Armed Indonesians including army & policeman who trespassed into Sabah Held





This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Mar 15 2015, 11:52 AM

To Join The US Military Police, You Must Get Pepper Sprayed In The Face



So you want to join the military police? Well then, get ready to get blasted with a a level-one contamination of oleoresin capsicum. In plain English: You’ll be pepper sprayed in a very painful way. And then you’ll have to work out!

It’s just part of the training. The United States Air Force requires all first term security response members to take a hit of pepper spray, so that they’re prepared to defend themselves in the event of an enemy attack with oleoresin capsicum. It also gives them an idea of what the non-lethal weapon can actually do. The US Air Force explains the above photo:

A required certification for all security forces personnel, level-one training consists of spraying an individual from ear to ear, across the brow while eyes are closed, with a half second to one second spray from an OC canister, 36 inches from the subject’s face. The individual must then open their eyes, complete the five assessment stations and make it to the decontamination point on their own.

Other military law enforcement agencies have similar requirements for pepper spray training. “The Soldiers are learning the direct effects of how the spray feels. This will allow them to understand how their subjects are feeling if they ever have to use it in a real world situation, and hopefully, will teach them self-control when using it,” says US Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Lillard. “But more importantly it will teach them that if they ever get accidentally sprayed during a conflict, they will be able to fight through the effects of it and continue with their mission.”



http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/03/to-join-...ed-in-the-face/

Weapons in China should be designed with Japan in mind: scholar


The JS Izumo, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force's first helicopter destroyer. (Internet photo)

China needs to develop weapons with a potential conflict with the Japan Self Defense Force over the disputed Diaoyutai (also Senkaku or Diaoyu) islands in the East China Sea in mind said Professor Liang Fang, a professor at the People's Liberation Army's National Defense University, cited by China's nationalistic tabloid Global Times.

Liang said the PLA and China's maritime security agencies have changed dramatically since the Japanese government purchased three of the disputed islands in September 2012. After Chinese coast guard vessels began routine patrols of the East China Sea, an air defense identification zone was also established over the region and PLA Navy warships have held exercises in the Western Pacific. The Chinese professor said that Japan currently has more advanced warships and weapon systems than China.

He said China can deal with all its potential enemies in the disputed South China Sea with the South China Sea fleet along, because the weapon systems of other claimants in the region are mostly obsolete. "However, Japan has the most advanced weaponry and equipment in the world and the support of the United States, which makes it very different," he said. Liang suggested Beijing devote more resources to the development of new weapons and equipment with Japan in mind as a potential enemy combatant.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150315000015

Two Indonesian aircraft collide mid-air ahead of LIMA exhibition



The fate of the four pilots of the two KT-1B aircraft of Indonesia's Jupiter aerobatics team that crashed this afternoon is still unknown. – Picture courtesy of aerobaticteams.net, March 15, 2015.Two KT-1B aircraft of Indonesia's Jupiter aerobatics team crashed this afternoon when they collided in mid-air during practice for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) 2015 exhibition, the New Sunday Times reported.

The fate of the four pilots is still unknown though witnesses reported that they were able to eject.

One of the aircraft crashed within the perimeter of the Langkawi International Airport but the other was said to have crashed near or in a village on the outskirts of the airport.

It was reported that the two aircraft were part of a formation of six when the mishap occurred.

All practice flights were stopped as combat search and rescue helicopters were deployed to find the pilots.

The crash occurred just hours before defence ministers of all Asean member nations are scheduled arrive at Langkawi for a two-day meeting, the English daily reported. – March 15, 2015.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysi...lima-exhibition

Iran to Jack Up Missile Arsenal



Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh announced Iran's plans to replace its Fateh, Qiyam and Qadr missile series with a new generation of missiles next year, FNA news agency reports from Tehran.

"We will abolish Fateh 110 missiles (a short-range, road-mobile, solid-propellant, high-precision ballistic missile with advanced navigation and control systems) as well as the mid-range (high-precision ballistic) Qiyam and Qadr (first generation of air-launched precision-guided) missiles to replace them with new missiles," Hajizadeh said on Friday.

He referred to the unveiling last Sunday of the long-range ground-to-ground Soumar cruise missile system, reminding that the weapon system has been built under harsh sanctions.

Also announced was the mass delivery of Qadr and Qiyam long-range ballistic missiles to the IRGC's Aerospace Force, and said these missiles are capable of destroying different types of targets under any type of conditions due to their tactical capability, sustainability in the battleground and radar-evading features, the agency reports.

Upgraded versions of these long-range and high-precision missiles will be delivered to the Iranian military forces next year.

The Iranian Armed Forces have recently test-fired different types of newly-developed missiles and torpedoes and tested a large number of home-made weapons, tools and equipment, including submarines, military ships, artillery, choppers, aircrafts, UAVs and air defense and electronic systems, during massive military drills.

Iran successfully tested second generation of Sejjil missiles and brought it into mass production in 2013.Also, Iran's 2000km-range, liquid-fuel, Qadr F ballistic missile can reach territories as far as Israel.

