Sunday, January 2, 2011

China prepares for war 'in all directions'


China prepares for war 'in all directions' 

Peter Foster, Beijing
December 31, 2010

CHINA is preparing for conflict ''in every direction'', its Defence Minister says.

''In the coming five years, our military will push forward preparations for military conflict in every strategic direction,'' General Liang Guanglie said in an interview published by state-backed newspapers in China.

''We may be living in peaceful times, but we can never forget war, never send the horses south or put the bayonets and guns away.''

China has repeatedly said it is planning a ''peaceful rise'', but the pace and scale of its military modernisation has alarmed many neighbours, including Japan, which described the build-up of its armed forces as a ''global concern''.

Tension between China and India also emerged during a mid-December visit to Delhi by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. Indian leaders contend that China is being provocative in Kashmir as it grows closer to Pakistan, China's ally and India's nemesis.

China has infuriated India by starting to issue special stapled-paper visas - rather than the standard visa - for anyone in Indian-controlled Kashmir travelling to China, on the grounds Kashmir is a disputed territory.

China later objected to including a top Indian general responsible for Kashmir in a military exchange. In response, Indian officials angrily suspended military exchanges between the countries.

The most visible evidence that these problems were deepening came in the joint communique issued by the two nations at the end of Mr Wen's visit. China typically demands that nations voice support for the one-China policy, which holds that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. In the past, India has agreed to such language, but this time it was omitted, a clear sign of Delhi's irritation.

General Liang's remarks came at a time of increasingly difficult relations between the Chinese and US armed forces, which a three-day visit by his counterpart, Robert Gates, was intended to address.

A year ago, China froze substantive military relations in protest at US arms sales to Taiwan and relations deteriorated further this summer when China objected to US plans to deploy a nuclear aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, in the Yellow Sea off the Korean Peninsula.

China also announced this month it was preparing to launch its own aircraft carrier next year. The news emerged a year earlier than many US defence analysts had predicted.

China is also working on a ballistic missile that could sink aircraft carriers from afar, fundamentally reordering the balance of power in a region dominated by the US since the end of World War II.

In an interview in Japan this week, Admiral Robert Willard, a US Navy commander, said he believed the Chinese anti-ship missile had already achieved ''initial operational capability'', although it would require years of testing. Analysts remain divided over whether China is initiating an Asian arms race.

However, in a speech earlier this year, Mr Gates warned that China's growing military might ''threatens America's primary way to project power and help allies in the Pacific''.

General Liang also pledged that China's armed forces would increasingly be self-reliant when it comes to technology, an area in which the People's Republic lags behind the West.

''The modernisation of the Chinese military cannot depend on others,'' he said. ''In the next five years, our economy and society will develop faster, boosting comprehensive national power. We will take the opportunity and speed up modernisation of the military.''

TELEGRAPH, NEW YORK TIMES

Brazil Undecided on Jet Fighter Purchase


The Brazilian Air Force may not purchase its longstanding order of 36 jet fighters as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is unlikely to make a decision on the multibillion-dollar project before stepping down on 1 January 2011.

The purchase of jet fighters to replace Brazil's aging fleet would cost $6bn-$8bn, which could increase further if options to expand the fleet to more than 100 aircraft are exercised.

Lula said it would be up to the government of his successor, Dilma Rousseff, to decide on the issue.

"It's a very big debt, it's a long-term debt for Brazil. I could sign off on it and do a deal with France, but I'm not going to do that," Lula said, defenceWeb reports quoting media sources.

Lula's comments have given rise to speculation that the project to modernise Brazil's air force has likely been scrapped.

Frontrunners for the contract include the Dassault Rafale jet, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Saab Gripen.
Brazil Undecided on Jet Fighter Purchase - Air Force Technology

Bangladesh Army's New Type59G MBT


China Defense Blog: Bangladesh Army's New Type59G MBT

Bangladesh Army's New Type59G MBT 

According to our friend, the Bangladesh Military Forum, (http://www.%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a.com/) (*********** = bdmilitary), the first public appearance of the long-expected Type 59G was reported by today's Channel-i news.

