Look What Can A Cluster Bomb Do | U.S. Air Force SFW™ CBU-105 Cluster Bomb

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The SFW CBU-105

Textron Systems’ Sensor Fuzed Weapon, SFW™, is a highly effective air-delivered area weapon designed to defeat a wide range of moving and fixed targets on land, at sea and in littoral environments. One SFW can neutralize many targets and do so nearly real time, leaving no evasion time for the adversary. It’s been integrated onto a number of United States and Allied Forces fighter and bomber platforms.

The SFW CBU-105 D/B system exceeds very tight U.S. Department of Defense policy on munitions systems by regulating unexploded ordnance (UXO) to less than one percent. SFW has demonstrated greater than 99 percent reliability by the verified performance in operational testing. Features of this weapon system, combined with self-destruct and self-neutralization, ensure virtually no UXO.

BLU-108 SUBMUNITION

The SFW composed of 10 BLU-108 Submunitions that each carry four Skeet projectile warheads, while every smart Skeets are equipped with dual-mode passive infrareds (IR) and active laser sensors. The BLU-108 Submunitions is capable of integration into other weapons systems for precise engagements of multiple targets.

Once deployed, each smart Skeet warheads sweeps for targets using the IR sensor to identify a thermal signature, while the laser sensor validates the target profile for improved aim point and lethality. When a valid target is detected, the warhead explodes which is a copper explosive.

                                     
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Putin says Russia beefing up nuclear arsenal, NATO denounces 'saber-rattling'

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was concerned about an anti-missile defense system near its borders, after announcing that Russia would add more than 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) to its nuclear arsenal this year.

"We will be forced to aim our armed forces ... at those territories from where the threat comes," Putin said.

Putin made his comments a day after Russian officials denounced a U.S. plan to station tanks and heavy weapons in NATO member states on Russia's border. Putin said it was the most aggressive act by Washington since the Cold War a generation ago.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed concern over Putin's missile announcement and said no one wanted to see backsliding "to a kind of a Cold War status."

Kerry told reporters at a news briefing that Putin's stance could be posturing but he added, "Nobody should hear that kind of announcement from a leader of a powerful country and not be concerned about what the implications are."

Tension has flared anew between Russia and Western powers over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis, in which pro-Russian separatist forces have seized a large part of the country's east after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in early 2014.

The European Union and United States imposed economic sanctions on Russia. But Washington and Moscow are still bound by a 2010 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that caps deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 each and limits the numbers of strategic nuclear missile launchers to 800 by 2018.

"More than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles able to overcome even the most technically advanced anti-missile defense systems will be added to the make-up of the nuclear arsenal this year," Putin, flanked by army officers, said in a speech at an arms fair west of Moscow.

ICBMs have a minimum range of more than 5,500 km (3,400 miles). Putin gave no more details of which missiles were being added to the nuclear arsenal.

Putin said later on Tuesday that Russia wanted Ukraine to repay the $3 billion bailout bond under former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych according to an agreed repayment schedule.

Putin said he thought the Minsk peace deal on Ukraine was balanced and fair and that if Russia did not agree with its contents it would not have signed it.
Source: Reuters 

World’s 10 Most Powerful Militaries - A Global Firepower Ranking Biased On Inheritant Ethics

The folks at Global Firepower ranked the world’s 10 most powerful militaries. They examined the defence forces of 68 countries in order to compile the rankings, taking into account manpower, land systems, air power, naval power, resources, logistics, finances and geography covered. They measure 40 different stats about a country, including number of aircraft carriers, available manpower, and labor force, to produce a Power Index, in which lower numbers equal more firepower.

World’s 5th biggest armed force, Pakistan army is not in the ranking. What’s the reason? I don’t know. Anyway, check out the world’s top 10 most powerful militaries, with some accompanying stats.

If anyone wanna examine then please visit folloeing link: http://www.globalfirepower.com/

World's Most Deadliest Main Battle Tank, Or, First Ever Series Produced Third Generation MBT

Russia will display its newest tank during the Victory Day Parade in Moscow’s Red Square on May 9 this year. 20 units of the world’s first series-produced third generation main battle tank, designated T-14 and based upon the new “Armata” universal chassis system, have recently been delivered to the Russian Armed Forces for training purposes.

