DTN News: Enstrom Helicopter Wins Royal Thai Army Training Programme

DTN News: Enstrom Helicopter Wins Royal Thai Army Training Programme

Source: DTN News / Enstrom Helicopter Corporation (NSI News Source Info) MENOMINEE, MI. - February 28, 2010: Enstrom Helicopter Corporation would like to announce that they will be providing 16 480B advanced turbine training helicopters for the Royal Thai Army.

The 480B was selected in a competitive bidding process that included aircraft from 7 different major manufacturers. In October Enstrom hosted a delegation of officials from the Royal Thai Army led by Major General Pittaya Krachangwong, who came to Menominee to inspect Enstrom’s manufacturing facilities and fly the different models of Enstrom helicopters.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with the Royal Thai Army,” said Jerry Mullins, Enstrom’s President and CEO. “The 480B turbine helicopter was originally designed for military instruction, and although it has had great success in the commercial market, it’s nice to see it being recognized as a great training ship as well. The Royal Thai Army’s visit has given them the confidence to go forward with Enstrom, now and in the future.”

Along with General Pittaya, three other experienced Royal Thai Army pilots flew the Enstrom 480B and piston powered F28F. “The said it was almost too easy to fly,” commented David Blake of Blake & DeJong Ltd., Enstrom’s Managing Representative in Asia. “None of them have ever flown the 480B before, but they were able to take the controls and immediately felt comfortable enough to fly a number of maneuvers. This will be a great training helicopter for the Royal Thai Army.”

Beyond just training, the Royal Thai Army intends to use their new 480Bs for a number of missions. “Avionics-wise, these new 480B’s are going to be some of more advanced aircraft in the Royal Thai Army’s inventory,” said Enstrom’s Director of Sales & Marketing, Tracy Biegler. “When we explained to the Royal Thai Army firsthand some of the features and capabilities of the EFIS system and the tactical radios, it really opened their eyes. These aircraft will have the ability to do a lot more than just training, such as search and rescue, surveillance, and disaster relief. The Royal Thai Army is definitely going to utilize the flexibility built into the 480B design.” Enstrom is represented in Asia by Blake & DeJong Ltd., and in Thailand by M-Landarch Inc.

DTN News: Russia TODAY February 28, 2010 ~ Topol M Missiles To Be Shown At Victory Day Parade On Moscow's Red Square

DTN News: Russia TODAY February 28, 2010 ~ Topol M Missiles To Be Shown At Victory Day Parade On Moscow's Red Square Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - February 28, 2010: Russia's new Topol M missile system will for the first time be shown at the Victory Day parade on May 9 on Moscow's Red Square, a spokesman for the Strategic Missile Forces said. Earlier Topol M predecessors — Topol missile systems — were shown at Victory Day parades in downtown Moscow. Col. Vadim Koval said three Topol M launchers were brought to Alabino near Moscow early on Friday. The three-stage Topol M (SS-27 Sickle B) is a solid-propellant, silo-based or road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It has a maximum range of 11,000 km (6,800 miles). On May 9, 2009, a military parade involving over 9,000 personnel, 103 sophisticated tracked and wheeled military vehicles, as well as 69 aircraft and helicopters was held on Red Square as Russia celebrated Victory Day. Victory Day marks the final surrender by Nazi Germany to the U.S.S.R. in WWII, often referred to as the Great Patriotic War in Russia and other states in the former Soviet Union. The 2009 parade was largely a rehearsal for this year's event, when Russia is to mark the 65th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. The first Victory Parade was held on Red Square on June 24, 1945 on the order of the then-Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Stalin.

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 27, 2010 ~ US 'Plans To Oust Taliban From Kandahar'

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY February 27, 2010 ~ US 'Plans To Oust Taliban From Kandahar' Source: DTN News / BBC

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - February 27, 2010: The US has said it is planning a new offensive later this year to drive the Taliban from the southern Afghanistan city of Kandahar. The current action against the Taliban stronghold of Marjah was a "prelude" to a bigger operation, a US official said. The US general in charge of Nato forces in Afghanistan has said the local population in Kandahar is at risk. Kandahar is Afghanistan's second largest city, and was once a Taliban stronghold. 'Reversing momentum' A major offensive there would follow the current military operation in neighbouring Helmand province. "If the goal in Afghanistan is to reverse the momentum of the Taliban... then we think we have to get to Kandahar this year," an official in the White House told reporters. The US goal was to bring "comprehensive population security" to the city. Suicide attacks are frequently carried out in Kandahar, with one at the beginning on February killing three people. He described Marjah as "a tactical prelude to a comprehensive operation in Kandahar City." The Marjah offensive by Nato forces began in mid-February, and has several more weeks to go. It was "pretty much on track", the official said. Kabul attack In Kabul on Friday, explosions and shooting took place in an area of hotels and guesthouses popular with foreigners. Up to nine Indians, a Frenchman and an Italian were killed. Three gunmen and two policemen died in a gun battle that lasted several hours. Taliban militants said they had carried it out. Afghans view a destroyed site a day after blasts and gun battles in Kabul February 27, 2010. Taliban fighters opened fire, hurled grenades and staged suicide bombings in central Kabul on Friday, killing 16 people in a show of defiance against the Western-backed government and a NATO offensive to wipe them out. President Hamid Karzai condemned the violence. India called it "barbaric". Kabul has been relatively quiet since 18 January, when Taliban bombers and gunmen attacked government targets and shopping malls, killing 12 people. Friday's attack is also the Taliban's first major raid since the arrest of key leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Pakistan this month.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY February 27, 2010 ~ US Sees Pakistan 'Strategic Shift' In War On Taliban / Suicide Bomber Targets Pakistan Police Station

