In five years, there might be a change of government and this deal scrapped.

Anyone have any ideas what military assets will be showcased for the 2013 Hari Kemerdekaan Malaysia, I'm still not sure whether I'll go down to KL.

I'll most probably go down if the PT91M Pendekar, Astros and AV8 will be in the parade.

Thanks

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 17 2013, 05:16 PM

Hopefully some confirmation of MAF assets on parade from BERNAMA.

I've been coming down for 2 years for the merdeka parade, so far no Pendekar.

Only saw it during the Malaysian army parade at Port Dickson this year.

Thanks for the heads up.

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 17 2013, 08:04 PM

South Korea's fighter jet project becomes two-way race
By Kim Eun-jung | 16 August 2013 Saturday | 16 16:47

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Yonhap) -- In a last-ditch effort to win South Korea's fighter jet project, two of the three bidders -- Boeing and EADS -- offered proposals below the state budget of 8.3 trillion won (US$7.2 billion) during the final bidding on Friday, government officials and industry sources said.

The third company, Lockheed Martin, selling its F-35 stealth jets through the foreign military sales (FMS) program, offered a price higher than Seoul's budget, according to sources, effectively being eliminated from the race to win the country's largest arms procurement deal.

As the bidding process ended, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the jets and officially announce the winner next month.

"As there were companies that offered price within the program budget, we will proceed to the next step," DAPA spokesman Baek Yoon-hyung said in a press briefing, without elaborating the names citing the ongoing procedure.

"Although all jets will be evaluated, aircraft exceeding the budget will not be qualified for the contract," Baek said.

This week's final rounds of biddings were held following a six-week suspension due to all previous sessions ending in a failure when all three aerospace giants offered prices above the 8.3 trillion won budget approved by parliament.

The bidding war illustrated the heightened competition among the world's biggest defense groups as they seek to overcome drastic cutbacks in military spending in the U.S. and Europe.

The cheaper proposals by the two companies came after the DAPA announced that another failure in the bidding may lead to restarting the project from the beginning.

It had said that all options will be considered, such as reducing the number of jets to be bought, buying the jets in installments and increasing the state budget, which could be more beneficial to F-35s, whose biggest hindrance is their high cost.

Initially, Lockheed Martin's F-35s, which are in development for the U.S. military, were seen as a favorite given South Korean Air Force's long pursuit of stealth fighter jets that can pass through North Korea's complex web of radars and given the close relations between the two allies.

However, there was less room for price negotiations as F-35s are sold through the foreign military sales (FMS) program by the U.S. government.

Unlike the other two that make direct commercial sales, Lockheed Martin has offered a bid whose combined prices for each year from 2017 to 2022 exceeded Seoul's budget, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The government-to-government FMS condition requires a foreign government to pay the amount specified by the U.S. government for the F-35s at the time of payment.

Seoul had initially picked a bidder last October with the goal of receiving the first delivery in December 2016, but it postponed the schedule to get the first batch in August 2017 in accordance with the change in the negotiation procedure.

Military officials have expressed concerns over the further delay in the project to replace the aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets, with some of them introduced to the country over 40 years ago.

The DAPA has faced criticism for the delay by conducting biddings for a mix of direct commercial sales and the government-to-government deal.

The agency said it will conduct a comprehensive evaluation with value-added analysis on price conditions, without elaborating details of the assessment criteria.

The price factor accounts for 30 percent of the total score, while the pure procurement cost, excluding life-cycle maintenance and operation costs, occupies a smaller proportion of the selection process. However, the DAPA held its ground that meeting the budget limit is one of the most important requirements for the deal.

The final decision will be made in a meeting of experts and government officials slated for in mid-September. No specific date has been confirmed.

In its bid, Boeing has stressed the interoperability of the F-15 SE with other models purchased in the first two stages of the fighter modernization programs. Seoul has purchased 60 Boeing F-15 fighter jets since 2002.

