China, Russia, Iran Closing Gap with Smaller, Older U.S. Military









http://freebeacon.com/national-security/ch...r-u-s-military/

INTERNATIONAL MILITARY REVIEW & ANALYSIS – SYRIA-IRAQ BATTLESPACE, OCT. 19.10.2015











http://southfront.org/international-milita...oct-19-10-2015/

This post has been edited by BorneoAlliance: Oct 20 2015, 07:28 PM

China's Air Force is Growing in Size and Technological Edge





http://www.scout.com/military/warrior/stor...inese-air-force

hmm... macam propaganda site je.. .but done very well

'Drone' boats created for Navy aircraft carriers by BAE Systems and ASV



A "drone" boat capable of carrying out 12-hour surveillance missions is being developed for the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers.

The vessel, being created in Portsmouth by BAE Systems and ASV, will be used on the new Queen Elizabeth Class ships.

The modified rigid inflatable boats are capable of unmanned operations up to 25 miles (40km) away from their parent vessel.

They can also be remote controlled from land or ship, or piloted normally.

'Protecting ships'

The boats, which can travel in excess of 38 knots (44mph), are intended to carry out high-risk missions without putting sailors in danger.

Les Gregory, product and training services director at BAE Systems, said the boats were capable of performing multiple roles.

Dan Hook, managing director for Fareham-based ASV, which develops unmanned marine systems, said the technology would allow the boat to complete "complex missions and navigate through waters avoiding collisions".

He said: "This gives it the flexibility and sophistication to operate in a number of different tactical roles, whether it's patrolling areas of interest, providing surveillance and reconnaissance ahead of manned missions, or protecting larger ships in the fleet."

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-34566215

US Lt. General Stunned: Russians Can Move Military Forces 'Very Quickly'



"The ability [of Russians] to move a lot of forces very quickly is the thing that worries me the most about what they can do. The lack of indicators and warning that we have and their ability to move a lot of stuff real fast – that's not a good combination," Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Defense News.

Hodges also mentioned area and access denial capabilities that Russia has in Kaliningrad and Crimea. According to the US general, Moscow is quite capable of denying access to the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea if it wants to.

Then they have the ability to create sort of a bubble over a quarter of the Mediterranean with the air defense systems that they have put into Syria," the general added.

Hodges maintains that Russia's growing military capabilities and its aerial operation in Syria are "certainly not an action of a nation that wants to be a responsible partner in the global community." One could only wonder what the general would say about the US who has incomparably more bases around the world and has ongoing military engagements in at least two countries.

Hodges also omitted the issue of legitimacy. Moscow's aerial campaign in Syria was authorized by President Bashar al-Assad, while Washington has not received permission to operate in the war-torn country.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20151020/1...pabilities.html

Exclusive: US, Indonesia Eye New Defense Pacts For Jokowi Visit





http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/exclusive-u...g-jokowi-visit/

Dayton U.S. Air Force unit handles major sales



DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. Air Force unit headquartered in Ohio chalked up $19 billion in military sales to foreign countries in fiscal 2015, according to the Dayton Daily News.

The sales, handled by the Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, included F-35 Lightning II aircraft to South Korea for $6.3 billion; F-35s to Israel for $2.8 billion and to Japan for $1 billion.

Also high in the directorates list of handled FMS deals was the billion-dollar upgrade to Singapore's F-16 fighters, the newspaper said.

"We are selling state-of-the-art technology around the world," Col. Bruce Monroe, senior materiel leader for the directorate's international division was quoted as saying. "The majority of our sales are complex systems that are in the United States Air Force today."

The Dayton Daily News , citing the U.S. Department of Defense figures, said U.S. Foreign Military Sales was almost $47.1 billion in fiscal 2015, compared to $27.8 billion in 2013 and $34.2 billion in 2014.

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-.../3271445276488/

PressTV-‘Kamikaze’ robots debut in Iran Army drill



Military hardware known as “kamikaze” robots has debuted in ongoing military exercises by the Iranian Army.

On Tuesday, the Iranian Army and the Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base began the second and final day of a large-scale drill codenamed Muharram in the western and northwestern part of the country.

