ASIAN DEFENCE

    WuZhen-2000B is a unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) multi-purpose attack UCAV developed by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group (GAIC). The UAV is powered by a single WS-11 turbofan engine which sits on top of the empennage between the two V-shaped tail fins. The fins are canted at approximately 40°. The sensor package includes thermal imaging camera, synthetic aperture radar, with images transmitted via a satellite communications antenna in the nose bulge .

 Shi Lang Aircraft Carrier Earlier known as Varyag, Shi Lang Aircraft Carrier has been refitted successfully and will be put On Sea Trials by December 2011.

Russia resumed tests of its troubled Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. It was launched from the Yury Dolgoruky nuclear powered submarine in the White Sea, Col. Igor Konashenkov said. The launch - 15th in the Bulava's history - was successful "by all parameters," he said, adding that it hit a designated target on the Kura test range in Russia's Far East Kamchatka region some 6,000 kilometers to the east. The previous test was conducted on October 29, 2010.

India will get lightweight anti-submarines torpedoes to arm the eight P-8I maritime patrol aircraft it is buying from the US, with the Obama administration notifying the potential sale to the US Congress on Tuesday. The news was welcomed by the US embassy in New Delhi, which said the sale of Mk-54 torpedoes reflects the mutual benefits of the India-US security relationship. The Pentagon has "officially notified" the potential sale of Mk-54 lightweight torpedoes to the Indian Navy. The Mk-54 is the most advanced lightweight torpedo in the US Navy inventory and is intended to be employed with the P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, eight of which are currently under construction for India by US aerospace major Boeing.

In the past it Has been Reported that Pakistan is getting  039 class "Songs" or 041 class Yuan class From china But now reports emerge that it is the latest variant of 041 class named "QING" class submarines for which a deal was inked for 6. The first Qing class built for Chinese Navy was launched last year and will be going through the sea trial this month 6/2011 which will include the firing of CJ-10K LACms with a range of 1,500 KM.   T he deal was signed between Wuhan-based China State Shipbuilding Industrial Corp (CSIC) and Pakistani Government in April 2011 is for 6 Qing class submarine, These submarines will be double hulled with a submerged displacement of 3,600 tons. It will be equipped with the new Stirling-cycle AIP and will be able to carry upto 3 CJ-10K which could carry nuclear warheds, Other features include hull retractable foreplanes and hydrodynamically streamlined sail. The AIP and the propulsion systems will be all electri...

These are exciting times for the Indian Air Force after battling years of obsolescence and depleting fleet strengths, it is now poised for a major transformation. What does the future hold? In an exclusive interview, Air Chief Marshall PV Naik, the Chief of Air Staff discusses his strategy for the transformation of the IAF. Here's his conversation with NDTV's Security & Strategic Affairs Editor Nitin Gokhale. NDTV : Let me start by asking you what are the changes that are being done in the Air Force for the past 3-4 years and what do you think is going to happen in the next 3-4 years? PV Naik : The process of change started seven or eight years back but it is materialising now, which is a very very exciting thing. Over the next 3-4 years, I expect the IAF to become one of the most modern air forces in the world. There are lots of things in the offing - we have aircrafts, equipment, missiles, radars actually we have a very long list. If you permit me I wi...

Northrop Grumman has received and responded to Request for Information (RFI) issued recently by Indian Ministry. Northrop Grumman has received necessary permission from United States and has offered MQ-4C, which is a modified Naval version of combat proven Global Hawk, improvised for the Maritime surveillance. MQ-4C also known as Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV based on Global Hawk and will complement the 737 based Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA), the P-8A Poseidon. MQ-4C Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) UAV will have 36 hour endurance and will be able to operate up to 60000 ft against strong winds and severe weather, and has a payload of 3200 LB .MQ-4C will have 2D AESA radar providing it 360 degree coverage over vast section of the ocean.

