Shaheed Bir Sreshto Matiur Rahman (February 21, 1945 in Dhaka - August 20, 1971)

Shaheed M. Matiur Rahman (February 21, 1945 in Dhaka - August 20, 1971) was a Flight Lieutenant in the Pakistan Air Force when the Liberation War broke out. His date of birth is sometimes mentioned as 29 November 1941.

 

Shaheed Bir Sreshto Matiur Rahman

 

For his attempt to defect from the Pakistan Air Force, he was decorated with the Bir Sreshtho award by Bangladesh which is the highest honor given. The Bangladesh Air Force's Air Base at Jessore is also named for him. This same base is home to the air force academy of Bangladesh.

He had received his primary education at Dhaka Collegiate School. Next he was admitted into PAF Public School, Sargodha in West Pakistan. After completing his twelfth class course there he entered Pakistan Air Force Academy. He was commissioned in June 1963 and was posted at Risalpur, West Pakistan. He successfully completed the Jet Conversion Course in Karachi before he was appointed a Jet Pilot in Peshawar.

On August 20, 1971 he attempted to steal a T-33 trainer from Karachi, Pakistan to India in order to defect from the Pakistan Air Force and join the liberation movement of Bangladesh. The T-33 aircraft was code-named 'Bluebird'. However, Matiur Rahman could not take the plane out of Pakistani territory, as reportedly, the other pilot Rashid Minhas in the plane forced it to crash. The plane crashed in Thatta, a place near the Indian border. His body, which was found near the crash site was reportedly buried at the graveyard of fourth class employees at Masroor Air Base, Pakistan.

After over 30 years of negotiations, his body was finally returned to Bangladesh for a ceremonial and highly symbolic reburial in 2006 (see below). His original burial in a nondescript grave in Pakistan had been a sore point between Bangladesh and Pakistan for decades.

Matiur's widow, Milly, and his two infant daughters were imprisoned for a month by Pakistan Air Force, and were released on September 29, 1971.

The remains of Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman were returned on June 24, 2006 from Pakistan to Bangladesh. He was buried at the Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard, in Mirpur, Dhaka, with full military honours.

The base of Bangladesh Air Force in Jessore has been named Matiur Rahman Air Base.

 

Bangladesh Air Force Has Inducted To Its Fleet Four K-8W Fighter Trainer From China

The Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) says those were bought as part of the government’s effort to modernise the force. It says the force’s pilots will now receive better and modern flying training with the K-8W aircrafts, which can also be utilised in any conflict.

Pilots and officials of Bangladesh Air Force has received its fleet of four K-8W fighter trainer aircraft bought from China

According to the IHS Janes, the K-8W is an upgraded version of the JL-8 trainer, with a digital fly-by-wire aircraft flight control system and improved heads-up display capability. The aircrafts are currently in service with the Bolivian and Venezuelan air forces, according to the defence magazine. Bangladesh has decided to buy nine such fighters from China. The rest would be brought to the country at a later stage, ISPR says.

The Air Force pilots have brought the four to Bangladesh Air Force Base Bir Sreshto Matiur Rahman at Jessore from China on Saturday. Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Muhammad Enamul Bari and senior BAF officers from Air Headquarters and local base were present to receive the aircrafts. Two transport aircrafts (AN-32) of Bangladesh Air Force have given support for transporting equipment and associated accessories.

H-20 Strategic Bomber: Which One Could Be A Headstorm For Washington

China is developing a new stealth bomber called the H-20 to firm up the PLA strategic bomber force, said Bill Sweetman, a military journalist and Richard D. Fisher, an expert in Chinese military development.

Russia and China are both proceeding with bomber plans while the United States is developing its own Long-Range Strike Bomber project, said the Washington-based Aviation Week & Space Technology report. China's H-20 bomber is most likely to be developed and produced by Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation. The aircraft concept will probably be a subsonic low-observable "flying wing" configuration.

The development of a stealth bomber received "renewed national attention" back in Oct. 2013, according to colonel Wu Guohui, an associate professor from China's National Defense University. "In the past China has been weak regarding bombers, but in the future will develop long-range strike aircraft," he said. Even though the PLA Air Force has said virtually nothing regarding their plans, the H-20's completion is rumored to fall somewhere around 2025.

