Exercise Falcon Strike 2015: Gripen vs. Flanker

A J-11A Flanker B Fighter Aircraft of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Photo by Weimeng thru the Airliners dot net Website

In 2015, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) and China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) conducted their first ever joint exercise called the Exercise Falcon Strike 2015, resulting in a relatively rare interaction between Chinese and Western Fighter Aircraft.

The event was held from November 12 to 30, 2015 at the Korat RTAF Base in Thailand. Although the exercise was publicized, initially specific detailed information about it was kept as low key as possible.

The Naval Defense 2019 Exhibit

I attended the Naval Defense 2019 Exhibit held at the SMX Convention Center of the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, Philippines last June 18 to 20, 2019, and it turned out to be a lot more interesting than I expected it to be.

I also attended the 2018 edition of the exhibit, but there were fewer defense companies then so it wasn’t as interesting to me. The Naval Defense Exhibit is actually bundled with the larger Philippines Marine (Philmarine) Exhibit which has been going on annually for the last six years.

Below are some of the defense or law enforcement related booths that caught my attention the most.

The Philippine Army’s 122nd Anniversary Exhibit

I wasn't really planning on blogging about the Info Caravan Exhibit of the Philippine Army (PA) for their 122nd Anniversary at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC), but after going and taking pictures and videos, I thought I had enough material for an article, hence this post.

‘DJI Mavic Pro Platinum Drone’
During the event, the Army displayed some of the commercial drones that they use for their operations, and one of these drones was the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum. I think it is an excellent choice because for one, its manufacturer, Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) is the leading commercial drone manufacturer in the world today with a 74% market share as of September 2018.¹

A DJI Mavic Pro Platinum Drone displayed during the Philippine Army (PA) 2019 Info Caravan at the Bonifacio Global City.

The reason why they are number one is because they make the best drones with the best performance and are yet are still easy to use. This particular model, the Mavic Pro Platinum is the quietest among DJI's drone products, as shown in this video:

ADAS 2018 Observations and Highlights

A Scale Model of the HDF-2500 Frigate made by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the Philippine Navy

I was able to attend the 2018 Asian Defense and Security (ADAS) at the World Trade Center (WTC) in Manila recently, and every time the event is held (every two years) it always seem to get bigger and better. More people seemed to have turned out on the first day for example, and there were more and better booths.

The Russians for the first time were there, represented by Rosoboronexport. Initially I thought that the Chinese were Missing in Action (MIA) in the event, but later I did see at least one Chinese booth showing Law Enforcement related products.