Top Ten Military Expenditure Database

List of countries by military expenditures :

1. United States : 682,478,000,000 $


2. People's Republic of China :166,107,000,000$

3. Russia : 90,749,000,000$

4. United Kingdom : 61,007,000,000$

5. Japan :59,267,000,000$

6. France :58,943,000,000$

7. Saudi Arabia :56,724,000,000$

8. India : 45,785,000,000$

9. Germany : 43,478,000,000$

10. Italy : 34,004,000,000$

11. Brazil : 33,143,000,000$

12. South Korea : 31,660,000,000$

13. Australia : 31,660,000,000$

14. Canada : 22,600,000,000$

15. Turkey : 18,184,000,000$

Turkey's acquisition of HQ-9 Air Defense System

   China has given cheapest offer with HQ-9, second Aster 30 (France-Italy), third S-300 (Russians offered an old    solution), last one useless and most expensive Patriots.

Pakistan AL-Khalid II Tank

Pakistan and China To Jointly Manufacture New Version Of Al-Khalid Tank

Pakistan and China today signed a contract to manufacture a version of the jointly developed Al-Khalid-I tanks.
First developed in the 1990’s, the tank was introduced in 2001 with the new version equipped with has improved capability and systems.
The contract was signed by Pakistan's Heavy Industries Taxila and China's NORINCO at the Ministry of Defence Production.The joint marketing of the Al-Khalid tank with China would open up potential markets, the statement said.

China, Pakistan To Manufacture New Version Of Al-Khalid Tanks 

Al khalid II major known specs:

*-1500HP Engine
* 125 MM With New Advanced auto loader/Stabilized gun [Pakistan Made by HIT]
* Highly sophisticated, Thermal,Night Vision, Infrared target acquisition suite, jointly developed with ASELSAN [Turkey]
* New advanced,Integrated Battle Management System (IBMS) Jointly developed by ASELSAN/HAVELSAN & GIDS
* New active threat-protection system, upgrade from a "passive" one.
* It will be, one of the most heavily weaponized per tonnage of any tank in the world,being able to carry 49 125mm rounds, 1,500 12.7mm and 7,100 7.62mm rounds
* HEAT and APFSDS (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot)
* Re designed Turret
* NBC protection.

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Iran to continue nuclear program decisively: Zarif

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the country’s nuclear issue can be resolved quickly, noting that the Islamic Republic will go ahead with its nuclear program.

“We believe that Iran’s nuclear issue can be resolved speedily, but I emphasize that we will proceed on this path decisively, strongly and firmly while safeguarding the [Iranian] nation’s rights,” Zarif told IRNA in New York on Tuesday.

He warned that any delay in the settlement of the Iranian nuclearissue would not benefit anyone, saying that it is possible to speed up the existing process in order to achieve a final result.

“Iran has taken the first step in order to prove to the world that it does not seek to develop nuclearweapons and has no intention in this regard, and now only the political will of the opposite side is needed to find a solution instead of seeking pretexts,” the Iranian minister added.

Iran’s foreign minister and his counterparts from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany held talks in New York on September 26 over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

The UN meeting was chaired by the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, who announced that the parties would meet again in Geneva on October 15-16 to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.

Following the meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry said a deal with Iran over its nuclear program could come in a few months.

The US, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedlyaccused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Tehran has categorically rejected the allegation, arguing that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

US to Deploy Global Hawks, F-35s, New Radars to Japan

WASHINGTON — During a diplomatic visit to Tokyo this week, US officials confirmed that the Japanese government has agreed to base “two to three” American-operated Global Hawk UAVs on Japanese soil beginning early next year.

The deployments of the unmanned aircraft “will not be year-round,” a senior administration official said. “It’ll be a seasonal deployment, but they'll be flying out of a US base in Japan for a period of the year.”

It will be the first time that US unmanned assets are based on Japanese soil, but the announcement was only one part of a sweeping defense cooperation effort between the two countries that will also include F-35 joint strike fighters, new ballistic missile radars, and increased bilateral cyber and ISR programs.

The moves kick off an emerging era of increased US and Japanese military cooperation that included joint training operations earlier this year in California and a program to share the costs of moving 5,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam sometime in the next decade.

The Japanese government has agreed to contribute about $3.1 billion to support the move to Guam.

