(Source: Gazeta.ru website; issued June 27, 2003)


Several months after the Defence Ministry pledged to withdraw excessive troops from Chechnya the General Staff has ordered the return of an artillery unit. This is due to the complex situation in the south of the republic, a source in the staff of the combined federal forces grouping in Khankala admitted.

In early June, in line with the directive of the chief of the General Staff, an artillery battalion of the airborne troops, armed with D-30 howitzers, was withdrawn from Chechnya. However, not long ago the chief of the General Staff cancelled his directive, a source in the Defence Ministry told Interfax. The artillery battalion of the 7th Airborne Division stationed in Novorossiisk is now urgently preparing to be transferred to Chechnya, he said.

According to the same source, the commander of the North-Caucasian military district Vladimir Bulgakov, who succeeded the charismatic General Gennady Troshev, personally asked the chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin not to withdraw any artillery because of the tensions in Chechnya’s south.

The south is a mountainous area, where separatists still have their strongholds. The most volatile district is Vedeno, the home of one of the most notorious and elusive rebel warlords, Shamil Basayev. Special companies comprised of pro-Moscow Chechens regularly hunt down scattered rebel units throughout the Chechen highlands.

Those companies are manned mostly by fighters loyal to the Yamadayev brothers, one of whom, Djabrail Yamadayev, was killed in spring during a special operation. A bomb had been planted in a house where he was staying for the night.

It is clear that Chechen units do not have any heavy armaments. They ambush rebels, making use of their sources for information. At the same time, Defence Ministry forces ­ paratroopers and special-purpose units of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) ­ are also hunting rebel leaders in Vedeno and other southern districts.

The federals carry out intelligence raids trying to avoid open clashes with the rebels and informing artillery and aviation about the whereabouts of rebel hideouts.

The total strength of airborne forces presently stationed in Chechnya is about 2,500. The paratrooper bases lie in the mountainous districts of the Chechen south

Several weeks ago separatist president Aslan Maskhadov told Reuters news agency that his troops were about to launch a summer offensive. Shamil Basayev also held a gathering somewhere in the Chechen highlands in May ­ the photo-report was later published on the rebel website Kavkaz-Tsentr (closed by Lithuanian security services last week). On one of the photos the Chechen warlord Ruslan Gelayev is seated next to Basayev. Last year Gelayev’s unit broke through Ingushetia to Chechnya from Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge, a lawless area, which Russia believes is used by Chechen rebels as a refuge.

Kavkaz-Tsentr said that the experienced commander Ruslan Gelayev was entrusted on May 11 with the crucial task of reviving the guerilla war. And on May 12 a bomb-laden truck blew up near the government compound in the village of Znamenskoye, killing over 50 people. That attack was followed by others, in particular, a suicide attack carried out by a young Chechen woman near the Mozdok aerodrome, from where federal aircraft continue to carry out sorties over southern Chechnya.

At the same time, attacks on military convoys have become more frequent lately. In the past weeks the rebels attacked federal convoys several times, though military command reports on such incidents with reluctance. On one occasion, however, the military admitted that in two successive attacks in less than 48 hours a total of 12 troops were killed.

The rebels publish far more terrible figures on their websites. The federal command’s report that the situation in the Chechen south, to put it mildly, remains ‘complex’ and the military therefore need additional artillery units, became the first evidence that the rebels are still strong enough not only to send their women to carry out suicide-attacks on collaborators, like the failed attempt on Akhmad Kadyrov in Iliskhan-Yurt, and on the pilots in North Ossetia, but also to enter into open clashes with the federal troops.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/data/communiques/data/2003Jun16510/index.htm
Delivery of Caesar Artillery Systems to the French Army

(Source: GIAT Industries; dated June 24, web-posted June 26, 2003)


VERSAILLES-SATORY, France --- Giat Industries today delivered five Caesar artillery systems to the French Army, at a ceremony held at the Armys Technical Section (STAT).

This ceremony marks the entry into service of Caesar, ordered in September 2000, with the French Army. These equipments will be subjected to a technical-operational evaluation by the Army during the second half of 2003.