By that time, China will need the stealth bomber to accomplish two important strategic ambitions. The first is denying the US from entering the First Island Chain, extending from Alaska to the Philippines. Second, China will have to solidify its leadership in the Far East with a wide force projection capability. The H-20 would allow the PLA Air Force to complement the gathering global aircraft carrier and amphibious projection capabilities of its navy.

The H-20 could be developed as an unmanned combat aerial vehicle if the US and Russia decide to design their future bombers as such.

In the meantime, the PLA continues to develop a new version of the H-6 bombers and upgrade obsolete models with new weapons. Russia's rejection of China's request to purchase the more advanced Tu-22M3 leaves the country with no option but to develop or upgrade its own aircraft.

Navistar MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) Vehicles For Pakistan Army

160 of these Navistar MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles will be sold to Pakistan Army.

 

These vehicles are capable of defeating IED blasts and would add top grade protection to our soldier's safety while operating in terrorist infested areas.

 

 

Reliable Sources Confirmed News That TTP Commander Mohmmad Hassan Killed by Pakistan Army

Commander Hasan, who belonged to Afghanistan’s Kabul city, was released from an Afghan jail some time ago.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Saturday said that they lost a senior commander, identified as Gul Hasan Afghani, in clashes with security forces in the North Waziristan tribal region.

TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said that Commander Hasan was killed in clashes with the Pakistan Army in the Boya area of the agency two days ago. Commander Hasan, who belonged to Afghanistan’s Kabul city, was released from an Afghan jail some time ago. Shahid said that the attack was jointly carried out by TTP’s Mehsud faction and the local Taliban and had inflicted “heavy losses on the security forces.”

“The Taliban fighters also captured some areas of the agency during the operation, and seized arms and other equipment,” he added. The TTP also released photographs of the funeral of their slain commander and their chief Maulvi Fazlullah led the funeral which took place at an undisclosed location. Security forces had launched the long-awaited military operation against the TTP and foreign militants in North Waziristan on June 15 after peace talks with the Taliban collapsed.

The military says forces, backed by fighter jets and gunships, have killed over 1,000 militants so far. The TTP spokesperson, however, denies the army’s statement and claims that the military operation faces a total “failure” and that the military’s information wing the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) is “trying to mislead the people through its favourite media.”

Shahid rejected the army’s statements on Taliban casualties, control over areas in North Waziristan, destruction of Taliban control and command system and the arrest of the TTP members behind the attack on educational activist Malala Yousafzai. The military spokesperson DG ISPR Major General Asim Bajwa had earlier said that a group of 10 Taliban militants has been captured in connection with the attack on Malala. He had added that the TTP chief had ordered the attack.

The Taliban spokesperson, however, said that the arrested suspects in connection with attack on Malala were never active Taliban members, adding that they may have been arrested during the 2009 operation in Swat valley and had been missing since then. “The Taliban central command system is fully secure and active and is successfully attacking key targets of Pakistan Army,” Shahid said.

He also claimed that the Taliban shot down a military fighter jet through an anti-aircraft missile in Shawal area. The TTP spokesperson also alleged that dozens of TTP detainees have been killed in fake encounters in Karachi. 

Source: defence.pk

US Air Force Expects to Develop Counter-Electronics Missile by 2016

Future high-power microwave package will be mounted onboard an AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile

 

US Air Force Research Laboratory recently announced its intention to develop and test new missile technology during next years. Developed over the past half decade under a program called Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP), the technology for a steerable counter-electronics weapon will be “available” in 2016, said Maj. Gen. Tom Masiello, who commands the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

“It can target electronics well enough to fly over a city and shut down electronics in a single building,” Masiello said Tuesday at the Air Force Association’s annual conference here.

Tests over the past few years have proved the concept; now the AFRL is working to get the technology into a test missile. By 2016, Masiello said, the lab plans to design, develop and test a multishot, multitarget, high-power microwave package aboard an AGM-86 conventional air-launched cruise missile.

