Indonesia edges closer towards acquisition of Mi-26 helicopters from Russia

Ridzwan Rahmat, Singapore - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
01 December 2016
  
A delegation from the Indonesian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has concluded a visit to Russia during which a discussion to acquire Mi-26 helicopters for the Indonesian Army (Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Darat: TNI-AD) was held.

The matter was disclosed to IHS Jane's on 1 December by sources from within the MoD, and corroborated with matching accounts from an official at state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI).

Among matters that were discussed during the visit were defence offsets, technology transfer arrangements, and how local Indonesian companies could benefit from the acquisition should it proceeds.

IHS Jane's understands that PTDI is being proposed as a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for the Mi-26 platform, should the acquisition be approved by the Indonesian government.

RSAF and TNI-AU aircraft flying together during Exercise Elang Indopura 2016 (photo : Sing Mindef)

THE IMPLICATIONS OF A RISING INDONESIA FOR AUSTRALIA IN THE ASIAN CENTURY.

Bradley Wood - 22 November 2016

SYNOPSIS

Decision-makers in Jakarta will be more of a threat to Australia than those in Beijing in the decades ahead. Indonesia’s rise matters far more to Australia’s security than any other country, including the United States (US). Indonesia will continue to grow in significance to the US at the expense of Australia’s interests in the region. Australia needs to recognise the growing strategic threat posed by a rising Indonesia so it can adequately plan and offset this challenge independently of its allies. A newly democratic Indonesia at Australia’s doorstep does little to mitigate the strategic threat posed to Australia. Indonesia is currently experiencing increased nationalism, an upcoming presidential election in 2019, and a defence re-posture to West Papua – a historical potential flashpoint between Australia and Indonesia. The two countries also share two controversial seabed agreements that could cause future diplomatic tensions. Any one of these could cause Indonesia to look south and exert its growing strength. When it comes to dealing with the challenge of a rising Indonesia, Australia is likely to be alone.


INDONESIA’S RISE

Over the next two decades, Indonesia’s military strength will match Australia’s for the first time Indonesia’s defence force currently consists of 396,000 active, 400,000 reserve, and 281,000 paramilitary personnel. As Indonesia becomes the world’s fourth largest economy by 2050, this economic heft will underpin a substantial rise in national power, driving Indonesia’s military modernisation ambitions. Indonesia’s 10 to 15 year modernisation plan includes a 274-ship ‘green-water navy’, 10 fighter squadrons and 12 diesel-electric submarines. A modernised military capability will provide Indonesia with the power to project force south and is likely to challenge Australia’s control over the “Air-Sea Gap” – the important region between Australia and Indonesia that provides Australia with a defensive buffer zone. Separating capability and intent is difficult. However, Indonesia’s rising capabilities will increase the capability side of threat calculation influencing Australia’s threat perception. The Indonesian archipelago will increasingly become a more important region for future considerations of force posture and acquisition, at the expense of periphery interests in Asia.

Indonesia’s military procurement diversification has resulted in increased weapons systems procurement, technology transfer arrangements, and closer defence relations with new defence partners. Since 2009, Russia, South Korea and China have been the dominant arms suppliers to Indonesia. Indonesia’s ongoing acquisition and technology transfer arrangements such as the Chinese C-705 anti-ship missile is an indication of its ambitions to improve and develop an indigenous anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capability. Indonesia’s enhanced A2/AD capability will allow Indonesia to secure its maritime borders and strategic sea-lanes at a time when they become increasingly vital to Australia’s future economic prosperity. Indonesia’s modernised capabilities will also provide it with the option to exert its strategic policy more effectively, probably at the expense of Australia’s economic interests in the region. Indonesia could use its increased military capabilities to secure important offshore petroleum and gas deposits in the Arafura and Timor Seas along the contestable borders of its 1972 seabed agreement with Australia. Likewise, Australia’s growing natural resource exports such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), must traverse Indonesia’s deep water straits to access customers in north Asia, and these exports are exposed to significant supply chain risks with choke points within the Indonesian archipelago. Indonesia could exert its newfound strength by delaying or limiting exports through its straits, or prevent the vital petroleum and oil imports that sustain Australia’s economy and the Australian Defence Force.

Two more FA-50 fighter jets delivered to PAF

Published December 1, 2016 6:51pm

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Thursday received two more FA-50 fighter jets it ordered from a South Korean aircraft manufacturer, bringing to four the number of FA-50s in the military's inventory.

The two aircraft are part the 12 FA-50s ordered by the defense and military establishment from the Korea Aerospace Industries for P18.9 billion as part of the ongoing Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) Modernization Program.

The first two aircraft were delivered November last year, while the delivery of the eight others is due to be completed in September next year in accordance with the contract.

PAF spokesman Col. Antonio Francisco said the newly-delivered aircraft, with tail numbers 003 and 004, were met somewhere over Pangasinan by the two FA-50s that were earlier delivered before landing one after the other at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga before noon Thursday.

"Prior to landing, they made two passes over Clark Field in diamond formation together with 001 and 002 FA-50PHs," said Francisco, referring to the first and second FA-50s that were delivered last year.

"After landing, they passed through [a] water cannon ceremony then the pilots disembarked from the aircraft," he added.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, AFP chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya and PAF chief Lt. Gen. Edgar Fallorina welcomed aircraft upon touchdown at Clark Air Base.

