Kebocoran data besar-besaran menimpa kapal selam buatan DCNS Perancis yang pernah dijual kepada Malaysia, India dan Chile, menurut akhbar The Australian hari ini.

Ia susulan kebocoran sebanyak 22,400 muka surat yang memperincikan kebolehan kapal selam Scorpene yang dibina DCNS dan dijual kepada angkatan tentera Malaysia, India dan Chile, termasuk Brazil yang dijangka menggunakan kapal itu pada 2018.

Kebocoran itu turut menjadi kebimbangan Australia, yang April lalu memberikan kontrak A$50 bilion (RM150 bilion) kepada DCNS bagi membekalkan kapal selam.

Dokumen bocor itu bertanda “Restricted Scorpene India” dan mengandungi maklumat kebolehan ketenteraan kapal selam India, lapor The Australian.

Ia turut menyertakan alat sensor, sistem komunikasi dan alat navigasi, di mana hampir 500 muka surat adalah mengenai sistem pelancaran torpedo.

DCNS memberitahu AFP ia mengetahui laporan mengenai kebocoran itu dan pihak berkuasa keselamatan negara sedang menyiasat perkara itu.

Penyiasatan akan memastikan jenis dokumen yang dibocorkan dan kemungkinan kesan buruk kepada pelanggannya, kata DCNS.

Laporan media Australia itu berkata DCNS membayangkan kebocoran itu datangnya dari India dan bukan Perancis.

Data yang bocor itu dikatakan sudah dipadam pada 2011 oleh seorang bekas anggota tentera laut Perancis yang merupakan pekerja kontrak DCNS.

Data yang bocor itu dipercayai menyusup masuk ke beberapa syarikat di Asia Tenggara sebelum tiba di Australia, lapor The Australian.

Australia yang memberikan kontrak kapal selam kepada DCNS bagaimanapun menggunakan sistem ketenteraan sulit Shortfin Barracudas yang dibekalkan Amerika Syarikat. Sumber.

China warned of “conflicts and confrontation” in the South China Sea as it angrily rejected Wednesday an international tribunal’s verdict that its claims to most of the strategically vital waterway had no legal basis.

The surprisingly strong and sweeping ruling by the UN-backed body in The Hague provided powerful diplomatic ammunition to the Philippines, which filed the challenge, and other claimants in their decades-long disputes with China over the resource-rich waters.

China reacted furiously to Tuesday’s decision, with its foreign ministry quickly declaring it “null and void” and the government releasing a white paper on Wednesday insisting on the validity of the historical rights for claiming sovereignty that the tribunal rejected.

In Washington, the Chinese ambassador to the United States gave a blunt assessment of what the ruling could mean for a body of water that has long been regarded as a potential military flashpoint, and the site of deadly clashes between Vietnam and China.

“It will certainly undermine or weaken the motivation of states to engage in negotiations and consultations for solving their dispute. It will certainly intensify conflicts and even confrontation,” ambassador Cui Tiankai said.

China justifies its position by saying it was the first to have discovered, named and exploited the sea, and outlines its claims for most of the waterway using a vague map made up of nine dashes that emerged in the 1940s.

Those claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.  Manila, under previous president Benigno Aquino, launched the legal case in 2013 after China took control of Scarborough Shoal, a rich fishing ground within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and far away from the nearest major Chinese landmass.

China has also in recent years built giant artificial islands capable of hosting military installations and airstrips in the Spratlys archipelago, one of the biggest groups of islands in the sea.

’No legal basis, unlawful’

Aside from stating that China’s historical rights were without “legal basis”, the tribunal ruled that its artificial island building and the blocking of Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal were unlawful.

However the Philippines, under new President Rodrigo Duterte, declined to celebrate the verdict, saying on Tuesday only that it welcomed the ruling while calling for sobriety and restraint.

Duterte has repeatedly said he wants to improve relations with China, which plummeted under Aquino because of the dispute, and that he would seek Chinese investment for major infrastructure projects such as a railway for the impoverished southern Philippines.

