Naval Group selects Safran Paseo XLR system for French Navy frigates

Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire (FTI)

Naval Group has selected Safran Electronics & Defense’s Paseo extra-long-range (XLR) sighting system for integration on-board the French Navy’s new medium-size frigates, known as the Frégate de Taille Intermédiaire (FTI).

The Paseo XLR system is intended to provide the French Navy with very-long-range identification and asymmetric combat capabilities, allowing front-line vessels to be deployed to operate near coastlines and engage small vessels demonstrating suspicious behaviour.

The Safran system enables the FTI ship to determine the intentions of small vessels from a distance and subsequently activate its self-defence system when required.

"The Safran system enables the FTI ship to determine the intentions of small vessels from a distance and subsequently activate its self-defence system when required."

Safran Electronics & Defense Naval Key Accounts Sales and Marketing vice-president Pierre-Olivier Nougues said: “We are very proud to have won this contract from Naval Group on behalf of the French navy.

“These new frigates will be fitted with our highest-performance electro-optical sighting systems.”

The Paseo XLR represents the latest addition to Safran Electronics & Defense’s family of shipborne sighting systems, joining the company’s Vigy Observer / Engage and Paseo NS solutions.

It is equipped with a stabilised turret taken from the DALAS NG, which is a deck-landing aid device for the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

The system also features a high-definition TV (HDTV) system, including a powerful telescope (spotter) and a very-long-range Satis XLR infrared imager, in addition to an eyesafe laser rangefinder.

Furthermore, a shortwave infrared (SWIR) channel is included to improve the performance of the system under foggy conditions.

The French Navy is currently slated to begin taking delivery of the five 4,000t FTI vessels from 2023.

Original post: naval-technology.com

EXTRA LONG-RANGE NAVAL OPTRONIC IDENTIFICATION & FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM (PASEO XLR)

Warships in littoral waters increasingly operate in close proximity to a variety of vessels among which potential threats may hide. From self-defense operations to ship protection at anchor, PASEO XLR electro-optical FCS provides crystal clear images of the environment, day or night, even in poor weather conditions, to ensure long-range identification & tracking.

Source: safran-electronics-defense.com

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UkrOboronProm finishes producing Oplot tanks for Thailand

RTA Oplot-T 

By Illia Ponomarenko.

After missing several deadlines over the past few years, Ukraine’s state-run defense production concern UkrOboronProm will now finally complete its long-standing contract to supply its advanced Oplot-T battle tanks to Thailand.

In a March 26 press statement, the concern’s director general, Pavlo Bukin, asserted that a final batch of six modern Ukrainian-made armored vehicles had already been produced and successfully tested in the presence of the ordering party.

The last several tanks will be shipped to Thailand in the near future, the concern’s website quoted Bukin as saying. After the sale is complete, UkrOboronProm plans begin producing Oplots for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Ukraine vowed to produce up to 49 new advanced tanks for Thailand as part of a $241 million contract with the Asian nation signed in September 2011. The first batch was shipped to Thailand in early 2014. However, in the ensuing years, production saw repeated delays due to an economic crisis in Ukraine amid Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the subsequent war in Donbas.

By late 2016, UkrOboronProm had managed to produce only 25 vehicles out of 49, according to official figures. In April 2017, the Thai defense ministry reportedly declined to purchase the remaining tanks in favor of the Chinese VT-4 main battle tanks. However, UkrSpetsExport, a subsidiary of UkrOboronProm, asked Thailand to let it finish the Oplot contract in 2017.

In an interview with the Kyiv Post in late February 2018, Pavlo Bukin, the newly-appointed director of UkrOboronProm, asserted that the Oplot contract would be completed by late March or early April 2018.

“The contract was being fulfilled despite unfair competition and Russia’s military aggression,” Bukin also said in a March 26 statement. “We are thankful to our strategic partners from Thailand for their mindful understanding of the problems that Ukraine faced and for their faith in Ukraine’s ability to overcome the artificial obstacles in our relations.”

The Thai contract enabled the Ukrainian budget to receive considerable foreign currency inflows and allowed UkrOboronProm to fully put its enterprises to work, the official said.

Produced at the Kharkiv Armored Plant, the Oplot tanks, which Ukraine’s defense industry presents as one of its points of pride, were designed in 2008 and put into the service of Ukraine’s Armed Forces in 2009.

