DND likely to acquire Swedish-made fighter jets

By Ben Cal  October 15, 2018, 5:41 pm

MANILA – After a thorough study and research, the Department of National Defense (DND) is most likely to buy the Swedish-made Gripenmulti-role supersonic jet fighter for the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana made this disclosure in an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on the sidelines of the book launching of former President Fidel V. Ramos at the Manila Hotel on Sunday.

Lorenzana said aside from being cheaper and less expensive in maintenance cost, the Gripen has been proven to be an excellent supersonic fighter aircraft with a top speed of Mach 2 or 1,236 kilometers per hour, or twice the speed of sound.

The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration and is powered by the Volvo RM12. It is being used by various countries in Europe and the Middle East.

The PAF has been scouting for over a decade of what jetfighter aircraft it would buy to replace the US-made F5A/B jet interceptors that retired in 2005 due to old age and lack of spare parts.

Since the F-5s were pulled from service, the Air Force tried to acquire advanced jetfighters such as the supersonic F-16 from the United States, but no progress was made.

Lorenzana said the United States government offered anew to sell F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines.

The offer, Lorenzana added, was made by US Defense Secretary James Mattis when the DND secretary visited Washington last month.

Lorenzana confirmed the US offer, but said the F-16 supersonic jetfighter interceptors are too expensive.

In comparison, the Gripen costs less and has the same capability with other multi-role jetfighters, including the F-16.

Turkish-Indonesian MALE UAV Joint Development.





https://www.aa.com.tr/id/pg/GaleriFoto/kerj...anpa-awak-/214#

Out In The Open

Marhalim Abas
October 16, 2018
Malaysia -RMN

SHAH ALAM: Out in the open. The parliament started its second session after the May 9 general elections on Monday (Oct. 15) with the 2019 budget expected to be table this November 22. The government is also expected to table the mid-term review of the RMK11 during the same session. So far no one has said in detail what the budget will be though both the PM and Finance Minister had said it will be a painful one.

Defence Ministry I have been told will be gutted so much that even the grown men there will crying buckets of tears. What that’s really means is beyond me at the moment, so I guess we will have to wait until the budget is announced.

Anyhow, the previous governmenthad said that the next procurement project for the RMN will be the long sought after Multi Role Support Ship (MRSS) one of the five type of ships identified under the service’s 15 to 5 transformation plan. With work on LMS and LCS underway, the MRSS project will be the third one to be funded though that has been put in choppy waters following the May 9 general elections.

The industry remains hopeful that the project will be continued with the shipyard and design are now expected to be chosen through an open competition. Just a few months ago, everyone thought BNS will get the job but the blowing winds is boosting the sails of its competitors.

I was told that five other shipyards, two in Sabah and Sarawak with the other three in the peninsula – are prepping in case the MRSS gets funded and an open tender will be called. This remains a guessing game however as the industry has yet to be told how much will be allocated for next year, whether it will include the MRSS and the rest of RMK11. In the past the industry will get hints of what to expect but its no longer the case this time around due to the change in government.

Personally, I am guessing that the MRSS will not be funded during the next three years and it will only be done in the next RMK.

As for the design of the MRSS itself, I have been told that all options remained in contention. Yes this means the China, Turkish, French and Indonesian ones are still in the running.

Defence Ministry I have been told will be gutted so much that even the grown men there will crying buckets of tears.

YANGON: Two Myanmar fighter pilots were killed in separate crashes due to heavy fog Tuesday, officials said, with the debris from one of the planes killing a young girl in her home.

Poor visibility caused one F-7 jet to fly into a telecommunications tower near Magway air force base more than 500 kilometres northwest of Yangon, an air force official told AFP.

“He had no time to eject,” said the official, who did not want to be named.

A 10-year-old girl, who was studying at home, was hit by a piece of the plane after it struck the tower, lawmaker Kyaw Swan Yee from nearby Min Buu town said.

