Move over, Humvee: IMI’s ‘CombatGuard’ 4×4 leaves its competitors in the dust



Military vehicle aficionados, meet your next bedroom poster.

It’s called the CombatGuard, and it’s made by Israel Military Industries (IMI). First unveiled at the 2014 Eurosatory defense and security show in Paris, the armored 4×4 boasts the capabilities to make Humvees blush.

Let’s start with off-road aptitude. The CombatGuard wears massive 54-inch tires and has three feet of ground clearance, allowing it to navigate 70-degree slopes with little difficulty. It can hurdle vertical obstacles up to 2.6-feet high and can traverse through water 5-feet deep.



On the road, the 17,637-pound vehicle can reach speeds up to 93 mph. In the dirt, it’s capable of an impressive 75 mph, which is faster than the iconic Humvee can go anywhere. This is in part due to the eight-seater’s stout engine, a GM-sourced ‘Cobra’ turbo diesel that displaces 6.5 liters and makes 300 horsepower.

The CombatGuard, which may or may not have been styled after the UNSC Warthog from the Halo series, isn’t just durable; it’s innovative. The prototypes showcased at Eurosatory were equipped with IMI’s “Bright Arrow” remote weapons station, which is essentially an electro-optical jammer that can destroy or disrupt incoming missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.

All eight occupants are housed inside a super strong monocoque capsule that offers a high level of ballistics protection. For more safety, the entirety of the exterior has been reinforced, including the floor, which was designed to deflect land mines.

IMI, the one-time manufacturer of the Desert Eagle handgun and the folding ‘CornerShot’ weapon accessory, designed the CombatGuard to be mobile, tough, and intimidating. After looking at this thing, we’re a little too frightened to argue with them.

Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/israel-m.../#ixzz3Udssx8mh
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Russia’s air corps is a powerful but fading force






http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015...t-fading-force/

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Mar 18 2015, 12:03 PM

Hehe sori on mobile using select all. Adjusted just 4 u

Sanctions Hamper Receiving Arms Export Revenue, but Russia Knows a Way Out



Sanctions Hamper Receiving Arms Export Revenue, but Russia Knows a Way Out

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Western sanctions against Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine make it more difficult for Russia to obtain the money it has earned on arms exports, though Russia has found a way to deal with this problem, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Wednesday.

“We make almost fifteen billion dollars a year. And it would seem that Russia could compensate the economic losses we have suffered over sanctions with the foreign currency earnings,” Rogozin said at a conference.

However, “the sanctions targeting the financial system of the Russian Federation complicate the return of the money we have actually earned through the sale of weapons,” the minister added.

“We have, of course, found a way to compensate this,” Rogozin noted, refraining from specifying the details.


Russian Arms Trader Exceeds 2014 Sale Forecasts by $22Mln Despite Sanctions

On Tuesday, Russia's state arms trader director general Anatoly Isaykin told RIA Novosti that the company exceeded its export projections by $22 million in 2014 despite the anti-Russia sanctions.

The United States, the European Union and their allies imposed several rounds of restrictions against Russia aiming to weaken the country's economy and particularly its defense industry and financial system in 2014. Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations.

http://sputniknews.com/business/20150318/1019652948.html

AVIC TA-600 flying boat could be used in S China Sea: designer


The head of the AVIC TA-600 flying boat at the AVIC Chengfei Commercial Aircraft Company factory in Chengdu, Sichuan province, March 17. (Photo/CFP)

The head of the AVIC TA-600, a large amphibious flying boat, has been completed by AVIC Chengfei Commercial Aircraft Company, a major milestone in the plane's development, according to China's Global Times.

The chief designer of the plane, Huang Lingcai, told the paper on March 17 that the plane, also known as the AG600, is extremely suited to long-range ocean search and rescue missions and may be used in the South China Sea in the future.

The plane is one of three large planes that China is developing and the largest amphibious plane in the world. It was designed to meet China's aerial firefighting needs in forest regions and for search and rescue operations at sea. Its maximum takeoff weight is 53.5 tonnes and it can draw 12 tonnes of water within 20 seconds. The majority of the body of the plane is scheduled to be handed over for production at around this time. The plane will be completed this year and will have its debut flight in 2016, according to AVIC.

The plane's head is very large and may possibly be divided into two layers, according to the paper. The plane stands 4.75 meters tall and is 9.5 m long with a V-shaped monohull. Pressure requirements and the need to make the craft watertight mean that the design is more complex to design and manufacture than ordinary planes.

