MTF Akhiri Tugas Jaga Perbatasan Laut Lebanon-Israel

18 Juni 2011, Surabaya (ANTARA News): Personel "Military Task Force (MTF)" telah mengakhiri tugas menjaga perbatasan laut Lebanon-Israel sejak 22 Oktober 2010 hingga 17 Juni 2011.

Perwira penerangan (Papen) Satgas Yonmek Kontingan Garuda XXIII-E/UNIFIL atau Indonesia Battalion (Indobatt) Mayor PSK Banu Kusworo mengemukakan hal itu kepada ANTARA melalui surat elektronik dari Lebanon, Sabtu.

"Akhir dari masa tugas MTF itu ditandai dengan pelepasan purna tugas di KRI Frans Kaisiepo-368 yang sedang bersandar di Pelabuhan Beirut," katanya.

Acara pelepasan itu dihadiri Wakil Komandan Satgas Yonmek Kontingen Garuda XXIII-E/UNIFIL atau Indonesia Battalion (INDOBATT), Letkol Marinir Harnoko, didampingi Perwira Hukum INDOBATT Mayor Sus Faryanto Situmorang dan Papen Mayor Pasukan Banu Kusworo.

"Pelepasan itu digelar untuk mengantarkan kembalinya Satgas MTF ke Indonesia yang telah mengakhiri penugasannya sebagai pasukan penjaga perdamaian di wilayah perbatasan laut Lebanon- Israel," katanya.

Kapal perang yang dikomandani oleh Letkol Laut (P) Wasis Priyono ST yang juga bertindak sebagai Komandan Satgas MTF Konga XXVIII-B/UNIFIL telah bergabung bersama MTF UNIFIL sejak 22 Oktober 2010.

Selama penugasan di Lebanon, MTF telah mengukir beberapa prestasi yang membanggakan, di antaranya mereka telah memeriksa 1.405 kapal, mengajukan inspeksi pemeriksaan 170 kapal dan total berada di laut selama 180 hari dalam melaksanakan tugas sebagai "MIO Commander" sebanyak 18 kali.

Menjelang akhir penugasan, KRI Frans Kaisiepo-368 pada 16 Juni 2011 telah menggelar acara perpisahan di laut dengan semua unsur MTF UNIFIL di AMO yang dihadiri delapan kapal perang multinasional untuk memeriahkan acara," katanya.

Selang sehari, acara malam purna tugas digelar dengan dihadiri Duta Besar Luar Biasa dan Berkuasa Penuh (LBBP) Republik Indonesia untuk Lebanon, Dimas Samodra Rum, dan juga dihadiri oleh seluruh Kontingen Indonesia yang sama-sama sedang melaksanakan misi perdamaian PBB di Lebanon.

Keesokan harinya (17/6), tepatnya pukul 14.00 waktu setempat, KRI Frans Kaisiepo beserta seluruh awaknya yang tergabung dalam MTF UNIFIL memulai pelayarannya menuju ke Indonesia.

Sebelum pemberangkatan, Komandan KRI melaksanakan laporan resmi kepada Duta Besar LBBP Indonesia untuk Lebanon sebagai tanda akan dilaksanakannya pelayaran selama 28 hari menuju ke Indonesia dan juga sebagai ungkapan berpamitan setelah delapan bulan saling bekerja sama.

Sumber: ANTARA News

Elang Khatulistiwa Kembali ke Home Base

18 Juni 2011, Pontianak (Lanud Supadio): Tepat pukul 11.00 WIB pesawat Hercules A-1328 dari Skadron Udara 31 Lanud Halim Perdana Kusuma, dipiloti Mayor Pnb Djaelani dan Copilot Kapten Pnb Sunar, yang mengangkut 65 crew Skadron Udara 1 tiba di Lanud Supadio, Jumat (17/6).