By 2020, Uralvagonzavod (UVZ), the largest main battle tank manufacturer in the world, plans to produce 2,300 T-14 Armata models. According to media reports, large deliveries of the tank (around 500 per year) will start in 2017. In total, the Russian Land Forces are scheduled to receive a batch of 32 Armata main battle tanks this year.

The Russian military intends to replace 70 percent of its tank corps with the new tracked vehicle, replacing the older T-72 and T-90 main battle tanks – both of which were also produced by UVZ. The Russian military envisions the universal chassis system as a platform for as many as 13 different tracked vehicles, including a self-propelled artillery platform, an armored military engineering vehicle, and an armored personal carrier.

What are the tank’s technical specifications? According to the Foreign Military Studies Office (FSMO) based at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas:

The tank’s main armament is the 2A82 125-mm smoothbore cannon, capable of firing high-powered munitions,including armor-piercing discarding sabot, guided missile, shaped-charge, and other types of munitions. The T-14 is equipped with the Chelyabinsk A-85-3A X-diesel engine capable of producing up to 1500 hp. It also has a tank information control system (TICS) that monitors all assemblies and components, diagnoses malfunctions, and controls onboard systems.

The muzzle energy of the 2A82 123-mm smoothbore cannon is greater than that of the German Leopard-2 Rheinmetall 120 mm gun, according to media reports. The tank also boasts fully automated ammunition loading and completely computerized targeting systems.

The FSMO report continues:

The T-14 tank will be equipped with an adjustable suspension capable of adapting to varying relief, terrain type, and vehicle speed, resulting in increased speed while moving in columns, as well as over rugged terrain. The suspension system will also alleviate crew fatigue, while assisting the fire control system to deliver accurate fire while on the move.

The article also notes that, “[u]nlike previous Soviet/Russian vehicles, crew safety (survivability) and comfort appear to be a concern. The crew is in an armored capsule that is somewhat roomy compared to other Soviet/Russian tanks.”

According to RT, “the tank’s turret will also carry a 30 mm sub-caliber ranging gun to deal with various targets, including low-flying aerial targets, such as attack planes and helicopters. A 12.5 mm turret-mounted heavy machine gun is reportedly capable of taking out incoming projectiles, such as anti-tank missiles. It’s capable of neutralizing shells approaching at speeds of up to 3,000 meters per second.”

What makes Russia’s new main battle tank so special?

First, the active defense system deserves special attention. It is an individual anti-missile and anti-projectile tank defense system, supposedly capable of intercepting any type of anti-tank ammunition.

“It defends the vehicle from strikes, including those from the air. Thus, even the most modern Apache helicopter will not have a 100 percent chance of destroying a T-14 with its missiles. Active defense is situated along the entire perimeter of the turret at various levels, which ensures complete protection of the tank’s most important elements,” according to the FSMO report.

Second, the location of the crew is also quite unique for a Russian tank (as is the vehicles unmanned remotely controlled turret):

The crew of three men is located in an armored capsule in the forward portion of the hull. According to the specialists, the forward projection has multilayered, combined armor protection which can withstand a direct hit of any type of rounds which exist today, [including] sub-caliber and cumulative rounds.

The German weekly Der Stern notes about the T-14 Armata:

An absolutely new main battle tank is certainly not something most of the world’s exiting armies can boast about. The German Leopard-2 tank was developed 35 years ago, just like the American M1 Abrams. The existing versions of the western tanks feature many improvements, but the basic characteristics do not differ much from the original. The Armata is the first genuinely new [tank] construction since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Foreign Military Studies Office further underlines:

In order to appreciate the real design and technological breakthrough of the Russian tank builders, a rather recent, but classified story should be remembered. It turned out that it is more difficult to design and manufacture a truly new tank than a new aircraft. Fifth-generation fighters are already flying, but only second-generation tanks are in the inventories throughout the entire world. So the Armata will become the first series-produced third-generation tank (although there are those who will dare to list it as fifth generation).

Of course, all of these reports have to be taken with a grain of salt, and until the tank has been thoroughly examined in action, we will know very little about its genuine capabilities.

Source: Internet

United Arab Emirates To Purchase 150 VP11 4x4 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle

United Araba Emirates (UAE) has expressed intrest in purchase of 150 NORINCO's VP11 4x4 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

The VP11 MRAP vehicle is designed using a 4x4 light truck chassis for reconnaissance, search and rescue operations in urban environment by homeland security forces. VP11 4x4 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle is equipped with a remote weapon station which is mounted on the rooftop of vehicle. 

