India successfully test-fired Prithvi II, Dhanush

Indigenously developed, nuclear-capable ballistic missile Prithvi-II was today test- fired from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 15 km from here off Orissa coast, in less than an hour of flight testing of "Dhanush" from a naval ship.

"Prithvi-II missile, which has a maximum range of 350 kms, was test fired from a mobile launcher at the launch complex-3 in the ITR" at around 1100 hours, defence sources said.

Official sources said trials of both "Dhanush", test-fired from a warship at a spot between Paradip and Puri, and Prithvi-II missiles were successful.

"Prithvi-II missile has proved its robustness and accuracy repeatedly during many trials earlier," a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official said.

Price talks for 126 jets to begin this month: IAF chief

India will this month begin the price negotiation for the $10.4-billion contract for 126 combat planes for its air force to conclude the deal by July this year, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said here Thursday. 

"The cost negotiation for MMRCA will begin by the end of this month. I expect the contract to be signed before I retire from service in July this year," Naik, who interacted with the capital's women journalists, said. 

India is buying 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for which it issued tender in August 2007. The six contenders for the contract, described in defence circles as 'mother of all deals', are American majors Boeing and Lockheed Martin , Russian United Aircraft Corporation , French Dassault, European consortium EADS-Cassidian and Swedish Saab. 

Boeing's F/A-18, Lockheed Martin's F-16, United Aircraft Corporation's MiG-35, Dassault's Rafale, EADS-Cassidian's Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab's Gripen are the fighter aircraft in the fray. 

The chosen combat jet will be the mainstay of IAF's fighter aircraft fleet for the next 40 years. The new MMRCA will replace the IAF's existing fleet of MiG variants.

Paksitani aircraft JF-17 Thunder :Awesome information about JF-17 thunder in photos

source

http://pakarmydefence.blogspot.com/2011/02/jf-17-modelawesome-information-about-jf.html

Israel prepares for major military operations

After the overthrow of a neighboring multi-year ruler of Egypt Hosni Mubarak, Israel has created rapid reaction forces in case the situation in Judea and Samaria gets out of control. It enhanced the guard of a number of military and civilian targets inside the country and abroad.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak inspected the military units stationed near the northern border and made a number of important statements. New Israeli war preparations are consistent with the anxiety that has seized the Middle East in recent weeks.

Recently Benny Ganz was appointed the new Chief of General Staff of Israel. Just like his predecessor, he had a career as a combat officer. One of his first decisions in his new position was separating of Haifa and a number of settlements located in the north of the country in a separate military district.

This is not a formal change in the structure, but an important step aimed at strengthening of the defense of the North. In summer of 2006, it was Haifa and Kiryat Shmona that suffered the most from the attacks of the radical Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah.

During a visit to battalion 932 "Granit" of the Infantry Brigade of IDF, Ehud Barak stated the possibility of a new invasion to Lebanon. This measure can be undertaken by the Israeli army in the event of another attack of Hezbollah.

According to Benny Ganz, Israel is preparing for major military operations in the face of the external threat. Despite the requirement under the UN resolution 1701, the Lebanese resistance movement not only has failed to disarm, but also significantly strengthened its position.

In response to the statements by Israeli Defense Minister, head of Hezbollah Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has warned that his fighters could occupy Galilee. The leader of the Lebanese resistance urged his supporters to take revenge on Israel for the death of a recently slain imam Mughni.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that he did not regard these threats seriously. "Nasrallah declared today that he will conquer Galilee. I have news for him: he won't," RIA Novosti quoted the words of the Israeli Prime Minister.

Currently, military power of Hezbollah is not that strong to win over the IDF tanks and infantry, but without any major victories on land the militants are unlikely to seize such a territory as Galileo. Nevertheless, there is a cause for concern for Israelis.

According to the most conservative estimates, Hezbollah now has an arsenal of 40,000 rockets. In addition, a few months ago France supplied a small batch of the latest anti-tank grenade launchers to Lebanon, which can also cause troubles for the IDF units.

This was the framework for Iran's maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea. Poorly armed Iranian ships do not pose a direct military threat to Israel. Nevertheless, the attempt of the fleet of the Islamic Republic to pass through the Suez Canal (for the first time since 1979) is a landmark event for the entire Middle East.

