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Highlighting challenges facing South Sudan, a senior United Nations official today underlined that overcoming obstacles borne of a volatile combination of insecurity and political uncertainty is critical for the war-torn country to be put on the track to peace and stability.

Urgent action is needed now towards the meaningful participation of women in peace processes, as well ensuring their voices are heard in all aspects of society, the United Nations deputy chief told reporters in Abuja today as part of a first-ever UN-African Union trip focused on women, peace and security.

Amid the worst drought in nearly two decades in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations agricultural agency is calling for emergency food assistance, as well as irrigation and farming equipment, to help farmers get through the lean season.

The scales have tipped for the first time in the fight against AIDS as more than half of all people living with the HIV virus now have access to treatment, while AIDS-related deaths have nearly halved since 2005, according to a new United Nations report.

Expressing deep concern over a surge in tensions and violence around the holy esplanade of Jerusalem&#39s Old City, the United Nations envoy on Middle East peace today called for de-escalation of the situation.

Highlighting challenges facing South Sudan, a senior United Nations official today underlined that overcoming obstacles borne of a volatile combination of insecurity and political uncertainty is critical for the war-torn country to be put on the track to peace and stability.

As part of his 47th birthday celebrations, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador and the actor playing the role of Jaime Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones, is calling on his friends, family and fans to help him raise funds to support UN climate action programmes.

Urgent action is needed now towards the meaningful participation of women in peace processes, as well ensuring their voices are heard in all aspects of society, the United Nations deputy chief told reporters in Abuja today as part of a first-ever UN-African Union trip focused on women, peace and security.

En Afrique du Sud, plus de 3 800 bébés sont abandonnés tous les ans. Un chiffre qui ne fait qu'augmenter, tandis que les adoptions sont de plus en plus difficiles à finaliser. Le pays compte aujourd'hui plus de 5 millions d'orphelins, qui peinent à trouver une famille d'accueil dans cette société multiraciale, aux différences culturelles très marquées.

 Magánterületeken felhúzott kisebbségi jelképek ellen, egyházakat, pártszervezeteket és magánvállalkozókat utasított arra Maros megye prefektusa, hogy három napon belül távolítsák el székhelyükről a magyar közösségi jelképeket. Lucian Goga kormánymegbízott szerint törvénytelen a székely és a magyar zászlók kihelyezése. A jogászok szerint a prefektus átlépi hatáskörét és nem tartja tiszteletben a jogerős bírósági ítéleteket, holott zászlóügyben két ilyen döntés is született Maros megyében.

Korodi Attila, az RMDSZ képviselőházi frakcióvezetője tegnap Tusványoson egy kerekasztal beszélgetésen elmondta, hogy szerinte az erdélyi magyaroknak az lenne a jó, ha a problémákra európai uniós és washingtoni viszonyrendszerben kerülne megoldás. Erre amiatt van szükség, mert megoldottnak tekintik a kisebbségi ügyet, ez viszont nem így van.

Americas

• Leidos has received a $64 million task order for the integration and demonstration of three Airborne Reconnaissance Low-Enhanced (ARL-E) ground surveillance and intelligence aircraft. Work and testing will take place at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., and will take part in demonstration flights prior to delivery to the US Army. The aircraft are the upgraded version of the ARL, which replaces the ARL’s de Havilland Canada Dash 7 airframe with a twin-engine Bombardier Dash-8 turboprop aircraft, and is equipped with dual-optical high definition sensors, laser rangefinders and target designators, a long-range surface search radar, and radio wave direction finders which can give precise coordinates of enemy communication signals.

• Two Tomahawk vertically-launched cruise missiles have been successfully test-fired from the Virginia-class submarine USS North Dakota. The test aimed to verify the capabilities of the recently installed Block III Payload Tubes, designed to replace the original Virginia-classes 12 vertical launch missile tubes. Integration of the tubes are part of upgrades to the class’s missile launch systems—which includes the Virginia Payload Module launch system—and will triple the capacity for Tomahawks and allow greater flexibility for installing other vertical launch weapons systems. Improved Tomahawk Block IV missiles are expected to be deployed from 2019 and will be in the US Navy inventory beyond 2040.

