06 Dec 14. UK to establish £15m permanent Mid East military base. The base, at the Mina Salman Port in Bahrain, will host ships including destroyers and aircraft carriers. The UK said it was an “expansion of the Royal Navy’s footprint” and would “reinforce stability” in the Gulf. Bahrain will pay most of the £15m ($23m) needed to build the base, with the British paying ongoing costs. UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who signed the deal at a security conference in Manama, Bahrain, said it was “just one example of our growing partnership with Gulf partners to tackle shared strategic and regional threats”. He said the move “builds upon our 30-year track record of Gulf patrols”. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner there was already a “rotating presence” of four British minesweepers at the Mina Salman Port, but the UK had been “piggybacking” on the US naval base there. He said the new facility would be one of the most important Royal Navy bases in the world and would be used for a “whole host of things” including supporting UK operations in Iraq, where RAF jets have been attacking targets as part of a US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) militants. The base would also be used for operations against piracy and for aerial surveillance, he added. There is tight security at the conference in Manama, Bahrain “The deal will have its detractors. Bahrain has been heavily criticised for its human rights record in the past and despite some reforms, power remains concentrated in the hands of the ruling family,” our correspondent said. “The majority Shia population here complain of discrimination by their Sunni rulers. There will also be some who resent the prospect of western military forces being permanently based here.” He also said the threat of IS may have made Gulf monarchies “content to invite British forces to set up on their soil”. UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon added: “This new base is a permanent expansion of the Royal Navy’s footprint and will enable Britain to send more and larger ships to reinforce stability in the Gulf.” Bahrain’s foreign minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa said: “Bahrain looks forward to the early implementation of today’s arrangement and to continuing to work with the UK and other partners to address threats to regional security.” (Source: BBC)
05 Dec 14. India’s Navy has selected Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., to fulfil the service’s Multi-Role Helicopter requirement for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare (ASW/ASuW), among other maritime roles. Negotiations will now begin to procure 16 S-70B SEAHAWK® helicopters, with an option for eight additional aircraft, along with a complete logistics support and training program. “India’s selection of the S-70B helicopter represents a major strategic win for Sikorsky in an important growth market, and positions us well for future opportunities,” said Mick Maurer, President of Sikorsky Aircraft. “We look forward to a long-term collaboration with the Indian Government and local industry as we work to bring the Indian Navy the highly advanced multi-role S-70B aircraft.” The proposed Indian Navy S-70B variant will include avionics and flexible open architecture Weapons Management Systems that integrate an advanced sonar, 360 degree search radar, modern air-to-surface missiles, and torpedoes for the ASW role. A blade and tail fold capability will facilitate shipboard storage. The S-70B aircraft will also enhance the Indian Navy’s capabilities to perform non-combat maritime roles, including search and rescue, utility and external cargo lift, surveillance and casualty evacuation. Sikorsky has fielded increasingly more capable variants of the S-70B helicopter since 1984 for navies that prefer to acquire a modern, fully integrated ASW/ASuW platform direct from the manufacturer. Now operational in six countries (in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Latin America), the S-70B platform has a solid