Israel Suspects China in Failed Cyberattack Vs. Defense Industry

Israeli authorities suspect Chinese involvement in a failed cyberattack targeting 140 top defense industry executives and program officials, according to Israel’s Channel 2 News.

The attempted attack took place several weeks ago in the form of an email sent to scores of industry executives and program officials from an unnamed German company “known to Israeli industry,” said Nir Dvori, the network’s senior defense reporter.

In his Oct. 27 report, Dvori said, “defensive measures” managed to detect and “close down” the threat before recipients had an opportunity to open the mail and release a Trojan horse embedded within the seemingly innocent correspondence.

“Defensive measures discovered the attack and thwarted it. The assessment here is that the attack came from the Chinese defense industry,” Channel 2 reported.

Myriam Nahon, an MoD spokeswoman, said the ministry does not comment on media reports involving cyber matters.

In interviews here, several defense industry executives confirmed that firms were conducting refresher training on protocols and procedures associated with information and network defense. None of the executives contacted agreed to elaborate on the incident or to identify the German firm that served as an unwitting delivery vehicle for the attempted cyberattack.

Retired Maj. Gen. Isaac Ben-Israel, chairman of the research council that led to the 2011 establishment of Israel’s National Cyber Bureau, also declined comment on the specific event reported by Channel 2.

Nevertheless, in an Oct. 28 interview, Ben-Israel said authorities here were unlikely to make public accusations or to elaborate on methodologies employed by suspected cyber offenders.

“Thousands of cyberattacks are directed at us every day; some of them more sophisticated and some of them less so. The problem is that as good as we are at detecting and thwarting such attacks and as credible as we are in forensic investigations after the fact, there always remains the problem of attribution.”

According to Ben-Israel, a former director of Israeli defense research and development, “cyber offenders unfortunately do not leave their signature in Mandarin Chinese, Russian or any other language. ... We can suspect, but we can only suspect; and redouble defensive measures for the attack.”

Japan's PM Warns China On Use Of Force As Jets Scrambled

Japan’s leader warned China on Sunday against forcibly changing the regional balance of power, as reports said Tokyo had scrambled fighter jets in response to Chinese military aircraft flying near Okinawa.

Verbal skirmishing between Asia’s two biggest economies, who dispute ownership of an island chain, escalated as Beijing warned Tokyo that any hostile action in the skies against Chinese drones would be construed as an “act of war.”

“We will express our intention as a state not to tolerate a change in the status quo by force. We must conduct all sorts of activities such as surveillance and intelligence for that purpose,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in an address to the military.

“The security environment surrounding Japan is becoming increasingly severe. This is the reality,” he said. “You will have to completely rid yourselves of the conventional notion that just the existence of a defense force could act as a deterrent.”

Abe presided over an inspection of the military at which a US amphibious assault vehicle was displayed for the first time, an apparent sign of Japan’s intention to strengthen its ability to protect remote islands.

The defense ministry plans to create a special amphibious unit to protect the southern islands and retake them in case of an invasion.

“There are concerns that China is attempting to change the status quo by force, rather than by rule of law,” Abe earlier told the Wall Street Journal in an interview following a series of summits this month with regional leaders.

“But if China opts to take that path, then it won’t be able to emerge peacefully,” he said in the interview published Saturday.

“So it shouldn’t take that path, and many nations expect Japan to strongly express that view. And they hope that as a result, China will take responsible action in the international community,” Abe added.

Kyodo News reported that Japan scrambled jets Sunday for the third successive day in response to four Chinese military aircraft flying over international waters near the Okinawa island chain.

Two Y8 early-warning aircraft and two H6 bombers flew from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean and back again but did not violate Japan’s airspace, it said.

The Japanese defense ministry was not immediately available for confirmation.

Japan’s military is on increased alert as Tokyo and Beijing pursue a war of words over the disputed islands in the East China Sea that lie between Okinawa and Taiwan.

On Saturday China responded angrily after a report said Japan had

drafted plans to shoot down foreign drones that encroach on its airspace if warnings to leave are ignored.Tokyo drew up the proposals after a Chinese military drone entered Japan’s air defense identificati

on zone near the disputed islands in the East China Sea last month, Kyodo said.

