Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Russia Starts Combat Helicopter Training Flights on Baltic Border




A newly formed Russian army helicopter brigade has begun training flights in the northwest of the country near the borders with the Baltic states of Estonia and Latvia, a spokesman for the Western Military District said Wednesday.“Helicopters of the army aviation brigade of the Western Military District, based in the Pskov region, have begun regular training flights in the skies over northwestern Russia,” Col. Oleg Kochetkov said.

Kochetkov said the flights involve dozens of Mi-28N Night Hunter and Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters as well as Mi-8MTV-5 and Mi-26T combat transport helicopters.The 15th army aviation brigade, formed in December and stationed at the Ostrov airbase, is fully equipped with new, recently-built helicopters. The brigade currently comprises three helicopter squadrons, with two more to be added in the near future.Media in the former Soviet Baltic states, as well as Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom, have expressed security concerns about Russia’s decision to station the 15th brigade near NATO’s borders.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier announced the beginning of military drills of units from the Southern and Western military districts near the borders with Ukraine and the Baltic states in response to an “unprecedented” increase of NATO military activity near Russia amid the Ukrainian crisis.
The combat drills come as NATO is ramping up its military presence in the region.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced earlier this month that the alliance would intensify air patrols over Eastern Europe and dispatch extra ships to the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas due to the crisis in Ukraine.The Russian Foreign Ministry said that NATO was attempting to use the Ukrainian crisis as an imaginary threat to unite the alliance’s members and to push for Moscow's isolation.


http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20140430/189494181/Russia-Starts-Combat-Helicopter-Training-Flights-on-Baltic.html


Indian Navy's retired aircraft carrier INS Vikrant

Sits in Mumbai harbor ready to be towed away.  INS Vikrant had been sold for scrap for $10 million.



F-22 & F-15 Take-Offs in Southwest Asia





Russia says Venezuela to buy 26 Chinese radar



According to the Russian military industrial complex news network reported on April 25, it is learned, Venezuela Veximca Import and Export Corporation and China Electronics Import and Export Corporation, recently signed a 26 and 11 radar controller supply contracts. The new system will be equipped to Venezuela Aerospace Defense Joint Command. As for what specific procurement radar and control systems, specifically how much the transaction amount, and did not disclose.

  Currently, Venezuela has been equipped with 10 self-propelled remote radars, including seven JY11B and three JL11, all purchased from China in 2005-2010.

  Venezuela regularly buy Chinese production of weapons and military equipment. Especially from China, Venezuela has ordered eight Y-8 military transport aircraft, last November China Xi'an Aircraft Industry Company delivered the first two Y-8 aircraft. Previously, China has supplied K-8 "Karakorum" trainer aircraft to Venezuela. In addition, Venezuela and China are still negotiating supply issues L-15LIFT coach fighter.


http://mil.sina.cn/?sa=t134d413122v76&pos=24&vt=4

Saudi Military Exercise “Sword of Abdullah” concludes








Saudi Military Exercises “Sword of Abdullah” are concluding today. This is biggest ground exercise of Saudi Army and a large number of military experts and chiefs of army staff of gulf states along with Chief of Army of Pakistan Gen. Raheel Sharif are observing concluding ceremony of exercises.

Saudi Arabia is at top in global military spending race by spending 9.3% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). On second position in race is UAE in reference to to its GDP by spending 4.7% of its total GDP and third is United States that is spending 3.8% of its GDP. Saudi Arabia was also top in military spending in year 2012 with 8.1% of its GDP. Saudi Arabia is also offering lucrative incentives to Pakistan to send 75,000 soldiers for training its forces and gave a gift of 1.5 billion $ this year to Pakistan.





http://www.alriyadh.com/en/article/931049/Abdullahs-Sword-military-Exercise




















Classified Documents Stolen from US Naval Base in Bahrain




Secret documents revealing gaps in US intelligence on Bahrain's political situation were stolen by an Arabic translator at the Navy Base in the Juffair district of the Kingdom, a report said.Former linguist James Hitselberger was arrested in 2012 after being charged with removing classified documents from a workspace at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, according to a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN).

