Hong Kong Seized Singapore's Terrex Armoured Infantry Fighting vehicle

Hong Kong customs officials confiscated nine Terrex armoured infantry fighting vehicles during a routine inspection. The military were being shipped from Taiwan to Singapore. Investigation by Hong Kong is on-going.

scmp.com

cna

Singapore Order H225M and CH-47F

Singapore has ordered Airbus H225M Super Puma as a replacement for its medium lift helicopter fleet and the CH-47F Chinook to partially replace its existing Chinook heavy lift helicopters.

It was previously reported that Singapore delayed a $1 billion procurement program to replace its existing AS332M Super Puma following the fatal crash of a H225 in Norway.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) operates a mix fleet of AS332M Super Puma and CH-47D/SD Chinook.

RSAF CH-47SD Chinook and AS332M Super Puma deployed for Ex Wallaby 2015 in Rockhampton, Australia - Photo from http://cqplanespotting.blogspot.com

todayonline.com

reuters.com

Zhuhai Airshow: China Invests in Jet Engine Development

Aero Engine Corp of China (AECC) was put on public display for the first time at the Zhuhai Airshow. While nothing substantial was on display (not surprising, considering that AECC was only set up in August), it show China's determination to complete the last piece of puzzle in developing world class combat aircraft.

AECC bring together 96,000 employees in more than twenty jet engine companies, repair firms and academic institutes from all over the country. AECC was funded to the tune of 50 billion yuan ($7.40 billion) in registered capital from the State Council, the Beijing government and state-owned aircraft manufacturers.


Wall Street Journal

SCMP

scmp.com\

Indonesia Experiments With X-18 Fire Support Vessel AKA Tank Boats

The head of Technology and Defence Industry Directorate of Indonesian Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Jan Pieter Ate revealed that the Indonesian military has ordered a prototype Fire Support Vessel AKA "Tank Boat" by PT. Pindad an d PT. Lundin Industry.  The prototype will undergo operational test and evaluation (OT&E) before being accepted for production. It is not clear whether the vessel will be operated by which service, the army,navy or the marines.

The X-18 Fire Support Vessel (FSV) will be tested for coastal and riverine operations. The 18m 4-men crew catamaran will be propelled by two waterjets that push the vessel to a maximum speed of 40 knots.

The main armament is a Cockerill 105 mm hig pressure cannon, which is equivalent to the fire power of armoured tank. The main gun is complemented by SAAB's Battle Management System and its Trackfire Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) with a 7.62mm machine gun. The FSV will carry a rigid inflatable boat on the rear deck with room to carry 20 fully equipped troops.

The FSV could operate in shallow water around island chains, riverine deltas and the shallow seas off the coastlines. It 0.8 meter shallow draught and waterjet propulsion allow the FSV to operate in such environment without running aground or fouling its propulsion. A gyro stabilizer system will ensure that the vessel will not be thrusted back by the recoil of the main gun when it is fired. The vessel is expected to bob on the water instead.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reportedly interested in ordering 100 vessels. The project was first reported in 2015.



Asian Defence & Technology

Popularmechanics

China and Malaysia Sign Agreement On Navy Vessels

Malaysia and China have signed an agreement on the joint development of littoral mission ships. According to Hishammuddin, the minister for defence “On November 5, 2016, the Defence Ministry will sign a contract for the procurement of Littoral Mission Ship (LMS) with SASTIND (The State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense of China), which is an important essence of the official visit of the Prime Minister to China by the end of the month,”



CNA

North Korea is Building New Ballistic Missile Submarine: Reports

The North Korea Intellectuals Solidarity (NKIS), a North Korean dissident organization based in Seoul claims that North Korea has been developing a new 3000-ton ballistic missile submarine since 2009. If true, the new submarine will be significantly larger than the 1,650-ton (submerged) Gorae (or sometimes called Sinpo-class because of the location of first sighting) ballistic missile submarine (SSB) currently in service with the Korean People’s Navy (KPN).

The US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University also came to the same conclusion based on its analysis of commercial satellite images. Its published a report on its website, 38 North that "strongly suggests that a naval construction program is underway at North Korea's Sinpo South Shipyard, possibly to build a new submarine," .

Other than the Gorea, the KPN’s submarine fleet consists of around 20 Romeo-class 1,800-ton diesel-electric boats and 40 domestically-built 370-ton Sang-O-class diesel-electric mini-submarines as well as and approximately 10 130-ton Yono-class midget submarines.

Comparison of Submarine Strength - Source: Yonhap News Agency.

straitstimes.com

38north.org

thediplomat.com

Bigger Australian Military Training Areas and Facilities for Singapore

Singapore has been granted 25 years access to Queensland's Townsville Field Training Area and an expanded area in Shoalwater Bay. The number of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops able to train in these areas will increase from 6,600 a year currently to 14,000. SAF troops currently train for six weeks a year at Shoalwater Bay, but this will be extended to 18 weeks for both sites. The Singapore Army is largely made up of conscripts who serve for two years each.  Hence, training is a major preoccupation of the army.

The Townsville site will be used mainly for army and air force training whereas Shoalwater Bay will be available for all three services -army, air force and navy.

Singapore will build new facilities that allow for complex training. These include a brand-new range where weapons, such as long-range artillery and Apache attack helicopters, can conduct live firing exercises. It will also build an urban warfare training facilities with multi-storey buildings.

Singapore and Australia will jointly develop the two training areas, with the Republic committing A$2.25 billion (S$2.38 billion) for the building of the joint military facilities over the next 25 years.
Although Singapore is funding the work, it will remain Australian property and will be mainly used by the Australian Defence Force.

All construction will be conducted through Australian tendering procedures. The master planning process for developing the Townsville site will be conducted over the next two years, with construction expected to start in 2019.

straitstimes.com

Singapore to pay $2bn to use Qld bases

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