Huang said that the maximum takeoff weight of the Russian BE-200 and Japan's US-2 is between 40-45 tonnes, while that of Canada's Bombardier 415 Superscooper is around 20 tonnes. Huang said that overall the AVIC TA-600 is on par with these classic amphibious aircraft but that it has stronger functionality than the other planes.

The plane is an upgraded version of the Harbin SH-5 maritime patrol amphibious aircraft and is expected to form part of a series of amphibious planes, according to Huang.

Huang said that the plane could be used in 75%-80% of weather conditions in the South China Sea in the event of an accident involving an oil rig, an oil tanker or fishing boats far out to sea. Ships would take a long time to get so far out to sea and helicopters can't operate beyond a radius of around 500 km, which means that the AVIC TA-600, with a flight radius of 1,000 km, is likely to be deployed on long-range search and rescue missions, as it would only take two hours to reach targets and it can land, said Huang. On each trip the plane can carry 50 people.

Huang said that the craft is extremely versatile, which should be good for its market prospects. Currently there has been expression of interest in 17 of the planes, the majority from forestry authorities, the State Oceanic Administration and the China Coast Guard. The plane could also potentially be used to supply soldiers stationed on disputed islands in the South China Sea, according to the paper.

Although Japan is seeking to export its US-2 to India, Huang says that the AVIC TA-600 is primarily to support China's domestic search and rescue needs.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...000086&cid=1101

In photos: China’s construction of military bases in Spratlys



Satellite image analysis of Fiery Cross Reef (Kagitingan Reef)



Satellite image analysis of Johnson South Reef (Mabini Reef)




Satellite image analysis of Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef)



Satellite image analysis of Mischief Reef (Panganiban Reef)



Satellite image analysis of Cuarteron Reef


http://globalnation.inquirer.net/119660/in...outh-china-sea/

Pentagon: We Are Losing Electronic Warfare Dominance









http://sputniknews.com/us/20150318/1019679641.html

PLA expands its Type 093 midget submarine line


in the South China Sea in August last year. (File photo/CNS)

Beijing has revealed a version of the Type 093 midget submarine, known as the 093T, suggesting that more vessels in this class may be produced, reports news website Cankao Xiaoxi.

The 093B midget submarine reportedly has a vertical launch system that can launch 16 missiles, including the supersonic anti-ship YJ-18 and the DH-10 cruise missile.

Such a submarine can carry up to nine special ops members and is ideal for covert transportation and surprise attack. It can also launch laser-guided missiles or sneak combat divers into military ports to perform recon or destroy high-value targets such as aircraft carriers or nuclear submarines.

The United States was developing a midget version of its Ohio-class submarines but reportedly stopped development after a fire in 2008. The submarines used a dry-deck shelter system which allows the midget submarine to dock completely inside of its larger cousin. The 093T submarine adapts a wet-deck shelter system, which means only two thirds of the submarine are secured to the mother submarine and the rest is exposed to water.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150318000051

Could Iran's elite military force defeat ISIL?



The Islamic Republic's version of the Navy SEALs has emerged as a key player in the fight against ISIL

The U.S.-led coalition can’t defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) alone. So Iran is taking the battle against ISIL into its own hands by deploying its elite military force, Al Quds, into Iraq.

But what exactly is the Al Quds force? Could they affect the fight against ISIL? And should the U.S. be wary of their involvement? AJ+’s Dena Takruri examines these questions and more.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015...efeat-isil.html

Skynet military satellite to deploy over Asia-Pacific – UK defense chief





http://rt.com/uk/241961-skynet-satellite-defence-asia/

Indonesia Mimics U.S. Pacific Fleet in Navy Overhaul, Chief Says







http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/201...haul-chief-says

Russia's new 4th generation Lada submarine to nullify USA's naval power









http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/1...da_submarine-0/

Sonar Technicians detect, track, classify







http://kingsbayperiscope.jacksonville.com/...-track-classify

Norway Arctic exercise 'a provocation': Russia



Russia has criticised Norway’s ongoing military exercise on the two countries’ northern borders as a deliberate provocation used as a cover for gathering intelligence about its Arctic neighbour.

Between March 9 and March 18, Norway’s Armed Forces are carrying out their "Joint Viking" exercise, involving 5,000 troops in Finnmark county.

In response, Russia on Monday ordered 45,000 Russian troops as well as war planes and submarines to begin exercises, in a huge show of military force.

