Expomil : Melihat Produk Industri Pertahanan Romania

14 November 2009

LAROM multiple launch rocket system (photo : Magnus Manske)

Expomil adalah pameran pertahanan di kawasan Baltik yang diselenggarakan di Romania. Expomil 2009 diselenggarakan pada tanggal 11-14 November 2009 di Romexpo Exhibition Center Bucharest. Expomil kali ini adalah pameran ke-6 dari agenda pameran selama 2 tahunan ini.

Pameran yang diikuti oleh 100 perusahaan dari 18 negara ini juga banyak menampilkan produk industri pertahanan Romania. Berikut ini adalah beberapa diantara produk yang dipamerkan.

MLI-84M (photo : Vincent Burgat)

MLI-84M adalah pengembangan dari kendaraan tempur infantri produk Russia BMP-1 IFV namun mempunyai bodi yang lebih panjang dan dipasang Overhead Weapon System OWS-25 dari Rafael Israel dengan kanon 25mm. Kendaraan amfibi dengan berat 17 ton ini memakai diesel Caterpillar C9 dapat membawa 9 pasukan bersenjata lengkap dan mampu menahan peluru 14,5mm.

ATROM self propelled howitzer (photo : Army Recognition)

ATROM truck mounted howitzer adalah varian Romania dari howitzer Israel Atmos 2000. Howitzer seberat 22 ton ini dilengkapi dengan Soltam 155mm/L-52 gun howitzer. Howitzer ini dapat menjangkau jarak 41km, bersifat air transportable dengan pesawat C-130 Hercules. ATROM dikembangkan dari kendaraan truk 6x6 Roman dan memakai mesin diesel MAN.

LAROM MLRS (photo : Militaryphotos)

LAROM adalah peluncur rocket laras banyak yang dipasang di atas truk 6x6, kaliber yang digunakan dapat 122mm atau 160mm. Kendaraan dengan berat 13,7ton ini memerlukan 5 awak untuk dapat menembakkan roket pada jarak minimal 10km dan maksimal 45 km.

TR-85M1 Bizonul Main Battle Tank (photo : Zalmodecikus)

MBT buatan Romania TR-85M1 adalah pengembangan dari tank Soviet T-55. Tank seberat 55 ton ini mempunyai kanon utama 100mm. Tank dengan mesin German ini diawaki 4 orang dan mempunyai kecepatan maksimal 60km/jam.

SAUR-1 APC (photo : Militaryphotos)

SAUR-1 adalah kendaraan angkut personil 8x8 seberat 13,5ton yang dapat membawa 9 personil bersenjata lengkap. Kendaraan amfibi dengan mesin diesel Cummins ini merupakan pengembangan lebih lanjut dari ZIMBRU 2000. SAUR-1 dilengkapi dengan RCWS (remotely controlled weapon system) kaliber 12,7mm.

IAR-99 SOIM (photo : Airliners)

Selain Expomil, tidak dapat dilupakan bahwa Romania juga memproduksi pesawat jet latih dan tempur ringan IAR-99 SOIM (Hawk). Pesawat subsonic dengan berat max 5,5 ton ini ditenagai dengan mesin Roll Royce dan banyak memakai peralatan elektronik buatan Israel.

(Defense Studies)

US OK With Systems for Gripen?

14 November 2009

Gripen for RTAAF (photo : Saab)

In what is the clearest indication of the likely US attitude towards the supply of systems and technology to the Swedish Gripen, were it to win the Indian MMRCA (Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft) race, the US has agreed to the fitting of Royal Thai Air Force Gripen aircraft with its weapons systems. These include the AIM-9M and AIM-120 C-5 air-to-air rocket system, precision bombs and AGM-66 Maverick air-to-ground tactical missile.

A controversy over

whether the US would be willing to supply components and systems for the Gripen aircraft under its end use monitoring and technology transfer laws had apparently placed questions on the strength of the Swedish pitch earlier this year. Competitors in the race had questioned its ability to easily deliver parts and systems that were claimed to be substantially US-built.

