TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Mirage-2000 fighter jet of the Taiwan Air Force disappeared from radar screens while off the coast of North Taiwan Tuesday evening, according to media reports.

The French-built aircraft was on a routine mission when it vanished around 6:43 p.m, cable station TVBS said. Nothing was immediately known about the fate of the pilot, named as Ho Tzu-yu, a man who had just celebrated his first wedding anniversary, according to the TV report.

A coast guard vessel had reportedly picked up a signal and was searching the area for the jet, while the Air Force was sending an S-70C helicopter, the Central News Agency reported.

Earlier reports placed the jet near the coast of Hsinchu County, but later news said the plane had last been located close to Keelung.

LIFT, MRCA and More

Marhalim Abas November 8, 2017 Malaysia - RMAF

BANGKOK: LIFT, MRCA and more. Far from the rain and humidity of Southeast Asia, RMAF long term plan has finally been articulated.

At a Berlin conference on Tuesday, a two-star RMAF offered a glimpse into its current situation and the service’s view of the future.

Here some of the talking points.

In the immediate term, it needs to get at least ten more F/A-18 Hornet airframes though it remained to be seen whether they will get them at anytime soon.

The general said that they were mostly looking at the Kuwaiti Hornets as this was the most closest in term of specifications to its own Hornets.

High-hour Hornets though available are not desirable.

Another short term measure being look at is for the surveillance equipment onboard the three Beechcraft B200T be reinstalled on the CN-235s for them to serve as MPAs.

Looking to the future, as the MRCA program has been shelved beyond 2020, the RMAF was looking at newer alternatives to the current offerings. He says they are looking beyond the 4.5 generation fighters.

As for the Hawks and MB-339s, the service is looking to replace them in a 15 year time period, likely the same time as the MRCA is selected. This should be in the TA/FA-50 class with two squadrons as the minimum.

To be updated.

also looks like the newly announced 4 mpa addition is for brand-nheew planes, not 2nd hand stuff

Leonardo’s ATR 72MP, Indonesian Aerospace’s CN-235 and Airbus’ C295 have all been marketed to Malaysia.

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/defence-...-new-equipment/

Another short term measure being look at is for the surveillance equipment onboard the three Beechcraft B200T be reinstalled on the CN-235s for them to serve as MPAs.

Mig35, you may cannibilise parts from Mig29 i suppose, but those were mainly plagued with part problems in the first place (correct me if im wrong)

DSA 2018 the most important Defense and Security Exhibition in the Asian region



DSA, the Defence Services Asia is the most important defense and security exhibition in the Asian Region. The edition 2018 of DSA will take place from 16 to 19 April, 2018 in the new Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Center MITEC. DSA exhibition it's more than 1,000  companies from the global defence and security sector from more than 50 countries and regions. More than 26 International Pavilions are expected to participate to engage with more than 300 VIP Delegations from more than 44 countries. Army Recognition is appointed as Official Online Show Daily News and Web TV for DSA 2018.

Defense and Security Thailand 2017 exhibition Bangkok new military equipment defense industry Day1




Today, November 6, 2017, opening of Defense and Security 2017 exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand, a biennale event for the international defense and security industry in the Asian region. More than 400 manufacturers from 50 countries presents state-of-the-art technologies and innovations of military and security products.

RMAF to set up team to evaluate maritime patrol aircraft - RMAF Chief

By Bernama - November 7, 2017 @ 4:17pm

BANGKOK: The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will set up a technical team to evaluate several types of maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) following government approval of the purchase of the surveillance aircraft as announced in the 2018 Budget recently.

According to RMAF Chief, Gen Tan Sri Affendi Buang, the technical team will analyse several aspects of the contender’s aircraft and choose the best option which fits the RMAF requirements.

“Besides the aircraft’s capabilities, the team will evaluate other functions of the aircraft, including its supportive aspect and whether it (the aircraft) could collaborate with our local industry. We need to look holistically on its long-term benefits,” he told the media while attending the Defence and Security 2017 exhibition here recently.

He said the government, as announced in the budget, had approved the procurement of four MPAs in line with RMAF’s minimum requirement, but the number of the aircraft could be added in the future, depending on the government’s financial ability.

Affendi said the impending purchase of the aircraft would definitely boost the air force’s ability to safeguard the country’s maritime borders and ward off any intrusion.

Currently, safeguarding the nation’s maritime sovereignty is primarily shouldered by three of the RMAF’s Beechcraft B200 aircraft, and aircraft from other agencies.

Meanwhile, the RMAF chief said to ensure the technical team made the best evaluation on the right aircraft for the air force, a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) officer would also be included in the team due to several compelling reasons.

Although the MPA will be operated by the RMAF, the multi-spectral mission of the aircraft also consists of naval operations such as Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), which makes it imperative to have output from a naval officer in the evaluation team.

Besides ASW and maritime surveillance, the MPAs, according to Affendi also needs to perform missions such as Search And Rescue (SAR) and Electronic Intelligence (ELINT).

Among the contenders to fulfill RMAF’s MPA requirement include Airbus Defence and Space’s C295, Indonesia’s PT Dirgantara CN235, Leonardo’s ATR72 and P-8 Poseidon which are used by the United States and Australia’s armed forces.

P-8 Poseidon’s prohibitive price tag could overrule the pricey aircraft from the race, according to a defence analyst who declined to be named. He said the ATR72 which was in service with a number of countries could be the front-runner due to several reasons.

On offer by the Japanese Government to transfer its Kawasaki P-1 maritime surveillance aircraft to Malaysia for free, Affendi said the RMAF technical team had just left for the country to evaluate the offer.

Well it turns out they're upgrading our current MIG-29 to MIG-29NM - source
This is an interesing write-up on the MIG-29 upgrade choices - source
Oh noes! ... did RMAF sell its MIG-29 to India - source

The parts issue is never a factor if their service setup was professionally run.
See this typical BS crap they're pulling on defence assets - source.
Heard of the missing engine case? That just reinforces what's written above.

Russia begins delivering T-90S/SK tanks to Vietnam, says report

Gabriel Dominguez - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
07 November 2017


A Russian T-90S MBT fitted with the Shtora defensive aids suite. Source: UralVagonZavod

Russia has begun delivering T-90S and T-90SK main battle tanks (MBTs) to Vietnam, according to a report by Russian state-owned news agency Interfax.

“As a result of a series of negotiations between Russian and Vietnamese experts, a contract was signed for the delivery of T-90S and T-90SK tanks, and the parties have now started implementing it,” Interfax quoted Mikhail Petukhov, a deputy director of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), as saying on 7 November.

The announcement comes after Vietnamese and Russian media outlets reported earlier this year that Hanoi had ordered 64 T-90S/SK MBTs from Russia. The reports said at the time that the acquisition would be funded by credit provided by Moscow.

In July Russian tank manufacturer UralVagonZavod announced in its annual report that it had secured an order from Vietnam for the tanks. The T-90S is the basic export model, while the ‘K’ postfix is a reference to command versions.

Finally, DefTech expects to be involved in the refurbishment of M109A5 self-propelled howitzers being acquired from the US via the Foreign Military Sales scheme. Malaysian staff will work with the Maine Military Authority in the US to bring these vehicles back to life.

Their analogue systems will not be digitised nor will they be upgraded to M109A6 configuration.