if required and we can afford, we buy... its how we buy also important

Australian Media Spies Imaginary Weapons in South China Sea



On Tuesday, Japan announced that it would join in the Talisman Sabre, joint military exercises typically conducted by the United States and Australia. The newly formed trifecta of Pacific allies was largely seen as the latest in an attempt to bolster defenses against an alleged Chinese threat.

While Japan’s participation in the drills demonstrated Tokyo’s concern over the Beijing’s construction of islands in the South China Sea, Australia seems to have taken even more of Washington’s bait. A number of Australian media outlets are now reporting that China has moved weaponry onto artificial islands in the South China Sea.

While these claims, if true, would represent a major shift in Chinese policy, and a major escalation in the ever-growing tensions between regional stakeholders, the outlets have not provided any evidence.

Many of these reports could stem from the Australian government’s growing concerns about their own trade routes, as Washington continues to stoke fires about their imagined Chinese threat. While Australia had previously remained neutral in all South China Sea disputes, it appears to be changing its tune.

"Give the size and modernization of China’s military, the use by China of land reclamation for military purposes would be of particular concern," Australia’s top defense official, Dennis Richardson, said during a forum in Sydney.

Japan to Join Huge US-Australian Pacific War Games As China Tensions Mount
The Chinese government has repeatedly insisted that the islands lie within its sovereign territory, and that it has every right to build. On Tuesday, Defence Ministry Spokesman Yang Yujun compared the land reclamation efforts to the construction of roads and homes on the mainland.

"From the perspective of sovereignty, there is absolutely no difference," he told reporters. This echoed earlier statements made by Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying, who emphasized that the islands would help maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection, and navigational security.

"Some external countries are also busy meddling in South China Sea affairs," a Chinese policy document, released on Tuesday, reads. "A tiny few maintain constant close-in air and sea surveillance and reconnaissance against China."

This was taken as reference to the efforts of the United States. Despite the fact that the US has no territorial claims in the region, it has consistently heightened efforts to incite unrest in the sea, staging military exercises with the Philippines and Indonesia, and launching patrol missions over the land reclamation projects.

"China’s actions are bringing countries in the region together in new ways," US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said during a military ceremony on Wednesday. "They’re increasing demand for American engagement in the Asia-Pacific. We’re going to meet it."

"We will remain the principal security power in the Asia-Pacific for decades to come," he added.

With nearly $5 trillion in trade passing through its waters annually, the South China Sea is a hotly contested region. While China lays claim to most of the area, there overlapping claims from Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and the Philippines.

http://sputniknews.com/asia/20150528/1022634719.html

America readies its new 'smart' nuke



U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Evelyn Chavez
April 29, 2015

The U.S. Air Force is on the cusp of flight testing a new tail-kit assembly that will upend the old way of conducting tactical nuclear combat, should the United States ever enter a shooting match with a nuclear-armed state like Russia or China.

We're talking about an upgrade to the B61 thermonuclear bomb  —  the oldest nuclear gravity bomb in America's stockpile. The Boeing-built guidance unit adds range and accuracy, turning it into a "smart" nuke compatible with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and future Long-Range Strike Bomber.

The B61 entered production in 1968, and is still the Pentagon and NATO's go-to weapon for tactical and strategic nuclear combat.

The flying branch's weapons office at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida has been working with Boeing to design and develop the tail-kit assembly since 2012. The Air Force is scaling up the flight test program this year.

The tail kit will resemble a non-nuclear Joint Direct Attack Munition, with strap-on strakes for range, and tail fins guided by a GPS-aided inertial navigation unit.

God no, the U.S. Air Force doesn’t need another Curtis LeMay
The equipment will work even if America's navigation satellites are shot to pieces — a likely scenario during a nuclear war — and is hardened to survive the electromagnetic pulse generated by a high-altitude nuclear explosion.

Both the Air Force and Boeing have expressed confidence in the tail kit, and the $1 billion program is meeting its cost and schedule targets. But the program is marching toward a tougher phase of development, with a critical design review planned for later this year that will push Boeing's design to its limits.

"We don't anticipate any major risks associated with the tail kit assembly that can't be mitigated," Boeing spokeswoman Katie Kelly wrote in an email in January.

Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons policy expert for the Federation of American Scientists, said he has serious reservations about the program. He added that cutting or canceling the B61 could save the government billions of dollars.

However, he believes the technology is there to produce a precision-strike gravity nuke  —  a concept the Pentagon first seriously considered in the 1990s.

"There might be individual challenges that are particular for this kind of weapon they have developed," Kristensen said. "But they have so much experience now with guided systems that I would be surprised if there were some real tough nuts that they wouldn't be able to crack or that would delay it significantly."

