Thursday, April 29, 2021

S. Korea to Develop Indigenous Marine Corps Chopper by 2031


South Korea decided Monday to develop an indigenous attack helicopter for Marine Corps operations, the arms procurement agency said.

The defense project promotion committee, presided over by Defense Minister Suh Wook, approved the project, which is to begin in earnest next year and to be completed in around 2031 with a budget of 1.6 trillion won (US$1.44 billion), according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).The new platform is likely to be based on a MUH-1 Marineon, the Marine variant of the country's KUH-1 Surion helicopter, according to officials.

"We've taken into consideration diverse factors such as the interoperability with the Marineon and the operations and management efficiency," DAPA said in a statement. "The project is expected to enhance our troops' capabilities, particularly in northwestern islands (near the inter-Korean border)."


Malaysian Cabinet to Decide on Fate of LCS Project

 

The delay in the delivery of the Royal Malaysian Navy's littoral combat ships (LCS) will be brought to the Cabinet to ascertain the best solution, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said that the matter is crucial to determine the future of the project as well as the fate of 10,000 workers and vendors who are affected due to the delay."We will bring the matter to the Cabinet to get solutions. There are two options, the first of which is for Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) to have a new direction that will be presented in the Cabinet to enable the project to continue.

"If this does not obtain Cabinet approval, a new company will be appointed. So far, we are leaning towards the first option," he said.Ismail Sabri was speaking to reporters after witnessing a demonstration of the Fast Interceptor Craft at the RMN base here today.He said the Cabinet will come up with a decision soon. He also hoped that the issue on workers who have lost their jobs due to the delay would be resolved soon."We will look into all angles especially on the welfare of workers. As such, we suggest Boustead continue the project," he said.

Yesterday, Pangkor assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir had said about 200 vendors and contractors have shut down following the delay in the delivery of the LCS two years ago.He had said it was crucial for the LCS project to proceed so that vendors and workers can continue their work and avoid retrenchment.The LCS construction project, worth RM9.128 billion, was awarded to BNS by the government through the Defence Ministry. A total of RM6 billion has been paid for six ships.

However, to date, not a single LCS has been handed over to the RMN although the contract agreement, signed in January 2014, stipulates that the first vessel was due to be handed over to the government in April 2019.

U.S. Approves $1.94 billion M1A1 Tank Structures, Chinook Helicopters Sale to Australia


 The U.S. State Department approved two potential arms deals to Australia, totaling $1.94 billion on Thursday, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSA) said in a release.

In the first, the United States would sell 160 M1A1 tank structures to build M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicles and other vehicles, altogether worth $1.685 billion.The heavy armed combat systems deal would enhance the "lethality, survivability, and interoperability of the Australian Army" and "strengthen its homeland defense and deter regional threats."The principal contractors for the deal would be General Dynamics Land Systems, BAE Systems Leonardo DRS and Honeywell Aerospace.

The second deal involves the sale of four CH-47F cargo helicopters and related equipment worth $259 million, according to a DSCA press release.The aircraft would be provided from U.S. Army stock, and "will improve Australia's capability to meet current and future threats, increase operational capabilities, strengthen its homeland defense and promote military cooperation," the announcement said.

"Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific," the announcements said. "The strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region. It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability."U.S. Arms sales to  Australia has  seen a huge jump in recent years and coincides  with  Chinese  aggressiveness in the South China Sea and the South Pacific.

India to lease one A330 MRTT from France


The A330 refuellers of France and UAE air force have been used to ferry as many as 17 Rafale omni-role fighters to India from Merignac-Bordeaux air base since July 2020. Another seven fighters are due to arrive in India in May

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has approached the French government to lease one Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft for training purposes as a precursor to lease five more mid-air refuellers for increasing the combat capability and radius of its multi-role fighters.The leasing will be done on government-to-government basis with the IAF already issuing a request for information (RFI) for a single aircraft while a request for proposals route will be used for the additional five refuellers on lease. The issue was discussed during Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria’s visit to France last week.

“With IAF looking towards A330 refuellers for its future, it is only natural that its pilots are trained in advance to handle the aircraft as mid-air refuelling is a precision process with zero margin of error and huge stakes,” said an IAF official.

The A330 refuellers of France and UAE air force have been used to ferry as many as 17 Rafale omni-role fighters to India from Merignac-Bordeaux air base since July 2020. Another seven fighters are due to arrive in India in May with a batch being deployed at the new Hashimara air base in West Bengal with Ambala being the first base.

Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Marines use new ground-based anti-ship system to strike targets at sea


 Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, and the U.S. Marine Corps successfully demonstrated the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System, or NMESIS, off the California coast. The inaugural test proved the system’s ability to fire a Naval Strike Missile, or NSM, from a U.S. Marine Corps ground launcher and score a direct hit against a surface target at sea. 

NSM is a multi-mission cruise missile designed to destroy heavily defended maritime and land targets; it is the U.S. Navy’s over-the-horizon weapon system for littoral combat ships and future frigates. 

“Our Naval Strike Missile is a vital weapon for denying enemies the use of key maritime terrain,” said Kim Ernzen, vice president of Naval Power at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “This test further demonstrates our partnership for advancing the Marine Corps’ modernization priorities of enabling sea control and denial operations.”

The Marines will use NMESIS to support the U.S. Navy from the shore against enemy ships. NMESIS is comprised of the Raytheon Missiles & Defense-made NSM and a Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE) Fires vehicle, produced by Oshkosh Defense. 

NSM is the latest product from a partnership Raytheon Missiles & Defense has with Norway and its defense leader Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. The companies have teamed to bring more than half of NSM production to the U.S. The missile is already in service with Norway’s navy and Poland’s coastal defense squadrons. 


Spanish Eurofighters for Baltic Air Policing Mission

The Spanish Air Force has taken over the Baltic Air Policing Mission from Italy and it will carry out those duties with Eurofighters.

Zoom ON Gulfstream G550 CAEW - Air Force

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