Mass delivery of new armaments and military hardware for the forces will start in 2016, Russian General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov said.
"A new tank, an infantry combat vehicle and an armored personnel carrier will be ready in 2015; the Prospective Airborne Complex of Frontline Aviation, the S-500 air defense system and a corvette will become available in 2016, and a new-generation destroyer will be created in 2018," he said at a meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board in Moscow on Thursday.
The work on these armaments "has been steady and uninterrupted," he said.
The rate of modern armaments and hardware in the Russian Armed Forces is supposed to reach 30 percent in 2015 and 70-100 percent in 2020, the General Staff chief said.
"Annual deliveries of 70 to 100 jets, over 120 helicopters, eight to nine warships and submarines and up to 600 armor pieces have been planned for reaching the goal," Gerasimov said.
Available weapons will be modernized alongside the procurement of new hardware, he said. "Troops will receive over 2,500 pieces of modernized armaments and hardware before 2020, and their main parameters will not be inferior to those of contemporary products," he said.
More than 400 military units will be equipped with contemporary and prospective armaments, military and special-purpose hardware before 2020, Gerasimov said.
It is also planned to raise the serviceability status of weaponry. It will reach 85 percent in the Army, 80 percent in the Air Force and 78 percent in the Navy by 2016. The Navy indicator will grow to 85 percent by 2020, the General Staff chief said.
Contracts for the entire period of service life of mass products will be signed starting from this year, he said.
The strategic nuclear forces, the Aerospace Defense Forces, signal, reconnaissance, radio-electric warfare and command units and high-precision weapons are the re-arming priorities, the general said.
Lockheed Martin's Surface-to-Surface Missile System for the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship is a fully integrated system consisting of a missile and missile modules optimized for employment from both the Freedom and Independence Class littoral combat ships.
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines scored China’s “provocative” threat of retaliation in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) on Saturday, urging Beijing to defer instead to peaceful means of resolving maritime disputes under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
A Fililipino protester holds a slogan beside a Philippine flag during a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in suburban Makati, south of Manila, Philippines. FILE PHOTO
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs reminded China of its obligation under international law to settle disputes without the use of threat or force.
“China has an obligation under international law, especially the UN Charter, to pursue a peaceful resolution of disputes, meaning without the use of force, the threat to use force such as this recent provocative statement of a counterstrike,” said DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez.
“There is no place in the relations of civilized nations to use such provocative language,” he added. Hernandez made the statement in response to the Chinese People’s Daily’s scathing commentary on the Philippines on Saturday, which warned of a “counterstrike” as it accused Manila of “seven sins” in the disputed West Philippine Sea, which is how the Philippine government calls part of the South China Sea that is within in exclusive economic zone.
Among other things, the paper, a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, accused the Philippines of “illegal occupation” of the Spratly Islands, part of which Manila contends to be within its exclusive economic zone.
The commentary also blasted the Philippines for advocating the “internationalization” of the waters, a critical international sea lane that has been under the close watch of Philippine allies, the United States in particular.
China issued its criticism amid war games between the Philippines and the US Navy off the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, a territory in the West Philippine Sea that saw a tense standoff between Philippine and Chinese ships last year. At least three Chinese patrol vessels are known to still be in the area.
The commentary also came out as leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in Brunei in hopes of drafting a legally binding Code of Conduct that is aimed at ensuring peace in the disputed waters.
Despite Beijing’s sharp statements, the DFA called for sobriety and invoked peace in hopes of averting further escalation of tensions.
“We call on China to be a responsible member in the community of nations. The way towards a peaceful resolution of disputes is through the dispute resolution mechanism under the UN Charter, which is rules-based, transparent, binding and non-provocative,” said Hernandez.
“A peaceful and rules-based resolution to the disputes in the West Philippine Sea is durable and beneficial to all and will ensure peace and stability in the region,” he added.
The Philippines haled China to arbitral proceedings in the United Nations in January in a bid to peacefully settle the maritime dispute. The move has gained the support of the United States, the European Parliament and Japan, which also has a dispute with China in the East China Sea.
Now pending before a five-member arbitral tribunal, the legal action seeks to prevent further Chinese incursions into established Philippine maritime boundaries in the West Philippine Sea and to invalidate Beijing’s “excessive” nine-dash line claim encompassing almost all of the South China Sea.
China has rejected the proceedings, asserting “indisputable sovereignty” over the West Philippine Sea.
It has been calling for a bilateral solution to its territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The Philippines has meanwhile been pushing for a multilateral approach.