In an Oct. 3 statement by US Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida and Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera, the two governments also agreed to base two US Marine Corps MV-22 squadrons in Okinawa to replace CH-46 helicopters, as well as deploying US Navy P-8 maritime patrol aircraft beginning in December.

The Marines will also begin to deploy their F-35B aircraft in 2017, marking the first forward deployment of the aircraft outside of the United States.

The “2+2” meeting, which marked the first time that the American and Japanese diplomatic and military chiefs met together in Tokyo also kicked off the official effort to rewrite the US-Japanese defense guidelines, the first time since 1997 that the document will be updated.

The new guidelines are expected to be completed by the end of 2014, Kishida said.

Hagel added that as the discussions over the defense guidelines continue, “we will identify new technologies and capabilities that we will need to meet emerging security challenges, including those in space and cyberspace. Cyber cooperation in particular has emerged as a focus area for the alliance,” and the two sides also pledged to establish a Cyber Working Group to begin to share information.

There is also a Defense ISR Working Group being established to look at more possibilities for cooperation there.

The allies also want to beef up their missile defense cooperation, which should be good news to US defense companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, which are looking to expand international opportunities for their radar and missile business segments.

The memo released by the two governments today underlined ballistic missile defense capabilities as a key element going forward, and for the first time established a location for the second ballistic missile defense radar at the Air Self-Defense Force base at Kyogamisaki.

Pentagon: Shutdown Affects F-35 Test Flights, Deliveries

Throughout the year, officials for the F-35 joint strike fighter have consistently said the      program is on track. But if the US government shutdown continues for too long, a plane that has been long characterized by its historic delays could find itself falling behind once again, according to the head of the JSF program.

“The current closing of the federal government coupled with the furloughs from earlier this year has not been good for the F-35 program,” Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the head of the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), said in a statement Thursday.

“The shutdown is negatively affecting our ability to conduct flight tests and other areas of the program, such as development, aircraft deliveries and sustaining the fleet, are also at risk of delay and disruption,” Bogdan said. “Maintaining a stable program is one of the key drivers to keeping the F-35 on track and on budget; we look forward to a quick resolution that will enable our government to properly function again so we can continue to carry on with our mission.”

At the core of production delays is the fact that many Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) workers have been furloughed due to the shutdown. DCMA has oversight of major acquisition projects, auditing and approving work being done on military platforms.

While a Pentagon official confirmed that noncivilian DCMA workers are still active at Lockheed Martin’s F-35 plant in Fort Worth, Texas, it is likely that reduced numbers mean a drop in productivity.

If there are no inspectors who can OK production as it occurs, prime contractor Lockheed Martin and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney could see delays — and delays mean extra costs.

While expressing disappointment in the shutdown, Lockheed released a statement saying it would continue to work on the F-35 unless the Pentagon asks it to stop.

“Unless we are directed otherwise by our customers, our facilities will remain open, and our employees will continue to receive their pay and benefits. We will monitor the situation and provide regular communications to our employees throughout this process,” the statement read.

“Various contracting activities for our military engines business have been suspended due to the shutdown,” a Pratt & Whitney statement read. “Lack of DCMA support is already affecting Pratt & Whitney production engine deliveries, spare part deliveries, and progress in engine component improvement programs. The government shutdown directly affects our ability to meet our military customers’ mission requirements.”

UTC, the parent company of Pratt & Whitney, has already said it intends to furlough its own workers starting Monday due to a lack of DCMA inspectors.

Turkey Defends Choice of Chinese Missiles

ANKARA — Turkey on Wednesday defended its decision to enter talks with China to acquire its first long-range anti-missile system, in spite of protests from its ally Washington.

 Turkey is highly likely to sign a deal to co-produce a missile defence system with a Chinese firm under U.S. sanctions after it placed the lowest bid of $3.44 billion in a tender, a senior defence ministry official said on Thursday.

Murad Bayar, Undersecretary of Defence Industries at the Defence Ministry, told reporters in Ankara that Turkey could finalise the deal with China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp (CPMIEC) within six months.

The United States has expressed "serious concerns" over North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member Turkey cooperating with CPMIEC, under sanctions for violations of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act.

Bayar said Turkey was not sharing any information on NATO defence systems with China and that, if the deal went ahead, almost all production would take place in Turkey.

NATO sources have said Turkish collaboration with China on the system could raise questions of compatibility of weaponry and of security. For China, it would be a breakthrough in its bid to become a supplier of advanced weapons.

