China Won't Take Part in Arms Race

 China will not engage in an arms race with other countries, Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said on Wednesday, stressing that China's military growth is for defensive purposes.

The remarks were made in response to a recent report from IHS Jane's, a global think tank specializing in security issues, which claimed China's defense budget would double by 2015.

Geng questioned the sources of the figures in the report, and said China's defense budget is set in accordance with national security needs and the nation's economic growth level.

"The development of our military capabilities will not exceed our national security needs or economic capacity, and we will not engage in an arms race with other countries," Geng said at the ministry's monthly news conference.

This report is only one of a number published recently that have played up the "China threat".

Earlier this month, Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies released the China Security Report 2011, which said China is strengthening its military power to be able to stand up to the United States in regional resource development, according to the Global Times.

The report predicted that the South China Sea would be a major focus for China, and that the nation would strengthen its military power to ensure the safety of trade routes and its ability to counterbalance the US military, according to the newspaper.

Russia Will Test New UCAV in 2012

Dozor-600 UAV

The flight testing of the first indigenous Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle will be carried out in Russia in 2012, Lenta.ru reports. "We will start the testing of medium UCAV in late 2012", - said Chief of General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Nikolay Makarov. However he did not specify what UCAV will be tested.

Russian Ministry of Defense has signed contracts with St. Petersburg-based Tranzas Company and Kazan-based development design office OKB Sokol on pilot-plan and research activities in October 2011.

The total value of signed agreements was about 3 billion rubles. It is planned to develop a reconnaissance UAV and UCAV with weight of about 1 ton and 5 tons respectively in the network of these programs.

According to vice-president of Tranzas, Viktor Godunov, his company has signed a strategic partnership agreement with OKB Sokol – the companies will develop both vehicles in cooperation. In particular, Tranzas will develop the guidance systems and airborne electronics for the UAVs, while Sokol will create the UAVs and ground equipment for them. It has been reported that both vehicles will perform the first flight in 2014 and the flight testing will be started in 2015.

India Will Acquire Additional 71 Mi-17V-5 Helicopters From Russia

Mi-17 V5

Mi-17 V5

India intends to acquire another 71 Russian Mi-17V-5 helicopters, including 12 vehicles for the Ministry of Internal Affairs in addition to 80 ones, which have already been ordered, ARMS-TASS reports.

 

According to the source close to the Indian Ministry of Defense, negotiations on additional purchase of the helicopters have been conducted earlier. "At present the parties are waiting for the continuation of the negotiations on acquisition of additional batch of Мi-17V-5s, not only for Indian Ministry of Defense, but also for another agencies", - the source added.

Indian air forces have put into operation the first batch of Russian Мi-17V-5 helicopters. The contract on delivery of 80 vehicles of the type is assessed at $1,34 billion and it has been signed in 2008. The helicopters should be delivered by 2014. 21 of them have already been delivered to the customer, six more will be delivered by the end of March 2012.

Russian Air Force Will Acquire Advanced Strike-Fighter By 2020

Su-34 Fighter Bomber

Su-34 Fighter Bomber

 The deliveries of new-built advanced strike-fighter, the replacement of Su-25SМ, to the Russian air forces will be started in 2020, RIA Novosti reports. It has been reported by the representative of Russian Ministry of Defense, Vladimir Drik.

"The modern requirements for conduct of operations force the aviation designers to look for new means of reacting appropriate reaction to the potential threats. As a result, the concept of advanced strike-fighter has been elaborated. This jet should be delivered to the military units by 2020, replacing Su-25SМs", - he said.

 

According to him, the new aircraft, developed on the basis of Su-25SМ, will be able to use the whole nomenclature of tactical armament. At the same time it will be developed using stealth technologies. The aircraft will be able to use any runways and it will be equipped with state-of-the-art communication, radar and navigational systems.

BrahMos MissileTest With Su-30MKI by End OF 2012

Su-30

The BrahMos missile for the Indian Air Force which can be launched from a Sukhoi-30 is being developed and a test flight will probably be held by the end of this year, said Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, chief controller, R&D, DRDO and chief executive officer and managing director of BrahMos Aerospace. The BrahMos missile used an air breathing scramjet propulsion technology and hence was more fuel efficient than a traditional rocket-powered missile, he said.