”There are so many precision weapons that have been produced and mated with so many different kinds of aircraft that I'd be surprised if there were major technical problems," he added.

According to the Air Force, developing the guidance kit might be the easy part. The National Nuclear Security Administration — which oversees America's nuclear warheads — has the tougher task of refurbishing the complete weapon. It's all part of an $8-billion life-extension program that will keep the nukes active until 2040.

The first fully-refurbished bomb won't be available until 2020, well after the tail kit enters service.

Today, there are five versions of the B61, including one ground-penetrating version to kill hardened bunkers. The government wants to cull the stockpile down to just two versions — a low-yield version, designated B61–12, and the bunker-busting nuke retained in its current form.

It falls to Sandia National Laboratories to consolidate 400 to 500 of these Cold War relics into the B61–12 variant.

"To date, Boeing and Sandia National Labs have completed several series of all-up-round level testing as well as fit checks and a captive-carry flight test with the launch aircraft," the Boeing spokeswoman wrote. "Each test helps reduce risk."

Along with the flight test program, 2015 will be a big year for integrating the bomb onto existing aircraft.

The program office has the money to begin pairing the smart nuke with other aircraft — the B-2, F-16, and F-35A as well as the European PA-200 Tornado.

This month, the NNSA confirmed that an F-16, F-15, and a B-2 armed with advanced measurement devices have been zipping around Eglin and Edwards Air Force Base to collect vibration and flight environment data for the B-61's new tail kit. Those flights took place between July and December 2014.

"This series is the first of many flight tests for the B6–12 life-extension program," a Feb. 9 press statement noted. "The testing is a key building block between ongoing system ground testing and the first development flight test drop scheduled in fiscal year 2015."

The Air Force will test the first complete tail kit on an F-15E Strike Eagle using an inert bomb. If the flight tests are successful, Boeing will pass the design review and proceed to the next round of development, with a plan to deliver the first production unit in 2018.

There are a series of smaller flight tests planned throughout the year to test different components of the weapon system. But Air Force plans the complete developmental test flight in November.

So why turn a tactical nuke into a smart bomb? It's all about destroying the same target with a less powerful warhead.

"U.S. Strategic Command determined that with the accuracy provided by a tail kit, the yield provided by today's lowest yield B61 variant would be sufficient to meet all of the strategic and non-strategic requirements for gravity systems," Donald Cook, the NNSA's deputy administrator for defense programs, told Congress in 2013.

"As a result, there will no longer be any need to design, develop, certify, or maintain multiple variations of the B61."

But the larger context is the New START treaty signed by Pres. Barack Obama and then-Russian Pres. Dmitry Medvedev in 2010. The treaty limits each side to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads by 2018.

To meet these arms reduction targets, U.S. Strategic Command advocated for what's still known as the "3+2 Strategy," where the U.S. would move toward a nuclear stockpile with three interoperable ballistic missile warheads — for the submarine and land-based legs of the nuclear triad — and two air-delivered warheads.

As part of this plan, the U.S. would eliminate the megaton-class B83 gravity bomb.

The U.S. has already cut its nuclear stockpile by 80 percent compared to its Cold War peak, and the Pentagon estimates it could still meet its nuclear deterrence strategy with one-third fewer weapons.

Whether those additional reductions are ever realized depends on the next round of arms control talks set to take place before the New START caps expire in 2021.

The Air Force's latest budget request includes $743 million during the next five years for B61 tail kit research and development. The NNSA has asked Congress for $643 million to support the B61 life-extension program in fiscal year 2016.

According to the flying branch's latest tail kit schedule, the critical design review should finish in early 2016, ahead of a contract award to Boeing for phase two of development.

From drones to AKs, high technology to low politics, War is Boring explores how and why we fight above, on, and below an angry world.

http://theweek.com/articles/552119/america...-new-smart-nuke

PLA Navy commissions 20th Type 056 OPV/Corvette



Built at the Shanghai Hudong shipyard, Huangshi (pennant number 502) has formally joined the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet following a ceremony at the PLA regional base at Weihai maritime garrison.

The 90m, 1,500-tonne displacement Type 056 OPV/Corvette carries four YJ-83 anti-ship missiles (with a 65 n mile range), one 76 mm main gun, two 30mm autocannons, an 8-cell FL3000N short range SAM launcher and two triple-tube torpedo launchers. The flight deck enables operation of a light helicopter, though the absence of a hangar constrains sustained helicopter operations.

Huangshi is the 20th unit in the Type-056 class to be commissioned; it is also the fourth to be fitted with towed array and variable depth sonars, indicating a primary anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role.

