Slitherine

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The Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea) Navy announced it has officially opened its new naval base on the southern resort island of Jeju. Jeju island is strategically located in a sea passage connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in the northwest Pacific Ocean. According to the ROK Navy, it took the country 23 years and more than 1 trillion won (US$806 million) to complete construction of the base.

The ROK Navy stressed the new base will dramatically enhance the Navy's ability to counter North Korea's potential provocations at the sea borders both in the west and the east. The new naval compound also has in mind the mission to defend Ieo Island, known as Socotra Rock, a strategically important South Korean submerged rock located nearly 300 km southwest of Jeju. China has previously laid claims to the resource-rich rock, which South Korea controls with the presence of its maritime research center there.

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NHI successfully completed the test campaign of the self-protection suite of the Norwegian NH90. The aircraft NH90 NNWN01 prototype was manned by Finmeccanica Helicopter Division flight test team (Test Pilot Roger Mowbray and Flight Test Engineer Fabrizio Santarossa) and supported by a multi-national, multi-disciplined team from several organisations.

This comprehensive suite encompasses a Radar Warner Receiver (AN/ALQ-211(v)5 from HARRIS) able to detect, locate and identify any radar guided threats at long distance around the NH90, a Laser Warning System (AN/AVR-2A(v)1 from Goodrich), a Missile Warning System (AN/AAR-54) from Northrop Grumman) and also a Counter Measures Dispensing System (AN/ALE 47 (H) from BAE).

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Australia unveiled its latest defense white paper, the third one in seven years. The Australian government has announced its plans to spend an additional 29.9 billion Australian Dollars on defence over the next decade. A majority of this investment will be for the Royal Australian Navy, in a move to answer China's military rapid expansion as well as rising tensions in South East Asia.

In summary, the naval part of the new white paper calls for:
» 12 new submarines to replace the existing 6 Collins class SSK (SEA1000 program)
» 9 new anti-submarine frigates to replace the ANZAC (SEA5000 program)
» 3 Hobart class air warfare destroyers (currently under construction)
» 12 new offshore patrol vessels
» Life extension for 4 Huon Class mine hunters and new hydrographic vessels
» 7 additional P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft for a total of 15 MPAs
» 7 high altitude MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft
» 24 MH-60R Seahawk naval combat helicopters (currently being delivered)

This is set to turn the Royal Australian Navy into a naval power to be reckoned with in the region.

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ORIGINAL: Rudd

B-21 it is...
http://www.defensenews.com/story/breaking-news/2016/02/26/b-21-bomber-air-force-lrsb/80976160/

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ORIGINAL: Dysta

One year ago...

http://www.pacificariptide.com/pacifica_riptide/2015/02/chinese-rocket-streaks-across-western-sky.html
http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=109213
http://www.knopnews2.com/weather/headlines/Fireballs-Spotted-over-Western-US-as-Chinese-Rocket-Burns-up-293996261.html
http://www.aerospace.org/cords/reentry-predictions/past-reentries-2015/2014-088b/

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People from Arizona to Canada have reported seeing bright lights in the sky as a Chinese rocket burned up in the atmosphere.

Witnesses described the lights as a group of about three dozen fireballs moving slowly from south to north late Monday. Canadian photographer Neil Zeller says it looked like a cluster of fireballs followed by a long orange tail.

A NASA official told the Salt Lake Tribune the lights were a Chinese rocket booster that broke apart about 11 p.m. Mountain Time.

Calls to NASA from The Associated Press were directed to U.S. Strategic Command, who couldn't immediately confirm what it was.

Mike Hankey with the American Meteor Society says his organization got more than 150 reports of the event from nine Western states and Canada.

From Taiyuan, China to Arizona, USA is over 5500 nautical miles. Since CZ-4B can get their junks over West Coast, we definitely know what would be next if WW3 happens.

http://www.happyzebra.com/distance-calculator/Taiyuan-to-Williams%20(AZ).php

Unfortunately, DF-5 series in CMANO will not make it happens (Even DF-5B have only 4200 nautical miles max range, raining 'rocket debris' to West Coast is still a wet dream for scenario makers).

