Current Events in Asia-Pacific

Indian Army Successfully Tests BrahMos Block-III Deep Penetration Variant (The Diplomat, Flashpoints blog)

From http://www.defensenews.com Singapore Navy To Escort Passing Merchant Ships By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, SINGAPORE Armed escorts from the Singapore Navy will guard selected merchant ships and cruise liners plying the city-state’s busy waters as part of efforts to prevent terrorism, the defense ministry said Feb. 28. The Accompanying Sea Security Teams scheme will be launched sometime in March, a ministry spokesperson said. The Straits Times newspaper reported Feb. 28 that up to eight navy personnel capable of running a commercial vessel in an emergency will board selected ships that might be threatened because of their cargo. The team will includ…

U.S. Moves to Boost Japan’s Missile Shield By REUTERS, WASHINGTON defensenews The Pentagon notified Congress June 29 of a proposed sale to Tokyo of nine more sea-based missiles and related gear valued at up to $387 million to strengthen Japan’s fledgling ballistic missile shield. The nine SM-3 Block IA Standard missiles, built by Raytheon Co., are the second batch requested by Tokyo in recent months. They would be used on Japanese ships equipped with high-technology AEGIS combat systems built by Lockheed Martin Corp. One such Aegis weapon system would be upgraded for ballistic-missile defense under the new proposed sale, the Defense Department said. …

From Flight International DATE: 25/02/08 SOURCE: Flight International Boeing expects to seal Seoul deal for F-15Ks By Craig Hoyle South Korea should conclude a deal on a follow-on batch of 20 Boeing F-15K multirole fighters within the next month, says F-15 programme director Steve Winkler. The manufacturer also believes other potential fresh orders from existing Eagle users Japan, Saudi Arabia and Singapore could extend production of the type beyond 2012. Boeing has now delivered 32 F-15Ks from South Korea's 40-strong order worth $4.2 billion, with the rest to follow by late this year. Although Seoul held an original requirement for 120 F-X fighters, Win…

From DefenseNews U.S. Should Butt out of China’s Bilateral Relations By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BEIJING On June 30, China blasted interference by the United States in its relations with other countries and urged the European Union and Israel to ignore Washington’s concerns over arms sales. ”We believe that the United States should not point fingers, make irresponsible remarks and place obstacles in the way. We are firmly against it,” foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. ”The U.S. should discard its Cold War mentality and stop obstructing normal cooperation between China and other countries ... we ask relevant parties and sides to adhere to the prin…

Satellite Imagery: China Staging Mock Invasion of Taiwan? (The Diplomat)

How far can China’s long-range missiles reach in the South China Sea? (DefenseNews)

From Jane's Chinese naval J-11s spotted in the open By Ted Parsons 10 May 2010 In early May Chinese military websites featured images outside the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation factory indicating that new single- and twin-seat J-11 fighters are probably being produced for the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF). The images showed J-11s in a very light grey livery consistent with the PLANAF's Sukhoi Su-30MKK2 fighters, 24 (one regiment) of which were delivered in 2004. The single-seat fighters reportedly have the designation J-11BH, a new variant of the J-11B, which in turn is Shenyang's significantly modified version of Sukhoi's Su-27SK that Shen…

Is North Korea Building a New Submarine? (38 North)

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

North Korea’s Musudan Missile: A Performance Assessment (38 North)

http://defence-blog.com/news/new-stealth-bomber-spotted-in-china.html

Interesting article of an author I read few weeks ago. Sometimes slightly anti-Western comments, but interesting reads: https://www.eurasiantimes.com/salvo-of-chinese-yj-21-hypersonic-missiles-attack-us/

From australia ABC Chinese and Philippine ships collide again in disputed waters, and the countries are trading blame

From Australian ABC news service https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-10/ghost-shark-underwater-drone-fleet-plan/105758720?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link

From DefenseNews Posted 03/19/07 17:29 Analysis: Strains Show in Complex China-Russia Relations By WENDELL MINNICK, TAIPEI During the Cold War, the Russian-Chinese relationship was watched by Western intelligence analysts like hawks on mice. What if Moscow and Beijing form an alliance? What if there is another border dispute between them? What if Russia provides advanced fighters to North Korea? How would the United States respond to a Russian attack on Japan? Today, the relationship is far more transparent, yet still very complicated. “Despite all the recent joint exercises between Russia and China, as well as continuing arms trade between the two, Japan see…

India Test Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile India Test Fires New Nuclear-Capable Missile Agni III, State Government Official Says By MUNEEZA NAQVI The Associated Press NEW DELHI - India test fired a new missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads across much of Asia and the Middle East, a state government official said Thursday. An earlier test firing of the Agni III missile had failed when it plunged into the Bay of Bengal short of its target in July last year. There was no immediate comment whether the current test was successful. The missile was launched from Wheeler Island off the eastern state of Orissa, the state government official said on condition o…

The trials and tribulations of India's armed forces (The Diplomat)

Is China Carelessly Overextending Itself? (The Diplomat, Flashpoints blog)

From ARES RAAF Goes for Growlers Posted by Robert Wall at 2/27/2009 1:32 AM CST The Royal Australian Air Force could be the first non-U.S. military service to operate EA-18 Growler electronic attack aircraft under a deal announced in Australia today. The deal is also noteworthy for the fact that it indicates the U.S. is willing to share some of its most advanced technology with close allies -- neither the EA-6B nor EF-111 jammers were exported. The EA-18G deal comes not long after the Pentagon agreed to let the U.K. buy RC-135 Rivet Joints, the highly sensitive signals intelligence system. Australia is not buying new Growlers; instead it would modify 12 o…