Thursday 25 August 2011
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Second Prototype Of the Russian PAK FA T-50 Stealth Fighter made its First Flight
The second prototype of a promising fifth-generation fighter T-50 (PAK FA) made its maiden flight, according to Interfax . The plane took off from the runway of Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association. The flight was successful. Fighter piloted by distinguished test pilot Sergei Bogdan Russia, in early 2010 flew the first prototype of the T-50.
According to Bogdan, all on-board aircraft systems worked normally. "Stability and controllability of the aircraft in the air got a good grade. All systems and aircraft engine worked flawlessly," - said an unnamed source agency in the military-industrial complex. Previously, the second prototype T-50 passed ground tests. Parallel tests were carried out and the first prototype of the T-50, which to date has made 40 flights.
As expected, the test airframe PAK FA will be completed in 2011-2012 and in 2013 the Russian Defense Ministry will conclude with the "Dry" contract for the supply of ten aircraft to test the weapons. The first phase of testing T-50 finish before the end of 2013. Continuous buying fighter jets will begin in 2016 and will be implemented under the state program of armaments for 2011-2020. Apart from an experimental batch of ten aircraft in 2016 is planned to buy 60 more such vehicles. On further procurement of aircraft while it is not known.
According to Bogdan, all on-board aircraft systems worked normally. "Stability and controllability of the aircraft in the air got a good grade. All systems and aircraft engine worked flawlessly," - said an unnamed source agency in the military-industrial complex. Previously, the second prototype T-50 passed ground tests. Parallel tests were carried out and the first prototype of the T-50, which to date has made 40 flights.
As expected, the test airframe PAK FA will be completed in 2011-2012 and in 2013 the Russian Defense Ministry will conclude with the "Dry" contract for the supply of ten aircraft to test the weapons. The first phase of testing T-50 finish before the end of 2013. Continuous buying fighter jets will begin in 2016 and will be implemented under the state program of armaments for 2011-2020. Apart from an experimental batch of ten aircraft in 2016 is planned to buy 60 more such vehicles. On further procurement of aircraft while it is not known.
PAK FA made its first flight on Jan. 29, 2010. Technical characteristics of the aircraft are classified. It is only known that T-50 will be highly intellectualization of the board and be able to take off and landing on runways length of 300-400 meters. The aircraft will be capable of performing combat missions in any weather and time of day, and will also maneuverability.
Sharp Knife 2011, first Sino Indonesia SpOps joint military exercise.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/03/23/indonesia-china-strengthen-defense-cooperation.html
Indonesia, China to strengthen defense cooperation
Antara, Jakarta | Wed, 03/23/2011 2:08 PM
Indonesia and China have agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation,including in the joint-production of missiles, a defense ministry official said.
Spokesman of the Indonesian Defense Ministry Brig.Gen.I Wayan Midhio said here Tuesday the two parties had paved the way for going ahead with the joint-missile production.
Speaking to newsmen after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the two countries` technical cooperation in the defense sector, he said Indonesia was already using Chinese-made C-802 missiles.
The missiles were used by the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) to equip some of its warships, he said.
"We have agreed on a possible joint-missile production in the future through PT.Pindad (strategic weaponry industry)," he said.
The MoU was signed by Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Head of the Chinese Technological and Industrial Development Agency Chen Qiufa.
The MoU highlighted such points of cooperation as supplying military equipments, transfer of technology of certain military equipment, joint-marketing, as well as upgrading and training programs, he said.
China has been recognized internationally as a nation that is not only successful in developing its economy but also its military power.
That country, as noted by sinodefence.com, has been able to develop a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) called "DongFeng 21" (DF-21, NATO code name: CSS-5).
This missile is a "two-stage, solid-propellant, single-warhead MRBM system developed by China Changfeng Mechanics and Electronics Technology Academy (also known as 2nd Space Academy)".
Indonesia, China plan coordinated sea patrols
Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 05/23/2011 11:47 PM | Headlines
A | A | A |
Indonesia and China are planning to conduct coordinated patrols in the South China Sea to prevent illegal fishing by Chinese fishermen in Indonesian waters.
Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said that initially, the two countries would establish a joint committee to serve as a legal platform for a range of defense cooperations, including coordinated patrols under direct “navy-to-navy talks”.
“The direct naval talks will cover a lot of issues, including on fishing vessels. [Chinese] fishermen often encroach into Indonesian waters, but that’s because they don’t have GPS [global positioning system] devices so are unclear of where the boundaries are,” Purnomo said late Friday after a dinner to welcome visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guang Lie.
“Under a coordinated patrol, if those fishing vessels accidentally cross the border, we will inform them to leave. But please note that we don’t have any bilateral problems [with China],” he was quick to add.
Liang held a bilateral meeting with Purnomo and an informal meeting with other ASEAN defense ministers on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting last week.
Purnomo said he had ordered Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to draft an agreement with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Qiyue for the establishment of the joint committee.
He added that Indonesia had already established similar joint committees with the US and Malaysia.
Indonesian Navy deputy chief Vice Adm. Marsetio said direct naval talks would help enhance bilateral cooperation between the naval forces of both countries, including maritime security cooperation in the South China Sea, a source of regional concerns.
He said Indonesia was already engaged in coordinated patrols with Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, India and Australia.
“In direct naval talks, we will later discuss numerous issues such as coordinated patrols, cooperation in surveying, or hydrographic surveys, joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training,” Marsetio said. “All this is also aimed at enhancing cooperation in anti-piracy efforts.”
