China's new 5th Generation Chengdu J-20

China has recently come up with a new Chengdu J-20  fifth generation stealth, twin-engine fighter aircraft. In December 2010 it went for some high speed taxii trials and in Jan 2011 it took its first flight. Production of new J-20 clearly indicates that china is working on self reliance strategy.

The J-20 is a single-seat, twin-engine aircraft which appears to be somewhat larger and heavier than the comparable Sukhoi T-50 and Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.It  is approximately 75 feet (23 m) in length, has a wingspan of 45 feet (14 m) or more, and is expected to have a takeoff weight of 75,000 to 80,000 pounds (34,000 to 36,000 kg) with internal stores only.The prototype could be powered by twin 32,000 pounds (15,000 kg) thrust Saturn 117S engines provided by Russia.Chinese sources have claimed that production aircraft will be powered by two 13,200 kilograms (29,000 lb)/WS-10 class high thrust turbofan engines fitted with Thrust Vector Controlled (TVC) nozzles, both made in China. One of the signs of problems in the development is that China is still seeking engines from Russia for the aircraft.

Its specification are yet to be known as Aircraft is still under development.

Source: 1.   Wikipedia
            2.   Janes Defence

USA to Buy 1,930 Self-Protection Adaptive Roller Kit System IIs

While facing the continuous thread of IEDs(Improvised Exclusive Device) in Afghanistan USA is acquiring Self-Protection Adaptive Roller Kit System IIs (SPARKS IIs).

The Pentagon is going to buy 1,930 Pearson Engineering's Self-Protection Adaptive Roller Kit System IIs (SPARKS IIs), which will have a mine-roller capability that attaches to the front of armored vehicles, and will soon field them in Afghanistan.

The Self-Protection Adaptive Roller Kit (SPARK) is a  mine roller system which was designed to be attached on tactical wheeled platforms. The front roller consists of 2 roller banks on the left and right side of the vehicle, providing contact with the ground, causing IEDs to detonate on the roller. This forced as much of the blast down and away from the vehicle as possible, as opposed to underneath the vehicle.

Before SPARK, there was no mine roller kit available to Soldiers for a tactical wheeled vehicle platform.

In February 2009, an IED Roller Interface Bracket prototype for the RG-33 MRAP vehicle passed a fit test. In February just months after engineers and employees at Tobyhanna Army Depot started working on the project. The system allowed the fitting of the Self-Protection Adaptive Roller Kit (SPARK) to the RG-33 series of vehicles. Additionally, an improved SPARK, which was fielded to Afghanistan in January and Iraq in March, was developed, which included an additional third roller bank. The SPARK had been further improved for the Afghanistan terrain by allowing the driver to control the roller banks.

Source: 1.   Janes Defence
            2.   Global Security

Pak Navy Capable of Deploying Strategic Weapons At Sea

The Pakistan Navy has claimed that it is capable of deploying strategic weapons at sea if and when the government makes a decision to do so.

The government had so far not decided to deploy strategic weapons at sea, Chief of Staff Vice-Admiral Asif Humayun said while speaking at a workshop organised in the southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday.

Humayun told participants in the workshop, the navy is "fully capable" of deploying strategic weapons at sea if the government made such a decision.

He did not give details about how the strategic or nuclear weapons would be deployed and neither disclosed whether Pakistan has developed a capability to launch missiles from submarines.

In the context of the changing complexion of the war on terror, the Pakistan Navy has to do more to ensure a secure environment, he said.

The navy's role in the region was discussed in the context of its capability to protect Pakistan's territorial integrity and keep sea lanes safe from terrorists and non-state actors in the region.

Humayun said the navy should be provided more warships and submarines to augment the country's defence capabilities and meet regional maritime needs.

The navy's annual budget of Rs 27.5 billion was the lowest of the three services as the budgets of the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Army are Rs 71 billion and Rs 141 billion, respectively.

Another senior officer, Commodore Tahseenullah Khan, said the Pakistan Navy had formally communicated to the government its requirements for acquiring new submarines and it was up to the government to finalise a deal.

The deal for new submarines would include transfer of technology, similar to the deal for three Agosta-class French submarines.

The participants of the workshop were informed that the navy is trying to acquire long-range maritime patrol aircraft and drones as an alternative to the ageing French Atlantique reconnaissance aircraft.

The navy is also acquiring seven P3C Orion surveillance aircraft from the US.

Israel Asks to Buy F-35s (Pentagon)

Israel has asked to buy up to 75 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters in a deal worth as much as $15.2 billion if all options are exercised, the Pentagon said Sept. 30.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale initially would be for 25 fighters designed for conventional take off and landing.

But Israel would have the option of buying another 50 of the aircraft, either designed for conventional take off and landing or for short take off and vertical landing, the agency said.

"The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as 15.2 billion dollars," it said in a statement.

The F-35 is a stealthy new multi-role fighter built by Lockheed Martin that is intended to replace the F-16.

Israeli officials have said they plan to buy 100 fighters over the next decade.

It was unclear how soon delivery of the aircraft might begin.

