Sea Skua

Manufacturer : British Aerospace Dynamics (now MBDA)

Specifications:

Weight 145 kg
Length 2.5 m
Diameter 0.25 m

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Warhead 28 kg
Detonation mechanism: Impact Fuze, delayed detonation.
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Engine Solid fuel booster and solid fuel sustainer

Wingspan 0.72 m

Operational range 25 km

Flight ceiling ?

Speed Mach 0.8 +

Guidance
system Semi-active radar

Steering
system Control surfaces

Launch
platform Helicopter launched/ land platform

The Royal Navy planned to end its Sea Skua service by the year 2012 to 2014 and intended to replace it with Future Anti Guided Weapon.

G 36

Units that are using rifle G35:
*Malaysian Army Grup Gerak Khas 11th Counter Terrorist Regiment
*Royal Malaysian Police Pasukan Gerakan Khas Counter-terrorist unit (G36C)
*Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (G36E).

Check these videos out:

Dokumentari Pertahanan Udara Negara

Berikut merupakan sedutan dokumentari dari Majalah 3, TV3 mengenai jet-jet utama yang mempertahankan kedaulatan udara negara.







p/s I 'm still searching video about our migs... maybe the information is too classified.

HK 416

The army should use this rifle. This is a version of M4 but upgraded by HECKLER & KOCH.

The Concept Of Gas Imigement In AR15

Above is a video on AR15 rifle tested firing after submerged from underwater. It is said that rifle explode because it did not use piston driven as AK's.

AR15 or Armalite 15 is a prototype rifle for M16 and M4.

M16 & M4 used the same mechanism what we called a direct gas impingement. The basic concept is when firing a bullet, it will cause a high pressure gas which that gas pressure is used to operate the mechanical inside the rifle.



1.Some of the gas is being trapped and flowed back through a gas tube.

2.Then the high pressure gas pushed the bolt the bolt and carrier backward
towards the rifle butt.

3.As it moves the bolt begins to turn and unlock from the barrel extension.



4.When it is fully unlocked it begins its rearward movement along with the bolt carrier.

5.The cam pin is part of the bolt's rotation as it follows a groove cut into the carrier that twists and forces the bolt to unlock. Once the bolt is unlocked, the bolt carrier and bolt continue to move toward the butt of the gun and the new bullet from magazine is extracted while the empty case is ejected .

6.Behind the bolt carrier is a plastic or metal buffer which rests in line with a return spring that pushes the bolt carrier back toward the chamber.

7.A groove machined into the upper receiver traps the cam pin and prevents it and the bolt from rotating into a closed position.

8. The bolt's locking lugs then push a fresh round from the magazine which is guided by feed ramps into the chamber. As the bolt's locking lugs move past the barrel extension, the cam pin is allowed to twist into a pocket milled into the upper receiver. This twisting action follows the groove cut into the carrier and forces the bolt to twist and “lock” into the barrel’s extension



The conclusion is do not fire a waterlogged AR15.

(referance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-15)

M4 -THE WORST PEFORMANCE?

Weapons officials at the Army Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., exposed Colt Defense LLC™s M4, along with the Heckler & Koch XM8, FNH USA™s Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle and the H&K 416 to sandstorm conditions from late September to late November, firing 6,000 rounds through each test weapon.

When the test was completed, ATEC officials found that the M4 performed significantly worse than the other three weapons, sources told Army Times.

Officials tested 10 each of the four carbine models, firing a total of 60,000 rounds per model. Here™s how they ranked, according to the total number of times each model stopped firing:

* XM8: 127 stoppages.
* MK16 SCAR Light: 226 stoppages.
* 416: 233 stoppages.
* M4: 882 stoppages.

The results of the test were a wake-up call, but Army officials continue to stand by the current carbine, said Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, commander of Program Executive Office Soldier, the command that is responsible for equipping soldiers.

(The article is from http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2007/12/19/m4-beaten-by-piston-carbines/)

STEYR AUG ASSAULT RIFLE

Technical description.

The Steyr AUG is a gas operated, magazine fed, selective fire rifle of bullpup layout.

AUG is built around the aluminium casting receiver, with steel reinforcement inserts. One such insert is used to provide the locking to the removable barrels and the rotating bolt, thus relieving the receiver from most of the firing stress. Other inserts are used as a bearings for the bolt carrier guide rods.

