Sarath Chandran’s Post

Angel Payal, Payal Angel, Arthi Sharma…. These are some profiles used by Intelligence Operatives in social media platforms to extract high-value information. In one such incident, a technician in Cochin Shipyard shared pictures of naval vessels after befriending a woman named Angel Payal on Facebook. #spying #intelligence #investigations #socialmedia https://lnkd.in/gqPvpNeR

Behold the Buddha! The famed Globemaster stood, or hovered, a benign menace, under the midday sun. There was more security than usual at the Hosea Kutako Airport, Windhoek, Namibia. It was usually just Lucia, who had by now become my friend, and just another person. Now it was a whole posse of them – of different colours, postures, and uniforms. Each of them eyed the passengers walking on the tarmac sternly. All of them hissed or hollered as I got drawn towards the snub-snout beast variously called the ‘Moose’ and the ‘Buddha.’ I had heard of the strategic aircraft painted in Qatar Airways livery but was not exactly a passenger carrier. The Globemaster or the C-17 was a heavy lifter with a war pedigree. But it was not exactly a military aircraft masquerading as civilian equipment, as I came to find out later from our aviation sources. It was owned by the Qatar Emiri Air Force though. The unique paint scheme which apparently is the first of its kind – according to the article on the Boeing website – was intended to build awareness of Qatar’s participation in operations around the world. So there, no controversy, no conspiracy, just plain purpose and good public relations. Of course, the rest of the country’s C-17 fleet are employed in combat operations and are appropriately coloured. Specs for the avgeek: The Globemaster’s wingspan and length are both approximately the same at around 170 feet. The cargo space is over 85 feet long, 18 feet wide and 12 feet high, making it nothing short of cavernous. It can carry a total of 78 tons or, 18 modular pallets of equipment, or up to 102 troopers. The Boeing article also stated, ‘In addition to being able to land and take off on short, unimproved runways, it has the highest mission capability rate of any airlifter, which means it is ready to fly roughly 90 per cent of the time.’ This did explain some of the breathtaking photographs and videos of the C-17 that had me hooked for long – landing on dirt lands, snowy terrains, and ancient airstrips – serious work that came across as showboating! Memorable first sightings! #globemaster #Boeing #qatarairways #avgeek #aviationenthusiasts #airforce

Happy to share my first article in 2024! Here I discuss some important updates on Indonesia's domestic naval shipbuilding activities at the end of 2023 + an (optimistic) prediction that in the next few years, we will witness a substantial increase in 🇮🇩 naval shipbuilding

From fixing giant Marine Diesels of mega warships to AUM over 50 crore in 2 years has been a satisfying career transition.

A very timely reminder: the only one submarines we have for now are Collins Class submarines. The future SSNs meant for Australia, whether we are talking about Virginia Class built in the US or AUKUS built in Australia, remain …a plan. We don’t fight with plans. We fight with actual assets. Till we get these nuclear powered assets, or till the next change of plans (this is Australia, right?), we ONLY have Collins submarines.

Avon Protection, the leader in innovative underwater and CBRN protective equipment, is pleased to announce that its MCM100 Multi-Role Rebreather has been selected by the New Zealand Defence Force to equip its navy divers. This significant contract includes the supply of MCM100 systems, spares and accessories, and a multi-year support programme. New Zealand joins a user community that includes other key NATO nations and partner navies. Initially developed and deployed with global militaries and specialist user groups, the MCM100 delivers enhanced diver safety and extended mission duration for military divers across the spectrum of shallow and deep-water diving operations; including explosive ordinance disposal (EOD), mine-countermeasures (MCM), Special Forces, covert subsurface infiltration, submarine release & infiltration, and manned underwater vehicle operations. The electronically controlled, closed-circuit MCM100 uses advanced digital oxygen sensors and a native decompression algorithm to manage the oxygen and decompression risk. System and mission information is fed to the diver via a wrist or console-mounted handset display and a heads-up display, maximising system useability and allowing the user to focus on the mission rather than the equipment. Additionally, automated pre-dive sequencing reduces mission readiness time and enhances safety. The MCM100’s modular design ensures a future-proofed capability for the underwater operator, providing users flexibility in how and when they integrate new technologies as they become available or as their mission envelope changes. #military #defense #defence #militaryleak https://lnkd.in/gJdJF4ur