The events are somewhat reminiscent of the Agadir crisis of 1911, when the German gunboat Panther approached the shores of French Morocco. The incident was caused by the contradictions of colonial France and Germany in Africa. It was the Agadir crisis that showed the instability of the system of European security and became a forerunner of World War I in 1914.

Israeli media bring attention to the fact that the Iranian vessels may be used to supply missiles to Hezbollah through Syria. At the same time there were some concerns about the concentration of large forces of the Egyptian army in Sinai.

Nevertheless, the likelihood of a war with Egypt is not that significant compared to the threat posed by Hezbollah in the north and by Hamas in the Gaza Strip in the south. Numerous riots in the Arab countries are a factor of instability in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

The Israeli military are carefully monitoring the situation in the region and getting ready for the worst scenario. The militants of Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups are shelling Sderot and Ashkelon increasingly more often, and place explosive devices in the border areas. So far Israel's response is limited, but sooner or later the country's leaders may go for more drastic military measures.

Israel prepares for major military operations - English pravda.ru

Shortage of officers in indian armed forces

Defence Minister A K Antony on 7th March said that the armed forces are currently facing a shortage of 15,004 officers. In written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Antony said that several measures are being initiated to motivate the youth to make armed forces a preferable career option.

“The extent of shortage of officers is around 12,349 in the Army, 1,818 in the Navy and 837 in the Air Force. The shortage of pilots in the Air Force is about 426. There is no significant problem of shortage of personnel below officer rank (PBORs) in the Armed Forces,” he said.

Remedial measures are being taken by the Defence Ministry says Antony. “All officers, including those in the Short Service Commission (SSC), are now eligible to hold substantive rank of Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel after two, six and 13 years of reckonable service respectively. The tenure of SSC officers has been increased from 10 to 14 years,” he said.

Arjun Mark-II will be completed by July 2011

The phase one production of Arjun Mark-II will be completed by July 2011 and phase two production with 93 new improvements will be completed by June 2012, said P Sivakumar, Director of Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, a wing of the DRDO. 

In Phase-I, 45 tanks will roll out with 56 upgrades, including the missile firing capability and the enhanced night vision, and in Phase-II, the remaining 79 tanks, with all the 93 improvements, will come off the assembly line. “By 2013-14, the first batch of 30 tanks will reach the ground,” Sivakumar told Express.

Addressing a seminar at Anna University, Sivakumar also mentioned the need for defence establishments to reduce the weight of combat vehicles like tanks. “Material sciences and nanotechnology play a significant role in this change. At present Arjun tanks weigh 60 tonnes. But there may be a demand to reduce the weight to 50 tonnes to improve mobility. This can be achieved to some extent by applying nanotechnology in reducing the thickness of armors while retaining their strength,” he said.

The DRDO research and innovation center at IIT-Madras Research Park will try to work and address such needs by collaborating with educational institutions, Sivakumar said.

“The center will become operational by July and we look to pool in resources from students of IIT-M and Anna University to conduct futuristic research at this centre, different from projects going on in the regular DRDO labs,” he said.

The focus of this research centre, according to Sivakumar, will be on developing the suspension technology. “India is a leader in hydropneumatic suspension technology and we are looking to broaden the scope further through this centre,” he said.

Arjun Mark-II will be completed by July 2011 | | | Indian Express

BRAHMOS Block-III to be inducted in 12th plan: A K Antony

 The Block-III version of the BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile is likely to be inducted (in the Indian Defence forces) in the 12th plan, Defence Minister A K Antony told the Lok Sabha on Monday.

He added that, the Block-I and II versions of the BRAHMOS missile are already in service with the Indian Army.

The Minister also informed Parliament that, the supersonic cruise missile has been tested successfully for application in Indian Navy and Army.

"On 2nd December 2010, Block-III version of the missile was test fired to establish the steep dive capability of the missile with large manoeuvres. The mission was accomplished successfully, establishing a unique capability of supersonic dive in mountain operations," A K Antony said, according to a PIB news report.

The BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missile system has a range of up to 290 km with a maximum speed of 2.8 Mach. The missile can be launched from multiple platforms including land, sea, sub-sea and air.

While the Indian Army and Navy have already inducted the missile system in their arsenal, the Indian Air Force is getting ready to equip its SU-30MKI fighters with the powerful missiles in near future.

BRAHMOS Block-III to be inducted in 12th plan: A K Antony - Brahmand.com

Japan protests over China military incident

Tokyo has protested to Beijing over the “extremely dangerous” actions of a Chinese military helicopter that buzzed a Japanese destroyer operating in the sensitive waters of the East China Sea.

The incident highlights the potential for frictions between East Asia's leading powers as China's increasingly potent military becomes a more assertive maritime player in the region.

It is the latest in a string of incidents in which regional neighbours have accused Chinese vessels or helicopters of reckless behaviour at sea.

Last week, Manila protested against an incident in which it said Chinese patrol boats threatened to ram a Philippine survey vessel in the strategically important and resource-rich South China Sea.

Concerns about China's rising power prompted Tokyo to last year order a sweeping reordering of its military forces intended to give it a stronger and more mobile presence in southern Japanese islands bordering the East China Sea.

Japan's defence ministry said the Chinese helicopter had been flying at an altitude of just 40m when it came within a horizontal distance of about 70m from the Japanese destroyer Samidare on Monday afternoon.

“This behaviour is extremely dangerous,” Toshimi Kitazawa, Japan's defence minister, told a news conference on Tuesday, adding that Tokyo had already protested to Beijing “through diplomatic channels”.

Officials said the Chinese helicopter had this time come even closer than during a similar incident in April last year that was also protested against by Tokyo.

The East China Sea is a focus of Sino-Japanese tensions, with both sides claiming large swathes of its resource-rich waters as their own exclusive economic zones.

A Japanese defence ministry official declined to give details of where the latest incident occurred, but denied media reports it was near the controversial Chunxiao gas field, where Tokyo says Chinese drilling operations could be drawing gas from across the “median line” that it claims as the border of its EEZ.

In 2008, Beijing and Tokyo announced they would work together to exploit gas reserves in disputed areas of the East China Sea, but progress has since stalled.

Beijing halted discussions on joint gas development last year after a Chinese fishing boat clashed with Japanese coastguard near a group of disputed islands known as the Senkakus in Japanese and the Diaoyus in Chinese.

Military officials from south-east Asian countries say Beijing has been evading dialogue on conflict prevention in disputed waters.

The Chinese government says it has been working to assuage regional concerns triggered by its growing power.

“We realise that some people doubt our strategy of peaceful development and have concerns over China’s rise,” said a senior Beijing official involved in foreign policy planning. But he blamed these doubts on foreigners’ ill will and failure to understand China.

The naval arm of China's People's Liberation Army is rapidly expanding the range of its patrols and exercises, but has said it aims to dispel doubts among neighbours by being more transparent. Last summer, it began announcing most of its regular naval exercises in advance.

Two years ago, the US accused China of a series of harassments of US Navy surveillance vessels in both the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

However, Chinese and US military officials have an ongoing dialogue about “rules of the road” meant to prevent collisions in regional waters, and US naval officials say there have been no new incidents between the two sides over the past year.

FT.com / Asia-Pacific - Japan protests over China military incident

Iran And India expend defence ties

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has stressed the significance of expanding bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic and India.

"Officials and politicians of the two countries should increase and expand ties and meetings," Salehi said in a meeting with India's National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon in Tehran on Tuesday.

He also pointed out that Iran and India have historical and cultural commonalities, adding that New Delhi plays an important role in the region and the world, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran and New Delhi can raise cooperation in economic, trade, technology, and other sectors given Iran's rich energy resources and India's technological achievements.

The Indian national security advisor, for his part, said that the two nations should strengthen their relations in new fields.

Menon also met Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday.

The Islamic Republic is India's second-largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia, with New Delhi importing 12 million barrels of Iranian crude on a monthly basis.

Trade volume between Iran and India reached almost $13 billion in 2007 after business between the two countries jumped by 80 percent. 

US prepares to launch Libya attack

Latest media reports suggest that the United States and its allies may be preparing the ground for a military intervention in Libya.

