TUDM Personnel Attend Training at Megamas

03 November 2010

HUET -helicopter underwater escape training (photo : flyingfishonline)

A group of personnel from Tentera Udara DiRaja Malaysia (TUDM) recently attended a three-day Sea Survival training at Megamas.

The training included Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET), Emergency Breathing System (EBS), and Underwater Patient Extraction (UPET).

Megamas carries out military training for both the Royal Brunei and Royal Malaysian Armed Forces in Borneo.

This is the 7th year that Megamas has been conducting such military training for the RMAF; including the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) under the Mindef MoU.

(Borneo Bulletin)

$17 Million for Refit 2 Amphibian Warships

03 November 2010

HMAS Manoora a 8.500 ton Landing Platform Amphibious (photo : westernadvance)

Rusting warships HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Manoora will sail again after refit: navy

TWO ageing navy warships undergoing an unscheduled $17 million refit in Sydney will be put to sea again, the navy says.

However both will be retired by the time the Royal Australian Navy gets two new helicopter carriers, a navy spokesman said today.

HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Manoora, two rusting 8500 tonne warships bought at knockdown prices from the US navy in early 1990s, were pulled out of service last month for emergency repairs.

An emailed reply from Defence to queries from The Australian about the repairs mistakenly included an internal department memo describing the refit as a “sensitive issue”.

Both 40-year-old warships are now anchored at Sydney's Garden Island dockyard undergoing an unscheduled $17 million refit to fix problems officially described as ranging from “minor to major”.

Both vessels will be seaworthy and ready for operations “early next year,” said a navy spokesman, denying the ships would never put to sea again.

Both ships are suffering extensive corrosion, a problem which first surfaced in the mid-90s during their conversion to amphibious transports - additional work which added tens of millions of dollars to the refit cost.

Corrosion has again been cited as one of the latest maintenance concerns.

HMAS Kanimbla, both HMAS and HMAS Manoora are formerly USNavy's Newport class Landing Ship Tank (photo : Militaryphotos)

“They will go back to sea. Yes, they are old and need some fixing - but in an emergency they could go to sea now.

“They are in a state that needs repair but we (navy) work them hard,” the spokesman said.

Apart from rust removal, the extensive refit includes work on the ship's engines, propulsion and fuel systems, power plant, air conditioning, desalinator and deck crane.

It's understood the warships will be paid off when two new 27,000 tonne Canberra class amphibious assault ships are commissioned in 2014/15.

Appearing before a Senate estimates committee a fortnight ago, navy chief Vice Admiral Russ Crane confirmed one of the Kanimbla class ships would be paid off in 2012 and its sister ship in 2014.

He said a “masthead to keel” inspection was underway by navy surveyors to assess any further structural issues.

(The Australian)

Air Force: 4 New Trainer Planes from Italy to Boost Pilot Training

03 November 2010

SF-260 trainer aircraft for PAF (photo : Aerotech)

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday expressed confidence that the scheduled arrival of four new trainer planes from Italy will boost the training of its pilots.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Miguel Ernesto Okol said the four SF-260 trainer planes, which are expected to arrive by Thursday, are part of the 18 basic trainer aircraft purchased by the Philippine government for P621.67 million from Agusta, an Italian aircraft manufacturer.

"The arrival of the four SF-260 Marchetti planes will boost the training capability of the Air Force and ease the backlog of students required to undergo flying exercises," Okol said.

Currently, the Air Force lacks training aircraft, with at least 150 to 170 Air Force officers forced to wait in line for an actual training to fly an aircraft.

The SF-260 was originally manufactured by SAIA Marchetti, which was later purchased by Agusta and Alenia Aermacchi, both Italian firms.

The remaining 14 SF-260 planes will be delivered to the Philippine in the first quarter of 2011.

The 18-plane package deal, bought through the AFP modernization program, already includes spare parts, training and integrated logistical support, Okol said.

In 2009, the Philippines acquired from South Korea 15 T-41 aircraft, which along with SF-260 are used by trainees of the Philippine Air Force Flying School in their primary and basic flight training.

The propeller-driven SF-260 offers "flight characteristics and performance levels that allow effective pilot candidates screening early in the program and minimizes the costs incurred when students wash out on jets or complex turboprops," Okol explained.

The SF-260 is currently used various military institutions, civil professional flying schools, and private operators worldwide.

(GMA News)

New Zealand Defence White Paper Launched

02 November 2010

Royal New Zealand Navy personnel in an ANZAC frigate operations room (photo : NZ DoD)

WELLINGTON (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Tuesday launched the Defence White Paper, the first comprehensive defence review in 13 years.

