Australia Bars Chinese Huawei From Broadband Project-----Cyber Warfare?

Australia has blocked Huawei Technologies of China from bidding on contracts in the $38 billion Australian National Broadband Network, citing security concerns, Huawei said Monday.

“We were informed by the government that there is no role for Huawei” in the network, said Jeremy Mitchell, a spokesman in Australia for Huawei, one of the world’s largest suppliers of telecommunications equipment.

The Australian plan is the largest infrastructure project in the country’s history. It is intended to connect 93 percent of homes and workplaces with fiber-optic cable, providing broadband service in urban and rural areas.

It was announced in 2009 by the Australian government with a committed investment of as much as $38 billion. The network is expected to be ready by 2020.

The Australian Financial Review newspaper said in a report Monday that Huawei had sought to secure a supply contract worth as much as 1 billion Australian dollars, or $1.05 billion, as part of the project, but had been blocked by the Australian attorney general on the basis of advice from the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.

Iran Equips IRGC With 'Qiyam-1' Ballistic Missiles

The Iranian Defense Ministry started supplying large numbers of 'Qiyam (Rise) 1' high-precision ballistic missiles to the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Sunday.

The new missiles were supplied to the IRGC in a ceremony attended by Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi and Commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Addressing the ceremony, Vahidi said that mass-production of Qiyam 1 missiles indicates Tehran's self-sufficiency in producing different types of missiles.

Referring to the detailed features and specifications of the newly mass-produced ballistic missile, Vahidi said that Qiyam 1 is the country's first finless missile.

The minister added that the very special design of the missile makes its detection by radars and air defense systems difficult.

He said that omission of the fins from the design has increased the velocity of the missile and shortened the launch time.

Iran had earlier announced that it plans to unveil a number of newly-manufactured home-made ballistic missiles late in May.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Vahidi had said a number of new defense products, "including some vessels, ballistic missiles and new ammunitions will come into use on the occasion of Khorramshahr Liberation Anniversary (1982)".

Vahidi explained that the newly produced ballistic missiles are the product of hard work and extensive research by Iranian experts, adding that they will be delivered to the Iranian Armed Forces in an official ceremony in the near future.

India’s Two Million Strong Army Exposed As 'Hollow'-------------Letter Leaked

  Contrary to the Indian government’s defence spending announcements and recent studies showing India as the world’s biggest military hardware importer, India’s tank fleet lacks ammunition, its air defences are ‘97% obsolete’ and its elite forces need essential weapons, the country’s army chief wrote in an explosive letter leaked on Wednesday.

 

The letter to the prime minister dated March 12 – and widely reported by the Indian media – lists shortcomings of the armed forces in embarrassing detail in a serious blow to the government and the Asian giant’s military prestige.

Its publication also ups the stakes in a public battle between army chief General VK Singh and the government which began with a dispute over Singh’s retirement earlier this year.

“The state of the major (fighting) arms i.e. mechanised forces, artillery, air defence, infantry and special forces, as well as the engineers and signals, is indeed alarming,” Singh wrote in the letter, DNA newspaper reported.

The army’s entire tank fleet is “devoid of critical ammunition to defeat enemy tanks,” while the air defence system is “97% obsolete,” he wrote. The infantry is crippled with “deficiencies,” while the elite forces are “woefully short” of “essential weapons.”

India Likely To Install Israeli Systems On Rafale Fighter Jet

The Israeli defense industries are becoming optimistic. An updated assessment says that it is likely that India will purchase Israeli systems for its newly procured fighter aircraft – the French Rafale.

A senior source close to the issue said that while the first eighteen aircrafts will be equipped with French systems, it is possible that the other aircraft will be equipped with Israeli-produced systems.

The new assessment is based on the ongoing discussions between defense industry representatives and senior officials in India. “India recognizes the operational superiority of several Israeli systems, and it seems that they will ask for them,” said the source. He added that it’s possible India will insist that the systems be locally produced by companies that have cooperated with Israeli defense industries in the past.

India has already expressed its desire to equip its new fighter aircraft with Israeli-produced systems, though it is doubtful that the French government will approve the move. At this time, India is most interested in Rafael’s Litening pod, which is used for navigation and for locating ground targets.

Tahir Rafique Takes over As New PAF Chief

Air Marshal Tahir Rafique

Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt took over as the new chief of the air staff of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at a ceremony held here at the Air Headquarters on Monday.

