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Czechia, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency, is considering whether to call an emergency energy summit for the bloc to tackle soaring energy prices, including discussing price caps, a government minister said on Wednesday (24 August).

Ein Stier besucht eine israelische Bank nahe Tel Aviv. Das Ergebnis: Panik und Chaos. Zum Glück wird niemand verletzt.

Mit dem Megafon und dem Rücken zum Spielfeld die Fans anheizen. Es ist eine besondere Aufgabe für jeden Fan eines Fussballteams. Doch in einem Spiel von Kansas City geht das nach hinten los.

Noch bis kommenden Samstag ist das Musical «Io senza te» am Thunersee zu sehen. Bereits jetzt ist klar: Die Auslastung über den ganzen Sommer liegt bei 90 Prozent und rund 70'000 Personen haben die Produktion gesehen.

Americas

Oshkosh Defense won a $22.6 million deal to exercise available options to support the fielding of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, packaged and installed kits, and trailers. Work will take place in Wisconsin. Estimated completion date is September 30, 2024. The US Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.

The Chilean Air Force has inducted into service two Boeing E-3D Sentry airborne early warning Mk 1 (AEW1) aircraft from the UK Royal Air Force. The two operational Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft were acquired along with a third aircraft to be used for spares, earlier in 2022.

Middle East & Africa

The US Coast Guard has received its last two of six Sentinel-class fast response cutters (FRC), rounding out the 5th Fleet stationed in Bahrain. The latest vessels were commissioned as USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146) and USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147) in February and April 2022. Each vessel measures 154 feet (47 meters) and is equipped with improved surveillance, advanced communication systems, and reconnaissance equipment.

Europe

Germany will supply legacy Leopard 2 tanks to Slovakia in exchange for that country sending Soviet-era fighting vehicles to Ukraine’s aid, the Defense Ministry in Berlin announced. The deal is one of several “ring swaps,” as German defense officials call them, in the making with Eastern European governments since the spring, following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. Slovakian and German officials signed an agreement August 23 approving the delivery of 15 Leopard 2 tanks in the A4 configuration to Bratislava.

The US will provide Ukraine with new air defense systems, counter-drone systems, radars, artillery systems and munitions as part of a $2.98 billion package US President Joe Biden announced Wednesday. The defense materiel falls under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which allows the Pentagon to contract with industry for it, apart from billions in equipment it has sent Ukraine from its stockpiles. It’s the single largest tranche since Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine six months ago.

Asia-Pacific

USFI Inc. won a maximum 320 million contract for full-line food distribution. Location of performance is Korea. August 23, 2027 is the ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2022 through 2027 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Today’s Video

WATCH: Chile receives two donated E-3D Sentry planes from the UK

Nuclear weapons are killing people in Ukraine even when they are not used as Russia is utilizing nuclear deterrence as a shield to protect its atrocities, write Valeriia Hesse and Liza Khodorovska. Valeriia Hesse is a management and research consultant...

British E-3 Sentry
(click to view full)

Britain’s E-3D Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) is based on Boeing’s 707 family, and its ability to see and direct air operations within hundreds of miles provides vital strategic support. Since its introduction in 1992, the RAF’s fleet of 7 E-3s has been used in every major UK military operation, including Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya.

That availability depends on effective maintenance, and the UK MoD has a new approach. It’s meant to give them more flyable planes, while costing less money. The new Sentry Whole Life Support Program (WLSP) began in August 2005, when Northrop Grumman won a 20-year, GBP 665 million (then $1.2 billion) contract. Under that contract, NGC’s team is providing aircraft maintenance and design-engineering support services through 2025, in order to improve availability and reduce overall ownership costs. As is typical of recent British contracts, the government has chosen a public-private partnership founded on an unusual military combination: fixed base costs, and guaranteed time in-service percentages for the planes.

The Contract & Industry Team

RAF E-3, side
(click to view full)

Northrop Grumman was selected as the Preferred Bidder by the UK Ministry of Defence in July 2004, and deal was concluded just over a year later, in August 2005.

