Originally posted by gary1910:

So far only 41 members over there, come on guys, register and join the new forum!!!!

well, i believe most just go and view without registering. however if you are a guest, you will not see the images posted, its only a url. most of the people who freq posts here are already over there like CJ, NathanG5, TripWire...

Originally posted by Joyce:

warhdeliao.. haf more faith in sgForums leh.. it's changing server liao larh.. den will b able to cope wif de high traffic..

its more than that, can sgforums give us 8mb to upload pictures and avatars? I got to pay 9.99 for 6 months to get avartars here. we can change our logo to something we like and not the sgforums.com logo. we can have polls, we can change skins. can the software let me do a quick reply? we have more control over the forum, we can have categories and sub forums. the new board gives us more control over how things are run. If you go to the new forum and compare, you'll see why we move. its was a consensus to move.

Originally posted by gary1910:

Pacificnet 512k.

if you still cannot create an account, send me a pm with your desired account name and email address, I'll create an account for you.

Originally posted by gary1910:

Pacificnet 512k.

perhaps you want to try from fren's place using anothe isp or during day time, I had no problems with the new board.

I don’t have this problem, which ISP are you coming from?

for me I will be over at the new board, its like migrating to another country. I’ll call there home and will just come back here for visits. So from now onwards I’ll be posting over at the new forum. It lets me have my own avatar and allows uploading of files. The server can handle the load much better than this one. The only problem is search is out of action currently but not a major problem yet as the amount of posts is still low.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 14, 2004) - The Army will be fielding a new combat uniform designed by NCOs and tested by Stryker Brigade Soldiers in Iraq since October.

On the Army's 229th birthday, senior leadership introduced the Army Combat Uniform during a Pentagon cake-cutting ceremony. Soldiers were on display, suited-up in the wrinkle-free uniform with a digitized camouflage pattern.









http://www4.army.mil/news/article.php?story=6042

SINGAPORE (NNS) -- The Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) RSS Resolution (LST 208 ) was home to a first-time combined RSN-U.S. Navy (USN) command staff during the at-sea phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) in the South China Sea June 6-9.

In the ultimate test of interoperability, Capt. Buzz Little, commander of Destroyer Squadron 1 and the U.S. CARAT Task Group, along with members of his staff and enlisted telecommunications specialists, embarked Resolution for three days to work side-by-side with his RSN counterpart, Col. Ng Chee Peng, commander of the RSN’s 1st Flotilla and its CARAT task group during the exercise.

“I was honored to have the opportunity to work together with Col. Ng Chee Peng aboard the RSS Resolution," said Little. "Our staffs demonstrated the highest level of professionalism and mutual respect for one another. The combined command was a success on many levels and has laid the groundwork for future exercise opportunities during CARAT Singapore."

To communicate with other ships in the CARAT Task Group, the combined staff had at their fingertips two real-time computer systems, the Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange system (CENTRIX), and the Portable Allied Command, Control, Communications Terminal (PAC3T). The systems were installed in Resolution prior to getting under way, and were intended to give USN and RSN ships secure communications capabilities while sharing a common operational picture of ship locations. This was the first time CENTRIX was used during CARAT and the first time the PAC3T system was installed in a CARAT ship.

“When CENTRIX was up and operating, it was fantastic because it was our lifeline to the USN ships,” said Lt. Kevin Borden, Destroyer Squadron 1’s combat systems officer, who was embarked in Resolution.

CENTRIX allowed the U.S. ships to electronically chat with the combined staff aboard Resolution, a method of communication that is common these days in the U.S. Navy. In this first use of CENTRIX during CARAT, the system shared an existing Resolution antenna that was also used for other shipboard business.

“If we would’ve had our own antenna, we would’ve had constant contact,” Borden said, when discussing the technical success of the initiative, along with the first time challenges.