US navy soldiers and their Philippine counterparts operate two boats during a joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States at the South China Sea, June 28, 2013. The Philippines and US Naval forces began joint military exercises codenamed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) at the South China Sea on June 27. (CNS Photo)
U.S. navy soldiers and their Philippine counterparts disembark from a speed boat after a surveillance operation training during a joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States at the South China Sea, June 28, 2013. The Philippines and U.S. Naval forces began joint military exercises codenamed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) at the South China Sea on June 27 to enhance the capability of both sides through practical exercises and lectures. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
A U.S. navy soldier (L) instructs his Philippine counterpart during a joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States at the South China Sea, June 28, 2013. The Philippines and U.S. Naval forces began joint military exercises codenamed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) at the South China Sea on June 27 to enhance the capability of both sides through practical exercises and lectures. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
U.S. navy soldiers and their Philippine counterparts launch an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during a joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States at the South China Sea, June 28, 2013. The Philippines and U.S. Naval forces began joint military exercises codenamed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) at the South China Sea on June 27 to enhance the capability of both sides through practical exercises and lectures. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
U.S. navy soldiers and their Philippine counterparts operate a boat during a joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States at the South China Sea, June 28, 2013. The Philippines and U.S. Naval forces began joint military exercises codenamed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) at the South China Sea on June 27 to enhance the capability of both sides through practical exercises and lectures. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
U.S. navy soldiers and their Philippine counterparts disembark from a speed boat after a surveillance operation training during a joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States at the South China Sea, June 28, 2013. The Philippines and U.S. Naval forces began joint military exercises codenamed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) at the South China Sea on June 27 to enhance the capability of both sides through practical exercises and lectures. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)
USS Fitzgerald, a guided-missile destroyer, docks in Subic’s Alava Pier yesterday for the Phl-US CARAT exercise. ERNIE PENAREDONDO
(Reuters) - China's state media warned on Saturday that a "counterstrike" against the Philippines was inevitable if it continues to provoke Beijing in the South China Sea, potentially Asia's biggest military troublespot.
New recruits of the Chinese Navy march with their guns during the parade marking the end of their first training session in Qingdao, Shandong province, March 4, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Stringer
The warning comes as ministers from both countries attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Brunei, starting Saturday, which hopes to reach a legally binding code of conduct to manage maritime conduct in disputed areas.
At stake are potentially massive offshore oil reserves. The seas also lie on shipping lanes and fishing grounds.
Both China and the Philippines have been locked in a decades-old territorial squabble over the South China Sea, with tensions flaring after the Philippines moved new soldiers and supplies last week to a disputed coral reef, prompting Beijing to condemn Manila's "illegal occupation".
The overseas edition of the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, said in a front-page commentary that the Philippines had committed "seven sins" in the South China Sea.
These include the "illegal occupation" of the Spratly Islands, inviting foreign capital to engage in oil and gas development in the disputed waters and promoting the "internationalization" of the waters, said the commentary.
The Philippines has called on the United States to act as a "patron", while ASEAN has become an "accomplice," said the commentary, which does not amount to official policy but can reflect the government's thinking.
"The Philippines, knowing that it's weak, believes that 'a crying child will have milk to drink'," the People's Daily said, accusing Manila of resorting to many "unscrupulous" tricks in the disputed waters.
Beijing's assertion of sovereignty over a vast stretch of the South China Sea has set it directly against Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to other parts of the sea.
The 10-member ASEAN hopes to reach a legally binding Code of Conduct to manage maritime conduct in disputed areas. For now a watered-down "Declaration of Conduct" is in place.
On Thursday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that countries with territorial claims in the South China Sea that look for help from third parties will find their efforts "futile", adding that the path of confrontation would be "doomed".
Last week, China vowed to protect its sovereignty over the Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as the Ren'ai reef. The Philippines is accusing China of encroachment after three Chinese ships, including a naval frigate, converged just five nautical miles (nine km) from an old transport ship that Manila ran aground on a reef in 1999 to mark its territory.
Last year, China and the Philippines were locked in a tense two-month standoff at the Scarborough Shoal, which is only about 124 nautical miles off the Philippine coast. Chinese ships now control the shoal, often chasing away Filipino fishermen.
The Russian and Iranian navies are planning to hold joint exercises in the Caspian Sea in the second half of this year, the Russian news agency Novosti reported. According to Nikolai Yakubovsky, deputy commander of Russia’s Caspian Flotilla, the exercise follows a previous one held in 2009. Caspian Flotilla commander Admiral Sergey Alekminsky confirmed few months ago that that the two navies could strengthen their collaboration in the future.
The Russian flotilla maintains a small force comprising two Gepard class frigates, three Tarantul class corvettes and several missile patrol boats. The Iranian Caspian fleet based at Bandar-e Anzali also maintains a small fleet of patrol boats and minesweepers. The fleet will get a major boost next year, as the domestically built Jamaran-2 frigate, recently launched at Bandar-e Anzali.
Yakubovsky made the announcement after a meeting with the commander of a group of Iranian guided-missile boats that were visiting the port of Astrakhan. Iranian navy representatives welcomed the opportunity to take part in the joint exercises, but declined to discuss the plans in more detail. In 2009, Russia and Iran held their first joint naval exercise in the Caspian, involving about 30 ships.
Defense Update
Photo: Iran's first domestically made Jamaran destroyer. These include a Mowj-1 class destroyer, launched in 2010, and Velayat, a Mowj-2 class destroyer, whose construction is 70 percent complete and will finish by the end of the current year, he said, according to Press TV.
The new projects also include Mowj and Sina-class destroyers and guided missile frigates, Zamini said. The Iranian Navy floated out its first domestically built destroyer, Jamaran, in February 2010.
The 1,420-ton destroyer is equipped with modern radar systems and other electronic warfare capabilities. It has a top speed of up to 30 knots and a helipad. It also features highly advanced anti-aircraft, anti-surface and anti-subsurface systems.
TOKYO - Japan is expected to pull missile units deployed around its capital off of alert status because it believes the threat of a launch from North Korea has subsided.
Media reports said the units were to be taken off alert status as early as Friday, but officials refused to comment.
Japan, South Korea and U.S. troops have been taking special measures to counter North Korean threats that it might launch a long-range missile or some kind of a retaliatory strike if provoked. The tensions reached their peak in April, as the United States and South Korea held large-scale joint military manoeuvrs, but have since calmed down.
