United Technologies Plans to Sell or Spin Off Sikorsky Unit



LONDON — The United Technologies Corporation said on Monday that it planned to either sell or spin off Sikorsky Aircraft, the maker of the Black Hawk helicopters favored by the United States military.

The announcement follows a review of strategic alternatives for the 90-year-old Sikorsky business that United Technologies conducted this year. A decision on whether to spin off or sell the business is expected by the end of the third quarter and is subject to the approval of the company’s board of directors.

“Our strategic review has confirmed that exiting the helicopter business is the best path forward for United Technologies,” Gregory J. Hayes, the United Technologies president and chief executive, said in a news release.

“Sikorsky is the world’s premier helicopter company, and through a series of strategic wins is well positioned for long-term growth,’’ he said. “However, separation of Sikorsky from the portfolio will allow both United Technologies and Sikorsky to better focus on their core businesses. Over the coming weeks, we’ll determine whether a spinoff or direct sale is the best way to enhance Sikorsky’s long-term success and create the most value for customers and shareholders.”

Gregory J. Hayes, the chief executive of United Technologies, said that the manufacturer planned to either sell or spin off its Sikorsky Aircraft unit, the maker of Black Hawk helicopters.

The announcement was made on Monday in conjunction with an investor day hosted by United Technologies at the International Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France.

It came after Sikorsky said on June 2 that it planned to cut up to 1,400 jobs, or about 9 percent of its work force.

Founded on Long Island in 1925, Sikorsky manufactures and services military and commercial helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. It was acquired by the predecessor of United Technologies in 1929.

In addition to Black Hawks, Sikorsky makes a range of commercial and military helicopters, including the S-76 and the S-92 commercial helicopters and the Seahawk for the military. It is also developing the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter for the Marine Corps and the HH-60W combat rescue helicopter for the Air Force.

Last year, it won the contract to build the next generation of Marine One helicopters, which are used to transport the American president.

The Sikorsky business has more than 15,000 employees at the end of 2014, and it posted net sales of $7.5 billion for that year.

United Technologies, based in Hartford, manufactures technology systems and services for the building and aerospace industries. The company posted net sales of $65.1 billion and had more than 211,000 employees in 2014.

Its brands include the elevator maker Otis, Carrier industrial refrigeration, and Pratt & Whitney, a maker of air conditioning products and aircraft engines.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/business...-unit.html?_r=0

Pakistan sells its JF-17 fighter jet at Paris Air Show





http://business.inquirer.net/193568/pakist...-paris-air-show

Beijing's land reclamation in South China Sea almost complete



The land reclamation project of China's construction on some stationed islands and reefs of the disputed Nansha (Spratly) islands, as planned, will be completed in the upcoming days, according to related authorities.

"Apart from satisfying the need of necessary military defense, the main purpose of China's construction activities is to meet various civilian demands and better perform China's international obligations and responsibilities," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Tuesday in a press release.

The obligations and responsibilities are in the areas such as maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and mitigation, marine scientific research, meteorological observation, ecological environment conservation, navigation safety as well as fishery production service, Lu said.

After the land reclamation, China will start the building of facilities to meet functional requirements, Lu said. He stressed the construction activities on the islands and reefs fall within the scope of China's sovereignty, which are "lawful, reasonable and justified."

"They are not targeted at any other country, do not affect the freedom of navigation and overflight enjoyed by all countries in accordance with international law in the South China Sea, nor have they caused or will they cause damage to the marine ecological system and environment in the South China Sea, and are thus beyond reproach," Lu said.

Lu reaffirmed China's commitment to the path of peaceful development, saying that China follows a foreign policy of forging friendship and partnership with her neighbors and a defense policy that is defensive in nature. He said China remains a staunch force for regional peace and stability.

China, while firmly safeguarding her territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, will continue to dedicate herself to resolving relevant disputes with relevant states directly concerned in accordance with international law and through negotiation and consultation on the basis of respecting historical facts, Lu said.

China will work with the ASEAN member states to push forward actively the consultation on a "Code of Conduct in the South China Sea" within the framework of fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, Lu said.

China will continue to uphold the freedom of navigation as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea, Lu said.

