Current Events in Asia-Pacific

I am thinking that Avatar must have been filmed in Indonesia, because apparently the defense ministry there has struck upon a large deposit of unobtainium. Indonesia plans to buy 180 Flankers

Indonesia selects Su-35 to meet air combat requirement (Jane's)

Honolulu Advertiser April 18, 2007 Indonesia, U.S. Join Forces In Exercise By William Cole, Advertiser Military Writer About 80 U.S. soldiers are in Indonesia, including some Hawai'i National Guard members, for what is being described as "opening a new chapter" between the U.S. and Indonesian armies. Garuda Shield 2007 in West Java represents the resumption of brigade-level, army-to-army exercises after U.S. military ties with Indonesia were cut by the Clinton administration in 1999. The U.S. broke off ties after troops backed by the Indonesian government used deadly force to try to suppress East Timor's ultimately successful quest for independence. …

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/28/navy-vessel-catches-fire-banyuwangi.html Their newest missile boat as well...

From http://www.defensenews.com Indonesia Sends Warships to Waters Claimed by Malaysia By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, JAKARTA Indonesia has dispatched three warships to a maritime border area also claimed by Malaysia amid rising tensions in the Sulawesi Sea, a navy spokesman said March 2. The warships were now in the disputed area off the coast of Malaysia’s Sabah state and the Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province, Navy Spokesman First Admiral Abdul Maliki Yusuf told Agence France-Presse. A fourth ship will leave for the area later March 2, Yusuf said, adding the navy also was considering sending a submarine to the area. “It is normal for the Indonesian nav…

Initial Analysis of North Korea’s “New Type Long-Range Cruise Missile” (38 North)

Initial 2 Kidd-class Destroyers Take Their Places in ROC Fleet (Source: Taiwan Information service; issued Dec. 19, 2005) (Edited for content) The first two of four Kidd class destroyers purchased from the United States arrived at the Suao naval base on the northeast coast of Taiwan Dec. 9 after a month-long journey from Port Charleston in South Carolina. The addition of the destroyers to the ROC Naval fleet is expected to be a shot in the arm to Taiwan's ability to defend itself against China. A formal ceremony to commission the two destroyers has been scheduled for mid-December when President Chen Shui-bian is expected to officiate in his capacity …

INS Vikramaditya Deployment Options for India (Defense Aerospace)

Researching data for Harpoon, I've finded Vikrant preserved as museum in Mumbai, in this interesting site, Warbirdsofindia.com : http://www.warbirdsofindia.com/maharashtra/ins-vikrant.html But not without problems of continuity, I see ... http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mu...how/5798936.cms

The Week (Indian newspaper)

Inside the Design of China’s Yuan-class Submarine (USNI News)

https://thediplomat.com/2022/02/what-a-19-year-old-study-tells-us-about-chinas-j-20/ https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/thediplomat_2022-02-14-191931.pdf

Very interesting and speculative, but based on facts, article: https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-the-us-navy-shouldnt-fear-chinas-hunt-red-october-21630&source=gmail&ust=1501110097125000&usg=AFQjCNFfEtWKqAbQBGgPnQWJEI22DnYKrw

By MARK THOMPSON / WASHINGTON Mark Thompson / Washington – 24 mins ago If China's satellites and spies were working properly, there would have been a flood of unsettling intelligence flowing into the Beijing headquarters of the Chinese navy last week. A new class of U.S. superweapon had suddenly surfaced nearby. It was an Ohio-class submarine, which for decades carried only nuclear missiles targeted against the Soviet Union, and then Russia. But this one was different: for nearly three years, the U.S. Navy has been dispatching modified "boomers" to who knows where (they do travel underwater, after all). Four of the 18 ballistic-missile subs no longer carry nuclear-tip…

Add This Fighter-Bomber to the List of New Chinese Warplanes (War is Boring blog)

Is China Buying Russia's Su-35 Fighter? (DefenseNews)

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

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

Is January Chinese ASAT testing month? (All Things Nuclear, Union of Concerned Scientists)

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