“It’s rare to do cryptological training with another nation’s Navy. We have very similar capabilities, but our systems are generally not compatible,” said Information Systems Technician (IT) 1st Class Timothy Hess, a local area network administrator from USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43). Hess, along with ITs from Logistics Group Western Pacific in Singapore, embarked with the U.S. staff to set up and operate the CENTRIX and PAC3T systems. PAC3T includes a monitor display with maps that allows for the visual tracking of assets, such as ships.

When issues arose with CENTRIX or PAC3T, the ITs, along with their RSN counterparts were able to find solutions together.

“We were able to troubleshoot issues as a team. It was an excellent training opportunity to let them get on CENTRIX so they could see the advantages of having real-time chat with other navies for tracking and plotting,” Hess added.

During the under way phase of the exercise, the combined task group took part in a variety of operational events, including a missile exercise against a surface target by the RSN, and a combined gun and missile shoot against an air target, simulated by a BQM-74E drone launched from USS McCampbell (DDG 85). Other at-sea events included air defense, close air support, surface action group and tactical free play exercises.

While cutting-edge technologies and operations were the focal point for U.S. and Singaporean combined operations, it was the personal interactions, teamwork and exposure to operational and cultural differences that left the greatest impression on U.S. Sailors.

“A lot of the concepts onboard the Resolution were really radical, at least from our perspective," Hess said. “For instance, when you went to the mess decks, you served yourself. When you were finished, you washed your own plates and put them back in the cabinet you pulled them from. That meant not a lot of wasted food, and they didn’t have to have food service attendants because they policed themselves.”

With only 65 officers and crew aboard the largest class of ship in the Republic of Singapore Navy, the camaraderie and pride was evident in the crew's attitudes.

“There was a lot of camaraderie between the crew and the commanding officer. It seemed as if the commanding officer only had to breathe an idea and the crew was on it,” said Operations Specialist 1st Class Andrew Craft.

Craft embarked Resolution from Fort McHenry and added that it seemed the U.S. contingent built camaraderie with their counterparts. “They were really eager to help us out and work alongside,” he said.

The Singaporean navy counterparts agreed that the joint command exercise was a success on a personal and professional level.

“This has been an incredible exercise and experience,” said Col. Sim Tiong Kian. “There was very close cooperation between the ships of both navies in the planning phase ashore and execution at sea, as well as amongst members of the joint afloat Exercise Planning and Control Team in managing the battle rhythm. Through extensive interaction between exercise participants at the professional and social level of interoperability and mutual understanding was achieved, which puts both navies in good stead for further collaboration in future exercises and operations.”

The CARAT Task Group, under the leadership of Little, is made up of the U.S. Coast Guard high endurance cutter Mellon (WHEC 717), the dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), the guided-missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85), and the rescue and salvage ship USS Salvor (ARS 52).

UK and Australia could get early deliveries of Block 2 configuration with upgrade a year later

Lockheed Martin F-35s could be delivered to the first international customers in 2012 despite a projected one-year extension of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme's development phase.

One option would allow the programme to release less-capable F-35 models to foreign buyers with delivery requirements in 2012. The aircraft would be delivered in the Block 2 configuration, with only software changes and weapons integration tests needed to upgrade to Block 3 about a year later.

Maj Gen John Hudson, JSF programme manager, says the alternative plan is being developed as potential foreign customers are consulted. "Are Block 2 airplanes a whole year early good enough," says Hudson, "or is everyone going to wait until Block 3?"

The configurations share propulsion and airframe designs, but have vastly different capabilities. Block 3 JSF would have a full-up weapon system capable of the aircraft's full mission profile, including carrying all external and internal weapons loads. Block 2 could carry air-to-ground precision weapons for interdiction and close air-support missions, but lacks most of its potential air-to-air arsenal, including Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinders and MBDA AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles.

The option is aimed at the UK and Australia, which need to begin replacing ageing aircraft no later than 2012, says Michael Cosentino, Lockheed Martin's director of international programmes. Singapore is another potential customer that would require F-35 deliveries to begin in 2012, but it has not yet signed a formal agreement to enter the programme as a security co-operation participant.

