Legal Challenge to Decision to Drop BAE Corruption Inquiry

Last night The Corner House and Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) began a legal challenge to the decision to drop the investigation into bribery allegations involving BAE Systems Plc in Saudi Arabia.

Lawyers, Leigh Day & Co, acting on behalf of the two organisations, issued letters to the Director of the Serious Fraud Office, the Attorney-General and the Prime Minister laying out their intention to judicially review the decision.

The basis for the legal challenge by the two NGOs is that:

– The decision was based on considerations of potential damage to relations with Saudi Arabia. This is expressly forbidden under the OECD’s Anti-Bribery Convention (Article 5);

– The Prime Minister, in his advice on the public interest to the Attorney General and the Serious Fraud Office, improperly took into account considerations of damage to diplomatic relations;

– The advice given by the Prime Minister amounted to a direction to discontinue the investigation, which is an unlawful interference with the independence of prosecutors under domestic and international law.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?session=dae.24019592.1166621735.RYk8J8Oa9dUAAE8UpEA&modele=jdc_34

doesnt look good now

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/fighter/f18ef/
PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed at altitude: 1,190 mph (1,915 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m), Mach 1.8
at sea level: unknown
Initial Climb Rate unknown
Service Ceiling 50,000 ft (15,240 m)
Range typical: 1,200 nm (2,225 km)
ferry: 1,660 nm (3,055 km)
Endurance unknown
g-Limits unknown
ARMAMENT:
Gun one 20-mm M61A1/A2 Vulcan cannon
Stations nine external hardpoints and two wingtip rails
Air-to-Air Missile AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM
Air-to-Surface Missile AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-84 SLAM, AGM-84 SLAM-ER, AGM-88 HARM, AGM-154 JSOW
Bomb GBU-10/12/24 Paveway laser-guided, GBU-31/32/38 JDAM, Mk 82/83/84 GP
Other ECM pods, SHARP reconnaissance pod, rocket pods, mines

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/fighter/f35/

PERFORMANCE:
Max Level Speed at altitude: at least Mach 1.5
at sea level: unknown
Initial Climb Rate unknown
Service Ceiling unknown
Range (F-35B) 1,080 nm (2,000 km)
(F-35C) 1,620 nm (3,000 km)
Endurance unknown
g-Limits unknown
ARMAMENT:
Gun (F-35A) one 25-mm GAU-12 cannon
(F-35B) one external 25-mm GAU-12 gun pod
(F-35C) one external 25-mm GAU-12 gun pod
Stations four hardpoints in two internal weapon bays plus six external hardpoints
Air-to-Air Missile (internal) AIM-120C AMRAAM, AIM-132 ASRAAM
(external) AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-120B/C AMRAAM
Air-to-Surface Missile (internal) AGM-154 JSOW, Brimstone
(external) AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-88 HARM, AGM-158 JASSM, Storm Shadow
Bomb (internal) up to two GBU-12 Paveway laser-guided, up to two GBU-31/32/38 JDAM, up to two CBU-87/89 cluster, up to two CBU-103/104/105 WCMD
(external) GBU-10/12/16/24 Paveway laser-guided, GBU-31 JDAM, Mk 82/83/84 GP, CBU-99/100 Rockeye II cluster
Other various transport pods

Unfortunately the JSF still has some secrets about range and loads.
I’ll keep looking,d’clacy

Thanks nice read.

Australia should buy a mix of F and G models at least they could be used
as jammers and refuel F 35’s when they come.

condolences to families 🙁
sad day indeed

current users
Algeria (20?), Armenia (1), Azerbaijan (19), Libya (60-most grounded), Russia (5), Syria (30).

Former Operators

Bulgaria, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Soviet Union.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mig_25

hope this adds to your interest 🙂

I knew i read some where and took me a while to find it.
I would think Australia would consider this

LOCKHEED MARTIN AND VOUGHT INDUSTRIES TEAM TO OFFER NEW P-3 WINGS FOR WORLDWIDE FLEET LIFE EXTENSION
FARNBOROUGH, ENGLAND, July 25, 2002 — Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, a business area of Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT], has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. to manufacture wings for the P-3 Orion. The average age of the worldwide P-3 fleet is approaching 25 years. With new wings, the service life of the more than 450 aircraft being flown by 16 countries could be extended an additional 25 years.”We’re bringing Lockheed Martin’s expertise in maritime patrol and Vought’s manufacturing expertise together to further support the worldwide Orion fleet and enable operating navies a cost-effective solution for maintaining their maritime patrol capability,” said Tom Wetherall, director of P-3/S-3 programs for LM Aeronautics.

Vought has already begun to set up a production line. The tooling needed to build P-3 wings consists of more than 5,500 separate tools, ranging from 10-pound drill guides to three-ton jigs. The tooling will be set up, cleaned and prepared for use over the next few months. Vought estimates that new production wings could be available as early as 2004.

link

no news mate maybe soon