He printed the documents off a classified computer, stuffed them in his backpack and tried to walk out of a secure work area, according to prosecutors.It was even alleged that the 57-year-old would take military situation reports back to his sleeping quarters for examination later.One such classified report made its way in to the hands of an archivist at Stanford University in the US and was found to contain several portions marked “secret,” including one “section that discusses gaps in US intelligence with respect to the political situation in Bahrain,” a government submission to the court said.

Serious charges were initially brought against Hitselberger, including three under the US Espionage Act, which could have carried a combined total of 39 years in prison for the former naval linguistic contractor.
However, last week, prosecutors in the case downgraded this to a single count of removing classified information without permission, which carries a maximum penalty of just one year in jail or a fine of up to $100,000.Hitselberger, described as a balding, mustachioed, middle-aged man in court reports, pleaded guilty to this count and now awaits sentencing, which has been set for July 17.

The linguist, who is fluent in Arabic, Farsi, and Russian, was hired by Global Linguist Solutions in June 2011, which assigned him to work for NSA Bahrain.No one from NSA Bahrain was available for comment when contacted by the GDN Sunday.

Thales finalises delivery of maritime patrol aircraft to Turkey




hales announces the delivery of the final standard for the maritime patrol aircraft to Turkey as part of the MELTEM II programme, for which Thales is the prime contractor. To this day, five of the six aircraft have been delivered to this standard, with the sixth set for delivery before the summer.This follows the three maritime surveillance aircraft which were sent to the Turkish coastguards last year.


https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/defence/press-release/thales-finalises-delivery-maritime-patrol-aircraft-turkey

New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Hide From Russian Radar









The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter—the jet that the Pentagon is counting on to be the stealthy future of its tactical aircraft—is having all sorts of shortcomings. But the most serious may be that the JSF is not, in fact, stealthy in the eyes of a growing number of Russian and Chinese radars. Nor is it particularly good at jamming enemy radar. Which means the Defense Department is committing hundreds of billions of dollars to a fighter that will need the help of specialized jamming aircraft that protect non-stealthy—“radar-shiny,” as some insiders call them—aircraft today.These problems are not secret at all. The F-35 is susceptible to detection by radars operating in the VHF bands of the spectrum. The fighter’s jamming is mostly confined to the X-band, in the sector covered by its APG-81 radar. These are not criticisms of the program but the result of choices by the customer, the Pentagon.

To suggest that the F-35 is VHF-stealthy is like arguing that the sky is not blue—literally, because both involve the same phenomenon. The late-Victorian physicist Lord Rayleigh gave his name to the way that electromagnetic radiation is scattered by objects that are smaller than its wavelength. This applies to the particles in the air that scatter sunlight, and aircraft stabilizers and wingtips that are about the same meter-class size as VHF waves.The counter-stealth attributes of VHF have been public knowledge for decades. They were known at the dawn of stealth, in 1983, when the MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory ordered a 150-foot-wide radar to emulate Russia’s P-14 Oborona VHF early-warning system. Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth division—makers of the F-35—should know about that radar: they built it.

Making a plane VHF-stealthy starts with removing the target’s tails, as on the B-2 bombers. But we did not know how to do that on a supersonic, agile airplane (like the F-35 is supposed to be) when the JSF specifications were written.Neither did the technology to add broadband-active jamming to a stealth aircraft exist in 1995. Not only did stealth advocates expect jamming to fade away, but there was an obvious and (at the time) insoluble problem: To use jamming you have to be certain that the radar has detected you. Otherwise, jamming is going to reveal your presence and identify you as a stealth aircraft, since the adversary can see a signal but not a reflection.

We can be sure that onboard jamming has not been added to the F-35 since. Had the JSF requirements been tightened by one iota since the program started, its advocates would be blaming that for the delays and overruns.What the JSF does have is a jamming function—also known as “electronic attack,” or EA, in militaryese—in the radar. It also has an expendable radar decoy—BAE Systems’ ALE-70. Both are last-ditch measures to disrupt a missile engagement, not to prevent tracking.