At least four Type 056s are currently fitting out; a class of 30 or more is anticipated.

Sources say Saudi Arabia ready to provide $80 Million USD annually for military aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces starting from 2018


Lebanese Army M48 'Patton' tanks patrol the Lebanese-Syrian border. Reliance on such aging equipment has eroded the effectiveness of the Lebanese Armed Forces in dealing with threats.

Sources from the defense community say Saudi Arabia is ready to finalize an agreement with the Lebanese government in order for the Saudis to provide an annual $80 Miilion USD military aid to help the Lebanese Armed Forces to transform it into a modern professional military force.

Saudi Arabia is currently sponsoring up to $3 Billion USD in the next three years for the Lebanese armed forces to strengthen its forces and avoid spillover from the civil war currently ongoing in neighboring Syria. Stopping the infiltration of IS and Al-Qaeda affiliated militants into Lebanese society is also high on Saudi Arabia's priorities.

Saudi Arabia is also hoping that by strengthening the Lebanese armed forces, it will also undermine and degrade the armed support for the powerful Hezbollah political party and its armed wing, who which Saudis regard as a proxy for its regional rival Iran.

Hezbollah is currently quite popular with the Lebanese population due to the prestige of its armed wing, who regard themselves as the protectors of the Lebanese nation.

The US is currently the largest contributor of military aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces, but has recently shown signs of conflicting policies on how much military aid it should donate to Lebanon without the Lebanese Armed Forces itself becoming a threat to Israel.

well MAF still have the operation budget. just development (procurement) budget is low. yearly average about usd 800 million (RM2.5b old $ exchange), nothink much to expect buy alot new high level asset like aircraft/helis/MBT/SPH/Ship/SAM. hence it still can get 1-2 procurement just pay long term (few year) so divide payment load. ideally development budget should increase to year usd 1.5billion or RM 5 billion, so we can buy few procurement at same time.

I'm wondering what exactly is the allocation is for the military in RMK-11? People here are acting as if the government has suddenly abolished the Malaysian armed forces.

well if follow pass year trend, it about RM 15 billion (development budget) .... and than few of them go to pay Gowind ship/Av8, if RMAF got Mig29 replacement about RM 9 billion, not much left,

This post has been edited by waja2000: May 28 2015, 02:05 PM

I'm also curious about RMK-10, namely what its budget was & what plans were for the MAF and how much did it actually achieve for the military in 2010-2015?

Also, how much does it stack against RMK-11?

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 28 2015, 01:11 PM

#CopeTaufan #throwback #RMAF #USAF

F-15 Eagle’s from the 104th Fighter Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard, train with U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors and members of the Royal Malaysian Air Force in Malaysia by Massachusetts National Guard, on Flickr

F-15 Eagle’s from the 104th Fighter Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard, train with U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors and members of the Royal Malaysian Air Force in Malaysia by Massachusetts National Guard, on Flickr

140618-F-XT249-549 by Massachusetts National Guard, on Flickr

i estimated MAF development budget not more than RM 18 billion in RMK-11.
personally i think ideally need around RM 30 billion (8b usd)

This post has been edited by waja2000: May 28 2015, 02:54 PM

KEBAKARAN HELIKOPTER DI SABAH 11.57 pg td. 1W cedera ringan #BOMBA







This post has been edited by waja2000: May 28 2015, 03:06 PM

Chinese Maritime Safety Administration patrol vessel Haixun 31 joins ARF-DIRex maritime safety exercise



The ASEAN Regional Forum-Disaster Relief Excercise 2015 (ARF-DiREx) maritime search and rescue (SAR) exercise sees the involvement of China's vessel Haixun 31 - the ship which participated in a joint operation to locate the vanished Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370.

The captain of MV Haixun 31, Chen Qinli said the ship's involvement in the search operation for Flight MH370 lasted about two months, and it was one of the biggest and longest SAR missions conducted.

"It was one of the biggest, longest rescue missions we have been involved in, and the journey from China to the Indian Ocean was not easy," he told Bernama here today.

Haixun 31, a 3,000 ton patrol vessel attached to the South China Sea Division for Marine Patrol and Law Enforcement of China Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), measures 114 metres in length, 13.8 metres in width and has a maximum speed of 22 knots.

Commenting on today's SAR excercise, he expressed satisfaction with the performances of the officers and their professionalism.

Meanwhile, Penang Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) enforcement and exercise officer Lt Commander Suhaizan Saadin said today's excercise included the surface SAR, water rescue and oil spill rescue.

He said, among agencies involved in the SAR excercise was MMEA, Royal Malaysian Police, Fire and Rescue Department and Marine Department, as well as China's vessels such as Haixun 31, and Dong Hai Jiu 101.