An in-depth overhaul of the T-84U tank, the Oplot features enhanced crew protection and advanced fire control systems, according to its developers. A default Oplot model operates a 125-millimeter smoothbore KBA-3 cannon with a shooting distance of up to 5,000 meters and an allowance of 46 rounds. A 12.7-millimeter KT anti-aircraft machine gun, a 7.62-millimeter coaxial machine gun, and Ukrainian-produced Kombat anti-tank guided missiles complement these armaments.

The vehicle’s multi-layer armor is bolstered by anti-RPG flank screens, as well as Duplet reactive armor, the Zaslon active protection system, and the Varta optronic system, which is meant to deceive and mislead incoming anti-tank projectiles.

The Oplot’s 1200-horsepower 6TD-2E diesel engine allows an operator to engage the tank by default in any climatic conditions at temperatures of up to +55 degrees Celsius (+131 degrees Fahrenheit), according to designers. The tank also features an onboard fire suppression system and separated escape hatches for each of its three crew members. In combat, the tank can utilize GPS navigation and its computer fire control system, in addition to its highly-protected communication links.

According to the Kharkiv plant, the Oplot is among the world’s most combat-capable and durable battle tanks designed universally for modern warfare. However, as of now, it has never been put to the test in actual combat.

In 2011, the Oplot was initially demonstrated overseas at the IDEX-2011 arms exhibition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where it received mainly positive feedback. However, the tank was criticized for its high price tag (approximately $4.9 million) and its long and complicated production cycle.

Later, the Oplot won a contract for the Thai Royal Army, beating out the Russian T-90 and German Leopard 2 tanks. For Thailand, Ukraine issued a special Oplot-T model that features an air conditioning system fit for tropical climates and modified communications gear.

In late February 2018, the United States was reported to be purchasing one Oplot in order to evaluate Ukrainian military developments. Earlier, in June 2017, another Oplot was reportedly purchased by Pakistan as part of a trial batch prior to a possible contract with UkrOboronProm. However, neither report was ever confirmed at the official level.

As of early 2018, Ukraine’s Armed Forces still had only 10 Oplot tanks at their disposal, but never used them. Instead, the military largely relied on refurbished Soviet T-72 and T-64 tanks and their modifications. Amid the ongoing war in Donbas, foreign Oplot sales have proven controversial in Ukrainian society.

But according to presidential adviser Yuri Biriukov, selling one Oplot tank overseas at a price of roughly $4.9 million would allow Ukraine to overhaul and modernize at least 5 old T-64 tanks for Ukraine’s front line. And the Oplot’s advanced features are not necessary for the type of warfare in the Donbas war zone, he said.

Nevertheless, in a Feb. 23 interview with Radio Svoboda, Chief of General Staff Viktor Muzhenko stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces expect to receive Oplot tanks for service by the end of 2018.

Original post: kyivpost.com

On March 26, Pavlo Bukin, the Director General of state-owned defense industry group Ukroboronprom, declared that the deal had effectively been completed, with the batch of combat vehicles successfully passing a test in the presence of Thai defense officials the tanks soon be being sent to Thailand to completing the deal. Bukin was blunt about the state of affairs, noting that the contract was fulfilled despite the challenges Ukraine faced, including “Russia’s unfair competition and military aggression,” and thanking Bangkok for its understanding of the obstacles that Kiev had to overcome to realize the deal.

The broader significance of this development beyond the deal itself remains to be seen. The deal’s completion does technically remove an obstacle to Kiev and Bangkok moving forward on opportunities to expand their defense partnership that have been discussed earlier, including on military technology transfer, defense industry, and even the joint venture on a military production facility. But Ukraine is only one of the countries on an increasingly longer list of defense partners for Thailand that also includes Russia and China, and there are various considerations about how Bangkok will choose to proceed here that go beyond the delayed fulfillment of a single deal (See: “What’s Behind the New US-Thailand Military Facility Hype?”). Source: thediplomat.com

THAILAND’S defense technology agency plans to set up a joint center with China to produce and maintain military equipment.

The Thai government’s Defense Technology Institute will set up the country’s first commercial joint defense facility with China in northeast Khon Kaen province in July, a defense ministry spokesman said. It will be responsible for assembly, production and maintenance of Chinese land weapon systems for the Thai army. Rest of article: HERE

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Republican senators urged President Trump to sell F-35s to Taiwan

Aviation Photography Digest

Top GOP senators push Trump to sell F-35s to Taiwan to deter China

BY ELLEN MITCHELL 

Two top Republican senators on Monday urged President Trump to sell Taiwan F-35 or F-16 fighter jets to bolster the small nation’s air defense and deter “China's aggressive military posture.”

