ASIAN DEFENCE

Taking bilateral defence relations to a new high,China will give Pakistan a squadron of the advanced J-10B fighter aircraft, a media report said. The offer was made by senior Chinese military leaders to visiting Pakistan Army's Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen.Waheed Arshad, the Urdu daily Jang reported on Saturday, quoting defence sources. The J-10B fighters are equipped with the latest weapons and Pakistan will be the first country, after China, to have these advanced aircraft, it said. During his visit, Lt.Gen.Arshad was assured that the defence relationship between the two countries will reach new heights and China's efforts for the safety and security of Pakistan will be never-ending.

Chinese J-15 Aircraft Carrier Fighter Jet

India Friday signed a $2.4 billion contract with two French defence firms for upgrading its 51 Mirage combat jets that were acquired in the 1980s. "Thales and Dassault Aviation today signed a contract for the upgrade of the Indian Air Force's Mirage-2000 fleet," a press release from the two French companies said Friday. A spokesperson for the two companies here said it was a "commercial contract" between the firms and the Indian government. The Indian defence ministry also confirmed the deal, which the cabinet committee on security had approved a fortnight ago. "Based on the integration of latest generation equipment and systems, the upgrade will further enhance the technical-operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force's Mirage 2000. The aircraft represents a long tradition of cooperation with French military aviation, initiated 50 years ago," the release from two firms said.

Even as Vietnam and China continue to conduct tit-for-tat naval maneuvers in the South China Sea, Hanoi has started making direct calls for foreign involvement in the two nations' maritime territorial dispute. While many commentators saw this as a thinly veiled invitation to the United States, it could also be a precursor to India establishing a permanent presence in Vietnamese waters. India has apparently responded favorably to Vietnam's offer of permanent berthing rights in Na Thrang port. The move would not only add military heft to India's "Look East" policy, but is also emblematic of a larger Indian effort to counter China's activities in South Asia.

By STEVE CLEMONS The best places to meet the world’s most interesting national security and foreign policy personalities are no longer Washington or London or Paris. Rather, highest on the list are Beijing, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. Many years ago, I met Lt General Asad Durrani in Beijing thanks to a conference organised by Australia’s Monash University. We have been acquainted and communicating since. I remember arriving late to the conference and rushing in as the brash, younger-than-I-am-now upstart and sitting down at one of the lunch tables of ten. I quickly met everyone and heard that Durrani was a general from Pakistan. That’s all I knew. I asked him quickly, “Do you think President Musharraf really doesn’t control the ISI?” Several faces went white at the table. A jaw dropped. Durrani’s eyes narrowed and he slowly said, “It may be in General Musharraf’s interests to pretend he has little control over the ISI.” This is pure Durrani - layers, meaningful,...

Ecuadorian Air Force (EAF) which inducted seven Indian manufactured Dhruv helicopters, at a package cost of $ 50 millions, is finding itself beset with problems even as the last consignment of two helicopters has barely arrived in the country. According to the aviation sources, one of the inducted Dhruv helicopters crashed last year while two others have been grounded on account of malfunctioning of over-speed management unit (OMU). While the Ecuadorian Air Force is plagued by Dhruv related maintenance issues, its difficulties have been compounded by exorbitant repair cost demanded by Indian manufacturers. The original US company that manufactures the OMU, charges $100000 as the repair cost while the Indians have demanded $250000 for the same job. India has also raised the price of two additional Dhruvs that the EAF had originally planned as additional follow through acquisitions; demanding $ 12 million apiece.

Two Chinese fighter jets reportedly crossed into Taiwan's airspace in late June in pursuit of a United States spy plane.  Taiwan's Defence ministry said it sent two F-16 fighters to intercept the Chinese Sukhoi-27 jets near the central line across the 113-mile wide Taiwan Strait. The ministry said it was the first time that Chinese jets have breached its airspace since 1999 and that the two Chinese jets quickly turned around. A spokesman added that he believed the incident was "an accident" and that Taiwan had been "in full control" of the situation. A Taiwanese newspaper, the United Daily News, said the Chinese jets had been in pursuit of a US U-2 reconnaissance plane. However, both the Taiwanese Defence ministry and the Pentagon declined to confirm the report. China has long objected to US reconnaissance of its coastline, especially since a US spy plane crashed into a People's Liberation Army jet in 2001 near Hainan island, ...