• Former Boeing vice president Patrick Shanahan has been confirmed by the US Senate as deputy secretary of defense. The Senate voted 92-7 in favor of the appointment, despite concerns by some in the political arena—Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain, R-Ariz found his answers during his confirmation hearing on arming Ukraine as “unsatisfactory,” while other senators were opposed to a defense contractor getting a post in Trump’s Pentagon. Shanahan will replace Robert Work as deputy defense secretary, who has held the post since 2016.

Middle East & North Africa

• Three Turkish defense firms will be asked to submit proposals to Turkey’s Altay tank program, which could reach beyond $10 billion. BMC, Otokar and FNSS—all private companies—will bid to secure a contract for the serial production of an initial batch of 250 Altay tanks, with Turkey planning to produce a total of 1,000 units. Ankara’s decision to include three bidders in the program comes after Otokar produced and successfully completed qualification tests of an Altay prototype, including mobility and endurance testing on rough terrain and climatic conditions, firing tests with various scenarios, and survivability testing. However, last month, the Turkish procurement agency deemed Otokar’s serial production sole-source offer as too expensive, instead opening up the competition to include other bidders.

Europe

• The delivery schedule for Su-30SM fighters to Belarus has been delayed due to “technical changes in the aircraft’s equipment set.” Originally scheduled to begin next year, Belarus will instead have to wait until 2019 for deliveries to start at a rate of four per year for a total of 12 models. Already this year, the Belarusian Armed Forces has received six Mil Mi-8MTV-5 helicopters, the fourth battery of Tor-M2 air defense missile systems, a Protivnik-G radar, two Torn-8P radio control and radio monitoring stations and various kinds of modern sniper rifles and special weapons from Russia.

• Rheinmetall has signed a framework agreement with the German military for the delivery of DM11 120mm tank ammunition. The first delivery is valued at an initial $43 million deal and calls for a potential order for 5,000 rounds of 120mm training ammunition, and multi-year orders could see a total contract value reach into the hundreds of millions of euros. DM11 120mm ammunition would be used on the German military Leopard 2 main battle tanks and can be retrofitted with any 120mm smoothbore gun with modern fire control. It has been in use by Berlin since 2014 and has been exported to other countries using the Leopard 2 tank.

Asia Pacific

• In an effort to help the Philippines tackle a jihadist insurgency, the US is to transfer two Cessna 208B Caravans equipped for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The archipelago nation has seen a recent flare in violence on the muslim majority southern island of Mindanao, where its obsolescent Rockwell OV-10B Bronco aircraft and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 fighters have been conducting raids against enemy forces. The aircraft were ordered in a $14 million May 2016 contract awarded by the US Department of Defence to L-3 Communications, which called for the modification of Cessna 208Bs to the ISR mission. Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and the Philippines—countries all dealing with insurgencies—had been earmarked for the aircraft.

• The Indian government is to kick start a multi-billion program to acquire 110 light utility helicopters (LUH) for the Indian Navy. New Delhi plans to send out an expression of interest to domestic companies, including Bharat Forge, Reliance, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra Aerospace and Tata Advanced Systems, who in turn will act as a strategic partner with a selected overseas original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to produce the aircraft. 30 helicopters will be bought off-the-shelf from the foreign manufacturer, while the rest will be produced domestically with the local partner. Airbus, Russian Helicopters, Sikorsky, and Bell Helicopters are all expected to take part in the LUH program.

Today’s Video

• US ISR aircraft for the Philippines:

Virginia Block I-II
(click to view full)

A 5-year, $17 billion deal will build 10 Virginia Class Block IV fast attack submarines for the US Navy, bringing production to 2 boats per year at long last. The USA’s nuclear submarine fleet gives it unmatched flexibility, but it’s confronted with rising submarine numbers in China and around the Pacific, even as its Los Angeles Class submarines are beginning to exit the fleet. Aircraft carriers may dominate in peacetime, but as anti-ship missiles gain longer reach and greater lethality, and sensors improve, some analysts are coming to see submarines as the key to wartime naval power…

The Submarines and the Contract Block IV?

