Kobra 8x8 Panser IFV Pertama Garapan Pindad untuk Batalyon Infanteri Mekanis TNI AD

18 April 2019

Kobra 8x8, varian IFV Pandur II yang akan dibuat di Pindad (photo : Angkasa Review)

Seperti diketahui, sejak November 2016, Kemhan RI telah memesan empat panser Pandur II dari perusahaan Excalibur Army, Republik Ceko. Setahun kemudian, tepatnya pada September 2017, ke empat panser telah merapat keTanah Air. Pandur II tampil perdana di hadapan publik pada perayaan HUT TNI ke-72, 5 Oktober 2017.

Perusahaan Excalibur Army sendiri menyatakan, akan memberikan kemudahan produksi panser buatannya dengan memberikan transfer teknologi kepada Pindad. Pindad dapat meracik spek khusus yang disesuaikan dengan keinginan dan kebutuhan Yonif Mekanis TNI AD sebagai calon pengguna.

Panser Kobra yang akan dibuat Pindad merupakan versi ranpur infanteri (Infantry Fighting Vehicle/IFV) yang menggunakan basis Pandur II. Selain digunakan untuk angkut pasukan (empat awak plus tujuh personel pasukan), kendaraan ini juga sanggup bertempur melawan ranpur lawan lainnya baik jenis panser atau tank.

Meski demikian, Pindad belum menginformasikan jenis kubah senjata yang akan disandingkan dengan panser Kobra. Sementara, panser Pandur II CZ versi IFV yang dipasok Excalibur Army untuk militer Ceko, mengadopsi kubah RCWS 30 mm SAMSON MK I buatan Rafael, Israel dengan senjata sekunder SMS 7,62 mm.

Pandur II CZ yang akan akan menjadi basis panser Kobra, memiliki panjang 7,5 m, lebar 2,67 m, dan tinggi 2,1 m. Bobot tempurnya mencapai 17,6 ton dan dengan tambahan add-on armour bobotnya menjadi 22 ton. Ranpur ini mampu membawa muatan seberat 8,5 ton.

Tampak belakang dari kendaraan Kobra 8x8 (photo : BMPD)

Sebagai penggerak, digunakan mesin diesel Cummins EURO III berdaya 455 hp. Kendaraan dapat melaju di jalan datar keras dengan kecepatan mencapai 105 km/jam dan kecepatan berenang di air pada 10 km/jam. Sementara untuk jangkauan operasi, Pandur II CZ mampu menjelajah hingga 700 km.

Panser Pandur II CZ buatan Excalibur Army berbeda dengan versi aslinya yang dibuat oleh pabrik Steyr-Daimler-Puch Spezialfahrzeuge, Austria (kini General Dynamics European Land Systems / GDELS).

Bagian depan panser Pandur II CZ telah menerapkan perisai pemecah gelombang air/ombak. Lalu bagian palka pengemudi juga telah dipasangi sistem penglihatan malam CDND-1.

Panser Pandur II CZ mendapat proteksi tambahan berupa add-on passive armour buatan Rafael, Israel. Lapisan ini mampu menahan laju munisi SMB kaliber 14,5 mm. Lambung bawah Pandur II CZ juga dilapisi SSAB ARMOX 500 yang sanggup bertahan dari ranjau darat dan IED.

Excalibur Army sendiri mulai mendapatkan lisensi membangun Pandur II sejak 2015 dari GDELS. Selain untuk kebutuhan dalam negeri, Excalibur Army diizinkan untuk mengekspornya ke kawasan Eropa Timur dan Asia.

Di Asia Tenggara, selain Indonesia, Filipina juga tertarik mengakuisisi Pandur II sebagai pengganti ranpur gaek M-113. Militer Indonesia sendiri adalah pengguna ke-4 keluarga panser Pandur setelah Austria, Portugis dan Ceko.

