia and has now been returned to the UK. It will be rebuilt ready for some further ground based testing. Its not known if it will fly again. BAE will roll out it's Taranis UCAV demonstrator later this month.

• Britain and Spain are meanwhile engaged in a spat over the use of airspace by British military airspace for exercises off Gibraltar. 
• South Korea wants a big increase in it's defence spending to boost it's armed forces in the face of a greater threat from the North. 
• The B-1B fleet is being considered as the sacrificial lamb as the USAF looks at cuts but the bomber has received some support from the new commander of forces in Afghanistan General Petraeus.

Briefings : Atlantic, T-X, KC-10

• The German Navy has retired it's last Atlantic maritime patrol aircraft. Second hand P-3C Orions are now operated instead.
• One of the next big aircraft procurement programmes is a new advanced trainer for the USAF to replace the T-38 Talon. The winner of the T-X programme would also likely perform well with other trainer procurement programmes worldwide so the stakes are high. Contenders include the T-50 Golden Eagle and the Hawk 128.
• Boeing have won a $216 million contract to upgrade the cockpits of the USAF's fleet of KC-10 tankers. The upgrade includes a new communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) system to allow the planes to operate and comply with forthcoming civil aerospace organisation standards.
• Sweden will buy 2 new submarines.

Amphibious force joins Auriga

The Royal Navy's amphibious task group has left port to join up with US and French naval forces off the east coast of the US to take part in the Auriga deployment. HMS Albion and HMS Ocean will join in exercises with the US Navy and USMC. 3 Commando RM will take part in some exercises at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. HMS Ark Royal is already with Auriga (acting as flagship) and has embarked 12 USMC Harriers (we don't have many left of our own). FAA pilots will be flying USN F-18s however in preparation for flying the JSF (one day - we hope).

Briefings : Agamemnon, KC-X, K-8

Work has begun on the 5th Astute class submarine for the Royal Navy (to be named Agamemnon) though it will be part of the coalition's strategic defence review. But then again most things will be these days.

The KC-X next generation tanker deal for the USAF is expected to be announced in November. EADS and Boeing are both bidding in the long-running and troubled competition. The US Army is experimenting with fuel cell technology on an M1 Abrams tank. The tank's auxiliary power unit will convert diesel into hydrogen and then generate electricity using a fuel cell.

China's K-8 jet trainer / light attack plane is a popular buy at the moment. Myanmar have ordered 50 of the planes which will be supplied in part-form and then assembled in the country.

Briefings : SAR-H binned?, F136 to be binned?, LEMV

The SAR-H next generation UK search & rescue service announced earlier in the year has been suspended as part of a £10 billion series of cuts announced by the government today. The PFI contract will now be reviewed. Some design work for the Trident replacement programme will also be delayed.

While the JSF programme looks ever shakier, the alternative engine F136 programme for it looks to be on foundations of mash potato. US Defence chief Gates has said funding the F136 would be a serious mistake. Bad news for Rolls Royce.

Good news for fellow UK company Hybrid Air Vehicles however who will design the platform to be used in the Long-Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) programme, an unmanned surveillance airship intended for use in Afghanistan. The airship is a hybrid design which gets 40% of it's left from aerodynamic lift. Northrop Grumman will build the airships.

Briefings : J-6, US defence cuts, South America

The PLAAF has officially bid farewell to the J-6, it's version of the MiG-19 Farmer. The type remained in production long after the Soviet Farmer had ceased production and indeed up until the 1990s was the core type in China's air force. The J-6 was retired from combat duties in 2005 and now withdrawn from it's remaining duties too.

A committee in US Congress is looking into ways of dramatically cutting US military spending. The Sustainable Defense Task Force plans to cut over a trillion dollars in military spending over the next 10 years with all services in the firing line for possible deep cuts. One programme of course in the firing line will be the JSF with flight tests of the Block 1 aircraft now underway. Another big procurement programme in trouble is the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle for the US Marines who have been asked to justify it.

