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This post has been edited by yinchet: Jul 24 2015, 01:13 PM

Post #2

Reporting.....

reporting for duty!!

alpha mike foxtrot

kelimax

join in for the fun

ke Seven

17 and beyond~

K2 is still be best tank

Looks like Russia has noted the top attack ATGM.

Aiya...no need report2 la, pusing2 orang itu juga. Buang space utk post saja....

Lebanese Army set to receive 20 refurbished VBC-90 6x6 Armored vehicles



After receiving 15 units of the GIAT Caesar 155mm Self-propelled artillery system last month, the Lebanese army is set to receive 20 refurbished ex-French Army VBC-90 Armored vehicles sometime before October. The vehicles, purchased with part of the $3 Billion USD military aid from Saudi Arabia, will reduce the workload of the elderly M113 armored vehicles in the Lebanese Army.

The VBC 90 is a 6x6 armoured vehicle manufactured by the French Company Renault based on the VAB 4x4 armoured personnel carrier. The VBC 90 has been used by the French Gendarmerie since 1983 and now it is no longer in service.

The VBC 90 is armed with a long-barrelled Giat Industries 90 mm F1 gun with a 35º oblique wedge breech block, a hydropneumatic recoil system, a thermal sleeve and a muzzle brake. There are 20 rounds of ready to use 90 mm ammunition carried, four in the turret basket and 16 in the turret bustle.

Mounted coaxially to the left of the main armament is a 7.62 mm machine gun and there are two electrically operated 80 mm smoke grenade dischargers mounted either side of the turret towards the rear.

Tgk tu....lebanon yg x penah mimpi jd negara maju pun dh nk pakai ni. Ni yg lg 5 thn nk berstatus maju ni camne??

Well, if Saudi Arabia give us USD3bil to spend, we'd get the same thing as well. Otherwise, stick to the queue

1-1 ini sunray bercakap
1-1 lapor diri
ganti

Cool down bro, to be fair, they're not that modern or expensive. The VBC-90 is made in the 1980s, abut the same era with our SIBMAS. The French Army no longer uses them, so Lebanon very lucky got these on the cheap. Word has it the Lebanese Army is aiming to get at least 50 more of these VBC-90 by next year.

i see... msia punya ikut british?

wonder how thick is their armor...

i see... msia punya ikut british?

wonder how thick is their armor...

Based on VAB....can only withstand 7.62mm

LTZ did the military ppl flip table when they heard abt what defence minister said and all the wish list are not fullfilled in rmk11?

This post has been edited by minizian: May 26 2015, 08:37 AM

please revive A -10 Warthog!

Thanks to big daddy Saudi Arabia's $3 Billion USD military aid, Lebanon is now set to receive tons of refurbished french equipment. Incoming assets include 5 EC725 transport helicopters, 10 Gazelle light assault helicopters, 3 D'Estienne d'Orves-class OPV/corvettes and modern surveillace/detection equipment for border protection. The deal also includes 10 years of maintenance and servicing contracts for these assets.


A French Navy D'Estienne d'Orves-class OPV/Corvette. The Lebanese Armed forces is set to receive 3 of these warships from France

Alongside the hardware deals, the French Army has also agreed to institute a training and advisory agreement where they will train and advise the Lebanese Armed forces for a period of 7 years, plus Lebanese officers and NCOs will also be sent to French military academies to introduce the Lebanese Army to a modern military doctrine.

This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 26 2015, 08:55 AM

Lipoting in!

Tett tet tet tumpang lalu....

cepatnya dah V17

maybe aku jarang masuk kot lol

Singapore, China complete inaugural bilateral naval exercise


The RSS Valiant (left) and RSS Intrepid (right) participating in a manoeuvring exercise with the Yulin (middle). (Photo: People's Liberation Army [Navy])

Singapore and China's navies complete their first-ever four-day Exercise Maritime Cooperation, which involves the RSS Intrepid, the RSS Valiant and the Yulin frigate.

