Rafale Deal For 36 Fighter Jets Finally Sealed After Long Wait: 10 Facts

All India | Edited by Shuchi Shukla | Updated: September 23, 2016 13:11 IST



New Delhi:  More than a decade after India decided to buy a new line of fighter aircraft for the Air Force, the government today signed the deal for 36 Rafale fighters with France.

Here are the key aspects of the deal

1. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his French counterpart Jean Yves LeDrian signed the contract in Delhi on Friday after years of tortuous negotiations between the two countries.
2. India will pay about Rs. 58,000 crore or 7.8 billion Euros for 36 off-the-shelf Dassault Rafale twin-engine fighters. About 15 per cent of this cost is being paid in advance.
3. India will also get spares and weaponry, including the Meteor missile, considered among the most advanced in the world.
4. Sources tracking the final negotiations had confirmed to NDTV that the IAF's Rafales will come equipped with the Meteor designed to knock out enemy aircraft and cruise missiles significantly more than 100 km away.
5. The acquisition of this weapon is likely to be game changer in South Asia. Neither Pakistan nor China, India's traditional military adversaries, possess a weapon of the same class. 
6. The first Rafale warplanes are slated to be delivered roughly within 18 months of the signing of the final contract.
7. There is an accompanying offset clause through which France will invest 30 per cent of the 7.8 billion Euros in India's military aeronautics-related research programmes and 20 percent into local production of Rafale components.
8. The deal could not be signed this January when French President Francois Hollande was the Chief Guest for the Republic Day because India wanted a better price.
9. For the Indian Air Force, the deal is bitter-sweet. On one hand, they will be getting two squadrons of the state-of-the-art fighter, on the other hand, the original requirement was for at least 126 jets.
10. India needs at least 42 squadrons of fighters and has an existing strength of 32. The fighter fleet will go down further by about 10 squadrons as the MiG-21 fighter will have to be decommissioned.

It’s Time for the U.S. to Pivot to Indonesia

8 hours ago | Updated 8 hours ago

Stanley Weiss Founding Chairman, Business Executives for National Security

China also continues to build up its coast guard and fishing fleets, which is where Indonesia directly enters the fray. Over the past five years, there have been a number of clashes between Chinese fishing vessels and the Indonesian navy over the Indonesia-owned Natuna islands, which China now also claims. As one journalist recently observed, “Beijing uses these fishing ships as a kind of militia to harass and block other nation’s vessels from accessing the vital trade routes and fishing grounds.”

Indonesians have had enough. Beginning in late 2014, led by Jokowi and Fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti, this island nation has taken the extraordinary step of blowing up more than 220 seized fishing vessels in public events that have sent an unmistakable message to Beijing. In June, to reinforce that show of strength, Jokowi made a high-profile visit to the Natunas.

“Taking sides on the South China Sea issue is not something we traditionally do,” a respected editor says to me. “We won’t take the U.S. side on this. But we may lean.” However, a well-connected consultant confides that “Jokowi recently told (me) in a private meeting that he is now ready to face South China Sea issues. He is interested in China now and being assertive.”

It’s a moment tailor-made for the U.S. to strengthen relations with Jakarta. How? Three ways.

First, our next President should visit Indonesia as soon as possible, and make clear: while Obama’s focus was on expanding alliances with Japan and Korea, facilitating change in Myanmar, and improving relations with Vietnam and India, the top priority for the next four years is Indonesia. That’s especially important for Clinton, whose time as Obama’s Secretary of State left people here “skeptical of her” one insider confides. A substantive presidential visit would bolster her standing and signal that the U.S. is serious about pivoting to Indonesia.

Second, the U.S. should support Indonesia’s emerging assertiveness on South China Sea issues. That includes offering Indonesia more maritime capabilities so that it can stand up for itself at sea - including, modernized Coast Guard vessels and training. Former Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono believes this is something Trump would do, expressing confidence “Trump will win and he will change.”