Apart from the direct talks, China has also offered to conduct coordinated patrols with ASEAN member states to escort merchant vessels from the region through the Gulf of Aden as part of joint anti-piracy efforts.
Purnomo welcomed the offer, but did not disclose whether Indonesia would accept it.
An estimated 21,000 ships cross the Gulf of Aden waterway to access the important Suez Canal shipping route.
It is estimated that piracy causes the world community to suffer between US$13 billion and $16 billion in annual losses.
The International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center, a Malaysia-based NGO, said in a report released April 28 that there were 173 attacks of piracy and 23 hijackings worldwide so far this year. The attacks and hijackings involved 26 vessels and 518 hostages held by
Somali pirates.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/05/23/indonesia-china-plan-coordinated-sea-patrols.html
U.S., China Court Indonesia with Arms and Military Ties
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/6282/u-s-china-court-indonesia-with-arms-and-military-ties
Fabio Scarpello | Bio | 29 Aug 2010
World Politics Review
DENPASAR, Indonesia -- In the tussle for influence in Southeast Asia, the United States and China have long been competing for Indonesia's affections. The strategically positioned, resource-rich archipelago is a prized partner in an era of fuel shortages and the global war on terror. But Washington and Beijing have lately expanded their courtship of Jakarta from the traditional areas of trade agreements, foreign direct investment, market access and technical assistance, to increasingly include offers of military hardware and military cooperation.
This three-way dance began in 2005, when China and Indonesia announced their "Strategic Partnership." At the same time, the U.S. partly normalized military-to-military ties with Indonesia after an embargo imposed in the 1990s due to the human rights abuses in East Timor by the Indonesian military (TNI).
Beijing took an early lead in this race for influence. The Indonesia-China Strategic Partnership marked a breakthrough in the relationship between the two giant neighbors and sent alarm bells ringing in Washington. The agreement sought to expand the political, cultural and military-security aspects of the bilateral relationship. In terms of the latter, in particular, it committed the two countries to developing each other's defense industries, establishing a defense consultation mechanism, and increasing cooperation between their law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the fight against transnational security threats.
In July 2005, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Beijing and signed a memorandum of understanding on defense technology cooperation for the development of short- and medium-range missiles. Jakarta also placed a $11 million order for YJ-82/C-802 anti-ship missiles.
In 2006, Indonesia-China Defense Security Consultation talks were inaugurated, causing significant concern in Washington. The warming ties between Jakarta and Beijing led to two Chinese warships visiting Indonesia in March 2007, the first such visit in more than 12 years.
A draft agreement on defense cooperation was then signed in the second Defense Security Consultation Talks a month later, covering defense technology cooperation, exchange of military students and the possibility of further arms sales to Indonesia.
In January 2008, the two countries further agreed to cooperate in the joint production of military transport vehicles and aircraft, to be developed by the two countries' state-owned defense industries. The same year, China's NORINCO and Indonesia's Pindad signed a deal to jointly develop rocket launchers and accompanying ammunition. An agreement was also reached on setting up a TNI-PLA cooperation committee, with a view to arranging joint military and training exercises.
China's charm offensive, however, has led to little tangible results, as the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief argued last year. For all the talks, no contractual production agreements have been signed thus far. Sino-Indonesian military exchanges have also been limited, and no more large orders of Chinese-manufactured military hardware have been placed by Jakarta.
One potential explanation for the slowdown is the United States' renewed efforts to restore relations with Indonesia. Though the groundwork had been laid in previous years, the speed with which the U.S. moved to regain the upper hand in the contest for Jakarta's sympathies over the last 12 months has been quite remarkable.
In March 2010, a U.S. Air Force technical team carried out critical in-country safety and maintenance reviews of the Indonesian air force's of U.S.-built aircraft. This was followed by the signing in early June of a wide-ranging agreement -- the Framework Arrangement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defense -- intended to integrate existing defense collaboration between the two countries, according to a press release from the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia.
The same month, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R. Hume inaugurated a $56 million program to fund production of coastal and shipboard radar systems at the Batam Regional Maritime Command Center. The systems included 16 coastal radars, 11 shipboard radars, one set of headquarters equipment and two regional command centers, according to information on the official Web site of the U.S. embassy.
In July, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta told Jane's that it was processing a range of Indonesian requests for services and equipment from the U.S. Department of Defense. It also indicated that Washington intended to position itself as a key military supplier to Indonesia.
Just what that meant became clearer when Indonesia Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro expressed Jakarta's intention to buy U.S.-built F-16 and C-130H Hercules aircraft during a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in Jakarta on July 22. The purchase would be funded by the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, a U.S. grant provided to foreign governments to fund the purchase of U.S.-made weapons, services and training.
After the lifting of the U.S. military embargo, Indonesia received nearly $1 million in FMF funds in 2006. That has climbed to $20 million this year.
While in Jakarta, Gates also announced that Washington had lifted its ban on cooperation with Kopassus, the TNI's controversial special forces. The restriction had been the last remaining embargo on bilateral military-to-military ties.
But Washington's reversal of fortune does not mean that Beijing is accepting defeat. China has designated 2010, "The Year of China-Indonesia Friendship," to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. High-ranking Chinese officials have already traveled to Jakarta this year to propose, among other things, the establishment of a joint council to facilitate increased levels of joint military production. Beijing has also offered additional C-802 anti-ship missiles as well as a range of naval vessels.