It doesn't offer the same radar signature reduction as an F-35 and is only optimized for air-to-air combat stealth. What it does offer is greatly improved radar stealth over the F-15K and internal weapons.

While EADS' twin-engine Eurofighter is not equipped with stealth, EADS says measures were taken to reduce the Typhoon's radar cross section, especially from the frontal aspect.

EADS offered an investment of $2 billion in Seoul's plan to build its own fighter aircraft and assemble 53 planes in South Korea to boost its aerospace industry.

If Eurofighter is selected, it will be the first European combat jet deployed by South Korean Air Force.

ejkim@yna.co.kr

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2...005600315F.html

Peruvian Army Special Forces Punisher face camo




http://thegrid.soup.io/since/334542025?mode=own

Indonesian, US marine corps hold joint exercise in East Java
By Heru | 20 August 2013 Tuesday | 23:11

Surabaya, W Java (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Marine Corps and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) have carried out a joint exercise at the Baluran Combat Training Center of Marine Corps in Karangtekok, Situbondo district, East Java.

Starting on Tuesday, the joint exercise was opened by the Operation Commander of Marine Corps (Asops Dankomar), Marine Colonel Purwadi, as a representative of Marine Corps Commander Major General (Marine) A. Faridz Washington.

The exercise, named Lantern Iron 13-1, will be held until September 6 in Situbondo. A total of 77 soldiers --66 from Batalyon Taifib-1 Marinir and 11 from US MARSOC-- will take part in it.

"The current global situation demands that Marine Corps be comprehensively prepared, especially in the area of maritime security," said Washington in a written speech read out by Purwadi, adding that every Marine troop must be able to deliver the highest standard of technical and tactical performance when tackling various situations.

"The Lantern Iron 13-1 will make them ready to meet such demands, as this exercise focuses on land and sea combat, from the planning stages right until execution," he explained.

During the exercise, the soldiers are expected to share their knowledge and experience while mastering some tactical abilities with respect to amphibious surveillance, jungle war, and sniper operations.

Meanwhile, Commander of the Exercise Working Unit, Lieutenant Colonel Marine Edy Cahyanto, noted that Lantern Iron 13-1 was aimed at not only improving the knowledge and performance of Taifib soldiers, but also establishing cooperation with US MARSOC troops.

Cahyanto said the participants were also taught about Medical/Tactical Combat Casualty Care and Demolition Identification and Reaction during the training.

Training was also provided on sniper operations, scout swimmer operations, amphibious raids, beach landing techniques, jungle and sea survival, and full mission profile, he added.

The joint exercise will also be held at the Lampon Combat Training Center of Banyuwangi.(*)

http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/90345/in...se-in-east-java

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 21 2013, 10:17 AM

From Dzirhan Mahadzir facebook.



Perajurit facebook.

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 21 2013, 11:14 PM

The problems with Russian supply chain remains an issue which led the Indian to go for USA made military equipment.

Dzirhan Mahadzir - Defence Journalist
24 August 2013 Saturday

Armed Forces Day public parade will be on 21 September (Sat) at Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur, includes flypast by RMAF aircraft.

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 24 2013, 08:29 PM

1983-2013 RSAF RTAF Combined Exercise, 30th Anniversary



http://www.thaiarmedforce.com/taf-special/...fspecial84.html

Looking at South East Asia attack helicopters with Indonesia currently in the process of getting the Apache.

Indonesia
8 - Mi-35s
8 (Future) - AH-64

Thailand
3 - AH-1Fs

Singapore
20 - AH-64Ds

Malaysia
11 - AgustaWestland A109 LOH

http://www.defencereviewasia.com/articles/...pter-programmes

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 28 2013, 11:24 AM

Too late for me to come down to KL.

The PR campaign last minute, should have made it last week.

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 29 2013, 07:22 AM

atreyuangel
yinchet

Yeah, hopefully I'm able to come down for the 2013 MAF Day.