“She died after arriving at hospital,” he said.

In the other incident – which ocurred just 10 miles (16 kilometres) away – the pilot managed to eject from his plane but was killed when he hit the ground according to the official.

Two Royal Saudi Air Force pilots have lost their lives when their training jet crashed during a routine mission in the kingdom’s northwestern region of Tabuk.

The British-made and single-engine BAE Systems Hawk aircraft was on a routine operational training mission on Monday when it suffered the mishap 100 kilometers away from the city of Tabuk and close to the border with Jordan, online Arabic-language newspaper Sabq reported.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known and the air force has launched a probe to determine it.

a-10

As for the design of the MRSS itself, I have been told that all options remained in contention. Yes this means the China, Turkish, French and Indonesian ones are still in the running.

Turkish? What type of the ship is that?

Iinm...the middle one is the Turkish LPD.



http://www.malaysiandefence.com/rmns-mrss-...sa-2018-shorts/

Isn't that damen designed LPD?

The Su-27 fighter jet has crashed near the village of Ulanov (Vinniitskaya region) during the execution of a combat training flight, the press service of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on Tuesday.

"Today, around 17.00 local time [14:00 GMT], a Su-27 plane crashed near ​​the village of Ulaniv [between the towns of Berdychiv and Khmil'nyk] during a combat training flight.

Search and rescue activities are being carried out," the press service said in its Facebook blog.

Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian Su-27 and the US F-15 fighter jets conducted a training mission within Clear Sky 2018 military drills.

Philippines concludes fighter studies, points to possible Gripen acquisition

Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
17 October 2018

The Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) has concluded a study in support of its programme to procure a new fighter jet and confirmed that Saab’s Gripen aircraft is in pole position to win the contract.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in comments published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on 15 October that the DND “is most likely to buy” the Gripen following a “thorough study and research” to support the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF’s) Multi-Role Fighter (MRF) project.

Lorenzana said the Gripen was the least expensive platform to procure and maintain. He reportedly added that the DND had been offered Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter aircraft from the US government but that the proposal was “too expensive”.

M'sia not ready to make its own fighter jet just yet, says Mat Sabu

Bernama
16 Oct 2018, 6:50 pm (Updated 16 Oct 2018, 6:57 pm)

PARLIAMENT | Malaysia does not have the capability yet, especially in terms of finances, to have its own fighter jet, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said that though researchers feel that Malaysia could produce a fighter jet in 2020, it would also depend on the country’s financial capacity.

“In the country's attempt to manufacture an aircraft, for example, we have been able to manufacture a passenger aircraft, but small in size.

"If we want to manufacture about 50 units, it is just not economical, so we have to mass produce, but where can we sell them?” he asked.

Mohamad was responding to a supplementary question from Abd Latiff Ahmad (BN-Mersing) who wanted to know whether the ministry would be keen on collaborating with a university that has the expertise but not the capital to build a jet.

Latiff said that this effort could be coordinated with members of the Malaysian Defence Industry Council (MIPM) to enable the self-reliance policy to be expedited.

In reply to another supplementary question from Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS-Pasir Mas) on the capability of the Malaysian fighter jets in operations and warfare, Mohamad reminded all quarters not to look down on the ability of the air force.

The air force's equipment is sufficient, in good condition and ready for use in the event of a war, he said.

“We will not go to war with any country, but we are fully prepared, and our military personnel are in high spirits. If it (military equipment) is in a state of disrepair, we will fix it,” he said.

TUNIS, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- A Tunisian pilot was rescued on Wednesday after his plane crashed during a military exercise in Tunisia's northern province of Bizerte, the Ministry of Defense said.

The survivor was able to use his ejector seat and remained at sea until he was rescued.

The rescue operation succeeded despite unfavorable weather conditions, thanks to air defense research helicopters with the coordination of Tunisian Air Force and the Navy.

The pilot has been transferred to a military base to receive intensive medical treatment. Enditem