Russian Intervention in Syria Excites Iraq’s Disillusioned Shiites





http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/world/mi...iites.html?_r=0

Russian Mi-24’s wreaking havoc in support of Syrian forces.





https://www.funker530.com/russian-mi-24-nea...se-air-support/

Military verifying reports of MH-370 wreckage, human remains in Tawi-Tawi



The military on Monday said it is verifying a report that the ill-fated Malaysian Airlines Flight MH-370 crashed off Ubian Island in Tawi-Tawi province.
Unconfirmed reports claim that some bird hunters were able to locate plane parts and skeletal remains of passengers and crew members of the aircraft in a remote part of the island.

Naval Task Force 61 head Capt. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said a gunboat has been deployed off the island on Sunday to talk with fishermen and residents regarding the report.

“So far, our questionings have determined that island residents have no knowledge of (a plane crashing in their locality),” Bacordo said in Filipino.

He said even long-time residents of the island could not recall seeing or hearing reports of plane wreckage or human remains being found in the remote parts of their locality.

“They were surprised by this report and were asking us on where it came from,” he added.

Bacordo said the crew is still in the area and conducting interviews with the residents.

The plane, a Boeing 777-200 aircraft coded as flight MH370, lost contact with the air traffic control in Kuala Lumpur 2:40 a.m. on March 8, 2014.

Flight MH370 left Kuala Lumpur 12:41 a.m. for Beijing, China. The flight, piloted by Malaysian Capt. Zaharie Ahmad Shah, was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.

The passengers are citizens from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, France, the US, New Zealand, Ukraine, Canada, Russia, Italy, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Austria.

http://www.mb.com.ph/military-verifying-re...s-in-tawi-tawi/

Iran Test-fires New Long-range Ballistic Missile With Range to Reach Israel



REUTERS - Iran tested a new precision-guided ballistic missile on Sunday in defiance of a United Nations ban, signalling an apparent advance in Iranian attempts to improve the accuracy of its missile arsenal.

The Islamic Republic has one of the largest missile programs in the Middle East, but its potential effectiveness has been limited by poor accuracy.



http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.679811

Malaysia and Singapore Have Trouble Putting Out Fire







http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/10/12/05...utting-Out-Fire

First C-28A corvette made by China for Algeria is en route



China is ready to turn over three C-28A corvettes built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group based in Shanghai to the Algerian Navy, according to Dzirhan Mahadzir, a military analyst stationed in Kuala Lumpur, in a piece for the UK-based IHS Jane's Defence Weekly on Oct. 6.

The first of the three vessels, known as the Adhafer, arrived at Boustead Cruise Centre in Port Klang, Malaysia last Tuesday to complete the first leg of its journey to North Africa before setting sail again for its final destination. A press conference held by the Royal Malaysian Navy indicated that 20 Chinese contractors from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group are accompanying the warship's crew of 120.

Mahadzir said that no member of the Royal Malaysian Navy was allowed to visit the ship while it was docked at the Boustead Cruise Centre. However, he claimed an officer of the Royal Malaysian Navy told him that the Adhafer is not expected to stop at any other port before it arrives in Algeria.

The ship has a length of 120 meters and a full-load displacement of around 3,000 tons, similar to the F-22P corvettes constructed by China for the Pakistan Navy. It is equipped with a single 76mm NG-16-1 gun, two quad launchers for C-802 anti-ship missiles, an octuple FM-90N launcher for HQ-7 surface-to-air missiles, two 30mm Type 730B close-in weapons systems, and two triple-tube torpedo launchers as well as four 24-barreled decoy launchers, Mahadzir said in the piece.

The Guancha Syndicate based in Shanghai said the C-28A is the export version of the Type 053H3 frigate.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news/content...000003&cid=1101

India Commissions Largest Stealth Warship to Date





http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/india-commi...arship-to-date/

US Army tests drone-killing 50 mm cannon



The operational concept behind the Enhanced Area Protection and Survivability technology is to have a 50 mm course-corrected projectile intercept an incoming threat (Credit: US Army)

While civilian countermeasures to combat malicious drones is moving toward UAV-freezing radio beams, the US Army is taking a more permanent approach. Under development by the U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Center (ARDEC) at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, the Enhanced Area Protection and Survivability (EAPS) system used steerable 50 mm smart rounds to shoot down two drones in recent tests.

The Army says that EAPS is a gun-based alternative to the missile-based Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) system currently favored by the US military. It was originally designed to counter rockets, artillery, and mortars (RAM), but due to the increasing threat from UAVs the system’s mission was expanded to include drones.

