Excocet MM38 buktikan keupayaan armada TLDM
















KUALA LUMPUR: Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) membuktikan keupayaan armadanya apabila penembakan misil jenis Exocet MM38 dilancar KD Gempita, tepat mengenai sasaran dalam ujian di perairan utara Selat Melaka, berdekatan Perak, kelmarin.

Misil ditembak dari kapal Kelas Penyerang Laju (FAC-M) buatan Sweden di bawah pemerintahan Leftenan Komander Md Zaman Hassan itu, memusnahkan sasaran terapung iaitu tongkang berukuran 40 meter yang memuatkan enam kontena bersaiz 12 meter di lokasi ujian jam 10.30 pagi.

Impak letupan misil seberat 735 kilogram (kg) serta 5.21 meter panjang dan berdiameter 35 sentimeter (sm) yang mempunyai bahan peledak seberat 165 kg itu menyebabkan empat kontena musnah dan tercampak ke laut.

Menurut kenyataan TLDM semalam, tembakan itu adalah aktiviti kemuncak Eksesais Latihan Pengoperasian Laut (OSTEX) iaitu latihan di laut bagi beberapa kapal TLDM.

“Jarak maksimum bagi misil ini melebihi 40 kilometer (km). Bagaimanapun, penembakan kali ini dibuat pada jarak melebihi 20 km bagi mengurangkan risiko keselamatan pada bot nelayan di perairan berkenaan.

“Walaupun TLDM terpaksa mengoperasikan kapal dan misil yang telah menjangkau hayat melebihi 30 tahun, kejayaan penembakan ini memperkukuh dan membuktikan bahawa Armada TLDM yang terbabit dalam perancangan dan pelaksanaan penembakan, sentiasa dalam keadaan siaga dan terlatih,” kata kenyataan itu.

Exocet MM38 diperoleh TLDM pada 1978 adalah jenis peluru berpandu permukaan ke permukaan yang mampu memusnahkan pelbagai jenis sasaran permukaan termasuk kapal bersaiz besar.

Misil itu digeruni apabila kapal Argentina yang menggunakan sistem persenjataan ini berjaya menenggelamkan dua kapal Tentera Laut British dalam Peperangan Falklands pada 1982.

Kini TLDM memiliki beberapa jenis misil termasuk MM40 di kapal frigat TLDM dan terkini SM39 yang dilengkapi di kedua-dua kapal selam KD Tunku Abdul Rahman dan KD Tun Razak yang boleh dilancarkan dari bawah laut ke permukaan.

Kenyataan TLDM turut menyebut, pasukan itu buat pertama kali menggabungkan tiga aktiviti serentak iaitu dua siri latihan OSTEX berserta aktiviti penembakan dilakukan dalam tempoh latihan yang menjimatkan 60 peratus kos operasi.

“Kejayaan ini juga dapat melatih warga TLDM dalam pengendalian misil merangkumi aspek perancangan latihan, penyediaan dan penyelenggaraan, melaksanakan penembakan sehingga ke proses menganalisis data apabila selesai penembakan,” katanya.

Suggestion of Logistic Ship for RMN

1st Candidate

Type 071 (Yuzhao Class)(LPD)













Origin: PRC (People Republic of China)

* Displacement: 18,500+ tons
* Length: 210 m
* Beam: 28 m
* Draft: 7 m
* Speed: 22+ kt
* Range: 6,000 nm at 18 kts
* Propulsion: CODAD, 2-shaft, 4 x SEMT Pielstick 16 PC2.6 V400 Diesel engines (35,200 kW), 47, 200hp [3]
* Armaments:
o 1 x AK-176, 76 mm gun
o 4 x AK-630, 30 mm CIWS
o Possible installation of 2-4 heavy machine-guns (fitted for but not with)
o 4 x 18-tube Type 726-4 decoy/chaff launcher
* Sensors:
o Surface search radar: 1 x Type 360 Radar Seagull S, E/F-band
o Air search radar: 1 x Type 364 Radar, Seagull C, G-band, aft
o Fire control radar: 1 x Type 344 Radar, I band
o Navigational radar: 1
* Complement: 120
* Military lift:
o 4 x air-cushion vehicles plus 500-800 troops and 15-20 armoured vehicles
o 2 x LCVP port/starboard davits
* Helicopters: 2-4 Z-8 Super Frelon


2nd Candidate

Dokdo class amphibious assault ship (LHD)