JSF’s planners, in the mid-1990s, were close to correct when they calculated that low-band stealth and limited EA, combined with passive electronic surveillance for situational awareness, would be adequate at service entry. But they expected that the F-35 would reach squadrons in 2010, and China’s military modernization was barely imaginable.The threats of the late 2010s will be qualitatively different. Old VHF radars could be dealt with by breaking the kill chain between detection and tracking: they did not provide good enough cueing to put analog, mechanically scanned tracking radars on to the target. Active electronically scanned array (AESA), high-power VHF radars and decimeter- and centimeter-wave trackers are more tenacious foes.

Last August, at an air show near Moscow, I talked to designers of a new, highly mobile counterstealth radar system, now being delivered to the Russian armed forces. Its centerpiece was a 100-foot-wide all-digital VHF AESA, but it also incorporated powerful higher-frequency radars that can track small targets once the VHF radar has detected them. More recently, however, it has emerged that the U.S. Navy is worried because new Chinese warships carry the Type 517M VHF search radar, which its maker says is an AESA.None of this is to say that stealth is dead, but it is not reasonable to expect that the cat-and-mouse game of detection and evasion in air combat has stopped, or that it ever will. EA and stealth still do not coexist very comfortably on the same platform, but offboard EA and stealth are synergistic: the smaller the target, the less jamming power is needed to mask it.

But the threat’s demonstrated agility drives home the lesson that there is no one winning move in the radar game. Excessive reliance on a single-point design is not a good idea, and using fictitious secrecy to quash the debate is an even worse one.


http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/04/28/new-u-s-stealth-jet-can-t-hide-from-russian-radar.html



Tuesday, April 29, 2014

USA: Raytheon Tests New Tomahawk Block IV Cruise Missile


Raytheon Company successfully completed a passive seeker test designed for a Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile using company-funded independent research and development investment.

The captive flight test, using a modified Tomahawk Block IV missile nose cone, demonstrated that Raytheon’s advanced, next-generation; multi-function processor can enable the cruise missile to navigate to and track moving targets emitting radio frequency signals.
For the test, the nosecone of a Tomahawk Block IV missile was equipped with passive antennas integrated with Raytheon’s new modular, multi-mode processor, and fitted to a T-39 aircraft. Flying at subsonic speed and at varying altitudes, the aircraft simulated a Tomahawk flight regime. The passive seeker and multi-function processor successfully received numerous electronic signals from tactical targets in a complex, high density electromagnetic environment.

A Raytheon-funded active seeker test with the company’s new processor inside a Tomahawk nosecone is planned for early next year. That event will demonstrate the processor’s ability to broadcast active radar as well as passively receive target electromagnetic information – a critical step in enabling the missile to strike moving targets on land and at sea.

Taiwan ex-Air Force colonel sentenced to 20 years for leaking Taiwan secrets




A former Air Force colonel was sentenced Monday to 20 years and an accomplice to 15 years by the Taiwan High Court Kaohsiung Branch for leaking military secrets to China.The court found that former colonel Hao Chih-hsiung, who served in the 439 Combined Wing at Pingtung Air Base, worked with karaoke parlor owner Wan Tsung-lin to sell information regarding E-2K, an all-weather airborne warning and control system, to China's intelligence agencies through Wan's business contacts in China.

Hao and Wan can appeal the verdict.Prosecutors and military officials began investigating the case last June, leading them to discover money that had not been accounted for and funds transferred from China in bank accounts belonging to the two. They were detained in March on charges of violating the National Security Act and indicted for leaking military secrets.

Bahrain King hails 'Sword of Abdullah' drill







HIS Majesty King Hamad yesterday attended in Saudi Arabia the closing ceremony of Sword of Abdullah, the largest live ammunition joint drill of its kind in terms of military equipment and number of participants.
His Majesty was invited by Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to witness the exercise held at Hafr Al Batin city.

The drill included various defence and attack operations, in addition to air and sea landing, as well as electronic warfare and air defence operations.At the drill's conclusion, His Majesty expressed delight at attending the event bearing the name of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

He recalled the Al Fateh Drill held in Bahrain in 1975 between the Bahraini and Saudi armed forces, highlighting that the co-operation between the two armies had a solid historic.The Al Fateh Drill, the first bilateral Gulf military exercise, reflected the strength of the longstanding Bahraini-Saudi military co-operation and enhanced joint action among GCC countries.