Pesawat Hercules A-1328 tersebut membawa crew Skadron Udara 1, yang telah selesai melaksanakan latihan Maverick Missile, latihan ini adalah upaya mengasah kemampuan tempur para penerbang Skadron Udara 1, yang juga melaksanakan latihan penembakan “Air To Ground, latihan tersebut dilaksanakan selama lebih kurang dua minggu (6-17/6), dan pelaksanaanya mengambil tempat di Air Weapon Range (AWR) Pulung, Ponorogo dengan melibatkan 7 pesawat tempur Hawk 109/209 dari Skadron Udara 1.

Selain melaksanakan latihan uji coba Maverick Missile, juga dilaksanakan latihan provisiensi bagi awak pesawat serta melaksanakan latihan rocketing yang mengambil tempat di AWR pulung Ponorogo.

Sumber: Dispenau

Hackers attack Malaysian government websites

Hackers have disrupted Malaysian government websites, authorities said Thursday, following threats by anti-censorship "Anonymous" activists and a cyberattack on the CIA by an allied group.
The strike against 51 government websites, which disrupted at least 41 of them according to Malaysia's Internet watchdog, came after the Anonymous group sabotaged Turkish sites last week to protest against Internet censorship.
In the United States, another shadowy group of hackers Lulz Security claimed credit for taking down the CIA website Wednesday, days after it said it breached the US Senate website and swiped internal data.
Malaysian Consumer Affairs Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob denounced the attacks on the government sites and denied allegations the Southeast Asian nation was attempting to curb Internet freedom.
"As Malaysians, we should condemn the hackers," he told AFP. "We feel sad and upset by their actions."
"We are not like China. There is no restrictions. You can see people criticise the government on the Internet. We are very open," he said.
Malaysian authorities had Wednesday braced themselves for cyber attacks after Anonymous warned on a website that it would target the government portal www.Malaysia.gov.my.
The action followed a decision last week by the nation's Internet watchdog, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), to block 10 popular file-sharing websites in an effort to combat piracy.
Anonymous explained the rationale for the attack in a YouTube clip, saying that Malaysia's decision represented an erosion of human rights.
"We fear that if you make further decisions to take away human freedom, we are obligated to act fast and have no mercy," it said in the video.
The MCMC said the attacks on websites with the .gov.my domain started shortly before midnight Wednesday and lasted several hours, but appeared to have caused little damage.
"We do not expect the overall recovery to these websites to take long as most websites have already recovered from the attack," it said.
The commission said it would work with enforcement agencies, security experts and service providers to monitor the situation.
Malaysia's media operate under strict censorship laws but websites have remained relatively free -- despite occasional raids, bans and government criticism -- due to an official pledge not to censor the Internet.
The Malaysian government in 1996 promised to allow uncensored online content as part of a campaign to promote the growth of its information technology industry.
S.M. Mohamed Idris, president of the Consumers Association of Penang, said that by banning the 10 websites, the authorities had violated the guarantee on Internet freedom.
"Using the Internet providers to block certain websites almost certainly constitutes censorship, which the government has expressly promised it will not do in the past," he said.
Recent waves of cyberattacks have exposed how poorly defended many networks are against global Internet marauders.
In just the past few weeks, Lulz Security has claimed to have cracked into Sony, Nintendo, the Public Broadcasting System news organisation, and an Infragard company that works with the FBI.
The group is flaunting its notoriety with a telephone hotline for people to call and suggest targets for cyberattacks.
Hacker group Anonymous, from which Lulz is believed to have formed, gained notoriety with cyberattacks in support of whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/hackers-attack-malaysian-government-websites-35025/#ixzz1PWHg9c3V

South Korea Accelerates Stealth Fighter Program

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 3, 2011:

South Korea is accelerating moves to purchase a high-end fleet of stealth fighter jets to counter North Korea’s asymmetrical threats and keep pace with neighboring countries seeking to secure their own radar-evading combat aircraft.

Under the FX-III acquisition project worth around 10 trillion won ($8.86 billion), the Seoul government is seeking to purchase some 60 next-generation fighters with an aim to have them delivered for operational deployment to begin in 2016.