While Jakarta is considering its options, there are rumors that Yudhoyono may ask for an increase in Indonesia's FMF allocation when U.S. President Barack Obama visits Indonesia later this year. Against such a backdrop, Obama -- who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia -- will find it difficult to refuse.
Fabio Scarpello is the Southeast Asia correspondent for the Italian news agency Adnkronos International. He is based in Denpasar, Indonesia.
Indonesia, China to strengthen defense cooperation
Antara, Jakarta | Wed, 03/23/2011 2:08 PM
Indonesia and China have agreed to strengthen their defense cooperation,including in the joint-production of missiles, a defense ministry official said.
Spokesman of the Indonesian Defense Ministry Brig.Gen.I Wayan Midhio said here Tuesday the two parties had paved the way for going ahead with the joint-missile production.
Speaking to newsmen after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the two countries` technical cooperation in the defense sector, he said Indonesia was already using Chinese-made C-802 missiles.
The missiles were used by the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) to equip some of its warships, he said.
"We have agreed on a possible joint-missile production in the future through PT.Pindad (strategic weaponry industry)," he said.
The MoU was signed by Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Head of the Chinese Technological and Industrial Development Agency Chen Qiufa.
The MoU highlighted such points of cooperation as supplying military equipments, transfer of technology of certain military equipment, joint-marketing, as well as upgrading and training programs, he said.
China has been recognized internationally as a nation that is not only successful in developing its economy but also its military power.
That country, as noted by sinodefence.com, has been able to develop a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) called "DongFeng 21" (DF-21, NATO code name: CSS-5).
This missile is a "two-stage, solid-propellant, single-warhead MRBM system developed by China Changfeng Mechanics and Electronics Technology Academy (also known as 2nd Space Academy)".
Indonesia, China plan coordinated sea patrols
Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 05/23/2011 11:47 PM | Headlines
A | A | A |
Indonesia and China are planning to conduct coordinated patrols in the South China Sea to prevent illegal fishing by Chinese fishermen in Indonesian waters.
Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said that initially, the two countries would establish a joint committee to serve as a legal platform for a range of defense cooperations, including coordinated patrols under direct “navy-to-navy talks”.
“The direct naval talks will cover a lot of issues, including on fishing vessels. [Chinese] fishermen often encroach into Indonesian waters, but that’s because they don’t have GPS [global positioning system] devices so are unclear of where the boundaries are,” Purnomo said late Friday after a dinner to welcome visiting Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guang Lie.
“Under a coordinated patrol, if those fishing vessels accidentally cross the border, we will inform them to leave. But please note that we don’t have any bilateral problems [with China],” he was quick to add.
Liang held a bilateral meeting with Purnomo and an informal meeting with other ASEAN defense ministers on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting last week.
Purnomo said he had ordered Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to draft an agreement with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Qiyue for the establishment of the joint committee.
He added that Indonesia had already established similar joint committees with the US and Malaysia.
Indonesian Navy deputy chief Vice Adm. Marsetio said direct naval talks would help enhance bilateral cooperation between the naval forces of both countries, including maritime security cooperation in the South China Sea, a source of regional concerns.
He said Indonesia was already engaged in coordinated patrols with Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, India and Australia.
“In direct naval talks, we will later discuss numerous issues such as coordinated patrols, cooperation in surveying, or hydrographic surveys, joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training,” Marsetio said. “All this is also aimed at enhancing cooperation in anti-piracy efforts.”
Apart from the direct talks, China has also offered to conduct coordinated patrols with ASEAN member states to escort merchant vessels from the region through the Gulf of Aden as part of joint anti-piracy efforts.
Purnomo welcomed the offer, but did not disclose whether Indonesia would accept it.
An estimated 21,000 ships cross the Gulf of Aden waterway to access the important Suez Canal shipping route.
It is estimated that piracy causes the world community to suffer between US$13 billion and $16 billion in annual losses.
The International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center, a Malaysia-based NGO, said in a report released April 28 that there were 173 attacks of piracy and 23 hijackings worldwide so far this year. The attacks and hijackings involved 26 vessels and 518 hostages held by
Somali pirates.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/05/23/indonesia-china-plan-coordinated-sea-patrols.html
U.S., China Court Indonesia with Arms and Military Ties
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/6282/u-s-china-court-indonesia-with-arms-and-military-ties
Fabio Scarpello | Bio | 29 Aug 2010
World Politics Review
DENPASAR, Indonesia -- In the tussle for influence in Southeast Asia, the United States and China have long been competing for Indonesia's affections. The strategically positioned, resource-rich archipelago is a prized partner in an era of fuel shortages and the global war on terror. But Washington and Beijing have lately expanded their courtship of Jakarta from the traditional areas of trade agreements, foreign direct investment, market access and technical assistance, to increasingly include offers of military hardware and military cooperation.
This three-way dance began in 2005, when China and Indonesia announced their "Strategic Partnership." At the same time, the U.S. partly normalized military-to-military ties with Indonesia after an embargo imposed in the 1990s due to the human rights abuses in East Timor by the Indonesian military (TNI).
Beijing took an early lead in this race for influence. The Indonesia-China Strategic Partnership marked a breakthrough in the relationship between the two giant neighbors and sent alarm bells ringing in Washington. The agreement sought to expand the political, cultural and military-security aspects of the bilateral relationship. In terms of the latter, in particular, it committed the two countries to developing each other's defense industries, establishing a defense consultation mechanism, and increasing cooperation between their law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the fight against transnational security threats.