Finally, the next Administration must articulate a creative strategy for our economic relationship that contrasts with China’s strategy of “exploit and extract.” There is a fear here that Indonesia’s growing dependence on China - it recently ranked 10th in a Forbes list of the “Top 10 China-Dependent Countries” - could compromise its assertiveness on the South China Sea. U.S. economic and business-to-business engagement should offer a vision that empowers, instead of extracts from, Indonesia. That means investing in education and development, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, and giving Jakarta an alternative to China in its race to improve its gridlocked economy. It also means finding a way to make the proposed trade pact between the U.S. and 11 Pacific rim nations, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership—which is projected to bring $26 billion in trade to Indonesia—work.

Lastly, no matter who wins in November, there is one thing the next President should do: invite Jokowi to visit and work to secure an invitation for him to address Congress. The last, and only, time an Indonesian leader spoke to Congress was in 1956 - when Trump was nine, Clinton was eight, and Jokowi was five years from being born. Sixty years is too long. It’s time to bring the relationship between the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest Muslim-majority democracy into the 21st Century—no matter who sits in the Oval Office.

New patrol gunboat for Thai navy

23rd September 2016 - 7:14 by Sompong Nondhasa in Bangkok



The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) commissioned HTMS Laemsing (PGB 561), a domestically built patrol gunboat, on 21 September after sea trials.

The RTN bought its plans and materials from Marsun in a $20 million deal (excluding weapon systems). It was built by the Royal Thai Naval Dockyard to gain more experience in shipbuilding under a self-reliance policy.

The 520t vessel, launched on 25 August 2015, will cooperate with other Thai services for both anti-surface and anti-air missions. As well as these combat missions, HTMS Laemsing can intercept suspicious vessels, perform anti-piracy and antiterrorist operations, harbour security and search and rescue.

HTMS Laemsing is 58m long, and has a 9.3m beam and 2.9m draft. Three Caterpillar 3516C engines offer a maximum speed of 23kt, and it has a range of more than 2,500nm. Able to operate in Sea State 5, the vessel accommodates 53 crewmen for up to seven days. 

Armament is a refurbished OTO Melara 76/62 naval gun, 30mm MSI DS-30 cannon and two 12.7mm machine guns. Fire control and the combat management system are the Thales Mirador and TACTICOS respectively. Elbit Systems supplied the CoMPASS electro-optics.

The vessel has a wide stern deck able to install more equipment and weapons (e.g. missiles) in the future.

VAdm Sutthinan Sakulpuchapong, commander of the naval dockyard, said ‘It took 1,003 days to build HTMS Laemsing. We previously built four classes of patrol vessel, the latest being the Krabi-class OPV, so we have more experience in development and maintenance. We plan to build two more Laemsing-class boats in the future.’

The last domestically built patrol gunboat was the Hua Hin class, with three vessels entering service 15 years ago. 

The Laemsing class is expected to replace all ageing medium-range patrol boats under the navy’s 2008-17 strategic plan.

Published: Saturday, 24 September 2016 09:00

Indonesia Marine Corps could purchase new version of BTR-4 amphibious armoured from Ukraine

Ukraine defense industry has tested a new version of its 8x8 amphibious armoured vehicle personnel carrier BTR-4 fitted with anew remotely operated weapon station, according Andrei BT Live Journal Blog. Some of these vehicles were send to Indonesia to perform a series of tests.

   
The new BTR-4 amphibious 8x8 armoured personnel carrier during trial tests in the sea.
     
The New BTR-4 has showed very good capacities in amphibious conditions during tests in Ukraine.

The new version is motorized with German Deutz engine, and new modules were added to the sides of the vehicle to increase the characteristics for river crossing and amphibious operations in the sea.

According some rumors, the Marine Corps of Indonesia could be interested to purchase 50 vehicles able to perform amphibious operations and that can carry into combat ships.

After the trial tests, Indonesian armed forces could take quickly a decision to purchase combat vehicles for its Marine Corps.

The BTR-4 is a 8x8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed in Ukraine by the Kharkiv Morozov Machine Building Design Bureau as a private venture.

The vehicle layout is similar to Pandur, Piranha and AMV — the driver and commander are sitting in the front of the hull, the engine is in the middle, troops are in rear. The troops egress is through the rear door. The BTR-4 hull consists of three compartments: front compartment is the driving station; middle compartment contains the vehicle's powerplant; and rear compartment which acts as the troops and fighting compartment.

