Indonesia to Co-Produce Medium Battle Tanks

Indonesia will be co-producing a number of Medium Battle Tanks with Turkey. The Kaplan MT =, also known as Harimau Hitam in Indonesia is a 35-tonne vehicle armed with a CMI Cockerill 3105 turret and a 105mm low recoil cannon. The gun is complemented by an automatic loader, aiming stabilisation, thermal sights as well as a commander panoramic hunter-killer sight. The tank is protected by modular armour that can provide protection to STANAG 4569 Level 4 (14.5mm armoured piercing and 155mm shrapnel). In term of mobility, it has a top speed of 70km/h and a range of 450km.

DefenseNews

Janes

Update on Indonesia SU-35 Purchase

Indonesia had announced the intention to procure 11 Sukhoi Su-35 'FLANKER E' multi-role fighter aircraft from Russia for USD1.14 billion in 2017. The deal could be sealed for the deliveries of aircraft to start within this year, according to news agency TASS who quoted the Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.

According to Jane's, the contract execution had been delayed, partly by Indonesia's just concluded presidential election and negotiations within the Indonesian government about what commodities will be exported to Moscow as part of the payment.

The deal had to comply with Indonesia's Defence Industry Law which specifies the conditions for defence procurement to include offset benefits. Half of the contract's value will be financed through counter-trade, with Russia expected to take in a list of commodities and goods such as palm oil, rubber, coffee, cocoa, copra, paper, spices, tea, textiles and footwear, processed fish, furniture and machinery.

The Su-35 Flanker-E is the latest variant of the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker-series of heavyweight twin-engine fighter aircraft. It is equipped with two 117S powerful turbofan engines with thrust-vectoring capability. The advance Irbis-E passive electronically-scanned array radar can detect targets up to 400 km away.

Indonesia already operates 5 Su-27SKM, 21 Su-30MKK and 9 Su-30MK2 fighters.

TASS

Janes

Mercury Mine Countermeasure Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

The MERCURY AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) has been customized for mine countermeasure mission (MCM) for the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). The MERCURY has a modular design that can be fitted for different operational requirements. In the MCM role, it has been optimized for underwater surveys and can provide high-quality seabed data. In a collaboration with the defense scientists from the Defence Science Organisation (DSO) and Defence Science Technology Agency (DSTA), the MERCURY has been enhanced with improved endurance and detection capabilities. There is no need to retrieve the AUV for manual data processing. The AUV is able to process sonar images in real time and then transmits the information at pre-set surfacing intervals. The MERCURY AUV is one of the world’s smallest AUVs to be fitted with a sophisticated

High-Frequency Synthetic Aperture Sonar, which can capture high-resolution images of underwater objects in challenging conditions.

The MERCURY AUV is not tethered and carries out its missions autonomously. This allows it to cover a much larger area, go deeper or operate at a longer standoff range from the launch vessel.  Multiple vehicles can also be operated cooperatively for better operational effectiveness. The AUV is easily deployed from shore or any Craft of Opportunity without the need for specialized handling equipment. 

ST Engineering

Pioneer Magazine

China Tests Massive Conventional Bomb

China tests its version of the the USAF's "MOAB" ("Mother of All Bombs"). The little details known are based on a report by the Global Times which analysed a publicity video from NORINCO. The weapon was dropped from a H-6 bomber. The weapon made by NORINCO is between five metres to six metres long. The American GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast is slightly more than nine metres long and pack 8,500kg/ 18000lbs of explosive that is equivalent to 11,000 ton of TNT.

The Straits Times

Global Times

Wikipedia

NORINCO

Singapore Operationalised SPYDER Air Defence Missile System

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) replaced its 30-years old Rapier air defence system with the Surface-to-air PYthon-5 and DERby (SPYDER) ground based air defence system beginning in 2011. The system was declared fully operational in July 2018.

Singapore has a multi-layered networked island-wide networked  Island Air Defence (IAD) system. The IAD system integrates sensors, weapon systems as well as the command and control systems.

 The SPYDER is an improvement on the Rapier system as it is able to intercept not just aircraft but also missiles and projectiles. The all-weather SPYDER can intercept aerial threats at more than twice the range and three times the altitude of the Rapier, while engaging multiple targets at the same time. The SPYDER system is also more manpower-efficient. It only takes four men 15 minutes to deploy a SPYDER – a vast improvement from the one hour needed for 15 men to deploy the Rapier.


MINDEF

New Zealand Buy P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft

New Zealand has agreed to a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) buy of four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the United States Government.

The aircraft will replace the Royal New Zealand Air Force's (RNZAF) six aging P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft that have been in operation since the 1960s. The current Orion fleet is expected to each the end of their operational life in 2025. The new aircraft, training systems and associated infrastructure will cost a total of $2.346 billion. The aircraft will be delivered and begin operations from 2023.

beehive.govt.nz

Philippine Navy's Submarine Ambition

The Philippine Navy (PN) has advanced its plan to operate diesel-electric submarine from the 2023-2027 time frame to 2018 - 2022. The PN is discussing with the Russian Navy on possible collaboration on submarine training, operation and maintenance. Russia has expressed willingness to provide the PN with two "Kilo"-class diesel electric submarines.  This design is already more than 30 year old although there is an improved Kilo design (Project 636).  A newer design is the yet un-ordered Amur.

philstar.com