Japan deployed PAC-3 anti-missile defence units at three locations in and around Tokyo, which is within range of North Korea's ballistic missiles, in early April.
Navy Should Delay Next Carrier Amid Troubles, GAO Audit Says
The gallery deck to flight deck bridge assembly is moved into place on the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in October 2012. The Navy estimates the vessel’s total cost, to include one-time engineering, detailed design and construction already has climbed about 18 percent in four years to $12.3 billion, according to Defense Department data. Source: Huntington Ingalls via Bloomberg
The U.S. Navy should delay the award of a multibillion-dollar contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. (HII) to build the second aircraft carrier in a new class as the first one faces failings from its radar to the gear that launches planes, congressional investigators said.
“Technical, design and construction challenges” with the first carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, have caused “significant cost increases and reduce the likelihood that a fully functional ship will be delivered on time,” the Government Accountability Office said in a draft report obtained by Bloomberg News.
The Ford, already the most expensive warship ever built, is projected to cost $12.8 billion, 22 percent more than estimated five years ago. The report raises questions about the future of U.S. seapower in a time of reduced defense budgets and about whether new carriers are affordable as they assume greater importance in the Pentagon’s strategy to project U.S. power in the Asia-Pacific region.
Delays and “reliability deficiencies” with the flattop’s new dual-mission radar, electromagnetic launch system and arresting gear for aircraft mean that the Ford “will likely face operational limitations that extend past commissioning” in March 2016 and “into initial deployments,” the agency said.
The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, said that’s reason enough to delay the contract that’s scheduled to be issued this year for the second ship, the USS John F. Kennedy.
‘Repeating Mistakes’ “It will be important to avoid repeating mistakes” in the contract for the Kennedy, the GAO said. “Staying within budget” will require the Navy to reduce “significant risk mainly by completing land-based testing for critical technologies before negotiating a contract” with Newport News, Virginia-based Huntington Ingalls.
Beci Brenton, a company spokeswoman, said in a telephone interview that “it would not be appropriate to comment on a draft report.”
Naval Sea Systems Command spokeswoman Colleen O’Rourke said in a statement that “as the Navy is currently working with the GAO on this report, it would be inappropriate to comment on any draft findings at this time. When the report is finalized, it will include Navy comments.”
The Navy remains committed to the Ford-class carrier as a needed capability, said a Navy official who declined to be identified before the GAO releases its final report. The Navy is confident that the first vessel will be delivered on schedule and that lessons learned from building it will be applied to reduce the cost of the second ship, the official said.
Shipbuilding Plan Huntington Ingalls rose 2.3 percent to $56.59 at the close in New York and has climbed 31 percent this year.
The Navy is grappling with how to pay for a shipbuilding plan that anticipates $43 billion for three carriers in the Ford class, as well as $34 billion for 52 Littoral Combat Ships and a 12-vessel nuclear submarine fleet to replace the Ohio-class submarine.
While the GAO said that the Navy and Huntington Ingalls are taking steps to control costs for the Ford, most increases occur after a vessel is 60 percent complete and key systems are installed and integrated. The Ford is now 56 percent complete.
Even the current $12.8 billion estimate is “optimistic because it assumes the shipbuilder will maintain its current level of performance throughout the remainder of construction,” the GAO said.
Carrier Numbers The Pentagon’s independent cost-estimating office, the Congressional Budget Office and a Navy-commissioned panel project final costs as high as $14.2 billion, the GAO said.
The draft report also raises questions about how many aircraft carriers the nation will have ready this decade. Congress has given the service temporary relief from the requirement to have 11 fully capable aircraft carriers. There are now 10 after deactivation of the USS Enterprise, and the Ford is supposed to bring that back to 11 by March 2016.
“As it now stands, the Navy will not be positioned to deliver a fully capable ship at the time,” the GAO said.
“Reliability shortfalls facing key Ford-class systems cloud the Navy’s ability to forecast when, or if” the carrier will meet the aircraft sortie rates and reduced manning requirements that distinguish it from the older Nimitz class, the GAO said.
O’Rourke, the Naval Sea Systems Command spokeswoman, wouldn’t comment on the specific value of the potential detailed design and construction contract to Huntington Ingalls for the Kennedy that the GAO said is due in September.
General Atomics, Raytheon The largest share of the cost increase for the Ford, 38 percent, stemmed from technologies delivered by the Navy, including the radar, launch system and arresting gear, according to the GAO.
The electromagnetic launch system made by San Diego-based General Atomics has increased to $742.6 million, up 134 percent since 2008, the GAO said. The cost of arresting gear also made by the company increased 125 percent to $169 million.
Raytheon Co. (RTN)’s dual-band radar has increased 140 percent to $484 million, according to data cited by the GAO. Twenty-seven percent of the cost growth was pegged to shipbuilder design issues and another 27 percent to construction, both attributed to Huntington Ingalls.
Huntington Ingalls is building the Ford under a $4.9 billion detailed design contract that covers the shipbuilder’s portion of constructing the vessel. It doesn’t cover other costs, such as the nuclear reactor to power the ship and other government-furnished equipment.
Forecasting Overrun The GAO said its analysis indicates that Huntington Ingalls “was forecasting an overrun at contract completion of over $913 million” that it said stemmed from “the shipbuilder not accomplishing work as planned.”
Huntington’s Brenton said in an e-mail in May that, “as the first new design carrier beginning construction in more than 40 years,” the Ford “is designed to provide increased capability and reduced total ownership cost by about $4 billion compared to Nimitz-class carriers.”
