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Thursday, November 18, 2010

FROM : Damn The Torpedo

PROUDLY WE SERVE STAND AND FIGHT

Do not ignore our enduring strategic interests as a regional maritime power

Agenda Keamanan Maritim Harus Domain Indonesia

All hands,
Adalah suatu hal yang sangat memprihatinkan ketika Indonesia dalam rangka kepemimpinan ASEAN 2011, termasuk di ADMM, salah satu prioritasnya dalam kerjasama ADMM adalah berfokus menjadi focal point pada operasi pemeliharaan perdamaian. Adapun isu keamanan maritim "diserahkan" kepada Negeri Tukang Klaim dan negeri penindas Aborigin. Seperti diketahui, pertemuan ADMM+ di Hanoi Oktober 2010 lalu telah menyepakati lima agenda prioritas kerjasama ADMM+.
Merupakan suatu kesalahan besar ketika Indonesia menyerahkan focal point agenda kerjasama keamanan maritim kepada pihak lain. Sebab pemilik perairan terluas di Asia Tenggara bukan Negeri Tukang Klaim, bukan pula negeri penindas Aborigin. Pemiliknya hanya satu yaitu Indonesia!!! Artinya, Indonesia harus menjadi penata keamanan maritim di kawasan. Harus diingat bahwa stabilitas kawasan Asia Tenggara ditentukan oleh kondisi keamanan maritim di Indonesia, bukan oleh operasi pemeliharaan perdamaian.
Singkatnya, seandainya Indonesia tidak berpartisipasi dalam operasi pemeliharaan perdamaian pun, stabilitas keamanan kawasan dan kedaulatan Indonesia sama sekali tidak terancam. Tetapi ketika Indonesia dinilai tidak mampu menjaga keamanan maritim di wilayahnya, stabilitas keamanan kawasan dan kedaulatan Indonesia terancam. Bertolak dari kondisi itu, seharusnya pengambil keputusan di Indonesia berpikir secara bijak, senantiasa mengacu pada kepentingan nasional dan berdasarkan kesadaran geografis dalam menentukan langkah Indonesia selama kepemimpinan ADMM+.

17 November 2010

Agenda Kepemimpinan ASEAN 2011

All hands,
Indonesia dalam KTT ASEAN November 2010 di Hanoi disepakati memimpin ASEAN selama 2011. Kepemimpinan itu memiliki banyak konsekuensi, di antaranya di bidang protokoler. Sebab Indonesia dalam tahun ini harus membuat sekian pertemuan ASEAN, baik di bidang politik, ekonomi, keamanan maupun sosial budaya. Dalam bidang pertahanan, setidaknya Indonesia harus menggelar pertemuan ADMM+, Chief of Defense Force, Chief of Naval Staff dan Chief of Military Intelligence.
Kondisi itu menggambarkan bahwa Jakarta dituntut mempunyai konsep untuk kerjasama pertahanan ASEAN. Konsep itu harus berakar pada kepentingan nasional, serta harus pula diperjuangkan dalam pertemuan-pertemuan ASEAN tahun depan. Lalu bagaimana agar Jakarta memiliki konsep yang mengacu pada kepentingan nasional?
Pertama, hapuskan ego sektoral. Kedua, duduk bersama antara semua pemangku kepentingan, baik sipil maupun militer. Ketiga, memiliki background dan pengetahuan intelijen yang lengkap soal sikap negara-negara ASEAN plus ARF menyikapi dinamika lingkungan strategis yang berkembang. Minimal dengan ketiga syarat itu maka konsep Indonesia bisa dirumuskan bersama dalam waktu singkat, sebab tahun 2010 akan segera menutup kalendernya.

