ASIAN DEFENCE

Sri Lankan Government is facing mounting pressure from its powerful neighbour India over a defence deal Sri Lanka is to enter into with Pakistan. According to highly placed sources in the diplomatic circles, India has expressed its strong opposition to a deal the SL Government entered into with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to purchase 10 JF-17 combat aircraft. The deal was entered into apparently when former Air Force Commander Jayalath Weerakkody was serving as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Pakistan. It is a lightweight, single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China. The JF-17 can be used for aerial reconnaissance, ground attack and aircraft interception. Its designation 'JF-17' by Pakistan is short for 'Joint Fighter-17' The JF-17 was primarily developed to meet the PAF's requirement for an affordable, modern, multi-role combat aircraft as a replace...

China has signed a contract to buy 24 Sukhoi Su-35 multipurpose fighter jets from Russia , becoming the first foreign buyer of the advanced warplane , according to manufacturer Rostec. The deal, estimated to be worth $2 billion, is a significant boost to Russia’s arms exports. “ The long negotiation on the Su-35 sale to China has been completed . We have signed a contract,” Sergey Chemezov, the head of the Russian state-owned high-tech giant Rostec, told Kommersant business daily. Chemezov didn’t disclose the details of the deal, but Kommersant cited sources in the Russian arms industry as saying that China had purchased 24 Su-35s at a price of about $83 million each.               Su-35 Flanker The Su-35 (designated Flanker-E+, not to be confused with the Su-27M, which used to be called the same name before its discontinuation) is a long-range “4++ generation” fighter jet. It is armed with an internal 30mm cannon and has 12 hardpoints ...

The 14th Dubai International Air Show i n the first two days, the aircraft industry under the Air Ratko card technology with Pakistan Aeronautical Complex hold "Fierce Dragon" fighter press conference. Conference site, China and Pakistan jointly to the international media on the latest progress of this fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan, and to publish outside the models to develop a blueprint for the international market. Liu, deputy general manager of CATIC, Pakistan cards Ratko Commonwealth Air Vice-Admiral Arshad Malik attended the press conference, and make answers to questions from the media concern. Major General Arshad Malik also said that since the "Fierce Dragon" fighter Pakistan Air Force equipment, the improvement and upgrading works have been none stop. Subsequent production of "Fierce Dragon" fighter will have air refueling capability, it will increase in the future as well as advanced data link electronic warfare capabilitie...

Visible light communication (VLC) technology A new Chinese breakthrough in visible light communication (VLC) technology may enable people to download a HD movie in around 0.3 second simply using the light of a lamp. A test conducted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirmed that the real-time traffic rate of a Chinese VLC system had reached 50 gigabytes per second (Gbps), the ministry announced Friday. The real-time speed is the highest obtained by China so far. In August 2014, media reported a group of Mexican scientists used similar technology to transmit data with speeds up to 10 Gbps . IT expert and academic Wu Jiangxing said it will be possible to establish a huge VLC network based on the billions of bulbs and LED lighting facilities already around the globe. "Every bulb can serve as a high-speed Internet access point (similar to a WIFI hotspot ) after VLC technology is widely applied in the future," said Wu, unable to give a specifi...

A group of scientists from China may have created a stealth material that could make future fighter jets very difficult to detect by some of today’s most cutting-edge anti-stealth radar . The researchers developed a new material they say can defeat microwave radar at ultrahigh frequencies , or UHF. Such material is usually too thick to be applied to aircraft like fighter jets , but this new material is thin enough for military aircraft, ships, and other equipment. Today’s synthetic aperture radar use arrays of antennas directing microwave energy to essentially see through clouds and fog and provide an approximate sense of the object’s size, the so-called radar cross section . With radar absorbent material not all of the signal bounces back to the receiver. A plane can look like a bird. “Our proposed absorber is almost ten times thinner than conventional ones,” said Wenhua Xu, one of the team members from China’s Huazhong University of Science and Technology , in a statemen...