His Foreign Minister, Perfecto Yasay, told AFP in an interview last week that the Philippines would seek to use the verdict as the basis for direct talks with China aimed at achieving a long-awaited code of conduct among rival claimants for the sea.

However China faced immediate pressure from Western powers, which insist they have legitimate interests in the dispute because of the need to maintain

“freedom of navigation” in waters that hosts more than $5 trillion in shipping trade annually.

The United States emphasised on Tuesday that China, as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, should accept the verdict.

“As provided in the convention, the tribunal’s decision is final and legally binding on both China and the Philippines,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington.

Kirby called on all sides “to avoid provocative statements or actions”.

’Reputational costs’

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop warned China on Wednesday there would be “strong reputational costs” for ignoring the ruling, as she called for an end to Chinese island building.

“China seeks to be a regional and global leader and requires friendly relations with its neighbours. That’s crucial to its rise,” Bishop told national broadcaster ABC.

Military tensions in the sea had already spiked in the lead-up to the verdict.

China launched naval drills in the northern areas, while the US Pacific Command said it had deployed an aircraft carrier for flights to support “security” in the sea.

Taiwan, which was another loser in the verdict as its claims are very similar to those of China, announced it would send a warship to the sea on Wednesday to protect its rights.

China used deadly force to seize control of the Paracel Islands from South Vietnam in 1974, and Johnson Reef from a united Vietnam in 1988.

Singapore-based regional security expert Ian Storey said China may increase its military presence in the sea in response to the verdict, which would guarantee extra friction with the United States and some Southeast Asian nations.

“The waters of the South China Sea are about to get a whole lot more turbulent over the next few months,” Storey told AFP.

GERIK : Menteri Pertahanan, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein telah mengadakan lawatan kerja ke kawasan Marker November bagi meninjau pelaksanaan Operasi Kota Echo Foxtrot di bawah kendalian Batalion ke-6 Rejimen Ranjer Diraja, di sini, semalam.

Beliau telah diiringi oleh Panglima Tentera Darat, Jen Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor dan beberapa pegawai kanan Tentera Darat.

Hishammuddin berkata, kementeriannya memberi tumpuan kepada pelaksanaan inisiatif tiga daripada lima teras utama yang telah dipersetujui.

Tiga teras tersebut ialah Teras Keselamatan, Teras Kesiapsiagaan dan Teras Kebajikan.

Hishammuddin turut meluangkan masa untuk berbuka puasa bersama anggota tentera di Markas Taktikal 749 di Kem Banding, di sini.

Pada lawatan yang sama, beliau turut menyampaikan sumbangan makanan dan beramah mesra bersama penduduk orang Asli yang tinggal di perkampungan berdekatan dengan kawasan Operasi Kota Echo Foxtrot.

Selain itu, beliau juga menyampaikan bungkusan Hari Raya kepada anggota yang bertugas.

Pada masa sama, beliau turut mengharapkan agar rakyat menghargai sumbangan anggota tentera yang bersengkang mata dan berjauhan dengan keluarga ketika Aidilfitri.

SHAH ALAM: RMAF took official delivery of its third A400M airlifter at the Airbus Defence and Space facility in Seville, Spain, today.

The aircraft – M54-03 – was accepted by Defence Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Radzi. It is yet to be determined when the A400M will fly to Subang airbase, the home of 22nd Skn. But based on previous two A400Ms, it is likely that the aircraft will make it home by July.

The 03 was supposed to be delivered in April but was delayed after engine and air-frame problems were in discovered in German and French A400ms.

RMAF had never officially confirmed whether its A400Ms were also affected by the problems but the first aircraft was seen in its hangar in early March with its engine panels opened.

The 22nd Skn currently operates two A400Ms, the first arrived in March, 2015 while the second in late December. The fourth and final aircraft is expected to be delivered by year end.

It is expected with the fourth A400M delivered, 22 Skn will ramped up its operational use of the air-lifters. Although the squadron had conducted test loading of Army vehicles, mostly 4X4s trucks, it had yet to conduct flights carrying them.