In a letter, Senate Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Senate Armed Services Committee member James Inhofe (R-Okla.) asked Trump to “commit to providing new, U.S.-made fighters to aid in Taiwan's self-defense.”

“After years of military modernization, China shows the ability to wage war against Taiwan for the first time since the 1950s. However, with your leadership, it is possible to help Taiwan remain a democracy, free to establish a relationship with China that is not driven by military coercion,” the senators wrote.

Earlier this month, Taiwan defense officials publicly confirmed they were still interested in acquiring the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 joint strike fighters. Cornyn and Inhofe wrote that President Tsai Ing-wen had specifically asked about buying the Marine Corps’ F-35B variant, which takes off and lands vertically.

An F-35 sale would add to Taiwan’s aging fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons, which the United States sold the nation in 1993. The older and dwindling F-16s — down from 150 original fighters to 65 field-ready planes — are “not enough to maintain a credible defense” against China, according to the senators.

"The survivability of the F-35B and modern long-range sensors could help Taiwan intercept Chinese missiles, promoting deterrence well into the next decade," they wrote.

But should a F-35B sale be premature, Cornyn and Inhofe suggested that Trump sell Taiwan newer Lockheed F-16Vs.

“If Taiwan's air defense fleet is allowed to degenerate in number and quality, I am concerned that it would be destabilizing and would encourage Chinese aggression to ensue,” they wrote. “Additionally, I am concerned that Taiwan's military weakness and the inability to mount a credible air force would place an undue burden on forward-deployed U.S. forces in North East Asia.”

The issue of selling U.S. fighter jets to Taiwan has been a point of tension between Washington and Beijing for years. The Obama administration in 2012 reversed its long-standing opposition to arming the small island nation with American warplanes, acknowledging that Taiwan's current F-16 fighter fleet would not be able to counter a potential Chinese attack.

The White House's previous policy stance had been that the United States only needed to provide incremental upgrades to the fighters in order for Taiwan to keep the Chinese at bay.  

Washington considers Taiwan an ally but has followed an ambiguous official policy in which it formally recognizes the existence of "One China," of which the U.S. considers Taiwan a part. Beijing, meanwhile, claims authority over the island. Under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, the United States provides arms to Taipei.

Original post: thehill.com

F-35 Sale to Taiwan Not Worth the ‘Risk,’ Experts Warn

As the Trump administration takes an aggressive stance on China, senators push an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter deal with Taiwan.

As the White House pushes tariffs on China for what it calls “unfair trade practices,” two U.S. senators are calling on President Trump to sell F-35 stealth fighters to Taiwan.

Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and James Inhofe, R-Okla., said the move to sell stealthy jump jet Joint Strike Fighters could deter “China’s aggressive military posture” in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Taiwan has a legitimate requirement to field a modern fighter fleet to address a myriad of defense contingencies,” they wrote in a letter to Trump on Monday. “Therefore, Taiwan is requesting U.S. support in their procurement of the F-35B.”

But while experts say the F-35B is ideally suited for Taiwan’s military, they warn that it could pose more of a risk than a deterrent.

“You would be upping the ante significantly not just between the Taiwanese and Chinese, but between the United States and China,” said John “JV” Venable, a retired fighter pilot who is now an analyst with the Heritage Foundation. “I’m not sure that’s worth the risk for the United States.”

Then there are export control concerns surrounding the F-35’s advanced technology and the logistics network each plane feeds data into.

“You tap into that and you’ve got access to a whole lot more information than logistics,” Venable said of the computer network known as ALIS. “There is word [on the] street that it would be very hard for the Taiwanese to hold the secrets — not because they would give them up willingly, but because of the infiltration of the Chinese into their system.”

And the plane is not cheap to buy, fly, and maintain. An F-35B, the version pushed by Cornyn and Inhofe, currently costs about $123 million each.

“Do the Taiwanese have the wherewithal to buy these planes?” asked Richard Aboulafia, vice president for analysis for the Teal Group, a Virginia-based consulting firm.

If Taiwan could only afford a small batch of F-35s, it would be better off buying high-end air defenses, Venable said.

But from a military perspective, experts say the F-35 is perfectly suited for flying in Taiwan. The plane can take off from short runways and land vertically like a helicopter. That would be important in a war with China, which would likely bomb Taiwan’s airfields preventing traditional jets from taking off.