The contract is a fixed-price contract for the first 5 years, and the remaining 15 years of the contract are a target-cost incentive-fee structure that shares any savings below the targeted cost. The contract is fully funded for the entire 20-year term, and when it was signed, the participants believed that the Sentry Whole Life Support Programme would reduce the cost of supporting Britain’s E-3s by 12-20% over its 20-year run.

There was some basis for that optimism, as the BAE Systems CS&S’ GBP 75 million NISC (Nimrod Integrated Support Contract), availability of the Nimrod MR2 fleet was up by 40%, while support costs were down by 8%. The Minister for Defence Procurement at the time, Lord Drayson, said that:

“Effectively the new contract will halve the number of aircraft in the support hangar… This contract is also good news for the British taxpayer as it will reduce the cost of supporting Sentry by over 12% – saving GBP 90 million – whilst creating over 50 jobs here in Lincolnshire.”

Industry Team

These kinds of contracts need a close partnership between the Ministry of Defence and the industry team, especially for an essential platform like the E-3, which ranges far and wide.

Most of the jobs supported will be at Northrop Grumman, but not all. This innovative fleet availability contract makes Northrop Grumman responsible for all aircraft scheduled maintenance including the provision of spares world-wide, design authority services and management of the aircraft structural integrity work, technical publications and a training service for all Sentry maintenance personnel. Northrop Grumman also provides the radar and in-service support for the E-3D’s radar, and is the systems integrator for the replacement mission system.

To accomplish these goals, and meet mission targets, NGC is drawing on its experience with the US Air Force’s Total System Support Responsibility Program for their 707-based E-8C Joint STARS ground surveillance aircraft’s . NGC’s Integrated Systems sector has engineering-support responsibility and design authority for the Sentry Whole Life Support Programme. Their Electronic Systems sector will provide radar expertise, while their Space Technology sector contributes sophisticated, interactive, electronic technical manuals and support.

British companies BAE Systems and FR Aviation in Bournemouth, plus the UK division of AAR Corp. based in Mitcham, will operate as sub-contractors, and create over 50 jobs based at RAF Waddington.

BAE Systems share of the total contract is expected to be worth close to GBP 100 million (USD $178.7 million) over the life of the program. Their role will be to provide depth maintenance, ground maintenance training and on-line technical information. Within the contract, BAE Systems is also responsible for the construction of a new hangar annex within the grounds of RAF Waddington, which is being built to co-locate the 150 person service team.

BAE Systems Customer Solutions & Support (CS&S) military air business will be applying the experience from their Nimrod MR2 maritime surveillance aircraft and VC-10 transport/tanker integrated support contracts. Technical information will be delivered through the CS&S Integrated Asset Management (IAM) service, which is also being used for Nimrod MR2 and Tornado fighter support and upgrade contracts. The IAM service uses CS&S’s trilogiView technical browser, which has already been chosen for 26 other UK MOD programmes, and by Lockheed Martin for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

FR Aviation Services, a subsidiary of Cobham plc’s Flight Operations and Services Group, will be the maintenance provider on E-3D under a partnering agreement with CS&S. This latter agreement is based on the relationship that FR Aviation Services and CS&S developed while supporting the Nimrod fleet at RAF Kinloss.

UK E-3D

RAF E-3
(click to view full)

August 25/22: Chile The Chilean Air Force has inducted into service two Boeing E-3D Sentry airborne early warning Mk 1 (AEW1) aircraft from the UK Royal Air Force. The two operational Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft were acquired along with a third aircraft to be used for spares, earlier in 2022.

May 2/14: IFF. Northrop Grumman announces that they’ve added Mode S to the E-3D fleet’s Identification Friend or Foe system, as part of the WSLP (q.v. Nov 12/10). Mode S is a civil signal that assigns each plane its own individual “squawk”. The ICAO has certain requirements for flying in civil airspace (a.k.a. “controlled airspace”), and Northrop Grumman had to figure out how to improve the onboard avionics without a complete mission computer replacement. It took a little while, but it’s done now. Sources: NGC, “Northrop Grumman Delivers Mode S Upgrade for the UK’s Sentry E-3D AWACS Mission System”.