Block III bow
(click to view full)

The US Navy has taken delivery of 10 of the 7,800t Virginia Class submarines since 2004 (SSN 774 – 783), with 8 more currently under construction. They’re derived from the lessons of the SSN-21 Seawolf Class, an extremely advanced submarine whose expense per boat ended production at 3. The Virginias achieved excellent flexibility and a reputation for extreme quietness, but changes have continued since the first boat, as the US Navy tried to drive costs down.

Block III submarines (SSN 784 – 791) took a big step forward by replacing the 12 vertical launch tubes with a more flexible “6-shooter” approach, and swapping a water-backed, horseshoe-shaped LAB sonar array for the existing air-backed spherical array.

The Block IV is the next increment, and so far, few details have been released. PEO Submarines Rear Admiral David Johnson has said that the new design would reduce the submarine’s lifetime number of major maintenance visits from 4 to 3, raising full-length deployments during their lifetimes from 14 to 15.

Beyond that, a number of improvements have been discussed over the years, from stretched versions to a new composite sail with space for more special forces. Other clues to possible future changes come from the Pentagon’s FY 2013 DOT&E report, which seem to stress special warfare and arctic operations.

For special operations, the Navy modified the SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Auxiliary Life Support System (ALSS) to handle increased air pressure, allowing longer missions. Unfortunately, the Virginia Class needs to upgrade its air supply system before it can support those pressures. This is an important mission in the present environment, which makes this shortcoming a good Block IV improvement candidate if it can be done at reasonable cost.

In the Arctic, the Virginia Class needs better methods of removing carbon dioxide and hydrogen waste gas, insulation improvements to avoid “excessive condensation” that can interfere with electronics, and a hardened sail that can handle the same ice thicknesses as Improved Los Angeles Class and Seawolf Class SSNs. This isn’t a crisis yet. In the short term, it’s easy to just bias Virginia Class deployments toward locations like the Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Oceans, leaving the Los Angeles and Seawolf boats to spend more time up north. As Virginia Class submarines become a larger and larger share of the US Navy’s submarine force, however, those kinds of gaps will begin to matter more. It’s be up to the US Navy to decide when that day comes.

The Contract

Co-production
(click to view full)

 

July 20/17: Two Tomahawk vertically-launched cruise missiles have been successfully test-fired from the Virginia-class submarine USS North Dakota. The test aimed to verify the capabilities of the recently installed Block III Payload Tubes, designed to replace the original Virginia-classes 12 vertical launch missile tubes. Integration of the tubes are part of upgrades to the class’s missile launch systems—which includes the Virginia Payload Module launch system—and will triple the capacity for Tomahawks and allow greater flexibility for installing other vertical launch weapons systems. Improved Tomahawk Block IV missiles are expected to be deployed from 2019 and will be in the US Navy inventory beyond 2040.

March 23/15:
Navy officers are pushing for improved firepower for the Virginia-class submarines through the addition of four vertical launch tubes, representing a 76% increase in strike capability.

April 28/14: General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp. in Groton, CT received the $17.646 billion fixed-price incentive multi-year contract, which runs from FY 2014 – 2018 to order submarines 792 – 801. HII Newport News, VA will remain as the sub-contractor, and options for on-board repair parts in support of each submarine could bring the cumulative value to $17.828 billion. SSN 801, the last boat under this contract, is scheduled for delivery in 2023.

Work on this contract will be performed in Newport News, VA (24%); Groton, CT (18%); Quonset Point, RI (16%); Sunnyvale, CA (8%); Cheswick, PA (1.7%); Annapolis, MA (1.2%), and various sites throughout the United States (31.1%). Work is expected to be complete by August 2024.

This contract was procured sole source from Electric Boat Corp., pursuant to 10 United States Code 2304 (c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. US NAVSEA in Washington, DC manages the contract (N00024-12-C-2115). See also GD, “General Dynamics Awarded $18 Billion by U.S. Navy for 10 Virginia-Class Submarines” | Reuters, “General Dynamics, Huntington win huge U.S. Navy contract”.

Additional Readings

• US Navy Fact File – Attack Submarines.

• GD Electric Boat – Virginia Class.

• HII – US Navy Submarines.

