ASIAN DEFENCE

The Russian Air Force ( VVS ) will have received 55 Sukhoi PAK-FA (T-50) fighter aircraft by 2020, according to Vladislav Goncharenko, the deputy director of the United Aircraft Corporation's ( UAC's ) combat aircraft department. The first PAK-FA deliveries are scheduled for 2016.     Sukhoi PAK-FA (T-50) fighter aircraft  

NEW DELHI- The strength of Indian Air Force combat fleet is down to 25 squadrons, the Parliamentary panel observed. "With regard to the existing squadron strength, we are down to 25 squadrons today while Pakistan Air Force has 26 squadrons of operational combat fleet ," the committee pointed out. The standing committee on defence in its report observed that the national security was being compromised. Pakistan Air Force According to the committee, one of the reasons for the plight of their combatant strength in the skies is the considerable delay in procurement of various platforms. The 33-member panel said, "Our capability in contrast to our neighbors is eroding quickly ." The committee members were concerned to know about the strategy being pursued to fill the huge gaps in sanctioned and existing trainer aircrafts.

Russia’s newest RS-26 missile system , dubbed the ‘ anti-missile defense killer ’, will join the ranks of the country’s defenses in less than two years, Russia’s Strategic Missile Force commander said. “We are continuing the test program for RS-26 and plan to finish it next year, with the missile to be put on combat duty in 2016,” Lt. Gen.Sergey Karakayev said. Currently, there is hardly any information available about the new missile system because it was developed in secrecy. Reportedly, the RS-26 is a solid-fuel missile with an advanced splitting warhead , which is launched from a mobile platform. It was designed at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology , apparently under the codenames Rubezh (Frontier), or Avangard (Vanguard). Previously, the Russian deputy prime minister in charge of defense,Dmitry Rogozin, referred to the RS-26 as “ the ABM killer .” “Neither modern nor prospective American missile defenses will be able to prevent this missile from being a...

Russia has approved an updated version of the country’s military doctrine which considers NATO military buildup as a major foreign threat against its national security. The new doctrine, which was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, also lists the American Prompt Global Strike (PGS) concept among the top security threats to the country, Russia Today reported. The PGS is an effort by the US military to develop a system which would allow the Pentagon to deliver precision strikes with conventional weapons at any target in the world in one hour. The core of the new military doctrine remains unchanged as the Russian army is still a defensive tool, which Moscow has vowed to use only as a last resort. The principles of the use of nuclear weapons have not changed since their primary goal is to deter potential attacks on Russia. However, the country would use them to protect itself in the face of the military assaults that could threaten its existence. Th...

This was a particularly eventful year for PLAAF when one looks at the progress of the various new projects. The most noticeable of which is J-20 , but this most will look at various other projects too. Coming into this year, the J-20 project seemed to be a little behind schedule compared to PAK-FA . There were a lot of questions about when the 3rd flying prototypes will come out. Earlier on, we saw the appearance of a heavily modified prototype No. 2011 which first flew in March. As previously discussed, this prototype really transitioned the project from the concept/demonstration phase to pre-production engineering phase. The next prototype No. 2012 appeared in July and had its maiden flight near the end of the month. Most recently, prototype No. 2013 and 2015 appeared in quick succession in the past month and had their first flights. These 2 prototypes have their pitot tubes removed. Speculations have been that No. 2016 and 2017 will also appear soon to join...

Recently declassified documents obtained by the National Security Archive reveal that the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations were considering military action to prevent or delay China from building nuclear weapons — even if that meant working with Moscow to stage an accidental bombing. The pertinent document is the June 21, 1963 entry in the journal of Glenn Seaborg, who was chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission from 1961 to 1971. Seaborg describes a White House meeting on the nuclear test ban negotiations with the Soviet Union. The discussion then turned to China — which had refused to support a test ban treaty — when President Kennedy asked how the U.S. might handle the issue in the Moscow talks. William C. Foster, the director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, confidently observed, "if we could get together with the USSR, the Chinese could be handled even if it required an accidental drop on their facilities." As the National Security Arch...

Russia “has signed a contract” to deliver the S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to China, Vedomosti daily reported on Wednesday, citing its sources. The contract between Russia’s Rosoboronexport and China’s Defense Ministry on the delivery of at least six divisions of the S-400 systems for more than $3 billion was concluded at the beginning of autumn, according to the sources. Russia’s defense concern Almaz-Antey has not commented on the report. The talks between the two states on the issue have been continuing for several years.

A gang of advanced missiles and a bleeding-edge radar unveiled at a Chinese air show could mean big trouble for the Pentagon’s best fighters. A useful lesson to bear in mind at last month’s Zhuhai air show—China’s only domestic air and defense trade show, held once every other year.It was the Shenyang J-31 stealth fighter , which resembles a twin-engine version of America’s newest stealth jet, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. But the real tricks lay in Beijing’s growing family of advanced missiles and radars .  The J-31 prototype was hidden except when it was flying, and not much detail was available. But the display was notable for the eruptions of smoke from the engines, most likely Russian RD-93s. That is important, because until China builds its own fighter engines it cannot build stealth fighters without approval from Vladimir Putin’s desk. That includes the Chengdu J-10B , China’s most modern, in-production fighter, or its bootleg versions of Russia’s Suk...

Footage of what appeared to be China's YJ-18 anti-ship missile , rumored to be in development, was shown recently in a news report on state broadcaster China Central Television.If reports about the missile are accurate, it will be China's first combination subsonic and supersonic anti-ship missile. 　　 According to an unnamed source cited by a military affairs column on Chinese news web portal Sina, the YJ-18 will be the basis for a series of models that will be adapted for launch from warships, submarines and from the coast and will likely replace current anti-ship missiles, given its versatility. The People's Liberation Army Navy currently employs several different models of anti-ship missile, which requires a great deal of logistics and maintenance planning. The six series of anti-ship missiles the PLA Navy uses include the HY series developed from the Soviet-era P-15, the YJ-8/YJ-83 series developed from the YJ-8, the YJ-62 series developed from t...

China is moving ahead to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter after it finishes the fifth-generation J-20 and J-31 , Igor Korotchenko, head of the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade, has told Voice of Russia. The United States is the first nation to forge plans for the design of a sixth-generation fighter . Several artist renditions have already been revealed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing. In an official statement, the US Navy claimed that a sixth-generation fighter — called FAXX — will replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growler by 2030. A source from the US military said that the Department of Defense has already prepared a budget for the development of FAXX in 2015. Russia has recently gotten on board with its own next generation fighter program , said Andrei Grigoryev, the head of the Foundation for Advanced Military Research. The real "secondnd place," however, has to go to China in the race, said Korotchenko. A research ...

China has installed an indigenous engine in its Xian JH-7B fighter bomber . The plane has been designed to be difficult to detect, reports Huanqiu. A Xian JH-7B that has carried out test flights has been powered by the LM6 turbofan engine designed specifically for the aircraft which boasts more powerful thrust than the country's latest WS-10A engine . The LM6's air intake has been designed to be less visible and its exterior is coated with materials that can absorb electromagnetic waves. The engine is undergoing fine-tuning in preparation for mass production and the fighter bomber will be installed with new avionics and may use an active phased array radar .  Xian JH-7B fighter bomber The development of the plane began as early as 1974 after a battle against Vietnam in the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. The incident prompted Beijing to decide to develop a supersonic all-weather aircraft that could be used by both the navy and air force. ...