Thailand mulls buying four more Swedish jet fighters

Source: Xinhua  2016-05-12 14:46:29 

BANGKOK, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Thailand might probably buy four more Swedish jet fighters to add to a current squadron of 12 fighters of the same type, said Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong on Thursday.

Prajin, a former Thai air force chief, said that he viewed Saab JAS 39 Gripen multirole combat aircraft as "technologically advanced" and suggested that his successor buy an additional four Swedish jet fighters.

The Thai air force currently deploys the 12 Swedish fighters at Air Wing 7 in the southern province of Surat Thani. The Gripen fighter squadron was procured in 2008 to replace the United States' ageing F-5 Tiger fighters.

"One fighter squadron should not just consist of a dozen aircraft and four more should be added to it," said the deputy prime minister.

One JAS 39 Gripen fighter is currently estimated to cost 69 million U.S. dollars.

Prajin made his comments following a visit of Swedish ambassador Staffan Herrstrom to Government House during which they held talks about the Gripen fighters, Swedish digital technology and bilateral trade, among other topics.

Recently, one of my students asked me: Why doesn’t the U.S. stop Vladimir Putin?

He is not alone. Many wonder how Putin gets away with it again and again and again. In the past few years, Russia blitzed the country of Georgia, cyber-crushed Estonia, claimed much of the Artic as “theirs,” invaded eastern Ukraine, stole Crimea, mucked around in Syria, increased submarine patrols to Cold War levels, and is worrying eastern Europe

Last month, a Russian fighter jet did practice attack runs on an American destroyer in the Black Sea, flying so low it left a wake in the water, while in a separate incident another fighter did barrel rolls around a US RC-135 spy plane

It’s as if Putin was saying to NATO, “Hey, the Americans won’t even defend themselves. You really think they’ll defend you?”

His objective is simple: Get the U.S. out of NATO, then extend Russia’s sphere of influence to the Atlantic. If Trump is elected, I think it could happen

I’m a former private military contractor—mercenary to some—and I’m not steeped in the Pentagon mindset. I know Putin and the type of war he’s waging, and it’s not found in the textbooks of the war colleges. It’s found in fiction, which can reveal truths sometimes obscured by reality

Shadow War centers around Tom Locke, a likable albeit damaged guy. He’s a high end mercenary, working a multi-billion-dollar private military company that does things the U.S. government won’t do, or the corporate world can’t do

Shadow War is based on actual events. It pulls back the curtain on messy conflicts like the Ukraine, and explains why Putin continues to outmaneuver the West. It’s important because it won’t end with Ukraine. Putin has bigger plans

Putin wins because he’s waging a shadow war, while we are not. If we want to stop him, we need to understand how shadow wars work. Here’s what you need to know:

10 Characteristics of Shadow Wars

1.  States matter less. Today’s “great powers” aren’t just countries, they’re multinational corporations as well as the super-rich. The Fortune 500 are more powerful than most countries, most of which are fragile or failed states. Although Shadow War is an international thriller, few of the “great powers” are states. Corporations are involved in conflicts like Ukraine.

2. Mercenaries are back. This industry was dormant for centuries, and then resurrected by the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan, where half of America’s military personnel were contractors. Now Russia, Nigeria, the Emirates and corporations use mercenaries. Locke discovers that mercenaries are fighting on all sides of the Ukraine war, drawing out the war for profit.

3. Deep States exist. Deep States are networks of elites who can sometimes rule behind governments, across sectors, and beyond borders for their own benefit. Shadow War reveals some of the connections between Wall Street and K Street, and how national interests can be manipulated for shareholder profit. Some deny this, but it’s not new.

4.  Warriors are masked, and may not fight for states. Shadow War takes you to the frontlines of the Ukraine war. Soldiers are rare. Militias, mercenaries, criminals, spooks, and refugees litter the landscape. Sometimes it’s unclear who the enemy is.

5.  Economics can be weaponized. Shadow wars utilize all instruments of national power, not just military ones. Economics is a favorite cudgel of Putin. Forget World War II bombers. Putin turns off the gas to Europe when he doesn’t get his way, plunging the Europe into an energy crisis. What’s being fought for in Shadow War isn’t terrain, it’s energy and industry.

