Chinese vessels threaten Vietnamese rescuers on mission near Paracel Island





http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/chin...land-45132.html

MH17 Was Downed by Guided Missile - Buk Manufacturer







http://sputniknews.com/russia/20150602/1022843800.html

US Navy Releases Videos of Su-24 Flying Near USS Ross

The Air Force Wants to Go Hypersonic in the Next Decade



Using technologies first tested with the X-51, the Air Force wants to build a hypersonic jet by 2023.

The service already has outlined a few parameters for the new jet: It must be able to go Mach 5, or 3,806 miles per hour. It should use a scramjet engine, which largely relies on swift airflow for oxidation to propel the plane forward. And it needs to be able to operate at the scalding-hot temperatures created by the friction at speeds far exceeding the speed of sound.

Thanks to X-51 tests, the military knows that scramjet technology is feasible (though some hypersonic tests over the past few years didn't go quite so well). Mach 5 is also just the beginning. The eventual goal is to reach speeds up to Mach 10, which is ... very, very fast. It's about 7,612 mph, or almost fast enough to travel the entire diameter of the world in the space of an hour.

Because of the speeds reached, these vehicles are likely to be unmanned, and some of the technology may be incorporated into new weapons developed by the military.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/r...c-vehicle-2023/

SUIT LIVES ON IN DREAMS OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMANDERS





https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/...man-suit-lives/

China's YJ-18 Supersonic Anti-Ship Cruise Missile: America's Nightmare?





http://nationalinterest.org/feature/chinas...-americas-13010

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Jun 3 2015, 04:22 PM

PLA could blockade India with just 10 submarines: Sina



The People's Liberation Army Navy could block India's western and eastern coasts with just 10 submarines in the event of conflict in the Indian Ocean, according to the Sina Military Network website on June 2.

An article published last year claimed that a single attack submarine deployed to the Bay of Bengal or Arabian Sea could threaten the entire operations of the Indian Navy. It could even challenge the INS Vikramaditya, the former Russian aircraft carrier commissioned in 2013. This is a primary mission why India decided to build two additional carriers with the assistance of the United States, the piece said.

With the Indian Navy also adding more submarines to its fleet, the Sina Military Network concluded that the PLA's three Type 091 Han-class, four Type 093 Shang-class and two Type 095 attack submarines are not sufficient for a total blockade of the subcontinent. However, it said it would not be necessary for the PLA Navy to block the country's southern waters that are closer to the coast of Africa. In this case, about 10 attack submarines could suffice.

India has eight primary naval bases but only the three located in Mumbai, Karwar and Visakhapatnam are used for actual military operations. This being the case, the article said that even six nuclear-powered attack submarines are needed to block India's major naval bases completely with two covering each base.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150603000104

Lack of Ukrainian components stalls construction of ships for Russian Navy — deputy PM



OMSK, June 3./TASS/. Russia cannot complete the construction of some naval ships as Ukraine has suspended supplies of gas-turbine engines, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday.

"We cannot finish the construction of surface ships for the Russian Navy as supplies [of gas-turbine engines] have been stopped," Rogozin said in the Siberian city of Omsk.

He said within the import substitution plan, Russia plans to launch the production on 186 items that were earlier produced in Ukraine, first of all gas-turbine engines.

"We are planning to complete this [import substitution] work before 2018," the top official noted.

Admiral Grigorovich class frigates (Project 11356) and Admiral Gorshkov class frigates (Project 22350) use Ukrainian gas-turbine engines, in particular.

Ukraine in May terminated a treaty on military cooperation with Russia.

An explanatory note said the bill was aimed at "protecting Ukraine’s national interests, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The authors of the document claim that the Russian side "has unilaterally violated norms and principles of the international law and carried out armed aggression against Ukraine."

http://tass.ru/en/russia/798374

(2nd LD) S. Korea test-fires longer-range ballistic missile





http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2...3005552315.html

US Air Force orders more IR countermeasures





http://optics.org/news/6/6/3

Vietnam Builds Two More Warships With Advanced Russian Technology



The Vietnamese Ba Son Shipbuilding Corporation, under the Ministry of Defense, transferred two new warships to the High Command of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) during a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday.

