EU Warships Start Operation Sophia - Anti-Migrant Smuggling Patrols

In a deployment that highlighted the equipment mismatch of many militaries for OOTW (Operations Other Than War), six warships were sent to tackle migrant traffickers.

This is not the first time that a large scale mission by navy warships was used to tackle the tide of migrant boats to Europe. A Italian Navy flotilla supported by a Slovenia navy ship deployed for Operation Mare Nostrum off the coast of Libya in 2013. The search and rescue mission assisted more 150,000 migrants to reach Europe safely.

In the latest operation, codenamed Operation Sophia, the six naval warships will have the power to stop, board, seize and destroy traffickers' boats in international waters.  The warships comprises of an Italian aircraft carrier, a French frigate and one British, one Spanish and two German vessels.

Operation Sophia was preceded by EUnavfor Med Phase 1. EUNAVFOR Med Phase 2 was renamed "Sophia" after the name given to the baby girl born on a German warship which rescued her Somali mother on 22 August 2015 off the coast of Libya. Operation Sophia is aimed at disrupting the operation and business model of human smuggling networks in the Mediterranean.

Photo: Courtesy of Council of European Union

CNA

Marina Militarie

EUnavfor-med

Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise

The navies of the United States, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand are participating in the annual, multilateral Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise. The Bangladesh Navy will be participating as observers. This year’s exercise, staged from Singapore's Changi Naval Base from 5 to 9 October 2015, marks the 14th in the series.

The exercise participants will receive simulated reports of suspicious activities in the Straits of Singapore, the Straits of Malacca, the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea in order to practise simulated response drills.

The U.S. ships and aircraft participating in the exercise include USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE-6, a dry cargo ship), USNS Safeguard (T-ARS-50, a rescue and salvage ship), a P-8A Poseidon and a P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Participating in SEACAT for the first time is the joint high-speed vessel, USNS Millinocket, an Expeditionary Fast Transport.



USNS Millinocket in Vietnam, earlier in August. U.S. NAVY


The Exercise SEACAT series started in 2002 with the aim of enhancing maritime cooperation. Participating navies share information and  coordinate maritime security responses to scenarios such as piracy and maritime terrorism. The Republic of Singapore Navy's Changi Command and Control Centre (CC2C) at Changi Naval Base is the key infrastructure facilitating such cooperation.

The CC2C is specially equipped for information-sharing with various secured and open information networks.  The CC2C houses the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) which was inaugurated on 27 Apr 2009. The information-sharing systems include the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS), Regional Maritime Information Exchange (ReMIX), the Malacca Strait Patrols Information System (MSP-IS) and other sense-making systems. Navies from regional groupings such as the WPNS and Malacca Straits Patrols were invited to attach International Liaison Officers (ILOs) to the IFC. These ILOs play an important role as they facilitate information sharing and better coordination when responding to maritime threats.

Last month, a Singapore warship disrupted a sea robbery on a Malaysian tugboat in the Straits of Singapore.  The sea robbers attempted to evade arrest by speeding into Indonesian territorial water. The IFC officers were able to coordinate responses with the Indonesian Navy's Western Fleet Sea Security Group and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Both countries deployed their naval assets to search for the robbers. Three robbers were subsequently arrested and the stolen cargo was recovered. This incident highlighted the close cooperation between the regional navies and maritime enforcement agencies as well as the utility of the IFC.



America's Navy

Pacific Fleet

MINDEF

Maritime Executive

Naval Today

Stripes

The Straits Times

The Diplomat

S-400 Surface to Air Missile System

Sputnik News

Sukhoi Su-34 'Fullback'

The Su-34 'Fullback' started life as the Su-27IB, a developmental fighter bomber in the mould of the F-111 but without the swing-wing. Sukhoi Design Bureau adopted the same side by side sitting arrangement as General Dynamic's F-111. However, the design probably is influenced by the Su-24 'Fencer', a F-111 look alike.

The Su-27IB has evolved into the potent Su-34, which entered Russian service in 2014. The Su-34 tasted first blood when it conducted air strikes against opponents of Syria's Assad regime.





Sputnik News

PAF Su-35 vs IAF Su-35?

The Pakistan Air Force is looking to Russia for longer range heavy fighters to complement its recent acquisition of JF-17.  RIA Novosti news agency quoted Assistant of the President, Vladimir Kozhin, that Russia will sell Mi-35M attack helicopters and Su-35 combat aircraft to Pakistan.

In March, Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain announced the expansion of military-tie with Russia with the purchase of Mi-35 gunships. The contract for four Mi-35M  attack helicopters was signed in August with Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.  Discussion for 10 - 12 more Mi-35M is on-going. The  Mi-35M (NATO Designation Hind-E) is an upgraded export version of the Mi-24V attack helicopter.

With the Rafale talks dragging, India is also turning its eye to Russia. India is reportedly interested in the Su-35. With the keen rivalry between the two neighbours, it is interesting that Russia is supplying arms to both sides.

Russia and India Report

Defense News Asia

Soha News

Sputnik News

NIE 16.1 - Remote Controlled Weapon System for Augmenting Perimeter Security

US Army

Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) is the Army's soldier-led evaluations of various concept and technologies. NIE 16.1 is held at Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, from Sept. 25 through Oct. 8, 2015. NIE 16.1 is special because it is also the final proof of concept for Army Warfighting Assessments (AWAs) on informing network and non-network requirements to support Force 2025 and Beyond.  AWAs are large-scale exercises that will commence in in 2017.

New technologies evaluated during NIE 16.1 include coalition network capabilities, expeditionary command posts, operational energy capabilities, and manned/unmanned teaming (air and ground robotics). The video shows a remotely controlled weapon system deployed on a tower for security perimeter of an expeditionary camp. The system can be fired from inside the command post using a camera sight.

With a network of weaponized towers guarding the perimeter, a commander can afford to have more soldiers deployed for operations and other duties. Two soldiers inside the camp's operation center can effectively guard the camp perimeter, a task that previously require ten soldiers.

Defense- Aerospace

US Army

Carbon Fiber Bomb Approved for Export

The United States Air Force is interested in restarting the production of BLU-129/B, a bomb made of carbon fiber that is designed to cause less collateral damage. The production run will cater for USAF requirement and for export customer already cleared for JDAM.

The 227kg (500lb) bomb unit can be mated to JDAM tail kits and other weapon tailkits that interface with the standard 500lb bomb body shape.

The BLU-129/B Precision Lethality 227kg (500lb) MK82 was funded as a Quick Reaction Capability acquisition program in response to a United States Central Command's Joint Urgent Operational Need for a low collateral damage weapon. Also known as the Very Low Collateral Damage Weapon (VLCDW). It is more commonly referred to as a Precision Lethality Mk 82, or PL Mk 82. The BLU-129/B uses carbon-fiber-wound construction for the warhead casing instead of steel casing.  The carbon-fiber-wound bomb body would disintegrates instead of fragmenting, which adds explosive force nearby, but lowers collateral damage.


US Air Force

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Flight Global

Materials Today