22 Dec 14. Navy seeks US UAVs for ocean surveillance. The Indian Navy has earlier shown interest in acquiring six to eight of the maritime variants of the US high altitude, long endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for extended ocean surveillance. The drones have been upgraded as the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance platform for the U.S. Navy, providing real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over vast ocean and coastal regions. The Global Hawk has been deployed by the U.S. in Japan, and the U.S. this week approved the sale of four Global Hawks to South Korea. Australia and Japan too have expressed interest in these drones, though Australia later backed out because of the high price. If the deal goes through, it will be a huge force multiplier for the Indian military in carrying out round-the-clock surveillance of terrorist movements across the border or tracking suspicious vessels in the open seas. Apart from the UAVs, both sides are also working to conclude final negotiations of the $2.5bn helicopter deal for 22 Apache attack helicopters and 15 Chinook heavy lift helicopters, sources said. (Source: Google/The Hindu)
19 Dec 14. US Frigates Approved For Transfer – Finally. It took the better part of two years, but Congress has finally approved the potential transfer to Taiwan and Mexico of six frigates being decommissioned by the US Navy. The move means negotiators have permission to make a deal for transfer of the ships, four of which are still in service. Signed into law Thursday by President Barack Obama, the Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2013 authorizes the transfer of the frigates Curts and McClusky to Mexico on a grant basis. The act also authorizes the sale of the frigates Taylor, Gary, Carr and Elrod to Taiwan. All the ships are of the Oliver Hazard Perry class, now being phased out of the US Navy. All remaining frigates are to be decommissioned by the end of September. Gone from earlier versions of the bill are proposed transfers of frigates to Thailand and Pakistan. Those ships were removed from consideration by concerns about the May military coup in Thailand, after which the US government cancelled numerous military deals and engagements with the country, and a number of political conditions attached to ongoing military aid to Pakistan. The 2012 version of the Naval Transfer Act, containing a number of ships for Turkey, also failed, largely due to concerns in Congress about Turkish political policies. Transfers of former US Navy ships to foreign allies is generally seen as beneficial to all concerned. In nearly every case, the ships are refurbished in the US before leaving for their new home, and US firms benefit from continued support of the ships in foreign service. Allies benefit from commonality with US Navy systems. Frigates are especially popular ships for foreign transfer, being relatively cheap to operate yet effective in a variety of roles. More than two dozen former US Perry-class frigates serve with foreign navies, while a number were built especially for other countries. All the countries in the current and previous versions of the bill already operate former US Navy warships. Taiwan operates eight Perry-class frigates, all built in Taipei by the China Shipbuilding Corporation. The additional frigates would be their first ex-US Navy Perrys, although the Taiwanese Navy operates older former US Navy frigates. Mexico also operates six former US frigates of older vintage. If approved, these would be the first Perry-class frigates in Mexican service. Three of the four ships approved for sale to Taiwan remain in US Navy service. Elrod is to be decommissioned in January, Taylor in May and Gary in August. Carr was decommissioned in March 2013 and is in storage at Philadelphia. McClusky is scheduled to be decommissioned Jan. 14, while Curts was decommissioned in February 2013. If a deal can be arranged, the US Navy and the foreign partners often prefer a “hot transfer,” where the U