http://www.mb.com.ph/govt-allocating-p35b-...itary-hardware/

Morocco Is Joining the M-1 Abrams Owners' Club



M-1A1 Abrams tanks. Pentagon and Marine Corps photos

Morocco is about to become the world’s newest owner of America’s main battle tank, the M-1 Abrams. And Russia used the sale as an excuse to brag about its missiles … and make a veiled threat.

In 2012, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced plans to sell 200 M-1A1 tanks, plus radios, machine guns, ammunition and other related gear to the North African kingdom. On Sept. 4, the U.S. Army’s Security Assistance Command announced that the deal was going ahead as planned:

The Kingdom of Morocco will modernize its military fleet and receive M-1A1 Abram[s] tanks from the U.S. Army as part of a foreign military sales case coordinated by the Army Security Assistance Command. The case includes associated spare parts, equipment, logistical support and training.

The first 50 tanks will undergo refurbishment at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio following contract award to General Dynamics and Land Systems for $17.2 million. Additional repairs will be done at Anniston Army Depot in Alabama.

The refurbishment process will be accomplished through the Army’s Excess Defense Articles program. EDA allows for our country’s allies to receive materiel that the U.S. government no longer uses. Equipment designated under the program can save the U.S. money by eliminating potential storage or disposal costs of materiel and make room for other items to be stored as they are returned from theater. The EDA program provides the potential for the industrial base to support parts, refurbishment and sustainment of the vehicles. As the first country to recognize the United States as a nation, Morocco is one of Washington’s longest standing allies. The Pentagon has already sold or gifted the advanced tanks to other important friends such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq.

According to the original DSCA, the spare tanks in question are in the “special armor” configuration. While the Pentagon is tight-lipped about the protective shell on the various Abrams models, this setup is generally assumed to have improved defenses over standard M1A1s.

The older variants already had advanced composite Chobham armor made up of ceramic plates and metal reinforcements. Weighing more than 60 tons, the new version will still have the M-1’s deadly 120-millimeter main cannon and powerful jet turbine engine.

Four days after the Army’s press release went online, Russian media took a shot at the M-1. State-owned outlet Sputnik bragged that Russia’s latest Kornet-EM laser guided missile could “kill the beast:”

Conflicts that have recently flared up in various parts of the world showed that America’s much-trumpeted M-1 Abrams tank falls easy prey to even older types of Russian antitank weapons.

The Kornet-EM is a multi-purpose long-range antitank guided missile system. It was unveiled at the Moscow Airshow in August 2011. The system was also demonstrated at the Russian Arms Expo in September 2013 and May 2015.

The missile system is designed to destroy advanced and modern tanks fitted with explosive reactive armor from 1,100-millimeter to 1,300-millimeter, light-armored vehicles and fortifications.

It can also engage surface-level marine and low-speed aerial targets at ranges between 150 meters and 10,000 meters and offers high immunity against jamming. Kornet does have an impressive combat resume. When American troops rolled into Iraq in 2003, Iraqi forces reportedly disabled two Abrams with the Russian missiles. Since 2006, Hamas and Hezbollah both claim to have knocked out Israeli Merkava tanks with the weapons, too.

More recently, Islamic State militants have taken on Iraqi M-1A1s with Kornets. To add insult to injury, the brutal extremists captured the weapons from Baghdad’s soldiers.

But while Sputnik did not mention Morocco by name, the Kremlin news agency was clearly responding to that specific sale. The piece ended on a thinly veiled threat:

The Kornet-EM has already won big kudos abroad. Algeria, for one, plans to buy several units.

One of its neighbors will soon be buying Abrams tanks, which means that the Algerians already have a strong “antidote” against The Beast… Rabat and Algiers have squared off in the past. In the 1970s, the two countries found themselves on opposite sides in the fight for the disputed Western Sahara.

For more than 15 years, Algeria actively supported the Polisario rebel movement, while the Moroccan army fought for control of the territory. In the civil war that followed in Algeria in the 1990s, authorities in Algiers accused the Moroccan regime of supporting the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria. After blaming Algerian security services for backing a terrorist attack in the major city of Marrakesh in 1994, Morocco shut down the border.

But relations have thawed somewhat since then, with both countries offering important diplomatic gestures back and forth. However, the status of Western Sahara remains undecided.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3335093/posts

no DU kinda useless

export model mah must be lower spec

Russia Could Destroy A Few NATO States





http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/09/russia-co...ew-nato-states/

Secret Armour Properties of Kurganets-25

Russian Troops Training in Syria

Lol.........Russia could destroy the whole world if Putin goes crazy and decide to mushroom the US

Not so useless la. For most part M1 Abrams, even vanilla M1A1 export standard is still far more advanced than 60-70% of tanks in the market today. If used correctly with good infantry support, it's still the #1 killer.