The AUG uses a short piston stroke, gas operated action, with the gas piston mounted inside the compact gas block, which is fixed to the barrel. The gas cylinder is offset to the right from the barrel. Gas piston has its own return spring, contained inside the gas block. The gas system features a three positions gas regulator, which allows for two open positions (for normal and fouled conditions) and one closed position (for launching the rifle grenades). The gas block also contains a barrel fix / release lock and a front grip hinge. Each barrel has eight lugs, that lock into the steel insert in the receiver, and there's four basic barrel patterns for the AUG: standard rifle barrel is 508 mm (~20 in) long. "Compact" or "Submachine gun" barrel is 350 mm (13.8 in) long, "Carbine" barrel is 407 mm (16 in) long, and the heavy / LMG (light machine gun) barrel is 621 mm (24.4 in) long. On each rifle barrels can be exchanged in the matter of seconds. Each barrel is fitted with the flash hider, and the heavy 621 mm barrel also is fitted with lightweight folding bipods. There's no bayonet lug on Austrian service rifles, but it can be installed if required.

Barrel replacement procedure, as noted above, takes only few seconds (assuming that the shooter has the spare barrel handy). To remove the barrel, one must take off the magazine, and clear the rifle by operating the cocking handle. Then, grasp the barrel by the front grip, push the barrel retaining button at the gas block, and rotate the barrel and pull it out of the rifle. To install a new barrel, simply push the barrel down into the front of the receiver all the way and then rotate it until it locks. The rifle now is ready to be loaded and fired.

The bolt system consists of the bolt carrier, which has two large hollow guide rods, attached to its forward part. The left rod also serves as a link to the charging handle, and the right rod serves as the action rod, which transmits the impulse from the gas piston to the bolt carrier. The rotating bolt has 7 locking lugs, claw extractor and a plunger-type spring loaded ejector. Standard bolt has its extractor on the right side, to facilitate right-side ejection, but the left-side bolts (with mirrored positions of extractor and ejector) are available for those who need left-side ejection. The two return springs are located behind the bolt carrier, around the two string guide rods, that are located inside the bolt carrier guide rods. The cocking handle is located at the left side of the gun and normally does not reciprocate when gun is fired, but it can be solidly engaged to the bolt group if required by depressing the small button on the charging handle. On the latest AUG A2 variant, the charging handle was made folding up and of slightly different shape. The AUG action features a bolt stop device, that holds the bolt group open after the last round of ammunition from the magazine is fired. To release the bolt after the magazine replacement, one must pull the charging handle.

The hammer unit is made as a separate assembly and almost entirely of plastic (including the hammer itself). Only springs and pins are steel. The hammer unit is located in the butt and is linked to the sliding trigger by the dual trigger bars. The safety is of the cross-bolt, push-button type and located above the pistol grip. There's no separate fire mode selector on the AUG rifles. Instead, the trigger itself is used to control the mode of fire. Pulling it half the way back will produce single shots, while the full pull will produce automatic fire. The enlarged triggerguard encloses the whole hand and allows the gun to be fired in winter gloves or mittens.

The standard sighting equipment of the Steyr AUG rifle is the 1.5X telescope sight, with aiming reticle made as a circle. This circle is so dimensioned so its visible inner diameter is equal to the visible height of the standing man at 300 meters range. The adjustment knobs on the sight are used only for zeroing. The sight housing, which is integral to the receiver on the AUG A1 models, also features an emergency backup iron sights at the top of the telescope sight housing. Some early production AUG rifles of A1 pattern were fitted with receivers that had an integral scope mounts. On the AUG A2 models, the standard scope mount can be quickly removed and replaced by the Picatinny-type mounting rail.

The housing of the AUG rifles, integral with the pistol handle and triggerguard, is made from the high impact-resistant polymer, and is usually of green (military) or black (police) colour. The housing has two symmetrical ejection ports, one of which is always covered by the plastic cover. The rubber-coated buttplate is detachable and, when removed, opens the access to the rifle internals, including the hammer unit and the bolt group. The buttplate is held in position by the cross-pin, which also serves a s a rear sling swivel attachment point.

