Philippines seeks patrol ships, aircraft, radar to bolster watch in and near the Spratlys

By Jim Gomez, The Associated Press –

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines plans to acquire patrol ships, aircraft and an air defence radar system so it is better able to guard its territory in and near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, the country's military chief said Monday.

China, the Philippines and four other countries and territories claim all or parts of the Spratlys, which is believed to have vast oil and gas reserves, teem with rich fishing grounds and straddle one of the world's busiest sea lanes. They have long been regarded as a potential flash point for conflict in Asia.

Military chief Gen. Eduardo Oban said it remains uncertain when the massive funding for the acquisitions, initially estimated at about $181 million (8 billion pesos), could be made available, but the government has asked the military to submit a list of equipment needed to strengthen territorial defence in Palawan, the southwestern Philippine province nearest the Spratlys.

At least $700,000 (31 million pesos) could soon be disbursed for the repair of a worn-out airstrip on Pag-asa, the largest island occupied by Filipino troops in the contested Spratlys, Oban said.

"We're pushing for capability development to safeguard our interests," Oban told reporters.

Philippine defence and military officials reportedly called off a trip to Pag-asa using a C-130 cargo plane because of the dangerous condition of the runway.

The 120,000-strong military, one of Asia's weakest, has long faced funding shortfalls.

In recent years, it has focused on combating decades-long communist and Muslim insurgencies instead of external defence. "We have not given this enough attention," Oban said, adding President Benigno Aquino III's administration has seen the need to now bolster military presence in Palawan near the contested region.

Two Chinese patrol boats allegedly harassed a Philippine oil exploration ship into leaving a vast area called the Reed Bank on March 2, prompting a Filipino general to deploy two military aircraft, which arrived at the scene after the Chinese vessels had left, the military said.

The Philippines protested, saying the Reed Bank, which is near the Spratlys, lies within Philippine territorial waters. China responded by saying that the Spratlys and adjacent waters belong to it.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told an Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional security forum in Vietnam last year that the peaceful resolution of disputes over the Spratly and Paracel island groups was in the American national interest. Her remarks angered Beijing, which accused Washington of interfering in an Asian regional issue.

Washington worries the disputes could hamper access to one of the world's busiest commercial sea lanes.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?112610-Today-s-Pix-Wednesday-May-23rd-2007
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5idFrhdv8TcJ4_i6gcnA7hJAn_kfQ?docId=6387034

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Philippine Military Elite Action Force

Armed forces- Philippine made small arms

Philippine Military Academy Cadet's Life

Russia arms exports at record level till 2014 -report

By Thomas Grove
MOSCOW, (Reuters) - Russian arms exports are expected to stay at record levels of about $10 billion a year until at least 2014 as top customer India continues to beef up its armaments, leading military think tank CAST said on Monday. Peddling missiles, submarines and fighter planes, Russia is feeding a hungry market of Asian countries warily eyeing China's growing military might and African nations preparing for the worst in potential regional conflicts.

As the world's second top arms exporter, Russia ended last year with a record $45 billion contract portfolio. Arms exporters signed $15 billion in contracts during the year, CAST estimated.

"The existing portfolio of contracts will be enough to keep Russian arms exports at the current level for another four years or more," CAST said in the report, obtained by Reuters ahead of publication.

Rosoboronexport, Russia's weapons export monopoly delivered $8.6 billion in arms last year. Nearly 20 independent firms make up the difference with sales of spare parts and upgrades. Rosoboronexport generally makes up 80 percent of all arms exports in a given year.

India is carefully watching the growing economic and military prowess of regional rival China, the world's second largest defence spender. New Delhi boosted military spending by more than 10 percent in its 2011-12 budget to more than $36 billion

By comparison the United States spent $530 billion on core defence spending, while China set defence spending at $78 billion.

Last year Russia delivered 10 Su-30MKI fighter planes to India as part of a broader contract worth a total of $1.6 billion as well as a shipment of 20 T-90 tanks in a $1.24 billion contract, CAST said. India and Russia, whose defence ties date back to Soviet times, also concluded an agreement last year for the design and development of an expected 250-300 supersonic fighter aircraft over 10 years, reported to be worth up to $35 billion.