China claims almost all islands and reefs in the South China Sea, which has brought the country into conflict with neighboring countries with competing claims to the same features. Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim the South China Sea in whole or in part.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150616000038

Islamic State Gains Military Expertise From Ex-Soldiers





http://freebeacon.com/national-security/is...om-ex-soldiers/

Analyst Warns Russia Will Respond to F-22 Deployment in Europe



The US' possible deployment of its F-22 Raptor fighters in Europe will inevitably provoke confrontation between Russia and NATO; in any case, the Russian side may respond in kind to Washington's move, Vladimir Batyuk, from the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency.

"As for the fifth-generation Raptor fighter jets, their deployment will certainly be an additional impetus for Moscow to speed up the process of developing and putting on service the Russian response, the fifth-generation T-50 fighter. The Russian side may also retaliate against other similar actions by the Americans and their allies, Batyuk said.

He recalled that the Russian Defense Ministry did not rule out that Moscow may deploy additional Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile systems in Kaliningrad, in response to the possible deployment of US heavy military hardware in Eastern Europe.

When asked whether the F-22 fighter poses a threat of a fundamentally different level to Russia, Batyuk said that it's too early to jump to conclusions.

"It is difficult to say to what extent these [F-22] planes are superior to those systems that are currently on service in Russia. In this respect, there are different points of view, but in any case, Moscow has the necessary means to neutralize this threat," Batyuk said.

He predicted that this will mean an additional buildup of Russian troops and arms in its western edge, which will, in turn, result in "not only political but also military confrontation with the between Russia and NATO."

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal quoted US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James as saying that Washington is considering increasing the number of its forces in Europe as well as the deployment of F-22 fighter jets there in the face of strained relations with Russia.

http://sputniknews.com/world/20150616/1023423960.html

Argentina decides to purchase 110 VN-1 armored personnel vehicles



Argentina has finalized an order of 110 8×8 VN-1, the export version of ZBL08 wheeled fighting vehicles from China North Industries Corporation, reports Reference News, a subsidiary of China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Designed with an operational weight of 21 tons, a single VN-1 armored vehicle is capable of carrying 11 soldiers in full equipment and an additional three-man crew. The VN-1 Argentina was developed for amphibious warfare. Unlike other ZBL08, usually fitted with 105mm anti-tank gun or 155mm howitzer, it is only equipped with a 12.7mm machine gun. Argentina is licensed to assemble the vehicles at its Tandanor-CINAR shipyards, according to the report.

While the first batch of the vehicles will be supplied to the Cruz del Sur, a joint peace keeping force formed by Argentina and Chile, the rest are going to be provided to the 10th Brigade of the Argentine Army. Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner made her decision to purchase the vehicles during her visit to Beijing earlier this year to improve the relationship between the two nations, said the report.

The VN-1 is not the first type of armored vehicle Argentina has purchased from China. Four WZ5516 wheeled fighting vehicles, made in China, were deployed to Haiti for peacekeeping operations by the Argentine Army before. Various Chinese military vehicles have been exported to other Latin American countries as well. Venezuela currently has VN-16 amphibious tanks, VN-8 infantry fighting vehicles and VN-1 armored personnel vehicles in service.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150617000010

Russia, UAE to Sign Contract on Unique Khrizantema-S Antitank Systems Sales



“Why has Khrizantema-S attracted the attention of our Emirati colleagues? It’s the world’s only antitank system capable of finding targets without optical visibility and destroying tanks of any type, including advanced models with dynamic armor,” explained Valery Kashin, the Kolomna Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau's chief designer. The Bureau, located near Moscow, developed and manufactured the system.

The unique Russian self-propelled antitank system Khrizantema-S was one of the main exhibits at the international defense exhibition IDEX-2015 in February in Abu Dhabi and was then presented to the higher leadership of the UAE during the part of the program which was closed to the public.
“They have expressed an interest in the system and the pre-contractual work is currently underway,” added Kashin.

The Khrizantema-S self-propelled anti-tank system is installed on the tracked chassis of the new BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle. This solution was enabled by unifying various components and assemblies to reduce the cost of production and subsequent operation of the machine, to improve its maneuverability, mobility, and ability to overcome floating obstacles.

The missile system can easily move at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour over rough terrain. On highways, it has a top speed of 70 kilometers per hour. It has the capacity to travel up to 600 kilometers without refueling. Importantly, the Khrizantema-S can transition incredibly fast from a marching to a combat state.

