Yeah, have been here for a few years.

Cheers.

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Nov 25 2012, 03:16 PM

J-15 take off and landing on board Liaoning

Truman Hosts X-47B Unmanned Aircraft Demonstrator for Carrier-Based Testing
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Taylor DiMartino, USS Harry S. Truman Public Affairs | 26 November 2012 Monday | 7:13:00 PM





NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Navy hoisted an X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator on board aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Nov. 26, in preparation for an unmanned aircraft's first, carrier-based testing.

A team from the Navy Unmanned Combat Air System program office (PMA-268) embarked Truman to conduct tests and demonstrations.

The X-47B, which boasts a wingspan of more than 62 feet (wider than that of an F/A-18 Super Hornet), will demonstrate seamless integration into carrier flight deck operations through various tests. During each demonstration, the X-47B will be controlled remotely via a hand-held control display unit (CDU).

Truman will be the first modern aircraft carrier to host test operations for an unmanned aircraft.

Capt. Jaime Engdahl, N-UCAS program manager, said the X-47B's delivery aboard Truman was among the most historic moments in the program's history.

"This is a very important moment for the X-47B," said Engdahl. "The moment the aircraft set down on Truman's deck was the moment it officially met the fleet."

Cmdr. Kevin Watkins, N-UCAS's flight test director, agreed with Engdahl's sentiment.

"Bringing the X-47B aboard Truman is a big milestone for the program," said Watkins. "We've been testing the aircraft for the last several years and to finally put it on a ship is so exciting. If these tests are successful, they will prove that the future for unmanned aircraft is wide open."

Lt. Cmdr. Larry Tarver, Truman's aircraft handling officer, who helped coordinate the X-47B's on-load, said his Sailors are eager to participate in the aircraft's testing.

"It means a lot to our crew to be part of naval history," said Tarver. "We have Sailors who received additional training to safely move the X-47B and they are excited to play a part in its testing."

While technical challenges are to be expected when introducing the new system to a carrier's flight deck, Engdahl said he expects the tests to be successful citing strong teamwork between his team and Truman's crew.

"The support from Truman has been phenomenal and it's going to continue to take close cooperation between the carrier's Sailors and the UCAS-D team to make these demonstrations successful," said Engdahl. "To operate large, unmanned aircraft off of a carrier, from anywhere in the world, will be a key capability for the Navy after these tests are successful."

The X-47B test will be conducted over a three week period which will include in-port and underway demonstrations aboard Truman.

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=70808

The first public showcase of the RMAF EC725 should be at the 2013 LIMA in March.

There is still no news of aircrafts coming down for LIMA and many of us are 50/ 50 about coming down.

Hopefully things will speed up for the 2013 LIMA.

Waiting for the Malaysia GE annoucement then the RMAF MRCA selection.

Cheers.

F-ZWDQ/M55-01

http://www.flickr.com/photos/superspotter/.../in/photostream

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Nov 28 2012, 09:05 PM

Dua Buah Pesawat EC725 Pertama TUDM Tiba Di Malaysia
28 November 2012 Wednesday

SUBANG, 28 Nov 12 – Hari ini sejarah telah tercipta apabila dua buah pesawat baru EC725 yang bakal memasuki inventori TUDM tiba di Malaysia dengan menggunakan pesawat Antonov-124. Pesawat buatan firma Eurocopter dari Perancis ini telah diterbangkan dari Marignanc, Perancis dan mengambil masa lebih kurang 13 jam penerbangan sebelum tiba di Terminal Skypark, Subang tepat pada jam 2.20 petang tadi. Dua buah pesawat ini juga akan diserahkan secara rasmi kepada kerajaan Malaysia dalam masa terdekat.

M55-01, M55-02

Photos.

http://www.airforce.gov.my/my-berita-induk...ba-di-malaysia/

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Nov 28 2012, 11:06 PM

EUROCOPTER: EC725 Gun Firing Campaign

Australia Weapons stolen in naval base security breach
By Michael Park

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-30/navy...-darwin/4400646

30 November 2012 Friday
Weapons stolen from Navy vessel
Early in the morning of Friday 30 November 2012 an intruder overwhelmed a duty member onboard a patrol boat alongside HMAS Coonawarra.