The US Marine Corps had expected to receive the first operational F-35 in the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, but is now more likely to receive the first aircraft in FY09. The first US deliveries are in the Block 1 configuration, which includes a minimal operational load of Boeing GBU-31 and GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions and two Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles.

The proposed one-year programme extension is part of a draft replan of the original 10.5-year system development and demonstration phase that is expected to be approved by the Defense Acquisition Board on 17 June. The delay raises the programme's total cost from $33 billion to $40.5 billion.

STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC

Four army commandos have been charged in court with causing the death of a NSman during training last year.

19-year-old Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai died during combat survival training on Pulau Tekong.

The four soldiers have also been charged with nearly drowning another trainee.

If found guilty on both charges, each faces a maximum of four years behind bars.

Hu was attending a combat survival course last August when his commando trainers dunked his head underwater repeatedly.

Hu died from asphyxia and near drowning.

After 10 months of investigation, two commando lieutenants, a warrant officer and the captain who was supervising the course, were charged with causing Hu's death.

27-year-old Lieutenant Ng Chin Fong and 28-year-old Lieutenant Divanandhari were accused of pushing Hu's head into a tub of water several times, holding his head underwater for up to 20 seconds each time, preventing him from surfacing to breathe and digging his nose so he could not hold his breath underwater.

34-year-old Captain Pandiaraj Mayandi was accused of abetting in Hu's death by instigating the trainers, while 45-year-old Warrant Officer Balakrishnan was charged with failing to stop them.

The four were also charged with endangering the life of 26-year-old Captain Ho Wan Huo, another trainee on the same course.

Ho was also dunked.

He suffered acute respiratory distress and nearly drowned.

The defence lawyers of three of the accused have asked for the bail amount of $15,000 to be reduced to $10,000.

They cited the fact that the men have been receiving only half their salaries since they were suspended from duty.

But their request was not granted.

Family members of Sergeant Hu were in court as the charges were read out.

In a statement, Hu's father said the family still grieve the loss of Enhuai and this remains a particularly difficult period for them.

He hopes the trial will uncover the truth about what and who caused his son's death, and justice will take its course.

"The AG Chambers is an independant authority to decide on prosecutions and they will pursue the case in a manner which they think is most fit. At the same time, the personnel charged have the ability to defend themselves with lawyers to the best of their ability. So, this is a fair and open system, a transparent system," said Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean.

The four men have hired their own lawyers, and although they can apply to the Defence Ministry for legal aid, they have not done so.

Sergeant Hu's death and subsequent revelations that such unauthorised training has been going on for more than 5 years, have also led to the removal of the Chief Commando Officer Colonel Noel Cheah.

But the Defence Minister is confident that with new commanders in place, the elite troops are now focused on the future.

Rear Adm Teo said: "I'm confident this unit, which is a good unit, will pull itself through and excel in what it does."

The names of three other commando trainers are also listed in the charges read out but it's not known if they too will be charged soon.

The case will be back in court on 22 June. - CNA

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/89012/1/.html

AUSTRALIA and the US appear to be close to agreeing on a major US military training base to be located in Queensland or the Northern Territory.

Defence Minister Robert Hill, in Singapore for meetings with regional defence ministers and US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, today indicated an in principle agreement could be signed next month in Washington.

But no US forces or US military equipment would be permanently based in Australia, he said.

"People realise that with new capabilities, the options for power projection have vastly increased," he said on ABC radio.

"You don't need the same level of forward deployment that you once needed. The confusion in Australia has been that people have therefore assumed that the Americans would want to be basing forces in Australia.

"But we are not actually very conveniently located for any potential theatre."

Senator Hill said the training base would not be aimed at responding to events in any particular area.

"It would be capabilities that would have a global application," he said.