Commenting on the drills, the Commander of the Army’s Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said, “During the Muharram joint exercise, the forces employed ‘kamikaze’ robots in the area of ground defense for the first time.”

The drill was joined on the second day by the Army Ground Forces and the Air Force as well as the Air Defense Base’s radar and missile units.

The joint forces successfully implemented an operation to track and identify flying targets, using a command-and-control system named Fakour.

The exercises also featured another debut performance by the domestically-built Fat’h 14 radar system, which can cover a range of 600 kilometers (372 miles) and can detect small airborne targets at high altitudes, anti-tank guided missiles, as well as long-haul unmanned aerial vehicles.

“The weaponry is, of course, part of the hardware used in the drill, and security considerations forbid the naming of the rest of the armaments used in the drill,” Pourdastan noted.

The first day of the exercises featured surveillance missions, heliborne operations, and firing of Shalamcheh surface-to-air missiles toward mock-enemy drones.

“We are seeing a new face of threats and, hence, go about producing weaponry in proportion to threats,” Pourdastan had said on Monday.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/10/20/43...e-massive-drill

Assessing Azerbaijan’s S300 Systems



Confirmed Operational Status

Since the installation of two S300PMU2 in Azerbaijan, photos and imagery have confirmed reports of the operational capability and combat readiness of the S300PMU-2 systems. Sean O’Connor spotted the systems in late 2012. Detailed ongoing coverage by IMINT Analysis of the increasing possibility of the resumption of conflict in Nagorno Karabagh has included updates on these systems, including the above imagery and its location. Bellingcat has continued with the Caucasus updates, drawing on the contribution of experts from IMINT Analysis.

The geopolitical and tactical capabilities of the S300PMU-2 have a negative impact on the current balance in the region. Armenia’s Scud B ballistic missile inventory, which was kept secret with its transfer to Armenia in 1996 through to 2011, was Armenia’s only leverage in the arms race between the two countries. Scud B ballistic missiles were capable of bringing the war to a possible early end, due to their 300km range that gave them the ability to strike Azerbaijan’s oilfields. Experts have argued that such a strike would only impact Azerbaijan psychologically, as 24 missiles would need to their hit target for there to be any substantial military and strategic impact. While this is still enough to warrant intervention by major powers in a war, with oil profits going up in smoke, the new S300PMU2 systems currently stationed in Azerbaijan neutralize any ballistic capabilities Armenia has acquired in its attempt to keep up with Azerbaijan’s larger military budget.

Open Source confirms the existence of Armenian Scud Bs, with reports of up to 24 missiles with 8 launchers. However, eight simultaneously launched missiles are not sufficient to overwhelm Azerbaijan’s two S300PMU-2 batteries, which are able to simultaneously launch 12 missiles to counter any Armenian ballistic threat. Azerbaijan has pushed for another order of batteries to fully secure the safety of its oilfields.

Azerbaijan has effectively secured sophisticated air defence capacity against Armenia and its southern neighbour Iran, and against any other potential threat that may arise – even a major power intervention. Oil interests in the region are a priority and, by acquiring the capacity to strike Azerbaijan’s oilfields, Armenia played a card that gave it momentary advantage against Azerbaijan’s much larger military threat. However, Azerbaijan has now firmly secured itself as a major player in the region, not only militarily but also geopolitically, with its current enhanced operational capability and the ability to shoot down various highly sophisticated air targets.

https://www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of-wor...s-s300-systems/

Russia’s Arsenal in Syria: What Do We Know?









http://warontherocks.com/2015/10/russias-a...hat-do-we-know/

Islamic State’s Southeast Asia Unit: Raising The Security Threat – Analysis



The Southeast Asia fighting unit of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Katibah Nusantara (KN) continues to expand geographically within a year of its establishment. There are about 450 Indonesians and Malaysians, including children and women under fealty to ISIS in Iraq and Syria today. KN or Majmuah Al Arkhabiliy in Arabic, started out with some 100 Indonesian and Malaysian fighters when it was formed in Shaddadi, Hasakah in Syria in September 2014. It has since the middle of this year, divided into three geographical groupings: KN Central led by Bahrum Syah; Katibah Masyariq led by Salim Mubarok At-Tamimi alias Abu Jandal, based in Homs and Katibah Aleppo led by Abu Abdillah. Bahrum Syah remains amir of KN, dealing strictly with Indonesian ISIS fighters that defy or defect from KN’s instructions, to maintain unity within ISIS.