16 November 2010

Agenda AUSMIN 2010

All hands,
Pada 8 November 2010 di Canberra digelar AUSMIN 2010 yang dihadiri Menteri Pertahanan dan Menteri Luar Negeri Amerika Serikat dan Australia. Agenda yang dibahas dalam konsultasi bilateral itu meliputi U.S. Force Posture Review, isu Cina dan peningkatan penggunaan fasilitas militer di Australia oleh Amerika Serikat. Sangat terang benderang dan jelas bahwa sejumlah isu yang dibahas oleh kedua negara yang di masa lalu sama-sama jajahan Inggris itu akan berdampak terhadap keamanan kawasan Asia Pasifik maupun Indonesia secara khusus.
Soal gelar kekuatan militer Washington di kawasan pasti terkait dengan kebangkitan militer Cina. Oleh karena itu, peningkatan akses dalam penggunaan fasilitas militer di Australia oleh Amerika Serikat dimaksudkan guna menjaga dan meningkatkan profesionalisme kekuatan laut, udara dan darat yang berada di bawah komando U.S. Pacom. Tur Presiden Barack Hussein Obama ke sejumlah negara Asia yang merupakan sekutu penting di luar NATO ----kecuali Indonesia--- mengisyaratkan sekali lagi bahwa Washington tidak akan mundur dari kawasan ini. Sebab apabila itu terjadi, kekosongan kekuatan kawasan akan diisi oleh Cina yang hingga kini sulit ditebak apa maunya.
Kembali ke agenda AUSMIN 2010, semestinya ada keuntungan tidak langsung yang dapat dipetik oleh Indonesia seiring akan terus meningkatnya interaksi Washington-Canberra. Modalitas yang dipunyai oleh Jakarta sudah lebih dari cukup untuk meraih keuntungan tersebut. Tinggal apakah pengambil keputusan di Jakarta mau berpikir out of the box atau tidak. Kalau skenario yang terakhir yang terjadi, maka Kemitraan Komprehensif yang ditandatangani pemimpin Jakarta dan Washington tak ada manfaatnya bagi Indonesia.

15 November 2010

Di Balik Sistem Senjata Surplus

All hands,
Amerika Serikat dewasa ini berupaya memasarkan sistem senjata surplus alias sistem senjata bekas kepada negara-negara yang berminat. Yang menjadi sasaran adalah negara-negara sekutu seperti NATO maupun negara-negara lain di dunia yang dianggap sebagai kawan dan mitra. Penawaran sistem senjata surplus tersebut selalu diimbuhi kata "lebih murah" daripada membeli sistem senjata baru yang sejenis. Di balik penawaran itu, ada beberapa hal yang perlu dipahami.
Pertama, penghematan anggaran. Memelihara sistem senjata surplus hingga sistem itu dihapus membutuhkan biaya tidak sedikit. Sedangkan jumlah sistem senjata yang dikategorikan sebagai surplus alias EDA jumlahnya ribuan pesawat terbang dan beberapa kapal perang. Untuk mengurangi beban anggaran itu, Washington menawarkan pesawat terbang dan kapal perangnya ke berbagai negara. Pakistan adalah salah satu korban dari sistem senjata surplus itu, sebab senjata yang ditawarkan yaitu P-3C Orion dan fregat kelas Oliver Hazard Perry diserahkan dalam kondisi as where as it is, sehingga Islamabad dipaksa mengeluarkan dana untuk me-reftrofit agar bisa digunakan.
Kedua, menghalangi akses pasar negara lain. Penawaran sistem senjata surplus dimaksudkan pula untuk menghalangi akses pasar negara lain yang sebelumnya bergantung pada Amerika Serikat. Yunani yang sebenarnya adalah sekutu Amerika Serikat di NATO adalah korban dalam kategori ini, di mana para petinggi pertahanan dan militer Athena dipaksa untuk membeli kendaraan lapis baja IFV Bradley surplus yang teronggok di gurun pasir New Mexico dengan "ongkos" membatalkan rencana pengadaan kendaraan lapis baja baru jenis BMP-3 dari Rusia yang juga tergolong IFV. Para petinggi Pentagon menyatakan bahwa harga Bradley lebih murah daripada harga BMP-3 baru. Padahal IFV Bradley itu kondisinya as where as it is alias harus di-retrofit terlebih dahulu sebelum bisa digunakan, di mana menurut kalkulasi ekonomi biaya pembelian plus retrofit satu unit Bradley sama dengan satu unit BMP-3 baru.
Ketiga, tidak memperkuat negara sekutu/kawan/mitra. Penawaran sistem senjata surplus oleh Washington kepada negara lain bukan ditujukan untuk memperkuat pertahanan negara-negara sekutu/kawan/mitra Amerika Serikat tersebut. Sebab masa jaminan sistem senjata surplus sangat singkat, sedangkan suku cadangnya sulit diperoleh karena produksinya sudah terbatas atau bahkan terhenti sama sekali. Kondisi demikian sangat jelas tidak memperkuat kemampuan pertahanan negara-negara pemakai senjata surplus itu.

