new khmer

Celebrate the King's Birthday on a Visit to Siem Reap

2010-04-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

People visiting Siem Reap in mid-May could find that they get caught up in the birthday celebrations for Cambodia's king.

(OPENPRESS) April 21, 2010 -- Anyone who has booked themselves hotels in Siem Reap next month might end up witnessing a national celebration.

From May 13th to 15th, Cambodia will be celebrating the birthday of its king.

Born in 1953, this year will see King Norodom Sihamoni reach the age of 57. He was crowned Cambodia's monarch in 2004 after his father retired.

Although the celebrations are considered low-key by Cambodian standards, there will still be plenty for any visitors to the country to enjoy.

The highlight of the festivities is a fireworks display on the banks of the river in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.

Colourful rockets will light up the night sky and all stunning explosions will be reflected in the waters of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers.

King Sihamoni is well-respected in Cambodia and around the world, having spent many years living in countries such as France, China and the Czech Republic.

He speaks French, Czech and English as well as his native Khmer and is known for promoting Cambodian culture to the international community.

Other royal birthdays are also marked by the nation, including those of the Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk on June 18th and the King Father Norodom Sihanouk on October 31st.

Editor Notes
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Happy New Year2010 Mahasongkran2554

2010-04-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Mahasongkran In asian

Carrollite.

2010-04-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

Description from the source:
Carrollite (Cu (Co Ni)2 S4 cub.), Kamoya II Mine, Shaba, Rep. Dem. of Congo. Perfect crystal on matrix. 5x4x3,2 cm; 87 g.
Source: Simone Citon
Contributor: John Gray
Acquired: 30 September, 2008
Text Updated: 1 October, 2008
Price: Trade
Size: 2"
Composition: Cu(CoNi)₂S₄

Pyrite

2010-04-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

Pyrite.
Description from the source:
Pyrite (Fe S2 cub.), Huanzala`, Peru`. Nice crystal cluster. 3x2,5x2 cm; 17 g.
Source: Simone Citon
Contributor: John Gray
Acquired: 30 September, 2008
Text Updated: 1 October, 2008
Price: Trade
Size: 1.2"
Composition: FeS₂

The Phnom Penh Post

2010-04-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

พิธี ไหว้บรรพบุรุษ ช่วงเชงเม้ง ตังโจ่ย ฉบับสมบูรณ์

2010-04-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

ชิงหมิง ( qing-ming ) หรือ เชงเม้ง เช็งเม้ง เป็นชื่อของสารท ( 1 ปีมี 24 สารท )
"เช็ง" หมายถึง สะอาด บริสุทธิ์ และ "เม้ง" หมายถึง สว่าง
รวมแล้วหมายความถึง ช่วงเวลาแห่งความแจ่มใส รื่นรมย์

สารท เช็งเม้ง หรือ เชงเม้ง เริ่มต้นประมาณ 5 เมษา - 20 เมษา
เป็นฤดูใบไม้ผลิ อากาศจะคลายความหนาวเย็น เริ่มเข้าสู่ความอบอุ่น ( ของประเทศจีน )
มีฝนตกปรอย ๆ
มีบรรยากาศสดชื่น ท้องฟ้าใสสว่าง ( เป็นที่มาของชื่อ สารท เช็งเม้ง )

เทศกาลเช็งเม้ง

ประเพณีที่สำคัญมากที่สุดของของชาวจีน คือ ไหว้ บรรพบุรุษ ที่ สุสาน
( ฮวงซุ้ย หรือ ฮวง จุ้ย ) เป็นการแสดงความกตัญญูต่อบรรพบุรุษ โดยมีอิทธิพลมาจากลัทธิขงจื้อ
ที่เน้นเรื่องความกตัญญูเป็นสำคัญ ประเพณีนี้สืบทอดมายาวนานเป็นพันปี
โดยขุนนาง สมัยราชวงศ์โจว โจวกงจีตั้น เป็นผู้กำหนด พิธีการจัดงานศพ

ในสมัยราชวงศ์ัถัง ( ประมาณ ค.ศ. 618 ) พระราชพิธีเซ่นไปไหว้สุสานอดีตกษัตริยาธิราช
มีการบันทึกเป็นลายลักษณ์อักษร ปีหนึ่งกระทำกันปีละ 2 ครั้ง คือช่วงเช็งเม้ง และประมาณปลายปี
( คาดว่า น่าจะเป็นช่วงตังโจ่ย )

ประโยชน์ของการไป ไหว้บรรพบุรุษ เทศกาลเชงเม้ง

เพื่อรำลึกถึงคุณความดี ที่บรรพบุรุษของเราได้กระทำไว้ ได้ดูแลเรา
ลำบากเพื่ื่อเราให้มีความเป็นอยู่ที่ดี เป็นแบบอย่างการดำเนินชีวิต
"เราสบาย เพราะพ่อแม่ บรรพบุรุษลำบาก"
เป็นศูนย์รวมตระกูล ผังตระกูล
โดยทั่วไป การไหว้ที่ดีที่สุด ต้องนัดหมายไปไหว้พร้อมกัน ( วันและเวลาเดียวกัน )
ทำให้ลูกหลานที่อยู่กระจายกันไป ได้มาพบปะ สังสรรค์กันพร้อมหน้า
เป็นการสร้างความสามัคคี สร้างจุดศูนย์รวม กล่าวได้ว่าเป็น วันรวมญาติ
เป็นกรอบถนนชีวิตของลูกหลานทุกคน "พ่อแม่ตายแล้ว ยังกำหนดชะตาชีวิตลูกหลาน"
เป็นแบบอย่างในการดำเนินชีวิต เน้นความกตัญญูที่มีต่อบุพการีและลูกหลานควรปฏิบัติตาม
เป็นการเตือนสติตน ความตายต้องเกิดขึ้นกับทุกคน และเป็นธรรมดาของมนุษย์ปุถุชน

ประเพณีปฏิบัติในวัน เช็งเม้ง

การทำความสะอาด สุสาน ( เซ้าหมอ )
ลงสีที่ป้ายชื่อให้ดูใหม่ - คนตายแล้วลงสีเขียว หรือสีทองขลิบเขียว คนเป็นลงสีแดง
( ห้ามถอนหญ้า - อาจกระทบตำแหน่งห้าม
เช่น ทิศอสูร ทิศแตกสลาย ทิศดาวเบญจภูติ )

บ้างก็ตกแต่งด้วย กระดาษม้วนสายรุ้ง
( สุสานคนเป็น - แซกี - ใช้สายรุ้งสีแดง :: สุสานคนตาย - ฮกกี - ใช้หลากสีได้ )
ห้ามปักธง ลงบนหลังเต่า เท่ากับทิ่มแทงหลุม
และบางความเชื่อ ทำให้หลังคาบ้านของบรรพบุรุษรั่ว
กราบไหว้ เจ้าที่ เป็นการให้เกียรติ และขอบคุณที่ช่วยคุ้มครองดูแล
การจัดวางของไหว้ ( เรียงลำดับจากป้าย )
1. เทียน 1 คู่ + ธูป 5 ดอก ( อาจปักลงบนฟักได้ )
2. ชา 5 ถ้วย
3. เหล้า 5 ถ้วย
4. ของไหว้ต่าง ๆ เช่น ขนมอี๋ ผลไม้
  *** ควรงดเนื้อหมู - เพราะเคยมีปรากฎว่า เจ้าที่เป็นอิสลาม ***
5. กระดาษเงิน กระดาษทอง
กราบไหว้ ระลึกถึงพระคุณ ของพ่อแม่ บรรพบุรษ
ตั้งเครื่องบูชาเซ่นไหว้ดวงวิญญาณของท่าน
การจัดวางของไหว้ ( เรียงลำดับจากป้าย - จะต่างกับข้างต้น )
1. ชา 3 ถ้วย
2. เหล้า 3 ถ้วย
3. ของไหว้ต่าง ๆ เช่น ขนมอี๋ ผลไม้
  * ของไหว้ ตามความเชื่อประเพณีของแต่ละท้องถิ่น ส่วนใหญ่เป็น ขนมถ้วยฟู - ฮวกก้วย *
4. กระดาษเงิน กระดาษทอง ฯลฯ
5. เทียน 1 คู่ + ธูป ตามจำนวนบรรพบุรุษ ท่านละ 1 ดอก
หมายเหตุ
*** ห้ามวางของตรงแท่นหน้า เจีี๊ยะปี ( ป้ายหิน ที่จารึกชื่อ บรรพบุรุษ )
เพราะเป็นที่เข้าออกของ วิญญาณบรรพบุรุษ ไม่ใช่เก้าอี้นั่ง อย่างที่หลายคนเข้าใจผิด***

พิธีเช็งเม้ง
ผู้อาวุโส เป็นผู้นำกราบ ไหว้จนเทียนใกล้หมดก้าน

ลูกหลานตีวงล้อมด้วยหวาย เผา กระดาษเงิน กระดาษทอง ฯลฯ
เป็นการกำหนดขอบเขตว่า สิ่งเหล่านี้ลูกหลานส่งให้ บรรพบุรุษของครอบครัว นั้น ๆ เป็นการเฉพาะ
ป้องกันการแย่งชิง ( ผู้ตีวงล้อม ต้องเป็นลูกหลานเท่านั้น ) *** เป็นอันเสร็จพิธี

