29 Maret 2018
HMAS Choules flight deck team conduct flight deck operations during CH-47 first of class flight trials in the Coral Sea. (photo : RAN)
Choules supports First of Class flight trials
Landing Ship Dock HMAS Choules has conducted First of Class Flight Trials for the CH-47F Chinook helicopter marking a significant increase to amphibious capability.
Elements from the Australian Army’s 5th Aviation Regiment and the Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit embarked Choules for the duration of the flight trials.
The CH-47F conducted 206 launches and flew for a total of 66 hours. Observations and measurements of the flights formed the basis for the development of Ship Helicopter Operating Limits, which define the conditions for the safe conduct of CH-47F flying operations in Choules. Many of the flights took place off the coast of Queensland in all types of conditions influenced by wind, sea and swell.
Commanding Officer HMAS Choules, Commander David Graham was pleased with the aircraft.
“The CH-47F is a reliable workhorse with a great reputation for delivering cargo on time and on target.
“I am looking forward to seeing them in Choules on future operations,” Commander Graham said.
The CH-47F Chinook is capable of carrying a large number of passengers and cargo, and the operation will bring about the expansion of operational flexibility within the ADF.
Choules frequently operates with a variety of different helicopters from both Army and Navy, however each type of aircraft is different. Successfully integrating the CH-47F into Choules’ operations required the development of an understanding between embarked aviation elements and ship’s company.
HMAS Choules L100 (photo : Walter Pless)
Aircrewman Corporal Alex McLean enjoyed the process of embarking a new class of aircraft.
“It was great to showcase the CH-47F capability at sea and find out how the aircraft would integrate with Choules,” he said.
“It was also a good opportunity to meet new people across the ADF services and develop working relationships that may come in handy during future combined operational tasking.
“The biggest challenge we faced was conducting a Vertical Replenishment at night. Hovering six feet above a pitching deck using Night Vision Goggles was a difficult and new experience for both the aircrew and Choules’ flight deck team.”
The Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit (AMAFTU) also made a series of observations to provide feedback to Navy on how to make CH-47F operations work safely and effectively.
Lieutenant Commander Angus Hamilton of AMAFTU said conducting First of Class Flight Trials involving the integration of an Army aircraft into the maritime environment was a very complex process with a number of interesting challenges.
“The combined Navy and Army flight test team has brought together the expertise of both the aircraft and maritime aviation operations.
“Additionally, the extensive ship-specific knowledge provided by Choules’ ship’s company, has allowed us to develop an enduring capability for both Choules and the CH-47F,” Lieutenant Commander Hamilton said.
(RAN)
29 Maret 2018
Radar GM-400 miniatur (photo : TUDM)
Bagi memenuhi kekosongan liputan pengawasan radar di Malaysia Timur, dua unit pertahanan udara telah ditubuhkan iaitu Skuadron 340 Bukit Kubong, Labuan dan Skuadron 330 Kota Samarahan, Kuching. Kewujudan skuadron ini berperanan sebagai unit Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) di dalam menjalankan tugas-tugas pengawasan ruang udara Malaysia Timur demi menjaga kedaulatan negara.
Sejarah penubuhan skuadron pertahanan udara di Sarawak telah bermula pada tahun 2000. Pada peringkat awal penubuhan, penempatan sementara Skn 331 telah ditubuhkan di Pangkalan Udara Kuching sebagai sebuah unit Control Reporting Post (CRP). Pada awal penubuhan, Mej Alias bin Hassan TUDM telah dilantik sebagai Ketua Tim pendahulu Skn 331 dan skuadron ini beroperasi menggunakan radar S605H yang diterima dari Skn 340 TUDM Bukit Kubong pada 20 Jan 2000.