SINGAPORE: The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and China’s People’s Liberation Army (Navy) on Monday (May 25) concluded a new joint naval exercise, hailed as a "milestone in the bilateral defence relationship", by Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).

The inaugural four-day Exercise Maritime Cooperation series involved RSN’s RSS Intrepid frigate and RSS Valiant missile corvette, as well as China’s Yulin frigate. The exercise involved conventional naval warfare serials, such as gunnery firings and manoeuvring drills, said MINDEF in a news release.

Personnel from both navies also took part in exercise planning and combined simulator training.

Both navies “can learn from each other and deepen professional knowledge to strengthen mutual trust and understanding,” said RSN Fleet commander Colonel Lew Chuen Hong, in highlighting the growth in professional interactions between RSN and the Chinese navy.

“Exercise Maritime Cooperation reflects our common goals and beliefs, and is a new achievement of the exchanges and interactions between both our navies," said Commander South Sea Fleet Rear Admiral Shen Jinlong from the Chinese navy.

MINDEF said the new bilateral naval exercise underscores warm and growing ties between the two countries, as they mark 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties this year.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singap...te/1871162.html

what happen to your main acc? bora bora?

3-days bora2

NATO and Nordics hold sub-Arctic wargames



Nordic air force exercises simulating a UN peacekeeping mission got underway in Sweden's sub-Arctic north, the Swedish armed forces said.

STOCKHOLM: Nordic air force exercises simulating a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission got underway in Sweden's sub-Arctic north on Monday (May 25), the Swedish armed forces said.

The war games - involving 115 fighter planes and 3,600 troops from nine countries - are being held under the auspices of Nordic military cooperation between non-aligned Sweden and Finland and their NATO neighbour Norway. Joining the Nordic nations were troops and planes from the US, Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands - all Nato members - as well as neutral Switzerland - using bases in the far north of Sweden, Norway and Finland.

"I'm looking forward to exercises that prepare Sweden's and Europe's airforces for future challenges and missions," Colonel Carl-Johan Edstroem, head of Sweden's northern air force fleet, said in a statement at the launch of the Arctic Challenge Exercise (ACE). "We create our security together with others and that means we need to train," he added.

Similar exercises involving fewer countries were held in 2013.

The manoeuvres come at a time of heightened tension in the region as Nordic countries report increased Russian airforce activity close to their borders.

In April all five Nordic defence ministers published an op-ed article in a Norwegian daily announcing closer military cooperation. "The Russian military are acting in a challenging way along our borders," they wrote, adding that "we must be prepared to face possible crises or incidents."



The exercises continue until June 4 and will be followed on June 5 by NATOs annual Baltops (Baltic Operations) manoeuvres with 4,500 troops from 17 countries.

"These kinds of activities send a security policy signal that demonstrates that we can carry out advanced operations," said Swedish Major General Karl Engelbrektson in a statement. "At the same time we're showing solidarity towards the other participants, especially our nearest neighbours."

- AFP/fl

Pakistani K-8 trainer aircraft crashes in Swabi, pilots eject safely



PESHAWAR: A training aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force crashed in Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday.

In a short statement, PAF spokesperson Air Commodore SM ALi said that a K-8 trainer aircraft was destroyed when it crashed during a training mission in Zaida village of KP's Swabi district.

The spokesman added that both pilots of the aircraft ejected safely.



[Dawn]

Reporting in for the new thread...

Russia begins massive Air Force exercise involving 250 aircraft



Russia's military forces have begun a large exercise involving around 250 aircraft and 12,000 service personnel, according to its defence ministry.
The ministry described the four-day drill as a "massive surprise inspection", to check combat readiness.

The tests began on the same day as Nato and some of its partners started an Arctic training exercise.

Russia's actions in Ukraine and incursions into Western airspace have led to rising tensions with the West.

