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.

Turkish intel chief should be assassinated

Turkish intelligence MIT chief Hakan Fidan and his boss seem to be reversing Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's secular policies. 

Jewish Press journalist suggested Turkish intelligence chief should be assassinated

Jewish Press journalist Yori Yanover suggested Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan should be assassinated.

In the last article, Yanover wrote: “If anyone deserves to find a special surprise in his car one morning, it's [Hakan] Fidan, the Turkish spy chief. He is a key Erdoğan man, who was handed the MIT [National Intelligence Organization] in 2010”

Washington Post columnist David Ignatius said Israel apparently used to run part of its Iranian spy network out of Turkey, giving Turkish secret services the opportunity to monitor their movements. The paper quoted U.S. officials as saying Israel believed the Turks would never turn on the Jewish state after years of cooperation.

However, it said that in early 2012 Erdogan disclosed to Tehran the identities of 10 Iranians who had travelled to Turkey to meet Israeli spies.

Iran has long accused Israel of spying on it soil and of killing several Iranian nuclear scientists - the last in January 2012.

US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki Thursday said that the US and Turkey continued to work closely on eintelligence activities while declining to comment on a recent report that Ankara thwarted Israeli intelligence efforts in 2012.

Additional Airbus Military C295 Aircraft for Kazakhstan

Airbus Military has signed a contract with Kazspecexport, a State Company belonging to the Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan, to supply two C295 military transport aircraft plus the related service support package for spare parts and ground support equipment.

This order is implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed in 2012 between the Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan and Airbus Military for the procurement of eight C295s in total and on the basis of which two C295s were already delivered in 2013.

The first two C295s are already in service with the Kazakhstan Air Forces and the third and fourth are planned for delivery in 2014 and 2015 respectively. With regards to the remaining four aircraft in the MoU, a delivery schedule will be defined over the coming years.

“Airbus Military is very proud that the Kazakhstan Ministry of Defense is placing a repeat order for the C295, confirming its confidence in the aircraft’s capabilities and cost-efficiency as well as in our company. We are proud of the relationship that has been created with Kazspecexport and the Ministry of Defence and congratulate the teams of both institutions on their professionalism in the process. We will keep striving to ensure that we live up to this mark of confidence and stand by our customer for many years to come,” said Antonio Rodriguez Barberan, Head Of Commercial, Airbus Military.

The new generation C295 is the ideal aircraft for defence and civic missions to the benefit of society, such as humanitarian actions, homeland security, and environmental surveillance. Thanks to its robustness and reliability, simple systems, and optimal cabin, this medium sized tactical airlifter provides wide versatility and flexibility, necessary for personnel, troop and bulky/palletized cargo transportation, casualty evacuation, communication and logistic duties, and air-dropping.

Its flexible design, long endurance and modern systems have made it an outstanding platform for a wide range of ISR roles including anti-submarine and ship warfare, airborne early warning, and maritime surveillance.

The C295 is part of Airbus Military’s family of light and medium airlifters which also includes the smaller NC212i and CN235 platforms. In the fourth quarter of 2014 Airbus Military will introduce the C295W, featuring as standard winglets and higher engine power ratings, giving increased performance in all flight phases and lower fuel burn.

Sukhoi Delivers Su-34 Front-Line Bombers to the Russian Air Force

The transfer ceremony of another batch of the serial Su-34 front-line bombers to the Russian Air Force was held today at the Novosibirsk branch of the Sukhoi Company — V.P. Chkalov Novosibirsk aircraft plant (NAZ).

The aircraft took off and headed to the place of their deployment. Several Su-34s of the 2013 State Defense Order have already been transferred to the military in May and July this year and are already in service.

Implementation of the 2013 State Defense Order at the Novosibirsk aircraft plant is in full swing. The company’s management noted a high degree of readiness of aircraft, which is the guarantee of a full and timely implementation of the Order.

The government contracts signed with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in 2008 and 2010 for the supply of Su-34 have created the conditions for a stable work load of the plant and its partner enterprises in the long run. Those were the largest contracts for the combat aircraft supplies under the State Armaments Program for the years 2011 — 2020.