In July 2005, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Beijing and signed a memorandum of understanding on defense technology cooperation for the development of short- and medium-range missiles. Jakarta also placed a $11 million order for YJ-82/C-802 anti-ship missiles.
In 2006, Indonesia-China Defense Security Consultation talks were inaugurated, causing significant concern in Washington. The warming ties between Jakarta and Beijing led to two Chinese warships visiting Indonesia in March 2007, the first such visit in more than 12 years.
A draft agreement on defense cooperation was then signed in the second Defense Security Consultation Talks a month later, covering defense technology cooperation, exchange of military students and the possibility of further arms sales to Indonesia.
In January 2008, the two countries further agreed to cooperate in the joint production of military transport vehicles and aircraft, to be developed by the two countries' state-owned defense industries. The same year, China's NORINCO and Indonesia's Pindad signed a deal to jointly develop rocket launchers and accompanying ammunition. An agreement was also reached on setting up a TNI-PLA cooperation committee, with a view to arranging joint military and training exercises.
China's charm offensive, however, has led to little tangible results, as the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief argued last year. For all the talks, no contractual production agreements have been signed thus far. Sino-Indonesian military exchanges have also been limited, and no more large orders of Chinese-manufactured military hardware have been placed by Jakarta.
One potential explanation for the slowdown is the United States' renewed efforts to restore relations with Indonesia. Though the groundwork had been laid in previous years, the speed with which the U.S. moved to regain the upper hand in the contest for Jakarta's sympathies over the last 12 months has been quite remarkable.
In March 2010, a U.S. Air Force technical team carried out critical in-country safety and maintenance reviews of the Indonesian air force's of U.S.-built aircraft. This was followed by the signing in early June of a wide-ranging agreement -- the Framework Arrangement on Cooperative Activities in the Field of Defense -- intended to integrate existing defense collaboration between the two countries, according to a press release from the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia.
The same month, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron R. Hume inaugurated a $56 million program to fund production of coastal and shipboard radar systems at the Batam Regional Maritime Command Center. The systems included 16 coastal radars, 11 shipboard radars, one set of headquarters equipment and two regional command centers, according to information on the official Web site of the U.S. embassy.
In July, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta told Jane's that it was processing a range of Indonesian requests for services and equipment from the U.S. Department of Defense. It also indicated that Washington intended to position itself as a key military supplier to Indonesia.
Just what that meant became clearer when Indonesia Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro expressed Jakarta's intention to buy U.S.-built F-16 and C-130H Hercules aircraft during a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in Jakarta on July 22. The purchase would be funded by the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, a U.S. grant provided to foreign governments to fund the purchase of U.S.-made weapons, services and training.
After the lifting of the U.S. military embargo, Indonesia received nearly $1 million in FMF funds in 2006. That has climbed to $20 million this year.
While in Jakarta, Gates also announced that Washington had lifted its ban on cooperation with Kopassus, the TNI's controversial special forces. The restriction had been the last remaining embargo on bilateral military-to-military ties.
But Washington's reversal of fortune does not mean that Beijing is accepting defeat. China has designated 2010, "The Year of China-Indonesia Friendship," to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. High-ranking Chinese officials have already traveled to Jakarta this year to propose, among other things, the establishment of a joint council to facilitate increased levels of joint military production. Beijing has also offered additional C-802 anti-ship missiles as well as a range of naval vessels.
While Jakarta is considering its options, there are rumors that Yudhoyono may ask for an increase in Indonesia's FMF allocation when U.S. President Barack Obama visits Indonesia later this year. Against such a backdrop, Obama -- who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia -- will find it difficult to refuse.
Fabio Scarpello is the Southeast Asia correspondent for the Italian news agency Adnkronos International. He is based in Denpasar, Indonesia.
A new Chinese tracked vehicle family emerges
Little is known about this new IFV but thus far it seems to have developed a complete family of variants in various stages of testing or field deployments. Some unconfirmed claims pointing to a heavy Type 89/ZSD89/YW534 mod, but without a closer inspection or an official acknowledgement from Norinco, they are still speculations.
At any rate, the PLA is long over due for a modern tracked vehicle, this is especially true consider the weak armor protection the old Type89 and 86 families have to offer.
At any rate, the PLA is long over due for a modern tracked vehicle, this is especially true consider the weak armor protection the old Type89 and 86 families have to offer.
Monday 6 June 2011
Mossad & CIA Committed 9-11: Italian President Francesco Cossiga
Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga, who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio, has told Italy’s oldest and most widely read newspaper that the 9-11 terrorist attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad, and that this was common knowledge among global intelligence agencies.
The evidence of demolition in WTC 7 is obvious and the 911 commission didn't even try to explain how a steel building with internal fires could SUDDENLY COLLAPSE IN ABOUT 9 SECONDS something that has never happened before. Of course the 'magic passport' supposedly found as rubble was raining down by a well dressed passerby who never identified himself and turned into the FBI was convenient. You have seen the chaos, the flying bodies and debris, screaming terrified people running from the WTC; so just why would a passport be picked up on the street and how could it have survived with NO SIGNS OF DAMAGE from the plane is beyond anyone to explain.
Minister Orders, India's Agni-V To Fly Before Year End
Indian Defence Minister AK Antony today said the country must have a ballistic missile with 5,000-km range. After presenting the DRDO awards today, Antony called upon the organisation to quickly deliver the AGNI 5 MISSILE.
"DRDO must demonstrate its capability to reach the range of 5,000-km at the earliest. The interceptor missile development programme has taken India to an elite club of nations that possess the capability to demonstrate and deploy missile defence. DRDO should now work towards developing a credible ballistic missile defence for our country," Antony said.