“We would advise relevant parties not to underestimate the Chinesemilitary’s staunch resolve to safeguard China’s national territorial sovereignty,” China’s defense ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said in comments posted on the ministry’s website.

“If Japan takes enforcement measures such as shooting down aircraft, as it says it will, that would constitute a serious provocation, an act of war of sorts, and we would have to take firm countermeasures, and all consequences would be the responsibility of the side that caused the provocation.”

Tokyo and Beijing both claim the small uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Japan administers them and calls them the Senkakus. China refers to the islands as the Diaoyus.

One of Abe’s first decisions as prime minister was to increase the defense budget for the first time in 11 years.

Tokyo also plans to hold a major air and sea exercise next month to bolster its ability to protect its remote islands.

In the Wall Street Journal interview, Abe said Japan had become too inward-looking over the past 15 years, but as it regains economic strength “we’d like to contribute more to making the world a better place.”

The Journal said he made it clear that one way Japan would “contribute” would be countering China in Asia.

China needs tight integration between air and sea forces

 A recent Andrew Erickson report detailed the constellation of institutional interest and cooperation behind the PLAN’s ongoing deployment to the Gulf of Aden. As Erickson notes, the deployment has required a substantial degree of interagency cooperation, and seems, by and large, to be meeting the needs of those institutions.

Of all the institutional challenges that modern militaries face, however, none compares to complexity of managing the need for and provision of airpower. On that metric, how is the People’s Liberation Army Air Force doing?

J-15 Fighter on Liaoning Carrier

Historically, the pursuit of air force institutional autonomy has focused on providing space for the air force to procure appropriate equipment, manage doctrine and training, and create independent plans for warfighting. Airpower advocates have typically argued that tying air forces to armies or navies produces hamstrung forces that cannot realize the full, independent potential of airpower. However, independence has often put air forces at odds with already existing services. The histories of airpower in the United States and the United Kingdom, for example, are replete with nasty conflicts over equipment, missions and warfighting preferences.

But of course, the PLAAF is *not* an independent service. Indeed, there is a good case to be made that the PLAAF has suffered, historically, as much as any air force from the parochial interests of ground forces. A combination of poor doctrine, mismatched equipment, inadequate training and outdated technology made the PLAAF a non-factor in the Sino-Vietnamese War. Not all of this was the fault of the Air Force, as the tumultuous ideology of the Maoist period and China’s international isolation contributed to constraining the PLAAF’s development.

A combination of China’s changing strategic environment and the death of the PLA’s old guard have transformed the PLAAF’s situation. The PLAAF and the PLAN have enjoyed several autonomy enhancing reforms over the past decade, putting each on much more equal footing with respect to the Second Artillery and the ground forces of the PLA. The PLAAF also appears to have acquired considerably greater responsibility for planning and organizing air campaigns, and has also acquired a significant amount of modern equipment. However, although the autonomy and prestige of the PLAAF has grown, it remains under the umbrella of the People’s Liberation Army.

Whatever the drawbacks of this system, it has produced the appearance of inter-service comity. The system-of-systems that constitutes China’s A2/AD capabilities depends on tight integration between the PLAAF, the PLAN, and the Second Artillery. There is little open indication of any dispute or friction between the three branches, although serious problems of cooperation often only emerge in the context of real wars. Similarly, there is little indication that the procurement policies of the PLAAF have displayed the sort of service parochialism found in the United States or the United Kingdom.

In the U.S. and British systems, much of the responsibility for procurement lies with the independent services, which have direct access to civilian policymakers. Historically, the biggest incidences of inter-service conflict in the United States have involved fights over equipment. As yet, despite the increasing autonomy of the PLAAF, it is not clear that any serious disputes over mission prioritization (say, air superiority vs. close air support vs. long range strike) or procurement have developed between the different branches of the PLA.

Just as the first half century of the PLAAF demanded close cooperation between ground and air elements, the second half century will likely demand tight integration between air and sea forces. The institutional arrangement of the PLA hasn’t always been a success, but with the increasing strategic focus towards the sea, and the increased civilian interest in seapower and airpower, Chinese military power seems to be developing as it should. There is little indication at this time that China needs to embark on serious reform of its military institutions, at least where airpower is concerned.