June 2/13: Avionics. Northrop Grumman announces a 3-year, $17 million contract to design, develop, integrate, test and support a Fuel Quantity Indicator System (FQIS) on the RAF’s E-3Ds, as a task within the WLSP umbrella contract. Group Capt. Adam Northcote-Wright describes this as “a significant safety enhancement,” and the release reads like a new system. That’s not the case. We talked to Northrop Grumman about this, and they confirmed that this is an upgrade to existing fuel gauge systems.

Work will be carried out at RAF Waddington, UK, as well as at Northrop Grumman’s US facilities in Herndon, VA, and Melbourne, FL. NGC.

April 25/12: Oked. All of Britain’s E-3Ds are cleared to fly again. Presumably, the structural cracks were repaired, and no others were found. Defence Management.

April 19/12: Cracked up. The RAF has suspended E-3D flights unless they’re essential, after technicians found cracks in 2 planes where the structure supports the rotating radar. Technically, this only involves “non-operational routine flying,” and the rest of the fleet appears to be free of the fault. Caution is best when dealing with old planes, however, and there’s no planned date yet for resumption of routine flying. Conversations with Northrop Grumman are surely part of those decisions. Defence Management | Flight International | The Sun.

Partial flight suspension

Feb 21/12: Repaired in USA. Northrop Grumman finishes repairs to a U.K. E-3D’s cracked wing spar, which was fixed in the USA at the company’s Lake Charles Maintenance and Modification Center. That’s a first for the UK E-3 fleet, but that facility had a lot of experience with similar issues among the USA’s E-8Cs, and delivered the fix ahead of schedule. Northrop Grumman.

Nov 12/10: IFF upgrade. Northrop Grumman announces a 3-year, $64 million contract modification to design and develop the Mode S upgrade to the identification friend or foe interrogator system for the Royal Air Force’s Sentry E-3D AWACs aircraft. The contract modification was awarded under Northrop Grumman’s Sentry E-3D Whole Life Support Programme. Northrop Grumman said that this is the largest modification it has carried out to date for the Sentry aircraft fleet.

The work will be performed at RAF Waddington, UK, as well as at Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Herndon, VA; Warner Robins, GA; and Melbourne, FL.

Sept 16/09: Tough fix. The E-2D damaged in a December 2007 accident is ready to return to the fleet – but the GBP 3.5 million repair wasn’t easy. Keith Monslow, the Joint Sentry Support team’s operations manager, says in the UK MoD’s Desider article:

“It was the worst possible place to strike the aircraft – in the fuel gallery. The whole area was covered in fuel, which soaked right the way through to the lower lobe, contaminating the electrics. Opening up the aircraft to inspect the damage just made it worse. Fuel covered all the electrical areas. And some of the items needed in the repair aren’t even made any more so we knew we would be hunting all over the world for places to fabricate them.”

Sentry ZH106 required complete gutting of its electrical systems, 25 miles/ 40 km of new cabling, and around 2,200 new parts, all of which had to be performed with very careful attention to the aircraft’s balance as items were inserted and removed. There was also a bit of help from a nearby earthquake, which actually solved an ongoing problem with the aircraft. UK MoD.

Oct 22/08: ADRS update. Northrop Grumman announces a 3-year, $16 million contract modification to develop and install a replacement accident data recording system (ADRS) for the Sentry E-3D AWACS aircraft based at RAF Waddington. The contract modification was awarded under the company’s Sentry E-3D Whole Life Support Programme. The company will remove the existing ADRS and replace it with a solid state ADRS and will update the aircraft and training manuals and perform overall management and system engineering for the new ADRS. The ADRS includes a new aircraft data and cockpit voice recording unit, a backup cockpit voice recording unit and an emergency locator transmitter unit for each aircraft. In addition, an accident investigation kit and ground replay stations will be provided. T

he work will be carried out at RAF Waddington, UK, as well as at Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Herndon, VA; Warner Robins, GA; and Melbourne, FL.

