Asian Defence News1

China to step back from disputed Himalayan border

China to step back from disputed Himalayan borderhttps://t.co/pubu91udpZ
— RT (@RT_com) February 11, 2021

Indonesian Navy Applies to Take Two Type 209/1400 from the Brazilian Navy

The Indonesian Navy is in an advanced stage of negotiations with the Brazilian Navy to take two of the four IKL-209 submarines belonging to the Submarine Force (Força de Submarinos - ForSub), which are being made available to the international market, due to the wide renovation of the flotilla of Brazilian submersibles.Indonesians operate two Type 209/1300 ships, commissioned in the early half of the 2000s, and three others, Type 209/1400, built by the South Korean group Daewoo under license from the German company Thyssen.

According to the American NGO “Nuclear Threat Iniative”, the most modern of these 1400 boats - 405 Alugoro -, launched at sea on April 11, 2019, has yet to be formally commissioned by the Indonesian Naval Force, which is expected to happen this year.According to the "Poder Naval", with a source from the Navy Command, in Brasilia, it reinforces the Jakarta Government's interest in Brazilian ships, the fact that the admirals of the Asian country positively see the possibility of maintaining themselves in the operation of submarines with German technology, as are the ForSub moored at the Almirante Castro e Silva Base, in Guanabara Bay.

Despite this, in 2006, the respected news agency "France Press" reported that Indonesians were considering purchasing a dozen new submarines from Russia (which sold six to Vietnam), South Korea or China.More recently, in October 2012, the “Jane's World Navies” yearbook reported that Indonesia's Strategic Defense Plan for the year 2024 argues that Indonesia is equipped with at least ten submarines.

Negotiations Under Way with Indonesia over Fighter Jet Project

South Korea is in talks with Indonesia about a joint project to develop a next-generation fighter jet, the head of the arms procurement agency said Tuesday, amid speculation that the Southeast Asian nation wants to quit the project.Indonesia agreed to partner in South Korea's KF-X project aimed at developing a new fighter jet by 2026, and promised to shoulder 20 percent of the total development cost of 8.8 trillion won (US$7.3 billion), or about 1.7 trillion won.

But Indonesia stopped making payments after investing 227.2 billion won, with around 600 billion won overdue."We are in the process of sounding out each other's position," Kang Eun-ho, chief of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said during a press briefing. "We will elaborate in detail when the time is right."

Indonesia's initial goal was to procure aircraft for its air force and advance the country's aerospace industry through the partnership but foreign media have been reporting that the Southeast Asian nation is now pushing to sign a deal with France to purchase new fighter jets.South Korea has been working on the KF-X project since 2015 to develop a homegrown cutting-edge fighter aircraft to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of F-4 and F-5 jets.

In September last year, Korea Aerospace Industries Co. got down to the final assembly of a prototype that is expected to be made public by April.When the development is complete, 40 units are planned to be delivered to the Air Force by 2028 and another 80 units by 2032, officials said.Meanwhile, Kang also vowed to thoroughly prepare to secure a light aircraft carrier for the military, saying that multiple researches are under way for the project."We will make thorough preparations to make sure there are no setbacks in pushing for the project when the budget is secured at the National Assembly," he said.

RUAG International Signs Contract for the Modernization of the RTN’s Dornier 228

The upgrade includes the installation of glass cockpits and new mission equipment as well as the modernization of avionics systems (photos : RUAG)

The Thai Navy uses its Dornier 228 to monitor the exclusive economic zone called the “200-mile zone”. The aircraft and their crews conduct ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) missions in the territorial waters of the Gulf of Thailand for the purpose of border surveillance to combat illegal trade and fishing.Initially, RUAG will now be modernizing two of the seven aircraft in the Royal Thai Navy Dornier 228 fleet. This also includes transporting the aircraft to and from Thailand and providing training in the use of the new equipment. For the upgrade, the aircraft were disassembled on site in Thailand. Subsequently, an Antonov AN-124 transport aircraft flew the Dornier 228 to Oberpfaffenhofen, where the experts from RUAG MRO International carry out a comprehensive inspection. In the process, they remove the paint completely and eliminate any corrosion damage to the aircraft structure, which is now 25 years old.

The aircraft will be equipped with glass cockpits and modern avionics systems (COM, NAV). The interior, cockpit and aircraft cabin will also be revamped. It will receive modern mission equipment that will enable tasks to be performed more effectively and efficiently. These include a 360° search radar, infrared cameras as well as a mission management and data link for data transmission to ground stations and/or ships.Due to the aircraft modernization, pilots, crew members and technicians will need to be trained in the use of the new equipment. RUAG MRO International will therefore also organize training for crew members and technicians, partly in Germany and partly on site in Thailand. In addition, RUAG’s factory pilot team will be responsible for ferrying the modernized aircraft to Thailand.The Royal Thai Navy is dependent on the greatest possible availability of its aircraft to be able to continuously perform its sovereign tasks. “We are therefore doing everything we can to keep aircraft downtime as short as possible. Especially under the current conditions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, this is a challenge,” explains Thomas Imke, Sales Manager. Even sending a five-man team to Thailand for dismantling the aircraft involved considerable effort, given reduced flight connections and quarantine regulations. “These are challenges that we are happy to take on because the satisfaction of our customers is our top priority,” concludes Thomas Imke.