A mid-week summary of some major defense and security developments around the Asia-Pacific region:
The U.S. will likely be selling Patriot Anti-Tactical Missiles along with equipment, parts, training, and support to South Korea. The sale will bring in US$404 million in revenue. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the sale.
Continuing along with South Korea, Foreign Policy’s Gordon Lubold explores the possibility that South Korea may be stealing U.S. military secrets. Lubold presents the evidence and explores the impact this might have on the future of the U.S.-South Korea "blood alliance.”
The South China Morning Post reports on the PLAN's reactions to the U.S. Navy's advanced Ford-class aircraft carriers and the Zumwalt destroyers. The Ford-class will officially succeed the current-generation of Nimitz-class carriers. One PLAN analyst said that these new ships "show that China's shipbuilding technology lags far behind that of the U.S."
Over at The Strategist, Scott Bentley takes a detailed look at Indonesia’s involvement in the South China Sea.
Defence Talk reports that India’s share in its Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) project with Russia will grow over time. India has expressed concern at its relatively low equity (currently at 15 percent) in the endeavor. The Indian fighter is expected to be modeled on the Russian Sukhoi T-50s. The Indian Air Force has decided to order 144 single-seat jets, and expects to begin domestic production in 2020.