The US Senate has unanimously passed a resolution calling for a no-fly zone over Libya.

The US Senate Armed Services Committee said all options, including the military option, should be on the table.

Earlier, the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Washington is looking at a full range of options for Libya.

Meanwhile, the US dailies, New York Times and Washington Post said the dissident leaders in the Libyan city of Benghazi have been debating about making a request for foreign air strikes against Gaddafi forces.

The report said the dissident leaders are growing frustrated over Gaddafi's iron grip on power.

Moreover, two US warships bound for the Mediterranean have entered Egypt's Suez Canal.

The USS Kear-sarge and the USS Ponce are carrying hundreds of marines, a fleet of helicopters and military equipment.

This comes as speculations escalate about a possible foreign military intervention in Libya.

Many observers believe that the US is concerned about the safety of Libya's oil reserves and not the country's people.

Libya holds the largest proven oil reserves in North Africa.

Meanwhile, the Israeli regime has reportedly authorized a security firm to send mercenaries to Libya to crush anti-government protesters there.

A journalist from Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot states that Tel Aviv has decided to recruit African mercenaries to fight against anti-government protesters in Libya.

The journalist says the director of the security firm was allowed to provide Libya's intelligence agency with the mercenaries. 

'Israel is planning new war on neighbors'

Israel is reportedly planning to launch a new war to strengthen its position in the Middle East, following recent political reforms in regional states.

A Western diplomat in the Jordanian capital Amman said on Wednesday that Israel has decided to attack Syria and Lebanon following the downfall of Hosni Mubarak's regime in Egypt, which served as a great loss to Tel Aviv, the Lebanese daily Assafir reported.

The diplomat reiterated that since Tel Aviv is seriously worried about consequences of the Egyptian revolution and future developments in the region, it wants to start a new war in the Middle East in order to turn the situation back in its favor.

"Israel intends to overthrow Bashar al-Assad government in Syria in a matter of weeks after a war with Lebanon's resistance movement of Hezbollah east of Lebanon, near the border with Syria,” Assafirquoted the diplomat as saying.

He added that Israel has already informed Washington about the plan.

Egypt, which shares a long border with Israel, was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Tel Aviv in 1979, following secret negotiations at the Camp David resort in the US.

For years, Egypt helped Israel impose a deadly siege on the Gaza Strip by closing the Rafah crossing to Palestinians, keeping Gaza's 1.5 million population trapped in the tiny coastal enclave.

The Israeli regime now fears that by the opening of Rafah, Hamas, the democratically-elected government of Gaza, will gain more power. 

Iran to US: Stop military interference

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned the United States and its allies against their “military” interference in North Africa and the Middle East, urging them to stop their moves.

“If you have military interference in North Africa and the Middle East once again, regional nations will stand up and dig graves for your soldiers,” IRNA quoted President Ahmadinejad as speaking in Iran's western province of Lorestan on Wednesday.

The Iranian chief executive added that the present time differs from 10 years ago and the time of former US President George W. Bush “that you attacked Iraq and Afghanistan under the pretext of September 11.”

He said the US and its “plundering allies” are the “most hated governments among nations” and emphasized that they are hatching plots to prepare ground for their military intervention in certain countries.

President Ahmadinejad warned certain powers, who falsely claim to defend human rights, against their deceitful plots, saying, “No one accepts your claims about supporting nations because you are the main culprits behind the ongoing crimes in the world.”

He pointed out that the US leaders currently claim to defend rights of nations and confront dictators, stressing, "All people across the world should know that the dictatorship is supported by the US government."

President Ahmadinejad said new plots by the United States and its allies are aimed at overcoming oil and gas resources in North Africa and certain countries in the Middle East.

He pointed to US bases in European countries and emphasized, “Those who produce, stockpile and use atomic bombs have no right to take stance against the Iranian nation and the country's nuclear technology.”

“They produce nuclear weapons and have bases, different bases. They violate international regulations and have set up bases in at least four European countries and stockpile their bombs there,” the Iranian president pointed out.

He warned that the Iranian nation would resist against extremism of arrogant powers and added that they have only one option for their survival. 

