One of the F-35′s most expensive features was made possible by flying saucers





http://www.businessinsider.my/f-35s-liftfa...UeRCz5q3xle2.97

Indonesia moots naval joint patrols in Sulu Sea area



The possibility of naval joint patrols will be on the agenda when Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia meet in Jakarta on May 5.

Indonesia mooted the idea after the recent spate of hijacking and kidnapping by pirates in the Sulu Sea.

Joint patrols may reduce such incidents, according to maritime security experts. They, however, conceded that the countries involved will also need to consider their naval resources, which are already stretched.

“If the government has agreed on patrols around Sulu Sea, then Indonesia needs more resources, needs more vessels, needs more funding. Philippine navy resources are very limited right now, their focus is on their claims on South China Sea instead of southern Philippines, Mindanao and Sulu islands,” said maritime security analyst Almak Helvas Ali.

To overcome the gaps, analysts suggested that naval patrols can be supported by the air force.



“We call it ‘Eye-In-The-Sky’, where patrols involve not only the navy but also the air force. We have the CN90 which is the maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). We have four or five, and we can deploy them. This is the same thing how we can use this ‘Eye-In-The-Sky’ like (we do) in the Strait of Malacca,” said Indonesia Institute for Strategic and Defense Studies’ Programme Coordinator Beni Sukadis.

On the question of interoperability, the analysts said the three countries will also need to define the area of patrols in the vast waterways of the Sulu Sea.

“Indonesia does not share a border with Philippines in the Sulu Sea. Malaysia does, Indonesia only shares borders with Malaysia in Sulawesi Sea. So, the question is: Where is the area of patrol? Where is the area of operations? Is it in respective territorial waters or is it in international waters?,” Mr Alman said.

This may be complicated by outstanding territorial disputes between Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia.



Indonesia and Malaysia have competing claims over the Ambalat sea block, off the east coast of Borneo. In addition, Philippines and Malaysia are locked over territorial dispute in North Borneo.

Indonesia hopes such territorial disputes will not obstruct the joint patrols by the three countries.

“The problem is like this. I think the problem between the Philippines and Malaysia is about the old issue on Sabah. So, we would like to calm down and see that this is now a common problem. Let’s work together,” said Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan.

The Malacca Straits Patrol also marked its 10th anniversary on Apr 21, 2016. Over the past decade, measures taken by the littoral states have improved security in one of the world’s busiest waterways. Analysts said a similar arrangement should also be established by Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia, and it will provide much-needed security in the Sulu Sea.

- CNA/dl

10 Indonesian hostages allegedly released by Abu Sayyaf: Reports



JAKARTA: Ten Indonesian sailors kidnapped in March from a tugboat by Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants in the Philippines have allegedly been set free on Sunday (May 1) after five weeks in captivity.

Media reports said the hostages were dropped off in front of the house of Sulu Governor, Abdusakur Mahil Tan, at noon by a group of anonymous men. Sulu is located about 1,000 kilometers south of the Filipino capital Manila.

The police chief of Sulu, Superintendent Wilfredo Cayat, was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer as saying that the hostages were brought inside the house and were fed.

“We are preparing now to bring the 10 (men) to Zamboanga and turn them to their consular office,” Mr Cayat told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Senior police officials are reportedly awaiting their arrival in Zamboanga.



Reports also cited ransom being paid on Friday (Apr 29) by Patria Maritime Lines, the company the sailors worked for, amounting to about US$1 million.

The sailors were abducted late-March by gunmen described by Philippine authorities as members of the Abu Sayyaf, a small group of militants based on Jolo and nearby Basilan island which is accused of kidnappings and deadly bombings.

A spokesman for Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry, Arrmanatha Nasir, told Channel NewsAsia that the government was aware of news that said the hostages had been released, but were attempting to confirm this information with their Filipino counterparts. An official confirmation is yet to be made.

The release of the Indonesian hostages comes six days after the beheading of Canadian John Ridsel, who was a former mining executive and a journalist.