One place military spending is still ongoing is in South America. Venezuela wants to buy another 22 K-8Ws for the training and light strike roles while Chile wants to modernise it's Hercules transports with new cockpit displays.

The safety of ammunition used by the British Army has raised concerns with a watchdog worrying that the potential for a serious accident. The PM is to tell MPs that the winding down of the British presence in Afghanistan is to soon begin. The Chief of the Defence Staff was removed from his post earlier (or his early retirement announced rather) indicating the PM wants a new chief to oversee the withdrawal. However US government geologists have apparently found vast mineral wealth in Afghanistan so maybe they'll be wanting to stay after all.

Briefings : Scimitar, VIP helicopter, JSF

The Scimitar has been in service since 1971, so its the same age as me. And like me its starting to feel it's age. The Army's reconnaissance vehicles have been criticised as being past their sell-by date. The FRES programme is intended to deliver a replacement but of course has been plagued by delays. The Army's most decorated soldier WO2 Mick Flynn said the Scimitar's gun often jammed and the light tank often broke down.

Boeing are to offer a licence-built AgustaWestland AW101 in a renewed competition to produce a new VIP helicopter for the USA. The AW101 did win the competition before, that time as part of a joint-bid with Lockheed which eventually was cancelled after huge cost rises.

The carrier version of JSF, the F-35C, has made it's first flight. The JSF is due to start replacing the US Navy's Hornets by around 2016. The USAF and US Army meanwhile has ordered 8 more C-27J tactical transports from Finmeccania.

Briefings : Cheonan torpedo, USN order, KC-X

According to the Korea Times parts of the screw of a torpedo have been found at the site of the Cheonan corvette which indicates it's destruction was due to a North Korean torpedo attack. The torpedo was either Chinese or Russian made. Tensions are rising in the area, a few days ago South Korean fired warning shots at 2 North Korean patrol boats when they strayed into South Korean waters.

The USN is to buy 124 Super Hornets and Growlers over the next 4 years in a fixed price contract which will cost the Navy less per plane. Despite this order the USN is still likely to be short by over 150 fighters later in the decade.

In the latest twist to the KC-X saga Boeing now say they may not bid on the massive tanker deal as they may not be able to make any money out of it. EADS have been stressing how American their offering will be and it's European equivalent the A330 MRTT is continuing it's development demonstrating buddy tankering when one A330 refuelled another.

Briefings : Sea Avenger, US nukes, Rafale

General Atomics has unveiled the Sea Avenger UAS and offered it to the USN to fill their requirement for a carrier launched attack and surveilance drone. This is a navalised version of the Predator C drone.

The US has revealed the exact size of it's nuclear stockpile for the first time at the UN talks on the non-proliferation of nuclear warheads, though the figure of 5113 warheads did not surprise experts that much which was pretty much in line with their estimates. Thousands more warheads are awaiting dismantlement.

Dassault is still waiting for it's first Rafale order though UAE looks like it may buy the fighter. However talks are ongoing as the UAE want a better version of the fighter than the F3 which currently equips the French Air Force. The UAE want more engine thrust, an AESA radar and better electronics in an F4 model, however this could also equip the French Air Force too.

Meanwhile the Indian MMRCA fighter contract (which will be for 126 aircraft) has dragged on so long that the competing companies will now have to re-bid.

Briefings : Iraqi Hawks, Taiwan kickbacks, USN cuts

Iraq is considering buying the BAE Systems Hawk as it's advanced trainer as it gradually rebuilds it's air force in a deal that could be worth over a billion pounds. Iraqi Air Force officials will visit Britain later this year to test fly the trainer.

French defence giant Thales has been ordered to pay damages to the Taiwanese government after being found guilty of using bribes to secure a contract for 6 frigates back in 1991. The total Thales might have to pay out could be as high as a billion dollars.

