REGIONAL FOCUS
Defence Developments in Indonesia
Any analysis of defence developments in Indonesia inevitably needs to start by looking at the past, for it is the past that has shaped the present in political, economic and defence terms. Indonesia is still a state in transition; it is still coming to terms with a democratic political system and still trying to overcome years of economic mismanagement and corruption. Much progress has been made by Indonesia in recent years, but much still remains and needs to be done to transform this country.

  ...More

AIR SYSTEMS
The Chinese Air Force Growth Path

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) was formally established on 11th November 1949, yet its history can be traced back to the numerous air units that the Chinese Communist Party had formed during the Civil War period with varying degrees of success. The prime reason behind the establishment of the PLAAF in 1949 was the future availability of extensive military assistance from the Soviet Union in the form of equipment, training and support.

...More

NAVAL SYSTEMS
Evolution & Revolution - Chinese Naval Developments

In a previous issue of Asian Defence & Diplomacy (AD&D) we looked at the submarine capabilities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (See: AD&D July/August 2008: ‘Red Star Rising – China’s Expanding Submarine Capabilities’) and the immense growth in qualitative terms of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) submarine fleet. With this article we will be looking at PLAN surface combatants and describing some of the most important ship classes, as well as looking at key future developments.

  ...More

REGIONAL UPDATE
Taiwan Achieves Progress



In early October Taiwan was finally well on course to sign a major series of contracts with the US government to procure a number of different defence systems. That being said, what Taiwan actually got and what it really wanted are two different things. All of which is quite ironic when you consider the fact that the Bush administration is the most favourably disposed administration to Taiwan in many years!

  ...More

INDUSTRY INSIGHT
The Italian Champion
The Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft continues to build major momentum in the international marketplace. This is hardly surprising when you consider the fact that orders for the aircraft now amount to 121 from eight air forces around the world. The most significant victory for this Italian aircraft is its selection for the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) programme for the US Air Force and the US Army.

      ...More