News Story: U.S. Marines arrive in Australia as part of rotation training program

31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, offload from an MV-22 Osprey to participate in Exercise Koolendong 13 (Australia) >>

CANBERRA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- More than 1,000 U. S. Marines on Tuesday arrived in Darwin as part of a rotation of forces to be stationed in northern Australia.

The 1,250 troops who arrived in the Northern Territory (NT) will soon be joined by 13 aircraft -- four tilt-rotor Osprey helicopters, five Super Cobra helicopters and four Huey helicopters -- in one of the largest deployments of U.S. forces to Australia since World War II.

Commanding Officer of Marine Rotational Force Darwin, Lieutenant Colonel Brian S. Middleton told journalists on Tuesday "The aviation combat element is our most robust deployment to Darwin."

"I think that the commitment that we've taken to put a task force here with a conversation to get larger over the years says that we do think this is an important region."

"Being close to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, the Indo Pacific position has always been important."

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Australian Helicopter Needs Discussed at Avalon Show

Australian Tiger ARH

by Mike Yeo

Australia’s search for a new armed reconnaissance helicopter to replace the Army’s troubled Airbus Helicopters Tiger fleet was a major topic at the Avalon Airshow, held near Melbourne from February 28 to March 5. The show also featured—as expected—the first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II and Boeing EA-18G Growler. The RAAF’s Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and Leonardo C-27J battlefield airlifter also made their Avalon debuts.

The country’s 2016 Defence White Paper stated that the 22 Tigers should be replaced starting around 2025. Boeing brought a factory-fresh AH-64E Apache to the show, while Bell Helicopters had an AH-1Z Viper cockpit simulator at its stand in the exhibition hall. The Apache conducted demonstration flights throughout the week, and Boeing emphasized that AH-64 production will run until 2026 based on current orders. Bell disclosed that it had made an unsolicited offer of the AH-1Z as a Tiger replacement.

Bell’s is also offering the UH-1Y Venom for Australia’s Special Forces light helicopter program, which is expected to kick off in 2018 and cost A$2-3 billion (U.S.$1.5-2.3 billion). This machine is required to “insert, extract and provide fire support for small teams of Special Forces undertaking tasks ranging from tactical observation through to counter-terrorism missions, or hostage recovery.” It must be rapidly deployable by the RAAF’s C-17 airlifters three or four at a time. This could be a problem for Bell as it acknowledges only two Venoms can be carried in a single C-17. Other possible contenders for the program include the Boeing AH-6i Little Bird and the Airbus H145M.

Read the full story at AINonline

News Story: 13 (US) Marine Aircraft to Deploy to Australia

AH-1 Viper

by William Cole

The Marine Corps this spring is sending its largest aircraft element to date -- four tilt-rotor Ospreys and five Super Cobra and four Huey helicopters, all out of Hawaii -- to the next $25 million rotation of Marines to northern Australia as the Corps continues to redistribute its forces around the Pacific.

The Marines are moving to four major forward areas of operation over the next decade -- Japan, Guam, Hawaii and Australia -- as part of a "distributed laydown" that seeks to deter growing threats in the vast Asia-Pacific region, particularly from from China and North Korea.

The Osprey, with its long range and speed, is seen as a key connector for the Marine Corps in its new island-hopping strategy.

In November 2011, President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that U.S. Marines would be sent on six-month rotational deployments to train with the Australian Defence Force in Darwin and elsewhere in the Northern Territory. The move puts the Marines closer to Southeast Asia and allows Australia, a key ally, to bolster its defense.

The presence was to grow to a 2,500-member Marine Air-Ground Task Force during the 2016-2017 time frame, but officials said the sixth iteration of the deployment will remain at 1,250 Marines who are expected to arrive in Australia in April.

Most of the Marines will be from the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, out of Camp Pendleton in California, Marine Corps Forces Pacific said.

According to Australia's Department of Defence, 200 Marines deployed in 2012, 250 in 2013, 1,150 in 2014, 1,150 in 2015 and 1,250 in 2016.

But the deployment number is stuck at 1,250 for the time being as funding problems continue to be worked out for the full Marine Air-Ground Task Force of 2,500 with aircraft, vehicles and other equipment.

Read the full story at Military.com

News Story: U.S. Marine helicopter departs Okinawa islet after emergency landing

AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter

IKEI ISLAND, Japan (Kyodo) -- A U.S. Marine helicopter on Saturday departed the small island in Okinawa where it had made an emergency landing the previous evening.