บางครอบครัวก็จะมานั่งล้อมวงทานอาหารกันต่อ เพื่อเป็นการ
แสดงความสมานสามัคคีแก่ บรรพบุรุษ

ความเชื่อและข้อเท็จจริงตาม หลักฮวงจุ้ย

เมื่อทานหอยแครงเสร็จ จะโยนเปลือกหอยแครง ลงบนเนินหลังเต่า
( เนินดินด้านหลัง ป้ายสุสานบรรพบุรุษ ) ความหมายคือ มีลูกหลานมาก
ประเด็นนี้ ไม่ขัดกับหลักวิชา
ทุกครั้งที่มาไหว้ จะขุดเอาดินมากลบบนหลังเต่า โดยเชื่อว่า จะทำให้การค้าเพิ่มพูน
ข้อเท็จจริง : จะทำก็ต่อเมื่อ หลังเต่ามีรูแหว่งไป จึงซ่อมแซม และต้องดูฤกษ์
โดยเฉพาะการขุดดิน ถือเป็นการกระทบธรณี
ปลูกดอกไม้ รอบๆ สุสานบรรพบุรุษ
ข้อเท็จจริง : ห้ามปลูกดอกไม้ รอบๆ สุสานบรรพบุรุษ มีความหมายด้าน ชู้สาว
แต่ปลูกหญ้าได้
หากต้องการซ่อมแซม สุสานบรรพบุรุษ ทำได้เฉพาะ สารทเช็งเม้ง เท่านั้น
ข้อเท็จจริง : ไม่จำเป็นต้องเป็น เทศกาลเช็งเม้ง ขึ้นอยู่กับฤกษ์
หากทำในสารทนี้โดยไม่ดูฤกษ์ กลับจะเกิดโทษภัยจาก อสูร
จุดประทัด เพื่อกำจัดผีร้ายให้พ้นไป
ข้อเท็จจริง : ตามหลักวิชา การจุดประทัด เป็นการกระตุ้น
หากตำแหน่งถูกต้อง ก็จะได้ลาภ หากผิดตำแหน่ง จะเกิดปัญหา
( ผู้ปฏิบัติต้องเข้าใจเรื่อง ดาว 9 ยุค และฤกษ์ เป็นอย่างดี )
บางครอบครัวต้องการประหยัด จัดอาหารไหว้เพียง 1 ชุด ไหว้หลายแห่ง
ข้อเท็จจริง : ทำเช่นนี้ไม่ถูกต้อง บรรพบุรุษ ชุดแรกสุดเท่านั้นที่ได้รับ
บางคนเชื่อว่า จะไม่เผากระดาษทองให้กับ บรรพบุรุษ
นอกจากตายมานานแล้ว ถือว่าได้เปลี่ยนสถานภาพเป็นเทพ
ข้อเท็จจริง : ตามประเพณีโดยทั่วไปไม่มี
การไว้ทุกข์พ่อแม่ ต้องนาน 3 ปี
ข้อเท็จจริง : ประเพณีบางท้องถิ่น กำหนดเช่นนั้นจริง
โดยเน้นเรื่องความกตัญญูเป็นหลัก
การไป ไหว้บรรพบรุษ ครั้งแรก ต้องดูฤกษ์
ข้อเท็จจริง : เป็นเรื่องถูกต้องตามหลักวิชา ฮวงจุ้ย
โดยปกติแล้ว ซินแส จะเป็นผู้กำหนดฤกษ์ให้
หากทิศด้านหลัง สุสาน เป็นทิศห้าม ทิศอสูร ทิศแตกสลาย
*** ต้องใช้ฤกษ์ปลอดภัยเท่านั้น ***

และไม่ได้จำกัดว่าต้องเป็นช่วง เช็งเม้ง เท่านั้น
ปีต่อ ๆ ไป ไม่ต้องมีการ ดูฤกษ์ อีก

สุสานหลัก 5 แห่งในเมืองปักกิ่ง ขนาดมาตรฐานตารางเมตรละ 10,000-30,000 หยวน
ซึ่งแพงกว่าราคาเฉลี่ยอพาร์ตเม้นท์ในย่านธุรกิจของปักกิ่งที่อยู่ที่เฉลี่ย 20,000 หยวนต่อตารางเมตร

Cambodian New Year Festival 2010

2010-04-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

What’s the Festival all about?

Cultural Activities including Cambodian Dances
Traditional Music
Good Food
Fun Games for Kids
Raffle with Cool Prizes

What is Cambodian New Year ?

Khmer New Year is the greatest traditional festival and national holiday. Khmer New Year begins on April 13th or 14th, depending on the ancient horoscope, “MohaSangkran”. The majority of the Khmer populations are farmers. Farmers reap and harvest their crops from the rice fields all year long, except during April. In April, there is no rain and it is very hot. Therefore, the farmers rest from working in the rice fields and celebrate the New Year.

The first day of New Year is called “Moha Sangkran,” meaning “welcoming their new angels.” This year is the year of the Rooster (Mon), and Moha Sangkran of the New Year will begin on April 13th. The leader of Angels is named KimiteaTevi. Khmer people clean and decorate their homes and prepare fruits and drinks to welcome their New Angels. Elderly people like to meditate or pray the Dharma because they believe that any angel who comes to their homes will stay with them and take care of their family for that whole year. In the morning, Khmer people go to the temple to offer food to the monks and to receive blessing.

The second day of New Year is called “Wanabot,” meaning “to offer gifts to the parents, grandparents and elders.” In the evening, people go to the temple to build a mountain of sand to remember those ancestors who have passed and have the monks give them a blessing of happiness and peace. The third day is called “Leung Sakk;” that means “the year starts to be counted up from this day.” In the morning, Khmer people go to the temple to perform the ceremony of the mountain of sand to get blessed. The last ceremony is called “Pithi Srang Preah”, meaning to give a special cleansing to Buddha statues, the monks, elders, parents or grandparents to apologize for any mistake they have done and to gratify them. Khmer New Year is not just a great traditional festival. It is also a generation passing on traditions.

Happy New Year 2010 in khmer

2010-04-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Khmer Rouge war crimes prosecutor is appointed

2010-03-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

The genocide tribunal appointed British-born Mr Cayley several months after the resignation of his Canadian predecessor, Robert Petit.

Mr Cayley recently defended the former Liberian President Charles Taylor at his war crimes trial.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni formally appointed Mr Cayley, according to a court statement.

American Nicholas Koumjian was appointed reserve co-prosecutor.

Disagreements

Mr Cayley has spent the last two years in private practice, during which time he defended Mr Taylor.

Before this he worked for the International Criminal Court investigating crimes in Darfur, and served at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

His appointment was welcomed by court observers who stressed the importance of having a permanent international prosecutor in place.

Critical decisions "should be made by the international prosecutor who will have the responsibility for carrying them out," Heather Ryan, court monitor for the Open Society Justice Initiative, told the French news agency AFP.

The UN-backed tribunal incorporates mixed teams of foreign and Cambodian judges, prosecutors and defenders.

A verdict in Comrade Duch's trial is expected early next year

Disagreements among the legal teams have been known to lead to frequent delays, whilst allegations of corruption have damaged the tribunal's credibility.

Indeed, the resignation of Mr Petit came after a dispute with Cambodian co-prosecutor Chea Leang over whether to pursue more suspects of the late 1970s communist regime.

Mr Petit denied any connection, saying personal reasons were behind his resignation.

Senior leaders

The tribunal, created in 2006 to prosecute leading Khmer Rouge members, recently held its first trial, for prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Comrade Duch.

The prosecution is seeking a jail term of 45 years, with five years deducted to take account of Duch's co-operation and time already served.

Duch is the first of five leading Khmer Rouge figures to face the UN-backed tribunal.

The joint trial of four other - more senior - Khmer Rouge leaders is expected to start in 2011.

The court is also investigating whether to open more cases against five other former Khmer Rouge officials.

Up to two million Cambodians died under Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge rule in the 1970s.

peopel khmer

2010-03-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

why are our to think about khmer .but people khmer can into angkor at asia good ,but something in world .khmer can't khmer .someone to make for good our

Star city khmer

2010-03-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Star River

Star River UnderConstruction

Star River

angkor

2010-03-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

វិចិត្រករនេះពិតជាមានស្នាដៃអស្ចារ្យមែន

2010-03-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Cambodia is the New Bangladesh

2010-03-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Phnom Penh gets the New York Times Gold Star this week for being Southeast Asia's up-and-coming must-visit city। (And here we thought Bangladesh was the new hotness.) A quick flight from Bangkok, Phnom Penh has all the requisite bits that any backpacker Mecca needs: heaps of Internet cafes, cheap hotels and great happy hours.

Of course, you can't talk about Cambodia without making a mention of the Khmer Rouge and the nation's history. Author Stuart Emmrich does a good job of profiling Phnom Penh's genocide museum and considering the progress the country has made in overcoming its tragic past. But then he get's all Let's Go on us:

In fact, after a few days in this city, you notice that Phnom Penh has something of a "next Prague" vibe about it -- a place where many young people from around the world, heady with excitement and the thrill of the unknown, are coming to reinvent themselves.

Ah, Cambodia: land of tragedy, history and hippies.

Angkor Wat Temples

2010-03-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

The great temples of Angkor Wat are situated in the province of Siem Reap. This area is considered the biggest temple complex of the world and revealed itself after being hidden in the Jungle for many years.

The whole area is about 400 km² that also includes the surrounding forest, so you will need good shoes to make it around that area by feet.

