June 2009 ~ ASIAN DEFENCE

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Turkey's Tusas says to modernise Pakistan's F-16s

9:45 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 4 comments

Turkish defence company Tusas said on Monday it would modernise 42 of Pakistan's F-16 jet fleet in a deal it said would be worth around $75 million. The project will begin in Oct 2010 in Tusas facilities and will take 46 months, the company said in a written statement. Tusas has modernised Jordan's F-16 fighters in a deal signed in 2006. NATO member Turkey and Pakistan have close military and strategic ties. Tusas signed a $500 million agreement with Airbus (EAD.PA) to produce parts for A350 planes....

Afghan Air Corps Returns Mi-35 Helicopters to Flight

9:42 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

After an absence of nearly a decade, the Afghan Mi-35 is again flying the skies of Afghanistan, thanks to pilots from the Afghan National Army Air Corps and the Czech Republic, military officials here said. On May 27, Afghan Mi-35 attack helicopters fired 12.7 mm rounds and 57 mm rockets near Bagram Air Base. Each partnered Afghan and Czech Republic crew fired 200 rounds of ball ammunition and 16 rockets while practicing gunnery on the East River Range Complex. The practice session was the culmination...

Thailand to delay retirement of F-5 fleet

9:41 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Thailand's air force will delay the retirement of its Northrop F-5 fleet after confirming that a plan to buy additional Saab Gripen fighters is off the table indefinitely.Bangkok signed a deal with the Swedish company in 2008 and planned a follow-up order in 2010, with each contract including six Gripen fighters and one Saab 340-based airborne early warning aircraft.However, the second deal is on hold after the Thai government cut its defence budget for the current fiscal year to 151 billion baht ($4.43 billion) from 171 billion baht. The military...

Iraq Receives upgraded Mi-17 helicopters

9:34 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

The Iraqi air force has accepted back into service the first upgraded Mi-17 helicopters after the completed an upgrade program to modernize the missile warning and internal communications subsystems.The Mi-17s currently are the backbone of the Iraqi air force’s rotorcraft force.One of the problems with the old internal communications system has been that it could not handle multiple voices, so coordinating among crew members during critical phases of operations, including landing, was effectively...

First Pakistan made JF-17 to fly by end of 2009: PAF Air Chief

2:10 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 22 comments

Pictures are Courtesy BaburMissile, Saeed Khan & APPChief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said that first Pakistan made JF-17 Thunder aircraft would fly in the country’s airspace by end of this year. He made this announcement while addressing the Graduation Ceremony of No 38 Combat Commanders’ Course which was held at Pakistan Air Force Base, Mushaf (Sargodha). In his address to the graduating Combat Commanders, he said, The JF-17 Thunder programme is on track. “We will...

IAF taking steps to prevent another SU-30MKI crash

9:30 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 4 comments

The Indian Air Force is initiating steps aimed at preventing another SU-30MKI crash like the one that occurred near Jaisalmer in April during a routine air exercise, killing the co-pilot and destroying a Rs. 200-crore fighter aircraft. Highly placed sources in the Ministry of Defence told The Hindu that a joint probe by Indian and Russian Defence and flight engineers zeroed-in on the causes for the crash and suggested remedial action. While one step will involve better covering of the aircraft when...

MIG-29N Jetfighters Will Be Sold Off - Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi

9:27 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 9 comments

The air force's MiG-29N jetfighters will be sold off and replaced with new aircraft, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.Several companies abroad had expressed interest to buy the aircraft, he said, adding that the ministry would discuss the matter with the Finance Ministry."There are still matters to be considered such as the price," he told reporters after attending an event here to announce the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2010 exhibition.Malaysia received the delivery of the...

Mast mounted sight/radar for WZ-9 Armed Helicopter?

4:26 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 4 comments

Reporting by Johnathan WengBefore the service of trouble-annoying WZ-10, WZ-9 armed helicopter is still playing the key role of “Air anti-tank Strike” and “Close Air Support” in PLA Army. This WZ-9 helicopter has been installed with a electronic/optical sensor pod on the rotor hub. It is unclear that this pod is for Fire Control or battlefield Reconnaissance....

Japan Could Be Offered $290 Million F-22

4:23 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 22 comments

A letter from Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to Japan's ambassador in Washington lists an estimated average unit cost of $290 million per aircraft for a theoretical export sale of 40 F-22 Raptors.Both Inouye and Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House defense appropriations subcommittee, and other lawmakers in both chambers are pushing both in public and behind the scenes to allow export of the stealthy, fifth-generation fighter.But a White...

Countries Big and Small Set Out to Make Their Own Pilotless Aircraft

2:20 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

By Stew MagnusonA stroll down the aisles of the IDEX defense exhibition here confirmed that the unmanned aerial vehicle market is growing. Turkey, Switzerland, Pakistan, South Africa, Jordan, Italy and Austria were just a handful of the countries that were selling the technology and actively trying to market it to foreign or domestic customers.In a booth outside the main hall, students from Abu Dhabi University displayed a UAV they built as a classroom project.Analysts say the U.S. military’s success using the technology in recent years is driving...