Senator Hill said such a facility would give Australia access to more sophisticated training facilities and boost its own defence capabilities.

Under the proposal, which has been under consideration for the past year, the US would fund a major upgrading of an existing Australian military training area, either at Shoalwater Bay, Queensland, or at Mount Bundy or Bradshaw Station in the Northern Territory.

The facility would be described as a joint combined training centre.

Mr Rumsfeld said the US had several principles for establishing overseas facilities.

"We want to have our forces where people want them. We have no desire to be where we are not wanted," he said.

"We don't want to be in a static defence mode. We want to be in a more agile arrangement."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,9769810,00.html

WSAC was constructed to give RSAF a faster(and cheaper) way to get to south china sea without having to divert south and then head east. a/c take off would just need to turn for horseberg and then out to south china sea.

http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/non_version/cgi-bin/cgi_getdata.pl?&actno=1966-REVED-6&date=latest&method=part&segid=887942417-000052#887942417-000165

Air Navigation Act (Cap. 6)

Prohibited carriage and prohibited photography over protected areas.
7.—(1) The Minister may by order published in the Gazettedeclare any area to be a protected area within the meaning of this section.

(2) An aircraft flying over any protected area shall not carry —

(a) arms or explosives (other than such arms and ammunition therefor as may be permitted by rules made under the Arms and Explosives Act, and in respect of which all conditions prescribed in such rules are observed), or munitions of war (including gas in any form suitable for warlike purposes), save for the purposes of the provisions of any order made under section 3 relating to signals; or
Cap. 13.

(b) photographic apparatus, unless packed in such a manner that it cannot be used in the aircraft, and sealed by the person in charge of the aircraft before the aircraft flies over that protected area:

Provided that this paragraph shall not apply to photographic apparatus allowed to be used by a person in accordance with the terms of a permit issued to him under subsection (3).

(3)

(a) No person shall take from an aircraft any photograph of a protected area except in accordance with the terms and conditions in such permit as the Authority may see fit to issue to him.

(b) It may be a term or condition of such permit that any photograph taken under the permit must immediately be submitted for examination to such authority as is specified in the permit.

(c) A person who observes all the terms and conditions of a permit shall not be guilty of an offence under section 3 of the Official Secrets Act in respect of a photograph taken in accordance with the terms and conditions of the permit.
Cap. 213.

(4) It shall be the duty of the person in charge of the aircraft to ensure that any photographic apparatus carried in the aircraft is not used while the aircraft is flying over any protected area, and that the seals with which the apparatus is sealed are not broken within any protected area without the sanction of the Director-General of Customs or his agent.

(5) The Director-General of Customs or his agent may seize and develop, without paying compensation, any photographic films or plates carried in the aircraft, which he may reasonably suspect of having been used in contravention of any provision of this Act or of the Official Secrets Act.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (C) poses for a photo with a group of Marines onboard USS Essex, during a troop visit at Changi Naval Base in Singapore, June 4, 2004. Rumsfeld said on Friday he regretted the surprise resignation of CIA director George Tenet, calling him "an enormously talented public servant". Tenet, who presided over intelligence lapses involving the September 11, 2001, attacks and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, will leave in July, the Bush administration announced on Thursday. REUTERS/Gerald Hebert/Pool

Originally posted by Fairyland:

Somehow the PDS and control tower not in the picture......

Even the PDS loop in the old CAB is not clear too.

they maybe control by changi tower. there will be alot of coordination if there are 2 towers located so close.

CHANGI NAVAL BASE, Singapore (NNS) -- The 10th edition of the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series got under way following a June 1 ceremony here that reflected on the past and highlighted the future.

CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually throughout Southeast Asia that began in 1995, by combining a number of existing exercises to be conducted sequentially by a single U.S. Navy task group.

“An entire generation of Republic of Singapore Navy senior leadership, officers and sailors have grown up on a healthy diet of CARAT exercises,” said Col. James Soon, the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) fleet commander. Soon addressed a crowd of more than 100 U.S. and RSN sailors and officers in the base’s fleet command building auditorium during the opening ceremony.

