USS Ohio in Subic, USS Decatur in Manila & USS Frank Cable in Cebu

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, - The USS Ohio (SSGN-726), lead ship of the Ohio-class submarines of the United States of America, docked here this morning with a crew of 150 officers and enlisted Sailors.

The routine port call of the 560-foot long submarine highlights the strong historic, community, and military relations between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines. It is the fourth United States vessel to bear the name of the seventeenth state of the union.

The third Ohio (USS Ohio BB-12) was a battleship that was commissioned in 1904, and which sailed to Manila in 1905 where then U.S. Secretary of War William Howard Taft and his party boarded for a “Far Eastern inspection tour.”

Two other U.S. Navy ships, the destroyer USS Decatur, and the submarine tender USS Frank Cable, are arriving in the Philippines today, particularly in Manila and Cebu, respectively, for routine maintenance, replenishment of supplies, rest and recreation, and community assistance and outreach activities.

The US submarine USS Ohio (R) approaches the US submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (L) this morning at Alava Pier in Subic Bay for a routine port call that highlights the strong historic, community, and military relations between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines. Subic Bay, now a Freeport, was a former U.S. Naval Base, until 1992, it's largest outside the U.S. mainland.

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NASA Launches First Philippine Satellite Diwata-1 to ISS

MANILA, -- The Philippines' first microsatellite, the Diwata-1, was officially launched to the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday at around 11:05 a.m. (Philippine Standard Time).

Diwata-1 is among the 3,395 kilograms (7,485 lb) of science gear, crew supplies and vehicle hardware cargo that Cygnus spacecraft lift off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA, at 11:05 p.m. of March 22, Eastern Standard Time.

The launch was part of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) commercial provider Orbital ATK's fifth mission, and Cygnus' second flight atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Officials from Florida earlier forecast a 90 percent chance of favorable weather for the launch of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft to the ISS.

Also, the crew explored advanced space science and reviewed their roles and responsibilities in the event of an emergency aboard the station.

Minutes before the launch, NASA also cited good weather and no interference from the sun.

At the ISS, Diwata-1 will be housed in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), nicknamed "Kibo." Towards the end of April, the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) will release Diwata-1 into space at an altitude of 400 kilometers from the earth’s surface.

The country's first microsatellite is expected to be in orbit for approximately 18-20 months and will be imaging the country twice daily.

Diwata-1 has four cameras that would continuously take pictures of the Philippines. These images will be used for research and in remote sensing.

Remote sensing “is a necessary technology for monitoring weather, disasters, as well as environmental issues” as described by Kohei Cho, Asian Association on Remote Sensing (AARS) general secretary.

Remote sensing has been proven to be capable of monitoring El Niño, too, according to Enrico Paringit during the 36th Asian Conference on Remote Sensing (ACRS) held in the Philippines last year.

Diwata-1 was assembled by nine young Filipino engineers who were stationed in Japan to undergo an extensive course about microsatellite. The team had almost a year to finish the assembly and testing of Diwata-1 that weighs 50 kg and is about the size of a "balikbayan box".

The microsatellite passed the component tests, first vibration tests, post-vibration electrical tests, off-gas test and fit checking according to PCIEERD. There was a continuous functionality tests of modules and sensors and software optimization.

The Philippines' first microsatellite, the Diwata-1 also known as PHL-Microsat-1 Earth Observation Microsatellite. Diwata-1 can be used for disaster management purposes such as in accessing damage from typhoons and rainstorms. It will also have applications in agriculture, forest cover monitoring and national security. The satellite can take a daily average of 3,500 high resolution photos, will include images of natural wonders of the Philippines, which the DOST plans to upload daily.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Orbital ATK's robotic Cygnus cargo vessel rises off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 22, 2016.

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New SOC-R Boats for Thai Navy

BANGKOK, --The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) received six Special Operations Craft - Riverine (SOC-R) on 18 March to replace aging Patrol Boat Riverine (PBR).

These 10m-long SOC-R boats were built by Marsun, the Thai dockyard that also built the first three M10 Mk I SOC-Rs in 2012. These latest M10 Mk II boats are designed to operate along inland waterways and in coastal areas, chiefly to support special operations.

Propulsion comes from two 420hp engines with waterjets offering maximum speeds of 40+kt. They carry five crewmen and eight troops. The heaviest possible armament consists of three .50-cal machine guns.

These new SOC-Rs of the Riverine Squadron will operate in inland and boundary waterways like the Mekong River and Golden Triangle.

Their missions are to keep the peace, prevent illegal immigration, human trafficking, drug smuggling or any actions that harm homeland security. The SOC-Rs also provide fire support in combat situations.

Additionally, the boats will be used in humanitarian relief missions and to protect the royal family and VIPs.

The RTN needs more than 40 SOC-Rs to replace the Riverine Squadron’s 39 aging PBRs, some of which are more than 30 years old. All will be locally built.

The Royal Thai Navy Special Operations Craft - Riverine boats.

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South Korea unveils Republic of Indonesia new submarines

JAKARTA, -- After waiting three years, Indonesia will soon have new submarines, as three submarines purchased from South Korea are expected to be completed soon.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and Navy chief of staff Admiral Ade Supandi visited South Korea to witness the unveiling of the submarines.

“The unveiling was only ceremonial in nature, [it is important] for the Navy as the user to see that the product is ready,” Ade Supandi said in South Korea on Wednesday.

He said that after the unveiling, the producer would finish up the necessary tools so that they could be delivered and commissioned.

