After China now India launches first its own GPS satellite - IRNSS-1A

 

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) which has been involved in over 100 missions for the first time in its 50 years old history launched a satellite in the night on Monday from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

At 11.41 pm, the rocket - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C22 - standing around 44 metres tall and weighing around 320 tonnes roared into space turning the dark skies bright orange.
Scientists at Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) rocket mission control room are intently watching the rocket's progress towards the sky escaping the earth's gravitational pull with one way ticket.

ISRO officials are hoping that the agency's crucial space mission will turn out to be a grand success.
The PSLV-C22 rocket is expected to spit out its only luggage - the 1,425 kg IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System)-1A.
The entire flight sequence - lift-off to the satellite ejection - took around 20 minutes.The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV- C22 blasted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota with the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS-1A) it is for the first time that the space agency has launched a satellite at night.

The IRNSS-1A is the first dedicated Indian Navigation Satellite. In total seven satellites of the IRNSS constellation will be launched and the full constellation will be up during 2014 timeframe.

According to ISRO, the IRNSS is designed to provide accurate position information service for terrestrial (cars, goods transport, buses) aerial (flights) and maritime (shipping) navigation for users in India as well as neighbouring regions extending up to 1,500 km from India's borders/boundaries, which will be its primary service area.  The IRNSS will provide two types of services: Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for all users; and Restricted Service (RS), an encrypted service provided only to authorised users.

First IAF C-17 Arrives At Indian Base

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has contracted for ten C-17 airlifters for $4.12 billion, which will make the IAF the largest C-17 operator other than the US Air Force which operates 224 of these airlifters. Boeing is required to deliver the first five C-17s this year, and the remaining five in 2014.

The IAF is pushing for an additional six C-17s, which would provide a lifeline to the C-17 production line at Long Beach, California, which creates some 5000 jobs at Long Beach and another 17,000 elsewhere in the US. According to current plans that line will be shut down by end-2014 after building India’s ten C-17s and the US Air Force’s last seven aircraft.

Adventure Training Badges Insignias Pakistan Army

Datuk Raja Mohamed Affandi is Malaysian Army Chief from today

 

  KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Datuk Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor, 56, has been appointed Malaysian Army Chief effective Friday.
    Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussien Raja Mohamed Affandi, 56, made the announcement during a ceremony held at the Wisma Pertahanan here in Kuala Lumpur.
    Raja Mohamed Affandi was promoted to full General during the ceremony.  He replaces Tan Sri Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, 52, who has been appointed as vice-chancellor of Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) effective Saturday. 

SOCOM Wants Iron-Man Suits for the A Teams

The US Special Operations Command is looking for revolutionary new gear assisting troops in exceeding human performance in combat. The idea sounds similar to a science fiction tale, but if the command will be successful in its quest – this time it may be real. The command has posted a request for information (RFI) to government research centers, academy and industry, to provide information that could contribute to the evolution of the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS.

 The kit will be applied as part of a futuristic uniform suit, using powered exoskeleton providing the wearer superhuman strength or ultra protection with full-body ballistic armor. Using wide-area networking, wearable computers and antennae, operators will have more situational awareness, through bionic visual and aural sensing. Other technologies that could be implemented include non-visual means of information display, including the utilization of cognitive thoughts and immersive displays depicting personalized information over the surrounding environment. health and medical monitoring features could employ embedded monitoring, oxygen supply systems, wound stasis and electromechanical compensation. Thermal and Energy generation and management are also likely to be explored.

Chinese PLAAF J-20 at dusk

Make sure you note the radar characteristics of this copycat stealth technology....there must be something which gives the location of the aircraft away......

Maybe be the aircraft location is known when the pilot switches on the radio/radar?  Or that technology too has been copied from the F-22 ?

South Korea plans to purchase US weapons worth $1b

Seoul has notified Washington of its intention to purchase weapons systems worth US$800 million (S$1 billion) to be mounted on its new fleet of warplanes should a US fighter be picked for its 8.3-trillion-won ($7.4 billion) acquisition project.

The Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which handles Washington's foreign military sales, revealed Seoul's request to buy high-tech arms such as Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, GBU-12 laser-guided bombs and GBU-39 bunker busters.
Last month, Seoul made a separate request to purchase Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter or Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle.

The Eurofighter Typhoon of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company is another candidate in the competition, through which Seoul seeks to purchase 60 jets to replace its aging F-4 and F-5 jets. The winner is expected to be announced next month.
Observers said the US products would be at an advantage in the contest given Seoul considers interoperability with US forces and alliance-related factors. But EADS has made attractive offers, such as investing $2 billion in Korea's project to develop indigenous fighters.

Royal Thai Navy needs B13bn for new frigate

The Royal Thai Navy will ask the cabinet to approve a budget of 13 billion baht for a new frigate to be built by a South Korean shipyard.

Navy chief Adm Surasak Rounroengrom said the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters is scrutinising the budget proposal and later will forward it to the Ministry of Defence. Once approved, it will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration, he said.

A navy source said the navy had set up several sub-committees to coordinate with the Korea-based shipbuilding and offshore contractor.

A navy selection committee last month chose Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering to build the new frigate, a navy source said.
The company was one of two South Korean firms in the final round of bidding, organised by the navy panel.
Three other three foreign firms were eliminated in the previous rounds - from Spain, Italy and China.
The source said the high-capability frigate to be built by Daewoo would be based on the company’s type DX II frigate, which has a displacement of 5,000 tonnes, with modifications to meet the Thai navy’s special requirements.

The new navy ship will have a displacement of between 3,000 and 4,000 tonnes.  
Navy chief of staff Chakchai Phucharoenyot, who chaired the selection committee, earlier told the media the navy also asked the company to install a Combat Management System (CMS) which can be allied to the systems already installed in the frigates HTMS Naresuan and HTMS Taksin.
The new frigate, which would be the first South Korean-built naval vessel in the Thai fleet, is expected to be ready for commissioning in two years, Adm Chakchai said.