Bayar said CPMIEC's bid came in significantly lower than rival systems from Russian, U.S. and European firms. He said the Franco/Italian Eurosam SAMP/T system was second and Raytheon Co, a U.S. company that builds the Patriot missile, was third. A Russian bid had been eliminated, Bayar said.

    Indonesia, US Deepen Defense Ties Amid         Exercises and Arms Deals

AKARTA  — US and Indonesian military ties are growing as evidenced by US participation in the recent US-Indonesian joint-funded Coun­terterrorism Exercise (CTX) held Sept. 5-13 at Indonesia’s peacekeeping forces training center in Sentul, West Java.

Participants included all special operations forces of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries, plus eight counterpart states: the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, India and Russia.

However, Indonesia’s best special operations force, the infamous Kopassus, was excluded from participating in the CTX due to past US complaints about human rights abuses by the unit during the 1999 East Timor crisis, in which civilians were murdered, kidnapped and tortured.

The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) is implementing military modernization efforts, but excluding Kopassus remains a problem, experts say. The TNI suffered from the US arms embargo after the 1999 crisis. The Kopassus are the best trained and disciplined unit within TNI, and exclusion from training opportunities by the US will be difficult.

The US allowed the Kopassus to attend the CTX, but only as observers. The CTX was divided into several programs, including a tabletop exercise, practical exercise, discussions, information sharing and special simulation.

“Kopassus, just like US special operations, operates according to rule of law and under the direct control by civilian authorities,” said US Army Col. Mike Lwin, with Special Operations Command-Pacific, who led the US team to the CTX. “We know there are some problems in the past, and there are some processes that we are working through on both sides, but I think in general, we look forward to increase engagement over the future in accordance with our political direction with Kopassus. We see the need for increased relationships, and we are moving there. But we take guidance, of course, from our civilian leaders.”

Though planning for the CTX began in April 2012, a Kopassus source said the decision to exclude the elite unit from the tabletop exercise was made only days before the event officially kicked off. The tabletop exercise was fully funded by the US military.

In the wake of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations that followed the tsunami in Indonesia’s Aceh province in 2004, the US reviewed its restriction on arms sales and military cooperation with Indonesia. The US imposed the restriction after the Indonesian government failed to stop violence from taking place in East Timor amid the 1999 referendum for independence.

The revision was implemented in stages, first by lifting the embargo on US sales of non-lethal equipment. Contemporary threats — including terrorism and the rise in tension in the South China Sea — were part of the US motivation for change.

“Respecting the rule of law is a must, and countering terrorism should not be left alone to the hand of legal enforcers as it requires total response from all elements of the nation,” Indonesian Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told Defense News. “We could achieve success in countering terrorism if we are able to deeply understand the philosophic and universal principle of terrorism, which has now been able to develop its modus operandi, ranging from the low-level to the high-level intensity.”

During his recent visit to Indonesia, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the US plan to sell a fleet of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to the Indonesian Army for $500 million. As part of the package, the US also will offer training to Indonesian pilots on tactics, techniques and procedures for operating the Apache. The TNI expects to receive the first two Apaches by 2014, with final delivery by 2019.

In 2011, the US agreed to sell 24 used F-16 Block 2 5 fighter aircraft for US $700 million. As part of the deal, the US will upgrade the fighter jets to Block 52, to include supplying 18 air-to-ground missiles and 36 captive air training missiles.

The two squadrons of F-16s will join 16 Russian-made Sukhoi fighters — eight Su-27s and eight Su-30s — for the Indonesian Air Force. Another squadron of South Korean-built T-50 Golden Eagle trainer jets is scheduled to arrive in 2014.

The Indonesian Navy is also undergoing modernization. Next year, the Indonesian Marine Corps will receive light patrol vessels, amphibious tanks and rockets. Two South Korean-made Chang Bongo-class submarines are slated to arrive next year, followed by a joint project with Indonesia’s state-owned PT Penataran Angkatan Laut (PT PAL) to produce a similar type of submarine as part of technology transfer agreement with South Korea.

The submarines’ technology is an upgrade from the German-designed HDW 209 and 214 types.

Indonesia requires more than just three submarines to safeguard its maritime coasts and exclusive economic zone. The Malacca Strait is one of the busiest waterways in the world. An ideal number of submarines for Indonesia would be 18 to 24 vessels.