  Russian Arms Exporter has supplied the first batch of four Su-30MK2 fighters to Vietnam, head of the company's delegation at Paris Air Show 2011 said. Speaking about the share of aircraft equipment in overall exports of Russian armaments, Sergei Kornev noted yesterday that it made up 43 percent in 2010. Normally, this indicator ranges between 45 and 50 percent, and this trend will keep in the near future, Kornev said. The largest buyers of Russian aircraft are India, Algeria and Vietnam. According to the Rosoboronexport official, the first four Su-30MK2 fighters had been recently sent to Vietnam.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has launched a small, armed, unmanned helicopter to expand a widening portfolio in the unmanned airborne systems market. Dubbed the R-IHA - the Turkish  rotary-wing UAS - the prototype is expected to achieve first flight in mid-2012, said Gorkem Bilgi, business development leader at TAI's integrated helicopter department. Negotiations are ongoing with several potential customers within Turkey, including the navy, gendarmerie and national police, he said. TAI launched the R-IHA programme after detecting a gap in the market for an unmanned helicopter between 300kg (660lb) and 500kg, Bilgi said. The prototype design is listed with an endurance of 4h, a maximum take-off weight of 340kg with a 100kg payload, 10,000ft (3,050m) service ceiling and a top cruise speed of 100kt (185km/h).

   CATIC president Ma Zhiping  is confident that the JF-17 will appear at Dubai air show, which runs from 13-17 November.   Citing strong interest in the JF-17 from countries in Africa and the Middle East, he said several countries have had test flights of the low-cost aircraft. A new international buyer for the type is likely to be announced within the next two to three years.

Airbus Military and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are combining forces to jointly develop and market a new version of the Airbus Military C295 platform fitted with an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system produced by ELTA Systems, a wholly owned IAI subsidiary. The primary sensor of the AEW&C will be the IAI/ELTA 4th Generation Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar with integrated IFF. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to this effect was signed today at the Le Bourget Airshow by IAI Corp. VP and ELTA President, Mr. Nissim Hadas, and Airbus Military CEO Mr. Domingo Ureña. With this agreement, Airbus Military will expand its mission capability to the Airborne Early Warning & Command sector, while ELTA will be expanding its AEW&C fleet to include a turboprop platform. The C295 AEW&C has been designed to provide high quality 360 Surveillance, creating in real-time an integrated Air and Maritime Situation Picture and Ele...

 Saudi Arabia has placed a $1.7 billion direct commercial sales contract with Raytheon Company to upgrade the Kingdom’s Patriot Air and Missile Defense System to the latest Configuration-3. The award includes ground-system hardware, a full training package and support equipment upgrades. The announcement came Tuesday at the Paris Air Show where military and commercial deals are done for both military and civilian aircraft and technology. “Raytheon is honored to provide the most technologically advanced air and missile defense system in the world to Saudi Arabia,” said Tom Kennedy, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). “We are pleased that, with this contract, they have shown further confidence in Raytheon and the superior air and missile defense capabilities of the Patriot system.”

Chinese Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (Comac) on Sunday set up its European office in Paris, the second overseas branch after its U.S. office, marking a new step for China's aviation industry in opening-up and international exchanges. "The establishment of Comac Europe office is very significant. It represents the strategic cooperation between China and France and will deepen the two sides' collaboration in aerospace and all areas concerned," Chinese Ambassador Kong Quan said at an opening ceremony, citing Europe's influence in global aerospace industry and civil aviation market. "Taking self-dependent innovation as the strategic cornerstone, Comac meanwhile actively conducts international cooperation and draws upon advanced technologies and experience in global civil aviation industry...," Comac President Jin Zhuanglong said. The Chinese aerospace manufacturer has built up cooperative relationship and partnership w...

India is seriously contemplating to enhance the reach of it's strategic missiles. The DRDO will carry out preliminary tests of Agni-V in December this year or early next year. This missile will have a range of 5,000 km. India is seriously contemplating to enhance the reach of it's strategic missiles. The Defence Ministry is considering a proposal to develop intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting targets 10,000 km away. At present, there is a voluntary cap on developing missiles beyond 5,000-km range and the ICBM capabilities will propel India into the elite league of nations possessing the deterrent with nuclear warheads - China, the US, Russia and the UK. The proposal for developing ICBM capabilities was moved by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) last month and currently being examined by the Defence Ministry. Since it is a maj...