The AH-1 attack helicopter, from the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the adjacent main island of Okinawa, was forced into a landing on a small rural road after apparently experiencing mechanical trouble.

Speaking to reporters on the Ikei Island on Saturday, Kiichiro Jahana, head of the Okinawa governor's office, expressed displeasure over the second such landing in Okinawa involving a U.S. aircraft in just over a month.

AN MV-22 Osprey aircraft from the same Marine base crash-landed in shallow coastal waters off the main island last month, reigniting safety concerns about the tilt-rotor aircraft among the people of Okinawa.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

Think Tank: Sea, air and land updates (9-Aug-2016)

Bell AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter

Christopher Cowan, Alexander Vipond and Elisabeth Buchan

Sea State

Defence contractor Raytheon has won a US$523 million (AU$687 million) contract to provide the US Navy with 47 Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1B interceptors. The missiles form the backbone of the US Navy’s ship-based ballistic missile defence capability, and are deployed on the US Navy’s fleet of Aegis destroyers and cruisers.

Still on acquisition, India has recently agreed to buy three Admiral Grigorovich-class guided missile frigates from Russia. These ships were originally scheduled to be delivered to the Russian Navy as a part of its naval modernisation program, but Ukraine’s 2014 ban on military exports to Russia has left the vessels without powerplants. India, however, isn’t constrained by the export ban and is able to acquire the Ukrainian-made engines.

And finally, in a move celebrated by American sailors around the world, the US Navy announced it was replacing its oft-ridiculed Navy Working Uniform (NWU) I. Commonly referred to as ‘blueberries’ due to their blue and grey digital camouflage (‘aquaflage’) pattern, the NWU I has gained a poor reputation since its introduction to sailors’ wardrobes in 2008. Notably (and somewhat ironically), the uniform’s aquaflage pattern was criticised for only being effective when a sailor fell overboard. Other major complaints focused on the weight and flammability of the uniforms. The US Navy will begin transitioning to its new uniform, the woodland patterned NWU III, in October 2016.

News Story: US To Return Land to Japan Used for Jungle Training

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The US military will return 4,000 hectares (15.4 square miles) of land in Okinawa back to the Japanese government, reducing the amount of land administered by the US military by 17 percent, according to a news release issued by the Public Affairs Office at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Friday.

The area is a section of the Northern Training Area on Okinawa used for jungle warfare. The conditional land return is part of the 1996 Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO) report. This will be the largest parcel of land returned to the Japanese government since Okinawa’s reversion in 1972, said the news release.

The partial return of the Northern Training Area is one portion of other initiatives and agreements with Japan to consolidate US military facilities on Okinawa, with the eventual goal of returning most facilities south of Kadena Air Base. Kadena is home of the 18th Wing and includes two squadrons of F-15C/D fighter aircraft.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

News Story: Bell Textron to supply attack helicopters to Pakistan

by Carlo Munoz

The U.S. Navy has awarded Texas-based aviation firm Bell Textron a contract to provide its latest attack helicopter for the Pakistani military, according to a recent service announcement.

Islamabad will receive nine AH-1Z Viper attack aircraft along with nine auxiliary fuel kits as part of the $170 million deal through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. The helicopters will be built at the company's facilities in Fort Worth, Texas and Amarillo, Texas.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: Bell, BAE link to promote AH-1Z Viper in Australia

AH-1Z Viper

by Chris Pocock

Bell Helicopter (Stand Q01) signed a teaming agreement here Tuesday with BAE Systems Australia to promote and support the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter in that country. Bell is eyeing a potential Australian requirement, following that country’s dissatisfaction with its fleet of 22 Airbus Helicopter Tigers. BAE Systems will oversee maintenance and sustainment, and do training.

The agreement also includes the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter which, like the Viper, is in service with the U.S. Marine Corps. Lisa Atherton, executive vice-president of military business for Bell Helicopters, noted that both machines were designed for marine as well as overland operation, and able to withstand corrosive saltwater environments. “Countries acquiring the aircraft now will gain the strategic advantage of interoperability with the U.S. Marine Corps,” she said.

Read the full story at AINonline

Editorial: North Korea Flew a Spy Drone Across the DMZ

By Franz-Stefan Gady

Amidst last month’s tensions, Pyongyang repeatedly dispatched an UAV to observe South Korean troop movements.