Outgoing Air Chief Marshal, Rao Qamar Suleman formally handed over the PAF's Sword of Command to Air Marshal, Tahir Rafique Butt.

Both the outgoing and incoming air chiefs were presented separate guards of honour to formally mark the change of command.

Born in 1955, Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt received his early education at PAF Public School, Sargodha.

Subsequently, he joined Pakistan Air Force and graduated from PAF Academy, Risalpur in March, 1977.

After doing his Fighter and Operational Conversion Courses, he has flown various types of fighters and training aircraft on PAF Inventory.

He is a qualified Flying Instructor and also a Combat Commander on Fighters. He has commanded an elite Fighter Squadron, a Fighter Flying Wing and two PAF Bases.

In staff jobs at Air Headquarters, the Air Marshal has served as Deputy Director Plans, Director Flight Safety, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (P-O) in Personnel Branch and Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Training).

Chinese Spies Target Taiwan's US-made Defense Systems

When Taiwanese security personnel detained a suspected spy for China at a top secret military base last month, they may have had a sense of deja vu.

Air force Capt. Chiang -- he was identified only by his surname -- was the fourth Taiwanese in only 14 months known to have been picked up on charges of spying for China, from which the island split amid civil war 63 years ago. While Taiwan's Defense Ministry did not disclose details of his alleged offense, his base in the northern part of the island hosts the air force's highly classified radar system and U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles, both vital to the island's aerial defense.

Chiang's arrest followed that of Maj. Gen. Lo Hsieh-che, who had access to crucial information on Taiwan's U.S.-designed command and control system, and civilian Lai Kun-chieh, who the Defense Ministry says tried without success to inveigle Patriot-related secrets from an unnamed military officer. A fourth alleged spy was detained on non-defense-related charges.

The cases show that China is seeking information about two systems that are integral to Taiwan's defenses and built with sensitive U.S. technology. A major breach could make Taiwan more vulnerable to Chinese attack.

Though relations between the two have warmed in recent years, Beijing has never recanted a vow to retake the island, by force if necessary.

Information about the U.S.-supplied defense systems could also help the People's Liberation Army understand other U.S. defenses. Taiwanese officials, however, say their systems are secure, and U.S. experts say American secrets will remain protected in any case.

The possibility that Taiwan might give up military secrets is certainly a worry for the U.S., its most important foreign partner.

Despite shifting recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, Washington continues to sell the island sophisticated military equipment, and sees it as an element in a string of Asian defense relationships that stretches from South Korea to Australia. Any confirmed leak of U.S. defense secrets from Taiwan to China could undermine U.S. willingness to continue providing military equipment and technology to the island.

China's WS-15 New Generation Jet Engine?

China's WS-15 Jet Engine

China's PLAN Naval J10

                                                    PLAN Naval J10 Fighter

 

China Solds Type 053 Frigates To Burma And Bangladesh

 Type 053 Frigates

China has recently sold used frigates to Myanmar and Bangladesh, two nations that have had naval disputes with each other in the past. Burma got two Type 53H1 frigates, built in the 1980s. The Burmese Type 53s are 2,000 ton ships armed with four anti-ship missiles, two 100mm guns, and lots of depth charges. Bangladesh is getting two Type 53H2, which were built in the early 1990s and are generally the same as the 53H1s but carry eight anti-ship missiles. Both nations paid very little for their Type 53s (probably free), but compared to what these two fleets already had, the used frigates were a step up.

China built 53 Type 53 frigates (that's a lot). Based on the older Soviet Riga class frigates, the Chinese expanded the original 1,400 ton design (armed with depth charges, three 100mm guns, and torpedoes) to a missile laden 2,000-2,500 ton vessel equipped with modern electronics. The latest version, called the F-22, is built only for export. The primary customer is Pakistan (four sold so far). The remaining Type 53s are mainly used for coastal patrol.

Trillion-Dollar F-35 JSF Jet On Brink of Budgetary Disaster------------Pentagon

F-35B STOVL

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the supposed backbone of the Pentagon’s future air arsenal, could need additional years of work and billions of dollars in unplanned fixes, the Air Force and the Government Accountability Office revealed on Tuesday. Congressional testimony by Air Force and Navy leaders, plus a new report by the GAO, heaped bad news on a program that was already almost a decade late, hundreds of billions of dollars over its original budget and vexed by mismanagement, safety woes and rigged test results.