Never the less you can also visit the temple complex with a “remorque” motorbike which is a small motorbike where you can sit side by side in two behind the driver. This is a great way to visit the area as it is very cheap and the driver can tell you much about the temples and history. Taxi are available too, as well as motor and bikes for rent. For those who love to see from the top, you can rent an hot air balloon, or even an helicopter.

There are two ways to visit this area and still see the main attractions, the little circuit and the big circuit. The little circuit is 17 km and brings you to the main temples of Angkor. The big circuit takes 26 km and is an extension of the little one but continues on east side of the area.

To visit Angkor you have to pay quite a high entry fee, you have choice of three different passes which you can buy at the entrance boot. A one-day pass cost US 20 dollar, a three-day pass cost US 40 dollar and a one-week pass cost US 60 dollar. Remember to have a photo with you if you desire to buy a pass for more than one day.

There are more than a 100 temples in the whole area, more than you can see on your visit but the most famous ones you will discover during both circuits trough the temple area.

The highlights are:

Angkor Wat

This temple is 1,5 km² x 1,3km and built by Suryavarman ІІ and is considered the biggest Asian pyramid. It is 65m high and divided in several layers. The central part has on the four corners four towers in the shape of a lotus flower. This temple is the largest and most breathtaking temple of the whole complex. The most famous decorations of Angkor are the heavenly nymphs (Apsara), there are more of 300, each one is unique and in total we can group them in 30 different styles. The central temple complex is an 800 meters long bas-reliefs, includes the Battle of Kurukshetra, the Army of Suryavarman II, Heaven and Hell, Churning of the Ocean of Milk, Elephant Gate, Vishnu Conquers the Demons, Khrisna and the demon King, Battle of the Gods and the Demons and the Battle of Lanka.

The Bayon

Built by Jayavarman VII the temple stands in the center of Angkor Thom. With its 54 towers and 216 faces of Avalokiteshvara, this temple looks best in the morning just after sunrise or at the end of the afternoon as the sun shines on the faces. Its magic is does not appear from a distance, it looks more like a pile of stones. But coming close to the temple the faces start to appear and reveal its magic on you. The temple was built on 3 levels:the first 2 are rectangular, while the 3rd is circular. The Bayon has over 1.3 Km of bas-reliefs corresponding to more than 11.000 figures. Most of them depict every day's life scene of the Cambodia in the XII century. Inside the Bayon, we suggest you to visit The Cams of the Run, Linga worship, A Naval Battle, The Chams vanquished, a Military Procession, Civil War, The All-Seing King, Victory Parade, The Circus comes to Town, land of Plenty, The Chams retreat, The Chams Sack Angkor and the Chams Enter Angkor.

Ta Prohm

Still covered by the jungle this place is exactly left as they found it. The Ta Prohm is not only a possibility to imagine how the whole temple complex looked like when re-discovered in XIX century The trees swallowed the temple and nature takes back its space, and it has been left like this. Don't miss this astonishing mix of nature vs humans. The charm of this temple is, you don't know where (or when) the nature finish and the human work starts or vice versa. Amazing!

Elephant Terrace

A 350 m long terrace of elephants. It was used as a giant viewing stand during public ceremonies, royal ceremonies and so on. Many lions decorate this enormous path. Now it's surrounded by the green and very relaxing, but try and close your eyes, imagine thousands of peoples on it, then the army, the king,the music, the dance. Daydreamers will have tough time to leave this place.

Banteay Srei

This temple lays quite far from the rest but absolutely worthy to visit. The soft colors of the sand stones and the beautiful reliefs make this temple a typical example for the Khmer culture. This temple is dedicated to Shiva, its' well preserved and most of its declarations are 3D, including delicates women carrying lotus flowers, and epic scenes. This temple is 21 km far from Bayon and about 35 km from Siem Reap. It's worth a visit.

Angkor Airways

2010-03-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Angkor Airways Corporation was inaugurated into service in 2004 and has since grown to become the preferred and most trusted Airline in Cambodia attracting tourists and business travelers from all over the world.

¨Bring the World to Angkor Wat〃

This has been our corporate motto since our inauguration. Over 100,000 people have trusted Angkor Airways to fly them to Cambodia to enjoy the astonishing beauty of ¨One of the Seven Wonders of the World〃.

Angkor Wat

A Massive Magnificent temple built by Jayavarman VII between 1181AD and 1220AD. The temple features 3940 feet of glorious bas-relief carvings with enormous sacred Buddha faces towering three stories high throughout the Temple. The temple-mountain contains around 200 enormous faces with mysterious expressions looking towards different directions like beings from other worlds.

in the 2010 Angkor Airways to flying someone to trip in cambodia angkor they're interesting in Angkor

Angkor National Museum

2010-03-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Museum Overture"

Before marveling over the awe-inspiring galleries at the Angkor National Museum, visitors are invited to sit back and relax in an 80-seat theater for an orientation which will introduce the museum and its amenities.

Show times are scheduled for every 15 minutes and are available in 7 languages; Khmer, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, English, French and Thai

1,000 Buddha Images

"A Gallery of Cambodia Buddhism Reflection"

The religion of Buddhism is spiritually linked to the ancient Khmer civilization to the present-day in Cambodia. The gallery of One Thousand Buddha's exhibits one of the most prestigious collections of 1,000 Buddha statues and relics ever assembled.

Khmer Civilization

"The Origin of Khmer Empires Story"

One of the mysteries is how the Khmer Empire was established. Learn what drove an ancient Khmer civilization to create one of the world's most colossal structures ever. Explore the Khmer peoples' faith in their great kings and delve into the stories of ancient wars that once ravaged these tranquil lands.
Religion and Beliefs

"The reflection of Khmer's beliefs"

To gain a deeper understanding of any culture, one should study its beliefs. The ways of religion in the Khmer empire had both direct and indirect effects on all aspects of Khmer civilization, including literary works, sculptures, architecture and even daily life. Visitors will finally learn the same exciting legends and unique folk tales that motivated the civilization of Angkor for centuries.
Great Khmer Kings

"The Great Inventors"

History shows that there were four particularly notable Khmer kings who made the Khmer Empire one of the world's greatest civilizations. Let the historical pride come alive through time and the stories of the four great inventors unfold.
King Jayavarman II, the King who united the two kingdoms of Tchen-La during the years 802-850 C.E.
King Yasovarman I, the King who established Angkor as the capital between the years 889-900 C.E.
King Soryavarman II, the king who built Angkor Wat between 1116-1145 C.E.
King Jayavarman VII, the king who built Angkor Thom between the years 1181-1201 C.E.
Angkor Wat

"The Heaven on Earth"

Angkor Wat is best known and the most significant example of the earthly paradise. Its unique architecture held dear by the people of Cambodia represents an engineering marvel that still baffles many specialists today.

A visit to the Museum would bring visitors closer to Angkor Wat and learn how the gigantic city was constructed, thus maximizing the splendor that visitors will feel the next time they visit the real Angkor Wat. The Hi-light of the galleries is the portraying of Angkor Wat Temple and the equinox phenomenon.
Angkor Thom

"The pantheons of spirit"

Explore Angkor Thom, the great capital, an architectural masterpiece of sophisticated technology combined with precious artworks created over many generations. The changes in religious beliefs are seen throughout the design and artwork in this splendid city. Learn about astonishing ancient engineering plans for public utilities, such as the large scale irrigation projects to support the cities population.

Story from Stone

"The evidence of the past"

The stone inscriptions found throughout Angkor record important historical events and serve as a proof that such a grand world once existed. Such inscriptions provide us with a window back in time to the lives, beliefs, and various legends of the ancient Khmer empire.

Just as important, the stone inscriptions provide evidence of the ancient language of the region and offer opportunities for linguists to preserve the wonderful language. Inscriptions at the museum have been translated into current Cambodian and delivered to audiences by the application of sound dome technology.

Ancient Costume

"The fascination of Apsara"

Another spectacular piece of art is the ancient Khmer clothing illustrated by sculptures of gods, goddesses, and the celestial dancers or Apsara. Ancient garbs denoted status in society as did the beautiful jewellery and accessories. The styles of costumes can accurately differentiate amongst ancient Angkor periods used by archeologists and scholars.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

2010-02-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

Angkor Wat, early 12th century, mature Khmer style

2010-02-22T05:28:00.000-08:00

The Angkor Dynasty flourished here between the 9th and 15th centuries. It ruled a vast territory, and hundreds of stone buildings remain its legacy. Outstanding among them is the Angkor Wat. It is a Hindu temple complex and one of the largest religious monuments in the world. Stories of the creation of the universe adorn the long corridor walls. There are reliefs of magnificent Goddesses. Modeled on the king’s dancers and court ladies, the costumes and accessories suggest cultural sophistication. The damage on the Goddess here is due to destruction during the country’s recent civil war. When peace came in 1992, UNESCO inscribed Angkor on the World Heritage List, as well as the World Heritage in Danger List to save it from further destruction and looting. The Sophia University of Japan formed the Angkor survey group team in 1980. The ruins were studied and restored. Local people were trained to carry out work.

This is Ta Prom. A man-made monument struggling against the relentless power of nature. And this is another site at Angkor, the Banteay Kdei. Sophia University’s International Mission Team came across 274 Buddha statues buried in the earth during an excavation training session. The heads of the statues had been removed. Experts believe the find shows, there was a religious revolution resulting from Hindu and Buddhist conflict.