But with the US now agreeing to supply systems to Thai Gripens, senior Indian officials think it would be difficult for the US to deny systems to any ‘Indian’ Gripens, after agreeing to supply them to Thailand. “They would find it difficult to say no to us, if they’re providing systems for the Thai. Especially after all the fuss we went through over the End Use Agreement,” says one senior official.

Saab for now has little to say, with Anne Lewis-Olsson, Communications Director, India restricting her comments to, “Saab is glad to see the Thai air force has selected US weapons apart from the Swedish RBS-15.”

(Stratpost)

Hawker Pacific Signs Interim Light Transport Contract

13 November 2009

RAAF's King Air 350 (photo : Astralian Aviation)

Hawker Pacific has signed a contract with the Defence Material Organisation to supply and support King Air 350s which will be used as an interim replacement for the reently retiring Caribou tactical transport fleet.

The turnkey lease and support contract will see the provision of eight modified King Airs for the RAAF Air Lift Group, and builds upon similar contracts for King Airs previously operated by the Army’s 173SQN. The aircraft, which include three King Airs being transferred from the Army (such as the example pictured) to the RAAF, are being used until a Caribou replacement is eventually acquired.

“Hawker Pacific’s approach of combining civilian efficiencies and tailored military specific customer outcomes will deliver Air Lift Group with a powerful complement to its existing airlift capabilities,” said Doug Park, Hawker Pacific’s senior vice president Australian operations. “The King Air 350 is a high performance turboprop aircraft that has proven itself to the Army and the RAAF as a most cost effective, flexible and reliable platform – and we expect that these attributes will be fully exploited by Air Lift Group in the coming years.”

The King Airs will begin their service at RAAF Townsville this month, initially with the former Army aircraft, with the full fleet of eight aircraft due to operational in mid 2010.

(Australian Aviation)

AL Malaysia-Singapura Beli Kapal RIB Produksi Indonesia

13 November 2009

Kapal RIB X2K produksi PT. Lundin Industry Invest (photo : Lundin)

AL Malaysia-Singapura Beli Kapal Banyuwangi

Denpasar, Kompas - Kapal patroli produksi PT Lundin Industry Invest di Sukowidi, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur, diminati sejumlah negara di Asia Tenggara. Angkatan Laut Singapura dan Malaysia membeli sekitar 24 unit. Kini negosiasi tengah berlangsung dengan Brunei.

Di Indonesia, TNI AL, Badan SAR Nasional (Basarnas), dan Badan Koordinasi Keamanan Laut juga membeli kapal dari PT Lundin.

Pelatihan pengoperasian kapal patroli produksi PT Lundin digelar di perairan sekitar Pelabuhan Benoa, Denpasar, Kamis (12/11). Ada tiga kapal jenis rigid inflatable boat (RIB) atau sekoci cepat yang digunakan. Pelatihan diikuti, antara lain, oleh tim dari Basarnas, Marinir TNI AL, serta personel Angkatan Laut Malaysia dan Singapura.

Pemilik PT Lundin Industry Invest, Lizza Lundin, menyatakan, pembelian kapal oleh TNI AL dan Angkatan Laut Singapura serta Malaysia adalah bukti kepercayaan institusi itu terhadap kualitas kapal produksinya.

”Sebagai warga asli Banyuwangi jelas kita bangga. Selain mampu memproduksi, hasil karya kita dipakai oleh angkatan laut negara asing. Bagi kami, kehormatan bekerja sama dengan TNI AL,” kata Lizza yang mengembangkan PT Lundin bersama suaminya yang asal Swedia, John Lundin.