As soldiers joke, the Khrizantema can “bloom” in twenty seconds.

Today, Khrizantema-S is the world's only anti-tank missile system capable of detecting and destroying targets without optical visibility in smoke, fog, and snow, as well as at any time of the day, thanks to its radar and optical laser channels. The simultaneous operation of two channels allows technicians to track two targets and launch rockets automatically.

The Khrizantema-S system is equipped with a unique radar system. The locator creates an invisible radio beam which is accurate to the millimeter. When the beam finds its target and the rocket launches, the strike is inevitable. Radio beam guidance is carried out without operator intervention.

The 15 missiles in the system’s ammunition supply come in two varieties: antitank missiles with shaped-charge warheads or high-explosive antitank missiles. The system can destroy armored vehicles including tanks; engineering structures; low-flying, low-speed air targets; boats and tonnage ships; and enemy forces (in shelters and in the open field) at a distance of up to 6 km.

According to the Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau's estimates, a battery of three Khrizantema-S military vehicles is equipped to repel 14 attacking tanks, destroying at least 60% of the advancing company. A high-explosive warhead incorporated into the missile system will further expand its application.

http://sputniknews.com/world/20150617/1023460156.html

E-Rifle: New device connects AK-47 to internet, GPS, GLONASS





http://rt.com/news/267907-russia-kalashnikov-rifle-internet/

A Hind-E for Pakistan: Islamabad to Purchase Russian Mi-35 Copters





http://sputniknews.com/world/20150618/1023511019.html

Building of V-280 aircraft's fuselage begins



FORT WORTH, Texas, June 16 (UPI) -- Major assembly of Bell Helicopter's V-280 tilt-rotor technology demonstrator has been started by its fuselage manufacturer, Spirit AeroSystems Inc.

Work on the fuselage, which is being made with composite materials, is expected to be completed later this year.

"Spirit AeroSystems brings decades of composite manufacturing experience to the team which allows us to quickly build an aircraft like the V-280," said Phil Anderson, Spirit AeroSystems senior vice president of Defense. "This is a major milestone for the technology demonstrator unit. Spirit AeroSystems is proud to be on Team Valor and we are excited to be designing and building the composite cabin and cockpit for the V-280."

The V-280 Valor, being developed for the U.S. Army, is expected to have a cruise speed of 280 knots and a combat range of 800 nautical miles. It will be capable of vertical takeoffs and landings and flight as a fixed wing aircraft. The demonstrator aircraft is expected to have its first flight in 2017.

"U.S. ground forces require significant increase in speed and range to operate against and strike adversary systems much deeper than existing platforms," said Mitch Snyder, executive vice president of Military Business for Bell Helicopter. "That is the vision for Future Vertical Lift. The V-280 advanced technology tiltrotor provides the Department of Defense with unmatched speed, range and payload for expeditionary maneuver to win these future conflicts.

"We are confident in the capability that the V-280 will provide, and we are proud to have Spirit AeroSystems adding their expertise to Team Valor and to the V-280. Spirit AeroSystems beginning major assembly on the V-280 fuselage brings this high-performance aircraft one step closer to completion."

Members of Bell Helicopter's Team Valor for development of the aircraft includes Lockheed Martin, Spirit AeroSystems, Astronics, Eaton, General Electric, and GKN Aerospace.

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-.../5561434477816/

It’s official: America has a China-containment policy





http://atimes.com/2015/06/its-official-ame...ainment-policy/

China To Finish South China Sea’s Artificial Island Building Soon





http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/06/south-chi...sland-building/

Who Is the Biggest Aggressor in the South China Sea?



In 1996, Vietnam occupied 24 features in the Spratly Islands (source). At that time, according to the same source, China occupied nine. By 2015, according to the United States government, Vietnam occupied 48 features, and China occupied eight.

On May 13, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense, David Shear, said this to the Senate Foreign relations Committee: “Vietnam has 48 outposts; the Philippines, 8; China, 8; Malaysia, 5, and Taiwan, 1.”

In the past 20 years, according to the United States, China has not physically occupied additional features. By contrast, Vietnam has doubled its holdings, and much of that activity has occurred recently. The Vietnamese occupations appear to have increased from 30 to 48 in the last six years.