According to reports on the Russian agencies Interfax and Tass, the inspection of the aviation group and air defence forces in the central military district involves almost 700 weapons and pieces of military hardware.

During the exercise, Russia's long-range aircraft are due to carry out cruise missile strikes on practice targets in the Komi republic.
The current drills are in preparation for a larger exercise known as Center-2015 scheduled to run in the next few months.

Brrrrrtttt brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttttttt brrrrrrtttttttttttttt

Mission completed!

boyan offer modernized( new avionic,updated engine and fuselage,hud,rearmament) for export

so far republic of china is interested

can smoke them mundu to kingdom come apa tunggu lg ...;

Read more: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/05/2...n/#.VWQuMFLryKF

This post has been edited by azriel: May 26 2015, 04:31 PM

1947 Rand McNally map lists some S China Sea islands as Chinese



The word
The word "China" is shown underneath the Paracel Islands in parenthesis on the map made by Rand McNally in 1947. (Internet photo)

A 1947 map by American map publisher Rand McNally in 1947 gave China ownership over many islands in the South China Sea, the state-run China News Service reported Sunday.

CNS cited a report in Hong Kong's Ming Pao the same day as saying that a Collier's World Atlas and Gazetteer published in 1947 was recently spotted at a secondhand store in Vancouver.

In the collection, a map drawn by Rand McNally and titled Popular Map of China, French Indochina, Siam and Korea, contains detailed descriptions of the South China Sea islands and says that China owns some of the islands. The Paracels are specifically labeled as Chinese territory, according to the Ming Pao report.

The World Atlas and Gazetteer was published two years after World War II, when the US was desperate for Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists to prevail in their civil war against Mao Zedong's Communists.

The book also contains a Rand McNally-drawn map of the Philippines and Spratly Islands. Although the Philippines have maintained close relations with the United States, none of six names the map producer used to identify the archipelago are Philippine terms, the report said.

The report also said that China's sovereignty claim over the South China Sea islands can be traced to before the Industrial Revolution.

Thitu island in the Spratlys, currently occupied by the Philippines which calls it Pag-asa, is labeled as Thi Tu Island on the old map. In the center of Thi Tu, there is a temple built by Chinese people in the Qing Dynasty, the report said. China refers to the islands as Zhongye island.

Citing John Price, a history professor at the University of Victoria, the report said that as the Cold War began US negotiators adopted an "avoidance strategy" during talks on the sovereignty of the South China Sea islands to avoid recognizing the new Communist regime in Beijing.

However, when it wanted to use Okinawa and other Pacific islands as military strongholds, the United States became strict and had clear-cut opinions in terms of sovereignty issues, according to Price, who said that the impact of injustice created by the US in those years is still being felt today.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclas...=20150526000135

Wary of ‘Russian Invasion’, Estonia Designs Mobile Bomb Shelter



“This shelter was designed to handle the impact of 155 mm artillery shells… We have just tested it against a variety of weapons, from 81 mm shells all the way to 155 mm ones and, as you can see, it handled all of them just fine”, said Peter Kirsti, one of the designers of the mobile shelter.

Dubbed as Sub Safe U1, the shelters, made from polythene, are around six meters long, weigh around two tons, cost 18,000 euros a piece and purportedly take less than two hours to assemble.

Built by Estonian defense firm Terramil, the units can hold up to 12 people.

With the armed conflict in Ukraine raging on despite the proclaimed ceasefire, the demand for mobile shelters is high, even though work on the prototype started well before the outbreak of the conflict in Donbass.

Additionally to the Eastern European countries, the mobile bomb shelters have generated considerable interest in Saudi Arabia, India and Egypt.

