The Chengdu J-20 (J-XX) reportedly undergoing high speed taxi tests in late December. (photo : australian aviation)
Reports and photographs from China indicate that country will soon test fly a large stealthy combat aircraft prototype from the Chengdu facility in the country’s north.
Grainy images of the aircraft, variously dubbed J-XX or J-20, show a long and wide fuselage with low observable engine intakes and a forward chine, a high set delta shaped main wing, forward canards, a bubble canopy, conventional round engine exhausts, and canted all-moving fins.
The aircraft appears to have been undergoing high speed taxi tests at Chengdu as late as December 22. It appears larger than the US’s F-22 Raptor, and similar in size to Russia’s T-50 PAK-FA prototype which flew in late 2009.
Modern naval missions such as fighting pirates have driven up demand for smaller, more nimble vessels. As Albrecht Muller finds out, the need for speed and agility is driving unprecedented interest in small patrol boats.
Besides protecting littoral boundaries and safeguarding borders, preventing drug trafficking, maritime salvage and protecting shipping are key areas where fast, agile boats are increasingly becoming the number one option for coast guard, police, customs and other government organisations.
Fast Coastal Patrol craft (FCP), Fast Coastal Interceptor (FCI), Fast SWAT Patrol craft (FSP), Fast Search and Rescue (FSR), Fast Attack Craft (FAC), Fast Patrol Boat (FCB), Medium Patrol Boat (MPB), Rigid-Inflatable Boat (RIB), Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat (RHIB) or Riverine Combat Boat (RCB) are only some of the patrol, strike and assault craft types, offered by various companies world-wide.
Interception
One government which is currently investing in this type of boat is the Indian Ministry of Defence, which in September announced a tender for four Fast Interceptor Craft (FIC), to improve the protection of its long coastline. The boats will be longer than 9m and have a maximum speed of over 40kts.
It's easy to see why the Indian Navy wants such vessels when you consider that the terrorists who attacked Mumbai in 2008 went in by sea. Beyond the rapid interception of suspicious vessels or the increasing proportion of littoral operations, however, many navies are considering these boats as cheaper options.
Navies world-wide are currently also facing budget cuts or simply do not have as extensive 'blue water' ambitions as others. Modern high-tech boats can be a cheaper, but also capable alternative.
"We do see a great interest in our platforms as we can accommodate quite complex equipment in a relatively small fast platform," says Bo Axelsson, president of the Swedish company Swede Ship Marine.
Without giving any details he confirmed ongoing dialogues with different customers for various different series of vessels, that will be either large, flexible and reconfigurable for various mission types, or smaller and very fast, with speeds exceeding 50kts.
His company has also contracted a new program with the UAE Navy for twelve fast offshore patrol vessels. The design of these new 26.5m boats will be based on the company's 24m Ghannatha class high-speed transport vessels. The first three boats will be constructed at Swede Ship Marine and the following nine at Abu Dhabi Shipbuilding as CKD with material kits from Swede Ship Marine.
Another shipbuilder in this sector is US company Tampa Yacht Manufacturing, who offer a line of 13 different crafts, all marketed under the name TEMPEST. While also unable to give any details, CEO Bob Stevens confirmed that his company currently had multiple international orders filled for its FCI, FSR, FSP, FAC type vessels by defence ministries and government agencies worldwide. According to Stevens, they would also be participating in international tenders for FCI, FPB and MPB and developing a craft, exceeding 20m in length.
Other countries investing in small patrol vessels include Trinidad and Tobago and Iraq.
To protect the country's oil platforms after the pullout of the US troops, Iraq is currently rapidly boosting its navy. Part of this will be 15, 35m-long patrol boats with a maximum speed of 30kts, which are being built by US Company Swiftships Shipbuilders.
The Coast Guard of Trinidad and Tobago received the last of six new high-speed patrol crafts already this January. The 30m-long aluminium boats, built by Australian company Austal, are capable of a speed of more than 40kts.
The Romanian Border Police received three SHALDAG MK IV type fast patrol crafts this year. The boats, built by Israel Shipyards, exceed 40kts and will serve in the Black Sea with tasks of law enforcement, fighting illegal immigration and smuggling.
Estonia's Baltic Workboats also completed the construction of three WC 1500 patrol boats, which had been ordered by Azerbaijan State Customs Committee. The 15m-long WC 1500 can also reach a speed of about 34kts.
Refurbishing and refitting patrol boats is also a growing market segment for companies. For example Australian company DMS Maritime recently won a contract, worth around $50m, to support 19 patrol boats, used by Pacific island nations. It runs for five years and has options to extend for a further twelve years.
At the same time the US Navy is experimenting to decrease the cost of operations of its Riverine Command Boat (RCB). At the end of October it demonstrated for the first time publicly an experimental RCB, operating on an alternative fuel. It was a blend of 50% algae-based and 50% NATO F-76 shipboard fuel. The 14.7m-long RCB can reach speeds of 40kts and therefore, provides the US Navy with a platform that can effectively navigate in challenging shallow waters.