Aleksandr Khrolenko, a Putin loyalist who has held senior positions in Chechnya and South Ossetia, argued that Nato, through Norway, had deliberately provoked Russia, writing in Ria Novosti, Russia’s state newswire.
“Given the growing tensions between Russia and Nato, the choice of training area looks like a provocation,” Khrolenko wrote.

By bringing the Norwegian frigate Thor Heyerdahl to Kirkenes, a Norwegian town on Russia’s border, Norway was mounting “a threat to Russia’ Northern Fleet”, he argued.

The Norwegian made Naval Strike Missile (NSM) has a range of 185km, whereas Severomorsk, the main base for Russia’s northern fleet is just 150km away.

The Nato exercises, he argued, “violates longstanding principles of good neighbourliness in the Arctic”.

Norway had not invited Russian military observers to the exercise, he added, ending decades of common practice.

He also claimed that Nato was using its Arctic exercises to learn how to mount intelligence operations against Russia in the north, and also to increase “military pressure” on the Russian Arctic.

http://www.thelocal.no/20150318/norway-arc...vocation-russia

US Army approves Israeli surveillance balloon for purchase





http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/US-Army-a...purchase-394405

Russia, China may coordinate on nuclear-powered destroyer



Russia is very likely to start construction on the world's third nuclear-powered destroyer with the assistance of China.

Admiral Igor Kasatonov, retired deputy commander of the Russian Navy, said the construction of the 10,000-ton Leader-class guided-missile destroyer would begin in 2017. Vasily Kashin, a military expert from the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies based in Moscow, said the project provides a new opportunity for China and Russia to deepen defense cooperation.

The Leader-class destroyer would be the world's third nuclear-powered destroyer after the USS Truxtun (DLGN-35) and USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) of the United States. Since both American vessels were later redesignated cruisers, the Leader-class would in fact be the only nuclear-powered destroyer in the world. Kashin said that the Leader-class is larger than the two American ships.

Unlike the US Navy, Russia does not have overseas naval bases around the world, the piece said, and it makes sense for Russia and China to build nuclear-powered destroyers or cruisers that can remain at sea for longer. Kashin also said China is working hard on the design of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The participation of China in the construction of the Leader-class destroyer may give China the experience it needs, he said.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...000149&cid=1101

Iraqi Air Force got CH-4B drone from China: Moscow think tank





http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...000159&cid=1101

DARPA moves ahead on long-range 100 Gbps wireless links



Pentagon researchers are taking the next step in developing an airborne wireless link that can transmit data at 100 gigabits per second over long distances.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has issued a Broad Agency Announcement for Phases 2 and 3 of the project, which could issue up to two awards totaling $27 million. The goal is to hit 100 Gbps across 100 kilometers (62 miles) for an air-to-ground link and 200 kilometers (124 miles) for an air-to-air link, each within a single radio-frequency channel.

Six contractors—Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Battelle Memorial Institute, Silvus Technologies, Trex Enterprises and Applied Communication Sciences— took part in Phase 1 of the program, which explored high-order modulation at millimeter-wave frequencies and spatial multiplexing as the foundations for achieving 100 Gbps. Phase 1 technologies achieved rates in excess of 25 Gbps on a single carrier and 50 Gbps with dual polarization, DARPA said, showing the potential for 100 Gbps.

How fast is 100 Gbps? In October 2013, German researchers managed that speed, which was at the time declared to be a world record for wireless transmission, 10 times faster than Google Fiber. But that was in a lab, using lasers combined with electronics. So getting to 100 Gbps in the air over long distances would be quite a feat.

Basically, DARPA wants to provide forces in the field with the kind of connectivity they would get from a fiber optic network, but do it wirelessly. That 100 Gbps speed would be about 500 times faster than the military’s current wireless connections.

In the next phases of DARPA’s program, researchers will seek to develop a prototype airborne data link capable of being installed in a high-altitude aerial platform, operating at up to 60,000 feet, and functioning in all weather conditions, regardless of rain, fog or clouds. The system will include both airborne and ground nodes, with the airborne node’s size, weight and power requirements being compatible with high-altitude unmanned aircraft, DARPA said.

http://defensesystems.com/articles/2015/03...reless.aspx?m=2

Russia Targets NATO With Military Exercises




Analysis








Read more :- https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/russia-ta...itary-exercises

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Mar 19 2015, 06:32 PM

Saab offers solutions for RI’s defense ambitions









http://m.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/03/1...-ambitions.html