ASIAN DEFENCE

China flew an improved version of its Shenyang J-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighter. Compared to the previous prototype, the new version features a host of refinements and has started to resemble a genuine fifth-generation stealth aircraft in many ways. The J-31 is intended for military export markets. It is expected to be priced around $70 million. This is half of the F-35 stealth fighter price. The fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon and Dassault Rafale fighter jets are priced at about $100 million.  J-31 The J-31 is believed to be powered by a pair of Russian-made Klimov RD-93 afterburning turbofans each developing roughly 18,000lb of thrust at maximum power. The Chinese hope to replace those engines with a pair of indigenous WS-13E turbofans, which are expected to develop roughly 22,000lbs of thrust. China began development of the Taishan in 2000 to replace the Klimov RD-93 turbofan, which had been selected in the 1990s to power the JF-17 light-weight fighter. It is design

In a Surprise move to the world China has Inducted At least six J-20s stealth fighters are in active service in PLAAF, with four tail numbers 78271，78272，78273 and 78274 identified. And another six are ready to be delivered by end of December 2016 According to the Chinese aviation expert Dafeng Cao, six J-20 stealth fighters will be inducted into the Chinese air force (PLAAF) at a formal ceremony later this month. J-20 Black Eagle Recent speculations refer to the J-20 Black Eagle as an air-to-air fighter with an emphasis on forward stealth, high-speed aerodynamics, range, and adequate agility. The J-20 could threaten vulnerable tankers and ISR/C2 platforms, depriving Washington of radar coverage and strike range. However one of these targets, the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, is reported to be optimized for spotting fighter sized stealth aircraft such as the J-20.

The Xian H-20 is a subsonic stealth bomber design of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, due to enter service in the future. It is a "strategic project" for china. The aircraft will feature a wing design similar to that of the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, with components already being manufactured. Analysts note that the bomber may enter service by 2025, and will seek to replace China's existing fleet of Xian H-6K bombers. Admiral Yin said the H-20 stealth bomber will certainly be on par with the United States' Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. He noted China has gained some experience in stealth technology from the development of Chengdu J-20 and the Shenyang J-31 stealth fighters, so the material and design isn't a big problem. The US B-2 entered service in 1997 as the second aircraft designed to have advanced stealth technology after the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk attack aircraft. H-20 Stealth Bomber The US Northrop B-2 is capable of all-altitude

China made it official this week that J-20 is coming to Zhuhai air show. All of this is quite interesting when one compares this to how long before J-10 made its first visit to Zhuhai Air Show. Clearly, China has taken a more confident and transparent approach in its military programs in the past 10 years. At this point, J-20 has started Low rate initial production batches, but has yet to achieve IOC. To that end, AVIC must be confident enough in the progress of flight-testing program to allow J-20 to appear in China’s most prominent aerospace exhibition. A couple of years ago, PAK-FA had an epic failure when one of the prototypes had fire damage while delivering a flight performance in front of IAF officials. Certainly, the pilots were most likely instructed to put on a show to impress PAK-FA’s largest export client, but the aircraft was also clearly not up to task. The result of that embarrassing incident was extensive delays in the flight-testing program while that prototype was

China will deploy its naval vessels in coordination with the Pakistan Navy to safeguard the Gwadar port in Balochistan and trade under a bilateral trade corridor, according to a media report on Friday. Besides the joint deployment of warships, Pakistan is considering the purchase of super-fast vessels from China and Turkey for a special squadron to be positioned at Gwadar to secure the deep sea port, an unnamed Pakistan Navy official was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. “A squadron may have four to six warships,” the official said on the sidelines of the IDEAS 2016 defence exhibition in Karachi. The super-fast vessels would be “bought soon” in view of their immediate need in the fleet and two warships had already been deployed at Gwadar, the official said. The role of Pakistan’s maritime forces had increased since the country made Gwadar operational and expedited up economic activities under the $46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the official said.

KARACHI: Pakistan Air Force signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a French company on technical collaboration in production of JF-17 Thunder jets during the ongoing IDEAS 2016 defence expo on Thursday. As per the MoU, the French company will provide technical assistance to Pakistan Air Force for electrification of JF-17 Thunder jets. Air Commodore Waqar Haider signed the said MoU with the French company. Earlier at the expo Pakistan also signed an agreement with Turkey to sell 52 Super Mushak basic trainers and is preparing Super Mushak jets for Nigeria and Qatar.