On Sept. 24, the Indonesian Army began receiving German-made Leopard main battle tanks. The Indonesian Army has purchased 104 Leopard tanks and 50 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and other assorted vehicles from Germany.

The Indonesian government has decided to modernize its weaponry systems by allocating a budget of no less than 57 trillion rupiahs (US $5 billion) during the 2010-2014 fiscal period out of 156 trillion rupiahs allocated for the defense sector during the period.

Indonesia has pursued two mechanisms for procurement — imports and domestic development. Apart from PT PAL, Indonesia also has PT Pindad, a state-owned arms producer, and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI), which produces military aircraft. A number of aircraft for the Indonesian Air Force has come through the cooperation with PT DI, such as the Bell 412 helicopter, Bolcow 105 and Cassa 212.

For the Army, PT Pindad has supplied handguns and rifles.

The company also provides ammunition for small-caliber weapons as well as an armored vehicle, the six-wheel Panser APS.

Four Companies Get US Army's Nod to Begin Critical Helicopter Designs

The US Army made four awards to begin work on designs to build the service's next vertical-lift aircraft. Pictured: UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters have been flown by the US Army for more than 30 years. (US Army)

In a veritable rush of new contract announcements since the new fiscal year began, the US Army awarded four technology investment agreements today to Sikorsky, AVX Aircraft Co., Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., and newcomer Karem Aircraft Inc., to begin work on designs to build the service’s next vertical-lift aircraft.

The Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program is the critical first step in designing a family of future helicopters that would replace the Army’s current fleets of Apache attack helicopters and Black Hawk medium-lift platforms sometime in the 2030s.

The Army’s Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., announced the awards on Oct. 2, but an Army spokesman was not able to provide the dollar amount of the awards.

The relatively slow-moving program kicked off in 2009 when then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced his intention to combine of DoD’s vertical-lift capabilities in one multipurpose platform, called the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.

“This is a critical risk reducing effort for FVL,” Maj. Gen. William Crosby, the program executive officer for aviation, said in a statement. “The operational benefits and changes will depend on the capabilities we can deliver to the war fighter with FVL. Improved speed, range, reliability, and survivability are critical goals that we will target.”

The industry teams have nine months to refine their initial proposals and gear up toward potentially building and flight-testing a demonstrator aircraft in fiscal 2017.

An industry source said that “this is really about the Army identifying the art of the possible” with potential designs, adding that the agreements are “cooperative research and development agreements” that call for the Army and industry to finance the development together.

At the end of the nine months, the source said, it is expected that two teams will be selected to actually build prototypes for flight tests and compete for the final downselect.

The program is not expected to become operational until the 2030s.

The contract has long been seen as the most critical and expansive effort that the Army has undertaken to modernize its rotary-wing fleets in decades, and industry has responded in kind.

Bell, teaming up with Lockheed Martin, plans to offer the V-280 Valor, a similar capability to the tilt rotor V-22 Osprey. The collaboration of Boeing and Sikorsky continues to work on Sikorsky’s X-2 demonstrator, a platform that features coaxial main rotors along with another propeller at the back.

The two dark horses in the race are Texas-based AVX which, like Sikorsky, is offering a coaxial rotor design, and Karem, which is working on an “optimum speed tiltrotor” technology, according to the company.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — More than a quarter century after cancellation of the US-Israel Lavi program, a key figure in that traumatic chapter of bilateral relations continues to blame opponents of the mega project for lasting damage to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel’s largest aerospace and defense firm.

In commentary published Oct. 1 in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, three-time former Defense Minister Moshe Arens said the 1987 termination “sentenced IAI” — prime contractor for the defunct, delta-winged fighter — “to remain a medium-sized player” in the global aerospace industry.

Had the Israeli government not heeded US pressure to nix the program, IAI could have “fulfilled its potential of becoming a rival to Boeing, Lockheed, Grumman or General Dynamics,” Arens wrote.

Arens, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington and one-time vice president at IAI, was a principal driver behind the Lavi, a single-engine fighter that became both a symbol of national pride and a source of acrimony between and within the two governments.

It began in 1980 as a low-cost, low-end replacement to Israel’s aging A-4 and Kfir ground attack aircraft, but was redesigned in 1982 to more closely mimic performance of US F-16s sought by the Israel Air Force. After years of rampant cost growth, high-profile lobbying for and against the project; and intense diplomatic strain, the program was killed by a 12-11 vote in the Israeli cabinet.

