Chinese UAV launched from Carrier

Source: The diplomat ; blog By Zachary Keck November 22, 2013
China conducted the maiden test flight for its first stealth combat drone, state media reported on Friday.

The reports said that the Lijian or Sharp Sword took off from an undisclosed location in southwest China on Thursday at 1 PM and flew for about 20 minutes.  Images of a Sharp Sword prototype first appeared online back in May. At the time, state media referred to it as “China’s UFO-like stealth drone.”

China Daily compared the Sharp Sword to the United States’ Northrop Grumman X-47 series and the European nEUROn stealth drones. In this sense, the Sharp Sword may be intended to act as China’s first carrier-borne unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

Indeed, China Daily quoted a Chinese military analyst as saying of the Sharp Sword:

“The drone can be used for reconnaissance and an air-to-ground strike, but more importantly, it has a huge potential for aircraft carriers. I think the size and technological capability of the Sharp Sword make it a suitable choice for the navy if it is to select an unmanned combat platform for its aircraft carrier.”

Despite China’s claim that the Sharp Sword is its equivalent of the X-47, Defense Update reported back in May that China’s UCAV has a wingspan of “46 feet (14 meters), smaller than the 62-foot wingspan of the U.S. Navy’s X-47B demonstrator.” It also noted that the “the Lijian’s ordnance payload might not exceed the 2,000-kg (4,400-pound) capacity of the Northrop Grumman X-47B.”

However, that estimation was based on the assumption that the Lijian was powered by the domestically made Shenyang WP7 engine. But the China Daily report on Friday said that the Sharp Sword that was flight tested on Thursday was equipped with the Russian made RD-93 turbofan engine. The RD-93 is traditionally a fighter jet engine (as is the WP7) and is used in China and Pakistan’s joint fighter jet project. This suggests that the Sharp Sword is intended to have an extended flight range.

The inclusion of the Russian made engine would make sense given China’s continued struggles in designing and manufacturing reliable aerospace engines. Still, the use of an RD-93 engine didn’t stop Chinese state media from bragging: “Lijian’s successful test flight has made China become the fourth country, after the United States (X-47B), France (Dassault nEUROn) and Britain (Taranis), to have independently developed a UCAV.” Israel also maintains combat drones and Iran claims to have domestically manufactured combat drones.

The Sharp Sword was jointly developed by the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group and Shenyang Aviation Corporation, both of which share the same mother company. It was supposedly three years in the making.

The first flight was somewhat unexpected. In late August of this year, the People’s Daily Online ran an article speculating that the Sharp Sword’s first flight was still a year’s away. That report also stated that the UCAV would be refitted for use on an aircraft carrier.

In recent years China has been developing its drone industry at a robust pace. It also introduced a drone into its conflict with Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Japan has declared that it will shoot down foreign drones that enter its airspace, something China has said would constitute an act of war.

UAV Trung Quốc phóng từ tàu sân bay?

Vừa qua Trung Quốc vừa có những thử nghiệm mới trên loại máy bay chiến đấu tàng hình không người lái (stealth combat UAV hay stealth combat drone) - có tên gọi là Lijian.

Những năm gần đây, Trung Quốc đầu tư mạnh vào phát triển máy bay không người lái. Vì thế đã đạt được những bước phát triển đột phá.

Trung Quốc sẽ có thể sớm đưa Lijian gia nhập phi đội thuộc hàng không mẫu hạm Liaoning.

Một vài thực tế về Lijian:
- máy bay có thể sử dụng làm mục đích do thám hoặc đánh phá các mục tiêu dưới đất
- có thể sẽ được biên chế trên hàng không mẫu hạm
- sử dụng động cơ nội địa Shenyang WP7

Việc Trung Quốc sử dụng drone trên vùng đảo tranh chấp với Nhật Bản (Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands) rấy lên mối lo ngại từ Nhật. Nhật Bản tuyên bố sẽ bắn hạ UAV nước ngoài nếu tiếp tục do thám trên vùng đảo này.

Vietnam ordered Sigma corvette

Vietnam’s growing economy, and China’s aggressive stance in the South China Sea, are pushing the country to begin a long-delayed military modernization program. Most of the equipment comes from Vietnam’s traditional Russian sources, but a purchase of Next-Gen DHC-6 Twin Otter maritime patrol aircraft from Canada showed the country’s willingness to consider other suppliers. Now comes word that Vietnam’s new Russian Gepard Class corvettes may be joined by another Western entry: 4 SIGMA ships from the Dutch Schelde shipyard.

SIGMA actually stands for Ship Integrated Geometrical Modularity Approach. Block construction has become almost routine for ships, but block design at this level is unique…

The SIGMA design uses standard, 7.2m sections, separated by bulkheads with watertight doors. That block size allows the ship to meet international requirements for surviving 6m wide damage to the ship. To add capabilities, people, or space, just add blocks to the design, and a base 50m OPV design can morph all the way to a 90m corvette (Indonesia) or even a full-featured 105m – 150m frigate (Morocco). Necessary standardization within compartment interfaces, beams, doors, portals, stairs and other key construction components adds more efficiencies.

Vietnam’s SIGMA 9814 will be somewhere in between, estimated at about 98m in length and 1,950t, with a crew of 91 or so. Thales Smart-S Mk.2 is the standard SIGMA radar, a multi-beam S-band radar with 250+ km range. It’s tied into Thales’ TACTICOS combat system.

SIGMA light frigates typically sport 4 Exocet MM40 Block 3 anti-ship missiles, whose GPS helps with inshore shots, and also gives them some land attack capabilities within their 200 km/ 108 nmi range. Triple torpedo launchers for Eurotorp light torpedoes offer close-in shots.

For defense, a set of 12 vertical launch cells typically carry VL-MICA air defense missiles. An Oto Melara 76mm super-rapid gun offers a combination of naval gunnery and last-ditch missile defense, and a pair of 20mm cannon for close-in work usually rounds out the ship’s armament.

Customers like Vietnam can change that if they want. Compatibility with the Russian weapons on its other naval ships would offer advantages of its own, and Vietnam is license-building Kh-35E anti-ship missiles. Despite these incentives, however, Vietnam seems to have opted for the standard SIGMA electronics and missile array: TACTICOS, SMART-S, Exocet MM40 and VL-MICA. That set alone will make the SIGMA frigates Vietnam’s high-end naval assets. Vietnam certainly has a long history with France, who is interested in resuming some level of defense ties.
If they choose to change other standard SIGMA standard armament, the most likely substitutions involved incorporating a Russian 76.2mm AK-176M naval gun instead of Oto Melara’s 76mm Super Rapid, and 23mm close-in guns instead of 20mm. Reports from Vietnam, however, claim that Vietnam will adopt Oto Melara’s 76mm Super Rapide gun along with its other western equipment, opting for the gun’s higher performance over fleet compatibility. Fortunately for Vietnam, the Super Rapido is arguably the world’s most popular naval gun, whose customer roster of over 55 navies includes all of Vietnam’s seafaring neighbors except Cambodia.

source 

Russia to Develop Light-Class Fighter Jet

Miragec14
Russia will soon start developing a prototype of an advanced lightweight fighter jet to supplement fifth-generation T-50 aircraft.
The new aircraft is expected to be cheaper to produce and easier to maintain, but should also possess combat capabilities and performance characteristics comparable with those of heavy-class aircraft.
Russia is currently developing the heavy-class T-50 multirole fighter aircraft, also known as PAK-FA, which will be the core of the country’s future fighter fleet.
The T-50 is expected to enter service with the Russian air force in 2016.
Russia has always had at least two types of tactical fighters that in general supplemented one another.
The latest example is a MiG-29/Su-27 pair.
It has not been expecified which of Russia’s two main designers of combat jets – MiG or Sukhoi – will be assigned the development of the future light-class fighter.

http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20131211/185462424/Russia-to-Develop-Light-Class-Fighter-Jet.html

Taiwan's BMD Radar Gives Unique Data on China

Chinapost
The MND said in the report that the radar, the first of its kind in Asia, can conduct 360-degree surveillance and has a maximum range of 3,300 kilometers, encompassing almost the whole of East Asia and Western Pacific.

