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[BravoZulu]

Taiwan:
January 3rd, 2020. A UH-60M helicopter carrying Taiwan’s Chief of the General Staff Gen. Shen Yi-ming has crashed this morning. The aircraft went down in Yuanshan Township.
Eight Taiwanese military officers including General Shen Yi-ming were killed.
Thirteen people were on board the UH-60M Black Hawk, part of the Air Force Rescue Team, which took off from Songshan Air Force Base in Taipei just before 8 a.m. It was headed for a military base in Dongao, in the northeast, as part of an inspection before the Lunar New Year holiday later this month, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.
The helicopter disappeared from radar screens about 10 minutes after takeoff, crashing in a mountainous area between the capital and the coast. It was not clear what caused the crash of the Black Hawk.

 

[BravoZulu]

Japan:
Two Japanese patrol planes left Okinawa for the Middle East on Saturday in what will be the Self-Defense Forces' first long-term intelligence-gathering mission abroad.
The dispatch came a day after Defense Minister Taro Kono issued a dispatch order intended to ensure the safety of Japan-related commercial ships passing through the region, on which Tokyo relies heavily for its crude oil imports.
The P-3C Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol planes will start the mission on Jan. 20, while the destroyer Takanami will leave Japan on Feb. 2, according to the Defense Ministry.
"Ensuring the safety of Japan-related ships is crucially important," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters before leaving Tokyo for a five-day trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
"I would like to advance preparations (for the mission) while winning the understanding of related countries," Abe said.
The mission term is one year but could be extended with Cabinet approval, according to Defense Ministry officials.

 

[ayanamitard]

Malaysia

TAI Chairman Temel Kotil told AA on Friday that the company had been carrying out projects on marketing and exports of recently-developed domestic products.

To this end, Turkey has invited Malaysia to join a mutual production of the MMU and Turkey's own training and light attack aircraft, the Hürjet. "We made them a proposal and they showed great interest," Kotil said.

He added that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed had previously visited the TAI center, adding they also held bilateral meetings during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Malaysia in December.

Turkey wants the TF-X project to be a multi-partnered program, like the one enjoyed by the F-35 fighter jet program. Other countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific, such as Malaysia, are being considered potential partners in the project by Ankara. According to sources, Turkey has already discussed partnership possibilities with other countries, but there is no done-deal yet.

Kotil noted that Malaysia has significant composite-producing centers, a recently-established composite valley being one of them, but the country lacked homegrown products in the aviation sector. TAI aims to provide cooperation to the southeast Asian country in this regard, to reach out to the Far East market, he said.

A cooperation memorandum has already been signed between the company and Malaysian counterparts in the composite field, he added.

Homegrown fighter jet to fly with domestic engine by 2029

Turkey's first homegrown combat aircraft will make its maiden flight with a domestically-developed engine by 2029 while talks to recruit international...

www.dailysabah.com

 

[BravoZulu]

Vietnam has placed an order for at least 12 Yak-130 jet trainers. The contract is reportedly worth $350 million.
The jets will be assigned to the 915th aviation training regiment. Previously, at the International Air and Marine Exhibition (LIMA-2017), the Vietnamese high-level military delegation had visited the site of the Yak-130 combat training ground. This is the type of aircraft that has been rumoured by the Russian and international media that Vietnam is planning to buy.
The Yak-130 combat trainer was selected as the winner of the trainer competition of the Voyenno Vozdushnyye Sily, Russian Federation Air Force, in April 2002. The aircraft is also actively marketed for export by Yakovlev, the Irkut company, and by Rosoboronexport.
The Yak-130 is of classical swept-wing monoplane design and light alloy construction with carbon-fibre control surfaces. Kevlar armour protection is fitted to the engines, cockpit and avionics compartment.

 

[ayanamitard]

Malaysia

Malaysia is set to convert two PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) CN-235 transports into maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs).

General Affendi Buang, the chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces, told Jane's on 31 January that the mission systems on the two aircraft will be provided by the United States under the Pentagon's Maritime Security Initiative (MSI), but provided no further details.

