Piranha fish eating a rat pic.twitter.com/Dxzomo8d4h— Nature is Scary (@TheScaryNature) May 10, 2019
Interesting to see the pair of Philippine Navy AW159s delivered. They represent the maritime nation’s first anti-submarine capability, and will be flown from the Navy’s two new frigates due for delivery in 2021/22. I saw the first of the pair at Yeovil last November @alert5 pic.twitter.com/iA3xt1dBOI— Tom Jones (@athetommyj) May 9, 2019
India has finally selected the South Korean-made Hanwha K-30 Biho, designed mainly to protect forward maneuver units. Further official confirmation properly documented is expected.Story here.
Hanwha's K-30 Biho (Flying Tiger) twin 30mm short range, mobile self-propelled anti-aircraft system, manufactured by Hanwha, has been selected by the Indian Army following a competition that included Russia’s Tunguska-M1 which has a range of up to 10 kilometers, and the Pantsir-S1 ‘Greyhound’.
The weapon was developed to meet the operational requirements of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces for a highly mobile short-range air defense system suited to the operational and terrain conditions of the Korean peninsula. It combines an electro-optically guided 30 mm gun system with a surveillance radar system on a K200 chassis. It supplements the K263A1 Chungung, a self-propelled 20 mm Vulcan system. The K30 is primarily built by Hanwha Defense Systems.
The longest acting defense secretary in US history has finally and officially been nominated for the job.Story here.
Patrick Shanahan, a 30-year Boeing executive with no prior government experience before coming to the Pentagon in 2017, will now start preparing to face the music on Capitol Hill, where he has received a pretty mixed reception during his 17 weeks as Acting Defense Secretary.
Since taking over from Jim Mattis on Jan. 1, after the former Marine general resigned due to differences with President Trump over Syria policy, Shanahan has mostly held the line on policies already in place, keeping an emphasis on modernization and the National Defense Strategy released last year.
The nomination comes at a challenging time for the Pentagon as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran and Venezuela, while keeping an eye on a new round of ballistic missile tests in North Korea and scrambling to maintain the US military advantage over China and Russia. Over the past year, Shanahan has also pressed the case for standing up a Space Force, while managing almost 25,000 US troops deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
That is a full plate for any policymaker, but particularly one who had had no relevant foreign policy or military experience since becoming Mattis’ deputy less than two years ago.
Israel Shipyards will unveil a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) design at IMDEX Asia in Singapore – dubbed the OPV-45 – as the company looks to gain further traction in potentially lucrative international markets.Story here.
According to the company, the OPV-45 is designed for a wide range of naval missions and can carry a variety of payloads as required to perform EEZ patrols and infrastructure security taskings, counter-piracy operations and fisheries protection, among others.
The vessel has a length of 45.7m and is capable of a sustained speed in excess of 24kt. For missions that require high-speed interceptions, the OPV-45 can embark a 7m rigid-hull inflatable boat.
The deck space can accommodate two 20ft containers that can be equipped for a variety of missions to enable rapid re-rolling and additional capabilities, with up to 24 crew depending on requirements.
In addition, the vessel can accommodate up to 24 extra people for missions involving special forces, or survivors during search and rescue operations.
Speaking to Shephard, Eitan Zucker, CEO, said that the Asia-Pacific market has ‘a large demand’ for OPVs of various types, with the OPV-45 ‘a very good solution’ for coast guards and law enforcement agencies in the region, as well as for navies with ‘a challenging’ budget.
‘We have discussed with some of them already, and are in a process of offering the required adjustments and “turn-key project” solutions to undisclosed potential customers in the region,’ Zucker explained.
The platform’s versatility enables it to be equally applicable for military and civilian or parapublic agencies, he continued, with multi-disciplinary systems allowing for its ‘easy modification’ and adjustment to each service’s requirements.
Currently, the OPV-45 can be manufactured in around 18 months for the first vessel, with this time decreasing to between 4-6 months for additional vessels. Zucker said that this short construction period makes it possible for customers to get several hulls in a short amount of time.
Zucker said that the OPV-45 sits between the Shaldag patrol vessel and Sa’ar corvette currently in the company’s portfolio, enabling a ‘full and comprehensive solution when it comes to coast, border and EEZ protection in all sea states and weather conditions'.
“I like where the Army’s going [with] the H-60 replacement,” the Marines’ top aviator said here. “We’re going to be partnered, we’re going to stay right on their wing as they begin to accelerate” the medium-sized variant of Future Vertical Lift.Story here.
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“It’s going to replace our H-1s” — the much-upgraded UH-1Y and UH-1Z variants of the Vietnam-era Huey — “in about the 2035 timeframe,” he said. “It would probably be a utility-attack variant that would escort the V-22. Currently today our Cobras — our premiere light attack platform — cannot keep up with the V-22 for escorting it into LZs [landing zones]. We accomplish that with our F-35s,” which are a scarce resource.
Beyond the escort mission, Rudder said, he sees FLRAA operating as a light attack aircraft that combines the speed and range of a fixed-wing turboprop with the versatility of a helicopter, able to operate without a runway from bare-bones Forward Arming & Refueling Points (FARPs) .
Images of the first two operational Z-20s were posted today with full PLA serial numbers. With the numbers LH953201 & LH953205 they are assigned to the 161st Air Assault Brigade within the CTC. pic.twitter.com/61LwEQ9XFE— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) May 9, 2019
In April 2019, the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) received four Korean Amphibious Assault Vehicles (KAAV), an amount that constitutes half the PHP2.423 billion ($52.6 million) order that Manila placed in 2015.Story here.
The KAAVs were built under license by Hanwha Techwin in South Korea, and the first batch was originally contractually scheduled to be delivered last August, with the second quartet due in December 2018.
Their AAV7A1 hulls were manufactured by BAE Systems in the US, while Hanwha installed components and subsystems. The vehicles delivered to the Philippines were finished in an olive green paint scheme.
To fulfil this order, Hanwha had to restart its production line, and it is believed the delay in delivery related to obtaining requisite license permissions from BAE Systems.
This represents the first time that South Korea has exported the KAAV, although a large number estimated at around 160 were assembled by Samsung Techwin for the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (pictured). However, South Korea donated ten older LVT7A1 vehicles to the Indonesian Marine Corps in November 2009.
#SuperHornet Block III is on schedule to deliver in 2020. With the @USNavy, we have tested next-gen conformal fuel tanks, the advanced cockpit system, and infrared search and track. #SAS2019 pic.twitter.com/UN05igHCiA— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) May 8, 2019
I'm pro diversity— ZUBY: (@ZubyMusic) May 7, 2019
I'm anti forced diversity
I'm pro woman
I'm anti feminism (3rd wave)
I'm pro free speech
I'm anti hate
I'm pro charity
I'm anti forced redistribution
If any of this doesn't make sense to you, then you've been indoctrinated well.
The force on force training in Arrow 19 has started. It's about enhancing the interoperability between Army`s mechanized units and service branches as part of mechanized units´ offensive. The effective and fast execution is vital. #arrow19 #maavoimat pic.twitter.com/ccAXSPyZ7D— Panssariprikaati (@PanssariPR) May 8, 2019
#MQ25 gets a new coat of paint – with a little flight test orange on the side. #SAS2019 pic.twitter.com/C5ZbGrbXO7— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) May 8, 2019
