An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July/August 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 10 | Military Media Round Up "China is attempting to bolster its presence in the South China Sea by creating an artificial island on a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands... Johnson South Reef was at the centre of a 1998 confrontation between China and Vietnam that left more than 70 Vietnamese personnel dead.After taking control of the reef China built a con- crete platform and installed radio and communications equipment." IhS Jane's Defence Weekly, Vol 51, Issue 21. Photo: www.manilatimes.net "Developed by Flyer Defense in cooperation with GD Ordnance and Tactical Systems, the 7,500lb (3,402kg) Flyer Advanced Light Strike Vehicle (ALSV) is designed to operate in severe, rugged and restrictive terrains while providing off-road, cross country mobility in all weath- ers... With a payload of up to 3,500lbs (1,588kg), the Flyer is an essentially open-topped vehicle with an extensive tubu- lar cage structure that provides roll-over protection for the crew and mounting points... A top speed of 85mph (137kph) and an unrefuelled range of 450mls (724km) are claimed." Military Technology, Vol 38, Issue 5. Photo: www.gd-ots.com "South Korea has reported test-firing a ballistic missile ca- pable of carrying a one-tonne payload over a range of up to 500km. This level of performance would allow attacks to be mounted against targets across most of North Korea." IhS Jane's International Defence Review, Vol 47, May 2014 "Sometimes, in the most extreme of terrain, vehicles just will not do and Special Forces return to much older means of moving soldiers and supplies around. The USMC, for ex- ample, has begun to teach a new advanced horsemanship course to special operators, training them to ride horses, load pack animals and care for them in remote and danger- ous environments including mountain warfare... Run by the Mountain Warfare Training Center... the course is intended to help special operations units operating with indigenous forces who ride horses and use various species of pack animals." Military Technology, Vol 38, Issue 5. Photo: www.marsoc.marines.mil "The last troops to deploy on Operation Herrick have ar- rived in Afghanistan, bringing the UK another step closer to the end of its 13-year campaign in the country. Members of the 20th Armoured Brigade have assumed control of the mission after taking over from 7th Armoured Brigade on June 1st." Soldier, June 2014 Photo: www.telegraph.co.uk "On 7 April 2014, the Indian Army successfully test fired an advanced version of 290km range supersonic cruise missile Brahmos as part of a user trial at Pokhran test range in Raja- sthan. Both the Indian Army and Navy have already inducted the missile, developed by India in partnership with Russia." Military Technology, Vol 38, Issue 5. Photo: www.weapons.technology.com "The Japan Self-Defense Forces on 10 May began an 18-day joint land- ing drill on an uninhabited island in the southwest Nansei chain – the latest in a series of exercises intended to demonstrate Japanese resolve in the East China Sea." IhS Jane's Defence Weekly, Vol 51, Issue 21. "The UN is looking for con- tractors that are interested in operating an unmanned aerial system (UAS) on behalf of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali. Posted on the UN Procurement Division's website on 28 April, the request for expression of intrest said the UAS would have multiple unmanned aerial ve- hicles and would operate out of Timbuktu and Gao." IhS Jane's Defence Weekly, Vol 51, Issue 21. "The Spanish MoD has awarded Indra a contract to provide seven new VICTRIX shooting simulators that will be installed at various army barracks and bases. The systems, which will be delivered throughout 2014, will be com- bined with actual training to help improve soldier preparedness." Military Technology, Vol 38, Issue 5. "Denmark has destroyed its stock- piles of cluster munitions about four years ahead of its treaty deadline of 2018, according to a late March statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." IhS Jane's International Defence Review, Vol 47, May 2014 "On 23 April... two unidentified air- craft were spotted on air-defence radar approaching the NATO Air Policing Area north of Scotland, unannounced. Two Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters were launched from RAF Leuchars, north of Edin- burgh, to intercept the formation and determine the identity of the aircraft, which were not respond- ing to either civil or military air-traffic controllers... and flew within visual range of the aircraft and identified them as Russian Tu- 95 'Bear H' strategic bombers." www.militarycontact.com

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