U.S. Forces Mark End of Iraq Mission

BAGHDAD - U.S. forces formally marked the end of their mission in Iraq with a low-key ceremony near Baghdad on Thursday, after nearly nine years of war that began with the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

There are a little more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq, but they will depart in the coming days, at which point almost no more American troops will remain in a country where there were once nearly 170,000 personnel on more than 500 bases.

The withdrawal ends a war that left tens of thousands of Iraqis and nearly 4,500 American soldiers dead, many more wounded, and 1.75 million Iraqis displaced, after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion unleashed brutal sectarian fighting.

"Your dream of an independent and sovereign Iraq is now reality," U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the symbolic flag-lowering ceremony held near Baghdad's airport.

"Iraq will be tested in the days ahead - by terrorism and by those who would seek to divide it, by economic and social issues, by the demands of democracy itself," he said.

But the U.S. "will stand by the Iraqi people as they navigate those challenges."

"This is a time for Iraq to look forward. This is an opportunity for Iraq to forge ahead on a path to security and prosperity," said Panetta.

"And we undertake this transition today reminding Iraq that it has in the United States a committed friend and partner. We owe it to all of the lives that were sacrificed in this war not to fail."

He described the U.S. withdrawal as "nothing short of miraculous" and "one of the most complex logistical undertakings in U.S. military history."

Gen. Lloyd Austin, the commander United States Forces - Iraq (USF-I), cased the colors at the ceremony, rolling the USF-I flag around its pole and covering it with a camouflage bag.

He noted that "eight years, eight months and 26 days ago, as the assistant division commander for maneuver for the 3rd Infantry Division, I gave the order for the lead elements of the division to cross the border" into Iraq.

"I was here when we originally secured this airfield," he said.

The ceremony was also attended by U.S. ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. James Mattis, the head of the U.S. Central Command, and about 160 U.S. soldiers.

Iraq was represented by military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Babaker Zebari and defense ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari.

"For over 20 years, Iraq has been a defining part of our professional and personal lives," said Dempsey.

"We will remember you and those that have gone before - what you risked, what you learned, how you sacrificed ... and the fallen comrades for whom we all still grieve."

The ceremony comes a day after hundreds of people in Fallujah marked the impending departure of American forces by burning U.S. flags and shouting slogans in support of the "resistance."

Fallujah, a city of about half a million people west of Baghdad, remains deeply scarred by two American military offensives in 2004, the latter of which is considered one of the fiercest for the United States since Vietnam.

Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003, arguing Saddam was endangering the world with weapons of mass destruction programs.

Saddam was ousted from power and later executed, but such arms were never found.

Obama made his political career by opposing the war. In late 2002, he said he was against "dumb wars" such as Iraq, and rode anti-war fervor to the White House by promising to bring troops home.

The war was launched in March 2003 with a massive "shock and awe" campaign, followed by eight-plus years in which a U.S.-led coalition sought not only had to rebuild the Iraqi military from the ground up, but also to establish a new political system.

Iraq now has a parliament and regular elections, and is ruled by a Shiite-led government that replaced Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime.

The pullout, enshrined in a 2008 bilateral pact, is the latest stage in the changing U.S. role in Iraq, from 2003-2004 when American officials ran the country to 2009 when the United Nations mandate ended, and last summer when Washington officially ended combat operations.

Poland To Spend $42M on Tank Modernization

WARSAW - Poland's Ministry of Defense has set aside 138.6 million zloty ($42 million) for two contracts to modernize its T-72M1 and PT-91 main battle tanks, the Army's First Regional Logistics Base in Walcz said in a statement.

A 32.2 million-zloty deal for the overhaul of 20 T-72M1s was recently awarded to the repair plant Wojskowe Zaklady Motoryzacyjne (WZM). Of these, 10 units are to be modernized by Nov. 30, 2012, and a further 10 by Nov. 29, 2013.

