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Embraer announced today a firm order of six A-29 Super Tucano light attack and advanced training aircraft for the Philippine Air Force (PAF). After a comprehensive public bidding process participated by several manufacturers from around the globe and complying with the stringent evaluation processes the Super Tucano was selected as part of the PAF’s ongoing modernization plan. The aircraft will be deployed for close air support, light attack, surveillance, air-to-air interception, and counterinsurgency missions. Deliveries will start in 2019. “We are honored to be selected by the Philippine Air Force, our second operator in the Asia-Pacific region, and with the confidence expressed by our customer”, said Jackson Schneider, president and CEO of Embraer Defense & Security. “The Super Tucano is the best light attack aircraft in the market and we are confident that it will accomplish with excellence the missions it was selected for”. The A-29 Super Tucano is a durable, versatile and

Source:- CPEC: Crouching tiger, hidden dragon Historically, the Dragon is driven by self-interests, even against fair-play norms, as is evident in its dealing with neighbours India, Vietnam etc. But, its ensnaring abilities will come to forefront for Pakistan as more details of CPEC tumble out THE Chinese have an ‘expansionist’ agenda that manifests itself in the realm of trade and commerce, infrastructural initiatives, diplomacy and military footprint. Having overtaken the US as the world’s largest economy (also the world’s largest polluter), the dragon is now securing the neologism of the ‘Chinese Century’ with aggressive realpolitik, geostrategic investments and crucially, by remaining uninvolved in the global war-on-terror that saps the resources of the West. To fructify the portents of the ‘Chinese Century’, Beijing does not shy away from patronising illiberal regimes (eg Sudan, North Korea or having ‘all-weather friendship’ with Pakistan, with which it has no civilisational, cu

Source:- Why Is Democratic India Joining Russia And China’s ‘Anti-Western’ Club, The SCO? India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Russia this week for his first conference as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The SCO is often dismissed in the West as a “dictators’ club”: out of its eight members, five are rated “unfree” on the widely-used Freedom House democracy scale, two are rated “partially free,” and the last one is … India. What is a vibrant democracy like India doing in the company of countries like Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan? The short answer is that India has been hedging its bets, pursuing closer strategic ties with the United States and Japan while maintaining its long-term security links with Russia. The Start of SCO The SCO was founded in 2001 by Russia and China to keep the former Soviet republics of Central Asia from falling under American influence. The seemingly quick and easy U.S. victory in Afgh

Source:- After 2 decades, Indian Navy to commission submarine Kalvari on Dec 14 After nearly two decades, the first Indian submarine Kalvari is to be commissioned in the Navy on December 14. The first of the six Scorpene class submarines – to be named INS Kalvari is scheduled to be commissioned at Mazgaon dock, Mumbai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi would most probably be present at the commissioning, sources said. The last conventional submarine commissioned in the Indian Navy was the Russian origin (EKM class) INS Sindhurashtra that was inducted in July 2000. Indian Navy currently operates 13 old diesel-electric submarines and one nuclear-powered boat. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was regular induction of Russian and German submarines, but a two-decade-long hiatus crippled Indian Navy’s underwater fighting abilities. Way back in 1999, the Indian Navy planned to acquire 24 diesel electric submarines over the next 30 years. The plan was modified twice later to incorporate nuclear

Source:- China is helping Pakistan build bunkers along Gujarat, Rajasthan border. But why? China is helping Pakistan build strong permanent bunkers along the border with Gujarat and Rajasthan, pictures exclusively accessed by Aaj Tak reveal, in fresh evidence of the two troublesome neighbours joining forces to nettle India. The Pakistani side has set up more than 350 such dugouts with Chinese help. The structures are difficult to locate as the stones used for the construction are inconspicuous. Sources say defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman has already visited key areas thrice to assess the security preparedness since getting intelligence reports on the matter. Pakistan has also purportedly undertaken construction of defence canals, swamps and road infrastructure. China and Pakistan consider each other “all-weather friends” and have close diplomatic, economic and security ties. Officials point out that there has been a significant rise in the number of Chinese soldiers close to t

Unmanned Systems Next generation of ground robots will use mesh networking By Adin Dobkin Nov 29, 2017 The Army’s next robot designed to counter explosive hazards will make use of mesh networking to improve connectivity and give additional soldiers access to sensor data and control over the platform on the battlefield. The Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II (MTRS Inc II) is a medium-sized robot that provides standoff capability to identify and counter explosives and CBRN hazards. The MTRS is designed to be modular with a common controller and platform and components that can be quickly swapped out depending on mission specifics. In October, the Army awarded a $100 million contract to Endeavor Robotics to build the platform. The 1,200 MTRS platforms will run on mesh networks. Unlike standard systems, which rely on a central point of connectivity, each node in a mesh network functions as part of the infrastructure of the network. This system creates a more resilient,