Beyond that, Masiello said, AFRL’s roadmap for high-power microwave (HPM) weapons calls for integrating the technology onto “maybe, a JASSM-ER-type weapon” in the mid-2020s and aboard “small reusable platforms” such as the F-35 or advanced UAVs by the end of the decade.

"It’s unclear whether such weapons will actually enter production; there’s no program of record yet" he said.

 

Source: AirRecognition

Those all-metal Junkers

A Luftwaffe's Junkers Ju 52 dropping off troops

Production LLine of Chinese V750 Vertical Take Off Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Images of Production Chinese V750 Vertical Take Off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV). These images are taken from CCTV footage. V750 TUAV has top speeds of over 100 miles per hour and is capable of upto four hour endurance.

V750 Vertical Take Off and Landing Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle has a maximum takeoff weight of 757 kg and it can carry payload of over 80kilograms.

Production line images indicate that Chinese are confident in V750 and it is ready to compete in open market.

Bangladesh Air Force flight maneuverability

Stunning something from BAF.....

PLAN's Next Generation Type 055 Class Guided Missile Destroyers

Next Generation Type 055 Class Guided Missile Destroyers are being developed for the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy). 

 

 

The Type 055 will be able to carry new generation of Chinese multi-module active phased array radar, electronics to support self-defense, anti-air warfare (AAW) and anti-ship/land-attack missions. The Type 055 is estimated to displace around 10,000 tons.

 

 

Naval Dockyard Attack - Enemy powers seeking pores in the Pakistan Armed Forces

Navy on Tuesday remained tight-lipped on the defence minister’s claim in parliament that the weekend Karachi dockyard attack was an inside job. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, speaking on a point of order by PPP Senator Raza Rabbani, said “some of the navy staff of commissioned ranks and some outsiders” were involved in the terrorist strike.

Pakistan Navy’s public relations wing said on Monday night that its troops had thwarted an attack on the Karachi dockyard on Saturday in which one of its soldier lost his life while defending the facility. Two militants were killed and four others were apprehended by naval security personnel. Some of the attackers were said to be wearing navy uniforms. The defence minister promised to lay more details about the attack before parliament on Wednesday. It is claimed that some navy men were also involved in the 2011 attack on Mehran Base, which is the deadliest attack so far on a navy installation.

A navy spokesman when contacted to comment on the claims about the involvement of some navy personnel in the dockyard attack said several arrests had been made from Karachi and other cities. He, however, refused to say if there were navy personnel among the dead or arrested attackers.

“Disclosing such sensitive information at this stage could compromise our investigations that are still continuing for unearthing the network,” the spokesman said. He did not speak either on the reports that one of the attackers reportedly killed in the incident – Owais Jakhrani — was a former navy sailor, who had quit a few months ago. Twenty-five-year-old Owais was son of SSP Ali Sher Jakhrani. 

 

Federal Minister for Defence, Water and Power Khwaja Muhammad Asif addressing press conference

 

“The body was handed over to the hospital and we do not have any further details to offer,” another navy spokesperson said. He avoided commenting on the links of the militants. “It’s too early to say that”. The proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. A person identifying himself as TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid sent messages to journalists, saying: “We claim responsibility for the attack on navy in Karachi.”

He claimed that support from “inside navy” had helped the TTP carry out the strike. Shahid vowed to carry out more attacks against the armed forces in future. Police investigators in Karachi said a body found along the seashore on Sunday was that of Owais Jakhrani. “It’s our own investigation which suggested that Owais was one of the attackers who targeted the navy’s dockyard facility,” Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo told Dawn.

“There was no bullet wound on his body. Though he died of drowning, he was one of the attackers. Initially, police took the body as of a drowning victim and shifted it to the Edhi morgue. Details emerged later to determine the facts and identity of the deceased,” he added. Referring to his talks with SSP Jakhrani, who was in Saudi Arabia on an official visit, Mr Thebo said Owais had been recruited as a commissioned officer in the navy and quit the force some four to five months ago to join civil service.

“He left home on Friday informing the family that he was leaving for Islamabad. The family was under an impression that he was in Islamabad, but someone called his father in Saudi Arabia that his son was killed; go and get his body from Edhi morgue,” he said. The facts shared by the city police chief, however, failed to quell the mystery shrouding the incident. Even police findings were not confirmed by the navy. 