"By the deadline for submission of bids, three bids were submitted for the first contract, and one bid for the second contract," the statement said.Meanwhile, the ministry has decided to rerun its 106.4 million-zloty tender to upgrade 40 PT-91 tanks after a bid submitted by Poland's biggest defense manufacturer, Bumar Group, was rejected. Under the plan, some 20 PT-91s are to be upgraded by Nov. 30, 2012, and the remaining 20 by Nov. 29, 2013.

WZM is part of Wojskowe Przedsiebiorstwa Remontowo-Produkcyjne, the country's second-largest defense group. In 2010, the Poznan-based plant reported revenues of 32.2 million zloty, up 1.2 percent over a year earlier, and a net profit of 8.3 million zloty, compared with a loss of 12.9 million zloty in 2009.

Introduced to the Polish Army in 1995, the PT-91 is a locally built, modernized version of the Soviet-designed T-72M1. Both tanks are manufactured by Bumar's subsidiary, Bumar-Labedy.

The Land Forces have about 590 T-72M1s and 230 PT-91s, according to figures from the ministry.

USAF Board Blames Pilot, Not Oxygen System, in F-22 Crash

A U.S. Air Force Accident Investigation Board (AIB) report is blaming the Nov. 16, 2010, crash of an F-22 Raptor on Capt. Jeff "Bong" Haney - despite a malfunction of the jet's bleed air intakes, which caused an automatic shutdown of multiple aircraft systems including the primary oxygen system.

An aircraft's engine bleed air system extracts air from a jet engine's compressor section to generate power and supply gases for an aircraft's life support system, among other systems.

The AIB report confirms Defense News' Sept. 8 report, in which an industry source and a pilot both said that a bleed air malfunction had caused the crash by shutting down the oxygen system. The AIB, however, places the blame on Haney for not reacting quickly enough to activate the jet's emergency oxygen system or recover from a dive he inadvertently entered into as he struggled to regain his air supply.

"I find the cause of the mishap was the MP's [mishap pilot] failure to recognize and initiate a timely dive recovery due to channelized attention, breakdown of visual scan and unrecognized spatial disorientation," wrote Brig. Gen. James Browne, president of the AIB.

The F-22's On-board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS), which supplies breathing air to the pilot and has been under investigation for most of the year, did not malfunction and wasn't a contributing factor, the report said. But the crucial device did shut down because of the bleed-air problem. In September, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said oxygen had not played any role in the crash.

The report notes that "the MP most likely experienced a sense similar to suffocation," but also rules out hypoxia as contribution factor however despite the shut down of the oxygen system.

"Due to the high affinity of oxygen to hemoglobin, the MP would have had adequate blood oxygen supply after the OBOGS failed," the AIB report states. "It was concluded that the late recognition of the MA's [mishap aircraft's] unusual attitude and appropriate corrective actions attempted by the MP demonstrates that hypoxia was not a factor in this mishap."

A knowledgeable source agreed that Haney would not have fully succumbed to hypoxia, but would have been showing symptoms. Despite what the report says, the source said hypoxia would have played a role even if the pilot had not been rendered unconscious.

"The rate at which he descended, though, he would have been at a hypoxia-safe altitude within time to have not fully succumbed to hypoxia and should have only had symptoms versus unconsciousness," the source said.

The environmental control system (ECS), air cycle system, On-Board Inert Gas Generating System (OBIGGS), cabin pressure and OBOGS were all shut down when the aircraft's computer shut off the malfunctioning bleed-air system, according to the AIB report. The bleed-air system remains closed in the event of a malfunction to prevent fires.

The aircraft's memory unit showed "partial pressure to the MP's [mishap pilot] oxygen stopped shortly after 19:42:37 L, which would lead to severely restricted breathing," the accident report reads.

However, Haney did retain enough consciousness to attempt a recovery from a steep dive the aircraft entered into right before the crash. It was too late, however, as the Raptor impacted the ground a scant three seconds later.

