China to build 40,000-ton amphibious assault ship: Kanwa



The Izumo, Japan's newly commissioned helicopter destroyer. (Internet photo)

To compete against the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo-class helicopter destroyers, China is planning to build a new class of amphibious assault ship with a displacement of 40,000 tons, according to Kanwa Defense Review, a Canada-based Chinese-language military magazine.

China displayed the model of its 40,000-ton super large amphibious assault ship, known as M1, during the Sixth International Offshore Engineering Technology & Equipment Exhibition held in Beijing in April. Unlike the 28,000-ton Izumo-class, designed with five helicopter landing spots on its flight deck, the M1 has six. While the Izumo can carry a total number of 14 aircraft, how many the M1 can carry remains a mystery.

After displaying the model of 20,000-ton M2 amphibious assault ship at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition as well as the Latin America Aero and Defense Defence and Security Exhibition, this is the first time for China to reveal the M1 amphibious assault ship to the public. China is very likely to deploy Russian-built Ka-28 anti-submarine helicopters and Ka-27 rescue helicopter aboard the M1 in the future.

Models of the Ka-29 assault transports were seen aboard the model of the M1 as well though China has not acquired Ka-29s from Russia yet. The model indicated that the M1 will not serve the People's Liberation Army Navy as an ordinary amphibious assault ship but instead serve as a helicopter destroyer like the Izumo-class. In the future, the PLA Navy may even consider deploying attack helicopters such as the Z-8 or Z-10 aboard the vessel.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150730000033

A new America-class amphibious assault ship is currently being built at a Huntington Ingalls shipyard, according to the US Navy.



The America-class second amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) being constructed at a Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, is nearly one third complete, according to US military officials.

"The LHA 7 is approximately 30% complete. Fabrication has started on 211 units, 97% of all units, and 84 grand blocks are erected — 47% of the total," US Navy spokesman Mathew Leonard stated as quoted by Military.com reporter Kris Osborn.
The vessel is scheduled for launch in July 2017 and is expected to be delivered to the Navy in December 2018.

The America-class amphibious assault ships were initially designed to carry into battle a US Marine Expeditionary Unit – a quick reaction force – along with attack helicopters and V/STOL (vertical and/or short take-off and landing) aircraft.

The first America-class warship, the USS America (LHA 6), meant to act as the flagship of an expeditionary strike group, was delivered to the US Navy in spring of 2014 in order to replace the Tarawa-class USS Peleliu (LHA-5).
Osborn pointed out that the first two America-class warships, constructed as aviation-centric amphibs, were engineered with a larger hangar for aircraft, bigger storage for parts and additional aviation fuel capacity.

The LHA (Landing Helicopter Assault) 7 is specifically designed to accommodate Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighters and to host other aircraft such as MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, CH-53 Super Stallions, and UH-1Y Huey helicopters, according to US expert in civil-military relations and cyber diplomacy Franz-Stefan Gady.

Citing the US Navy website’s official report, Gady elaborated that the USS Tripoli will "transport and land elements of the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) or Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) with a combination of aircraft and landing craft," adding that the ship will be able to carry 1,871 troops and a crew of 1,204.

Navy spokesman Mathew Leonard underscored that the LHA 7 was designed as a "repeat" of the LHA 6 with a number of limited changes to the ship's fight deck structure and equipment in order to accommodate the F-35B aircraft.

"The Navy and Ingalls have identified lessons learned from design and construction of LHA 6 for incorporation into design and construction of LHA 7 to improve production and quality," Leonard remarked.

The USS Tripoli will be 844-feet long, 106-feet wide and weigh over 44,000 tons. Its turbine propulsion system will allow the vessel to reach speeds of more than 20 knots (23 miles per hour).

http://sputniknews.com/us/20150730/1025229010.html

PressTV-‘Yemeni attacks kill 4 Saudi soldiers’



PressTV-‘Yemeni attacks kill 4 Saudi soldiers’

Saudi state media say at least four Saudi soldiers have been killed and eight others injured in retaliatory attacks by Yemeni forces against the Asir region in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi media, citing an Interior Ministry official, said that the Yemeni army and allied Popular Committees targeted the Saudi military base of al-Misal in the Dhahran al-Janoub region of Asir on Friday, killing at least four Saudi military officers and wounding eight others.