The evaluation will be conducted under the aegis of the STAT by an experimental section set up by the 40th Artillery Regiment (Suippes).The Caesar howitzer is currently a one-off ordnance on the international market which incorporates an integral truck chassis-mounted 155 mm 52 calibre ordnance.

This innovative concept offers high levels of operational performance. Caesar can fire fast, far, hard and with great accuracy. In two minutes, the weapon can fire six rounds to 42km and come out of position, thus avoiding counter-battery fire. With its reduced size and weight, it is perfectly suited to rapid, long-range deployments by road or rail, by ship or by air.

It is transportable in a single load by C-130 Hercules. Above all, however, it is highly mobile on roads and cross-country. To all this must be added Caesars competitive acquisition and operating costs. It offers the best cost-effectiveness ratio, whatever the types of terrain, conflict or mission.

------------
What The Papers Say (Russia)

June 30, 2003

MILITARY HARDWARE PRODUCTION AND ARMS TRADE

SUPER ARMS MANUFACTURED IN VLADIMIR REGION

Kostromskie vedomosti N24, June 10-16, 2003, p. 8

Alexei Zenzilov

DEFENSE ENTERPRISES OF THE VLADIMIR REGION HAVE SURVIVED A CRISIS IN THE
MID-1990S AND ARE PRESENTLY AGAIN LEADING ON THE RUSSIAN MARKET OF
CONVENTIONAL ARMS. PROVING THIS, THERE WAS A DEMONSTRATION OF SOME OF THE
MOST RECENT SMALL ARMS, MANUFACTURED AT PLANTS IN THE TOWN OF KOVROV, TO
JOURNALISTS.

Arms of the future - this is what experts say about these latest solutions
of Vladimir designers at international exhibitions. The secret enterprises
on which in the Soviet times the welfare of the town of Kovrov rested, have
survived a most severe crisis in the 1990s and are presently again leading
on the national arms market.

It is only possible to get to the test ground where the new arms are tested
with a representative of one of the plants. (...)

The most recent solution was shown - a large-caliber machine-gun named Kord.
Kord already has proved itself in Chechnya (details are not made public).
Firing is possible from any position - from a trench or a vehicle; it takes
just a few minutes to make the machine-gun combat ready, so it is
indispensable for special units. For today, this is the only machine-gun of
this caliber in the world that can work from the surface at air targets,
from a helicopter, and from a boat. The rate of fire is 700 shots a minute.
(...)

The automatic sniper rifle was designed for use in a mountainous terrain. It
easily breaks through a bulletproof at the distance of half a kilometer; a
sniper can hit a matchbox from 100 meters. (...) This rifle is something in
between a submachine gun and light artillery: when it is fired, those
standing near it plug their ears not to be deafened.

The Kovrov Mechanical Plant developed a submachine gun named Kashtan. It can
save the life of a tank crew member or a pilot if the machinery is put out
of action and there is need to engage. To tell the truth, helicopter crews
often have not even time to recollect their Kalashnikov submachine guns, and
it is not too convenient for tank crews either, says Pavel Sedov, the
plants chief designer. But this gun has small dimensions, so it is easy to
jump out with it.

It is clear that the most recent samples of small arms were not shown to the
journalists. A meeting of the directors of Vladimir defense sector
enterprises with representatives of the General Staff and the Russian Agency
of Conventional Arms was held behind closed doors. The only distinct thing
the generals said to the press was: the army will purchase less up-to-date
arms than we would like, but more than in the previous years.

After criticizing the Clinton administration for overdeploying and overusing the countrys military in the 1990s, the Bush administration is now doing exactly the same thing -- except on a much larger scale. Hordes of active-duty troops and reservists may soon leave the service rather than subject themselves to a life continually on the road. Much more than transforming the armed forces or relocating overseas bases, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld must solve this problem before the Bush administration breaks the American military.

The problem is most acute for the Army. Even as most Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel go home to a grateful nation, the Army still has more than 185,000 troops deployed in and around Iraq. Another 10,000 are in Afghanistan. More than 25,000 troops are in Korea; some 5,000 are in the Balkans; and dozens here and hundreds there are on temporary assignments around the world. Nearly all of these soldiers are away from their home bases and families.

