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Last Updated: Mon Jan 27 11:18:09 UTC 2014







Pacific-Rim / Indian Ocean
Regional Military Capability Growth




Su-35 Flanker E (KnAAPO Image)

The Asia-Pacific-Indian region is in the midst of a 'creeping arms race' characterised by the introduction of a very wide range of modern combat aircraft, guided missiles, and precision guided bombs, especially of Russian origin. As a result, the historically benign strategic environment Australia faced in the past is rapidly eroding. 

Conventional strategic thought would see Australia bolstering its existing combat fleet with extensive upgrades and new weapons, expanding supporting force structure elements, and planning for a much more capable replacement for the F/A-18A, while retaining the F-111 fleet. We are observing the opposite in plans for force structure downsizing by F-111 early retirement, and replacement of the F/A-18A with the battlefield strike and close air support optimised F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and underperforming F/A-18F Super Hornet interim fighters.

This website will post a selection of relevant articles, analyses and papers.


Page Index


Regional Air Power Topics





Carlo Kopp and
Peter Goon
Air Power Australia Jan 2010 Chengdu J-XX [J-20] Stealth Fighter Prototype
A Preliminary Assessment
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Jan 2007
Sukhoi Flankers - The Shifting Balance of Regional Air Power
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2009 Sukhoi/KnAAPO Su-35-1/BM/S Flanker
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia May 2007
Supercruising Flankers?
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Sep 2008
Shenyang J-11B Flanker B
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Jun 2008
Sukhoi Su-33 and Su-33UB Flanker D: Russia's Maritime Multirole Fighter
Richard Fisher IASC Mar 2009
Update: China’s Aircraft Carriers
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today
Jan 2007
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet vs. Sukhoi Flanker
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia
Jan 2007
Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback
Carlo Kopp
Australian Aviation
Nov 2004
Sukhoi's Fullback (Su-32/34) [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
APA Analyses
APA-2008-04
Assessing Russian Fighter Technology

Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Jan 2008
Russian fighters – capability assessment [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia
Apr 2008
Flanker Radars in Beyond Visual Range Air Combat
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Jul 2008
Phazotron Zhuk AE/ASE: Assessing Russia's First AESA
Carlo Kopp APA Analyses Sep 2009 Assessing the Tikhomirov NIIP L-Band
Active Electronically Steered Array
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Mar 2008
The Russian Philosophy of Beyond Visual Range Air Combat
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2009
PLA Air to Air Missiles
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Jan 2007
Regional Precision Guided Munitions
Carlo Kopp
Australian Aviation
Sep 2003
Asia's Advanced Flankers (Su-27/30)[PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Australian Aviation Oct 2003
Su-30 vs RAAF Alternatives (Su-27/30)[PDF]
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jan 2007
Chengdu J-10 Fighter
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2007
Sukhoi Flankers Video Footage Supplement
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jan 2007
Flanker Image Gallery
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jan 2007
PLA-AF/PLA-N Legacy Fighters
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jul 2007
Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire C
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jul 2007 Tupolev Tu-95/142 Bear
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jul 2007 Soviet Maritime Reconnaissance, Targeting, Strike and Electronic Combat Aircraft
Carlo Kopp Australian Aviation July 1988
Maritime Strike - The Soviet Perspective
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jan 2007
Xian H-6 Badger
Richard Fisher
IASC
Feb 2008
China's "New" Bomber [Xian H-6K Badger]
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2007
Russian Bombers Video Footage Supplement
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jul 2007
The PLA-AF's Airborne Early Warning & Control Programs
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jul 2007
The PLA-AF's Aerial Refuelling Programs
Carlo Kopp Defence Today Jan 2007
The PLA-AF's new force multipliers [PDF]
Carlo Kopp Australian Aviation Mar 1998
MiG's I.42/44 MFI - A First Look
Carlo Kopp Australian Aviation Nov 1992
Foxbat and Foxhound - Russia's Cold War Warriors