6.  Clandestine operations are key. In the information age, plausible deniability is more powerful than tank divisions. The Russian military could invade Ukraine outright yet Putin chooses to use mercenaries, proxy militia, and “Little Green Men“ (Russian soldiers without Russian insignia on their fatigues). How can you rally the world to fight a war that may not exist? You can’t. It’s a brilliant strategic defense by Putin.

7.  Hearts and minds don’t matter. Forget the failed counterinsurgency strategies of Iraq and Afghanistan. Sadly, shadow wars aren’t about “the people.” The fight in Ukraine isn’t a continuation of the Orange Revolution. It’s about dueling oligarchs and other things.

8.  Lie, a lot. Some of the best weapons do not fire bullets. Putin understands the power of propaganda and the fickleness of the news cycle. Even when his proxies blew up a civilian airliner, the world quickly moved on, thanks to an army of cyber trolls who misdirected, reframed, and denied the obvious.

9.  “Winning” has changed. You do not have to conquer in the traditional sense. Super technologies and battlefield triumphs guarantee nothing in a shadow war. Cunning and boldness are decisive. Tom Locke’s greatest asset is not the firepower at his fingertips (and he has a lot), but his brain.

10. People still matter most. While in the field, I learned quickly that trust between people is the difference between success and failure. But betrayal is a touchstone of shadow wars, too. What happens to Tom Locke in Shadow War is a very good introduction to the ways modern warriors must navigate in this frightening new world.

The solution? It’s time for America to fight back—but do it in the shadows. The U.S. did this during the Cold War. Now that a new Cold War may be resurgent, it’s time to fight back

Some of the smallest surface combatants in the U.S. Navy will be getting new missiles with "over the horizon" capabilities. The effort is part of a program to give the troubled Littoral Combat Ship program a major firepower boost

The Navy has announced that the USS Freedom, one of two types of the so-called Littoral Combat Ship, will be outfitted with the Norwegian-designed Naval Strike Missile. The missile will be ready for the Freedom's next deployment

Designed by Norwegian defense contractor Kongsberg, the Naval Strike Missile was designed to protect Norway from seaborne threats. The missile weighs 900 pounds with a 276 pound warhead and has a range of up to 107 miles. The missile is equipped with an imaging infra-red seeker, making it capable of identifying and attacking specific targets. For example, the ship would be able to differentiate between a destroyer and an aircraft carrier, zeroing in on the larger ship. And yes, being a Norwegian this missile was designed to negotiate the country's many fjords which means it's capable of maneuvering around land masses

Here's of the NSM in action, helping to take down the Odgen:

What happened to weapon slings? 

Also I'm not a big fan of excessive light machine gun use. They do boost a squad's volume of fire, but they're not that destructive on a target. Some armies use up to 2-3 LMGs in a 10 man squad. I imagine they must burn through a ton of ammo in a firefight. No wonder soldiers complain they are overloaded.

A total of six soldiers have been killed in clashes with the outlawed Kurdıstan Workers’ Party (PKK) while another two died in a military helicopter crash in the eastern province of Hakkari.

Six soldiers were killed and eight others were wounded as clashes erupted between security forces and PKK militants at the Çığlı base in Hakkari’s Çukurca district at around 4:50 a.m. on May 13.

A helicopter was sent to the area to intervene against the militants but the helicopter crashed at around 5:50 a.m. due to an unknown technical problem.

The General Chief of Staff released a written statement on the incidents, announcing that both pilots of the helicopter had died in the crash.

An air-borne operation was launched to apprehend the militants, the statement said, adding that six PKK militants have been killed so far.

GRSE to Export Light Frigates to Philippines

Vivek Raghuvanshi, Defense News
19 hours ago

NEW DELHI — In a major win for the Indian warship building industry, India's state-run Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) Ltd has emerged as the winner for Philippine Navy's big-ticket modernization program.

GRSE was the lowest bidder to supply two light frigates and hopes to seal the contract worth more than $321 million in the next two months, said one GRSE official.

A total of four firms joined the bidding for the Philippine Navy project: GRSE; Hyundai Heavy Industries Inc. and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. Ltd., both from South Korea; and Navantia S.A. of Spain.

GRSE, administered by the Indian Ministry of Defence, has built 95 warships, including frigates, corvettes and fast patrol boats, since 1960.

GRSE's light frigate will be a design based on the Indian Navy's Kamorta-class anti-submarine corvette and will be capable of withstanding Sea State 7, which means it can withstand a wave height of up to 9 meters.