During the recent August crisis on the Korean Peninsula, a North Korean surveillance drone crossed the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and flew several times over a South Korean military outpost without being intercepted, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) revealed, according to Yonhap News.

The flights, above a military compound and along the central part of the four-kilometer-wide DMZ, took place from August 22 to 24. South Korean radar detected the first flight on August 22 at 11: 59 am and another flight at 6 pm “30 minutes before high-level talks began on Saturday at the truce village of Panmunjom,” UPI reports. An unknown number of flights occurred on the following two days.

The JCS said that the incursion was detected by the South Korean military on its low-altitude surveillance radar as well as on another surveillance system, and that attempts were made to intercept the UAV.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Think Tank: Sea, air and land updates (28-Jul-2015)

Amelia Long, Palmo Tenzin and Sarah Hately

Sea State

The Taiwanese Navy will procure eight to ten MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters in a US$700–800 million deal under the US Foreign Military Sales program, with a letter of acceptance expected in 2016. The Seahawks, which are designed to operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers, will replace the current MD500 Defender helicopters, which were originally procured in 1980.

For an all-encompassing update on China’s muscle flexing in the South China Sea and its intentions to become a global maritime power, have a look at the video of The Aspen Institute’s panel discussion on the topic. Featuring PACOM’s Admiral Harry B. Harris, Bonnie Glaser from CSIS, author Gordon Chang and Time’s Massimo Calabresi as moderator, the panel touches on a range of interesting questions, from whether missiles located on the built-up features in the South China Sea could harm US shipping interests, to the likelihood of military confrontation between the US and China.

And finally, as well as participating in the competitive evaluation process for RAN’s future submarines, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems is increasing its efforts for the SEA 5000 campaign. A brochure for the Blohm + Voss MEKO A-400RAN frigate design [PDF]—first made public at ASPI’s Future Surface Fleet conference earlier this year by the company’s Senior Vice President, Rear Admiral Jonathan Kamerman—has now been printed.

USA: Amphibious operations storm ashore for Talisman Sabre 2015

by Staff Sgt. Alexander Martinez

Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

150708-N-NI474-171 FOG BAY, Australia (July 8, 2015) U.S. Marines, assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, practice an amphibious assault using assault amphibious vehicles during Talisman Sabre 2015 at Fog Bay, Australia, July 8, 2015. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel M. Young/Released) [Image: Flickr User - U.S. Pacific Command] >>

FOG BAY, Australia - U.S. and Australian forces stormed the beaches of Fog Bay July 11, executing joint amphibious operations, the largest and most complex joint amphibious training of its kind, as part of Talisman Sabre 2015.

To kick off the amphibious landing, a line of assault amphibious vehicles (AAV) crashed ashore, releasing hundreds of joint forces to survey and secure the beach, and prepare the area for the landing of vehicles, cargo and personnel that would follow. 

Participating assets included U.S. Navy ships and aircraft as part of an offshore amphibious readiness group, forces from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and 2nd Brigade, Royal Australian Regiment soldiers.

News Story: US, China, Russia competing over helicopter sales to Pakistan

AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopter (File Photo)

Chuang Shu-chung and Staff Reporter

The US is trying to outdo Russia and China in arms sales to Pakistan, according to our Chinese-language sister paper Want Daily.

News that Pakistan bought two attack helicopters, a Chinese Z-10 and a Russian Mi-35, apparently left the US, which had previously been the major weapons supplier to the country, feeling left out. The US Department of State subsequently announced an offer to sell Pakistan 15 AH-1Z Super Cobra attack helicopters, reportedly to "support Pakistan's ability to counter terrorism."

Pakistan is replacing its outdated AH-1S/F Cobra attack helicopters for missions in Waziristan to tackle Taliban militias in the region.

Read the full story at Want China Times

USA: Possible Foreign Military Sale to Pakistan for AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters and AGM-114R Hellfire II Missiles

AH-1Z Viper (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons)

WASHINGTON, Apr 6, 2015 – The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Pakistan for AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters and AGM-114R Hellfire II Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $952 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale.