Origin: South Korea
Tonnage: 14,300 tons (empty) / 18,800 tons (full)
Length: 199 m (653 ft)
Beam: 31 m (102 ft)
Draught: 7 m (23 ft)
Propulsion: 4 S.E.M.T. Pielstick 16 PC2.5 STC Diesel engine
Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h) maximum
18 knots (33 km/h) cruising
Boats and landing
craft carried: 2 LSF-II or LCAC
Capacity: Up to 200 vehicles
Troops: 720 marines, 6 tanks, 7 amphibious assault vehicles
Crew: 700
Armament: Two Goalkeeper CIWS, One RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile
Aircraft carried: Up to 10 helicopters
Aviation facilities: Flight deck and hanger


3rd Candidate

Galicia Class Landing Platform Dock (LPD)














Origin: Netherland & Spain
Displacement: 12.750 tonnes full load
Length: 166.20 m
Beam: 25.00 m
Draft: 5.80 m
Propulsion: Diesel-electric system 4 x Stork Wartsila 12SW28 diesel generators at 14.6 MW 4 x Holec electric motor (two in tandem per shaft) at 12 MW 2 shafts bow thruster
Speed: 19 knots (35 km/h)
Range: 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 12 kt
Endurance: 6 weeks
Boats and landing
craft carried: 4 LCM1-E and two RHIB
Complement: 185. The ships can transport 600 fully equipped soldiers or 170 APCs or 33 MBTs.
Sensors and
processing systems: DA08 air / surface search IRSCAN SATCOM, Link 1, JMCIS
Armament: 4 Sippican Hycor SRBOC MK36 launcher 1 AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy Indra SLQ-380 Aldebarán 2 x Oerlikon Contraves 20 mm cannons
Aircraft carried: 4 SH-3 Sea King or 6 NH-90 helicopters


4TH Candidate

Makassar Class Landing Platform Dock (LPD)









Origin: South Korea & Indonesia
Displacement: 7,300 tons standard displacement
11,394 tons full displacement
Length: 122 meters ~ 125 meters
Beam: 22 meters
Draft: 4.9 meters
Decks: (Tank Deck); 6.7 meter,(Truck Deck); 11.3 meter
Propulsion: CODAD, 2 shafts
2 x MAN B&W 8L28/32A diesel rated at 2666 BHP/1960 kW@ 775 RPM
Speed:
Maximum: 16 knots
Cruising: 14 knots
Economy: 12 knots
Range: 30 days, up to 10,000 Nm
Boats and landing
craft carried: 2 x LCVP
Troops: 218 troops
Complement: accommodations up to 518 persons
Crew: 126 crew
Armament:
'A' position: Bofors 40mm SAK40/L70 or 100mm
'B' position: 20mm Oerlikon
'B' position: 2 x Mistral Simbad
Aircraft carried: 5 helicopters


5TH Candidate

Endurance Class Landing Platform Dock Ship (LPD)














Origin: Singapore
Displacement: 6,500 tonnes (light)
8,500 tonnes (full)
Length: 141.0 m (463 ft)
Beam: 21.0 m (69 ft)
Draught: 5.0 m (16 ft)
Ramps: 2 × (bow and stern)
Installed power: 4 × Ruston 6RK215 diesel generators (700 kW each)
Propulsion: 2 × Ruston 16RK 270 diesels (5000 kW each) coupled to 2 × Kamewa controllable pitch propellers
Bow thruster
Speed: 15 knots (28 km/h) to 20 knots (37 km/h)
Range: 5,000 nautical miles (9,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Boats and landing
craft carried: 4 × 13 m Fast Craft Equipment & Utility (FCEU) on davits
2 × 25 m Fast Craft Utility (FCU) inside well deck
Capacity: 18 tanks, 20 vehicles and bulk cargo
Troops: 350
Crew: 65 (8 officers and 57 men)
Sensors and
processing systems: Search radar type IAI/ELTA EL/M-2238
Navigation radar: Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 (I band)
Weapon control: CS Defense NAJIR 2000 electro-optronic director
Electronic warfare
and decoys: ESM/ECM: RAFAEL RAN 1101
Decoys: 2 × GEC Marconi Marine Shield III 102 mm sextuple fixed chaff/decoy launcher
Armament: Anti-air: Mistral missiles launched from 2 × Simbad twin launcher mounts
Main gun: Oto Melara 76 mm super rapid gun
Machine guns: 2 × M242 Bushmaster 25 mm automatic cannon
4 × CIS 50MG 12.7 mm HMG
Aircraft carried: AS 332M Super Puma or AS532UL/AL Cougar or CH-47SD Chinook helicopters
Aviation facilities: Flight deck and enclosed hangar for up to 2 medium-lift helicopters

From the 5 candidates that listed above, the author prefer the 4TH candidate because of a few factors that shows below:

1. The cheapest price among those candidates.
2. The willingness of the manufacturer to transfer the technology (built locally).
3. Still in production.