14 November 2010

Surplus Pesawat Patroli Maritim

All hands,
Angkatan Laut Amerika Serikat mulai mempensiunkan pesawat patroli maritim P-3C Orion yang menjadi andalannya. Aktivitas itu dilakukan seiring dengan akan masuknya pesawat patroli maritim generasi terbaru yaitu P-8A Poseidon dalam beberapa waktu ke depan. Kegiatan mempensiunkan P-3C Orion tentu saja dilaksanakan bertahap, karena P-8A Poseidon pun penyerahannya dari pabrikan Boeing ke Angkatan Laut Amerika Serikat juga dilakukan secara bertahap.
Apa konsekuensi dari penghapusan P-3C Orion? Salah satu di antaranya adalah akan tersedianya banyak pesawat surplus atau di Amerika Serikat dikenal sebagai Excess Defense Article (EDA). Artinya, negara-negara berkembang yang dinilai bersahabat dengan Washington pasti akan ditawari pesawat P-3C Orion eks U.S. Navy. Sebagai contoh, dalam 2010 setidaknya ada dua negara yang sudah menerima pesawat P-3 Orion hasil surplus, yaitu Pakistan dan Taiwan.
Beberapa tahun lalu, Washington pernah menawarkan pesawat surplus serupa kepada Jakarta untuk memperkuat kemampuan Angkatan Lautnya. Namun tawaran itu tidak bersambut, antara lain karena pertimbangan nilai ekonomis dari pesawat tersebut. Selain aspek teknis, Jakarta pun masih trauma dengan kebijakan Washington terhadapnya di masa lalu.
Dewasa ini, Amerika Serikat memang rajin mendiskon berbagai sistem senjata Angkatan Lautnya yang surplus. Selain pesawat P-3 Orion, kapal fregat kelas Oliver Hazard Perry juga diobral dan Pakistan beberapa waktu lalu telah menerima kapal itu. India yang merupakan musuh bebuyutan Pakistan turut pula menerima kapal surplus dari Amerika Serikat yaitu LPD eks USS Trenton (LPD-14).
Berbicara soal alutsista surplus Amerika Serikat, satu hal yang harus dicermati oleh calon konsumen adalah perjanjian pengalihan senjata itu. Pasti di dalam perjanjian itu tercantum hal yang membatasi penggunaan kemampuan ofensif sistem senjata tersebut. New Delhi yang kini dirangkul oleh Washington telah merasakan adanya pembatasan itu dalam kasus eks USS Trenton (LPD-14) yang sekarang telah berganti nama menjadi INS Jalashwa.

13 November 2010

Memahami Kemitraan Komprehensif Indonesia-Amerika Serikat

All hands,
Kunjungan Presiden Barack Obama 9-10 November 2010 ke Jakarta telah menghasilkan kesepakatan Kemitraan Komprehensif antara Indonesia-Amerika Serikat. Satu di antara bidang kerjasama dalam kemitraan itu adalah keamanan dan kawasan. Terdapat tiga agenda utama dalam bidang itu, yaitu aksesi Amerika Serikat dalam KTT Asia Timur, Defense Framework Agreement dan kerjasama keamanan. Isu DFA yang ditandatangani di Washington pada 10 Juni 2010 lalu ada 10 butir, yaitu keamanan maritim, PKO, HADR, industri pertahanan, Universitas Pertahanan, Kopassus, Laut Cina Selatan, counterterrorism, intelligence matters dan Afghanistan. Adapun kerjasama keamanan difokuskan pada counterterrorism, keamanan maritim, PKO, natural disaster relief dan humanitarian assistance.
Tidak sulit dibantah bahwa sebagian besar materi kerjasama keamanan dan kawasan kedua negara sesungguhnya mengacu pada kepentingan nasional Amerika Serikat. Kalau kurang yakin, silakan periksa Strategi Keamanan Nasional Amerika Serikat 2010. Soal Indonesia dalam dokumen itu dibahas pada halaman 44. Menurut dokumen itu, Indonesia adalah mitra penting di kawasan bagi isu kawasan dan lintas negara, seperti perubahan iklim, counterterrorism, keamanan maritim, pemeliharaan perdamaian dan disaster relief. Jadi sangat jelas bahwa apa yang tercantum dalam dokumen Strategi Keamanan Nasional Amerika Serikat 2010 sangat mewarnai agenda kemitraan komprehensif Indonesia-Amerika Serikat di bidang keamanan dan kawasan.
Lalu bagaimana agar Indonesia bisa meraih keuntungan dari kemitraan tersebut? Jawabannya sederhana, yaitu mau berpikir cerdas. Caranya, tumpangkanlah kepentingan nasional Indonesia yang selaras dengan kepentingan nasional Amerika Serikat. Isu yang bisa ditumpangkan misalnya keamanan maritim, PKO, HADR/natural disaster relief, counterterrorism dan Laut Cina Selatan. Menumpangkan kepentingan nasional itu otomatis sudah siap untuk meraih keuntungan sebesar-besarnya dari kemitraan itu. Cara cerdas ini telah diadopsi oleh India dan Pakistan ketika berhadapan dengan Amerika Serikat.