Implementation of those contracts will facilitate in the nearest future a largely replacement of the Su-24 frontline bombers currently in service.

The Su-34 aircraft have been successfully operated in the armed forces demonstrating high performance, according to the military.

Army Looks to Blend Cyber, Electronic Warfare Capabilities On the Battlefield

As new technologies emerge and new cyber and electronic warfare threats plague Soldiers in the field, U.S. Army scientists and engineers continue to define next-generation protocols and system architectures to help develop technology capabilities to combat these threats in an integrated and expedited fashion.

As part of the Integrated Cyber and Electronic Warfare, or ICE, program, the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s communications-electronics center, known as CERDEC, researches the technologies, standards and architectures to support the use of common mechanisms used for the rapid development and integration of third-party cyber and electronic warfare, or EW, capabilities.

“Currently, within cyber and EW disciplines there are different supporting force structures and users equipped with disparate tools, capabilities and frameworks,” said Paul Robb Jr., chief of CERDEC Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate’s Cyber Technology Branch.

“Under the ICE program we look to define common data contexts and software control mechanisms to allow these existing frameworks to communicate in a manner that would support the concurrent leveraging of available tactical capabilities based on which asset on the battlefield provides the best projected military outcome at a particular point in time,” said Robb.

The boundaries between traditional cyber threats such as someone hacking a laptop through the Internet, and traditional EW threats such as radio-controlled improvised explosive devices that use the electromagnetic spectrum have blurred allowing EW systems to access the data stream to combat EW threats, according to Giorgio Bertoli, senior engineer of CERDEC I2WD’s Cyber/Offensive Operations Division.

Additionally, significant technological advancements including a trend towards wireless in commercial applications and military systems have occurred over the last decade, said Bertoli.

“This blending of networks and systems, known as convergence, will continue and with it come significant implications as to how the Army must fight in the cyber environment of today and tomorrow,” said Bertoli.

“The concept of technology convergence originated as a means to describe the amalgamation of traditional wired versus wireless commercial services and applications but has recently evolved to also include global technology trends and U.S. Army operational connotations — specifically in the context of converging cyber and EW operations,” said Bertoli.

The Army finds itself in a unique position to help mitigate adverse outcomes due to this convergence trend.

“Post force deployment, the Army has the vast majority of sensors and EW assets on the tactical battlefield compared to any other service or organization posing both risks and opportunities. Our military’s reliance on COTS [commercial-of-the-shelf] systems and wireless communications presents a venue for our adversaries to attack. Conversely, the proximity and high density of receivers and transmitters that we deploy can be leveraged to enable both EW and cyber operations,” said Bertoli.

“The ability to leverage both cyber and EW capabilities as an integrated system, acting as a force multiplier increasing the commander’s situational awareness of the cyber electromagnetic environment, will improve the commander’s ability to achieve desired operational effects,” said Robb.

A paradigm shift in how the Army views system and technology development will further enhance CERDEC’s ability to rapidly adapt to new cyber and EW threats.

“The biggest hindrance we have right now is not a technological one, it’s an operational and policy one,” said Bertoli. “The Army traditionally likes to build systems for a specific purpose – build a radio to be a radio, build an EW system to be an EW system, but these hardware systems today have significantly more inherent capabilities.”

To demonstrate the concepts of multi-capability systems, CERDEC chose not to solely focus its science and technology efforts on researching solutions to address specific cyber and EW threats but also to develop the architecture onto which scientists and engineers can rapidly develop and integrate new, more capable solutions.

Raytheon Test Fires Enhanced Anti-Tank Weapon System

Raytheon Company successfully completed an initial round of live-fire testing with a new U.S. Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicle Anti-Tank (LAV-AT) weapon system. The upgraded, highly mobile, anti-armor LAV-AT weapon system is designed to protect reconnaissance and light infantry. Its mission is to defeat threats at long-range, day or night, and in all weather conditions.