Pillai was in Trichy on Saturday to deliver a lecture in the ongoing Pragyan 2012 of the National Institute of Technology, Trichy (NITT). According to him, the paradigm of India's progress must be in the course of a leap frog in technology. "When the world had a cruise missile, India went forward to make a supersonic cruise missile," he said.

Ukrainian AI-222-25F Turbofan Engine Can Replace Russian RD-93 in JF-17 Fighter Jets

The AI-222-25F develops 9,250 pounds (4,200 kg) of thrust at full afterburner, enabling the 21,550-pound (9,800 kg)-mtow L-15 LIFT twinjet to accelerate to Mach 1.6. At a price of $10 million, the Chinese aircraft is expected to sell well in international markets. The LIFT version can potentially carry air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

Progress general designer Igor Kravchenko told AIN that the AI-222-25F is the first-ever Ukrainian engine to be fitted with an afterburner. “With its development, Progress has mastered reheat technologies, which we are now seeking to apply on a fighter engine in the class of thrust up to 44,000 pounds [20 tonnes],” he said. 

Israel Military Launches Jericho-3 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile That Can Reach New York & Tokyo

Israeli military  conducted a successful launch of Jericho-3 ICBM. The test was carried out at the Palmahim air base. At the same time, officials with Israel Defense Forces said that they had conducted the tests of a new missile engine in the morning of November 2.

According to publications in the media, the three-stage missile is capable of delivering a 750-kilo warhead to a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers. If the reports are true to fact, then it means that the missile can reach such cities as Tokyo and New York. The distance between these two cities and Tel Aviv makes up a bit more than 9,000 kilometers.

According to Western sources, Israel passed the Jericho-3 missile into service in 2008. However, the work on the project still continues.

According to the publication, the takeoff weight of the missile makes up 29 tons. The missile is 15.5 meters long. The Report says that in addition to the 750-kilo nuclear warhead, a Jericho-3 is capable of carrying multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles.

Russia’s New AWACS Modernized A-50U Plane Enters Service

A modernized A-50U airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft entered service with the Russian Air Force on Monday, an AF spokesman said.

The aircraft has an advanced onboard computer, satellite communication and radar systems, Col. Vladimir Drik said.

It now has the capability to detect various types of flying targets, including helicopters, cruise missiles and supersonic aircraft, he said.

The Beriev A-50, based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport, first flew in 1978. It entered service in 1984, with about 40 produced by 1992.

UK To Block European Union Plan To Lift China Arms Embargo

The United Kingdom is set to resist any plans by European leaders to relax arms sales restrictions against China in return for Chinese financial assistance in the eurozone crisis, it has been reported.

An arms sales ban was put in place in Europe after China used military force against protesters in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in 1989.

Now Europe finds itself in continued financial difficulty and the European Union is looking to leverage its bail-out fund to €1tn with the help of investment from cash-rich emerging economies such as China.

Before the eurozone crisis deepened, European leaders were publicly considering lifting the ban, along with other restrictions. In January, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton suggested the EU "should discuss its [the embargo's] practical implication and design a way forward".

At the time, Downing Street said the time was "not right" for the lifting of the ban and Foreign Secretary William Hague is once again said to be prepared to resist any such move.

China Ordered 250 AI-222-25F Turbofans From Ukraine For L-15 Trainer

China has ordered 250 AI-222-25F turbofans from the Ukraine to power production versions of the Hongdu L-15 advanced jet trainer. The –25F is an afterburning version of the AI-222 that was first flown on the Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT) version of the L-15 in October 2010.

The original AI-222 was developed by the Ivchenko Progress design bureau at Zaporozhye for the Russian Yak-130 jet trainer, and was then fitted to three of the four L-15 prototypes. The new order suggests that China will not put the basic version of the L-15 into production.