C4ISR Navy seeks new C4 support for Pacific Command By Matthew Weigelt Nov 30, 2017 The Navy’s U.S. Pacific Command near Pearl Harbor wants command, control, communication and cyber (C4) support across a range of mission areas, from contract management to cybersecurity. In a sources sought notice , the Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center in Hawaii is considering a contract to provide a broad range of IT services, including: Contract management Information system management IT services Information system administration Knowledge, information and application services Cybersecurity and information assurance services Information system support IT service management C4 capabilities to support the USPACOM mission. USPACOM is looking for contractors with established indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contracts or IT-centric governmentwide acquisition services (GWACs) contracts. It is also searching for potential small businesses in a variety of socio-e

Joslyn Art Museum Omaha, Nebraska October 7 through January 7, 2018   Whether quick sketches or highly finished works, drawings reveal artists' creative impulses and their artistic process, providing viewers a window into the way ideas are transformed into images, and how artists navigate composition and design. Marks of Genius: 100 Extraordinary Drawings from the Minneapolis Institute of Art presents a selection of exceptional and rarely seen works from the museum’s superb collection of over 2,600 drawings.  Ranging from the fifteenth century to the present day, the exhibition features pen and ink studies, chalk drawings, watercolors, and pastels that explore a wide range of subject matter, including depictions from nature, portraits, mythological scenes, and landscapes. The exhibition also features a selection of works from Joslyn’s permanent collection. Marks of Genius opened to the public at Joslyn Art Museum on Saturday, October 7, and continues through January 7, 20

Huntsville Museum of Art October 15, 2017 – January 7, 2018 Polk Museum of Art Lakeland, FL Mar 10 2018 - May 20 2018 Natives of New York, Ann and Lee Higdon developed an interest in art during their teenage years. They often visited museums and found themselves drawn to paintings of the Hudson River School. After marrying and purchasing a nineteenth-century home overlooking the Hudson, they began to collect paintings of the Hudson River School in the 1980s. For nearly forty years, their interest in this artistic period has endured, resulting in the collection of works on view in this exhibition. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, American artists looked to Europe for both aesthetic themes and painterly methods of depicting the world around them. This began to change in the early decades of the nineteenth century as artists adapted European aesthetics to develop a distinctly American landscape narrative.  The name Hudson River School, origin

Burchfield Penney Art Center at SUNY Buffalo State   Friday, December 8, 2017–Saturday, March 24, 2018    Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967), Winter Solstice , 1920-21; watercolor on paper, 21 1/2 x 35 1/2 inches; Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH, Gift off Ferdinand Howald, 1931 From the year of his birth in Ashtabula Harbor (now Ashtabula) until 1921, American watercolor painter Charles E. Burchfield lived mostly in his native state of Ohio. The majority of that time was spent in the city of Salem, living in a small house on East Fourth Street with his mother and five siblings. In a biographical note, written later in life, Burchfield recalled: While I think of 1915 as the true beginning of my career as an artist, I suppose it was evident in earliest years that I was destined to be an artist… I was in fact using water-color before I went to the first grade. By the time he entered high school, Burchfield’s artistic inclinations where already quite evident. Very early

  🇻🇺 Vanuatu Post issued a sheetlet of 14 different stamps on 25 November 2017 to commemorate Vanuatu's hosting of the 2017 Pacific Mini Games which will be held from 4 to 15 December 2017 in Port Vila. The Games will be attended by 2000 athletes from 24 Pacific nations and territories. The flags of the attending territories are depicted in the lower edge of the sheetlet.   This excellent item was designed by Lucas Kukler and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 14. Rating:- *****. 🇳🇿 New Zealand Post issued a miniature sheet containing 3 Birds stamps on 24 November 2017 to commemorate the Royalpex 2017 National Stamp Exhibition which was held in Hamilton. The issue was designed by Stamps and Collectables Business of New Zealand Post and lithographed by Southern Colour Print. Rating:- ****.  🇬🇧  Pobjoy Stamps has announced that the various issues of the postal service of British Antarctic Territory which were mentioned in Blog 1113 we