Washington invested more than $2 billion in a 7-year program that yielded only two prototypes. In its aftermath, Congress appropriated significant increases in annual aid levels, which Israel used to underwrite multiyear purchases of F-16s.

But in his Oct. 1 commentary, Arens assailed as “primitive and archaic” arguments that the Lavi program was too big and would bankrupt a small country like Israel. He disparaged the “technological ignorance” of those espousing the “bizarre theory” that Israel should focus development efforts on systems rather than platforms.

In his piece titled “A tale of two aerospace companies,” Arens compared IAI, Israel’s largest aerospace and defense firm, to Brazil’s Embraer, with nearly twice the annual turnover and five times annual profit. “While IAI has almost abandoned the manned aircraft business, which used to be its core specialty, Embraer has succeeded in penetrating an important segment” of the global market, he noted.

The venerable Israeli public figure — who served earlier in his career as IAI vice president — said the Lavi termination led to the loss of Israel’s “best engineers “who are now working for aerospace companies worldwide.

IAI’s “inevitable decline,” Arens said, is also the result of “years of mediocre leadership” at the corporate and management levels.

Due in large part to the dumping of Lavi, IAI will never rival Lockheed, Boeing and other top-tier firms. “The question IAI management should now be pondering is: Can it catch up with Embraer?”

IAI declined to comment on its former champion’s claims.

Dov Zakheim, a former deputy undersecretary of defense for planning and resources who led Lavi assessment efforts on behalf of then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, said he was not surprised by Arens’ residual resentment.

“Obviously he remains emotionally involved, even after all these years. And that’s understandable since, from the start, it was his baby. When it’s your baby, you never get over it,” said Zakheim.

In an Oct. 1 interview, Zakheim said most Israelis now believe the country benefitted enormously from the Lavi’s termination. “Had Israel pursued the Lavi, it wouldn’t have had money to develop the Arrow missile defense system, its satellite industry and submarines which are so critical to its security. It also wouldn’t have been able to afford new versions of the Merkava main battle tank.

“In other words, Israel would have bought an airplane that essentially was not as good as US aircraft, and would have lost all the 21st century capabilities that has made it a state-of-the art presence on the global market,” Zakheim said.

NEW DELHI — Western competitors could face stiffer competition from the Russians in India’s forthcoming US $12 billion tender for the purchase of six conventional submarines. The Indian Defence Ministry is requiring that submarines in the competition be capable of mounting the Indo-Russian BrahMos cruise missile.

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, which is jointly producing the BrahMos with Russia, has persuaded the MoD to incorporate the requirement for the tender, expected to be floated by the end of the year.

DCNS of France, Navantia of Spain and HDW of Germany will offer their submarines in the competition. The Russians, meanwhile, told the Indian Navy this month that their Amur-class submarines could accommodate the BrahMos missile with little modification.

No executive from DCNS, Navantia or HDW would comment on their boats’ ability to carry the missile.

India is finalizing a formal tender to purchase six advanced conventional submarines with air-independent propulsion technology.

The six submarines are to be purchased within the limitations of the Missile Technology Control Regime, which restricts the proliferation of missiles capable of flying beyond 300 kilometers, an MoD official said.

BahMos is homemade and has a range of less than 300 kilometers, which would be best suited for the submarine, the MoD source said.

The submarines are to have a surface speed of 12 knots and submerged speed of 19 knots. They will have a range of 50 to 60 days of navigation on the surface and 20 to 30 days of navigation submerged at 4 knots.

Two of the six submarines are to be made in the overseas shipyard and the remaining four are slotted to be license-produced only in a state-owned shipyard.

The major fire on the Russian-made Sindhurakshak last month has dropped the operational strength of the Indian Navy submarines to only 11. With the decommissioning of the aging German HDW-class submarines next year, the Indian Navy’s total submarine strength could fall to as low as seven by 2015. The fact that the Indian Navy’s submarine fleet size has dropped so low is a point of major concern in the ranks, especially since China’s sub fleet is more than 60, an official said.

Two ATR-72 aircraft inducted in PN fleet

An impressive induction ceremony was held at PNS Mehran on Thursday, says a Pakistan Navy press release.

KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has inducted two state of the art ATR-72 aircraft in its fleet to augment effectiveness and enhance its operational flexibility and reach.