Orders from China, which has been a big buyer of Russian arms in the past, is expected to stagnate in part due to the country's own defence industry, which analysts say has come into its own in part by copying aspects of Russian technology.


MISSILE DELIVERY TO SYRIA

Uganda became a large importer last year with an order of eight fighter planes worth $350 million. The African nation is nervously watching troubled negotiations between north and south Sudan ahead of the south's formal secession on July 9 as well as violence which it fears could spill over into the region.

South Sudanese politicians walked out of negotiations with the north this month, accusing Khartoum of arming militias in the contested Abyei border region and provoking other fighting.

"Given the growing tensions in southern Sudan, new Ugandan arms contracts can be expected any time now," the report said.

Moscow also delivered Bastion anti-ship missiles to Syria despite protests from Israel in 2010, in a deal previously quoted at $300 million.

Israel fears the sale of the rockets, capable of hitting ships 300 km (190 miles) off Syria's coast, could end up in the hands of Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.

While New Delhi accounted for 41 percent of arms deliveries, Algeria took 12 percent of exports and Syria represented 7 percent of deliveries. (Editing by Matthew Jones)

http://af.reuters.com/article/ugandaNews/idAFLDE72P0A020110328?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
http://russiapedia.blogspot.com/2009/02/introducing-russia-fact-figures.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Uganda
http://newspatriot.com/?p=67105

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Ударная сила. №94 "Ракетный бастион" (Rocket bastion)

EADS unit to buy Toronto-based Vector Aerospace

$625 million deal !!!

Eurocopter Holding — a division of the European aerospace giant EADS — has made a friendly $625-million takeover bid for the Toronto-based maintenance firm Vector Aerospace Corp.

Vector Aerospace specializes in the repair and overhaul of helicopters.

Eurocopter is making a $13-a-share all-cash offer for the outstanding shares of Vector. The shares last traded on Friday at $11.35.

Shareholders controlling about 60 per cent of the company's stock have already agreed to tender their shares to the offer. Shareholders controlling two-thirds of Vector's stock must approve the deal, as must regulators.Vector Aerospace 3-month TSX chart

“We are delighted to join EADS and Eurocopter," said Declan O’Shea, CEO of Vector Aerospace, in a statement. "We believe that being part of the Eurocopter group will allow Vector Aerospace and our people to pursue our long history of profitable growth and excellent levels of quality and customer service.

Under terms of the deal, Vector will keep its name and will become Eurocopter Holding's main provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul services.

Vector Aerospace has 2,500 employees, mainly in Canada and the U.K. Its annual revenues in 2010 hit $545 million.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/03/28/eurocopter-vector-takeover.html

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Vector Aerospace

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tells Kan. aviation workers he plans to fight for industry

WICHITA, Kan. — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told general aviation workers in Kansas on Monday that he's ready to fight to boost the prospects of their business, soothing resentment that's simmered since some in Washington made private airplanes a symbol of corporate greed during the depths of the Great Recession.

More than 2,000 workers from several aviation companies turned out for a rally at an aircraft hangar to mark LaHood's visit to the city, cheering wildly when the former Republican congressman from Illinois said he would persuade President Barack Obama to come to Wichita to thank them.

The city is home to several private aircraft makers, including Cessna Aircraft, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier, as well as dozens of suppliers.

"We get it," LaHood said. "Your industry supports 1.2 million jobs across America. It contributes more than $150 billion to the nation's economy."

Cessna Aircraft CEO Jack Pelton said after the event that LaHood privately told industry executives earlier in the day that he would go back to Washington as their advocate. "You couldn't ask for a better outcome," Pelton said.

LaHood, the nation's top federal transportation official, heads back to Washington with a wish list of requests from Pelton and the other executives. They include boosting the FAA's support of the industry in certification of new aircraft and streamlining the regulations that govern the export of private aircraft.

Pelton said the general aviation industry has suffered in the two years since auto executives "got bashed in Congress" for flying private jets from Detroit to Washington, where they pleaded for billions in taxpayer-funded bailouts. In January 2010, Obama also chastised Citigroup Inc. for buying a corporate jet when it was getting bailout money, prompting the New York-based bank to cancel the purchase of the French-built jet it had ordered before the economic crisis unfolded.