• USN (Winter 1999) – The VIRGINIA Class: America’s Next Submarine

South Korea’s XK2
(click to view full)

Turkey’s tank fleet is currently made up of American M-48s and M-60s, some of which have been modernized with Israeli cooperation into M-60 Sabra tanks, plus a large contingent of German Leopard 1s and Leopard 2s. That is hardy surprising. America and Germany are Turkey’s 2 most important geopolitical relationships, and this is reflected in Turkey’s choice of defense industry partners. The country’s industrial offset requirements ensure that these manufacturers have a long history of local partnerships to draw upon.

In recent years, however, a pair of new players have begun to make an impact on the Turkish defense scene. One was Israel, whose firms specialized in sub-systems, upgrades, and UAVs. The other is the Republic of [South] Korea, who has made inroads in the Turkish market with turboprop training aircraft, mobile howitzers… and now, main battle tanks.

The Altay Program

Turkey’s Altay
(click to view full)

Turkey’s new tank is named after Gen. Fahrettin Altay, a cavalry commander in Turkey’s War of Independence. The tank will use a 120mm smoothbore gun, with the usual 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and a pintle-mounted 12.7mm machin gun up top. Compared to the ROK’s K2 Black Panther, the Altay is reportedly longer, with an added road wheel and a slightly modified turret. It may also carry heavier armor.

The 2008 System Development deal includes the production of 4 prototypes worth $70 million dollars, and technology transfer worth $330 million dollars.

Altay
click for video

Once development is complete, a second set of production contracts will be signed. The Turks’ official goal was to design, test, and build the first Altay tank in 6.5 years, which would place the event in early 2015. So far, 2015 remains the target date for production to begin.

Turkey reportedly plans to produce 200-250 of the tanks locally.

Industrial

Under this $400 million development deal, The Republic of Turkey will own all design and intellectual property rights to the final vehicle. Turkey’s Otokar will build the tanks in cooperation with various sub-contractors, including:

• South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem (XK2 Black Panther base design, expertise and parts as required, technical support system, C3I, help with modernization of Otokar’s factory in the northwestern province of Sakarya).
  
• Aselsan (fire control and C3I systems, other sub-systems)
  
• MTU Friedrichshafen (1,500 hp diesel engine. May be replaced by 1,800 hp Turkish engine if they can develop it)
  
• SSM’s STM group (C3I co-development with Aselsan)
  
• Turkish Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation, i.e. state-owned MKEK, (120mm/55 caliber main gun)
  
• Roketsan (Modular Armor Package)

Foreign companies are reportedly under consideration for key items beyond the engine, including armor and complex systems integration.

Contracts and Key Events

ROK governments have been building a formidable local defense industry as a matter of policy, and those efforts are beginning to win export sales around the globe. The Altay project is just the latest payoff.

Relations with Turkey have been especially warm, owing in part to the Turks’ heroic combat record in the Korean War. In recent years, that combination of warm relations and solid products has led to Turkish orders worth hundreds of millions of dollars for KT-1 turboprop training aircraft, and K-9/K-10 derived “Firtina” mobile howitzers. In July 2007, South Korea’s inroads became undeniable, as discussions began concerning a deal to develop Turkey’s next generation tanks. That was a major upset, but it had yet to coalesce into a deal. By the end of July 2008, however, the ink was dry on a deal that made Korea’s new XK2 the basis of Turkey’s co-produced Altay tank.

2016 – 2017

Altay unveiled
(click to view full)

July 20/17: Three Turkish defense firms will be asked to submit proposals to Turkey’s Altay tank program, which could reach beyond $10 billion. BMC, Otokar and FNSS—all private companies—will bid to secure a contract for the serial production of an initial batch of 250 Altay tanks, with Turkey planning to produce a total of 1,000 units. Ankara’s decision to include three bidders in the program comes after Otokar produced and successfully completed qualification tests of an Altay prototype, including mobility and endurance testing on rough terrain and climatic conditions, firing tests with various scenarios, and survivability testing. However, last month, the Turkish procurement agency deemed Otokar’s serial production sole-source offer as too expensive, instead opening up the competition to include other bidders.