Iran's surface-to-surface Sejjil missile, the long-range Shahab-3 ballistic missile which has a range of up to 2,000 km, and Zelzal and Fateh missiles have all been developed by the Aerospace Organization of the Defense Industries.

The solid-fuel, two-stage Sejjil missile with two engines, is capable of reaching a very high altitude and has a longer range as compared to the Shahab 3 model.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150315/1019510859.html

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Mar 15 2015, 03:09 PM

Two aircraft crash during practice stint for Lima 2015



Read more: http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/03/.../#ixzz3UR6fySuB

Two airplanes of Indonesia's Jupiter aerobatics team crashed during a practice session at the LIMA 2015

Hezbollah to Send Forces to Fight ISIL in Iraq



Following the battle over Tikrit, Tehran reportedly turned to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to send in trained fighters to take on the Islamic State in Mosul.

An unnamed source told al-Jadeed that Nasrallah agreed to send 800 men from elite units to participate in the anticipated battle.

The lightly armed fighters will be enter Iraq within the next two weeks. Once there, Iran will equip them with heavy weapons.

The chosen Hezbollah fighters are expected to be stationed in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra and will draft plans for the attack on Mosul.

The Iranians are already running an operations center in Samarra led by Qassem Soleimani, Commander of Iran's Quds Force.

Tehran apparently wants to lead the battle against ISIL and see Hezbollah fighting the Islamists as a means to deter US forces from engaging in ground activity for the liberation of Mosul.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150315/1019516494.html

North Korea could amass 100 nuclear weapons by 2020, U.S. study warns





http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/2...s/#.VQVpOBjXerV

PH military to buy three new Spanish transport planes



MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will buy three new transport planes from Spain to strengthen its poorly equipped military in handling external threats and natural disasters, the military spokesman said Sunday.

The first of the three C295 planes will be delivered this month in a deal costing a total of P5.29 billion ($119 million), said Brigadier General Joselito Kakilala.

“One will be delivered by the end of this month… for HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief), military transport and other (uses),” he said.

The C295 is a twin-turboprop aircraft capable of carrying up to nine tonnes or 71 soldiers, using short, unprepared airstrips according to the website of the manufacturer, the Airbus Defence and Space arm.

The Philippines, which has one of the region’s weakest militaries, has been trying to modernize its armed forces amid growing tensions with China over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

Last year it signed an agreement to buy 12 South Korean-made FA-50 jets for about $421.12 million.

The country also suffers from frequent national disasters.

Disasters such as super-typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 7,350 people and ravaged an area as big as Portugal in November 2013, have frequently required the mass transport of relief goods and personnel to different parts of the archipelago.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/678987/ph-mil...ransport-planes

Y-20 is as advanced as most military cargo planes in the world: chief designer


Tang Changhong, chief designer of the Y-20 aircraft, Mar. 8. (Photo/CNS)

Tang Changhong, the chief designer of the the Y-20 medium transport and member of the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told Chinese nationalist tabloid the Global Times on March 12 that the craft is as reliable as most military cargo planes around the world.

The Y-20 was originally referred as Kunpeng, a mythical bird of ancient China that could fly thousands of kilometres due to its huge size, according to Tang. Even though the aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 200 tons, the specially designed structure and airborne system allow it to operate in extreme environments. "Aircraft is a technology of art and time," said Tang. "It is important to know if the aircraft you design is qualified from the perspective of today's technology."

He said that such technology cannot be purchased from other countries.

In addition to Y-20 cargo plane, Tang is also the chief designer of the modified JF-7B tactical bomber.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...000044&cid=1101

Turkish jets intercept Russian plane over Black Sea



“A Russian plane flew in international air space in the Black Sea in parallel to Turkish air space on a west-east route almost 12-25 nautical miles from the Turkish coast. Two F-16 jets from the scramble branch took off from Bandırma and intercepted the Russian place northwest of Kırklareli province and then monitored [it]. Two other F-16 scramble branches which took off from Merzifon also participated in monitoring the plane. The Russian plane left the Black Sea near Georgia,” said the statement.

Meanwhile, two F-16 jets which took off from İncirlik base in Adana were sent to the Syrian border when a Syrian MI-8 helicopter approached the border. After the Turkish jets’ arrival, the Syrian helicopter left the area nearly 2.4 nautical miles from the border. Turkish jets subsequently returned to the İncirlik base.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-j...6&NewsCatID=351

Ex-admiral: Group manipulated Navy procurement system



IPOH , March 16 — The procurement method used by the navy to source parts for its fleet may have been manipulated by a small group of Royal Malaysian Navy staff and suppliers to mark up prices of certain items, claims a former high-ranking naval officer.

Retired First Admiral Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid, who served for several years at the Lumut naval base, said fleet procurement came under a special unit called Depot Bekalan Armada (Fleet Supply Depot).

This unit sourced parts from suppliers through a three-tier procurement system.

In an interview with Malay Mail yesterday, Imran said the three tiers of procurement were known as the Quotation Management System (QMS), e-procurement and e-bidding.

In detail, he said QMS was used to source parts which cost RM20,000 or less each.