One of the first public appearance of the weststar vehicle.. with a minigun!

China starts building new lighthouses in South China Sea

The building of lighthouses on the Nansha Islands will enhance navigational safety in the South China Sea and will help fulfill China's international obligations, the Chinese foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The South China Sea is a vital waterway for international transportation and one of the most important fishing grounds in the world, said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing.

China's construction of lighthouses on the Huayang Jiao and Chigua Jiao islands is an initiative of the country to meet its international responsibilities by providing passing vessels with efficient guidance and substantially improving navigational safety in the South China Sea, Hua stressed.

"The Chinese side will continue to build other civilian facilities on relevant maritime features of the Nansha Islands and offer better services to vessels from littoral countries of the South China Sea and those sailing through this area," she said.

The Ministry of Transport hosted a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the start of work on the two multi-functional lighthouses on the pair of islands.

According to the ministry, the lighthouses will be 50 meters high, and have a range of 22 nautical miles when completed.

Wang Xiaopeng, an expert in maritime and border studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the lighthouses will be used as public facilities for the international community, and that this project is necessary as the region is a dangerous shipping area because of its strong ocean currents.

"Building lighthouses is indeed a move to satisfy international and regional needs, while the construction is lawful as China is building on its own territory," he said.

In April, the Philippines expressed its alarm about Chinese construction activities in the area and said the building work has damaged the environment.

China rejected this accusation and said that before the construction work began the plans went through years of scientific assessment and it will inflict no damage to the marine environment.

China has repeatedly stated that the main areas advanced by its construction projects in the South China Sea are related to civilian activities.

http://www.ecns.cn/military/2015/05-27/166945.shtml

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: May 28 2015, 08:24 PM

what is the difference between a minigun and GPMG mounted on a ground vehicle? feels a bit wasting to mount a minigun onto a ground vehicle..

Concept art of China's 'Condor' high-altitude drone circulates online



Concept of the drone circulating online. (Internet photo)

A diagram charting the development of Chinese military aircraft has been making the rounds of online media publications in the country for some time, according to the military web portal of China's Global Times.

Many of the models shown on the diagram have since proven to be accurate, but one of the most mysterious aircraft shown on the diagram is the one labeled "high-altitude long-range anti-stealth drone."

In the book Ever Onwards-Aircraft: Design Expert Li Ming, published by Beijing-based Aviation Industry Press, appears the line, "At the same time as he was researching combat drone technology, Li Ming also pushed for cooperation with other countries on high-altitude anti-stealth drones, and the fruit of this cooperation was the 'Shendiao' or 'Condor' prototype developed by Unit 601."

A Chinese military forum recently published unconventional looking drone concept art. The drone depicted had a double fuselage design and its wing extension is extremely large, suggesting it a high-altitude long-range drone. This suggests that it may be the Shendiao, or Condor, drone suspected to be in development at the Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute (Unit 601). The Shendiao appears from the picture to have a large aspect ratio, with an extremely long thin wing, giving it a significant amount of lift even when cruising at high-altitudes with lower pressure, allowing it to achieve level-flight.

Military commentator Liu Zijun was cited by the website as stating that "anti-stealth" drones are being used to strengthen the PLA's airborne early warning capabilities. Even though China has already developed the Guizhou Soar Dragon drone, the drone has a relatively light take-off weight and has limited maneuverability. This means that it can't carry an extra payload, which puts it well short of the capabilities of the US RQ-4 Global Hawk drone.

Liu said that even though China already has the KJ-2000, KJ-200 and KJ-500 airborne early warning and command aircraft, the KJ-2000 is limited in its numbers and the KJ-200 and KJ-500 are limited in number and have limited range. China's early warning capabilities are therefore contained within the area that China refers to as the "First Island Chain" of the Pacific stretching from the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's far east to the Malay peninsula. This severely limits the PLA Air Force's situational awareness. These problems could be solved with a high-altitude long-range drone, Liu said.

The man credited with designing China's airborne early warning and control systems, Wang Xiaomo, said in 2014 that future early warning aircraft would get rid of the round part at the back of the plane, using an antenna that is stuck to the fuselage instead, which is why the concept art portraying the drone does not resemble manned early warning aircraft in terms of design. The Shendiao could be used in coordination with manned early warning systems to improve radar accuracy.

High-altitude long-range drones refer to those that fly at 18 km and above and have an endurance of upwards of 10, several dozen hours or even several days of flight time. It is relatively cheap to make.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150528000063

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: May 28 2015, 08:29 PM

Prolly just for menhan to shoot something

..I actually found another pictures of the same vehicle from bernama images gallery..but can't seem to link it here due to copyright..