Thousands of Wichita aircraft workers have lost their jobs in the past few years as companies canceled aircraft orders amid uncertainty in the economy. But LaHood told the Wichita workers their efforts are essential to meeting Obama's goal of doubling exports from the U.S. during the next five years.

"I am proud to stand with you, to work with you and to fight with you to make sure that general aviation ... continues to flourish as the economy picks up," he said. "You will be one of the leaders in helping the global economy pick up."

More than 40 percent of the world's general aviation aircraft are assembled in Wichita, said Bill Brown, executive vice president for global operations for Hawker Beechcraft.

David Coleal, the general manager of Bombardier's Learjet product line in Wichita, told the workers that "no other industry, city or group of individuals is more prepared to accept this challenge."

The general aviation accounts for more than $7 billion of the state's annual economic output and roughly 58 percent of Wichita's manufacturing industry. "Success of general aviation is success for all of Kansas," U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran told workers.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/a5a248af32dc42ee9475cab20167221c/KS--Aviation-Rally/

http://cfif.org/v/freedom_line_blog/9054/cfif-to-defense-secretary-american-interests-come-first-not-brazils/

http://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2009/09/usafs-new-light-strike-aircraft-getting.html

http://www.aviationnews.eu/2009/10/13/hawker-beechcraft-awarded-first-contract-for-new-t-6c-trainer-aircraft/

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=busav&id=news/TRAIN091009.xml&headline=Hawker%20Beechcraft%20Finds%20Growth%20in%20Military

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Hawker Beechcraft AT-6

Hawker Beechcraft's Turboprop Attack Aircraft

Indian Military’s Modernisation: A Threat To Strategic Stability Of South Asia – Analysis

Written by: Masood-Ur-Rehman Khattak

India is on course to revamp its military machine in next few years to compete with China and coerce Pakistan. India is spending about 2.5 percent of its GDP on defense, which is a huge amount as compared to the other South Asian states. India’s defence budget for the year 2010-11 is $32 billion, and which shows its ambitious designs in the region. This article assesses some of the Indian Military’s modernisation programmes and their implications for the region.

According to a report, India may spend about $120 billion in the next five years to refurbish its military. India has floated a tender to add almost 126 combat aircraft. This is the first time in the history of India that it has concluded a contract of this magnitude. Many international companies including Dassault Aviation SA, Chicago-based Boeing Co, Lockheed Martin Corp. Saab AB, Russia’s United Aircraft Corp. and the European Aeronautic, Defense & Space Co are competing to get the contract. Moreover, India will spend approximately $48 billion through 2017 on purchases of combat jets, helicopters, transport and trainer aircraft. Indian navy may also buy fighter jets and helicopters worth $7.5 billion through 2022. So it could be analysed that the next decade would seemingly bring revolutionary change in the Indian military.

Europe’s largest defense contractor BAE Systems Plc expects that India will to become their second-biggest market after the U.S. in the next decade. This company has already won $803 million contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. for 57 Hawk jet trainers. Such collaboration would improve Indian defense industry. India is also modernizing its fleet of helicopters; the Indian Air Force recently announced that it would acquire more than 230 choppers in the near future. Lockheed is also in talks with the Indian government to sell its Sniper advanced targeting pods for fixed-wing aircraft. All these contracts involve transfer of technology to India. Such development will give boost to India’s fading defense industry.

Indian military is also in negotiations with the U.S company to supply Hellfire Romeo missile and Longbow radar as part of a bid by Boeing to sell 22 Apache AH-64 helicopters to India. Lockheed is already implementing an order for supplying six Super Hercules planes in a deal worth about $1 billion. The company sealed the order in February 2008. The first plane was delivered to the Indian Air Force late last year and was inducted into the Indian Air Force on Feb. 7, remaining planes will also be inducted in the IAF in coming years. India is also heading towards the induction of Ballistic Missile Defence system, such system would destabilise the region and may provoke arms race in South Asia. The Indian government is in dialogue with Lockheed Martin Corp, for sale of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile systems.

