Two-Ship Programme Firms Up for Indonesian PKR Frigate

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, working in partnership with Indonesia's PT PAL, has confirmed the programme and build strategy for the construction of the first two SIGMA 10514 Perusak Kawal Rudal (PKR) guided missile frigates for the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL).

Damen Schelde and the Indonesian Ministry of Defence signed a contract for the engineering, construction, and delivery of a single PKR in June 2012, with the contract coming into force at the end of 2013. An option for a second ship has subsequently been exercised, with this contract coming into effect in the next few weeks, Damen Schelde confirmed at IMDEX Asia 2013 in Singapore.

Displacing 2,365 tons and with accommodation for 120 (100 crew plus 20 spare), the 105 m PKR will be the largest SIGMA variant built to date. While Damen Schelde is prime contractor for the programme, assembly and trials will be undertaken in conjunction with PT PAL in Surabaya under a transfer of technology arrangement.

Up to 20 new ships, boats to join Black Sea Fleet in near future

The Russian Black Sea Fleet will be updated and improved to ensure the country's national security. Up to 20 new ships, submarines and boats will join the fleet in the near future, the Fleet's Commander Vice-Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov said in connection with the 230th anniversary of the fleet to be marked on May 13.

It is an objective and very important process, given the fact that the naval forces of Black Sea and Mediterranean states continuously increase their combat potential with the qualitative improvement of weaponry without considerable reduction of their number, he noted.

The Black Sea zone countries plan in the next decade to build a substantial number of warships and support vessels for their navies. "To reliably ensure national security, we have no right to remain among the laggards," the commander said.

The latest guard ship Admiral Grigorovich of Project 11356 is expected to be launched in 2013 and placed in service in 2014. It will be the first in the series of six guard ships of the project with the Kalibr high-accuracy long-range missile system. The ships are named Admiral Essen, Admiral Makarov, Admiral Butakov, Admiral Istomin and Admiral Kornilov, the commander said.

The navy also expects to receive six new submarines of Project 636, the Varshavyanka class. The first three will be named Novorossiisk, Rostov-on-Don and Stary Oskol, the vice-admiral said, adding that seven more various-purpose naval boats and other ships would join the fleet.

Can Foreign Sales Of The F35 Breathe Life Back Into The Struggling Program?

Deep-pocketed U.S allies are emerging as the saviors of Lockheed Martin’s most costly military plane, the

F35 fighter aircraft, which has struggled to make sales on the home ground.

With many critics of the F-35 Lightning II program unconvinced of its capabilities and the shadow of cancellation looming, the stealth fighter has found redemption in sales abroad.

Most recently, Israel agreed to buy 19 F35s worth $2.75 billion and signed an additional contract worth $2.5 billion to supply wings for the aircraft. The Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is expected to begin deliveries in 2015.

Earlier this week, Norway announced that it would order six F35s (part of an initial contract) to replace its aging F16s. The government is now planning that its air force receive six aircraft annually from 2017 and to 2024, to acquire 52 aircraft in all. This is in addition to the four planes that will be delivered in 2015 and 2016.

Philippines' Second Warship to Arrive in June

The Philippines' second warship, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, is expected to arrive in the country by end of June or early July, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said on Monday.

Gazmin said it will take some time for the Hamilton-class cutter to arrive in the country as it will travel from Charleston, South Carolina passING through the Panama Canal.

Fernando Manalo, Defense Undersecretary for Finance, Munitions, Installations and Materiel, said the ship would be "limited" in terms of equipment and arsenal but was "better than the first one," referring to the first Hamilton-class cutter acquired by the Philippines, the BRP del Pilar.

The arrival of the second warship is expected to boost Philippine naval presence, especially with the ongoing dispute at the West Philippine Sea.

2 new frigates

Meanwhile, Manalo also revealed that the Philippines opted to purchase two brand new frigates instead of the earlier plan to buy secondhand ones following a DND study that says buying brand new frigates are more practical than buying used ones.

Astrium is Set to Deliver Vietnam’s First Earth Observation Satellite

Astrium, the European leader in space technologies, is the prime contractor for the VNREDSat-1, the first Vietnamese Earth observation satellite, scheduled for launch on a Vega rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou on 03 May.


Astrium received the order for the VNREDSat-1 programme from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) in July 2010, under an agreement signed in 2009 between the French and Vietnamese Governments. Under this contract, Astrium is responsible for the development, construction and launch of the VNREDSat-1 optical satellite, capable of taking images of the Earth with a resolution of 2.5 metres. In Vietnam, Astrium was also prime contractor for the design and construction of the satellite ground control segment and the satellite image receiving and processing stations. The company was also responsible for training the 15 Vietnamese engineers who will operate the satellite.

“VNREDSat-1 is another of Astrium Satellites’ export successes,” said Eric Béranger, CEO of Astrium Satellites.  “This new satellite is further proof that our teams are among the best in the world; aside from their technological expertise and exemplary cost management, they also provide excellent customer support

RSS Swordsman Now Combat-Ready

The Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) second Archer-class submarine, RSS Swordsman, was declared fully operational in a commissioning ceremony at Changi Naval Base on 30 Apr.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who officiated the ceremony, presented the commissioning warrant to the Commanding Officer of RSS Swordsman, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Loh Mun Heng.

With RSS Swordsman joining her sister ship RSS Archer - commissioned in December 2011 - in active service, Mr Tharman pointed out that the RSN had crossed a new milestone in its submarine development and was now capable of conducting more complex maritime operations.