The BTR-4 is fully amphibious, and he is propelled in the water with two propellers mounted to the back side of the hull.

   
The new BTR-4 is fitted with a remotely operated weapon station and new modules are added on the sides of the hull to increase amphibious capacities.

Walk Like An Egyptian

Marhalim Abas September 26, 2016 Malaysia -RMN

SHAH ALAM: Walk Like An Egyptian was a song made famous by an American band the Bangles. However, in building the Gowind corvette, the French firm DCNS and maybe the Egyptians, are beating our boys in Lumut.

Boustead Naval Shipyard started building RMN’s LCS, four months earlier than the first Gowind corvette build by DCNS for Egypt. The steel cutting ceremony for the first LCS was conducted at the IHX Metallix plant in Holland on Dec 3, 2014.

DCNS cut the first steel for the first Egyptian Gowind corvette on April 16, 2015. And some 18 months later on Sept. 17th, the vessel – Elfateh – was launched at the DCNS shipyard at Lorient.

Compare that to the LCS. Fabrication started in Lumut in late December, 2015 or early January, this year while the keel laying ceremony was only held on March 8. And almost six months later, no one will say officially about the launch date.

It was expected that DCNS will beat BNS to the punch. Lorient is a “hot” yard complete with steel cutting facilities while BNS is a “cold” one – it has not build any ships since the last Kedah-class, KD Selangor. Work on KD Selangor started in 2006 while the ship was launched in 2009 and commissioned a year later.

Furthermore, BNS has to rely on sub-contractors for the supply of steel and to cut them. It takes around three months for the shipyard to get the cut steel before it could start building any part. And that without any change in the production line.

If they are changes, invariably they will be in a new ship build, the steel cut three months ago has to be re-work or discarded completely, delaying the building process.

It is likely that DCNS also faced the same difficulties but with all the facilities within a shouting distance, any problems could be hammered out quickly.

Like us, Egypt is also building more Gowind corvettes in their own shipyard – three actually – but they had the presence of mind to get DCNS to build the first vessel so the French could sort out all of the problems first.

And problems have crop up, as in any new build. DCNS was expected to deliver the first Egypt Gowind in 2017 but now it could be delayed to 2019.

For the record, work on the first Gowind corvette to build in Egypt started at the Alexandria Shipyard on April 16, this year where the first metal, was cut.

BNS was supposed to deliver the first LCS also by 2019 but the word in the industry that it will only happen if we are very lucky.

"RMN To Receive First Littoral Combat Ships In 2019 – Hishammuddin

LUMUT, March 8 (Bernama) — The efficiency of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) will be further increased when it received the first batch of its
Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) in 2019, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein said."

I was told that BNS are having production difficulties (as explained in the 5th paragraph) and progress is not as smooth as have been projected.

Who knows what stage of the LCS will be now if the first vessel was build at Lorient instead of Lumut. But that’s water under the bridge now .

I have stated before that I am not very optimistic about the delivery time of the LCS. I sincerely hope I am proven wrong this time around.

* Note. The post on the steel cutting ceremony were among those that went missing after Malaysian Defence server crashed last year.

On the heavy industries division, whose activities include shipbuilding and repair and oil and gas-related heavy engineering, Boustead told Bursa Malaysia: “Boustead Naval Shipyard recorded a higher deficit in the current quarter, mainly due to downward revision of margin for the LCS (littoral combat ship) project and increase in operating costs.

http://www.thestar.com.my/business/busines...steads-results/

Weapon of choice: France picks German-made HK 416 assault rifle to replace iconic FAMAS

Published time: 24 Sep, 2016 13:37

France has chosen the German-made Heckler & Koch HK 416 carbine to replace its iconic FAMAS assault rifle, which has been used by the French Army for over 40 years. The weapon became synonymous for its use by French soldiers.

The legendary but old-fashioned FAMAS, designed in France by the Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Etienne (MAS), will be replaced by the Heckler & Koch HK 416 by 2017, the French Directorate General for Armaments (DGA) announced in a statement on Friday.