American experts have accused China of stealing the US design in its first indigenously developed fifth-generation fighter jet , which was displayed at Dubai Airshow on Sunday, raising doubts over the achievement of the country which has stolen a march over India in developing the aircraft. US defence and strategic affairs experts alleged that the design of the FC-31 "Gyrfalcon" or J-31 , which was showcased for the first time abroad according to a Chinese military run portal, was stolen from the US-made F-35 in April 2009 when Chinese hackers entered the networks of American defence equipment maker Lockheed Martin . The FC-31's airframe is similar to that of the F-35 . The FC-31 also has two internal weapons bays that can carry guided and unguided weapons, just like the F-35 . FC-31 "The similarity includes the use of two tracking mirrors and a flat-facetted optical window, with bottom fuselage placement just aft the radar radome," IHS Jane...

he Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is expected to order 40 JF-17 Thunder light fighter aircraft made the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Aviation Industries Corporation of China (AVIC). The order adds to the 60 aircraft already in PAF service, an AVIC statement said yesterday. In addition, The AVIC –PAC partnership has signed a contract with a third party customer for the purchase of the JF-17 Thunder, AVIC Executive Vice President Liu Yu was quoted as saying in the statement. However, the customer was not identified nor details of the sale revealed. Liu Yu said JF-17 Thunder had demonstrated capabilities in air-to-air, air-to-surface combats and its great cost-effectiveness had received attention from the global aviation industry. JF-17 Thunder As China and Pakistan improve their ability and skills in co-developing JF-17 Thunder, the aircraft is becoming a “Blue Ocean product” with much market potentials as an ideal replacement for second-generation fighters in man...

Director General of State Corporation Sergey Chemezov Rustech reported on the signed contract with Pakistan to supply Mi-35 . Requests for Mi-28 helicopters from the Pakistani side were reported. Delivery of Mi-35 in Pakistan will begin in the year 2016, told reporters on Monday the State Corporation Sergey Chemezov, General Director of Rustech International Airshow Dubai Airshow-2015. Dubai Airshow is held from 1989 onwards, with the assistance of the Government and the Emirate of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and U.A.E. Defense Ministry. Its subject is the armament and military equipment of the AIR FORCE, air defence, space technology, civil aviation and technology. This year's air show takes place from 8 to 12 November. Mi-35

Rostec head Sergey Chemezov said at the Dubai airshow that his employees are currently engaged in negotiations with the UAE for the Su-35 . Russia is presenting its aircraft and air defense systems at the Dubai Airshow in the UAE. “Su-35 presentation here [at the airshow] is very good, and we are currently engaged in negotiations with the [United Arab] Emirates about the delivery of these aircraft,” Chemezov told journalists. Su-35 Earlier in the day, head of Rostec's International Cooperation Department Viktor Kladov told RIA Novosti that the UAE expressed its interest in the aircraft, however the sides have not discussed the number of Su-35 that could be delivered to Abu Dhabi. The Su-35 fighter (NATO reporting name Flanker-E) jet is an upgraded version of the Su-27 multirole fighter . In 2013, it was first introduced to a foreign audience in Paris.

The MiG Corp. and Phazotron Corp. continue deliveries of knockdown kits to India for upgrading the entire fleet of Indian Air Force MiG-29 fighters under the contract signed on 7 March 2008 ( MiG-29UPG programme ). In all, 63 aircraft, including nine MiG-29UB twin-seat combat trainers , are subject to upgrade. They are to be given more up-to-date avionics, with their weapons suite to be beefed up with advanced missiles. In addition, airframe and powerplant improvements will extend the fighters' service life by far, and the aircraft will switch to on-condition maintenance. The fuel load will increase owing to a conformal spine fuel tank aft of the cockpit. At the same time, the fighters will get the mid-air refuelling capability. Overall, the concept of upgrading the IAF MiG-29s corresponds to that of the MiG-29SMT that has been in service with the Russian Air Force since 2009 and mastered by Russian pilots. At the same time, there will be a high degree of avionics and weapo...