 

What Actually Is The Poland's Stealthy PL-01 Tank?

Has Poland's OBRUM and its partners designed the tank of the future? The PL-01 does pack some incredibly valuable features into a fairly compact and modular concept, and yes, it also looks cool as hell.

 

 
The idea of the PL-01 is to try and eliminate the infrared, radar and visual signature of the traditional tank to a large degree, while also relying on guile to take identity masking a step further. In addition, the PL-01 concept aims at brining to market a tank packed with relevant modern features, many of which already exist off the shelf, while others are still on the developmental horizon. The vast majority of targeting sensors on the battlefield today rely on the infrared band of the electromagnetic spectrum to do their bidding. The PL-01 attempts its almost magical infrared signature reduction via the installation of temperature controlled wafers that blanket its exterior. This chameleon's skin of sorts, allows the tank's skin to match the infra-red signature of its surroundings. It does this by processing what small infrared sensors mounted around the tank detect, and then displays a pattern on the tank's honeycomb-like covering that best matches the infrared data collected. As a result, the tank all but disappears to infrared sensors. Even more outstanding, these wafers can also be used like pixels, as each can be manipulated in temperature. This allows for the tank to use active infrared camouflage, such as tiger stiping its infrared signature in the jungle, or making it flat like the sand in the desert. The PL-01 also lowers its infrared signature through cooling and dispersing the exhaust from its 940 hp diesel engine.

The PL-01's proposed active infrared camouflage system can even go a step further, from concealment to trickery. The tank can even make itself look like a car or another common object, via matching the temperature of its surroundings and then displaying a preprogrammed image on its temperature controlled wafers. This is an amazing countermeasure that, if reliable, can make enemy detection and the creation of a firing solution almost impossible during nighttime operations for a large percentage of any enemy's anti-tank weapon systems. Active camoflauge for military vehicles is nothing new, in fact it has been tested as far back as the 1940's via mounting lights on aircraft, and later ones that change intensity and shade depending on their background. There are rumors that "visual stealth" was tested on aircraft as late as the 1990's. Even Boeing's Bird Of Prey program was said to have tested some forms of visual signature reduction. We have also seen YouTube videos of LED suits that use light sensitive receivers to "cloak" an object, or even more incredible this new capability that is straight out of the Predator movie franchise. This is precisely what the PL-01's designers say they are working on for their tank now, and future models are claimed to offer both infra-red and visual "cloaking" and "spoofing" capabilities. Such a technology would work in the same way as the tank's infrared masking capability, basically by using data from video or light sensitive receivers mounted around the tank and displaying the image taken from one side of tank on the opposite side. This is similar to putting a camera behind a flat panel TV and viewing the camera's feed on the TV. If the magnification was right the TV would all but disappear from a distance.

 

With the miniaturization of technology, I would not doubt if a similar system has been tested on aircraft and even ground vehicles in the US as well. Infrared, and even visual detection, remains a low observable aircraft's "achilles heel," and so called "silver bullet" platforms, meant to kick down the enemy's air defenses, or to spy on an enemy without being detected, could greatly benefit from this technology. Although putting such an elaborate system on a 40 ton tank is very different than installing it on a 15 ton fighter, where weight is always an issue. The infrared spectrum continues to dominate the ground side of the modern battlefield, especially after dark, so having the ability to blend into your thermal surroundings, or to even look like something totally different than what you actually are, should drastically increase your survivability. The PL-01 tank is also said to be almost entirely coated with radar absorbing material, and the vehicle's very low-profile and faceted design is said to reduce radar returns in a sizeable manner. This could be quite valuable, as detection of armored formations via standoff strategic platforms using ground moving target indicator (GMTI) radar will increasingly be proliferated throughout the world. Additionally, radars and missiles that use millimeter wave radar for detection and guidance, such as what is found on the Mi-28N and the AH-64D attack helicopters, are also becoming more common place as a means of attacking armored targets under adverse weather conditions.