Guided Munition / Cruise Missile / Ballistic Missile Topics





Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2009 Soviet/Russian Guided Bombs
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2009 PLA Guided Bombs
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2009
Soviet/Russian Cruise Missiles
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2009 PLA Cruise Missiles / PLA Air - Surface Missiles
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Aug 2009 Soviet/Russian Tactical Air to Surface Missiles
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Dec 2008
Killing the Vampire / Soviet ASCM development
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Jan 2007
Regional Precision Guided Munitions
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Jan 2008
Anti-Shipping Missile Survey [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Jan 2006
Regional Precision Guided Munitions Survey [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Australian Aviation Jul 2004
Asia's Advanced Precision Guided Munitions [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Australian Aviation Sep 2000
Sunburns, Yakhonts, Alfas and the Region [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Dec 2008
Soviet cruise missiles post World War II [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia May 2007
Carlo Kopp
IASC
Jun 2006
Sean O'Connor Air Power Australia Dec 2009 PLA Second Artillery Corps
Sean O'Connor
Air Power Australia Dec 2009 Russia's Strategic Missile Forces
Carlo Kopp
Air Power Australia Jul 2007
Hard Kill Counter ISR  Programs
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Nov 2006
Hard Kill Counter-ISR Capabilities Proliferate [PDF]





Asia-Pacific Regional Guided Weapons [Index]






Air Defence Systems and Weapons Topics






Land and Maritime System Topics





Martin Andrew
TRADOC/
Air Power Australia
Sep 2009
Modern PLA Armoured Vehicles
Martin Andrew TRADOC/
Air Power Australia
Sep 2009 Type 96 and 99 Main Battle Tanks
Martin Andrew TRADOC/
Air Power Australia
Sep 2009 Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle



Strategy and Force Structure Topics





Carlo Kopp Defence Today Dec 2012 China’s advances in submarines and aircraft carriers
Martin Andrew Air Power Australia Dec 2010 A Strategic Assessment of PLA Theatre Missile and ASAT Capabilities
Carlo Kopp The Diplomat Aug 2010 China’s Eyes in the Skies
Carlo Kopp The Diplomat
Jul 2010 China Air Force Steps it Up
Carlo Kopp Jamestown Foundation
Feb 2010 Advances in PLA C4ISR Capabilities
Carlo Kopp Jamestown Foundation Oct 2008 Advances in PLA Air Defense Capabilities Challenge Strategic Balance in Asia
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jan 2007
PLA-AF/PLA-N Air Base Infrastructure Reference
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jul 2005
JASDF Orbat
Carlo Kopp Air Power Australia Jul 2005
IAF/IN-FAA Orbat
Chris Mills APA NOTAM Feb 2009
Will the US Air Force be Annihilated in the Next War?
Chris Mills APA NOTAM Nov 2007
Australia's Future: Air Dominance Capability
Carlo Kopp
IASC
May 2006
The Flanker Fleet -The PLA's 'Big Stick'
Carlo Kopp Defence Today Jun 2009 Regional strategic trends – China’s influence [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Jul 2007
Regional Air Power Developments 2007 [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Jan 2006
Regional Developments 2005 [PDF]
Carlo Kopp Australian Aviation Sep 2004
Backfires for China? [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Sep 2004
2010+ Regional Futures [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Defence Today Sep 2004
2010+ Air Power Futures [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Australian Aviation Aug 2004
The Sleeping Giant Awakens (PLA-AF/PLA-N) [PDF]
Carlo Kopp Defence Today Dec 2003
Sukhois present new strategic risk for Australia [PDF]
Carlo Kopp
Submission to the Minister for Defence May 1998
Replacing the RAAF F/A-18 Hornet Fighter, Strategic, Operational and Technical Issues


The Parliamentary Debate [Click for more ...]


Related Links [Click for more ...]


Indian AF Su-30K during Cope India Exercise
  
Indian Su-30K Flanker during the 2004 Cope India exercise (U.S. Air Force photo)



Singaporean F-16D Block 52 with dorsal CFTs (© 2010, Jeroen Oude Wolbers).