June 16/17: Turkey has decided to ditch its sole-source negotiations with manufacturer Otokar for the serial production of the Altay tank, instead favoring to start an open bid for the same contract. Four prototypes were built by Otokar for developmental tests— successfully completed earlier this year—and clauses within the developmental allowed the firm, without competition, to make an offer for the serial production contract. However, Turkish procurement officials familiar with the Altay program, said that Otokar’s best and final offer failed to qualify for a single-source serial production contract. New bids are expected to be solicited by the end of the year, with FNSS and BMC expected to join Otokar in the new competition.

April 13/17: Despite issues with gaining certain technology transfers for the Altay, Turkey could begin serial production of the main battle tank as early as this May, according to Defense Minister Fikri Isik. Pakistan and some Gulf nations are believed to be lined up as potential customers for the vehicle. Talk of potential delays to the Altay surfaced when local contractor Tümosan was unable to continue working on providing a domestic diesel engine for the tank, after Austria’s AVL List GmbH, which it had as a technical support partner, ceased working with the Turkish firm amid concerns that the Turkish government were sliding on human rights issues. It now looks like Ankara may instead turn to Ukraine for help, with the Altay possibly adopting the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau’s (KMDB) 1,500 hp 6TD-3 diesel engine.

March 5/17: The Turkish government has cancelled an engine development contract for the Altay main battle tank (MBT) with Tümosan after the company’s failure to secure a new design and development partner to replace AVL List GmbH from Austria. Tümosan’s need to find a new partner came about in January after they were forced by Ankara to cancel the deal with AVL List GmbH due to Turkey’s concerns with emerging political and regulatory issues in Austria, namely the Austrian government’s insistence on issuing export licenses with conditions. Speaking on the announcement, Tümosan cited reluctance from supplier governments to transfer technology and intellectual property and Turkey’s post-coup political events as major challenges in their ability to secure a new partner.

March 1/16: The Turkish government has granted land to defense firm BMC to relocate and build a new plant. The 222-hectare site will see $430 million invested by the company into the expansion with the plant believed to be operational within two years. BMC is currently bidding for the serial production of the indigenous Altay battle tank, which has been developed by rival company Otokar. While the bidding process has yet to begin, the winners would see a contract to produce up to 1,000 Altays after an initial run of 250 for the Turkish Army.

January 21/16: Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) has announced that a number of parties have expressed interest in purchasing their indigenous new generation main battle tank, the Altay. Those that may look to make purchases are regional allies, including a number of Gulf countries and Pakistan. Saudi Arabia in particular has been expressing keen interest after officials from these countries were invited to observe firing tests of the tank. While still in development, and a manufacturer for serial production is yet to be announced, the interest seemingly generated may lead to some big business for Ankara in the coming years.

2011 – 2014

Nov 18/14: XK-2. South Korea’s WON 2+ trillion (about $1.84 billion) XK-2 tank project, which served as the basis for Altay, has experienced delays due to technical difficulties. Acceleration performance has been a particular issue, and the ROK plans to field it with a locally-made engine and transmission by 2017. So far, about 100 K-2 Black Panther tanks have been deployed in Korea. Sources: Yonhap, “S. Korea to put K-2 combat tank into full service by 2017”.

Feb 27/14: Engines. While talking to reporters about Airbus’ A400M contract, Undersecretary for Defense Murad Bayar mentions that:

“Turkey’s Altay tank’s engine must be made in the country. There are also proposals from two Turkish companies to produce the engine in Turkey.”

It’s a blow to initial engine provider MTU Friedrichshafen. Whether it ends up affecting the tank depends on whether Turkish firms produce an engine in time, with adequate performance, efficiency and reliability. Sources: Anatolia News Agency, “Airbus and Turkey Dispute Over A400M Military Aircraft”.

Nov 14/13: Industrial shift? SSM’s chief, Murad Bayar, tells Defense News that they’re looking at a different approach to Altay’s production contract. Koc-owned Otokar is very likely to remain the main manufacturer, but they’re reportedly considering a consortium/ cooperative approach composed of Turkish and even foreign firms. Politics is playing a strong role:

“Otokar is owned by Turkey’s biggest business conglomerate, Koc Holding, whose defense business may be a casualty of a row between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and one of its top executives after a month of civil unrest that battered the Turkish government. In one incident during June demonstrations, protesters tried to escape police tear gas and pepper spray by taking refuge in a posh Istanbul hotel, Divan, owned by Koc. Hotel management admitted the protesters to its lobby, but police fired more tear gas and pepper spray into the hotel lobby, although it is illegal to fire these chemicals into indoor spaces.”