The government is expected to draw up an acquisition strategy in the first half of this year, start receiving proposals from bidders early next year and determine which jet it will buy as early as August that year, according to Seoul officials.

As the Defense Ministry failed to secure 15.7 billion won, which it wanted to include in this year’s budget to get the acquisition work started, in the face of opposition from the National Assembly and budget authorities, it was expected that the military would not be able to start deploying new warplanes in 2016.

However, the Seoul government has recently begun moving faster to secure stealth fighters as calls have persisted for the military to acquire the strategic precision-guided weaponry that can handle asymmetrical threats from the North.

Along with Japan’s ongoing efforts to develop its own Advanced Technology Demonstrator-X Shinshin stealth fighter, China’s successful test flight on its first stealth jet, the J-20, in January also appears to have prompted Seoul to accelerate its acquisition efforts.

Seoul also believes that the FX-III project should be fast-tracked due to projections that the Air Force may suffer a shortage of fighter jets after the mid-2010s when its aging fighters are due to be decommissioned.

It estimates the Air Force may lack some 100 fighters in the late-2010s. The Air Force believes it needs at least 430 fighter jets of different levels to prepare for possible wartime operations ― some 100 high-end, 200 middle-range and 100 low-end fighters.

The FX-III competition also appears to be in connection with the KF-X project, designed to develop homegrown battle planes that would replace aging F-4 and F-5 fighters.

Observers here say that the Seoul government is likely to see how much a bidder can contribute to the KF-X project in terms of technology transfer during the acquisition process.

Military officials and experts largely agree that stealth fighters should be introduced early as North Korea’s provocations continue to destabilize the security environment on the Korean Peninsula.

Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 are being considered as the two most likely candidate fighters for the FX-III project.

F-15 Silent Eagle
In March 2009, Boeing first unveiled the two-seat, two-engine F-15 Silent Eagle with a maximum speed of mach 2.5, which has been being developed based on what it calls “combat-proven” F-15 Eagle.

In its promotion of the Silent Eagle, Boeing has focused on the fighter jet’s overall survivability, cost-effectiveness and “tactically useful” radar cross section reduction, pointing out that it would still retain the F-15’s long-range, large payload capabilities.

Critics here have doubted stealth capabilities of F-15SE, calling it a “semi-stealth jet” ― compared with Lockheed Martin’s F-35 ― as it is being developed on the basis of the non-stealth concept of the fourth-generation fighter jet.

Boeing refused to reveal the level of the RCS reduction on the F-15SE as it is classified information while stressing that it is ready to provide a reasonable level of the RCS reduction that could meet South Korea’s requirements. RCS is a measure of how detectable an object is with radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.

It, however, remains confident that overall, the F-15SE can offer a good solution for South Korea’s Air Force, citing a series of factors including its interoperability with the existing F-15K fighter jets run by South Korea’s Air Force.

“With a balanced approach to survivability, the F-15SE takes a low risk, cost effective approach to securing the national interest of our customers with advanced AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar, an advanced electronic warfare system, tactfully useful radar cross section reduction,” Brad Jones, director of Boeing’s F-15 Development Programs, told The Korea Herald.

Jones pointed out that one of the most important attributes of the F-15SE is “mission flexibility” which ensures the cost effectiveness of the fighter jet.

“Being able to perform air superiority, air-to-ground, deep penetration, maritime and remote island defense missions with a single platform provides a nation with the most cost effective solution to protect their national security,” he said.

“If you include the fact the F-15SE is more than 85 percent common with the existing F-15K Slam Eagle fleet, Korea will be able to greatly reduce their operational and support cost over the projected 30 year service life. No one else in the world can offer such a cost effective solution with this type of proven, superior operational capability.”

To a question of whether it can meet Korea’s anticipated delivery timeline, Jones said, “Boeing is committed to providing an operational capable F-15 Silent Eagle to the Republic of Korea when they need it for their force structure needs.”