Shear also pointed out that as of his speech, China did not have an airfield as other claimants did. He said:

All of these same claimants have also engaged in construction activity of differing scope and degree. The types of outpost upgrades vary across claimants but broadly are comprised of land reclamation, building construction and extension, and defense emplacements. Between 2009 and 2014, Vietnam was the most active claimant in terms of both outpost upgrades and land reclamation, reclaiming approximately 60 acres. All territorial claimants, with the exception of China and Brunei, have also already built airstrips of varying sizes and functionality on disputed features in the Spratlys.

It appears China has now built an airfield and that this was already visible in April 2015, when the Daily Mail reported that “images showed a paved section of runway 505m by 53m on the northeastern side” of Fiery Cross Reef. Now media pundits are engaged in a debate about how many acres China has reclaimed, suggesting that China has been more aggressive than Vietnam because it has reclaimed more acres.

The statement by Shear in May puts additional critical light on the suggestion of some in the United States that China is not only making “preposterous” claims but is being the most aggressive actor in the territorial disputes (see: “Intelligence Check: Just How ‘Preposterous’ Are China’s South China Sea Activities?”). Shear specifically said that between 2009 and 2014, Vietnam had been the most active. This helps us understand what Chinese military leaders mean when they say China has shown “great restraint.”

http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/who-is-the-...outh-china-sea/

What dispute? Fresh-faced Chinese troops strike a pose on reef at centre of wrangle with US, SE Asia







A Chinese website has published photographs from one of the reefs under China’s control in the disputed South China Sea showing female sailors posing on ocean breakwalls, vegetable gardens being watered and even pigs in a pen.

The slideshow of 17 photographs from Fiery Cross Reef shows how quickly China is developing facilities to support its troops on the newly formed island following major land reclamation.

Sina, one of China’s biggest web portals, put the slideshow online under the headline “Gratifying results on China’s Yongshu Reef: building vegetable greenhouses and growing fruit trees”.

Fiery Cross is among seven Chinese-held reefs in the Spratly chain of the South China Sea that are being transformed into artificial islands despite alarm from other claimants to the strategic waterway and growing criticism from Washington.


A sailor smiles for the camera next to food cultivated on the reef. Photo: Sina.com
Sina did not say when the pictures were taken or by whom, although they appear to have been taken from various other websites, including state radio and at least one celebrity gossip site. The pictures had no captions.

In one photograph, six female sailors in camouflaged uniforms pose on a breakwall with a greenhouse in the background. Another picture shows a female sailor, or naval officer, standing by a stone plinth reading Awe-inspiring South China Sea.

The greenhouse is a particular focus of the slideshow, with its aubergines and tomato plants growing in neat lines. A dozen plump pigs in a sty appear in one photo.

What is not shown are the reef’s military facilities, such as a 3,000-metre runway and airborne early warning radar systems that are visible on commercial satellite images.


Troops pose for a picture near the port on China's base in the Fiery Cross Reef, part of reclamation efforts that have riled neighbours amid a territorial dispute. Photo: Sina.com

Neither is there any sign of dredgers or other equipment used to reclaim land.

China said this week that some of its reclamation work in the Spratlys would be completed soon but that it would continue to build facilities.

It says the outposts will have undefined military purposes as well as help with maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and navigation.

There have been recent tensions between the Chinese navy and the US military around the Spratlys.

http://www.scmp.com/article/1823710/all-sm...a-disputed-reef

The US military is building a futuristic hoverbike



It’s not quite as sleek as a Storm Trooper’s speeder bike, but you have to start somewhere.

The push to develop a hoverbike is coming to the U.S., as a British company years into the effort is opening an office near Aberdeen Proving Ground to develop the floating vehicle for the U.S. military.

Malloy Aeronautics already has a prototype that combines the “simplicity of a motorbike with the freedom of a helicopter.” It flies much like a quadcopter, with four propellers on either side. The driver can sit in the middle, or the vehicle could fly unmanned.

The three-year-old company, which also sells drones, has been using crowdfunding to fuel R&D operations. Those efforts will now get a boost, as the U.S. Army Research Lab is interested. The military may want to use the floating bike as Tactical Reconnaissance Vehicle (TRV), which means it could end up scouting behind enemy lines.

The Army’s interest prompted a move to Maryland. Malloy’s new office will be co-located with Belcamp-based Survice Engineering Co., a 400-employee contractor that supports Army R&D efforts. The two companies will partner on the hoverbike development through an existing Survice contract with the Army Research Lab.