   The "mother" could well become the "granny" of all defence deals in the years ahead. India is likely to go in for another 63 fighters after delivery of the first 126 MMRCA (medium multi-role combat aircraft) if the "timelines" for its other fighter development projects are not met, say top defence officials. When the MMRCA selection process was initiated by the defence ministry in mid-2007, the overall project cost was pegged at Rs 42,000 crore, or $10.4 billion for 126 fighters. But it will zoom well beyond $20 billion, if India eventually decides to opt for 189 jets since inflation is also being factored in. Even with 126 jets, this is the biggest such fighter contract going around the world as of now. This comes even as MoD is all set to open the commercial bids of the two jets left in the MMRCA fray -French Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon -"within a week or two". Eurofighter Typhoon is backed by the UK, Germany, Spai...

Indian Air Force (IAF) chief P V Naik on Tuesday said Pakistan's new tactical nuclear missile or expanding arsenal is of no worry to India. "As per our doctrine, response to a first strike will be massive," Naik threatened. The IAF chief's statement came following the news report that Pakistan planned to add 24 nuclear-capable, short-range missiles capable of hitting all major Indian cities to its arsenal this year. This will be the highest number of missiles Pakistan has ever produced in a year if the government achieves the target, The Express Tribune newspaper quoted its sources as saying. The air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles will be able to hit targets at a distance between 700 km and 1,000 km, thus putting nearly all major Indian cities within their range, the report claimed.

The Indian ministry of defence is in negotiations to purchase an additional airborne early warning system from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). If the deal goes ahead, the AEW system will be deployed on an Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft, as with the three systems IAI supplied last year. India's AEW aircraft are designed to integrate information from sensors carried on a number of manned and unmanned platforms.

Chinese MiG-29 Fulrum  Fighter Jet                                                             

Killers on a motorcycle Killed an Iranian nuclear physicist on Saturday, Iranian media reports said, in a killing that bore similarities to other slayings of scientists involved in the country's nuclear work in recent years. The semi-official ISNA news agency identified the victim as Darioush Rezaei, a 35-year-old physics professor involved in Iran's nuclear program, and said he was killed in front of his home in Tehran. Iran's official IRNA news agency also reported the killing but had few details on the attack or the man's background. Several Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in recent years in attacks that Iran has blamed on the U.S. and Israel, which accuse Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapons capability under the cover of its civilian atomic energy program. Iran denies those accusations and says its program has entirely peaceful aims. The semi-official Mehr news agency also identified the victim of Saturday's attack as a pro...

Britain’s frontline fighter jet Eurofighter Typhoon, shortlisted for India’s $10.4-billion combat jets tender, whacked the Indian Air Force (IAF) warhorse Sukhoi in one-on-one dog fights during bilateral air war games, if Britain’s air chief is to be believed. ‘Well, they lost,’ was Stephen Dalton’s response when IANS asked how the Russia-developed India-manufactured Su-30MKI air superiority jets performed against the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Typhoons when they matched their wits during the joint exercises in recent years. However, he was quick to add that the two aircraft are different in technologies, and that Typhoons are next generation, and hence there is no comparison. Dalton was interacting with IANS at the recently held Royal International Air Tattoo military air show at the RAF base here. The two aircraft were pitted against each other during ‘Indradhanush’ exercises in 2007 at Waddington in Britain and in 2010 at Kalaikunda in India.

India is in the middle of a multi-billion dollar military spending spree that has quietly seen the country of Mahatma Gandhi and non-violent protest emerge as the world’s largest importer of arms. It is expected to retain that position for at least the next five years. As the country works to expand its regional strategic influence and to counter what it considers existential threats from Pakistan and China, India now accounts for nine per cent of all global arms purchases. Its current defence budget of $36bn – an increase of around 11 per cent on the previous year – is more than double what it spends on education and health combined. Speaking last week in Delhi, defence minister AK Anthony, said: “India has always been a votary of peace and advocated peaceful relations with all nations. [But] we need to ensure optimum deterrence to fully safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation. Peace and security go hand in hand with social and economic progre...

