UAE To Buy 100 Tank Boats From Indonesia

Source : Our Bureau ~ Dated : Tuesday, September 15, 2015 @ 08:53 AM

UAE plans to buy 100 units of tank boats from Indonesia as part of a defence cooperation deal signed during President Joko Widodo’s visit to Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Indonesian firm Pindad is currently working on manufacturing the tank boat which consists of a high speed boat with a 105mm canon mounted on it. It has applications in anti-terrorism and anti-piracy operations.

Pindad has teamed up with Lundin, a boat manufacturer from Indonesia’s East Java province and Belgium canon manufacturer Cockeril to develop the innovative product.

"We have discussed procurement of about 100 units of tank boats that will constitute a large defense industry export from Indonesia to the UAE," the Director of Lundin, Liza Lundin was quoted as saying by Antara News Tuesday.

The deal also includes transfer of technology and a license for an SS2 assault rifle, as well as distribution and marketing for various ammunition products in the Middle-East countries through Pindad’s Middle East strategic partner, Continental Aviation Services (CAS).

"We appreciate the support of the government and all relevant agencies for encouraging defense industry cooperation between Pindad and its strategic partners from the UAE," said the Director of Pindad, Silmy Karim in a press release received by ANTARA on Monday.

CAS, in collaboration with Rheinmentall Defense (RhD) Canada, will conduct a technology transfer and investment for manufacturing remote weapon systems (RWS) with the Pindad brand.

The products are expected to be marketed for the domestic needs of the Indonesian military and police or for the Southeast Asia market.

Noy approves AFP modernization shopping list

By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) | Updated September 14, 2015 - 12:00am
10  1401 googleplus2  5


President Aquino has approved the Armed Forces modernization program’s shopping list. File photo

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has approved the Armed Forces modernization program’s shopping list, allowing the procurement of defense assets to move forward.

The President signed the program last July 22, Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo told The STAR yesterday.

He said all but three of the upgrade projects in the shopping list have secured Aquino’s approval.

The three projects that are still being reviewed are the designated marksman rifles, the standard weapons system and the project that would have replaced the shore-based missile system whose procurement schedule was moved to a later date.

“These projects were not disapproved. They just need some clarifications,” Manalo said.

The big-ticket items approved by Aquino include the two Navy frigates worth P18 billion, three air surveillance radars worth P2.68 billion, six close air support aircraft worth P4.97 billion, two units of long range patrol aircraft worth P5.98 billion, multi-purpose attack craft project worth P864.32 million, night fighting system worth P1.116 billion; two C-130 aircraft worth P1.6 billion, two naval helicopters worth P5.4 billion and lead-in fighter trainer jets ammunition worth P4.47 billion.

The shopping list also includes four basing support system and logistics projects with a total budget of P2.15 billion. These projects aim to improve existing military facilities in key areas.

Other items in the list include Army radios, thermal imaging device, field ambulance units, armored personnel carriers, flight simulators, amphibious assault vehicles, combat systems, light utility vehicles and engineering equipment.

The modernization program submitted to the President is worth more than P60 billion.

“The approval of the program will raise the level of capability of the Armed Forces and will help our troops perform their duty, including rescuing those who are in need in times of calamities,” Manalo said in Filipino.

Defense Assistant Secretary Efren Fernandez gave assurance that the procurement of the military equipment would comply with existing regulations to avoid anomalies.

“We will see to it that the requirements will be followed. The procurement will be transparent. That has been our marching order from the start,” Fernandez said in a separate interview.

South Korea defense minister’s visit
Meanwhile, the modernization of the Philippine military is expected to be tackled during the meeting of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and visiting South Korean defense minister Han Minkoo today.

Han will visit Camp Aguinaldo to affirm the security ties between South Korea and the Philippines, which is now embroiled in a territorial row with China.

“The visit aims to strengthen the relationship of the Philippines and South Korea. They have been our partners in the modernization (of the military),” Defense department spokesman Peter Galvez said in a phone interview.

“We view them as our close allies,” he added.

Pentagon Contract Announcement

(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Sept 15, 2015)

Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $375,804,316 undefinitized firm-fixed-price foreign military sales contract (Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia, Indonesia, Iraq) for Hellfire II missiles in containers.

Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2017. One bid was solicited with one received. Fiscal 2015 other procurement funds not to exceed $375,804,316 were obligated at the time of the award.

Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-15-C-0151).

ROYAL THAI ARMY PLACES ADDITIONAL ORDER FOR STARSTREAK AIR DEFENCE MISSILE SYSTEMS

September 16, 2015

Thales announced today at DSEI that it has signed a multi-million pound contract with DataGate in Thailand to supply the Royal Thai Army with the STARStreak air defence missile system.

This contract follows on from Thailand’s initial purchase of STARStreak in 2012. 

The system comprises STARStreak missiles, the world’s fastest very short range air defence (VSHORAD) missile and Lightweight Multiple Launcher (LML).  The LML tripod-based system allows swift deployment of STARStreak missile to deal with attacks from low-level fighter aircraft, Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) and attack helicopters.  The system plays a key part in the air defence forces continued commitment to protecting the Kingdom of Thailand.

Victor Chavez, CEO of Thales in the UK, said: “STARStreak is the leading VSHORAD system in the world today, enabling nations to protect key assets against both emerging and established threats.  We are honored to continue to serve the Royal Thai Army as a key supplier for Thailand’s advanced air defence capability.”

STARStreak can be seen on display at DSEI on the Thales stand (S6-110).

Looks like a Central Asian...Uzbek or Kazakh

Indonesia Orders 11 Eurocopter Panther Helicopters To Re-Kindle Anti-Submarine Unit

Source : Our Bureau ~ Dated : Thursday, September 17, 2015 @ 09:26 AM

Indonesia has ordered 11 Panther helicopters to re-enforce its anti-submarine unit.

"The helicopters would be delivered gradually with four units to arrive by 2017," Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral M Zainuddin was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency Wednesday.

Squadron 100 was once regarded as one of the most powerful military units in the world in the 1960s.It was taken out of service in the late 1980s.

Soon after the arrival of the helicopters, the squadron will be activated, he said, adding that the contract to acquire those helicopters has been approved by government and the producer.

The Eurocopter SA 565 Panther helicopter is designed to carry out a wide range of military operations that include combat assault, fire support, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue and medical evacuation.

Zainuddin said that the Navy is also expecting the arrival of six submarines - three Chang Bogo-class and three Kilo-class. The first three are scheduled to be delivered in 2017.

Milestone for Gripen fighters in Thailand: 5000 flight hours

IN BUSINESS NEWS, SWEDEN, THAILAND / BY JOAKIM PERSSON / ON SEPTEMBER 20, 2015 AT 23:14 /



The first batch of Gripen fighters for the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) was delivered in February 2011, reports SAAB Defense. Since then, the Gripen squadron at Wing 7 in Surat Thani has been up in the air a lot and employed at a number of different missions. In mid September 2015 a great milestone was reached when they passed 5000 flight hours with their twelve Gripen. It is an achievement made possible by a combination of many factors.

“I’m proud of our personnel competency and very satisfied with the jets. Our personnel at the squadron, both pilots and technicians, have contributed a lot to make this happen. The fact that everyone is still new to the system means that we have to stop operating and spend some time for education as well. Another important factor is of course the aircraft availability to fly every day. Ever since we received the jets, we have been able to maintain a high serviceability of the fleet. Personally, I think we could have been flying even more than this but we have to keep the hours within the service contract,” says Group Captain Chareon Watanasrimongkol, Chief of Staff Wing 7.

The 5000-hour milestone was celebrated on September 10 with a ceremony at Wing 7 where the Thai Gripen fighters are based. Air Marshal AmpholImbua, Commander Directorate of Logistics, RTAF and Head of RTAF Gripen Project Procurement Administrative Office, together with a delegation from the Saab office in Bangkok and other invited guests joined the ceremony, which included a spectacular Gripen air display.

“I’ve said it many times to many people that Gripen is a pilot friendly aircraft. The flexibility in changing from one mission to another is just a matter of one click of switch. For RTAF, I think Gripen has what it takes regarding our needs and requirements. We’ve conducted various types of missions and the outcome has been highly satisfied. It has also been done with minimum fuzz, which would not have been the case with the old platforms,” says Chareon Watanasrimongkol.