At an estimated $1 trillion to develop, purchase and support through 2050, the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 was already the most expensive conventional weapons program ever even before Tuesday’s bulletins. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps are counting on buying as many as 2,500 F-35s to replace almost every tactical jet in their current inventories. More than a dozen foreign countries are lined up to acquire the stealthy, single-engine fighter as well.


In its report the GAO reserved its most dire language for the JSF’s software, which agency expert Michael Sullivan said is “as complicated as anything on earth.” The new jet needs nearly 10 million lines of on-board code, compared to 5 million for the older F-22 and just 1.5 million for the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet. “Software providing essential JSF capability has grown in size and complexity, and is taking longer to complete than expected,” the GAO warned.


Software delays plus continuing mechanical and safety problems prompted JSF program chief Adm. David Venlet to back away from a firm schedule for the new fighter’s frontline introduction. When the F-35 was conceived in the late 1990s, it was expected to begin flying combat missions as early as 2010. Lately military officials have mentioned 2018 as a likely start date. In his Congressional testimony, Venlet declined to even mention a possible timeframe for the JSF’s service entry.


The GAO predicts the JSF’s $400-billion combined development and production cost will grow later this year, once the Pentagon computes a new program “baseline” — something it’s already done no fewer than five times since 2001. Aside from a 400-plane reduction in 2003, the Pentagon has always opted to increase the program’s budget rather than cut production numbers. That’s no longer possible, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told Congress. “To the extent that there continue to be cost growth or challenges … we’ll have to take down the number of aircraft,” he said.
Air Combat Command, which oversees most of the Air Force’s fighter squadrons, seconded Donley’s view. “We cannot simply buy our way out of our problems or shortfalls as we have been able to do in the past,” the command stated in a report last week.

China Now Declined To 4th Largest Weapons Importer-------- As Local Arms Industry Grows

J-10B Fighter Jet

China, the world’s top weapons importer for much of the past decade, fell to fourth from second on an annual list from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute as it produces more arms at home.


China received 5 percent of the volume of international transfers of “major conventional weapons” from 2007 to 2011, Sipri said in a report released. The total was half that of India, which last year overtook China as the world’s largest recipient of arms, and less than South Korea and Pakistan.

“In certain sectors such as combat aircraft, with the exception of certain parts like engines, China is able to put together these systems largely from their own indigenous base now,” Paul Holtom, director of Sipri’s arms transfer program, said by phone. “India is still struggling there.”

China is set to increase military spending 11 percent this year as rising economic interests, territorial disputes and expanding global commitments drive demand for warships, missiles and fighter jets. Defense outlays of more than $100 billion per year are second only to the U.S., which along with Europe has maintained an arms embargo against the leadership in Beijing since a 1989 crackdown against protesters.

The volume of worldwide arms transfers in 2007-2011 was 24 percent higher than in 2002-2006, the report said. The Asia-Pacific region led the world, accounting for 44 percent of arms imports. It was followed by Europe at 19 percent, the Middle East at 17 percent and the Americas at 11 percent.

China’s arms exports nearly doubled in 2007 to 2011 from five years earlier, Sipri said, making it the world’s sixth biggest supplier after the United Kingdom. About two-thirds of China’s weapons were sold to neighboring Pakistan, it said, including 50 JF-17 combat aircraft, 203 tanks and three warships. 

Laptop With India’s Classified Nuclear Data Stolen

An Indian nuclear scientist’s laptop with classified nuclear data was stolen from a passenger rail car and is still missing raising serious alarm all over India.

According to a report the Indian nuclear researcher raised an alarm when his laptop, reportedly filled with critical data, was stolen on March 15, 2012 and remained missing till date.

India Blooms News Service reported that the scientist, who is reportedly involved with the Kaiga atomic power plant in Karnataka, demanded that train officials find his laptop and other stolen personal effects that included identifying documents. It is believed that the laptop contained secret nuclear codes and possibly the blue-print of Kairga Atomic Plant.

The report added that Thiruvananthapuram-bound train was stopped and several passengers were searched and interviewed but the laptop could not be found. Rajdhani Express was forced to have emergency halt at Ratnagiri Station (Maharashtra) when a nuclear scientist’s laptop containing vital information was stolen.

Chinese Helicopter Carrier

Chinese Helicopter Carrier

Chinese Helicopter Carrier

Official Chinese military magazine recently released the CGI OF Chinese Helicopter Carrier.