The Indian Navy will add a few Scorpene submarines with the help of France’s state-owned DCNS for an estimated total cost of $4.6 billion. These subs can stay sunken for about a week, making difficult for enemy radars to track and giving more room to the Indian navy in the Indian Ocean. India has also purchased eight maritime-reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft from Boeing Co. for $2.1 billion in 2009, and the Indian government recently approved an order for another four. Such inductions would upgrade India’s prying capabilities; it would also give Indian navy strategic outreach in the Indian Ocean. In order to add more teeth to its amphibious warfare capabilities, the Indian Navy is planning to induct four Landing Platform Docks to join the fleet alongside INS Jalashwa. These ships will be of 200 meters long and to be able to transport Main Battle tanks, heavy trucks, Armoured Personnel Vehicles and other heavy machinery. It would also be able to carry out operations of heavy-lift helicopters of the Navy. The four LPDs will also have a point missile defence system and a close-in weapon system to protect itself from enemy firing and aircraft.

The Indian Army is making strides towards modernisation and introducing high-tech and all-terrain infantrymen, including the Futuristic Infantry Solider as a System (F-INSAS). These soldiers will have the capability to fight in network centric warfare and electronic warfare environment. The Indian Army has recently floated a global tender for acquiring an integrated computer and communications system for its infantrymen. The systems included mini-computers or laptops along with GPS and radio systems, which will be part of the F-INSAS programme. The entire process is likely to cost more than $3 billion. The F-INSAS programme was first announced in 2007. The first phase of acquiring and training infantrymen is likely to be over by the end of 2011. These futuristic soldiers will have a more lethal but lighter rifle, lighter but stronger bulletproof jacket and lighter boots, besides ultra modern gadgets to increase his efficiency in the modern warfare. Latest technologies like GPS, radio systems and computers in the form of mini-laptops, helmet-mounted pads or wristbands will enable soldiers to exchange important information with the chain of command under all conditions. The main idea of the F-INSAS programme is to augment the soldier’s lethality, survival capacity and mobility.

The Indian Army has also inducted its first indigenously designed and developed Nishant unmanned aerial vehicles. The 15-foot-long Nishant has a wingspan of nearly 22 feet and a ceiling of around 11,800 feet. Maximum speed is around 115 mph and turnaround launches can be done within 20 minutes. Niashant is also joined with Lakshya, which has a range of 370 miles, a flight ceiling of 29,504 feet and a maximum speed of about 600 mph. such UAVs would enhance Indian army’s surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, making things worse for Pakistan military. The Indian Army has recently issued a global tender for procurement of 400 towed artillery howitzers. It was recently revealed that trials on various kinds of guns would take place this summer, leading to their induction by end of 2012. India is already in an advanced stage of negotiations with the US for procuring over 145 ultra-light howitzers for their deployment in mountainous regions. Such induction is to deter Kargil type situation in future and also to meet any threat from China. In addition to that Lockheed Martin is also in talks with the Indian government to sell the Javelin shoulder fire missile system to the Indian Army. The potential contract for supplying 8,000 missiles and 300 command launchers could be valued at more than $1 billion.

India has also acquired an Israeli RISAT-2 satellite that has day and night viewing capability. This satellite will keep a 24/7 watch over Pakistan even when the landmass is covered by a thick cloud cover. This capability puts the satellite in the class of what are often called spy satellites. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been developing its very own RadarSat at the cost of almost 400 million Indian rupees, that would be operational in few years and it would give India an edge in the space.

The level of funds India allocated for the revitalization of military’s capabilities reveals that Indian Military is on route to achieve the potential to establish its hegemony in South Asia and also to operationalise its aggressive doctrine against its neighbours. Induction of latest aircrafts and Air borne early warning systems will enhance its air mobility, firepower, reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities. Such a capability is essential for the quick and swift operations. India has also brought change in its military’s night time operations’ capabilities, such a shift would shore up Indian Military’s capacity to carry out day and night operations without any time impediment.