The Government of Pakistan has requested a possible sale of 15 AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters, 32 T-700 GE 401C Engines (30 installed and 2 spares), 1000 AGM-114 R Hellfire II Missiles in containers, 36 H-1 Technical Refresh Mission computers, 17 AN/AAQ-30 Target Sight Systems, 30 629F-23 Ultra High Frequency/Very High Frequency Communication Systems, 19 H-764 Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation Systems, 32 Helmet Mounted Display/Optimized Top Owl, 17 APX-117A Identification Friend or Foe, 17 AN/AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems, 17 AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispenser Sets, 18 AN/APR-39C(V)2 Radar Warning Receivers, 15 Joint Mission Planning Systems, and 17 M197 20mm Gun Systems. Also included are system integration and testing, software development and integration, aircraft ferry, support equipment, spare and repair parts, tools and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. The total estimated cost is $952 million.

News Story: Z-10 takes first flight in Pakistan

China's first Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation Z-10 helicopter shipped to Pakistan completed its first test in Rawalpindi, a city located in the province of Punjab, according to internet users as cited in overseas Chinese-language news outlet Duowei News.

Earlier reports surmised that Pakistan was choosing its next-generation attack helicopters from either China's Z-10 or Turkey's A-129 to replace its obsolete AH-1S Cobras purchased from the United States back in 80s. Meanwhile, rumors from the Russian embassy suggested that Pakistan had placed an order for Mi-35 heavy assault gunship helicopters from Moscow. The Mi-35 may be used to test the Z-10's performance in a real combat environment, although the Russian reports remain unconfirmed.

Read the full story at Want China Times

News Story: ROC Army showcases combat readiness ahead of CNY

Thunderbolt 2000 artillery multiple-launch rocket system

The Republic of China Army demonstrated its defense capabilities in an anti-paratrooper drill Tuesday to highlight the military's high level of alert and to strengthen combat readiness ahead of the Lunar New Year break in February.

On a rainy, cloudy day, the drill was held at the Army base in Hukou, Hsinchu county in northern Taiwan, home of the 542nd Armor Brigade.

About 340 soldiers and officers, including those from the 542nd brigade, took part in the drill, in which the Army sought to fend off an opposing force from China carried by helicopters before landing on the ground.

In the simulated drill, the Army fought back by deploying CM11 battle tanks, locally developed CM-32 "Clouded Leopard" armored infantry fighting vehicles, and other military vehicles, to overcome the enemy attack.

Read the full story at Want China Times

News Story: Taiwan military to hold aircraft takeoff, landing drill on freeway

Taiwan's military will hold its annual Han Kuang series of exercises later this month, including a drill to practice emergency takeoffs and landings of fighter jets on a freeway, the country's Ministry of National Defense said Tuesday.

The drill is set for Sept. 16 on the Minxiong section of the No. 1 National Freeway, which passes through the southern county of Chiayi, military officials said at a news conference.

It is one of four sections of that freeway designated as emergency runways in the event of war.

Aircraft models used in the drill this month will include the F-16 A/B, Mirage 2000-5, and Indigenous Defensive Fighter, as well as the E-2K airborne early warning aircraft, a CH-47 helicopter, a OH-58D reconnaissance helicopter and two AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters, said major general Li Ting-sheng, director of the Air Force's Combat Readiness Training Division.

Read the full story at Want China Times

Editorial: Russia’s Strategic Pakistan Play

By Saurav Jha

It decision to end its embargo on weapons sales to Pakistan could have multiple benefits for Moscow.

Russia’s decision to go ahead with the sale of Mi-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan, even in the face of official Indian concerns, is being seen by some quarters as evidence of a “major” regional re-alignment in the wake of the American drawdown in Afghanistan.

In fact, the Russia-Pakistan dialogue for regional integration has been underway for some time now and beyond security cooperation, it is more fundamentally driven by Moscow’s push towards ‘southern” markets and Pakistan’s need for a capable yet politically “manageable” strategic sector trade and investment partner. The Mi-35 sale (if it does materialize) reflects the fact that the geo-economic stakes for both sides are now high enough for them to make a concerted push towards a long term compartmentalized working relationship in a manner not dissimilar to the way in which their more traditional partners – India for Russia and America for Pakistan – deal with each other. Indeed, in a world characterized by both competition and cooperation the heady rhetoric of “strategic partnership” means little and it is the transactional content that weighs on any relationship. Far more than cooperation in counter-terrorism, Russia and Pakistan will have to move forward quickly on Putin’s commitment to invest in the latter’s energy and metallurgy sectors for their relationship to be meaningful.