12 November 2010

Ajukan Tagihan Kepada Amerika Serikat

All hands,
Dalam Kemitraan Komprehensif yang disepakati oleh Presiden Indonesia dan Amerika Serikat, salah satu bidang kerjasama adalah kerjasama keamanan dan kawasan. Terdapat tiga item dalam bidang tersebut, dua di antaranya adalah soal Defense Framework Agreement dan Security Cooperation. Dalam keduanya terdapat sub agenda kerjasama keamanan maritim. Pertanyaannya, apa keuntungan yang bisa diraih Indonesia dari Kemitraan Komprehensif?
Keuntungan yang bisa diraih Indonesia sebenarnya banyak. Peluang tersebut terbuka lebar. Yang menjadi masalah adalah apakah Jakarta mau dan akan mengajukan "tagihan" kepada Washington terkait dengan kerjasama keamanan maritim? "Tagihan" itu harus diajukan, bukan sebaliknya menunggu inisiatif tawaran dari Amerika Serikat!!!
Terkait dengan Kemitraan Komprehensif, Jakarta harus memanfaatkan posisi geografisnya. Mainkan posisi strategis Indonesia dalam rangka meraih keuntungan, sebab mustahil Washington tak membutuhkan Indonesia dalam konteks lingkungan strategis kawasan Asia Pasifik saat ini yang menghadapkan kepentingannya versus kepentingan Cina. Untuk memanfaatkan posisi strategis demi kepentingan nasional, Jakarta harus belajar dari Islamabad yang sangat cerdas, cerdik dan pandai memainkan instrumen itu terhadap Washington dalam bingkai war on terrorism. Seharusnya Jakarta bisa memainkan posisi itu pula dalam kerangka kebijakan Washington untuk contain Beijing.
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SUMBER :  Damn The Torpedo

SINGAPORE MINISTER OF STATE FOR DEFENCE VISITS INDONESIA




Singapore Minister of State for Defence Associate Professor (A/P) Koo Tsai Kee is in Indonesia on a three-day visit in conjunction with the 4th Indo Defence 2010 Expo and Forum held in Jakarta. A/P Koo attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition officiated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono this afternoon. He also met with President Yudhoyono during a joint call with other Ministerial-level guests, and will be attending a dinner hosted by Governor of Jakarta Fauzi Bowo for all heads of delegation this evening.

As part of the visit, A/P Koo called on Minister of Defence Dr Purnomo Yusgiantoro, where both sides noted the good bilateral cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia. They also reaffirmed the close and longstanding ties between the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI), and agreed to work together to further strengthen the cooperation.

A/P Koo's visit underscores the strong ties between the SAF and the TNI, which dates back to Exercise EAGLE, the first major bilateral exercise between the two armed forces in 1974. Today, the SAF and the TNI conduct regular bilateral air, land and sea exercises, and engage in other professional exchanges. These bilateral exercises and interactions have strengthened the institutional and personal linkages between the two armed forces.

ASIA MILITARY REVIEW

JAPAN ACHIEVES THIRD BALLISTIC MISSILE INTERCEPT USING SM-3

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) achieved its third ballistic missile intercept using a Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) Standard Missile-3.

During Thursday's test, which marked the 18th SM-3 intercept, the SM-3 Block IA missile engaged and destroyed a medium-range ballistic missile target more than 100 miles above the Pacific Ocean.

Personnel at the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai launched the ballistic missile target. The crew of the JMSDF destroyer, operating off the coast of Kauai, detected and tracked the target before firing the missile.

"This successful flight test adds to SM-3's long and impressive list of hit-to-kill intercepts," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. "Japan now has a fourth destroyer fully qualified to employ SM-3 against threat ballistic missiles."

Raytheon is developing SM-3 as part of the Missile Defense Agency's sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, and more than 100 SM-3s have been delivered to date. The missiles are deployed on U.S. Aegis cruisers and destroyers and JMSDF destroyers to defend against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats in the ascent and midcourse phases of flight.

The SM-3 Block IA was initially fielded in 2006. It is the third variant of SM-3, with prior versions supporting early testing and providing initial deployed capability. In 2008, Raytheon modified an SM-3 Block IA to destroy a failed satellite in space.

Raytheon's next-generation SM-3 Block IB will incorporate a throttleable divert and attitude control system and guidance and sensor upgrades to improve performance while maintaining the reliability of the Block IA.

Raytheon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, under contract to the MDA and the Japanese Ministry of Defense, are developing the next-generation SM-3 Block IIA missile. The new missile will provide increasingly longer range and a larger kinetic warhead for a greater area of defense against more sophisticated threats.