According to the reports, Yemeni forces also targeted a Saudi military vehicle in the Tevan region in Southern Jizan.

In a separate development, Yemen’s al-Masirah TV reported that army and popular forces further targeted a Saudi military post southeast of the border city of Najran, destroying an arms depot and a considerable amount of military equipment.

The developments came as at least four Yemeni civilians were killed earlier on Friday in a fresh round of Saudi airstrikes against various regions across Yemen.

The Saudi warplanes carried out ten airstrikes against multiple areas in the Dhi Na’im district of the southern Yemeni province of Bayda, killing an unspecified number of civilians, al-Masirah reported.

Saudi Arabia launched its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 – without a UN mandate – in an effort to undermine Yemen’s popular Houthi Ansarullah movement and also restore power to the country’s fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

Rupert Colville, the spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated on July 21 that at least 1,693 civilians had been killed and 3,829 others injured in the Arab country since March 26. However, local sources put the death toll at much higher.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/07/31/42...ry-attacks-Asir

Turkey: Military operations 'kill 260 PKK terrorists'



More than 260 suspected PKK militants have been killed since the Turkish Armed Forces launched its operations in and outside Turkey on July 24, security sources said Friday.

According to the sources, around 400 suspected PKK militants were also injured, including Nurettin Demirtas, the brother of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Selahattin Demirtas.

Moreover, Turkish Air Forces conducted an operation with 28 F-16 jets on Friday noon that lasted until midnight, the sources added.

The operation was named “Martyr Corporal Hamza Yildirim”, who was killed in an attack in Turkey’s southeastern province of Sirnak.

More than 65 targets were destroyed, including suspected shelters, equipment storages, ammunition dumps as well as caves.

Also details of another airstrike operation “Martyr Lieutenant Ibrahim Tanriverdi” -- named after another Turkish soldier who was killed in Sirnak -- was released.

According to the sources, more than 80 jets hit more than 100 targets in the operation in and outside Turkey belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Thursday. In the operation, 35 shelters, 15 caves, four underground caves, two underground ammunition stores, two equipment storages, and gun emplacements were destroyed.

Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist group.

Operations against the PKK are expected to continue, the sources added.

Meanwhile, around 25 suspected PKK members set ablaze around 20 vehicles in the Kagizman town of Turkey’s northeast province of Kars, sources said.

In a separate incident in Catak town of Turkey’s eastern Van province, two suspected PKK militants were killed and one civilian was injured on Friday, sources said.

Also, a Turkish soldier was injured in an attack on the Van gendarmerie command on Friday, the sources added.

The security operations come after a string of deadly attacks on the country's security forces since the July 20 Suruc bombing in southeastern Turkey, which killed 32 people.

Turkey has responded to the bloodshed by also arresting more than 1,300 suspected supporters of groups such as Daesh and PKK.

A solution process to end the 30-year conflict between Turkey and the PKK insurgents began in 2013; in February this year senior government ministers met with HDP leaders officially for the first time. The process has stalled after the murder of a number of police officers and soldiers, which the PKK has claimed responsibility for.

The US Intelligence Community has also assessed that the former leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, is dead, White House says

http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/566395--turke...-pkk-terrorists

Israeli Military Now 3D Printing Drones With American-made Printers



220px-Baha8_tel-nofThe use of 3D printing for drones has been going on for quite some time now at both the governmental and hobbyist level. The reasons both groups use 3D printing for unmanned aircraft are pretty much the same though–and quite impressive. In using 3D printing technology, whoever is creating a drone has the latitude with digital design to create whatever unique aircraft they’d like to fly, and they can add whatever innovative features they think might work. Tweaks and edits are easy to make, and multiple 3D prints can be made in the prototyping process at a fraction of the cost of what it would add up to by traditional manufacturing.

If the government is using it in military practices, that’s usually an indicator that many others are going to want to check out their technological interests as well. And numerous militaries have embraced 3D printing, from said 3D printed drones being printed and used from U.S. Naval ships to militaries embracing the technology for other things such as 3D printing components at the front lines and even more futuristic ideas such as 3D printed uniforms.