The Irkutsk Aircraft Plant (IAZ) is assembling two Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighters for the Russian air force, Alexey Fedorov, president of the controlling Irkut corporation, said. The pair will be completed and subjected to flight trials by the end of this year. The new version of the twin-seat Su-30 represents the baseline Su-30MKI with thrust vectoring developed for the Indian air force, but with modifications to meet Russian air force specifications, Fedorov said. The service is seeking to procure 30 such aircraft, with a contract still being finalised. "Hopefully, in 2012 we will be able to finalise a contract for 18 Su-30SMs for the Russian air force, with an option for a further 18 for the Russian navy air arm," Fedorov said.

China can send a man into space and a rocket into lunar orbit but, paradoxically, its defense industry cannot build a top-end aircraft engine. Or an engine sophisticated enough to power advanced surface ships and armored vehicles. But this broad statement requires a caveat. China's defense industry can indeed design, develop and produce propulsion systems for relatively simple military platforms — certain transport aircraft, patrol boats, some types of main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers. But high-performance combat aircraft, destroyers and similarly demanding platforms are another matter. Only submarines appear an exception to this general rule. Most new types are fitted with locally developed propulsion systems, although the technology's origins are not known. This technical shortcoming was most recently highlighted in a report in the Russian newspaper Vedomosti stating that Beijing last month bought 123 AL-31FN turbofan engines from Ru...

Russia has decided to enter Korea’s advanced jet acquisition project, which would be the biggest arms-procurement deal ever in the country, a defense official said Wednesday. “Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi expressed its intent to compete in the fighter jet procurement project early this year,” Col. Wi Jong-seong of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said. He said Sukhoi’s T-50 PAK-FA will vie with the F-15SE Silent Eagle from Boeing, the F-35 Lightning II f4rom Lockheed Martin and the Eurofighter Typhoon from the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS). The T-50 PAK-FA and the F-35 Lightning II are fifth generation stealth fighters, while the remaining two are fourth generation jets with limited stealth capabilities.

A state-owned news site says Iran has shot down an unmanned US spy plane over the Fordo uranium enrichment site in central Iran. The state TV-run Youth Journalists Club quoted lawmaker Ali Aghazadeh Dafsari as saying Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down the plane. Wednesday’s report did not say when the incident happened. Iran is locked in a dispute with the US and its allies over Tehran’s disputed program, which the West believes aims to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies the accusations.

India and the US today inked a pact on cybersecurity to intensify information exchange on threats to computers and networks and initiate joint work on technologies against cyber-attacks. A joint statement on the India-US strategic dialogue has announced the cybersecurity agreement among new initiative by the two countries. These initiatives also include a plan to develop a software platform to make available non-sensitive government data to the public and to award $3 million each year to entrepreneurial projects that commercialise technologies to improve health. A memorandum of understanding between the Indian and the American Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT) is expected to lead to routine exchange of information on vulnerabilities and co-operation on cybersecurity technologies, Indian CERT officials said. “This comes at a time when cybersecurity-related incidents are increasing in number and becoming more and more sophisticated,” said Gulshan Rai, director-g...

In pursuit of policy of self reliance and indigenization being undertaken by Pakistan Navy, the first squadron of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has been formally inducted in Pakistan Navy Fleet during a ceremony held here at PN Aviation Base, Mehran. A Pakistan Navy press release on Wednesday said that the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir, was the chief guest on the occasion. It said that the indigenously developed UAVs are equipped with state of the art equipment and sensors and can successfully be employed in support of Maritime Interdiction Operation (MIO) in the coastal areas. The induction of UAVs in Pakistan Navy will enhance the operational capabilities of PN. The Chief of the Naval Staff while addressing the audience, congratulated all those who were involved in the UQAB-II programme and expressed satisfaction on induction of UAVs. He said that prevailing maritime environment poses multifarious challenges to navies across the globe. In ad...