His Majesty voiced admiration of the drill, praising the Saudi military personnel's outstanding performance, readiness, bravery, high morale and professionalism in using all weapons and modern military technology.He affirmed the importance of such mobilisation and tactical drills in upgrading competence and military skills.He noted that the Saudi armed forces has developed the competence of its personnel and provided them with the latest and most developed military systems thanks to the directives of King Abdullah and support from Prince Salman.

He praised the Saudi leadership for supporting its armed forces in order to safeguard the country and play a crucial role in the region's stability.His Majesty was later seen off at King Saud Military Airbase by Eastern Province Governor Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Ambassador of Bahrain to Saudi Arabia Shaikh Hamood bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.

Meanwhile, GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani congratulated King Abdullah, Prince Salman, Deputy Crown Prince and Second Deputy Premier and Adviser and Special Envoy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Saudi people on the success of the joint exercise.Dr Al Zayani expressed pride in the drill and noted that it showcased Saudi Arabia's outstanding development in the military field.

It showed the advances Saudi Arabia has achieved in areas of planning, management and training.It also reflects the nation's keenness on upgrading its army's combat competency, he added."Sword of Abdullah represents the success of the Saudi Armed Forces in developing its weaponry programmes," Dr Al Zayani said, expressing pride in the superior combat capabilities of the Saudi army.

Russia starts production of MiG-29K for Russian Naval Aviation after completion of Indian Navy's order









Predator UAV Assembly and missions





Two HH-60G Pave Hawks and an HC-130J Combat King II perform aerial refueling at Moody Air Force Base, Ga


Open in a new tab/window and click on image to enlarge.

U.S. F-15Cs performing Baltics Air Policing were scrambled on Monday to intercept a Russian Il-20.

Image credit: U.S. Air Force


According to the Latvia’s Military, the U.S. Air Force F-15C deployed to Å iauliai, Lithuania, to provide Air Policing in the Baltics region, intercepted an Il-20 spyplane.Russian Air Force missions in the area often requires NATO jet fighters to perform Alert Scrambles, to intercept Il-20 spyplanes, Tu-22M Backfire bombers and Su-27 fighter jets. Such close encounters have become a bit more frequent since Russian invasion of Crimea and subsequent international crisis over Ukraine.

On Feb. 24, two F-15Cs taking part to a flyby in Estonia were diverted to intercept a Russian plane before overflying the city of Pärnu.On Apr. 25, two Tu-95H bombers were intercepted by RAF Typhoons, Dutch and Danish F-16s during a long range patrol around UK.

Canadian Armed Forces Captures Footage of Sunken Merchant Ship






Chinese PLA HQ 9 missile during parade





Malaysian Navy chief regrets lies about Scorpene submarines functions



Wikipedia:


The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) regrets action by certain parties who spread lies about the functions of the French made Scorpene submarines.The RMN chief, Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the submarine team had conducted their responsibilities to the best of their abilities and he was proud of them.

"As the navy commander, I am disappointed with the lies. The submarines and MV Mega Bakti submarine rescue vessel are brought here for public viewing during armada open day."Those who wrote negatively about assets of the country, especially the Scorpene submarines, must distinguish between reality and facts," he told reporters at the 80th anniversary celebration of the RMN, here today.Abdul Aziz said the French navy also praised the ability and efficiency of the nation's submarine team.

In another development, he said RMN vessels would continue to be involved in the search operation for Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370.The deployment of additional vessels in the search operation would be announced by the Deputy Minister of Defence, Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri."I cannot make the announcement. The RMN role is to prepare equipment as requested by the government. We are always ready," he added.Media practitioners were today given the opportunity to board the KD Tunku Abdul Rahman (Scorpene) submarine and were briefed on its functions.The RMN bought two Scorpene submarines costing RM3.4 billion to enhance its ability to protect Malaysian territorial waters


http://www.nst.com.my/latest/navy-chief-regrets-lies-about-scorpene-submarines-functions-1.580519#ixzz30B2UEHJU

Kalashnikov Small Arms Production More Than Doubles


Wonder where all these small arms went to ?  A list of countries are given below.