The companies are showing off the technology this week at the Paris Air Show, and Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford’s office announced the partnership. Rutherford said the hoverbike represents a “new frontier in aviation.”

https://technical.ly/baltimore/2015/06/18/u...oy-aeronautics/

DARPA Research Could Help Soldiers See Around Corners



It's getting harder and harder to hide these days. Thanks to through-the-wall sensors, such as Camero-Tech's line of Xaver tactical radars, law enforcement and the military can detect anyone inside a closed room and determine his distance from the device. In fact, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service have been secretly using these sensors for more than two years, according to USA Today.

Now DARPA wants to go one step further: It is researching ways of seeing around corners and behind walls, something not possible with conventional line-of-sight cameras and scopes. Called the Revolutionary Enhancement of Visibility by Exploiting Active Light-fields (REVEAL) program, the idea is to use bouncing photons of light to construct a 3D image of a person otherwise hidden from view.

DARPA didn't respond to a request from PM for an interview with REVEAL program manager Predrag Milojkovic. But DARPA's recent announcement of REVEAL indicates the agency is using as a springboard the pioneering work of Ramesh Raskar, head of the MIT Media Lab, and Andreas Velten, a University of Wisconsin-Madison physicist.

That team, which earned the team a 2012 Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics, used a femtolaser to flash a pulse of light lasting less than a trillionth of a second against a flat, vertical surface. The light then scattered off of that surface, and the bouncing photons interacted with an object—in this case a small poseable mannequin—otherwise hidden from the operator's view.

The equipment you need can take up a whole table, so forget about wearing it like a pair of goggles

A very high speed camera, sitting alongside the laser, then registered the bouncing photons as they returned at slightly different speeds, explains Ashok Veeraraghavan, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University who was on the team. This time-of-flight information allowed researchers to tell how far each photon had traveled and what it had bounced against. Ultimately, that helped them construct a crude 3D image of the hidden mannequin.

Clearly, the ability to see around corners would be a huge advantage in war. But it's one thing to conduct round-the-corner imaging under the controlled conditions of a sterile lab, and it's quite another to try it on the battlefield, Veeraraghavan says.

For starters, the equipment you need (at least for now) can take up a whole table, so forget about wearing it like a pair of night vision goggles. Furthermore, the imaging process isn't instantaneous. Before you go bouncing light off of a wall, you need to know the reflectiveness of the surface. It is matted or mirror-like? All that matters to the scattering light. Next, one has to contend with the light measurement and image reconstruction.

"You need to do multiple measurements over a period of many minutes," Veeraraghavan says. "Then there's the 'deconvolution,' to undo the effects of multiple [light] scattering. It takes up to several minutes to solve these computational problems before an image of these unseen objects can be created."

Clearly, the ability to see around corners would be a huge advantage in war.

Finally, everything must remain still, including the hidden object. "Currently, minor movements—things like vibration, camera movement and laser movement—effect the quality of the reconstruction," he says.

To put it simply, then, DARPA faces a host of challenges in making this technology ready for the real world. The four-year REVEAL program doesn't aim to develop a deployable system. It's mostly looking at the fundamentals. To build a real round-the-corner imager, sensors would need to be faster and more compact, and scientists would need new techniques to address unpredictable environmental conditions. And that, Veeraraghavan says, is still many years away.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/r...around-corners/

Future of the Malaysian defense industry-market attractiveness, competitive landscape and forecasts to 2020 just published


Military Security Defence Market Research Reports Annoucements

WhaTech Channel: Military Market Research Reports
Published on Friday, 19 June 2015 08:29
Submitted by Pawan Kumar WhaTech Agency
News from:Research Beam
Page views: 2 times
This report offers detailed analysis of the Malaysian defense industry with market size forecasts covering the next five years. This report will also analyze factors that influence demand for the industry, key market trends, and challenges faced by industry participants.

Summary

The Future of the Malaysian Defense Industry Market Attractiveness, Competitive Landscape and Forecasts to 2020, published by Strategic Defence Intelligence, provides readers with detailed analysis of both historic and forecast defense industry values, factors influencing demand, the challenges faced by industry participants, analysis of industry leading companies, and key news.