(Angkasa Review)

Cubic Awarded Contract from New Zealand MoD to Deliver Command and Control Capabilities

18 April 2019

Cubic Mission Solutions's 2.4 meter GATR antenna is ultra-portable and can be set up in under 30 minutes (photo : Cubic)

SAN DIEGO – Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB) today announced that its Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS) business division was awarded a contract from the New Zealand Ministry of Defence to deliver Command and Control (C2) capabilities to support the Network Enabled Army (NEA) program’s Tactical Network (TNet) project. The NEA program is a transformational program to be delivered in four tranches over 12 years and will benefit the New Zealand Army’s Land Forces and Special Operations Forces.

The TNet contract is a framework agreement allowing multiple awards over the life of the contract to address current, emerging and future requirements through support of the four tranches. For the initial work scope, Cubic will provide scalable and deployable command post computing solutions based on its DTECH M3-SE and M3X product lines. The combination of these solutions allows reliable and scalable hyper-enabled operations up and down all echelons of command. Future efforts will include delivery and support of additional hardware as well as technology insertion to provide improved performance while reducing weight and power requirements.

“We’re very pleased to support the NEA program’s TNet project with our scalable command post solutions,” said Mike Barthlow, vice president and general manager, Rugged IoT Solutions. “Our continued investment in rugged high-capacity computing, memory and storage enables mission specific modularity and communications interoperability without sacrificing flexibility or reliability. Our number one goal is to ultimately ensure mission success for our customers in the most difficult environments.”

“As a leader in expeditionary C4ISR, the TNet project builds upon the success of the delivery of our GATR satellite terminals for the NEA program,” said Mike Twyman, president of Cubic Mission Solutions. “With our innovative and comprehensive C4ISR capabilities, we are confident in delivering a sustainable and integrated system that will meet the demands of the modern operating environment.”

Capabilities delivered through the NEA program will support C4ISR and electronic warfare responses within the land tactical and operating arenas, helping to ensure the NZDF can continue to participate in joint, interagency and multinational operations. Additionally, it will ensure NZDF’s forces are able to continue support for future deployments in the South Pacific.

(Cubic)

Muhibbah Engineering Offering Mothership To MMEA

18 April 2019

Multi Purpose Mission Ship was proposed by Muhibbah Engineering (photos : MFH)

Port Klang-based Muhibbah Engineering is offering its 100 meters Multi Purpose Mission Ship (MPMS) to fulfill the requirement by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for two motherships to be deployed to the eastern and western sectors of the South China Sea.

The proposed MPMS features stowing capabilities for six Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) as well as flight deck on the bow to accommodate one helicopter. The stern deck is large enough to accommodate missionised  hangar or to enable catapult launched or vertical take off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operated by the coast guard.

The MPMS is also equipped with 30mm Remote Weapon Control System (RCWS) similar to the Bagan Datuk-class New Generation Patrol Craft (NGPC) and the new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) that the coast guard has in its fleet.

A scaled model of the MPMS was displayed at the company’s booth during the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace (LIMA) 2019 show last March.

Muhibbah Engineering also took the opportunity to showcase its CJ66 Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC), essentially a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) which features deep V shaped hull for better high speed handling. Powered with three 350 horse power engines, the CJ66 could reach maximum speed of 60 knots.

Muhibbah Engineering is able to customised the CJ66 according to the needs and requirement set by the client including the provision of shock absorbing seats, helm console position, long range thermal imager camera, weapon integration mounts, ballistic protection and cabin configurations.

The CJ66 is proposed as the FIC element for the MPMS. During Defence Service Asia (DSA) 2016 exhibition, the marine craft as well as a coaxial rotor, peanut shaped VTOL UAV (which looks like Canadair Cl-227 Sentinel) have been jointly promoted as integral element of the company’s bid to ESSCOM in the form of Mobile Offshore Base (MOB).

The MOB provides effective and real time C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance), increasing Situational Awareness capability to Security Forces.

In line with the main objectives of seabase deployment along the waters of eastern Sabah, the MOB provides better respond and reaction time to counter any unwanted elements. It can be mobilized into high security threat area or other areas for other tasks such as to assist disaster relief or SAR (Search & Rescue).

ESSCOM had previously outline the need for six seabases to be deployed along the waters of Sabah. The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) currently deploys three seabases namely the KA Bunga Mas 5, KA Tun Azizan and PL Tun Sharifah Rodziah while the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP) Marine Operation Force deploys one Supply Base vessel, the PSB-1 and one Landing Craft, the PLC-1.

