Malaysian verison of Captain Phillips

Not the first time they confront pirates on hijacked ship, I'm sure there's already procedure in place
Just pray the pirates will surrender peacefully

the pirates surely know what's gonna happen to them if they refuse to surrender..there's no way out of this for them..

near cambodian waters..so it's on international waters?

British, Indian soldiers hurt as troop carriers collide





LONDON: Around 20 British and Indian military personnel were wounded, at least four seriously, in a collision between three troop carriers in southwest England on Wednesday (Jun 17), officials said.

Four or five of the wounded were left with "life-changing injuries" following the crash on Salisbury Plain, police said, which came as the British and Indian armies conducted a joint exercise in the area.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman in London said he understood that both British and Indian forces were among those hurt, adding the incident would be "duly investigated".

The local Wiltshire Police said that the crash happened near one of the main battle camps on Salisbury Plain and was reported to them at 6.30pm (1.30am Singapore time Thursday). "We had reports of four to five people with life-changing injuries and approximately 16 others walking wounded," it added in a statement.

A post on the Indian Army's Facebook page before the incident on Wednesday said the two armies were currently carrying out a joint exercise called Ajeya Warrior to "enhance their ability to undertake joint tactical level operations in (a) counter insurgency/counter terrorism environment".

Salisbury Plain, a 780-square-kilometre area of land which includes the prehistoric stone circle at Stonehenge, is owned by the Ministry of Defence and is Britain's biggest military training area.

- AFP/de

Islamic State says shot down Iraqi fighter plane





BAGHDAD: Islamic State said on Thursday it had shot down an Iraqi fighter plane north of the city of Ramadi in Anbar Province.

It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the claim made on one of Islamic State's Twitter accounts. A member of an anti-Islamic State Sunni force called Sahwa (Awakening) said an Iraqi fighter jet, a Russian-made Su-25, was seen in flames as it crashed after being shot down north of Ramadi.

Iraq's government relies on a U.S.-led coalition and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias in its fight against Islamic State, which holds a third of the country as well as parts of neighbouring Syria.

The Islamic State Twitter site said the fighter jet had been shot down as it conducted a raid on areas north of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Sunni heartland Anbar.

Islamic State militants seized Ramadi last month and the city is a focal point of efforts to slow the group's advances in Iraq, a major oil producer and OPEC member.

(Reporting by the Baghdad newsroom and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Ken Wills)

China passes new guideline so civilian ships can be used by the military in times of crisis



China's government has passed new guidelines requiring civilian shipbuilders to ensure their vessels can be used by the military in the event of conflict, state-run media said on Thursday. The regulations "will enable China to convert the considerable potential of its civilian fleet into military strength", it said.

The report said that China had about 172,000 civilian ships at the end of last year, suggesting the measure could be a major boost to China's navy. China's government will cover the costs of the plan, it added.

China has rapidly expanded its navy in recent years, commissioning its first aircraft carrier in 2012 and adding to its submarine and surface fleets.

The increased military spending comes as Beijing asserts its territorial claims in the East and South China Seas, where it has disputes with several Asian neighbours.

This is zerg rush in real life

Nah, just for simple logistics duties. US Navy has tons of civilian reserve ships in the Merchant marines ready to be activated in case of war.

i thought it is the norm that any merchant ship under d country's flag or owned by entities in the country have to serve the military in times of war?

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/

^^ Most likely procurement for four MPA will be funded in RMK11.



http://www.malaysiandefence.com/?p=6486

http://sputniknews.com/world/20150618/1023...l#ixzz3dSTO5fyt

This post has been edited by azriel: Jun 19 2015, 07:38 AM

MT Orkim Harmony hijackers begs to be released in exchange for the ship and crew


The Malaysian Navy Corvette KD Terengganu is currently shadowing the hijacked oil tanker

A source with the Malaysian authorities said that the pirates who have hijacked the Malaysian-flagged oil tanker MT Orkim Harmony has begged with Malaysian authorities for allow them to be released. The pirates, who are believed to be Indonesians and whose numbers are believed to be around 8 or 9, have offered to release the ship and its 22 crew members in exchange for a boat, food, water and free passage for them to go to the Indonesian territory of Natuna island, in the South China sea.

The owners of the MT Orkim harmony has confirmed the tanker's cargo of petrol fuel worth an estimated RM 21 Million is still intact and has not been offloaded.