“For this first-of-class ship, construction commenced in parallel with design completion based on earlier decisions at Department of Defense,” she said. “Ongoing design during the construction process caused delay and inefficiencies in procurement, manufacturing, and assembly.”
NEW DELHI: India's most formidable strategic missile, the over 5,000-km Agni-V, will be tested twice before this year ends to ensure it is ready for full-scale induction in the armed forces towards end-2015.
Interestingly, the latter of the two tests will see the 50-tonne Agni-V being fired from a hermetically-sealed canister mounted on a launcher truck. A canister-launch system will give the forces the requisite operational flexibility to swiftly transport the ballistic missile and launch it from a place of their choosing. Consequently, the highly road-mobile Agni-V will be able to hit even the northernmost part of China if fired from close to the Line of Actual Control.
"We are getting ready for two more tests of the three-stage Agni-V this year, which will include the canister-launch trial. Our aim is to make the missile ready for induction in two years," said new DRDO chief Avinash Chander, talking exclusively to TOI.
Similar plans are underway to make the two-stage Agni-IV, with a 3,500-km strike range, ready for induction by end-2014. The armed forces have already inducted the Pakistan-specific Agni-I (700-km) and Agni-II (over 2,000-km) as well as the 3,000-km Agni-III.
The Agni-IV and Agni-V missiles, however, are in a different class with "much higher accuracy and kill efficiencies" to give teeth to the minimum credible deterrence posture against China. With a massive nuclear arsenal and missiles like the 11,200-km Dong Feng-31A capable of hitting any Indian city, Beijing is leagues ahead of New Delhi.
DRDO, however, remains unfazed. Work is in progress to make the solid-fuelled Agni-IV and Agni-V, the latter virtually an intercontinental ballistic missile, even more lethal.
"After these two missiles are inducted, the two major focus areas will be maneuvering warheads or re-entry vehicles to defeat enemy ballistic missile defence systems and MIRVs (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles)," Chander said.
An MIRV payload implies a single missile carrying several nuclear warheads, each programmed to hit different targets. "But there is no Agni-VI programme as of now. We are working on enabling technologies and capabilities... we will come to the Agni-VI programme, if required, later," he said.
But is DRDO being too optimistic about the Agni-IV and Agni-V induction schedules, given that both have been tested only once till now? "No, we require just six to seven trials. We are no longer in the age when a large number of trials are required," said Chander, a missile scientist who was the overall head of the expansive Agni programme earlier.
"These surface-to-surface missiles have well-defined (parabolic) trajectories, unlike say air-to-air missiles. We conduct thousands of tests through modeling and simulation in our labs under different conditions. The actual flight trials are to validate what is predicted in simulation tests, match the algorithms," he added.
Iskander-M ballistic missile systems, which can effectively engage two targets within a minute at a range of up to 280 kilometers, will be provided to all Russian Ground Forces missile brigades by 2018, the country’s defense minister said Friday.
The missiles have a non-ballistic flight path that is difficult for the enemy to predict and are guided throughout their flight.
On Friday, a missile brigade in southern Russia’s Astrakhan Region received an advanced Iskander-M missile complex, which “has no match in the world for its tactical specifications,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on a visit to the facility, Russian media reported.
The complex was delivered in a complete set, rather than “piecemeal” as previously done, the minister said. He stressed the importance of ensuring high personnel-training standards and the construction of new infrastructure for the system to be operated effectively.
In 2011, then-President Dmitry Medvedev announced plans to deploy Iskander missiles in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad Region, to counter the threat posed by US plans to deploy missile defense elements in Europe. NATO and the United States have insisted that the shield would defend NATO members against missiles from North Korea and Iran and would not be directed at Russia.
Russia proposed a joint missile defense system, an idea that many experts both at home and abroad dismiss as unviable and unrealistic. Then it demanded “legally binding guarantees” that US/NATO missiles would not be aimed at Russia.
Since Moscow’s proposal received a lukewarm response in the West, Russia has been warning of unspecified low-cost “asymmetric measures” to counter the future Western missile defense system.
One of the major, and little mentioned, revolutions in air combat is the availability of more powerful and reliable helmet mounted displays and sights. This enables a pilot to “look and shoot” as well as keep their heads up more and more quickly make decisions in air-to-air combat. This dramatic change has not gotten much publicity because there has been such little air-to-air combat in the last few decades. But in realistic training exercises the difference has been noted. This has been documented in detail (and classified) in the United States because since the 1970s American combat pilots have done regular training in instrumented air space, where every move by aircraft and decision by pilots is recorded. This provides all sorts of data on how the aircraft and pilot performance has evolved over the decades. The new helmets have turned out to be a major innovation in air combat.
One of the best examples of this is the new (introduced last year) version of the American JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System). The JHMCS II allows the user to fire at weapons wherever their eyes are pointed, no matter what direction the helmet is pointed. This new version uses better hardware and software to track the movement of the pilot's eyes. The new JHMCS is better balanced and much more comfortable to wear and use. The new version is more reliable and cheaper as well. Still, a JHMCS II costs about a million dollars. It's an expensive way to cover your head. The cost of JHMCS includes additional equipment to be installed in the cockpit, training, and technical support.
The JHMCS also allows a pilot to see critical flight and navigation information displayed on his visor. Sort of like a see-through computer monitor or Head Up Display. This enables the pilot to look around more often without having to look down at cockpit displays or straight ahead at a HUD (Head Up Display). This kind of freedom gives an experienced pilot an extra edge in finding enemy aircraft or targets and maneuvering to get into a better position for attacks. JHMCS is also useful for air to ground attacks.