The Vietnamese Ba Son Shipbuilding Corporation, under the Ministry of Defense, transferred two new warships to the High Command of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) during a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday.

In addition to a modern radar system that can track targets accurately, each of the warships is armed with 16 sea-to-sea Uran-E missiles with a range of 130 kilometers.

The ship also has two AK-630 ship-borne artillery systems with 4,000 shells each, which can fire 4,000-5,000 rounds per minute at a range of 4-5 kilometers, and an AK-176M automatic gun with a range of 15 kilometers for sea and land targets and 11 kilometers for air targets.

Speaking at the ceremony, Major General, Read Admiral Nguyen Van Ninh, Deputy Commander of the VPN, said, “The two ships are equipped with strong firepower from advanced weapons, and are of high mobility. They can effectively operate by themselves or in coordination with other forces,” Vietnam’s media reports.

The first two Molniya-class warships, HQ377 and HQ378, were handed over to the VPN in July last year.

The last two will be given to the VPN in the second quarter of 2016.

http://sputniknews.com/asia/20150603/1022910656.html

China now tussling with Malaysia in S China Sea



The Haijing 1123 patrol boat of the China Coast Guard. (Internet photo)

A Chinese coast guard vessel has been accused of encroaching on Malaysia's territorial waters in the South China Sea.

Malaysia's Borneo Post reported Wednesday that a patrol boat of the China Coast Guard ha4 been detected encroaching on the waters surrounding the Luconia Shoals, which are administered by Malaysia but also claimed by China and Taiwan. The vessel has been anchored in the area for about two years.

Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, an official in Malaysia's prime minister's department, said they have sent vessels from the Royal Malaysian Navy and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to monitor the area around the clock "to ensure the sovereignty of the country."

He added that the area belongs to Malaysia and that the government will do whatever it takes to protect and defend Malaysian waters in the South China Sea from being encroached on by intruders or unlicensed foreign fisherman.

The Shanghai-based Guancha Syndicate has identified the Chinese vessel as the Haijing 1123 patrol boat and said that it had been involved in a "confrontation" with Malaysian maritime vessels near the Qiongtai Jiao — or Luconia Breakers — of the Luconia Shoals, which it states is a piece of Chinese territory Malaysia has long claimed.

Qiongtai Jiao, which sits in the central part of the Luconia Shoals, is about 170 meters long and 20 meters wide, though during high tide less than half of the reef is visible above water. Guancha says the reef is among China's southernmost territory and claims that it has been effectively under Beijing's control since April.

The territorial dispute is just one of many involving China in the South China Sea, where tensions have been escalating due to China's aggressive land reclamation activities on disputed islands and increased US surveillance and military presence in the region.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150605000058

Surface Tension: Chinese, US Armies Race to Build Mobile Landing Platforms



Known as Mobile Landing Platforms (MLP), the crafts are amphibious assault ships intended to partially submerge. Essentially, the ships look like normal transport vessels with a massive chunk missing from the center.

The submersion capabilities make them ideal for loading transport like heavy weaponry. While they’re not combat vehicles per se, the MLPs are intended to act as intermediaries between larger military ships and small landing craft.

When they’re done. The US Navy began construction in 2010, and though they’ve undergone successful test runs, the MLPs have yet to see service.

But apparently the Pentagon isn’t the only one interested in the technology. Photos leaked to the Beijing-based Sina Military Network last week show that China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is building its own Mobile Landing Platforms.

According to the photos, the ship is approximately 180 meters long and 33 meters wide, weighing an estimated 5,000 tons. That makes it significantly smaller than the US Military Sealift Command’s Montford Point class, which measure 240 meters in length and stretch 50 meters across.

The ship is being constructed at the Wenchong shipyard in Guangzhou.

The PLA appears to also be constructing a new logistics support ship with roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) capacity. Those ships make it easy to transport wheeled vehicles, which can then be rapidly deployed from the sea.