The Indian government's long-delayed green light to French defence majors Dassault and Thales to undertake the Mirage-2000 combat fighter upgrade is yet another indicator of New Delhi forging stronger strategic links with Paris. Over the last decade, French defence vendors have bagged, or are the leading contenders to win a number lucrative Indian arms contracts, including the $11-billion medium, multi-role combat aircraft tender for 126 aircrafts for the Indian Air Force, and the estimated $2.4-billion Mirage-2000 upgrade. "We have always had a long-standing relationship with France, and a lot of goodwill was created after the 1998 nuclear tests at Pokhran. The current relationship is not really a new synergy that is being created, but is a continuation of past ties," Kanwal Sibal, former Indian foreign secretary said.

China may have used an unmanned air vehicle called the Silver Eagle in a recent naval exercise over the South China Sea. According to a website sponsored by the People's Liberation Army, tp.chinmil.com.cn, the twin-tailed design performed a simulated combat mission following its launch from the bed of a truck. The Silver Eagle is all but identical to the ASN Technology ASN-209, a model of which was displayed at the 2010 Air Show China in Zhuhai. The only difference appears to be four upright appendages on the Silver Eagle, two on the aircraft's fuselage and one on either wing. During a 3h flight, a ground operator controlled the Silver Eagle with a mouse and keyboard, the website said. When the UAV reached the combat zone, it maintained a cruising speed of 72kt (134km/h) and an altitude of 9,840ft (3,000m).

KARACHI: PN ships Madadgar and Rasadgar, the Small Tanker cum Utility Ships (STUS) have been commissioned and PNS Alamgir formally inducted in Pakistan Navy Fleet during an impressive ceremony held at Pakistan Navy Dockyard here on Tuesday. The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir graced the occasion as chief guest while the ceremony was also attended by officials from Ministry of Defence (MoD), Flag Officers from Pakistan Navy, senior management of Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) and other distinguished guests. PN Ships Rasadgar and Madadgar, the first ships of their class, have been indigenously constructed in Pakistan by Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW). Induction of STUS will increase logistic redundancy to Pakistan Navy fleet. These state of the art crafts are designed and equipped for multi-facet rolEs with robust and reliable modern machinery and equipment. PNS Alamgir (Ex USS MCINERNEY) is an Oliver Hazard Perry Class guided-missil...

The first flight-test of Prahaar a new quick-reaction, short-range tactical missile, scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed and is likely to take place on July 21. According to a news report  quoting DRDO sources, the launch was tentatively rescheduled to July 21 as some additional tests were done on the vehicle which delayed its movement to Balasore, Orissa. The missile would be launched from Launch Complex-III of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, Balasore district.

China has ramped up its research in drone technology and is in the process of building armed, jet-propelled unmanned planes, which it plans to sell to   customers in Middle East, Pakistan, Africa and throughout the world. Though much of this work remains secret, the large number of drones at recent exhibitions underlines not only China's determination to catch up in that sector - by building equivalents to the leading US combat and surveillance models, the Predator and the Global Hawk - but also that its desire to sell this technology abroad, a media report has said.

Russia will buy foreign and possibly U.S. arms because the domestic industry has failed to modernize, Russia's Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has said. In an interview with Russian Newsweek, Serdyukov said Moscow was forced to buy from companies abroad as it plans to spend more than $600 billion to modernize its armed forces. "Our weapons often do not meet the required standards," he said. "We are acting as consumers in this situation our producers want to issue outdated models but we don't want to buy them."

 The intensive six-year campaign by India and three other aspirants for permanent seats on the UN Security Council, Brazil, Germany and Japan has fizzled out for lack of support among member states, and even led to divisions within the so-called Group of Four. The collapse of the G-4 drive for permanent membership on the world body’s high table becomes obvious from it’s recent letter to General Assembly President Joseph Deiss requesting him to resume the inter-governmental negotiations on reforming the 15-nation Council, a process they had abandoned and went on to circulate a resolution seeking expansion in permanent and non-permanent categories.

The first fully indigenous Su-30MKI fighter plane will roll off Indian assembly lines in 2010, a top executive at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said on Wednesday.    “Next year, HAL will achieve 100 per cent indigenisation of the Sukhoi aircraft — from the production of raw materials to the final plane assembly,” V. Balakrishnan, general manager, Aircraft Manufacturing Division, told. A five-member HAL delegation is taking part in MAKS-2009, Russia’s international air show now under way here.  Out of the 230 Su-30MKI air superiority multirole fighters the Indian Air Force plans to induct by 2015, 140 aircraft are to be built in India. License production began in 2004, with the first planes assembled from knockdown kits supplied by Russia. The programme provided for a gradual increase in the number of parts and components produced locally.

