RIP to a perfect soldier...

US Army Delta Force sergeant major dies during free-fall parachute training




A highly decorated special operations soldier has died from wounds received during military free-fall training, U.S. Army Special Operations Command confirmed Friday.

Sgt. Maj. Christopher Nelms died July 1 while training in Laurinburg, North Carolina, Lt. Col. Robert Bockholt, a spokesman for USASOC, said in a statement to Army Times.

Nelms' death, which the Army did not announce, was first reported by Yahoo News.

Nelms, who Yahoo News identified as a member of the Army’s elite and secretive Delta Force, died when his parachute failed to fully open during a June 27 jump, the outlet reported.



Bockholt told Army Times the incident is under investigation. He declined to provide any more information.

Nelms, 46, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, joined the Army in 1990 as an infantryman. He served with 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment at what’s now Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, deploying to the Philippines and twice to Iraq, according to information from USASOC.

Nelms then served in the Army National Guard’s 19th Special Forces Group, according to Yahoo News.

In 2008, Nelms returned to active duty and was assigned to U.S. Special Operations Command, where he served as an assault team member, an assistant team sergeant, a team sergeant, an operations sergeant major and a troop sergeant major, according to USASOC.

He deployed six times to Iraq and Afghanistan and once to Niger.

“He had a great reputation,” a former Delta operator who knew Nelms told Yahoo News. “Everyone who serves at the unit is handpicked, so whether it’s [in training] or in combat, the reality is losing someone at that level is devastating."

Nelms was “irreplaceable,” the former operator said, according to Yahoo News. “It’ll be a decade before someone can fill those kinds of slots, with that experience, with that training.”

Nelms’ awards and decorations include two Silver Stars, the Soldier’s Medal, six Bronze Star medals, one with the V device, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with V device, two Army Commendation Medals, the Joint Service Achievement Medal with C device, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the Iraq Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, and the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star.

He also had the Special Forces tab, the Ranger tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Military Freefall Jumpmaster Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge and the Special Operations Diver Badge.


A notice of his death posted on July 16 on SOCNET, the Special Operations Community Network, stated that Nelms had participated in the Best Ranger competition, was once a Washington state firefighter and was married with two children.

On July 11, Eastside Fire & Rescue, in Issaquah, Washington, posted that Nelms joined the department in 1997 and was a firefighter for 10 years before going back to active duty.

Nelms was posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit.

He was the second special operations soldier to die this year during free-fall training.

Sgt. Maj. Samuel Morris McAllister, 45, died on Jan. 24 in Eloy, Arizona. McAllister, who was posthumously promoted from master sergeant to sergeant major, was an infantry senior sergeant with the 75th Ranger Regiment.

Indonesian Army Special Forces Kopassus new locally made P6-ATAV (All Terrain Assault Vehicle) by PT Sentra Surya Ekajaya. Credit to Tuneup Digital Media.



This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 6 2018, 11:00 AM

MD 530G Primary Weapons Testing - Yuma Proving Ground.

The Israeli military has big plans for small drones

For decades, Israel’s Air Force has been operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in varying sizes and applications. Now, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is turning its gaze to small rotorcrafts manufactured by the likes of Israeli Aeronautics Ltd. and Chinese company DJI.

The IDF currently uses over 400 drones and has over a thousand soldiers trained as operators. It uses small, low-cost drones deployed at the company level. Most of the off-the-shelf drones used are manufactured by DJI, with the most widely used model being the DJI Mavic—a modifiable, super light pocket drone that is easy to operate in an urban environment.

According to Liran Antebi, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, the IDF’s increasing use of drones is part of a trend that is seeing armies worldwide adapting simple consumer drones to a variety of combat applications.

“There are many missions to accomplish, and some of them are simply easier when you can cover the area from above,” Antebi told Calcalist in an interview on Thursday.

According to her, larger UAV systems are very costly to buy and operate. “You are always looking to solve problems for less,” she said. “We are at a time when private companies have research and development budgets that are bigger than the defense budgets of small- and medium-sized countries. We have to be able to use off-the-shelf [solutions] because that is what the other side is doing.”