Pakistan-Russia relationship is set to grow with talks about delivery Mi-35M helicopters and Su-35 fighter jets continues. This comes from the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Earlier in this year, Moscow sent a draft contract to Islamabad regarding the delivery of four Mi-35M ‘Hind E’ combat helicopters and Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets . It would seem that the draft contract has been bumped up a level considering the talks being held, as we speak, regarding the delivery of said machines. These helicopters and fighter jets would become a valuable to addition to Pakistan’s growing air force. SU-35 Pak-Russia relationship have not always been one to be proud of, however, lately, the two countries are warming up to each other. In November 2014, Moscow and Islamabad were able to sign a landmark defense operation agreement. This agreement will allow exchange of information on political and military issues, extend cooperation between the two for promoting internation...

Russian official have said to Local Newspaper that Pakistan will get the weapons according to Pakistan's demand.  Russian Weapons

India's defence sector is likely to get a major boost with New Delhi close to finalizing a deal for the  world's most advanced anti-ballistic missile system – the S-400 - during Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's visit to Russia Mr Parrikar, who is scheduled to leave for Moscow on Saturday, in an interview to ITAR-TASS expressed hope to finalise the deal by the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Moscow in December. The S-400 is designed to protect key installations such as nuclear reactors, government installations and big cities and can intercept enemy missile more than 400 kilometres away. The S-400 Triumf is capable of countering all air attack weapons, including tactical and strategic aircraft, ballistic missiles and hypersonic targets such as the US F-35 fighter jet . S-400 Triumf  The S-400 can engage up to 36 targets simultaneously with as many as 72 missiles at altitudes of five meters to 30 km. The cost of the acquisition and the num...

J-18 strike fighter J-18 strike fighter It was rumored that a new heavy fighter bomber (J-18) based on J-16 is being developed at 601/SAC since early 2010s. It features a widened twin-seat cockpit similar to Russian Su-34 and adjustable leading edge vortex controllers similar to Russian T-50 . First flight was rumored to have taken place on October 27, 2015 but this has not been confirmed."

Pakistan has made low-yield nuclear weapons in response to India’s actions under its cold-start doctrine , Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhary told a news briefing here on Tuesday. This is the first concrete explanation from a senior Pakistani official on how Islamabad plans to deal with India’s so called cold-start doctrine, now re-named the pro-active strategy. It is also a rare explanation of Pakistan’s decision to make tactical nuclear weapons to deal with the possible threat of Indian aggression . Briefing the Pakistani media on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to Washington, Chaudhary also said that Pakistan would not sign any nuclear deal with the United States during the visit. Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reaffirmed that Pakistan’s national interests will be prioritised during his upcoming visit to the United States (US). The premier was speaking to media personnel in London, en route the US. “We will protect the national interests of Pakistan during ...

Final assembly work on the Comac C919 has kicked into high gear, with assembly of the first prototype airframe almost complete. Pictures released to Flightglobal show an almost complete airframe joined from nose through to the tail. Wing-to-body join has also been done, with the vertical and horizontal stabilisers already attached to the aircraft's tail. The aircraft is still resting on struts, although the main landing gear and forward landing gear appear to have been installed. The aircraft's wingtip devices have also yet to be installed. No other aircraft are pictured in the final assembly centre area. A Comac spokesman tells Flightglobal that no systems have been installed on the aircraft. Over the last six months the Chinese aircraft manufacturer has been taking delivery of the jet's major structures, with final assembly work officially started last September. Comac C919   Comac has publicly stated end-2015 as the aircraft's first flight target, a...

Most recently, a 7th prototype of J-20 project (No. 2016) appeared and made its maiden flight on September 18th. It’s been 9 months since the last prototype had come out, so this new prototype is a sign that the program has not hit any major stumbling block and was just going through the next iteration in its development. As a refresher, 2 prototypes (No. 2001 and No. 2002) came out and flew in 2011. They were probably the demonstrators of this program. Over 2 and half years later, the 3rd J-20 prototype (No. 2011) came out and was followed by 3 more prototypes (No. 2012, 2013 and 2015). They had some major redesign and changes compared to the demonstrators. So they should be considered the first pre-production prototypes and were probably produced in the same batch. CAC and CFTE have been testing them since that time. I expect that more J-20 prototypes will be coming out in the next few months, since they seem to be building them in batches on this and past CAC project. Compared to ...