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ORIGINAL: Hongjian

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ORIGINAL: Dysta

One year ago...

http://www.pacificariptide.com/pacifica_riptide/2015/02/chinese-rocket-streaks-across-western-sky.html
http://spaceweathergallery.com/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=109213
http://www.knopnews2.com/weather/headlines/Fireballs-Spotted-over-Western-US-as-Chinese-Rocket-Burns-up-293996261.html
http://www.aerospace.org/cords/reentry-predictions/past-reentries-2015/2014-088b/

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People from Arizona to Canada have reported seeing bright lights in the sky as a Chinese rocket burned up in the atmosphere.

Witnesses described the lights as a group of about three dozen fireballs moving slowly from south to north late Monday. Canadian photographer Neil Zeller says it looked like a cluster of fireballs followed by a long orange tail.

A NASA official told the Salt Lake Tribune the lights were a Chinese rocket booster that broke apart about 11 p.m. Mountain Time.

Calls to NASA from The Associated Press were directed to U.S. Strategic Command, who couldn't immediately confirm what it was.

Mike Hankey with the American Meteor Society says his organization got more than 150 reports of the event from nine Western states and Canada.

From Taiyuan, China to Arizona, USA is over 5500 nautical miles. Since CZ-4B can get their junks over West Coast, we definitely know what would be next if WW3 happens.

http://www.happyzebra.com/distance-calculator/Taiyuan-to-Williams%20(AZ).php

Unfortunately, DF-5 series in CMANO will not make it happens (Even DF-5B have only 4200 nautical miles max range, raining 'rocket debris' to West Coast is still a wet dream for scenario makers).

Yeah, seriously. The DF-5s range in CMANO is dissapointing. They cant hit CONUS from their Silos in Northeastern China, much unlike they were designed to be.

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ORIGINAL: Dysta

Putting the geopolitical debate aside, 23 years for a naval base??

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We just added a number of updates to Chinese missiles to our update last. We'll get to them soon.

Mike

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The Japanese Minister of Defense should soon launch a new replenishement oiler program to replace the three Towada class replenishment ships. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Towada, Tokiwa and Hamana were ordered in the 1980ies and commissioned in 1987 and 1990.

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Russian military leaders are pondering the feasibility of nuclear-powered submarines with their crews sharply reduced owing to onboard systems automation, a source in defense industry told TASS on Friday. Ships like that - Project 705 and 705K Lira-class (NATO reporting name: Alfa-class) torpedo submarines - used to be built in the Soviet Union. Their high performance were owing to the numerous original solutions they embodied. Their automated nuclear reactor and armament control systems both allowed a crew reduction and yielded a wealth of experience in shipborne electronics development.

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Russian Navy`s Pacific Fleet will deploy four Project 955/955A (NATO reporting name: Borei-class or Dolgorukiy-class) ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) in the 2020s, according to a Russian defense industry source. The source pointed out, that K-550 'Alexander Nevsky' and K-551 'Vladimir Monomakh' submarines would be complemented by two upgraded Borei-class SSBNs (Project 955A).

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The first of two MEKO Frigates built by Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in Kiel was officially commissioned on February 23 2016. The vessel nammed Harrad (meaning Detterent) was launched in early December 2014. Algeria ordered two frigates (with an option for two more) in March 2012. It is reported that Harrad Frigate is due to arrive in Oran in Algeria in May 2016.

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ORIGINAL: Broncepulido


- Can carry up to four underwing L175VU-1, L175VU-2 and L175VSh-1 ECM pods (delivered to operational units from 2015).

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Kuwait has approved the procurement of Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft that was announced in September 2015, the Reuters news agency reported on 1 March.

The national parliament has passed a draft law enabling the advance payment of KWD150 million (USD499 million) for the Typhoons, with the remainder of the USD8.7 billion to be paid later.

Under the deal, 22 single-seat and six twin-seat aircraft will be delivered to Kuwait from Finmeccanica's assembly line at Caselle, Italy, from 2019. These Tranche 3 aircraft will be equipped with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and Kuwait also has the option for the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missile and MBDA Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.

