Beijing (AFP) - China has started constructing the second of four planned
aircraft carriers, a top government official said according to media reports on Saturday.

The ship is under construction in the northeastern port of Dalian and will take
six years to build, the reports said quoting Wang Min, Communist Party chief
for Dalian's Liaoning province.

The country's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was completed in September 2012 in a symbolic milestone for the
country's increasingly muscular military.

Another two are in the pipeline, according to Wang, in a projection of power that could be seen as contradicting
Beijing's long-stated policy of arming itself strictly for self-defence.

When the Liaoning went into service, Beijing and Tokyo were locked in a territorial row over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku
Islands in the East China Sea which China also claims and calls the Diaoyus.

The row continues to simmer, along with other sovereignty disputes with the Philippines and Vietnam.

Early this month a Japanese newspaper said China was overhauling its military structure in order to strengthen its attack
capability and secure air and naval superiority in the South China and East China seas.

The Liaoning carrier conducted its maiden mission in the South China Sea in January.

It followed an incident in December in which a US warship was forced to avoid a collision with a Chinese naval vessel,
prompting Washington to accuse China of being the aggressor.

Indonesia closes in on Grumman F-5 Tiger replacement

Jan. 17, 2014 at 2:01 AM  |  1 comments

JAKARTA, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Indonesia's Defense Ministry said it is looking at several jet fighters, including Russian, American and Swedish aircraft, as a replacement for its aging Grumman F-5 Tigers.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said he wants to ensure the purchase is part of Indonesia's Strategic Plan II 2015 to 2020, Antara news agency reported.

The ministry has five or six options as a replacement for the Tigers that have been in service for about 30 years.

"We have received proposals from several jet fighter manufacturers for replacing the F-5 Tiger fighter aircraft," Yusgiantoro said.

"We are in the process of evaluating which jet fighter will best suit our requirements, whether the aircraft is from Russia, United States or other countries. I hope the finalized next-generation jet fighter is capable of carrying long-range missiles."

Among the aircraft being evaluated are the Russian Sukhoi Su-35, the American Boeing F-15 Eagle and Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the Swedish SAAB JAS 39 Gripen, said Gen. Moeldoko, Indonesia's top military commander.

The ministry is looking at buying 16 aircraft, but the type and number of aircraft "depends on Indonesia's financial position," Moeldoko said.

Defense analyst FlightGlobal said its database shows Indonesia operates six F-5Es, as well as three F-model trainers. Its air force also has 10 F-16A/Bs and 16 Su-27/30s in active use.

The purchase of Tiger replacements would be part of a larger upgrade of military capability outlined by Air Chief Marshal Ida Bagus Putu Dunia in October.

Indonesia is aiming to create eight new squadrons of fighter aircraft -- more than 100 aircraft -- by 2024, the Jakarta Globe newspaper reported at the time.

The Globe report also said Yusgiantoro confirmed the air force had received a squadron of 16 supersonic advanced trainer T-50 Golden Eagles -- so-called baby F-16s -- from South Korea at the Iswahyudi Military Air Base in Madiun on Java Island.

The T-50, which can be used as a light fighter, was developed by Korea Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin and is South Korea's first indigenous supersonic aircraft.

Its maiden flight was in 2002 and it entered service with the Korean air force in 2005.

In October, Indonesia also officially received six Russian-made Sukhoi SU-30MK2 fighter aircraft -- the last of a contract for 16 Sukhoi aircraft signed in 2007 that includes pilot training.

Sukhoi sent the aircraft to Indonesia in knocked-down form accompanied by 13 technicians to oversee assembly testing before handing them over to the military.

The Sukhoi fighters are for the air force's Squadron 11 at Hasanuddin Air Base in Makassar, the Globe reported.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s military exercises and training with the United States will be strengthened in order
to bolster defence cooperation between the two countries.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said such two-way cooperation was important to build confidence
and to share new experiences and training techniques among military officers from both countries.

He said this during a meeting with US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon, Washington yesterday.

Both leaders also discussed various international defence issues, including developments in Afghanistan and North Korea,
as well as Asean’s role in overcoming regional security challenges. 

During the meeting, Hagel praised Malaysia’s commitments in Southeast Asia and called on Asean member countries to
unite and cooperate with each other to ensure regional stability.

“Malaysia is an important US ally in Southeast Asia, which has contributed a lot to security and defence, whether on its
own or by working with other Asean nations,” he said.

The meeting with Hagel was held as part of Hishammuddin’s inaugural visit to the United States after taking over the
national defence portfolio.

The two are expected to meet again at the US-Asean informal meeting in Hawaii next April.

Found this somewhere, not sure if you guys already had it here. I think we already knew more than this...

China's South China Sea Territory Claims

sos: http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/kanris-kokusai/.../9/b9ef579e.jpg

Tengah dok saja-saja browsing website Jepun (maklumla weeaboo) suddenly I found this.

From where I found this, this seems to be quite dated, because there's an October 2013 timestamp on the post this was contained in (it's an archive from a Japanese BBS).

Looking through Soviet T-72 scope

Found this somewhere, not sure if you guys already had it here. I think we already knew more than this...

China's South China Sea Territory Claims

sos: http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/kanris-kokusai/.../9/b9ef579e.jpg

Tengah dok saja-saja browsing website Jepun (maklumla weeaboo) suddenly I found this.

From where I found this, this seems to be quite dated, because there's an October 2013 timestamp on the post this was contained in (it's an archive from a Japanese BBS).

I read and watch the desert storm's documentary, seems like the Iraqis monkey model were still operated with only hand cranked turret?

KD Lekir undergoing her SLEP at Boustead Naval Shipyard. On her right, is one of the Laksamana class corvettes undergoing an extensive refit.

KD Kasturi Bofors 57mm gun seen from the bridge.

KD Kasturi Exocet MM40 Block II SSM launchers.

KD Kasturi as seen from the landing pad. The lights just below the radar platform are the guide lights for landing helicopters.

Found this somewhere, not sure if you guys already had it here. I think we already knew more than this...

China's South China Sea Territory Claims

sos: http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/kanris-kokusai/.../9/b9ef579e.jpg

Tengah dok saja-saja browsing website Jepun (maklumla weeaboo) suddenly I found this.

From where I found this, this seems to be quite dated, because there's an October 2013 timestamp on the post this was contained in (it's an archive from a Japanese BBS).