Aug 1/08: Flight International reports that the Royal Air Force has decided against mothballing 2 of its 7 E-3D Sentry AWACS planes, and will instead look to cut costs and hours flown by reducing the number of aircrews assigned to the type. The RAF reportedly decided that mothballing the aircraft was a more expensive option in the long run.

The UK MoD is also considering an upgrade to the aircrafts’ computers, displays, and mission system, using open-architecture electronics bought off the shelf. The upgrades would be an additional budget item, but one of the ancillary benefits would be slightly lower through-life support costs.

Dec 21/07: Windy! So, what happens when unanticipated repair expenses hit the fleet? A pair of E-3Ds were apparently damaged when ground equipment items were not sufficiently secured, and high winds reportedly sent them crashing into an E-3D on the tarmac. A second aircraft reportedly received a glancing blow.

Now Northrop Grumman Corporation has announced a contract from the UK Ministry of Defence’s Sentry Integrated Project Team for the repairs. The NGC release refers to a contract issued under the existing Sentry E-3D Whole Life Support Programme (WLSP), though the contract itself sounds like a contract modification within the existing program. The repair will involve the replacement of 4 aircraft frame structural elements, which were crushed, and a major aircraft skin. In addition, a fuel system gallery and main electrical distribution panel were damaged.

“[Northrop Grumman’s team] will deliver to challenging time, performance and cost targets, with the aircraft due to be returned to service with the RAF in November 2008… The structural aspects of the repair and the electrical elements represent a considerable challenge, primarily due to the lack of availability of structural and other components that will necessitate significant manufacturing effort.”

Aug 11/05: Contract. The GBP 665 million deal is announced. It’s a fixed-price contract for the first 5 years, and the remaining 15 years of the contract are a target-cost incentive-fee structure that shares any savings below the targeted cost. The contract is fully funded for the entire 20-year term, and when it was signed, the participants believed that the Sentry Whole Life Support Programme would reduce the cost of supporting Britain’s E-3s by 12-20% over its 20-year run. UK’s Defence Logistics Organisation | Northrop Grumman | BAE Systems.

WLSP contract

A Krím Ukrajnához tartozik, az Európai Unió nem ismeri el, és soha nem is fogja elismerni a térség és Szevasztopol illegális elcsatolását – hangsúlyozta Charles Michel, az Európai Tanács elnöke kedden a Krími Platform nevű kijevi kezdeményezés második csúcstalálkozója résztvevőinek címzett videóüzenetében.

Az elnök kiemelte: “Oroszország Ukrajnával szembeni agressziója nem február 24-én kezdődött, hanem 2014-ben, a Krím illegális annektálásával, február óta pedig Moszkva a Krímet stratégiai ugródeszkaként használja arra, hogy délről megszállja Ukrajna más részeit, és válogatás nélküli rakétacsapásokkal támadja az országot.”

Felhívta a figyelmet arra, hogy a Krím az Ukrajna más részeiből ellopott gabona szállítási csomópontjává vált, és Oroszország katonai jelenléte a térségben az ukrán fekete-tengeri kikötők blokádját erősíti. A következményeket, az ukrán gazdaságot érő károkat és a globális élelmiszerválságot a Kreml cinikus döntése, az éhínség fegyverként való használata okozza, hogy gyengítse az Ukrajnának nyújtott nemzetközi támogatást – tette hozzá. Michel üdvözölte az Isztambulban nemrégiben megkötött megállapodást, amely elősegíti a kereskedelmi hajók elindulását Ukrajna fekete-tengeri kikötőiből, azonban éberségre figyelmeztetett annak érdekében, hogy Oroszország végrehajtsa az egyezményt.