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The French Navy (Marine Nationale) latest Aquitaine class FREMM Frigate Provence conducted an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise with the Royal Malaysian Navy on February 16th and 17th. Provence and the Scorpene class submarine Tun Razak conducted the exercise off the Northern coast of Borneo island in the South China Sea.

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The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) appointed Commander Miho Otani as the commanding officer aboard Asagiri-class destroyer Yamagiri (DD-152) on 29 February 2016. Cmdr. Otani becomes the first woman to command a major surface combatant ship in the JMSDF.

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China has received 20 Russian 76mm AK-176 naval guns in 2008-2015, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute`s (SIPRI) arms transfer database. Russia signed the contract with China to supply 24 AK-176 naval guns to the Asian country in 2004 and the related deliveries were started in 2008. The gun are intended for 24 Type-054A (Jiangkai II) frigates being built by China. As of late 2015, China received 20 AK-176 guns under the aforementioned contract.

In 2007-2012, Russia supplied to China three more AK-176 naval guns for Type-071 (Yuzhao) amphibious transport docks.

China has acquired various Russian-produced naval equipment in large quantities. In 2004 Russia signed the contract with China to supply 96 MR-90 (NATO reporting name: Front Dome) fire control radars to be installed on the Type-054A frigates and to be integrated with the HHQ-16 naval surface-to-air missiles systems. The deliveries of the MR-90s were started in 2008. As of late 2015, the Asian country received 80 such radars, according to the Stockholm Institute.

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GE’s Marine Solutions will provide the LM2500+G4 gas turbine that will power the Italian Navy’s new Pattugliatori Polivalenti d’Altura (PPA) multipurpose offshore patrol ships. The ships’ hybrid electric propulsion system also will use GE’s shock-proof MV3000 drives and a GE-designed electrical network of motors as part of the propulsion system.

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The third of a total of four 125 class frigates for the German Navy was christened “Sachsen-Anhalt” today at the Hamburg site of thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. Following the christening of the first two frigates “Baden-Württemberg” in December 2013 and “Nordrhein-Westfalen” in April 2015 this is a further important milestone in the shipbuilding program for this frigate class. Dr. Gabriele Haseloff, wife of the premier of the state of Saxony-Anhalt after which the frigate has been named, performed the christening ceremony in the presence of high-level representatives from government, the German Navy and the companies involved.

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The naval aviation of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has received an air squadron of eight advanced Sukhoi Su-30SM (NATO reporting name: Flanker-C) multipurpose fighter jets, fleet spokesman Vyacheslav Trukhachyov said on Thursday.

Russia will replace all of its Su-24 Fencer bomber jets operating in the Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula with Su-30SM Flanker multirole fighters by 2020, the head of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Naval Aviation said Thursday.

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The Russian Defense Ministry’s board has discussed establishing a new system for the Navy’s overall support to enhance its efficiency during long autonomous missions. The Defense Ministry’s board has also discussed the construction of modern comprehensive support ships. As Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, the Defense Ministry is setting up a new system to provide logistical support for the Navy.

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The Russian Pacific Fleet’s missile and artillery brigade has formed a battalion armed with the Bastion (NATO reporting name: SSC-5 Stooge) coastal defense missile system, fleet spokesman Roman Martov said on Friday. The battalion has undergone special training with Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to operate Bastion coastal defense missile systems, the spokesman added.

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ORIGINAL: jtoatoktoe

Stennis Strike Group went through some disputed waters in the South China Sea over the last 24 hrs.

http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/03/03/stennis-strike-group-deployed-to-south-china-sea/81270736/

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Indonesia evaluating China’s AF902 FCS/T35mm AA Gun/PL9C air defense system

A senior officer from Indonesia’s Ministry of Defense revealed that the TNI AU is currently evaluating Norinco AF902 FCS/T35mm AA Gun/PL9C Missile Integrated Air Defense System.



Air Vice Marshall Syaugi told Antara news agency that evaluation is part of Indonesian Armed Forces 2015-19 strategic plan to meet the needs of the military.