Key Findings

Over the historic period, Malaysia’s defense expenditure registered a growth rate of 3.66%, increasing from US$4.7 billion in 2011 to US$5.4 billion in 2015
Malaysia’s military expenditure, valued at US$5.4 billion in 2015, is expected to increase to US$7.2 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 5.89% over the forecast period
Malaysian military expenditure will be driven by the modernization of defense systems, international peacekeeping operations, and territorial disputes with neighboring countries

The Defense Ministry is expected to procure corvettes, multi-role aircraft, armored personnel carrier, and

In particular, it provides an in-depth analysis of the following:

Malaysian defense industry market size and drivers: detailed analysis of the Malaysian defense industry during 2016-2020, including highlights of the demand drivers and growth stimulators for the industry. It also provides a snapshot of the country’s expenditure and modernization patterns

Budget allocation and key challenges: insights into procurement schedules formulated within the country and a breakdown of the defense budget with respect to the army, navy, and air force. It also details the key challenges faced by defense market participants within the country

Porter’s Five Force analysis of the Malaysian defense industry: analysis of the market characteristics by determining the bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitution, intensity of rivalry, and barriers to entry

Import and Export Dynamics: analysis of prevalent trends in the country’s imports and exports over the last five years

Market opportunities: details of the top five defense investment opportunities over the coming 10 years

Competitive landscape and strategic insights: analysis of the competitive landscape of the Malaysian defense industry. It provides an overview of key players, together with insights such as key alliances, strategic initiatives, and a brief financial analysis

This report will give the user confidence to make the correct business decisions based on a detailed analysis of the Malaysian defense industry market trends for the coming five years

The market opportunity section will inform the user about the various military requirements that are expected to generate revenues during the forecast period. The description includes technical specifications, recent orders, and the expected investment pattern by the country during the forecast period

Detailed profiles of the top domestic and foreign defense manufacturers with information about their products, alliances, recent contract wins, and financial analysis wherever available.

This will provide the user with a total competitive landscape of the sector
A deep qualitative analysis of the Malaysian defense industry covering sections including demand drivers, Porter’s Five Forces Analysis, Key Trends and Growth Stimulators, and latest industry contracts

http://www.researchbeam.com/future-of-the-...ket#src=whatech

How the U.S. military reloaded for big power warfare



For more than a decade after 9/11, the United States has been involved in a series of wars that pitted the might of the U.S. military against terrorists and guerrilla movements. Examples include the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, North Africa, Somalia, Pakistan and the Philippines.

The military, which traditionally trains for high intensity war against other nation states, was drawn into fighting so-called "low intensity conflict." Unprepared to fight ragtag bands of insurgents in back alleys, jungles, and mountain passes, the services adapted.

Tankers and artillerymen turned in their tanks and howitzers for Humvees and patrolled Iraqi cities. The U.S. Army's Stryker fighting vehicles, introduced during the Iraq War, traded armor protection and firepower for mobility and speed.

Long-ranged B-1B bombers, originally designed to devastate the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons, were repurposed to drop bombs on the Taliban. U.S. Navy aircraft carriers flew sorties over Iraq and Afghanistan, and U.S. Navy destroyers chased pirates off the coast of Somalia.

Now, as combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have ceased, the Pentagon is turning its attention to future battlefields. Chief among them is Eastern Europe, where Russia has been conducting an undeclared war in Ukraine and threatens NATO. On the other side of the world, China threatens Taiwan and has acted aggressively against American allies in the South and East China Seas.

These potential adversaries are nothing like Al Qaeda, Iraqi militiamen, or the Taliban. They are what the Pentagon calls "near-peer competitors": countries with their own professional armies, equipped with modern weapons comparable to our own. Russia alone has 771,000 troops, equipped with 22,550 tanks and 1,399 combat aircraft. China has 2.25 million troops, 204 seagoing combat ships, and 2,100 combat aircraft.

Both Russia and China are pressing dubious territorial claims, and the United States is pushing back against both. In recent months, American forces have been forward deployed to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Romania, as a show of force to Russia. This week alone, eight A-10 Warthog tank killer jets from the Maryland National Guard flew to Estonia for training, and B-52 bombers took part in exercises in over the Baltic Sea.

In the Western Pacific, the Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth was recently shadowed by a Chinese frigate near waters claimed by China, and American maritime patrol aircraft have flown near artificial islands the Chinese military has been building in the South China Sea.