Here, a sculpture of a meditating bodhisattva. It has an entrancing symmetrical "Khmer smile", reflecting a long Asian spiritual tradition. Angkor Wat, a crossroads of history.

Angkor Wat has been described as the temple mountain of perfect harmony, the crowning achievement of the Khmer style. Built by king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century, it has the classic design of five towers symbolizing Mount Meru, dwelling place of the Hindu gods. It iis also one of the largest Hindu temples ever built. Within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 km (2.2 miles) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. The outer gallery measures 215 m by 187m. For comparison, the Hindu temple at Rameswaram, south India, is 264m by 200m; and St. Peter’s Baslica, Rome is 212m long and 130m high.

The interior walls of Angkor Wat are decorated with innumerable reliefs depicting stories from the Indian epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. There are also scores of carvings of graceful apsarases, or heavenly dancers. An interesting feature of the architecture, as often iin Angkor is the way some of the buildings reproduce in stone features of the wood architecture which was used for all secular buildings. Examples of this may still be seen in Myanmar and Thailand.

Suryavarman II usurped the Khmer throne in 1113 AD. He fought campaigns against neighbouring Dai Vet and Champa (in Vietnam), and also, more successfully, against the Thai kingdom to the West. The mystery of Angkor Wat is why he dedicated it to the Hindu god Vishnu. Like other Khmer monarchs, he may in fact have been a devotee of Siva. It is possible that the king identified himself with Krishna, who usurped the worship of Indra, an episode depicted in a relief inside the temple.

The temple architect was Divakarapandita, then an elderly man; construction took about thirty years. The structure includes three levels resting on a platform of cruciform design, each higher than the next. The central tower stands 65m above ground level. The towers, like some of the interior reliefs, were originally covered in stucco and gilded. Interior doors and ceilings were covered in wood, no doubt colourfully decorated.

Apart from its elegant design and huge scale, reflecting the wealth of the Khmers, the greatest glory of Angkor Wat is the relief carvings. For example, they include a depiction of the terrible final battle of the Mahabharata; and of the battle of Lanka, a familiar scene to all in southeast Asia. In the Historical Gallery, echoing on a very different scale the reliefs in the Pallava temple of Vaikunthaperumal at Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, there is a depiction of Suryavarman in his glory, sourrounded by his courtiers and ministers, and a military parade with portraits of his generals.

Must Visit Places In Cambodia » Angkor Wat

2010-01-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

Angkor Wat, a vast temple complex near Siem Reap, is the largest religious site in the world. Sunrise in one of the temples is definitely a lifetime experience for visitors

See Angkor and Die (in the footsteps of Angelina)

2010-01-24T07:06:00.001-08:00

The French naturalist Henri Mouhot visited ruins of Angkor Wat in 1860, wrote a book about it, and died the following year. Historian Arnold Toynbee later wrote a book about Mouhot titled, “See Angkor and Die.” It summed up not only Mouhot’s life but the way that many people feel upon seeing these ruins: Once you’ve seen Angkor, you’ve seen it all.

ANGKOR WAT

The ruins of Angkor are located just outside the modern city of Siem Reap. Angkor was the capital city of the Khmer empire from about 800 A.D. until the empire mysteriously expired six hundred years later. It is home to nearly 300 temples and palaces. All of these structures are ruins, though many have been restored so that people can enjoy the temples without putting themselves in danger. Most of these temples were built as Hindu shrines and then converted into Buddhist shines. (Buddhism became the dominant religion in Cambodia late in the Angkor empire.)

ANGKOR WAT

The largest temple, Angkor Wat, is surrounded by a large moat. It has four conical towers surrounding a central tower. The ground floor features four massive bas-relief sculptures, each of which illustrates an epic story or some aspect of Angkor history.

THE STAIRS TO THE CENTRAL TOWER

A steep flight of stairs, open to elements, leads you to the interior of the central tower. (There are actually four stairways, one facing each direction, but only one has a guardrail. Unless you’re a rock climber with equipment, I wouldn’t recommend using the stairs without the guardrail.) Once you’ve made it to the top, you can enjoy the interior spaces and a fabulous view of the temple grounds — the same view that King Suryavarman II enjoyed when he completed the temple in 1137 A.D.

SCULPTOR FINISHED THIS ONE…

BUT HE DIDN’T QUITE FINISH THIS ONE!

The ruins of Angkor first became widely known in the West in the 1860s after the publication of a book by French explorer Henri Mouhot. .At that time, many of the temples at Angkor had been overrun by the jungle. Archeologists have since pushed the jungle back. Ta Prohm temple stands as a reminder of what Angkor looked like before archeologists began their work. (You may remember Angelina Jolie running through the temple in the 2001 film “Lara Craft: Tomb Raider.”) Huge fig and silk-cotton trees grip the temple walls with big, bony fingers.

Ta Prohm is a romantic, mysterious place. We had just finished our tour of the temple when it began to rain, the weather only adding to Ta Prohm’s charms.

Archeologists continue working at Angkor. Many of the major industrialized countries — including the United States — have sponsored archeological teams at Angkor. A French team is currently working at the temple of Baphuon. Archeologists have laid numbered stones on the ground. Eventually, they’ll match the stones so that they fit together. They will then put the stones back in their original places. The French have found evidence that an enormous, reclining Buddha once called Baphuon home, thought it’s not clear if the piece was ever completed.

BAPHUON

Angkor is a giant jigsaw puzzle. There are large stones strewn about the ground — even at temples which have been restored.

PREA KHAN RESTORATION… AND RUINS

The director of the Khmer Studies Center, Phillipe Peycam, says people in the West have always been a bit obsessed about Angkor. The French believed that they had discovered a “lost Rome.” They used Angkor as a pretext to justify their colonization: You had a great culture once, you’ve allowed it to decline, you need us to protect it. The French did a great job researching and restoring Angkor. They did a poorer job helping the Cambodian people. They weren’t interested.

Even today, it’s easier to get people to contribute money to restore Angkor than to address Cambodia’s other problems. (Then again, Angkor is probably a safer investment. Corruption here is rampant. Many people who have contributed money to rehabilitate Cambodia have gotten burned. Their money has been squandered.)

Peycam says Cambodians are also a bit obsessed about Angkor. In fact, he says they are “enslaved” by it. The monument is emblazoned on the national flag. It drives the nation’s second largest industry: tourism. In January 2003, Cambodians rioted in Phnom Penh after Reaksmei Angkor, a Cambodian paper, misquoted a Thai actress as saying that Angkor belonged to Thailand. (The Thais once colonized this part of Cambodia.) Rioters trashed the Thai embassy. The Thai government sent military aircraft to evacuate Thai nationals and closed its border with Cambodia — a disaster for Cambodia. The Cambodians paid $6 million to repair the Thai embassy and the Thais reopened the border.

It’s hard to say how much the local people benefit from Angkor tourism. A well-place local told me “not very much.” The Cambodian government operated the site for some years, failed to generate much revenue, and turned the concession over to a prominent Cambodian-Vietnamese businessman, who is reportedly a major campaign contributor to the prime minister.

MAKING A BUCK AT ANGKOR

More than a million people a year now visit Angkor. It costs $20 for a day pass and $40 for a three-day pass. Dozens of people work at the various sites as guards, checking to see that visitors have valid passes. Even more people work as independent contractors guiding tours, selling souvenirs, or performing for visitors.

PARK ENTRANCE

I bought a guidebook from a young man. He wanted six dollars. I said three. He said five. I said that I would buy four books for $16 (serving as the buying agent for my colleagues). He said that he needed five dollars to make a profit. I said that I would buy one book for $5 or four books for $16. To my surprise, he said that he would sell one book for $5. The final result: I bought two books for $10. The little bugger got his way, but he was friendly and we really didn’t mind overpaying.

HE SOLD ME

The entire dispute took place under the watchful eyes of the gods, watching from their perch on the high towers of The Bayon, in the city of Angkor Thom.

Entry Filed under: Freeman Fellowship

Free Guidebook to Angkor Wat and Khmer Temples

2010-01-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

Angkor Wat is just one of hundreds of monuments built by a succession of powerful Khmer kings between the 7th and 13th centuries, and now scattered throughout northern Cambodia. For decades, “The Monuments of the Angkor Group” by Maurice Glaize was the definitive guide to these temples. Thanks to Nils Tremmel, this classic book has been translated to English

The Angkor Guide website offers a free download of this high quality guidebook.

First published in 1944, “The Monuments of the Angkor Group” remains one of the most comprehensive guidebooks with suggested itineraries, maps, photos and, in the words of Georges Cœdes (1886-1969), a master of Khmer studies and former director of the École Française d’Extrême-Orient, the guidebook includes:

“…the fundamental ideas concerning the history of the country, its religions, the meaning and evolution of the monuments, their architecture and their decoration, the sculpture, and finally to the work of the Conservation d’Angkor, gives an initiation to Angkor that until now has been lacking.”

Tremmel’s online English version, based on the 4th edition introduced by Jean Boisselier, is professionally translated and designed. Tremmel supplemented this new edition with more than 80 illustrations, including his own high quality photos that surpass those in the original edition (see examples below). The book also includes numerous diagrams and maps from the EFEO.

To download your free copy of this exceptional Angkor guidebook visit The Angkor Guide website. On his personal site, Nils Tremmel also offers beautiful guides to Haiti and to the Wonderland Trail circling Mt. Rainier in Washington state.