Is the US Navy in line for some big cuts? Secretary of Defence Gates is reported to have questioned the need for so many carrier battle groups and whether the US could afford so many multi-billion dollar programmes. One future weapon system said to be under review is the Ohio SSBN replacement. This has implications for the Royal Navy's Successor ballistic missile submarine programme of course.

Briefings : Nuclear summit, USAF, Trident replacement

A summit by 47 leaders in Washington is discussing nuclear weapons and nuclear security. The key issue appears to be trying to stop rogue states and terrorist groups like al-Qaeda getting ahold of nuclear weapons or the material to make a device. France meanwhile says it will not give up it's nuclear weapons though the Ukraine is going to get rid of it's enriched uranium. Iran, North Korea and Israel are not attending for various reasons.

The USAF may convert some F-15Cs into radar jammers. These would be F-15Cs upgraded with AESA radar which would allow them to be fitted with a radar jamming pod. The USAF may retire 20 C-5s instead of modernising them to save money and because they have received more C-17s than they originally wanted.

HMS Monmouth has returned from a 6 month tour of service in the Middle East where it's main task was protecting Iraqi oil platforms. Labour have ditched their plans to only build 3 new SSBNs and have pledged to build 4 if they are re-elected next month.

Briefings : Carrier contracts, NPR, Choenan

A final set of contracts for the CVF aircraft carriers worth £20 million have been signed before the general election and the MOD has a snooze. The contracts include tactical communication systems and internal equipment and machinery. The British Army meanwhile has a new "cultural unit" to help train troops in better understanding Afghani and expecially Helmandi culture and society.

The US has published a new Nuclear Posture Review which states how and when the US will use it's nuclear weapons. It says it will no longer use nukes against a state that does not have nuclear weapons even if that state causes mass US casualties (of course this is rather moot, if 10s of 1000s of Americans are killed by chemical weapons for example the NPR may become just yet another piece of paper). The US will also not deploy any new nuclear warheads but will refurbish and re-use existing warheads. The Triad, despite speculation the bomber arm could be disbanded, will be kept.

No clear link between North Korea and the sinking of the South Korean corvette Choenan has been found. Instead the sinking may have been due to metal fatigue though naval divers have apparently found that the ship was hit from below perhaps by a torpedo. Basically no one knows yet.

Briefings : Rare Earth minerals, Denmark, Russian SAMs

US politicians are looking into forming the first official stockpile of rare Earth minerals and to revive domestic production of minerals. China currently controls nearly 100% of world supply and production of the minerals which are crucial to the production of weapon systems ranging from night vision goggles to missiles.

Following speculation on state radio about Denmark ditching the JSF for the Super Hornet the Danish defence ministry says their fighter competition is still ongoing. The Russian Air Force has received 10 SA-22 Greyhound SAM systems (or to give them their actual Russian name Pantsir S1). Each unit carries up to 12 SAMs and also has 2 30mm cannons.

Swiftsure class submarine HMS Sceptre has been sent down to the South Atlantic to bolster Royal Navy and other UK forces around the Falkland Islands. The Chinese ballistic missile defence programme is discussed in the Taiwan Link blog in the light of a successful exo-atmospheric test intercept of a missile in January.

Briefings : Triumph, Nimrod, JSF

Submarine HMS Triumph has returned to the sea following a 6 year long refit. 6 years seems a long time for a refit doesn't it so what have they been doing in that time? Well Triumph's upgrades include the sonar system and the provision to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles, a new communications system including improved satellite communications and a fibra optic network.

The RAF meanwhile has accepted it's first Nimrod MRA4 though it will only be used for crew training until 2012 because of cost savings. With the withdrawal of the MR2 fleet this means Britain (an island nation of course) has no long-range maritime surveillance for 2 years. Pitiful isn't it really?

The overall cost of the JSF for the US has jumped 40%, not a good thing for sure in these days of recession and debt.

Briefings : British armour, Reaper, KC-X

The winner of the programmes to upgrade the Warrior and produce the FRES SV will be announced on March 26th according to the CEO of one of the companies involved.

