LOCATIONS
LAND
19 Oct 13. DOD to Relocate from the Transit Center at Manas International Airport and Return Facilities to the Government of Kyrgyzstan. The Department of Defense (DOD) has begun the process of relocating from the Transit Center at Manas International Airport (TCM) and plans to complete the transfer of areas and facilities to the Government of Kyrgyzstan by July 2014. The current agreement between the U.S. and Kyrgyz governments on hosting the TCM expires in July 2014. The U.S. appreciates the support provided by the Kyrgyz people to U.S. forces and coalition efforts to counter the threat of terrorism and to achieve security and stability in Afghanistan and the region and respects the decision of the Government of Kyrgyzstan to end hosting the TCM after more than 12 years. Working closely with Kyrgyzstan over the next nine months, the U.S. will manage the TCM relocation effort while continuing to support the International Security Assistance Force mission.
23 Oct 13. Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, part of Rostec State Corporation, and Aircraft Repair Plant No. 405 (ARP 405), which maintains and services Russian-built helicopters in Central Asia, signed a cooperation memorandum on servicing Russian-built Kamov helicopters at the Russian and Kazakh Helicopter Project regional forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The memorandum aims to raise the standard of after-sales service of Kamov helicopters in Kazakhstan. ARP 405 works with Russian Helicopters’ Kamov Design Bureau on service and maintenance, as well as Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise, which manufactures Ka-32A11BC and Ka-226T helicopters.
MARITIME
24 Oct 13. Babcock has begun a seven month docking period for the UK Royal Navy’s only ocean survey vessel, HMS Scott (H131), as part of through life support (TLS) programme. Earlier this year, the UK MoD awarded a contract to Babcock to provide through-life engineering support for HMS Scott, with the option to extend for a further five years. Under the contract, Babcock will also provide fleet time maintenance, design services and spares management. Babcock HMS Scott’s project manager, Mo Morey, said the company, as an integral part of the Scott support team, will deliver HMS Scott safely, on-schedule and at optimum value for money. A number of upgrades and improvements will be made to HMS Scott including installing a new sewage treatment plant and two new lifeboat davits, as well as a new uninterrupted power supply to the ship’s sonar suite and quipping new sea chests and strainers to the salt water system.
AIR
24 Oct 13. Russian Navy’s MiG-29K/KUB aircraft begins flight Trials. The Russian Navy’s MiG-29K/KUB all-weather carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft have begun flight trials conducted by the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (RAC MiG). In February 2012, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a contract to MiG to develop and deliver 20 MiG-29K single-seat and four MiG-29KUB two-seat carrier-based fighter aircraft, according to RIA Novosti. The MiG-29K is a naval version of the MiG-29 land-based fighter and is powered by two RD-33MK engines equipped with smokeless combustion chamber and a new full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system. The company is scheduled to deliver the first four aircraft to the Russian MoD by the end of 2013, while the aircraft will operate from the Russian Navy’s Nikolayev South Shipyard-constructed Kuznetsov-class heavy aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov. (Source: airforcetechnology.com)
22 Oct 13. Eurofighter has completed work on upgrading all 15 of Austria’s Typhoon fighters to the latest capability standard for Tranche 1 (T1) aircraft, the company announced on 23 October. The two-year upgrade process, carried out at the Typhoon’s main operating base at Zeltweg (Steiermark) by EADS subsidiary Cassidian, has seen the entire fleet fitted with the Service Release Proposal (SRP) 4.3 standard software and hardware