At IDEAS 2016 Leonardo showcases its Vixen 1000E with IFF and SkyWard. Vixen 1000E is a high performance AESA radar designed for fighter/interceptor aircraft building on over 60 years of Selex ES’s fire control radar experience. At IDEAS 2016, Leonardo showcases the Vixen 1000E radar coupled with the company's SkyWard infrared search & track system and the Selex ES SIT426 Active Electronically Scanned Identification Friend-or-Foe (E-Scan IFF). Vixen 1000E features an innovative roll-repositionable AESA antenna to provide a full ±100º field of regard allowing maximum situational awareness and platform survivability. This Wide Field of Regard (WFoR) allows the aircraft to turn away after missile launch, whilst still maintaining datalinks to the missile. The AESA antenna is coupled to fully digital multi-channel exciter/receiver and processor Line Replaceable Units (LRUs). These provide a comprehensive mode suite which includes air-to-air, air-to-surface, interleaved and su

In a brief report published by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, a Pakistani-government-funded think tank, more details of Pakistan's new Chinese submarines have been disclosed. The report also assesses Pakistan's pursuit of developing nuclear submarine and desire to acquire ASW capability. Excerpts: To counter Indian naval buildup, Pakistan agreed to purchase eight new submarines from China in March 2015, which will be equipped with a Stirling-cycle Air-independent propulsion (AIP)system and will be able to carry up to three nuclear warhead-carrying CJ-10K land attack cruise missiles (LACMs) each. It has been assessed that Pakistan’s nuclear submarine is likely to be based on the Qing Class Chinese SSK (diesel-electric submarine). Highly advanced electric propulsion system of Qing Class Chinese SSK will enable Pakistan to replace diesel engine power generation with a nuclear power plant. In 2014-2015, Pakistan signed an agreement with a German firm “Rhei

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Air Force (PLAAF) is slated to receive the first four out of 24 Russian-made Sukhoi Su-35 multirole fighter jets, the governor of Khabarovsk Krai, a federal subject located in the Russian Far East, said in a speech during the opening of a new aircraft production plan on September 15, according to local media reports. From 2016 to 2018 the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production plant will deliver 24 Su-35 combat aircraft to China, the governor said. The Su-35 (NATO reporting name: Flanker-E) is a Fourth++ generation, twin-engine, highly maneuverable multirole fighter jet powered by two AL-117S turbofan engines. The Russian aircraft’s powerful turbofan engine is also the most likely reason why China is interested in acquiring Su-35 fighters   AL-117S Engine The most advanced Chinese-made military turbofan currently in use is the WS-10, which, however, also underperforms, according to some reports The izdeliye 117S (AL-41F1S) is an upgrade

A massive leak of documents containing top-secret technical details of the Indian Navy’s Scorpene-class submarines has hit the French defense company DCNS which is set to build new Australian submarines. The documents, first revealed by  The Australian , contain 22,400 pages and detail secret combat capabilities of the six Indian Navy submarines designed by DCNS. The Indian government said available information was being examined by the country’s Ministry of Defence noting that that the source of leak appeared to be from overseas and not from India. While The Australian decided to edit sensitive information from the documents showing only a small portion of them, the news site said the documents revealed everything related to the submarine’s underwater and above-water sensors, combat management system, torpedo launch system and communication and navigation systems. Indian Scorpene submarine This scandal is likely to cause concerns in Australia since DCNS won a AU$$50

According to DCNS, the 4,000-tonne front-line frigate will be equipped for anti-submarine warfare with widened self-defence and commando-projection capacities. The FTI will integrate the Thales Sea Fire four flat antenna radar and feature ASTER® 30 missiles from MBDA. The FTI will also be equipped with a new model hull sonar with new transducer technology for improved detection capabilities. The new frigates are positioned between the 6,000-tonne FREMM multi-mission frigate and the 2,500- to 3,000-tonne Gowind corvettes. The inverted bow design of the FTIs ensures greater stability at high speeds, DCNS further said. French Navy’s new medium size frigate FTIs are expected to replace the insufficiently armed La Fayette-class light frigates. According to Thales, France envisions a five-unit order with first delivery to the navy in 2023. Hoping to build on the international market succes of the La Fayette, DCNS is also offering an export version of the new frigate. As the com