"RSS Swordsman, her sister boat RSS Archer and our Challenger-class submarines form part of an integrated warfighting system - together with our stealth frigates, naval helicopters, missile corvettes and mine-countermeasure vessels - a force that safeguards Singapore's maritime interests and protects our territorial integrity."

Acquired from the Royal Swedish Navy in 2005 and launched in Sweden in 2010, RSS Swordsman went through extensive sea trials in Sweden before she returned to Singapore on 31 Dec 2012.

The submarine, which will operate under the RSN's 171 Squadron with RSS Archer, has been refurbished for operations in local conditions. The ship also boasts upgraded combat and sensor suites and the addition of an Air Independent Propulsion system for greater stealth, extended reach and expanded operational capabilities.

New torpedoes will fail great expectations

A TROUBLED defence project to acquire new torpedoes appears to be back on track but will never deliver the full capability originally sought, the national auditor says.

Three years ago, the $639 million project was experiencing major technical problems and running years late.
"When examining the project across its life and comparing it to the original plans, it is clear that it will not deliver the full capability originally expected," the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) said in a report released on Thursday.
In 1997, defence decided it needed to replace 1970s era Mark 46 torpedoes with a newer model.
Then in 1999 it settled on the European EuroTorp MU-90 on the basis it would be a low risk "off the shelf" acquisition.
The new MU-90 torpedoes were to be carried by FFG and Anzac frigates as well as AP-3C Orion aircraft, and Seahawk and Seasprite helicopters.But now only the warships will carry the armoury.
As a result, defence will have to manage a mixed inventory of three different types of torpedo, rather than one, the ANAO said.

China gets maritime recon boost with MA60 MPA production

The X'ian Aircraft Corporation MA60 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) is now in production, an official from the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Co (CATIC) told IHS Jane's at the recent IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi: a development that raises the prospect of China being able to further increase its aerial military-diplomatic pressure on Japan over disputed territories in the East China Sea.
CATIC officials said that the MA60 MPA is scheduled for Chinese coastguard organisations such as the China Maritime Surveillance (CMS) agency, which has been at the forefront of Beijing's response to perceived infringements on its territorial sovereignty. A twin-turboprop powered X'ian Y-12 belonging to the CMS flew over the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands in December 2012, one of a number of incidents that led to fighter aircraft from both countries being scrambled to the area.
Once operational, the MA60, which like the Y-12 is unarmed, will provide the CMS with a greater range. With a 10-hour endurance, it is double that of the Y-12.

Is Russia's S-300 better than USA's Patriot?

I was once asked in a television interview: "Which anti-aircraft missile system is better: Russia's S-300 or the U.S. Patriot?" A concise answer was needed, and I said that the S-300 was better. Was I right?

If you look at the performance characteristics of the systems, then the answer was correct. In conflicts such as Iran - Iraq, India - Pakistan, where forces were relevantly equal, the answer was correct as well. However, when it comes to a possible attack of the U.S. or Israel against the "third world" countries, such as Iran, Syria and others, Russia's S-300 will certainly fail. Why?

It will happen for the reason that we already had during the Great Patriotic War. In June 22, 1941, our tanks KV and T-34 were much better than the German vehicles, but the losses among our tanks in autumn and summer campaigns in 1941 were larger than those of Nazi Germany. German tanks were acting in close coordination with infantry, artillery, air force and were supplemented with excellent radio stations.

Two Iraqi wars, the war in Yugoslavia and other conflicts showed that the Americans were striving for absolute predominance in aviation and electronic means of warfare. They have dozens of AWACS and 30-40 spacecraft of all types. Do I have to explain that a division or two of S-300 (S-400) can not act alone against such an armada?If so, should the countries of the "third world" surrender to the mercy of Uncle Sam? It is about time Russian generals should study the history of USA's postwar campaigns. Here is the list: Korea, Vietnam, the first Iraq war, the Yugoslav war. The Americans won in the last two cases, albeit partially. The Yankees and the "enlightened explorers" deployed a huge amphibious fleet in the Persian Gulf in 1991 and planned to land two U.S. marine divisions and an English brigade on the coast of Iraq. Alas, all those good fellows spent the Iraqi campaign in the holds of landing vessels. The reason was simple: Iraqi, or rather, old Soviet mines.

Darpa Takes Another Shot at High-Speed ​​VTOL

Undeterred by past failures, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is launching another attempt to economic development of a high-speed vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) aircraft with the capability of a helicopter hover.

The VTOL X-Plane program is a 52-month, $ 130 million attempt to fly an experimental aircraft able of Exceeding 300 kt., Aim with a hover efficiency of 75% or better and a cruise lift-to-drag ratio of 10 or more . By comparison, selon Darpa, today's conventional helicopters are able of 150-170 kt., With a hover efficiency of 60% and a cruise L / D of 4-5.

High-speed compound helicopters Sikorsky's X2 Such as are able of 240-260 kt., While the Bell Boeing V-22 tilt rotor can Exceed 275 kt., Aim with low hover efficiency.

"We have a simple objective: to fly much faster, with Improved efficiency in hover and forward flight, without Sacrificing The ability to do useful work," says Ashish Bagai, Darpa program manager and chief engineer Sikorsky form.

Useful work is Defined as the différence entre empty weight and maximum gross weight, he says. The program is targeting a useful load of at least 40% of gross weight, Which is expected to be 10.000 to 12.000 lbs. for the X-plane demonstrator.