Miragec14
Defensenews

Taiwan’s early warning radar (EWR) on the island’s west coast has gained the respect of just about everyone in the region — except China, because it is the most “powerful radar in the world,” said a Taiwan defense industry source.
Sources debate the potential power of the radar, based on Leshan Mountain near the city of Hsinchu, but all agree it is a multifaceted, ultra high frequency (UHF) radar capable of tracking air-breathing targets — including cruise missiles — and ballistic missiles at 3,000 kilometers, depending on the target.
The requirement for such a powerful surveillance platform came about at China’s instigation. During the 1995-96 Taiwan Strait missile crisis, China launched 10 DF-15 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) into the waters north and south of the island. The intent was to discourage Taiwan from conducting its first democratic elections, but it failed.
The US responded by sending two aircraft carrier groups to the area as a show of support. At the time, China had approximately 350 DF-11/15 SRBMs, but today that number is about 1,100.
Taiwan responded to the threat by procuring Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) ballistic missile defense systems with three fire units. The units were stationed around the capital city of Taipei, leaving much of the central and southern part of the island unprotected, except for an indigenous air defense missile system, the Tien Kung 2 (Sky Bow).
In 2008, the US released 330 PAC-3 missiles, and in 2010, the US released an additional 114 PAC-3 missiles.
In 2000, the US government approved the sale of ballistic missile detection radar under the Surveillance Radar Program (SRP). Raytheon proposed an advanced UHF long-range EWR based on the AN/FPS-115 Pave Paws, and Lockheed offered the Medium Extended Air Defense System.
Raytheon won the contract in 2004 and began construction in 2009..
In late 2012, shortly after going online, the radar managed to track the launch of a North Korean missile. It is 170 kilometers from China’s coastline and directly across from China’s signal intelligence station at Dongjing Shan. This is significant because the radar reportedly has jamming capabilities.
During a war, China will do whatever it takes to destroy that radar.
“It’s not expected to last an hour during a war with China,” said one US defense industry source.
One US defense industry analyst with close ties to Taiwan’s military said the DSP has access to it.
“The US gave Taiwan free access to DSP satellites for the last 10 years. So this is quid pro quo,” he said.

US plans for Guam missile base seen as countering strength of China

The US is planning to station anti-ballistic-missile systems on the Pacific island of Guam, a move ostensibly to defend against unpredictable North Korea and

to counter China.
Within Washington's defence plans for next year are provisions for siting terminal high-altitude area defence (Thaad) systems on the island territory, combined with the broader realignment of US forces in the Asia-Pacific region.
Under those movements, United States troop numbers on the Japanese island of Okinawa are due to be cut, with troops from the Futenma air station relocated to an enlarged base in the northeast of the prefecture, while others will be reassigned to Guam, South Korea and Australia.
Thaad systems and Patriot interceptor missiles have been stationed on Guam in the past, supplementing warships.
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1377733/us-plans-guam-missile-base-seen-countering-strength-china

New aircraft carriers to be built in Dalian and Shanghai

Mỉagec14
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=1101&MainCatID=11&id=20131211000053

China will construct two conventionally powered aircraft carriers in Dalian and Shanghai between 2014 and 2015.
Under the Commission's Project 048, China aims to establish three carrier battle groups by 2020 so that all three major fleets of the PLA Navy will be able to carry out missions with the full support of an aircraft carrier. The two new Type 001A indigenous carriers will be updated versions of China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. They will also likely be designed with a ski-jump ramp, according to Duowei.
The General Equipment Department of the PLA has already signed a contract with the Beijing-based China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation to build the two carriers.
China has yet to decide whether its J-31 stealth fighter will replace the J-15 to become the country's next generation carrier-based fighter. The J-31 fighter entered service before the J-15, and is able to land or take off from the flight deck of the Liaoning. Sources said that a decision will only be made after the construction of the nation's second and third aircraft carriers is completed.

Nhật Bản trang bị tàu tuần tra lớn nhất thế giới/ Japan Coast Guard received new big ship

Soha

Tàu tuần tra Akitsushima mang số hiệu PLH-32 là chiếc tàu thứ 2 thuộc lớp Shikishima. Theo hãng tin Tân Hoa Xã (Trung Quốc), đây là một trong những chiếc tàu tuần tra lớn nhất thế giới với chiều dài 150m, rộng 17m, lượng giãn nước lên đến 6.500 tấn. Tàu có dự trữ hành trình rất lớn, có khả năng di chuyển một mạch từ Nhật Bản đến châu Âu mà không cần tiếp thêm nhiên liệu.

Tàu được trang bị 2 pháo 40mm và 2 pháo 20mm, ngoài ra tàu còn được trang bị vòi rồng điều khiển tự động, sân đỗ và nhà chứa cho 2 trực thăng tuần tra, cứu hộ.
Dự kiến tàu sẽ đóng tại cảng của lực lượng bảo vệ bờ biển Nhật Bản ở Yokohama.

Ka 27 - trực thăng săn ngầm của Việt Nam

Có phải chúng ta đã nổ quá chăng

South Korea To Export Light Attack Jets to Philippines/ Hàn Quốc bán máy bay chiến đấu cho Philippines

                                         FA-50

Migrace14 http://miragec14.blogspot.tw/2013/10/south-korea-to-export-light-attack-jets.html

South Korea is set to export its light combat aircraft to the Philippines, as the leaders of both countries agreed to bolster cooperation in the defense industry.
President Park Geun-hye and her Philippine counterpart Benigno Aquino III signed a memorandum of understanding that calls for greater cooperation in the arms industry as part of efforts to further cement economic ties between the two nations.
Seoul and Manila have been negotiating the export of the FA-50, a light attack variant of the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer aircraft jointly developed by Lockheed Martin and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
The FA-50 is armed with air-to-air, air-to-surface missiles and machine guns, as well as precision-guided bombs, such as joint direct-attack munitions and sensor-fused weapons. Fitted with Israel Elta System’s EL/M-2032 PULSE Doppler radar with a range of 100 kilometers, the jet is suitable for close-air support missions.
Indonesia was the first customer of the FA-50 variant with a 2011 order for 16 T-50i planes. KAI delivered four T-50i aircraft to the Indonesian air force last month.
The Philippines wants to purchase 12 FA-50s to respond to potential territorial disputes with China. Manila has no fighter aircraft available after the retirement of F-5s in 2005.