Systems like JHMCS have been very effective but JHMCS II is lighter and easier to wear (weight was a major problem in the past), easier to use, and more reliable (if you don't bump into the canopy). The Israelis firm Elbit took the lead in developing this technology and made many technical breakthroughs with their earlier DASH (Display and Sight Helmet) system. Elbit teamed up with American firms to develop and market JHMCS, which is largely an improved DASH system.
The first helmet mounted sights were developed in South Africa in the 1970s. The Russians noted this development when they lost several jet fighters in Angola to South African pilots using the helmets. The Russians went to work and five years later had one of their own. It proved very effective, and scared NATO air forces when the Russian helmet was demonstrated by German fighter pilots from the former East German (the Germanys united in 1991) against experienced American F-16 pilots. Israel was the first Western air force to develop one of these helmets and is still a leader in the field.
In the last three decades these helmets have come to handle more data and chores while also being easier to wear. But these helmets are still heavy. That's why the better balance of JHMCS II is important. Even so, six years ago the U.S. Air Force introduced a new neck muscle exercise machine in air force gyms frequented by fighter pilots. This was because the new helmets weighed 2 kg (4.3 pounds), which was about fifty percent more than a plain old helmet. That extra weight may not seem like much but when making a tight turn, the gravitational pull (or "Gs") makes the helmet feel like it weighs 17.3 kg (38 pounds). You need strong neck muscles to deal with that. For decades now fighter pilots have had to spend a lot of time building upper body strength in the gym, in order to be able to handle the G forces. Otherwise, pilots can get groggy or even pass out in flight, as well as land with strained muscles.
Before the helmet mounted displays and aiming systems were available pilots had to keep checking instruments in the cockpit and use fixed targeting systems in the cockpit. Not having to keep looking at the cockpit displays saved valuable seconds in jet fighter combat that was often over in less than ten seconds. Repeated combat exercises (and actual combat) between pilots with the helmets and those without has made this unequivocal. It’s been a revolutionary development in air combat.
In the air combat community the innovation is recognized as real, and for those not using it, a deadly disadvantage. To make the most of tech like this you must allow your pilots to spend hundreds of hours in the air practicing with the helmets. This is one reason why China and Russia adopted the more expensive Western style of training pilots over the last few decades.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea has extended its window for accepting bids from aircraft makers to supply 60 fighter jets at an estimated cost of $7.3 billion (8.3 trillion won).
Arms procurement official Baek Youn-hyeong says bidding will resume Tuesday after an 11-day round ended Friday with no winner.
Republic of Korean Air Force F-5E Tiger II
The 60 new fighters would replace South Korea's aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s. Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle, EADS' Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are competing.
Yonhap news agency says no bidders proposed prices lower than the estimated cost. It didn't cite sources. Baek declined to confirm the report.
South Korea faces rival North Korea over a heavily armed border after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce.
Myanmar Air Force is reported to have acquired 11 Sky-02A from Beijing Micropilot company of China as part of the Air Force effort to venture into unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology. It has also been reported that ever since the procurement, local copies have been made on the UAV in which 24 are currently in service.
The Myanmar Air Force connection with China is not limited with UAV. It also operates more than 20 Chengdu F-7M/FT-7S Airguard fighters and similar numbers of Nanchang A-5C Fantan attack aircraft. It also procured Shenyang J-6 fighters and Hongdu K-8 Karakoram.
A-5C Fantan
K-8 Karakoram
12 of these advanced jet trainers were procured with planned local production for 50 of such is in the pipeline.
The Chinese connection with Air Force is also visible in its transport fleet which include Shaanxi Y-8, Xian MA-60 and Harbin Y-12 Panda transport aircraft.
CAVITE CITY, PHILIPPINES — US troops trained their Philippine counterparts how to use surveillance drones Friday, as Manila seeks to boost military ties with Washington and counter what it perceives as a rising security threat from China.
Filipino and American troops prepare to release a drone from a speedboat off Sangley Point in Cavite, as the two countries' joint naval exercises entered its second day Friday. AFP PHOTO
The naval exercises are part of annual training operations between the two defense partners, but they have come under closer scrutiny this year due to simmering tensions between Manila and Beijing over rival claims to the South China Sea.
At a naval base around 13 kilometers (eight miles) southwest of the capital Manila, US Navy SEALs taught Filipino soldiers how to use small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, launching one from a boat at sea. It circled the base and landed in the water.
US maritime civil affairs officer Jeremy Eden said these were the smaller “Puma” drones used only for surveillance and not the more lethal, armed versions employed in Afghanistan.
“They (the Filipinos) are very interested and highly motivated to learn and if they acquire the systems, they will use them effectively,” Eden said.
The drones would be useful for the poorlyequipped Philippine military, which faces both internal insurgencies and potential external threats, said Lt. Jojit Fiscar, a senior coordinator of the naval exercises.
“This would be a very good instrument to use. This unmanned aerial vehicle can monitor the actual movement of the targets,” he said.
US and Philippine troops also practiced marksmanship and piloting small rubber boats that are frequently used by naval commandos.
Military officials from both sides stressed that the exercises had nothing to do with China’s claim to the South China Sea.
But Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin reiterated Friday that the Philippines was looking to give the United States greater access to its military bases, saying this was needed to respond to China’s threats.
“At this point in time, we cannot stand alone. We need allies. If we don’t do this, we will be bullied by bigger powers, and that is what is happening now: There is China, sitting on our territory,” Gazmin said.