“Friendship ties now are investments for future generations of leaders and an important fabric of military and even international diplomacy,” said Soon.

During CARAT Singapore, more than 1,500 personnel from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and the Singapore Armed Forces, along with 12 ships and a variety of aircraft, will take part in an assortment of exercise events ranging from at-sea gun and missile shoots to in-port force protection drills.

“The Singapore phase of CARAT was the very first in the history of the exercise series, and I think it is fitting that in this year, the 10th, the Singapore phase is again the initial phase for our CARAT task group,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander of Task Force 712 and the U.S. Navy’s executive agent for CARAT. “Technology and our mutual commitment to developing our navy-to-navy relationship have brought us very, very far.”

This year’s exercise includes a number of firsts that Quinn said, “…when viewed in the aggregate, paint a telling picture of just how much CARAT Singapore has matured.”

“Planning staff from both navies will share operational and tactical information in a seamless manner for the first time,” Soon said. “I know that this effort will act as the springboard for further integration of information between the United States Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy. It is a necessary ingredient for close collaboration especially in the current maritime security environment.”

The first time deployment of the mobile command, control, communications, computer and intelligence (C4I) system PAC3T in an RSN ship will allow this information exchange and sharing of a “common operational picture,” when a combined USN/RSN command staff leads the underway portion of the exercise from RSS Resolution - also a CARAT first. Additionally, the installation and use of the Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange (CENTRIX) system in Resolution will provide USN and RSN ships email and "chat" communications capabilities. This will be the first use of CENTRIX during CARAT.

“These two systems will increase the headquarters staff’s situational awareness and our mutual interoperability,” Quinn said. “In a real world contingency, this capability could make a difference between success and failure. And in 1995, this capability would have been only a dream.”

Capt. Buzz Little, commander, Destroyer Squadron 1 and the CARAT Task Group, along with his staff, will embark Resolution and work side-by-side with his RSN counterpart, Col. Ng Chee Peng, commander of the RSN’s 1st Flotilla and its CARAT task group during the exercise. “This is a ground breaking development,” Quinn said.

Leaders recognized other new initiatives, including the inclusion of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85).

“The DDGs are a CARAT first, and their participation symbolizes the U.S. Navy’s commitment to this exercise, Singapore and this region of the world,” Quinn added.

Besides Singapore, CARAT participants this year include Thailand, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines.

While each country phase differs based on the desires of CARAT partners, the general focus is on interoperability of sea services in areas such as operational planning, command and control, tactics, logistics support and maritime law. A variety of seminars in areas ranging from damage control to public affairs are also scheduled, as are community service projects and social events that provide exercise participants a chance to develop personal relationships so critical to combined operations.

“You will find that these personal relationships you develop will be the great facilitator when we operate as a team. So I encourage each of you to make the most of these opportunities to get to know one another. You will find that we are all far more similar than different,” Quinn said.

The U.S. CARAT Task Group, under the leadership of Little, is made up of U.S. Coast Guard high endurance cutter Mellon (WHEC 717), dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), guided-missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85), and rescue and salvage ship USS Salvor (ARS 52). Other elements, including P-3C Orion and SH-60 Seahawk aircraft, are also taking part in the Singapore phase of CARAT.

Little's staff is based in San Diego, as is McCampbell. The cutter Mellon is homeported in Seattle. Russell and Salvor are homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Fort McHenry is part of the U.S. 7th Fleet's forward deployed naval force operating from Sasebo, Japan.

For more information on CARAT, visit www.clwp.navy.mil/carat2004.

http://www.d-day60.co.uk/

http://www.normandy-dday.com/gb/08dday/normandy-dday/default1000.html

http://www.ngcasia.com/explore/dday/home.asp

http://www.discoverychannelasia.com/ww2/d_day/overview.shtml

two pilots in IMC? when in IMC, u are in IFR flight, without instruments, two pilots are no use.

