Russia Begins Biggest Military Exercises of 2015, Involving 95,000 Troops



Russia began its largest military exercise of 2015 on Monday, with some 95,000 troops taking part, state media agency TASS reports.

According to TASS, the drills will also involve more than 7,000 pieces of military equipment, up to 170 warplanes and 20 ships. The planned exercises were launched in the Central Military District, where Russian President Vladimir Putin also ordered snap drills to take place last week.

The Central Military District has its headquarters in Yekaterinburg and spans Russia's Siberian and Central Asian territories. The drills will also involve units from the armed forces of Kazakhstan, which is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization—a Russian-led counterpoint to the NATO military alliance.

The exercises are being led by General Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. The drills will test the military's readiness to deal with a potential international armed conflict and the destruction of illegal armed groups, according to TASS.

Russian military drills have increased in size and frequency as the crisis in Ukraine continues. Moscow held a snap drill of 12,000 troops in May to test the capacity of its air defence troops. Russia's insistence on holding snap drills near its eastern European neighbors has also led to fears that such a drill could turn into an offensive on the Baltic states.

http://europe.newsweek.com/russia-begins-b...0-troops-332958

If Mistrals Sold to Egypt or India, Russian Equipment Won't Be Removed







http://sputniknews.com/military/20150914/1026968022.html

UK developed hub-drive to improve military vehicle performance



UK defence technology firm Qinetiq has won a $1.5m grant from US defence research agency DARPA to develop an electric hub-drive for future military ground vehicles.

The contract, which has an option for a further $2.7m, is part of DARPA’s Ground X-Vehicle Technologies (GXV-T) programme which was set up to improve the capability of next generation vehicles.

The hub drive will remove the need for drive shafts and gearboxes, making vehicles less susceptible to IED detonation

Qinetiq claims that its hub drive technology will help achieve this through enhanced power, torque, integral braking and high efficiency, in a unit that can be contained within a 20” wheel rim.

What’s more, the company aims to increase survivability by removing drive shafts and gearboxes, which can become lethal to occupants in the event of an IED detonation beneath the vehicle.

The absence of these components could also reduce weight and open up future design possibilities, such as fully independent suspension with significantly increased travel.

Dr David Moore, director of Research Services at Qinetiq, said: “Like cavalry horses throughout history, vehicles risk becoming less mobile as they are loaded with more armour and weaponry to meet the evolving demands of warfare. Our hub-drive tackles that threat by combining optimum performance with a significant weight saving, which is critical for mobility. It also introduces a far greater degree of architectural flexibility, enabling vehicles to be configured in ways which offer greater protection to their occupants.”

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/more-sectors/...1021048.article

Haijing 2901: China's heavily armed patrol boat may provoke escalation



The Haijing 2901 undergoes sea trials in the East China Sea in an undated photo. (Internet photo)

China is deploying its largest maritime patrol vessel, the Haijing 2901 to the eastern island of Zhoushan for a potential war of attrition with Japan over the disputed East China Sea, according to the Tokyo-based Sankei Shimbun on Sept. 13.

It has been Japan's policy to deploy its coast guard vessels instead of warships to prevent its territorial conflict with China over the Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu to China, Senkaku to Japan, which controls them), from escalating into a full-scale war. The deployment of the Haijing 2901, which is also the world's largest maritime patrol vessel with a greater displacement than the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers of the United States, will eventually challenge this policy since Japan's coast guard has no vessel that can counter it.

With its 76mm rapid-fire naval guns, two secondary turrets and two anti-aircraft machine guns, the Haijing 2901 can easily overpower any patrol boat. If Japan's coast guard cannot oppose China's now "routine" patrols around the disputed islands, it could eventually lose control of the territory. The next step, an inevitable escalation, would be to deploy the warships of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Tokyo would then be accused by Beijing of provoking a war by deploying warships against a maritime patrol vessel, albeit one that is a warship in all but name.

