Page 2 - Aerotech News and Review, Dec. 1 2017

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Briefs
Report: UK warship aborts Navy mission to Persian Gulf
The Times newspaper says the Royal Navy has cut short a mission to the Persian Gulf region because of the breakdown of one of its most ad- vanced warships.
The newspaper said Nov. 23 that the highly so- phisticated HMS Diamond is returning to Britain because of a propeller problem that could not be fixed at sea.
The Royal Navy said in a statement that the destroyer has experienced technical issues. The statement said the Navy would not provide spe- cifics because it could not discuss “the detailed material state of our operational ships.”
HMS Diamond is one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 destroyers. The Navy says it is “ready to detect and destroy any airborne, surface and subsurface threat.”
The Royal Navy has patrolled the Gulf since 1980. AP
Japanese tug boat scrapes U.S. Navy ship during exercise
A Japanese tug boat lost propulsion and drifted into a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer during a towing exercise, the Navy said.
The USS Benfold sustained minimal damage Nov. 20, including scrapes on its side, the Navy said in a statement. No one was injured on either vessel. The commercial tug boat was towed to a port in Yokosuka, the home of the Navy’s Japan- based 7th Fleet.
The collision occurred in Sagami Bay, which is southwest of Tokyo. The Navy said the Benfold remained at sea under its own power, and that the incident would be investigated.
The 7th Fleet has had two fatal accidents in Asian waters this year, leaving 17 sailors dead and prompting the removal of eight top Navy officers from their posts, including the 7th Fleet commander.
The USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker col- lided near Singapore in August, leaving 10 U.S. sailors dead. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided off Japan.
The Navy has concluded that the collisions were avoidable and resulted from widespread fail- ures by the crews and commanders, who didn’t quickly recognize and respond to unfolding emer- gencies. A Navy report recommended numerous changes to address the problems, ranging from improved training to increasing sleep and stress management for sailors. AP
New U.S. weather satellite launched
An advanced U.S. weather satellite designed to improve the accuracy of extended forecasts has been launched into polar orbit from California.
The Joint Polar Satellite System-1 lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:47 a.m., PST, Nov. 18 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket.
The satellite is the first of four next-generation spacecraft for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Circling the Earth from pole to pole 14 times a day, JPSS-1 carries a suite of five instruments intended to make global observations that will im- prove forecasts of severe weather events three to seven days beforehand.
The satellite also will contribute to near-term weather forecasts, climate and ocean dynamics research, among many other uses. AP
Defying Russia, Serbia holds military drills with Americans
American and Serbian paratroopers held joint military exercises Nov. 17 in Serbia, watched with unease by Russia, which is trying to increase its in- fluence in the Balkans and keep the country within its fold.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic attended the last day of the four-day drill that included joint jumps by Serbian and U.S. parachutists from two U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules transport planes that flew close to the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
“The joint exercise contributes to the (military) skills, but also enhances partnership and friendship that was not always seen in the past,” Vucic said. “I’m grateful to our American partners who have showed that in a short time we could organize these activities.”
In 1999, a 78-day U.S.-led NATO bombardment ended a Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatists in its former province of Kosovo, mak- ing the Western military alliance very unpopular among the Serbs.
John Gronski, the U.S. Army Europe deputy commanding general, said after the drills that such exercises with the Serbian forces “build the readi- ness of both of our militaries and when you have ready military, a region can be more stable and secure.”
American and NATO-related military drills in the Balkans regularly trigger anger by the Kremlin, which opposes its expansion in the former commu- nist Eastern Europe. Serbia is considered the last remaining Russian ally in the region.
Serbia, which tries to politically balance be- tween Russia and the West while seeking European Union membership, claims military neutrality. But Moscow has been arming the country with fighter jets and other equipment, worrying neighboring states in the region that saw a bloody civil war in the 1990s.
NATO and Serbia have been improving coop- eration since the country joined its outreach Part- nership for Peace program in 2006.
“I believe that we will improve (our relations) in the future,” Vucic said, adding that “Serbia will, understandably, jealously preserve its military neu- trality.”