This new focus on big-power war is quietly reshaping the military, in many ways back to what it was before 9/11. The same Stryker vehicles purchased during the Iraq War are being up-gunned, the .50 caliber machine gun to be replaced by a more powerful 30-millimeter cannon capable of killing the latest generation Russian armored vehicles.

At sea, the U.S. Navy is moving ahead with a new generation of nuclear powered aircraft carriers, the Gerald Ford class, with one nearing completion and a second about to begin construction. These ships will fly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and, in the future, drones capable of a wide variety of missions. The U.S. Navy is pondering accelerating the production of the Virginia-class attack submarine from two to three per year, and a replacement the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines are on the drawing board.

In the air, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be joining the Air Force, Navy, and Marines by 2019. The Air Force will buy approximately 100 Long Range Strike Bombers capable of attacking targets on the ground and at sea over vast distances. The KC-46 Pegasus, a next generation aerial refueling tanker, will increase the operating range of both over the vastness of Eurasia and the Pacific.

This retasking of the military back to big power war will be enormously expensive. Ships and aircraft purchased during the 20th Century need to be replaced. The USS Gerald Ford will cost an estimated $12.88 billion, although the second ship in the class will allegedly cost less. The F-35 fighter program will cost $400 billion to develop and procure 2,443 jets, and the Long Range Strike Bomber project will cost $55 billion. Even the KC-46 tanker will cost 4.9 billion to develop and produce just 18 planes.

The United States is preparing to face down other big powers, but it doesn't necessarily face a second Cold War. There are strong incentives for Moscow and Beijing to avoid an adversarial relationship with Washington, one of which is the massive size of the U.S. military. The cost of maintaining that incentive, however, isn't going to come cheap.

http://theweek.com/articles/561194/how-mil...g-power-warfare

PLA recalls retired NCOs for S China Sea contingency: Duowei



People's Liberation Army Navy has recently recalled all its non-commissioned officers who have retired over the last two years back into service for a potential military confrontation with the United States over the South China Sea, according to a June 17 piece published by Duowei News, a media outlet operated by overseas Chinese.

Sources close to the PLA Navy said that the order was passed to the retired non-commissioned officers in two ways. They were either informed by the political bureaus of their original naval units or the local People's Armed Forces Departments. A retired NCO told Duowei that one of the reasons they are being recalled is that the PLA Navy needs more personnel to operate the new warships it has commissioned in recent years.

However, sources said that the primary reason the PLA Navy recalled the officers is to prepare for a conflict with the United States and other claimants of the Spratly islands. The move to recall the officers, if it really is in preparation for a conflict, go against comments made by Lu Kang, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, stating that China has halted land reclamation in the region and is seeking a peaceful resolution to the ongoing disputes.

In the past few years, China has commissioned new warships in massive numbers. With so many new warships ready for service, non-commissioned officers become very important as they are the ones with the technical experiences to operate the vessels.

The Spratly islands, located in the resource-rich South China Sea, are claimed in part or in whole by China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150619000037

New Russian Underwater Spy Robot to Trick Submarines, Evading Detection



New Russian Underwater Spy Robot to Trick Submarines, Evading Detection

During the international military-technical forum ‘Army 2015’ the "Glider-T" underwater robotic vehicle was presented, the press service of the Joint instrument-making corporation reported.

The new robot submarine with its torpedo-like appearance can navigate without the Glonass navigation system. "Glider-T" can operate in autonomous mode for up to 180 days and find its route without human intervention.

The robot will be able to determine the type of ships passing by just by their sound emissions. It will also be able to simulate as a decoys; obstructing enemy sonars devices. Simply put, it will trick other submarines and smart torpedoes.

Further still, developers of the “Glider-T” claim that the robot will be able to patrol and carry out water sampling to determine contamination levels. It will also be able to take photographs of various marine objects.
The robotic vehicle will also be able to transmit information to computer equipment’s via GSM-modem, radio or satellite communications.

The "Glider-T" was developed by the Moscow Design Bureau "Kompas," constructed out of heavy-duty and lightweight material and is sea water and oil resistant.

It is also equipped with an innovative engine, allowing the vehicle to move underwater completely unnoticed to modern detection devices.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150619/1023597255.html