The AUG is fed from the detachable box magazines, that hold 30 (standard rifle) or 42 (light machine gun) rounds. The magazines are made from semi-translucent, strong polymer. The magazine release button is located behind the magazine port and is completely ambidextrous (some said that it is equally NOT comfortable for either hand use).



Caliber: 5.56mm NATO (.223rem)
Action: Gas operated, rotating bolt
Overall length: 805 mm (with standard 508 mm barrel)
Barrel length: 508 mm (also 350 mm SMG, 407 mm Carbine or 621 mm LMG heavy barrel)
Weight: 3.8 kg unloaded (with standard 508 mm barrel)
Magazines: 30 or 42 rounds box magazines
Rate of fire: 650 rounds per minute
Effective range of fire: 450-500 meters with standard assault rifle barrel



p/s Steyr AUG A1 is standard rifle used by Malaysian Army but now slowly being replaced by M4.


(this article is a copy from http://world.guns.ru/assault/as20-e.htm)

M16A(5.56mm) vs AK-74 (5.45mm)

Taken from youtube.

The President of United States

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama was elected the nation's first black president Tuesday night in a historic triumph that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself.

The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his victory by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states — Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Iowa.

A huge crowd in Grant Park in Chicago erupted in jubilation at the news of Obama's victory. Some wept.

McCain called to concede defeat — and the end of his own 10-year quest for the White House.

Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009.

As the 44th president, Obama will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession, and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan.

(taken from www.yahoo.com)

The Next Nuri

Akhirnya EC725 berjaya menjadi pilihan TUDM bagi mengantikan Nuri. Jangkaan saya salah. Ini disebabkan jangkaan saya TUDM akan memilih rekaan terbaru seperti NH 90.

Jika dilihat rupa bentuk EC 725, ia kelihatan crowded dan kelam kabut kerana penambahan gajet seperti air refueling, senjata dan lain-lain. Oleh sebab ia direka 20 tahun dahulu, gajet tambahan tersebut tidak ambil kira. Tetapi heli ditempah Malaysia adalah brand new maksudnya dibuat dengan material terkini hanya rekaan lama.




EC 725 merupakan ugrade version dari EC532 Cougar, yang telah ditolak French Air Force untuk kegunaan Combat Search and Rescue atau CSAR. AC 532 diuji secara intesif pada 1996 sehingga 1999. Setelah gagal terpilih, perubahan dibuat ke atas spesifikasi asal dan dinamakan EC725. Pada 2002, tentera darat mereka telah menempah 8 buah EC725 manakala tentera udara Perancis pula menerima 1 daripada 8 untuk kegunaan CSAR pada tahun 2005.

Helikopter versi Malaysia pula antara versi terhangat kerana kos sebuah adalah RM 193juta, lebih tinggi daripada Brazil yang membelinya 83 juta. Ganjil kos kegunaan tentera Brazil telah pun melibatkan kos pembinaan pusat penyelengaraan, tetapi helipkopter Malaysia pula dibayar 110 juta( baki dari 193 juta, katakan sebuah helikopter adalah 83 juta ) lebih dan alasan untuk baki itu membina pusat penyelengaraan. Walhal telah pun wujud pusat penyelenggaraan untuk Eurocopter di Malysia sejak dulu lagi( tidak dipastikan tetapi mungkin sebelum 2002 lagi ).

RUPA EC725



Dimensions
Main Rotor Diameter 16.2m
Tail Rotor Diameter 19.5m
Height to Top of Main Rotor Head 4.6m
Maximum Height to Top Turning Tail Rotor 4.97m
Width Fuselage 2.1m
Length 8.22m

(rujukan http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/ec725/)



Persenjataan untuk perlindungan helikopter dan infantri yang ialah 7.62mm. Selain itu juga terdapat meriam 20mm dan roket.



Menarik, struktur dalamanya telah direka bersedia untuk terhempas dan mengelak strukturnya badannya kemek menyebabkan penumpang tersempit. Namun hakikatnya sebagai "flying machine" jika terhempas pada tahap tidak boleh ditanggung manusia akan menyebabkan kecederaan dalaman yang serius seterusnya akan mati.