Speaking to reporters later, DRDO chief Vijay Kumar Saraswat said that the Agni-V test launch will take place before the end of this year.
New Light On Why India Rejected The F-16 & F/A-18
ASHLEY J TELLIS, commentator and senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment has a new piece in India's FORCE magazine which quite substantially fleshes out the stated reasons why the two US contenders in India's M-MRCA fighter competition -- the F-16IN and F/A-18E/F -- were eliminated in a late April decision. The Pentagon, Boeing and Lockheed-Martin, which have been quite silent (about the reasons for the elimination) since the decision, appear to have got their side of things across quite amply, and in great detail, in Mr Tellis' column. For starters, they've shown him those rejection letters they got. A highly readable report. Here's some of the juice:
Tellis' report notes that the F-16IN was found non-compliant on five counts: "growth potential, carefree handling (and automatic sensing of external stores), sustained turn rate, engine change time, and assurance against obsolescence over a 15-year period."
Tellis' report notes that the F-16IN was found non-compliant on five counts: "growth potential, carefree handling (and automatic sensing of external stores), sustained turn rate, engine change time, and assurance against obsolescence over a 15-year period."
Tellis puts the F-16IN's failure to meet the IAF's enging change time requirement down "largely to an idiosyncratic mishap during the field trials". He writes, "It is certain that if the trials were to involve multiple stochastic demonstrations of engine change, the F-16IN would have easily made the mark. Unfortunately, second chances are sometimes not available, and the IAF, for its own reasons, chose not to accept Lockheed Martin’s subsequent evidence of being able to meet the engine change standards laid down in the ASQR."
Tellis also suggests that the "blurry" nature of the reasons why the F/A-18 was rejected give him doubt about whether the IAF gave the Super Hornet an "equitable shot". He notes that the reasons Boeing was given for the rejection of the F/A-18 were four: "the maturity of its engine design, the growth potential of its engine, assorted performance shortfalls, and issues related to special preventative maintenance".
Peeved IAF Looks Beyond Russia To Revive Ilyushins
Seemingly exasperated by low-availability/serviceability for years as a consequence of what it has described unofficially as "unpredictable Russian support" and the country's apparent unwillingness to honour after-sales commitments, the Indian Air Force is looking for the first time beyond Russia for long-term maintenance and product support of its fleet of Ilyushin-76 heavy transports and Ilyushin-78M tanker transports at Agra, Chandigarh, Delhi and Nagpur.
In April this year, the IAF broke with tradition and floated a global tender to provide its Il-76/78 fleet "service support to ensure IAF requirements to maintain present airworthiness standards" for a period of five years, extendable to ten. The IAF has been improvising plenty to keep the heavy jets airworthy, but does not believe it can continue to do so without solid support. The Russian OEM, apparently, cannot be relied upon. The IAF has stipulated that bidders need to have the support of the Ilyushin Design Bureau.
According to the tender document, "The primary requirement of the contract is to ensure a minimum serviceability of 70% of number of [aircraft] included in the contract during the currency of contract. Period of contract shall be five years, further extendable for another five years. The vendor is required to meet this requirement by providing all the required maintenance and product support." It further stipulates that, "on any single day the serviceability of each fleet (IL-76 and IL-78) should not fall below 50% of total number of ac included in the contract."
Interestingly, the IAF has offered to pay the winning bidder an incentive if higher serviceability percentage above the minimum specified is achieved during execution of the contract. And they'll be penalised if they fall short of the required mark.
Nine IAF Ilyushins which will be undergoing overhaul and total life extension at the time the contract is expected to be awarded will not be included. An additional unspecified number of Ilyushins has remained grounded indefinitely "for want of spares/aggregates which have become unserviceable or expired their TBO/TTL".
Interestingly, the IAF has offered to pay the winning bidder an incentive if higher serviceability percentage above the minimum specified is achieved during execution of the contract. And they'll be penalised if they fall short of the required mark.
Nine IAF Ilyushins which will be undergoing overhaul and total life extension at the time the contract is expected to be awarded will not be included. An additional unspecified number of Ilyushins has remained grounded indefinitely "for want of spares/aggregates which have become unserviceable or expired their TBO/TTL".
Here's the full IAF request for information.
Thursday 2 June 2011
India Planned Attack On Pak Navy Mehran Base To Kill Chinese Engineers OMG!!
The terrorist attack on Karachi's Mehran Naval Station on May 22 was conceived and launched by India with the primary objective of killing the Chinese engineers present there, a Pakistani newspaper has claimed, citing 'informed sources'.
Four to six Taliban terrorists had entered PNS Mehran on May 22, destroying two maritime surveillance aircraft and killing ten military personnel during their 17-hour siege of the naval air base.
"India is the only country in the region that feels troubled by the Pakistan Navy, which had awfully beaten the Indian Navy in Operation Dwarka of 1965. Since then, it has been an earnest desire of India to harm the Pakistan Navy but it was perhaps not possible on the battle front, hence it struck the PNS Mehran," The News quoted sources as saying.
[UPDATED] REPORT: Russia Snubs India, Cancels 2 Joint Exercises
US, Russia nuclear arsenal data released
The United States has 30 percent more deployed long-range ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads than former Cold War foe Russia, according to new data released Wednesday by the State Department.
Both countries are required to report key figures from their nuclear weapons arsenals as part of the landmark new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) adopted by Moscow and Washington on February 5.
