............BMP is still up to modern standard, but Panzer III ?     

sjavascript:emoticon(':w')eriously, I don't care if it's latin or cyrillic, just need to post them on some other forums for lulz. 

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) — Fort Rucker officials have confirmed that a helicopter crashed just outside Midland City.

Media outlets report that the TH-67 helicopter crashed Monday afternoon near the Dothan Regional Airport.

Local law enforcement and fire crews responded. They found two students and one instructor pilot inside the helicopter.

All three were taken to a local hospital. None of their injuries were life threatening.

Fort Rucker officials are investigating the crash.

US Naval Institute News editor Sam LaGrone who managed to film the landing in HD and slow motion. The footage highlights one of the more notable successes of the often-troubled F-35 — namely the advanced fighter jet’s ability to operate from a carrier.

Simultaneously, the technical capabilities displayed by Russian submarines have increased. It is “a level of Russian capability that we haven’t seen before,” the admiral says. The Russian Navy accomplished this “through an extraordinary investment path not mirrored by the West” and has made “technology leaps that [are] remarkable, and credit to them.”

Russian submarines currently patrolling the oceans “have longer ranges, they have better systems, they’re freer to operate,” he underlined. In addition, NATO has “seen a rise in professionalism and ability to operate their boats that we haven’t seen before,” explained the admiral.

In a February 2016 testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Service Committee, the head of U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry B. Harris, emphasized that Russia has also stepped up its activities in the Asia-Pacific region. “Russian ballistic missile and attack submarines remain especially active in the region,” Harris said. “The arrival in late 2015 of Russia’s newest class of nuclear ballistic missile submarine (Dolgorukiy SSBN) in the Far East is part of a modernization program for the Russian Pacific Fleet and signals the seriousness with which Moscow views this region.”

The Russian Pacific fleet is currently operating one Borei-class (aka Dolgorukiy-class), Project 955, fourth generation nuclear-powered ballistic submarines (SSBN) and is slated to receive another sub of the same type in August or September 2016.

The Russian Navy also recently announced that its first Yasen-class nuclear-powered multi-purpose attack submarines (SSGN) has completed operational trials and will soon begin combat drills. “Operations trials of the [Yasen-class] Severodvinsk submarine are over and the submarine is ready to fulfill its designated missions. The Severodvinsk’s crew is currently completing measures necessary to put the submarine into service and to take to sea for planned combat training sessions,” a Russian military spokesperson told TASS.

Su-35 gives new edge to Indonesian air power

March 23, 2016 Rakesh Krishnan Simha, special to RBTH

Developed to take on stealth aircraft, the Super Flanker will boost the Indonesian Air Force’s air defence and power projection capabilities.

The Sukhoi Su-35 will be the lynchpin of Indonesia’s mission to build a modern defence force. Codenamed Super Flanker by NATO, this Russian heavyweight is a perfect fit for Indonesia’s geography. It finally solves the country’s long-standing problem of having to defend a 5000 km archipelago with an under strength military.

The Su-35 has a range of 3600 km on internal fuel, which will allow the Indonesian Air Force to undertake missions far away from home. Because the vast country of 18,370 islands has an underdeveloped network of airfields, the Indonesian Air Force cannot disperse its air force. With its long legs, the Su-35 eliminates this problem.

The Indonesian Air Force will be able to patrol a larger area for a longer duration. The aircraft is equipped with an aerial refuelling probe which can extend its reach as well as loiter time. The Indian Air Force, which trains Indonesian fighter pilots, has conducted 10-hour Sukhoi missions so in theory the Indonesians can do the same.

For an aircraft that carries an enormous payload – 8 tonnes of missiles and bombs on 14 hard points – it is a fast aircraft. Its blistering speed – combined with long range – allows pilots to perform repeated probes and U-turns – a Cold War Russian tactic – that can leave the opponent disoriented, exhausted and vulnerable in a dogfight.

A defining feature of Russian fighter aircraft is they come with a large complement of missiles. (Those 14 hard points aren’t for display.) This is a huge advantage for pilots because they can carry more missiles and thereby fire repeated salvos to achieve an air-to-air kill.

The Russians have sold missiles of considerable accuracy and kinetic impact to a number of customers and it is very likely the Indonesian Su-35s will come with such missiles. Extended range Russian land attack and anti-ship missiles will allow the Indonesian Sukhois to attack targets from safe standoff distances. The Su-35, therefore, eliminates the tyranny of distance. Places on the maps – such as Darwin and Perth – that once seemed unreachable are now firmly in the Indonesian Air Force’s sights.

Super Flanker – The equalizer

The Indonesian military’s weakness was exposed most glaringly during the East Timor crisis. In 1999 it could only watch from the sidelines as a contingent of largely Australian troops prised East Timor from Indonesian control. That it happened under a UN mandate did nothing to lessen Indonesia’s humiliation.