Real-world applications



The military started utilizing off-the-shelf drones in the summer of 2014 in one of the violent eruptions in Gaza. Before the introduction of low-cost drones, only the special forces could use real-time aerial photography in ground operations, said Major Assaf Shaish, the head of the IDF’s drone department. Now, drones assist IDF soldiers as they carry out arrests in the narrow alleyways of Palestinian cities.

The IDF supplies ground companies with a kit that typically includes three drones, batteries, command and control devices, and a charging unit. Special ops and reconnaissance units get bigger, more costly drones.

The drones are operated by soldiers that have completed a one-week course, which include lessons on basic aerodynamic principles and aerial photography analysis. Shaish said the IDF is aiming to train as many soldiers as possible to be drone operators.

“Drones let commanding officers make data-based decisions,” Shaish said. “It improves their confidence.”

The department he heads has been developing new operational drones, in collaboration with the Israeli Ministry of Defense (Mafat) and civilian defense contractors.

Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems Ltd. has been working with the IDF to develop a large drone capable of longer flight time, and drone maker Aeronautics Defense Systems Ltd. is developing a drone that could carry dozens of kilograms worth of equipment.

“We recently started focusing on combat logistics, attempting to replace existing methods of supplying medicine and munitions with drones,” Shaish said. According to him, the IDF is also testing the use of drones for disarming explosives.

“We are testing everything that could have operational value, every option of attacking with a drone,” he said. “Even suicide drones.” According to Shaish, the IDF is not operating attack drones currently, but deployment plans are underway.

Upcoming use cases



Since the time of the interview, two Israeli defense contractors, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and government-owned Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) have unveiled suicide drones designed to attack and kill people. These drones are expected to become available to the IDF within months.

Rafael has unveiled its Firefly armed drone earlier this year. Weighing only 3 kilograms, the Firefly can carry a warhead weighing up to 350 grams and remain airborne for up to 15 minutes before crashing and exploding into its target. Earlier this month, IAI also unveiled a new so-called “suicide drone” in a video, announcing it has completed a proof of concept for the device, which uses a grenade to attack targets.

Drone swarms are also being developed. These are created with specific tasks in mind—from pushing back protesters and enemy forces to supplying attack missions. The Israeli military is also looking into control systems that can autonomously fly these drones, Shaish added. One such system is currently being tested by the IDF and is expected to be operational within the next two years.

According to Shaish, Mafat has been testing several pilots for drone swarms in collaboration with some of Israel’s top defense contractors like Israeli Elbit, Rafael, and IAI.

“This is a natural evolution of this type of machine,” Shaish said.

Dua Kapal TNI AL dan Pasukan TNI AD Berangkat dari Surabaya Kirim Bantuan Gempa Bumi NTB

Pasca gempa bumi di NTB kemarin, dua kapal TNI Angkatan Laut (AL) dan pasukan TNI Angkatan Darat (AD) berangkat ke Lombok, NTB, Senin (6/8/2018) dari Dermaga Madura Ujung Surabaya.

Dua kapal itu adalah KRI dr Soeharso-990 dan KRI Karel Satsuitubun-356. Seperti informasi yang didapat Surya.co.id dari Kadispenkoarmada II Letkol Laut (KH) Suratno SS, kapal diberangkatkan ke Lombok, NTB untuk penanggulangan bencana gempa bumi, berdasarkan perintah langsung Presiden RI Joko Widodo kepada Panglima TNI Marsekal Hadi Tjahjanto.

Dua kapal membawa serta Satgas Pasukan Reaksi Cepat Penanggulangan Bencana (PCRPB) TNI beserta bantuan logistik seperti Sarden, Air Mineral, Roti dan Mie Instan. Dalam kapal tersebut turut serta Tim Kesehatan TNI AL sejumlah 60 personel terdiri dari dokter, perawat, tenaga medis, sekaligus satu paket obat-obatan dari Lembaga Farmasi TNI AL.

Selain itu Yonzipur (Batalyon Zeni Tempur) 10 Divisi II Kostrad juga mengirimkan personel 100 prajurit, dipimpin Lettu CZI M Fariz Zain beserta alat-alat berat, seperti Dumptruck, Crane Cargo, Selfloader, Backhoe Loader, Exca PC 70, Ran penjernih air, Forklift, Lighting tower, dan alat bantu keselamatan lainnya.