The Kalashnikov Concern produced 230 percent more small arms weapons in the first quarter of this year than in the year-ago period, the company's press service told RIA Novosti Monday.
"In the first three months of the year we had a record-high volume production of small arms in the amount of 31,000 items, which makes 41 percent of the total output of similar products for 2013," the company said.
"The current results are 230 percent higher than those in the first quarter last year," the company added.
Positive dynamics was observed in most areas of production in the first quarter of this year.

"By the end of 2014 we expect the production of this product to increase by 27 percent compared to 2013, while in 2015 the growth should reach 17 percent compared to the previous year," the press-service added.
The Kalashnikov Concern was created in 2013 on the basis of the Izhmash and Izhmekh plants. It is now Russia's largest producer of automatic and sniper combat arms, guided artillery shells as well as a wide range of civil products, including shotguns, sporting rifles, industrial machines and tools.

The recently-formed Kalashnikov united a large number of state manufacturers of small arms weapons, and in the future a number of other plants will join the concern.The products manufactured by the concern are supplied to 27 countries, including the US, the UK, Germany, Norway, Italy, Canada, Kazakhstan and Thailand.

http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20140428/189431406/Kalashnikov-Small-Arms-Production-More-Than-Doubles.html

Monday, April 28, 2014

U.S.-Philippines Pact Could Boost Arms Sales



A new 10-year security pact between the United States and the Philippines could lead to modest increases in U.S. weapons sales in coming years, especially for maritime surveillance equipment, analysts said on Sunday.The agreement, to be signed on Monday, establishes a framework for an increased U.S. military presence in the Philippines and is part of a "rebalancing" of U.S. resources toward the fast-growing Asia-Pacific region.

The deal comes 23 years after the Philippine Senate voted to evict the U.S. military from bases there, ending 94 years of American military presence in the Asian nation.Virginia-based defense analyst Loren Thompson noted that the deal came as China increasingly encroaches on maritime areas claimed by Manila in the South China Sea, even as a long-running Muslim insurgency in the southern Philippines is abating.
"What Manila needs most in the way of military technology is weapons that can help enforce its claim to areas in the South China Sea," Thompson said.

That could include P-8A maritime patrol aircraft built by Boeing Co, which have already been sold to India, conventional munitions such as the Standard Missile-3 built by Raytheon Co and small warships built by Lockheed Martin Corp or Australia's Austal, he said.A renewal of counter-insurgency operations would probably move helicopters up the list of acquisition priorities, particularly UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters built by Sikorsky Aircraft, a unit of United Technologies Corp.U.S. industry executives said they were keeping a close eye on the situation in the Philippines, but arms sales ultimately would be negotiated between the two governments.

"This is a new market," said one industry executive who was not authorized to speak publicly. "Chinese ambitions are making many countries look for support from the United States - even ones that have been out of the U.S. sphere for some time, such as the Philippines and Vietnam."Byron Callan, an analyst with Capital Alpha Partners, cautioned that any U.S. arms sales would be limited in scope, given the small size of the Philippines' defense budget, which totaled just $2.2 billion in 2013, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies."You could assume that 25 percent or so of that amount is for investment," Callan said. "And that spending power is not going to move the needle for U.S. defense primes."

Jim McAleese, a Virginia-based defense consultant, said the agreement's initial focus was on ship porting and military rotations, but arms sales could follow later.He said purchases of large weapons systems like Boeing's P-8A, which sells for about $275 million, would likely have to be funded by U.S. foreign military aid.


http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/USPhilippines-Pact-Could-Boost-Arms-Sales-2014-04-27/


Russian army to use unmanned ground robot Taifun-M to protect Yars and Topol-M missile sites




The new Russian unmanned ground mobile security robot Taifun-M, designed to provide security at strategic missile facilities, has been shown on the Russian Vesti news program.The combat robots, which have no foreign analogue, will be used to secure RS-24 Yars and SS-27 Topol-M missile sites and can be operated remotely by a secure wireless connection and in the future with an autonomous artificial intelligence system, the program reported Monday.

