Indonesia and Turkey to develop medium tank

http://www.pindad.com

An agreement to jointly develop a new medium tank was signed between the Indonesian and Turkish governments in Jakarta, Indonesia.The new medium tank will be of a conventional design, fitted with a turret armed with a 105 mm rifled gun and 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun (MG) coupled to a computerised fire control system. For ease of deployment in Indonesia it is expected to have a combat weight of about 25 tonnes.

Turkish company FNSS Savunma Sistemleri will work with local company PT Pindad to develop the tank for the Indonesian Army.

World Submarine Cable Map

These cables are the backbone of the telecommunications revolution that humanity is now experiencing.

From
http://cablemap.info/

Looking Down From 600 km Above The Earth's Surface with HD Video

Watch the activity at North Korea's nuclear facility.

Russia to Adopt ‘Future Soldier’ Gear in Summer

 The Russian military will adopt domestically designed “future soldier” gear this summer, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The adoption of the Ratnik gear into service has been repeatedly delayed due to uncertainty over the choice of small arms component, which is likely to include the new Kalashnikov AK-12 assault rifle. The equipment is currently in the final stages of field testing by Russian paratroopers.
Ratnik comprises about 50 components, including firearms, body armor and optical, communication and navigation devices, as well as life support and power supply systems.

The equipment can be used by regular infantry, paratroopers, rocket launcher operators, machine gunners, drivers and scouts.

PLAAF People's Liberation Army a WZ 10 helicopter crash

Russian defence minister Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says Russia to Overhaul Fleet of Amphibious Assault Ships

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s comments come amid a growing international standoff over Crimea, an autonomous region within Ukraine that refused to recognize new nationalist powers in Kiev that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych in February.

Shoigu said the navy was expected to receive a new Ivan Gren-class landing ship and two French-built Mistral-class helicopter carriers, the Vladivostok and the Sevastopol, through 2015.

Russia’s fleet of amphibious assault ships requires extensive modernization because their service life has been largely overextended. “The Russian navy currently has 19 ships of this type. They have been in service, on average, for more than 25 years,” Shoigu said at a video conference meeting with military commanders.

“However, these additions are not enough, and we have to pay attention to the overhaul of existing [amphibious assault] ships,” the minister said, adding that at least two ships should undergo maintenance and repairs annually.Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which is largely based on the Crimean peninsula, reportedly includes seven aging assault landing ships of the Alligator and Ropucha classes.

Brazilian Army to purchase SAAB RBS 70 VSHORAD Very Short Range Air Defense System Swedish SAAB RBS 70 VSHORAD

After contract for Brazil's Air force another major contract for SAAB Group from Brazil

Wikipedia

Defence and security company Saab has signed a contract on deliveries of the RBS 70 VSHORAD (very short range air defence system) to the Brazilian Army. The order has a value of approximately MSEK 80 and comprises deliveries of man-portable launchers, missiles and associated equipment. First deliveries of materiel are scheduled during 2014.

The deal comprises an undisclosed number of RBS 70 man-portable launchers, Mk II type missiles, simulators, night vision equipment, a test set, maintenance tools, spares, associated equipment, and training for the weapon's operators and maintainers. The systems are among others intended to protectBrazil’s strategic infrastructure, and would be employed in protection of major incoming events, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Russian Navy Blocks Kerch Strait which separates Ukraine’s Crimea region and Russia

KIEV — Russian navy ships have blocked off the Kerch Strait which separates Ukraine’s Crimea region and Russia.

The border guards have said that Russian servicemen are in control of the Crimean side of the narrow channel and that Russian armored vehicles have been sighted on the Russian side."The Kerch Strait is blocked by two Russian ships - from the north and from the south," Pavel Shishurin, the deputy head of the border guards, told reporters.

The Kerch Strait provides access to the Black Sea for ships carrying grain and other commodities from southern Russian regions.But a Ukrainian border guard spokesman said: “The action (blockade) does not affect civilian shipping.”

The Ukrainian infrastructure ministry also said that non-military vessels could use the strait as usual.