Why does China enter Britain’s nuclear power market?

2013-10-21 — For a chancellor so keen on the defence of UK national sovereignty against democratic Europeans, George Osborne’s unbridled enthusiasm for Chinese investment in the UK’s critical infrastructure is striking. If all these memorandums of understanding come to fruition, Chinese entities will hold important stakes in water in the UK, airports, IT infrastructure and now nuclear power generation, all without a serious national debate on any potential risks such involvement might bring.

Since the Chinese government does its homework, it knows that Osborne represents a country reduced to penury by the financial crisis, and with some tricky, big-ticket items on its wishlist. Since the Chinese appreciate deference from their visitors, they must have been delighted by the chancellor. Britain is open for business, as he likes to say. Just make me an offer.

Hinkley Point C Nuclear Plant

Neither China’s sovereign wealth fund nor its state-owned enterprises are philanthropic. All have large war chests, and their search for profitable, secure investments around the world has stimulated competition among aspirant recipients. But good bargains are not always done in haste and a number of unanswered questions hang over China’s proposed investment, future majority stake-holding and possible future operational involvement in Britain’s nuclear power.

Some are hardy perennials: the world has 270,000 tonnes of high-level waste in temporary storage, an unlovely heap that grows by 10,000 tonnes each year. In 50 years of nuclear power, nobody has come up with a workable plan for the million years that safety regulations demand. Are the costs of that, and of decommissioning, built into the deal and if so, who pays?

Then there is public subsidy: nobody has ever built a nuclear power plant without it, but the mandatory opening up of European electricity systems to competition means consumers are no longer obliged to underwrite unlimited costs, or to pay for expensive nuclear energy. This transfers the financial risk to the owners and financiers – hence the difficulty of finding the cash. What is different here?

French enthusiasm is explained by the attempt to save their industry after decades of nuclear chill: Japan’s plants are currently shuttered, for obvious reasons; new licensing is suspended in the United States; many countries (Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and Belgium) are phasing out nuclear power, or have never had it (Ireland, Austria, Norway, Greece, Portugal, Italy and Denmark).

But what is in it for China? China has been the global nuclear industry’s main hope of survival in recent years. It is a newcomer, starting to build its first commercial reactor only in 1985. It now has 16 in operation and a further 26 under construction, and more are planned. Now China hopes to become the world’s next big nuclear exporter and sees involvement in a British plant as a key step to gaining credibility in the market.

Zubr-class landing craft

Should the PLA attempt an amphibious landing the disputed Japan-controlled Diaoyutai (Diaoyu or Senkaku) islands inthe East China Sea, the Zubr-class air-cushioned landing craft introduced from Russia will be very useful, according to the Moscow-based Voice of Russia on Sept. 26.

Vasily Kashin from the Moscow-based Centre for Strategic Technology Analysis said China has changed its previous passive attitude over the issue of the islands following their nationalization by Japan last year. Amid an outpouring of anti-Japanese sentiment in response, Beijing has begun to be more aggressive in sending maritime patrol vessels and aircraft to the islands, keeping the pressure on Japan and also pacifying nationalist sentiment among the public demanding a tough response.

Through introducing more advanced weapons systems such as the Su-35 fighter and S-400 air defense missile from Russia, the PLA has been showing Japan that it will not back down over its territorial claims. Kashin said the four Zubr-class landing craft purchased from Russia at a cost of US$315 million would allow a successful amphibious offensive to land PLA marines onto the islands and represent a very real threat to Japanese control of the islands.

As the islands lie 300 kilometers from the Chinese mainland, within the strike range of its S-400 missiles, the PLA Air Force has the capability to strike at Japanese fighters without launching its own aircraft, Kashin said. Though a tenuous peace holds as long as Japan does not physically occupy the islands, Kashin more advanced weapons are likely to be deployed in the area, making the East China Sea a new global hot spot.