Given rising tensions in the South China Sea, both militaries could be rushing to get the ships up and running.

http://sputniknews.com/asia/20150604/1022963428.html

Exclusive: Vietnam eyes Western warplanes, patrol aircraft to counter China



SINGAPORE, JUN 05 - Vietnam is in talks with European and U.S. contractors to buy fighter jets, maritime patrol planes and unarmed drones, sources said, as it looks to beef up its aerial defenses in the face of China's growing assertiveness in disputed waters .

The battle-hardened country has already taken possession of three Russian-built Kilo-attack submarines and has three more on order as part of a $2.6 billion deal agreed in 2009. Upgrading its air force would give Vietnam one of the most potent militaries in Southeast Asia.

The previously unreported aircraft discussions have involved Swedish defense contractor Saab (SAABb.ST), European consortium Eurofighter, the defense wing of Airbus Group (AIR.PA) and U.S. firms Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Boeing (BA.N), said industry sources with direct knowledge of the talks.

Defense contractors had made multiple visits to Vietnam in recent months although no deals were imminent, said the sources, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. Some of the sources characterized the talks as ongoing.

One Western defense contractor said Hanoi wanted to modernize its air force by replacing more than 100 ageing Russian MiG-21 fighters while reducing its reliance on Moscow for weapons for its roughly 480,000-strong military.

Vietnam has ordered about a dozen more Russian Sukhoi Su-30 front-line fighters to supplement a fleet of older Su-27s and Su-30s.

"We had indications they want to reduce their dependence on Russia. Their growing friendship with America and Europe will help them to do that," said the defense contractor.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, during a visit to Vietnam on Sunday, pledged $18 million to help Hanoi buy U.S. patrol boats. But any deal with Lockheed or Boeing would likely be the most significant involving a U.S. firm since Washington started easing a long-time embargo on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam in October.

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said it had forwarded questions from Reuters about the aircraft discussions to the appropriate authorities.

Boeing said in an email it believed it had capabilities in "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms that may meet Vietnam's modernization needs". It gave no specifics.

Lockheed and Saab declined to comment. Eurofighter and Airbus did not respond to a request for comment.

CHINESE OIL RIG

While communist parties rule both Vietnam and China and annual trade has risen to nearly $60 billion, Vietnam has long been wary of China, especially over Beijing's claims to most of the South China Sea.

China's placement of an oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam for more than two months last year infuriated Vietnam and underscored the coastal country's need to upgrade its maritime patrol capabilities in particular.

Vietnam's military budget is a state secret, although data collated by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) put defense spending at $3.4 billion in 2013, more than double the amount a decade ago.

Experts say actual spending could be much higher given the hardware acquired over recent years.

Among the aircraft under discussion with Vietnam were Saab's Gripen E fourth-generation fighter jet as well as the Saab 340 or 2000 twin-engine turboprops fitted with maritime patrol and airborne early warning systems, said a source with direct knowledge of those talks.

Vietnam had held talks over the Typhoon warplane made by Eurofighter as well as the F/A-50 light fighter jointly developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (047810.KS) and Lockheed, separate sources said.

Lockheed had discussed its Sea Hercules, the maritime patrol version of its C-130 transport plane.

Meanwhile, an additional source said Boeing wanted to sell its maritime surveillance aircraft program, which involves putting state-of-the-art P-8 Poseidon plane surveillance technology, although not anti-submarine capabilities, on a business jet.

Vietnam had also looked at unarmed surveillance drones made by Western and Asian contractors.

VIETNAM WAR LEGACY

Vietnam has already started moving slowly away from Russia in recent years, buying Canadian Twin Otter amphibious planes and Airbus Defence CASA C-212 maritime patrol aircraft for its coastguard and Airbus C-295 transport planes.

Airbus Defence had been in talks to offer maritime patrol and airborne early warning systems on the C-295, a source said.

In addition, Airbus Helicopters had been in preliminary talks with the Vietnamese military.