Proses pemasangan radar telah dilaksanakan di Pangkalan Udara Kuching dan pada 27 Jan 2000 Skn 331 telah beroperasi secara rasminya. Semua pembaikan serta senggaraan peralatan keseluruhan sistem radar S605H telah diserah serta dipertanggungjawabkan sepenuhnya kepada Bahagian Kejuruteraan, Tim Pendahuluan Skn 331, Pangkalan Udara Kuching.
Radar GM-400 (photo : Thales)
Perkembangan teknologi merupakan aspek yang penting di dalam sistem pertahanan dan Skn 331 juga tidak terlepas dari program permodenan aset sistem pertahanan udara negara. Pada 12 Okt 2010, perkhidmatan sistem radar S605H telah ditamatkan secara rasminya dan sistem radar GM 403 telah mengantikan sistem tersebut. Penubuhan Sistem Pertahanan Udara Nasional (SPUN) dibawah RMK-9 (2006-2010) telah memberi kesan yang positif kepada sistem pertahanan udara negara.
Melalui RMK-9, Kerajaan Malaysia telah meluluskan pelancaran Projek SOC 3, Kuching, Sarawak. Projek SOC 3 terdiri daripada 3 fasa merangkumi kompleks CRC, kawalan keselamatan, mess penempatan dan unit sokongan serta kompleks radar. Melalui Projek SOC 3, perolehan sistem Command & Control (C2) Sentry dan sebuah radar Ground Master 403 (GM 403) telah diperolehi melalui pembekal Thales Raytheon System (TRS) USA/FRA. Perolehan kedua – dua sistem telah ditandatangani pada 31 Jan 08 secara rundingan terus. Kedua-dua sistem C2 Sentry dan radar GM 403 berupaya untuk diintegrasikan dengan beberapa sensor radar TUDM, radar Jabatan Penerbangan Awam Malaysia (JPAM), penerimaan data AFTN (JPAM), Cross Tell MARDIS Skn 340 Bukit Kubong dan Forward Tell ADOC 1 Kuala Lumpur. Dibawah projek ini juga, kerajaan telah meluluskan perolehan radio baru (Rohde & Schwars) melalui syarikat Pembekal Alaf Baru.
Radar GM-400 (photo : Thales)
Selain itu, melalui RMK-9 pihak kerajaan telah meluluskan penyediaan talian data komunikasi radar dan Aerounautical Fixed Telecomunication Network (AFTN) dengan syarikat Telekom Malaysia Bhd. Permohonan dan pengambilan tanah dengan Kerajaan Negeri Sarawak untuk tapak infrastruktur bagi mendirikan Kompleks SOC 3 di Kota Samarahan dan Kompleks Radar TUDM di Gunung Ngili telah bermula pada 27 Mei 07 dan selesai dilaksanakan pada 30 Sep 09. Kontrak penyediaan infrastruktur Fasa 1 telah dimeterai dengan Syarikat Wekajaya Sdn Bhd (WJSB) yang diberi tanggungjawab untuk membangunkan infrastruktur Fasa 1 Kota Samarahan.
Pelbagai cabaran dan rintangan telah dilalui di dalam mendirikan kompleks radar di Gunung Ngili dan ini memaksa pihak TUDM membuat keputusan untuk meletakkan sementara radar GM403 di Kompleks SOC 3 Kota Samarahan. Keputusan ini dibuat bersandarkan kepada keperluan operasi semasa yang mendesak dan pihak TUDM tidak lagi dapat menanggung kelewatan pengoperasian radar GM 403 ini.
Radar GM-400 (photo : Thales)
Pada 17 Mei 12, Sistem SENTRY Command and Control (C2) telah selamat tiba di banggunan Operasi SOC 3. Sistem SENTRY C2 ini merupakan set sistem pembelian kali kedua dimana sistem asal SENTRY C2 ini telah dipasang kekal di Skn 320 PU Kuantan. Sistem SENTRY C2 yang terdapat di bangunan operasi Kompleks SOC 3 Kota Samarahan ini secara rasminya mula beroperasi sepenuhnya pada 20 Feb 13.