This total of nearly 250,000 deployed troops must be generated from an Army of just over 1 million. The active-duty force numbers 480,000, of which fewer than 320,000 are easily deployable at any given moment. The Army Reserve and Army National Guard together include 550,000 troops, many of whom already have been called up at least once since 9/11.

Deployment demands are likely to remain great, even if Rumsfeld and Bush hope otherwise. The Pentagon is lining up 20,000 to 30,000 allied troops to help in Iraq come September, from countries such as Poland and Italy and Ukraine. Unfortunately, as recent events underscore, the overall mission will still likely require nearly 200,000 coalition forces. That means 125,000 to 150,000 U.S. troops could still be needed for a year or more -- with 50,000 to 75,000 Americans remaining in and around Iraq come 2005 and 2006 if past experience elsewhere is a guide.

As a result, a typical soldier spending 2003 in Iraq may come home this winter only to be deployed again in late 2004 or 2005. The typical reservist might be deployed for another 12 months over the next few years. These burdens are roughly twice what is sustainable. The problem is so severe that we must approach it from several angles:

• Temporarily add 10,000 to 20,000 more troops to the Army. However, this is such an expensive solution -- and takes so long to implement, given the challenges of recruiting and training -- that other measures need to be adopted as well.

• Approach a broader range of allies, especially larger countries such as France and Germany and even Japan and South Korea, for substantial troop contributions. Each of these countries can provide roughly 5,000 troops; we should also be able to solicit more help from those South and Southeast Asian states with peacekeeping experience.

• Make the Marine Corps a full partner of the Army in peacekeeping, not just warfighting. This means substantially reducing the Marine Corps presence in Okinawa; it also means asking Marines to accept a temporarily higher global deployment pace themselves -- possibly including a small mission soon in Liberia as well. (Even though they are not perfect substitutes, we could ask the Navy and Air Force to increase East Asia deployments temporarily to compensate for reduced Marine Corps presence.) The Marines should be able to sustain 15,000 to 20,000 personnel in Iraq.

• Make a higher percentage of Army troops deployable. This is not easy, given the need for numerous stateside functions, but certain activities, such as mid-career education, can be suspended for a year or two. The Army is in crisis, and it needs to take radical measures as a result.

• Finally, as Rumsfeld and Gen. James Jones of European Command draft their plans for relocating many American forces from Germany, they need to bear the overdeployment problem in mind. Rather than creating new facilities where troops are sent primarily on temporary assignments, they should try to establish new bases in Eastern Europe that permit troops to bring their families.

It would be the supreme irony, and a national tragedy, if after winning two wars in two years, the U.S. Army were broken and defeated while trying to keep the peace. Unfortunately, the risk that this will happen is all too real.

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2003 07:01:59 PM ]

NEW DELHI: The United States on Thursday delivered two Firefinder counter-battery radars to the Indian Army, which are likely to be used along the Line of Control in Kashmir, which frequently witnesses artillery duels between Indian and Pakistani forces.

The shipment, which arrived in New Delhi aboard a US Air Force C-17 aircraft, is part of a $190-million Indo-US military sales agreement, a senior US embassy official here said.

The AN/TPQ-37 radars can detect the location of enemy missile batteries and artillery formations by tracking the trajectory of projectiles fired by them.

Commenting on the functioning of the Firefinder, a US official said the radar uses separate tracking channels and traverses in sector increments through 360 degrees. The mobile radar system uses a combination of radar techniques and computer functions to detect and accurately locate artillery and rocket weapons to permit rapid engagement with counterfire. A single soldier can operate the Firefinder system.

Operator and crew training for 16 Indian Army personnel on these radar systems began in April 2003 in California.

Announcing the delivery of the two radars, US Ambassador to India Robert D Blackwill said, US-India cooperation in defence and other high-technology areas holds much promise, and our partnership on the Firefinder radars marks a significant milestone in our burgeoning bilateral defense relationship.

According to army officials the radars are likely to be used along the 463-mile Line of Control in Kashmir.

The Indian Army stepped up efforts to obtain Firefinder radars after Pakistani forces used them to target Indian gun positions during the Kargil border conflict of 1999.