In Southeast Asia almost two dozen Indonesian extremist groups have pledged allegiance to the self-styled Caliph of Islamic State (IS) Abu Bakar Al Baghdadi. ISIS has accepted their ba’iat (oath of loyalty), as expressed in its publication Dabiq in November 2014, but has yet to acknowledge Indonesia as a wilayat (province). That will require the appointment of the leadership in a particular wilayat by the Caliph, where multiple groups have merged or where direct line of communication exists between ISIS and the purported leadership of a wilayat.

Indonesian pro-ISIS groups

The Indonesian pro-ISIS groups, prompted by the need to be united under one umbrella, have established the Jamaah Ansharut Daulat (JAD), in March 2015. JAD comprises students of Aman Abdurrahman who previously joined various groups. Indeed the key leaders of KN such as Bahrum Syah and Abu Jandal are former students of Aman. JAD considers its main mission to be the facilitation of a more coordinated communication between Indonesian fighters in Syria and ISIS supporters in Indonesia.

Despite losing the lives of more than 50 fighters – mostly Indonesians – in the Syrian civil war, KN’s public profile has been undiminished as seen in the open video of its Eid Adha celebrations in the conflict zones of ISIS-held territory. The video features Indonesians fighters prominently but Malaysian fighters have appeared in other ISIS videos. KN has also translated ISIS materials from Arabic into Bahasa Indonesia, and sub-titled jihadist videos, setting a record of 20 videos in a month under the banner of ISIS’ Al-Hayat Media Centre.

The Threat to Southeast Asia

Although none of the ISIS’ official videos featuring KN has specifically mentioned any intention to attack Indonesian targets, they have, however, focused on calling on Indonesians to hijrah (migrate) to Syria to fight against those that ISIS consider infidels. However one KN figure, Abu Jandal was featured in several unofficial videos that threatened to free pro-ISIS ideologues Abu Bakar Ba’asyir and Aman Abdurrahman, from Indonesian prisons, and to attack Indonesian military, police and youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Indonesian Muslim organisation. Abu Jandal also praised operations conducted by Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (MIT), a pro-ISIS terrorist group led by Santoso. The Abu Jandal video had been aired without the consent of KN amir Bahrum Syah, which led to his brief imprisonment by the latter for insubordination.

Several KN personnel have reportedly aided terrorist groups in Indonesia. Bagus Maskuron, the appointed MIT’s liaison officer with ISIS, allegedly arranged for the deployment of nine Uighurs to train with MIT in Poso, Central Sulawesi, in September 2014. While four of them were later arrested five Uighurs are believed to be fighting with MIT in Poso. Indonesian police believe that MIT received logistical assistance from ISIS. Bahrum Naim (of KN) allegedly funded several foiled bomb plots in Solo, Central Java, targeting a Buddhist temple, a church, and police stations during the Indonesian Independence Day anniversary on 17 August 2015. However, it is not known whether the assistance for Indonesian terrorist groups was officially from KN or was without official sanction from the group.

More terrorist cells in Indonesia might gain financial and logistical assistance from their comrades in Syria. The growing links between Indonesian extremists and ISIS might give rise to more variation of targets for terrorists but the police remain MIT’s primary target.

Additionally, foreign embassies might once again become terrorist targets given that the ISIS’ Dabiq published in August 2015 has specifically encouraged the targeting of embassies of the coalition-member states in Indonesia and Malaysia. The possibility of Shi’ites being attacked by KN returnees should also not be underestimated. A list of Indonesian Shi’ite organisations were circulated online recently among Indonesian pro-ISIS supporters.

Shi’ite institutions being targeted in Indonesia is not new. In 2011, they constituted the targets of Abu Umar’s group, a faction of Darul Islam (DI), which was involved in weapon procurements from Mindanao. The group also planned to attack the Singapore embassy in Jakarta in 2011. Indeed, members of KN would not find difficulty to connect with the many terrorist cells that are mostly pro-ISIS, to plot attacks in the country.

