Brazil seeking to increas arms exports to Africa

Brazil is expanding its arms sales and presence in the African arms market.

Brazilian manufacturer Embraer is having more success in Africa than in the United States with its winning light aircraft Super Tucano, which is challenging rivals’ market share in the category.

Embraer’s only deal for the turboprop in the United States collapsed last month after the U.S. Air Force unexpectedly canceled an order for 20 planes to support operations in Afghanistan.

It also dashed hopes of a resulting manufacturing plant creating U.S. jobs in an Embraer partnership with independent defense manufacturer Sierra Nevada Corp.

The cancellation created a diplomatic furor that cast a shadow on Boeing’s bid to win a multibillion fighter jet contract in Brazil.

While the Air Force Super Tucano goes through the motions of diplomacy and commercial rivalry, amid U.S. official assurances the aircraft may still win the deal, Embraer is using its substantial marketing resources and financial incentives to secure customers elsewhere.

The EMB 314 Super Tucano, also known as ALX or A-29, is a machine made for financially strapped armed forces, defense analysts said, citing its competitive upfront outlay and running costs.

A turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counterinsurgency, close air support and aerial reconnaissance missions in low threat environments, the Super Tucano is also good at providing pilot training.

Embraer’s success so far lies in the plane’s low cost of $9 million-14 million apiece and operational costs of $430-$500 an hour — factors that drew the Air Force to the aircraft before the deal got snarled up in controversy with rival U.S. manufacturers.

Embraer said it booked $180 million in orders for the Super Tucano to be deployed in counterinsurgency and border missions in Angola, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

The aircraft is used by the Brazilian air force in similar roles in the Amazonian border region, where Brazil faces drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

Burkina Faso already has received three aircraft for border patrol missions, Embraer said. Another six will be supplied to Angola’s air force, three of them this year.

Details of the Mauritanian order, due for delivery next year, weren’t immediately available. It was also not clear if the three African countries paid the same price. With the total number of aircraft unknown, defense analysts said they remained unclear about the price paid by each of the countries for their aircraft.

The Super Tucano was a star exhibit at the just ended FIDAE defense and air show in Santiago, Chile.

Embraer Defense and Security President Luiz Carlos Aguiar said, “The Super Tucano is highly efficient and presents low operating costs.

“Its capability for surveillance and counter-insurgency missions makes it ideal for service on the continent of Africa.”

Brazilian government support has helped Embraer score successes in markets that would be inaccessible to U.S. rivals because of congressional constraints and administration policies on qualifying recipient countries for U.S.-made military equipment.

The African arms market is gradually expanding every year. With weapons buyers like Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, to name a few, the sector looks attractive to foreign sellers whether they’re from Russia, Europe, the U.S. and now Latin America in the case with Brazil.

U.S. Army Africa Command on their mission in Africa

USARAF Commander, MG David Hogg, giving us insight on their mission in Africa.

Atlas Accord Relationships

From Mali, West Africa, features a story on the strength of military relationships, with COL Reggie Sanders, co-director of Exercise Atlas Accord. The Atlas Accord is an annual exercise that brings together more than 300 U.S Army personnel, Military members and seven nations. Atlas Accord 2012 focused on enhancing air drop capabilities and ensures effective delivery of military resupply materials and humanitarian aid. African troops learned how to secure a drop zone in adverse conditions.

Russia to deliver 120 T-90 main battle tanks to Algeria

T-90 main battle tank

Algeria will be buying 120 T-90 main battle tanks from Russia.