“Raytheon is delivering an enhanced capability designed to save Marines’ lives,” said Michelle Lohmeier, vice president of Land Warfare Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems. “The new turret and thermal systems can perform surveillance and targeting on the move, providing greater situational awareness. Raytheon has also reduced the size of the equipment to provide more crew space inside the vehicle.”

In April 2012, the U.S. Marine Corps awarded Raytheon a contract to develop and integrate an anti-tank weapon system on four LAV-ATs. All four vehicles will go into development testing later this year, with operational testing to follow in late 2014.

Raytheon Company, with 2012 sales of $24 billion and 68,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass.

F-35A completes 1st in-flight missile launch

An F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft completed the first in-flight missile launch of an AIM-120 over the Point Mugu Sea Test Range, June 5. 

It was the first launch where the F-35 and AIM-120 demonstrated a successful launch-to-eject communications sequence and fired the rocket motor after launch -- paving the way for targeted launches in support of the Block 2B fleet release capability later this year.

The Air Force F-35A variant has seen significant development in training and operations recently including the beginning of pilot training at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., the delivery of the first operational test aircraft to Edwards and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., the first operational aerial refueling and the completion of high angle of attack testing. 

"It's a testament to the entire military-industry test team," said Lt. Col. George "Boxer" Schwartz, F-35 Integrated Test Force director, who also piloted the flight. "They've worked thousands and thousands of hours to get to the point where we are today. It's fantastic to see that it's all paid off. We're rolling into a lot of additional weapons work in the coming months to put that expanded capability on the aircraft."

The F-35A 5th Generation fighter is designed to carry a payload of up to 18,000 pounds using 10 weapon stations. The F-35A features four internal weapon stations located in two weapon bays to maximize stealth capability. The CTOL aircraft can also utilize an additional three external weapon stations per wing if required. 

The U.S. Air Force has established an F-35A initial operating capability target date of December 2016. By this date, the Air Force will have fielded an operational squadron with at least 12 aircraft along with Airmen trained and equipped to conduct basic close air support, interdiction and limited suppression, and destruction of enemy air defense operations in a contested environment. 

Moving into the active phase of weapons test is another large step toward delivering Block 2B software capability that will enable initial combat deployment.

Dutch to commence F-35 training

The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is to shortly begin training air and ground personnel on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the country's Defence Minister disclosed on 9 October.

Speaking to parliament in the Hague, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said that RNLAF pilots and technicians will begin training at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida at the end of October. The disclosure comes weeks after she announced that the Netherlands will procure a total of 37 JSFs to replace the RNLAF's Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons.

The first F-35 Lightning II for the Netherlands rolled out of the Fort Worth production facility

The pilots will start off with theoretical training and begin flying with the JSF in December. The training aims to prepare pilots and maintenance personnel for the operational test phase beginning in 2015.

The Netherlands will participate in both parts of this phase, testing the JSF's Block 2 software starting in 2015, followed by the testing of Block 3 software in 2017-2018. Dutch participation in the first part of the operational test phase was made possible by a delay in the start of the operational test phase and the extension of its duration, Hennis-Plasschaert told parliament. Dutch personnel will join their US and UK counterparts who have already completed a year of the initial two-year operational test phase.

The two Dutch F-35A conventional take-off and landing aircraft (AN-1, delivered in April 2012, and AN-2 delivered in March 2013) are currently at Eglin AFB. The two aircraft, along with the Dutch personnel, will move to Edwards AFB in California for the second part of the operational test phase.

Hennis-Plasschaert described the beginning of Dutch training at the end of October as an "irreversible step" in the Netherlands' JSF programme.

Turkish military claims interception of Russian spy plane

Two Turkish fighter jets have been recently scrambled to intercept a Russian military plane in international airspace over the Black Sea in a rare air incident between the two countries, the Turkish military said, according to RIA Novosti.

The General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces said in a statement on Wednesday that two F-16 jets were scrambled on Tuesday afternoon to prevent a potential violation of Turkish airspace after a Russian Ilyushin II-20 plane was detected flying in parallel to Turkish coast.

The Turkish aircraft monitored the Russian plane until it left the area heading to the Bulgarian border, the statement added.