It said that the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila, was the Chief Guest on the occasion.

ATRs are modern and widely operated turboprop platforms equipped with state of the art Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), Auto pilot, semi glass cockpit instrumentation and high efficiency 6 bladed propellers.

Average ground speed of the aircraft is 250 knots with an endurance of about 6 hours. The induction of these aircraft, being considered as a giant leap forward in accelerating the capabilities of PN Arm, will provide a low cost solution to Maritime Operations at sea.

Speaking on the occasion Chief of the Naval Staff said that "at sea we are entrusted with the added responsibilities of countering terrorism including drugs, arms and human smuggling which has led to more focused maritime security operations.

These clear and present dangers demand a timely response and an enhancement in capabilities, in order to match the changing maritime paradigm.

Air arm is being transformed to remain at par with continual changing threat. Integration of Pakistan Upgrade Program (PUP), modified P3Cs and Z9 Anti Surface warfare helicopters in Fleet operations, addition of new warfare dimension of unmanned aerial vehicles as an established UAV Squadron and now the induction of ATR-72 are the steps towards the attachment of national objectives and international obligations.

Veteran Naval Aviators, Pakistan Navy Flag Officers and civilian and military dignitaries attended the ceremony.

US-Sanctioned China Firm Wins $4bn Tender for Turkey Missile Defence System

Turkey has awarded a contract for a long-range air and missile defence system to a Chinese firm that is sanctioned under the US after rejecting bids from rival firms in the US, Russia and Europe.

The contract worth $4bn (£2.5bn, €3bn) was awarded to China Precision MachineryImport and Export Corp (CPMIEC), according to the Turkish defence minister.

In the tender, state-owned CPMIEC’s FD-2000 system defeated the Patriot system developed by US firms Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, the S-400 system of Russia’s Rosoboronexport and the Samp-T developed by Italian-French consortium Eurosamrs.

China’s Rising Defence Sales

China replaced the UK as the fifth largest arms supplier during the 2008-2012 period, according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).

The volume of Chinese exports of major conventional weapons rose by 162% between 2003-2007 and 2008-12, and China’s share of the volume of international arms exports increased from 2 to 5%, Sipri said. Pakistan accounted for 55% of Chinese arms exports during the period.

China-made arms are now comparable to those made in Russia, the US and Europe, according to experts. The country has revealed several new locally-made weapon systems after decades of high military spending and promotion of local contractors. It has also significantly decreased dependence on arms imports.

CPMIEC was established by the former China Ministry of Space and Industry in 1980 for marketing arms produced under the state jurisdiction. It currently markets missiles produced by state-owned firms, the China Aerospace Science andTechnology Corp. and the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp.

Because of CPMIEC’s sales of missile technology to Iran and Pakistan, the US sanctioned the firm and its subsidiaries multiple times and barred all US persons and entities from engaging in business with it.

In 2003, Washington extended sanctions on the firm for selling arms to Iran. In February, the US announced sanctions on the company for violating the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act.

Meanwhile, Turkey that has the second-largest deployable military force in the NATO alliance is looking to build its own air and missile defence systems. Since 2012,the country has been relying on the US built Patriot air and missile defence system deployed by NATO.

Chinese UAVs on Display at Beijing Aviation Expo

Those interested in the Beijing Airshow might find these photos of interest. Though largely a commercial aviation show, it does have some interesting pics of UAVs.

Chinese UAV Contest Practices Simulated Carrier Landings

Chinese media reports indicate that the winner of the 2nd AVIC-Cup International UAV Innovation Grand Prix (UAVGP) in the fixed-wing category this week was fielded by a group of students representing Shenyang Aerospace University in Liaoning Province. The AVIC-Cup competition was held at Miyun Airport in northeast Beijing. According to media reports, the fixed-wing UAV attempted to land on a mock aircraft carrier in the center of the airfield. It successfully snagged the second hook. It is unclear how well other competitors performed.

Iraq Buys $20 Million Worth of War ‘Bots

The government of Iraq continues to snap up American defense products, and is now adding advanced robots that American soldiers are currently using in combat to its arsenal.

On Sept. 26, robot maker QinetiQ North America announced that it had inked a $20 million deal with Baghdad to acquire its Talon IV ‘bot, a deal which the company says includes spares and training.

The company has already sold 4,000 variants of the Talon worldwide, and the ‘bot is designed for use with explosive ordnance disposal teams. Deliveries are expected to be completed to the Baghdad government by March 2014.