Algeria has signed a contract with Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport for 120 additional T-90 main battle tanks. In 2006 Algeria purchased 180 of the type. Algeria signed the contract for the T-90s in September last year, according to the Russian daily economic newspaper Vedomosti, which quoted sources close to Rosoboronexport and Russian Technologies. The 120 tanks are valued at around US$470 million. “These contracts were concluded on a background of increasing instability, after the revolts in Tunisia, Egypt and the war in Libya,” said the newspaper. In 2009 Rosoboronexport completed deliveries of 180 T-90s to Algeria. Russia has concluded billions of dollars worth of deals with Algeria, which is ranked as the world’s eighth largest weapons importer and accounts for 13% of Russian arms sales, Pravda reports. Other Russian weapons purchases include two Tiger (Project 20382 corvettes, two Project 636 Improved Kilo class submarines, MiG-29, Su-30MK and Yak-130 aircraft and S-300 surface-to-air missiles. Algeria bought much of the weaponry as part of a massive arms package worth US$7.5 billion during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Algeria in March 2006. The deal included the purchase of 28 Sukhoi Su-30MKA and 34 MiG-29 multirole fighters (28 single-seat MiG-29SMTs and six two-seat MiG-29UBTs) as well as eight batteries of S-300PMU-2 air-defence missile systems and 24 Almaz-Antei 2S6M Tunguska 30 mm/SA-19 self-propelled air-defence systems. Deliveries of the MiG-29s was suspended and the 15 aircraft that had arrived returned to Russia following quality problems, but the Su-30s were accepted without issue. In addition, Russia will deliver 30 T-90s to Turkmenistan after signing a contract late last year. Russia is also in talks with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia, reports Pravda. Under a 2010 contract Russia supplied Turkmenistan with 10 tanks. The recent orders are scheduled to make Russia the world’s largest tank exporter this year ahead of China, according to Mikhail Barabanov, the editor of Moscow Defence Brief. Last year Russia exported a record US$13.2 billion in weapons last year, despite losing Arab clients, such as Libya, during the Arab Spring and facing stiff competition from China. A quarter of sales went to India and 15% went to Algeria last year, Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation chief Mikhal Dmitriyev was quoted by Vedomosti as saying. This year Russia plans to export US$13.5 billion of weaponry, up from US$10.4 billion in 2010. Vladimir Putin has pledged to give Uralvagonzavod, which makes the T-90, 64 billion roubles (US$2.165 billion) over the next few years. Although Russia has embarked on a massive military modernisation programme, it does not plan to buy T-90s for its army for a while as it is cheaper to upgrade T-72s. However, earlier this month Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that the Russian army will continue to buy armored vehicles, despite comments by the Chief of  Staff of the Armed Forces, Army General Nikolai Makarov, who stated that the Russian Ministry of Defense in the next five years will not make such purchases. The T-90 is a modernised version of the T-72, but although developed from the T-72, it uses a 125 mm 2A46 smoothbore tank gun, a new engine, and thermal sights. Standard protective measures include a blend of steel, composite armour, and Kontakt-5 explosive-reactive armour, laser warning receivers, Nakidka camouflage and the Shtora infrared anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) jamming system.

Algeria has been on an arms buying spree ranging from its navy to its army. Though it faces no major enemy, invasion, the Algeria’s armed forces are directed towards the country’s western border with Morocco and Western Sahara, areas which territorial disputes. Previous arms deal between Russia and Algeria was covered here. Here is some video of the T-90 in action

Chinese navy flotilla heads for escort mission in Gulf of Aden

Chinese Destroyer "Qingdao".

The 11th Chinese naval escort flotilla, consisting of destroyer “Qingdao”, frigate “Yantai” and comprehensive supply ship “Huishanhu”, departed from Qingdao on Feb 27 for their escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and help  in the fight against Piracy in Somali waters to protect commercial ships from pirate attacks.  This is now common practice to have Chinese naval ships patrol in African waters. The activity has grown steadily the past few years as we have covered it.

France’s defense minister visits Libya, deepen ties between both nations

French defense minister Gerard Longuet

To build and improve ties under the new leadership in Libya, France’s defense minister Gerard Longuet arrived in Tripoli on Friday on a three-day visit to the country.

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet arrived in Tripoli on Friday on a three-day visit designed to boost cooperation with Libya, an AFP reporter said.

The trip comes shortly after the North African nation celebrated the first anniversary of the start of a popular revolt that toppled the regime of Moamer Kadhafi.

Longuet is expected to meet senior officials including Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the ruling National Transitional Council, and Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib, on how to boost ties between the two countries.

Longuet is also scheduled to visit the war-ravaged coastal city of Misrata and Benghazi in the east, where the uprising started.

Libya and France agreed to increase cooperation in maritime security and controlling the North African country’s borders.  Being strategically placed joining Africa and the Mediterranean makes it exposed.  Neighboring states, especially those across the Mediterranean in Europe are worried about Libya’s capacity to secure its Mediterranean coast, which can be used as a gateway into Europe for arms traffickers, al-Qaeda insurgents and illegal migrants.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta visits Djibouti

U.S. Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, visited Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti . Since 2002, Djibouti – a former French colony – has played host to the only permanent U.S. military base on the African continent. Camp Lemonnier has grown steadily from a small outpost to an operation with more than 3,500 military personnel, most of them dedicated to combating terrorism in Somalia, Yemen and other countries in the region.