A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said last month several of the robots, which feature laser-targeting and a cannon, will be deployed at five sites by the end of the year, part of an upgrade of existing automated security systems.The official said the robots will carry out reconnaissance and patrol missions, detect and destroy stationary or moving targets and provide fire support for security personnel at the guarded facilities.

Mobile robotic platforms play an increasingly important role in military and security applications, helping personnel to meet challenges posed by the growing threat of terrorist attacks or armed militants engaging in guerrilla warfare, while minimizing the risk of casualties.

U.S. Navy orders Block IV Virginia Class submarines worth $17 billion




The U.S. Navy awarded General Dynamics Electric Boats a record $17.645 billion contract today, Funding the construction of 10 new SSN 774 Virginia-class Block IV nuclear-powered attack submarines.“The Block IV award is the largest shipbuilding contract in US Navy history in terms of total dollar value,” said Rear Adm. Dave Johnson, program executive officer for submarines at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). “The new contract would result in additional reductions in procurement costs and will also lower operating costs.”He added.

“The Navy and shipbuilders worked together to produce a contract that is both fair to the Navy and industry,” Johnson said. “This contract lowers the per-ship cost compared to Block III.” Johnson said the contract would also reduce the number of major maintenance visits for the submarines to three from four, which meant that each of the new subs would be able to carry out 15 full-length deployments instead of 14.“With the decrease in cost and the increase in capability, we are essentially getting more for less,” he said.

The Navy is already operating 10 Virginia-class submarines, with eight more submarines from the third block under contract.The order secures submarine building work at the prime contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat and chief subcontractor Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding for the next four years, at a pace of two submarines per year. Each yard will deliver one sub per year.

And the largest number of boats ordered to date in a single contract block. The Block IV award covers hull numbers SSN 792 through SSN 801. None of the ships have yet been named. SSN 792 is funded in fiscal 2014. Construction of SSN 792, Electric Boat said, will begin May 1. SSN 801 is scheduled to be delivered to the fleet in 2023.Ten Virginia-class submarines already have been delivered and are in service, while another eight are under construction or on order. The North Dakota, first of the Block III group, is to be delivered this summer.

Each submarine displaces 7,800 tons submerged, with a hull length of 377 feet and diameter of 34 feet. They are listed as “capable” of speeds greater than 25 knots with a diving depth greater than 800 feet, while carrying Mark 48 advanced capability torpedoes, Tomahawk land-attack missiles and unmanned underwater vehicles.

MBDA Demonstrates MMP Next Generation Land Combat Missile Firing From Confined Spaces




MBDA’s MMP (Missile Moyenne Portée) programme has passed a major phase in its development. MBDA has just demonstrated the firing capabilities of its MMP missile in an operational configuration. The launch tests were carried out in a confined space in the presence of the operator, using his firing post, and the team leader.

The success of these tests, carried out in MBDA’s test tunnel at its Bourges facility in central France, has confirmed the safety of use of the missile and its firing post. The launches were carried out under hot and cold climatic conditions in order to demonstrate optimal function in various temperature environments thus representing different operational theatres.In parallel, new warhead tests have confirmed the efficiency of MMP against targets representing latest generation Main Battle Tanks. Two rail firings were carried out at the beginning of the year at the French Direction Generale de l’Armement’s battlefield technology centre in Bourges.

The first firing validated the functioning of the lethality chain at maximum speed, a necessary step in order to replicate an impact under real conditions. A target equipped with a latest generation reactive module provided the principal challenge for the second firing. The explosive reactive armour was detonated during the test and the main armour behind was pierced, thereby confirming the superiority of MMP’s lethality chain.MMP is a new generation land combat missile based on the concept of ‘fire and forget’ with the facility for ‘man in the loop’ operation. This allows for the destruction of different ground targets with very high levels of precision at ranges of up to 4km while at the same time minimising the risk of collateral damage.

Philippine to Buy More Planes for Air Force



President Benigno Aquino III on Friday unveiled a plan to acquire more aircraft to boost the capability of the Philippine Air Force.
Presiding over the Air Force change of command in Lipa City, the President said the Armed Forces would purchase eight combat utility helicopters, six close air support aircraft, two-long range patrol aircraft, and radar systems.

