I don't get what thing is embargoed for export to China. I see Germany openly selling marine engines for PLAN Destroyers, no complaints.

Maintenance and service costs for all those brand new ships/tanks/airplanes haven't kicked in yet. Modern military equipment can cost a ton of money to run. We'll see how much in the future.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 7 2015, 01:22 PM

Saudi southern border city hit by Houthi mortar and rocket fire, three dead including military personnel



Mortars and rockets blasted cars and punched holes in buildings in the southern Saudi Arabian city of Najran on Tuesday, a Saudi official said, underscoring the threat posed to the nation’s territory by the instability across its southern border in Yemen.

The attack was the first significant offensive against a Saudi city since a Saudi-led campaign of airstrikes began in March against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants.

A Saudi military official told state television that the Houthis were responsible, while three Houthi officials said local Yemeni tribesmen launched the attack in coordination with the Houthis. It wasn’t immediately clear who was responsible.

At least three Saudi officers have been killed after Houthi rebels fired rockets on a Saudi military post in the border city of Najran.

One of the Saudi officers, who was killed in the incident on Tuesday, has been identified as Yaser al-Ghahtani.

US 7th Fleet commander meets with Singapore, Malaysian and Indonesian Navy representatives to discuss enhanced naval cooperation


USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19)

Senior navy leaders from the U.S. Seventh Fleet, Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and the Indonesian navy (TNI) met for a professional exchange of ideas in a variety of technical and operational topics on board the 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) yesterday.

The U.S. 7th Fleet had a first-of-its-kind multilateral “roundtable” discussion between senior leaders from the U.S. 7th Fleet, Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean navies.

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Robert L. Thomas Jr., commander, U.S 7th Fleet; Singaporean Col. Chuen Hong Lew, commander, Republic of Singapore Fleet; Indonesian Rear Adm. Darwanto S.H., Tentara Nasional Indonesia Eastern Fleet; and Malaysian Rear Adm. Dato’ Pahlawan Mior Rosdi, chief of staff for operations and exercises, Royal Malaysian Navy and their staffs engaged face-to-face to discuss the important issues in the region and how the allied navies can increase theater security cooperation by facilitating bilateral and multilateral military interactions.

“The staff talks and the multilateral roundtable were a big success,” said Radford. “Officers from all staffs brought renewed dedication and enthusiasm to the discussions which prompted meaningful dialogue and laid the groundwork for future expansion of the relationship between our navies.”

The two-day visit ended with a reception on board Blue Ridge with all four navies in participation and served as an opportunity for the 7th Fleet and the regional neighbors to speak to one another in a relaxed atmosphere.

The USS Blue Ridge is currently in Singapore conducting a port visit to build naval partnerships with the navies of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia to ensure peace and prosperity for the entire region.

ELABORATE PLS....

Aaand the K2 vs Type 10 MBT flamewars begin anew.

If can afford Mitsubishi can la....ukur baju badan sendiri

alang2 dah ada PT-91, IMHO buy je la more T-72 derivatives. At least can streamline maintenance and ammo supply issues. Ini kalau tak kena buka supply line baru utk different ammo & engine parts. Like we have so much money to spend....

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 8 2015, 11:46 AM

I never watched before, is it the same like belanjawan? with live telecast and everything?

Aii, forgot PT-91 not exactly a T-72, too many custom specifications like FCS, main gun and engines which is all very different from Russian-spec T-72s. So doesn't have that much advantage in continuing T-72 line, it would just be a somewhat different tank (PT-91 vs T-72) despite the physical similarity.

If possible, get another design la. I am hoping for a light tank, makes much more tactical sense.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 8 2015, 04:07 PM

Seems pretty obvious that those are fuel drums at least.

Anyway, here's the fuel system of a T-72 MBT:



This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 8 2015, 04:27 PM

The most logical choice is an engineering vehicle based on Armata chassis itself. Strange they don't have one on hand.

Not that of a big deal when a tank breaks down tho, happens all the time especially on brand new tanks with possible teething problems. Just hopefully not in front of Red Square on 8 May la.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 8 2015, 10:32 PM

Indeed. Soviet era tank designers always put more focus on mobility. Entire battalions of T-62/T-72 tanks are light enough to cross most bridges built in eastern europe in a single line nonstop without waiting one tank crossing at a time as in the case for most of the heavier NATO tanks.

Actually MBT-2000 is a Type 90 MBT, not T-72.
PRC never got to import the T-72 due to the Sino-Soviet split, where they had their own little cold war. They may have copied (stole) its features here and there, but PRC never had a full version of the T-72. All PRC tanks are based from the Type 59 (Russian T-54) added with their own local designs.

Meanwhile Russia basically abandoned the T-54/55 and T-62 design in favor of starting the fresh design of the T-64 MBT which later spawned the T-72, which is essentially a downgraded version of the T-64 tank. Soviets actually wanted to make the T-64 its frontline MBT but the cheaper and easier-to-build T-72 eventually won out due to economical reasons.