The Erdogan government’s response was to relax the laws regarding police conduct, while calling the youthful protesters “terrorists” and promising to punish firms that helped them in any way. Koc has already lost a contract to build “Milgem” corvettes, so suspicions of a political motive over Altay are well founded. Defense News, “Turkey Mulling ‘Big Team’ for Tank Production” | Hurriyet Daily News, “Koc’s defense business a casualty of feud with government?” | Wikipedia, 2013 Protests in Turkey.

Nov 15/12: With about $500 million invested in development to date, Otokar officially rolls out its first 2 Altay tank prototypes at its Sakarya plant. Prototype #1 is already in use for mobility tests, with over 2,000km of mileage under its treads. Prototype #2 will be used for firing tests. Any changes will feed back into the design and construction of prototypes #3-4.

Kudret ONEN, Head of Koc Holding Defence Industry Group and Otokar’s Chairman of the Board, says that the project currently has 550 engineers (260 at Otokar), and nearly 100 subcontractors. Mass production is still promised for 2015. Otokar [in Turkish].

Rollout

June 11/12: Update. While announcing its vehicle lineup for Eurosatory 2012, Otokar provides a project update:

“The first phase of the project, ‘Conceptual Design Process’, has been completed in 2010. And we presented the full-scale model, which reflects the concept design of ALTAY, at IDEF Exhibition, last year. In scope of the ‘Detailed Design Process’ which is the second and the most critical phase of the project, ‘Preliminary Design Phase’, has been successfully completed by the last quarter of 2011. During this phase, manufacturing of prototypes took start in line with this process. Following the completion of the Second Phase, we’re planning to start the ‘Prototype Development and Qualification Phase’ which is the third and the last phase. In scope of the project plan we continue investing in the first prototype of the ALTAY tank which will be ready for testing by the last quarter of this year. In addition to our existing facilities within Otokar plant, we have recently established a new Tank Test Center with an investment of USD 10 million.”

March 27/12: SSM’s plan. Turkey’s SSM procurement agency has unveiled their new 5-year strategic plan, with timetables for key acquisitions. The plan commits to begin deliveries of the Altay tank by 2015. Hurriyet Daily News

2005 – 2010

XK2, firing
(click to view larger)

July 6/09: US Pressure on Israel. The Jerusalem Post reports that the USA had pressured Israel out of Turkey’s tank competition, in order to give American firms better odds. Israel would have entered the competition with a strong position to build on. Turkey’s existing M-60 tanks were heavily modernized by Israeli firms, based on the same “Sabra” modification set that Israel used on its own M60s. Beyond Sabra, Israel’s current Merkava family tanks are purpose-built for the needs of warfare in the Middle East, with unique features for urban warfare and counter-terrorism conflicts.

Within a couple of years, worsening relations between Turkey’s Islamist government and Israel made any such project unthinkable anyway.

July 30/08: Representatives of the Turkish and South Korean governments sign the $400 million System Design & Development Memorandum of Understanding, making the Altay tank project a reality. This contract does not include the mass production process. The South Korean Defense Ministry added that:

“The signing of the contract on the ROK-Turkey technology cooperation in tank development is expected to greatly help boost the cooperation between the two countries in the defense industry sector, while the Ministry of Defense and the DAPA plan to provide full support to ensure smooth technology cooperation throughout the entire process of tank development from designing to production and testing.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Lee held ministerial talks with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara on July 28/08, in which the two agreed to continue building a cooperative relationship between their militaries…”

See: ROK Ministry of Defense | Otokar Aug 1/08 release | KOIS | Korea Times |Turkish Daily News (beforehand) | Turkish Daily News (post-deal) | Today’s Zaman (Turkey) | Aviation Week Ares | Agence France Presse.

Altay Development MoU

March 2007: According to a resolution adopted at the meeting of the National Defence Executive Committee, the Turkish government decides to begin contract negotiations with Otokar, as the nominee for prime contractor.

February 2007: Bid evaluation process, aiming to appoint the prime contractor, is completed in February 2007.