It was reported that the ministry and Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering (DSME) signed the contract for the three Chang Bogo-class submarines in 2011. The contract was worth US$1.07 billion.

Under the contract, two submarines would be built in South Korea in cooperation with state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL, while the third submarine would be built at PAL’s facilities in Surabaya.

Besides submarines, Indonesia expects other new weapons to arrive in 2016-2017. According to the chief of the ministry’s procurement center, Rear Admiral Leonardi, the weapons are leopard tanks, F-16 jet fighters and frigates. They will arrive gradually.

The Indonesian Navy Improved Chang Bogo-class submarine KRI Nagabanda (403) handover ceremony in Seoul.

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RSN Missile Corvette Conducts Successful Live Firing of Barak Missile

SINGAPORE, -- Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen visited a Fleet Exercise conducted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) in the South China Sea on 22 March 2016. During the visit, Dr Ng witnessed the successful live firing of a Barak anti-missile missile from the RSN's Victory-class missile corvette RSS Vigour.

Dr Ng was also briefed by Colonel Edwin Leong, Commanding Officer of the RSN's Missile Corvette Squadron, on the conduct of the exercise and the capabilities of the missile corvette.

Speaking after the exercise, Dr Ng commended the RSN personnel's professionalism and commitment to maintaining operational readiness and ensuring mission success. He said, "I watched the entire live firing from another ship alongside.

It was deeply satisfying to see the system work like clockwork. It detected and tracked the target and launched the Barak missile to hit spot-on. It gives us confidence that all our investments into sophisticated systems will be able to defend Singapore, when we need to."

Dr Ng was hosted during the visit by Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han, and accompanied by Chief of Defence Force Major-General Perry Lim as well as other senior officials from MINDEF and the RSN.

The Republic of Singapore Navy Victory-class missile corvette, RSS Vigour, conducting a live firing of a Barak anti-missile missile during the fleet exercise.

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Philippine Navy Anti-Submarine Project Helicopter Awarded to AgustaWestland

MANILA, -- The contract for the Philippine Navy (PN)'s first two anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters was awarded to Anglo-Italian aircraft manufacturer AgustaWestland.

This was confirmed by Department of National Defense (DND) undersecretary for finance, munition, materiel and modernization Fernando Manalo in a message to the PNA Wednesday.

But he did not give the exact date of the contract awarding.

Manalo earlier said in January that AgustaWestland is now undergoing post-qualification checks after being selected as sole proponent of the DND's PHP5.4 billion ASW helicopter project.

Post-qualification refers to the background check to determine the capability of the manufacturer to deliver the equipment on time and comply with the specifications requested by the contracting party.

AgustaWestland was selected by the DND as the possible supplier of its two ASW helicopters late in 2015.

Manalo said AgustaWestland offered the Philippines its brand-new AW-159 "Wildcat" anti-submarine helicopter.

The AW-159 (previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx Wildcat) is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx military helicopter.

It is ordered for the British Army and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy.

It has a crew of two, has a maximum speed of 291 km/h (181 mph), range of 777 km (483 miles), ferry range of 963 km (598 miles) and an endurance of one and a-half hours (fours hours and 30 minutes if fitted with auxiliary fuel)

The AW-159 is fitted with forward firing CRV7 rockets and machine guns, pintle mounted machine gun, Sea Skua missiles and Sting-Ray torpedoes and depth charges.

The ASW helicopter project is one of the seven military modernization projects which President Benigno S. Aquino III has given DND the green-light to go into a "multi-year contract" last November.

Projects placed under the "multi-year contract" include the two missile-armed frigates, eight amphibious assault vehicles, two long-range patrol aircraft, six close-air support aircraft, munition for the brand-new FA-50PH jet fighters and surveillance radars.

Payment from the seven projects will run from 2015 to 2018.

Granting of the "multi-year contract" will allow to pursue the military modernization program beyond Aquino's term, he added.

Total value of the seven projects is about PHP44 billion.

The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat at the Farnborough International Airshow on July 14-20, 2014.

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Malaysia's MMEA to Equip New Patrol Vessels with Six Thales España's Fulmar UAV

KUALA LUMPUR, -- Thales' España's Fulmar UAV system. The platform has been selected for the MMEA's six new patrol vessels on order from Malaysian shipbuilder Destination Marine Services. (photo : Thales Group)

Thales España has won a contract to supply six Fulmar unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) units to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

An official confirmed to IHS Jane's on 21 March that the UAVs will be operated from its six new 44 m coastal patrol vessels. These ships were ordered under a MYR380 million (USD93.3 million) contract signed with local shipbuilder Destination Marine Services (DMS) in 2015. The MMEA has always intended for these patrol vessels to embark a UAV capability.

A Thales España spokesperson IHS Jane's spoke to on 17 March declined to give further details on the contract, but acknowledged that the UAV has been going through a series of tests. The system is due for delivery by the end of 2016.

The Fulmar UAV has a 3 m wingspan and a length of 1.2 m, and is made from carbon fibre materials. Designed primarily to support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) roles, it has an endurance of up to 12 hours, can be flown at altitudes of up to 4,000 m (13,123 ft), has a cruising speed of 100 kph, and can carry a payload of up to 8 kg. 

The UAS is fitted also with a heavy fuel motor that is understood to help reduce generated noise and enables it to fly at low level (thus reducing risk to the system). It can be operated via a ground control system (GCS) that supports the operation of up to three UAVs in tandem and allows control of the UAVs to switch from one ground station to another, enabling simultaneous use in land and sea environments.

TheThales' España's Fulmar UAV in flight test.

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