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Chile Concludes Deal To Buy 118 Tanks from Germany Chile has concluded a deal to buy 118 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany to replace 131 Leopard 1 tanks that it will retire in the coming months, the defense ministry said in a statement on March 24. Chile??™s acquisitions of military hardware in recent years have stirred criticism among neighbors, especially Peru, who say Chile is upsetting the equilibrium of military power in the Southern Cone region of South America. Chile has repeatedly said it is just replacing obsolete equipment and has no interest in sparking an arms race with neighbors. Chile??™s recent deals to acquire military hardware include used F-16 aircraft and frigates from European countries, and Harpoon missiles from the United States. The ministry did not say how much it paid for the tanks. Ten percent of revenue from Chile??™s government copper miner Codelco, the biggest copper producer in the world, is designated for government military purchases. Germany has been steadily selling off surplus Leopard 2 tanks as part of a reduction of its heavy armor. In the past three years it has sold tanks to Finland, Poland, Greece and Turkey. Leopard tanks are manufactured by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and are often refitted by that company before delivery. Source: Reuters Lockheed Martin Successfully Concludes Phase I Tests Of Guided MLRS Unitary Rocket DALLAS, TX, -- Lockheed Martin successfully conducted four separate flight tests of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary rocket recently at White Sands Missile Range, NM, concluding the first phase of the Production Qualification Testing requirement series for the contract. Test objectives included demonstrating the capability of GMLRS Unitary rockets in point detonate and proximity modes at short and long range against tactically representative targets. These missions were the last in a series of GMLRS Unitary Phase I Production Qualification Tests (PQT) of the GMLRS Unitary Rocket. ???We are very pleased that the Guided MLRS Unitary system is performing so well in Iraq,??? said Lt. Col. Mark Pincoski, U.S. Army Precision Guided Munitions and Rockets product manager. ???The GMLRS system represents the state-of-the-art in U.S. Field Artillery precision strike capability, and everyone on the GMLRS government and contractor team has worked very hard to put this system into the hands of our soldiers. The world's best Soldiers deserve the world's best weapons and equipment, and GMLRS Unitary is the best Field Artillery weapon system we have ever fielded. We remain focused on the needs of our Soldiers and are committed to providing them the best in rocket and missile fire support systems.??? Phase II improvements to the GMLRS Unitary will include fuzing and software upgrades to enhance effectiveness and Insensitive Munitions (IM) upgrades to provide the Soldier added safety in a hostile environments. ???GMLRS Unitary was fielded ahead of schedule and is proving to be an invaluable asset to the Army in theater,??? said Al Duchesne, director - MLRS Rocket Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. ???The system continues to meet developmental expectation and is on track for Government operational testing and full fielding. GMLRS Unitary is proving to a must-have solution for the Soldier in today??™s asymmetric battlefield.??? Guided MLRS Unitary integrates a 200-pound class unitary warhead into the GMLRS rocket, giving battlefield commanders the ability to attack targets up to 70 kilometers away with high precision. This low-cost, low-risk program will greatly reduce collateral damage by providing enhanced accuracy to ensure delivery of the warhead to the target. Lockheed Martin received a $119 million contract to conduct System Development and Demonstration (SDD) for a GMLRS variant with a single warhead in October 2003. The SDD contract includes 86 rockets, 71 of which are flight articles, with the balance supporting test and other activities. The contract also provides test hardware to support 26 flight tests for an initial configuration and 39 flight tests of a follow-on configuration. The SDD phase of this program was preceded by a successful system demonstration in 2002 of a Quick Reaction Unitary Rocket and a nine-month Component Advanced Development program. The Guided Unitary SDD program will continue through 2007. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005 sales of $37.2 billion. Source: Lockheed Martin |
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