 

In this photograph taken on July 10, 2006, Pakistani naval personnel give the final touches to the third Agosta 90 B Submarine named as 'Hamza' at The Pakistan Navy Dockyard in Karachi (File Photo)

“We were not aware any of such incident (recovery and identification of Owais Jakhrani’s body)” said a navy spokesman. “We have already shared the details with the media and we stick to those facts. We are not aware of the reason behind the police claim so we cannot confirm that.” Although the police authorities confirmed that Owais was one of the attackers, they distanced themselves from investigation into the attack, saying it was solely the navy’s job. That was perhaps the reason which restricted the law-enforcement agency to register an FIR of the attack.

If the facts shared by police and the navy are relied on, the number of attackers may rise. There was no word from the Karachi police about information which led them to believe that Owais was involved in the attack. If he was, the question about the cause of his death remains unanswered. There is also a question why his body could not be spotted by security forces fighting the attackers. Security sources see the fresh assault as a signal of global terrorism network’s revival in Pakistan.

“There are signs which suggest that the attack was carried out with the assistance of people within the force,” said a security official. “It is believed that the attack was carried out by Al Qaeda with help from within the Pakistan Navy. Al Qaeda in Pakistan is showing signs of revival. One cannot ignore recent announcement of Al Qaeda having formed an Indian branch of the militant group to spread Islamic rule and raise the flag of jihad across the subcontinent.”

Meanwhile, Owais Jakhrani was buried in Tark-i-Ali graveyard in Jacobabad. His funeral prayer was offered in the ground of a government school and attended by his relatives and a large number of people.

 

Source: dawn.com

Photo Courtesy: APP & AFP

Airstrikes kill 35 suspected militants in North Waziristan - Dawn Reports

Thirty-five suspected militants were killed in aerial strikes by fighter jets in the North Waziristan tribal region, the military said on Wednesday. The claims, however, could not be independently verified as journalists have limited access to the restive tribal agency.

A statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said “three terrorist hideouts were destroyed in precision strikes in the northwest of Dattakhel early on Wednesday”. Dattakhel is considered a stronghold for terrorists and a targeted clearance operation is under way in the area. More airstrikes may be carried out in and around Dattakhel which has also been a scene of numerous drone strikes in the past.

 

A PAF F-16 Fighting Falcon Block-52

 
The latest statement from the army comes as military operation Zarb-i-Azb is completing its third month. The operation was launched by the Pakistan Army on June 15 following a brazen militant attack on the Jinnah International Airport and failure of peace talks between the government and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) negotiators.

The Taliban and their ethnic Uzbek allies both claimed responsibility for the attack on the airport which was seen as a strategic turning point in how Pakistan tackles the insurgency. Nearly a million people have fled the offensive in North Waziristan and taken shelter at camps for the displaced.

What makes Tejas a wholly indigenous fighter, or how? Tejas borrows its Delta-Winged design from F-16XL.

Tejas wing design is opposite of F16XLs design as shown in the Figure below. Tejas leading edge is low sweep, where as in XL its high sweep

LCA Tejas is not an whole indigenous design project, in fact, DRDO drawn help from abroad many times.

Also,the design of Tejas is called compound delta, while that of XL is called cranked arrow. Tejas has a compound delta wing design with a unique low sweep leading edge crank. This crank is different from that of XLs. Tejas crank is only visible in the side view.

Participation of JF-17 Thunders at Turkey Airshow, 2011

A bunch of HD photos of JF-17 Thunders participated at Turkey Airshow, 2011:

Seeker 400 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Surveillance System, South Africa

Seeker 400 is an unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance system being designed and manufactured by Denel Dynamics, South Africa. Each system will comprise four to six unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), a mission control unit (MCU), tracking and communication unit (TCU), aircraft payloads, thermal imaging camera, high resolution video camera and an optional tactical ground control station (TGCS). 

A Seeker 400 drone flies over Cape Town Stadium

The Seeker 400 is derived from its forerunner, the Seeker II aircraft. It is especially well suited to locate targets, endorse artillery fire and carry out electronic intelligence (ELINT) and electronic support measure (ESM) missions. 