There were not much information about the parade until this week from the mainstream media.


I believe that those are CNIM PFM ponton bridge.

This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 29 2013, 11:35 PM

I believe that the WZT-4 ARV is near the white tent, so can confirm that the PT91M will be at the Merdeka parade tomorrow.

From Dzirhan.





This post has been edited by xtemujin: Aug 30 2013, 08:11 PM

TV1 did not show the AV8 and it was wasted by showing the presenters talking with the Major.

atreyuangel
kerolzarmyfanboy

Hopefully the 2013 MAF Day will be good.

Event: 2013 Malaysia Armed Forces Day, Hari Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, Perarakan Rapat Raksasa
Date: 21 September 2013 Saturday
Time: 0800 - 1200 hours (8am - 12pm)
Venue: Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur

http://www.mod.gov.my/kalendar-acara/icalr...sa.html?lang=ms

Last delivery of Sukhoi fighter jets arrive in Makassar
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar | National | Wed, September 04 2013, 9:50 PM

The last delivery of Sukhoi fighter jets arrived from Russia at the Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force base in Makassar on Wednesday in CKD (Completely Knocked Down) condition and unarmed.

“The manufacturer also sent 13 technicians to assemble the aircraft. They will also perform a series of tests before handing them to the government,” Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force base spokesman Maj. Muliadi said.

He said usually it would take a week for the technicians to assemble the aircraft and perform the tests. As for the weaponry, the Indonesian government would procure them separately from the aircraft purchase.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/09...e-makassar.html

Despite its size, Globemaster proves a nimble bird By Dean Irvine, CNN
February 18, 2012 -- Updated 0342 GMT (1142 HKT)

(CNN) -- Among all the aerobatic display teams across the world, the U.S Air Force's C-17A Globemaster III "Hickam" isn't the most graceful.

"But it is pretty nimble," says Anthony Gurrieri from its flight deck moments before hitting the thrusters and executing a tactical descent that dropped the plane 20,000 feet (six kilometers) in just over a minute.

Feeling like the most exhilarating roller-coaster ride for those onboard, it is not so spectacular for those watching on the ground at the Singapore Airshow, although it is a maneuver that he and other member of the flight team need to use regularly.

"We're often in areas that you just need to get out of quickly," says Major Mike Pasquino, another of the four pilots of the Hickam. A steep take off and turn was used by the crew recently to escape enemy fire in Afghanistan. "You just think about your training and nothing else in those situations," says Pasquino.

Part of the U.S. Air Force's Pacific crew based in Hawaii, the Hickam's other less hazardous missions have included transporting dolphins and even a killer whale in the plane's voluminous cargo hold. It's been joined in Singapore by display teams from the home nation, Australia and Malaysia, but with all those Type A personalities looping through the skies in national colors, does it lead to competition among pilots?

"No way," says Lieutenant Colonel Mior Nor Badrishah, commanding officer of the Malaysian Air Force's Smokey Bandits display team. "Shit happens if you push it."

Battle for the skies at Singapore Airshow

And he should know. Badrishah gained the nickname "Ghost" after a near-fatal training accident over the Malacca Straits. He and other pilots from the Malaysian Air Force were on training maneuvers with the Royal Australian Air Force when an Australian jet clipped Badrishah's Russian-made Mig 29, forcing him to bail out at 13,000 feet from the burning jet.

"I blacked out for a few seconds when I ejected. I came to and pulled the parachute and landed in the water. It took over four hours for them to get me out."

Test your aviation knowledge

Just two years ago at the same event in Singapore a South Korean pilot was forced to cut short his aerial display after getting too close to the crowd. The organizers emphasize the safety measures in place at these displays, but accidents do happen, most tragically at an event in Ukraine in 2002 when 77 people died and hundreds of people were injured.

Badrishah's accident "was an expensive mistake," he says with heavy understatement, but it certainly didn't put him off flying. "I had two weeks off and was then back in a plane."