Boeing explains that for a mission that requires a stealth capability, the F-15SE could carry a 2,700-pound internal payload for 800 nautical miles in an air-to-ground configuration or 720 nautical miles in an air-to-air configuration.

Its conformal weapons bay could accommodate various mixtures of weapons systems ― two Sidewinder missiles and two Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles; or four AMRAAMs; or an air-to-air and air-to-ground mix of two AMRAAMs and two 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs; or eight 250-pound Small Diameter Bombs.

If a mission did not require stealth, the F-15 Silent Eagle could be reconfigured for missions that required more payloads over a longer mission range. Removing the weapons bays would enable F-15SE to have a 29,500-pound payload for missions in the 1,000-nautical mile range in an air-to-ground configuration and 900 nautical miles in an air-to-air configuration.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II
A set of issues over rising costs and delays in the development of the F-35 fighter jet has apparently sapped confidence in the massive multinational program for the new radar-evading fighter that involve nine countries including the U.S.

Struggling to overcome such challenges, Lockheed Martin, which is spearheading the F-35 project, has been highlighting the fighter’s stealth capability that is believed to be better than those of other competitors.

Randy Howard, Lockheed Martin’s director of Korea F-35 Campaign, stressed that the F-35 is the “only true, all-aspect stealthy fifth-generation” fighter available on the international market while categorizing the F-15SE as a forth-generation jet.

“The F-35 redefines multi-role fighter aircraft performance and provides a quantum leap in capability over the fourth generation aircraft including the F-15SE which is based upon a design that dates to 1968,” he told The Korea Herald.

“True stealth must be designed from the ground up. It cannot be retrofitted. The F-35 achieves its Very Low Observable performance through its fundamental design, its external shape, and its state of the art manufacturing processes which control tolerances to less than half the diameter of a human hair.”

The F-35 has been co-developed with eight foreign partners ― Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway ― since 2001. The U.S., along with the eight countries, has invested some $50 billion for the F-35 project.

The single-seat, single-engine F-35 jet with a maximum speed of mach 1.8 has three different variants.

The conventional takeoff and landing F-35A is for air force operations, while the F-35B is the Marine Corps’ short take-off and vertical landing variant and the F-35C is the Navy’s carrier based version.

While the development of the two variants has been properly proceeding, the Marine Corps’ variant is experiencing significant testing problems stemming from software development issues, according to reports.

Given their budget constraints, the growing price of the F-35 is also burdensome for many countries. It is widely believed that the price of the F-35 per unit may double the original price of about $50 million ― set in 2001.

Criticism has surfaced here that the increase of the per-unit price runs counter to the development purpose of the F-35 ― producing a less costly stealth fighter for overseas customers as the F-22 Raptor, the top U.S. air superiority fighter, is barred by law from export until 2015 to protect its stealth technology.

Other than the price issues, another concern here is whether South Korea can acquire it at a time it needs the fighter since it is not part of the multinational JSF project.

Howard said that the F-35A will be available to South Korea with deliveries beginning in 2016, noting that F-35A’s System Development and Demonstration program, which includes developmental flight tests, is scheduled to complete in early 2016.

Regarding the increasing development costs, Howard said that as production quantities continue to increase, the production price will subsequently decrease.

“Cost increases to date have been predominantly associated with the development phase of the program. The U.S. government has borne the entire financial responsibility of these developmental cost increases and has not passed them along to participating countries,” he said.

“As production quantities continue to increase, the recurring production price will continue down that cost curve. Lockheed Martin expects the average unit recurring cost of an F-35A to be approximately $65 million in 2010 year economics.”

Howard also claimed that all issues with the development of the F-35 have proven to be “solvable.”