Paul Haynes, JFD's Head of Special Operations Capability, recently wrote an article for Military Systems and Technology magazine called 'Tactical Diving Underwater Manoeuvre, The Future Direction of Travel' The article explores topics such as the changing operational landscape, operational employment and modernisation priorities. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dS83xAv #JFD #TacticalDivingVehicles #SpecialOps #SpecOps

Did you know..❓ During World War 2, a motorised submersible known as Sleeping Beauty was created by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). It was specifically designed to perform clandestine surface and sub-surface reconnaissance and covert attacks. Combining the legendary concept of the Sleeping Beauty with modern navigation propulsion and sensor technology, JFD was inspired to created the Shadow Seal, a unique Tactical Diving Vehicle (TDV) suitable of undertaking a range of complex mission profiles. JFD understands the demanding and ever-changing sub surface battlespace, and continues to support military personnel around the world with innovative solutions and support, in order to achieve mission success. Find out more about JFD's Shadow Seal here: https://direc.to/kD5d #SleepingBeauty #WW2 #JFD #ShadowSeal #TacticalDivingVehicle #SpecialOperations

OPINION: "Foreign military activity inside EEZs continues to be a key point of contention in the Indo-Pacific region. Divergent interpretations of the relevant UNCLOS provisions has been the crux of past and present disputes over close air and sea encounters between rival forces. But these persistent differences have not stopped navies from adopting common guidelines to govern their interactions. Notably was the adoption of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in 2014, with Australia and China among the signatories. "Existing international mechanisms do not prescribe explicit guidelines that govern the use of sonars against divers. The 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) prescribed 'equipment for sound signals' (under Rule 33) to include a whistle, bell and gong but made no explicit mention of sonar. CUES listed “actions the prudent commander might generally avoid” during encounters at sea, for instance the use of lasers that could cause harm to personnel or damage to equipment. There was also mention of “simulation of attacks by aiming guns, missiles, fire control radars, torpedo tubes, or other weapons in the direction of vessels or aircraft encountered,” but it was silent about sonar – even if the use of such a system could be broadly interpreted as 'other weapons'. "This latest incident means there is now an opening for navies to engage in a candid discussion about how best to prevent a recurrence of the episode. It would be prudent for concerned navies participating in the next iteration of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium to flag this sonar incident, with an eye on possibly revising the existing version of CUES. This could also be raised at the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) to kickstart a discussion about acoustic and underwater safety practices for navies in the form of a concept paper, which could possibly result in a future intra-ASEAN agreement." Read full article here: https://bit.ly/4a24tKR Subscribe to the Ausmarine newsletter – https://bit.ly/3PCwmP4

OPINION: "Foreign military activity inside EEZs continues to be a key point of contention in the Indo-Pacific region. Divergent interpretations of the relevant UNCLOS provisions has been the crux of past and present disputes over close air and sea encounters between rival forces. But these persistent differences have not stopped navies from adopting common guidelines to govern their interactions. Notably was the adoption of the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) at the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in 2014, with Australia and China among the signatories. "Existing international mechanisms do not prescribe explicit guidelines that govern the use of sonars against divers. The 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) prescribed 'equipment for sound signals' (under Rule 33) to include a whistle, bell and gong but made no explicit mention of sonar. CUES listed “actions the prudent commander might generally avoid” during encounters at sea, for instance the use of lasers that could cause harm to personnel or damage to equipment. There was also mention of “simulation of attacks by aiming guns, missiles, fire control radars, torpedo tubes, or other weapons in the direction of vessels or aircraft encountered,” but it was silent about sonar – even if the use of such a system could be broadly interpreted as 'other weapons'. "This latest incident means there is now an opening for navies to engage in a candid discussion about how best to prevent a recurrence of the episode. It would be prudent for concerned navies participating in the next iteration of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium to flag this sonar incident, with an eye on possibly revising the existing version of CUES. This could also be raised at the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) to kickstart a discussion about acoustic and underwater safety practices for navies in the form of a concept paper, which could possibly result in a future intra-ASEAN agreement." Read full article here: https://bit.ly/4a24tKR Subscribe to the Ausmarine newsletter – https://bit.ly/3PCwmP4