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The Republic of Korea (ROK or South Korea) Navy unveiled a new naval base on the southern resort island of Jeju. Jeju island is strategically located in a sea passage connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan (East Sea) in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The 7,600-ton KDX-III Aegis Destroyer Yulgok Yi arrived on December 22 to the "Jeju civil-military sea port base" (the official designation of the base) ahead of its official launch scheduled for January.
A KDX-III Destroyer is set to be permanently homeported to the new base whihc spans nearly 500,000 square meters with docks running some 5 kilometers. The dual-use base is capable of simultaneously docking up to 20 combat ships and two of the biggest cruise ships, larger than 150,000 tons. With the relocations, Jeju will host more than 3,000 Navy troops as well as the Submarine Force Command. The base could see more destroyers in the future as South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff( JCS) decided in 2013 to increase the number of its Aegis destroyers from the current three to six by 2027 to strengthen its maritime combat capabilities

The ROK Navy stressed the new base will dramatically enhance the Navy's ability to counter North Korea's potential provocations at the sea borders both in the west and the east. The new naval compound also has in mind the mission to defend Ieo Island, known as Socotra Rock, a strategically important South Korean submerged rock located nearly 300 km southwest of Jeju. China has previously laid claims to the resource-rich rock, which South Korea controls with the presence of its maritime research center there.

KAI, or Korea Aerospace Industries, Inc. announced today it has completed the development of the amphibious variant of its Surion transport helicopter, which will help enhance the range of operation and mobility for the ROK Marine Corps, specifically from ROK Navy Dokdo class LPH.

Long March 3B lofts Gaofen-4 to close out 2015

The Chinese have closed out the year with the launch of its Long March 3B/G2 rocket. The launch involved the orbiting of a geostationary remote sensing bird, known as Gaofen-4 (GF-4). It was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 16:05 UTC.

Chinese Launch:

Gaofen-4 is China’s first geosynchronous orbit remote sensing satellite featuring a visible light and infra-red staring optical imager with a common optical system.

The optical resolution is better than 50 meters, while the infrared resolution is better than 400 meters. GF-4 can provide an imaging area of 7,000 km × 7,000 km with individual scene covering an area of 400 km × 400 km, and with capacity for high temporal resolution remote sensing monitor at minute-level. Launch mass is 4,600 kg. Gaofen-4 will be operational for 8 years.

The satellite combines the capacity of extremely high temporal resolution and high spatial resolution, optimal features that have various applications such as disaster monitoring, meteorological observation, agriculture, national security, etc.

China’s powerful new space camera for ‘civilian use’ launched into high orbit
Mainland authorities place satellite in geostationary orbit in unusual step for imaging tools

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/ ... high-orbit

Gaofen-4 is China's first geosynchronous orbit HD optical imaging satellite and the world's most sophisticated HD geosynchronous orbit remote sensing satellite, according to Xu Dazhe, head of SASTIND and China National Space Administration.
It can "see" an oil tanker on the sea with a huge CMOS camera, reaching the best imaging level among global high-orbit remote sensing satellites, according to Li Guo, chief designer of Gaofen-4:

http://zz.81.cn/content/2015-12/29/content_6834608.htm

ORIGINAL: bradinggs

Didn't spot any mention of the Nudol Russian system so thought I'd add:

Recent test was done.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security ... e-missile/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/1137442.html

Didn't see it in the database, just spotted the Gazelle.

ORIGINAL: Hongjian

Not directly military related (is it?), but interesting nonetheless:


http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/12/ ... lose-2015/

The Indian Navy achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its Anti Air Warfare capability with the maiden firing of its newly developed Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR SAM). The firing was undertaken on 29 and 30th Dec 15 on the Western Seaboard by INS Kolkata, wherein the missile successesfully intercepted an Aerial Target at extended ranges.

Small-deck ships such as destroyers and frigates could greatly increase their effectiveness if they had their own unmanned air systems (UASs) to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and other capabilities at long range around the clock. Current state-of-the-art UASs, however, lack the ability to take off and land from confined spaces in rough seas and achieve efficient long-duration flight. Tern, a joint program between DARPA and the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR), seeks to provide these and other previously unattainable capabilities. As part of Tern’s ongoing progress toward that goal, DARPA has awarded Phase 3 of Tern to a team led by the Northrop Grumman Corporation.

The first two phases of Tern successfully focused on preliminary design and risk reduction. In Phase 3, DARPA plans to build a full-scale demonstrator system of a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS designed to use forward-deployed small ships as mobile launch and recovery sites. Initial ground-based testing, if successful, would lead to an at-sea demonstration of takeoff, transition to and from horizontal flight, and landing—all from a test platform with a deck size similar to that of a destroyer or other small surface-combat vessel. “The design we have in mind for the Tern demonstrator could greatly increase the effectiveness of any host ship by augmenting awareness, reach and connectivity,” said Dan Patt, DARPA program manager. “We continue to make progress toward our goal to develop breakthrough technologies that would enable persistent ISR and strike capabilities almost anywhere in the world at a fraction of current deployment costs, time and effort.”

U.S. Navy strike aircraft from nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) flew their first missions in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the fight to destroy the ISIL terrorist organization, Dec. 29. Truman and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 join French nuclear powered aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R 91) in conducting combined combat operations in Iraq and Syria from the Arabian Gulf.

"Warfighting is the priority; that's why we are here," Batchelder said. "We provide the hard power in the collective DIME, and look forward to contributing however we can. Dual carrier operations with the French allow us to maximize our firepower and provide a unique opportunity to further progress against ISIL. It validates our abilities to successfully operate as an international coalition while conducting very dynamic operations."

ORIGINAL: Hongjian


In the future; China plans to send more geostationary/geosynchronous optical reconaissance satellites into orbit with increasingly better resolution. One research article details a sub-meter resolution geosynchronous satellite equipped with telescopic-membrane-based optics, like the DARPA MOIRE concept.

With this one in orbit some time in the future, PLA commanders would have "GODS EYES ENABLED" in real-life as well. With the difference that they actually can order attacks with that mode enabled [;)].

ORIGINAL: FTBSS

The Chinese version is also going to be conventionally powered, going to be interesting to see how China does the at sea replenishment necessary to keep a CVBG on station far from friendly bases as it appears they want to be a world class navy (appear to be making great strides in this endeavor).