Finally, modern fighter and attack aircraft can use their radar systems to detect, and even target armored vehicles, even while those vehicles are moving. With this in mind, lowering the radar signature of a main battle tank, thus decreasing its detection range, can mean the difference between life and death when a roaming pack of enemy multi-role fighters is out hunting for tanks to plink. The PL-01 is also quite intuitive and efficient with its general design, as it only uses three crew, and has an auto-loading system in its turret that carriers 16 rounds (24 more are stored in the hull). The turret, which is unmanned, is modular in nature, and may allow for different turrets, with different capabilities, to be to be interchanged if need be. The PL-01 was designed to field a 105mm or 120mm smoothbore cannon, that will be capable of firing sabot, high explosive, or guided missile rounds. In addition to the main gun, the PL-01 will have a 7.62mm coaxial gun internally mounted turret right next to the main gun, in a similar configuration to the Abrams, as well as a detachable remotely controlled 7.62 or 50 caliber independent gun turret system.

 

 
For the tank's commander, gunner and driver, the latest multi-spectral sensor and targeting systems from BAe and its affiliates are also proposed to be integrated into the stealthy tank. This may include a distributed aperture system (DAS) like spherical situational awareness visual system, similar to what is found on the F-35. Similar systems, albeit of a less complex design than the one found on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, are now being adapted for nautical and land-based applications. In the case of a tank, this could mean that the Tank Commander could potentially wear a helmet mounted sight that would allow him to "see clearly through" the walls of the tank, day or night. This is done by taking a constellation of staring camera sensors placed on the outside of the vehicle, and then stitching their video images together using software and sheer processing power. This virtual visual sphere can then be projected into the tank commander's helmet mounted site. Think of a virtual tour of a room in a home, but real-time imagery. In effect, such a system would provide a tank commander a full 360' day or night view of the outside of his tank. Additionally, this system could also automatically detect targets, both in the air and on the ground, or even movement around the tank if it is set to do so. The PL-01 will also sport active defenses in the form of a Trophy like system, where electronic actively scanned array (AESA) radars will be installed around the turret. Once a high-speed projectile is detected moving at a threatening vector, the system will fire one of its countermeasure rockets to intercept and detonate infront of the incoming projectile, thus killing it, or greatly decreasing its kinetic energy, before impacting the tank. Also, laser detection sensors will be distributed around the tank so that early warning of an imminent enemy attack could initiate automatic ejection of infrared and laser masking smoke mortars, which are mounted flush with turret to keep the tank's radar signature low.

The PL-01 basic tank will come stock with level 5 ceramic-composite armor installed on its frontal hemisphere, with level four armor on its flanks. Additional plug and play armor is said to also be an option for working in extremely high-threat environments, such as urban battlefields. Currently the PL-01 weighs in at about 33 tons, with the additional armour it is projected to weigh close to 39 tons. This would put it in at about 3/5's the weight of an Abrams and about ten tons lighter than the fully loaded Russian T-90 main battle tank. What is also very exiting is that the PL-01, which is based on the Combat Vehicle 90 chassis, will be offered in multiple formats, including a command vehicle, an armored repair vehicle and a mine clearance vehicle. This will allow a forward deployed armored column to work as a single team, using common parts, to accomplish various tasks. What is also smart, is that designers did not include an ambulance, an armored personnel carrier and other disparate capabilities that would have compromised the effectiveness of its baseline design and most certainly would have added to the PL-01's final cost and overall complexity. 

 

The PL-01 seems like a fantastic concept as it takes a modular approach to proven and effective tank design, while also incorporating new technologies and signature control capabilities that are very intriguing to say the least. Although, as with so many "concept" vehicles and weapon systems, it will be interesting to see if BAe and OBRUM can delivery on their many promises and successfully integrate all these attributes into a reliable and effective weapon system. With that said, the choices as to what technologies to integrate into the PL-01, and how to properly integrate them, seems to be incredibly well thought out and truly intriguing. A full working prototype will be fielded in 2016, with initial production beginning near the end of the decade according to OBRUM, so we will just have to wait and see if Poland and their British friends have truly revolutionized the tank as we know it.

31 Phrases That Only People In The Military Will Understand

Every region of the country has its own unique phrases, but they have nothing on the complex lexicon shared by people in the military.

Aside from the way uniformed folks seem to speak in acronyms — "I was on the FOB when the IDF hit, so I radioed the TOC" — there's also a series of commonly used phrases which deserve some attention.

"15 minutes prior to 15 minutes prior"

Military people are taught that they must show up to everything (especially an official formation) at least 15 minutes early.