The threat of super-stealthy diesel submarines being deployed around the world has been present for decades. Still, newer boats are coming armed with advanced anti-ship weapons and are being combined with new air-independent propulsion systems (AIP) making them near impossible to find in the ocean's depths. In 2005, The HMS Gotland, a modern AIP submarine serving in the Swedish Navy created havoc in war games exercise. The Gotland virtually ‘sunk’ many U.S. nuclear fast attack subs, destroyers, frigates, cruisers and even made it into the 'red zone' beyond the last ring of anti-submarine defenses within a carrier strike group. Although it was rumored she got many simulated shots off on various U.S. super-carriers, one large-scale training exercise in particular with the then brand new USS Ronald Reagan ended with the little sub making multiple attack runs on the super-carrier, before slithering away without ever being detected. The 1600 ton displacement Gotland Class w

Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director General Aftab Sultan, while speaking in the Senate standing committee meeting on Tuesday, said a large number of terrorists arrested during the last three years had connections with and were working for the Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies. “Out of the 865 terrorists arrested during the last three years, a significant number had connections with India’s RAW and the Afghan NDS,” said the chief of intelligence agency. The IB chief also said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is endangered by foreign intelligence agencies and anti-state elements. Replying to a question regarding missing persons during the Senate sub-committee’s meeting, Sultan stated that the IB was conducting 478 inquiries for missing persons, out of which 427 inquiries have been completed. Earlier in March, law enforcement agencies announced the arrest of Kulbushan Jadhav, saying he had been picked up during an intelligence-based raid in Balochistan's Chama

China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation has confirmed a project to export eight attack submarines to Pakistan, top English newspaper of China People's Daily reported. The corporation held a conference to discuss the details of the arrangement. The corporation's chairman Hu Wenming, said the conference aimed to continue the spirit generated by Chinese President Xi Jinping's speeches on the Belt & Road Construction Work Symposium. S-30 Type 032 Qing-class SSK-2 Reuters reported back in April that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the deal and called the deal could be "one of China's largest overseas weapons sales once it is signed". The deal could cost between 4 billion to 5 billion USD, Reuters quoted a Financial Times report. Four of the eight submarines will reportedly be built at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) while the remaining four submarines will be built in China.

Russia is developing a sixth generation hypersonic stealth fighter. The plan is for a prototype to make its first flight between 2022 and 2025. Vladimir Mikhailov—a former commander of the Russian Air Force—told the news agency that UAC has already completed the concept definition for the new warplane. Indeed, research on the new sixth-generation fighter—to include engineering design—is well underway according to Mikhailov. Mikhailov added that Russia plans to equip the prospective new warplane with long-range hypersonic missiles. The Russians have not yet completed with fifth generation stealth fighter and they have funding issues for new military projects. Sixth Generation Hypersonic Stealth Fighter The Russians are not just aiming to equip the new fighter with hypersonic weapons; Moscow is designing its sixth-generation airframe to be capable of hypersonic speeds. “It will be hypersonic at several Mach, single-seat, invisible to the enemy, super-maneuverable, multifunctio

Wang Zhengou of the National Defense Science and Technology University scramjet design, together with combined cycle engines, could allow China to fly Mach 6 airplanes, like this fan art, which could fly anywhere in the world in under three hours, at speeds and altitudes imprevious to modern air defenses. It is highly likely that due to the nature of material sciences and laws physics, hypersonic aircraft like the American SR-72 and its Chinese counterparts would look similar to each other (like how most modern attack submarines share the same general shape). Chinese Hypersonic UAV Scramjet engines mix together air and liquid fuel at supersonic speeds, to result in the rapid combustion that propels aircraft and missiles at hypersonic speeds over Mach 5. In September 2015, Professor Wang received an award from the Chinese Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics (CSAA) for the successful development of China's first scramjet engine over the past decade. In fact, Professor Wan

China this week carried out another test of a new high-tech hypersonic glide vehicle, an ultra high-speed missile designed to deliver nuclear weapons and avoid defenses. The latest test of what the Pentagon calls the Wu-14 hypersonic glide vehicle was carried out from the Wuzhai missile test range in central China. The test was judged successful, according to defense officials familiar with details of the event. Current U.S. defenses are designed to track missiles that travel in predictable flight paths and are unable to counter maneuvering warheads and glide vehicles. The latest Wu-14 test took place Wednesday. WU-14 Hypersonic Missile It was the fifth test of the glide vehicle and the second since June. China has had two successful hypersonic missile tests in a span of two months. The weapon is launched as the last stage of a missile that reaches speeds of around Mach 10, or 10 times the speed of sound—around 7,680 miles per hour. Military analysts said the Chinese

US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC, has been testing robotic trucks for the Army in Michigan and Michigan will be the main location for developing autonomous technology for commercial trucks. TARDEC is developing its vehicle-to-infrastructure capabilities to increase safety, reduce distracting tasks and carry supplies for soldiers, he said. Autonomous trucks USA Army In June, the four-vehicle convoy of tractor-trailers on Interstate 69, about 40 miles east of Flint, Mich., showed the trucks’ ability to communicate with roadside units set up by the Michigan Department of Transportation. The so-called vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) connectivity is a crucial step toward building a network of autonomous commercial trucks and passenger vehicles. Eventually, V2I will be able to send vehicles information about traffic signals and relay information about collisions on the road, among other data.