However, Haney did not manage to active the Emergency Oxygen System (EOS) to supply him with air, which he needed to do in case the OBOGS shutdown. As the report notes "severely restricted breathing is a physiological symptom which would have prompted the [mishap pilot] to active the EOS."

Pilots have said that the emergency oxygen supply is notoriously difficult to use in the Raptor.

The AIB report states that as Haney struggled for air, "he channelized his attention on restoring airflow to his oxygen mask."

As Haney fought to restore his oxygen supply, he inadvertently began to roll the aircraft and his "visual scan" of the aircraft's instruments and external situation broke down. He entered into a state of "unrecognized spatial disorientation," according to the AIB report. The aircraft rolled 240 degrees and dropped to a 53 degree nose down attitude. Had Haney not been distracted by trying to breathe, he would have recognized the problem, the report reads. Haney didn't make any intentional control inputs for some 39 seconds.

"The fact that the [mishap pilot] went from a controlled flight regime to an unusual attitude and did not take corrective actions for 30 seconds suggests he had unrecognized spatial disorientation," the AIB report reads. "At 19:42:24L the [mishap pilot] recognized the [mishap aircraft's] position and attempted to perform a dive recovery."

Ultimately, the Air Force chose to blame Haney rather than attribute the crash to a malfunctioning bleed-air system and a difficult to use emergency oxygen supply.

Crash Temporarily Grounds India's Su-30 Fleet

NEW DELHI - India's mainstay fleet of Russian-made Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft have been temporarily grounded following a Dec. 13 crash in Pune. Though no reason has been attributed for the latest crash, an inquiry has been set up by the Indian Air Force.

Air Force sources said the entire fleet of Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft have been temporarily grounded for technical checkups. The Air Force has lost three Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft since 2009.

India license-produces Sukhoi-30 MKI at its Bangalore facility of state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics. So far, about 130 Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft have been delivered to the Air Force. The total fleet strength of the Sukhoi-30 MKI will reach about 275 aircraft in 2015.

In 2009, the crash of Sukhoi-30 MKI was attributed to fault with the fly-by-wire system.

The Sukhoi-30 MKI aircraft are capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, and can fly deep inside China with the help of midair refuelers, as they have a range of more than 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles).

AIA Issues Gloomy Forecast, Despite Strong 2011

Aerospace industry sales were a projected $218 billion in 2011, an increase of more than 3.5 percent, the Aerospace Industries Association reported at its annual Year-End Review and Forecast luncheon on Dec. 14. Despite the robust numbers, the association is estimating a decline of $400 million in spending for 2012, with a decline of $1.4 billion in military aircraft spending partially offset by a rise in civil aircraft purchases.

The numbers reported by the AIA for 2011 showed growth in every market segment, with military aircraft spending up 6.6 percent to $66.5 billion, civil aircraft spending up 3.1 percent to $49.7 billion, missile spending up 2.0 percent to $25.6 billion, and related products and services up 1.0 percent to $30.0 billion. The cumulative increase marked the seventh consecutive year of sales gains.

Even with the positive reports, AIA president and CEO Marion Blakey said that the momentum won't carry into 2012.

"Given the number we're projecting for 2011, you might imagine that we'll roll right on into 2012," she said. "Not so."

The organization's estimate of 2012 sales anticipates declines in military aircraft ($1.4 billion), space ($1.3 billion) and missile ($500 million) spending.

Employing much of the same language used at the rollout of the AIA's Second to None campaign in September, a public relations effort aimed at combating the momentum building to cut defense budgets, Blakey emphasized potential job losses, citing a report commissioned by the organization that claims more than 1 million jobs would be at risk as a result of sequestration. The number has been called into question by some experts, citing the conflict of interest in having a study funded by the organization.

When asked about the relative merits of job numbers as a result of government spending in the defense industry as opposed to other sectors, Blakey said that discussions she's been a part of haven't focused on picking winning and losing industries.