 US has decided to supply two P3C Orion aircraft to Pakistan to replace the aircraft that were destroyed in the PNS Mehran attack on May 22nd. According to sources, the US will also be supplying F-16 aircraft and its spare parts. Moreover, it is also expected that the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen will soon be visiting Pakistan to convey US President Barrack Obama’s message, sources added. Official sources had earlier told that the destruction of the two four-engine all-weather P3C Orion aircraft would temporarily affect the Pakistan Navy’s counter-terrorism and surface and underwater reconnaissance operations. The aircraft is designed for surface and underwater reconnaissance and anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel operations. It is rated as the fastest turbo-prop long-range maritime patrol (LRMP) platform used worldwide and is also called the airborne destroyer.

The Pakistan Navy launched fourth F22P Frigate. According to a Pakistan Navy spokesman, the ship was built in Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works with the help of Chinese engineers. Pakistan and China had signed a pact in 2005 whereas three ships had already been incorporated in the Pakistan Navy fleet. The vessel is the fourth F22P Frigate built indigenously at the Karachi shipyard with the Chinese assistance.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has plans to set up four manufacturing plants for the production of medium multi-role combat aircraft, light utility helicopter, fifth generation fighter aircraft and multi-role transport aircraft, a senior company official said today. HAL Director (Design & Development), N C Agarwal, said the Bangalore-headquartered company, under the Ministry of Defence, is looking to set up a new complex for MMRCA. Government is to buy 18 aircraft under the MMRCA programme from a foreign manufacturer, with the remaining 108 to be produced by HAL under licence. He said the HAL is scouting for a location for manufacture of light utility helicopter (LUH), and once it''s identified, government approval would be sought. Separate factories have also been proposed for fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) and multi-role transport aircraft he said, adding, as per initial plans, MTA would be manufactured in Kanpur and FGFA in Nasik. Agarwal ...

Eurocopter will give the first public flight presentations of its X3 hybrid helicopter and the EC175 helo at the 2011 Paris Air Show.  Eurocopter, a division of aerospace and defense company EADS, will also put on display at Le Bourget Airport its enhanced EC145 T2 and AS350 B3e helicopters; an AS565 Panther outfitted with the Stand Alone Weapon System (SAWS); the EC135 configured for law enforcement and customs missions; and a version of the EC175 tailored for search and rescue operations.  Lutz Bertling, Eurocopter’s President and CEO says, “the X3 is an excellent example of how we are preparing for the future...I am sure that professional visitors and the public alike will be impressed by the X3’s extraordinary flight demonstrations at this year’s Paris Air Show, which are unequalled in aviation.” The X3 demonstrator is powered by a five-blade main rotor system and two propellers on short-span fixed wings – a combination that delivers excellent...

India has issued a request for information for a naval multi-role helicopter (NMRH) to complement its existing fleet of Westland Sea King 42 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters. The RFI calls for helicopters with a maximum all-up weight of between 9t and 12.5t. The NMRH, which will be expected to serve for 30 years, should have the capacity for 10% weight growth throughout its service life without hurting performance. The navy foresees three primary roles: ASW, anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and special operations. Secondary roles include electronic intelligence, search and rescue (SAR), external cargo carrying, casualty evacuation and combat SAR.