Typhoon receives formal release to service certificate, freeing the aircraft from restrictive flight limitations

The Royal Air Force's Eurofighter Typhoon has received its formal release to service (RTS), freeing the UK's first Tranche 1, Batch 1 production aircraft from restrictive flight limitations imposed late last year under its Case White introduction to service programme with BAE Systems.

Signed on 13 May, the RTS document clears the aircraft for service instructor pilot training, operational test and evaluation and operational conversion unit syllabus validation activities.

An RTS recommendations report was presented on 30 April by the UK's QinetiQ test and evaluation agency which had been contracted to conduct an eight-month assessment of the Typhoon's operational readiness.

The aircraft was initially operated under temporary restrictions that combined airworthiness flight limitations identified by the four-nation Eurofighter consortium with additional limits imposed by the UK Defence Procurement Agency's Typhoon Integrated Project Team (IPT).

According to Ministry of Defence sources, the QinetiQ report identified three areas of concern which could have halted the release of RTS approval, although two of those could be adequately mitigated by imposing operational limitations.

QinetiQ found the aircraft's low-speed warning system was ineffective when used with the manual low-speed recovery procedure, while head-up display limitations made it difficult for pilots to manage the aircraft's energy state during dynamic manoeuvres.

The agency believed these flaws could lead to the aircraft decelerating to a speed at which its flight control software would be unable to stabilise the aircraft, risking an "irrecoverable departure".

It is also understood to have warned of software bus failures, with the potential loss of all flight reference information, and to have recommended that two pilots operate the aircraft when in instrument meteorological conditions.

Another concern centred on the Typhoon's landing gear computer which, it says, has experienced a series of unpredictable failures leading to spurious landing gear indications and a loss of braking.

Partly as a result of the QinetiQ study, "the Typhoon has been modified, procedures reviewed and limitations put in place", the RAF tells Flight International. No crewing restrictions were imposed in the RAF's final RTS approval and sources close to the Typhoon IPT say the document provides a level of safety unparalleled during earlier fighter acquisitions.

"The RAF has been operating its Typhoons quite aggressively since December 2003 and there are no restrictions affecting the operational evaluation unit's work," says a BAE source. Nor have the UK's partners in the Eurofighter project - Germany, Italy and Spain - imposed limitations on their aircraft as a result of the UK safety study, the source adds.

The first Typhoon to fly in the markings of the RAF's 29(R) Squadron operational conversion unit conducted its debut sortie from BAE's Warton manufacturing site on 20 May.

http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/New_Index/news/062104.htm

Originally posted by Viper52:

Theres a large USN amphibious group in town, 4 ships including the USS Essex (LHD 2), USS Juneau (LPD 10), USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) as of June 1st

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/news/.www/status.html

rumsfeld is visiting CNB

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=aUsEiB38VQhA&refer=asia

NOTAMS

FOR REASONS OF NATIONAL SECURITY, THE AIRSPACE OVER SINGAPORE IS
DECLARED TEMPORARY RESTRICTED AIRSPACE. ALL FLT MUST COMPLY WITH
THE FLW RESTRICTIONS:
1) ALL PLN MUST BE SUBMITTED AT LEAST 1 HR PRIOR TO THE PLANNED
DEP TIMINGS.
2) ALL ARR TFC INTO SINGAPORE ARE REQUIRED TO REDUCE SPEED TO 250
KNOTS IAS OR SLOWER WI 30NM RADIUS OF VTK DVOR/DME. THIS SPEED
CONTROL RESTRICTION TEMPORARILY SUPERSEDES THOSE PUBLISHED IN
AIP SINGAPORE PAGE ENR 1.1-14 PARA 5.18.2.
3) ALL ARR INTO SINGAPORE CHANGI AP
-SHALL BE RESTRICTED TO RWY 02 ONLY UNLESS UNABLE TO ACCEPT
TAIL WIND COMPONENT. TFC REQUIRING TO LAND ON OR DEP FM RWY 20
CAN EXP DELAY OF AT LEAST 15 MIN.
-SHALL BE SEPARATED WITH AN IN-TRAIL SPACING OF AT LEAST 10NM.
-SHALL BE VECTORED TO ESTABLISH ON RWY 02 LLZ COURSE BY 10DME.
THEREAFTER, ACFT MUST NOT DEVIATE FM THE LLZ COURSE WITHOUT
ATC CLR.