India Hikes Defence Budget By 17 Percent-----Chinese-Indian Arms Race

Indian Army

 India on Friday increased its military spending by 17 per cent to $41 billion in the Union Budget 2012-13. Of this expenditure, $17.5 billion will be reserved for procuring new equipment.

 

The hike comes a year after India had increased its budget expenses by 11 per cent. A cumulative outlook over the past two years shows that India has increased military spending by a third.

The move is also seen as a way to counter China’s 11 per cent defence spending increase just a few days ago.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, presenting the general budget for the next fiscal in the Lok Sabha, said this allocation was based on the present needs projected by the defence ministry and that further needs for national security would be met.

China And U.S Developing Air-to-Air Cyberweapons

CyberWeapon

The U.S. Air Force is developing network weapons to attack aircraft.

Electronic warfare specialists know the technology is already a double-edged sword, however. The Chinese, a senior service official says, are already working hard on, and in some cases fielding, similar systems to attack high-value aircraft used for early warning, electronic surveillance, command and control, and intelligence.

The Air Force is pursuing “cyber-methods to defeat aircraft,” Gen. Norton Schwartz, the service’s chief of staff, told attendees at the 2012 Credit Suisse and McAleese Associates Defense Programs conference in Washington March 8. But Lt. Gen. Herbert Carlisle, the deputy chief of staff for operations, says the same threat to U.S. aircraft already is “out there.”

Ashton Carter, deputy secretary of defense, is pushing both offensive and defensive network-attack skills and technology. “I’m not remotely satisfied” with the Pentagon’s cyber-capabilities, Carter says.

“The Russians and the Chinese have designed specific electronic warfare platforms to go after all our high-value assets,” Carlisle says. “Electronic attack can be the method of penetrating a system to implant viruses. You’ve got to find a way into the workings of that [target] system, and generally that’s through some sort of emitted signal.”

The Chinese have electronic attack means — both ground-based and aircraft-mounted — specifically designed to attack E-3 AWACS, E-8 Joint Stars and P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, he says.

China's New Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft

Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft

Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft

Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft

Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet---- New Images

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet 

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet 

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet 

China's J-20 Stealth Fighter Jet 

China's X-200 VTOL UAV Ready

 China's  X-200 VTOL UAV

China's PLA T-99 MBT

China's PLA T-99 MBT

 

 

 

China's PLAAF J-10B 4.5 Generation Fighter Jet

China's J-10B Fighter Jet

China's J-10B Fighter Jet

China's Defense Budget US$ 106.4 Billion In 2012

China said  it plans to raise its defense budget by 11.2 percent to 670 billion yuan (106.4 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012.

This year's draft defense budget is 67.6 billion yuan more than the defense expenditure of 2011, said Li Zhaoxing, spokesman for the annual session of China's national legislature.

"The Chinese government follows the principle of coordinating defense development with economic development. It sets the country's defense spending according to the requirements of national defense and the level of economic development," Li Said

The former foreign minister said the growth of China's defense expenditure is "reasonable and appropriate."

"The Chinese government has maintained reasonable and appropriate growth in defense spending on the strength of rapid economic and social development and the steady increase of fiscal revenues," he said.

Indian Army Test Fired BrahMos Cruise Missile

 BrahMos Cruise Missile Test Fired

DRDO Chief Calls To Develop Advanced Encryption OR Code Cryptography System

India needs to develop advanced encryption or code cryptography to foolproof national security from cyber warfare, the DG, Defence Research and Development Organisation and Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, Dr V.K. Saraswat said.

He was delivering a lecture on “Cyber Warfare and National Security” at the inaugural function of the 12th research and project exhibition of IIIT-Hyderabad, showcasing the prominent research and projects being carried out at the institute.

Dr Saraswat said that while India has to develop high level cryptographic tools and keys to protect its information, it should also aim at deciphering the information which is being used against its interests. He added that the need of the hour was a thoughtful security system for countering terrorism. 

Indian Army Short OF Ammunition---Said Indian Arny Chief

General VK Singh

The India army is seriously short of ammunition, and in the event of war, it may run out of stocks in two days. This has been highlighted in a letter written by Army Chief General VK Singh to Defence Minister AK Antony, reported by the Indian Media. 

It also warns of shortages in artillery and air defence ammunition and says that the blacklisting of firms has contributed to the situation.

With reports hinting at cuts in defence spending in the next budget, the army may well see further degradation of its capability. 