Source: http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131017/DEFREG03/310170020/S-Korea-Export-Light-Attack-Jets-Philippines?odyssey=mod|nextstory

Shinzo Abe: China new air defence zone move 'dangerous'/ Nhật Bản phản đối vùng nhận dạng không phận mới của Trung Quốc

Bản đồ vùng nhận dạng không phận mới được Beijing (Bắc King) công bố/ air defense zone issued by Beijing

27 Nov 2013 a Test on China's claim

The joint U.S.-Japan exercises in the sea are a direct challenge to China's claim. On Tuesday, the U.S. military said two Air Force B-52 bombers flew over the sea without notifying Beijing despite China's demand that it be told if anyone plans to fly military aircraft over its self-claimed "air defense zone."
The aircraft took off from Guam on Monday, part of a regular exercise.

25 Nov, 2013  www.anninhthudo.vn/Quoc-phong/May-bay-Trung-Quoc-bi-Nhat-truy-duoi-o-vung-phong-khong-moi/525856.antd

ANTĐ - Trung Quốc vừa tuyên bố lập vùng nhận biết phòng không bao trùm cả quần đảo Senkaku/Điếu Ngư mà cả Tokyo và Bắc Kinh đều tuyên bố chủ quyền, thì chỉ mấy tiếng sau, Nhật đã tung máy bay chiến đấu đuổi máy bay Trung Quốc ra khỏi vùng đó.
Tối 23-11, mạng “Tin tức Nhật Bản” (Japan News Network) cho biết, Bộ Quốc phòng Nhật Bản thông báo, từ buổi chiều đến chiều tối ngày 23-11, hai chiếc máy bay trinh sát Trung Quốc đã xâm nhập không phận gần Senkaku, lực lượng tự vệ trên không của Nhật Bản đã ngay lập tức tung máy bay chiến đấu F-15 lên ngăn chặn.

Theo Cục phụ tá giám sát thuộc Bộ Quốc phòng Nhật, 2 chiếc máy bay trinh sát điện tử Tu-154 và Y-8 đã xâm nhập vào vùng nhận biết phòng không của Nhật. Trong đó, chiếc Tu-154 đã bay đến cách Senkaku chỉ 40km (Theo kênh truyền hình NHK là 60km), còn chiếc Y-8 thì bay đến khu vực biển phía tây Kagoshima, cách Senkaku khoảng 300km về phía bắc

.

22 Nov, 2013 BBC

Một cuộc chiến tranh có thể xảy ra nếu hai bên không có sự kiềm chế nhất định. 

Tháng 9/2012 Nhật Bản tuyên bố: máy bay do thám không người lái (UAV) của Trung Quốc sẽ có thể bị bắn hạ nếu bay trên không phận của vùng đảo tranh chấp Senkaku. 

Ngay sau đó, Trung Quốc tuyên bố sẽ coi bất kỳ hành động cố gắng bắn hạ máy bay của Trung Quốc sẽ bị coi là hành động chiến tranh. 

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25050493
'Act of war'
The disputed islands in the East China Sea have been a source of tension between China and Japan for decades.

In 2012, the Japanese government bought three of the islands from their private Japanese owner, sparking mass protests in Chinese cities.

Since then, Chinese ships have repeatedly sailed in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters.

In January, Japan said a Chinese frigate put a radar lock on a Japanese navy ship near the islands. China insists its ship was only using ordinary surveillance radar.

In September, Japan said it would shoot down unmanned aircraft in Japanese airspace after an unmanned Chinese drone flew close to the disputed islands.

China said that any attempt by Japan to shoot down Chinese aircraft would constitute "an act of war".

Since China's President Xi Jinping took power a year ago, Beijing has become more assertive in its territorial claims in the region, leading to rising tensions with many of its neighbours, the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing reports.

The US has warned that a small incident or miscalculation in the East China Sea could escalate rapidly into a far wider and more serious crisis.

China is also engaged in territorial disputes with several South East Asian countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines. The disputes centre around ocean areas and two island chains in the South China Sea.

Taiwan to receive two US-made frigates in 2015/ Đài Loan sẽ nhận 2 frigates của Mỹ vào 2015

Source: Chinapost (Taiwan breaking news)

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The R.O.C. military is scheduled to receive its first batch of two Perry-class frigates from the United States in 2015 to replace its existing fleet of aging frigates, a senior Ministry of National Defense (MND) official said yesterday.
The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Wednesday approved legislation paving the way for the U.S. to sell four Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates to Taiwan.

The bill titled “The Naval Vessel Transfer and Arms Export Control Amendments Act of 2013” still must pass the U.S. Congress.

Asked to comment on when Taiwan is expected to receive the warships, Navy Chief of Staff Kao Tien-chung (高天忠) told lawmakers that the R.O.C Armed Forces could receive the first two ships of the four-vessel order in 2015.

“The U.S. has so far agreed to sell us four frigates, and two of them will be delivered in 2015,” Kao said during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan yesterday.

The MND has allocated NT$5.2 billion in defense spending to buy two frigates from the U.S., he added.

Kao said the American frigates are expected to replace two aging Knox-class frigates in the Republic of China Navy.

The R.O.C. Navy currently operates eight U.S.-made Knox-class frigates that were built in the 1960s, and later transferred to Taiwan in the 1990s.

This class of frigates was later designated as the Chi-Yang class (濟陽級) and assigned to the Navy's Yilan-based 168th Patrol Squadron.

Speaking during the same session yesterday, Defense Minister Yen Ming (嚴明) said that the Taiwan military is also considering the option of building its own warships.

Kao also said during the hearing that Taiwan will design and build one salvage ship prototype and another amphibious warfare ship sometime between 2015 and 2018.

The Amendments Act passed Wednesday in Washington would authorize the sale of four frigates to Taiwan, namely the USS Taylor (FFG-50), USS Gary (FFG-51), USS Carr (FFG-52) and USS Elrod (FFG-55).

The four warships were commissioned between 1984 and 1985 and, except for the USS Gary, which was decommissioned in March, are all in active service.

Kao also confirmed at the legislative session yesterday that Taiwan is expected to spend another NT$5 billion to procure an additional 36 AAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles.

In 2006, Taiwan procured 54 of those vehicles to replace its aging LVTP-5A1 vehicles acquired in the 1970s.

South Korean F-16s squadron/ Phi đội F-16 của Hàn Quốc

Taiwan’s CSIST unveils first VTOL UAV/ UAV Đài Loan phát triển

Taiwan’s Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology will unveil its first VTOL unmanned aircraft, dubbed Mystic Eye, at the 2013 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition.

12 China-Made Helicopters Delivered to Cambodia/ Trung Quốc chuyển 12 trực thăng cho Campuchia

Twelve Chinese-built Zhi-9 (Z-9) utility helicopters, which Cambodia had purchased from China, were delivered to the Royal Cambodian Air Force on Monday.
The helicopters will be used to serve training in order to strengthen capacity for the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces in defending territorial integrity and in cracking down on offenses in remote areas, and they will also be used for humanitarian activities such as disasters.

source: defense-studies; migrace14

Câu chuyện về su-27 và J-11 (China)

(Soha.vn) - Thương vụ bán Su-27SK cho Trung Quốc tưởng chừng "ngon ăn" đã trở thành "quả đắng" đối với Nga.