“We intend to buy also full-motion flight simulator to improve the training of our pilots,” he said in a speech aired over state-run dzRB radio.These are on top of the new FA50 from South Korea that will be delivered to the Air Force next year, Mr. Aquino said.“In 2005, we retired our last F5 freedom fighter. It’s our wish to enhance the capability of our pilots to fly this type of aircraft for military operations,’’ he said.

Last month, the military signed contracts for the acquisition of 12 lead-in fighter trainer jets worth P18.9-billion from South Korea and eight combat utility helicopters worth P4.8-billion from Canada.Under the watch of Lt. Gen. Lauro Catalino dela Cruz, who retired as Air Force chief on Friday, the PAF acquired a number of aircraft. It now boasts of three C-130 transports, eight combat utility helicopters, and 18 basic trainer aircraft, the President said.

Dela Cruz turned over his post to Major General Jeffrey Delgado, AFP deputy chief of staff for plans and programs. Delgado is a former senior military aide to the President.

The President did not make any reference to a defense agreement allowing increased US military presence that is widely believed to be signed during President Obama’s visit on Monday.
Reports say that the signing of the Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation will be the cornerstone of Obama’s visit to the country.
Under the deal, the Philippines has agreed to allow the United States access to the country’s military bases in the face of China’s increasing aggressiveness in the South China Sea.
Philippine authorities will have access to US facilities inside local military bases.


Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/597341/ph-to-buy-more-planes-for-air-force-aquino#ixzz30AqHr134

PLA looks to increase number of female missile operators




After China incorporated the first female DF-15 ballistic missile company in the People's Liberation Army's main missile brigade, the Second Artillery Corps — the strategic missile force of the People's Liberation Army — will look to recruit more women into the fold, reports the Washington-based Strategy Page on Apr. 25.The female company has been included into the First Conventional Missile Brigade of the Second Artillery Force. Originally, it was only a provisional unit, but the Central Military Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to make it a regular unit earlier this month as it has become harder for the military to find male soldiers qualified for the job, according to Strategy Page.

Released military photos have also shown multiple female launch crews for mobile DF-21 missiles. Currently, about 8% of China's military are female while women account for 15% of the US military.Female recruits have performed well in technical jobs and about 12% of the crew on American warships are now female, said Strategy Page, adding that China is increasing the number of women serving on warship and is seeing success.China's Second Artillery Corps controls most of the country's nuclear missiles as well as some missiles equipped with conventional warheads

U.S. and Philippines Agree to a 10-Year Pact on the Use of Military Bases


Signing Of The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement

Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images

Philippine Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, left, and U.S. Ambassador to the Philipinnes Philip Goldberg shake hands after signing the enhanced defense cooperation agreement in Manila on April 28, 2014.

The United States has reached a 10-year agreement with the Philippines that will give American warships, planes and troops greater access to bases in the archipelago, American officials said Sunday.

The deal, which will be the centerpiece of President Obama’s visit to the Philippines on Monday, returns the United States to a visible presence in the country for the first time since the American military gave up its sprawling naval and air bases, including one at Subic Bay, in 1992.The accord will also give the United States more flexibility to project its military assets in a region that has become increasingly tense, with China and its neighbors, including the Philippines, squabbling over territorial claims in the East and South China Seas.

Still, administration officials said the deal was not intended to contain China.President Obama, with Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, answered questions from youth leaders at the Malaysia Global Innovation and Creativity Center in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.Listening Post: In Malaysia, Obama Works to Mend Troubled TiesAPRIL 27, 2014
President Obama at a state dinner in Malaysia, one of four stops on his Asia tour, with King Abdul Halim and Queen Haminah.News Analysis: On a Trip That Avoids Beijing, Obama Keeps His Eye on ChinaAPRIL 26, 2014. “We’re not doing this because of China,” said Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council. “We’re doing this because we have a longstanding alliance partner.”

The American military presence in the Philippines was a frequent source of tension between the countries, who are treaty allies. But the rapid response of American ships and planes after Typhoon Haiyan, amid a more chaotic Philippine response, has increased popular support for allowing the United States military to have more access.

PLAN Chinese Navy catamaran under construction at Huangpu Shipyard