Current Events in Asia-Pacific

China's air force comes of age (The Diplomat, Flashpoints)

Watching BBC at this time, they are reporting that the North Koreans launched their rocket at 0230 UTC Sunday. First stage fell into the Sea of Japan, second stage fell into the Pacific ocean east of Japan. Nations in the region are lodging the usual protests. Apparently there was no effort by Japanese air defence to shoot the weapon down Depending on the apogee of the flight path, I'd guess we're looking at an IRBM class weapon. While the news calls this 'signifigant' I would say that it is somewhat less so. They need to perfect an RV and I don't see any nation allowing that kind of test near their borders. Remember that this is based on Scud technology. …

Malaysia to establish marine corps, naval base close to James Shoal (Jane's)

The Week (Indian newspaper)

From Aviation Week's ARES Blog There's Life In The Old Girl Yet Posted by Bill Sweetman at 3/23/2008 11:24 AM CDT Via the invaluable Secret Projects site comes a brochure on Lockheed Martin's F-16IN proposal to India. The options list is a mixture of features from the United Arab Emirates' F-16E/F and the Advanced Block 50 that is standard for other export customers. The active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar is the Northrop Grumman APG-80 from the F-16E/F; the company's newly announced Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) is optimized for retrofits, and unlike the APG-80 does not need added power and cooling. Also from the E/F are the big-screen gl…

http://theaviationist.com/2012/09/16/j-31/ Looks like a second PRC stealth fighter.

From Flight Global [excerpt]

Australia to Pursue Nuclear Attack Subs in New Agreement with U.S., U.K. (USNI News) Huge news for the Aussies.

From DefenseNews Slated U.S. Carrier Visit to Yellow Sea Irks China By WENDELL MINNICK Published: 13 Aug 2010 10:17 TAIPEI - Chinese government and state-run media outlets are angrily protesting the Pentagon's Aug. 5 announcement to send the aircraft carrier George Washington into the Yellow Sea (West Sea) in upcoming exercises with South Korea. The exact date the aircraft carrier would enter the Yellow Sea was not released. The George Washington did not enter the Yellow Sea during exercises last month, supposedly after Chinese objections, but plans to do so in upcoming exercises have once again enraged Beijing. China "won't stand for U.S. naval provocat…

From Defense Aerospace [excerpt]

From Aviation Week [excerpt]

China to Start Construction on 1st Type 075 LHD Amphibious Assault Ship for PLAN Soon (Navy Recognition) Type 075 Watch: China's Navy May Soon Be Second to the US Navy in Amphibious Assault (The Diplomat)

China Deploys Advanced ASW Aircraft to South China Sea Air Base (The Diplomat)

Russia Delivers 1st S-400 Missile Defense Regiment to China (The Diplomat)

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

From DefenseNews Posted 10/09/06 10:35 Defiant North Korea Conducts Nuclear Test By JACK KIM, REUTERS, SEOUL North Korea said it conducted an underground nuclear test on Oct. 9, defying a warning from the U.N. Security Council and opening its crippled economy to the risk of fresh sanctions. South Korea put its troops on heightened alert after the announcement, which came just minutes before Japanese Prime Minister Shinto Abe landed in Seoul for a visit. The move could heighten regional tension and deal a fresh foreign policy blow to U.S. President George W. Bush ahead of mid-term elections. The White House branded the act "provocative" and said it expected the…

Russia bombers resume Cold War sorties Flights to Guam intended to showcase Moscow’s resurgent military prowess The Associated Press Updated: 10:52 a.m. ET Aug 9, 2007 MOSCOW - Russian bombers have flown to the island of Guam — home to a major U.S. military base — for the first time since the Cold War in an exercise intended to show the Kremlin’s resurgent military power, an air force general said Thursday. Two Tu-95 bombers reached Guam, a U.S. territory, this week, and their crews smiled at the pilots of the U.S. fighter jets that scrambled to intercept them, said Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov. “Whenever we saw U.S. planes during our flights over the ocean, we g…

China Welcomes Its Newest Armed Force: The Coast Guard (War on the Rocks)

Taiwan To Mass Produce Supersonic Anti-Ship Missiles By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, TAIPEI Originally posted to DefenceNews Taiwan plans to mass produce supersonic anti-ship missiles to beef up the island’s defense capabilities against China following successful test firings of the weaponry, a report said April 11. The defense ministry next year would set aside a budget for mass production of the Hsiung Feng III missile, which is expected to make its debut during the 2006 “Han Kuang 22” exercise, the Chinese-language China Times said. Given its speed and capability of flying at low altitude, the missile would be difficult to intercept, it said. The Hs…

Nice set of photos ... From Aviation Week's ARES Blog Eurotorp's MU90 Finally Fired From Australian Warship Posted by Joris Janssen Lok at 6/23/2008 1:29 AM CDT Australia's Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) successfully test fired the new Franco-Italian Eurotorp MU90 lightweight anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedo late last week, the country's defense minister Joel Fitzgibbon says. “While the MU90 Lightweight Torpedo has been successfully tested in Europe, this Acceptance Test and Evaluation exercise represents the first time an MU90 Lightweight Torpedo has been fired from an Australian warship,” Fitzgibbon says. The test firing happened from the A…