Chinese ASBM Development: Knowns and Unknowns

11:24 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

By: Andrew S. Erickson China wants to achieve the ability, or at minimum the appearance of the ability, to prevent a U.S. carrier strike group (CSG) from intervening in the event of a future Taiwan Strait crisis. China may be closer than ever to achieving this capability with land-based anti-ship homing ballistic missiles. There have been many Western reports that China is developing an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM). Increasingly, technical and operationally-focused discussions are found in...

Iran Air Force wraps up Persian Gulf drill

11:21 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Iran's Air Force has successfully conducted the final phase of a large aerial maneuver over the Persian Gulf. "At the final stage of the aerial maneuver, dubbed Milad-Noor-Velayat, on Wednesday, fighters of the Iranian Air Force successfully hit predetermined targets to test new domestically-made armaments," Air Force pilot Brigadier Hossein Chit-Foroush, spokesman for the maneuver, told reporters. He added that the maneuver was conducted mainly to convey Iran's message of peace to the region and...

Israel, US bridge gaps over fighter jet

11:18 PM ASIAN DEFENCE 1 comment

A deal is close to completion for the purchase of the F-35 stealth fighter jet after the Defense Ministry and the Pentagon recently reached understandings on a number of IAF demands to integrate Israeli technology into the plane. The apparent breakthrough was made following a series of visits to Washington recently by OC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan and IAF Equipment and Procurement head Brig.-Gen. Kobi Bortman. Last week, Defense Minister Ehud Barak met with top officials from Lockheed Martin...

RoKAF chief visits Singapore to promote T-50

11:15 PM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

By Jung Sung-kiStaff ReporterAir Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Kye-hoon arrived Thursday in Singapore, where he will focus on promoting the sale of South Korea's T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer jet.Lee's three-day visit comes as the Southeast Asian nation is scheduled to choose a foreign bidder to provide advanced trainer aircraft to Singapore's air force in the coming months. Singapore has already shortlisted the two aircraft ― the T-50 jointly built by the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)...

Third Airbus A330-200 arrived in Australia for its conversion into a multi role tanker transport (KC-30 Tanker)

5:39 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, today announced that the next commercial Airbus A330-200 aircraft has arrived at Brisbane airport for its conversion into a multi role tanker transport (KC-30 Tanker) for use by the Royal Australian Air Force. This aircraft is being acquired under Project Air 5402. Under this project five air to air refuelling aircraft are being purchased from Spanish company EADS CASA (now known as Airbus Military). This involves the conversion...

Ex PAF Air Chief asked to appear as witness

5:37 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 2 comments

By By Usman Manzoor The National Assembly’s standing committee on defence has convened former air chief Saadat Kaleem as witness to publicly scrutinise the multi-billion dollar defence deals by the Pakistan Air Force. The committee took up the matter when a news item appeared in this newspaper regarding non-scrutinised deals of the PAF worth billion of dollars having procedural violations and compromise on technology. Syed Haider Ali Shah, a member of the committee, told The News that a meeting of the NA Standing Committee on Defence has been convened...

U.S. Tightens Airstrike Policy in Afghanistan

5:27 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

By DEXTER FILKINS The new American commander in Afghanistan said he would sharply restrict the use of airstrikes here, in an effort to reduce the civilian deaths that he said were undermining the American-led mission.In interviews over the past few days, the commander, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, said the use of airstrikes during firefights would in most cases be allowed only to prevent American and other coalition troops from being overrun. Even in the cases of active firefights with Taliban forces, he said, airstrikes will be limited if the combat...

United Arab Emirates Closing in on Rafale

5:25 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 3 comments

The Rafale fighter could be one step away from securing its first export order, following submittal last week to the French government of final technical requirements for a 6-10 billion euro ($8.3-13.8 billion) 60-aircraft purchase by the United Arab Emirates late last week.Dassault Aviation officials say the document signifies basic agreement on the specifications, permitting the two sides to proceed to negotiation of pricing and financing terms. The French also will have to help find a buyer for...

Cost of an F-22 fighter for Japan soars

5:23 AM ASIAN DEFENCE 5 comments

The U.S. Air Force estimates Japan would have to spend as much as $2.3 billion for development of its own version of the premier U.S. fighter jet, Lockheed Martin Corp's F-22 Raptor.The estimate -- more than twice that used publicly by U.S. officials in the past -- was contained in a U.S. senator's letter to Japan's ambassador obtained by Reuters on Monday.Lockheed is eyeing possible F-22 sales to Japan as a potential way to to extend a production line that is due to start closing soon, absent new...

No next-generation fighter waiting in the wings

5:49 AM ASIAN DEFENCE No comments

With their livelihoods dependent on receiving lucrative government business, defense contractors are sweating on the selection of a next-generation fighter for the Air Self-Defense Force. A number of obstacles, however, have delayed a decision by the Defense Ministry, which is desperate to replace the ASDF's aging F-4 jets as soon as possible. Defense Ministry officials have long coveted the state-of-the-art F-22 Raptor, but a U.S. congressional ban on the export of the jet was followed by the U.S. government's decision to scrap future production...