The 15 minutes to 15 minutes arises as the order filters down through the ranks. The captain wants everyone to meet at 0600, so the master sergeant wants folks to arrive at 0545, and when it finally hits the corporal people are told to show up at midnight.

"A good piece of gear" (in reference to people)

Only in the service is it OK to refer to one of your coworkers or (worse yet and most frequently) a person working for you in a section you manage as "a good piece of gear."




Phan Shannon Garcia\U.S. Navy Photo"Back on the block"

Refers to the time before service, when a servicemember was a "nasty" civilian. (Nasty in the military generally means unkempt.)

Often used in reference to meeting old friends while on leave, as if a military member is "back on the block."

"Blue falcon"

Phonetic slang for "Buddy F-----."

A Blue Falcon is someone who blatantly throws another Marine/soldier/sailor/airman under the bus.

"Breaking it down Barney-style"

Refers to the kid show "Barney and Friends." When something is broken down "Barney-style," it's being explained as if to a child.

"Days and a wake-up"

A "wake-up" refers to the last day you will be some place (generally while deployed). So, if a servicemember is getting ready for bed on a Sunday, and flying out on a Friday, he'll say "four days and a wake-up."

A "drug deal"

When personnel or materiel are obtained through unofficial channels.

"Embrace the suck"

Military service isn't all fun. In fact, it is mostly suck.

For every five seconds of hanging out of a helicopter, there are countless eternities spent enduring safety briefs and doing mundane tasks (picking up cigarette butts, buffing floors, toilets, etc.). And then there is the unpleasantness of being pinned beneath and unable to escape an ever-present rank structure.

Troops are encouraged to embrace this sad reality.




Wikimedia Commons"Field strip"

Literally refers to taking apart weapons to the extent authorized for routine cleaning, lubrication, and minor repairs while in "the field."

Field stripping can also be used informally to describe taking apart anything.

If a Humvee becomes stuck or broken outside of base, troops will field strip it of anything classified or of value prior to leaving it behind.

If you park your car in a bad part of town, it may be on cinder blocks by the next morning, completely field stripped.

"Full battle-rattle"

This phrase refers to all the gear servicemen and women are required to carry outside the wire. Generally: flak jacket with protective plates, Kevlar, 180 rounds of ammunition, water, rations, rifle.

It's called "battle rattle" because — unless we're talking about Navy SEALs — walking with all this stuff usually makes noise.

"Gear adrift, is a gift"

It's your own fault if you left something unattended and it went missing.

Conversely, someone who takes unattended gear has not stolen it, they've "tactically acquired" it. Needless to say, if they get caught, it's still larceny under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Tactical acquisition is taught in boot camp, where recruits from one platoon will prey on another possibly less-aware platoon in order to get supplies and bragging rights.

"Good initiative, bad judgement"

When a problem needs to be solved but the selected means of solving the problem is itself more problematic.

Generally, it shows "good initiative" because the problem might have been above the pay grade of person trying to solve it.

"Grunt by association"

Said as a compliment: Someone who does not have the official qualification in an infantry field, who has worked on a daily basis with the infantry.

Often said of artillerymen or drivers, usually folks augmented for periods of time deployed with the infantry.




screengrab from Top Gun

"I was inverted.""High speed, low drag"

Literally a reference to aerodynamics, but often used figuratively to describe pairs of sunglasses, cars, or just about any piece of "gear."

Used most frequently by total tool-bags.

"Lance corporal underground"

Another Corps-specific phrase. Refers to the somewhat ill-informed, ubiquitous network of junior Marines. Word seems to spread around this network like viral content and largely reflects what junior personnel really feel about a subject, course of action, or senior leader.

"Mandatory Fun" or "Mandofun"

Office dinner parties or get togethers that are mandatory. Sometimes these are just understood as mandatory, other times the order is given expressly.

"No impact, no idea"

If a shooter on the range is so far off target that spotters don't see an impact. Used loosely to mean that the speaker doesn't understand an idea, or that someone is totally clueless.

Similar to "high and off to the right," which is the military equivalent of "out of left field" — a personality type gone crazy, or an idea that no one saw coming.




LiveLeak Screenshot"Nut to Butt"

Very literally, put your nuts on the butt in front of you — said specifically when space is tight or when a situation dictates close proximity of many bodies.

"Police call"

A police call is when an entire unit lines up and walks across a certain area looking for trash.