Read more: http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/can-the-us-...s-capabilities/

Read more: http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/...-who-wins-13815

This post has been edited by azriel: Sep 11 2015, 10:42 AM

APMM deploys extra patrol vessels to ESSCOM


APMM patrol vessel KM Satria

APMM has redeployed two more patrol vessels to ESSCOM to beef up its presence there and to help prevent cross-border smuggling and infiltration in the region.

The two patrol vessels, KM Satria and KM Bijak has been redeployed from Johor and Pahang APMM division respectively. According to Sandakan APMM commander Captain A. Razak bin Abdul Rahman the two patrol vessels will be assigned to the Sandakan and Tawau region of ESSCOM.

Malaysian Army ‏@TenteraDarat 18m18 minutes ago View translation
Majlis Penyerahan Senjata Carbine M4 5.56mm Model R0977 HB oleh Syarikat SMEO Kepada Tentera Darat

Spanish Army UME helicopter crashes, causing no injuries in Requena





[sos]

the Hari ATM on 16-Sep is it open to public? does it have military parade like what we seen in Merdeka parade?

http://www.dawn.com/news/1206088/pak-russi...ssian-deputy-fm

A New Indonesia Military Boost Near the South China Sea?



Earlier this week, the Indonesian defense minister said that the country would boost its defenses near the South China Sea in anticipation of future threats.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that Indonesia will equip the Natuna islands near the South China Sea with a port and extend its military air base runway so that it can accommodate more planes. He also added that more jet fighters would be stationed at the Ranai military air base in Natuna.

“We are not in a war situation, but the South China Sea is very close to us,” Ryamizard added. “We have to be prepared. Our weapon systems are good, but we need to add more so that we don’t need to worry all the time.”

To close observers, Ryamizard’s comments are consistent with Indonesia’s general approach to South China Sea disputes. As I have written before, while Indonesia is not a claimant, Jakarta has long been concerned that a portion of the surrounding waters of its resource-rich Natuna islands overlaps with China’s expansive nine-dash line claim (See: “Natuna is Indonesian, Not Chinese: Jokowi Adviser”).

In response, since the 1990s Indonesia has been using a mix of diplomatic, legal, and security measures to fashion a delicate approach to oppose China’s claims without officially recognizing (and thus legitimizing) them (See: “No, Indonesia’s South China Sea Approach Has Not Changed”). Within this approach, the South China Sea – and the Natunas, in particular – have been a central feature in Indonesian defense thinking. For instance, the Natunas have been included as one of the main flashpoints to watch since the 2000s as the Indonesian military (TNI) works towards achieving a Minimum Essential Force by 2024 (See: “Between Aspiration and Reality: Indonesian Foreign Policy After the 2014 Elections”).

Even before President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo took power, China’s growing assertiveness – which has included encroachments into Indonesian waters and instances of direct confrontation – has prompted Indonesian military officials to be more outspoken about the South China Sea issue and led to several announced shifts in capabilities including in the Natuna Islands. In February 2014, during a visit to China, then TNI chief General Moeldoko announced that Indonesia would station additional forces around the Natuna waters to “anticipate any instability.” In March, Indonesian Army Chief of Staff General Budiman announced that Indonesia would upgrade its airbase facilities with the long-term goal of permanently deploying a squadron of Sukhoi fighter aircraft and four Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopters on the Natuna Islands.

Under Jokowi, Indonesia has continued to focus on the Natunas as part of its foreign policy priorities of preserving Indonesia’s sovereignty and strengthening its maritime capabilities (See: “The Trouble With Indonesia’s Foreign Policy Priorities Under Jokowi”). To take just one example, earlier this year, the Natunas were selected as one of several potential locations for a new military base – although, as I indicated then, that development stemmed from a broader concern about threats to border areas which come not only from China, but some of Jakarta’s other neighbors too (See: “A New Indonesia Military Base Near the South China Sea?”). Just last week, Indonesia’s Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Ade Supandi said that Indonesia needed to maintain security and stability in the South China Sea in the face of rising threats.

“[We should] maintain security and stability in the South China Sea, especially with the recently increasing intensity of threats,” Supandi said.

Ryamizard’s comments suggest that these upgrades are likely to proceed as planned under Jokowi’s tenure and that Jakarta continues to see the South China Sea as one of the key security challenges it needs to be concerned about.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/a-new-indon...outh-china-sea/

Better to compare with F-22. Most advanced vs most advanced.

New battlefield radio uses soldier's BONES to transmit messages





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-32...-defenders.html

ini la akibat hisap weed banyak sangat!