Gronski, the U.S. general, said whether Serbia eventually joins NATO depends on politicians. AP
NATO apologizes to Turkey over reports Erdogan shown as foe
NATO’s secretary-general apologized to Turkey Nov. 17 over military exercises in Norway during which Turkey’s founding leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and current president, Recep Tayyip Erdo- gan, were reportedly depicted as “enemies.”
Erdogan said Turkey withdrew 40 of its soldiers participating in the drills at NATO’s Joint Warfare Centre in Stavanger, Norway, in protest of the in- cident and slammed the alliance.
“There can be no such unity, no such alliance,” he said in an address to his ruling party’s provincial leaders.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is- sued a statement saying: “I apologize for the of- fense caused.” He said the incident was the result of an “individual’s actions” and didn’t reflect the views of the alliance.
The individual, described as a civilian contractor seconded by Norway and not a NATO employee, was removed from the exercise and an investiga- tion was underway, Stoltenberg said.
“It will be for the Norwegian authorities to de- cide on any disciplinary action,” Stoltenberg added. “Turkey is a valued NATO ally, which makes im- portant contributions to allied security.”
Erdogan said Ataturk’s picture and his own name were featured on an “enemy chart” during the drills.
The Joint Warfare Centre is a multi-national NATO unit based in Stavanger, 186 miles south- west of Oslo. It is currently led by Maj. Gen. An- drzej Reudowicz of Poland. According to its web- site, it has a staff of 250 made up of civilians from 11 NATO member states, including Turkey.
In March, the Norwegian government caused fury in Turkey by granting political asylum to five Turkish officers based in Norway who had refused
to return home after the failed July 2016 coup at- tempt in Turkey. The five officers said that they feared being arrested and tortured in Turkey. AP
UN votes to add 900 peacekeepers in Central African Republic
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a resolution increasing the U.N. peace- keeping force in the conflict-torn Central African Republic to a total of 11,650 military personnel.
The addition of 900 soldiers comes as the im- poverished Central African Republic, known as CAR, faces rising communal tensions, violence and a deteriorating humanitarian situation.
France’s U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre, who sponsored the resolution, said Nov. 15 that the Security Council “cannot afford to take the risk of allowing CAR to relapse into a crisis as tragic as the one in which it was mired between early 2012 and early 2014.”
He said that “the council must throw its full weight into halting the spiral of violence” and “recreate positive momentum in that country.” AP
Italy, Germany defend Libyan patrols after UN criticism
Italy and Germany are defending EU support for Libyan coast guard patrols to return migrants back to Libya after the U.N. human rights chief denounced the policy as inhuman.
Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano and his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel met Nov. 15 in Rome, a day after the U.N. released the findings of a Nov. 1-6 monitoring visit to Libyan detention centers. Human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the conditions uncovered were “an outrage to the conscience of humanity.”
Alfano insisted that Italy’s support for the Liby- an coast guard — which has included patrol boats and training — has saved lives.
Alfano said, “We invite all those who are giving lessons to instead give more funds, more logistical support and more intervention in Libya to solve this issue.” AP
101st Airborne soldier dies in non-com- bat incident in Iraq
A soldier with the 101st Airborne Division has died in Iraq from what the Department of Defense says were injuries sustained during a non-combat- related incident.
The Department of Defense said in a news re- lease Nov. 12 that 35-year-old Chief Warrant Offi- cer 2 Lee M. Smith, of Arlington, Texas, died Nov. 11 at Camp Taji. Smith was assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell, Ky. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, a combined joint task force focused on combating the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
The incident is under investigation. Further de- tails haven’t been released. AP
EgyptAir to buy 12 Bombardier aircraft
Egypt’s flagship state carrier EgyptAir has signed a letter of intent to order 12 Bombardier CS300 passenger aircraft for $1.1 billion.
The agreement, announced and signed at a cer- emony Nov. 14 at the Dubai Airshow, also includes purchase rights for an additional 12 aircraft, which would double the value of the sale.
The U.S. Commerce Department has imposed harsh duties on Bombardier, charging the Canadian company of selling the C Series planes in America below cost and receiving government subsidies. In October, it said it would impose an 80 percent duty on top of duties of nearly 220 percent on the air- craft, a benefit for rival Boeing.
After the decision, Bombardier sold a majority stake in its C Series jet business to European aero- space giant Airbus for no cost. AP
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