Continuing economic weakness meant Indonesia was only able to drip feed its military. After American sanctions virtually grounded its fleet of anyhow outdated F-16s, Indonesia ordered two Su-27 single-seat and two Su-30 twin-seat fighters from Russia in a 2003 contract worth $192 million. Four years later, it ordered six more Sukhois. Defence analyst Martin Sieff describes the deals as “peanuts in the international arms trade”.

The upshot: with its existing fleet the Indonesian Air Force cannot take on regional rivals. For instance, the Royal Australian Air Force has 69 F/A-18 Hornets and 24 advanced Super Hornets. Australia also has the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, which can be a force multiplier in any conflict. Also, the Australian air force, which loves to follow in America’s slipstream, has some combat experience, even if such action involves pretend airstrikes against ISIS.

The Su-35 is a morale booster for the Indonesians as it will considerably even the odds in the South East Asian theatre. The aircraft has a highly advanced avionics suite that can burn through any electronic jamming and can blind enemy aircraft with its own jamming devices. Most western analysts agree the Su-35 is the most potent non-stealth aircraft in the world today and can defeat any contemporary western fighter, except the F-22 stealth fighter. (But then the F-22 costs an astronomical $350 million per plane compared with the Su-35’s bargain basement price of $65 million.)

China is the other worry. Jakarta has been involved in a regional scrap with Beijing over disputed islands in the South China Sea. The Indonesians may never be unable to match China’s firepower, but with the Su-35 the Indonesian Air Force will have the ability and confidence to escort Chinese jets over neutral waters.

Neutralizing stealth

Although their effectiveness is being debated, it is likely that by the 2020s the new breed of stealth jets will be a regular feature in all the major air forces of the world. In Asia, the Chinese have commenced series production of their J-31 and J-21 stealth fighters, and the Australians have ordered 70 F-35s from the US.

How is Indonesia placed in an incoming stealth environment? The Indonesian Air Force had initially indicated it was interested in the Russia-India PAK-FA multirole fighter. Later it joined South Korea as a junior partner to jointly develop the Korean Fighter-Experimental (KFX). But things haven’t worked out as planned.

Like every ongoing stealth fighter in the world today, the costly KFX project has hit turbulence. According to Forbes magazine, () the US doesn’t trust the South Koreans with four “core technologies” needed for the project. It adds: “The Koreans have professed bitter disappointment over the refusal of the US to entrust its ally with the highest-tech stuff they say is needed for the KFX not only to have stealth capabilities but to be able to find and track hostile targets with the latest state-of-the-art radar.”

The Su-35 is Indonesia’s insurance against the KFX getting delayed or abandoned. Yang Cheng-wei, a Taiwanese expert on Russian weapons systems, describes the aircraft as a “fifth generation jet without the appearance of a stealth fighter." In fact, it incorporates several futuristic technologies that were developed for Russia’s PAK-FA stealth fighter.

An August 2015 report by the US-based National Security Network (NSN) indicates the Su-35 could club the F-35 to death in a one-on-one dogfight. In ‘Thunder without Lightning: The High Costs and Limited Benefits of the F-35 Program’, the think tank’s policy analyst Bill French and researcher Daniel Edgren say the F-35 is likely to be “outmaneuvered” and “outgunned” by its “near peers” such as the Su-35.

“Perhaps more significant than counter-stealth radar is the F-35’s vulnerability to detection by infrared sensors. Infrared search-and-track (IRST) systems, which are widely deployed on foreign fighter aircraft, can detect aircraft otherwise invisible to radar at significant distances without emitting any signal of their own.”

Nodding to IRST technology’s implications in bypassing radar stealth, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert told NSN: “Let's face it, if something moves fast through the air, disrupts molecules and puts out heat—I don't care how cool the engine can be, it's going to be detectable.”

“The F-35 will be particularly vulnerable to IRST detection given its enormous engine that puts out 40,000 lbs of thrust with no infrared shielding or suppression. Already, the OLS-35 IRST featured on the Su-35 can detect aircraft from the frontal aspect at nearly 30 nautical miles, from the rear at 50 nautical miles, and missile launches at similar distances.”

Gap filler

The Su-35 is, therefore, a future proof aircraft that will be able to take on advanced fifth generation without working up a sweat. According to Defense Industry Daily, if Indonesia decides to stay the course with the KFX, “the country needs a high-end gap filler as a hedge against the KFX’s schedule, and its development risks.”

Alternatively, if the Russians are able to once again get Jakarta interested in the PAK-FA programme, then the Super Flanker can be Indonesia’s final bridge to the stealth era.