Modern Cambodia with the Angkor region circled in red.

Angkor Wat devata.

Angkor Wat devata on the second level.

Stucco detail at Prah Ko.

Bayon site plan

The face towers on The Bayon in Angkor Thom.

Two Goddesses Preserve Khmer Mystery in here

2010-01-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

Sikhoraphum, Thailand – Just one hundred miles to the south, the Khmer civilization sanctified thousands of female images on the walls of their most important temples, both Hindu and Buddhist. But here, in what is now modern day Thailand, only two devata remain, fulfilling a mysterious spiritual mission long since forgotten.

Prasat Sikhoraphum is a Khmer gem in the south central plateau of Northeastern Thailand, or Isaan as residents call the region. In the rainy season, Isaan turns into a green ocean of rice fields. But when the annual waters receed, the earth dries and cracks making survival challenging even for the hardy residents, many of whom have Khmer blood flowing through their veins.

Thailand’s only two devata are not all that make Sikhoraphum temple unique. Its five towers are arranged in the same quincunxpattern as Angkor Wat itself, an especially rare configuration outside of Cambodia. This sacred design is limited to “state” temples, implying a high pedigree for this site.

But this makes sense, because this temple is thought to have actually been built under the direction of King Suryavarman II himself, the royal sponsor of Angkor Wat.The main entrance gate is labeled “Wat Prasat” (วัดปราสาท), which could be translated as “temple temple” or a bit more eloquantly as “temple palace.” (see bottom of article for links to our complete Sikhoraphum photo gallery)

Entrance to the Khmer temple of Sikhoraphum in Northeastern Thailand.

The site is well-kept and the same Thai man, an artist in his own right as you will learn, has maintained and respected this temple for decades. The devata themselves face east, flanking the entrance to the central prang, or tower.

View of Sikhoraphum's towers from the east. The devata flank the opening in the central tower to the north (right) and south (left).

The terrace of the temple (seen above) is 82 ft long (25 meters) with five tall prangs (towers) marking the corners and center. The structure is built of laterite and sandstone. It is important to note that the unusual “layer-cake” shape of the towers is attributed to brick remodeling done by by Laotian invaders in the 15th-16th century.

In addition to the devata themselves, the door lintels and posts are magnificently carved. The secondary towers also house Buddhist relics and Khmer text, as you can see in the complete photo gallery.

The Khmer lintel over the central "prang" or tower of Sikhoraphum depicting the Dances of Shiva is considered one of the most beautiful in Thailand.

So let us get to the “stars” of the temple: the devata.

Devata framing the entrance to the main tower of Sikhoraphum

These women are the most prominent figures, standing on the most auspicious eastern side of the dawning sun, and flanking the main entrance of the central tower. I shall leave it to the logic of the viewer to decide if these women were “decorations” or a more important element of the spiritual plan of this temple. Each woman is accompanied by a Khmer “guardian” on the side wall.

The South Devata of Sikhoraphum

Smiling sweetly, the south devata stands surrounded by foliage and playful forest creatures. Her right hand, palm out, grasps a long-stem flower with the most popular sacred mudra (a spiritually symbolic hand position) seen at Angkor Wat. Her left hand holds a long seed pod below her navel. Still, her rounded face is not typical when compared to the faces of women at Angkor Wat.

Sikhoraphum Khmer Temple - South Devata

Her heavy earrings, necklace and armbands are like those at Angkor Wat, but she only wears single ankle bands and her crown style varies with a lower, broader central element.

Also note the small leaf-shaped objects over her ears. Within the context of our research, this small detail could be of great significance. At Angkor Wat, it is only seen on portraits of women displaying multiple attributes of power.

Her hips are broad and below her navel we see markings, again like those on many women at Angkor Wat. Waist-Hip Ratio, a scientific determinant of health and fertility pioneered by Dr. Devendra Singh, is one of our research parameters: the south devata has a ratio of .57.

Her sampot (Khmer skirt) blossoms out at the waist, a classic style seen at Angkor. This sampot style combines a long central “fishtail” with the outside “tail” typical of Angkor Wat devata.

Her feet are most interesting because of the exaggerated pose of lifting the toes and rolling up onto the sides of the foot. This move does not exist in modern classical dance in Cambodia or Thailand, nor is there anything to indicate that this woman is a dancer, performer or musician.

Finally, let’s consider the menagerie that joins her in her portrait. At Angkor Wat perhaps a dozen or so devata (out of 1,780) are seen with small birds. One is even portrayed with a tiny chihuahua-type dog.

But here we see first a parrot-like bird at the upper right, then on the left a squirrel chasing an unidentified animal with a long nose (or bill), and perhaps another animal in the lower left, now obscured by erosion.

The mood of her entire portrait is playful, relaxed and pleasant.

The North Devata of Sikhoraphum

Sikhoraphum - North Devata

Her sister to the north is similar, but with some key differences. Her jewelry is clearly Angkor Wat style, with the exception of her single anklet.

Again, we see the gentle facial expression and unusual crown. The crown, by the way, resembles one seen at Wat Phu in Laos. There are only four devata that exist outside of Cambodia, and the other two are there.

This time, however, she does not display the leaf elements above the ears.

She also holds the long-stemmed flower mid-body with the classic mudra. Her other hand clearly holds a seed pod below the navel.

Her waist is thin, her stomach is marked below the navel and her hips are also especially broad. Her Waist-Hip Ratio is .59.

The sampot again has the classic elements of a wide, blossoming waistband and center “fishtail,” while also including the characteristic Angkorian element of the long outside tail.

Her feet clearly show the toes upraised, but not nearly as much as the other devata.

Last, her animal friends include a squirrel and an absolutely huge bird that may be aDerbyan Parakeet, which have been kept as pets in China since medieval times.

To conclude, the temple of Sikhoraphum is a sacred place – certainly one of the most unusual Khmer locations in Thailand – and is well worth the detour if you are fortunate enough to travel to this region.

Mass. Senate race's lesson for Obama

2010-01-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

In June 2008, a few months before the financial implosions began, I asked two smart financiers who happened to be Republican about the future of the seemingly shaky American economy.

Defying the moment's conventional predictions that we would somehow muddle through, one offered a dire and uncannily accurate forecast. He explained why banks would blow up, investments would crash and the federal government would have to spend "at least $300 billion" to bail out financial institutions.

The other financial expert listened closely, took a sip from his drink, and smiled. "This," he said, "would seem like an excellent time for the Democrats to take power."

It wasn't that he liked Democratic policies. He just wanted the other side in charge when things came tumbling down. I doubt that my friend is as surprised as others are over the trouble Democrats face inTuesday's special Senate election in Massachusetts, which forced President Obama to Boston on Sunday for a last-minute campaign rescue mission.

I have thought often of that exchange while watching Obama and the Democrats struggle with the country's understandably cantankerous mood. Although the economy hit the skids on President Bush's watch, it's the party in office that suffers the consequences when things get really bad.

Underlying so much of the political analysis pouring forth over the Massachusetts showdown is a debate about the reasons for the decline of Obama's popularity from the heights of last spring.

Conservatives blame "liberalism" -- big government, big deficits, an overly ambitious health-care plan, a stimulus that spent too much and other supposedly left-leaning sins of the Obama regime.

The right is especially taken with the movement of political independents from guarded sympathy for the Democrats to outright opposition. Much of the analysis of Scott Brown's unexpectedly strong run for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat focuses on the Republican's strength among independent voters said to be alarmed over the ambition and reach of Obamaism.

Obama sympathizers counter that the president's approval ratings are quite healthy in light of an unemployment rate over 10 percent and a nearly unprecedented destruction of personal wealth.

The conservatives' focus on ideology, they say, is an opportunistic way of distracting attention from the mistakes of the Bush years and the role conservative policies played in bringing us to this point. To cite ideology rather than the economy in explaining the poll numbers is like analyzing the causes of Civil War without any reference to slavery or the rise of the New Deal without mention of the Great Depression.

It's not surprising that I lean toward the second set of explanations, and I wish my conservative friends would be as honest as the Republican investor was in acknowledging that presiding over bad times always hurts the party stuck with the job.

But the success of the conservative narrative ought to trouble liberals and the Obama administration. The president has had to "own" the economic catastrophe much earlier than he should have. Most Americans understand that the mess we are in started before Obama got to the White House. Yet many, especially political independents, are upset that the government has had to spend so much and that things have not turned around as fast as they had hoped.

It's also striking that most conservatives, through a method that might be called the audacity of audacity, have acted as if absolutely nothing went wrong with their economic theories. They speak and act as if they had nothing to do with the large deficits they now bemoan and say we will all be saved if only we return to the very policies that should already be discredited.

The few exceptions to this rule -- Bruce Bartlett and Richard Posner, the authors of two bravely dissident books, come to mind -- find themselves excommunicated from the conservative movement.

Yet the truth that liberals and Obama must grapple with is that they have failed so far to dent the right's narrative, especially among those moderates and independents with no strong commitments to either side in this fight.

The president's supporters comfort themselves that Obama's numbers will improve as the economy gets better. This is a form of intellectual complacency. Ronald Reagan's numbers went down during a slump, too. But even when he was in the doldrums, Reagan was laying the groundwork for a critique of liberalism that held sway in American politics long after he left office.