The insignia of 10 Squadron SAAF depicting the UAV, which it used in the waning days of the South African Border War

 Flying at an altitude of up to 18,000ft, the Seeker 400 will render real time intelligence data by executing reconnaissance operations over a large area. It will capture the real time imagery of the battlefield and transmit to the TGCS through a satellite communication data link.

Seeker 400 UAV design

Seeker 400 can carry out border patrol, maritime patrol and target designation missions.

The Seeker 400 is designed to be 30% larger than Seeker II and will carry 100kg of payload. It can execute intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition (ISTAR) operations both day and night even under worst climatic conditions. The vehicle can also perform border patrol, maritime patrol and target designation missions.

It is designed to carry two Impi laser guided missiles or two external fuel tanks on under wing hard points. The Impi is a missile being built by Denel Dynamics for a lightweight platform. The stand-off range of the missile will be 10km.

Development

An electro-optic sensor can be incorporated in the Seeker 400.

 The vehicle is currently in the final phase of development and its first round of flight tests were conducted in February 2014. The UAV with full payload onboard successfully met the range and performance requirements during the second round of flight tests conducted in July 2014. 

Features

The Seeker 400 will feature all composite modular low drag airframe made up of carbon fibres to ensure maximum performance. The dual band data links will facilitate the vehicle to accommodate multiple payloads simultaneously. The aircraft will be equipped with a colour day light camera, infra-red thermal imager, black and white spotter camera, night spotter camera, Mode S transponder and very high frequency (VHF) AM air traffic control (ATC) radio for ATC interfacing.

An electro-optic camera will be incorporated beneath the front fuselage section to capture the imagery of battlefield. A directional antenna will be fitted on top of the front fuselage section to decrease jamming and facilitate communications up to 250km range from the control station. The operational range can be increased from 250km to 750km by passing the control to a forward deployed TGCS. 

Sensors

The UAV can be equipped with any two payloads i.e. the Zeiss LEO III (electro-optic (EO), infra-red (IR)), electronic intelligence (ELINT) sensor, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) or an electronic surveillance payload (ESP) locating radar emitters. 

Radars

The Seeker 400 will be incorporated with maritime radar, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), laser ranger finder, laser illuminator and communication intelligence (COMINT). 

Engines

The Seeker 400 will be powered by a single four stroke aircraft engine, which produces 63.4kW of output power. 

Ground control station

The MCU will act as an interface between the mission control crew and the vehicle. It will operate and monitor the aircraft as well as its payloads through commands.

The TCU is a separate unit that will keep track of the Seeker 400. It can be installed up to 200m away from the MCU to render maximum line of sight (LOS) communications.

The TGCS has the same functions as the MCU and TCU housed in one shelter. It is highly mobile and is deployed in the front line or on high ground to extend the UAV's range. It is being developed by Denel Dynamics.

Performance

The Seeker 400 can fly at a maximum speed of 222km/h. The range and service ceiling of the aircraft will be 250km and 5,486m respectively. The UAV has an endurance of 16 hours.

Pakistan: Domestic Drones Ready (A report published in New York Times November, 2014)

The Pakistani military deployed its first fleet of domestically developed drones on Monday. The new Burraq and Shahpar drones will be used by Pakistan’s army and air force, the military said in a statement. It was unclear whether the aircraft are armed or unarmed, and military officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

 

Pakistani Burraq Drone In-Flight

 

Pakistan has struggled with a lack of precision munitions and advanced targeting technology, according to Pakistani military officials and civilians involved in the domestic drone industry. Even if Pakistan had the technology, the small drones it has developed would have trouble carrying the kinds of missiles fired by the American aircraft. The Pakistani drones also have much more limited range than those developed by the United States. 

 

 Chinese CH-3 UCAV at Air Show

The announcement coincided with a move by the Pakistani police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province to prevent activists who were protesting against American drone strikes from blocking trucks carrying NATO troop supplies to and from Afghanistan. The federal government has also criticized American drone strikes, but the actions by the police on Monday indicated that the government had decided to intervene to stop the NATO blockade in order to avert a dispute with the United States and other NATO countries.