Despite increasingly warm ties with Washington, some experts said the legacy of the Vietnam War might make Hanoi wary about buying too much U.S. weaponry, possibly giving Sweden an edge.

"There is no ideological bias (in Vietnam) with Sweden," said Tim Huxley, executive director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Asia.

"The Gripen E will be a cost-effective option. Saab can offer a package that includes maritime patrol and airborne early warning aircraft."

However, one U.S. source familiar with Vietnam's goals said Hanoi saw Washington as a more reliable partner should tension with China escalate.

"Vietnam is interested in building a much closer relationship with the United States, but they also don't want to anger China," said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

"They're looking for a balanced, phased, or step-by-step approach.'

http://www.ekantipur.com/2015/06/05/world/...ina/406171.html

Threat to shoot RAAF planes highlights South China Sea tensions





http://www.afr.com/news/politics/threat-to...20150605-ghhlqj

RMAF chief warns airmen against blowing whistle on military, national secrets



IPOH, June 5 — The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) management will not compromise with any personnel breaching discipline which is against its service regulations and civil laws.

RMAF chief, General Datuk Seri Roslan Saad said therefore, all air force personnel were reminded not to leak national and military secrets to any party as pledged under their loyalty oath to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and RMAF.

He said for each violation of the oath, members of the armed forces could be charged under the various legislations and other existing orders.

“Do not carry out any action which can jeopardise one’s own career or service in RMAF. The matter is very disappointing as it is due to external retrogressive influence which brings misery to oneself,” he added.

Roslan was speaking at a passing-out parade of the RMAF 52/2015 Series Young Soldiers Training at the Air Force Training Institute here today.

At the ceremony, Nik Eaizad Al-Basri Bakhtiar Enier, 22, of Kuala Lumpur was chosen as the recipient of the Best Overall Young Soldier award.

The eldest of five siblings said he was keen in serving the nation as a solider since young.

“I trained very hard to be able to give my best for my country,” he said.

Muhammad Safwan Mohd Shokri, 22, was selected as the Best Academic Soldier while Muhammad Jamalluddeen Sheikh Ismail, 19, received the Best Shooter award.

A total of 348 young soldiers completed the five-month training programme. — Bernama

Military Marvel: China Ready to Test Asia’s Largest Warship



The warship Type 055 cruiser mockup is nearing completion with recent photos showing that the warship’s sophisticated electronics and assimilated stealth mast are finished and ready to be tested at the test rig in Wuhan, Hubei province, China.

On Thursday, Popular Science’s ‘Eastern Arsenal’ blog reported, citing new satellite images, that China’s “Type 055 cruiser test rig in Wuhan is well on its way to opening for business.”

The purpose of building such a mockup is to test electronic interaction/interference between the Type 055's multiple radars, communications and other electronic equipment in the real world.

Any required modifications to the electronics can be easily changed on the mockup as well as site support from the laboratories will be provided during the testing.

The first photos of the test rig were made available on Chinese internet in April of last year. In January 2015 the images showed the rig nearing completion.

The authors write that Type 055 cruisers may possibly have a length of 160-180 meters, a width of 21-23 meters, and a displacement of 12,000-14,000 tons. At that displacement, the Type 055 cruisers will be the largest surface warship built in Asia since Imperial Japan produced Tone-class heavy cruisers with a standard displacement of 11,000 tons during the Second World War.

Regarding the mission of the warship, the authors noted that the Type 055 cruiser will command Chinese taskforces; act as the center of fleet air defenses against enemy air attacks, accompany carrier groups and launch barrages of land attack and anti-ship missiles to project Chinese airpower.

The Type 055 cruiser’s vertical launch systems (VLS) cells could be loaded with a variety of Chinese missiles, including the new YJ-18 anti-ship missile, HQ-9 long range surface-to-air missile, and the CJ-1000 land attack cruise missile.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150605/1022987451.html

Tank maker seeks to increase exports on land armaments





http://www.ecns.cn/military/2015/06-05/168132.shtml