The aircraft, flown by KAI pilots, left Korea last Tuesday and made a stop in Taiwan for re-fuelling. —KBK, GMA News

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I didn't know we put Damocles pod on our Su30
Seems all the more reason to go Rafale for commonality now

Yes unfortunately I had to kill it, nothing wrong with it but as I had pointed out some got concerns about it. That’s why I hate writing about operational issues, even if I am right about it, if some got concerns about it I will be wrong..

Tiga penculik ditembak mati

Kota Kinabalu: Tiga lelaki dipercayai kumpulan penculik dari selatan Filipina ditembak mati selepas melakukan penculikan di perairan Merabung, Lahad Datu, malam tadi.

Dalam kejadian 9.30 malam itu, dua lagi suspek diberkas manakala seorang lelaki dipercayai mangsa culik berjaya diselamatkan.

Namun, seorang anggota keselamatan turut cedera di kaki dalam pertempuran berkenaan.

Pesuruhjaya Polis Sabah Datuk Abd Rashid Harun ketika dihubungi memaklumkan pihaknya akan mengadakan sidang media esok.

"Saya tidak boleh bagi komen lanjut... saya akan buat sidang media di Semporna pada 10.30 pagi esok," katanya.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/node/187874

Hilang 2 Pekan, Pilot Helikopter TNI yang Jatuh di Malinau Ditemukan Selamat

Kamis, 8 Desember 2016 | 21:09 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Lettu Cpn Yohanes Syahputra, pilot helikopter milik TNI AD yang jatuh di wilayah Malinau, Kalimantan Utara, ditemukan selamat, Kamis (8/12/2016) sore waktu setempat.

Kepala Dinas Penerangan TNI Angkatan Darat Brigadir Jenderal Sabrar Fadhilah mengatakan, korban ditemukan oleh masyarakat di sekitar jalan Desa Long Sulid ke Desa Long Berang.

"Alhamdulillah, kita bersyukur atas karunia Tuhan, hari ini 8 Desember 2016 sekitar pukul 15.20 Wita, telah ditemukan salah satu penumpang Helly Bell 412 EP No Reg 5166 yang jatuh di sekitar kawasan Malinau, Lettu Cpn Yohanes Syahputra," ujar Sabrar melalui keterangan tertulis yang diterima Kompas.com, Kamis malam.

Saat ditemukan, Yohanes dalam kondisi luka-luka di bagian tangan, pinggang, dan kaki. Ia terlihat lemas karena kurang makan selama beberapa hari.

Melalui satuan kewilayahan, kata Sabrar, saat ini Yohanes tengah dibawa dari Desa Long Sulid ke Tarakan untuk mendapat perawatan medis.

Magazines are usually supposed to be disposable (for convenience), but I'm sure these are expensive enough not to be thrown away just like that. Where to keep the empty mags though?

State Dept. approves $3.5B Apache helicopter sale to UAE

By Ryan Maass
Dec. 9, 2016 at 11:48 AM



WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of Apache AH-64E attack helicopters to the government of the United Arab Emirates.

The foreign military sales request includes 28 remanufactured helicopters in addition to 39 AN/ASQ-170 Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation sensors, 32 AN/APR-48B Modernized Radar Frequency Interferometers, 46 AAR-57 Common Missile Warning Systems, 88 Embedded Global Positioning Systems, and other supporting equipment.

If approved by Congress, the UAE's order will also come with training devices, technical data and publications, and other supporting services. The total estimated cost of the program is $3.5 billion.

U.S. defense officials say the sale enhances foreign policy interests in the region, and will not alter the balance of power in the Middle East. Boeing and Lockheed Martin are listed as the primary contractors.

The Boeing-made AH-64 Apache is a four-blade rotary-wing aircraft typically equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The AH-64E variant comes with improved landing gear to support maritime operations.

Quick reloading is not as important when your 1 mag has 3 times the capacity of normal mag

The coffin mag is at least slightly more ergonomic than drum or box which is the only other option for 100 rounds, you still got chance to stuff that big banana in a strap somewhere relatively quickly

If you're firing drum or box also you will still be told to bring the mag back. That makes the process even slower (seen a SAW gunner reload right?)

Pythonic
Why would someone want this kind of magazine over, say, a drum magazine of the same capacity? Is it just the weight of it?
1 month ago•

Max Headspace9mm
Pythonic The most popular 100 round mag for the ar15 is a double drum system. It has a lot of wasted space inside of it so it's kind of bulky in my opinion. It doesn't hang as low as the surefire mag but it's very wide and for most kinds of shooting it's more cumbersome. Weight isn't too big of an issue because the rounds in the mag are much heavier than the mag itself. So if you want to shoot prone the beta mag is a better configuration. In all other cases the surefire is better, cheaper and lighter.

Syria: "First" of the Leopard 2A4 in confrontation with antitank missile

22:45 12/12/2016

At least two attacks with anti-tank missiles conducted by ISIS against an equal number of Turkish tanks Leopard 2A4 in the area of al-Bab.

According to information from the Turkish army reported no loss tanks today, and thicken the internet reports that tanks survived without damage of attacks.