The AI-222-25F develops 9,250 pounds (4,200 kg) of thrust at full afterburner, enabling the 21,550-pound (9,800 kg)-mtow L-15 LIFT twinjet to accelerate to Mach 1.6. At a price of $10 million, the Chinese aircraft is expected to sell well in international markets. The LIFT version can potentially carry air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

The engines will be manufactured at the main Motor Sich factory, also in Zaporozhye. Some components will be provided by Moscow-based Salut, which manufactures the AI-222 for the Yak-130. Deliveries will begin later this year, and are due to be completed by 2015.

Progress general designer Igor Kravchenko told AIN that the AI-222-25F is the first-ever Ukrainian engine to be fitted with an afterburner. “With its development, Progress has mastered reheat technologies, which we are now seeking to apply on a fighter engine in the class of thrust up to 44,000 pounds [20 tonnes],” he said. In its primary 22,000-pound (10-tonne) version, this engine could replace Russia’s Klimov RD-93 on the FC-1 and its Pakistan air force version the JF-17 Thunder.

After Shourya Hypersonic Missile Now DRDO's Focus Shifts To K-4 Missiles

After third successful launch of the hypersonic missile ” Shourya “, DRDO is all set to start production of the missiles . Shourya which is a land-variant of India’s K-15 missile which is a Submarine launched missile iscurrently been fitted into the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine, Arihant.

While the development work of Shourya is almost over and the missile is all set to enter production , focus now has shifted to another Submarine launched missile which has been under development for a while . K-4 which will be a modified Agni-III ,with range of 3000 km and been in development for a while , will see renewed pace in its development .

DRDO has not confirmed or denied existence of K-4 missile in media , but sources have confirmed about its existence , while K-4 is still under development and first test will not be held soon , instead DRDO want to carry out further test of K-15 to validate test parameters for a under launched platform .

In past Indian navy had refused to loan a Diesel Kilo Class submarine to DRDO for modification and testing of K-15 missile due to shortage of submarines in Indian navy . but media reports indicate that DRDO secretly tested the missile from a submerged canister in 2006 period , but DRDO have never cleared this reports .

Boeing Says Japan Could Produce F-18 Super Hornet Under License

F-18 Super Hornet

U.S. planemaker Boeing said local defence contractors might build F/A 18 Super Hornets under licence if Japan chose to buy the next-generation fighter jet.

The comment came after the U.S. aerospace giant, along with Lockheed Martin and a consortium of European countries, submitted bids to produce Japan's next mainstay combat aircraft in a deal that could be worth up to $8 billion.

Japan, which is facing a resurgent China and its growing military as well as threats from North Korea, plans to decide this year how it will replace its current fleet of ageing F-4 Phantom fighters with about 40 new combat airplanes.

Phillip Mills, Director of Boeing's Japan FX Capture Team, said Japanese makers could supply about three quarters of Super Hornet components if Japan opted for the fighter jet.

There has been great interest in how much of next-generation fighter jet-related jobs will be outsourced to the Japanese industry, which has been battered by gradual but consistent shrinkage of the defence budget.

"If you came to the Boeing production line, everything you saw Boeing doing in St Louis would be available or is available for Japan industry to do," Mills told Reuters in an interview.

Defence System of Pakistan Air Force Was On Red Alert Due To US Planes

Spada-2000

Former ISI chief lt gen (retd) Hameed Gul has said that the time has come when the government should tell the US clearly that it should not try to take revenge of failure in Afghanistan from Pakistan, adding that Pakistan Air Force had put its defence system on red alert on Sunday night due to US flights on Pak-Afghan border.

General Hameed Gul said that recent incidents clarify that the Pak-US relations cannot remain at that level where were in Musharraf era, adding that every leader of Pakistan says that we don not accept America as our Master, and this is the voice of whole nation.

He said that it is time to say US that we are not like Cambodia, we are a nuclear state. “It is time to say that if you would do this than we response in this way,” he added.

India Eyes China Tech For Railway Expansion

China Railway

After the telecom and power sector being benefited from Chinese supplies of instruments, India is contemplating leveraging Chinese experience through a “potential cooperation” in the railway sector.

The two countries are slated to share their experience in expansion and management of railway network during the first two-day India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue, starting in Beijing on Monday. In fact, the chairman of the Railway Board will be accompanying the Indian delegation, led by Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

The Chinese side will be led by Zhang Ping, the chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission.

