* To “speculation” that China’s recent $10B investment package in Tanzania that includes port infrastructure in Bagamoyo may also have a military purpose, the official Chinese response is: of course not!. The reported claim that the port will handle 20 million containers a year sounds too large by an order of magnitude, even if Tanzania could in theory serve as a hub for many landlocked countries. 20 million TEUs would put Bagamoyo in the top 5 worldwide [PDF] and would make it the biggest container port outside of Asia, way ahead of Rotterdam or Los Angeles. A more reasonable 2M TEUs would match Durban’s volume in South Africa. But they do plan to make the port ready for very large container ships. So will China use these new facilities as a port of call for its naval vessels? Of course they will.
* It is well known that China is putting pressure on its neighbors over territorial disputes. But old claims are resurfacing elsewhere in Southeast Asia as well.
* India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) grew by 0.9% to Rs 14,316 crores (about $2.65B) in 2012, a much slower growth rate than the previous year.
* Defense News reports that many of Indonesia’s recent armament purchases are financed up to 85% through credit from commercial banks.
* The US Coast Guard is evaluating a system designed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) to entangle small boat propellers, using either a launcher or an underwater barrier.
* Peru will buy 24 Mi-171Sh Russian transport/combat helicopters for close to $407M, on top of the 6 units they ordered in 2010. Voice of Russia | La Republica [in Spanish]
* Joseph Ackerman, the retiring president and CEO Of Elbit Systems, admits they have been investing way ahead of market requirements for unmanned ground vehicles, but he still wants to see whether that may change. “Armies around the world still don’t understand what to do with this capability. And to be fair, it’s much easier to operate an unmanned vehicle in the air than on the ground.”