"No one I hear in Washington is talking about trading off jobs," she said. "It's about cuts."

Bids Submitted for Aegis Follow-On System

Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing have submitted proposals to take over support and development of the Aegis combat system, the companies said Dec. 14.

The Combat System Engineering Agent (CSEA) competition also is intended to provide a follow-on system to Aegis, the U.S. Navy's most capable weapon system and the foundation for its fleet air defense, surface warfare and ballistic missile defense (BMD) missions.

Lockheed has held the Aegis development and support contract since 1995, when it acquired Martin Marietta. The system was first developed by RCA starting in the late 1960s. General Electric then bought the company, which in turn was sold to Martin Marietta and subsequently merged with Lockheed.

Aegis, perhaps the world's most effective naval combat system, has been worth many billions of dollars to Lockheed over the years. All 27 Ticonderoga-class cruisers and at least 70 DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have been built with the system. Spain, Norway, Japan and the Republic of Korea operate Aegis warships, and Australia is building a new class of Aegis destroyers.

A combination of radars, computers and weapons, Aegis was first developed to counter massed attacks by Soviet anti-ship missiles, and has evolved into an effective surface warfare system. Although not designed to target ballistic missiles, the system has been modified with more powerful processors as the basis for the Navy's BMD systems, and is the foundation for the Phased Adaptive Approach effort for the land-based missile defense of Europe.

According to the Missile Defense Agency, 24 Aegis ships - five cruisers and 19 destroyers - have BMD capability. That number is to increase to 32 ships by the end of 2013 as more units are upgraded.

The CSEA effort is intended to provide for the design, development and integration of Aegis weapon system and Aegis combat system future capabilities for existing cruisers and destroyers, and potentially create a new system for DDG 51 Flight III ships beginning in 2016.

Dependent on development, Flight III ships may be fitted with a new combat system or continue with Aegis.

The Navy is expected to award the CSEA contract in the fall of 2012.

A separate competition is underway to develop a new phased-array radar for Aegis. The Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) is to provide new radars to replace existing SPY-1 radars beginning with the U.S. Navy's 2016 Flight III destroyers.

Lockheed, Raytheon and Northrop are working to develop the AMDR, which will be a dual-band system. All three companies are working under Navy contracts to develop an S-band (AMDR-S) radar, with development contracts yet to be issued for the AMDR-X X-band system. The AMDR systems will also include a radar suite controller to integrate the radars.

Sweden Sets Export Record of $1.95B

HELSINKI - Sweden's military exports set a record in 2010 despite a contraction of sales to the home market. Moreover, defense industry leaders are forecasting a stronger year in 2012, with Saab's $3.2 billion agreement to deliver 22 Gripen fighter jets to Switzerland providing a lift.

Arms exports by Sweden amounted to $1.95 billion in 2010. This contrasts with an equally high export level of $1.9 billion in 2009 and relatively modest exports, valued at $429 million, in 2001. The Netherlands was the biggest recipient in 2010, with purchases valued at $300 million.

The significant increase in exports has been motivated by a Swedish government policy to look to the wider international market for off-the-shelf weapons and equipment solutions. With fewer contract opportunities available, Sweden's defense industry has started to generate a higher proportion of its sales through exports.

Sweden exported military equipment and materials to 63 different countries in 2010. This compares with export sales to 52 countries in 2000 and 33 in 1990. Despite the government's broader procurement policy, the defense industry has gained from the establishment of the Defense Export Agency, which was established this year to support export initiatives by small, medium and large defense companies.

Exports of military equipment and materials from Sweden hit the $1 billion mark for the first time in 2004. The upward movement in exports since that time has produced export sales of $1.5 billion in 2006, $1.8 billion in 2008 and the $1.95 billion recorded in 2010.

The industry is forecasting exports will break the $2 billion barrier in 2011, when about 62 percent of production will be exported.