Four other Indonesians, another Canadian, a Norwegian and a Dutchman are currently still believed to be held by Abu Sayyaf.



Four Malaysians, who were previously reported as hostages of the militant group are now reportedly in the custody of an armed kidnap group led by Majan Sahidjua. The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur confirmed to The Borneo Post on Friday that intelligence revealed the kidnap victims were being held in the city of Indanan, Sulu.

Filipino media reports allege Majan Sahidjua to be a sub-leader in the Abu Sayyaf group. The abductors had previously set a ransom deadline for the Malaysians on Saturday.

- CNA/sk

Three Turkish soldiers killed, 14 wounded in PKK attack: Army



ISTANBUL: Three Turkish soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded in an attack Sunday (May 1) in the Kurdish-dominated southeast blamed on militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the army said.

The attack took place in the Nusaybin district of Mardin province, where the army has been conducting a military operation backed by a curfew against the PKK, it said.

The army blamed the attack on the "separatist terror group", its customary phrase for the PKK which it never mentions by name.

The Dogan news agency said the PKK opened fire with rockets on an army bomb disposal team.

Turkey has waged an offensive against the PKK after the collapse in 2015 of a two-year ceasefire declared by the group. Hundreds of members of the Turkish security forces have been killed in attacks since then.

One of the PKK's leaders, Cemil Bayik, warned in an interview with the BBC this month the group was ready to "escalate the war" in response to Ankara's military campaign.

The renewed conflict has also struck at the heart of the country, with two attacks that killed dozens of people in the capital Ankara claimed by Kurdish rebels.

Over 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK took up arms in 1984 demanding a homeland for Turkey's biggest minority. Since then, the group has pared back its demands to focus on cultural rights and a measure of autonomy.

- AFP/sk

Yemen's Houthis seize military base, endangering peace talks



Yemen's Houthi movement and its armed allies seized a military base north of the capital Sanaa on Sunday, dealing a setback to a shaky ceasefire and peace talks in Kuwait aimed at ending a year-long war.

Unlike most of Yemen's soldiers, those at the Umaliqa base had refused to take sides in the civil war between the Iran-allied Houthis and the government, which escalated when a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in March last year.

The Houthis had tolerated the neutrality until launching a surprise push into the facility in Amran province and seizing its large cache of weapons at dawn, according to local officials.

Several of the soldiers defending the base were killed during the assault, they added.

Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi, Yemen's foreign minister and the government's top delegate to U.N.-backed negotiations with the Houthis in Kuwait, said the move had "torpedoed" the talks.

"We will take the appropriate position in response to the Houthi crime at the Umaliqa base in Amran for the sake of our people and country," he wrote on his official Twitter account.

Buttressed by a truce which had been largely holding since April 10, talks in Kuwait had been inching ahead in recent days and the Houthis said Saudi Arabia released 40 Yemeni prisoners it had been holding on Saturday.

For its part, Yemen's Houthi-run state news agency Saba accused the mostly Gulf Arab coalition and Yemeni government forces of violating the truce 4,000 times, saying shelling, bombing raids and warplane overflights had raised tensions.

The war has killed at least 6,200 people and unleashed a humanitarian crisis in the already impoverished country.

Yemen's army has split, and military bases and commanders have mostly either taken the Houthi or government side.

(Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari and Noah Browning; Editing by Alison Williams)

- Reuters

Russian Navy to Showcase Modern Robotic Systems at Army-2016 Forum



MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Army-2016 forum is scheduled to take place on September 6-11 at the Russian Armed Forces’ Patriot Park in Kubinka, a western suburb of Moscow.

"The visitors will be able to see the latest remote-controlled underwater vehicle ‘Pantera’, automomous remote-controlled underwater vehicle ‘Gavia," as well as other robotic equipment for various purposes," the ministry said in a statement.

Several defense industry ventures are also planning to demonstrate their drones which were developed for the Navy. The Navy’s educational organizations are also preparing maritime robotics exhibits.

According to the official website of the event, the goals of the forum include stimulating innovation in the Russian military-technical complex, developing cooperation with other states and promoting technical re-equipment of Russia's Ministry of Defense.