Currently, the two A400Ms of the 22 Skn mostly carry personnel and their belongings. The longest known trip so far is to Korat airbase in Thailand, in support of the Air-Thamal 2016, the annual exercise between RMAF and the Thai Air Force. Source

I say we cut the chase and stop our search for MRCA. Stop all the pretentious process of finding the best planes available to us via open tendering. If we proceed with this, we would only see a replacement in 4 to 6 years from the day the agreement is signed.

The solution for our predicament is actually in front of our eyes and it is cheaper.

Instead of cracking our heads over what jets to buy, pilot conversion training, and what not, just get the SU30MKM.

Why the MKM? Or Che Su as some affectionately call her.

1. We have been operating 18 units of SU30MKM for about half a decade. We have the necessary know-how to operate the aircraft. 

Ordering an additional 18 (or 36 if possible), will see RMAF saving minimum of 2 years to get the planes operational. All the training-related lead time no longer applies.

2. The existing unit can be split up into 2 squadrons. 

The existing command can be trained immediately to prepare acceptance for the new jets. These would be the nucleus for the new SU30MKM when they are operationalised.

3. Russian manufacturer of the Flanker, Rosobonorexport during the recent Defence Services Asia 2016 had announced their readiness to build a joint production line in Malaysia. Read here.

This will resolve our logistics issue. Instead of waiting for spare parts from Russia (or China and India), we have the stocks ready-made here.

3 (a). It is operationally viable for Rosobonorexport to open an assembly line here which will also double up as maintenance and overhaul centre. With 36 (or 54 if we opt to obtain 36 units), the centre will have ready business.

3 (b). Regionally, we have Indonesia operating around 6 to 12 Flankers and Vietnam in upward of 30 units, this can be a money-generating business.

3 (c). This in turn will kickstart our national aerospace industry and fits right into the National Aerospace Defence Framework. 

I believe with the assembly line made available in Malaysia, we would soon see other products belonging to Rosobonorexport be introduced here too. And we will be able to reap the economic benefit from this assembly line. 

4. Increasing the number of SU30MKM will also means more commonality of assets and ammunition. This means ammunition and missile storage facilities can be standardised. 

More missiles can be bought as it can be used from 1 unit to another. This in turn means improved logistics line. And if you are in business, you know bulk purchases always get better price. 

5. SU30MKM is highly manoeuvrable aircraft and is very well respected in the region. It is also one of the few aircrafts in the world that has full 3-D thrust vector control which will give them supreme advantage during air combat operations. In fact, our pilots have already mastered this bird of prey and managed to wow the audience in Singapore with their extreme aerial acrobatics.

Our variant, the MKM is the second most advanced variant after India's MKI II. In Southeast Asia, it is only slightly behind Singapore's F15SG. The thrust vector controls that our MKM has also give them advantage over China's J-11. 

6. This will prevent block obsolescence. Which we failed miserably with MiG29N. 

7. But most important of all, the SU30MKM is an all-round platform that will give our pilots, men and women who choose to serve in uniform, the best platform for them to defend our nation. Source

KUANTAN: Menteri Pertahanan Hishammuddin Hussein, pada semalam menyaksikan Demonstarsi Keupayaan Network Centric Operations (NCO) dan Sistem Satelit X-Band ATM di Pergerakan Udara Pengkalan Udara Kuantan.

Semasa demonstrasi itu, Hishammuddin telah dibawa melihat secara dekat pengoperasian Sistem NCO dan Satelit X-Band ATM di Transportable Joint Force Operational Centre (TJFOC) yang menjadi Bilik Operasi Pertahanan di medan. Selain itu, Menteri Pertahanan juga melihat Ujicuba Panggilan SATCOM (Satelite Communication) X-Band ke Yemen/Lubnan di SATCOM COTP (Communication On The Pause) dan melihat pameran statik yang mempamirkan aset-aset yang terangkum di dalam sistem NCO dan X-Band ATM.