Another small boat with unique features is the new Hurricane MACH II RIB, which was launched by French company Zodiac this year. According to its developers this 11m-long vessel is capable of speeds over 60kts.
The Swedish MBT122 has already been recognized as one of the best-protected main battle tanks in the world.
In a recent study program of the tank for the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) in Sweden, IBD Deisenroth Engineering succeeded in the development of a further improved protection dedicated to the tank. The concept is thereby designed to protect against the actual and future threats in theatre, especially in asymmetric and urban warfare.
IBD's focus in this development was the optimization of the protection against the actual threats in theatre: new variants of RPGs, IEDs and EFPs as well as keeping high protection against “conventional threats”. A new light weight and highly efficient SLAT armour was designed as an amendment of the protection concept. The effectiveness of the new solutions has been verified against all threats in a broad test campaign. Thanks to all these efforts the concept provides an outstanding 360 degree protection of the crew.
The completely modular design of the concept allows the use of any mixture of old and new protection modules. This solution is of great advantage in theatre with regard to maintenance and repairs.
Despite the improved overall protection level of the MBT 122B Evolution the weight increase of about 350 kg is only minimal such maintaining the high mobility of the tank. Also the width of the vehicle could be kept to exactly 4.0 m which is also an important factor for the use in urban environment.
The new protection concept is the latest variant of similar high level protection solutions (defined as Evolution Concepts) from IBD for different platforms that have been developed, where the kits based on the platform Leopard 2 A4 Evolution have already been supplied to customers.
The chief of staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has told Jane's that Pakistan has built its first facility to manufacture radars for fighter aircraft.
Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said the indigenously produced radar, built with China's assistance at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), in Kamra, north of Islamabad, would equip the JF-17 'Thunder' fighter aircraft jointly produced by the two countries.
"This is a major step forward. This will be the first such [radar manufacturing] facility in Pakistan," ACM Suleman said in an interview on 21 December at PAF headquarters in Islamabad. He confirmed that the radar would be fitted on the JF-17, which, along with US-supplied F-16 Fighting Falcons, is set to be the PAF's front-line combat aircraft.
Previous reports suggest that the radar to be manufactured will be the Chinese-built CETC/NRIET KLJ-7 radar set. At the 2010 Farnborough Air Show, at which two JF-17s made their debut in the West, Jane's reported that the KLJ-7 had received full marks from the JF-17's designers at PAC.
A PAC programme officer told Jane's : "I have flown with this radar and with other models that we have looked at fitting to this aircraft, such as the Thales RC400, and the Chinese radar is every bit as capable as its contemporary analogs."
The Israel Defence Force (IDF) has decided to deploy its Merkava Mk 4 main battle tanks (MBTs) equipped with Rafael's Trophy active protection system (APS) along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip amid fears that Hamas has obtained advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided weapons (ATGWs).
Hamas militants fired a Russian-made Kornet (AT-14 'Spriggan') ATGW at an Israeli Merkava tank stationed along the border with Gaza in early December that penetrated the tank, although none of the crew was injured. The laser-guided Kornet has a range of up to 5,500 m.
The attack prompted the IDF to reconsider its use of armoured vehicles and led to a decision to deploy Battalion 9 of the 401st Brigade, which operates Merkava Mk 4 tanks equipped with the Trophy system to the border.
China has stated publicly for the first time its intention to acquire two or more indigenously designed and built aircraft carriers for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
A brief reference to the strategy has appeared in an annual report from the the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). Although it was published in May, the reference was buried at the end of the 570-page document and has only now been picked up by news outlets in the Asia-Pacific region.
A translation of the SOA's 2010 Ocean Development Report, published by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post on 19 December, stated: "In 2009, China put forward an idea and plan for building aircraft carriers. These indicate China has entered the historical era of building a maritime superpower."
The translation continued: "Building China as a maritime power is the mission of China in the whole 21st century, and 2010 to 2020 is the critical period for accomplishing this strategic mission, with the goal to place China among mid-tier maritime powers."
In addition, unconfirmed reports published by the several newspapers in the region are suggesting that construction of a conventionally powered carrier (CV) may have started.
Japan's Asahi Shimbun stated on 17 December: "Construction has already begun at six military affiliated companies and research institutes in Shanghai and other locations."
Moscow has agreed to buy two French Mistral-class amphibious assault vessels and could acquire two more under a controversial deal announced on 24 December.
The 20,000-ton vessels will be constructed by French companies DCNS and STX at the latter's yard in St Nazaire in defiance of protests over the sale by the United States and Russia's neighbours in the Baltic and Black Sea regions. Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) will also work on the programme.
In a joint statement French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Russian counterpart, Dimitry Medvedev, said the agreement underscored "the determination and capacity of France and Russia to develop extensive partnerships in all spheres, including defence and security".
The value of the contract was not revealed, although French sources said the ships, known as Batiments de Projection et Commandement (BPC), are likely to cost Moscow EUR400 million to EUR500 million (USD527.78 million to USD659.73 million) apiece.
The official statement also failed to mention the controversial issue of technology transfers.