Any comment from the reader?????

(ref: http://en.wikipedia.org & http://www.globalsecurity.org)

A Change of the Structural Design Code from BS to Eurocode

Have you heard the rumors that Malaysia want to change the BS (British Standard)to Eurocode??. This is one of the issue that give the significant implication to civil & structural engineering practice in Malaysia. Even though before this BS is inheritance from British,but the change of this code of practice is hoped not giving to much difficulties to engineers in order to understand the principle of Eurocode. By the way, according to Ir. MC Hee, Vice-President of IEM, there are some changes of the terms only, for example in BS the term of dead load and live load are used but in Eurocode these terms are permanent load and variable load respectively.It may a bit difficult to local engineer to grasp the principle of Eurocode. Ir. Hee also pointed out that the Eurocodes is actually a perfermance code which has more advantage over BS 8110. Ir. Hee added that the utilisation of Eurocodes will be beneficial in long term. The latter is a state-of-the-art code and contains many improvements which one cannot find in the British Standard.

Nevertheless, the introduction of Eurocodes will still have an effect on engineering practice in general. As for this case, the author hope the implementation of this Eurocode can be implemented stage by stage. All the local university need to adopt the Eurocode in their curriculum especially for civil engineering syllabus. The professional boards such as BEM & IEM also can give the intensive course to engineers before this code of practice is implemented in Malaysia.

As the conclusion, the author need to highlight that the fundamental of designing the structure is just the same, the code of practice is only the guidline to engineer for designing the particular stucture. Last but not least...remember this words of wisdom, "no design codes can replace strong engineering fundamentals, codes do not design buildings, engineers do".

(Ref.JURUTERA september 2009)

KD Tunku Abdul Rahman

Setelah sekian lama negara mengimpikan kapal selam akhirnya menjadi keyataan juga apabila KD Tunku Abdul Rahman akhirnya tiba di Malaysia pada 3 September yang lalu, kapal selam ini diharap dapat memberikan "deterrent effect" pada negara amnya dan TLDM khususnya. berikut adalah spesifikasi teknikal ringkas tentang Scorpene Class SSK (KD TAR):

3 subtypes: Basic, Basic-AIP (with *MESMA air-independent propulsion) and Compact

Specifications

Crew 31

Dimensions

Overall Length 63.5m
Draught 5.4m
Submerged Displacement 1,590t
Surface Displacement 1,450t
Pressure Hull Weldable and High-Tensile Steel 80HLES, more than 700Mpa

Performance

Maximum Operating Depth 350m
Submerged Speed Over 20 kt
Range (at 8kt) 6,400nm
Endurance 50 days

Weapon Systems

6 x 533-mm torpedo tubes for 18 torpedoes or SM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles, 30 mines in place of torpedoes

* MESMA system will increasing the scorpene underwater time by a factor of three while performance characteristics reamain largely the same. By using the MESMA system the submarine’s length increases (76.2 m overall length for AM-2000 compared to 63.5 CM-2000) and also its submerged displacement (1,870 t AM-2000 and 1,590 t for CM-2000)

(Ref:www.military-heat.com,www.fallingpixel.com and http://en.wikipedia.org)

Pressure Equalisation Modules System (PEM)

Pressure equalisation modules (PEM) are vertical pipes that are placed in rows forming matrix along the costline (above figure). The ussage of this system is to stimulate the accretion of sand on certain beaches and slow down the erosion process on other beaches. Cross-shore sand tongue develops in front of each row of the PEM systems to create the same effect as groynes in aresting some of the transported long shore sand, thus building up the sand between the rows. The pipes act as pressure equalizer that equalise the pressure in the groundwater zone and increased circulation of seawater in the coastal profile will take place thus promoting sedimentation.

The PEM system is simple in design but is based on relatively difficult phenomena under the principle of soil drainage. The swash zone is the zone is the area of the beach whare waves crash and run up along the beach slope. The seawater then returns down the beach face but at the same time permeates into the profiles. These mechanism will put the PEM system to provides a faster passage for the water within the vertical profile of the swash zone to drain. During the high tide, the seawater extends further up the beach which means pressure is built up in the layer underneath where there is fresh water tongue originating from the hinterland. The drainage passage created by the PEM system thus equalises the pressure within the upper and the lower profiles.

When the water level is low on the coast during the period from low tide to high tide, the water circulation in the swash zone increases the depositing of materials on the foreshore, thereby building up the beach from the sediment transported along the coast, so that this PEM system is the one of the suitable system in the slowdown of the erosion rate of the beach as well as to protect the beach from severe erosion.