The coast guard first set forth its idea of operating mothership or seabase in mid 2017 following intrusion by foreign coastguard and fishing ships into Malaysian territorial waters. Several incident of sea robbery in the western waters of the South China Sea has also prompted the coastguard to look for such platform. (here)

Since then, the coastguard has received several proposal including from shipping industries in Sarawak.

Muhibbah Engineering is the company responsible for building the famous MV Polaris, a buoy tender ship operated by the Malaysian Marine Department (Jabatan Laut Malaysia – JLM) which was involved in naval standoff with Singapore off Johor earlier this year that has resulted both countries to withdraw their maritime border extension plan and returned to previous status quo.

MV Polaris had also makes its appearance during LIMA 2019 and became one of five civilian vessels that participated in the naval review off the waters of Langkawi in conjunction with the event.

(MFH)

The Indonesian Navy Received Ukrainian UOF-2T 100-mm Rounds for the Russian BMP-3F

18 April 2019

UOF-2T 100-mm Rounds for the Russian BMP-3F (photo : Diana Mihailova)

In January 2019, Spetstekhnoexport, the Main Contingent Artillery, exported by sea to the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia a batch of 100-mm rounds UOF-2T for the Russian cannon 2A70 infantry fighting vehicle BMP-3F worth $ 349,440.

Goods in quantities of 273 pcs. delivered in a disassembled state in 137 wooden boxes with shots and 5 wooden boxes with fuses RGM-2M, packed on 8 wooden pallets. The total weight is 5088.17 kg. 

High-explosive fragmentation shots of a 100-mm UOF-2T caliber are developed and produced by TASKO Corporation, Rubin-2017 LLC, affiliated with it, in cooperation with the State Research Institute of Chemical Products (Shostka) and the Shostkin governmental plant Zvezda »As a Ukrainian analogue of 3UOF17 shots with a Russian-made ZOF32 projectile for the BMP-3F previously assigned to the Marine Corps of the Indonesian Navy.

The equipment of the 3OF32 case, the manufacture of igniters and charges and the conduct of ballistic tests were carried out in the summer-autumn of 2018 under the agreement 1-59 / 2018-VGT in Shostka of the State Research Institute of HP and Zvezda. 

“TASKO” corporation at the international exhibition “Arms and Security-2018”, which was held in Kiev from October 9 to 12, 2018, presented “100-mm high-explosive ordnance to the 2A70 cannon used by Soviet infantry fighting vehicles BMP- 3 Two types of such shells have been developed - an analogue of the old Soviet ammunition with a range of 4 km and a new one that can hit a target at a distance of up to 7 km. ” 

RGM-2M fuses are manufactured by KP Shostkinsky State Plant Impulse.

It is interesting that the Armed Forces do not have either BMP-3s or 2A70 artillery launchers, but this type of ammunition was one of the first to go into mass production with new equipment obtained as part of the state targeted program for the development of the ammunition industry.

(Diana Mihailova)

Fiji Soldiers Learn Bushmaster Driving Skills from Australian Army Trainers

17 April 2019

The Fijian Government purchased refitted Bushmasters from Australia in 2017 for use in peacekeeping operations and training in Fiji (photo : Aus Army)

Eighteen Republic of Fiji Military Force soldiers have completed a three-week Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle driver’s course in Brisbane.

Fiji purchased refitted Bushmasters from Australia in 2017 for use in peacekeeping operations and for training purposes, and have been sending soldiers to Brisbane for vehicle training.

The Australian Army has now run four Bushmaster driver’s courses for the Republic of Fiji Military Force as part of the ongoing agreement between the two nations.

Australian Army trainers, mainly from Brisbane’s 7th Brigade, taught their Fijian counterparts how to drive the vehicles in various terrains, recovery methods, and maintenance skills.

7th Brigade Commander Brigadier Andrew Hocking said the Fijian soldiers had done extremely well on the course and were great ambassadors for the Republic of Fiji Military Force.

