Jordan: Saxon KADDB light wheeled personnel carrier

Saxon is a wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) capable of travelling across rough terrain and fording water obstacles up to 90cm depth. The vehicle has excellent battlefield mobility and is extremely versatile.

The Saxon was manufactured by GKN Defence and the first units for the British Army were delivered in late 1983. During the Special Operations Forces Exhibition, SOFEX 2010, KADDB presented an upgraded version of the Saxon. The vehicle was intially developped bu UK to regular infantry units and formations. The Saxon is intended to carry ten soldiers including driver and commander. KADDB has been working to transfer the steering system and all related sub-system (brake and diesel pedals, parking brake, and dash board) from the right hand side to the left hand side to be suitable for JAF (Jordanian Armed Forces) use and to meet the Jordanian traffic.

Chinese Naval J-11s Spotted in the Open

DCIn early May Chinese military websites featured images outside the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation factory indicating that new single- and twin-seat J-11 fighters are probably being produced for the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF).

The images showed J-11s in a very light grey livery consistent with the PLANAF's Sukhoi Su-30MKK2 fighters, 24 (one regiment) of which were delivered in 2004. The single-seat fighters reportedly have the designation J-11BH, a new variant of the J-11B, which in turn is Shenyang's significantly modified version of Sukhoi's Su-27SK that Shenyang began co-producing after a 1998 agreement. These will be accompanied by a version of the twin-seat J-11BS, identifiable in the recent images by its taller twin vertical stabilisers. In PLANAF service this aircraft will reportedly be designated the J-11BSH.

China's appropriation of Sukhoi's design - without contract or compensation - has resulted in considerable unease among Russian officials, who have also repeatedly expressed their scepticism as to whether China could copy the Su-27SK or go on to produce improved versions, such as a carrier-capable variant.

Armed Forces unification is not an easy task: VP

The structure of the UAE federation would have not been completed without a common defence policy under the command of a united national army, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum affirmed today.

'This was not an easy task as in most contemporary unitary models the job of unification of several armies into one army was the toughest mission. The costs were heavy but our founding fathers overcame this hardship with their wisdom.

They took the unification process step by step until they built a strong army that became the shield of the nation and defender of its sovereignty, independence and its gains and deter all adventurers and plotters,' Sheikh Mohammed said in an a statement to Dira' Al Watan Magazine on the occasion of 34th anniversary of the Armed Forces Unification Day which falls on 6th May.

'The 6th of May 1976 will remain a bright day in our life, and will be cherished in our history, consciousness and national memory. Sheikh Mohammed said, describing as an epic the building and transformation of the armed forces from small, scattered and primitively armed units into a national army having a common defence doctrine, one command, and one flag.

The Vice President said that he had the honour to see over the last 34 years the evolution of the armed forces and how the dream turned into a reality and how the seed grew into a big tree with bumper fruits.

Sheikh Mohammed called on the armed forces officers and personnel to maintain their firm faith, high morale and good attributes and to turn enthusiastically to training, developing their capacities and sharpen their knowledge to keep abreast of the modern age.

Sheikh Mohammed renewed allegiance to President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and paid tribute to him for his unstinted care and support for advancement of the armed forces to become one of the most competent and sophisticated armies in the region and the world at large.

Sheikh Mohammed also congratulated Their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates and paid special credit to H.H. Gen. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who dedicated himself to the development, armament and modernisation of the armed forces.

ADSB Q1 net profit soars to $7.4m

Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB), a leading builder and integrator of military/paramilitary vessels in the Middle East region, said its first-quarter profit rose to Dh27 million ($7.35 million) from Dh10.7 million ($2.91 million) last year.

Announcing the results on Sunday, ADSB chief executive officer, William S. Saltzer said the growth in profit was attributable in part to increased activity on new contracts that the company had signed with the Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA) and the UAE Navy in the second and third quarter of 2009.

Progress on other existing projects has been in line with expectations and gross profit margin has been fairly consistent at 30 per cent, said a company statement.

Although more work was done in this quarter compared to the same quarter of last year, ADSB had been able to maintain the same level of general and administrative expenses, the statement added.

'This explains the higher net profits, both in terms of amount and in terms of net profit percentage (13 per cent compared to six per cent in the same quarter of last year),' Saltzer noted.

In addition, cost savings and some exchange rate gains were achieved on some projects that completed during late 2009 and early 2010, he added.

According to him, the ADSB is gearing up towards launching the second ‘Baynunah’ Class 72m Naval Corvette in mid-2010 which will mark the completion of another significant milestone in this very important project for both the company and the UAE Navy.

'The first ship was launched in France in June last year. Construction on ships 2-6 in Abu Dhabi is advancing as per planned production schedules.'

Among the other main projects, the company is also building 34 High Speed 16m composite Interceptor boats for the CNIA, 12 aluminum missile patrol boats (26m) for UAE Navy and two 42m Naval Landing Craft for the Bahrain Navy.

ASDB, said Saltzer, had transferred and subcontracted some of its operations to its joint ventures to achieve the full potential of their core competencies.

'At the moment we have two joint ventures set up, namely Abu Dhabi Systems Integration (ADSI) which is a partnership with Selex Systemi Integrati from Italy and Gulf Logistics and Naval Support (GLNS), a partnership with UK-based BAE Surface Fleet.

These investments are expected to contribute positively to our earnings and support our long term growth, he pointed out.

On the 2010 outlook, the ADSB chief said, 'We are looking forward to significant growth in the logistics and long term support business through new contracts and through the performance of our joint venture company Gulf Logistics and Naval Support, which officially began operations in Q4 2009 and is expanding rapidly.'

'While we continue to pursue additional avenues of growth, we are also cognizant of the effects of the international economic downturn and the effects it has on our customers and on our own internal costs,' he added.