"Policing," on the other hand, is when a unit internally checks the behavior of its members, or when an individual is ordered to take care of his or her own outward deficiencies (i.e. "Police that mustache!")

"Pop smoke"

Refers directly to when troops use smoke to signal an incoming helicopter.

In vernacular, it means to "leave in a hurry."

"Pucker factor"

Refers to the anus and a frightening situation.

"Rainbow PT gear"

Rainbow means that the unit is wearing whatever sporty gear they want to wear to do "physical training," that the unit will not be in any matching PT uniform.




screenshot"Secret squirrel"

Intelligence personnel, secret communications, classified ops, or someone with higher classification

"Semper I, (F--- the other guy)"

Marine Corps-specific terminology. Adapted from the phrase Semper Fidelis, the service's motto, which means Always Faithful.

"Semper I" is generally evoked when a Marine is perceived to have taken a course of action that either directly adversely effects a fellow Marine, or does so by omission, while simultaneously benefiting the original Marine.

"Smoking and joking"

Being unproductive, horsing around, or literally smoking and joking.

"Soup sandwich" or a "S--- sandwich"

A person or situation that is incredibly screwed up. If it's a situation, often "everyone has to take a bite" of said soup sandwich.

"Standby to standby" and "hurry up and wait"

Believe it or not, the military is government, and government isn't always efficient.

"Standby" is what's called a "preparatory command." Usually the order to standby alerts a unit that it will be receiving some kind of marching orders — "standby to launch."

Unofficially, it's used to tell junior members to be ready and wait. Often, troops find themselves waiting for long periods of time due to logistics or command indecisiveness.

Said sarcastically, "standby to standby" means that a unit is waiting in order to wait some more.

"Hurry up and wait," also said sarcastically, pokes fun at the military's propensity to perform tasks quickly, and then sit idly for long periods of time (no less) ready to perform another task.




AP Photo/Matt Dunham"Squared away" (or "locked on" or "a hard charger")

Squared away in general means that someone is without reproach, but usually when service people say someone is squared away it is a compliment which indicates exemplary, above average service.

On the flip side, when someone is "unsat," they have performed some action or are themselves well below the required standards.

"Voluntarily Told, Voluntold"

There are two different kinds of voluntold:

A. The gunny walks into the office and says, "Man, wouldn't the floor look nice if somebody buffed it?" Which means,"Buff the floor."

B. "I need two volunteers to stand out in front of Best Buy this Saturday collecting Toys for Tots."

" ... "

"Jones, Smith, you're collecting Toys for Tots this weekend."

"Zero Dark Thirty"

Until the movie came around people largely didn't know what this meant. In specific, it refers to the 24-hour time 0030, or 12:30 a.m.

At times it's used loosely to mean "really early."

Also: "Zero Stupid Thirty" to deride formations deemed unnecessarily early.

Bangladesh plans to purchase of more combat aircraft, missiles

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government plans to procure fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, helicopters and other armament to strengthen the armed forces. 

 

She told Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) personnel Wednesday that the government had drawn up plans and set the process, including budget allocation, in motion. 

‘Budget allocation for the Bangladesh Air Force under the present fiscal year is the biggest amount in the history of the force,’ she said. 

She witnessed the BAF’s annual exercise WINTEX-2010 at the main fighter base at Kurmitola in Dhaka Cantonment, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported. 

‘The present government will take all possible measures to build up the country’s air force as an up-to-date force by arming it with modern technology-based war weapons,’ New Age newspaper quoted her as saying. 

Sheikh Hasina said her government was firmly committed to building a modern, knowledge-based air force that excelled in training and technology in order to ensure security of the country and its people. 

A development plan had been approved for constructing infrastructure at Cox’s Bazar, located in the southeastern region bordering Myanmar, for smooth operation of fighter jets and transport aircraft to ensure security of economic activities in the maritime territories and relief operation in remote areas, Hasina said. 

Defence purchases in Bangladesh have been mired in political controversy. 

A court Monday acquitted Hasina of corruption charges in the purchase of eight MiG-29s that were bought during her earlier tenure as the prime minister. 

She told the airforce personnel that the government of her political rival, Begum Khaleda Zia (2001-06) had kept the aircraft unused for long ‘just to get her in trouble’, the newspaper said. 

A frigate purchased from South Korea for the Bangladesh Navy was also kept in mothballs for five years. It was re-commissioned in 2007.