parliament already ask TNI to buy it, but i dont think TNI will accept it, cause indo has MI 17

some says TNI looking for new hello transport from US, cause the maintenance of russian hello is high and not effective rather than US made.

Problems with Russian equipments are the long delays with getting spare parts.

exspensive and dont forget the mafia.. 

US firm offering 21 Hueys for P1.2B to Phl

By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star)  | Updated February 14, 2013 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - A California-based firm is offering the government 21 UH-1 or Huey helicopters for P1.2646 billion for use in the May elections.

The Air Force made the request for additional Hueys in 2011.

The offer was accepted because the amount is lower than the allotted P1.2649 billion.

Rice Aircraft Services Inc. was the sole bidder for the helicopters.

It was declared an eligible bidder after submitting all the necessary documentary requirements to the Bids and Awards Committee.

Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo told The STAR the helicopters will be delivered by March 31, weeks before the elections.

The helicopters will enable the Air Force to meet the airlift requirements during the May polls, he added.

Originally, two firms submitted bids for the delivery of the helicopters. However, the other bidder – Israel-based Radom Aviation Systems Ltd. – backed out.

Radom reportedly wrote to the defense department about its decision to withdraw its bid.

Defense officials said the company did not say why it was backing out.

Rice cannot yet be declared the winning bidder as it has to pass the post-qualification requirements that the defense department had set.

The post-qualification stage seeks to determine whether the bid is responsive to the technical and financial requirements of the project.

Rice can only be named the winning bidder after it receives a notice of award from the government.

The UH-1 is the primary helicopter of the Air Force.

Indonesia earmarks 1.56 bln USD for army modernization in 2013

Souce:Xinhua Publish By Thomas Whittle Updated 15/02/2013 3:52 am in World

JAKARTA, Feb. 13 — The Indonesian House of Representatives has approved a military budget worth 1.56 billion U.S. dollars to update Indonesia’s weapons system this year, aiming to strengthen and modernize the country’s military arsenal, an army general said Wednesday.

Army Chief of Staff Pramono Edhie Wibowo said the 1.56 billion U.S. dollars budget approved was to buy new weapons and replace the old ones simultaneously by phase in 2013.

“The army will acquire 24 units of helicopters of 412 type, Leopard tanks, cannons and rockets with a firing range of up to 100 kilometers,” Pramono said, adding that negotiations are in progress for the purchase of 20 units of helicopters of black hawk type.

Indonesia’s Antara news agency quoted the General Pramono as saying that the army would start buying the equipment directly from the producing countries in line with the procedure and the equipment would be distributed by phase to various regions which need modernization of weapons system.

As the biggest country and economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has begun to leverage its growing economy to overhaul its aging military hardware. Indonesia raised its defense budget to 8 billion U.S. dollars for 2013, a 6.6 percent increase from last year.

MMEA plans to have 12 more bases to cut response time

Posted on February 15, 2013, Friday

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) plans to beef up its firepower capacities by having at least 12 more bases nationwide to shorten response time from two hours to one hour.

Its deputy director-general (operations), Maritime Admiral Datuk Ahmad Puzi Ab Kahar said the MMEA aspired to have 30 bases throughout the country from 18 at present.

“We would like to have a base or a post at every 60 nautical miles along the coastline to enable us to swing into action quickly upon receiving information,” he told Bernama recently.

Ahmad Fuzi said the additional bases, which were earmarked for islands off the mainland like Pulau Jarak, Perak, would be equipped with a 24-hour operations room, to receive information on crimes at sea.

The MMEA also has 12 radars equipped with cameras, nine of them along the west coast of the peninsula and three more in the east coast of Sabah, to track the movement of vessels involved in criminal activities, especially smuggling in Malaysian waters, he added.

“For example, we detected suspected criminals attempting to board a ship from a boat at Tanjung Piai, Johor at 1:50am last year via a radar equipped with cameras,” he said.

Ahmad Fuzi said the MMEA also capitalised on two mobile radars in hotspot areas that did not have radars with cameras like the coastline of Penang and Perak.

The mobile radars track down speeding boats through a sound detection system without the use of visual recording. — Bernama

Indonesian Military Modernization Program Stimulates Defense Expenditure

Monday 11 February 2013, Amsterdam

The Indonesian defense market, estimated to value US$8.1 billion in 2013, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.4% during the forecast period (2013-2017) to value US$18.2 billion in 2017. The primary stimulator of defense expenditure is the government military modernization program, which was undertaken to compensate for severe military underfunding during the review period (2008-2012). It is currently estimated that the defense budget is capable of satisfying only 52% of the country’s required military defense expenditure.

Indonesia is frequently affected by natural disasters, in which the army is usually deployed to assist search and rescue operations. In preparation for future natural disasters, government expenditure is expected to increase in defense sectors during the forecast period. Furthermore, Indonesia’s geographical make-up comprises over 17,000 islands, and there is currently a border dispute with Malaysia, which is another factor fuelling defense investment. In addition, there has been an increase in criminal activity such as illegal fishing, illegal logging, human trafficking, pirate attacks, and arms smuggling along the Indonesian coast, which increased defense spending will help to addresses

Over the review period, the country’s defense expenditure was 0.7% of its GDP, which will increase during the forecast period to reach 1% of GDP in 2017. In 2012, capital expenditure was allocated 40% of the overall defense budget, while revenue expenditure was allocated 60%. However, due to the government plans to modernize the military through the acquisition of the latest weaponry, capital expenditure is expected to increase and average 41% of the total defense budget, with the remainder allocated for revenue expenditure.

we might lose Sabah or we might have a new Sultan from Sulu..mannn..i can't imagine how the goverment going to settle this sabah dispute..

but the Sulu Sultan have a solid proof for their claim on Sabah..if he takes it to ICJ, it's going to be more complicated..

No lah, the current situation is the Father of the so called raja muda will come and take his son back.
If in Grik, after the family persuade it, the military move in.

maybe similar too 

thats not what the pinoy news said..they said the Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram won't budge from lahad datu and the  Sultan Jamalul Kiram II approved it..
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/64715/sul...ltan-wont-budge