In the skies above the islands, a total of 464 sorties were made by fighters of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 2014 to intercept Chinese aircraft after China declared an air defense identification zone covering the disputed islands at the end of 2013.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150914000124

South China Sea Dispute: Beijing Constructing Third Airstrip For Chinese Military Aircraft



China's military takeover of the South China Sea could grow after the construction of a third airstrip in the contested territory, Reuters reported Monday. The strip could accommodate most Chinese military aircraft, potentially giving Beijing greater access to maritime Southeast Asia.

Satellite photographs taken last week for Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank show construction on Mischief Reef, one of several artificial islands China has built in the Spratly archipelago. The construction includes a retaining wall roughly 3,000 meters long that matches similar developments by China on two other reefs, Subi and Fiery Cross, Greg Poling, director of CSIS' Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, said. "Clearly, what we have seen is going to be a 3,000-meter airstrip, and we have seen some more work on what is clearly going to be some port facilities for ships," he told Reuters.

The construction comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to visit Washington this month. “This is a challenge for the White House,” Michael J. Green, a senior vice president at CSIS and former senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, told the Washington Post. “How do they talk about this? Do they say, ‘Don’t militarize these islands,’ knowing that the Chinese will do it anyway? Do they say, ‘Don’t continue construction,’ when it’s obvious that it will continue anyway?”

China claims sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, while Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan have rival claims. U.S. officials have warned against China taking new territory in that area of ocean. "China's stated intentions with its program, and continued construction, will not reduce tensions or lead to a meaningful diplomatic solution," Commander Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department, told Reuters.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Monday that China had "indisputable sovereignty" over the Spratly Islands, which allowed it to establish military facilities there.

http://www.ibtimes.com/south-china-sea-dis...ircraft-2096533

Defiant Chinese Admiral’s Message: South China Sea ‘Belongs to China’





http://www.defenseone.com/threats/2015/09/...s-china/120989/

Vietnam Will Fight China, Other Nations Entering Its Waters Illegally







http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/09/vietnam-will-fight-china/

Armata Vs Leopard 2: Germany's Main Battle Tank Could Be in Trouble



Although both war machines are hailed as exceptional pieces of military hardware, "Berlin's tanks in a theoretical match-up would face a problem," NI's defense analyst Dave Majumdar noted.

"While the Leopard is probably overall more than a match for the Armata – it doesn't have the right ammunition to defeat the T-14," he explained.

According to the expert, the Leopard's key disadvantage stems from the fact that it uses tungsten instead of depleted uranium for tank rounds. The choice of material affects performance.

"Because of the limitations of tungsten ammunition, the Bundeswehr has some doubts as to the ability of its penetrator rounds to punch through the armor of the latest Russian tanks. Specifically, there might be instances where German ammunition might not have enough kinetic energy to ensure a kill against the T-80, T-90 and obviously the Armata," Majumdar pointed out.

The solution to this problem might seem obvious – replace tungsten with depleted uranium but the Leopard is unlikely to receive rounds made out of depleted uranium since the Germans are largely against the move.

Using US-made ammunition could have been an option but it is said to be incompatible with the Leopard's improved L55 tank gun.

The Leopard might well be one of the world's best tanks "when it comes to blending firepower, protection and maneuverability," as defense analyst Thomas Newdick put it, but the future seems to belong to the Armata platform at the moment.

Keep in mind, that Russia's cutting edge piece of military equipment will not remain static. For instance, its designers say, that the Aramata could well become the first unmanned tank in the world.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150915/1...ed-uranium.html

Hunting ISIS With American Vets (GoPro Footage)

Two vets return to the Middle East to join the Kurdish YPG in their battle against ISIS. One fueled by revenge, the other trying to make good on a promise he made to the people he said he would protect.

“I know what it feels like to be an insurgent against a major power,” said one of the vets, pointing out the under-armed weaponry of the Kurdish group in relation to the seemingly unlimited ISIS arsenal.



https://www.funker530.com/hunting-isis-with...-gopro-footage/