RTAF Gripen’s recent deployments include a reconnaissance mission in the Andaman Sea to locate any illegal migrations. RTAF Gripen and Saab 340 Erieye AEW&C have been a part of this mission since June this year.



“Our task has been to find suspicious ships in our designated Area of Operations (AOR) and then report their location, the heading, the speed and the time of detection to the appointed operations center who will take necessary actions. It has been very simple for us to perform our tasks since the aircraft are very flexible, or I should say very capable of adaptation,” says Chareon Watanasrimongkol.

Boustead Unit Bags RM92m Mindef Contract

TMR
Friday, September 18, 2015

Boustead Holdings Bhd’s unit, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd has bagged a RM92.43 million contract from the Ministry of Defence Malaysia (Mindef) for the scheduled refit maintenance of a patrol vessel, known as KD Pahang for the Royal Malaysian Navy. In a note to the exchange yesterday, the investment holding company said the KD Pahang work will contribute positively to the earnings of the group for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2015, and 2016. The written acknowledgment was executed on Sept 17, 2015.

Philippine News Agency - September 21, 2015

Army demonstrates firepower, accuracy of APC remote-controlled weapons from Israel

Six of the Philippine Army (PA) upgraded M-113A2 armed personnel carriers (APCs) demonstrated the accuracy and firepower of its .50 caliber remote-controlled weapons system (RCWS) Monday. Demonstration of this capability took place at the firing range of the PA’s Mechanized Infantry Division at Camp O’ Donnell, Capas town, Tarlac.

There, crewmen of the newly-acquired M-113A2 showed visiting media personnel, ranking defense officials, including Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, their capability to pick up and neutralize targets well above the 500 meter range.

This was made possible by the APCs’ laser-targeting system which has the capability to lock and track targets, MID public affairs office chief Major Filemon Tan said. He added that these six APCs are different from the older armored fighting vehicles as they no longer need gunners or military personnel to fire their weapons.

Tan said the firing of the guns can be made safely inside the vehicle.

The six APCs were transported to Tarlac last July 8. It arrived in the Philippines last June 18. It is part of 28 APC order deal with Israeli defense manufacturer Elbit Systems Ltd worth Php882 million. The contract was signed on June 22, 2014.

Fourteen of the M-113s will be configured as fire support vehicles, four as infantry fighting vehicles, six as armored personnel carriers, another four as armored recovery units. Upgrades include installation of 25 mm unmanned turrets, 12.7 mm (.50 caliber machineguns) RCWS and fire control systems (FCS) for 90 mm turrets.

DSEI 2015: British Army considers new MBT in response to Russia's Armata

Tim Ripley, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
20 September 2015


The British Army is examining its options to upgrade or replace its Challenger 2 MBTs, senior officials told IHS Jane's at DSEI 2015. Source: IHS/Patrick Allen

Key Points

* The UK is looking at upgrade or replacement options for its current Challenger 2 MBT
* The effort has partly been prompted by the unveiling of Russia's new-generation T-14 Armata MBT in May

Senior British Army officers and procurement officials are examining the future of the BAE Systems Challenger 2 main battle tank (MBT), including possibly buying a new vehicle.

The effort is a continuation of a project launched more than a decade ago to upgrade the British Army's tank fleet, but earlier this year army chiefs ordered a wider effort to look at radical solutions to the increasing obsolescence of the service's 227 Challenger 2s.

Speaking at DSEI in London on 16 September, the head of the British Army, General Sir Nick Carter, confirmed that the future of the Challenger 2 was being considered at the army's highest levels.

Asked if the army was looking to buy a new tank to counter the recently unveiled Russian T-14 Armata, Gen Carter said, "We have got issues with the tanks we've got and if we don't do something about it we will have issues - what we will do is in discussion."

A senior army procurement officer told IHS Jane's that a new MBT was one option being considered, alongside a limited life extension programme (LEP) to replace obsolete parts or a wider upgrade. "We have not decided on the scope of the programme," he said.

Industry sources told IHS Jane's that executives of several armoured vehicle providers had talked to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) about the future of the Challenger 2, including options for a new MBT.