JASDF F-15DJ participating in Exercise Cope Thunder, 2006 (USAF Image).






Comparative assessment of regional AAM types


The PLA-AF's new KJ-2000 AWACS is a modern three segment phased array design, clearly inspired by the Elta/Beriev A-50I AWACS, the latter based on the same surveillance radar bid for Australia's Wedgetail program (PLA-AF image).



China's new Chengdu J-10 'Sinocanard' fighter was designed in the class of the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon (Xinhua).



The MiG-35 Zhuk AE AESA multimode radar designed by Phazotron is the first Russian AESA design and is expected to spawn AESA upgrade packages for a number of regional Flanker variants.


Launch of a 'Tomahawk-like' PLA-N cruise missile, believed to be the YJ-62.

Left: Almaz high power laser beam director optical turret mounted on a MAZ-7910 8 x 8  chassis, the turret is  located on the turntable otherwise employed for  the  30N6 radar.  Centre: Primary optical aperture for  beam director. Right: Carbon Dioxide Gas Dynamic Laser (GDL) bank testbed. Note the hardstand used to support the MAZ-7930 chassis (Almaz image).



The SA-22B Greyhound Pantsir S1 lives up to its name, providing very high mobility. This most recent Pantsir S1 variant has a PESA engagement radar and a planar array search radar antenna, with much better sidelobe performance compared to the concave reflective design in the Pantsir S (KBP Image).



The improved SA-15D Tor M2E variant is to deploy with Russian PVO-SV units in 2009, carried by a purpose designed 6 x 6 MZKT-6922 wheeled vehicle. Image depicts stowed configuration (Kupol JSC).

48N6 Launch

48N6 Missile Launch. The S-300PMU/PMU1/PMU2 (SA-10 Grumble / SA-20 Gargoyle) has been exported in large numbers to equip PLA IADS elements (RuMoD).


NIIIP 64N6E Big Bird search and acquisition radar. The 64N6E family of phased array radars provide late models of the S-300/S-400 SAM system family with capabilities similar to that of the SPY-1 Aegis air defence system (Vestnik PVO image).



The KB Radar (Agat) Vostok E is an entirely new 2D VHF radar design, using a unique wideband "Kharchenko" square ring radiating element design, in a diamond lattice pattern. It is claimed to have a significant counter stealth capability (KB Radar).



Raduga Kh-55SM Kent with conformal fuel tanks. In a joint operation with Iran, China illegally acquired samples of this Russian cruise missile. The Kent compares closely to the BGM-109A Tomahawk, but has much better range performance (RuMoD image).


KAB-1500L Laser Guided Bomb. This Russian weapon is a 3,000 lb class equivalent to the US Paveway II/III series weapons (GNPP image).


KAB-500Kr Electro-Optically Guided Bomb. These weapons best compare to the US GBU-8 HOBOS and GBU-15 CWW, and are available in Lock On Before Launch (LOBL) and datalink guided variants. All variants include a Scene Matching Area Correlator for terminal homing (GNPP image).



Xian recently restarted production of the H-6/B-6 Badger, in the new H-6M and H-6K cruise missile carrier variants. The H-6K is fitted with a turbofan engine, significantly extending the striking radius of this Soviet B-29 derivative (XAC image).



Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback Demonstrator. NAPO recently entered the Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) phase  with this capable replacement for the Su-24 Fencer.

Su-27K Prototype Buddy Refuelling

An Su-27K prototype performs a dry hookup during buddy refuelling trials using the UPAZ-1A Sakhalin series centreline refuelling store.  Most late build Flankers are equipped with a retractable aerial refuelling probe and floodlights (RuAF photo).

AWACS Killer Missiles - Click for more ...


PLA-AF Su-27SK (PLA Image)
Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire C- Click for more ...

Tu-22M3 vs F-111/A330 vs JSF/A330 - Click for more ...






People's Liberation Army Air Power Index Page [Click for more ...]
Military Ethics, Culture, Education and Training Index Page [Click for more ...]
Russian / Soviet Weapon Systems Index Page [Click for more ...]





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