The 3rd and 4th of six C-130J Super Hercules planes acquired by India in a $950 million deal have left for their new home, Air Force Station Hindon, outside New Delhi. The remaining two C-130Js on order will be delivered later this summer, the plane's manufacturers Lockheed Martin said announcing the departure of the aircraft from its facility in Marietta, Georgia, Wednesday.   Equipped with an Infrared Detection Set, the aircraft can perform precision low-level flying, airdrops and landing in blackout conditions, Lockheed said. Self-protection systems and other features are included to ensure aircraft survivability in hostile air defence environments. The aircraft also is equipped with air-to-air receiver refuelling capability for extended range operations, it said. Source:  http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=245506  

   Russia and India are mulling a project for a recoverable rocket-firing drone based on their BraMos cruise missile. Engineers from the two sides started discussing the proposal at a meeting in New Delhi on Monday. The drone will be capable of delivering heavy explosive payloads to targets thousands of kilometres away from its home base. Source: http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/06/13/51659683.html

Turkish Air Force (TurAF) has revealed two indigenously developed missile systems during the 100th year celebrations at the Cigli airbase in Turkey’s western province of Izmir. Celebrations consisted of public shows by the world’s leading air acrobatics teams, including the USAF Thunderbirds and Turkey’s own Turkish Stars, as well as various other events both on the ground and in the air. Developed by TUBITAK-SAGE as a result of an ambitious project started in 2006, Turkey’s first indigenous stand-off missile is designed for destroying both fixed and large moving targets at a range of over 180 kilometers. Currently referred to by the TurAF as SOM, it can be used as a precision strike weapon against both land or sea targets. TUBITAK-SAGE officials who spoke at the Cigli airshow said that the initial demonstartion flights of the prototypes were completed successfully at undisclosed locations and the delivery of a first batch of missiles to TurAF would take plac...

A top Iranian commander says the country's military has developed the technology to spot and intercept radar-evading aircraft. “The (Iranian) Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base is capable of detecting, identifying, intercepting and countering different types of radar-evading planes and enemy's cruise missiles... in the country's skies,” said Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili. “In order to spot, identify, intercept and deal with enemy spy planes, we will tap into the country's full potential,” he added. The top Iranian commander further underlined that the Islamic Republic remains vigilant against Israeli and US military threats.

Pakistani pilots flying modernised versions of the 1970s-vintage F-16 Falcon fighter have beaten the RAF's brand-new Eurofighter Typhoon superfighters during air combat exercises in Turkey, according to a Pakistani officer. Analysis: The RAF Typhoon, formerly known as the Eurofighter, should nonetheless have been vastly superior in air-to-air combat whether BVR or close in within visual range (WVR). The cripplingly expensive, long-delayed Eurofighter was specifically designed to address the defects of its predecessor the Tornado F3 – famously almost useless in close-in, dogfighting-style air combat. The Typhoon was meant to see off such deadly in-close threats as Soviet "Fulcrums" and "Flankers" using short-range missiles fired using helmet-mounted sight systems: such planes were thought well able to beat not just Tornados but F-16s in close fighting, and this expectation was borne out after the Cold War when the Luftwaffe inherite...

The Indian Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the country’s final arbiter on defense and security issues, has approved the purchase of ten C-17 Globemaster III heavy lift aircraft. The order is expected to be worth USD 4.1 billion.

Source: http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=114778 Former Italian President Francesco Cossiga, who revealed the existence of Operation Gladio, has told Italy’s oldest and most widely read newspaper that the 9-11 terrorist attacks were run by the CIA and Mossad, and that this was common knowledge among global intelligence agencies. The evidence that Mossad planned 911 using Arab patsies is overwhelming; Mossad were caught filming the attack from Liberty Park and then later said on Israeli TV that they were sent there to document (they along with nearly 200 Mossad were rounded up and sent back to Israeli in the weeks following the attack, preventing the FBI from questioning them). Only 5 Israeli's died in the WTC attack; 3 on the airplanes and 2 in the buildings. It is a fact unexplainable by Zionists apologists that Idigo, and Israeli messaging service sent a warning in Hebrew worldwide that a terror attack would happen in a few hours on the da...