Pilots consider the F-35B “a very simple airplane to fly” compared to the Harrier, an old fighter jet that can take off and land vertically, Venable said.

The U.S. Marine Corps is buying the lion’s share of the B-model F-35s. The U.K. and Italy are also buying the jet. The planes are largely built by Lockheed Martin in Cornyn’s home state of Texas.

“The survivability of the F-35B, and modern long-range sensors, could help Taiwan intercept Chinese missiles, promoting deterrence well into the next decade,” the senators wrote. “The F-35B would not only provide a modern fifth-generation fighter but would also bolster their capabilities in next-generation warfare.”

The request comes just days after Trump slapped tariffs on Chinese imports partly in response to China’s theft of U.S. intellectual property. China responded to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum by taxing imports of some American products.

Arms sales to Taiwan are always a hot-button issue. The Obama administration refused to sell F-16s to Taiwan, opting to upgrade old versions of the fighter jet purchased in 1992 during the George H.W. Bush administration.

Taiwan has 144 F-16s, but fewer than half are battle-ready on any given day, the senators wrote. The upgrades will sideline about 24 jets on a “rolling basis” through 2023. Another 15 of its F-16s are used for training and are based in the United States.

Should the administration decide not to sell F-35s to Taiwan, Cornyn and Inhofe wrote, the U.S. should at least sell them more F-16Vs, the designation given to the jet once it receives a host of upgraded equipment, including a new radar, cockpit display and the ability to fire more modern missiles.

“If Taiwan’s air defense fleet is allowed to degenerate in number and quality, [we are] concerned that it would be destabilizing and would encourage Chinese aggression to ensue,” they wrote.  “Additionally, [we are] concerned that Taiwan’s military weakness and the inability to mount a credible air force would place an undue burden on forward-deployed U.S. forces in North East Asia.”

Venable said selling Taiwan high-end F-16s or F/A-18s are a better option for Taiwan and the U.S. right now.

“For now, I do not see this is a good thing for the United States overall to sell the F-35 to the Taiwanese,” he said. Source: defenseone.com

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BAE Systems successfully demonstrated its 40mm cannon for the U.S. Army

40mm cannon - BAE Systems

BAE Systems demos 40mm cannon as option for US Army combat vehicles

By: Jen Judson

WASHINGTON — BAE Systems has successfully demonstrated its 40mm cannon for the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Georgia, as the service considers future lethality upgrades — particularly to its Stryker combat vehicle.

“Everything went perfectly,” Rory Chamberlain, a business development manager at BAE Systems, told a small group of reporters following the March 21 live-fire event.

The Army is in the market to up-gun its Stryker vehicles and boost lethality across its fleet of tracked and wheeled vehicles. The service recently fielded a Stryker with a 30mm cannon — the Infantry Carrier Vehicle—Dragoon — to Europe to be tested by the 2nd Cavalry Regiment ahead of a decision on whether to add similar lethality across the Stryker fleet.

During a recent House Appropriations Committee hearing on the Army’s budget request, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said it was the intent of the Army to continue Stryker upgrades. He also said the service is waiting for feedback from the unit evaluating the up-gunned Stryker in Europe before making a decision on how it will proceed in providing increased lethality across the Stryker brigades.

Milley said he expected to get feedback in roughly the summer time frame to allow the Army to reassess the path and determine the best way forward.

BAE Systems has spent years developing the 40mm cannon and is fielding it to both the British and French armies. The system is at a technology readiness level of nine.

The company had the cannon on display at the DSEI conference in London last fall, and representatives from the U.S. military saw it and asked to have the system brought to Fort Benning for a demonstration, according to Chamberlain.

The cannon comes with a suite of ammunition, including a point-detonating round, an airburst capability and an armor-piercing round.

The ammunition-handling system can accommodate roughly 70 to 100 rounds in an unmanned turret configuration. A manned turret’s ammunition load can go inside a vehicle, Chamberlain explained, and there are a number of system designs.

The feeder system is like a soda vending machine, able to spit out a variety of ammunition that is pre-loaded, and the system can recognize where certain rounds are in the loader throughout an operation.

The cannon is also able to fire roughly 12 rounds before an enemy can return fire, Chamberlain added.

But one of the most attractive features for the U.S. Army is the cannon’s ability to fire at a very high angle, which would allow it to fight in urban terrain.

Showing off for the service

During the demonstration, BAE fired two rounds of point-detonating ammunition against a brick wall, two rounds of point-detonating ammunition against a concrete wall and three rounds of airburst ammunition at a trench, Chamberlain said.