Russia back in business: Russia launches $650 bn defence spending drive

MOSCOW (AFP): Russia has launched a USD 650 billion rearmament plan to counter the West's military dominance by adding eight nuclear submarines and hundreds of warplanes to its creaking armed forces.

Details of the long-flagged Kremlin procurement plan through 2020 see Russia acquiring a total of 20 submarines and more than 600 warplanes in place of a creaking fleet of outdated jets that have been losing international clients.

Deputy Defence Minister Vladimir Popovkin said Russia would build a total of 100 new ships and acquire 1,000 additional helicopters -- figures that would dramatically swell the number of modern and battle-ready craft.

"The main task is the modernisation of our armed forces. Nineteen trillion rubles (USD 653 billion) will be allocated for this," news agencies quoted Popovkin as saying.

"We are not interested in purchasing any foreign weapons or military equipment," he added.

The Kremlin has vowed repeatedly to boost spending on a dilapidated military, whose 2009 exercises were scoffed at by the United States' mission to NATO in cables published by the WikiLeaks website.

The US official said the war games showed that Russia was only capable of engaging in a small- to mid-sized local conflict that did not require the engagement of more than one branch of the armed forces.

The assessment added that Russia "continues to rely on aging and obsolete equipment" and further suffers from a "manpower shortage".

A Moscow newspaper reported in September that another in a series of poor army drafts brought the armed forces' total number to about 800,000 troops -- well short of the million-man army foreseen in planning.

The Kremlin has spent recent years trying to devise a military strategy that would see targeted spending on high-profile weapons that enable Russia to compete with the West both on the battle field and the open arms market.

The strategy announced Thursday sees Russia funnelling much of its resources on nuclear submarines and next-generation anti-missiles defences to replace the already popular S-300 system that had been sought by nations such as Iran.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/Russia-launches-$650-bn-defence-spending-drive/6401/1/10.html

Development of Improved Indian Arjun Complete: DRDO

NEW DELHI - India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) claims that it has completed upgrades on the Arjun tank, replacing existing German engines and transmission systems with homemade systems.

The Mark-II Arjun will incorporate up to 90 percent of indigenous content, compared with 58 percent in the current model, a DRDO scientist said, and should be ready for induction by 2014.

The Mark-II also will feature superior missile-firing capabilities, the scientist added.

Conceived in 1973, the Arjun tank was behind schedule by more than 15 years, resulting in the Indian Army choosing the Russian T-90 tank as its main battle tank. The Arjun had to go through a series of trials and retrials before the Army announced the tank fit for duty. Last year, the Arjun Mark-I had to be put on comparative trials against the Russian T-90, after which the Indian Army finally concluded that the Arjun tank performed to expectations.

Earlier, the Arjun faced problems concerning its fire control system and suspension, and its weight-restricted mobility.

Last year, the Indian Army ordered an additional 124 tanks, bringing the total to 248.

Development of Improved Indian Arjun Complete: DRDO - Defense News

India seeks nod from China on UN Council seat

India is cranking up the pressure on China to come out in unequivocal support of its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The move comes about even as a friendly American lawmaker moved a Bill in the United States Congress to ask President Barack Obama to actively work towards helping New Delhi's ambition come to fruition.

"We believe that India is a deserving candidate for permanent membership of the Security Council," Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao told Chinese state television recently. "We would like to see greater understanding from China for India's case."

Last month, India began a two-year term on the Security Council as Asia's representative for the rotating seat, with the support of 187 of the 192 members of the world body. The broad support in some ways wiped out the humiliation of 1996, when India contested against Japan for the post, and lost badly.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and foreign minister S.M. Krishna are working for the current Security Council perch to be converted into a permanent one by the time India has to surrender the seat.

Towards that end, India is not only pushing its own case but also coordinating closely with Japan, Germany and Brazil for an expanded council.

Earlier this month, the G-4, as they are known, called for "earliest expansion" of the Security Council in both its permanent and non-permanent categories.

Also, US congressman Alcee Hastings introduced a bipartisan resolution in the House of Representatives voicing support for the Indian bid.

Thus far, China is the only permanent member of the Security Council that has not come out in clear terms to endorse India's aspirations. New Delhi has raised the issue at every high-powered meeting between the two nations.

