Myanmar Air Force Uses Chinese made UAV

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.

Y-8

Y-12

Malaysia Flying Herald

Myanmar Navy Starts Submarine Training in Pakistan

A small contingent of Myanmar Navy (MN) personnel has begun submarine warfare training in Pakistan, a move that suggests Myanmar is finally taking concrete steps towards developing a subsurface capability.

Around 20 officers and ratings arrived in Karachi in late April/early May to begin basic familiarisation training with the Pakistan Navy (PN), according to diplomatic sources. It is likely the contingent is based at the PN's Submarine Training Centre at PNS Bahadur, an onshore facility in Karachi that offers simulator training in diving, propulsion, and sonar tape listening and analysis.

The PN's submarine service has relied on French boats almost since its inception in the 1960s, and today operates two obsolescent Hashmat-class Agosta-70 boats and three modern Khalid-class Agosta-90Bs.

Jane's

Russia's Defense Minister starts his visit to Myanmar, Vietnam

On Saturday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu begins his visit to Myanmar and Vietnam, where he will hold talks on military and political cooperation.

In Myanmar, Shoigu is to meet the country’s army chief General Min Aung Hlaing to discuss bilateral military and technical collaboration as well as the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.

In Vietnam, Shoigu plans to visit the Kamran naval base that was previously used as a maintenance center for the Russian Pacific Fleet’s warships.

Voice of Russia, TASS