People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has lagged behind the aerial programs of other world powers such as the United States. Now, the PRC has set its sights on producing indigenously designed “fifth generation” fighter jets comparable to the US F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II . Many U.S. officials and pilots suspect that the Chinese have been usinghacked U.S. technology to aid their indigenous development programs. The PRC is also leveraging additive manufacturing technology (better known as 3D-printing) in order to increase speed and efficiency in manufacturing aircrafts and compete with the U.S. The J-20 Black Eagle could be fully operational by 2018, and a second model, the J-31 Gyrfalcon , by 2020. If true, China’s new generation of fighters could have a substantial impact on its ability to either defend what it considers to be sovereign airspace, or to mount an aerial offensive in a wartime scenario, particularly against Taiwan (...

Four Lockheed Martin Freedom-class ship variants are set to form the backbone of the Royal Saudi Navy’s Eastern Fleet as part of a $11.25 billion foreign military sales case presented to Congress on Monday. The ships and the subsequent systems, weapons and munitions are the centerpiece of the long awaited Saudi Naval Expansion Program II (SNEP II) — the estimated $20 billon program to refresh the aging U.S.-built Saudi fleet operating in the Persian Gulf, according to a State Department notification issued on Tuesday morning. “This acquisition will enhance the stability and maritime security in the sea areas around the Arabian Peninsula and support strategic objectives of the United States,” read the notification. “The proposed sale will provide Saudi Arabia with an increased ability to meet current and future maritime threats from enemy weapon systems. The Multi-Mission Surface Combatant ships will provide protection-in- depth for critical industrial infrastructure and for the se...

According to the Salut Gas Turbine Research and Production Centre’s Director General Vladislav Masalov, the company manufactured about a hundred AL-31F turbofans in several variants in 2011. Over 75% of them, in the AL-31FN version in the first place, were exported. The rest were made for the Russian Defence Ministry. To fit the aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force, the company has for several years supplied AL-31F Series 42 engines upgraded by the in-house design bureau and known as AL-31F-M1. The AL-31F-M1 passed its official trials in 2006 and has been ordered by the Defence Ministry since 2007 to equip Sukhoi Su-27SM fighters. Last year, Salut shipped another batch of engines of the type, which were used for fitting the Su-27SM(3) fighters delivered to RusAF under the contract signed in 2009. A decision in principle was taken to fit the RusAF-ordered Sukhoi Su-34 bombers with Salut-built AL-31F Series 42s. Unlike the baseline AL-31F, the upgraded engine has an advanced...

Russia has reportedly run tests to see if it can remove itself from the World Wide Web to stem the flow of information to and from foreign countries, according to a top industry official. Experts told the UK Daily Telegraph the tests were run to prepare for an information blackout in case of a potential domestic political crisis. The attempt to cut Russia from the Internet has stoked fears about the Kremlin stripping Internet freedoms from its citizens. Andrei Semerikov, general director of Russian Internet provider Er Telecom, told the newspaper it was ordered by the ministry of communications and Russia’s national Internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, to block traffic to foreign communications channels by using DPI, a traffic control system. The goal was to see if Russia’s Internet could continue to function even though it was cut off from the global Internet. Russian officials denied any experiment took place. A spokesman for Roskomnadzor told The Telegraph “there was not such ...

F-15J Stealth Fighter F-15J Stealth Fighter The concept of stealth fighter F-15J for the Japanese Air Force. The aircraft features many advanced technologies and systems including semi- stealth capability, conformal fuel tanks, and enclosed weapons pods.

According to reports, china may deliver a total of 300 of Type 99 Main Battle Tank to Pakistan. Pakistan is already testing the Type 99 Main Battle Tank given the unsatisfactory performance of the VT-4 and Oplot-M . VT-4 is the export variant of the MBT-3000, while the Oplot-M is a Ukranian Tank. Pakistan is looking to upgrade its inventory of tanks in order to satisfy the needs of the armed forces from 2017 to 2025. After the successful testing of Type 99 Main Battle Tank , it will be decided which tanks will to acquire. Defense experts have welcomed this new development with open arms. The Type 99 Main Battle Tank would serve as a cheap and ideal replacement for Pakistan Army’s fleets of T80UD , Al-Zarrar , Type 85 , Type 69 , and Type 59 MBTs . The fleets under Pakistan Army as of right now are quite old and can’t possibly create with a modern line of tanks in huge numbers. Type 99 Main Battle Tank was fielded by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. It is a third-generation...

Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar had told the Indian air force that there weren't enough funds to expand the Rafale acquisition and that it must induct an improved version of the indigenous Tejas-Mark 1A. "The IAF (air force) needs to have a minimum number of aircraft at all times. The LCA is our best option at this stage, given our resource constraints," the defense official said. "The Rafale is our most expensive acquisition. The LCA is our cheapest in the combat category." Modi pushes 'obsolete' made-in-India plane on reluctant military NEW DELHI: India's government has turned down its military's request to expand the acquisition of 36 fighter planes from Dassault Aviation SAto plug vital gaps, officials said, nudging it to accept an indigenous combat plane 32 years in the making. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision, in line with his Make-in-India policy to encourage domestic industry, is a blow for not only t...

China may have recently conducted a successful test of the fastest hypersonic aircraft in the world, reports Hong Kong newspaper Ta Kung Pao. According to a report released Friday on the official website of state-owned aerospace and defense giant Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), one of its test flight centers has completed an initial test flight on an unspecified high-altitude, super-fast aircraft with a "unique flying style." Though the report was deleted shortly after, military analysts believe it is likely that China is developing a new hypersonic aircraft that can travel at five times the speed of sound. US SR-71 Blackbird strategic Reconnaissance Aircraft The Shanghai-based Guancha Syndicate said that while the AVIC report did not divulge the model of the plane or what missions it can carry out, it is clear from reading between the lines that the aircraft is a hypersonic demonstrator that can travel at record speeds. This means an aircraft that ...

China is ready to launch its first domestically built aircraft carrier, known as the Type 001A, on Dec. 26 to mark the 122th birthday of Mao Zedong, according to Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao on Sept. 24. President Xi Jinping reportedly visited the Dalian Shipyard to inspect the progress of work on the carrier in August. The shipyard had previously overseen the retrofitting of the Varyag, China's first aircraft carrier purchased as a hulk from Ukraine and finally commissioned in 2012 as the Liaoning. Noting that it took only two years and eight months for the US to complete the USS John C Stennis, its seventh Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Ming Pao predicted that China will be able to complete the construction of the Type 001A in a similar time. The John C Stennis was commissioned in 1995. Type 001A aircraft carrier  Moreover, unlike the John C Stennis, the Type 001A is only a conventionally powered carrier rather than a nuclear-powered carrier and is much smaller than...

China has unveiled an updated version of the J-31 "Gyrfalcon" fighter jet, which is expected to be marketed internationally within the next five years, reports the Beijing-based Sina Military Network. An updated model of the J-31 — a single-seat, twin-engine, fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation — was recently on display at the 16th China Aviation Expo in Beijing from Sept. 16-19. With a redesigned tail, the J-31's aerodynamic and stealth capabilities are said to have already surpassed most traditional fighter jets and will soon have an upgraded avionics system. Its current Russian-made RD-93 engine is also expected to be upgraded with a new version of the Chinese-made WS-13 engine in the future. J-31 The J-31 reportedly reaches a max speed of Mach 1.8 and a combat radius of 2,000 kilometers, essentially satisfying the requirements of a carrier-based jet. In addition, the aircraft is said to have been desi...

NeoKylin A first look at the Chinese operating system the government wants to replace Windows Microsoft Windows is the dominant operating system in China, but the government is trying to encourage homegrown replacements. The most popular one is called NeoKylin. We gave it a whirl to see how the hottest China-made OS looks and feels. NeoKylin is developed by China Standard Software, based in Shanghai. Behold the login screen. NeoKylin has long been part of the Chinese government’s hopes that a successful domestic OS would emerge. This has been driven by Microsoft dropping support for Windows XP—still  widely used  in China—and the government’s push to  limit dependence  on foreign technology, primarily for security reasons. Now NeoKylin is starting to be considered a legitimate option even for users outside the government. Workers in the entire city of Siping switched to it. Over 40% of commercial PCs sold by Dell in China are running NeoKylin, the company says. ...