“What are we going to do? Wait till they get into our garage?”
On Thursday, he said the Philippines wanted to give the United States and also Japan greater access to its military bases.
President Benigno Aquino’s spokeswoman, Abigail Valte, said separately that any increased US presence would comply with the Philippine constitution.
She also said China should not object. “Whatever we do within our territory... is perfectly within our rights.”
China claims nearly all of the strategically vital South China Sea, even waters close to the shores of its smaller neighbors.
Tensions between Beijing and other claimants to the sea, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam, have escalated in recent years amid a series of Chinese political and military actions to assert its claims to the waters.
The United States plans to give Israel weapons that would enable it to send ground forces against Iranian nuclear facilities that it can’t penetrate from the air.
A KC-130J load master watches a refueling of an MV-22B Osprey during a training mission in 2012. (Cpl. Michael Petersheim/US Marine Corps)
The deal includes air-refueling aircraft, advanced radars for F-15 fighter jets, and up to eight V-22 Ospreys, an aircraft that can land like a helicopter and carry two dozen special operations forces with their gear over long distances at aircraft speeds.
The Osprey “is the ideal platform for sending Israeli special forces into Iran,” says Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst now at the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy.
The aircraft could help solve Israel’s inability to breach Iran’s uranium enrichment facility buried under a granite mountain at Fordow. It might be impregnable to even the heaviest conventional bunker-busting munitions in the U.S. arsenal, Pollack said. Israeli military planners have been brainstorming how to conduct an effective operation, Pollack said, citing conversations with senior Israeli military officers.
“One of the possibilities is (Israel) would use special forces to assault the Fordow facility and blow it up,” Pollack said.
The weapons deal would be part of a military aid package for Israel that includes $1 billion for up to eight V-22 tilt-rotors; $500 million to retrofit radars into F-15 fighters and another $1 billion for a variety of air-to-ground weapons. Additional details about the U.S.-financed deal were revealed during a visit to Washington by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon on June 15.
The State Department said discussions of the arms deal are ongoing.
Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday had a working dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and will visit with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian officials through Saturday, discussing broad regional issues and the peace process.
Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said the arms package was part of an Israeli wish list including some items that were not discussed publicly to help it keep amilitary edge over other nations in the region and for possible operations against Iran.
Israel’s air force would be hard-pressed to cause lasting damage to the Iranian nuclear program because it cannot sustain long-term bombardment and has limited bunker-busting capabilities and limited air-refueling capabilities, said Kenneth Katzman, who co-wrote the 2012 report “Israel: Possible military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities” for the Congressional Research Service.
When he first announced the deal during a visit to Israel in April, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Ospreys would provide Israel with high-speed maritime search-and rescue-capabilities.
Yaalon said the arms sale would send a message to Israel’s chief adversary in the region.
“Without a credible military option, there’s no chance the Iranian regime will realize it has to stop the militarynuclear project,” Yaalon said.
Other parts of the arms package include Boeing’s KC-135 “Stratotanker,” which can refuel Ospreys and other aircraft while airborne and extend the tilt-rotor aircraft’s 426-mile range almost indefinitely. The deal also includes anti-radiation missiles that are used to target air defense systems, and advanced radars for Israel’s fleet of F-15 fighter jets, according to a Defense Department press release.
That equipment would increase Israel’s capabilities against Iran, said Ely Karmon, a senior research scholar at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism at The Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel.
The refueling equipment would extend the reach of Israeli special forces, which could be used against Iran as they were in Israel’s attack on a Syrian nuclear facility under construction in 2007, Karmon said.
In the 2007 attack, at least one Israeli team was on the ground to provide laser targeting of sophisticated airmunitions, Karmon said. “The same would be done for Iranian sites.”
The Osprey also could be used for search-and-rescue operations if Israeli aircraft involved in a complex airoperation are shot down and pilots endangered, Karmon said.
Michael Rubin, an analyst for the American Enterprise Institute, said senior U.S. and Israeli bombers would do significant damage to Iran’s hardened sites by targeting the entrances, and Israel could use the Ospreys for missions other than Iran’s nuclear sites. Israel may want the ability to send troops to secure chemical facilities in remote regions of Syria or to block Iranian shipments bound for terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula or Lebanon, Rubin said.
“Sudan and Eritrea are floating the idea of building an Iranian naval base or shipping Iranian missiles to the Gaza Strip,” Rubin said, referring to the Palestinian territory controlled by the terrorist group Hamas. “If you wanted to disrupt such missiles in a convoy, you’d do it with an Osprey.”
The arms deal also sends a message to Iran and reassurance to Israel that the United States is serious about standing by the Jewish state, Karmon said.
Katzman said he doesn’t think the arms sale provides Israel with significant new capabilities that Israel did not already have. He said the overall defense package, which also includes advanced F-16 fighter jets for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Iran’s chief rivals in the Persian Gulf, is more “a symbolic move to show (American) resolve to Iran,” Katzman said.
(FP)- This might be the easiest ever find of an MIA airplane. You're looking at a Bing Maps image of the Mikoyan (MiG) Project 1.44, Russia's first attempt at building a flyable stealth fighter and the jet that some said was sent to China to help kick-start Beijing's stealth development program. The jet is the larger of the two shown above sitting just outside of Moscow at Zhukovsky airfield (we have no idea what the smaller, darker plane alongside the 1.44 is).