So basically PRC tank design family tree :
(1st gen)Type 59--->Type 69-->(2nd gen)Type 80-->Type 90-->(3rd gen)Type 96-->Type 99

Meanwhile Soviet/Russian tank design family tree:
(1st gen) T-54/55-->T-62(dead end)
(2nd gen) T-64-->T-72-->(3rd gen)T-80-->T-84-->T-90

MMEA Bay-class patrol vessel christened 'KM Satria'



The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) today received a Bay class patrol vessels from the Australian government after the first one was received on Feb 27.

Its director-general Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish said the patrol vessel which was named KM Satria' would be deployed in Johor Baharu to carry out the tasks curb human trafficking in the southern maritime area.

"The southern region is a hot spot in the activities of human trafficking to third countries and I see it, the more patrol vessels needed for the job there.

However, it does not mean the vessels used solely to combat smuggling activities, but "we will diversify its work to maintain maritime security of the country",he told reporters after the ceremony and gave the name of the ship on Friday.

Present at the ceremony were the Deputy High Commissioner of Australia Dr. Angella MacDonald.

The first Bay-class Patrol vessel, 'KM Perwira' that the APMM received last February is now deployed in Lumut, Perak to fight cross-border crime.

Haha not that weighty la, compare the 70-90kg weight of a additional manual human loader with probably hundreds of kgs weight of the rotary magazine and autoloading mechanisms prolly K2 autoloading system adds significantly much more weight la. I dunno where it ever says autoloader reduce weight, if it reduces anything its just crew number and workload.

Personally I don't favor autoloaders all that much la, its just another mechanical thing that can possibly break down in the worst moment. Also an autoloader cant help the crew replace a damaged track in the field.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 10 2015, 05:41 PM

I dont get what you're saying about lack of variety. Its not like the loading mechanism is a blind revolving type that fires in sequence one after another like a pistol revolver, the gunner can select what type of round the commander wants as long as it is loaded onto the magazine. The FCS can then rotate the magazine to search for the ammo type needed for the gun at the moment before loading it into the breech. You can potentially load any number of any combination of rounds (APFSDS, HEAT, HE, tube-launched ATGM) as long as they fit into the magazine.

What the real problem is usually the autoloader magazine can usually only can be loaded for the rounds it was originally designed to hold. If you ever need to use a different/new kind of round for the tank that's when you can get into trouble. For example the Soviets had a real problem when they discovered they needed to extend the length of their long rod APFSDS penetrators to better deal with the latest NATO armor tech in the 1980s. The longer penetrators did not fit the original T-72 carousel magazine and the entire line of T-72s had to be redesigned and updated with newer carousel magazines and autoloaders to allow them to use the new rounds.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 10 2015, 09:13 PM

Argentina set to receive 5 P-18 Malvinas-class OPV/Corvettes developed from Chinese Type 056 vessels



After significant discussions, the Argentine government has agreed to the construction of 5 Malvinas-class OPV/Corvettes to be delivered at a future date. The Malvinas-class, a variant of the export version of the Type 056 OPV/Corvette currently in service with the PLA Navy could be completed and delivered to the Argentine Navy before year 2020.

The 90 meters Malvinas-class OPV/Corvettes is a 1,800 ton design will be armed with a 75mm cannon, two 30mm autocannons, two 3-barreled torpedo lauchers, 8 Anti-ship missiles and an HQ-10 8-cell short-range SAM launcher. However, unlike the original Type 056 which is only equipped with a landing pad, the Malvinas-class will be equipped with a complete helicopter hangar capable of servicing the Argentine Navy's Sea King helicopters. A variable dipping sonar system could also be equipped to the vessel to enhance its anti-submarine capabilities.

China negotiates for rights to build a military installation in Djibouti

China is negotiating a military base in a strategic port of Djibouti, the president said, according to the AFP news agency.
The move raises the prospect of US and Chinese bases side-by-side in the tiny Horn of Africa nation.
"Discussions are ongoing," President Ismail Omar Guelleh said in an interview in Djibouti, saying Beijing's presence would be "welcome".
The AFP did not say when the interview was conducted.

China aims to install a permanent military base in Obock, Djibouti's northern port city. In recent years, Djibouti has increasingly turned to China as a key economic partner. A military presence for China in the Gulf of Aden would significantly improve their anti-piracy operations in the region.

French Navy vessels make port visit to Shanghai


PLA sailors welcome the arrival of the Mistral-class LHD Dixmude


The Dixmude and its escort the Aconit docking at portside


French sailors and naval officers watching the welcoming ceremonies

Two French warships docked in the commercial hub of Shanghai on Saturday, which diplomats said marked the first visit to China by French naval vessels since 2013.

The Mistral-class LHD "Dixmude," which serves as a helicopter carrier, and the Lafayette-class frigate "Aconit" pulled into port at Wusong naval base in northern Shanghai on Saturday morning, greeted by Chinese military officers waiting on the dock with flowers and a band.

The visit marks the tenth time French naval ships have come to Shanghai, the Chinese navy said in a statement.

"We want to know each other better," Captain Pierre de Briancon, commanding officer of the Dixmude, told AFP. "China is one of our strategic partners."

The Dixmude sailed from Singapore, and will stay in Shanghai for a week before continuing on its journey.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 11 2015, 10:36 AM