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150526/1022556902.html

wow..sukhoi are really huge eh?

i always use this when playing in ace combat lol...

just love to use the gatling gun

The truth is A-10 probably won't survive against a modern army's air defense systems. It is actually never been tested against a serious opponent in its entire service, only against basic opponents like Iraq and in COIN campaigns against lightly-armed insurgents.

f22/f15 - secure sky
f35/f15,f18 - secure surface threats
a-10 - suppork ground forces, close support

they wont send a-10 straight away

Ahhh....if it was only that simple....

its that simple

Works against Iraq, but no guarantee anyone else with a more considerable military would just roll over and die like them.

betol jugak

The day the USAF + NATO cant achieve aerial superiority is the day all those nukes are used

Engines separated with one another and don't integrate with fuselage. If one is hit by MANPADS, A-10 can still fly with one engine. Wheels slightly protrude when they are up, so after all hardpoints are jettisoned, A-10 can still land with all gears up. The 30mm Avenger gatling gun is good enough to penetrate rear and top turret armor of any tank.


Can't be replaced with F-35, A-10 is unique and irreplaceable, although they need to be retired soon. It's better for US to build entirely new A-10 based the old design, but with much improved avionics and engines. Unfortunately Fairchild has been acquired and now Elbit has all the ownership of the A-10 design.

This post has been edited by Frozen_Sun: May 27 2015, 01:09 AM

I can't stress this pet peeve I have with people who still believe in this.

Modern heat-seeking missiles, MANPADS included, do not directly attack a jet engine. Modern IR sensors home in on the overall IR heat signature of an aircraft rather than the engines themselves. Sure, the exhaust plume is potentially the largest IR signature an aircraft has, but modern seekers are smart and sensitive enough to look for other IR signatures that tell it if the target is actually an aircraft, such as the heat radiating from an aircraft's leading edge and compression fan rather than blindly following a large IR signature that could possibly be a flare.

The 'home on jet engine exhaust' homing technique only works on earlier generations of heat-seeking missiles. Nowadays a heat-seeking missile can home in on its target from almost any angle.

Also, an anti-aircraft missile don't 'hit' an aircraft per se, shrapnel from it does. The warhead of an anti-aircraft missile doesn't actually do the killing, its function is only to propel the shrapnel towards its target. A pre-fragmented warhead casing ensures the shrapnel is directed in a controlled cone, much like a shotgun blast.



This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 27 2015, 07:59 AM

I'm well aware of IR missiles with all-aspect capability as well as the use of proximity fuse, which can hit the nose of the aircraft head-on although the engine is fully obscured by the fuselage.

But it is still more likely for MANPADS to target the engine, instead of the nose

what is this? frogfoot?

yup

Huge if you compare it with low/mid class of fighter jet

Later buy type10 mbt.

Japan, Malaysia agree to begin defence industry collaboration

Japan and Malaysia have agreed to co-operate on defence trade and related technologies as a reflection of deepening bilateral ties, a joint statement said on 25 May.

Following meetings in Tokyo between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his visiting counterpart, Najib Razak, a statement said the two countries would "initiate negotiations on the framework for co-operation on the transfer of defence equipment and technology".

The statement said the move to collaborate in defence trade is part of a commitment by the two countries to raise their bilateral ties to a "strategic partnership".

The elevation in ties will also facilitate closer maritime security links, co-operation in Malaysia's infrastructure development programme, and collaboration in training and education.

sosej

any idea as to why singapore buy both?

I'd rather prefer we buy military electronic equipment from countries like Japan or ROK rather than very pricey military hardware. These countries radar systems, encrypted communication gear and reconnaisance/detection suites are at same level as western gear but slightly cheaper. At least they are better than Russian or Chinese ones.

There is still no news on defense from RMK-11..are there really nothing for MAF this time around?

Interesting....Looks like ZH-05's scope actually can connect to a remote eye scope for shooting from behind obstacles.


This post has been edited by MilitaryMadness: May 27 2015, 01:53 PM

Rmk11 will see quite few project for maf.
but dun expect a big project like the av8 or sgpv.
sad but I can't get any news regarding mmrca though saab guys were seem optimistic on its.

only can see fund at sept from next year budget.