In essence, this latest Type59MBT variant is a Type 96G in a Type59 body modified to carry a 125mm main gun, a modern fire control system, and the latest Chinese armor protection package. A total of 300 examples of Type59G will be rebuild from the existing fleet. In addition to the Type59G rebuild program, theBangladesh army will procure the Type96 MBT in due course as part of a greater modernization drive. Since both MBTs are sharing many common components, this will greatly reduce the load on the existing logistic infrastructure.

Here is a list of Chinese land forces hardware to be procured by the Bangladesh Army compiled by BMF.


****
* 7 x Type 96 MBTs (Not delivered yet, but eventually a couple of regiments)
* 5 x MBT ARV (Chinese, for MBT2000/Type 96 recovery)
* 300 x Type 59 MBT Upgrade (1 spotted at Dhaka; Army named them as "Type 59 G")
* 1 x SPH Regt (Chinese 122 or 155 mm SPH is expected)
* 1 x ADA Regiment (This complements another air defence regiment in BDA. Regiment is equivalent of brigade; Equipped with Chinese AAGs and MANPADS).

****Including a couple of pictures, which might be interesting reference material.





Profile for new Type 59G MBT at *************** created with input from armoured corps officer, photo analysis and Chinese defense websites:

http://www.%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a%2a.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=333&Itemid=97 (*********** = bdmilitary)

Pics of UAE F-16E/F B60 Falcon fitted with probe-and-drogue refueling system





Indian Su-30(Russian technology) vs Pakistani JF-17 thunder(pak+china tech)=Full analysis of su 30 & jf17 thunder

Indian Su-30(R T)


Pakistani JF-17 thunder





Note:The video information is not Confirm...

Indian SU-30 Full analysis
Weapons

The aircraft is fitted with a 30mm GSh-301 gun with 150 rounds of ammunition.
The aircraft has 12 hardpoints for external payloads up to 8,000kg and can carry one or two mission pods such as a laser designator or an anti-radiation missile guidance system.
The Malaysian Su-30MKM is fitted with the Thales Damocles laser designator pod.

Air-to-air missiles

The Su-30M, like the Su-30, can engage two airborne targets simultaneously. The aircraft can be armed with up to six medium-range air-to-air missiles such as the R-27RE (Nato codename AA-10C Alamo-C), the R27TE (AA-10D Alamo-D) or the Vympel RVV-AE (AA-12 Adder).http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/su_30mk/




Dimensions:

Height
6.355m
Wingspan
14.70m
Span of Foreplane
6.40m
Length Excluding Probes
23.335m

Weights:

Empty Weight
17,700kg
Fuel
5,090kg
Maximum Fuel
9,400kg
Take-off Weight
26,090kg
Maximum Take-off Weight
38,000kg
Maximum External Payload
8,000kg

Engines:

Type
2 x Saturn AL-37FP thrust vectoring engines
Thrust
83.4kN
Thrust With Afterburn
142.2kN

Performance:

Maximum Level Speed
2.35 Mach, 2,150km/hr
Maximum Rate of Climb
13,800m/min
Maximum Altitude
17,500m
Combat Range
3,000km
Range With Single In-flight Refuelling
5,200km
Take-off Run
550m
Landing Run



Pakistani Jf-17 thunder

Key Data:

Role
Multirole combat aircraft
Countries
China and Pakistan
Crew
One
Maiden Flight
August 2003
Introduced
March 2007
Numbers Built
20
Estimated Cost
$15m to $20m

Dimensions:

Length
14.9m
Height
4.77m
Width
9.46m
Wing Area
24.4m²

Weights:

Empty Weight
6,411kg
Maximum Take-Off Weight
12,474kg
Loaded Weight
9,072kg
Maximum Landing Weight
7,802kg
Fuel Weight
2,268kg

Engines:

Type
Klimov RD-93 turbofan engine
Number of Engines
One
Dry Thrust
49.4kN
Thrust After Burner
84.4kN

Performance:

Maximum Speed
1,909km per hour
Ferry Range
2,037km
Operational Radius
1,352km
Service Ceiling
15,240m

Armament:

Guns
1 x 2 mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel cannon
Rockets
57mm, 90mm unguided rocket pods
Air-to-Air Missiles
Short range: AIM-9L/M, PL-5E, PL-9C Beyond visual range: PL-12 / SD-10
Air-to-Surface Missiles
MAR-1 anti-radiation missile, AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missile, and Ra'ad ALCM cruise missile
Bombs
Unguided bombs: Mk-82, Mk-84 general purpose bombs, Matra Durandal anti-runway bomb, and CBU-100/Mk-20 Rockeye anti-armour cluster bomb Precision guided munitions: GBU-10, GBU-12, LT-2 laser-guided bombs, H-2, H-4 electro-optically guided, LS-6 satellite-
Others
3 x external fuel drop tanks for extended range



670m

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"How Can You Defend Israel?"



I was sitting in a lecture hall at a British university. Bored by the speaker, I began glancing around the hall. I noticed someone who looked quite familiar from an earlier academic incarnation. When the session ended, I introduced myself and wondered if, after years that could be counted in decades, he remembered me.

He said he did, at which point I commented that the years had been good to him. His response: "But you've changed a lot."

"How so?" I asked with a degree of trepidation, knowing that, self-deception aside, being 60 isn't quite the same as 30.

Looking me straight in the eye, he proclaimed, as others standing nearby listened in, "I read the things you write about Israel. I hate them. How can you defend that country? What happened to the good liberal boy I knew 30 years ago?"

I replied: "That good liberal boy hasn't changed his view. Israel is a liberal cause, and I am proud to speak up for it."

Yes, I'm proud to speak up for Israel. A recent trip once again reminded me why.

Sometimes, it's the seemingly small things, the things that many may not even notice, or just take for granted, or perhaps deliberately ignore, lest it spoil their airtight thinking.

It's the driving lesson in Jerusalem, with the student behind the wheel a devout Muslim woman, and the teacher an Israeli with a skullcap. To judge from media reports about endless inter-communal conflict, such a scene should be impossible. Yet, it was so mundane that no one, it seemed, other than me gave it a passing glance. It goes without saying that the same woman would not have had the luxury of driving lessons, much less with an Orthodox Jewish teacher, had she been living in Saudi Arabia.

It's the two gay men walking hand-in-hand along the Tel Aviv beachfront. No one looked at them, and no one questioned their right to display their affection. Try repeating the same scene in some neighboring countries.

It's the Friday crowd at a mosque in Jaffa. Muslims are free to enter as they please, to pray, to affirm their faith. The scene is repeated throughout Israel. Meanwhile, Christians in Iraq are targeted for death; Copts in Egypt face daily marginalization; Saudi Arabia bans any public display of Christianity; and Jews have been largely driven out of the Arab Middle East.

It's the central bus station in Tel Aviv. There's a free health clinic set up for the thousands of Africans who have entered Israel, some legally, others illegally. They are from Sudan, Eritrea, and elsewhere. They are Christians, Muslims, and animists. Clearly, they know something that Israel's detractors, who rant and rave about alleged "racism," don't. They know that, if they're lucky, they can make a new start in Israel. That's why they bypass Arab countries along the way, fearing imprisonment or persecution. And while tiny Israel wonders how many such refugees it can absorb, Israeli medical professionals volunteer their time in the clinic.

It's Save a Child's Heart, another Israeli institution that doesn't make it into the international media all that much, although it deserves a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Here, children in need of advanced cardiac care come, often below the radar. They arrive from Iraq, the West Bank, Gaza, and other Arab places. They receive world-class treatment. It's free, offered by doctors and nurses who wish to assert their commitment to coexistence. Yet, these very same individuals know that, in many cases, their work will go unacknowledged. The families are fearful of admitting they sought help in Israel, even as, thanks to Israelis, their children have been given a new lease on life.