Jane's understands that the mission suite is likely to include the Merlin maritime surveillance system developed by Oregon-based Integrated Surveillance and Defense, Inc (ISD). This system has been installed on three CN-235s, two of which are in service with the Indonesian Navy, the other operated by the Indonesian Air Force.

The Merlin mission equipment includes a maritime surveillance radar, an electro-optical sensor turret, and an electronic support measures system.

The Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF's) No 1 Squadron operates seven CN-235s in the transport and utility roles.

Gen Affendi said work to upgrade the two CN-235s is expected to begin later this year, probably at PTDI's facilities in Bandung, Java, where the company is carrying out a service-life extension programme for the RMAF's CN-235s as part of a maintenance, repair, and overhaul contract signed in April 2018.

Two more of these platforms could also be converted into MPAs providing more funding from the MSI programme is approved.

The option to convert the transports into MPAs was part of a USD30 million contract with PTDI but this has so far not been exercised due to lack of funds. PTDI initially offered the Thales Airborne Maritime Situation and Control System (AMASCOS) and sensors for the MPA conversion programme.

Malaysia ordered eight CN-235s in 1998 and deliveries were completed in 2001. One aircraft was written off after it ditched in the sea in February 2016

 

[ayanamitard]

Malaysia

Air Platforms
Singapore Airshow 2020: Malaysia reveals future plans for A400M airlifters
Ridzwan Rahmat, Singapore - Jane's Defence Weekly
14 February 2020
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The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has laid out plans to further unlock the tactical capabilities of its A400M heavy airlifters, including equipping the aircraft with full paradropping capabilities.

The plans were revealed by Major Lo Chee Sing, an RMAF A400M pilot from the service’s 22 Squadron, during a briefing organised by Airbus us as part of Singapore Airshow 2020. The RMAF operates a fleet of four A400Ms.

“The Royal Malaysian Air Force is very keen to conduct, and get more involved in, the tactical capabilities of this aircraft,” said Maj Lo.

According to the pilot, the RMAF began unlocking these capabilities in early 2018 when it successfully conducted the first two-point tanking operations with the A400M.

The operation was conducted with two Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighter aircraft. “We are among the first in the world to conduct it [two-point taking operations with the A400M],” Maj Lo added.

Since then, the RMAF has conducted aerial refuelling exercises from the A400M for the two other fighter aircraft types in service: the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet and the BAE Hawk 208.

The RMAF will soon move on to conduct take-off and landing operations at unpaved and austere airstrips, and the service will eventually explore the possibility of taking on high- altitude low opening (HALO) and high-altitude high opening (HAHO) jumps, and paradropping cargo via the container delivery system (CDS).

Major Lo did not provide further details on when each of these operations are expected to be carried out but did say that the squadron’s immediate focus is to support planned maintenance for a single F/A-18D airframe at Williamstown, Australia. The airframe will be transported from Malaysia to Australia with one A400M later this year

Janes | Latest defence and security news

Janes | The latest defence and security news from Janes - the trusted source for defence intelligence

www.janes.com

 

[BravoZulu]

Japan plans to choose the US as its partner for developing the successor to the F-2 fighter jet, while taking on most of the R&D costs to avoid leaving essential design information solely in American hands again, Nikkei reported.
A proposal to enlist British companies, which would have given Japan the freedom to update the planes at will, was ultimately rejected in favor of the increasing security ties between Japan and the United States, according to Japanese officials.
Japan seeks a replacement for its aging F-2 aircraft, currently built by Mitsubishi, to enter service sometime in the 2030s.
US contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing have been named as possible partners, although Japan has made it clear that it will not name a single partner.

 

[BravoZulu]

Philippines:
Japan has secured its first export of military surveillance radars with a contract from the Philippines.
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. was awarded the contract to supply three fixed and one mobile radar systems worth $103 million. The company has offered its J/FPS-3 radar for the bid.
Delivery is expected to start next year. Officials said that this marked the first time that Japan has secured a contract to export military hardware, a few years after it lifted decades of self-imposed ban on arms exports in 2014.
The equipment would bolster the country’s airspace radar coverage amid continuing external security challenges including China’s expansion in the West Philippine Sea.