ASIA MILITARY REVIEW

Cover Story: LAND 400


Combined Arms Fighting System – Part 1
1st Nov 2010
This is the first of two articles analysing LAND 400.

Part 1 reviews the development of the current fleet of armoured vehicles that, with the exception of the Abrams M1A1 which was bought “Lock Stock and Barrel” from the US Government, reports on a decade or more of local involvement in the M113, ASLAV and more recently the Bushmaster programs. The latter three programs underpin the armoured vehicle fleet in Army service today and shows the extensive involvement of the collective capabilities of Defence and Australian Industry. This expertise must surely provide a clear directive to the future conduct of LAND 400.
Part 2 will appear in next month’s APDR and is a review of the publicly known scope and slow progress of this project to date, which is fundamentally a replacement program for the current fleet of land vehicles and the inclusion of unmanned vehicles comprising UAVs and possibly UGVs.
Progress on the project is so slow that it demonstrates a failure mode and the fact that by the time products of this acquisition are fielded and are functioning as required, the retirement of the current fleet will be well in progress. The need for an overarching requirement is undeniable, but the extension of that requirement into a series of interlocking phases under a single contract and a single contractor is highly questionable. The introduction of an Integrated Project Team, or Teams, comprising Defence and Industry is considered more likely to result in a successful project. Defence desperately needs to break out of the destructive situations of failed contract performance as evidenced by HF Mod., Vigilaire and AEW&C, all undertaken by a single (and the same) contractor.
The Army’s Current AFV fleet
The present fleet is understood to comprise: 41 M1A1 Abrams MBTs and seven M88A2 Hercules M1A1 Repair and Recovery Vehicles; 350 M113AS3/AS4 tracked Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs); 257 8x8 wheeled ASLAV-25 Light Armoured Vehicles; and 697 4x4 wheeled Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicles (IMVs) for a total of 1352 vehicles, a number of which undoubtedly will be in the attrition category.
• Abrams M1A1 & M88A2:
According to US files, 18 M1A1s were delivered to Australia in September 2006 and the balance of 41 delivered in March 2007.
7 M88A2 – Hercules Repair and Recovery vehicles were delivered in May 2006.
The bulk of the fleet is located in Darwin.
The following points are noteworthy about this MBT.
M1A1 is fitted with a 1st Gen FLIR, with later production M1A1 vehicles fitted with a 2nd generation FLIR and also M1A2s through the System Enhancement Program (SEP). The SEP also addresses other fire control features. M1A1/A2 have a mass of 69.5t, a “stump jumper” ground clearance of just 480mm and a modest footprint of 15.4 psi. These figures point nicely to the fact that this tank was really designed for desert and savannah warfare and not warfare in jungle or hilly and rocky terrain. Operation in littoral warfare and urban warfare environments may also be limited due to the overall size of the vehicle and size limiting transport requirements by sea, land and air. Buying 7 Hercules vehicles was very sensible. Notable is the fact that the Army has modified the Abrams to run on diesel fuel rather that AVTUR to reduce fire risk. The logic of replacing the Abrams will be difficult to argue, unless the ADF selects a smaller, higher mobility, transportable MBT that has the required firepower, but is capable of operating in typical topographical conditions north of Australia.
● LAND 106 M113 Upgrade.
Land 106 is a 3-stage program.
• Stage1, completed in 2004, addressed development, the manufacture, testing and evaluation of two demonstration vehicles,
• Stage 2 was for the Design, construction and testing of a total of 14 initial production vehicles (IPV), including four APCs, two AFVs, and two ARVLs and their extensive evaluation completed before entering Stage 3. One ALVIPV was scheduled for testing to commence in 2009.
• Stage 3 is for the modification of 417 vehicles of defined variants, to their Production standard, and numbers of them. Logistic support requirements of the modified vehicles are also included in this Stage. This Stage is still in being with delivery of the initial capability of sixteen upgraded vehicles (14 APCs, one AF and one ARVL) to the 1st Brigade in Darwin completed in December 2007 and steady state production being reached.
The M113 is a smallish, highly mobile, tracked, vehicle capable of travelling on road, across country over rough terrain, and in jungle environments. It also has a limited amphibious capability. The M113 was introduced into Australian service in 1964 and was operated in Vietnam, Rwanda and East Timor.
Although its replacement was touted on several occasions, the Army has persisted with the vehicle and it has been extensively modified in Australia to meet changing roles through extensive modification and rebuilds to extend its LOT.
As originally built, the aluminium alloy hulled M113A1 had a mass of 10.5t and a road speed of 66kph powered by a GM V6 diesel. The crew varied between 2 and 10 depending on the role of the vehicle.
The M113 fleet comprises a total of 766 vehicles; of which 431 are AS3/4 versions and the balance are A1 versions. The presently scheduled expiry date of the AS3/4 vehicles is 2020.