Israels-long-range-UAV-no-gamechangerNow, following the lead of the U.S., the Israelis want to use 3D printers to make drones as well. At Tel Nof Air Force Base, they’ve just finished testing with an American made 3D printer capable of fabricating components for drones. While only making test details and plastic parts, it’s no secret that with a 3D printer they would have the potential to integrate electronics affordably and would be able to manufacture them en masse from simply everywhere that a 3D printer can be powered up.

This feasibly includes power units and engines, as well as smaller components. Considering the amount of production being delegated to 3D printers for fabrication of high-quality components in areas like automotive and aerospace, this is certainly no stretch, and putting a drone in the air should be a piece of cake compared to many of the other items being constructed.

Just like everyone else, the Israeli’s use for the 3D printer would be to independently produce the drones as well as replacing parts expediently with the ease of digital design files at their fingertips. It’s also been reported that the Israelis recently also purchased other progressive U.S. wares in the form of robotics technology meant to streamline the assembly and disassembly of warplanes. This type of technology means significant savings in labor, but also means cutting out numerous jobs as humans are replaced.

The amount of time and money that can be saved by any military in making their own drones via 3D printing is staggering, plus it keeps everything they are doing as private as they would like it to be. Obviously it may start with 3D printing of drones and then lead to numerous ‘aha’ moments for potential use in nearly every sector from weapons to a wide range of other invaluable supplies. This is especially useful for isolated military units who would benefit greatly from the self-sustainability that 3D printing offers. Often it’s not so easy to just pick up supplies when soldiers are camped out in the middle of the desert. With 3D printing, it’s possible they can meet many crucial needs without even leaving camp.

Discuss your thoughts on 3D printing in the military, both in the U.S. and overseas, in the Israelis Testing 3D Printing of Military Drones forum over at 3DPB.com.

http://3dprint.com/86114/israelis-3d-printers-robots/

Protected Military SatCom Network Live for Global Deployment



When it comes to satellite communications, do you know the difference between protected and secure? This graphic breaks down the qualities and mission spaces of the two.
SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's most impenetrable satellite communications systems, built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to serve the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands and the U.K., is now live. Those nations now have a modern, operational protected network to connect their militaries when responding to global crises.

All four international partners are currently connected to the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite network, which provides protected communications from the Oval Office to the front lines. This phase, called initial operational capability, means the baseline capabilities have been met and that all operators with access can begin using the system for routine sensitive communication and critical operations.

"When a commander issues orders, they need to know their troops will get the information quickly and without fear of interruption or interception," said Mark C. Calassa, vice president of Protected Communication Systems and AEHF program manager for Lockheed Martin. "Compared to anything else on orbit, AEHF gives an unmatched level of protection and has five times the speed of legacy protected communication systems. With AEHF reaching IOC, the system's international partners can more quickly and safely command some of the world's most capable militaries to address global instability as it arises."

AEHF provides a necessary, assured communications link for national leaders and military commanders transmitting sensitive information in contested areas. While there are many secure satellite communication systems serving both the civil and military sectors, AEHF is the only current system protected against the full spectrum of threats.

A constellation of nuclear-hardened communications satellites forms the AEHF protected network to stave off high-tech jammers, eavesdropping and cyberattacks. On-board signal processing and satellite-to-satellite crosslinks further insulate communications from vulnerability by eliminating the need for ground relay stations.

The system's high data transfer rates can securely send images, video and other mission data to compatible aircraft, naval vessels and maneuver forces during special operations, anti-piracy missions and humanitarian relief efforts. AEHF's gain in speed over its predecessor, Milstar, can also provide high-quality, real-time information like battlefield maps and targeting data for tactical operations.

Achieving initial operational capability followed a six-month evaluation cycle conducted by the U.S. Air Force where AEHF was tested in simulated scenarios like harrowing battlefield environments and cyberattacks. Lockheed Martin is contracted for six AEHF satellites; three are performing on orbit and the remaining three are in production at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale.

For additional information about AEHF, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/aehf.