It is not clear why the Russian plane approached the Turkish airspace as the Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the incident.

The Ilyushin Il-20 (NATO designation Coot-A) is a Soviet-era reconnaissance aircraft designed to carry out a variety of electronic and communications intelligence missions.

Around 20 Il-20’s were reportedly built between 1969 and 1976, but their remaining number in service with the Russian Air Force is unknown.

Japan and Sweden reported in the past similar interceptions of Il-20 planes flying close to their airspace.

PAKISTAN ARMY TO PURCHASE 30 BELL 412EP HELICOPTERS

Foreign Military Sale notification has been sent by the DSCA to US Congress for the FMS of 30 Bell 412 Enhanced Performance Helicopters to Pakistan Army. Overall cost of this project will be around $397 million.

These helicopters are part of plan developed to improve the airlift capabilities of the Pakistan army. These helicopters will be used by both Pakistani Special Forces (SSG) and the Frontier Corps. Under earlier contracts Pakistan army has already received over 26 Bell-412 helicopters in 2007 and other two were handed over to PA in May this year.

Bell-412 helicopters are being used by the Pakistan Army in its fight against terrorists in the FATA region. These are used a troop carriers mostly by the Pakistani Special Forces to conduct operations behind enemy lines and to evocate the injure soldiers from the battle front.

Specifications of Bell-412 helicopters

Length: 17.1meters 

Height: 4.6 meters

Maximum Take-Off Weight: 5398 kg

Empty Weight: 3079 kg

Maximum External Payload: 2041 kg

Maximum Internal Payload: 2299 kg

Speed & Range

Maximum Speed: 259 km/h

Max Cruise Speed: 226 km/h

Maximum Range: 659 km

Service ceiling: 6096 m

Thailand Buying JAS-39 Gripens, AWACS

 Sweden’s FMV announces  that it has begun delivering Thailand’s 2nd set of fighters, after conveying the 2nd order’s S340 AEW&C plane and RBS-15F missiles. Fighters # 6 – 8 have now been delivered to the Royal Thai Air Force, with stopovers along the way in Hungary, Greece, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and India.

It’s a small, agile fighter that can take off and land on highways, while carrying the latest technologies and weapons. It does very well against NATO’s best aircraft in exercises, comes with a reasonable price tag, and is built for low lifetime operating costs. Unfortunately, in a world where people often buy your weapons because they want you to be their friend, the cachet of having Sweden in your corner isn’t quite what it used to be when their sailors wore those cool horned helmets. As a result, the JAS-39 Gripen is an excellent, reasonably-priced fighter yet it has been struggling for traction in the global marketplace.

A recent sale to Thailand has expanded Saab’s horizons somewhat, as the Gripen beat out the SU-30s favored by the previous Thai government. Lockheed Martin’s F-16 had been considered the leading contender to replace the RTAF’s 15-25 aging F-5B/Es, given Thailand’s extensive history  with that aircraft. Other candidates included Russia’s MiG-29, and France’s Rafale. Saab had a very competitive offering on cost and performance, but in order to win, they had to throw in a very significant “something extra”: their Saab 340-AEW AWACS aircraft.

NATO Defense Ministers Agree on Regular Exercises From 2016; Discuss Future Afghan Role

 NATO defense ministers meeting here Oct. 21-22 agreed to hold regular major training exercises with a broader scope under what it calls its “connected forces initiative” beginning in 2016; announced progress with plans for its post-2014 support mission in Afghanistan; and discussed cyberdefense and missile defense.

With regard to the connected forces initiative, “there will be more troops, assets and command structures. The idea is to keep up the interoperability between NATO nations built up in Afghanistan so that this does not suffer when the Afghan mission ends. It is also to encourage partner nations to stay involved,” said a NATO official.

“An even more rigorous and systematic approach to our training and exercises is key in reaching our goal of NATO Forces 2020: Modern, tightly connected forces, equipped, trained, exercised and commanded so that they can operate together, and with partners, in any environment,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a press release.