M113 Variants

Variants to the baseline M113 have been prolific. LAND 106 was endorsed by Government in the 2000 Defence White Paper to provide a major upgrade of 350 of the Army’s in-service M113A1 vehicles. Approval to upgrade a further 81 vehicles was approved by Government in 2008, bringing the total to 431 vehicles to be upgraded to the M113AS series.

The objectives of Land 106 are to extend the LOT of this series and to provide significant enhancements in protection, lethality and mobility while also providing improved supportability.

Seven variants of the M113AS series are being produced. These are: Armoured Personnel Carrier (M113AS4 APC); Armoured Fitters (M113AS4 AF); Armoured Recovery Vehicle Light (M806AS4 ARVL); Armoured Ambulance (M113AS4 AA); Armoured Mortar (M125AS3 AM); Armoured Command Vehicle (M113AS4 ACV); and Armoured Logistic Vehicle (M113AS4 ALV Armoured Personal Carrier (APC). The APC can carry an infantry section and, when the rear ramp is lowered, passengers can enter or exit the vehicle quickly. In its class it is perhaps the most valuable APC used by the Army.

The enhancements are being achieved as follows:

Protection will be significantly enhanced with the addition of appliqué armour and spall curtains as well as a number of changes designed to enhance the vehicle's mine protection. It must be noted, though, that The M113 has a flat bottom.

Lethality will be increased with the incorporation of a totally new electrically powered turret. The turret will be fitted with a quick-change barrel machine gun and a new day/night gun sight.

Mobility will be provided by a new engine, transmission, drive train and driver’s controls. To maximise the benefits of this new driveline the suspension, track and road wheels are also being replaced.

Supportability improvements include new electrical and fuel systems, improved habitability and a range of new stowage layouts to meet the diverse requirements of the numerous user units.

There is a further upgrade of the AS3, designated as AS4, with the two build standards and carrying capacity being differentiated by the overall length of each of the two vehicles. The AS3 variant has five road wheel stations per side and a recommended gross vehicle mass (RGVM) of 15000 kg. The AS4 variants have been stretched by 666 mm, with an additional road wheel station per side and a RGVM of 18 000 kg.

● LAND 112, ASLAV

ASLAV is the Australian designation of the LAV-25 produced by GMDLS Canada with the original design being drawn from the MOWAG Piranha 8x8 AFV.
The ASLAV Acquisition Program has four phases, of which three are now complete

• Phase 1. 15 LAV-25s ex US Marine vehicles were purchased in 1990 by Defence to trial the Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle concept in Northern Australia. The adoption of such a vehicle was supported, but some shortcomings for the Australian Army application were evident.

• Phase 2 , approved August 1991 and contracted to the “Canadian Commercial Corporation” (CCC) in December 1992 for 97 vehicles. The contract scope was increased to 111 to provide for the replacement of the 15 Ph. 1 vehicles. These vehicles were designated ASLAV. Also under this phase three hull types to provide the basis for seven variants were specified as follows:

• ASLAV Type I - a turreted vehicle with a 25mm stabilised cannon and thermal imaging weapon system. It is used for only one variant the ASLAV-25.

• ASLAV Type II - has greater internal capacity and no turret. Using a common hull design installed with unique Mission Role Installation Kits, it provides the Personnel Carrier, Command, Ambulance and Surveillance variants

• ASLAV Type III - allows for the installation of a crane for the Fitter (repair) variant or a heavy winch and support stands for the Recovery variant, again each with its own Mission Role Installation Kits.

• Phase 3- approved December 1997. 144 vehicles were ordered to give a total number of 257 vehicles. Ph.3. also included significant Australian content, an upgraded EOS, a new turret, improved suspension and crew airconditioning and was back-fitted to the Phase 2 vehicles. Turret equipment, not included in the Prime contract, included the “Behind Armour Commander’s Weapon Station (BACWS)” achieved through the purchase of a Remote Weapon Station (RMS) from Kongsberg through a series of acquisitions. By December 2005 all 59 Remote Weapon Stations had been delivered on schedule and installed in ASLAVs by August 2006.

The Multi-Spectral Surveillance System (MSSS), originally part of the Prime Contract, was purchased direct from DRS. It is a reconnaissance and surveillance package consisting of a laser rangefinder, thermal imager, and ground surveillance radar integrated with a stabilized common gimbal (SCG-100) and soldier machine interface provided by DRS. The MSSS is capable of three modes of operation: mounted on the vehicle, connected to the vehicle by a cable, and completely dismounted. The MSSS package will be designed as a kit for installation on the ASLAV-S.