It's the vibrancy of the Israeli debate on just about everything, including, centrally, the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. The story goes that U.S. President Harry Truman met Israeli President Chaim Weizmann shortly after Israel's establishment in 1948. They got into a discussion about who had the tougher job. Truman said: "With respect, I'm president of 140 million people." Weizmann retorted: "True, but I'm president of one million presidents."

Whether it's the political parties, the Knesset, the media, civil society, or the street, Israelis are assertive, self-critical, and reflective of a wide range of viewpoints.

It's the Israelis who are now planning the restoration of the Carmel Forest, after a deadly fire killed 44 people and destroyed 8,000 acres of exquisite nature. Israelis took an arid and barren land and, despite the unimaginably harsh conditions, lovingly planted one tree after another, so that Israel can justifiably claim today that it's one of the few countries with more wooded land than it had a century ago.

It's the Israelis who, with quiet resolve and courage, are determined to defend their small sliver of land against every conceivable threat - the growing Hamas arsenal in Gaza; the dangerous build-up of missiles by Hezbollah in Lebanon; nuclear-aspiring Iran's calls for a world without Israel; Syria's hospitality to Hamas leaders and transshipment of weapons to Hezbollah; and enemies that shamelessly use civilians as human shields. Or the global campaign to challenge Israel's very legitimacy and right to self-defense; the bizarre anti-Zionist coalition between the radical left and Islamic extremists; the automatic numerical majority at the UN ready to endorse, at a moment's notice, even the most far-fetched accusations against Israel; and those in the punditocracy unable - or unwilling - to grasp the immense strategic challenges facing Israel.

Yes, it's those Israelis who, after burying 21 young people murdered by terrorists at a Tel Aviv discotheque, don the uniform of the Israeli armed forces to defend their country, and proclaim, in the next breath, that, "They won't stop us from dancing, either."

That's the country I'm proud to stand up for. No, I'd never say Israel is perfect. It has its flaws and foibles. It's made its share of mistakes. But, then again, so has every democratic, liberal and peace-seeking country I know, though few of them have faced existential challenges every day since their birth.

The perfect is the enemy of the good, it's said. Israel is a good country. And seeing it up close, rather than through the filter of the BBC or the Guardian, never fails to remind me why.

- David Harris
Executive Director, AJC, and Senior Associate, St. Antony's College, Oxford University

Most Americans oppose Afghan war



A new opinion poll has found that opposition to the Afghan war is at an all-time high in the US as security situation continues to worsen in Afghanistan.


A new CNN/Opinion Research poll (PDF) released on Thursday shows that more than six in ten Americans are now opposed to the war in Afghanistan. 

There is also a growing pessimism in the American public about the way things are going for the US in the war, the poll suggests. 

In response to a question on how “things are going” in the warzone 56 percent responded with “moderately badly” or “very badly.” 

The US President Barack Obama ordered the deployment of 30,000 additional soldiers in Afghanistan about a year ago. 

However, security situation continued to deteriorate across the war-ravaged country in 2010 -- the deadliest year for foreign presence in Afghanistan. 

The total death toll of US-led troops has surpassed the 700 milestone, with the Americans accounting for most of the casualties. 

In the review of his war strategy in Afghanistan this month, Obama declared that the war "continues to be a very difficult endeavor" and the achievements made there are "fragile and reversible." 

Obama had pledged a major drawdown from Afghanistan by July 2011. However, Washington later announced that American troops will remain in the war-torn country for at least four more years. 

The 2001 US-led invasion was launched with the objective of bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. 

After nine years and despite the presence of over 150,000 US-led troops across Afghanistan, the country's security remains very fragile. 

Moreover, according to the United Nations, the death toll of Afghan civilians this year is 20 percent higher than in 2009, with over 2,400 civilians killed in the country from January to September.