Rasmussen also announced that the alliance will hold a major live exercise in 2015 that will involve numerous deployed forces on land, sea and in the air. Spain, Portugal and Italy offered to host the exercise.

“From 2016 onwards, we will conduct such major live exercises on a regular basis, with a broader scope and covering the full range of alliance missions,” the secretary general said at a press conference. He added, “we have also agreed today to draw up a broader concept for training and exercises up to 2020.

“We have agreed on the key elements of that program. And we have agreed that our experts will now work on it as a matter of priority, ahead of next year’s NATO Summit in the United Kingdom.”

Post-2014 Afghanistan Mission

NATO allies and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) partners discussed with their Afghan counterparts planning for the post-2014 mission to train, advise and assist Afghan Security Forces.

$1.1B Deal on F-35 Engines

An F-35A flies with afterburner over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in April. Engine maker Pratt & Whitney and the Pentagon agreed on final pricing on the sixth lot of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engines for $1.1 billion

Aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney and the Pentagon reached an agreement for final pricing on the sixth lot of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engines.

The deal, worth $1.1 billion, covers 38 total engines, including 18 of the conventional take off and landing (CTOL) engines for the US Air Force F-35A variant, seven engines for the Navy’s F-35C carrier variant, and six engines for the Marine F-35B jump-jet model. The Air Force will also receive two spare engines.

The low-rate initial production (LRIP) six contract also includes three CTOL propulsion systems for Italy and two for Australia, the first engines for those partner nations.

Pratt has consistently declined to share cost-per-unit, citing competitive reasons. However, a joint statement between the company and the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) said the price on the engines used in the F-35A and F-35C models dropped roughly 2.5 percent from LRIP-5, while the F-35B engines decrease 9.6 percent compared with the last batch.

As with the LRIP-5, Pratt has assumed risk for cost overruns. However, LRIP-6 is the first batch where it’s responsible for cost overruns for spare modules. Deliveries are scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.

“The engine price has been going down and that trend will continue,” Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, the F-35 Program’s executive officer, said in the joint statement. “I’ve meet with Pratt & Whitney’s senior leaders and they are working closely with the supply chain to continue to bring down the cost to the government.”

CAIC WZ-10

WZ-10

Manufacturer: Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) 

Designer: Wu Ximing 

First flight: 29 April 2003 

Introduction: December 2010 

Status: In service 

Primary user: People's Liberation Army 

Number built: 60 (as of 2013) 

Top speed: 300 km/h
Range: 820 km
Length: 14 m
Wingspan: 13 m
Weight: 5,540 kg
Engine type: Turboshaft

PICS OF WZ-10:

source

HTMS Chakri Naruebet

HTMS Chakri Naruebet (Thai จักรีนฤเบศร, meaning "In honour of the Chakri Dynasty") is the flagship of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), and Thailand's first and only aircraft carrier. Based on the Spanish Navy's Principe de Asturias design and constructed by Spanish shipbuilder Bazán, Chakri Naruebet was ordered in 1992, launched in 1996, and commissioned into the RTN in 1997.
The aircraft carrier is designed to operate an air group of V/STOL fighter aircraft and helicopters, and is fitted with a ski-jump. Initial intentions were to operate a mixed air group of Matador V/STOL aircraft and S-70B Seahawk helicopters. However, by 1999, only one Matador was operational, and the entire V/STOL fleet was removed from service in 2006. Although Chakri Naruebet was intended for patrols and force projection in Thai waters, a lack of funding brought on by the1997 Asian Financial Crisis means that the carrier has spent much of her career docked at the Sattahip naval base.
Chakri Naruebet has been deployed on several disaster relief operations, including in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in response to separate flooding incidents in late 2010 and early 2011. Outside of disaster relief, the carrier's few other departures from port are for a single training day per month, and transportation of theRoyal Family of Thailand, leading to claims by some naval commentators that the ship is merely an oversized royal yacht.
Chakri Naruebet is the first aircraft carrier to be operated by a Southeast Asian nation.^[2] She is assigned to the Third Naval Area Command, and her intended duties include operational support of the RTN's amphibious warfare forces, patrols and force projection around Thailand's coastline and economic exclusion zone, disaster relief and humanitarian missions, and search-and-rescue operations.^{[1][4][5][2][11]} However, at the time the carrier entered service, the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis prevented the necessary funding to operate the ship from being available.^[2][11] Consequently, Chakri Naruebet is usually only operational for a single day per month for training, with the rest of the time spent alongside as a "part-time tourist attraction".^[1][2][11] The ship rarely leaves the proximity of the Sattahip naval base, and when she does, it is usually to transport and host the Royal Family of Thailand.^[1][2] Naval commentators consider Chakri Naruebet to be less an aircraft carrier and more the world's most expensiveroyal yacht, while the Thai media have nicknamed the ship "Thai-tanic", and consider her to be a white elephant.^[2][11]