In May and November of 2002, officials of Indias Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed Letters of Agreement (LoA) to acquire 12 AN-TPQ/37 Firefinder radars in part through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. Delivery of the radars will be completed by September 2006, the US official said. Over 350 FireFinder radars are currently being used by 17 nations.

----------
Defense Week
July 7, 2003

Volume 24, Number 27

Northrop Grumman To Train New Iraqi Army

Northrop Grumman Corp. announced Wednesday that its subsidiary Vinnell Corp.
has been awarded a $48 million contract to train the nucleus of a new Iraqi
Army.

Vinnell and its subcontractors began working at various locations in Iraq
July 1 under the one-year contract. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract was
awarded by the Army Contracting Agency Southern Region Contracting Center.

Vinnells subcontractors are MPRI, Alexandria, Va.; SAIC, San Diego; Eagle
Group International, Inc., Atlanta; Omega Training Group, Columbus, Ga.; and
Worldwide Language Resources, Inc., Rumford, Maine.

Vinnell, based in Fairfax, Va., provides foreign military training in
support of U.S. government programs and operates and maintains facilities
and equipment worldwide for the Army, Air Force, Department of Labor and the
Department of Homeland Security.

Vinnell provides facilities maintenance, utilities operation, civil
engineering, transportation management and maintenance, supply services,
maintenance of pre-positioned equipment, and personnel support. Vinnell also
provides education and vocational training to disadvantaged youth under the
Department of Labors Job Corps program.

(Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued July 17, 2003)


Two key steps on the road to providing tomorrows Army with the right equipment to meet the new security challenges identified in the Strategic Defence Review New Chapter were announced today by Defence Procurement Minister Lord Bach.

The new requirement for lighter, easily deployable armoured vehicles that integrate with the new framework of network centric capability will be met by a new national programme, the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES). The United Kingdom has, therefore, decided to withdraw from the Multi Role Armoured Vehicle programme, a collaborative project with Germany and the Netherlands

And UK company Alvis Vickers has been chosen to build the Future Command and Liaison Vehicle (FCLV), a new airportable protected scouting vehicle which will play a key role in support of FRES in the new mix of forces.

Lord Bach said:

The SDR New Chapter, and our experience on recent overseas operations, have shown the need for lighter armoured vehicles that can be quickly sent by air to a trouble spot when a crisis breaks. MRAV cannot meet this emerging requirement. Therefore it is the right decision for us to pull out now, while we are still only in the initial development phase of the programme.

Instead we will pursue a new programme, FRES. This is currently in its concept phase, and we expect to make an announcement on the way ahead in the autumn.

We have kept our German and Dutch partners fully informed on our changing requirements on MRAV, and we will now enter discussions with them on the terms of our withdrawal from the programme.

The UK will remain an active participant in OCCAR, the European joint armaments co-operation agency, which was managing the MRAV programme. We also remain committed to equipment collaboration with European partners, wherever this delivers the best solution to our requirements.

FCLV is a new force of air transportable medium weight vehicles which will carry out reconnaissance, command and liaison work in support of medium and heavy forces. It will play a key role in support of FRES in the new mix of forces.

The contract for nearly 500 vehicles is worth over £200 million and is excellent news for Alvis Vickers and the workers at its Telford plant in the Midlands, where the vehicles will be assembled. The competition that led to Alvis Vickers winning the contract is an excellent example of our new industrial policy in action.


BACKGROUND NOTES:

1. OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation Matiere dArmement) was set up in 1996 to manage joint procurement programmes on behalf of member nations. The UK was a founder member. The other members are Germany, France, Italy and Belgium. The Netherlands, Spain and Turkey are also involved in OCCAR programmes but are not full members. OCCAR took over management of the A400M transport aircraft programme in May this year.

2. The FCLV contract with Alvis Vickers will cover final development and manufacture of 486 vehicles and an initial period of in-service support. They will replace elements of the existing fleet of Land Rovers, Saxons and Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) family of vehicles.

------
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/data/communiques/data/2003Jul16790/index.htm
Metal Storm Rapid Firing Success Advances Company Plans for Demos

Unveiling details of the manufacturing plan for the U.S. Armys future scout and attack helicopter, Boeing Sikorsky officials said in a briefing July 16 that a newly remodeled assembly line opening next month will dramatically reduce the manufacturing schedule and footprint for production.