Heckler & Koch, the German manufacturer, will deliver 100,000 rifles as well as accessories, ammunition and provide weapons training to all parts of the French military, including the Army, Navy and Air Force. The value of the 10-year contract is estimated to be around €300 million ($336 million).

"The contract contributes to the further strengthening of the solid ties between Germany and France in defense and in the armaments industry in particular," the DGA statement said, according to German news outlet N-TV. 

The HK 416 won an EU-wide tender for the French bid. It was competing against other competitors, such as the ARX160 made by the Italian company Beretta; the MCX manufactured by the German-Swiss company SIG Sauer, the VHS2 made by the Croatian firm HS Produkt and the SCAR, manufactured by Belgium's FN Herstal.

The FAMAS, known for its distinctive bullpup design, is incompatible with NATO standard ammunition, along with the age of the current rifles used by the military.

https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0...6ec&oe=586C17A0

our LCS progress

ya, picture is show by RMN in FB yesterday. anyway our LCS only launch in 3th quarters 2017, so BNS still have 1 year time to complete the hull.

Russia arms deal eyed

Moscow planning donation or loan

posted September 25, 2016 at 12:01 am
by Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

MOSCOW is planning to donate or loan military equipment and technology to Manila, only days after President Rodrigo Duterte said he would go to Russia or China if the United States did not like his “dirty mouth.”

Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta announced the plan after he met with Russian officials over how the two countries could boost trade and security cooperation as Duterte discussed with Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev last May.

At the same time, the US State Department also announced on Saturday that Washington approved the release of $6.725 million (more than P300 million) from the $32 million fund that US State Secretary John Kerry pledged during his visit to Manila last July.
Ambassador to Russia Carlos Sorreta

Sorreta said the plan to donate or loan military equipment was discussed when he and vice consul Luningning Camoying were briefed by officials of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC).

The FSMTC is a federal agency directly under the Office of the President of the Russian Federation responsible for control and oversight in the field of military-technical cooperation between the Russian Federation and foreign countries.

Russian officials who hosted the briefing are First Department on Military and Technical Cooperation with Foreign States chief Serggey Buganov; and Section on Military-Technical Cooperation with Countries of the Asia-Pacific Region chief Valery Orel.

“We welcomed the briefing, which was quite revealing, particularly the extent that Russia is able to interact with a large number of countries in this field and the different mechanisms that are employed, including acquisition and transfer of Russian military equipment,” Soretta said.

“This is all part of our job to explore opportunities that could contribute to our government’s efforts to modernize our defense capabilities,” Sorreta said.

Aside from the military equipment and technology, Sorreta said Russia is also willing to provide training, after-sales service and maintenance, transfer of technology, investment in domestic military production and servicing and different modes of financing.

PT PAL Indonesia Builds Second Strategic Sea Lift Vessel For Philippines

Our Bureau09:32 AM, September 27, 2016

PT PAL Indonesia (Persero) has completed the construction of the second strategic sea lift vessel (SSV) ordered by the Philippines.

The ship is expected to be rolled out from its yard in Tanjung Perak, Surabaya, East Java, on September 29, Antara News reported.

The second SSV has been readied three or four months faster than the first one which had taken two years to finish, The company president director, M. Firmansyah Arifin said Saturday.

The first sophisticated ship built by the Indonesia was under the category of Lloyd Register class, and was launched on January 18, 2016. It has been named Tarlac by the Philippine government.

"Tarlac was the first warship that Indonesia exported and was part of the development of landing platform dock (LPD) designed with a length of 123 meters, a width of 21.8 meters and was capable of a speed of 16 knots. It can sail for 30 days in high seas," he elaborated. PT PAL applied the one day one block principle, and the strategy helped finish the ship building project faster, the project leader Turitan Indaryo said. "This means, every day there were blocks idenitified to be finished. So, those were completed ahead of the schedule," Turitan, current director of planning and business development, explained.

The Philippines has ordered two units of SSV-type LPD, complete with weapons for self-defense. The SSV comes complete with three helipads and a hangar and is capable of carrying two units of landing craft utility ships plus various kinds of combat vehicles, ranging from military trucks to amphibious assault vehicles.