Sea State

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has detailed ambitious efforts to modernise the navy’s nuclear-powered submarines. Moscow is modernising 12 nuclear-powered submarines, with the boats intended to serve another 20 years. The modernisation effort is intended to bring the submarines up to the same technological level as Russia’s next-generation nuclear-powered boats, such as the Project 885M Yasen-class submarines.

India’s INS Trikand—a stealth frigate of the Indian Navy—reached Turkey yesterday, marking the start of a three-day visit. The sophisticated warship is equipped with a versatile range of weapons and sensors capable of addressing air, surface and sub-surface threats. The visit is part of an overseas deployment to West Asia, Africa and Europe to strengthen relations with friendly countries.

Sweden hasn’t ruled out the possibility of applying to join the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), according to Defence Minister Peter Hulyqvist. The 10,000-strong JEF began in 2012, and is designed to operate independently or in support of NATO, European Union or United Nations mission in the Arabian Gulf, the Middle East or in Europe. After Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Sweden has intensified efforts to shore up its security by joining bilateral or multilateral cooperative defence mechanisms in Northern Europe.

Flight Path

The US Air Force has announced that a contract to develop the top-secret Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) will be delayed for a couple of months. The delay was revealed by Lieutenant General Arnie Bunch, the US Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary of acquisition, during a hearing of the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. Defense News takes a look at the delay announcement here. ICYMI, ASPI’s Andrew Davies previous took a three-part look at the project here on The Strategist.

Despite numerous flaws, the Indian government has decided to induct at least seven squadrons of the indigenously-made Tejas Mark 1-A Light Combat Aircraft into the Indian Air Force (IAF). Joseph Trevithick over at War is Boring takes a look at the announcement, concluding that he isn’t sure whether the decision to buy poorly performing Tejas is a solution to the IAF’s dwindling number of fighters.

The National Interest has published an article looking at the virtues of the Russian Su-24M2 Fencer. Russia has 12 of the jets currently deployed to base in Latakia, Syria.

Rapid Fire

NATO’s Trident Juncture 2015 exercise kicked off over the weekend. The exercise involves 36,000 personnel from more than 30 nations, with activities taking place across Europe, Canada, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean. At the conclusion of the exercise, staff at Joint Force Command Brunssum will be certified to lead the NATO Response Force for the duration of 2016.

War Is Boring has published a piece on the pros and cons of Russian land combat robots. The scenario under consideration is one suggested by a Russian defence trade newspaper Military-Industrial Courier (link in Russian), in which author Leonid Orlenko argues that a ‘robot company’ would minimise human losses in the event of a large scale war—possibly with NATO. According to the article, existing military platforms can be automated relatively quickly. In one case, the Russian military put a robot humanoid on an armed quad-bike. It’s no Terminator on a Harley Davidson, but it’s a start.

In other automation news, the US Army is testing unmanned gun towers that can be operated with an Xbox controller. The system allows use of video feeds and thermal imaging to detect objects, all while the soldiers sit semi-comfortably inside the tactical operations center—hopefully not while playing Call of Duty.

Sea State

Competition between the three contenders for the replacement of the Royal Navy’s Collins-class submarines has started to heat up with Japan now revealing its willingness to build the submarines in Australia despite previous reports to the contrary. The three contenders have been asked to submit their plans to the CEP for an all-Australian submarine build, an all-overseas build, and a for part-overseas and part-Australian build.

The Polish Navy is planning to purchase three submarines armed with cruise missiles by 2023, and the Polish Defense Ministry has announced its willingness to undertake a joint procurement with Norway. The Norwegian Ministry of Defence decided in December 2014 that their Ula-class subs would be replaced in 2020.  Similarities between the future submarine requirements of both countries, make Norway a natural industrial partner with Poland according to Norway’s Ministry of Defence.