Osama Bin Laden Was Not Buried At Sea----Report

Osama Bin Laden

Al-Qaeda Chief Osama Bin Laden, who was killed on the morning of May 02 last year in US Special Forces operation in Abbottabad, was not buried at sea but his body was shifted to the military mortuary in Dover.

According to leaked secret files of Statfor, a US security agency, Osama was not buried at sea in an Islamic ceremony but his body was shifted to the military mortuary in Dover, DE, on a CIA plane.

Than it was shifted to the medical institute of US armed forces in Maryland for examination and report.

China Upgrading Air Force Rapidly---Says IAF Chief

The Indian Air Force could lose its combat edge over rivals in the neighborhood in the next 10 years if it fails to keep pace with China's modernization targets, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik has warned. He said China had embarked on a "modernization spree" and there had been "considerable development" of infrastructure and "induction of assets across India's northern and eastern borders".

"If the IAF has to maintain technological superiority, our plans for critical acquisitions for the next 10 years must stay on track. If not, others will catch up," Naik told HT in an exclusive interview.

Asked to assess the modernisation of the Chinese air force, Naik said it was consolidating "quantitatively and qualitatively" at a rapid pace.

"IAF is also in the process of upgrading its assets and developing new facilities," said Naik, who is credited with speeding up India's biggest military contracts such as the $10.2 billion (Rs 45,900 crore) deal for 126 fighter jets and the $4.1 billion (Rs 18,450 crore) tender for 10 C-17 military transport planes.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is pushing ahead with the induction of Sukhoi-30s, JF-17 Thunder jets, J-10 strike fighters, airborne early warning and control systems, mid-air refuellers and air defence systems to transform itself into a credible air power.

Russia Approves Deal For 92 Su-34 Fighter Bombers

Russian Sukhoi Su-34 Strike Fighter Bomber

Russian Sukhoi Su-34 Strike Fighter Bomber

Russia's defence ministry signed a deal for 92 Sukhoi Su-34 strike aircraft on 1 March, marking the biggest deal for a single aircraft type for the nation's air force in more than 20 years.

To cover deliveries until 2020, the deal was signed by defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Sukhoi general director Igor Ozar. The Su-34s will replace all the Su-24 bombers in service, Serdyukov said. A source quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency put the value of the deal at around 100 billion roubles ($3 billion).

The defence ministry had previously said 70 Su-34s would be delivered by 2015. Six aircraft are in service at Russia's test and evaluation centre at Lipetsk, with a further 10 due to be delivered this year.

The Russian air force will eventually field a total of about 120 Su-34s in five squadrons of 24 aircraft each, its commander Col Gen Alexander Zelin said at last year's MAKS air show near Moscow.

F-16s Replace Americans At Jacobabad Airbase

 

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF), in a significant move, has equipped the newly renovated Jacobabad airbase with close to three dozen F-16s, including the advanced Block 52+ version of the aircraft.

Pakistan has spent over $3.75 billion on both the revamping of Jacobabad airbase and the acquisition of new planes, officials told. The air force is in a better position to encounter any threats after acquiring the new F-16s which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, they added.

Defence analyst Lt General (retd) Talat Masood said this was a significant development especially as it had come months after the Americans had quit the airbase. Masood, however, warned of a shift in the strategic balance of the region, saying “India’s new aircraft deal with France would leave Pakistan far behind”. For all intents and purposes, he said, Pakistan should continue its cooperation with the US to enhance its defence capability. “Pakistan and the US are reciprocal when it comes to regional stability in South Asia,” he added.

India is all set to reach an agreement with France over the purchase of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) costing over $12 billion, making it the largest international defence deal by value in recent years, according to Indian media. Chief of Air Staff Rao Qamar Suleman and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had formally announced the completion of Jacobabad Airbase on  February 12. The Chief of Air Staff said that all American personnel, including the Training Support Team for the new F-16s, have left after training PAF pilots and other technical staff.

“The new F-16 Block 52 fleet will pave the way for establishing the balance of power in the region,” said General Kayani.

Pakistan Proposes To Create A Military Block OF Islamic States

Pakistan suggests creation of a single military block of Islamic states.

At today’s press conference in Baku vice speaker of the Senate of Pakistan Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali Pakistan has informed that Pakistan proposes creation of the block.

"International organizations approach to conflicts in the Muslim world with double standards, although reaction comes immediately on conflicts in Christian countries, and we therefore propose creation of a unified Islamic military block," Jamali said.