Source:- Next-Gen A-330 AWACS being developed by DRDO to have mid-air refuelling capability The next-generation airborne early warning and control system (AWACS), with a 360-degree scan being developed by the DRDO, would also double up as an air-to-air refueller following a request by the Indian Air Force (IAF), according to a top DRDO official. The IAF, which is bearing around 80 per cent of the project’s cost, had asked Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to equip Airbus A330 wide-bodied AWACS aircraft with refuelling capability. “Negotiations with Airbus had been completed on the basis of the in-principal approval given by the government and an RFP (request for proposal) that was floated. We will be buying six aircraft, and may buy two more under the option clause later,” S. Christopher, DRDO chief, told IANS. The Airbus A-330, a medium to long-range wide-body twin-engined jet, which emerged as the single bidder for the tender floated by India, is likely to be t

Source:- The Indian Air Force is more powerful than you think India hasn’t been given a lot of credit as a military power. Given that Mahatma Ghandi is highly revered for his advocacy of non-violence, it seems ironic that India has quietly become a significant military power in Asia. This is evidenced best by the Indian Air Force. When it comes to air-power, India is hard to beat. Part of what makes India a formidable airborne combatant is that it operates such a wide variety of aircraft. FlightGlobal.com notes that seven multi-role fighters are in service with the Indian Air Force and at least two other systems are on order. These aircraft range from the venerable MiG-21 Fishbed (which India has modified into an effective fighter) to the ultra-modern Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker and the indigenously designed Tejas (formerly known as the Light Combat Aircraft). The force totals over 800 fighters. But there’s more to an air force than just fighters. India also sports a lot of transports,

Source:- The Indian Air Force is more powerful than you think India hasn’t been given a lot of credit as a military power. Given that Mahatma Ghandi is highly revered for his advocacy of non-violence, it seems ironic that India has quietly become a significant military power in Asia. This is evidenced best by the Indian Air Force. When it comes to air-power, India is hard to beat. Part of what makes India a formidable airborne combatant is that it operates such a wide variety of aircraft. FlightGlobal.com notes that seven multi-role fighters are in service with the Indian Air Force and at least two other systems are on order. These aircraft range from the venerable MiG-21 Fishbed (which India has modified into an effective fighter) to the ultra-modern Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker and the indigenously designed Tejas (formerly known as the Light Combat Aircraft). The force totals over 800 fighters. But there’s more to an air force than just fighters. India also sports a lot of transports,

Source:- The Indian Air Force is more powerful than you think India hasn’t been given a lot of credit as a military power. Given that Mahatma Ghandi is highly revered for his advocacy of non-violence, it seems ironic that India has quietly become a significant military power in Asia. This is evidenced best by the Indian Air Force. When it comes to air-power, India is hard to beat. Part of what makes India a formidable airborne combatant is that it operates such a wide variety of aircraft. FlightGlobal.com notes that seven multi-role fighters are in service with the Indian Air Force and at least two other systems are on order. These aircraft range from the venerable MiG-21 Fishbed (which India has modified into an effective fighter) to the ultra-modern Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker and the indigenously designed Tejas (formerly known as the Light Combat Aircraft). The force totals over 800 fighters. But there’s more to an air force than just fighters. India also sports a lot of transports,

Source:- The Indian Air Force is more powerful than you think India hasn’t been given a lot of credit as a military power. Given that Mahatma Ghandi is highly revered for his advocacy of non-violence, it seems ironic that India has quietly become a significant military power in Asia. This is evidenced best by the Indian Air Force. When it comes to air-power, India is hard to beat. Part of what makes India a formidable airborne combatant is that it operates such a wide variety of aircraft. FlightGlobal.com notes that seven multi-role fighters are in service with the Indian Air Force and at least two other systems are on order. These aircraft range from the venerable MiG-21 Fishbed (which India has modified into an effective fighter) to the ultra-modern Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker and the indigenously designed Tejas (formerly known as the Light Combat Aircraft). The force totals over 800 fighters. But there’s more to an air force than just fighters. India also sports a lot of transports,

Source:- Operation Trident,1971 : How Indian Navy Pulled Off One Of Its Greatest Victories India has a rich history of naval warfare. In fact, Indian ships have made their presence felt since the time of Rajendra Chola’s 10th-century naval expedition to Southeast Asia and Maratha Admiral Kanhoji Angre’s 18th-century naval battles against the British, the Dutch and the Portuguese. This tradition of remarkable military exploits has continued even post-independence, with the Indian Navy playing a key role in at least four major military operations after 1947. There are several stories and anecdotes in the annals of the Indian Navy that illustrate why it has earned the reputation of a force to be reckoned with. But the most celebrated among them is the story of the audacious naval operation commemorated by India’s Navy Day, Operation Trident. Here’s the fascinating story of the mission that proved to be a turning point in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. In 1968, war clouds were already gatheri