NATO wants say in Turkey-China missile deal

NATO’s chief said Tuesday he hoped Turkey would keep in mind the military alliance’s views as it mulls a missile defence deal with China.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen said NATO member Turkey could buy equipment from any source after Ankara raised the possibility of accepting a Chinese bid to build its first long-range anti-missile system.

“Our position is very clear. It’s a national decision to decide which equipment to purchase,” Rasmussen told a press conference at the close of the first day of a two-day NATO defence ministers meeting.

“However, seen from a NATO perspective, it’s of utmost importance that the systems nations plan to acquire can work and operate together with similar systems in other Allied nations,” he said.

“I feel confident Turkey is aware of this NATO position and… will take that into account before taking the final decision.”

Turkey’s Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz told the Vatan newspaper earlier this month China had provided the best price.

A Chinese company beat competition from a US partnership of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Russia’s Rosoboronexport, and the Italian-French consortium Eurosamrs for a deal worth some $4.0 billion.

NATO member Turkey is a key regional ally to the United States and currently has US-built Patriot missile systems deployed on its border to deter incoming attacks from Syria.

Rasmussen said ministers from the 28 member states had discussed missile defence against attacks from outside the Euro-Atlantic area, a reference in the past taken to mean Iran although the secretary general named no country.

The next step in the missile defence system will see a “groundbreaking for the land-based Aegis system” in Romania by the end of October,” he said.

Russia has voiced strong opposition to the missile defence plans, fearing they could jeopardise its own security.

Its Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is likely to raise the issue on Wednesday when he meets his NATO counterparts in the NATO-Russia Council.

Rasmussen said ministers also discussed increased cooperation, a necessary step to offset the impact of ever tighter military budgets, and increased large-scale exercises.

PNS AZMAT Fast Attack Craft

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir was the Chief Guest at the launching ceremony of the 1st Fast Attack Craft (Missile) being built for Pakistan Navy here at Xingang Shipyard, Tianjin, China. 

He said that the project of Fast Attack Craft (Missile) construction represents a quantum leap, not only in Defence Production in naval Sector of Pakistan, but also will meet the long standing operational requirement of Pakistan Navy for the Fast Attack Crafts. 

AZMAT Class Fast Attack Craft (Missile) has a crew of 12 to 14 sailors which is less than half that of similar FAC(M). Each FAC(M) will cost of around $50 million each. 

PNS AZMAT is speculated to be a 500-600 ton, 60-meter Fast Attack Craft (Missile) which will be equipped with eight C-802A/CSS-N-8 Saccade anti-ship missiles. 

First Fast Attack Craft (Missile) will be called AZMAT FAC(M) and it is scheduled to be delivered to Pakistan Navy Fleet by April 2012. These ships will be known as AZMAT Class FAC(M)s in service with Pakistan Navy. 

Chief of Naval Staff said that induction of Missile Crafts will supplement Pakistan Navys warfare capabilties He cherished the hard work put in by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSOC) and Pakistan Navy team in realizing the construction of the ship in a short time. 

Admiral Noman Bashir said, Pak-China relationship is unique and does not draw any parallel in the world. This relationship over the years has matured in all fields, particularly in defence. He said that production of the second Fast Attack Craft (Missile) in Pakistan will also be accomplished with the active help of our Chinese friends. 

AZMAT Fast Attack Craft (Missile) is equipped with C802A Surface-to-Surface Anti-Ship Missiles which has a range of 180 kilometers. AZMAT FAC(M) uses latest stealthy features to avoide detection from long ranges. force. Admiral Noman Bashir said that AZMAT FAC(M) is equipped with the high tech weapons and sensors to preform extremely versatile missions. 

When China says a ship is launched means is the ship is almost ready. This ship will be handed to Pakistani brothers half years later (April, 2012) as scheduled. 

China to provide missiles to Myanmar

The launch of a HQ-12 surface-to-air missile. (Internet Photo)

China has signed an agreement to provide its Hongqi-12 surface-to-air missiles to Myanmar to defend its capital city of Naypyidaw from potential air attacks, according to the Kanwa Defense Review published by Andrei Chang in Canada.