The Bridgeport, Conn., production line is being designed to build a new helicopter every 42 workdays by the end of full-rate production, compared with more than 380 workdays needed in the early stages of EMD.

The streamlined process also will allow Sikorsky to use the same facility to produce nine aircraft a year during EMD and dozens more a year during the limited and full-rate production phases, said Joseph P. Amico, director of operations at Boeing Sikorskys RAH-66 joint program office in Bridgeport.

Meanwhile, company officials are struggling to manage a schedule drafted by the Army that leaves a 19-month gap between the end of the EMD phase and the beginning of low-rate initial production (LRIP) in FY 07.

Although the gap is unusual for a major defense program, the pause is needed to perform operational tests on the aircraft and determine if new design changes are required, Amico said.

However, Boeing Sikorsky will have trained at least 100 employees to build the Comanche in the EMD phase and will have to move many of them to other programs for 19 months until the LRIP phase begins, he said.

I would prefer not to have the gap, Amico said. If you ask me what keeps me up at night, its worrying about what we do with these people.

A Boeing Sikorsky spokesman said that the team is very satisfied that, as a whole, the program is well-funded and properly scheduled, although Amico said industry and Army officials are considering accelerating production or making other program changes.

Europes Boxer: down but not out as UK quits

By Christopher F Foss, JDW Land Forces Editor; Juergen Erbe, JDW Correspondent; & Joris Janssen Lok, JDW Special Correspondent.

The trinational European Boxer armoured vehicle programme will undergo a major shake-up after the UK announced its withdrawal because the 33-tonne vehicle is too heavy for its rapid-deployment needs.

Germany and the Netherlands are now considering their position. The two countries are expected to continue with development, although the unit cost may increase and the entire programme and industrial partnership will need restructuring.

The UK is obliged to continue funding the development phase of Boxer unless the other partners also pull out, which is unlikely.

The UK departure from the programme will free funding for the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES), which the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has identified as key to the British Armys future fighting force.

MRAV is the largest collaborative armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) programme in Europe and is being run by the European procurement agency, OCCAR. The contract was originally awarded in late 1999 and the first prototype was rolled out late last year and named Boxer. The prime contractor is the ARmoured vehicle TEChnology (ARTEC) consortium, based in Munich, Germany, comprising the UKs Alvis Vickers; Germanys Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall Landsysteme; and Dutch company Stork.

UK Defence Procurement Minister Lord Bach said last week that FRES is a key step on the way to providing the future army with the right equipment to meet the new security challenges identified in the Strategic Defence Review.

FRES was expected to receive the go-ahead from the Investment Approval Board but this has been delayed to later this year for a number of reasons.

JDW industry sources indicate that serious consideration is now being given to selection of a Lead Systems Integrator (LSI) for FRES along similar lines to the US Armys highly ambitious Future Combat System programme, being run by Boeing.

United Defense Industries Nets $ 43.7 Million Howitzer Contract with Egypt
By Michelle Starr

United Defense Industries Inc. has landed a $ 43.7 million contract modification to refurbish 201 self-propelled howitzers for Egypt.

A significant portion of the work will be performed at the companys West Manchester Township plant, said Herb Muktarian, company spokesman.

Other work will be completed in Fayette County and Anniston, Ala.

Unlike the program on the companys Bradley fighting vehicles and Paladin artillery cannons, the work does not strip the equipment completely down and rebuild it.

Instead, it makes the existing howitzers purchased from U.S. Army long-supply stocks functional.

This project focuses on the drive train, fire control and main armament.

The contract is part of a Foreign Military Sales agreement with Egypt.

It will run through November 2005.

United Defenses West Manchester Township plant employs about 900 workers.

The company designs, develops and manufactures combat vehicles for the United States and its allies. It is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company does not expect to recall any previously laid off workers to help fulfill this recent contract, Muktarian said.