Progressives will never reach their own Morning in America unless they use the Gipper's method to offer their own critique of the conservatism he helped make dominant. It is still more powerful in our politics, as we are learning in Massachusetts, than it ought to be

Khmer Angkor in Colors

2010-01-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

Here are the real pic with the color fading away.

Ever wonder what ancient Khmer capitol Angkor really look like?

Before i show you the pic and video, Imma show you a description of Angkor city by the ancient Chinese.

"Zhou Daguan, the Chinese 13th century envoy who spent one year in Angkor and left the only written account of someone who actually saw Angkor Thom in its prime, reports that the Baphuon had a bronze tower and the Phimeanakas golden ones, that there were golden bridges guarded by gold lions and decorated with goldenBuddhas. The Bayon was once even more elaborate, the central tower apparently covered in gold leaf. He also wrote that the roofs of the temples and other buildings were covered with yellow glazed clay tiles that shimmered in the sun and added to the overall "gold effect..."

In ancient India text they call Southeast Asia, the land of gold.

in the video, I guess they forgot to make all the Khmer house roof cover in yellow clay tiles. according to the Chinese when the sunshine hit it, it'll make the roofs look like shiney golden roof. So the entire city look like it was cover in gold.

Spirit of Place Collections ~ Cambodia

2010-01-12T00:48:00.000-08:00

ACIG SPECIAL REPORTS

2010-01-11T03:27:00.000-08:00

A 'Printed' Microstrip Antenna Array and low power (500 W) L-Band T/R Modules developed by DRDO. The former finds use in the man-portable Battlefield Surveillance Radar (BFSR) as well as on airborne surveillance radars. DRDO has also developed a 4x16 element active phased array radar for experimental purposes, as the first step.

Cutaway of the Advanced Light Weight Torpedo (ALWT) developed by DRDO for both ship-borne and air-borne carriage. It can attack targets at a depth of 540 m, has a maximum speed of 33 knots and has a dynamic frontal sealing system for noise reduction and higher reliability.

This 42 tonne mammoth is an Amphibious Floating Bridge and Ferry System (AFFS) developed by the R&DE (Engrs) branch of DRDO, for the ferry of traffic across large and deep water obstacles. The 10 x 3.6 x 4 m vehicle can covert to a fully decked bridge configuration of length 28.4 m, in 9 minutes. Two more vehicles can be joined in tandem to form a floating bridge of length 105 m, in 30 minutes. The bridge superstructure is integrated with floats (shown inflated) to provide stability and additional buoyancy.

The vehicle has a max speed of 55 km/h on road, 40 km/h cross country and an aquatic mobility of 2.7 m/sec with twin pump jets. The vehicle is also capable of retracting it's wheels for use as a grounded bridge/ramp for high banks.

Polish WZT3 Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV) assembled by Bharat Earth Movers ltd. (BEML).

The Sujav is a compact EW system for the V/UHF communication range, seen installed on TATA 'Sumo' 4x4 vehicles. It can perform a fast spectral search between frequencies of 30 to 1000 MHZ with 4 channel monitoring and jam on multiple frequencies with responsive jamming being used against fixed and frequency hopping sets. Jammer power output is 500 W(VHF) / 200 W(UHF) and features decoding of standard formats and direction finding with emitter location being fixed on a map. This system has been designed by the DLRL lab of DRDO, the designers of the 'Tempest' EW system.

A 1:8 scale model and a full size mockup of the WM-18 Naval Rocket Launcher, built by L&T. This weapon system is for use aboard Landing Ship Tank (LST) warships to facilitate beach clearing operations. The whole system comprises of port and starboard launchers capable of firing 18 rockets in single launch or salvo mode. The electro-hydraulically operated launchers are slaved to a Director designation sight and controlled from a remote console. A two axis servo stabilized system compensates for ship roll and pitch motion.

L&T and DRDO have co-developed this "Universal Missile Launcher", configured on a wheeled vehicle and designed to launch SAMs in vertical or inclined launch modes. It features an all-electrical 28 V DC system, complete silent mode of operation, auto levelling, advanced electronic controls and an advanced user console and GUI.

Kora class missile corvette designed and manufactured by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd. of Calcutta. The small 1,350 tonne corvette packs a massive surface to surface punch with 16 Zvezda 3M24E Uran AsHMs. Currently, these corvettes carry MATCH (Multi Role Anti Submarine Torpedo Carrying Helicopter) Chetak helicopters for the ASW role but are soon to be equipped with the naval Dhruv helicopter which will replace the former. Naval Dhruvs will carry the DRDO (LRDE) SV-2000 Maritime patrol radar.

Brahmaputra class FFG, designed and manufactured by GRSE.

Bofors L-70 40 mm Anti-Aircraft gun manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) of India. The gun is being upgraded by the OFB and Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL).

The Bheema 1000 (signifying a 1 ton lift capacity) is an aircraft loading trolley developed by the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) of DRDO and manufactured by Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML). The IAF also uses imported MJ-3 weapon loading trolleys.

The Battlefield Surveillance Radar - Short Range (BFSR-SR) mounted on pole aboard a TATA Sumo vehicle forms a mobile light observation post. The Radar has LPI features thanks to low peak power (5 W) and digitally coded waveforms with a choice of RF channels.

The prospect of private sector participation in defense has lead companies like Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) ,one of India's leading utility vehicle manufacturers, to come out with products like the 'Striker' combat vehicle, seen above. Note the FLAME launcher and Thermal Imaging Sight for the Milan ATGM on the universal machine gun mount. The launcher and sight weigh 34 kgs combined.

The Mahindra Rakshak bulletproof vehicle is already in service. It's composite armour offers protection against 7.62 mm bullets. M&M claims to be the only private sector company with an entire division dedicated solely to defense needs ie Mahindra Defence Systems.

Various ammunition manufactured by the OFB including 105 mm (top left) and 120 mm (right) illuminating rounds. The Adrushy Mine (centre) is equipped with a magnetic influence fuze and shaped charge. It has an armour penetration of of >100 mm and immunity against CLMC (V) blast at a distance of 2.5 m.

The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) of India's selection of weaponry including the 5.56 mm INSAS LMG, 9 mm Carbine (with Silencer), 7.62 mm 1A1 Rifle for defense and .315 '' Sporting rifle, 12 bore pump action Shotgun for civilian applications. The legendary Mikhail Kalashnikov who dropped in for the show, was extremely upset on seeing the OFB's AK-7, a clone of the AK-47, albeit only to the OFB's amusement.

Inside of the Mine Protected Vehicle, designed and produced by the OFB. The hull is protected against 10 kg TNT blasts and 7.62 SLR Ammunition.

The OFB has upgraded atleast 180 M-46 guns from 130 mm to 155 mm calibre using kits supplied by Soltam Artillery Systems of Israel. Another 300 guns will be upgraded at the OFB facility in Jabalpur.

HAL's participation at DEFEXPO was minimal and they were still fresh from their Aero-India experiences. Having achieved limited export successes in the past with the license built Do-228 in Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) configuration, HAL continue to market the type abroad.

The Dhanush is the naval version of the Prithvi (SS-250) SRBM, launched from a moving ship to engage land based targets. Complete check-out and launch is software based and automatic. The stabilization system and launcher is built by L&T. The missile system was installed aboard and flight tested from a 1890 tonne Sukanyaclass patrol vessel, similar to the one seen. The INS Sujatha (P56), is seen returning from a joint exercise with the Singapore Navy on March 12, 2004.

'Ashok Leyland' is a leading and well known manufacturer of commercial vehicles and diesel engines with an annual production capacity of 50,000 vehicles and 60,000 engines. The company also exports to over 40 countries including the supply of 3,332 ‘Cargo 912’ trucks to the Iraqi ministry of transport and agriculture.

5000 litre Water Bowser based on the Ashok Leyland Stallion 4x4 truck. It has a self priming pump and stainless steel pipings with quick coupling attachments.

An impressive display of a truck engine, complete with smoke effects. Ashok Leyland recently obtained a ToT for the Hino Motors J-Series 260 HP engine.

Singapore Technologies Kinetics now offer their own SAR-21 series of 5.56 mm calibre Assault rifles. All variants have a 450-650 rpm rate of fire, carry a standard 30 round box magazine and are built on a "bullpup" design of modular construction. The standard weapon without accessories weighs 3.82 kg.

One of the most intriguing exhibits was the innovative Bell Eagle Eye Vertical UAV. When launched from a ship, the drone can survey inland territory up to 100 nautical miles away, flying a hi-lo-hi trajectory.

The Eagle Eye VUAV is an essential part of the US Coast Guard's controversial $17 billion Integrated Deepwater System Program which emphasizes on anti-piracy / maritime transportation, illegal drug and migrant interdiction, search and rescue, surveillance, fisheries and environmental protection, counter-terrorism and exclusive economic zones. The EADS CN-235-300M MPA is also a part of the Deepwater programme.

Model of the Bell AH-1Z Super Cobra. The new glass cockpit for the type is interestingly, similar to the one being designed for the HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).

The Raytheon SLAMRAAM (Surface-Launched), essentially unmodified AMRAAMs mounted on a Humvee vehicle, is an outgrowth of the NASAMS-II programme for Norway. The system uses the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel modification to the TPQ-36A radar and a Fire Direction Centre from Norway. The system is also in service with Spain.