 

[Junglejim]

All that investment that Japan gave to us, its about time we return the favor

 

[BravoZulu]

North Korea on Saturday fired two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, South Korea’s military said, as it continues to expand military capabilities amid deadlocked nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration and a crippling global health crisis.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired around 6:45 and 6:50 a.m. from an area around the county of Sonchon, western North Korea. They flew 410 kilometers (255 miles) cross-country on an apogee of 50 kilometers (31 miles) before landing in waters off the eastern coast.
South Korea and the U.S. were analyzing the launches. Seoul’s military urged the North to immediately stop its “very inappropriate” military demonstrations when the world is struggling to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Japan’s Defense Ministry said the projectiles didn’t reach Japanese territory or its exclusive economic zone.
The North conducted two previous rounds of similar short-range launches and other military exercises this month after leader Kim Jong Un entered the new year vowing to bolster his nuclear deterrent in face of “gangster-like” U.S. sanctions and pressure.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2020/03/23/north-korea-test-fires-two-missiles/

 

[BravoZulu]

Japan:
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned the first of two Maya (Improved Atago)-class, Aegis-equipped destroyers in a ceremony held on 19 March in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Named JS Maya (pennant number 179), the 170 m-long warship was inducted into the service’s Escort Division 1 of Escort Flotilla 1 at the Yokosuka naval base shortly after being handed over by shipbuilding company Japan Marine United (JMU) Corporation, a JMSDF spokesperson told Jane’s.

Maya, which is now the seventh operational JMSDF ship equipped with the Aegis Combat System, was laid down in April 2017 and launched in July 2018. The second vessel of the class, Haguro (pennant number 180), was launched in July 2019 and is expected to enter service in March 2021.

Maya, which cost about JPY172 billion (USD1.61 billion) to build, is 5 m longer than the Atago-class destroyers operated by the JMSDF.

The destroyer is equipped with the Aegis Baseline J7 supported by the Lockheed Martin/Raytheon AN/SPY-1D(V) phased array radar and the Northrop Grumman AN/SPQ-9B X-band (NATO I-band) (8-12.5 GHz) high-resolution fire-control radar.

The ship is equipped with the US-developed Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) system, which enables the destroyer to act as part of a wider ‘grid’ of sensors and weapon platforms that allow other CEC-equipped ships and military aircraft – such as Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft – to share surveillance and targeting information. With this capability, the ship will be able to better counter threats such as those posed by North Korean ballistic missiles.

The two Maya-class ships will field Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Block IIA missiles designed to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The destroyers are also expected to deploy Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) air-defence missiles in the near future.

https://www.janes.com/article/94978/japan-commissions-first-maya-class-guided-missile-destroyer

 

[BravoZulu]

Myanmar’s Armed Forces (Tadmadaw) have officially rejected calls from foreign governments and local ethnic rebels for a ceasefire to facilitate a response to stem the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in the Southeast Asian country.
Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for the True News Information Team (TNIT), the Tatmadaw’s public relations wing, noted on April 2 that the ceasefire proposals were “not realistic,” adding that insurgent groups engaged in hostilities with the Tatmadaw “just have to follow the law”.
The TNIT response came a day after the ambassadors to Myanmar of 10 European countries, the European Union, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States issued a joint appeal for a cessation of hostilities, the resolution of grievances through dialogue, and a lifting of Internet and media restrictions.
The Rakhine conflict is underway in western Myanmar in the Rakhine and Chin states since 2015 between the ethnic Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw.

 

[BravoZulu]

Japan:
The 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Group of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force has completed its move to Miyako-jima. The 7th Antiaircraft Artillery Group of the ground-to-air missile unit relocated from Takematsu Garrison in Nagasaki Prefecture.
It operates a Type 03 medium-range surface-to-air missile (Medium SAM).
The Japanese Ministry of Defense revealed on March 26 that the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force has deployed surface-to-air and anti-ship missile batteries along with about 340 troops to Miyakojima Island in Okinawa Prefecture to bolster the country’s defense capabilities amid China’s growing assertiveness near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.

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[BravoZulu]

Philippines:
Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), Philippine Coast Guard’s new aluminum hull offshore patrol vessel (OPV), arrived at the Manila Bay Anchorage Area on April 7.