*V. Arianti is an Associate Research Fellow and Jasminder Singh is a Senior Analyst with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

http://www.eurasiareview.com/20102015-isla...hreat-analysis/

Turkish Airlines fined over shipment of 144,000 blanks to Vietnam





http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/31090/turkis...anks-to-vietnam

Russian 26 dead servicemen from Syria received in Sevastopol - Ukraine military intelligence



A total of 26 dead Russian servicemen who died in Syria have been delivered to the seaport of Sevastopol.

Military intelligence department of Ukraine Defense Ministry has reported in its daily situation report about the Syrian conflict.

"A total of 26 bodies of dead soldiers from the 810th separate brigade of marines (Sevastopol) from the Black Sea Fleet have been transported from Syria to Sevastopol," a statement said.

In addition, Ukraine military intelligence notes that due to the inability of the Russian command to ensure normal sanitary conditions of deployment, "widespread infectious diseases cases plague personnel of the Russian Armed Forces in Syria."

Meanwhile, the command of the Russian Armed Forces has continued to accumulate and supply its forces in Syria: "In the past 24 hours, the military-transport aircraft IL-76 flew twice to the Hmeymim, Syria, airbase ; hulk ship" Kil-158" from the Black Sea fleet carrying a military cargo passed through the Bosphorus Strait and moves toward the Syrian coast."

http://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-politics/1...telligence.html

‘Too many aircraft in Syrian airspace’: MoD posts video with Russian jet approaching drone

Syria’s airspace has been a bit overcrowded as of late, the Russian military hinted in a comment on a video of their jet in a close encounter with an unidentified drone. Over 30 planes or drones can sometimes be in one area at the same time, the MoD said.

The presence of various aircraft – including military cargo planes, warplanes, UAVs, and strike drones – has recently been on the rise in Syrian airspace, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in statement on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Defense posted a video of an unidentified drone said to be flying over Syria. The UAV was apparently caught on camera from the cockpit of a Russian jet.



While Moscow coordinates its flights with Damascus, “the rest of the manned and unmanned military aircraft are [flying] in Syrian airspace without coordination and with turned off transponders,” Konashenkov said, adding that “unfortunately, our American colleagues do not seem to grasp the seriousness of this issue.”

From time to time there are over 30 aircraft in one area which, “of course, creates risks to the aviation in the Syrian airspace,” he explained.

Earlier in October, US military spokesperson Naval Captain Jeff Davis was cited by AP as saying that at least one American military aircraft had been forced to divert its route while flying over Syria in order to avoid making contact with a Russian warplane.

Unconfirmed American media reports have also claimed that Russian fighter jets have “intercepted” US MQ-1 Predator drones in Syrian airspace. Details, however, suggested that the drones’ flight paths had not been hampered, despite close fly-bys.

On Tuesday, Russia and the US reached an agreement aimed at regulating the operations of both countries’ Air Forces in Syria.

https://www.rt.com/news/319226-syrian-skies-planes-drones/

Is This China’s Newest Tool To Thwart US Military Power?



China has reportedly conducted a 48 hour test flight of its largest high-altitude airship, the Yuanmeng (Dream) in near space–the atmosphere between 20 kilometers to 100 kilometers altitude–IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly reports.

The Yuanmeng, according to a Chinese media outlet, ascended to an altitude of 20 kilometers at a test area near Xilinhot in Inner Mongolia using solar power to power its three propeller engines.

Beijing’s new high-altitude aircraft is one of the largest solar-powered airships in existence to date. According to Popular Science, the Yuanmeng has a volume of 18,000 cubic meters, a length of 75 meters and a height of 22 meters. It can carry a payload of 5 to 7 tons including “broadband communications, data relay, high-definition observation, space situational awareness, and airborne imaging systems” all powered by the sun.

A Chinese scientist involved with the project told Want China Times that the airship has been made of an extremely lightweight material capable of enduring tremendous pressure and that it is equipped with a highly efficient solar battery and lightweight avionics. “The biggest challenge for the near-space airship is the big temperature difference in the day and night,” another scientist told The People’s Daily Online.