Originally posted by ditzy:

Combat-proven since World War I.

The Fokker:

I heard from very old timer that in the 70s one dutch guy actually build a replica of it at the singapore flying club when they were still at paya lebar airport, caas won't let it fly here, he bring to m'sia, they won't let him fly it. in the end he ship back to holland.

CLARIFICATION OF ERRONEOUS MEDIA REPORTS ON SELECTION OF NEXT GENERATION FIGHTER

We refer to the reports, ‘Eurofighters headed here’ by STREATS (page 8, 31 May 2004) and ‘UK will be selling 50 Eurofighters to Austria and Singapore’ by Zao Bao (page 19, 31 May 2004).

Both reports said that Singapore had agreed to buy an unspecified number of the UK’s Eurofighter aircraft. The reports are erroneous. The three shortlisted candidates for our Next Generation Fighter Programme – the F-15T, Rafale and Eurofighter – are still undergoing flight trials and technical evaluation. A decision is not likely until next year.

http://www.mindef.gov.sg/display.asp?number=2109

on the topic of net work warfare

Net-Centric Operations Find New Focus in Cruise Missile Defense
By David A. Fulghum
05/30/2004 08:22:33 PM

NEW THREAT, NEW DEFENSE

What some Pentagon planners regard as the U.S.' most compelling future threat--an attack by cruise missiles carrying chemical or biological warheads--is pushing development of a true "network-centric" warfare system.

The scenario--closely held and virtually undiscussed in public--is intriguing. New electronically scanned, multi-frequency radars pick low-flying, stealthy cruise missiles out of ground clutter. The electronic babble produced by signals ricocheting from buildings and broken terrain has traditionally helped protect low-flying missiles and aircraft from radar detection. F/A-22 and F-35 fighters cruise the intercept area at supersonic speeds to loose two or three shots at these elusive targets before they speed past. And AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles with advanced sensors pick out the enemy weapons from decoys for precise interceptions.

What really makes cruise missile defense possible is the staple of net-centric operations and warfare: automated decision-making aids, machine-to-machine links, automatic target recognition, open electronics architectures, multi-frequency sensors and advanced horizontal communications--all of which break down barriers. In particular, net-centric operations assault those ancient walls between intelligence analysts and warfighters.

Not everyone shares the vision, however. Critics contend the cruise missile threat is inflated to justify a larger F/A-22 force that, without support, might shrink to 100-150 aircraft. Moreover, the Air Force is slashing the post-2005 funding that's needed to equip more fighters with the advanced, electronically scanned radars (AW&ST May 10, p. 35).

Nonetheless, a team of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin researchers is plunging into the task of making cruise missile defense a functional net-centric operation. Among those leading the charge is J. Michael Borky. He is the team's chief architect for battle management, command and control (BMC2) capability being designed for the next-generation E-10A ground surveillance aircraft. The Pentagon says the E-10 will be the centerpiece of cruise missile defense, particularly when U.S. forces are operating on a remote foreign battlefield.

Fundamentally, the mission won't be much different from what's done on board today's E-3 AWACS and E-8 Joint-STARS aircraft that were designed for long-range surveillance. However, it's to be far less manual. Operators now have to make the association between targets and intelligence reports, and make rapid calculations in matching the fuel, munitions and speed of strike aircraft to targeting priorities.