In Paris, French President François Hollande has announced that Egypt will purchase two Mistral warships that France had originally built for Russia before halting the sale after the Russian annexation of Crimea. French government sources claimed that Egypt will pay US$1 billion for the warships, with a ‘significant’ amount of the finances emanating from Saudi Arabia. Since 2014 Egypt has ordered 24 Rafale fighter jets from the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation, as well as a Fremm frigate and four anti-submarine Gowind-class corvette from French shipbuilder DCNS. Analysts have indicated that the increasing number of Egyptian armament deals with France is representative of Egypt’s desire to decrease its reliance on US defence capabilities.

Flight Path

Last week the US and China announced a new MOU regulating air-to-air encounters between the two countries. The ‘Annex of the Rules of Behavior for Air-to-Air Encounters’ is aimed at preventing misunderstandings and miscalculations during US and Chinese air encounters. For more detail on the MOU, check out Shannon Tiezzi’s piece over on The Diplomat here.

Boeing’s KC-46 air-to-air refueller has successfully completed its first flight in Seattle. The tanker’s test flight, seven months behind schedule, lasted four hours. Boeing announced that test pilots performed operational checks on engines, flight controls and environmental systems. Later this year the KC-46 will conduct aerial refuelling flights with a number of US Air Force aircraft. Get the low-down on the flight and what it means for Boeing and the tanker from Lara Seligman over at Defense News.

Wrapping up this week, what can’t the Russian air force do? According to David Axe over at War is Boring, not a lot. Despite the Kremlin’s modernisation program, Axe argues that Russia lags behind in the development, acquisition and employment of ‘smart’ air-to-ground munitions. Axe’s article comes just two weeks after Air Force (USAF) General Frank Gorenc announced that NATO’s air superiority vis-à-vis Russia is waning.

Rapid Fire

If US Special Forces like Navy Seals or Green Berets interest you, you’ll probably enjoy this article by Nick Turse, which discusses how US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) funding more than tripled between 2001 and 2014, while personnel numbers more than doubled. Turse reports that approximately 11,000 US ‘special operators’ are deployed at any given time, either on combat or training missions, and have been deployed in 135 different nations this year. Turse published a book in May about US Special Forces in Africa called Tomorrow’s Battlefield.

Israel has once again retaliated against Syrian Army positions after the war spilled over into Israeli territory over the weekend. IDF artillery shelled two Syrian Army posts after two ‘errant rockets’ from conflict between Syrian Army and rebel groups landed in the Golan Heights.

Mixed Martial Arts is apparently becoming a popular sport for US soldiers to practice on each other. War is Boring has published a piece about the value of hand-to-hand combat for Army troops. Staff Sergeant James Hanson says in the article that hand-to-hand training can be especially useful when troops are able—or required—to capture live targets.

Sea State

Chinese state media reported on Thursday that China had begun its first joint naval drills with Malaysia in the Strait of Malacca. According to Xinhua News, Chinese ships taking part in the six-day drills included a guided-missile destroyer and guided-missile frigate, helicopters and transport aircraft. 1,160 People’s Liberation Army personnel took place in the drills.

The long-awaited announcement on the frigate choice for Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Fleet could be made before the end of the year, with a variant of Lockheed Martin’s littoral combat ships (LCS) likely to be the winner. Competition between the US and France has been fierce, as the French hold most contracts to modernise the Western Fleet, while the US Navy has been working strenuously to seal an Eastern Fleet deal. The deal, if finalised, would mark the first international sale of a US littoral combat ship.

Flight Path

Shashank Joshi examines India’s incredible shrinking air force over at the Interpreter blog. Calculating that 79% of India’s combat aircraft squadrons and 96% of its battle tanks are Soviet-designed, Joshi explores the future of the Indian Air Force (IAF) amid India’s military modernisation plans. Joshi’s article comes off the back of a recent statement by the Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha that India needs to improve its aerial platforms to create a greater strategic footprint.

Over at The National Interest, Kyle Mizokami takes a look at France’s 5 most lethal weapons of war. First on the list is the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft. France operates 140 of the Rafales, which have flown in combat in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and Iraq and are almost completely indigenously made in France. Next on the list is the Eurocopter Tiger. France operates two versions of the multi-role attack helicopter: the HAD (Hélicoptère d’Appui Destruction) multi-role combat helicopter and the HAP (Hélicoptère d’Appui Protection) combat support helicopter (check out Australia’s somewhat less successful path to Tiger acquisition here). Other air power on the list? France’s lone aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle.  Also making the list were the LeClerc Main Battle Tank and the Triomphant-class Ballistic Missile Submarine.