Military finalizes training site





http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2015/08/...-site/30923235/

Second Artillery Corps can be used against enemy aircraft carrier: Yin Zhuo



Admiral Yin Zhuo of the People's Liberation Army Navy said that the exercise launched in the disputed South China Sea on July 28 was to test the capability of the Second Artillery Corps, China's strategic missile force, to sink enemy warships, according to the state-run People's Daily.

During the exercise, the abilities of China's Type 052C, Type 052D guided-missile destroyers and Type 054A guided missile frigates to defeat enemy aircraft, missile and electronic reconnaissance were tested under the coordination of the navy's air force and the Second Artillery Corps. Yin Zhou said that the Chinese warships successfully disabled the radar systems of the enemy early warning aircraft with the assistance of the electronic warfare units in Guangzhou Military Region.

At the same time, the exercise allowed the Second Artillery Corps to test its own anti-ship ballistic missile such as the DF-21 as well. Known as the carrier killer, the DF-21D was developed Changfeng Mechanics and Electronics Technology Academy particularily to sink large warship. Yin Zhuo said those missiles are extremely hard to intercept after they are launched. The Second Artillery Corps has the right to deploy those missiles when China's homeland and islands were attacked, he said.

Yin also said that the exercise was launched to simulate a campaign-level combat simulation. "Even if a war between China and other nations really start in the region of South China Sea, it will not go beyond this level" said Yin. He said that the exercise was launched for political reasons to prove that China has the capability to defend its territory. It was not launched against any country, but the exercise should serve as a warning to rival claimants to the the Spratly islands according to the Chinese admiral.

Beijing lays claim to almost the entirety of the South China Sea and its islands, amid competing claims from the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia. China has recently been pushing its claims, including extensive land reclamation activities on islands it controls with a view to establishing permanent military facilities.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150731000085

China restricts exports of 'high performance' drones as national security fears heighten





http://www.scmp.com/tech/enterprises/artic...-security-fears

Using Technology to Convert Demographics





http://www.onislam.net/english/health-and-...mographics.html

PLA building world's longest dock in Hainan: Kanwa



China's People's Liberation Army is building the country's largest carrier base in Sanya Bay on the coast of south China's Hainan island to bolster the PLA Navy's presence in the disputed South China Sea, reports the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review.

Construction has recently finished of a 700-meter-long dock capable of accommodating two aircraft carriers or other large warships. It will be the world's longest dock designed for aircraft carriers, besting the docks at US Naval Station Norfolk and United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, which are 400 and 430 meters long, respectively, according to the report.

Yang Yujun, spokesperson for the Chinese defense ministry, confirmed the construction of the carrier base at a press conference on July 30.

Adjacent to the dock is an airfield designed for carrier-based fighters, training and maintenance facilities, according to Yang. This will mark China's second carrier base in addition to Qingdao on China's northeast coast. Once it is connected with the Yulin Naval Base, developed for ballistic missile submarines, Hainan may eventually become the largest naval facility in East Asia.

Beijing is even considering further expansion of the Sanya Naval Base in the future, according to Admiral Li Jie of the PLA Navy as cited in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. The carrier base can at present only accommodate two aircraft carriers, and an expansion would allow other types of warships to be deployed to the southern coast. This could eventually form a South Sea Fleet carrier battle group, according to Li.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150802000136

Egypt’s special forces are keen to acquire the Russian intelligence system Strelets, the press service of Russia’s Central Military District said Monday.



MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An Egyptian military delegation attended a counter-terrorism training session for the district’s troops, which involved 1,200 soldiers and 400 units of military hardware.

"We watched the Strelets intelligence system in operation… We liked the system, and we would like to have it at our forces' disposal," the head of the Egyptian delegation said.

The Strelets intelligence system transmits enemy coordinates, which it determines with the help of radiolocation and satellite navigation systems.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150803/1025337121.html

Scarborough Shoal could be China's next reclamation target



China is set to begin land reclamation at the disputed Scarborough Shoal to build naval and air bases to defend the country's claimed maritime perimeter over the Bashi Channel, according to the Philippine Star, an English-language newspaper based in Manila, on July 31.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio of the Philippine Supreme Court expressed concerns about China's future land reclamation around Scarborough Shoal, which is about 198 kilometers west of Subic Bay in the province of Zambales. The territory is claimed by the Philippines, China and Taiwan and China has continued to deploy maritime security vessels and even warships to the area after a monthlong standoff between Chinese and Philippine vessels in 2012.