July 2006: RFP bids are submitted by Otokar’s team, and by the BMC-FNSS Consortium.

FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.S. makes some of Turkey’s armored personnel carriers; it is a joint venture between BAE Systems and the Turkish Nurol Group. BMC Sanaye Ve Ticaret A.S. makes wheeled vehicles and trucks for the Turkish armed forces, and is part of the large Turkish conglomerate Cukurova Holding.

February 2006: SSM issues the project’s Request for Proposals.

RFP

April 2005: Feasibility study complete. The path forward is defined as “designing and development of the main battle tank inside Turkey by getting technical support and assistance from abroad whenever required.”

2005: The Turkish SSM defense procurement agency charges a 3-firm Turkish industrial consortium with a feasibility study to determine the production pattern for the Turkish National Main Battle Tank Project.

Additional Readings

• Turkish SSM procurement agency – Turkish National Main Battle Tank Project

• Army Technology – Altay Main Battle Tank, Turkey

• Wikipedia – K2 Black Panther

• Otokar corporate site

• Yonhap news service (May 27/08) – Seoul, Istanbul seal agreement on logistics cooperation. Military logistics, involving security of ammunition supply and other commodities in peace or war. This is an important agreement, and its signature makes the ROK’s status as a major Turkish arms supplier official.

July 19, 2017 (JUBA) - Reporters Without Borders also known as Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) Wednesday has called for the release of the director of South Sudan's state-owned national TV broadcaster, SSBC, detained since nine days ago by the security service.

Adil Faris Mayat (Photo from his page on Twitter)

Adil Faris Mayat has been arrested on 10 July after the station failed to relay a live broadcast of President Salva Kiir's speech during the sixth independence day anniversary held on 9 July.

According to RSF, Mayat attributed this failure of the live broadcast to technical problems. However, the South Sudanese officials were angered considered it as an act meant to undermine the South Sudanese president.

“We call for this journalist's immediate release,” said Cléa Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk. “Frequent arbitrary measures of this kind by the security services and the accompanying impunity are killing media freedom in South Sudan and are holding back a return to peace and national reconciliation,” he said.

The director of the official TV station is detained without charges.

The freedom of information advocacy group further said that his family or lawyer have no information about his whereabouts or the conditions in which he is being held.

South Sudan has fallen 20 places in RSF's World Press Freedom Index since 2015 and is now ranked 145th out of 180 countries.

(ST)

July 19, 2017 (RIYADH) - Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir Tuesday said his country would continue its efforts to improve Sudan's relations with the United States and to lift the economic sanctions imposed on Sudan.

The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir has arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the second leg of an Arab Gulf tour that also took him to the UAE.

Last week, al-Bashir decided to suspend the participation of his government in a joint committee on the permanent revocation of sanctions in response to a decision by President Donald Trump to postpone his decision on the embargo for three months.

However, he agreed to a Saudi request to continue positive engagement with the U.S. administration and its official agencies for the permanent lift of economic sanctions on Khartoum.

In a joint statement with his Sudanese counterpart at the end of al-Bashir's visit to Riyadh Tuesday, al-Jubeir said they believe that Khartoum made significant progress to lift the economic sanctions and remove its name from the U.S. list of states sponsors of terror.

“We would continue our efforts in coordination with our brothers in Sudan and other brothers in the region to find a solution to return this situation to normal so that Sudan could focus on development, economy and prosperity,” he said.

Last January, former U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order easing the 19-year Sudan sanctions on a probationary basis. The sanctions relief was to become permanent on 12 July unless the U.S. Administration acted to stop it.

On 12 July, Washington said it needs to discuss with Khartoum the human rights situation and religious freedom in the east African country, besides its commitment to UN sanctions on North Korea.

It is noteworthy that Sudan was placed on the U.S. terrorism list in 1993 over allegations it was harbouring Islamist militants working against regional and international targets.

Despite intense lobbying by Khartoum, the U.S. administration kept Sudan on the terrorism list drawing frustration and rebuke from Sudanese officials.

Ahead of President Trump's decision on sanctions relief on 12 July, the U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said her country has no plans to remove Sudan from the list of states that sponsor terrorism.

“I can tell you one thing, and that is the designation of Sudan as a state sponsor of terror will remain,” she said.