Vào đầu những năm 90, Không quân Trung Quốc trở nên lép vế so với các cường quốc trong khu vực. Sự phát triển của chương trình tiêm kích nội địa J-10 giậm chân tại chỗ vì không nhận được sự trợ giúp công nghệ từ bên ngoài. Đặc biệt, sự ra đời của các tiêm kích thế 4 đời thứ 3 như F-16C/D block 50/52, F-15E , Su-27SM, MiG-29 SM càng làm cho sự tụt hậu về chất lượng của Không quân Trung Quốc trở nên xa hơn.
Tuy nhiên, việc Liên Xô sụp đổ đã mang lại “cơ hội ngàn vàng” cho Trung Quốc. Nước Nga đang lâm vào tình cảnh khó khăn và rất cần tiền để tái thiết đất nước.
Tiêm kích Su-27SK nhập khẩu trực tiệp từ Nga của Không quân Trung Quốc.
Tiêm kích Su-27SK được Không quân Trung Quốc nhập khẩu từ Nga
Năm 1990, một phái đoàn quân sự cấp cao của Trung Quốc đã đến thăm Nga nhằm tìm kiếm cơ hội tái hợp tác quân sự. Khi được “mục sở thị" tiêm kích Su-27, họ đã hoàn toàn bị thuyết phục. Sau khi bàn bạc với lãnh đạo quân đội và chính phủ Trung Quốc, họ đã nhất quyết mua bằng được Su-27 để tăng cường sức mạnh.

Su-27 là một tiêm kích chiếm ưu thế trên không và đánh chặn tầm xa, tiêm kích này có tốc độ tối đa khoảng 2.500km/h. Su-27 được trang bị 10 giá treo dưới cánh thể mang theo tải trọng vũ khí tới 8 tấn, bao gồm các loại tên lửa không đối không tầm trung R-27, tên lửa không đối không tầm ngắn R-73, bom thông minh KAB-500/1500. Tạp chí Flight Global đã xếp hạng Su-27 là một trong những tiêm kích tốt nhất thế kỷ 20.
Trung Quốc đã ký kết hợp đồng mua 26 chiếc Su-27SK vào năm 1991 và trở thành khách hàng nước ngoài đầu tiên của loại tiêm kích này. Lô hàng thứ 2 bao gồm 22 chiếc được ký kết vào năm 1993, lô hàng thứ 3 bao gồm 28 chiếc được ký kết vào năm 1996. Tổng cộng Trung Quốc có 76 chiếc Su-27SK nhập khẩu trực tiếp từ Nga.

Cú lừa ngoạn mục
Sau khi đã đặt hàng số lượng khá lớn tiêm kích Su-27SK, năm 1995 Trung Quốc bắt đầu gạ gẫm Nga chuyển giao công nghệ để sản xuất Su-27SK tại nước này. Nhằm thuyết phục Nga, Bắc Kinh đã đặt lên bàn đàm phán số lượng chuyển giao công nghệ tới 200 chiếc, với tổng giá trị lên đến 2,5 tỷ USD, một số tiền nằm mơ cũng không thấy tại thời điểm đó.

Hợp đồng nhanh chóng được ký kết, phía Nga cũng cam kết sẽ giúp tăng dần tỷ lệ nội địa hóa. Tiêm kích Su-27SK sản xuất tại Trung Quốc được chỉ định là J-11 do công ty chế tạo máy bay Thẩm Dương đảm nhận. Chiếc tiêm kích J-11 đầu tiên sản xuất tại Trung Quốc được xuất xưởng vào tháng 12/1998.
Các thành phần chính của tiêm kích như động cơ, hệ thống điện tử, hệ thống điều khiển hỏa lực, radar được sản xuất tại Nga và chuyển đến Trung Quốc lắp ráp cùng một số bộ phận phụ do nước này sản xuất. Đến năm 2004, khi số lượng sản xuất được khoảng 100 chiếc thì Bắc Kinh bất ngờ tuyên bố ngưng hợp đồng và yêu cầu phía Nga ngừng chuyển giao linh kiện.
Lý do mà phía Trung Quốc đưa ra là Nga không chuyển giao công nghệ sản xuất động cơ, hệ thống điện tử cho phía họ. Thêm nữa là hệ thống điều khiển hỏa lực do Nga sản xuất không phù hợp với loại tên lửa mà Trung Quốc chế tạo nên Bắc Kinh bắt buộc phải nhập khẩu tên lửa từ Nga để trang bị cho J-11.
Một lý do khác được phía Trung Quốc đưa ra là J-11 chỉ đảm đương được nhiệm vụ chiếm ưu thế trên không, khả năng tấn công mặt đất quá yếu, không phù hợp với yêu cầu của họ. Mặc dù sau đó, Sukhoi đã giới thiệu cho Trung Quốc biến thể tiêm kích đa nhiệm Su-27SKM nhưng Bắc Kinh đã từ chối bởi những gì họ học được từ Nga đã đủ để sao chép thành một máy bay khác.
So với Su-27SK, J-11B có những thay đổi trong trang bị như sau:
- Radar điều khiển hỏa lực xung Doppler Type 147X/KLJ-X do Trung Quốc sản xuất, có khả năng theo dõi từ 6-8 mục tiêu, tấn công 4 mục tiêu cùng lúc.
- Hệ thống kiểm soát bay “fly-by-wire” do Trung Quốc sản xuất.
- Hệ thống tìm kiếm và chỉ thị mục tiêu quang-điện sao chép từ hệ thống OEPS-27 của Nga.
- Buồng lái nhà kính với 4 màn hình hiển thị đa chức năng LCD cùng màn hình hiển thị HUD 3 chiều.
Tải trọng vũ khí của J-11B vẫn tương đương Su-27SK nhưng có thể sử dụng tên lửa do Trung Quốc sản xuất như tên lửakhông đối không tầm ngắn PL-8, tên lửa không đối không tầm trung PL-12, tên lửa chống bức xạ YJ-91, bom dẫn hướng laser LS-6.
Thông tin về loại động cơ trang bị cho J-11B không thực sự rõ ràng. Có thông tin cho rằng J-11B sử dụng động cơ WS-10A do Trung Quốc tự sản xuất nhưng cũng có nguồn nói WS-10A hoạt động không ổn định nên J-11B phải trang bị động cơ AL-31F của Nga.
Trong những năm gần đây Trung Quốc đã nhập khẩu từ Nga khoảng 1.000 động cơ phản lực AL-31F. Điều đó cho thấy động cơ nội địa WS-10A vẫn chưa thể đưa vào trang bị đại trà. Mặc dù đã phá hợp đồng với Nga để sao chép thành J-11B nhưng một lần nữa Trung Quốc phải phụ thuộc vào Nga để nhập khẩu động cơ cho tiêm kích này.
Tốc độ sản xuất của J-11B bị phụ thuộc vào việc cung cấp động cơ từ Nga, Bắc Kinh vẫn chưa thể nắm được thế chủ động. Một số nhà phân tích cho rằng, nếu Bắc Kinh đồng ý tiếp nhận biến thể đa nhiệm Su-27SKM để thực hiện nốt hợp đồng sản xuất 200 chiếc với Nga, họ có thể đã có được những công nghệ cần thiết để sản xuất động cơ phản lực trong nước.
Không thể tự chủ trong chế tạo động cơ máy bay, lòng tham vô đáy của Trung Quốc nhằm đốt cháy giai đoạn để chứng minh rằng họ có thể vượt mặt Nga đã bị siết lại. Công nghiệp hàng không quân sự Trung Quốc tiếp tục bị khống chế bằng nguồn cung động cơ phản lực từ Nga ít nhất trong vòng 10 năm tới.
Sau những nỗ lực sao chép động cơ phản lực AL-31F của Nga không thành công, gần đây Trung Quốc tiếp tục “giở chiêu” cũ khi ngỏ ý mời Nga hợp tác sản xuất động cơ phản lực cho tiêm kích tàng hình J-20.
Dựa trên J-11, Trung Quốc đã sao chép thành một biến thể khác được chỉ định là J-11B. Điều này đã khiến ngành công nghiệp hàng không của Nga phải chịu những tổn thất nghiêm trọng. Thương vụ bán Su-27 cho Trung Quốc tưởng chừng "ngon ăn" đã trở thành "quả đắng" đối với Nga.