July 25, 2003, Friday

THE KHRIZANTEMAS DEADLY KISS

Krasnaya Zvezda, July 23, 2003, p. 1

Andrei Garavsky

SPECIALISTS IN THE MILITARY-TECHNICAL COOPERATION SECTOR SAY THAT THE
KHRIZANTEMA-S MISSILE COMPLEX HAS A VERY GOOD EXPORTS POTENTIAL. ADDING THE
KHRIZANTEMA TO ARSENALS OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY WILL ENCOURAGE FOREIGN CUSTOMERS
TO PURCHASING THIS COMPLEX.

BODY:

Despite money shortages, the defense industry continues supplying up-to-date
weapons to the Russian Army. Valery Grishin, chief designer at the
Mechanical-engineering design bureau, said that state tests of the
Khrizantema-S multifunctional missile complex finished in 2002 in accordance
with plans and programs of the Defense Ministry. The Army will start
receiving this prospective multi-purpose complex this year.

The Khrizantema-S is designed for destroying up-to-date and prospective
tanks, including tanks equipped with dynamic protection systems, infantry
fighting vehicles and other armored vehicles, engineering structures, weapon
emplacements, warplanes and helicopters flying at a low altitude, small
warships, and manpower.

A radio-locating station, which detects and tracks ground-based targets at a
distance of six to eight kilometers, is the foundation of the missile
complex. The radar station can be used under any meteorological conditions
(fog, rain, snow) in the day and at night.

The complex consists of a combat vehicle, missiles with hollow-charge or
high-explosive warheads, maintenance systems, and training complexes. The
complex fires in an automated mode.

The complex is mounted on the chassis of the BMP-3 infantry fighting
vehicle, and carries 15 missiles. The complex is equipped with an automatic
loading system. The operator can choose the type of missiles without leaving
the vehicle.

The Khrizantema can fire at two different targets using two channels
(radio-locating and laser channels). This is a unique feature of the missile
complex. Factually, this is the most powerful anti-tank complex, which can
destroy any type of the tank. A missile can pierce armor 1,100 to 1,200
meters thick.

A missile platoon consisting of three missile complexes can repulse an
attack of a tank company consisting of 14 units.

July 28, 2003, Monday

TO SPITE ALL ENEMIES!

Altayskaya Pravda (Barnaul), July 3, 2003, p. 1

Valery Slobodchikov

RS-101 ARMOR-PIERCING BULLET MAY BE INVOLVED IN KEEN COMPETITION ON THE
GLOBAL BULLET MARKET.

The Barnaul Instrument-Making Plant was awarded a gold medal at the
international arms show held in Omsk in June. The supreme prize was
conferred on our designers for researching RS-101 armor-piercing bullet.

RS-101 is a bullet complying with NATO standards. Its mass production was
launched at the plant last year. These bullets fit the 101-series
Kalashnikov automatic rifle, M-16 rifle and its modifications, German and
Belgian machine guns.

From a hundred meters, RS-101 pierces steel with the width of 16 mm. The
kill effectiveness of the bullet is so high that no helmets or bulletproof
vests would be of use.

The bullet has passed the state testing: 10,000 shots from a Kalashnikov
automatic rifle. The barrel sustained and the target didnt. RS-101 showed
ability to pierce side armor of an infantry fighting vehicle. (...) The new
bullet is ideal for the M-16 rifle, but the Americans are unlikely to place
the order. The U.S. army has been purchasing ammunition from its own
manufacturers alone. The plants directors hope to obtain bids from India,
Indonesia, states of South Africa and Latin America. (...)

Some time ago, a large shipment of RS-101 was sold to a European state, but
the plant didnt specify which one. (...)

Valery Zakharyashchev, chief engineer and director of the plant speaking:
It is uneasy to edge our way into the global bullet market. If we were
previously supplying bullets to Iraq, Iran and Syria, the Germans and
Americans have firm positions there now. We therefore have to start from
nothing.

The RS-101 bullet is financially competitive: the average cost of a bullet
is two rubles, which is very cheap. The plants production capacities enable
producing 200 bullets per minute, which would suffice to arm many armies.

(...)

The RS-101 bullet has lately been tested in real combat. Special Forces from
the Altai territory have tested it in Chechnya and the bullets have proven
their worthiness.