If the part costs between RM20,000 and RM50,000, the e-procurement method is used.

E-bidding is for parts costing between RM50,000 and RM250,000.

He said the Fleet Supply Depot was headed by a commanding officer, usually a captain, with a commander as his deputy.

“Below them are the material controllers or MCs,” he said.

“Each MC is in charge of different parts or needs of the fleet.

“It is the MCs who normally send out the request for parts to suppliers using one of the three procurement methods.

“In the case of the e-bidding, when tenders have been received, a special panel consisting of the MCs, the commanding officer and the deputy will decide on the best pricing.”

Asked how it was possible for the depot staff to mark up prices if the three-tier procurement mechanism already exist, Imran said it was not impossible provided the staff in the depot unit had “an understanding” on the matter.

He said he was aware of a particular naval part which was purchased for more than RM180,000 when he claimed it cost only RM30,000.

“I brought it up in Parliament and urged the government to tighten the naval procurement system,” said Imran, who became MP for Lumut after he retired from the navy.

He said it needed “teamwork” or “network” already established between the navy staff and suppliers over a long period of time to enable millions to change hands between the two sides.

Pointing out the probable way the two sides manipulated the system, he said this could have been done by pushing up an item fit for QMS or e-procurement into the e-bidding system.

“Let’s say one of the items to be procured is worth RM20,000.

“By right, the depot unit should use the QMS method to acquire it.

“However, this item is pushed either to e-procurement or e-bidding.

“Of course, the money is bigger in e-bidding.

He said once suppliers have locked in their quotations by the end of the tender period, the tenders are then reviewed by the procurement panel at the depot.

Since the value of items are not in millions the decision is finalised at the panel stage.

Imran, who once headed the navy’s logistics department, said once an item was purchased at a higher price, the procurement record would carry the new higher price instead of the older lower price, thus “helping” the “fixers” to reap profit from the marked-up item even for future transactions.

He stressed the procurement method would be susceptible to manipulation as long as the same staff were allowed to work in the same unit for years.

Last week, the MACC arrested six naval personnel and nine suppliers in connection with malpractice and corruption in the order of millions of ringgit, believed to have been carried out over the past five years.

All 16 of them are remanded until today but the MACC is expected to apply for an extention of their remand period.

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia...curement-system

Institute: China now world's third-biggest arms exporter





http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/03/15/3...rlds-third.html

Saddam Hussein's Tomb Ruined As Iraqi Forces Fight ISIL to Retake Tikrit

Not much remains of the complex, located in the village of al-Awja, except for the columns that held up the roof. It is hard to say whether the tomb of the Sunni leader was destroyed by the Islamic State or the Shia militias, assisting Iraqi security forces. The latter vowed on Sunday to free Tikrit in less than 72 hours.


Pics from yesterday when we visited the tomb in #Tikrit where Saddam Hussein is buried. Now destroyed by #ISIS
12:59 PM - 16 Mar 2015

Militants seized Tikrit and other cities in northern Iraq in a blitz offensive last June. Two months later they said that Hussein's mausoleum was completely destroyed. Witness reports did not support those claims. According to local residents, Islamists ransacked the complex but did not cause any significant damage to the tomb.

According to unconfirmed reports, Hussein's body was transported to an unknown location by his loyalists last year.

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150316/1019543027.html

What Can Mussolini’s Navy Teach Us About Chinese Naval Power?









http://thediplomat.com/2015/03/what-can-mu...se-naval-power/

Wave Energy For The Australian Navy






https://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/15/first-...base-australia/

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Mar 16 2015, 06:33 PM

Are China's missiles a bigger threat or trillions in debt on a bloated military ?












Read more :- http://nextbigfuture.com/2015/03/are-china...-threat-or.html

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Mar 16 2015, 07:52 PM

Secret Service Anti-Drone Tech And A New 3DRobotics Drone Are Top Posts In This Week's Drone Roundup





More reading:- http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/...-drone-roundup/

France to Return Money to Russia if Mistral Not Delivered - Arms Trader



LANGKAWI (Sputnik) — France will return money for Mistral-class helicopter carrier if it is not delivered to Russia, Rosoboronexport Director General said Tuesday.
The delivery of two Mistral-class assault ships to Russia was agreed under a $1.5 billion deal between Russian state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport and French shipbuilder DCNS, signed in 2011.

"In fact, the money Russia spent on the purchase of the ships will be returned in full, no doubt, even with usury," Isaykin said adding that "everything is specified by the contract."

France was expected to deliver the Vladivostok, the first of the two ships, by November 14, 2014. However, on November 25, 2014, French President Francois Hollande said that the shipment would be suspended due to alleged Moscow's interference in the Ukrainian internal crisis.

He noted that France would lose most from the non-delivery of Mistral ships as it's image would be damaged greatly.
"A party that does not comply with its obligations will suffer more damage. First of all, moral damage, damage to the image of the country. I think that the French side is well aware of this," he said.

Russia will make final decision on non-delivery of Mistral warships by May since time frames still allow holding talks with France, Isaykin said. France and Russia are currently holding active talks, he added.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150317/1019587839.html