South Korea Navy wants 3 more Aegis ships/ Hàn Quốc muốn mua thêm 3 tàu lớp Aegis

Migrace14 http://miragec14.blogspot.tw/2013/10/south-korea-navy-wants-3-more-aegis.html

South Korea Navy has requested three more Aegis destroyers to strengthen the country’s defense against North Korea and to cover territorial disputes in the region.
If the plan gets the go ahead, the ships will be built between 2020 and 2025.
Under a Navy buildup project started in 2004 to bolster defense against North Korea, South Korea began to build Aegis destroyers and currently has three 7,600-ton warships ― the King Sejong the Great, the Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong and the Yulgok Yi I.
However, the Navy has sought to increase its fleet to cope with rising regional tension in the wake of North Korea’s third nuclear test conducted earlier this year and ongoing territorial disputes between China and Japan.
In addition, a growing arms race in the region is also behind the request.
China deployed its first aircraft carrier to the eastern port city of Qingdao in September last year, while Japan unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, the huge flat-top “destroyer” Izumo that can carry up to 14 helicopters, pushing the Korean Navy to come up with countermeasures.
A 166-meter-long Aegis destroyer is equipped with the latest radar system as well as missiles and torpedoes in vertical launch systems. With 300 crew members, it can also carry two mid-sized helicopters and sail at a top speed of 30 knots with a range of 1,000 kilometers.

Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/10/116_144442.html

India - Vietnam ties / Ấn Độ - Việt Nam: Đối tác chiến lược

Ấn độ đồng ý đào tạo 500 cán bộ tàu ngầm và chuyển giao 4 tàu biển cho Việt Nam dưới thỏa thuận $100 million tín dụng.


(the Hindu) Defence cooperation

For the defence pact, preparatory work was done during meetings between high ranking officials such as Vietnam’s Chief of General Staff Do Ba Ty and Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur during which they agreed to have greater cooperation in capacity building, joint projects and training.

India has already agreed to train 500 Vietnamese submariners and will transfer four naval boats under a $100-million credit line.

As Dr. Singh noted, “we reaffirmed the importance of defence and security cooperation and agreed to strengthen it further. India will continue to assist Vietnam in modernisation and training of its defence and security forces.”

Philippines' the most capable warship / Tàu chiến hiện đại mới biên chế trong hải quân Philippines

Philippines' the most capable warship

 BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF15)

Đây là một trong 2 chiếc tàu mới biên chế vào hải quân PH. Trước đó tàu này mang tên USCGC Dallas và phục vụ trong hải quân Mỹ từ năm 1968. Sau đó bị giải biên chế vào năm 2012 và được PH mua lại để đối phó với diễn biến quân sự leo thang và tình hình rất phức tạp trên Biển Đông.

Hai tàu này được coi là những tàu hiện đại và khả năng chiến đấu cao nhất được biên chế trong hải quân PH.

 BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF15) sẽ leo đậu tại một cảng biển phía tây PH.

Source: http://www.rappler.com/nation/44382-alcaraz-maiden-voyage
PF16, formerly the USCGC Dallas (WHEC-716), was first commissioned on March 1968 that served the US Coast Guard as a high endurance cutter. It was decommissioned on 30 March 2012 and was acquired by the Philippines under the Excess Defense Articles and the Foreign Assistance Act.

China UAV lauched from aircraft carrier? / UAV Trung Quốc phóng từ tàu sân bay?

Vừa qua Trung Quốc vừa có những thử nghiệm mới trên loại máy bay chiến đấu tàng hình không người lái (stealth combat UAV hay stealth combat drone) - có tên gọi là Lijian.

Những năm gần đây, Trung Quốc đầu tư mạnh vào phát triển máy bay không người lái. Vì thế đã đạt được những bước phát triển đột phá.

Trung Quốc sẽ có thể sớm đưa Lijian gia nhập phi đội thuộc hàng không mẫu hạm Liaoning.

Một vài thực tế về Lijian:
- máy bay có thể sử dụng làm mục đích do thám hoặc đánh phá các mục tiêu dưới đất
- có thể sẽ được biên chế trên hàng không mẫu hạm
- sử dụng động cơ nội địa Shenyang WP7

Việc Trung Quốc sử dụng drone trên vùng đảo tranh chấp với Nhật Bản (Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands) rấy lên mối lo ngại từ Nhật. Nhật Bản tuyên bố sẽ bắn hạ UAV nước ngoài nếu tiếp tục do thám trên vùng đảo này.

Source: The diplomat ; blog By Zachary Keck November 22, 2013
China conducted the maiden test flight for its first stealth combat drone, state media reported on Friday.

The reports said that the Lijian or Sharp Sword took off from an undisclosed location in southwest China on Thursday at 1 PM and flew for about 20 minutes.  Images of a Sharp Sword prototype first appeared online back in May. At the time, state media referred to it as “China’s UFO-like stealth drone.”

China Daily compared the Sharp Sword to the United States’ Northrop Grumman X-47 series and the European nEUROn stealth drones. In this sense, the Sharp Sword may be intended to act as China’s first carrier-borne unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).

Indeed, China Daily quoted a Chinese military analyst as saying of the Sharp Sword:

“The drone can be used for reconnaissance and an air-to-ground strike, but more importantly, it has a huge potential for aircraft carriers. I think the size and technological capability of the Sharp Sword make it a suitable choice for the navy if it is to select an unmanned combat platform for its aircraft carrier.”

Despite China’s claim that the Sharp Sword is its equivalent of the X-47, Defense Update reported back in May that China’s UCAV has a wingspan of “46 feet (14 meters), smaller than the 62-foot wingspan of the U.S. Navy’s X-47B demonstrator.” It also noted that the “the Lijian’s ordnance payload might not exceed the 2,000-kg (4,400-pound) capacity of the Northrop Grumman X-47B.”