Using a 50 mm cannon, EAPS fires guided interceptor projectiles guided by a precision tracking radar interferometer and a fire control computer. The system tracks the projectile and the target and computes an ideal trajectory correction. A radio transceiver then beams an engagement "basket" at the target for the projectile to home in on. Thrusters on the projectile are used for course correction and as it nears the target a forward-fragmenting warhead with a tantalum-tungsten alloy liner detonates to deal with C-RAM targets, while steel body fragments take out unmanned drones.

"In order to minimize the electronics on board the interceptor and to make it cheaper, all the 'smarts' are basically done on the ground station," says Manfredi Luciano, project officer for the EAPS Army Technology Objective. "The computations are done on the ground, and the radio frequency sends the information up to the round."

On August 19, EAPS underwent final proof-of-principle demonstration tests at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. During the test, it shot down two remotely piloted Outlaw class aircraft built by Griffon Aerospace at a range of 1 km (0.62 mi) and an altitude of 1,500 m (4,900 ft). This replicated the first EAPS shoot down of a loitering aircraft on April 22, but at 50 percent greater range.

According to Luciano, the technology developed for EAPS could one day be used in a newly configured Army or Navy tactical air defense system.

http://www.gizmag.com/us-army-eads-anti-drone-system/39781/

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Oct 12 2015, 10:01 PM

New Air-to-Surface Missiles to Arm Russian PAK FA Fighter Jet



The missiles are known as X-59MK2 and X-58USHKE.

The first projectile is designed to destroy located stationary ground targets. The targeting system is combined: inertial and satellite gps/glonass. A self-targeting optical-electronic device is activated on the last stage of the flight trajectory. The missile flies at an altitude of 50-300 meters. The missile can carry warheads of two types: penetrating and cluster.



The second missile is equipped with self-directing navigational gear. It can fly three times faster than the speed of sound for a distance of 250 kilometers while carrying a 150-kilogram explosive warhead.

Both missiles are being tested on board the PAK FA. According to Commander Viktor Bondarev, the T-50 equipped with weapons is showing excellent results.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20151012/1...w-missiles.html

‘We need World of Tanks gamers to operate robot tanks’ – Russia’s weapons chief



After a Russian defense firm revealed its plans to make a remotely-controlled tank in the near future, Deputy PM Dmitry Rogozin announced that the military would soon need people experienced in the computer game “World of Tanks.”

“We need no tankers now, we need World of Tanks players” Rogozin wrote in a Monday tweet.

The comment came after Russian mass media distributed the release of the Uralvagonzavod company which claimed that in the nearest future it would make the T-90 tank remotely controllable from distances of 3 to 5 kilometers.

This was not the first time Rogozin voiced his preferences in drone technologies. In early September he wrote that very soon we all would witness the situation in which an army manned with “bespectacled nerds” would completely destroy the forces of “handsome athletes who fight on a lower technological level.”

T-90 is the previous model of the main battle tank produced by Uralvagonzavod, now the enterprise switches the production to more modern Armata tank. However, the export variants of the vehicle are still being offered and the experimental remotely operated machines are being developed.

World of Tanks is a free online multiplayer computer game released by Belarus company Wargaming in 2010. In 2014 Forbes magazine estimated the number of registered WOT users at over 50 million.

https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=Post...&f=23&t=3713776

Video — U.S.-Indian War Game



You’d think the United States and India would make natural allies. A majority of Indians say they have a favorable view of America. The world’s two largest democracies, both suspicious of China’s growing military strength, should be the best of friends, right?

Not exactly. No formal military alliance exists between the two powers. The reason why … is a long story.

U.S. support of arch-rival Pakistan from the Cold War to the present day, and fear among Indian elites that superpower America could overturn India’s new and fragile sovereignty have kept the countries at a distance. Soviet aid to India didn’t help make many friends in Washington, either.



But that’s changing, albeit slowly. During a recent counter-insurgency exercise in Washington state, Kevin Knodell watched Indian and U.S. Army troops train together and carry out mock battles. The video above includes some highlights.

New Delhi’s military is experienced in this kind of fighting due to Islamist insurgencies in Kashmir and a slow-burning Maoist rebellion in the interior. But the driving principle behind these exercises is building military-to-military ties. Think of it as diplomacy … with guns.

It helps that both armies can learn from each other, and it’s good practice as the U.S. Army shrinks in size and relies more on foreign partners abroad. Indian military culture is rigid, while the U.S. Army tends to give its non-commissioned officers a great deal more autonomy.