China, responding to the G-4 statement, said that "forcing premature plans... (would) undermine the unity of UN member states" since there were sharp differences over major issues.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu has said Beijing stood for "extensive and democratic consultations" before moving on the issue, indicating that it is in no hurry.

Analysts said Chinese reluctance to voice firm support for the Indian bid stems from two reasons.

One is an obvious reluctance to share power and the spotlight with another Asian force. But beyond that, Beijing is also distrustful of the developing US-India alliance.

Last November, in a speech to the Indian Parliament, Obama endorsed India's aspirations to be included as a permanent member.

The US not only welcomes India as a rising global power, it fervently supports it, he said.

But, he said, with increased power came responsibilities, one of which was to advance human rights and preserve peace and security. India, he said, had sometimes shied away from these issues. The price of freedom is standing up for the freedom of others, Obama said.

Analysts noted that New Delhi has been quietly realigning some of its public postures to hew closer to the US line.

This week, for instance, it used unusually blunt language as it took on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's handling of the political crisis in his country.

"India deplores the use of force which is totally unacceptable and must not be resorted to," the Indian foreign ministry said late on Tuesday night. "It is earnestly hoped calm is restored at the earliest without any further violence."

That follows a comment from Dr Singh to television editors last week that "India welcomes the dawn of democracy anywhere in the world" although, he added, it will not seek to impose its views on others.
Rao said she is hopeful that when the moment arrives, China will not stand in India's way.

"I doubt very much if China would oppose that when it comes to that," she said in a speech in New York last week. "But, as of now, China is not expressing itself openly in favour of India's candidature."

NATO 'monitoring Iran's naval move'

Western military alliance NATO says it is keeping a close watch over Iranian naval presence in the Mediterranean, although Tehran has described the naval mission as peaceful and cordial.

Two Iranian warships sailed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean for the first time since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, after receiving authorization from Egypt. The vessels, Khark and Alvand, have docked at the Syrian coast for training.

On Wednesday, AFP quoted NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu as saying, "We follow events in the region and we follow these two Iranian warships.”

"We are monitoring events,” Lungescu added.

Iran's Navy has made clear that the mission is aimed at strengthening friendly relations with other countries and conveying Tehran's message of peace and security in international waters.

Israel, however, has placed its Navy on alert, branding the naval movement as a cause for 'concern' and an act of provocation.

The United States -- the most influential NATO member -- has also announced that it will be "watching carefully to see where these ships go and the implications of that."

Iran's Deputy Army Commander Brigadier General Abdul-Rahim Mousavi told IRNA on Tuesday that following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 -- when our Navy made its last passage through the canal -- many countries thought that Iran's military would halt all its activities after a few months, but all plots against our efforts by arrogant powers have been foiled.

Referring to Israel, he said, “The Zionist regime was shocked by the presence of Iran's naval ships in the Suez Canal and this is why the regime has engaged in a propaganda campaign in recent days.” 

First Australian LHD Launched in Spain

The hull of the first of the Royal Australian Navy’s two new amphibious ships has been launched in Spain, heralding a new era for Australia’s amphibious capability (all photos : Australian DoD)

LHD launch paves the way for amphibious transformation

The hull of the first of the Royal Australian Navy’s two new amphibious ships has been launched in Spain, heralding a new era for Australia’s amphibious capability.

Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Crane, led the launch and said the event was enormously significant.

“These ships are officially known as Landing Helicopter Docks or LHDs and are the largest the Australian Navy has ever owned,” Vice Admiral Crane said.

LHD01's hull launch was held at the Navantia dockyards at Ferrol in northern Spain; the event having a distinct Australian feel as children of Australian diplomats joined the official delegation waving Australian flags.

A Canberra regional sparkling wine was broken over the Canberra Class ship’s hull.

Vicki Coates, wife of the late Rear Admiral Nigel Coates who commanded the previous HMAS Canberra, was the ‘launch lady’.

Vice Admiral Crane said with a new generation in technology would come a new way of thinking in terms of how Navy would operate and crew this new capability.
“We are well progressed in our planning for the LHD arrival,” he said.