Finally someone brought up mrca issue in parliment, my man here from MP Limbang

than got answer？
maybe he or deputy replay “we current focus current treat，no need high tech weapon like bought by other asean country...”

delete ........

This post has been edited by waja2000: May 27 2015, 04:06 PM

do you mind sharing what are the projects?

Report In

No response, parliment nearly empty during that time

To be fair, it seems now Malaysia has a lot more low-level threats to deal with than possible conventional warfare. Cross-border kidnappings, returning Malaysian IS jihadists, Southern Philippine militants, uncontrolled illegal immigrants entry and maritime territory disputes (arguable as some issues do involve intervention by RMN, some issues are law-enforment issues handled by APMM).

With these mounting issues and limited budget, I'm pretty sure there are some merits for putting extra effort to solve these problems.

Looks like whatever sph that will be chosen in the future for atm it will be tracked version

Just hearsay from industry players

its role is air superiority right? same as F22?

yes, but also a long-range deep strike fighter

maritime boss especially coast guard

most also MPA

K2

apa lagi K9 lah... bundle with K2 also good

i support k9 for malaysia, pzh 2000 is too heavy and i dont trust china made weapon unless it something like manpad plus track-armor is good at least can survive small grenade

to be honest, i rather take pzh2000 to K9.

because it most likely be cheaper or as cheap as those from korea as we will be using those overhauled instead of brand new

Plus, it german made, pzh2000 fire faster and more shell storage

or better



This post has been edited by thpace: May 27 2015, 11:31 PM

Chinese Coast Guard heavy patrol vessel CCG 2901 takes to the ocean on sea trials


The CCG 2901 departs for sea trials on the East China sea

China's (and possibly the world's) largest coast guard patrol vessel, CCG 2901 has left port on 21 May for sea trials in the East China Sea. The heavy patrol vessel, estimated to weigh 12,000 tons with a hull length of 161 meters and a beam of 22 meters is an obvious sign of the level of seriousness the Chinese government is indulging to protect seas that is sees as its territorial waters.

The patrol vessel is thought to be capable of long-range transoceanic patrols, but is expected to be deployed mainly to the East China sea region, where China has significant maritime territorial disputes with Japan and Taiwan, centered on the ownership of the Senkaku Island chain (Diaoyu Islands in Chinese) and its surrounding waters.

The CCG 2901 is armed with a 76mm gun, two 30mm autocannons and a number of smaller machine guns. It is also capable to deploy and house up to two Z-8 heavy transport helicopters for various rescue and law-enforcement duties. A number of smaller boats carried onboard also enable it to send out boarding parties or anti-piracy teams.

The CCG 2901's sister vessel of the same class, the CCG 2501 is still under construction and is expected to come into service sometime in 2016.

more like warship already 12k tons pfftt...

there news in Russian, that russia have cancelled the mistral deal

Ship lelong lelong.. siapa nak beli

LTZ suruh rmn propose beli

lupakan dulu le kot bab2 ni....mcm takde ape2 perkembangan dah skarng ni. Jiran 3 step forwards kita 1 step back.

While I'm all for constant improvement for the armed forces, I don't like Malaysia getting into arms races for the hell of it. Too many countries ruined themselves putting military priorities first.

If a neighbor buys something, doesn't mean you have to buy something too.

it operational requirement
not just for the sake of having it

what arm race in asean? it just that a common enenmy have appear while others take steps to counter it. we pulak like ltz say move backward

apa lah Mindef ini

bos bos lu tak marah? satu benda pun macam tak ada. Not 1 or 2 years. For the next 5 years

No big ticket buys doesn't mean no buys at all. Not as if suddenly Malaysia declare 0% military budget for the next 5 years.

Also no offense, but I seriously think if PRC is serious in taking the SCS by force and US by some reason decides not to intervene, i 'd say the whole of ASEAN can't do jack to repel them.

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