Manila admits that China successfully exerted control over the Scarborough Shoal in 2013. Beijing is now considered very likely to build new air and naval facilities to assert its maritime perimeter surrounding the waters of the Bashi Channel between Y'Ami island of the Philippines and Taiwan's Orchid Island, the report said.

Further south, Beijing's land reclamation in the Spratly islands, some of which are also claimed by the Philippines, as well as Vietnam, Taiwan and other claimants, is almost complete. A Pentagon report published in December last year said China had reclaimed 500 acres in the disputed waters up to that point. Since then, China has conducted further reclamation covering 1,500 acres, according to US military officials.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150803000077

Beijing expands its maritime militia in South China Sea



China is equipping its maritime militia, with more armed fishing boats bolstering its muscle in the disputed South China Sea, according to Zhang Hongzhou, a researcher from Singapore's Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Equipped with armed civilian fishing boats, China's maritime militia is one of the less studied agencies in the exercise of Chinese maritime power, Zhang said at a two-day conference held at the Center for Naval Analyses. They are usually deployed by the Chinese government to carry out various types of missions in disputed waters, from rescuing stranded vessels to conducting controversial island landings. To enhance their activities, Beijing is for the first time considering the formation of the country's first fishing fleet, said Zhang, as cited in a report by the Tokyo-based Diplomat.

Zhang said such a decision will also boost volume for the world's largest producer and exporter of fish and consumer of seafood.

The growing role of China's maritime militia can be traced back to 2013 and a visit by President Xi Jinping to Tanmen, a fishing town on the southern island province of Hainan. Xi told the maritime militia that their mission is not only to lead fishery activities in the region but also to collect oceanic information and support the construction of artificial islands and reefs, according to the report.

China is apparently trying to build its first state-owned fishing boat fleet for the militia, which should be no surprise given the escalating tension with other claimants over the Spratly islands. It also demonstrates the inability of the Chinese government to control fishermen in the area, who complain about low pay received from the government after their involvement in protecting the Chinese oil rig during the incident with Vietnam off the Paracels last year, said the report.

Beijing's intimidation through a maritime militia might do the trick in both controlling its own fishermen and consolidating its position over the Spratlys.

From the perspective of Chinese fishermen, the waters are a valuable fishing ground. Hainan recently ordered 84 large fishing boats for Sansha, an island city sitting on contested territory in the Paracels also responsible for the administration of the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal. Ten vessels will be delivered before the end of 2015 to bolster the island's current force of four.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150803000001

Iran to get Chinese J-10 fighters in return for oil rights



Iran will become the second overseas user of Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's J-10 fighter without paying a dollar to China by signing a contract to allow Beijing to exploit its largest oilfield over the next 20 years, according to our sister paper Want Daily.

China will provide the Iranian Air Force with a total number of 24 F-10 Vigorous Dragon jets, the export version of the J-10, to equip its two fighter groups. The cost of a single J-10 is estimated at US$40 million, making the value of the deal around US$1 billion. This could be bartered through permitting Beijing 20 years of exploitation rights to the Azadegan oilfield.

With a range of 2,940 kilometers, the fighters are capable of defending Iran's entire airspace and that of the Persian Gulf.

Several Chinese military analysts believe the United States may not be happy about such a deal and China will face international pressure should Iran use the fighters in combat against US allies in the region. Others meanwhile pointed out that 24 fighters will not make a major difference to the strategic situation in the Middle East.

It has been alleged — though officially denied — that the J-10 was developed with technology provided by Israel. If this is the case, it would be somewhat ironic if that technology ends up in the hands of Israel's primary and avowed enemy in the region.

Pakistan is the first overseas customer for the J-10. Back in 2009, China agreed to sell 36 export version of the advanced J-10B fighters known as FC-20 to Pakistan in a contract worth US$$1.4 billion. The aircraft is designed to be equipped with new weapons system such as the SD-10A Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile. None of the aircraft have yet been delivered to the Pakistan Air Force, however.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150805000189

Russia's new super tank is supposedly 20 years ahead of Western designs - but that didn't stop it breaking down in Red Square



Russia claiming its new T-14 Armata tank is the "world's deadliest tank" and is capable of turning INVISIBLE to enemy radar.