British Army officers have become increasingly worried about the Challenger 2's effectiveness, particularly the lethality of its L30A1 120mm rifled main gun and its suite of ammunition. One officer told IHS Jane's that "the appearance of the T-14 Armata has had a significant impact and assessments of the new Russian tank's armour and self-defence systems [have] suggested that the Challenger 2's 120mm main armament no longer cuts it".

Defense minister to discuss Sukhoi su-35 purchase immediately

Senin, 21 September 2015 21:26 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said here on Monday he would meet with Russian representatives this month end to discuss the planned purchase of Sukhoi SU-35 aircraft.

"We have not yet met (with the Russian representatives). It (the meeting) is planned at the end of this month," he said while speaking at the House Commission I meeting room.

He said he had received direct instructions from President Joko Widodo about purchasing this fighter jet.

He said the air force has so far used F-5 Tiger which is now already 40 years old.

"This will be used to replace the F-5 aircraft which is now 40 years old and even pilots are apprehensive about flying it," he said.

He said the government would not buy an entire squadron all at once but would do so in stages.

He said Indonesia plans to first buy half a squadron. "It (the move) has been processed by the government, as instructed by the President."

Mahfudz Siddiq, the chairman of House Commission I, who also oversees, among other areas, defense matters, said F-5 was no longer being used in many countries and cited the case of Taiwan which stopped using it two years back.

He said Indonesias F-5 squadron has indeed become old and it was time to replace these aircraft. "The Defense Forces Commander wished that the purchase could be accomplished in its entirety."

The politician from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said Indonesia needed to take a leap to modernize its main defense system equipment with one that could prove to be a deterrent effect in the region, such as the Sukhoi SU-35.(*)

ekonomi hancur mau beli weapon, must be jokewi trying to please the military to prevent coup

Ketua Komisi I DPR Dukung TNI Beli Sukhoi SU-35

Surya Perkasa - 10 September 2015 16:32 wib

Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: Komisi I DPR mendukung TNI membeli pesawat tempur Sukhoi SU-35. Dewan menilai Sukhoi SU-35 bisa menggantikan pesawat tempur jenis F-5 Tiger karena sudah tidak layak.

Ketua Komisi I DPR Mahfudz Sidiq mengatakan, peremajaan pesawat tempur sudah seharusnya dilakukan. Bahkan, dia menilai, TNI tidak boleh tanggung dalam membeli pesawat tempur.

"TNI sudah mengajukan kebutuhan Sukhoi SU-35 dan sudah disampaikan ke Komisi I DPR. Komisi I prinsipnya mendukung kalau untuk perimbangan kekuatan. Sekalian saja, jangan tanggung-tanggung," kata Mahfudz di Kompleks Parlemen, Jakarta, Kamis (10/9/2015).

Indian Finance Ministry Green Lights Boeing Apache, Chinook Purchase

Source : Our Bureau ~ Dated : Monday, September 21, 2015 @ 11:12 AM

The Indian Finance Ministry has given a go ahead for New Delhi’s plans to acquire 22 Apache attack and 15 Chinook heavy lift helicopters for $3.1 billion from Boeing.

The deal is expected to be cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Tuesday before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to UN general assembly meeting in New York.

The decision by the finance ministry has come after a delay of nearly three years and 13 price extensions.

Boeing last extended the price deadline in June. The last extension ends this month.

With Boeing and US Army Security Assistance Command threatening to escalate the price after September 30 by nearly 40% after holding it steady since 2009, finance minister Arun Jaitley, defense minister Manohar Parrikar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval put their heads together this week.

“We have conveyed our no objections to the deal being considered by the CCS,” a senior finance ministry official was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times daily Sunday.

The decision was pending since April when the Apache proposal was sent to the finance ministry on April 23, while the proposal to buy Chinooks was sent in May.

India plans to purchase 22 Apache AH 64D Longbow helicopters with purchase option of another 11 at the cost of $2 billion. This state-of-the-art attack helicopter will be acquired with Hell Fire missiles and around 8,000 rockets.

The Apache attack choppers, armed with fire-and-forget Hellfire missiles, can track up to 128 targets in a minute and prioritize threats. These missiles equip the helicopter gunships with heavy anti-armor capabilities.