07 May 15. Arjun MBTs out of action due to spares shortage. Nearly half the Indian Army’s 124 indigenously designed Arjun Mk1 main battle tanks (MBTs) are inoperable due to a persistent shortage of spares and enduring maintenance problems, army sources said. This prompted the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in late April to form a committee, headed by a retired three-star armoured corps officer, to resolve the component shortages and reactivate the MBTs within two months. The officer has been asked to liaise between the Heavy Vehicle Factory (VHF) that builds the Arjun Mk Is and the Combat Vehicle Research and Defence Establishment (CVRDE) that designed it. The Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) is also part of the committee. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
07 May 15. Denel demonstrates truck-mounted T5-52 gun. Denel Land Systems (DLS) took the opportunity to demonstrate its truck-mounted 155 mm T5-52 artillery system during an event held at South Africa’s Overberg Test Range in April. A DLS 155mm T5-52 gun fires a projectile during a demonstration at the company’s Overberg Test Range in South Africa in April. (Denel Land Systems) The company wanted to highlight the system’s superior range when firing rocket-assisted projectiles (54.8km at sea level), rate of fire (six rounds in the first minute, with a sustained rate of fire of 2 per minute), and its ability to fire six rounds that land simultaneously on the same target. The gun can also be elevated from 3° to +72°, allowing it to be used in the direct fire role: a capability that was demonstrated when it put two rounds into the same impact point at 1,000 m. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
08 May 15. US approves sale for upgrade of Singapore’s F-16C/D/D+ aircraft. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale (FMS) for the F-16 Block 52 upgrade programme and associated equipment, parts and logistical support to Singapore. Approved by the US State Department, the estimated $130m sale for the upgrade will cover reliability, supportability and combat effectiveness concerns associated with its ageing F-16 fleet. Singapore has also requested 50 Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System, 90 AN/APX-126 advanced identification friend or foe interrogator/transponders, 150 LAU-129 missile launchers, eight KMU-572/B 500lb joint direct attack munition (JDAM) tail kits, nine KMU-556/B 2000lb JDAM Tail Kits, two FMU-152 munition fuse units. The proposed sale also includes ten MK-82 500lb inert bombs, three MK-84 2000lb inert bombs, 12 LN-260 embedded global positioning system/inertial navigation systems (GPS/INS), 20 GBU-39/B small diameter bombs (SDB), 92 Link-16 multifunctional information distribution system/low-volume terminals (MIDS/LVT). Additionally, two SDB guided test vehicles, computer control group and tail assembly for GBU-49, DSU-38/40 proximity sensor for JDAM, GBU-39 tactical training round, ADU-890/E and 891 adaptor group for common munitions built-in-test/reprogramming equipment, encryption/decryption device, MIDS/LVT ground support station, and other related elements of programme and logistics support are also included. Apart from increasing the ability and reliability of the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) ageing fleet of F-16s, the newly upgraded aircraft will help better defend its borders and contribute to coalition operations. Principal contractors for the proposed include Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, BAE Advanced Systems, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, ITT Defense Electronics and Services, ITT Integrated Structures, ITT Night Vision, L3 Communications, Lockheed Martin Missile and Fire Control, Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training, and Support, Northrop-Grumman Electro-Optical Systems, Northrop-Grumman Election Systems, Raytheon and Raytheon Missile System. (Source: airforce-technology.com)
06 May 15. Carter: US now training Syrian opposition force. A long-awaited US military training mission for Syrian oppos