(adapted from JURUTERA magazine August 2009)

SLEP for Kasturi Class Corvett

SLEP Program for Kasturi Class Corvett will be carried out by Boustead Holdings Bhd in a contract worth RM703.823 million and a given period of 53 months with the specification below:

The ship will be upgraded with:

1. TACTICOS CMS, DA-08 radar.
2. MAV navigation radar.
3. Thales Nederland’s Mirador-IR.
4. 2 Eurotorp B515 torpedo launchers suit with A244S Whitehead torpedoes.
5. DR3000S electronic support system.
6. Link Y MK 2.5, TERMA SKWS.
7. 8xMM40 Block II missiles.
8. ATLAS Electronik’s DSQS-24C sonar system.
9. The two aft 30mm anti-aircraft guns will also be improved


(Adapted from KLS Review and BERNAMA Report)

Rusuhan ISA

Tanggal 1 hb Ogos yang lalu KL telah digemparkan dengan rusuhan bagi membantah dan ada yang menyokong ISA. Boleh dikatakan hampir 60% adalah pelajar IPT. Penulis amat tidak bersetuju dengan rusuhan tersebut, apa faedahnya????? bagi para pelajar, apa yang anda nak buktikan???( duit pun pinjam PTPTN atau biasiswa JPA). Rata-rata yang menyertai perhimpunan tersebut adalah orang MELAYU... percayalah, anda semua telah diperkudakan oleh orang-orang politik (BN?? PR???) yang ada agenda mereka tersendiri. Sebagai pelajar IPT anda seharusnya mengkaji rasionalnya menyokong atau membantah, bukan hanya ikut membuta tuli. Penulis percaya sebahagian besar yang menyertai perhimpunan tersebut tidak tahu pun apa itu ISA, malah ada yang tidak tahu maksud ISA itu sendiri. Ketua kepada perhimpunan tersebut mungkin telah dibayar oleh orang-orang politik (BN???PR???) dan jikalau tertangkap sekurang-kurangnya duit tersebut boleh dibayar sebagai ikat jamin mereka, tapi anda yang lainnya dapat apa???? letih?? kepuasan?? keseronokan?? atau pun pengiktirafan??. Percayalah anda tidak dapat apa-apa manfaat selain memberi keuntungan kepada orng-orang politik (BN???PR???). Kerajaan sebelum itu telah pun menyatakan bahawa mereka sedang mengkaji samada akan memansuhkan atau mengekalkan ISA, jadi buat apa kalian semua berhimpun???. Peniaga adalah golongan yang paling teruk mengalami kerugian, semuanya gara-gara kalian yang ternyata BODOH menyertai perhimpunan tersebut. Ingatlah , mereka juga ingin mencari rezeki untuk menyara keluarga. Imam Syafie Rahimahullah pernah berpesan kepada anak muridnya bahawa jangan sesekali bertaklid iaitu mengikut membabi buta, ini lah kelemahan orang melayu islam pada hari ini, anda yang menyertai perhimpunan tersebut seharusnya mengkaji rasional tindakan anda dan implikasi tehadap negara, orang ramai, peniaga etc. bukan hanya semata-mata mengikut perasaan yang nyatanya didorong oleh orang-orang politik (BN???PR???). Ini bukan caranya untuk membantah atau menyokong ISA. Tahukah anda perhimpunan tempoh hari dianjurkan oleh orang-orang politik (BN???PR???) lebih kepada untuk mengekalkan survival politik golongan tertentu dan bukanya ingin sangat menghapuskan ISA, cuba kalian kaji betul-betul, ini mungkin dirancang oleh badan perisikan (CIA??? Mossad???SID???) sepertimana yang berlaku di iran sekarang, Mosavi secara jelas telah memperoleh sokongan CIA bagi menjatuhkan kerajaan pimpinan Ahmadinejad yang menang menerusi pilihan raya yang sah dan ini tidak mustahil boleh berlaku di negara ini. Lagi satu perkara, penulis yakin bahawa sesiapa pun memerintah Malaysia (BN???PR???) akan tetap mengekalkan ISA, ini kerana ISA merupakan satu mekanisma cegah rintang yang paling berkesan untuk menjamin survival politik orang-orang politik ini (BN???PR???), percayala...Akhir kata penulis ingin mencadangkan bahawa elakkan lah sebarang domonstrasi seperti ini kerana ia hanya menguntungkan golongan yang berkepentingan sahaja, daripada kalian berhimpun untuk menentang ISA kan lebih baik berhimpun bagi menentang kenaikan harga barang ke, kenaikan minyak ke, menentang orang islam berjudi ke, menentang orang islam buat maksiat ke kan lagi elok. FIKIR-FIKIRKANLAH SAUDARA SEAGAMA KU...