Project 1.44 was meant to be the Soviet Union (and later Russia's) super-fast, super-maneuverable answer to the United States' premier fighter, the F-22 Raptor. However, the jet was underfunded in the days following the collapse of the Soviet Union. When the plane finally took its maiden flight in 2000, its designers found multiple flaws with the aircraft and the project was abandoned.
The 1.44 was designed with stealth-like angles, an internal weapons bay and supposedly used electronic countermeasures and special coatings to help reduce its radar signature. It also featured digital flight controls along with thrust vectoring engines and canards (little wings) on the front of the fuselage aimed at making the jet incredibly maneuverable.
But, in 2001, Russian officials shelved Project 1.44 in favor of a more modern design from MiG's rival Sukhoi -- the T-50 PAK FA. The 1.44 supposedly disappeared into storage after that. A quick Google Images search reveals recent-looking photos of the jet in storage -- some of which claim they are from 2009 and taken near Moscow. (Google Maps also shows grainy satellite imagery the plane sitting on the ramp at Zhukovsky airfield.)
However, the saga of Project 1.44 doesn't end there.
In late 2010 China unveiled its J-20 stealth fighter, a jet that struck many as an updated version of the Project 1.44 design. Just look at the tail-end of both jets and you'll see where this idea comes from. The J-20, like the 1.44, is a big, single seat, twin-engine jet complete with an internal weapons bay and canards on the front. The obvious differences disappear there. The lines of the J-20 are a lot stealthier than the 1.44's. The engines are laid out differently on the two jets (the 1.44's air intakes are slung below the fuselage while the J-20's hug the plane's sides).
While MiG has denied giving information on Project 1.44 to the Chinese, Reuters in August 2011 cited a senior Russian official as saying "it looks like they got access . . . to documents related to the Mikoyan."
The wire service also cited an "independent analyst" named Adil Mukashev as saying that China bought the tail section of the MiG 1.44.
It's important to note that the Russians refused to sell Beijing Sukhoi Su-33 aircraft carrier-borne fighters after it was discovered China was attempting to reverse-engineer and build an unlicensed version of the Su-33's predecessor. Beijing's J-11B land-based fighter and the J-15 carrier-based fighter are the results of that effort. (Though there are rumors that the work on these Chinese jets actually occurred under a secret contract with Russia.)
As you can see from the image above, Project 1.44 still sits in Russia. Maybe the Chinese bought the tail of a non-flying mock up of the aircraft or just got access to the designs. Heck, maybe the Russians aren't lying about not giving information on the 1.44 to the Chinese. Maybe someone like China's Red Star hacking crew stole the designs. Red Star is suspected by Russian cybersecurity giant Kaspersky Lab of stealing defense, industrial and diplomatic secrets on behalf of the Chinese government, with a focus on victims in Russia and Asia.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono receives Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang in Indonesia. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Khang
JAKARTA (VNS)— Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officially announced the upgrade of Viet Nam-Indonesia relations to a strategic partnership during their talks in Jakarta yesterday.
The talks took place following a state welcome ceremony held the same day for the Sang on his official State visit to Indonesia at the invitation of Yudhoyono.
The upgrade of the Viet Nam-Indonesia relations to a strategic partnership was grounded on the traditional friendship and all-faceted co-operation that had unceasingly grown in the past 60 years, the two leaders said.
It aimed to bring the two countries’ ties to a new height, for the sake of each country’s people as well as for peace, stability, co-operation and prosperity in the region and the world, the presidents said.
Regarding politics, both leaders agreed to further their nations’ traditional friendship and trust through regular exchanges of delegations at all levels, continuing the effective implementation of existing co-operation mechanisms and speeding up the implementation of the Action Plan for the 2012-2015 period.
The Indonesian side agreed to set up a Viet Nam-Indonesia Friendship Association to further beef up people-to-people exchanges in the new context, particularly raising the understanding of the two countries’ youth on the traditional ties nurtured by both nations.
Touching upon their economic, trade and investment bond, the two leaders shared the view that two-way trade had been recording fine growth with greater balance in trade, agreeing to strive for bilateral trade surpassing US$5 billion by 2015 and $10 billion by 2018.
To match the untapped potential of each nation as well as the level of their newly established strategic partnership, both leaders suggested the two sides’ relevant ministries and agencies foster promotion measures and offer favourable conditions for businesses to invest in either country.
Reviewing other areas of co-operation such as energy, agro-fishery, aquaculture and education-training, which had been successfully developing, the two leaders reached a consensus on elevating bilateral co-operation in food security, jointly carrying out projects in oil and gas, coal and mining.
They agreed to intensify the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Fishing and Sea-related Issues to, on one hand, tap the potential of bilateral co-operation in this field, and on the other hand, to closely co-ordinate in dealing with issues relating to fishermen and fishing boats that encroached each side’s territorial waters on the basis of humanity and friendship.
Both sides showed their support for a temporary solution, if needed, when the two sides discuss the final agreement on demarcation of economic exclusive zones.
Moving to defence/security co-operation, the two leaders reached unanimity on starting negotiations to soon sign rules on joint patrols between the two countries’ naval forces in contiguous waters and immediately make the patrols a reality, helping maintain peace and security at sea.
They saw eye to eye on the possible establishment of appropriate dialogue mechanisms on policies on security and defence, underscoring the importance of strengthening co-operation in the defence industry, fighting terrorism and other non-traditional security threats.
Relating to other issues, the two leaders said they would continue boosting the consultation mechanism and tighten their same viewpoints at regional and international forums, especially in ASEAN and the UN.