The key feature of the PAK FA Future Tactical Fighter, as the T-50 fifth-generation fighter being developed by Sukhoi is known, is its integrated multifunction radar system wrapped around active electronically scanned arrays (AESA). The radar system is designed for a wide range of tasks, such as seeking for and acquiring aerial and ground targets, supporting the use of weapons, navigating, mapping, jamming, etc. The AESA radar is being developed by V. Tikhomirov Scientific-Research Institute of Instrument Design (Tikhomirov-NIIP), the Russian leader in the development of phased-array radar systems for aircraft and army air defence systems. The developer has demonstrated prototype AESAs developed for the PAK FA at previous MAKS air shows. The work on them has made considerable progress since then. Take-off met with Tikhomirov-NIIP Director General Yuri Bely and asked him to describe the trials of the AESA radar on Russian fifth-generation fighter and the results. Mr. Bely, would yo

 The common day of materiel acceptance by the Russian Defence Ministry, the Sukhoi company delivered two Su-35S supermanoeuvrable multirole fighters to the Russian Air Force at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant - the first two of 14 to be delivered this year.В Thus, as many as 36 out of the 48 aircraft of type stipulated by the contract landed in 2009 have been fielded with combat units since 2011. Two squadrons of the Fighter Air Regiment stationed at Dzyomgi AFB in the Khabarovsk Territory converted to the type in 2014 with four Su-35S fighters were ferried to the Air Force Training and Operational Evaluation Centre in the city of Lipetsk in late May 2014. Here they are used by the centre's personnel to test new tactics being developed for the advanced fighter and for the training of the flying and ground crews of RusAF combat units converting to the type.  Su-35S Fighters The Su-35S single-seat supermanoeuvrable multirole fighter is the summit of the evolution of t

At the HeliRussia 2016 show on 19-21 May 2016, Russian Helicopters holding company announced that the Russian Defence Ministry would be launch customer for the Mil Mi-38 advanced multirole helicopter. "The Russian Defence Ministry, in conjunction with Russian Helicopters, has decided on the procedure for and schedule of the acquisition of Mi-38 helicopters for the Russian Air Force. The feasibility of including the aircraft into the next armament programme's draft is being considered," the manufacturer said in a press release. "The decision provides for the joint flight tests of the new version of the Mi-38 medium multirole helicopter equipped to meet the requirements of the Defence Ministry and made of Russian-manufactured parts and components only. The advanced helicopter will take a number of flight tests for compliance with the military's requirement. Its acquisition will be planned based on the results it produces in the trials." Mil Mi-38 Kazan

In a rare bit of good cyber security news, Chinese hacking thefts of American corporate secrets have plummeted in the 13 months since China signed an agreement with the Obama administration to curb economic espionage, U.S. officials and outside experts say. Analysts say the success may hold lessons for how the U.S. should deal with Russia, which at the same time has stepped up a different sort of hacking campaign that officials says is aimed at undermining confidence in the American election. The change in China's behavior "has been the biggest success we've had in this arena in 30 years," said Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of Crowdstrike, a cyber security firm that tracks computer network intrusions. "And it wasn't anything we did in cyber space -- it was the threat of sanctions and the impact on their economy." Alperovitch said his firm has observed a 90 percent drop in commercial hacking against U.S. firms attributable to Chinese government

The first J-20 squadron expected to be fully delivered by year's end, the China Flight Testing Evaluation regiment will being developing operating procedures, tactics and technical proficiency to bring the J-20 to combat readiness. At this pace, it is expected that in 2017-2018, the Chinese Air Force will have its first operational stealth fighter squadron. J-20 The first J-20 squadron expected to be fully delivered by year's end, the China Flight Testing Evaluation regiment will being developing operating procedures, tactics and technical proficiency to bring the J-20 to combat readiness. At this pace, it is expected that in 2017-2018, the Chinese Air Force will have its first operational stealth fighter squadron. The J-20 currently relies on Russian AL-31 series turbofan engines (the powerful domestic WS-15 engine will enter service in 2019-2021), everything else on the J-20 is Chinese; its stealth coating, infrared sensor, powerful AESA radar, are all domestically