BAE tried to simulate some scenarios that would be relevant to operations involving Strykers and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, according to Chamberlain. For example, a Stryker might perform a wall breech, so the demonstration included the firing of a point-detonating round into a wall to create a hole followed by two airburst rounds through the hole into what would be a room behind.

For Bradley, the company simulated what would happen if the vehicle unexpectedly came across a main battle tank, firing one airburst round above the tank to blind its scope and then firing a round that simulated armor-piecing ammunition to neutralize the target and quickly escape. The range was not large enough to accommodate a powerful, armor-piercing round, according to Chamberlain.

U.S. officials were then able to twice fire five rounds of airburst ammunition, and others were able to fire the cannon using a variety of ammunition to show its versatility, Chamberlain said.

Overall the cannon fired 80 rounds and “worked swimmingly and perfectly,” according to Chamberlain.

He noted that many U.S. officials commented on the high elevation of the cannon as well as its power and accuracy.

What’s next?

BAE’s next step is to work with the Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center to help it understand the weapon and the details of the technology.

The company also pitched a shoot-off against any competition, Chamberlain said.

“I think there is going to be interest to let ARDEC look at the weapon in some more detail,” he said. And in parallel, the company would conduct a transfer of technology to help inform the Army. The service has already been given qualification data from the British and French armies.

“It’s a mature cannon,” Chamberlain said, noting the company fired 80 rounds in the space of a couple of hours and had no issues.

The company is setting its sites most immediately on the opportunity that might crop up later this year as the Army decides how it might increase Stryker lethality beyond the 30mm cannon.

“From my point of view,” Chamberlain said, “Stryker lethality is open, as much as they got the Dragoon, that is a fat turret and it’s doing its job and it’s what they wanted.”

Bu “the lethality and requirements for the upgrade are still to be decided,” he added.

The same could be true for the Bradley, he acknowledged, but said it’s less certain what the U.S. Army has in mind for a future lethality upgrade on that vehicle.

Maj. Gen. David Bassett, the then-program executive officer for ground combat systems, told Defense News at the Association of the U.S. Army conference last fall, that a 30mm cannon was being considered for the Bradley.

“There is a lot of talk about the [Next-Generation Combat Vehicle] and where that goes; we are looking at that as well. So in an unmanned configuration on a Stryker, manned configuration on a Bradley and NGCV, who knows what that is going to be,” Chamberlain said. “We are looking at that.”

Original post: defensenews.com

BAE Systems 40mm cannon

The new cannon fires 40mm Cased Telescoped Ammunition – the first of its kind in the world – offering a number of benefits to users:

 

Fire power

The new cannon delivers up to four times the power of the 30mm round it replaces. It also includes a highly effective airburst round.

 

Space saving

The new cannon saves space inside the vehicle, leaving more room for equipment and crew.

 

Efficient engineering

Compared to other medium calibre systems, the new cased telescoped cannon is a simpler system mechanically. There are no belts or links to jam and break and the system is easily accessible from inside the turret – we expect vehicles equipped with the cannon to be more reliable on the battlefield and allow the soldier to spend more time achieving mission objectives.

 

Ease of integration

The cannon can be retro-fitted into existing vehicle turrets (both manned and unmanned), providing quick and efficient upgrade.  The reduced size and weight of the turret, along with the increased fire power of the cannon, increases crew protection and work space.

 

Multi-role

The cannon can incorporate multiple natures of ammunition within the same ammunition handling system, giving soldiers the capability to quickly engage threats across the modern battlefield spectrum including those within urban environments.

 

High elevation

The cannon design allows the ability to fire at high elevation angles providing increased target flexibility against threats, especially within the upper sections of tall buildings and those with a height advantage in mountainous terrain. Source: baesystems.com

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Airbus Delivers Two A400M Airlifters to Two Different Nations in One Day

Photo: Airbus

Airbus has for the first time formally delivered two A400M new generation airlifters to two different nations in one day.

The company handed over the aircraft on March 20, to the European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), in charge of the management of the A400M Programme, representing Germany and France – at a ceremony in Seville, Spain.

OCCAR Director Arturo Alfonso-Meiriño said: “It is a great pleasure to see two of the leading OCCAR nations receiving these superb aircraft on the same day in a year when the organisation is itself celebrating the 20th anniversary of the signature of its Convention. This is testimony to the effective work performed by OCCAR’s A400M team over many years in managing this exceptionally complex programme.”