Source:RIA NOVOSTI  Russian military experts forecast that Western nations will have 80,000 cruise missile by 2020, a deputy commander of the Russian General Staff said on Saturday. "We expect Western countries to have at least 80,000 cruise missiles by 2020, including about 2,000 of them nuclear-powered," Gen. Igor Sheremet said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station. He added these missiles are clearly not simply designed for drilling or intimidation purposes. "They can deliver disarming or even 'decapitation' strikes," Sheremet said.

India’s plans to modernise its ageing air force have triggered a tit-for-tat Pakistani programme that could exacerbate strategic tensions in South Asia, officials and analysts told "The National". Defence analysts said the planned air force expansions were part of an arms race between India and Pakistan that dates back to the 1960s and the height of the Cold War. The South Asian neighbours, both of which possess nuclear arsenals, have fought three wars and as many regionalised conflicts since gaining independence from British colonial rule in August 1947.      Siemon Wezeman, senior fellow at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s arms transfer programme, said: "Although India and Pakistan deny it, an arms race is on. India wants to become a regional power, and is building its arsenal accordingly, while Pakistan wants to maintain a rough parity for survival" in the event of another conflict His comments came after an a...

  Source:The Economic Times   India will test its 5,000-km Inter-Continental ballistic missile (ICBM), often termed the China killer For its ability to reach the northernmost areas of that country,At The end of 2011. The head of a premier defence research agency said on Friday when Defence Minister AK Antony asked for the expeditious development of the Agni-V missile system.   DRDO  has developed a spectrum of missiles with a different range and payload capability. Now, DRDO must demonstrate its capability to reach a range of 5,000 km at the earliest, Antony said at a function at the research agency. DRDO chief VK Saraswat , who was present beside Antony, said Agni-V will be tested by the end of this year.

 Source:The Times OF India Indian plan to bolster  Air defence surveillance network, IAF will commission a spanking new Israeli medium-power radar (MPR) at Naliya in Gujarat this week. "This state-of-the-art radar, to be named Arudhra, is being inducted towards strengthening the air defence in the Saurashtra-Kutch region and constitutes an important component in IAF's plan to achieve network-centric operations," said an officer. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik will be inducting the radar, which has a range of over 300 km, at the Naliya airbase on Friday after the commanders' conference of the South-Western Air Command.

Source:RIA Novosti   Indian Navy is disappointed with Russia's last- minute cancellation of joint naval Exercise in the Pacific Ocean in April, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma said.   The Indian Navy task force consisting of three destroyers - INS Delhi, INS Ranvir, and INS Ranvijay, corvette INS Kirch, and tanker INS Jyoti called at Pacific Fleet's main base in Vladivostok on April 18-23. Russia reported the arrival of Indian warships as a friendly visit, but the Indian side claims the program of the visit originally included joint drills, which were cancelled by the Russians at the last moment. "Vladivostok is nearly 5,000 miles away from here [India]. So for us to plan a deployment of ships all the way there takes a lot of planning and costs lots of money to deploy ships at such distances," Verma said in an exclusive interview.

 MiG aircraft Coporation delivered a new batch of five MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based fighters to the Indian navy in May, the company said. "A flight training simulator and other technical equipment has also been delivered," MiG said in a statement on Monday. The two countries signed a contract stipulating the supply of 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs to India in January 2004. The contract is part of a $1.5-billion deal to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian Navy. India's first four MiG-29Ks and MiG-29KUBs officially entered service in February 2010.

The terrorist attack on Karachi's Mehran Naval Station on May 22 was conceived and launched by India with the primary objective of killing the Chinese engineers present there, a Pakistani newspaper has claimed, citing 'informed sources'. Four to six Taliban terrorists had entered PNS Mehran on May 22, destroying two maritime surveillance aircraft and killing ten military personnel during their 17-hour siege of the naval air base. "India is the only country in the region that feels troubled by the Pakistan Navy, which had awfully beaten the Indian Navy in Operation Dwarka of 1965. Since then, it has been an earnest desire of India to harm the Pakistan Navy but it was perhaps not possible on the battle front, hence it struck the PNS Mehran," The News quoted sources as saying.