“I am confident we will have the people and the knowhow by the time the first LHD comes on line.


“Most importantly, for now, this project is on time and on budget.” Both ships will be based at Garden Island in Sydney. Crewed by all three services, the LHD will mark a significant strengthening of the ADF’s amphibious capability and tri-service culture.
First of class, HMAS Canberra (LHD01) will arrive in Victoria next year where it will be fitted out before being accepted into service in 2014 with sister ship HMAS Adelaide (LHD02) to follow the year after.

(Australian DoD)

Spy Behind the Weapons Procurement of Indonesia

K2 Black Panther main battle tank (photo : Military Today)

NIS Behind Break-In at Indonesian Delegation

Three intruders who broke into the room of Indonesian presidential envoys at Seoul's Lotte Hotel on the morning of Feb. 16 were agents from the National Intelligence Service, it has emerged. A high-ranking government official said the NIS "tried to find out the negotiation strategy of the Indonesian delegation in pursuit of the national interest. It was an unintended consequence that they were caught."

Soon after some 50 Indonesian officials including Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa left for Cheong Wa Dae to meet President Lee Myung-bak, two men and a women broke into the room on the 19th floor of the Lotte Hotel, but they were surprised by one of the Indonesian officials while they were looking into laptops there and fled. It is uncertain whether the agents copied data from the laptop.

T-50 Golden Eagle, the supersonic training aircraft (photo : Lockheed Martin)

The NIS agents were apparently desperate to obtain Indonesia's negotiation strategy for the purchase of Korea's T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet, K2 Black Panther main battle tank, and portable surface-to-air missile. Korea is in fierce competition with Russia's Yak-130 trainer jet.

The government has been working hard to win an export deal after negotiations with the United Arab Emirates and Singapore faltered. One T-50 is priced at US$25 million, and the government aims to export 1,000 by 2030.

LIG Nex1 Chiron manpads surface to air missile (photo : Omniae)

A government official said, "It seems that NIS took way too much risk due to this obsession with the export of the T-50." An intelligence official claimed it is "an open secret" that intelligence agencies of every country are engaged in a highly sophisticated battle for intelligence. "After the intrusion was reported in the media, the NIS exerted a great deal of effort through many channels to smooth over the situation," he added.

Police said earlier that due to the low resolution of the CCTV at the Lotte Hotel, they were unable to identify the intruders.

(Chosun)

Russia to start building new S-500 air defense missiles by 2014

Russia will start serial production of its next-generation S-500 missile system in 2014, an aerospace defense chief said on Thursday.

The S-500 air defense system will be able to track and destroy ballistic missiles with ranges of up to 3,500 kilometers.

"[The S-500] is currently in development. By 2014, it should enter into serial production," aerospace defense strategic commander Lt. Gen. Valery Ivanov said.

"This system will be able to defend territories at heights of up to 50 kilometers," he added.
Russia's aerospace defense troops currently use S-300 and S-400 systems.
New S-400 air defense missiles will be deployed at Dmitrov just outside Moscow in March, Ivanov said.

KAPUSTIN YAR, February 17 (RIA Novosti)


Russia to start building new S-500 air defense missiles by 2014 | Defense | RIA Novosti

India falsified boarder map and occupied 166 acres of Bangladesh territory

During recent survey BDR discovered BSF had removed original border pillar in Kamalganj boarder under Mouluvibazar district. These 166 acres of Bangladesh territory is located in a low land water body and not many Bangladeshis live nearby. India using BSF hatched most deceitful plan –

1) first bsf removed original international boarder pillars
2) then bsf moved indian inhabitants further inside india
3) then bsf converted 166 acres of Bangladeshi territory into agricultural land
4) bsf then let indians use 166 acres of Bangladeshi territory for cultivation
5) finally bsf falsified the original demarcation map and records and came to survey

BDR researched and found how bsf falsified the original map and records to occupy Bangladesh territory. When BDR challenged bsf on its deceitful acts, bsf could not say much but accepted their guilt. BDR could not immediately take possession of Bangladesh territory as Awami regime curtailed BDR scope for indian benefit. But BDR has already informed the Awami regime on the situation of indian occupation.