Selain itu, Intergrasi data radar, radio, AFTN dan peralatan komunikasi lain menjadikan sistem SENTRY C2 serba lengkap di dalam melaksanakan tugas-tugas pengawasan ruang udara Wilayah Udara Timur. Perolehan peralatan-peralatan yang baru membolehkan SENTRY C2 mengekalkan tahap serviceability 100 peratus dari mula beroperasi sehingga sekarang. Keupayaan sistem SENTRY C2 dan peralatan sokongan yang ada membolehkan Skn 330 melaksanakan pemantauan di Kawasan Tanggungjawab serta mampu terlibat secara langsung sebagai unit Control Reporting Centre (CRC) di dalam eksesais-eksesais yang diadakan di Wilayah Udara II seperti Eksesais Angsa 2014 dan Eksesais PARADISE 2015.
(AirTimes)
29 Maret 2018
The TYpe 001A aircraft carrier ship (photo : wiki)
China's first domestically built carrier, known as the Type 001A, is undergoing preparations for its first sea trial, while discussions about its name show that Chinese people hold high expectations of the carrier's ability to resolve the Taiwan question.
According to the latest online photos from the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) construction site in Liaoning Province, where the carrier was launched and outfitted, the scaffolds on the carrier have been completely removed, and a phased array radar has been installed.
"All the equipment and devices on the carrier are in the joint debugging stage, and the main engine has been powered. In 2018, we will present a surprise to the Chinese people," DSIC Chairman Liu Zheng said, according to a report on cctv.com, the official website of China Central Television, on March 13.
Liu, who is also the general director of construction of the Type 001A and a member of the National People's Congress (NPC), made the comments to cctv.com when he was attending the Two Sessions.
"This all proves that the Type 001A is getting ready for its first sea trial, and the exact timing will depend on factors like the weather and sea conditions. April 23 is Navy Day, the founding day of the PLA Navy [April 23 1949], so this might also be taken into consideration," Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"After the sea trial, which normally takes about 6-12 months, it will be ready for delivery to the PLA Navy, so it's very likely we will see the carrier enlisted by the end of 2018," said Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator.
Full speed
The Type 001A was launched in Dalian on April 26 2017, three days after Navy Day, and the outfitting work only took about one year.
The speed with which the Type 001A was built was the fastest in the history of aircraft carrier construction, as it only took two years from the laying of the foundation in the shipyard to its launch, and more importantly, everything from the ship's body to its devices is domestically built, Liu said.
"The quality of our construction is also world-class. For example, the world-class standard for the flatness of the flight deck is not more than 4 percent, and we made it lower than 3 percent," Liu noted.
All in the name
During the Two Sessions, Yuan Maorong, an NPC deputy from Taizhou city, East China's Zhejiang Province, suggested naming the carrier "Wei Wen", after a military general from the Three Kingdoms period (AD 184/220-280) who was the first man in history to arrive at Taiwan, according to cctv.com on March 13.
Yuan said naming the carrier Wei Wen would show the historical fact of Taiwan being an integral part of China, and push the development of Cross-Straits relations.
The discussion of how the ship should be named has also been spreading in social media. Many Chinese netizens suggested simply naming the carrier "Taiwan," while others suggested naming it "Shi Lang", an admiral who recaptured Taiwan for the Qing Dynasty.
"This displays the high expectations among the Chinese people over solving the Taiwan question, because they want the country to use the first domestically built aircraft carrier as a symbol to announce its determination and ability to achieve this aim, and also send a tough warning signal to the secessionists in Taiwan," Li noted.
However, the carrier is not targeting Taiwan, according to a military expert from a Beijing-based military academy who requested anonymity. He explained that if Beijing decided to use military measures to solve the Taiwan question, the PLA is fully capable of doing so without an aircraft carrier, and Type 001A was made for a greater purpose.
"The PLA Navy has regulations for naming large vessels like aircraft carriers, which generally use the names of provinces and municipalities," Song said.
