Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Philippines Protests China Law on Coast Guard’s Weapon Use
The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest against China’s law giving its coast guard more freedom to fire on foreign vessels, the Southeast Asian nation’s foreign affairs minister said.
“While enacting law is a sovereign prerogative, this one — given the area involved or for that matter the open South China Sea — is a verbal threat of war to any country that defies the law,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said on his Twitter on Wednesday.China Adopts Law Letting Coast Guard Fire on Foreign Vessels
Locsin said he filed the protest as inaction means the Philippines is submitting to the new law, which also allows Chinese coast guard to board and inspect foreign ships operating in China’s “jurisdictional waters.” He said on Monday that the law was “none of our business.”Both countries have overlapping claims in the resource rich South China Sea. Last year, Manila filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing over the Chinese Coast Guard’s alleged confiscation of Filipino fishermen’s equipment in the disputed waters.
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Elbit Systems Secures $172M to Supply Light Tanks to a Country in Asia-Pacific
Elbit Systems has won a contract valued nearly $172 million to supply light tanks to the Army of a country in Asia-Pacific.
The contract will be performed over a three-year period.
As the prime contractor, Elbit Systems will supply the Sabrah light tank solution based on the tracked ASCOD platform that is manufactured by General Dynamics European Land Systems Santa Bárbara from Spain, and on the wheeled Pandur II 8X8 platform manufactured by Excalibur Army from the Czech Republic.The 30-ton Sabrah light-tank solution provides a unique combination of powerful fire capacity and high maneuverability. Both platforms will be equipped with a 105mm turret and a range of the Company’s subsystems, including electro-optical sights, fire control systems, TORCH-XTM battle management systems, E-LynXTM software defined radio systems and life support systems.
Northrop Grumman Wins $3.6B U.S. Air Force’s Battlefield Airborne Communications Node Contract
The U.S. Air Force recently awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $3.6 billion indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract for continued Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) operations, sustainment and support.The BACN system is a high-altitude, airborne communications gateway that translates and distributes imagery, voice and tactical data from disparate elements—enhancing situational awareness communications and coordination for joint warfighters operating across space, air, land and sea. This system is hosted on high-altitude aircraft to provide persistent connectivity and operational support 24 hours a day, seven days a week as part of the BACN program.
The contract awarded today provides for research, development, test, and evaluation, integration and operations and sustainment for existing and future payloads contained in or connected to the BACN system. It also includes associated ground stations or controls, ancillary equipment, support equipment and system integration laboratories.Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and overseas locations through January 24, 2026, and $23.7 million was obligated with the initial task order at the time of award.
Greece signs contract for 18 Rafales
Greece has signed the contract to buy 18 Rafale fighters. Theodoros Lagios, General Director of Armament and Investments of the Greek Ministry of Defense, and Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation signed the paperwork on Jan. 25.
The Royal Thai Navy will be Supplied by Five Mobile Manpads 4x4 Anti-Aircraft Missiles
The Dzhigit support launching unit (SLU) is designed for a single operator to mount, aim and launch two Igla or Igla-S MANPADS missiles in salvo or successively at one target (photo : KBM)
Naval Ordnance Department, Royal Thai Navy announced to acquire 5 of Mobile Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile on 4x4 vehicles for RTN Naval Air and Coastal Defense Command.Naval Ordnance Department it intends to purchase a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile to enhance the capability of the anti-aircraft command and maintain the coast. The air defense to cover 5 sets of military key areas, using operation budget of 246 million baht period 1 year (fiscal year 2021). It is understood that Thai Datagate will be the distributor for the Igla-S ground-to-air missile, the shoulder-mounted anti-air missile system in use by the Thai Army or maybe it was Russia's newest Verba ground-to-air missile.
The Datagate is likely to equip with a Dzhigit-style launcher that can accommodate two Igla-S missiles, which can be mounted on a truck or mounted on the ground. While the only armored 4x4 vehicle that would be a platform carriage mounted to the weapon mount was unknown at this time.
Chinese company CVIC (China Vanguard Industry Corp) is likely to be a distributor of Vanguard-type shoulder-fired missile weapons systems, such as the QW-18 that ACDC (Air and Coastal Defence Command) already has in use and the QW-2 used in it. In the Royal Thai Air Force we found the modified cars of Type 51 4x4 as a base car for firing.
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The Dzhigit support launching unit (SLU) is designed for a single operator to mount, aim and launch two Igla or Igla-S MANPADS missiles in ...
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