Malaysia to join US, Thailand and South Korea in military exercise

December 22, 2015 - Malaysia will join the United States, Thailand and South Korea in the Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercise (Calfex), in conjunction with the Cobra Gold military training exercise next year. Armed Forces Chief Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said currently, about 30 countries were participating in the Cobra Gold, which was first held in 1982, but only the three countries had joined Calfex. 

Raytheon Awarded $35 Million Stinger Contract for Republic of Korea Delivery

Stinger (Source: Raytheon)

Raytheon Company signed a $35 million contract to deliver Stinger missiles and air-to-air launchers to the Republic of Korea Army in support of their recent procurement of AH-64 Apache helicopters.

Under the previously announced foreign military sale, Raytheon will begin deliveries of the Stinger weapon systems in 2017. 

Republic of Korea upgrades its Air and Missile Defense

Patriot Missile Defense System Solution

The Republic of Korea awarded Raytheon Company a $769.4 million Direct Commercial Sale contract to upgrade an undisclosed quantity of Patriot Air and Missile Defense System batteries to the latest Patriot Missile Defense System Solution configuration currently fielded.

Northrop Grumman to Start Production on Republic of Korea Global Hawks

RQ-4 Global Hawk (Source: Northrop Grumman)

Northrop Grumman Corporation recently announced that the company will begin production of four RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for the Republic of Korea's Air Force. The systems will provide valuable wide-area intelligence gathering capabilities to military commanders so they can make more informed decisions.

Under a contract awarded Dec. 16, the company will work closely with the US Air Force to deliver the systems starting in 2018.

China Upping the Ante, Are We Ready?

By: Danny Liew Shan Lee

(China's new ADIZ: Source: SCMP)

The 9 – Dotted Line, Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, the Spratly, the ADIZ, and now the Liaoning, PLAN's first aircraft carrier.  The Dragon has awakened and it is asserting its claim over its historical territories. 

For China’s immediate neighbours, the growing strength of China’s military might is disconcerting.  The claim on Senkaku/Diaoyu chain of islands and the unilateral declaration of Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the same area had rattled her neighbours, particularly South Korea and Japan, both of which has overlapping claims over the chain of islands.

But the biggest bombshell would be the launching of Liaoning’s sea trial in the seas of South China Sea, which China sees as her own playground.  The launch, declared earlier last week caused trepidation over the region as the exercise is being seen as potentially as an escalation of aggression in the hotly contested region.

Part One

In this article, we will examine the relationship between Malaysia and China.  How this relationship had been built from Day 1 till today.  We will examine also how China’s multiple unilateral actions and military build-up has led to slow erosion of our relationship.

We will also look into the current and near future order of battle of Malaysian forces, on how these could interdict Chinese hegemony in the region.