“We love having the Fijian students here.  I know my soldiers and staff get as much out of instructing them, listening to them and learning from them as they do from us,” Brigadier Hocking said.

“It is a strength that the Republic of Fiji Military Force and Australian Defence Force both operate this very capable vehicle.

“As we partner together in training for potential disaster relief operations in the region, collectively we will both be more capable to help the people of the region.”

Staff Sergeant Mikaele Mataka from the Republic of Fiji Military Force said while the course was challenging at times, the group finished the training confident in handling the Bushmaster.

“The Bushmaster is very valuable to us on operations, so coming to Australia to learn everything about the vehicle is a morale boost to the Fiji Army personnel who drive it,” Staff Sergeant Mataka said.

7th Brigade, through its infantry unit 8th/9th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, has a strong relationship with the Republic of Fiji Military Force and will work with them on training and engagement opportunities into the future.

“We will continue to build this relationship in our common interest, to ensure our region is safe, secure and prosperous,” Brigadier Hocking said.

(Aus Army)

US Sanctions should Not Affect the Deliveries of Su-35 Fighter Jets

17 April 2019

Su-35 of the PLAAF (photo : sina)

Russia completes deliveries of Su-35 fighter jets to China

MOSCOW /TASS/. Russia has completed the deliveries of Sukhoi Su-35 generation 4++ fighter jets to China under a contract signed earlier, Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation told TASS on Tuesday.

"In compliance with the contract, all the Su-35 planes have been delivered to the foreign customer," the Federal Service said.

China has been the first foreign buyer of Russian Su-35 fighter aircraft. The contract worth about $2.5 billion on the deliveries of 24 fighter jets to China was signed in 2015. The contract also stipulates the delivery of ground equipment and reserve engines.

Indonesia is the second foreign buyer of Russian Su-35 fighter jets. Reports emerged in early 2018 that Russia had signed a contract with Indonesia on the delivery of 11 fighters. Under the contract, Russia is due to deliver the first fighter jets to Indonesia this year. The fulfillment of the Indonesian contract ran across some difficulties related to US sanctions but a TASS source in military and diplomatic circles said these difficulties "are not critical" and should not affect the deliveries of fighter jets.

The Su-35S generation 4++ supersonic fighter jet performed its debut flight on February 19, 2008. The fighter jet is a derivative of the Su-27 plane. The Su-35S weighs 19 tonnes, has a service ceiling of 20,000 meters, can develop a maximum speed of 2,500 km/h and has a crew of one pilot. The fighter jet’s armament includes a 30mm aircraft gun, up to 8 tonnes of the weapon payload (missiles and bombs of various types) on 12 underwing hardpoints. The Su-35S has been in service with the Russian Army since 2015.

(TASS)

First Dassault Falcon 7X Special Purpose Aircraft Arrive

18 April 2019

RAAF Falcon 7X (photo : Julien Chierici)

The first of the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) new Dassault Falcon 7X aircrafts arrived in Canberra today.

The new aircraft is being leased by RAAF and is replacing the Bombardier CL604 Challengers RAAF and provides a larger passenger load, modern communication and increased range and endurance.

Wing Commander Jason Pont, Commanding Officer of 34 Squadron said the Falcon complements RAAF’s larger Boeing 737 Business Jets.

“The Falcon 7X is an advanced business jet designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation,” Wing Commander Pont said.

“The jet has a standard crew of three (pilot, co-pilot and crew attendant) and can carry up to 14 passengers.

Bombardier CL-604 Challengers (photo : Jeff Gilbert)

“With a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.9 and a range of up to 11,000 km, the aircraft can fly from Canberra to anywhere in the world with only one stop. Its ability to land at almost any airfield provides notable regional and remote airfield accessibility.”

The Falcon features a high-tech wing, an advanced ‘glass cockpit’ with a heads-up display and an infrared enhanced vision system. It also has satellite communications to support Government business while airborne.

The aircraft will be operated by Number 34 Squadron as part of the Special Purpose Aircraft fleet, based at Defence Establishment Fairbairn in the Australian Capital Territory.

The fleet will continue to be maintained by Northrop Grumman.

(MirageNews)