Iraq has seen a deadly resurgence in suicide bombings in recent months as Sunni extremists and al Qaeda-affiliated elements have stepped up attacks against government and Shia targets.

Almost 100 people were killed this past weekend in several attacks across Iraq, with the worst coming when two suicide bombers—one on foot and one in a car—struck a Shia funeral gathering, killing 72 and injuring over 100 others. Thousands of other civilians have been killed in similar attacks this year, and many regional experts have said that the violence is the worst the country has seen since the bloodiest days of the American occupation which ended in 2011.

The deal comes at a time of both rising violence in Iraq as well as a military spending spree by the Baghdad government, with deals being reached between Iraq and US defense contractors for more than $4 billion worth of equipment since the end of July.

The sales to Iraq includes everything from infantry carriers to ground-to-air rockets. And now, war bots.

 F-35 Program Struggles With Quality Management

Two F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft ferry from Lockheed Martin's production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in May. (Lockheed Martin)

While there have been improvements, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program continues to struggle with quality management issues, according to a new report from the Pentagon’s Inspector General.

The watchdog found 363 issues, 147 of which it identified as “major.” The report defined major issues as “a nonfulfillment of a requirement that is likely to result in the failure of the quality management system or reduce its ability to ensure controlled processes or compliant products/services.”

Challenges identified in the report include the need for improved training, the need to improve criteria for acceptance of a plane, and unnecessary over-mixing of sealant used on the wings.

“Although it would be unrealistic to expect first production to be issue free, our contractor assessments indicate that greater emphasis on quality assurance, requirement flow down, and process discipline is necessary, if the Government is to attain lower program costs,” the IG wrote.

Inspectors found small improvements in the number of “quality action requests” needed for each lot of planes, with 972 requests per fighter in LRIP-1, 987 in LRIP-2, 926 in LRIP -3, and 859 in LRIP-4.

Similarly, there was a small change in the average rework, repair and scrap rates per aircraft, improving from 13.82 percent in FY 2012 down to 13.11 percent in FY 2013. The IG report describes these improvements as “only a moderate change.”

“F-35 Program quality metric data show improvement in scrap, rework, and repair rates and in software and hardware quality action requests per aircraft,” wrote the IG’s office. “However, the Government incurred and will continue to incur a significant cost for these issues, either through the previous cost-plus incentive/award/fixed-fee contracts or via quality incentives on future fixed-price incentive-fee contracts.”

The report was conducted between February 2012 and July 2013, a time period that saw dramatic changes to the F-35 program, including turnover at the top of both the Joint Program Office (JPO) and Lockheed Martin’s JSF team. Because of that time frame, the report is focused primarily on the first four low-rate initial production (LRIP) lots.

Lockheed and the JPO reached an agreement on LRIP-5 late last year, and announced Friday the details on lots six and seven, which top program officials have marked as a major milestone due to cost reductions.

The IG’s report focused on work done by Lockheed, in the role of prime contractor, but also inspected work done by five key suppliers: Northrop Grumman, the center fuselage integrator; BAE, the aft fuselage integrator; L-3 Display Systems, who handles the cockpit display; Honeywell Aerospace, managing the on-board oxygen generation system, and United Technologies work with the landing gear system.

Engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney was not included in the report.

In an emailed statement, F-35 JPO spokesman Joe DellaVedova called the report “thorough, professional, well-documented and useful to the F-35 Enterprise.” But the statement also noted that much of what was in the report has been previously documented and is being addressed.

“A majority of the findings are consistent with weaknesses previously identified by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), and do not present new or critical issues that affect the health of the program,” DellaVedova’s statement read. “The assessment contains 363 findings, from which, 343 corrective action recommendations (CARs) were generated. As of September 30, 2013, 269 of the 343 CARs have been resolved (78%), with the remaining 74 still in work with Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) in development, or approved by not fully-implemented.”

“This 2012 DoD IG report is based on data that’s more than 16 months old and majority of the Corrective Action Requests (CARs) identified have been closed,” a corporate response from Lockheed Martin read, while noting that all open CARs are scheduled to be closed “by April 2014.”

“When discoveries occur, we take decisive and thorough action to correct the situation, continued the statement. “Our commitment is to deliver the F-35’s world class 5th Generation fighter capabilities to the warfighter on time and within budget.”