It could be argued that it was actually America’s entry into the region a decade ago that ultimately accentuated the circumstances that impel Russia and Pakistan closer to each other. Pakistan’s counter-terrorism cooperation with America salved with military aid has been toxic for domestic stability, as the situation in FATA and Waziristan reveal. As the tempo of internal stability operations has increased, Pakistan is keen to diversify away from America for certain classes of weaponry to a source that can supply cheaper and more rugged alternatives with a much smaller political price on the domestic front. The Mi-35 fits that bill and is likely to prove useful for Pakistani operations against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in mountainous areas, given its pedigree from the Afghan theater. At the moment Pakistan is using AH-1 Cobra Gunships that were originally obtained from America for use against Indian armoured formations in the plains and are proving expensive to use in operations against the TTP. Pakistan may not wish to be saddled with too much expensive American equipment that it can”t afford without generous aid. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

News Story: Pakistan Again Boosts Defense Budget, but at Smaller Rate

By USMAN ANSARI

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has followed recent trends and again increased the size of its defense budget, but also continued the trend of a steady decline in that rate of increase.

The government unveiled its FY2014-2015 budget on Tuesday, showing an 11 percent increase over the revised FY2012-2013 allocation.

The approved defense budget currently stands at 700 billion Pakistani rupees (US $7 billion).

The service breakdown is nearly US $3.4 billion for the Army, $1.5 billion for the Air Force and $725 million for the Navy.

Additionally, the Inter-Services Organisations and Defence Production Establishment have been allocated nearly $1.5 billion and the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate has been allocated the same amount, $1.5 billion.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

Editorial: Russia Ends Arms Embargo Against Pakistan

Russian Air Force Mi-35М (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons)

By Zachary Keck

Although the decision will irk India, it is most likely related to the drawdown of NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Russia has decided to lift a long-standing, self-imposed arms embargo against Pakistan, according to state media.

On Monday the Moscow Times reported that Sergei Chemezov, head of state-owned technology corporation Rostec, said that Russia had decided to lift an arms embargo against Pakistan. Chemezov added that Russia is negotiating the sale of Mi-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan.

“The decision was taken and we are negotiating the delivery of helicopters,” he said, Voice of Russia reported.

Pavel Felgenhauer, whom AFP said is a leading Russian defense commentator, characterized the move as a “sea change” in Russian policy, and one that risked antagonizing India.

“This is an important, key change in Russian policy in the region,” Felgenhauer told AFP. He added: “The sale of arms to Pakistan will abruptly worsen our relations with India, the main buyer of our arms… This risks dismantling our cooperation with India.”

However, Boris Volkhonsky, head of the Asian sector of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, dismissed such views in comments to Russian state media on Monday. “I do not think that India will have any objections. After all, India and Pakistan both buy weapons from the U.S., and this has not bothered them,” Volkhonsky told Russian media

For its part, Pakistan is denying that an arms embargo ever existed at all. 

Read the full story at The Diplomat

ATK Awarded Contract by the Republic of Korea Army for Aircraft Survivability Equipment

ATK'S SUITE OF AIRCRAFT SURVIVABILITY EQUIPMENT MEETS THE URGENT NEEDS OF KEY INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMER

ATK DEFENSE’S AAR-47 IS THE ONLY SYSTEM IN USE TODAY THAT INTEGRATES MISSILE, LASER AND HOSTILE FIRE THREAT WARNING INTO A SINGLE SYSTEM. WITH OUR UNIQUE HOSTILE FIRE INDICATOR (HFI) CAPABILITY ADDED TO THE AAR-47, MILITARY AIRCREWS FLYING HELICOPTERS AND FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT CAN DETECT A WIDER RANGE OF THREATS TO THEIR AIRCRAFT, INCLUDING SMALLER-CALIBER WEAPON FIRE AND ROCKET-PROPELLED GRENADES, AND QUICKLY RESPOND WITH COUNTERMEASURES.

ARLINGTON, Va., May 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) has received a contract from the Republic of Korea Army for the purchase, installation and integration of its AAR-47 Missile Warning System with Hostile Fire Indication (HFI and Laser Warning) onto AH-1S helicopters. The upgrade will also include the installation of the AN/ALE-47 countermeasure dispensing system.

ATK's AAR-47 Missile Warning System is a combat-proven electronic warfare system designed to protect helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft from surface-to-air threats. The program was awarded as a result of a competition with a firm fixed-price contract for $7 million to upgrade the helicopters.