• Phase 4 - Second Pass Government approval on 01 June 2010. It will address enhanced survivability, a half-life upgrade and standardisation of the ASLAV fleet. Possible survivability enhancements against current and future threats include:

• mine protection,

• ballistic protection,

• battlefield management system integration, (under LAND 25)

• signature management, or a defensive aids suite,

• manufacture of components and assemblies, storage and shipping containers, special tools and test equipment, consumables and other repair parts; and training and provision of technical documentation.

• Additionally, upgrading or replacing the power pack; and/or enhancing the Crew Procedural Trainer are included in Phase 4.

113 ASLAVS are presently scheduled for Phase 4 with delivery commencing April 2012.

It is notable that the Army has opted to maintain the ASLAV’s “swimming” capability and mobility. Retaining these capabilities requires close attention to the vehicles’ AUW and CG when any addition is proposed that changes the vehicles’ mass and balance characteristics beyond those approved by the Design Authority GMDLS Canada, particularly adding armour protection. This has resulted in ASLAVs being fitted, amongst other considerations, with a lightweight “cage’ designed to trap armour piercing munitions before they hit the hull and low mass spall liners.
● Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicle (IMV)
“From an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan” seems to be an apt descriptor for the origin, development and end result of this vehicle. The Bushmaster concept was for a light, armoured, high mobility, vehicle to carry up to nine troops in air-conditioned comfort at more than 100 kph. Described by its detractors as a "battle limousine", it was the first Australian-designed and developed combat vehicle developed in Australia since World War II.
Almost a decade after the project was conceived, none of the vehicles had been accepted into full service and the Senate was advised that, due to the poor wording of the contract, litigation against ADI Ltd was unlikely to succeed. But despite the contractual and reliability problems of the four Australian prototypes, the performance of the sole competing contender, the Taipan, was much worse and the Army pressed ahead with the then informally named Bushmaster.
At a critical stage of the program Thales bought ADI Ltd and inherited the Bushmaster woes. This action was perhaps the watershed in favour of the program.
Bushmaster production overview.

June 1999, the Government contracted ADI Ltd, then a wholly-owned Commonwealth-owned defence contractor, to build 370 vehicles. Thales acquired ADI Ltd shortly after this event.

July 2002, 300 Bushmaster IMVs in six variants: troop transport, ambulance, direct fire, mortar, engineer and command vehicle were ordered.

August 2004. First vehicles delivered to the Australian Army. Vehicles were operationally deployed to Iraq in April 2005 and Afghanistan in September 2005.
June 2006, first batch of 152 troop transport variants completed delivery. Delivery of the command variant was in progress.
December 2006, the Australian Army ordered a further 143 vehicles,
August 2007, the Australian Army ordered a further 250 vehicles,
2008. First contract deliverables completed and in October 2008, the Australian Army ordered a further 293 vehicles and the 500th Bushmaster vehicle was also completed at that date.
The total procurement for Australia was 737 vehicles of defined build standards.

Overseas action

Bushmaster has been and is being widely marketed internationally and important , sales have been made. As yet no significant sales have been made to the USA, and it is unlikely that sales will be made due to a national long-standing reluctance of that nation to buy defence equipment of overseas origin.

The Nederlands ordered 25 vehicles in August 2006. Some of the vehicles were fitted with a remote-controlled weapon system and all vehicles were fitted with the Thales SOTAS M2 multimedia communication system. Deployed to Afghanistan in October 2006. In November 2007, five vehicles were ordered to replace vehicles damaged in Afghanistan. Further orders were made in June 2008, 13; August 2008, 18; January 2009, nine vehicles were ordered.

The British Army ordered 24 vehicles in May 2008, for urgent deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bushmaster technical details.

Crew

Driver, commander and 7 crew

Hull

Monocoque all-welded steel hull with integral armour protection.

The monocoque design allows a shaped hull to be incorporated that deflects the shock waves of landmine and IED explosions outwards and thus reduces the direct shockwave beneath the vehicle. Internal blast isolation is also provided for the crew. The monocoque design also allows optimisation of the structural integrity of a vehicle by combining a chassis function with a body function compared with a separate chassis and body.
Configuration

4 x 4 wheeled, with tyre pressure control
Suspension and Drive
Double wishbone, (Timoney development) with 4-wheel independent drive
Engine
Caterpillar turbo-charged 6 cylinder, 224kw o/p @ 2400rpm
Power weight ratio:
16kW/t
Road Cruise Speed
100kph
Range
800km
Armour Protection
5.56mm and 7.62mm ball ammunition, landmine protection

Weapons Station

Typically, the US Army MIL 101 CROWS (Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station) to which can be installed a range of small calibre weapons. Station is stabilised and carries an EO system using day/night, IR cameras and LRF. Specified to be in service in 2008.