The HQ-12 missile, also known as its export name of KaiShan 1A or KS-1A is a a medium- to long-range system, designed to engage missiles as well as aircraft. Malaysia initially planned to purchase the KS-1A from China in 2000 but the Malaysian government backed out after the KS-1A was unable to compete against Russia's SA-11 Buk missile system, according to the Kanwa Defense Review.

Chinese designers have since modified the outdated missile system, leading them to win the recent contract with Myanmar. A missile battalion of the People's Liberation Army Air Force is equipped with four launchers and eight missiles, with the range of KS-1A missile estimated to be 50 kilometers. The missile is likely to be deployed to Naypyidaw to defend the capital city, the review said.

Pakistan is also negotiating with the Chinese government to purchase its HQ-16 and HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles. Senior official in Pakistan told the Kanwa Defense Review that the only obstacles standing between Pakistan and China signing a contract is the current price of the missiles.:

China To Continue Rapid Development OF Attack Helicopters

China will continue to develop attack helicopters to build on the success of the WZ-10 and WZ-19 unveiled last year, said Du Wenlong, a military analyst from Beijing, in a interview with the People's Daily Online, the official website of the state-run People's Daily.

The WZ-10 and WZ-19 — China's first generation of indigenous attack helicopters — were designed by the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation and Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, according to Du. He said that the PLA's Z-9 helicopters can be modified to become attack helicopters, but the WZ-10 and WZ-19 mark a milestone in the country's aircraft development.

WZ-19 Attack Helicopter

The expert said that there are still room for improvements, however. Equipped with eight missiles, Du said that the WZ-10 is able to destroy all of its targets on the ground, but it is still unable to fight against other helicopters in aerial combat. In addition, he added that current PLA helicopters would not be able to defeat the AH-1W helicopters used by Taiwan's ROC Army without the cover provided by fixed-wing aircraft.

China Developed AESA RADAR For J-11B

J-11B Fitted  With AESA Radar

J-11B Fitted  With AESA Radar

China Has Upgraded J-11B with AESA radar (most likely the same AESA Radar seen on the J-15 and J-16).

China 's State Television(CCTV) Said: J-11B radar has 1760 T/R modules, has a search range of 450 km against 1 m^2 target and 250 km against a 0.1 m^2 target.

In a dig at rampant Chinese copying, Russian Putin Urges Better Protection of Russian Arms Copyright

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called for increased protection for Russian weapons manufacturers’ intellectual property rights on the global arms market.

“The world arms market is rife with examples of illegal copying of others’ designs, and we have encountered these problems on past occasions,” Putin said at a meeting of the Russian Commission for Military-Technological Cooperation with Foreign States.

“Our task is to ensure a high level of protection for our science-intensive goods and intellectual property, and defend the rights of Russian producers, companies and inventions’ creators,” Putin said.

The president also urged that the protection of intellectual property rights is strengthened in the manufacturing of Russian armaments in foreign countries under licenses in line with international laws.

Putin stressed that this “concerns not only the goods manufactured on the basis of contracts signed during the Soviet period,” particularly regarding Eastern Europe, but also the “legal protection of our latest arms models.”

Experts estimate that exports of illegally produced Russian arms cost the country up to $6 billion a year and also damage Russia's image.

The most notorious example is the illegal production of the famed Kalashnikov assault rifles in at least 15 countries, which is a particular problem in Eastern Europe.

Chinese six-rotor Drone

China has developed a six-rotor drone made from carbon fiber which has successfully passed flying and bombing tests, according to 81tech.com, a state-run defense technology news website. 

All three of the drones, with body, rotors and undercarriage all made with carbon fiber composite materials, were designed and manufactured by Kang Ben Company, the fourth research institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The drones passed tests including vertical takeoff/landing, hovering in one place, manual flight mode and following a predetermined route. The drones also passed tests of carrying and launching missiles.

Kang Ben has continued to work on the drone's design to increase its mobility and for it to be able to be assembled and taken apart again rapidly, in order for it it to be easily transportable and more reliable.

Six-rotor drones have been used by the PLA in guarding the border between Xinjiang and Kazakhstan. The drone can cover a large area of the mountainous region, which is otherwise difficult to monitor.