The intruder overpowered the duty member, accessed the vessel’s armoury and removed a number of weapons. The person then departed the vessel with the weapons.

The incident was reported to NT Police. Defence is now working in conjunction with police in the conduct of their investigation.

Media contact:
Defence Media Operations (02) 6127 1999

http://news.defence.gov.au/2012/11/30/weap...om-navy-vessel/

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Nov 30 2012, 10:28 AM

Darwin navy intruder had inside knowledge
By Andrea Hayward | 30 November 2012 Friday | 7:55PM

AN armed intruder who breached national security, assaulted a sailor and stole weapons from a Darwin naval base appears to have an intimate knowledge of defence procedures, police say.

Fourteen weapons were stolen early on Friday morning when the assailant, wearing a balaclava and military clothing, boarded the Armidale-class patrol boat Bathurst, which was moored at HMAS Coonawarra near the city centre.

They overpowered a duty sailor before tying him up with cable ties and raiding the armoury on board the patrol boat.

Navy chief Vice Admiral Ray Griggs has ordered an investigation of Australia's fleet of ships and bases around the country in response to what he described as a serious theft.

"There is an investigation under way from a police perspective but I have also initiated a review of security on board our ships and establishments," he told reporters in Darwin.

Admiral Griggs said the assaulted sailor was "okay" but his life had clearly been threatened.

NT police commander Richard Bryson said it was not believed ammunition or magazines were taken for the two pump-action rifles and 12 semi-automatic pistols.

"It would appear to investigators that the person who was the offender in these circumstances appeared to have good knowledge of the layout of the vessel and ADF (Australian Defence Force) procedures," Commander Bryson told reporters in Darwin.

It is unclear whether the intruder entered the base by land or sea.

Both NT police and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are investigating the case.

The naval base has been in lockdown all day and all vehicles on it were being searched following the attack, which occurred just before 1am (CST).

Opposition defence spokesman David Johnston said the situation reflected on the government's decision to cut the defence budget.

A tender process for the ADF's security program had commenced but the project had been shelved, Senator Johnston said.

"It was a $203 million project that was about two months ago involving CCTV, duress monitoring systems etcetera and it was shelved because of budgetary restraints," he told AAP.

"I think that is a smoking gun on the negligence and complete lack of understanding of what reaching into defence and pulling $5.5 billion out of the last budget causes."

Senator Johnston said the security breach in Darwin was the second wake-up call for the need to improve base security, following the discovery of a plot by terrorists to attack Holsworthy army base in Sydney.

"The security of weapons and munitions is one of the first priorities of a defence force," he said.

"This government has fallen at one of the first hurdles."

Defence Minister Stephen Smith declined to comment on the criticisms.

In a separate Darwin robbery, another five firearms and a large amount of cash were stolen from a business at Berrimah, near Darwin, about 5.30am, when a shop's gun safe was broken into.

But police have not yet identified any link between the two thefts.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/natio...9-1226527398841

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Nov 30 2012, 07:23 PM

Saudi buys C4I system from Raytheon
30 November 2012 Friday

Saudi Arabia has signed a 'direct commercial sale' contract with Raytheon for a Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) . The system will be delivered by Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business.

The direct sale means the Saudi’s defence ministry will manage the buy and the implementation project themselves. This is in contrast to the Foreign Military Sale process, which routes contract negotiations and management through a selected department of the US military.

Raytheon said the agreement has a value in excess of $600 million. Under the agreement, the company will provide a national, strategic C4I system, providing capabilities for joint service coordination.

Modern national C4I will help the Saudis bring together information from advanced RSAF surveillance assets like the E-3/RE-3 jets, and Saab Erieye turboprop AEW&C. This leads to better ability to command the advanced fighter fleet of F-15s, Eurofighters, and Tornados.

It also connects with border surveillance and the ground management of the country’s Patriot and Hawk missile systems

Raytheon has worked with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the past four decades. The company said it ‘values its continuing partnership with the Kingdom and is proud to have been selected to implement this essential system.’

http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/saudi-buy...m-raytheon.html

---

Added on December 1, 2012, 8:56 am
A fallen cadet
By Jose Miguel Gomez | 30 November 2012 Friday

Bogota, Colombia

When a television journalist called to her cameraman to come running, I thought it was just to get a better angle of some VIP arriving to celebrate the 121st anniversary of the National Police, and the new graduating class of the academy. I’m farsighted and didn’t have my glasses on, but I did have a 400mm lens on the camera.