Setelah tiba di lokasi nanti, KRI dr Soeharso-990 berfungsi sebagai kapal rumah sakit yang dilengkapi dengan peralatan medis.

http://surabaya.tribunnews.com/2018/08/06/...-gempa-bumi-ntb

Towing process of the Indonesian Navy newly launched LPD KRI Semarang (594) at PT PAL Shipyard.

Royal Thai Army VT-4 Main Battle Tank.

Russian KnAAPO officials visited Indonesian Iswahjudi AFB to check on preparation for the home base of the Su-35 fighter jets.





https://jatim.sindonews.com/read/350/1/kesi...usia-1533553685

Read more: http://www.airrecognition.com/index.php/ar...or-october.html

Indonesian Air Force Chief: Indonesian Air Force to be equipped with Su-35 Fighter Jets, C-130J Super Hercules, AWACS Aircraft, Air Refueling Tanker Aircraft, Amphibian Aircraft, Heavylift & Combat SAR Helicopter and UAVs.


Photo by Alex Sidharta



https://tni-au.mil.id/wingday-sekbang-terpa...i-awak-pesawat/

http://defense-studies.blogspot.com/2018/0...nambah.html?m=1




This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 7 2018, 09:41 AM

I wonder if they ever did a direct comparison with their Oplot since they have both.

really??all those?isn't that a butt load of money there....
must be nice

indons talk better take it with a pinch of salt... until there's a pic/vid of the asset in their hangar... same goes with peenoise and yindia... msia to a certain extent

yeah...we can expect that from Indonesia and Philippine...but does india same with them??to me they seem good so far except some hiccups ofkos.

lol.. i mean in terms of declaring intention to procure.. 80% of the time it doesnt happen or a watered down deal is done

Lets see based from the news:
• Su-35 Fighter Jets --> Done Deal.
• C-130J Super Hercules ---> https://www.angkasareview.com/2018/07/29/tn...sia-tahun-2019/
• Aerial Refueling Tanker ---> https://www.janes.com/article/77173/indones...ker-requirement
Indonesian Air Force Technical Review Report concluded in favor with the KC-46A Pegasus over the Airbus MRTT.
• Heavylift & Combat SAR Helicopter --> The Air Force wants more AW101.
• Amphibian Aircraft --> Be-200 MOU signed between Beriev and PT Infinity Global Mandiri. The competitor is the US-2 Shinmaywa.



• UAVs --> Male UCAV done deal.
https://www.janes.com/article/78147/indones...uavs-from-china
Acually it was the CH-4 UCAV that Indonesia bought.
• AWACS ---> Now this is a surprise the Wedgetail.

This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 7 2018, 11:39 AM

Don't compare Indonesia & Philippine lah.

I remember when news of Indonesia intention to buy the AH-64E Apache everbody was laughing. From the intention to buy the Apache Guardian, Leopard 2RI, Javelin ATGM, NASAMS Medium SAM...etc all became a reality.

This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 7 2018, 11:15 AM

Yes. Procurement plan in TNI Minimum Essential Force (MEF) 2 & 3 which ends in 2024.

This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 7 2018, 11:21 AM

i support the plan for TNI AL but others, i dont think so. the TNI AL increasing vessel and support facilities is a good thing and will bring development to the neighborhood so its good. for other i dont see it become better. dont know what the higher ups see.

wedgetail for AWACS ???that is super surprise

sorry if i offend you at comment before. it just this thing takes a lot of times and it build a lot of unnecessary antagonize when visiting the Indonesian forum by its user making any discussion just frustrating and inconvenience.

Not at all. Actually i wasn't referring to you.

Besides replacing outdated military assets, Indonesia needs more assets for the Armed Force to cover its vast land, sea and airspace.

The Indonesian Air Force is forming 3 new Fighter Squadron. The candidates are F-16V, Gripen and FA-50 with the Rafale and Eurofighter pitching in also. The F-16V is the favorite.

Lockheed Martin is offering Indonesia the F-16V Block 72: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/produc...-indonesia.html

This post has been edited by azriel: Aug 7 2018, 01:34 PM