The airship has purportedly been designed and built by Beijing Aerospace Technology Company and the Beijing University of Astronautics and Aeronautics (BUAA) first and foremost for civilian purposes such as weather monitoring, estimating crop yields, and disaster relief assistance.

However, according to a Chinese report cited by IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly, “from a national security perspective near-space steerable airships can rely on their height advantage for early warning, wartime communications support, or aiding attack platforms.”

During a future conflict where China’s satellite communications are blocked or satellites, in fact, destroyed through anti-satellite weapons, the Yuanmeng could as a communications relay station for Chinese aircraft and ships.

According to Popular Science:

Operating higher in near space means that the Yuanmeng would have constant line of sight over a hundred thousand square miles–an important requirement for radar and imaging. Increased sensor coverage means increased warning time against stealthy threats such as cruise missiles, giving Chinese forces a greater opportunity to detect and shoot down such threats. It would also be harder for fighters and surface-to-air missiles to attack near space objects.

While the airship will be vulnerable to missile attacks and other types of anti-satellite weapons, the Yuanmeng, equipped with sensors, could nevertheless serve as an early warning system in a future high-tech conflict. In particular, it could supplement China’s burgeoning anti-access/area denial capabilities by detecting incoming missiles, stealth planes, and warships from several hundred kilometers away.

http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/is-this-chi...military-power/

New Laser-Guided Missile Fires From a Grenade Launcher



​A brand-new battlefield guided missile developed for the U.S. Army is being launched from an unlikely place—a grenade launcher. Developed by Raytheon, the Pike missile promises to give individual grunts the ability to hit targets more than a mile away.

For decades, U.S. Army infantrymen have been been stymied in their quest for greater firepower. Weight limitations, set by the average load a soldier can carry, put a limit on the number of bullets and grenades that can be carried into battle. The Pentagon's solution has been to make individual munitions smarter, so each hits the target the first time.

That's where the Pike comes in. This is a 40-millimeter laser-guided missile that weighs less than two pounds and measures just 16.8 inches in length, but manages to pack into that frame a rocket motor, guidance system, and laser seeker. Raytheon says the new weapon can be used against stationary and slow-moving targets out to 2,300 yards. Pike can be used not only against enemy soldiers in trenches and bunkers, but also against vehicles and even hovering helicopters.

In battle, Pike would be assigned to two-man teams. Missiles would be issued to the squad grenadier, the soldier carrying a M320 grenade launcher (in another space-saving move, Pike reuses an existing launcher). The second team member is equipped with a pistol-sized laser designator to mark the target.

The grenadier fires the grenade launcher, which launches Pike out of the barrel. Eight to ten feet away the missiles rocket motor—designed to produce a minimum of smoke—kicks in and sends Pike downrange. Pike detects the laser beam and homes in on it, and is reportedly accurate to within five meters.



If the Army decides to field the weapon, then Pike will occupy the middle ground between light mortars and heavier anti-tank missiles such as the Javelin. On the low end of that range, the M224 60-millimeter mortar is designed to drop a grenade-sized round on the enemy, but may require multiple rounds to get "on target." In the meantime, the enemy will take cover and the mortar's effectiveness will be reduced. Lacking a long-range weapon, American infantry in Iraq and Afghanistan have used Javelin anti-tank missiles against particularly stubborn targets. While a great missile capable of killing tanks up to two kilometers away, Javelin is heavy and—at more than $200,000 each—very expensive.

Pike appears to bring best of both worlds. Pike has the lethality of the mortar and the range and precision capability of the Javelin. At five pounds, including grenade launcher and one missile, Pike is nine times lighter than either.

First though, some issues need to be ironed out. The M320 grenade launcher needs to be modified accommodate the Pike. Five-meter accuracy is not that great for a precision weapon with a small warhead, but it's not awful, either. The real potential deal-killer is the pricetag: Raytheon hasn't disclosed the per-missile cost, which is likely to be much, much higher than the $70 cost of your average 40-millimeter grenade. Still, if it works out, Pike will be the first new, really useful weapon for grunts fielded in decades.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/w...renades-anyone/

doubt its gonna be cheap.. or cost effective