The United States has 882 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy bombers, compared with 521 for Russia, according to the State Department, which published the new START aggregate numbers.
The United States also has 1,800 deployed warheads and 1,124 launchers, as well as deployed and non-deployed heavy bombers, compared with Russia's 1,537 deployed warheads and 865 launchers and heavy bombers, according to the figures.
The figures are current as of February 5, 2011, "as drawn from the initial exchange of data by the parties" that was required within 45 days of the treaty coming into force.
The new START limits each side to 1,550 deployed warheads and 700 deployed ICBMs and SLBMs and heavy bombers, meaning the United States would still need to reduce its arsenal under the terms of the treaty.
The first nuclear pact in two decades has been feted as vital to global security because it reduces old warhead ceilings by 30 percent from a limit set in 2002, and establishes a streamlined new inspection procedure designed to eliminate cheating.
In October 2009, two months before the end of the original START treaty, the State Department issued strategic offensive arms figures that showed the United States possessed 5,916 "attributed" warheads, compared to Russia's 3,897.
A person familiar with START described it as a "totally different counting system" than the new START, which uses a more accurate counting in listing 1,800 actually deployed US warheads on ICBMs, SLBMs or heavy bombers.
A more realistic comparison, the person told AFP, would be with the approximately 2,150 operationally deployed strategic US nuclear warheads listed as of last December.
In May 2010, after extensive debate within President Barack Obama's administration, the Pentagon revealed the extent of its nuclear arsenal for the first time.
It said the US stockpile of nuclear weapons consisted of 5,113 warheads, including active warheads ready for deployment at short notice, as well as "inactive" warheads maintained at a depot in a non-operational status.
The new START accord limits still allow for enough weaponry to blow up the world many times over.
Obama has described the treaty as a modest step toward "a world without nuclear weapons," but stressed he knew the goal would not be reached quickly and would take "patience and persistence."
Construction of HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier
Construction of HMS Prince of Wales, the second of the two new Queen Elizabeth (QE) Class aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, started today at BAE Systems' Govan shipyard on the Clyde.
Employees and guests gathered at the shipyard as Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox, was invited to press the button on the company's plasma machine to cut the first steel for the vessel, marking a pivotal stage in the programme to deliver the nation's flagships.
Dr Fox said: "We are committed to delivering this next generation of powerful British aircraft carriers that will mark a step change in our carrier strike capability and form the cornerstone of the Royal Navy's Future Force 2020. This major construction project is creating and sustaining thousands of jobs in shipyards around the country."
Mick Ord, Managing Director of BAE Systems' Surface Ships business, said: "This is a proud day for our workforce, our Aircraft Carrier Alliance partners and the thousands of people throughout the supply chain who are contributing to the delivery of the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers. The construction of these 65,000 tonne ships is a huge feat of engineering and the rapid progress we have made, with work starting today on the second carrier, clearly shows the skills and expertise we have across British industry."
Second Sea Lord, Vice-Admiral Charles Montgomery, who also attended the steel cutting ceremony, said: "The Queen Elizabeth Class will provide Britain with the means to deliver air power from the sea, wherever and whenever required, and in a stronger and more decisive form than ever before. In addition they will be able to undertake a wide range of tasks including support to peace keeping operations and delivery of humanitarian aid in time of crisis. They will undoubtedly prove a tremendous asset both to the Royal Navy and to the UK as a whole."
BAE Systems is a member of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, working in partnership with Babcock, Thales and the Ministry of Defence to deliver the biggest and most powerful surface warships ever constructed in the UK. Sustaining thousands of skilled jobs throughout industry, work is well advanced with construction on the first of class HMS Queen Elizabeth underway at six shipyards across the country, including BAE Systems in Glasgow and Portsmouth, as well as Alliance partners at Appledore, Merseyside, Newcastle and Rosyth, where final assembly will take place.
The company provides overall leadership and programme management to the QE Class programme. It also plays a central role in the design and build of the ships. Construction of the mid and stern sections of HMS Queen Elizabeth are underway at the company's Govan yard while the forward and lower stern sections are in build at its Portsmouth facility. BAE Systems is also set to begin work on the two island structures for the first ship, which house the bridge and air traffic control facilities in the coming months. Additionally, BAE Systems is responsible for the design, manufacture and integration of the complex mission systems for the aircraft carriers.
Each 65,000 tonne aircraft carrier will provide the armed forces with a four acre military operating base which can be deployed worldwide. The vessels will be versatile enough to be used for operations ranging from supporting war efforts to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief. The QE Class will be the centre piece of Britain's military capability and will operate at least 12 of the carrier variant Joint Strike Fighter jets, allowing for unparalleled interoperability with allied forces.
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Indian Navy gets new MiG-29K carrier-borne fighters
MOSCOW (PTI): Indian naval aviation has acquired new teeth with the induction of nine MiG-29K carrier-borne fighter jets from Russia with an extended range of 3,000 kms and capable of firing air-to-air and air-to-sea missiles.
The Russian MiG Aircraft Corporation has delivered the second batch of five MiG-29K fighters to the navy, to add to its four, for which it has raised the new "Black Panthers" squadron.
India along with Russia, the manufacturer of the naval fighter, are the only countries to have acquired these fighters which will be deployed on INS Vikramaditya (former Admiral Gorshkov) aircraft carrier, presently under re-fit in Russia.
The newly acquired Russian carrier-operated MiGs are considered to be far superior to Indian Navy's current Sea Harrier jump jets.
