July 2, 2014
Footage of Polish Air Force MiG-29 dogfight with Typhoon and missile launch
At 3.22 mins, MiG-29 fires R-60 missile
R-60 Air to Air missile
F-16 & F-18 Operations Jordan
Jordan will have to use air power to stop the ISIS from proceeding further into Jordanian territory . ISIS already controls all the border crossings between Iraq and Jordan/Syria except the ones in Kurdistan.
F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from the Royal Jordanian Air Force and the 13th Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan, as well as F-18 Hornet pilots from the Navy Carrier Air Wing Eight and the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 take off and land as a part of Exercise Eager Lion May 25, 2014, at an air base in northern Jordan.
F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from the Royal Jordanian Air Force and the 13th Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan, as well as F-18 Hornet pilots from the Navy Carrier Air Wing Eight and the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 take off and land as a part of Exercise Eager Lion May 25, 2014, at an air base in northern Jordan.
Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Considers Buying Larger Ship for Humanitarian Ops
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The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is considering buying a Joint Multi-Mission Ship (JMMS) — a larger ship compared with the Land Ship Tanks (LSTs) on the SAF’s books — that will enable it to send more helicopters to crisis-hit areas.Revealing this in a media interview last week to mark SAF Day today, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen noted an increasing recognition by militaries around the world, including the SAF, that “in specific circumstances, the military is an organisation which, if it can, can step forward to help”.
Citing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as clear examples, he said: “We know that the responsibility falls squarely on the SAF to protect Singapore, that we are very clear. But beyond that, we recognise that there are increasing demands for what we call expanded operations ... During the haze, the SAF also stepped forward to distribute masks.”He said the SAF’s experience in helping with relief efforts for Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in November last year and reportedly killed thousands of people, underscored the need for a JMMS, which has greater capacity and longer range than the LST. The latter can carry two Super Puma helicopters or one Chinook.
“The typhoon was so devastating that … communications were knocked out. There was no centralised ability for command and control for the air space. And in that context, a ship such as the JMMS would be very useful,” said Dr Ng.The Ministry of Defence is in the final legs of evaluating what is required for such a ship, said Dr Ng.In April, Singapore offered to host a regional humanitarian assistance and disaster relief coordination centre at its Changi Command and Control (C2) Centre. Dr Ng said that since then, several countries have expressed support for the proposal.“A number of military chiefs have visited our Changi Command and Control Centre. They feel that it’s an idea that meets the needs of the times and I would say we are working out the mechanics,” he said.In the meantime, the Republic is actively seeking to build networks with other militaries and also civilian groups such as voluntary welfare organisations and United Nations agencies.
Stressing that no single country will have all the resources to cope with a catastrophe, Dr Ng said: “Part of building the networks is cultivation of relationships, knowing where your resources can be or where they can be pre-positioned, and who is available to be activated ... Obviously, the affected country must agree to the help but once it does, then we can move.”Another area that the SAF is working on is beefing up cyber defence, which will have an increasingly large impact on the Republic’s defence operations, Dr Ng said.
The SAF is ramping up its hiring, training and deployment of officers in this area.“I would say that all countries are grappling with this because we recognise that it is a new frontier that can have an impact sometimes equivalent, sometimes even more than, the physical terrain. So if your networks are knocked out, for example, it can have security implications and that is something that we take very seriously,” said Dr Ng.
Russian sailors arrive in France for training on Mistral amphibious assault ships
About four hundred Russian sailors arrived in western France for training on Mistral amphibious assault ships before the first of two is delivered to Moscow by the end of the year.
July 1, 2014
Japan's government approves larger military role
Photo: Wikipedia
Since Japan’s defeat in World War II, its military has been shackled by restrictions imposed by a victorious U.S. and that, over time, a majority of Japanese adopted as their own. Now, the shackles are being loosened.Japan’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a reinterpretation of the country’s pacifist postwar constitution that will allow the military to help defend allies and others “in a close relationship” with Japan under what is known as “collective self-defense.”Previous governments have said the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution limited the use of force to defending Japan.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the shift is needed to protect the lives of the Japanese people in an increasingly severe security environment. Japanese warships would be able to help protect U.S. ships that were defending Japan, he said.
“Peace is not something you expect to be given, but it’s something that we must achieve on our own,” he said in a televised news conference.The issue has divided Japan, where many worry about China’s growing military assertiveness but also support the anti-war clause of the constitution and fret about a possible slide toward the militarism that led to World War II.About 2,000 people protested outside Abe’s office, saying that any change to the constitution should be made through a public referendum, not simply a Cabinet reinterpretation.“For 70 years, Japan has kept its peace with its constitution,” said 67-year-old protester Toshio Ban. “What are we to do with that stupid man trying to trample over the precious constitution?”
The move drew sharp criticism from China, and a cautious reaction from South Korea, which was colonized by Japan from 1910 to 1945.“Beijing opposes Japan’s act of hyping the China threat,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily briefing. The new policy “raises doubts about Japan’s approach to peaceful development.”