China is determined to develop new technologies that can benefit national defense in the next five years, according to the draft outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan. China will put great emphasis on aircraft engines and gas turbines, making those two fields top items on the list of 100 significant projects to be developed during the 13th Five-Year Plan . WS-15 According to the expert, an advanced engine, to some extent, decides the performance of military aircraft including fighters, and aircraft engines have long been a bottleneck that constrains the development of China's domestically produced military aircraft. Besides engines, China plans to accelerate the development of large planes. China's first domestically produced large plane, C919 , will make its maiden flight in 2016, and is likely to be used for ordinary flights within the 13th Five-Year Plan . Furthermore, China's domestically developed cargo aircraft Y-20 will be put into military use in 2016. A

China's Z-10 Thunderbolt Pilot headgear

There’s aircraft designers, and then there’s ace designers. There are thousands of engineers around the world producing planes, but ace designers only come along once every few decades. The United States had Kelly Johnson, the designer of the SR-71 Blackbird. Germany’s Willy Messerschmitt produced a line of famous fighter planes. The Soviet Union’s Mikhail Simonov created the muscular Su-27 fighter-bomber to compete with America’s F-15 Eagle. Each of these aces were highly skilled, but they also owed much of their success to circumstance. They came along when their respective governments invested millions — or billions — of dollars into transforming brainpower into cutting-edge combat aircraft. This intersection of engineering genius and lavish spending appears to have produced an ace designer in China. In recent years, an obscure engineer named Yang Wei has rapidly risen to the leadership of the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute — a major warplane manufacturer responsible for qu

US  F/A-18 Jets

China is likely to develop a new-generation airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft based on the locally-made Y-20 multi-purpose transport plane inducted into the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force earlier this year. "It is indeed possible that China will modify the AEW&C aircraft based on Y-20, which conforms to the laws on technical development of AEW&C aircraft around the world," Military expert Wang Mingliang said in an interview with the People's Daily Online. The Xian Y-20 large transport aircraft, the first Chinese designed 200-ton-class, multi-purpose, large transport aircraft, was officially commissioned in the PLA Air Force in July this year. It can be configured for airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and aerial refueling missions. According to China Military Online, the Chinese Air Force currently has KJ-200, KJ-2000 and KJ-500, the first two being the earliest AEW&C aircraft of

ACM Sohail Aman was able to offer interesting details regarding success accrued from the JF-17 Thunder, the PAF’s plans for a next-generation fighter, the vision behind Kamra Aviation City, and the rationale of setting up the Airpower Centre for Excellence (ACE). This week, we will take a look at ACM Sohail Aman’s vision in regards to the development of a next-generation fighter. Just as important as the acquisition of a next-generation fighter itself, the CAS definitively established the need to build a sufficiently capable indigenous base to source and support that fighter. The rationale is driven by the reality that a next-generation aircraft is dependent upon financial and political strings that not only inhibit the PAF from progressing in terms of its modernization needs, but also limit the country in terms of its independence. Breaking away from this dynamic is the principal objective of the current PAF leadership, and a set of objectives for 2030 have been put into motion.

NEW DELHI – While India is busy in staging ‘surgical strike’ drama , Pakistani tech experts are up to some real job by teasing the pilots of Indian planes landing into the airports close to the Line of Control (LOC) in Occupied Kashmir.   According to the Times of India newspaper, Pakistan hackers have been breaching networking protocols of Indian airports for some time now. The tech pirates block communication between the pilots and the control tower just before landing and start playing Pakistan’s patriotic songs like “Dil Dil Pakistan” in the cockpit. A senior pilot, who regularly takes flights to Jammu and Thoise Air Force base, was mentioning by the newspaper as saying that Pakistan hackers have been so by matching the frequency of the communication between the plane and the control tower.   The report further added that Indian pilots have now adopted an alternate communication process to avoid getting hacked by Pakistanis.

ISLAMABAD: (APP) In next two years Pakistan will export 100 trainer jets (Mushshaq) to the brotherly country Turkey, Chairman Standing Committee of Senate on Defence Production Lt Gen (R) Abdul Qayyum, here on Tuesday said. This is for the first time, after joining the aircraft manufacturing club, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) would export such a high number of aircraft to any other nation. Super Mushshaq Trainer Talking to APP, after chairing an in-camera deliberations of the meeting, he congratulated the nation that its aircraft manufacturing has received acclaims by the international community which helped the country to manage supply order for export of aircraft in  such a sizeable number.