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.

South Korean Cyber Unit Probed Over Election Meddling

South Korean President Park Geun-Hye attends the 16th ASEAN-Korea summit in Brunei on Oct. 9. The country's defense ministry has acknowledged that four members of the cyber unit had posted comments online prior to last year's election.

South Korea’s Defence Ministry said Tuesday that senior members of its cyber warfare unit had been questioned over their possible involvement in a widening scandal over state interference in elections.

Areas of the unit’s headquarters were searched and several of its commanders questioned, a ministry official said.

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has accused the unit of posting online comments prior to last year’s presidential election, smearing opposition candidate Moon Jae-In and extolling his ruling party rival — and eventual winner — Park Geun-Hye.

Similar accusations against members of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) have already resulted in the arrest of the former head of the domestic spy agency.

The defense ministry has acknowledged that four members of the cyber unit had posted such comments, but insists they acted alone and not as part of any coordinated campaign.

The defense ministry set up the 400-member special unit in 2010 as part of efforts to expand the military’s cyber warfare capability to counter hacking threats from North Korea.

The accusations of meddling by state agencies in the electoral process has been simmering away for months, but has gained traction in the past week, with a senior prosecutor investigating the affair saying his team had been pressured to go slow with the probe.

Turkey To Add Satcom Capability to Anka

ANKA Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV System provides the Turkish Army with a long-endurance and persistent ISR capability.

ANKARA — Turkey will add satcom capabilities to the Anka, the country’s first indigenously built UAV, according to a top procurement official.

Murad Bayar, head of the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, said the Anka’s design would evolve over time after consultations with the Air Force about what modification or additions might be needed.

“The most critical modification from the original design will be the satcom capability, which we have decided to add to the aircraft,” Bayar said.

A procurement source familiar with the program said that satcom is considered to be an ideal solution for UAV operations.

“We have come to the conclusion that satcom would be a critical enabler of UAV operations,” he said. “It will enable extended-range data capture and transfer. A kind of multiplier, in a way.”

Bayar said the country’s engine parts manufacturer, Turkish Engine Industries (TEI), has been tasked with developing an engine for the Anka after Chinese group Avic International’s acquisition of Thielert, a bankrupt German maker of diesel engines for aircraft and the supplier of engines for the Anka.

Avic has said it plans to fold Thielert into its Continental Motors division and is giving up military business. Deliveries have stopped, the state-run Chinese company announced in August.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), which developed the Anka, had ordered the Centurion engine for a batch of 10 aircraft, but now must look elsewhere.

“We are not concerned” about delays due to the engine problem, Bayar said. “TEI’s research and development program for an engine could be a solution. Alternatively, we could consider an engine like [the German] Rotax, or modify an existing automobile engine for the Anka.”

Bayar said that SSM would sign a contract for the acquisition of an initial batch of 10 Ankas “very soon.”

The Anka passed acceptance tests late in January. The final, decisive tests on Jan. 20-21 involved a full endurance, 18-hour flight, successful auto landing, data link performance at a distance of 200 kilometers under winds up to 45 knots, and night take-offs and landings. The Anka has completed more than 150 flight hours.

The Anka is a medium-altitude, long-endurance drone. Such UAVsusually can operate for 24 hours at an altitude of 10,000 feet.