"This delivers on a promise we made prior to the 2008 election and provides a framework for reform, particularly how we can get the best value for money from our defence budget," Key said.

More frontline soldiers, sailors and airmen are the key to New Zealand's defence future but there is not much in extra money, a defence white paper has revealed Tuesday.

The long-awaited New Zealand Defence Force white paper says there will be more investment in front-line personnel for all three branches of the military as many uniformed personnel are freed from roles to be taken over by an increasing number of civilians working within the military.

Defence Minister Dr. Wayne Mapp said the last white paper was 13 years ago and the world had changed considerably since then.

On the quarterdeck of the multi-role ship HMNZS Canterbury at the Devonport naval base in Auckland, he said the white paper outlined the Government's defence objectives for the next 25 years.

While New Zealand was unlikely to face a direct military threat, there were growing pressures on maritime resources and an increased possibility of illegal migration, he said.

"The outlook for the South Pacific is one of fragility."

While the focus would be on the South Pacific it did not mean New Zealand would do less elsewhere.

The combat effectiveness of the army would be enhanced and the navy's two Anzac frigates would be upgraded to ensure they could continue to work effectively with New Zealand defence partners, he said. Short-range search and rescue aircraft would be introduced to free up the costly Orion maritime surveillance aircraft for other core duties.

More elite troops would be added to the Special Air Services to reduce the strain on an internationally recognized force in considerable demand.

Mapp said changes in the distribution of resources within the defence force would free up to 300 million NZ dollars (228 million U.S. dollars) a year for more front-line capabilities.

The army would be restructured to increase its combat capability so that up to 800 soldiers could be sent offshore every year for three years in six-monthly rotations.

(Xinhua)

Full white paper: Defence_White_Paper_2010.pdf

Production of K2 Tank to Start Soon

02 November 2010

K2 Black Panther MBT (photo : Korea Times)

The production of the homegrown K2 Black Panther main battle tank will begin soon after a one-year delay due to a problem with the tank’s “power pack” transmission system, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Monday.

A set of field tests have shown that the domestically-built power pack, which is comprised of a 1,500-horsepower, 12-cylinder diesel engine and transmission, is now good to go, a DAPA official said.

“We’ve been informed that all the minor glitches of the K2 power pack have been taken care of and now there are no problems,” the official said. “We’ll sign a production deal with manufacturers concerned as soon as possible.” The advanced battle tank will be operational for use by the Army by the end of next year at the earliest, he said.

Originally, the production of some 390 K2 tanks was scheduled to begin early this year to replace the Army’s K1 tanks and its aging M48 Patton tanks.

Unveiled in 2007, the K2, developed by the state-funded Agency for Defense Development and Hyundai Rotem, is a major defense product to fulfill domestic needs and sales overseas. The K2 technology was exported to Turkey years ago.

The K2 carries a three-person crew supported by an auto-loading system, and a locally-developed 120-millimeter/55-caliber stabilized smoothbore gun. The fully-digitalized vehicle has an electric gun/turret driving system, automatic sensor input and power monitoring and control system.

Its 1,500-horsepower engine can power the tank to 70 kilometers per hour on paved roads and 50 kilometers off-road. It can cross rivers as deep as 4.1 meters, a considerable improvement over the K1 and K1A1, and fire as soon as it resurfaces.

(Korea Times)

Australian Army Has Been Equipped with a New Virtual Training

01 November 2010

Virtual training program (photo : SkyNews)

The Australian army has been putting a new high-tech weapon through its paces in Adelaide.

The weapon, a virtual program, allows troops to train in foreign countries, before they've even arrived.

A virtual representation of the ground and it's surroundings gives soldiers a first-hand look at the environment all with a click of a button from the safety of their base in Australia.

In what looks like video game, it couldn't further from the truth.

Soldiers can operate in a virtual world says Lt Cameron McDougall from the Royal tasmanian Regiment.

'We've got all the same vehicles, the same equipment, the same weapons, everything we would have in reality,' Lt McDougall said.

It allows an interactive experience with police and locals on the ground, skills needed for a five month peacekeeping mission.

(BigPondsNews)

Thai Starts Testing Chaiseri 4x4 Tactical Vehicle

01 November 2010

First Win 4x4 (all photos : TAF)

First Win as Chaiseri 4x4 tactical vehicle was first introduced to the public on Defense & Security 2009 event.

Research and development funded by the company, now the vehicle began to undergo tests by the Thai army.

Tests conducted on actual terrain in Kanchanaburi.

(TAF)