Think Tank: Sea, air and land updates (19-APR-2016)

Su-27 (Image: Wiki Commons)

Dione Hodgson, Ashleigh Sharp and Lachlan Wilson

Sea State

Navigating the dangerous iced-covered waters of the Antarctic just got easier for the British Royal Navy, with the entry into service of its new, low-cost 3D-printed drone. The SULSA unmanned aerial vehicle, which was launched from naval patrol vessel HMS Protector, is designed to utilise real-time imagery to scout a safe route for vessels. The £7,000 drone can cruise at speeds up to 97km per hour, and its four nylon-based parts can be snapped together by hand. Gizmodo has footage of the plane’s test flight off the coast of Dorset.

Adelaide will remain a hub for the shipbuilding industry, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Defence Minister Marise Payne announcing on Monday that 12 offshore patrol vessels will be built in the city from 2018. Minister Payne confirmed construction of the vessels will begin in Adelaide, before moving to Henderson in Western Australia, and coupled with plans to build up to 21 Pacific patrol boats in Henderson, will directly secure more than 2,500 jobs in coming decades.

It’s official. RRS Boaty McBoatface emerged as the overwhelming winner of a public poll for naming rights of Britain’s new £200 million polar research vessel. Voting closed on 16 April with the memorable winning name collecting more than 124,000 votes. Regrettably, Britain’s science minister told the Daily Telegraph that ministers were unlikely to endorse the result.

Editorial: Turkey-Russia Tensions Put Caspian States in a Bind

By Evan Gottesman

Moscow’s broader international military engagements might worry its Caspian neighbors.

Russia’s intervention in the Syrian Civil War is leaving the former Soviet republics on the Caspian Sea littoral in an uncomfortable place. Caught between their historic relationships with Moscow and concerns for their own security, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan are clearly in an unenviable political position. Moreover, unprecedented Russian military action risks destabilizing otherwise steady diplomatic ties.

A November 4 security agreement concluded by Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan is one indication that something is amiss in the Caspian Sea. The plan notably provides for joint Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan naval exercises on the inland sea.

Emerging Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan defense cooperation is likely derived, at least in part, from anxiety over Moscow’s use of the Caspian Sea in its Middle East operations. Russia’s Caspian Sea Flotilla fired cruise missiles at targets in Syria in October and November. While Astana has tempered its own statements on Russian military activity in the Caspian, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov spoke for his northern neighbors during a November 23 meeting with President Vladimir Putin. There, Berdimuhamedov indicated to his Russian counterpart that, “Our Kazakh colleagues are allegedly worried over what is going on over the Caspian Sea, which is linked with military issues.”

While Berdimuhamedov claimed to convey Kazakh fears, Turkmenistan may also be troubled by Russian operations on the Caspian. Turkmenistan maintains a distinctly neutral foreign policy platform. Still, the Turkmen government has lent rhetorical support to Ukraine in Kiev’s conflict with Russia. Turkmenistan expressed its apprehension over Moscow’s 2008 invasion of Georgia by conducting military drills in the Caspian—not unlike Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan’s planned exercises.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Think Tank: Sea, air and land updates (6-Oct-2015)

Alice Slevison, Mercedes Page and James Mugg

Sea State

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has detailed ambitious efforts to modernise the navy’s nuclear-powered submarines. Moscow is modernising 12 nuclear-powered submarines, with the boats intended to serve another 20 years. The modernisation effort is intended to bring the submarines up to the same technological level as Russia’s next-generation nuclear-powered boats, such as the Project 885M Yasen-class submarines.

India’s INS Trikand—a stealth frigate of the Indian Navy—reached Turkey yesterday, marking the start of a three-day visit. The sophisticated warship is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable of addressing air, surface and sub-surface threats. The visit is part of an overseas deployment to West Asia, Africa and Europe to strengthen relations with friendly countries.

Sweden hasn’t ruled out the possibility of applying to join the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), according to Defence Minister Peter Hulyqvist. The 10,000-strong JEF began in 2012, and is designed to operate independently or in support of NATO, European Union or United Nations mission in the Arabian Gulf, the Middle East or in Europe. After Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Sweden has intensified efforts to shore up its security by joining bilateral or multilateral cooperative defence mechanisms in Northern Europe.

Editorial: China, Russia to Hold Largest-Ever Naval Drills

By  J. Michael Cole

The Chinese and Russian will hold their largest-ever joint naval exercise from July 5-12 in the Sea of Japan, a Chinese official announced on July 1.

Fang Fenghui, Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said that “Joint Sea 2013/Naval Interaction 2013” made the announcement during a visit to Moscow. The following day, the Ministry of Defense in Beijing said that four destroyers, two missile frigates and a support ship, would participate in the exercise, which will be conducted in the Bay of Peter the Great. The vessels left the port of Qingdao on June 28.

Fang said the exercises did not target any third party and were meant to strengthen cooperation between the two armed forces and to enhance their capability in coordinating military operations to help safeguard regional security and stability. The exercises are also part of ongoing efforts by the PLA Navy to familiarize its naval officers with operations away from China’s traditional theater of operations.

Zhang Junshe, deputy director of China’s Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told Chinese media that a total of 19 surface ships of various types — seven from China and 12 from Russia — will take part in the exercise, along with one submarine, three fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and special warfare units. According to Zhang, this will also be the first time that a Russian Sukhoi Su-24M Fencer bomber take part in joint exercises with China.

Read the full story at The Diplomat