The impressive SLAMRAAM control centre with the related consoles. The I/J (X)-band 3D narrow beam AN/MPQ-64 can also cue Stinger, AAA and VSHORAD-class missiles. The radar has a range of up to 75 km and uses the AN/TPX-56 IFF. It's configuration allows the weapons, radars and command posts to operate from widely separate battlefield positions.

The Patriot PAC-III needs no introduction. Raytheon had earlier made a detailed presentation of the system to the Indian Armed Forces and now awaits US Government approval to provide information on more specific points needed for export clearance.

The radar of the PAC-III system features improved detection range and thus an enlarged defended area.

The Indian Navy's interest in the Fire Scout and Hawkeye-2000 AWACS also brought Northrop Grumman to DEFEXPO. Strangely, the company is pushing for the latter to be stationed on the recently acquired carrier Gorshkov and revealed that a variant with reduced payload for operation from a STOBAR configured carrier was under study. According to NG, the Indian Navy has a requirement for 8 Hawkeyes and the Indian Coast Guard wants two more. The US Navy will receive 12 Hawkeye-2000D in 2004.

A model of the Kaman K-MAX showing the intermeshing of the rotor blades.

The recently revealed Rafael Python-5 remains to be somewhat mysterious in terms of improvements over the Python-4. It is confirmed to incorporate new flight control algorithms, better IRCCM, better computer architecture, a dual waveband IIR seeker and a Fibre-optic Gyro based INS. The Derby active-BVRAAM is likely to be chosen for the Indian Navy's upcoming Sea-Harrier upgrade.

The Rafael Barak-1 is quickly being standardized on most Indian Naval vessels including the Delhi class, Brahmaputra class, Rajput class as well as the carrier Viraat. The small 2175 mm long, 98 kg missile can undertake 45 g maneuvers to defeat most targets. An enhanced Barak with an active radar seeker and multistage propulsion is under development. Seen on the right is a quad launcher carrying 4 LAHAT laser guided missiles. The Lahat has also spawned an 8 km range derivative known as the Lightbow, for use in the anti-tank as well as anti-helicopter roles.

E.M.I.T Aviation Consult Ltd. is a lesser known company founded in 1986 for the development and manufacture of UAV systems. The Blue-Horizon 2 is a small 80 kg(empty) UAV of wingspan 6.5 m and length 3.2 m. Powered by a WAE-342 engine and carrying 50 kg of internal fuel, it has a 16 hour endurance at 70 kias speed. Max speed is 120 kias at 2000 feet and take off distance is 250 m at an MTOW of 150 kg.

The Sparrow-N is even smaller with a wingspan of 2.44 m and a length of 2.14 m. It has an endurance of 4 hrs with a 60-70 kts cruise speed and a weight of 45 kg including a 12 kg payload. Endurance may be increased to 6 hrs by using a larger fuel tank. The Electro-Optical payload "Microview", is integrated into the nose. The UAV is powered by a 2 cylinder, 2 stroke gasoline (85/87 MOGAS) engine.

IAI unveiled their new I-SEE mini-UAV at DEFEXPO. It has an endurance of around 40-60 minutes, range 5-10 km from base station and an operating altitude of 10,000 feet. Length is 1.82 m and wingspan 2.90 m. With a small 800 gram nose mounted payload, the take-off weight is a mere 7.8 kg.

The IAI I-View is yet another recent revelation, having been unveiled at Le Bourget. Second only to the I-See in terms of small size, it is powered by a nose mounted two-cylinder reciprocating engine driving a tractor propeller and weighs 125-165 Kg at take-off. Length is 4.10 m, Span 5.70 m and maximum attainable altitude is 22,000 feet. Although the tricycle undercarriage may suggest otherwise, launch is through a catapult and recovery is aided with a precision parafoil.

An officer checks out the Spike-MR ATGM system. The equipment mounted on the tripod includes the launcher, Command Launch Unit and a Thermal Sight. The Spike-MR combines both electro-optical targetting and commands via a fibre optic datalink which also permits the use of the seeker for accurate surveillance as well. Maximum range is 8 km.

Another recently revealed item was Rafael's HeliCOAT simulator. The HeliCOAT weapons suite adds two MFDs, HMS and NVG, the Rafael Aero-Gem self protection suite including a Guitar 350 MAWS, DIRCM and CFDS, electro-optical sensors and two launchers, each with 4 Spike-ER missiles. The latter have additional fire and steer modes and can also be carried by ships and vehicles.

First look at the Elta EL/M-2022U maritime patrol radar for UAVs. Modes of operation include the Sea Mode for detection and auto tracking of ships, Classification Mode with Range Signature and Inverse SAR imaging, Imaging Mode with wide-area Strip-SAR imaging and Spot-SAR imaging, Air Mode for the detection and tracking of airborne targets, and a Nav/Weather Mode with Real Beam Mapping (RBM) and a 4 color weather avoidance display. The Heron UAV uses a 114 kg / 2300 Watt set wheras VUAVs may use a 50 kg/ 1000 Watt variant.

The Elta EL/M-2055 SAR/GMTI/Weather radar is intended for the Searcher and Heron UAVs. While the larger Heron UAV can carry a 66 kg / 1100 Watt set, smaller tactical UAVs may use a 36 kg / 700 Watt variant.

IMI's 'Tavor' series of 5.56 mm Assualt Rifles based on the Bullpup design and the 'Galil' 7.62 mm Sniper Rifle. All Tavor versions have a 750-900 rpm sustained rate of fire. Both the Tavor and Galil have entered service with the Indian Army. Additional Micro-Uzi submachine guns and 7000 lightweight Assault Rifles were also purchased for the Special Forces.

Novator Experimental Machine Design Bureau's Klub series including the 91RTE2 (ship based) and 91RE1 (top) Anti-Submarine missiles , 3M14E Land attack Cruise Missile and the 3M54E Three stage Anti-Ship Low Altitude Cruise Missile (bottom). The 3M54E is carried in a 8916 x 645 mm transport-and-launch tube, weighing 3655 kg. The missile has a maximum range of 220 km flying at a low altitude of 20 m with a cruise speed of 240 m/s. The three stages include the combat stage supported by a sustainer engine followed by a booster. The combat stage during the terminal phase and approaches the target at a speed of 700 m/s with a flight altitude of 5-10 m. A 200 kg warhead is carried.

The Klub-S/N uses the 420 x 700 mm RADAR MMS ARGS-54E active-radar seeker which has a maximum range of 65 km. Angular coverage is -20° to +10° in elevation and ±45° in azimuth. The seeker weighs 40 kg (excluding radome) and is operable in temperature ranges of ±50°C and upto Sea State 6.

Novator OKB and KBSM Special Mechanical Engg. joinly build the 3S-14E universal under-deck VLS for launching all three 3M-54TE, 3M-14E and 91RE2 missile types. An 8 cell complex has a mass of 14,700 kg (mod.1) and a power consumption of 3~50 Hz, 380 V, 30 kWt. A 15,000 kg 3S-14PE Deck Inclined Launcher is also available.

The RUBIN Amur 1650 is designed to be more silent than the Kilo class itself but is smaller (1765 m³ displacement) and more limited in most other fields. The snorkel cruising range (with increased fuel stock) at a speed of 7 kts is 6000 miles, submerged range of 650 miles at economic speed, endurance 45 days. The small Amur 950 of 1060 m³ displacement, is still under development. It has an endurance of 30 days, range 300 miles when submerged, maximum speed of 20 kts. A crew of just 21 is carried compared to the Amur 1650's 35 .

The KILO (Project 877) has undoubtedly been one of the more successful non-nuclear submarines in the world. An improvement programme is underway which will include a new sonar complex with digital signals processing, a periscope complex with a non-penetrating optronic mast, a new radio radio comm. complex and other equipment of export origin. The sub can carry 4 Klub-S missiles (min.) / 18 Torpedoes / 24 mines and has an endurance of 45 days with the snorkel cruising range (with increased fuel stock) of 7500 miles at a speed of 7 kts. 52 crew members are carried.

Astrium GmbH (EADS) and CDB ME "Rubin" propose a RESUS-KILO ( REscue System for SUbmarineS) emergency surfacing system. It is based on 6 gas generators positioned in the No.3 Ballast Tank of the submarine which help GC64 generators introduce gas into the upper regions of the Main Ballast Tank (MBT), ejecting water via a gas duct and thus increasing buoyancy. The RESUS-KILO system is intended to help the submarine to surface from diving depths >250 m.

The DJIGHIT support launching unit (SLU) for the Igla MANPADS was mentioned but never seen at Aero-India. The 128 kg (empty) SLU can be knocked down into three portable sections and has overall dimensions of 2180 x 1546 x 1304 mm in the combat position which takes 3 minutes to deploy. Missile reload may be done in 2 minutes. The SLU which accomates 1 crew member, may also be combined with Mk-XA / Mk-XII IFF interrogators, optical day-night sights and external target designation aids.

The Igla-S features extended firing range (6 km), enhanced kill probability, reliability and service life when compared to previous versions. It can engage targets flying at speeds of 400 m/sec (head-on) to 300 m/sec (tail-chase) flying at heights from 10-3500 m. The Igla-S is compatible with DJIGHIT and STRELETS launchers.

The KBP Kashtan-M is undoubtedly the world's most powerful CIWS, combining two AO-18KD 30 mm AAG with eight 9M311-1E SAM launchers. The system is so powerful that it is also effective against smaller shore based targets. However, the Indian Navy maintains a slight bias in favour of the Barak.