The RAF has doubled the amount of operational activity over Afghanistan with it's MQ-9 Reaper UCAVs and hopes to double it again when they get extra aircraft (well you would hope so wouldn't you?)

The USAF will not modify it's KC-X tanker programme after one of the two bidders (Northrop/EADS) dropped out. Boeing have a clear run. France are not happy about Airbus (EADS) not being involved anymore. Defense Tech talk about Chinese digital camouflage, and very nice it is too.

Briefings : LPPV, Phantom, KC-X

The Supacat SPV 400 (below) and the Force Protection Ocelot are the two contenders for an MOD order for 200 light protected patrol vehicles (LPPVs) to replace the Snatch Land Rover in British Army operational use in Afghanistan.

A 4th Skynet satellite will be launched in 2013 further extending British military communications. 

The Phantom lives on, Turkey has received the first of 16 upgraded F-4Es. The old birds have upgraded avionics, communication systems and flight control software. 54 of it's RF-4Es are also being upgraded in a separate project.

Northrop Grumman will not take part in the USAF's future tanker programme competition, the KC-X. They had partnered up with EADS in an earlier competition but will not take part again. EADS have also ruled out going it alone. They say the new USAF competition favours Boeing with it's smaller 767 offering.

Briefings : Armour, Helicopters, Naval

A new fleet of armoured vehicles is to be urgently bought to replace the controversial Snatch Land Rovers which have been blamed for 35 troops deaths (or rather have been blamed for not protecting the occupants sufficiently). 200 vehicles will be bought though the MOD are denying it originally was going to buy 400. The MOD is assessing a range of potential vehicles which will be "world-beating British-built vehicles and will provide unprecedented levels of protection for their weight class."

Aviation Week looks at some technologies which could produce faster helicopters, something special forces are crying out for. The USN has commissioned it's latest destroyer, USS Dewey, the 55th Arleigh Burke. A new Hyperbaric Medical Unit has been opened at St. Richards hospital in Chichester for the treatment of decompression illness in RN divers.

Briefings : E-8 upgrades, GLONASS, US fighters

The USAF have begun a programme to re-engine it's fleet of E-8 JSTARS aircraft. They have gone for the JT8D-219 over the more fuel efficient CFM56 as fewer modifications to the aircraft will be needed.

Russia has launched 3 more satellites for it's GLONASS GPS system, 19 satellites are now in place with 1 under repair. This is said to be enough to provide coverage across all of Russia though at least 24 are required for worldwide coverage.

124 more Super Hornets and Growlers may be bought for the USN, once the Pentagon makes up it's mind. Meanwhile an audit of the troubled JSF shows part shortages will cause further delays of aircraft deliveries. Defense Tech looks at the programme and asks if the plane is militarily vital. Egypt wants to buy 24 more F-16s.

China has announced it's smallest increase in it's defence budget for years, it will only increase by 7.5% in 2010 which is tiny obviously. Here the MOD is misleading people over it's budget problems MPs say.

Briefings : Afghanistan, Falklands, JSF

Strict battle guidelines are said to be hampering British troops in Afghanistan. The guidelines are intended to minimise civilian casualities but the Taliban have been taking advantage of them to evade being killed or captured.

A number of commentators have been looking into the current Falklands situation.

The USAF may shift it's planned service-date for the F-35 JSF until 2015, two years later than originally planned. Boeing meanwhile says the P-8 would make the ideal baseline for replacing JSTARS.

Russia says it will deploy SS-26 Stone / Iskander-M missiles in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic sea bordering Poland, if it feels there is a European threat to Moscow. Perhaps from US BMD missiles placed in Eastern Europe? The Dutch governing coalition has fallen apart over the issue of Dutch soldiers remaining in Afghanistan. The PM wanted to extend the mission but now it looks like they will be coming home in the Summer. The Philippines military is claiming they have killed the leader of the al-Qaeda linked Abu Sayyaf in a raid on Jolo.