 

“Discussions during the 1st Strategic Economic Dialogue will focus on plan formulation and implementation in India and China, the global economic outlook, efficient use of water resources, energy efficiency and pricing and potential cooperation in the railway sector,” said a communique issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

China's First Aircraft Carrier To Serve In South China Sea

China's new aircraft carrier Shi Lang is planning to serve in the South China Sea by the next Army Day, a military source said.

The vessel will be under direct command of the country's Central Military Commission.

"An aircraft carrier is the mark of major powers," said General Qiao Liang, a military expert.

The vessel will largely expand the combat radius, raising the country's offshore comprehensive combat capabilities beyond the first island chain. Qiao said that air domination is the prerequisite of naval warfare, especially for the remote areas away from the heartland. As a result, there is no alternative for the vessel's leadership.

Rather than an armament used in actual combat, the aircraft carrier is now more a strategic weapon. Its combat function ended as the Second World War was over.

DRDO Says Kaveri Engine Can Power Combat Drones 80 KN OF Thrust Now

DRDO officials say the Kaveri aero-engine, which incidentally is over 22 years in the making by now with a sanctioned cost of Rs 2,893 crore, can power unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) because they "do not require the kind of higher thrust" needed for the indigenous Tejas LCA (light combat aircraft).


"Nine prototypes of Kaveri engine and four prototypes of Kaveri Core (Kabini) engines have been developed with over 2,000 hours of testing...the engine is proven with almost 80 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust now, which is enough for our UCAVs (Tejas requires 90 kN)," said an official.

This comes even as DRDO has now begun preliminary work on developing stealth UCAVs, under the secretive 'autonomous unmanned research aircraft' programme. This UCAV will weigh less than 15 tonnes, fly at altitudes of 30,000 feet and fire missiles and bombs with precision, as earlier reported by TOI.

DRDO has also come up with a modified Kaveri version, by "designing a free-power turbine to generate shaft power", for propulsion of warships. The Navy, as per DRDO, has shown "a lot of interest" in the engine which has a 12 MW power output.

Turkey To Buy Its First Heavy-Lift Army CH-4 Chinook Helicopters

Turkey has signed a government-to-government deal with the United States to buy six Boeing-made CH-47 heavy-lift military transport helicopters, the first such weapons in its inventory, a senior procurement official said over the weekend.

The deal is worth up to $400 million, the official said.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, the Pentagon’s body coordinating weapons sales, notified the U.S. Congress of a potential sale of a total of 14 CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters for $1.2 billion in December 2009. Congress gave permission for the sale later that month.

Because of financial constraints, however, the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry, or SSM, Turkey’s procurement agency, later wanted to buy only six CH-47Fs, five for the Army and one for the Special Forces Command, leaving a decision on the remaining eight platforms for the future. Contract negotiations between the SSM, the U.S. government and Boeing were launched last year.

Russia T-50 Stealth Fighter To Make Its International Debut At MAKS 2011

T-50 stealth fighter jointly

financed by Russia and India will make its first international public appearance at the MAKS airshow which went underway in Moscow, where Moscow unveiled its newest space shuttle, armed drones and a new range of upgraded weapons.

Two prototypes of the single seater jet, estimated to cost USD 6 billion, are expected to fly over Zhukovsky air field on the outskirts of Moscow.

"The co-development projects of the two countries will remain centerpiece of the Russian aviation industry", declared Mikhail Pogosyan, President of the United Aircraft Corporation, makers of the aircraft.

China, Israel Vow To Improve Military Ties

Chen Bingde, visiting chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), pledged Sunday to lift the friendly ties between the Chinese and Israeli militaries to a new level during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Chen Bingde, visiting chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), shakes hands with Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv August 14, 2011.

A deepening Sino-Israeli cooperation is contributing to regional peace and stability, Chen said, stressing the relationship between the two countries' armies is developing in recent years.

GAZAL-1 The First Saudi Made Car

This is the first car designed to be mass produced by Saudi Arabia I was waiting for the time where I would show case it when it officially launches about a year or two from now but I said blah what the hell I will do it now anyways and do it again when the commercials start rolling.