Sistem NCO adalah satu sistem terkini berasaskan kepada kawalan dan pemerintahan yang mengintegrasikan semua keupayaan aset-aset ATM dengan merangkaikan (networking) sistem Sensors, Command and Control dan shooters di peringkat pemerintahan strategik hingga taknikal. Sistem ini mengaplikasi teknologi ICT untuk memberi keupayaan tinggi kepada ATM dalam menguasai dan mengekploitasi dimensi maklumat dan ruang siber bagi pelaksanaan operasi dengan lebih berkesan.

Sistem Satelit X-Band ATM merupakan pelengkap kepada infrastruktur rangkaian komunikasi sedia ada bagi mendukung pembangunan keupayaan sistem NCO.

Sistem NCO mampu menyediakan keupayaan untuk semua peringkat pemerintahan ATM untuk perkongsian maklumat di dalam satu Common Operating Picture (COP) untuk mencapai Shared Situational Awareness supaya keputusan dan tindakan yang cepat dapat diambil oleh ATM untuk pelaksanaan sesuatu misi.

Untuk memantapkan operasi network centric, Sistem Satelit X-Band berkeupayaan memberi bantuan komunikasi video, data dan suara di mana sahaja misi ATM diaturgerakkan.

Dengan adanya sistem ini, Kerajaan dapat menjimatkan perbelanjaan sewaan jalur lebar (bandwidth) daripada syarikat swasta di samping dapat mengukuhkan pertahanan Negara dengan meningkatkan keupayaan dan keberkesanan misi.

Turut hadir dalam demostrasi ini ialah, Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan, Johari Baharum, Panglima Angkatan Tentera, Jeneral Zulkifli Mohd Zin, Panglima Tentera Darat, Jeneral Raja Mohammed Affendi Raja Mohammed Nor, Menteri Besar Pahang, Adnan Yaacob dan lain-lain pegawai Angkatan Tentera Malaysia. 

Tentera Udara DiRaja Malaysia (TUDM) menerima sebuah lagi pesawat A400M dan penyerahan Hangar A400M khusus buat No. 22 Skuadron TUDM Subang semalam.

Majlis itu di sempurnakan oleh YB. Dato' Seri Hishammuddin Hussein yang juga Menteri Pertahanan di Hangar 22 Skuadron.

Dalam ucapannya, Hisammuddin mengucapkan tahniah dan terima kasih kepada Bahagian Perolehan Kementerian Pertahanan kerana dapat menyiapkan pembangunan Hangar A400M dalam tempoh enam bulan lebih awal yang mana sepatutnya Hangar A400M itu siap pada pertengahan tahun ini dan Hangar itu bakal menempatkan 4 pesawat A400M dan sekali gus menjadi Hangar pertama yang dibina untuk pesawat A400M dan yang terbesar di dunia.

Mengulas mengenai pembelian aset terbaharu TUDM itu, Hisammuddin mengatakan, satu transformasi sedang giat dilaksanakan oleh TUDM pada masa ini untuk memenuhi misinya menjadai "kuasa udara yang dominan" dalam kata lain. TUDM perlu menjadi garuda yang menguasai angkasaraya.

Perolehan pesawat-pesawat moden dan berteknologi tinggi seperti Airbus A400M akan dapat menggandakan kekuatan ketumbukan pesawat angkut yang ketika ini ditunjanggi oleh 14 buah pesawat Hercules C130H dan CN235, dengan kemasukan pesawat A400M ini kedalam No. 22 Skuadron, ia akan dapat membantu Skuadron ini melaksanakan tugas-tugas mereka dengan lebih cemerlang, cekap dan sistematik.

Pesawat A400M yang pertama telah diterima sewaktu berlangsungnya LIMA 2015 di Langkawi tahun lepas, manakala pesawat ketiga A400M dijangka akan diterima pada awal April 2016 dan pesawat keempat pada November 2016.

Pesawat akrobatik milik Tentera Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara terhempas semasa melakukan raptai LIMA 2015 di atas sebuah rumah di Kampung Gelam, Langkawi.

Berita selanjutnya akan menyusul.