China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation recently revealed its second-generation Wing Loong II turboprop-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) at the biennial Beijing Air Show. Read more about the drone here from IHS Janes.

Rapid Fire

Defence ministers from Germany and the Netherlands announced last week that the Royal Netherlands Army’s 43rd Mechanized Brigade would be integrated with the German Bundeswehr’s 1st Panzer Division. Germany will be upgrading the Netherlands’ Leopard tanks to improve their interoperability with the German force. The move marks the second Dutch army brigade to be integrated with German forces, after the 11th Airmobile Brigade was made part of the Division Schnelle Kräfte rapid deployment force last year.

The BBC has shared some revelations about Russian involvement in Syria resulting from discussions with the Russian Human Rights Council. Russian soldiers are reportedly contacting the Council with concerns about being deployed to the war-torn country. The Council says that there are legal problems with so-called ‘secret deployments’ of Russian personnel. Additionally, Russian security official Sergei Smirnov has stated that nearly 2,400 Russian nationals and about 3,000 Central Asians have joined Islamic State.

Want a look at some of the more ‘unusual’ military training practices from around the world? Check out this list, which includes underwater handgun assembly, skydiving with canines and drinking cobra blood.

Sea State

In an effort to tackle the worsening European refugee crisis, the UN Security Council is considering allowing European naval forces to intercept boats arriving from the Middle East and North Africa. If the proposal is accepted, European military personnel will be able to search vessels and send asylum seekers to Italy for processing, before seizing and destroying the boat. The resolution is tipped to be adopted this month, and will focus on the smuggling routes off the coasts of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

On 12 September, India and Australia began their first ever bilateral maritime exercise, ‘AUSINDEX-15’, off the east coast of India at Visakhapatnam. Australia is undertaking the joint exercises with two RAN ships, HMAS Sirius and HMAS Arunta, as well as one Collins-class submarine, HMAS Sheean. The week-long drill will include a harbour phase of briefings and professional interactions, followed by a sea phase of fleet manoeuvres, gun firings and coordinated anti-submarine exercises.  This move is part of concerted efforts towards increased defence cooperation between Australia and India, as outlined by the Framework for Security Cooperation announced in 2014.

The Indonesian government has announced plans to bolster its security architecture around the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea. Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that Indonesia will build a port and strengthen its weapons systems in an effort to ‘be prepared’ for escalating regional territorial disputes.

Flight Path

Australia’s Air Task Group (ATG) conducted its first mission against Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday night. Two RAAF F/A-18 Hornets, a KC-30A refuelling aircraft and an E7-A Wedgetail participated in the mission. No weapons were released in the first sortie. ATG missions are part of Operation OKRA, which is the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the fight against Islamic State.

Pakistan made its first acknowledged operational strike with an armed aerial drone last week. The strike killed three high profile terrorists in the Shawal Valley. The Pakistani-developed Burraq armed UAV reportedly showed a ‘higher than expected level of sophistication.’ Although this was the first acknowledged operational strike by a Burraq drone (confirmed on Twitter by Major General Asim Bajwa), the drone had been tested in live combat earlier this year.

The first F-35 to take flight outside the US had its maiden flight in Italy last week. Italy’s Cameri Air Base is Europe’s only Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) facility for the F-35. The facility will complete assembly and check-out of 90 F-35s for Italy, as well as part of the Netherlands’ order of 37. Japan is the only other F-35 partner establishing a domestic FACO facility, which is currently under construction in Nagoya.

Rapid Fire

A Marine Corps official revealed on Thursday that all-male ground combat teams outperformed their mixed-gender counterparts in nearly every capacity during a recent infantry integration test. During the Marines’ Ground Combat Element Integrated Task Force, the teams—which involved around 400 Marine volunteers—simulated integrated rifle, weapons, mechanised and artillery units trained to infantry standards. The research findings arrive at a pivotal time, when Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford is preparing to make a decision regarding the integration of female troops into combat roles currently closed for women.