The Army-2015 forum attracted over 800 exhibitors and over 200,000 visitors from 73 countries, as well official delegations from 38 countries.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20160501/1...avy-robots.html

Europe's First Islamic Constitution? What Could Possibly Go Wrong?





http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016...y-go-wrong.html

DARPA’S FUTURE TANK WILL THINK ITS WAY OUT OF FIGHTS





http://www.popsci.com/darpas-future-tank-w...self-out-fights

SINGAPORE: The owner of the Indonesian boats whose 10 crew members are being held hostage by militants in the southern Philippines has agreed to pay 50mil pesos (RM4.2mil) in ransom.

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan confirmed this yesterday, saying the company and the militants, believed to be linked to Abu Sayyaf, may next communicate today or tomorrow.

Meanwhile, efforts to free four other Indonesians held hostage in a later incident are still under way, Luhut told reporters in Ternate, North Maluku province. "Communications with the group taking hostage of the 10 Indonesians is smoother than with the other group holding four Indonesians," he said.

The militants abducted the 10 Indonesians from the tugboat Brahma 12 and barge Anand 12 at sea on March 29, and demanded US$1mil (RM4mil) for their release. The pirates abandoned the tugboat but held the barge. The vessels were on their way to Batangas in southern Philippines and were carrying more than 7,500 tonnes of coal.

In a separate incident last Friday, pirates believed to be linked to the Abu Sayyaf militants struck again, taking four Indonesian sailors hostage.

Sarah Lubis, corporate secretary of United Tractors, which owns the vessels that the 10 crew members were taken from, told The Straits Times: "We are ready to do what is best for our crew members."

This is the third reported incident of piracy in just over two weeks involving a tugboat and a barge and the second involving Indonesia- flagged vessels. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network


Abu sayaf rupa macam rocker 80an..huhu

This post has been edited by periuk_api1209: May 1 2016, 07:38 PM

aku tengok gambar ni, dalam otak aku terus keluar lagu

turkey kearah zaman batu... ataturk has sads...

while on /k there are those who want to protek great Islamic nation Turkey... heh

ANALYSIS: US declares cyberwar on IS, but what will it attack?





http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/analysis...roup-1554060915

Indian Warship Arrives in Brunei for ASEAN's Maritime Drills



NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — The ADMM exercises are taking place on May 1-9 this year.
"In consonance with India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and Indian Navy’s constant endeavour to enhance maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, Indian Naval Ship, INS Airavat arrived at Brunei on 1 May.

The ship will participate in the ADM Plus (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus) Exercise on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism from 1 May to 9 May, 2016," Indian Navy spokesman Cap. D K Sharma said, as quoted in the statement.

INS Airavat is a Landing Ship Tank, indigenously designed and built in India. The ship has a lift capability of 500 troops, 10 tanks and 11 combat trucks. Airavat may be used for a variety of missions, including amphibious operations as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

During the exercise, the Indian Navy is expected to engage with participating navies from Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, China, Japan, Russia, Australia, Republic of Korea and the United States, through professional interactions in harbor and complex operations at sea, the statement said.

http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160501/10389...india-navy.html

Russia Intercepts US Aircraft (Maybe) Spying on Moscow’s Newest Ballistic Missile Sub





http://thediplomat.com/2016/05/russia-inte...ic-missile-sub/

Air Force bosses to pit 40 year old A-10 and new $400bn F-35 jets against each other in 'war games' to see which really is the top gun







http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/art...ed-replace.html

I doubt f35 is a proper aircraft to replace A10.
Going into hot battlefield, hunt enemy tank and awesome vlose air support.
I doubt not many aircraft as capable as a10 and su25.

Most likely will fail

The only advantage of the f35 over the a10 is its stealth capabilities will allow it to move in deeper into enemy's territory without being detected.Other than that,the f35 loss in every other aspects against the a10.

Technically also wrong

Once in visual range, f35 lose out to a10.

Then only real advantage for the f35 to win a dog fight is BVR capability