It is necessary for Pakistan to monitor Indian Military’s modernisation and come up with an adequate response. Pakistan is a democratic country with effectual military force. Its military and political leadership can play a viable role to allay threats to the national security. Political leadership must show a clear direction to the Pakistan armed forces. Political parties of the country must support the ruling government and military in any crisis situation. Inter Services harmony and coordination is necessary in the modern warfare. After the induction of nuclear weapons, wars have become limited, lethal and destructive. In such warfare, it is necessary to have Inter Services synergy and better coordination. Therefore, keeping in mind the changing strategic environment and India’s technological advancement, Pakistan has to develop and equip its military with latest weapons and equipment. It has to rely on its indigenous defense industry for the maintenance and development of its military machine.

http://www.intell.rtaf.mi.th/newsdetail.asp?id=48147
http://www.eurasiareview.com/indian-militarys-modernisation-a-threat-to-strategic-stability-of-south-asia-analysis-26032011/

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SSG - Pakistan Army part 1

The elite SSG commando force of Pakistan

Indian Useless Weapons,Exposed For First Time-Must Watch.wmv

F-22 Raptor hits Mach 1.5 on camelina-based biofuel

The U.S. Air Force’s goal of acquiring 50 percent of its domestic aviation fuel via alternative fuel blends derived from domestic sources by 2016 got a boost on Friday March 18, when an F-22 Raptor was successfully flown at speeds of up to Mach 1.5 on a 50/50 fuel blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 (Jet Propellant 8) and biofuel derived from an inedible plant called camelina. The flight capped off a series of ground and flight tests carried out earlier in the week for the Raptor using the biofuel blend to evaluate its suitability in the F-22 weapons system. ..

http://aviacaonoticias.wordpress.com/2009/01/

http://www.americanantigravity.com/Technology/f-22-raptor-hits-mach-1-5-on-camelina-based-biofuel/

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US Air Force F-22 Raptor video

New Seagull-Like Robot Spy Drone!

A new robotic flying drone, styled like a seagull, has arrived on the scene. It doesn't squawk, poop or steal french fries from your hand, but it's an example of incredible bio-mimicking design that could be the future of airborne robots.

We've met a Festo robot before--a robotic manipulator/gripper arm with a design that's heavily inspired by elephant trunk muscles--and so we know about the company's penchant for using bio-inspired thinking in its robot engineering. Festo actually has a whole suite of innovations under its Bionic Learning Network umbrella, but the Smart Bird is the most eye-popping among them.

In fact the robot is so astonishingly convincing in flight it really could pass for a genuine seagull from a distance--a feat of biomimicry that Festo is clearly proud of. The company notes: "Festo has succeeded in deciphering the flight of birds."

If true, that solves a riddle as old as time. The robot isn't stuffed with helium, instead it relies on ultra-light materials like carbon-fiber and sensitive control electronics to give it a total mass of around 0.4 kilograms (33% less than an iPad 2).

The design secret behind its seemingly effortless flight is the fact its wings don't simply beat up and down like many other ornithopter designs (the technical term for flying drones like this) but they also twist at "specific angles" much like a real gull's wing will do--positioning the wing tips at the best angle for generating lift and spilling less waste air. An "active articulated torsional drive" is at the heart of it, aided by clever wing joints, accurate sensors for calculating the wing's position in real time, and a low-weight motor that eats up just 25 watts. The bird even communicates its flight data back to the remote operator in real time, letting them adjust fine parameters like wing torsion in real time to achieve optimum flight.

Festo has created a technology demonstrator that illustrates how advanced flying robotics can be: The Smart Bird is highly aerodynamically efficient, even turning its head like real gulls do to refine aerobatic turns, and can take off and land by itself. But if you think about the bigger implications of the robot, they're pretty astonishing: Imagine a robot spy drone based on this technology, packed with an ultra-lightweight GPS system, more powerful battery and high-precision cameras and microphones. The kind of covert surveillance data it could gather would be impressive--and more stylish than every other spy drone out there.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1742584/flying-robot-spy-drones-can-fly-like-convincing-seagulls-freak-jonathan-out
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herring_Gull.jpg


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Festo - SmartBird

Festo - SmartBird Animation