Syaugi, who was on a working trip to China from Feb. 25 to Mar. 1, added that the Chinese system was comparable to the Oerlikon SkyShield air defense system that is operational with the Indonesian Air Force. It has a range of 4 kilometers and can fire at 550 rounds per minute.

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Shoulder-mounted SkyWall launcher takes aim at illegal drones



From trained eagles to radio beam disabling systems, countermeasures to deal with rogue drones illegally entering sensitive airspace are proliferating almost as fast as drones themselves. British engineering firm OpenWorks' approach to dealing with unmanned aerial interlopers takes the form of a shoulder-mounted launcher that captures errant aircraft in a net from up to 100 m (330 ft) away.

With drones exploding in popularity over the past couple of years, it follows that concern around exactly who is flying them and where is also on the rise. From lurking around the Japanese Prime Minister's office to crash landings on the White House lawn, the potential for malicious or irresponsible use of the technology has inspired some imaginative approaches to ensuring public safety.

Kind of like the drone-hunting drone that we covered earlier this year, the SkyWall launcher is designed to disable unauthorized aircraft by trapping them in a net. The system uses a compressed gas-powered launcher to fire a programmable projectile that deploys a large net at just the right time to net the drone. Once the drone is all wrapped up in the net, an attached parachute then safely brings it back to earth.

The user can take aim at the drone with the help of a so-called SmartScope, which consists of a laser range finder and inertial measurement unit. This calculates both the distance and flight path of the target, and then the trajectory required for a direct hit and informs the user of a target lock via a continuous beep. If the projectile fails to meet its target, the parachute will still deploy and the projectile can be reused.

The SkyWall launcher is man portable and though it appears pretty sophisticated, can apparently be used with minimal training. The entire system weighs 10 kg (22 lb) and can be reloaded in eight seconds. There is no word yet on pricing, but OpenWorks does describe the Skywall as cost-effective, and says it expects to see them in use before the end of the year.

You can see it in action in the video below.

https://youtu.be/6uu4yoi0TqY

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Raytheon's Standard Missile-6, successfully engaged five targets and shattered its previous maximum engagement range record, set in June of 2014. This test series, supported by the Cooperative Engagement Capability, validated the tactical warfighting capability of SM-6, by demonstrating both maximum down range and a maximum cross range intercepts in over-the-horizon, engage-on-remote missions.

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Raytheon Company's Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) successfully engaged a surface target -- the decommissioned USS Reuben James (FFG 57) -- in a recent flight test. The test was a demonstration of the U.S. Navy's concept of "distributed lethality," employing ships in dispersed formations to increase the offensive might of the surface force and enabling future options for the joint force commander. The USS John Paul Jones fired the SM-6 during the test...

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) delivered the "Jinryu" submarine to the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD) today in a ceremony held at the MHI Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works' No.3 pier in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. The Jinryu is the seventh Soryu-class submarine supplied to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and the fourth built by MHI. MHI also built the first Soryu-class submarine, and has produced a total of 26 submarines at the MHI Kobe Shipyard over the last 70 years.

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Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Berhad (BHIC) and the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN or Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia; TLDM) held today the keel laying ceremony of the first Gowind frigate Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as part of the Second Generation Patrol Vessel (SGPV) program.

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According French weekly news magazine L'Obs citing a senior French source, the French Navy (Marine Nationale) would have spotted a Russian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) in the Bay of Biscay, off the French coast in early January. Contacted by L'Obs, the French Ministry of Defence didn't deny the information.

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The US Navy released a video and pictures showing the first ever live-fire tests of the SeaRAM weapon system from an Arleigh Burke class (DDG 51) destroyer. The successful tests were conducted with USS Porter (DDG 78) during Combat Systems Ship Qualifications Trials at El Arenosillo Test Range off the coast of Huelva, Spain.

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ORIGINAL: jtoatoktoe

I'd like to see them combine the Ram Missile and the actual gun for better protection. I'd rather have the backup of hundreds of bullets instead of a 11 cell missile launcher. I guess at the end of the story it does say they'd both be deployed on destroyers. But mount both together and configure the radar system to know how and when to fire each system and you got a pretty damn good close in shield...in theory.