These latest deliveries were the 60th and 61st A400Ms to be handed over and take the German and French fleets to 18 and 14 aircraft respectively.

Original post: aviationvoice.com

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New Kh-32 Antiship Missile Becomes Operational

New Kh-32 Antiship Missile Becomes Operational in Russia - part 1


The new missiles announced by President Vladimir Putin draw a major attention. However, they are either non-operational yet or undergoing test operations or trials. In 2016 the aniship Kh-32 missile for Tu-22M3 bombers became operational. Its high characteristics considerably changed the balance on oceanic and sea theaters of warfare, expert Konstantin Sivkov writes in the Military-Industrial Courier.

The Raduga Maritime Design Bureau has been developing the missile since 1998. It is a deep modernization of the well-known Kh-22 which made the maiden flight in 1963, was accepted into service in 1968 and is still operational. It has the hull of the predecessor. The size and weight of Kh-32 are the same. It weighs close to 5800 kg, is 12 meters long with a one-meter diameter and a three-meter wingspan. It is carried on the same suspensions as Kh-22. Open sources said the warhead is lighter. On Kh-22 it weighs 900 kg and the new one weighs 500 kg. The empty space is used to carry additional fuel.

Kh-32 has a more effective and powerful engine. It is distinguished by a new radar targeting system with radio command adjustment according to terrain relief by altimeter. Kh-22 homing warhead operates by a set of fixed frequencies. The problems of electromagnetic compatibility limit the number of missiles in a salvo, and the missile is extremely vulnerable to modern electronic warfare means. Kh-32 controls are free of the drawbacks. Experts said the weapon is highly protected from jamming by the latest emission sources.

The trajectory has three sections: the launch one to reach the cruising altitude, the cruising one when Kh-32 flies at the 40-km ceiling, and the final one when it nosedives to attack........Read rest of article: HERE

Pravda Report
Published on Aug 24, 2016
Russian stratospheric weapon to destroy fleets

Kh-32 specifications

The missile is equipped with an inertial navigation system (an autonomous system not affected by electronic warfare) and heat-seeking warheads with a radar homing head. This solution will greatly improve the accuracy of its guidance, making it independent of GPS/Glonass navigation satellite systems.

Unlike other missiles, the Kh-32 rises into the stratosphere to the height of aerospace probes, where there are no potential adversary fighters or missiles. Then it flies a distance of up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before swooping down on a target.

According to an RBTH source in the defense industry, no Russian or foreign missile defense system today is able to detect the Kh-32 approaching the target: neither the domestic S-400 Triumph system nor the American MIM-104 Patriot.

"The airspeed of the Kh-32 is five times higher than its predecessor, which has been deployed since the late 1960s," the source said. "Air and missile defense systems today cannot detect a diving warhead, which moves down at a speed of over 5,400 km/h."

According to the source, the Kh-32 does not violate the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 as it is not launched into orbit. It also does not violate the provisions of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty – the agreement does not prohibit either Russia or the United States from developing air-to-surface missiles, the RBTH source explained.

The Kh-32, which is comparable with a front-line fighter aircraft in size, is an upgrade of a missile from the late 1960s. Its predecessor could also be fitted with a 500-kg nuclear or conventional warhead. However, its operational range was only 90 kilometers (55 miles), and its accuracy left much to be desired.

But today, designers have created a new engine, which allows the missile to hit targets at a distance of up to 1,000 kilometers, and a new control system, which coordinates with other munitions fired in a volley. Source: russia-insider.com

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Vice defense minister to join ceremony for S. Korea's first F-35A stealth jet

South Korea’s First F-35A Lightning II During Its Maiden Flight - Clinton White flickr.com

SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government will send a top defense official to this week's ceremony for the rollout of the first F-35A stealth fighter aircraft for the country's Air Force, the Ministry of National Defense announced Monday.

Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk plans to lead South Korea's official delegation to the event to be held at Lockheed Martin's assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday (local time).

During his two-day visit there from Tuesday, Suh will also meet with American officials including Ellen Lord, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, and Vice Adm. Mat Winter, program executive officer for the F-35, according to the ministry.

They plan to "exchange various opinions on maintaining close cooperation between the two countries for the stable deployment of the F-35 and strengthening security ties," it said.

In 2014, South Korea signed an agreement to purchase 40 F-35As. The aircraft will be deployed in South Korea starting in 2019 after pilot training.

lcd@yna.co.kr

Original post: yonhapnews.co.kr

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