"We believe the technology exists to substantially automate and improve the quality of those decisions," Borky says. What U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper doesn't need, Borky asserts, is for "the guy in the back of his [E-3] AWACS or [E-8] Joint-STARS or [E-10] multisensor command-and-control aircraft to be a clerk typist. He doesn't need them making six queries to get a target's identification. [Jumper] wants the process to be intuitive. I put a cursor over a target, and down the sides of my head-up display comes everything I wanted to know."

Two important needs for cruise missile defense, or any other net-centric operation, would be a common picture of the battlefield for everyone involved and rapid data flow.

In a startling claim, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin officials contend they could nearly halve the Air Force's required time to destroy a target. "We think it's possible to [reduce the kill chain to] under 5 min.," says Greg Hinchman, chief engineer for Lockheed Martin's BMC2 effort. "But most situations will take 5-10 min., as we currently see the problem--to exploit the target, understand it, get the authority to engage and understand the consequences. The limiting factor will be human decision times."

There are other variables that will affect the equation.

THE 5-10-MIN. timeline is possible, "if I can have [interceptor aircraft] forward and get my first shot 10 naut. mi. or more before they reach the forward edge of the battle area; and if I have cueing that can tell me there has been a cruise missile [launch] and tell me where to focus my search," Borky says. That information would allow an E-10 controller to position the defendi.......... too long to post, go read yourself

http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_awst_story.jsp?id=news/05314top.xml

The Singapore Armed Forces is undergoing a major transformation, and the new buzzword is to create a 3G fighting forces.

This means linking every soldier, fighter jet, tank and warship.

Exchanging messages, pictures and even video clips is now an everyday affair for most people.

But for soldiers in the battlefield, such real-time information can mean the difference between catching the enemy by surprise and running into an ambush.

Major David Chua, Force Planning and Strategy at G5-Army, said: "At the last minute before I moved out my tanks, my CO called me and said I had to switch plans with another PC. I rendezvoused with him and parked our tanks side by side and exchanged maps. I could not decipher what he wrote on his plans! He had to explain where his arrows were going and why he considered this to be the best plan."

But in a 3-G armed forces, such messy exchanges will be a thing of the past.

Brigadier-General Jimmy Khoo, Future Systems Architect at MINDEF, said: "What exactly is Third Generation SAF? It is early days yet to give a definitive answer and I believe that those who think they have all the answers will be wrong. There are just too many exciting possibilities that are still emerging.

"We won't depend on large numbers of platforms and people to be superior. Our edge lies in using unprecedented information to know the situation."

Colonel David Koh, Head of Joint Communications and Info Systems, said: "It is about delivering operational capability to the fighting forces. Of course we will leverage on technology, but technology by itself has limited value. What brings out the value is the marriage of technology and our operational requirements."

One scenario is soldiers in the future will carry devices that resemble PDAs.

If they cross paths with enemy tanks, real-time battlefield data about time and location - complete with pictures - can be beamed directly to the entire SAF network.

At the command centre, the information can be collated and analysed.

An updated battle plan can be beamed to all armed forces units - on land, at sea, and in the air.

So eventhough soldiers are only be armed with a rifle, they have the backing of the entire armed forces at their disposal.

But this means accepting change and leaving behind the old ways - something that will be difficult.

Captain Ang Chee Wee, Assistant Director of Future Systems Directorate, said: "Some functions and structures have existed for decades, and painstaking effort has been put in over the years to build up the identity, cohesion, esprit de corps within exsisting units and structures."

Colonel Koh added: "Because we are a NS army, our soldiers come in from all strata of society, and because of the strong education system in Singapore, we have highly educated soldiers who can leverage on the new technology and the possibilties technology make available."

MINDEF is so serious about 3G that it is setting aside 1 percent of the defence budget, about $80 million, on experimentation alone.

This is over and above the 5 percent for research and development. - CNA

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/87745/1/.html