They agreed to join efforts with other ASEAN countries to build an ASEAN Community by 2015. Viet Nam sealed its support for Indonesia’s chairmanship of APEC 2013, expressing its wish that Indonesia would back Viet Nam to host APEC 2017.
On the East Sea issue, the two leaders reconfirmed the importance of peace, stability, safety, maritime security and freedom at sea, solving disputes by peaceful means, refraining from using or threatening the use of military force, respecting international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon finalising a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Both illustrated their mutual support for ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea and welcomed the Joint Statement of the 15 th ASEAN-China Summit on the 10th anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) as well as the concrete steps following the issued statement.
After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a series of agreements in various realms, including extradition, legal assistance, energy, finance and agriculture.
Speaking highly of the first state visit by the Vietnamese President to Indonesia since 2001, Yudhoyono said that the fruitful outcomes of the visit would further consolidate the traditional friendship and all-around co-operation between the two countries.
Economic co-operation between the two countries has also yielded positive results with two-way trade exceeding US$4.6 billion in both 2011 and 2012, despite the gloomy global economic situation.
In the first six months of this year, the two countries enjoyed two-way trade of about $2.1 billion. — VNS
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China has claimed a huge part of the South China Sea as Chinese. This has sparked disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam and others over sovereignty in the South China Sea
The stern of the Russian Navy's first Mistral-class helicopter carrier was floated out on Wednesday, a Russian shipyard said.
The Vladivostok is to enter service with the Russian Navy next year, Baltiisky shipyard chief Alexander Voznesensky said.
The stern will begin to be towed to France on July 8 and is expected to arrive there on July 25, said Yves Destefanis, a representative of the French contractor, DCNS.
The ship will be completed at a French shipyard and floated out on schedule, on October 15, he said. Earlier this month, Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said the stern might not be completed within deadline, but Dmitry Rogozin, a deputy prime minister in charge of the defense industry, days later refuted that remark, saying: “The ship will be ready on time.”
Russia and France signed a contract for two French-designed Mistral-class helicopter carriers in June 2011. The deal came under fire in January from senior Russian officials including Rogozin, following the dismissal of former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who had actively lobbied for their purchase.
T-84 Oplot Main Battle Tank (all photos : LBEconomics) Today, the state enterprise "Malyshev Plant" presented the first production tank "Oplot", made under a contract with the army of Thailand.
The first production "Oplot" delegation visited the Royal Thai Army, led by the commander of the armored troops Bunsantinom Sansavatom, reports correspondent LB.ua.
General Director of "Ukroboronprom" Sergey Gromov said that "this tank demonstrates that" Ukroboronprom "fulfill its obligations to Thailand in the agreed time frame."
According to him, the contract will be fully implemented by the end of 2014. Gromov also noted that the Ukrainian-Thai agreement is of fundamental importance for the country and for the GC "Ukroboronprom" because "it loads the production capacity of Ukrainian enterprises and allows Ukraine to develop as a world leading manufacturer and exporter of military equipment."
"I am confident that the Ukrainian tank will increase the combat readiness of the Royal Thai Army. Battle tank "Oplot" meets all international achievement in the military sphere, "- said in turn commander of armored troops of the Royal Thai Army, Major General Bunsantin Sansavat. In September 2011 between the GC "Ukrspecexport" and the Royal Thai Army signed a contract for the supply of 49 units in Thailand main battle tank "Oplot." The total value of the contract - about $ 200 million.
OSI Maritime Systems (OSI) has been awarded a contract by Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) to deliver integrated navigation and tactical systems (INTS) for the Royal Malaysian Navy's Gowind-class corvettes.
Gowind class Littoral Combat Ship (image : DCNS)
BNS was selected by the Royal Malaysian Navy previously to build six Gowind-class corvettes under the littoral combat ship (LCS) programme.
OSI integrated navigation and tactical systems (all photos : OSI)
Under the most recent contract, OSI will supply six INTS, in addition to electronic chart precise integrated system (ECPINS) warship (W) and Warship-AIS (W-ASI), which has been designed specifically for naval operations.
The INTS is a fully scalable tactical navigation solution and has been designed to meet the requirements of the most demanding military environments from vessels to large offshore ships. NATO STANAG 4564-type approved software designed for the military user, ECPINS-W Sub will allow warships to operate in the most difficult conditions, while W-AIS provides enhanced situational awareness for the crew.
DCNS-built ocean-capable Gowind-class corvettes can be used to conduct emerging missions such as anti-piracy, sea control and denial, combat, counter-terrorism, drug interdiction and anti-smuggling operations, oil and gas platform protection, search-and-rescue, fisheries protection, environmental protection and humanitarian support.
Capable of providing sea-keeping capability, the corvettes are armed with 12.7mm remotely controlled machine guns, 20mm machine gun, 76mm naval gun on the forward gun deck, anti-ship missiles, ship self-defence system and electronic warfare suite.
The vessel provides 360° panoramic surveillance and Special Forces operations capabilities such as a quick-launch and recovery stern-launch system for two rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) or unmanned surface vehicles (USVs).
Fitted with automatic decking to enable safe operation of a helicopter and USV, the ship is equipped with multi-function radar and can accommodate maximum of crew 75 and has endurance of two to three weeks on patrol missions between at-sea replenishment.
The officers and men of the two artillery regiments under the Beijing Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) took part in live-ammunition firing drill at the Zhurihe Combined Tactics Training Base in Inner Mongolia, in a bid to improve troop's fire strike capability.