But the unveiling of the "super tank" in Moscow's Red Square left Vladimir Putin red-faced as the high-tech killing machine reportedly stalled on parade.

The Russian military will be hoping to put that little problem behind them though, as it prepares to reveal the tank at the Russian Arms Expo in September.

Developers have already begun boasting that the T-14 is 20 years ahead of anything produced in the West.

"We made a tank invisible," said Vyacheslav Khalitov, the director of the tank’s manufacturer UralVagonZavod.

"We have applied this system stellz deep-technology radio-absorbing materials, special paint and rational architecture of the machine itself," he told a radio station in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will have to wait until 2018 to get the T-14 tank into production
The materials act as a cloaking device and disrupt the infared signals that enemies would use to pinpoint its location.

It's also packed with top-grade military tech including heat-seeking target finders and a remote-control gun turret.

According to Russian sources, the T-14 Armata is expected to go into production in 2018.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-sc...tech-14-6204244

3D-Printed Spy Drones Could Be Built at Sea







http://www.livescience.com/51750-3d-printed-spy-drones.html

Russian military to put armored trains back on track – report



The Russian military is planning to redeploy four armored trains which had been decommissioned on the order of a former defense minister, putting them back in service as a potentially useful tool in local conflicts as well as to aid with prompt railway repair operations, Izvestia newspaper reports.

The four trains in question – Baikal, Terek, Amur and Don – were used in troop support missions in the North Caucasus from 2002 to 2009 as part of the specially formed division of the Russian Railway Troops. After the completion of the active phase of anti-terror operations in Chechnya, the Ministry of Defense, under the leadership of Anatoly Serdyukov, decided that the trains had expended their use. On the orders of Serdyukov, the arms on the train were dismantled and the cars were sent off to depots.

However, an anonymous source in the Ministry of Defense told Izvestia newspaper that the orders had not yet been implemented, following his sudden dismissal three years ago.

The new minister, Sergey Shoigu, who has personally witnessed the usefulness of the armored vehicles, reportedly decided to reverse Serdyukov’s orders, and has opted to return the trains to active service.

In service, the armored trains proved to be irreplaceable in their line of work, namely to offer a reliable escort for troops and provisions, but also for dismantling mines on the tracks as well as rebuilding damaged rails. Trained troops travelling aboard such a train are capable of restoring the rails within hours.

“Perhaps mobile and well-armed armored trains will be useful in the future for specific tasks,” the source told Izvestia.



While the packaging of each particular armored train varies, all four trains bear common characteristics and have platforms dedicated to transporting heavy machinery such as tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.

Two train cars usually carry anti-aircraft twin-barreled auto cannons in addition to cars designed to protect infantry should it come under hostile fire. Some cars have special towers equipped with automatic grenade launchers and machine guns. Each of the trains carries at least one car-load full of construction materials.

https://www.rt.com/news/311714-russian-mili...armored-trains/

South China Sea: Japan may give planes to Philippines for aerial patrols, sources say





http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-06/japa...patrols/6677764

Subi reef chosen for China's second large airfield in Spratlys



After constructing the South China Sea's largest airfield on Fiery Cross reef in the disputed Spratly islands, China may build a second airfield at Subi reef, also in the Spratlys to project its air power into the region, according to our sister paper Want Daily.

With a 3,000-meter runway, the airfield at Fiery Cross makes China the first claimant in the South China Sea to be able to deploy strategic bombers to the region.

Satellite images show that Subi reef, further to the north, has been chosen to build another airfield with a 3,000-meter runway through land reclamation.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio of the Philippines has claimed that China will soon militarize Scarborough Shoal further to the East as a base to defend the Bashi channel as its claimed maritime perimeter.

Once the construction of these bases is completed, the PLA will be able to deploy its advanced military aircraft as well as large warships to the South China Sea and projecting power to dominate the region over rival claimants including Vietnam and the Philippines. The Chinese foreign ministry maintains that the country has the right to launch any construction projects within its territory without outside interference.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150806000119