A Taiwanese military spokesman says the island will unveil an upgraded Indigenous Defense Fighter  F-CK-1 Ching-kuo on Thursday. Luo Shou-he's Sunday statement reflects Taiwan's efforts to bolster its defense against possible Chinese attack following a long delay in a U.S. decision on the sale of advanced F-16 fighter jets to the island. Luo declined to provide more details. Taiwanese newspapers reported Sunday that Taiwanese military will upgrade 71 aircraft in total to enable them to carry more different types of air-to-surface missiles, including an anti-radiation missile. The Indigenous Defence Fighters entered service in 1992.

The Saab 2000 multi-role Maritime Patrol Aircraft equipped with an AESA radar and a Saab RBS 15 anti-ship missiles is being offered to the Indian Navy to meet the growing challenges in India’s maritime domain stretching across 2 million square km. The Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar onboard SAAB 2000 MPA is a modern high performance system that supports the full range of maritime surveillance and coherent imaging modes used for both naval and overland operations.  Saab 2000 MPA which is being offered for India’s Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance (MRMR) program will be equipped with a state-of-art Selex AESA radar and RBS 15 Anti Ship Missile. 

The much-maligned Arjun Main Battle Tank is poised to get a fresh lease of life, with the Indian Army set to order 248 more of India's first indigenously-built tanks, a decision that will also give a much-needed shot in the arm to the country's beleaguered tank fleet. "We are definitely expecting more orders, at least a minimum of 248 tanks of the Mark-II version. The Ordnance Factory Board has been instructed by the ministry of defence to initiate action for the procurement of the Mark-II version," P. Sivakumar, director, Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, told the Economic Times. The order, which could be placed in late-2011 itself, will come as a huge boost to the Arjun production line at the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadhi, on the outskirts of Chennai, as the same was expected to be terminated due to a lack of interest shown by the Indian Army.

Russia's most happening naval show - the maritime exhibition at St Petersburg - word is that the Gorshkov aircraft carrier could be further delayed. There's no official confirmation of that neither from the Sevmash shipyard nor the Russian Defence Ministry. But naval sources told CNN-IBN there appeared to be problems with the supply of certain steels to the yard. The sources said this was an internal problem in Russia involving different ministries. But unless resolved speedily this could see the carrier's delivery put off to 2013. A high level Indian defence delegation was recently at the Sevmash yard to take stock of the situation. It's not clear what new measures are being recommended to expedite delivery of the Gorshkov. What's clear is that the Indian Navy may have to wait some more time for the Gorshkov.

Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Ashok Leyland (ALL), Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Bharat Forge are among those who have submitted their bid for a $10 billion Indian defence ministry contract. According to a news report in the Financial Express, the ministry will shortlist two vendors who will be responsible for the supply of Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicles (FICVs) for the Indian Army. The defence ministry has asked only the Indian companies to submit their bid. They will finalise the winning firms by July end, based on technical and commercial criteria under the 'buy & make' category.

China’s Ministry of Defense signed a contract to buy Russian aircraft engines worth $500 million in early June, Vedomosti reported, citing an unidentified personsource close to Russia’s state arms-selling agency and an unidentified manager of an aviation company.  The contract is for 123 AL-31FN engines by 2013, the first 13 of which will be delivered later this year, the newspaper said. 

     Photographs released on the internet have provoked speculation that China is making rapid progress towards producing a state-of-the-art fighter jet, to compete with the United States, Europe and Russia.   The photographs appear to show the aircraft, variously known as the J20  taxiing along a runway.  Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, recently said China would be able to produce a combat jet by 2020, but if the photographs are genuine, it would suggest that it may be able to do so a decade or more sooner.  The photographs come amid growing fears over China's rapidly-expanding military capabilities. Naval experts have expressed concern over the Dong Feng-21D ballistic missile, which is designed to target aircraft carriers in mid-sea – thus denying the United States its traditional military dominance of the Pacific.    Fifth generation fighter jets are so designated because of th...