The newbuild was welcomed by Airbus helicopter 1452, fixed wing aircraft, PCG Islander 251, multi-role response vessels BRP Tubbataha and BRP Malabrigo from Japan, fast patrol boat BRP Kalanggaman from France, and Metal Shark high speed response boats in the vicinity waters of Manila Bay.

Gabriela Silang, which was built by OCEA in France, was initially scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on February 10, 2020. However, the vessel was rerouted to the Middle East to perform its first-ever mission – to repatriate overseas Filipino workers in case hostilities erupt in the region. The ship was on standby in Malta, ready to evacuate Filipino nationals in Libya if necessary.

OPV-8301 has a range of 8,000 nautical miles at 15 knots and an endurance of up to five-week non-stop operations. Being the largest vessel of the PCG, Gabriela Silang can ferry up to 500 persons.

Described as “the world’s largest aluminum OPV” by French shipbuilder OCEA, BRP Gabriela Silang will carry out all maritime security and safety missions under the responsibility of the coast guard in the waters of the Philippine archipelago.

In addition, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Gabriela Silang will be utilized as a transport ship for frontline health workers, medicines, personal protective equipment, and other medical supplies to regional hospitals across the country, according to PCG.

https://navaltoday.com/2020/04/10/philippine-coast-guards-new-aluminium-opv-arrives-home/

 

[morris]

According to Chinese media, a major fire occurred in the stern at the construction head project of UDC 075. The cause of the fire, as well as the damage caused and possible victims of the fire are not reported. The fire was extinguished with the help of a fire ship.

 

[DZimm]

China:

Chinese soldiers test next generation assault rifle

 

[BravoZulu]

Japan:
Northrop Grumman delivers two more E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) aircraft to the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF).
Following assembly and some test flights at Iwakuni, the two aircraft, which belong to an initial batch of four, are set to be transferred to Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan where the JASDF's 601st Squadron, which operates both E-2C and E-2D aircraft, is based.
The US Department of Defense announced in September 2019 that the US Naval Air Systems Command had awarded Northrop Grumman a $1.36 billion contract modification for the production and delivery of nine additional aircraft to Japan, bringing to the number of E-2Ds under contract for the JASDF to 13.

 

[BravoZulu]

CM-34, an IFV variant of the Cloud Leopard, has entered troop verification trials

 

[Junglejim]

Janes | Latest defence and security news

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It would sure be interesting but I doubt neither would win. The declared winner was the ATAK T-129, but that has been on the shelves given the embargo with Turkey and now the pandemic. It would take a lot to turn that decision around. Though between the two the Viper is probably more palatable to the Air Force due to familiarity care of the USMC in Balikatan.

 

[BravoZulu]

Janes | Latest defence and security news

Janes | The latest defence and security news from Janes - the trusted source for defence intelligence

www.janes.com

It would sure be interesting but I doubt neither would win. The declared winner was the ATAK T-129, but that has been on the shelves given the embargo with Turkey and now the pandemic. It would take a lot to turn that decision around. Though between the two the Viper is probably more palatable to the Air Force due to familiarity care of the USMC in Balikatan.

The DoS approved a possible Foreign Military Sale for six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.5 billion.The AH-64E Apache is a twin-seat, twin-turboshaft attack helicopter. The E variant is a recent upgrade, expanding the engine, armament, and on-board connectivity capabilities. The E variant is capable of controlling unmanned aerial vehicles and has a greater payload capacity along with more sophisticated datalinks. The Philippines is considering either the AH-1Z or the AH-64E to modernize its attack helicopter capabilities. The proposed sale will assist the Philippines in developing and maintaining strong self-defense, counterterrorism, and critical infrastructure protection capabilities. The Philippines will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and support into its armed forces.

The DoS also approved a Foreign Military Sale to the Philippines of six AH-1Z attack helicopters and related equipment for an estimated cost of $450 million. The AH-1Z Viper is a twin-engine attack helicopter that is smaller than the Apache and a lower payload capacity. The Philippines armed forces would incorporate the proposed attack helicopters for use in counterterrorism and critical infrastructure protection missions. The United States has supported the Philippines in counterterrorism in recent years, including with logistical and intelligence support. Both proposed sales “will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in South-East Asia,” the DSCA noted in its releases.