Begitu juga dengan Nuri, di kalangan masyarakat Malaysia mengelarnya keranda terbang. 40 tahun adalah cukup untuk menamatkan tempoh perkhimatanya kerana rangka serta strukturnya telah mencapai tahap gegeran melampau batas menyebabkan ia tidak selamat lagi digunakan. (Maaf tiada kaitan dengan artikel, cuma luahan tidah puas hati, we lost good soldiers....)

EC725 boleh membawa 28 infantri, seorang chief of stick dan dua krew. Jumlah kesemua 31 orang. Masalahnya kedudukan kerusi penumpang yang tidak sesuai. Sepatutnya penumpang berhadapan satu sama lain. Ini memberi keluasan yang lebih selesa dan membolehkan peralatan tambahan dibawa. Malang kedudukan site sedemikian bagi tidak menghalang kedudukan pintu keluar. Pada pandangan saya heli terkini sepatutnya mempunyai pintu belakang kerana ia memberi kelebihan dari sudut operasi seperti untuk tugasan ambulans kerana memudah membawa strecher dan peralatan perubatan lain.




Namun demikian melihat kepada sususan NH90, site penumpang boleh diubah mengikut kesesuain operasi yang mana saya percaya EC725 juga boleh berbuat demikian. Sitenya adalah diperbuat daripada kanvas mudah alih yang berketahanan tinggi dan bukannya site kekal (permanent).

'Spheriflex' main and tail rotorheads



EC725 mengunakan rotor "Spheriflex" yang disambungkan kepada lima bilah( setiap satu 16.2m)yang diperbuat daripada komposit dan mempunyai susunan yang menyumbangkan low vibration .

Untuk gear boxnya pula terdapat emergency lubricantion spray yang memberi kelebihan 30 minit penerbangan tanpa minyak enjin( disebabkan berlaku kebocoran enjin).



Heli ini menggunakan dua enjin Turbomeca Makila 2A turboshaft yang membekalkan kuasa 1.8kW. Ia adalah peningkatan 14 % daripada enjin lama. Untuk mengurangkan thermal ia dilengkapi infrared suppression system.

Dengan kawalan digital, penerbangan EC725 lebih efensi. Sebagai contoh kawalan enjinnya mengunakan FADEC- Full Authority Digital Engine Control.

Kesimpulan Dalam Dilemma

Kini kerajaan Malaysia menangguhkan pembelian EC725 disebabkan tekanan politik dan ekonomi. Jika pembelian tersebut tidak dibuat sehingga Febuari tahun hadapan, maka kosnya akan meningkat lagi.

Tentera pula kritikal untuk menukarkan Nuri yang kini usang dan uzur. EC 725 merupakan peluang untuk pemilikan baru yang bakal membawa gelaran " The Latest Flying Horse For The Army". Dengan teknologi terkini, EC 725 bakal membawa kemampuan tentera kita ke peringkat tentera generasi ketiga.

Apa pun kita sama-sama menanti dilemma bilakah penerimaan EC725 dalam inventori ATM.



p/s To be or not to be.....?

referance: 1. http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/ec725/

M4- The new dagger for the warrior

Reading the report on M4 capabilities give me the apprehension on how our boys going to survive in a war. From statistic to study cases showed that M4 is not good rifle although it is cheap. I guess our generals who have a nostalgic experience using M16 in era against communize think that the revolution of this rifle is the best light weapon to engage the enemy that threaten this country.

What are the problems?

The new designs shorten the M4 barrel which automatically shortens gas system. As a result, M4 works in great pressure increase the rate of fire and produce more stress on mechanical moving parts.

As the result the rifle will get jammed and reduce reliability. From the experience in Afghanistan, the Natick Soldier Center reported that:
15% reported feeding jams, 20% reported double feeding and 13% reported that feeding problems were due to magazines.

H&K offered a solution through HK416 a modification of M4. It replace the gas tube system with a short stroke piston systems that eliminates carbon blow back to the chamber and help to reduce the overheat problem. The magazine, barrel and etc also are change.

As for our new rifle M4, I hope there will be an effort to such modification or the good guys will be like a sitting ducks because the rifle suddenly jammed.

It is reported that SME Ordinance has a license to manufacture M4 locally.