Navy denies involvement in shooting of Taiwanese vessels

Tama Salim and Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | World | Wed, March 23 2016, 9:40 AM

The Indonesian Navy has denied any involvement in a recent skirmish with two Taiwanese fishing boats that were fired upon while they were en route to Singapore.

Navy chief of staff Adm. Ade Supandi denied the accusation that an Indonesian warship shot at any Taiwanese vessels sailing through the Malacca Strait on Monday.

“I don’t have any report on the matter, but that is not our ship,” Ade told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Ade pointed out that Indonesian warships have three-digit hull numbers, unlike the four-digit number claimed to have been seen by the crew of the Taiwanese boats.

He added the Navy did not own any ships with hull numbers that start with the digit 2, indicating that the vessel in question may have belonged to the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry. The ministry’s patrol boats, however, also have three-digit hull numbers.

On Monday, a Taiwanese media broadcast reported that two fishing boats that were on a course to the Malacca Strait were shot at by an Indonesian Navy vessel.

Fishing vessels Sheng Te Tsai and Lien I Hsing No. 116 are both registered in Liuqiu township, Pingtung county, in Taiwan. Two Taiwanese skippers and 18 Indonesian seamen were reported to have been on board the two vessels.

The ships’ owner, Lee, said that he received a satellite call from on of the ships’ captains, Lin Nan, at about 5 a.m. local time, informing him that an Indonesian warship had opened fire at one of the boats.

Lin said the crew of neither vessel had been injured, but the Seng Te Tsai had more than 10 bullet holes in it. Lin claimed the shots were aimed at the bridges of both ships, which was different from ordinary warning shots that usually target the ship’s stern or its surroundings.

The Taiwanese ship crews believed, based on the “2804” hull number, that the vessel doing the shooting was an Indonesian warship, suggesting that it can only be seen on official ships from Southeast Asian countries.

the question is... how many? 12? 24?

Parliament: ESSCom Received 17 High-powered Speedboats So Far - JPM

KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 (Bernama) -- As of March 3, the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) has received 17 high-powered speedboats while another nine, currently undergoing final assembly, are expected to be procured this month, according to the Prime Minister's Department (JPM).

In a written reply at the Dewan Rakyat, JPM said another 42 speedboats were expected to arrive between this month-end and late April, while the remaining 24 would be received in stages, no later than August-end.

"ESSCom has received an allocation of RM65.8 million for the procurement of 92 high-powered speedboats in 2015. Orders were made from June last year after conducting the technical evaluation.

"The 17 boats arrived in stages, beginning last September," said JPM in reply to a question from Datuk Seri Abdul Ghafur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) who wanted to know whether ESSCom's security personnel were being equipped with high-powered speedboats to carry out their duties effectively.

According to JPM, all speedboats had gone through the boat-building classification process conducted by both local and foreign ship classification bodies to ensure they met safety standards and hull integrity.

-- BERNAMA

On March 19, the Army announced that 400 soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry and their helicopters would go to South Korea. The Pentagon already has some 30,000 people in the country.

The primary mission for the small copters is to scout ahead of troops on the ground. Using their copters’ powerful cameras and laser pointers, crews can pick out targets for artillery units and jet fighters.

On top of that, the Kiowas can strike enemy troops and light vehicles on their own with laser-guided Hellfire missiles, 70-millimeter rockets and .50-caliber machine guns. To ward off deadly heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles, the OH-58Ds come equipped with flares and an infrared jammer that looks like a disco ball.

The Kiowas can fly less than 200 miles on their own fuel, so the Army will have to ship the helicopters to South Korea. In the past, civilian cargo ships have delivered the helicopters for this kind of deployment.

Unlike the older OH-58s with their two-blade main rotors, the new Kiowa Warrior had four blades. All of these upgrades made the new aircraft quieter and more maneuverable.

On top of that, the Kiowa Warriors had a large turret on top of the rotors containing a night-vision camera and a laser designator, plus digital flight instruments in the cockpit. With this equipment, crews could lob precision Hellfire missiles, day or night, in addition to firing older rockets and machine guns.

Just over three years ago, the Army unveiled its latest attempt to extend the life of the Kiowas. Further upgraded OH-58Fs would get entirely new cockpits with improved flight computers, as well as new cameras and other equipment.

RSAF forms second local F-15SG squadron

Mike Yeo, Singapore - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
22 March 2016


RSAF F-15SG number 8320 seen taking off in Darwin, Australia, during Exercise 'Pitch Black 2014'. This aircraft has recently been seen with 142 Squadron's markings. Source: Mike Yeo

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has formed a second locally based squadron to operate the Boeing F-15SG Eagle multi-role fighter, adding further credence to earlier reports that it has more such aircraft than previously reported.