However, that estimation was based on the assumption that the Lijian was powered by the domestically made Shenyang WP7 engine. But the China Daily report on Friday said that the Sharp Sword that was flight tested on Thursday was equipped with the Russian made RD-93 turbofan engine. The RD-93 is traditionally a fighter jet engine (as is the WP7) and is used in China and Pakistan’s joint fighter jet project. This suggests that the Sharp Sword is intended to have an extended flight range.

The inclusion of the Russian made engine would make sense given China’s continued struggles in designing and manufacturing reliable aerospace engines. Still, the use of an RD-93 engine didn’t stop Chinese state media from bragging: “Lijian’s successful test flight has made China become the fourth country, after the United States (X-47B), France (Dassault nEUROn) and Britain (Taranis), to have independently developed a UCAV.” Israel also maintains combat drones and Iran claims to have domestically manufactured combat drones.

The Sharp Sword was jointly developed by the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group and Shenyang Aviation Corporation, both of which share the same mother company. It was supposedly three years in the making.

The first flight was somewhat unexpected. In late August of this year, the People’s Daily Online ran an article speculating that the Sharp Sword’s first flight was still a year’s away. That report also stated that the UCAV would be refitted for use on an aircraft carrier.

In recent years China has been developing its drone industry at a robust pace. It also introduced a drone into its conflict with Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Japan has declared that it will shoot down foreign drones that enter its airspace, something China has said would constitute an act of war.

Philippines air force bases/ Sân bay quân sự hoạt động ở Philippines

picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PhilippineAirForce_AirBase_map-fr.svg

Liaoning aircraft carrier/ Hàng không mẫu hạm Liaoning Trung Quốc

Sau những tuần tập luyện liên tục trên biển, Liêu Ninh, tàu sân bay đầu tiên của Trung Quốc đã có thể cất cánh ba Shenyang J-15 máy bay chiến đấu đồng thời từ sàn đáp của nó.
Liêu Ninh có tổng cộng ba bệ phóng máy bay phản lực. Trong khi hai bộ phóng song song được đặt ngay phía trước của cấu trúc thượng tầng "sky jump", một phần ba nằm gần với đuôi tàu. Với tất cả ba vị trí hoạt động đầy đủ, chiếc tàu sân bay có khả năng tung ra ba J-15 từ đoạn đường nối phía trước của nó cùng một lúc.
Khả năng của các phi hành đoàn của Liêu Ninh để tháo rời và lắp ráp lại J-15 động cơ phản lực trên chiếc tàu sân đã được thử nghiệm cũng trong nhiệm vụ kiểm tra ba tuần.
Tuy nhiên, PLA Hải quân Không quân là không thể chuyển động cơ máy bay chiến đấu mới cho Liêu Ninh thông qua một tàu sân bay trên tàu bay giao hàng như Northrop Grumman C-2 hoạt động của Hải quân Mỹ. Bộ Quốc phòng Trung Quốc đã không đề cập đến việc Liêu Ninh đã có thể cất hoặc hạ cánh máy bay chiến đấu vào ban đêm.

Source: Migrace14

During its three-week exercise in open seas, Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier was able to launch three Shenyang J-15 fighters simultaneously from its flight deck.
The Liaoning has a total of three jet blast deflectors. While two parallel deflectors are located immediately forward of the island superstructure, a third is located closer to the stern of the ship. With all three positions fully operational, the aircraft carrier is capable of launching three J-15s from its forward ramp at the same time.
The ability of Liaoning's crew to disassemble and reassemble J-15 jet engines aboard the carrier was tested as well during the three-week test mission.
However, The PLA Navy Air Force is unable to transfer new fighter engines to the Liaoning through a carrier onboard delivery aircraft like the Northrop Grumman C-2 operated by the US Navy. The Chinese defense ministry did not mention whether Liaoning was able to launch or recover fighters at night.

US air force base in South Korea/ Điểm đóng quân của Mỹ ở Hàn Quốc

North Korea air force analysis/ Lực lượng không quân Bắc Hàn

 

Korea to buy F-35 / Xoay quanh vụ mua F-35 của Hàn Quốc

(Defense news)SEOUL — South Korea’s military will set new operational requirements and bid procedures for its F-X III fighter jet acquisition program Nov. 22, and an official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the F-35 will likely be selected.

The move comes after the contest was nullified in September when the country’s top arms procurement committee voted down a bid by Boeing to supply 60 F-15 Silent Eagle aircraft, citing the “4.5-generation” jet’s lack of radar-evading stealth capability.

“A top decision-making body of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will make a decision on the number of the aircraft to be bought, as well as new required operational capability for the F-X III,” Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters.

Multiple sources said the JCS has already set new requirements focused on enhanced stealth capability, which bolsters the chances of Lockheed Martin winning the $7.8 billion tender with its F-35 conventional takeoff version.

“After the Silent Eagle was voted down, the Air Force asked to buy fighter aircraft with enhanced stealth capabilities,” a JCS official said. “There is no doubt that the F-35 has more advanced stealth functions compared to its competitors.”

Against that backdrop, the spokesman said, the JCS is expected to decide not to open a new competition. Instead, the JCS is to approve a plan to buy F-35s via the US foreign military sale (FMS) program, he added.

Due to budget constraints, the JCS plans to procure about 40 F-35s initially, and 20 more jets could be bought if funding is available.

Once the JCS sets new F-X III requirements and procurement methods, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) will go ahead with procurement procedures early next year, DAPA spokesman Baek Yoon-hyung said.

“We could start FMS negotiations with the US government early next year should the JCS decide to buy F-35s,” said Baek. “Then, the delivery of the aircraft could start as early as in 2018.”

Still, some question the F-35’s high procurement costs and its technical maturity.

“The rub is that the per-unit price could not be guaranteed until the final delivery under the FMS procurement,” Kim Dae-young, a research member of the Korea Defense & Security Forum, a Seoul-based defense think tank. “In addition, there are worries that South Korea will not have a strong leverage in price and offset negotiations under the FMS program.”

SEOUL - quân sự của Hàn Quốc sẽ thiết lập các yêu cầu hoạt động mới và các thủ tục đấu thầu cho FX III máy bay chiến đấu chương trình mua lại 22 tháng 11 , và một quan chức tham mưu liên quân cho biết F -35 có khả năng sẽ được lựa chọn.

Động thái này diễn ra sau khi cuộc thi đã được vô hiệu hóa trong tháng Chín khi ban mua sắm vũ khí hàng đầu của đất nước bình chọn xuống một nỗ lực của Boeing để cung cấp 60 chiếc F- 15 máy bay Im lặng Eagle , với lý do " 4.5 thế hệ " thiếu radar trốn tránh khả năng tàng hình máy bay phản lực của .

" Một cơ quan ra quyết định trên của tham mưu trưởng sẽ đưa ra quyết định về số lượng máy bay được mua , cũng như khả năng hoạt động theo yêu cầu mới cho FX III , " phát ngôn viên Bộ Quốc phòng Kim Min -seok nói với các phóng viên.

Nhiều nguồn tin cho biết các JCS đã thiết lập các yêu cầu mới tập trung vào việc tăng cường khả năng tàng hình , trong đó củng cố các cơ hội của Lockheed Martin giành được đấu thầu 7800000000 $ với phiên bản F-35 cất cánh thông thường của nó .