A zaporizzsjai atomerőmű körül kialakult helyzettel kapcsolatban felhívta a figyelmet, hogy Oroszország cselekedetei nukleáris katasztrófát idézhetnek elő, miközben óvatosságra és visszafogottságra van szükség. “Oroszországnak azonnal hozzáférést kell biztosítania az ENSZ szakértőinek, az EU pedig támogatja, hogy az atomerőmű körül alakítsanak ki demilitarizált övezet” – tette hozzá.

Marija Pejcinovic Buric, a strasbourgi székhelyű Európa Tanács főtitkára videóüzenetében a szervezet további támogatásáról biztosította Ukrajnát. “Ukrajna szuverenitása és területi integritása iránti elkötelezettségünk rendíthetetlen, az ET régóta ellenzi a Krím illegális annektálását”- hangsúlyozta.

A főtitkár szerint “fontos tudomásul venni, hogy a Krími Autonóm Köztársaságban és Szevasztopol városában tovább romlott az emberi jogi helyzet”. Emlékeztettet, hogy az Európa Tanács továbbra is szolidáris lesz Ukrajnával “mivel mindannyian egy igazságos, fenntartható, a nemzetközi jogon alapuló békére törekszünk, amelyben minden ukrán élvezheti az emberi jogok, a demokrácia és a jogállamiság normáit, amelyek jogosan megilletik őket”.

Őrizetbe vették Jekatyerinburg volt polgármesterét
Őrizetbe vették Jevgenyij Rojzman volt jekatyerinburgi polgármestert a lakásán “az Ural fővárosában” az ellene az orosz fegyveres erők lejáratása címén indított büntetőeljárás keretében. Lejla Guszeinova, Rojzman asszisztense, a RIA Novosztyi hírügynökségnek elmondta, hogy az ellenzéki politikus jótékonysági alapítványánál a hatóságok házkutatást készítenek elő. Rojzman egyike volt annak a maroknyi Kreml-kritikus aktivistának, akinek sikerült polgármesteri választást nyernie az akkori miniszterelnök Putyin harmadszori elnökké választása ellen 2012-ben kibontakozott tiltakozások nyomán. A városvezetői posztot 2013 és 2018 között töltötte be, majd a független hangvételű, az Ukrajna elleni invázió elindítását követően megszűntetett Eho Moszkvi rádió kommentátora lett, valamint közéleti tevékenységet is folyatott.

Márciusban és áprilisban egy jekatyerinburgi bíróság három, egyenként ötvenezer rubeles pénzbírságot szabott ki Rojzmanra, a fegyveres erők nyilvános lejáratás címén. A volt polgármester fellebbezett a határozatok ellen, de a Szverdlovszk megyei bíróság helybenhagyta őket. Májusban a politikusra 85 ezer rubeles bírságot is kiróttak, amiért a közösségi médiában olyan bejegyzést tett közzé Szergej Lavrov orosz külügyminiszterről, amely “sérti az emberi méltóságot és tiszteletlenséget fejez ki az Oroszországi Föderáció hatóságaival szemben”. Tavaly Moszkvában és Jekatyerinburgban részt vett több engedély nélkül megtartott tüntetésen, amiért hatvanezer rubelre büntették. Emellett kilenc napi elzárásra is ítélték ilyen megmozdulások szervezése címén, amit végül egynapos büntetésre csökkentettek.

Egy rubel jelenlegi árfolyamon mintegy hét forintot ér.

 

The post Orosz agresszió: Az EU szerint a Krím Ukrajnához tartozik appeared first on .

Greece ‘clearly’ needs a political change after it was found that the phone of socialist opposition leader Nikos Androulakis was bugged by the national secret services, told EURACTIV Iratxe García.

Provisional results on Thursday (24 August) from ballot counting in Angola's election indicate the ruling party MPLA, in power for nearly five decades, holds a strong lead over the main opposition UNITA, which said the initial outcome was not reliable.

Eben wurde der neue GMC Hummer als Elektro-Pick-up vorgestellt, da kündigt sich schon Familienzuwachs an. Noch in der zweiten Jahreshälfte folgt dem mächtigen Pick-up ein kompakterer SUV – ebenfalls rein elektrisch.

