Canada Loses All Hope of Finding Buyers for Its Outdated Tanks

19:52 08.07.2018

Canada's Leopard tanks were replaced with the more modern Leopard 2, but finding buyers for the old ones has proved to be difficult, especially due to the limitations imposed by the country.

The Canadian military has given up on its idea to sell its 50 decommissioned Leopard 1C2 battle tanks, which were rendered unnecessary after the army moved on to the Leopard 2, Global News reported. Department of National Defense spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said in a statement that no buyers had been found for the outdated vehicles and the department is now looking into "alternate disposal methods."

According to the media outlet, the military reportedly tried to sell them to Jordan in February this year, but judging by the recent statement of the defense department, their efforts ultimately failed. Rob Huebert, a senior researcher at the Centre for Military and Strategic Analysis at the University of Calgary noted in an interview with Canadian media that the list of potential buyers was rather short due to Canada's policy not to sell weapons to "problematic countries."

The Department of National Defense spokesman said that 11 of the Leopard 1C2 tanks will be given to museums as a tribute to Canada's military history, while the fate of the others is yet to be determined. It is possible, that they will be used as targets in firing practice for the Leopard 2s or they could be just destroyed, he added.

Why a powerful Indonesia could influence Australia's future more than China

THE WORLD BY MICHAEL WALSH
EARLIER TODAY AT 3:30AM

If its economy continues to grow at its current rate, Indonesia will become one of the most powerful nations in the world in coming decades.

Key points:
• Indonesia could become the fourth largest economy in the world by 2050
• Strategist Hugh White says a powerful Indonesia could help limit China's influence
• He said having strong ties with Indonesia would be a strategic asset to Australia

But while China's rise has loomed large in Australian foreign policy thinking, our northern neighbour's growing fortunes hardly seem to register.

Strategist Hugh White from the Australian National University has discussed what these developments could mean for Australia in a lead essay for the latest edition of Australian Foreign Affairs magazine.

"Indonesia, our next door neighbour, is going end up being a very rich and therefore very powerful country. And we haven't really thought about what to make of that," Professor White told the ABC's The World program.

Professor White says the Australian Government currently estimates that Indonesia's economy will be three times the size of ours by 2030, and may even become the fourth largest in the world by 2050.

"Indonesia's a funny economy because in some ways it looks very disorganised — it's got a lot of corruption, it's got a bad legal system and a lot of nationalism that can inhibit trade," he said.

"But the fact is that for a long time now, it's been growing at an average of 5 or 6 per cent per annum, and there doesn't seem much reason not to expect it to keep on doing that."

Could Indonesia help balance out China worries?

Professor White said there were two main ways to look at Indonesia's growth: as a potential threat, or as a potential strategic asset in a region where power dynamics are beginning to shift in China's favour.

"We've traditionally seen Indonesia as a very difficult neighbour, very close and potentially threatening to Australia," he said.

"In many ways Australian defence policy for decades has focused very strongly on the possibility of some sort of conflict with Indonesia."

Indonesia Ratifies Defense Pact With S. Korea, Wants to Continue Stealth Jet Project

By Robertus Wardi on 2:21 pm Jul 11, 2018
Category News ,  Security

Jakarta. Indonesia on Tuesday (10/07) ratified a defense cooperation agreement with South Korea, providing legal footing for continuing joint military projects, including development of the KF-X/IF-X fighter jets.

The Indonesia-Korea Defense Cooperation Law covers the exchange of military personnel, weapons, and the formation of a committee to implement it.

"This defense cooperation will preserve the good relations between the two countries and improve the welfare and the security of our nations" Asril Hamzah Tanjung, deputy chairman of House of Representatives' Commission I, which oversees defense, said on Tuesday.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said earlier that the law would allow the government to continue developing the 4.5 generation semi-stealth fighters.

Indonesia joined the $7.5 billion KF-X project in June 2010, by funding it in 20 percent and supplying engineers to work alongside South Koreans.

S. Korea's New-Gen KF-X Fighters To Get Locally-Developed Missiles

Our Bureau 12:32 PM, July 11, 2018

South Korea’s next-generation fighter aircraft will reportedly be equipped with an indigenous, air-launched, long-range cruise missile, modelled after the Taurus KEPD 350, manufactured by the German-Swedish firm Taurus Systems, according to Defense News.

The Agency for Defense Development, or ADD, is expected to finalize a local partner company by September for exploratory development of the missile for the country’s next-generation Korea Fighter-Experimental (KF-X) program.