COMBATING TERRORISM

Meanwhile, al-Jubeir said the talks between King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with President al-Bashir on Tuesday have dealt with regional developments and ways to combat extremism and terrorism.

“The two countries are key partners in the Islamic [military] alliance to fight terrorism and extremism and partners in the coalition to support the legitimacy in Yemen and the two countries are also partners in the work to combat extremism and terrorism financing,” he said.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt severed ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting Islamist terrorist groups and arch-foe Iran. But Doha vehemently denies the charges.

Sudan is among the Arab states that refused to take part in the ongoing diplomatic crisis and declared its support for the Kuwaiti efforts to settle the rift.

(ST)

July 19, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan's Defence Minister Awad Ibn Ouf Wednesday discussed with the head of UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Jean-Pierre Lacroix the implementation of the Security Council's resolution to reduce the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

Last month, the UNSC unanimously approved a resolution to extend the mandate of the UNAMID until 30 June 2018 and to reduce by a half its troops.

The hybrid mission will be reduced by withdrawing the military personnel by 44% and that of the police component by 30%, the closure of 11 team sites in the first phase and the withdrawal of the military component from another 7 team sites in the second phase.

According to the official news agency SUNA, Ibn Ouf praised UNAMID's efforts to achieve peace and stability in Sudan, welcoming the U.N. decision to downsize the mission.

He said the decision indicates the stability of security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, expressing hope that the mission would continue its efforts to convince the rebel movements to join the peace and dialogue process.

The defence minister further expressed army's readiness to provide all forms of assistance and facilities to enable the mission to implement the reduction decision in coordination with the joint committees formed for this purpose.

For his part, Lacroix thanked the Ministry of Defence, hoping for further coordination in order to achieve the desired goals and make a positive shift in peace-related issues, including empowering the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) to carry out its duty and to complete the Joint Monitoring and Verification Committees.

The newly appointed French diplomat will visit Abyei to meet UNISFA chief and inspect the situation in the disputed border area, after what he will move to South Sudan to meet South Sudanese officials and UN peacekeeping mission in the restive country.

The hybrid mission has been deployed in Darfur since December 2007 with a mandate to stem violence against civilians in the western Sudan's region.

It is the world's second largest international peacekeeping force with an annual budget of $1.35 billion and almost 20,000 troops.

(ST)

July 19, 2017 (JUBA) - South Sudan president Salva Kiir has assigned the governor of Tonj state, Aker Tong Aleu, to spearhead the state of emergency situation he declared in Wau, Aweil East, Gogrial and parts of Tonj states.

President Salva Kiir addresses the nation from the State House on September 15, 2015, in Juba (Photo AFP/Charles Atiki Lomodong)

Aleu is expected to visit each of the states where emergency was declared or summon the governor in each of the state for briefings and provide guide on what needed to be done to improve the security situation in these areas.

He said it was an honour to oversee the security situation in the four states for three months. Some of the area where emergency was declared have witnessed significant unrest in past months, mainly communal conflicts in Gogrial, Jonglei and Tonj states.

Observers have, however, interpreted the order to mean an attempt by the president to deter supporters of the former chief of staff Paul Malong Awan from resorting to armed opposition in protest over the manner in which he was treated.

Awan remains under confinement since he returned to capital, Juba, after he abruptly left immediately following the announcement of his removal from the position. All his supporters in the military and other key institutions have been removed from influential positions and placed under strict security surveillance.

Kiir on Tuesday convened an emergency meeting of the national security committee in the capital, Juba a day after declaring a state of emergency in parts of the country.

The meeting followed the communal clashes in four states. The state of emergency covered parts of Aweil East, Wau, Gogrial and Jonglei states.

The order did not mention which specific places in the state were affected. It not known which areas will be affected since such a declaration is usually followed by the introduction of special measures such as increased powers for the police or army, usually connected to civil unrest or natural disasters like earthquakes.

Martial laws apply for civil unrest in the area and in most cases, the measures affect operations of local schools and other economic activities since it hampers movement.

(ST)

The Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), the French procurement agency, awarded a tender on 12 July to Air France International/KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) for the manintenance in operational condition (MCO) and cockpit upgrade of the French Air Force's

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