Kontrak pembelian dan kerja sama PT Lundin-TNI AL dimulai tahun 2007. Selain membeli 10 kapal RIB dan 12 kapal Catamaran, kedua pihak juga sepakat bekerja sama dalam rangka penelitian dan pengembangan rekayasa kapal patroli cepat, peningkatan kemampuan sumber daya manusia, dan pembangunan fasilitas galangan untuk pembangunan kapal patroli. Kerja sama tersebut tertuang dalam piagam kesepakatan bersama yang ditandatangani Kepala Staf Angkatan Laut (waktu itu) Laksamana TNI Slamet Soebijanto dengan Lizza Lundin.

Kapal Pengawas

Kepala Komando Pasukan Khusus 69 Angkatan Laut Diraja Malaysia Azizan Abdul Azis puas terhadap kualitas kapal jenis RIB produksi PT Lundin. Selain kecepatan dan kestabilan kapal, kapal PT Lundin juga menggunakan teknologi mutakhir dalam perangkat global positioning system dan radar. Dengan kecepatan mencapai 100 kilometer per jam dan daya jelajah hingga 250 mil laut, kata Azizan, kapal jenis RIB produksi PT Lundin cocok digunakan sebagai kapal pengawas maupun penyergap perompak. Angkatan Laut Malaysia telah memesan 6 kapal jenis RIB.

Selain memproduksi kapal militer, PT Lundin juga memproduksi kapal-kapal untuk keperluan sipil, seperti kapal untuk olahraga air, tamasya, dan menyelam. Jenis kapal RIB dan Catamaran juga termasuk dalam jenis kapal sipil ini.

Menurut Lizza, kapal-kapal jenis ini sudah terjual hingga Dubai (Uni Emirat Arab) dan sejumlah negara di Eropa. Produksi PT Lundin dilakukan sepenuhnya di Banyuwangi. Lizza menyatakan, sebagian besar dari total 150 karyawannya adalah warga negara Indonesia. (BEN)

(Kompas)

TNI AU Fokus Pada Penggantian 2 Tipe Pesawat Tempur

13 November 2009

Hawk Mk-53 TNI-AU (photo : Kusri H)

TNI AU Usul Ganti Pesawat Tempur

Jakarta, Kompas - TNI Angkatan Udara terus berupaya meningkatkan kemampuan alat utama sistem persenjataan. Salah satunya, TNI AU merencanakan penggantian pesawat tempur Hawk MK-53 dan OV 10 Bronco.

Selain itu, dua pesawat angkut Hercules sedang diperbaiki di Amerika Serikat dan Bandung. Hal itu berarti ada empat pesawat Hercules yang tahun ini diremajakan.

Demikian disampaikan Kepala Staf TNI Angkatan Udara (KSAU) Marsekal Madya Imam Sufaat, Kamis (12/11), seusai upacara serah terima jabatan dari Marsekal Subandrio. ”Kita kirim pesawat ke sana (AS). Kita dapat bantuan sebesar 15 juta dollar dari AS lewat FMS (foreign military sales),” kata Imam.

Panglima TNI Jenderal Djoko Santoso dalam sambutannya sebagai inspektur upacara menggarisbawahi peran TNI AU berkaitan dengan kemampuan serangan dan dukungan udara.

Imam Sufaat menyatakan, walaupun anggaran untuk TNI AU naik pada tahun 2010, pihaknya tetap mendasarkan perencanaan pada kebutuhan pokok minimum.

Sebelumnya, dua pesawat Hercules A-130B diremajakan oleh Singapore Technology Engineering dan berubah kelasnya dari B menjadi H.

Asisten Logistik KSAU Marsekal Muda Imam Wahyudi mengatakan, Hercules yang sedang diperbaiki di AS adalah Hercules A 1323, sedangkan satu lagi diperbaiki di Bandung. Menurut dia, dua pesawat itu mendapat perbaikan yang cukup menyeluruh karena perbaikannya tergolong structure integrated program. ”Kelasnya tidak naik, tetapi ini tergolong perbaikan berat,” katanya.