Drei Monate nach dem verheerenden Amoklauf an einer Grundschule im US-Bundesstaat Texas gibt es personelle Konsequenzen wegen der schweren Versäumnisse bei dem Polizeieinsatz.

LinkedIn est un réseau social professionnel en pleine expansion, conçu pour faciliter la mise en relation des professionnels entre eux. Il permet à ses utilisateurs de se connecter et de partager du contenu avec d’autres professionnels, tels que des collègues, des employeurs potentiels, des partenaires et de nouvelles recrues. Cependant, la plateforme est souvent sous-utilisée […]

L’article Comment utiliser LinkedIn pour en tirer profit ? est apparu en premier sur .

The French president's visit brings to an end a spat over memories of Algeria's war of independence.

Der Landkreis Los Angeles wurde zu einer Multi-Millionen-Entschädigung verurteilt. Grund sind Aufnahmen der Unfallstelle von Basketball-Star Kobe Bryant.

Togo is the latest country to buy the drones, which have proven their usefulness around the world.

Wjatscheslaw Wolodin, Vorsitzender von Putins Staatsduma, ist knapp dem Tod entgangen. Minuten nachdem er das Büro verlässt, schlägt eine ukrainische Bombe ein.

Un mort et un blessé, tous deux des passagers d'un tricycle, c'est le bilan d'un accident survenu ce mercredi 24 août 2022 sur la route Djougou-Ouakè.
Un camion et un tricycle sont entrés en collision à Zoumoubani, une localité sise non loin du Collège d'Enseignement Général (Ceg2) de Ouaké, mercredi 21 août 2022.
L'un des passagers du tricycle est mort sur-le-champ.
Le second passager, grièvement blessé a été transporté d'urgence à l'hôpital pour des soins.
M. M.

Un mort et un blessé, tous deux des passagers d'un tricycle, c'est le bilan d'un accident survenu ce mercredi 24 août 2022 sur la route Djougou-Ouakè.
Un camion et un tricycle sont entrés en collision à Zoumoubani, une localité sise non loin du Collège d'Enseignement Général (Ceg2) de Ouaké, mercredi 21 août 2022.
L'un des passagers du tricycle est mort sur-le-champ.
Le second passager, grièvement blessé a été transporté d'urgence à l'hôpital pour des soins.
M. M.

Distel Amoussou poursuit son périple politique auprès des acteurs politiques béninois. Il a rencontré dans l'après-midi de ce mercredi 24 août 2022, le secrétaire exécutif national du parti Bloc Républicain (BR), Abdoulaye Bio Tchané. La sécurisation des réformes en cours au Bénin était au cœur des échanges entre les deux hommes.

Distel Amoussou, journaliste émérite, consultant en communication fait bientôt une déclaration politique. A cet effet, il a entrepris depuis quelques jours, une série de rencontres avec les acteurs politiques du pays.
« Quand vous êtes un homme et que vous savez ce que vous avez à faire, vous savez ce que vous avez envie de faire, vous allez vers des personnes qui sont capables de vous conduire à faire ce que vous avez envie de faire », a-t-il confié au terme de l'audience avec le secrétaire exécutif national du Bloc Républicain. Avec le ministre d'Etat Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, il dit avoir exploré les possibilités et les outils pour la sécurisation des réformes en cours au Bénin, et pour lesquelles le BR a beaucoup œuvré.
Le Bénin prépare les élections législatives et les réformes en cours dans le pays ont commencé par être titillées, a informé le journaliste rassurant de la nécessité à appeler tous les acteurs majeurs autour de la sécurisation des racines de ces réformes, ou en d'autres circonstances, qu'elles soient appropriées par le peuple béninois.
Selon Distel Amoussou, on ne doit attribuer ces réformes à un président, ni à un gouvernement. Chaque Béninois fait-il savoir, doit en faire le socle du développement du pays.
Après le secrétaire exécutif national du Bloc Républicain, M. Amoussou s'est rendu chez le président du parti Union Progressiste le Renouveau, Joseph Djogbénou.

F. A. A.