“The fundamental design and the software are sound ― there are no technical limitations,” he said.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldm.com)

 

DTN News

 

Photos of possible fifth-generation fighter appear on Chinese websites

-20

© AFP/ HO / KANWA NEWS

10:20 09/06/2011

Photographs of an unknown Chinese fighter jet appeared on Internet forums on Wednesday, sparking speculation that the country has developed the world's second fifth-generation fighter.
The U.S. F-22 Raptor is currently the world's only operational fifth generation fighter plane.
The Chinese photograph depicts parts of an unknown combat plane standing at an aerodrome. The air scoop and part of the pilot's cabin lamp, shown in the picture, resemble the shapes of fifth-generation plane parts and appear to be closely related to the Chinese J-20 prototype.
The Chengdu J-20 is a fifth generation stealth, twin-engine fighter aircraft prototype developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group for the Chinese army's Air Force.
China has a reputation for releasing photos of new military hardware on unofficial military websites before it announces them publicly. In January, amateur photographs showing preparations for testing China's fifth generation fighter J-20 were released on the Internet. Chinese media later confirmed the information.
Russia is testing its own fifth generation aircraft T-50 PAK FA developed by the Sukhoi design bureau. The aircraft is expected to become operational in 2015.
A U.S.-led international consortium is also working on a new F-35 multi-purpose fighter.
BEIJING, June 9 (RIA Novosti)

RIA NOVOSTI

27 Russian defense companies to take part in Paris Air Show

By RIA Novosti on Friday, June 17th, 2011

A total of 59 Russian firms and agencies, including 27 defense companies, will take part in the upcoming international air show outside Paris, the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) said.
The 49th International Paris Air Show will be held at Le Bourget on June 20-26.
"Twenty-seven defense companies will exhibit military aircraft and related products," a FSMTC spokesman told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
According to the official, Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 passenger jet and Be-200 amphibious plane will make demonstration flights at the biennial air show, which this year attracted over 2,000 exhibitors and 205 official delegations from 88 countries.
Russia will also showcase a full-scale mockup of a cockpit of the prospective MS-21 airliner for 150-212 passengers, which could become a market rival to Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 planes.
Aircraft industry experts agree that Russia, China and Brazil will dominate the Paris Air Show this year.

Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/27-russian-defense-companies-to-take-part-in-paris-air-show-35032/#ixzz1PWCQGj5m

Simulasi Penumpasan Teroris oleh Pasukan Khusus TNI AL di Juanda

17 Juni 2011, Surabaya (TEMPO Interaktif): Sejumlah personil Komando Pasukan Katak melakukan perimeter medan untuk menyerang sejumlah teroris saat simulasi penumpasan teroris di Lapangan Udara Angkatan Laut (Lanudal) Juanda, Surabaya, Jumat (17/6). Simulasi ini bagian dari peringatan Hari Penerbangan Angkatan Laut ke 55. Selain aksi penumpasan teroris, ada aktraksi sejumlah pesawat dan helikopter serta terjun payung. (Foto: TEMPO/Fully Syafi)

Sejumlah pesawat NOMAD milik TNI AL melakukan atraksi diatas Lapangan Udara Angkatan Laut (Lanudal) Juanda, Surabaya. (Foto: TEMPO/Fully Syafi)

Sejumlah personil gabungan Komando Pasukan Katak (KOPASKA) dan Intai Amfibi (TAIFIB) turun dari atas helikopter saat simulasi penumpasan teroris di Lapangan Udara Angkatan Laut (Lanudal) Juanda. (Foto: TEMPO/Fully Syafi)

Sejumlah personil gabungan Komando Pasukan Katak (KOPASKA) dan Intai Amfibi (TAIFIB) berusaha meringkus sejumlah teroris saat simulasi penumpasan teroris. (Foto: TEMPO/Fully Syafi)

Sejumlah personil Unit Pasukan Khusus Intai Amfibi 1 (TAIFIB) Marinir melakukan aksi menggunakan kendaraan bermotor saat simulasi penumpasan teroris. (Foto: TEMPO/Fully Syafi)

Sejumlah personil gabungan Komando Pasukan Katak (KOPASKA) dan Intai Amfibi (TAIFIB) berhasil melumpuhkan sejumlah teroris saat simulasi penumpasan teroris. (Foto: TEMPO/Fully Syafi)

Sumber: TEMPO Interaktif