Selain itu, TNI AU juga mengajukan penggantian pesawat Hawk MK-53 dan OV 10 Bronco. Kedua pesawat tersebut menjadi prioritas dibandingkan dengan F-5. ”Kami sekarang juga masih tunggu tiga Sukhoi,” ungkap Imam Sufaat, yang merupakan lulusan Akabri Bagian Udara tahun 1977. (EDN)

(Kompas)

Boeing Receives Study Contract for Submarine-Tracking Unmanned Aerial System

12 November 2009

ScanEagle UAV (photo : Boeing)

ST. LOUIS, -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on Sept. 28 received a $275,000 contract from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) for a study of the magnetic noise associated with the heavy-fuel propulsion system on Boeing's MagEagle Compressed Carriage (MECC) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The MECC, designed and built to be magnetically quiet, is a special-mission variant of the company's ScanEagle Compressed Carriage UAS.

"MECC's mission is to help locate, track and attack submarines," said Ron Perkins, director of Advanced Unmanned Airborne Systems for Boeing Phantom Works. "This contract is a crucial first step to identify risks associated with a UAS equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector system."

Boeing envisions MECC as an extension of the manned P-8A aircraft's combat systems capability, providing P-8A crews with additional validation and supporting the P-8A in simultaneously conducting both low and high altitude anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and command-and-control intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

Boeing will begin testing the MECC sensor system, vehicle integration and magnetic noise reduction in 2010.

(Boeing)

Australia Seen Delaying JSF Purchase on Budget Fears

12 November 2009

F-35 Lightning II (photo : Qinetiq)

Budget Fear Puts Off Buy-Up of F-35 Jets

THE RAAF's plan to acquire up to 100 F-35 joint strike fighters faces a further delay until next year as budget pressures continue to bear down on the Rudd government.

In a long-awaited decision, cabinet's national security committee was due to sign off on the $16 billion purchase before Christmas.

But defence budget pressures and Defence Department concerns about Australia becoming the lead foreign customer for the initial production models of the F-35 fighter are expected to force a postponement until the new year of a government green light for the acquisition.

The expected delay in the NSC's consideration of the joint strike fighter purchase comes as an annual review undertaken by Pentagon analysts found the F-35 program could cost an additional $16bn and face a two-year slippage unless remedial action was taken.

The F-35 joint strike fighter is a "fifth-generation fighter" earmarked to replace the RAAF's F-111 bombers and the FA 18 fighters from later next decade in what will be Australia's largest defence buy.

Already, the planned acquisition has slipped by at least two years, with the air force not due to get its first operational squadron until 2018-19 at the earliest.

The initial squadron could be trimmed to as few as 14 aircraft as Defence planners struggle to find further savings in the $27bn defence budget.

The current plan is for four operational squadrons each consisting of 24 aircraft.

Further delays in the acquisition will mean the RAAF will extend the planned in-service life of its new FA 18 super hornet fighters well into the 2020s.

The RAAF is still planning to buy two F-35s for test and evaluation purposes about 2014 but this timetable could also slip depending on the government's willingness to commit to the joint strike fighter program next year.

So far, only Britain and The Netherlands have agreed to buy test and evaluation aircraft, but none of the US's key JSF partners has signed up to production aircraft.

In an interview with US defence weekly, DefenseNews, the Pentagon's undersecretary of defence for acquisition, Ashton Carter, said earlier this week the findings of a "joint estimate team" showed some costs increases and schedule slips "which we should do everything we can to avoid."

"Those are forecasts which say what will happen if we don't change what we are doing.

"And we should change what we are doing so that those predictions don't come fully to pass," he said.

Mr Carter said he would convene a major meeting on the F-35 program on November 21-22 with one option likely to involve shortening the planned flight test program for the aircraft.

Defence Materiel Minister Greg Combet remains convinced the F-35 is the best choice for the RAAF's next-generation fighter.

On a visit to Washington last month, Mr Combet came away impressed with the Pentagon's commitment to the multi-billion-dollar F-35 program.

"Tens of billions have already been committed to the program, and the US is determined that it will succeed," Mr Combet said.

(The Australian)