Under the Gorshkov aircraft deal inked between the two countries in 2004, Russia is to supply 12 single-seater MiG-29K fighters and four two-seater MiG-29KUB trainer-cum-combat jets.
According to a MiG release, first of four MiG-29Ks and MiG-29KUBs delivered to India have been formally inducted by the Indian Navy's "Black Panthers" squadron in February 2010.
MiG Corporation has also delivered flight simulator and other technical equipment to the Indian Navy.
In March 2010, Russia and India signed another $1.5 billion contract for the supplies of 29 additional MiG-29K Fulcrum-D carrier-based fighter jets.
The deliveries are scheduled to commence next year, about the time Moscow is expected to deliver retrofitted Gorshkov aircraft carrier after serious delays.
Talking to the Taliban
U.S. troops at the site of an explosion in Kandahar on May 19, 2011, while civilians look on.
Talking to its enemies is not something that has ever come easily to America, a country that believes in good and evil, black and white, with few shades of gray. Nevertheless, that’s the way most wars end. And as President Obama has at last acknowledged, it’s the way the 10-year war in Afghanistan must and should end.
Think back to an even bloodier conflict in another faraway land. In early 1968 the U.S. Army and Marines won a famous victory at great cost against an insurgent army’s mass assault. But the dean of American television journalists, Walter Cronkite, wasn’t fooled by the defeat of the Tet Offensive. Touring South Vietnam that February, he soon concluded that, contrary to U.S. generals’ optimistic predictions, the best military outcome America could hope for was a bloody stalemate. On Feb. 27, 1968, he went on the CBS Evening News and told the American people that “the only rational way out will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who have lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.” His wise words caused a political earthquake. Within a few weeks, President Johnson had decided not to run for reelection and had launched what became the Paris peace process.
The Army had not yet unraveled from an esteemed institution into a dreaded group when Myo Myint chose to become a soldier. His tasks were to lay landmines to blow up ethnic minority forces and try to detect the enemy’s own mines. During those years, which are evoked in the documentary with graphic footage—smuggled out of the country by dissident groups—of military assaults on ethnic minority villages, Myo Myint says commanders “brainwashed” the soldiers into committing gruesome attacks. Homes were burned to the ground; unarmed villagers were used as human shields. The generals told the soldiers “the ethnic armies and the democracy protestors are enemies of the state [and] killing them is your duty,” Myo Myint says by phone from Fort Wayne, Ind., where he sought asylum in 2008. “Some soldiers, in private, oppose the actions they are told to do. But they don’t dare say this.”
Burma’s Soldiers Speak Out
A new documentary reveals quiet dissent within the junta’s prized military forces.
When Burma makes international headlines, it’s usually for the junta’s violent suppression of pro-democracy activists or for Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s ongoing opposition to the regime. “If you look at the popular narrative about Burma, you [hear about] the forces of good against evil,” says Irish writer and photographer Nic Dunlop, who has made reporting trips to the Southeast Asian country since the early 1990s. But behind the stark black-and-white portrayals, Burma’s story—and particularly that of its ruling institution, the Army—is far more convoluted. Now, in Burma Soldier, a new HBO documentary airing in May and June in the U.S. and premiering abroad later this summer, Dunlop and his fellow directors examine the question of what drives an otherwise ordinary person to join up with a brutal institution—and what gives him the courage to risk his life and change course.
Burma Soldier follows the life of Myo Myint, who signed up with the Army as a teenager to pursue a life of upward mobility and prestige. Born into a society where privilege belongs almost exclusively to the Army brass and their loyal allies, Myo Myint saw a military career as the only way to escape a future of grinding poverty. Plus, as a boy he had seen his neighbors in Rangoon greet soldiers with seeming admiration. He was still too young, he says, to understand the difference between true respect and thinly veiled fear.
The Burmese haven’t always been so wary of their military. Nationalist fighters who ousted the British colonial administrators after World War II—and who went on to establish the modern Army—became cultural heroes. But before long, the Army had become embroiled in battles with various ethnic minority groups who thought that their right to self-governance naturally followed the end of British rule. The conflict eroded the new civilian government’s control, giving a clique of hardline generals an opportunity to justify a coup. Repressive law and order became central to the junta’s rule, and generals used the ever-growing military apparatus to silence dissenting voices. A pivotal shift in the Burmese majority’s view of the Army came in 1988, when a popular nonviolent uprising was quelled with gunfire.
The Army had not yet unraveled from an esteemed institution into a dreaded group when Myo Myint chose to become a soldier. His tasks were to lay landmines to blow up ethnic minority forces and try to detect the enemy’s own mines. During those years, which are evoked in the documentary with graphic footage—smuggled out of the country by dissident groups—of military assaults on ethnic minority villages, Myo Myint says commanders “brainwashed” the soldiers into committing gruesome attacks. Homes were burned to the ground; unarmed villagers were used as human shields. The generals told the soldiers “the ethnic armies and the democracy protestors are enemies of the state [and] killing them is your duty,” Myo Myint says by phone from Fort Wayne, Ind., where he sought asylum in 2008. “Some soldiers, in private, oppose the actions they are told to do. But they don’t dare say this.”
Nirbhay missile taking good shape: DRDO
India’s Nirbhay sub-sonic missile, once operational, can draw parallel with the American Tomahawk missile (above), providing a long-range, highly survivable, unmanned strike capable with pinpoint accuracy.