" Sau khi im lặng Eagle đã bị bác bỏ , không quân yêu cầu mua máy bay chiến đấu có khả năng tàng hình nâng cao ", một quan chức JCS cho biết . " Không có nghi ngờ rằng chiếc F- 35 có chức năng tàng hình tiên tiến hơn so với đối thủ cạnh tranh của nó . "

Trong bối cảnh đó , phát ngôn viên cho biết , các JCS dự kiến ​​sẽ quyết định không mở một cuộc cạnh tranh mới . Thay vào đó, JCS là phê duyệt kế hoạch mua F -35 thông qua việc bán quân sự nước ngoài của Mỹ (FMS) chương trình , ông nói thêm.

Do hạn chế về ngân sách, JCS kế hoạch mua khoảng 40 chiếc F-35 ban đầu , và 20 máy bay phản lực hơn có thể mua được nếu nguồn tài trợ có sẵn .

Khi JCS ra các yêu cầu III mới FX và phương thức đấu thầu , Cục Quản lý Chương trình Mua Quốc phòng ( DAPA ) sẽ đi trước với thủ tục mua sắm vào đầu năm tới , phát ngôn viên DAPA Baek Yoon- hyung nói .

" Chúng ta có thể bắt đầu đàm phán FMS với chính phủ Mỹ vào đầu năm tới JCS nên quyết định mua F -35 , " Baek nói. " Sau đó , việc cung cấp các máy bay có thể bắt đầu sớm nhất là vào năm 2018. "

Tuy nhiên, một số câu hỏi chi phí mua sắm cao F-35 và ngày đáo hạn kỹ thuật của nó .

" Các chà là mỗi đơn giá không thể được đảm bảo cho đến khi giao hàng cuối cùng trong việc mua sắm FMS , " Kim Dae -young , một thành viên nghiên cứu của Hàn Quốc Quốc phòng và An ninh Diễn đàn , một bảo vệ trụ sở tại Seoul nghĩ rằng xe tăng . "Ngoài ra, có những lo ngại rằng Hàn Quốc sẽ không có một đòn bẩy mạnh mẽ trong giá và bù đắp cuộc đàm phán theo chương trình FMS . "

WarShip classifications

WarShips are often classified with the following terms, based on their role. Most of these terms have survived since the Age of Sail, and were updated to reflect the realities of space combat.^[1] Because of the somewhat diffuse criteria associated with each class and role, the classification is arbitrary and ultimately rather subjective.

Ship classes are roughly defined thus:

• Corvettes - The smallest WarShip category, these craft rarely mass more than 500,000 tons. Lightly armed and armored but extremely swift and equipped for extended tours of duty, corvettes are ideal for commerce protection and raiding. They are not expected to stand up to other WarShips, except in a support role.
• Destroyers - Larger and more heavily armed than corvettes, these ships perform the same raiding and escort duties, but also serve as guardians of orbital installations. They typically mass between 500,000 and 700,000 tons.
• Frigates - Rarely smaller than 700,000 tons, these ships can roughly be described as extra-large destroyers, often with an additional capacity such as integral fighter support. Usually they are equipped with excellent sensors and are deployed at the edge of a fleet to act as sentries.^{[citation needed]}

• Cruisers - The most diverse ship category in any fleet, vessels in this class are typically further subdivided into light cruisers, heavy cruisers, and battlecruisers. In the original sense of the word, cruisers were supposed to be more durable than smaller ship classes and capable of prolonged independent operation. Most cruisers pack enough equipment and supplies to operate away from technical support bases, making them ideal raiders. As a whole, cruisers typically mass between 700,000 and 1,200,000 tons.
  • Light Cruisers - As their speed is comparable to destroyers and frigates they serve as escorts, raiders, and picket ships, but outperform the other two ship types in one or more areas (speed, firepower, armor and/or endurance).
  • Heavy Cruisers - These ships tend to trade away some of the light cruiser's speed for additional firepower or armor. Clan toumans typically use these as command vessels.
  • Battlecruisers - These ships are loaded with heavy weapons, but their over-sized engines allow them to remain very nimble and quick in a confrontation, usually sacrificing armor and any other features.
• Battleships - The largest ship class, battleships are easily able to keep pace with frigates and outrun heavy cruisers. Their massive weapon payloads and armor protection ensure that they serve as a fleet flagships, while hitting the most dangerous and determined opposition to break through and create opportunities for their smaller companions to exploit. The pride of the SLDF Navy, the McKenna-class battleship, weighed two million tons, a record that was not broken until Clan Ghost Bear launched the 2.4 million ton Leviathan-class ship.
• Dreadnoughts - Arguably a classification denoting the largest, most powerful and/or technically most advanced class(es) of WarShips. The word is often used to describe a cutting-edge ship class that can outfight any other contemporary WarShip. Typically, Dreadnoughts are very powerful but also very expensive and possibly inefficient, and are not deployed in any significant numbers.
• Carriers - These are WarShip-sized Aerospace Fighter transports. Principally, there have been few ships dedicated to the carrier role; during the Star League era many navies used hybrid designs that combined the carrier role with another ship type. As a result, carrier tonnages have varied from frigate to battlecruiser size. These dual-role ships were not produced by most of the factions in 31st century during the brief resumption of WarShip production; the one exception was Clan Snow Raven, who produced the Conqueror-class Battlecruiser-Carriers in limited numbers.

Other "classes" or designations exist, though they can usually be placed in one of the above classes; examples include "Troop Cruiser", "Yardship" or "Pursuit Cruiser".

Blog Intro

Drone-88 ra đời trong sự gia tăng căng thẳng trên biển Đông, tình trạng chạy đua vũ trang của các nước trong khu vực. Và động thái mới trong cán cân quân sự ở vùng Đông Nam Á, Châu Á Thái Bình Dương đang có xu hướng ảnh hưởng trực tiếp hoặc đe dọa tới nguồn lợi quốc gia của các quốc gia liên quan.

Blog Drone 88 là một trang tin quân sự (gồm thêm một số tin kinh tế và chính trị liên quan). Cái nhìn trung lập của blog sẽ đến từ thông tin đa chiều. Bog sẽ được truyền tải bằng tiếng Anh (theo những nguồn tin gốc) và có thể có một số thông tin bằng tiếng Việt.

Mục đích của chúng tôi không phải cập nhật lọat thông tin mới nhất hoặc độc đáo nhất. Mà chỉ là đăng lại những thông tin lại để thấy được bức tranh tổng thể của vấn đề, những chiến lược dài hạn những tham vọng và quan ngại của các quốc gia có liên quan.



June 2013 --Drone 88--

Taiwan Gets First Batch Of AH-64E Apache helicopters

Miragec14
Defensenews

Taiwan is to acquire 60 Apache from the US.
Taiwan has received the first six of 30 Apache advanced attack helicopters bought from the United States as it modernizes its military despite warming ties with China.
The six AH-64Es were shipped to the southern port of Kaohsiung.
The Taiwanese army will become the first force outside the US to introduce the new model.
A second batch of six is scheduled  to arrive in December while the remainder will be delivered by the end of 2014.

Vietnam to receive two more Gepard frigates in 2017

The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) Navy is scheduled to take delivery of its third and fourth Russian-built Gepard 3.9 (Project 11661) light frigates in 2017, according to financial statements released by Russia's Zelenodolsk Shipyard on 1 April.