The 2,000-tonne frigate will be 95 meters long, have a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) configuration propulsion system and be able to work in an area contaminated with nuclear, biological, and chemical agents.

In addition, it will have a tactical data link and radio capable of tactical communication. The frigates will have 76mm naval guns and fire control radar with a built-in electro-optical tracking system integrated into the Combat Management System (CMS).

The state-owned Goa Shipyard is also building two OPVs for the Sri Lankan Navy under India's government-to-government exchange agreement with Sri Lanka. First OPV will be delivered by end of this year and second OPV by middle of next year.

weapon sling doesnt take weight off when firing from shoulder..

depending on type of infantry unit... 2 SAW seems fine.. if you're referring to GPMG then that's a diff story
UK, Netherlands and france not there... 

Netherlands don't have any MBTs anymore. They sold their Leopard 2A6s to Finland.

Netherlands don't have any MBTs anymore. They sold their Leopard 2A6s to Finland.

not sure why they cant just absorb manpower from their territorial/reserve army?

lol... you're right... damn... wonder wth are they thinking, at least not given to indo

UK, Netherlands and france not there... 

Soon, they won't even have their own army anymore with the wehrmacht taking over

lol... you're right... damn... wonder wth are they thinking, at least not given to indo

because their territorial army is already stretched to fulfill ordinary manning requirements. TA used to provide additional whole infantry battalions to fill out divisions during Cold Wartime, since the end of USSR they have a partner regiment system with each regular unit partnered with a TA unit. Partnering used to mean the TA unit will fill combat casualties in the regular unit. Then the Regular battalion became a 3-company unit with TA filling in the 4th company. Now Regular is barely hitting 2 companies and TA fill in the 3rd company... and the various Afghanistan operations proved the weekend warriors can't keep up standards and need extra training to be operational. That's how bad manning in UK has become.

Germany wins big at 2016 Strong Europe Tank Challenge

By Michael S. Darnell
Stars and Stripes
Published: May 13, 2016

...................

“We want to be the best,” said Spc. Angel Medina, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, Company C. “That’s the fire right there.”

Unfortunately for Medina and his fellow crewmembers, when the smoke cleared on Friday, it was the Germans in their Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks, and not the Americans, who won top bragging rights. The Danish platoon took second and the Poles are bringing home third place.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The expected flight endurance of the “Orion” is at least 24 hours, while the altitude – about five miles. The drone will also carry a  pay load of up to 660 pounds.

“At the Gromov Flight Research Institute [in the Moscow Region] tests of the medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle ‘Orion’ have started,” the source said.

Final results:

1st  - Germany - Leopard 2A6
2nd - Denmark - Leopard 2A5
3rd - Poland - Leopard 2A5
http://www.stripes.com/news/germany-wins-b...llenge-1.409391

That's 'ISIS Crisis' in a nutshell, a Canadian-developed table-top war game that a wing of the Canadian military says could be useful in getting strategists thinking more broadly about fighting in Iraq and Syria.

The game, developed by a major in the British army and a professor at a Canadian university, was given a test run by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), the military's in-house technology and research division.

The research body played the turn-based strategy game to see if it changed their way of thinking about any of the military, social, economic, or cultural problems facing the region.

The rules of the game are pretty limited. The players first form six teams: the Islamic State, the Iraqi government, the Kurdish Regional Government, the Sunni militias, Iran, and the United States. The player or players representing each faction or power must make logical arguments on what they wish to do, and other players can argue against it. The moderator, or umpire, can decide on the outcome, often by rolling some die.

Iterations of this type of game have been around for centuries. The Prussian military used a game called Kriegsspiel to plan their military campaigns. Diplomacy, a table-top game that requires alliance-making and real-world strategizing in order to conquer Europe, was reportedly Henry Kissinger's favorite game. Even the DRDC has had some experience with them — they published a report in 2011 saying that matrix gaming proved effective in preparing security for the Vancouver Olympics.

ISIS Crisis can get surprisingly complex. In the DRDC report on the utility of the game, the military researchers playing the part of the Kurdish army had to quickly professionalize their forces, while the players representing Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi attempted to upgrade their air force, only to fail. As the game progressed, a weakened IS rump managed to smuggle a chemical weapon into Mosul, only to face US special forces. Iran, meanwhile, convinced the Assad government to launch aggressive airstrikes against the self-proclaimed caliphate.