A few more moments went by and I still didn’t catch what the fuss was about, and the only colleague near me was busy shooting. That was when I spotted the cadet on the ground, apparently fainted in the middle of the ceremony, and I instinctively began photographing. Help was so slow in arriving that I was able to shoot from different angles this curious scene of a policewoman lying unconscious, face down on the ground in her best uniform. It was at least five minutes before a couple of police officers finally carried her away.

In the meantime the ceremony continued with the presence of the presidents of Colombia, Costa Rica and Honduras, whom I assumed were asking themselves the same thing I was – why did it take so long amidst a formal ceremony to help this girl?

Her companions could only observe her out of the corner of their eyes, and their faces showed anguish when nobody rushed to help.

I wondered how many hours the cadet had been waiting on her feet for the ceremony to begin, and what her fellow cadets were thinking that kept them from rushing to her aid. Maybe they would have been punished for breaking protocol, or even expelled from the academy.

Days later I heard that the fallen cadet wanted to quit the force, pero the generals didn’t accept her resignation. She considered herself a victim and expected others to side with her protest, even though this kind of thing happens everywhere. After what was otherwise a very boring ceremony, a striking photo of her on the ground in a forest of legs fronted the next day’s national newspapers, ready to provoke either jokes or compassion in a country immersed in its own war for several decades.

This cadet will never forget her collapse, nor will I ever forget my farsightedness, although I had enough time to take the right photos.

At the end of the ceremony an officer told us not to send the photo, but of course we did. Maybe there was a reason to be ashamed of the events because the ceremony was tainted by a cadet who fell asleep for five minutes on the grass during the 121st anniversary of Colombia’s embattled police force.

Photos.

http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blo...a-fallen-cadet/

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Dec 1 2012, 09:01 AM

Indian Air Force Avoids Israel, Goes Global for Aerostats
By Vivek Raghuvanshi | 1 November 2012 Saturday | 02:23PM

NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force is entering the global market to buy six additional aerostat radars for more than $400 million, a decision that avoids awarding a repeat order to Rafael of Israel.

In the next one or two months, India will float tenders to Britain’s BAE Systems, U.S. companies Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, France’s Thales, Israel Aerospace Industries and Russia’s Rosoboronexport, sources said.

The Indian Ministry of Defence agreed with the Air Force that fresh bids from the global market were better than giving repeat orders to Rafael. Air Force officials were not satisfied with the maintenance of two aerostat radars Rafael supplied, sources said.

Specifically, one of the two aerostat radars supplied by Rafael in 2007 was damaged in inclement weather along the Pakistan border in 2009 and has yet to become operational.

An Indian MoD source said Rafael demanded a high price for repair of the damaged radar, annoying the MoD.

The radars were based on a 2005 contract for three radars, which was awarded on a single-vendor basis.

Rafael executives in India were unavailable for comment on the accusations.

The state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation is developing two home-grown aerostat prototypes. The total requirement is close to 30 in the next 10 years.

Radars mounted on aerostats, or tethered balloons, provide long-range, low-altitude detection of hostile aircraft. The Air Force requires the aerostat radars, which can be raised to 15,000 feet above sea level.

The aerostat radars to be purchased will include an advanced programmable radar, electronic intelligence, communication intelligence, V/UHF radio telephone equipment and identification-friend-or-foe technology. The radars will have a coverage area of 10 to 350 kilometers and be able to pick up targets ranging from ground level to 30,000 feet.

In addition, the payload will include an air surveillance radar to detect missiles and fighter aircraft at various ranges, a surface surveillance radar and a combined surveillance radar for air and surface targets.

“Both India and Pakistan are using aerostat radars, and the need for deployment of such systems has increased further to monitor of low-flying aircraft,” defense analyst Nitin Mehta said. “Each aerostat is capable of providing a three-dimensional, low-altitude coverage equal to more than 40 ground-based radars.”

Even the Indian Navy is planning to deploy aerostat radars for surveillance along the coastal border, an Indian Navy official said.


http://www.defensenews.com/article/2012110...lobal-Aerostats