Russia has called for the US to cooperate alongside its forces in Syria, amid reports that it’s planning to send an anti-aircraft missile system to the region. Western officials said the anti-aircraft system would be operated by Russian troops rather than Syrians. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country was sending equipment to assist Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fight the Islamic State.

Meanwhile, tensions have flared on the China–India Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladkah after the People’s Liberation Army established a hut 1.5km inside the LAC. The Indian Army and a joint patrol of para-military forces responded by demolishing the hut, leading to a stand-off between the two countries. Indian officials said that attempts for a flag meeting—a conference held at the border—were unsuccessful as the Chinese officials chose not to attend. The stand-off took place in the same area where PLA troops pitched camps in April 2013, which led to a three week dispute.

Sea State

Last week five Chinese Navy ships came within 12 nautical miles of the US mainland, sailing inside American territorial waters as they passed through the Bering Sea, coinciding with President Obama’s trip to Alaska. Pentagon officials downplayed the expedition, a first for the Chinese, saying that the ships were in American waters legally and had complied with international law. A Pentagon spokesperson said that the US respects ‘the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law.’

Taiwan is reported to have allocated funds for a US$92.55 million indigenous submarine design programme to replace its current two Dutch-built Hai Lung-class submarines, which are close to 30 years old. The long-awaited acquisition programme is said to be laid out in the National Defense Ministry’s 2016 budget, and covers the initial four year contract design phase of what will be a decades-long program. Read more about the submarine plan over at The Diplomat.

Still on the submarine front, a new Lowy Institute report released last week by Rory Medcalf and Brendan Thomas-Noone looks at the implications of sea-based nuclear weapons for strategic stability in the Indo–Pacific. Read the report in full here.
Flight Path

In London, the first of 25 AW101 Merlin helicopters that have been modified for use by the Royal Marines are about to be released into service, signalling a major change in the capabilities of the Royal Navy. The Merlin choppers represent a significant boost in capability compared to the antiquated Sea King Mk4 machines that they’ll replace, with the Royal Marines set to boost their land mobility and their future sea manoeuvre capabilities.

According to China Military Online, the Caihong 5 (CH-5), China’s heaviest attack and reconnaissance drone to date, has recently undertaken its maiden flight at an undisclosed location in Gansu province. The CH-5, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), shares design similarities to the US MQ-9 Reaper drone. The Pentagon has noted that:

‘China is advancing its development and employment of UAVs. Some estimates indicate China plans to produce upwards of 41,800 land- and sea-based unmanned systems, worth about $10.5 billion, between 2014 and 2023.’

In Baghdad, the Iraqi government has used its US-acquired F-16IQ warplanes against the Islamic State for the first time. Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al-Obaidi said that the strikes achieved ‘important results,’ and that the warplanes would have ‘an impact on the conduct of operations in the future.’ The F-16 jets are Iraq’s most sophisticated aircraft (with cool paint jobs to boot) and have improved the Iraqi Air Force’s strike capability, currently carried out by Sukhoi Su-25 jets, Cessna Caravan turboprop aircraft and various helicopters.

Rapid Fire

On 3 September, four US soldiers were injured in an explosion on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, in an incident that suggests that the fight against Islamic State might be developing a new front. A convoy hit two improvised explosive devices as it was leaving ‘North Camp’ near the town of el-Gorah, just a few miles east of the Egypt–Israel border. Four US and two Fijian troops required medical evacuation and were sent to Israel in a stable condition. The American soldiers, thought to be from 1st battalions 112th Cavalry Regiment, are part of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO), a 34 year old peacekeeping mission designed to enforce the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. This has historically been a low risk mission but recent events and increasing violence in the area has led Pentagon officials to consider the need to bring in extra equipment for force protection.

Qatar will reportedly be sending ground troops to assist as part of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. Operation Decisive Storm, comprised of nine Arab states, has been undertaking airstrikes in Yemen since March this year. The move by Qatar has been interpreted as a response to the death of 60 Gulf country troops in Yemen last week.