"Liaoning is primarily a platform for training personnel and collecting data through testing, while Type 001A is China's first carrier made for combat missions, so its name could be more special. It's impossible to name it with a person's name, for only vessels used for scientific research can use a person's name in China," said the anonymous military expert.
(Global Times)
28 Maret 2018
Leonardo AWHERO (photo : Leonardo)
Leonardo is showcasing its AWHERO rotary UAS to national and local authorities in Australia through 30 March, the company announced on 22 March.
The company is positioning the 200kg category remotely piloted aircraft is a solution for a number of Australian requirements supporting law enforcement, defence and border control programmes. It can also be used for missions including homeland security, pipeline and powerline monitoring, monitoring the environment and critical infrastructure as well as supporting rescue efforts, disaster relief and damage assessment during natural disasters.
AWHERO has a maximum gross weight of 205kg and a useful load of 85kg. The UAS has a maximum endurance of over six hours and is designed to deliver high maintainability and low operating costs, with multiple redundancies of all main critical systems.
The UAS’ payload options include radar, electro-optics, LiDAR and advanced communication systems.
To carry out maritime missions, AWHERO integrates a deck sensor and autopilot modes developed specially to permit landing and take-off from ships.
(Shephard)
28 Maret 2018
Oplot-T tank (photo : Ukrobonprom)
The contract for supplying the main battle tanks "Oplot-T" to the Kingdom of Thailand – is successfully fulfilled. The batch of combat vehicles successfully passed the test in the presence of customers and will soon be sent to the Kingdom of Thailand. This was announced by the Director General of the SC "UkrOboronProm" Pavlo Bukin after the tests.
"The contract was fulfilled despite Russia’s unfair competition and military aggression. We are grateful to our strategic partners from Thailand for a wise understanding of the problems, faced by Ukraine and for their confidence that Ukraine is capable of overcoming the artificial obstacles, raised in our relationship," said Pavlo Bukin.
According to him, "Thai contract" implementation allowed Ukraine to receive currency revenues to the budget and load the production capacities of UKROBORONPROM (UOP) enterprises.
"Having fulfilled the export contract with Thailand, the State Concern aims for the production of tanks for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The "Oplot" tank – passed into service in 2009 – requires renovation of some components, as important technological innovations emerged during this time. At the same time, the Armed Forces and UOP enterprises gained experience in operating the military equipment in the ATO zone. We are ready to integrate into the "Oplot” tanks for the Ukrainian Army technology, developed as a result of combat experience: We are talking about advanced digital equipment, in particular – the sighting complex and fire control system", – said Pavlo Bukin.
He informed that works on new "Oplot" tanks are being carried out in accordance with research and development works that are being currently coordinated with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. These works also include a significant T-64 upgrade – operated in the Ukrainian Army – for unification with the "Oplot" tanks.
The achieved level of fit out will be further applied for T-64 main battle tanks modernization. Such unification will significantly reduce “Oplot” production cost and reduce the cost of T-64 modernization.
UOP State Enterprise "Malyshev Plant" carried out the works on tanks manufacturing. Implementation of this contract allowed Ukraine to receive inflow of foreign currency to the budget and load production facilities of the enterprise.
(Ukroboronprom)
28 Maret 2018
Howitzer LG1/105mm Korps Marinir (photo : vidio)
Kunjungan Danpussenarmed di Yonarmed 11 Kostrad
(Penkostrad. Selasa 27 Maret 2018). Danpussenarmed Kodiklatad Brigjen TNI Dwi Jati Utomo, S.IP., M.Tr. (Han) mengunjungi Mako Yonarmed 11/76/GG/1/2 Kostrad di Magelang dalam rangka Asistensi dan Inspeksi Danpussenarmed Kodiklatad beserta rombongan, Senin (26/03).
