BRUSSELS, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- France transfers more anti-tank missile technology to India
Under a new license agreement, state-owned Bharat Dynamics Ltd. of India will produce at least 4,000 Milan 2T missiles developed by French company MBDA, Defense News reported last week.
The Milan 2T is an anti-tank guided missile that, unlike the standard Milan missile, has a tandem warhead, making it effective against special armor for explosives on tanks.
The Indian army already has ordered its first batch of Milan 2Ts at a bargain-basement price of about $14,000 per unit. The missile will be manufactured at factories in India, just as the regular Milan has been since 1983.
The Indian army will use the new Milan 2Ts for infantry and anti-tank operations. The Indian air force is also said to be interested in the advanced Milan technology and its possible adaptations.
Reports say MBDA and Bharat Dynamics are allegedly also in talks about technology transfer of the Milan Extended Range version.
Finnish army on $1.1B arms spending spree
Finland plans to spend up to $1.1 billion on military equipment procurement this year, according to its Ministry of Finance. Despite the global financial crisis, Finland will be one of the few European countries to boost its defense spending.
The Finnish Defense Forces have concluded they will have to raise their current $3.2 billion defense budget by $130 million to $150 million to offset inflation and the soaring cost of defense equipment. Finland also participates in many international peacekeeping missions, putting additional strain on the nation's defense budget.
According to the revised estimates, Finland will spend almost a third of its defense budget on procurement this year.
EADS tipped to win Saudi radar contract
The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. looks the hot favorite to win a lucrative contract to supply Saudi Arabia with a new radar system, French newspaper Les Echos reported last week.
The contract for a network of radars to monitor Saudi Arabia's long land borders with Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Yemen and other adjacent nations is believed to be worth at least $1.3 billion and possibly as much as $1.95 billion.
Thales of France and Raytheon of the United States also have been seeking the contract.
EADS has refused to confirm that a deal already has been struck, but company spokesmen have acknowledged that negotiations are continuing with the Saudi government in Riyadh.
GDUK wins "friendly fire" prevention system contract
General Dynamics UK has won a British Ministry of Defense contract to develop a new combat identification system that will allow soldiers to rapidly identify forces from their own side on the battlefield, Defense News reported last week.
The consortium includes QinetiQ and Rockwell Collins. It won the $4.42 million development contract against competition from BAE Systems, IBM Defense and Northrop Grumman.
GDUK and its industry partners plan to create a Joint Data Network Combat Identification Server that will fuse blue-force tracking data from a range of different network servers.
The project is to be completed by June 2010. The consortium companies hope the Ministry of Defense will then approve funding to purchase the completed system.
The proposed system will be especially useful in Afghanistan, where British forces have suffered from a number of "friendly fire" incidents.