Comparison of J-20 Chinese Stealth Fighter

Comparisons of J-20 J-XX Chinese Stealth Fighter:

More Pictures :

Chinese Hackers Are Helping China Build Cheap Clones of America's Drones

Chinese Hackers Are Helping China Build Cheap Clones of America's Drones - BRIC countries like Russia, India and Brazil should start hacking Chinese computers

Chinese UAV technology is the same as that of US, only reverse engineered.

All US enemies like Syria, Pakistan(Chinese rogue side kick just like North Korea), Somalia, Libya, Al Qaeda,  will soon have cheaper UAVs with Beidou navigation system with "Made in China" engravings.

Find out below which one is original?  Even the color scheme has been copied shamelessly.

 

Secret stealth drone captured by Iran

Same Secret stealth drone technology transferred by Iran to China. Chinese production line for these stealth drones

American drone models with new Chinese names

Beginning in 2011, a series of weaponized emails—PDF and Word attachments with malware inside—were sent to people who work in America's drone brain trust. A cybersecurity group found that the attachments, many of them with benign titles like "dodd-frank-conflict-minerals.doc," "Boeing_Current_Market_Outlook_2011_to_2030.pdf" and "April Is the Cruelest Month.pdf," originated with a hacker group in Shanghai linked to China's military.

Boeing unveils updated F/A-XX sixth-gen fighter concept

Sure that the Chinese have all the Boeing designs before hand for their "peaceful" rise.

The Boeing concept also features canards, which is somewhat of a surprise because the motion of those forward mounted control surfaces is generally assumed to compromise a stealth aircraft's frontal radar cross-section. But the lack of vertical tail surfaces suggests the aircraft would be optimized for all-aspect broadband stealth, which would be needed for operations in the most challenging anti-access/area denial environments.

Also of note in the manned version of the company's F/A-XX concept is the placement of the cockpit-rearward visibility appears to be restricted without the aid of a sensor apparatus similar to the F-35's distributed aperture system of six infrared cameras.

The Boeing F/A-XX concept is a response to a USN request for information (RFI) from April 2012 soliciting data for a replacement for the service's Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets in the 2030s. The Super Hornet fleet is expected to start reaching the end of the jet's 9000h useful lifespan during that time period.

"The intent of this research is to solicit industry inputs on candidate solutions for CVN [nuclear-powered aircraft carrier] based aircraft to provide air supremacy with a multi-role strike capability in an anti-access/area denied (A2AD) operational environment," the navy RFI stated. "Primary missions include, but are not limited to, air warfare (AW), strike warfare (STW), surface warfare (SUW), and close air support (CAS)."

Navy leaders had said at the time that they expect any new F/A-XX design to have greatly increased range and offer far superior kinematic performance compared to existing tactical aircraft.

Boeing unveils updated F/A-XX sixth-gen fighter concept

Sure that the Chinese have all the Boeing designs before hand for their "peaceful" rise.

The Boeing concept also features canards, which is somewhat of a surprise because the motion of those forward mounted control surfaces is generally assumed to compromise a stealth aircraft's frontal radar cross-section. But the lack of vertical tail surfaces suggests the aircraft would be optimized for all-aspect broadband stealth, which would be needed for operations in the most challenging anti-access/area denial environments.

Also of note in the manned version of the company's F/A-XX concept is the placement of the cockpit-rearward visibility appears to be restricted without the aid of a sensor apparatus similar to the F-35's distributed aperture system of six infrared cameras.

The Boeing F/A-XX concept is a response to a USN request for information (RFI) from April 2012 soliciting data for a replacement for the service's Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets in the 2030s. The Super Hornet fleet is expected to start reaching the end of the jet's 9000h useful lifespan during that time period.

"The intent of this research is to solicit industry inputs on candidate solutions for CVN [nuclear-powered aircraft carrier] based aircraft to provide air supremacy with a multi-role strike capability in an anti-access/area denied (A2AD) operational environment," the navy RFI stated. "Primary missions include, but are not limited to, air warfare (AW), strike warfare (STW), surface warfare (SUW), and close air support (CAS)."

Navy leaders had said at the time that they expect any new F/A-XX design to have greatly increased range and offer far superior kinematic performance compared to existing tactical aircraft.