Pada kunjungan kerja tersebut Danpussenarmed beserta istri didampingi oleh Dirbindok Pussenarmed Kolonel Arm Joko Tri beserta istri, Dirbindik Pussenarmed Kolonel Arm Ari Estefanus, Sos., M.Sc. beserta istri, Dirbinlitbang Pussenarmed Kolonel Arm Saripuddin, S.sos., M.Si. beserta istri dan Danmenarmed 1/PY/2 Kostrad Letkol Arm Rama Hendarto Budhiyanto beserta istri.
Di Mako Yonarmed 11/76/GG/1/2 Kostrad, rombongan Danpussenarmed disambut oleh Komandan Batalyon Armed 11/76/GG/1/2 Kostrad Mayor Arm Siswo Budiarto, S.I.P., M.M. beserta seluruh jajaran Perwira dan dilanjutkan foto bersama di depan Relief Mako Yonarmed 11/76/GG/1/2 Kostrad.
Dalam kunjungan tersebut, Danpussenarmed berkesempatan memberikan pengarahan kepada seluruh prajurit Yonarmed 11/76/GG/1/2 Kostrad. Dalam arahannya Danpussenarmed menyampaikan, bahwa insan prajurit Armed harus senantiasa memiliki mental dan kepribadian yang baik, memahami dan menguasai pengetahuan kecabangan Armed dengan baik.
Selain itu Brigadir Jenderal TNI Dwi Jati Utomo, S.IP., M.Tr. (Han) menyampaikan, dengan berkembangnya zaman yang modern akan direncanakan pergantian Alutsista yang lama yaitu Meriam 76 MM/Gunung dengan yang baru Meriam 105/LG1 buatan Meksiko dengan jarak capai sekitar 10 Km, yang nantinya untuk memback up satuan Batalyon Para Raider.
Danpussenarmed mengungkapkan, mengingat persenjataan Armed semakin canggih dan modern, maka perlu diadakan revisi pembinaan fungsi Armed ke depannya dengan cara meningkatkan ilmu pengetahuan, meningkatkan kualitas SDM dan tetap memiliki ketangguhan diri.
Usai memberikan pengarahan, Danpussenarmed beserta rombongan berkesempatan meninjau pangkalan dan Alutsista yaitu Meriam 76/Gunung buatan Yugoslavia serta peninjauan lahan “Ketahanan Pangan” tanaman Edamame (Kedelai Jepang) satuan Yonarmed 11/76/GG/1/2 Kostrad di Dsn. Sanggrahan Ds. Kebonagung Kec. Bandongan Kab. Magelang.
(Kostrad)
27 Maret 2018
Schiebel Campcopter S-100 (photo : Schiebel)
Vienna – Schiebel has successfully demonstrated the heavy fuel variant of the CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) as part of its customer acceptance program with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Under the directive of the Navy Minor Project (NMP) 1942 to procure a vertical takeoff and landing Maritime Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System – Interim Capability (MTUASIC), RAN sought a platform for shipborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). Selected for its maturity and demonstrated capability, Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER® S-100 UAS successfully completed its flying program for the RAN validation and verification customer acceptance program at the Jervis Bay Airfield facilities in New South Wales, Australia.
In a comprehensive series of tests, the JP-5 (NATO F-44) heavy fuel powered CAMCOPTER® S-100, equipped with a Wescam MX-10S payload and at operational ranges of up to 60 nautical miles as well as altitudes above 10 000 feet, presented its ability to deliver world-class imagery to commanders.
As the RAN Contract Manager Kevin Beare noted, “The heavy fuel variant of the S-100 has performed very well during the validation and verification program and the RAN looks forward to utilising this platform to achieve NMP1942 project objectives over the coming years.”
“The S-100 will prove to be an effective asset in enhancing the Navy’s ISR capabilities,” said Hans Georg Schiebel, Chairman of the Schiebel Group. “We are excited about the positive feedback we are receiving from RAN and are looking forward to continued cooperation in the future.”
(Schiebel)