The exercise was also a relief for the American soldiers, despite a few cultural mishaps. (MREs provided to the Indians contained beef … which the soldiers politely handed back.) No harm done, fortunately. At the end of the day, training with an experienced foreign military is a lot easier than creating one from scratch.

http://warisboring.com/articles/video-u-s-indian-war-game/

U.S. military considering upgrading biometric identification technologies





http://www.biometricupdate.com/201510/u-s-...on-technologies

BAE to Help Navy Design, Build Electronic Warfare Receiver Tech



S. subsidiary has won an $11 million contract to research, build and demonstrate a full-spectrum staring electronic support receiver with a direction finder technology for the U.S. Navy.

The Navy wants the company to use electronic and photonic materials to develop the FSSR and help integrate the system into an electronic warfare platform, the Defense Department said Thursday.

BAE and the military service aim to test the EW receiver in a multi-threat electromagnetic scenario through the project.

Work will occur in Nashua, New Hampshire, through Oct. 6, 2018, and the Navy is obligating $2.8 million at the time of award from the branch’s fiscal 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds.

http://blog.executivebiz.com/2015/10/bae-t...-receiver-tech/

Syrian Kurds 'razing entire villages captured from IS'





http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34511134

Putin's model of success





http://triblive.com/opinion/featuredcommen...a#axzz3oPoUN3Wu

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Oct 13 2015, 11:41 AM

Is the Caspian Sea Fleet a Game-Changer?





http://sputniknews.com/military/20151013/1...br-missile.html

Small Flotilla armed with the power of a Fleet...

Back engineering allows PLA to customize Russian fighters



Photos uploaded to a Chinese website indicate that the PLA Navy Air Force has successfully equipped its Su-30MK2 fighter with the domestic SD-10A air-to-air missile, according to Duowei News, an outlet operated by overseas Chinese, on Oct. 6.

Earlier photos have shown the PLA is able to install its KG600 electronic countermeasure pod on the Su-30MKK of the PLA Air Force as well as the Su-30MK2 fighter of the PLA Navy. A Chinese military expert told Tencent News that it is a technological breakthrough for China to be able to fit domestically designed devices and weapons systems to Russian aircraft such as the Su-27 as well as the Su-30, which were designed to be equipped with Russian systems only.

The Shenyang Aircraft Corporation played a key role in this breakthrough as it was responsible for producing the J-11 fighter from the design of the Su-27. With this experience, the company's engineers managed to crack the Su-27's software and then modify it. The Su-27 became the first Russian-built fighter able to fire the PL-8 short-range air-to-air missile developed in China.

By fitting the Chinese-built SD-10A to the Su-30MK2 fighter, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation gained the experience it needed to further customize the Russian fighter. It can now equip the aircraft with domestic electronic countermeasure pods, electro-optical targeting systems and precision attack munitions even though the company has not received authorization from Russia to conduct such modifications. When China completes the development of the J-16 fighter, more modifications may be added to the Su-30MKK and Su-30MK2.

The expert said the J-16 is based on the Su-30. If the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation is able to change the fire control system of the Su-27 through its experience of reverse engineering, it can do the same with the Su-30. By that time, the Su-30MKK and Su-30MK2 fighters may carry more advanced Chinese weapon systems such as the PL-15 medium-range air-to-air-missile, PL-10 infrared-guided air-to-air missile and satellite guided munitions, the report said.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news/content...000066&cid=1101

Inside the Battle: Al Nusra-Al Qaeda in Syria (Trailer)



VICE News filmmaker Medyan Dairieh gains exclusive access to the Syrian branch of al Qaeda, al Nusra, a jihadist group fighting against President Bashar al-Assad's forces and the Islamic State (IS).

Spending more than a month with al Nusra and exploring their expanding territory, Dairieh meets the highest-ranking members of the organization, who reveal their identity on screen for the first time and discuss their military doctrine.

Al Nusra, which swore allegiance to al Qaeda two years ago and is now emerging as a powerful force to rival IS in Syria, has seized several strategic towns in the northwestern province of Idlib. While it supplies water, electricity, and food to the local population, a school run by al Nusra is also grooming young boys to become the next generation of al Qaeda and preparing them for jihad.

VICE News also secures exclusive access to the frontlines of the battle for Abu Al-Duhur airport in Idlib, a major airbase held by Assad's forces, besieged by al Nusra for two years. Aided by dust storms during the attack, the airport was the last remaining government stronghold in the region. Dozens of government soldiers were subsequently executed, according to the monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

https://news.vice.com/video/inside-the-batt...n-syria-trailer

BUK producer detonates missiles next to pilot’s cockpit in full-scale MH17 experiment (VIDEO)

Almaz-Antey carried out two experiments simulating explosions near MH17. They determined the missile was an older BUK model 9M38 fired from an area under Ukrainian forces’ control, contesting the preliminary findings of the Dutch-led investigation.



https://www.rt.com/news/318505-almaz-antey-video-simulation/