Delivering the key-note address the concluding day of Aeronautical Society of India’s national convention on ‘The frontiers of aeronautical technologies’ in Bangalore, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) chief and Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri Dr V.K. Saraswat, said that the missile could deliver a maximum of 24 types of warheads, if the mission demands so.
Sources confirmed to tarmak007 that Nirbhay, built with ‘a certain percentage of Israeli collaboration’ is fast advancing at Hyderabad-based Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL). “Once operational, Nirbhay (fearless) will arm three Services as it can be launched from multiple platforms on land. You will get to see it from close quarters during the 2011 Aero India,” sources added.
It is learnt that the propulsion system design is through and the integration work has already begun for Nirbhay, which will be a technology demonstrator. The missile is said to be far better than Pakistan
The latest in the series of India
“The sub-sonic Nirbhay weighs 1,000 kg with a 1,000 km range and a speed of 0.7 mach. It is six metres in length with a 520 mm diameter and would use gyros for inertial navigation system,” the sources added, refusing to divulge much on the engine and the scheduled first flight.
Nirbhay can draw parallel to the long-range American Tomahawk missiles – in the limelight during the 1991 Gulf war.
Sunday 29 May 2011
China develops modular long-range rocket system
The China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CPMIEC) has begun marketing a rocket system that allows an 8x8 mobile launcher to transport and launch a pod of four SY400 400 mm guided rockets and a pod containing one BP-12A 600 mm long-range guided missile.
Standard SY400 systems have two pods each of four rockets while the standard BP-12A system has two pods each of one rocket.
The combination of two rocket systems onto a single platform provides the user with increased mission flexibility as a much wider range of targets can be engaged with precision effect.
Both systems are based on the Wanshan Special Vehicle Company (WSVC) WS 2400 8x8 cross-country chassis, which has a four-door fully enclosed cab at the front. This chassis is already used by China for a number of rocket artillery applications and has a gross vehicle weight of 41 tonnes depending on its application.
The launcher is mounted at the very rear of the chassis, horizontal for travelling and raised to the vertical position for firing.
The SY400 has an overall length of 6.5 m, a body diameter of 400 mm and an air rudder span of 696 mm. It can be fitted with four different warhead types: integral blast fragmentation; integral blast fragmentation combustion; integral fuel air explosive; and anti-armour and anti-personnel blast fragmentation cluster. Each is available in 200 kg or 300 kg versions.
Thursday 26 May 2011
‘I Saved My Country From Nuclear Blackmail’
The “father” of the Pakistani bomb on why we shouldn’t be afraid.
Pakistan’s nuclear program has always been a target for Western propaganda and false accusations. I would like to make it clear that it was an Indian nuclear explosion in May 1974 that prompted our nuclear program, motivating me to return to Pakistan to help create a credible nuclear deterrent and save my country from Indian nuclear blackmail.
After 15 years in Europe with invaluable experience in enrichment technology, I came to Pakistan in December 1975 and was given the task of producing nuclear weapons by then–prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. On Dec. 10, 1984, I informed Gen. Zia-ul-Haq that we could explode a device at a week’s notice, whenever he so desired. We achieved credible nuclear capacity by the second half of the ’80s, and the delivery system was perfected in the early ’90s. For a country that couldn’t produce bicycle chains to have become a nuclear and missile power within a short span—and in the teeth of Western opposition—was quite a feat.
The question of how many weapons are required for credible deterrence against India is purely academic. India is engaged in a massive program to cope with the nonexistent threat posed by China and in order to become a superpower. India doesn’t need more than five weapons to hurt us badly, and we wouldn’t need more than 10 to return the favor. That is why there has been no war between us for the past 40 years.
I have little knowledge of the present status of our program, as I left Kahuta, Pakistan’s main nuclear facility, 10 years ago. As the pioneer of the program, my guess is that our efforts have been to perfect the design, reduce the size of the weapons to fit on the warheads of our missile systems, and ensure a fail-safe system for their storage. A country needs sufficient weapons to be stored at different places in order to have a second-strike capability. But there is a limit to these requirements.
Don’t overlook the fact that no nuclear-capable country has been subjected to aggression or occupied, or had its borders redrawn. Had Iraq and Libya been nuclear powers, they wouldn’t have been destroyed in the way we have seen recently. If we had had nuclear capability before 1971, we would not have lost half of our country—present-day Bangladesh—after disgraceful defeat.
There is a total misconception about the money spent on our nuclear program. When we started, our budget was just $10 million per year, increasing to $20 million per year when at full capacity, including all salaries, transport, medical care, housing, utilities, and purchases of technical equipment and materials. This is but half the cost of a modern fighter aircraft. The propaganda about spending exorbitant sums on the nuclear program circulated by ignorant, often foreign-paid, Pakistanis has no substance.
India and Pakistan understand the old principle that ensured peace in the Cold War: mutually assured destruction. The two can’t afford a nuclear war, and despite our saber rattling, there is no chance of a nuclear war that would send us both back to the Stone Age. What pains me is that we gave Pakistan nuclear capability for its self-esteem and deterrence against adversaries. With our sovereignty thus secure, I urged various governments to concentrate on development to raise the people’s standard of living. Unfortunately, successive incompetent and ignorant rulers never bothered to work on the greater national interest. We are far worse off now than we were 20, or even 40, years ago when we were subjected to embargoes.
Our nuclear-weapons program has given us an impregnable defense, and we are forced to maintain this deterrence until our differences with India are resolved. That would lead to a new era of peace for both countries. I hope I live to see Pakistan and India living harmoniously in the same way as the once bitter enemies Germany and France live today.
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