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY February 27, 2010 ~ US Sees Pakistan 'Strategic Shift' In War On Taliban / Suicide Bomber Targets Pakistan Police Station

Analysis: Pakistan Zardari's administration have been cooperating with US forces to pursue Islamic militants in its territory of FATA and securing borders with Afghanistan making Taliban cross border movements slight abnormal and on Islamic militants towards its neighboring Kashmir, India, Zardari has an amnesia on this aspect. Had Zardari's predecessor Pervez Musharraf been in line with US forces on Afghan war, the situation would have been contained, instead after ten years of 9/11, ISAF required more reinforcement of fresh troops, in 2010 Obama's administration and NATO obliged with extra 30,000 soldiers. Afghanistan seems to be far away from tourists destinations of peace and tranquility for many seasons until its neighbors Iran, Pakistan, India and former CIS countries stop meddling and pinpointing each other on Afghan affairs. The US military, NATO & ISAF forces experts should dedect the invisible fault lines, enable to issue a disclosure of ending Afghan war. By Roger Smith DTN News ~ Defence-Technology News. Source: DTN News / AFP & BBC (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON, U.S. / ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - February 27, 2010: Had Zardari's predecessor Pervez Musharraf been in line with US forces on Afghan war, the situation would have been contained, instead after ten years of 9/11, ISAF required more reinforcement of fresh troops, in 2010 Obama's administration and NATO obliged with extra 30,000 soldiers.

Pakistan 'Strategic Shift'

The United States has seen a "strategic shift" by Pakistan in the past months during its fight against Taliban militants, a senior US official said Friday. Under US pressure, Pakistan is waging multiple military offensives against Islamist militant havens. Washington brands the country's northwest tribal belt as the most dangerous place in the world and the chief sanctuary of Al-Qaeda.Pakistani fire fighters and other official are seen near oil tanker, carrying fuel supplies for NATO forces in neighboring Afghanistan, after it was allegedly attacked by militants in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. Militants have frequently attacked trucks traveling through the Khyber pass carrying supplies to NATO and US troops in landlocked Afghanistan. "In the last nine months we've seen a significant strategic shift in Pakistan," a senior administration official said. "That strategic shift is the decision by the Pakistani security forces to take the fight against the Pakistani Taliban." He highlighted the situation in the Swat valley in the northwest tribal areas of Pakistan, which have served as a rear base for Afghan Taliban militants. "If you go to Swat today, there are two Pakistani (army) divisions. They're doing classic counterinsurgency." Another senior US official told reporters that recent arrests of Afghan Taliban members and leaders in Pakistan was a clear signal of the close cooperation taking place on the ground. "There have been a number of commanders as well as leaders taken off the battlefield in the last several months," the official said. "Based on the recent captures and kills, it demonstrates that there are fewer places to hide... as well as more broadly across the Afghan Pak region." Highlighting the recent capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the official stressed the cooperation with Pakistan against the Taliban. "Cooperation and collaboration of both of those governments and their services, I think continue to improve and strengthen across the board, in terms of thwarting attacks as well as capturing and killing if necessary," he said. "We're working very closely with the Pakistanis on individuals that are of interest to us and are terrorists. The trendline is strong, positive. "We're pleased with the Pakistani ability to move into areas that had been safe havens." Agents from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) reportedly joined US spies in a recent operation that captured Afghan Taliban military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in the Pakistani metropolis of Karachi. And senior US general David Petraeus, who heads the Central Command, visited Islamabad on Tuesday and hailed "important breakthroughs" in Pakistan. President Barack Obama has put a high priority on nuclear-armed Pakistan as he sends thousands more troops to Afghanistan in a bid to root out Islamic extremism. The US media have reported that four senior Taliban leaders have been captured in the past week in Pakistan.

Annoyed militants continue to target authority

A suicide bomber has attacked a police station in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, killing at least three officers, officials say. The bomber reportedly rammed a vehicle laden with explosives into the building in the town of Karak, not far from Afghanistan. Pakistani officials visit a police station attacked alleged suicide bomber in Karak, Pakistan on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010. A suicide car bomber attacked a police station Saturday in northwest Pakistan, killing four people and wounding about two dozen, underscoring the relentless security threat to this Islamic nation. Several people have been wounded and taken to hospital. Some are said to be in a critical condition. A mosque was also damaged in the blast, police official Gul Sadi Khan said. "The blast destroyed part of a police station and a nearby mosque," he told Reuters. "Thirteen people have been wounded and we fear more people are trapped under the debris." No group has yet said it carried out the attack, but North West Frontier Province has suffered numerous bombings by insurgents over the past year. Vehicles burn after an angry mob set them alight inside a police compound during clashes in Faisalabad, Pakistan's Punjab Province, February 27, 2010. At least four were injured when two armed groups clashed during a religious procession in the Pakistani city, local media reported. The area is a stronghold of Pakistan's Taliban, and the mountainous tribal areas along the Afghan-Pakistan border are thought to be a sanctuary both for the Afghan Taliban and for militants linked to al-Qaeda.

(This article info from AFP, BBC and analysis & complied by Roger Smith DTN News, contact at dtnnews@ymail.com)