“As part of offset deals to buy Taurus missiles for the past years, South Korea received some part of the Taurus KEPD 350 technologies,” an ADD official was quoted as saying. “Based on the transferred Taurus technology, we’ll develop our own air-to-ground, long-range missile to be integrated into the KF-X fighter jet, which is expected to be operational by 2026”.

Hanwha Corporation and LIG Nex1 are competing for the air-to-air missile project worth some $730 million. Both companies have unveiled the concept designs of their 3,000-pound Taurus-class missile with a range of 400 kilometers.

The arms procurement agency originally preferred fitting the KF-X aircraft with U.S. weapons systems, such as Raytheon-built AIM-120 and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, but the U.S. government has yet to approve the export license of the missiles.

At least 120 KF-X jets are to be produced after 2026 to replace the aging fleet of F-4s and F-5s. At least 50 units are to be manufactured in Indonesia, the sole KF-X partner obliged to burden 20 percent of the development costs for the 4.5-generation KF-X jet.

LKT 2018

Marhalim Abas
July 12, 2018
Malaysian Army

SHAH ALAM: LKT 2018. The Army conducted its annual Latihan Kuasa Tembakan this year at the Gemas range over the last one week. The exercise ended on July 12 with the attendance of the Army chief Gen Zulkipfle Kassim.

The Army fired two Ingwe missiles from two Gempita AFV30 ATGW – the first public live firings of the missiles – after the end user acceptance in March. Both missiles hit their targets

A number of IFV25 and AFV30s also took part in the exercise firing their 25mm and 30mm guns whilst on the move.

The other ATGM in the Army service, Adnan mounted Bakhtar Shikan ATGM also took part in the exercise.

As usual other fire support units in the Third Division also took part in the exercise from the Pendekar, Adnans, KIFV, 105mm and 155mm guns as well as an Astros battery also took part in the exercise.

Three A109LOH armed with the M134D miniguns also showed their capabilities.

Two Sukhois and four Hawks from RMAF also took part in the Close Support segment which ended the live fire exercise together with a battery of Astros MLRS launchers.

Compared to last year, this year exercise felt and look smaller, which was confirmed by Gen Zulkiple who said this year’s exercise cost RM17 million compared to the RM23 million last year. Most of it, he said werethe cost of the live ordnance expanded during the week.

hmm, no test dummy onboard? or a separate test.. also heard it was tested with 10kg ordinance only

“Kita ingin melihat apakah penumpang aman dan selamat. Di dalam tank kita taruh manekin (crush dummy) dengan berbagai sensor untuk mengetahui kalau ada cedera fatal atau tidak sebagai efek dari blasting," ungkapnya.

Indonesia to take delivery of Su-35 in August 2019; sending personnel to Russia for training

A senior Indonesian Air Force officer has said that Russia will start delivering the Su-35 to Iswahjudi air base in August 2019.

Col. Tek Bambang Triono added that pilots and maintenance crew will soon travel to Russia to learn how to operate the fighter.

Indonesia will take delivery of eight Su-35s by 2019.

Pindad on track with tank production plan

Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
16 July 2018

 
PT Pindad expects to start mass-producing the Kaplan MT Modern Medium Weight Tank by 2019. Source: FNSS

Indonesian firm PT Pindad has announced that it expects to start mass-producing the Kaplan MT Modern Medium Weight Tank (MMWT) it is currently developing in collaboration with Turkey’s FNSS Savunma Sistemleri in 2019.

The tank programme is currently at an advanced stage of development, with PT Pindad having carried out ballistic and mine explosion tests featuring a MMWT hull prototype in Bandung, Indonesia, on 12 July.

Following the trials, PT Pindad said that the MMWT would now be prepared for certification tests with the Indonesian Army (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Darat: TNI-AD). The company added, “[The programme] will then proceed to the production stage to meet the modernisation needs of the TNI-AD and export markets.”

Ade Bagdja, PT Pindad’s director of technology and development, expects that the company will produce at least 100 MMWT units for the TNI-AD. The new tank will replace the service’s depleted fleets of French-made AMX-13 light tanks, which originally numbered more than 300.

Bagdja also said that in the initial production stage about 50 local companies will be involved in the production of the MMWT, although this would increase to at least 100 firms as the programme matures.

He added that through the arrangement with FNSS – a joint venture between Turkey’s Nurol Holding and the UK group BAE Systems – PT Pindad will have responsibility to market the MMWT to export markets in the Asia-Pacific, while FNSS plans to export the product to markets in Africa.

The MMWT programme is supported by an inter-government agreement between Indonesia and Turkey that was signed in November 2014. Work on the project started shortly after, with two prototypes and one hull for mine testing being produced by 2017. FNSS unveiled the first MMWT prototype at the IDEF exhibition in Turkey in May 2017.