A Singapore-based F-15SG was seen carrying the markings of 142 'Gryphon' Squadron on its tail during a commemorative formation flight for Singapore's outgoing chief of the air force, Major General Hoo Cher Mou, on 12 March, while a photo taken at the multinational Exercise 'Cope Tiger' in Thailand and released by Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) showed RSAF F-15SG pilots wearing the squadron's insignia on their flight suits.

IHS Jane's understands that the squadron, a former A-4 Skyhawk unit that had been deactivated in 2005 with the ending of Singapore-based Skyhawk operations, was stood up in early March.

The formation of the RSAF's second locally based F-15SG squadron follows the reported retirement of Singapore's last Northrop F-5S/T Tiger II interceptors after 36 years of operations with the RSAF. The MINDEF declined to comment when asked by IHS Jane's if the Tiger IIs had been retired.

The RSAF's F-15SGs had been split between 149 'Shikra' Squadron, based at Paya Lebar in Singapore, and the 428th Fighter Squadron (FS), based at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The 428th FS is a joint USAF-RSAF squadron that provides continuation training for RSAF F-15SG pilots under the Peace Carvin V programme.

Singapore is confirmed to be operating at least 32 F-15SGs, with 20 aircraft currently in Singapore and the remaining 12 at Mountain Home AFB. However, in August 2014 eight F-15SGs appeared on the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) civilian register, leading to speculation that Singapore has ordered eight more aircraft to give a total of 40.

The reason for the eight F-15SGs being on the FAA's civilian register is unknown; neither Boeing nor MINDEF were willing to go into further detail when this was queried by IHS Jane's at the time.

Is of ukranian comrade. cannot into reading cyrillic

Meanwhile, older BMP-1s and Panzer III under modernization for ukraine army, while the thais got brand new BTR-3E and T-84, from ukraine. sure older equipment is just as effective in counterinsurgwncy warfare, but this is just ridiculous

AgustaWestland awarded contract to provide Navy with 2 submarine hunter helicopters

March 23, 2016 Caleb Velasquez

AgustaWestland was awarded by the Department of National Defense with the contract to provide two anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters worth PhP5.363 billion. The two submarine hunter helicopters will be assigned to Philippine Navy. Notice of Award was signed by Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

The award was made after DND announced in late 2015 that AgustaWestland was the sole proponent for the said project.

The Anglo-Italian aircraft manufacturer offered its new AW-159 “Wildcat” anti-submarine helicopter.

The government conducted background checks to determine the capability of the manufacturer to deliver the equipment on time and comply with the specifications as requested.

Wildcat, an improved version of Super Lynx, is an advanced multi-role, maritime and utility helicopter. It was designed to be housed in a frigate, offshore patrol vessel or corvette. Its intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities were significantly upgraded.

According to a defense market analysts, AW159’s SELEX Galileo Seaspray 7000E active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, sonar system, electro-optical device, ESM and countermeasure systems make it one of the best ASW helicopter in the world.

The ASW helicopter project is one of military modernization projects which President Benigno S. Aquino III approved to be under “multi-year contract” last November 2015. Granting of the “multi-year contract” will allow to pursue military modernization programs beyond Aquino’s term.

Frantic Phone Call Failed to Halt China-Indonesia Sea Spat

Chris Brummitt
March 23, 2016 — 5:00 AM WIB
Updated on March 23, 2016 — 8:47 AM WIB

> Plea came in phone call from Chinese diplomat to official
> Indonesia's neutral position in dispute coming under pressure

Hours after reports of a confrontation between a Chinese coastguard ship and an Indonesian vessel in the South China Sea, a top Chinese diplomat called an Indonesian government official with a plea: Don’t tell the media, we are friends after all.

That request was rebuffed as officials in Jakarta called a press conference to complain about China’s actions. While Indonesia has largely been on the periphery of disputes between China and other nations over the South China Sea, the spat risks drawing the Southeast Asian nation into territorial contests in the oil-and-gas rich waters.

The Indonesian official said his government didn’t want to respond, but was forced to because China’s actions were especially provocative, and fitted a pattern of becoming more assertive in the waters. The official didn’t want to be named because of the sensitivity of the incident. The Chinese embassy didn’t answer four phone calls or reply to two e-mails asking about the call.

The behind-the-scenes diplomacy reveals how both sides generally prefer to keep such incidents under wraps, albeit for different reasons. Indonesia has traditionally avoided publicizing incidents in the South China Sea as it seeks to preserve economically vital ties with China. Beijing is aware of the need for international support, especially as it prepares for a ruling in The Hague on the legality of territorial claims that cross over with the Philippines.

gonna equip the panzer with what? 105mm smoothbore cannon and IR/Thermal scope? 

but then again, Israel quite successful with their upgraded Shermans during Arab-Israel War..

gonna equip the panzer with what? 105mm smoothbore cannon and IR/Thermal scope? 

but then again, Israel quite successful with their upgraded Shermans during Arab-Israel War..