The PAVN Navy commissioned its first two modified Gepard-class frigates, Dinh Tien Hoang and Ly Thai Ho , in March and August 2011 respectively. The two additional vessels, reported to be anti-submarine warfare (ASW) variants, are being built under a contract signed in late 2011.

Ukraine to Repair Engines of Vietnamese Su-27 Aircraft

Su-27 Vietnam People's Air Force (photo : lockonfiles)

Kyiv (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukroboronservice state-owned enterprise, a part of the state-run concern Ukroboronprom, and Vietnamese VAXUCO have signed a contract on repairs of AL-31F aircraft engines for the Vietnam People’s Air Force.

The press service of the state concern told an Interfax-Ukraine agency that, according to the contract, the Ukrainian side will repair AL-31F aircraft engines at the “Motor” Lutsk Repair Plant in Volyn region. According to a separate agreement, apart from the repairs, the Ukrainian side will also provide Vietnam with technical consulting on overhauls of AL-31F aircraft engines.

The state concern did not disclose other details of the contract.

The AL-31F aircraft engines were designed for the Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft and its modifications.

During a meeting between Ukroboronprom Director General Serhiy Hromov and Commander of the Vietnam People’s Air Force, Colonel General Phuong Minh Hoa before the signing of the contract, the sides reaffirmed their mutual interest in further bilateral military and technical cooperation.

Hromov said that in the near future the Ukrainian side would send to its Vietnamese partners its proposals on the supply and modernization of air defense equipment, aircraft and armored vehicles, as well as on repairs and upgrading of naval equipment. He stressed that training of Vietnamese experts was also an important part of cooperation.

“This part will be taken into account during the signing of further contracts on supplies of military equipment to Vietnam,” he said.

“Vietnam is a promising country for our national defense industry products and we will continue to strengthen Ukraine’s position on the marked of this dynamically developing country,” he said.

In turn, Commander of the Vietnam People’s Air Force praised the signed agreements and cooperation development prospects with Ukraine.

“These agreements open prospects for new contracts on repair documentation, tooling, and facilities for the repairs of aircraft engines. Ukraine is one of Vietnam’s strategic partners in the defense sphere. We are ready to expand cooperation in the spheres of the procurement of new arms, as well as the modernization and prolongation of durability of military equipment of the Vietnam People’s Army,” he said.

Ukraine and Vietnam approved a plan and a program for military and technical cooperation for 2011-2015 in September 2010 on the results of the seventh meeting of their intergovernmental coordinating commission for military and technical cooperation.

The sides have successful cooperation experience, in particular in the sphere of the modernization of a wide range of military equipment for the Vietnamese Army, the creation of an aircraft maintenance facility, and the development of a shipbuilding program for Vietnam.

Interfax

Military spending spree

Mar 2013, Economist

THE tiny island-state of Singapore, home to just over 5m people, has a well-deserved reputation as a quiet, clean-cut hub for banking, lawyering and golf. Yet beyond the fairways it bristles with weapons.

According to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Singapore is now the fifth-largest arms importer in the world, bested only by some obvious behemoths—China, India and Pakistan—plus South Korea. Singapore accounts for 4% of the world's total spending on arms imports. Its defence spending per head beats every country bar America, Israel and Kuwait. This year $9.7 billion, or 24% of the national budget, will go on defence.

These are striking figures, but then Singapore has been one of the bigger spenders in the region since its rancorous split from Malaysia in 1965. The difference now is that almost every country in South-East Asia has embarked on a similar build-up, making it one of the fastest-growing regions for defence spending in the world. Military analysts at IHS Jane's say that South-East Asian countries together increased defence spending by 13.5% last year, to $24.5 billion. The figure is projected to rise to $40 billion by 2016. According to SIPRI, arms deliveries to Malaysia jumped eightfold in 2005-09, compared with the previous five years. Indonesia's spending grew by 84% in that period.

It is part of a wider Asian phenomenon. For the first time, in modern history at least, Asia's military spending is poised to overtake Europe's, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think-tank in London. China is doubling its defence budget every five years and India has just announced a 17% rise in spending this year, to about $40 billion.

Until recently domestic insurgencies have amply justified some South-East Asian countries' defence spending. Yet for decades there have been no interstate conflicts. An existential angst remains in Singapore over Malaysia to the north and Indonesia, its big neighbour to the south. Still, it is hard to imagine any of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) locking horns, apart perhaps from Cambodia and Thailand, who lob the occasional artillery shell at each other over a disputed temple on the border.

Mostly, though, countries seem to be exploiting economic success to update their hardware while the going is good. Defence spending slowed sharply after the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98, when many planes and ships were already old. Now many countries are enjoying rapid economic growth, of up to 6% a year, and robust budgets. This is not, says Bill Edgar of IHS Jane's, a “strategic” arms race. Rather, he says, it is all about modernisation.

Take the regional giant, Indonesia. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 not only devastated communities, it also laid bare the shortcomings of the armed forces, which proved to be ill-equipped and demoralised. As American and Australian troops poured off aircraft carriers and other ships into the ravaged province of Aceh to bring aid and search for victims, Indonesian troops were reduced to spectators. The newly elected president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, took the humiliation personally. A former general, Mr Yudhoyono has since made modernising Indonesia's armed forces a priority.

Indonesia is spending $8 billion this year on defence—still rather modest for a country of 240m, but up sharply from $2.6 billion in 2006. Much is going on new hardware and spare parts. The country has acquired Russian and American warplanes, including F-16 fighters, vessels for its navy, and spare parts for its C-130 transport planes. In January Indonesia signed a $1.1 billion deal for three German-made diesel-electric submarines, and lawmakers are debating whether to buy 100 Leopard tanks from the Netherlands. Mr Yudhoyono also wants to improve the lot of soldiers, with higher salaries and benefits.

Domestic political calculations are another factor behind the region's defence splurge. Terence Lee at the National University of Singapore argues that in countries where the armed forces have meddled in politics, civilian politicians use larger defence budgets to buy political compliance from the military—Thailand is a case in point. Singapore, on the other hand, has a different motivation. It is the only country in the region building its own high-tech arms industry. Singapore has long sold weapons to other developing countries, but has recently been winning its first large orders from Western armies too. ST Engineering, the only South-East Asian firm in SIPRI's top 100 defence manufacturers, has sold over 100 Bronco (or Warthog) armoured troop carriers to the British, for use in Afghanistan.

For all that, strategic concerns do count for something. For example, the sea lanes leading to the Strait of Malacca are the lifeblood of Singapore's prosperity. And over the past decade, some may have worried that America was distracted by war elsewhere. So the growth of a Chinese blue-water navy has implications.

Strategic concerns also loom large for any country with a territorial claim to the disputed South China Sea (see article), where China's assertive stance has provoked a surge of spending by, for instance, Vietnam. The country recently ordered six Kilo-class submarines from Russia. Vietnam is also buying seven or so new frigates and corvettes over the next decade. In the Philippines the government of President Benigno Aquino almost doubled the defence budget last year, to $2.4 billion.

Even with new submarines and planes, Vietnam and the Philippines are still no match for Asia's new superpower, should it come to war. But it might make China think twice, or even thrice, before trying anything, and buy time before America—presumably—comes to the rescue.