Panetta gave his best holiday wishes to the troops dressed in desert-camouflage but then got right to his point about Djibouti’s geographic significance: its location sandwiched between Yemen and Somalia, both of which are home to al-Qaeda networks.

Djibouti is known as a base from which the military has used drones to conduct airstrikes against terrorist targets in Yemen and Somalia. More recently, the military has also expanded drone operations from bases in Ethiopia, the Seychelles, and a secret location in the Arabian Peninsula.

Egyptian Air Force Orders Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod For F-16′s

Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod

Egyptian Air Force (EAF) has confirmed the purchase of Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) to equip its F-16 aircraft purchased under the Peace Vector program.  Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) offers precision targeting and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (NTISR) in a single lightweight system.

Egypt has become the 13th international customer for Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, the company announced.

The system provides precision targeting and non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in a single light-weight system.

The Egyptian air force selected Sniper to equip its F-16 aircraft purchased under the Peace Vector program.

“The Egyptian air force is a well-established customer of Lockheed Martin targeting systems, having flown LANTIRN targeting pods since the early 1990s,” said Hugh Woods, international program manager in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business.

“We are eager to ensure that EAF pilots have access to advanced targeting and NTISR capabilities by outfitting Peace Vector aircraft with Sniper.”

Sniper ATP provides critical long-range, positive target identification, enhancing an aircrew’s ability to detect and analyze ground targets while dramatically decreasing risks posed by enemy air defenses.

The system’s stable, automatic tracking and laser designation of targets, along with a video datalink with metadata, ensure pilots can visually identify threats in day/night conditions and share imagery with ground troops.

With this order, the EAF joins the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard and 12 international allies in fielding Sniper ATP’s.

Egyptian Air Force is already using LANTIRN targeting pods with its F-16 fighter jets.  Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) offers ability of long range detection, automatic tracking and laser designation of targets through its a multi-spectral sensor high-resolution, mid-wave third-generation FLIR, CCD-TV, laser spot tracker and a laser marker.

Here is a video promo by Lockheed Martin about the Pods

Japan will send troops to South Sudan as part of United Nations led nation-building force

Japan will send troops to South Sudan as part of a UN force.

Japan on Tuesday approved a plan to send a unit of ground troops to South Sudan as part of a UN nation-building force, where they are expected to help construct infrastructure for the fledgling nation.

Japan’s military, called the Self-Defence Forces, is barred from fighting overseas under the country’s pacifist post-World War II constitution, but it has joined UN peacekeeping forces in countries such as East Timor and Haiti.

Under the latest plan, troops will be deployed to the South Sudanese capital of Juba — which is considered relatively safe — but will be permitted to use weapons in self-defence.

The troops, mostly engineers and logistical staff, are expected to help repair or build roads, bridges and infrastructure in the landlocked African country, which declared independence from Sudan in July after a long civil war.

Defence Minister Yasuo Ichikawa ordered the Self-Defence Forces to prepare for deployment and await further instructions on their mission, a defence ministry official said.

Japan has contributed military forces to several non-combat operations overseas

“I’ve always thought that the engineering unit of the Self-Defence Forces should play a role, so that they can leave footprints in South Sudan’s nation-building,” Ichikawa told reporters.

“As we start the new mission, it is important for Japan to show the world that we are playing a role in the international community,” he said.

Japan, which has already dispatched two fact-finding teams to South Sudan, is looking at sending the first batch of about 200 troops early next year to establish bases, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tsuyoshi Saito said.

The main unit of around 300 troops will replace them later, he said.

South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, became a member of the United Nations on July 14 and joined the African Union on July 28.

Japan has contributed military forces to other non-combat operations, including the reconstruction mission in Iraq and as part of anti-piracy patrols off Somalia.

Japan recently has began to reestablish a presence on the international scene with its military. With regards to Africa, Japan opened up its first military base overseas in Djibouti.  The base was part of international coalition in helping stop piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Not just using hard power to spread its influence, Japan has also been using soft power in Africa by saying it will invest billions on the continent.

U.S. Marines help train members of the Djiboutian military in combat life-saving techniques

Members of the Djiboutian military took part in exercises to increase their skills in combat life-saving techniques recently. The soldiers invited members of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa to offer advice and best practices for a crucial skill in combat. Techniques in C-L-S include splinting, tourniquets, and quick bandaging during stressful situations. These skills are often crucial to saving lives on the battlefield.