Germany has allowed the sale of 200 Leopard tanks to Saudi Arabia after decades of blocking heavy weapons sales to the kingdom, the Der Spiegel said Saturday. The federal security council approved the sale last week, the weekly news magazine said without citing sources. The Saudis want to buy 200 Leopard 2A7+ tanks in an order potentially worth billions of euros to companies Kraus-Maffei and Rheinmetall, Der Spiegel said.

Prahaar (to strike), a totally new quick-reaction, short-range tactical missile, which will fill the gap for such a battlefield weapon system in India's missile arsenal, is all set to be flight-tested on July 17. This was stated here on Saturday by Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and Director General, Defence Research and Development Organisation, V.K. Saraswat after inaugurating a new facility of Analogic Controls India Ltd. (ACIL) that manufactures electronic systems for mission critical defence and space applications. Talking to journalists, Dr. Saraswat said the 150 km-range missile would replace unguided rockets and “is going to be an excellent weapon.” It would bridge the gap between Pinaka, a 40-km range multi-barrel rocket system, and the 350-km Prithvi-II, which had been converted into a strategic missile. Unguided rockets of 90-km range had also been imported from Russia.

Tokyo has reaffirmed its plan for a 2014 first flight of its experimental Mitsubishi ATD-X Shinshin stealth demonstrator, while it also considers three fighters for its F-X requirement. "The first flight of the ATD-X is scheduled in Japan fiscal year 2014," said Japan's defence ministry. "The ATD-X is a trial product of a high-manoeuvrability stealth aircraft adopting various state-of-the-art technologies that may be applied to future fighters, and confirm and verify the practicality and operational effectiveness of systems under various flight conditions," said the ministry. "It is also intended for the study of air defence against stealth fighters that might be deployed in the neighbouring region in the future."   Japan unveiled the first full-sized mock-up of the ATD-X at Japan Aerospace 2008. Many observers, noting the immense costs and risks in developing an indigenous fighter, have speculated that the project was a b...

Russia will participate in a new tender on the delivery of six diesel-electric submarines for the Indian Navy, the state-run exporter Rosoboronexport said. Russia dropped out of the first Indian submarine tender in 2009. "There is a new tender, with the new requirements, and together with [Russia's] Rubin design bureau we are making a proposal to India for Amur 650 class submarines," Azizov told reporters at IMDS-2011 naval show in St. Petersburg on Friday. Azizov said that Amur class is a fourth-generation vessel, and "Russia has all chances to win the tender."

Prospect of a nuclear conflict in the Middle East is raised by senior diplomat and member of the Saudi ruling family A senior Saudi Arabian diplomat and member of the ruling royal family has raised the spectre of nuclear conflict in the Middle East if Iran comes close to developing a nuclear weapon. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to Washington, warned senior Nato military officials that the existence of such a device "would compel Saudi Arabia … to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences". He did not state explicitly what these policies would be, but a senior official in Riyadh who is close to the prince said yesterday his message was clear.

Russia is not going to meet the deadlines in the implementation of a contract on the delivery of missile frigates to the Indian Navy, the state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said. Russia and India signed a $1.6 billion contract on construction of three modified Krivak III class (also known as Talwar class) guided missile frigates for India in 2006. The first frigate was scheduled for delivery in April 2011. "There is a delay, and it is hard to say now what the new deadline is going to be, although the first ship is undergoing dockside trials," said Oleg Azizov, head of Rosoboronexport's delegation at the IMDS naval show in St. Petersburg.

China advancing laser weapons program Technology equals or surpasses U.S. capability. Not only is the Chinese military advancing rapidly in the field of anti-satellite, anti-missile laser weapon technology, but its technology equals or surpasses U.S. laser weapons capabilities currently under development, informed sources have told WorldNetDaily.  According to Mark Stokes, a military author specializing in Chinese weapons development, Beijing's efforts to harness laser weapons technology began in the 1960s, under a program called Project 640-3, sanctioned by Chairman Mao Zedong. The Chinese, he said, renamed the project the "863 Program" in 1979, after a Chinese researcher named Sun Wanlin convinced the Central Military Commission "to maintain the pace and even raise the priority of laser development" in 1979.  Today, Beijing's effort to develop laser technology encompasses over "10,000 personnel -- including 3,000 engineers ...