Air Transportation

C-130 Hercules

Length

6,600mm, 7,020mm with spare wheel

Configurations

Troop, Command, Assault Pioneer, Mortar, Direct Fire, Ambulance, Armoured Combat Support (LAND121 application), Fireking (commercial application for Forestry SAust) 15 - Thales development.

UK MOD “dual Cab” development to meet “Operational Utility Vehicle Systems Requirement (2009).

Part II looking at the future of LAND 400 will appear in the December / January edition of APDR.

SOURCE :APDR

Ukraine to cut Armed Forces by 20 pct - Chief of General Staff

Ukrainian armed forces
17:20 18/11/2010
© RIA Novosti. Taras Litvinenko
The Ukrainian armed forces will be cut by some 40,000 employees, including high-ranking officials, in the next five years in order to reduce military expenditure, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hryhoriy Pedchenko said on Thursday. The cuts, planned for the period 2011-2015, will affect in equal share both servicemen and civilian personnel. Currently the Ukrainian armed forces employ 200,000 people.
"We will make serious cut backs in the administrative apparatus, starting from the General Staff," Pedchenko said, adding that "unnecessary" logistics support units would also face the ax.
The general also said the Ukrainian Defense Ministry had handed a plan for military cooperation with NATO in 2011 to the president. In line with the plan, Ukraine intends to carry out more than 20 joint projects with the alliance next year.
Ukraine has taken part in the NATO Partnership for Peace program since 1994 and the former leadership sought membership in the alliance. However, these plans were dropped by current President Viktor Yanukovych, who has said the country does not seek alignment with any political bloc.

KIEV, November 18 (RIA Novosti)

RIA NOVOSTI

Pakistan buys Chinese missiles, eager to purchase more


Pakistan buys Chinese missiles, eager to purchase more
16:26 18/11/2010
© RIA Novosti. Mikhail Fomichev
Pakistan has bought Chinese missiles and avionics for its 250 JF- 17 Thunder jet fighters, Air Force chief Rao Qamar Suleman said on Thursday. In an interview with the Global Times, Air Chief Marshal Suleman said pre-purchase evaluations on several other Chinese air defense systems were also underway.
The advanced active radar medium-range missile developed by China, the SD-10 missile, will become the standard Beyond Visual Range (BVR) weapon for the JF-17, he said.
"PAF has no plans to install Western systems and weapons on the aircraft for the time being," he added.
Pakistan may also order advanced defense missile systems from China, including Chinese surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, Suleman said.
In an interview with another Chinese daily, China Daily, he said Pakistan was looking at the option of purchasing Chinese engines.
Suleman brought an FC-1 (Fighter China-1) Xiaolong aircraft, an improved version of China's new generation fighter jet co-developed with Pakistan, to the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai.
The PAF is increasing production of the FC-1 (designated JF-17 Thunder in Pakistan), and is aiming to have about 25 aircraft assembled by the end of the year.

BEIJING, November 18 (RIA Novosti)

RIA NOVOSTI

Ukraine halts funding of An-70 transport aircraft program


Ukraine halts funding of An-70 transport aircraft program
14:06 18/11/2010
© RIA Novosti. Dmitry Korobeinikov
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry will not fund the joint Russia-Ukraine Antonov An-70 transport aircraft project, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily said on Thursday.
The An-70 is a medium-range turboprop military transport plane developed by Ukraine's Antonov design bureau. The Antonov company first tested a prototype of the An-70 in 1994, but a lack of Ukrainian state funds, and political disputes between Moscow and Kiev have prevented large-scale production of the aircraft.
Several international military-technical projects with Russia were suspended in the new Ukrainian draft military budget.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily said the cut in funding affects, aside from the Antonov An-70 program, the construction of a corvette for the Ukrainian Navy, as well as Mil Mi-24 helicopter modernization programs.
"If the An-70 project goes ahead in the nearest future, it will be carried out thanks to Russia's good will and support," Konstantin Makiyenko, an expert from the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
"Taking into account the Ukrainian economic situation, it (the ministry) will be able to fund only 10-15 percent of this project," he said.
The head of the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade, Igor Korotchenko said that "it was the intergovernmental Russia-Ukrainian committee, but not the Ukrainian Defense Ministry that would decide on the An-70's fate."

MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti)

RIA NOVOSTI

BERITA POLULER