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said: “The South Korean government views it as a significant revision to the defense and security policy under the postwar peace constitution, and is paying a sharp attention to it.”Written under U.S. direction after World War II, the 1947 constitution says the Japanese people “forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation.” The article was crafted to prevent a repeat of Japan’s invasion and brutal occupation of wide swaths of Asia.America’s position shifted quickly with the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. The U.S. began to see Japan as an ally in the Cold War and pressed its former enemy to rearm. Today, with America’s military financially stretched, the U.S. is backing whatever Japan can do to play a larger role in regional security.The Japanese, though, particularly older generations, have witnessed Japan’s success under the constitution, even if the postwar economic miracle has lost some luster in the last two decades.
“Most Japanese, over two-thirds, feel that this peace constitution is part of their identity,” said Jeff Kingston, head of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan in Tokyo.
Since Japan’s defeat in World War II, its military has been shackled by restrictions imposed by a victorious U.S. and that, over time, a majority of Japanese adopted as their own. Now, the shackles are being loosened.Japan’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a reinterpretation of the country’s pacifist postwar constitution that will allow the military to help defend allies and others “in a close relationship” with Japan under what is known as “collective self-defense.”Previous governments have said the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution limited the use of force to defending Japan.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the shift is needed to protect the lives of the Japanese people in an increasingly severe security environment. Japanese warships would be able to help protect U.S. ships that were defending Japan, he said.
“Peace is not something you expect to be given, but it’s something that we must achieve on our own,” he said in a televised news conference.The issue has divided Japan, where many worry about China’s growing military assertiveness but also support the anti-war clause of the constitution and fret about a possible slide toward the militarism that led to World War II.About 2,000 people protested outside Abe’s office, saying that any change to the constitution should be made through a public referendum, not simply a Cabinet reinterpretation.“For 70 years, Japan has kept its peace with its constitution,” said 67-year-old protester Toshio Ban. “What are we to do with that stupid man trying to trample over the precious constitution?”
The move drew sharp criticism from China, and a cautious reaction from South Korea, which was colonized by Japan from 1910 to 1945.“Beijing opposes Japan’s act of hyping the China threat,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily briefing. The new policy “raises doubts about Japan’s approach to peaceful development.”
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kwang-il said: “The South Korean government views it as a significant revision to the defense and security policy under the postwar peace constitution, and is paying a sharp attention to it.”Written under U.S. direction after World War II, the 1947 constitution says the Japanese people “forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation.” The article was crafted to prevent a repeat of Japan’s invasion and brutal occupation of wide swaths of Asia.America’s position shifted quickly with the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War. The U.S. began to see Japan as an ally in the Cold War and pressed its former enemy to rearm. Today, with America’s military financially stretched, the U.S. is backing whatever Japan can do to play a larger role in regional security.The Japanese, though, particularly older generations, have witnessed Japan’s success under the constitution, even if the postwar economic miracle has lost some luster in the last two decades.
“Most Japanese, over two-thirds, feel that this peace constitution is part of their identity,” said Jeff Kingston, head of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan in Tokyo.
Sikorsky to Produce New Combat Rescue Helicopters
Sikorsky Aircraft, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp., has been awarded a U.S. Air Force contract to develop new combat search and rescue helicopters. Sikorsky will develop a derivative of the UH-60M BLACK HAWK model for the Air Force’s rescue mission.
The award of an estimated $1.28 billion Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract includes development and integration of the rescue mission systems; delivery of four Combat Rescue Helicopters; as well as seven aircrew and maintainer training systems. Initial training of Air Force aircrew and maintainers and five Combat Rescue Helicopters are also expected to be delivered by 2020, once additional aircraft and training options are exercised. This contract is the first step in the eventual production and fielding of up to 112 aircraft with a potential value of approximately $7.9 billion. Eventual production quantities would be determined year-by-year over the life of the program, based on funding allocations set by Congress and the U.S. Department of Defense acquisition priorities.
The Air Force announced in 2010 that it would replace its aging HH-60G PAVE HAWK helicopters. Sikorsky, joined by Lockheed Martin as the major subsystems supplier, offered a UH-60M derivative to replace the venerable PAVE HAWK, also made by Sikorsky, as the Air Force’s new Combat Rescue Helicopter. The aircraft features increased internal fuel capability, compared with today’s HH-60G helicopter, thereby giving the CRH-60 the required range, while increasing its internal cabin space.
Like the UH-60M helicopter, the aircraft will feature T700-GE-701D engines, composite wide-chord main rotor blades, and fatigue- and corrosion-resistant machined aero-structures to sustain maneuverability at high density altitudes.
19th Commander of Sri Lanka Navy Appointed
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, has appointed Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera RWP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, as the new Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and promoted him to the 3-star rank of Vice Admiral with effect from 01st July 2014.
Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera is the 19th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy in its illustrious history which spans over 63 years. Prior to being appointed as the Navy Commander, he held the post of Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy.
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