MoD Defends Cancelation of Nimrod Program

The Daily Telegraph has published an article about the canceling of the Nimrod MRA4 project. The original contract was let to supply 21 Nimrod MRA4 aircraft at a cost of £2.8bn.

After delays of over nine years and spiraling costs, the number of aircraft was reduced to nine and the projected cost to taxpayers in 2010 increased to £3.65bn.

Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, said: "The decision to cancel the Nimrod MRA4 was not taken lightly by Ministers and Service Chiefs. Severe financial pressures meant we had to address the Department's spending and tough decisions had to be taken.

"This project was delayed and overspent; canceling it will save £2bn over ten years. None of these nine aircraft were operational, only one was built and it had not passed flight tests. Since March last year, well before the SDSR [Strategic Defence and Security Review], the Nimrod MR2 has not flown and we have been mitigating the impact with other military assets and by working with allies and partners where appropriate."

The MOD will ensure the integrity of UK waters by utilizing a range of capabilities such as Type 23 frigates, Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopters and Hercules C-130 aircraft.

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Ballistic Protection

GARANT
GARANT provides bespoke armour for military and civilian ships alike.	In the current geopolitical climate, it has never been more important to make sure ships of all types have sufficient protection against direct waterbourne assaults.	GARANT works closely with clients to ensure that they provide the bespoke protective solution for any requirement.
All of GARANT’s armour systems are fully certified to industry standards.	GARANT can tailor-make armour solutions to protect vulnerable and critical parts of a ship.
MKU
MKU understands the importance of integrated logistic support, and treats it as an essential part of the long term relationship with the customer.	MKU has over 10 years experience in naval armouring and has armoured more than 5,000 m² (53819 sq. ft.) of ship and boat structures.	MKU ballistic protection can be integrated during vessel construction or added later.
MKU is able to offer a wide range of ballistic protection solutions for naval vessels.	MKU is a AS 9100 & ISO 9001:2008 certified company and follows NATO AQAP quality procedures.
TenCate Advanced Armour
TenCate are the developers, designers and manufacturers of the ballistic protection system for the British Type 45 Destroyers.	P46 patrol boats for the Kuwaiti coast guard using lightweight ballistic protection made by TenCate Advanced Armour.	For The Danish Navy we have developed protection solutions for the two support ships Absalon and

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Aircraft and Weapons Handling

Dallas Centerline
Dallas Centerline overhauls and assembles all types of military and commercial aircraft wheel and brake assemblies.	Dallas Centerline is your one stop shop for military aircraft wheel and brake maintenance.	Standard TAT is five days on an aircraft tire change service, and seven to ten days on an aircraft tire overhaul.
Standard TAT is 10-15 days on aircraft brake assembly overhauls and three to five days on bench tests.	We have the capability to work on every kind of aircraft wheel or brake.
Kaman Aerospace Group
SH-2G(I) is ideal for maritime surveillance, search and rescue and much more, a pure Multi-Mission Maritime Helicopter.	The SH-2G multi-role helicopter is fully weapons-capable, as proven in recent joint exercises by the New Zealand Navy and Airforce.	The FIREMAX support helicopter has recently been used in a number firefighting relief duties thoughout the Western United States.
Kaman continues to work alongside industry leaders such as Lockheed Martin to develop the latest weapons systems for their unmanned helicopter aircraft.	HeliworX, a full service aerospace innovation and manufacturing support center delivers solutions to the world's prime helicopter and fixed wing manufacturers. Locat

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US Navy Frigates

USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) - Destroyers during Missile Exercise - US Navy 

USS Ingraham (FFG 61) Guided-Missile Frigate 

USS Curts FFG 38 

USS Doyle FFG 39 

USS Halyburton 

USS Simpson (FFG 56) and USS Saipan (LHA 2) 

USS Underwood FFG 36 

USS Boone FFG 28

USS Curts FFG 38 

USS Taylor UNREP with USNS Supply 

USS Jarrett FFG 33 

USS Elrod FFG-55 with a "scarecrow" gun where the SM-1 launcher w 

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USS Abraham Lincoln Passes Key Maintenance Inspection

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Seth Clarke, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) successfully passed its 2010-2011 Maintenance and Material Management Inspection (3MI) Jan. 25-29, demonstrating a high level of expertise in shipboard equipment and maintenance procedures. Lincoln received a final score of 92.34 percent from Naval Air Forces inspectors who conducted spot checks of equipment maintenance, tested the crew's knowledge of the Navy's Material Data System (MDS), and performed administrative reviews to ensure maintenance accountability and validation paperwork was correct. "The results are fantastic," said Master Chief Electrician's Mate James T. Jennings, Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) Maintenance and Material Management (3M) team leader. "Abraham Lincoln's crew showed us that they've put a lot of hard work in," Jennings said. "It sets the precedent for the other ten carriers out there." Master Chief Machinist's Mate Michael Gwinn, USS Abraham Lincoln Engineering department leading chief petty officer, said the Lincoln owes its success to training, preparation and execution. "We trained the right skills at the right level," Gwinn said. "We taught supervisors how to review and how to assess correctly; then we went directly to the maintenance person so he or she could get the right answers." Jennings said he fully expects Lincoln's crew will still be executing maintenance at a high level when the inspection team returns to the ship sometime later this year to oversee a 3M training team (3MTT) exercise. "When I see the Lincoln crew again, I anticipate that you will not just have maintained this standard, but that you will have improved upon what you've achieved here," Jennings said. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts to establish conditions for regional stability. For more news from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn72/.

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Dmitry Medvedev appreciated establishment of Mistral-building consortium

"We welcome the foundation of Russian-French consortium on construction of Mistral class assault landing ships", said Russian president Dmitry Medvedev appearing at World Economic Forum opened in Davos. 

According to him, "joint work and technological exchange are of great importance in all areas, and defense is not an exception. I'm sure that in prospect they will create new level of confidence in global security". 

"We will make the best use of technology transfer to modernize Russian industry", said Medvedev. 

The head of Russia pointed out that globalization had made the world interdependent, and emphasized it was necessary to create integrated security system.

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