The DSCA disclosed the proposed sale in a notification to Congress, which has 30 days to raise any objections to the sale. A deal would then have to be concluded with the Israelis.

"It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives," the DSCA said.

"Israel needs these aircraft to augment its present operational inventory and to enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capability," it said.

Self-Destruct Cluster Bombs By Israel

The Israeli army is equipping itself with self-destruct cluster bombs in order to lower the number of civilian victims of this type of weapon, used in the 2006 war in Lebanon, military radio said.

The army has reduced its purchases of U.S. made cluster bombs, instead buying Israel-made M-85 cluster bombs, which contain a mechanism to destroy themselves if they fail to explode immediately on impact, according to the report.

Cluster munitions spread bomblets over a wide area from a single container.

The United Nations estimates that a million cluster bombs were dropped on Lebanon by Israel between July 12 and August 14 in 2006 in the conflict with Hezbollah.

About 40 percent of these did not explode on impact and are spread among villages and orchards in the south of Lebanon.

According to a U.N. report in June, at least 38 people have been killed and 217 wounded by bomblets exploding since the end of the fighting.

The Israeli government's Winograd Commission of enquiry into the mistakes of the Lebanon war recommended the army use fewer cluster bombs in future to reduce civilian injuries.

In May, delegates from 111 countries agreed a landmark treaty in Dublin to ban the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions by its signatories.

However, the agreement lacked the backing of major producers and stockpilers including Israel, China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.

Self-Destruct Cluster Bombs By Israel

The Israeli army is equipping itself with self-destruct cluster bombs in order to lower the number of civilian victims of this type of weapon, used in the 2006 war in Lebanon, military radio said.

The army has reduced its purchases of U.S. made cluster bombs, instead buying Israel-made M-85 cluster bombs, which contain a mechanism to destroy themselves if they fail to explode immediately on impact, according to the report.

Cluster munitions spread bomblets over a wide area from a single container.

The United Nations estimates that a million cluster bombs were dropped on Lebanon by Israel between July 12 and August 14 in 2006 in the conflict with Hezbollah.

About 40 percent of these did not explode on impact and are spread among villages and orchards in the south of Lebanon.

According to a U.N. report in June, at least 38 people have been killed and 217 wounded by bomblets exploding since the end of the fighting.

The Israeli government's Winograd Commission of enquiry into the mistakes of the Lebanon war recommended the army use fewer cluster bombs in future to reduce civilian injuries.

In May, delegates from 111 countries agreed a landmark treaty in Dublin to ban the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions by its signatories.

However, the agreement lacked the backing of major producers and stockpilers including Israel, China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the United States.

Latest-Generation Laser Engagement System for US Army

U.S. Army Soldiers at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, will begin training this year with a new and improved version of the U.S. military's laser engagement training system. The new MILES Individual Weapon System, or MILES IWS, is manufactured by Cubic Defense Applications, the defense systems business of Cubic Corporation and features lighter weight components to lighten the load of Soldiers on the move during combat training exercises.

Shipments of MILES IWS to Fort Irwin began in July and will continue through December. To date, 4,000 systems have been delivered. Fort Irwin is the first large-scale fielding to take place under Cubic's contract with the Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI). Ultimately, Fort Irwin will receive 14,000 systems.

Cubic is also under contract to deliver systems to Fort Bliss and Fort Hood in Texas, and to U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency customers.

Cubic's first U.S. Army delivery of MILES IWS was to the Soldier Battle Lab at Fort Benning, Georgia, which conducted effectiveness and suitability testing on the system. A lab report issued earlier this year concluded, "Overall, the MILES IWS is more effective and suitable in a training environment than current MILES. The system requires less time to mount, less time to align, and maintains alignment resulting in more Soldier confidence and better use of training time..."

The report continues, "The MILES IWS provides more realism in training through more accuracy primarily attributed to alignment retention and weight reduction. The system provides Soldiers with a user friendly and rugged replacement for the current MILES."
Like its predecessor systems, Cubic's MILES IWS allows troops to train with actual weapons during force-on-force exercises. Cubic's laser transmitters and detectors are attached to the trainee's weapon, helmets and training harness. Tracking devices keep track of each trainee's position location, while other MILES IWS components provide real-time feedback on weapon engagements, and record the event for after-action review.

"Cubic is proud to deliver this greatly improved system to Fort Irwin, one of the nation's premier predeployment training sites," said Ray Barker, executive vice president for Business Development and Strategy for Cubic Defense Applications. "MILES IWS offers superior training over basic MILES and has long-term sustainability because it is easy to upgrade. It is interoperable with previous configurations of MILES and with the Initial Homestation Instrumentation Training System (I-HITS), the U.S. Army's new deployable combat training center. MILES IWS is giving the U.S. Army and PEO STRI good value now and into the future."

Cubic Defense Applications (CDA), one of Cubic Corporation's major segments, is a world leader in realistic combat training systems, mission support services and defense electronics. The corporation's other major segment, Cubic Transportation Systems, designs and manufactures automatic fare collection systems for public mass transit authorities.