KBP have developed a BMP-2 ICV modernization package which is now in the prototype phase. The upgrade replaces the main assemblies of the fire control system and adds the Kornet-E ATMS plus a 30 mm automatic grenade launcher with a range of 1700 m. The commander's BPK-2-42 standard sight has been replaced with a combined day/night sight. The 30 mm 2A42 automatic gun has been retained.

The KBP Kornet-E portable Anti-Tank Missile System (ATMS) consists of a 9P163M launcher and a 9M133-F1 laser beam riding missile of the 152 mm calibre. The Kornet-E has a maximum range of 5500 m and an armor piercing capability of 1000-1200 mm. The missile may be equipped with a HE / thermobaric warhead to produce the same incendiary effect as 152 mm HE / fragmentation artillery round.

The MBDA ASTER-30 SAMP/T is now claimed to have ATBM capability with a range in excess of 100 km. The system is under qualification within the framework of the Franco-Italian FSAF (Future Surface-to-Air Family of Missiles) programme. The ASTER missile employs thrust-vectoring and has been ordered to equip British Type-45 Daring ( with Sampson multifunction radar ), French Horizon and Italian Orizontte (both with Empar radars) class frigates under the Principle Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS). The PAAMS is expected to complete systems qualification by the end of this year or the next.

The MM-40 Block-3 Exocet (furthest) is scheduled to enter service with the French Navy in 2006. It features a degree of commonality with existing MM 40 Block 1 and 2 systems plus an extended range of 180 km. The MM-40 Block-3 will also be modified to strike coastal land based targets with additional land over-flight and waypoint capability.

The Mistral-2 ATAM has been qualified for the French Gazelle and Tiger attack helicopters. The basic Mistral-2 MANPADS missile has a range of 6 km and carries a 3 kg warhead. The twin round Mistral ATLAS is similar to the Russian DJIGHIT, weighing 150 kg. The system can be integrated with the Mistral coordination and Control System (MCP) which consists of an Oerlikon-Contraves Shorar radar installed on a lightweight off-road capable vehicle. The SIMBAD, TETRAL and SADRAL systems are Mistral launchers for naval vessels, carrying two, four and six missiles respectively.

The VL-MICA is a land based mobile SAM system based on the MICA-EM. The intercept range of the missile is however, just 10 km. The VL-MICA can also be deployed from ships and has no additional dedicated sensors.

The Indian Navy is negotiating for the transfer-of-technology the 100% indigenous manufacture of 6 DCN Scorpene class submarines at Mazagon Docks Ltd. in Bombay. The model pictured is that of the 2000 ton, 76.2 m long Scorpene-Basic with Mesma AIP. The Scorpene's construction is of modular architecture, allowing customers to specify various combinations of systems and weapons, prior to actual construction. The Scorpene is offered in three versions - 1) Scorpene-Basic with conventional diesel/electric propulsion ( 1,700 tons, endurance 50 days, 66.4 m length, Submerged speed 20 kts), 2) Scorpene Basic with AIP and 3) Scorpene Compact with diesel engines for surface propulsion and AIP for prime underwater propulsion ( 1,450 tons, endurance 40 days, length 59.4 m, Submerged speed 14 kts). Only 31 crew members are carried due to the high level of automation. (22 for the Scorpene-Compact)

Search and Attack optronic periscope of the Scorpene submarine.

The Turbomeca ARRIEL 2 (640-730 kW, 850-990 shp) helicopter engine. The second version has a single stage gas generator turbine with single crystal blades, a new engine electronic control unit with integrated manual backup and a new shift-phase type torque meter. It also has reinforced bearings, new pinions, a redesigned accessory gearbox and rough castings to replace machine welded components.
The engine is of modular, consisting of a shaft and accessory gearbox (Transmission shaft speed 6000 rpm), axial compressor (Airflow 2.5 kg/s), gas generator (5.4:1 compression rato), power turbine (Expansion ratio 2.6) and reduction gearbox (Drive gear speed 39,000 rpm, Reduction ratio 6.5). Weighing 130 kg, the average hourly fuel consumption under economic cruise is 170 liters/hr. The production rate of the engine is maintained at 250 units per year.

Dassault Mirage-2000-5. The IAF has officially started negotiation for 125 new Mirage-2000-5. Meanwhile, the 10 new Mirage-2000TH (equipped with RDM-7 radar) on order, are being readied for delivery.

EADS offer a number of warheads for rocket based applications, especially MBRLs.

Minesweeper built/proposed by Abeking and Rasmussen shipyards, for the German Navy.

DEFEXPO 2004

2010-01-11T03:22:00.000-08:00

The Naval LCA 'Tejas' is still in very early stages of development. Although it was previously thought that the LCA trainer came from the Naval version, it turns out that the situation is actually quite the opposite and the naval version was a derivative of the Trainer and the former is essentially a hybrid of the Trainer's front fuselage and the conventional version's rear fuselage. The assembly jig for the N-LCA's front fuselage, is thus shared by the Trainer. Another incorrect assessment was assumption that the naval variant carries more fuel than the conventional LCA - the former actually has reduced internal fuel although it must be noted that specifications are still in conceptual stages at present and can be subject to change depending on evolving requirements.

At an overall length of 14.6 m, the naval version will also be quite a bit longer. The lengthened undercarriage for the higher sink rate desired (24 ft/sec), also facilitates for the carriage of larger weapons on the centerline station. The external warload capacity has been decreased to 3000-3500 kg. A shore based test facility with a ski-jump ramp and a three-wire arrester system is to be installed in order to evaluate the performance of two N-LCA prototypes (NP-1 and NP-2).

Extremely sharp viewers may note something that isn't immediately apparent - the nose canards or 'moustache' as seen on previous Naval LCA models, are missing. The canards were indeed deleted from the design after extensive wind tunnel testing showed that they provided no significant performance, lift increase or improved handling at higher AoA. The LEVCONs will however, be retained and along with a higher thrust to weight ratio, will help the naval variant exceed the conventional LCA's AoA and turn performance. Both the trainer and naval version have an additional intake at the tail-base for cooling the tailpipe.

Although rumors of equipping the LCA with the Phazotron Kopyo instead of the DRDO MMR have proven to be false, the latter will most certainly receive a phased array antenna in the later stages, which is in confirmed development. Coming to the cockpit, the production LCAs are to feature an indigenous ejection seat in lieu of the Martin Baker Mk.16 on the prototypes. The Zvezda K-36 was considered but eliminated as an option on the basis of it being strangely, very expensive. The overall cost of the N-LCA programme is being shared by DRDO and the Indian Navy.

Never revealed to the public before, the 'Tusker' ECM pod has been developed by DRDO under the Tempest EW project which also includes the Tarang RWR. The jammer is already in service, primarily intended for the MiG-27ML.

BRAHMOS FEATURE

The Brahmos supersonic cruise missile is to become the Indian Navy's standard strike weapon, having been recently declared as 'ready for induction'. The prospect of exporting this deadly weapon to 'friendly third world countries' would probably be limited by the high unit cost, much to the western world's relief. The Brahmos has been marketed at several shows including MAKS, LIMA, IDEX and Africa Aerospace and Defence Exibition. A single round is 9 m long, 670 mm in diameter and weighs more than 3000 kg including a 300 kg warhead. A submarine based launch complex would consist of canisterized missile rounds, container launchers, loading devices, ground support and training equipment.

The land based mobile Brahmos complex consists of three missile canisters, a power generation cabin and a Launch Control Centre cabin mounted on a fully autonomous Tatra 12x12 vehicle. A Mobile command post which coordinates action among different launch vehicles, communicates with the complex through an HF/VHF antenna mounted on an erectable mast. A complete missile battalion will include Missile Supply and Loading Vehicles, Combat Duty Support Vehicles and possibly, a target designation helicopter. Russia's contribution to the Brahmos includes the active radar seeker and the liquid fuel ramjet engine wheras DRDO developed the onboard navigation system, onboard computer, electronics, fire control system, software and some parts of the propulsion system.

The Air-launched Brahmos-A will be carried by Su-30MKIs and Maritime Patrol Aircraft. It has a reduced mass of 2500 kg (max) but will retain the 300 kg warhead/payload capability and the standard range parameters of 290 km at Mach 2.8 on a Hi-Lo trajectory. The missile is also capable of a fully low altitude trajectory at around half the maximum range.

DEFEXPO 2004

2010-01-11T03:20:00.000-08:00

The DRDO Pinaka is an all weather, indirect fire, free flight, Area-Saturation Weapon system that has begun to enter service with the Indian Army. It consists of a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) Vehicle with 12 tubes, three Replenishment Vehicles, a Loader cum Replenishment Vehicle and a Fire control system containing a Command Post and the DIGICORA MET Radar. A battery of six launchers can turn an area of 1000 x 800 m into Swiss cheese in less than 44 seconds.

Although advertised with a maximum range of 38 km, the Pinaka has achieved ranges up to 42 km during tests. Each rocket is of 214 mm calibre, is 4950 mm long, weighs 276 kg and carries a 100 kg warhead. Minimum range is 10 km and the overall CEP is less than 1-2% of the total range.

Projects like the Akash, Trishul and Pinaka have taken a lot of contribution from the private sector. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) ltd. claim credit for building the 2-axis DC servo drive for the Pinaka while TATA Advanced Materials Ltd. (TAML) have developed launcher tubes and containers for the rockets and missiles. TATA Power's Strategic Electronics Division (SED) also developed the prototype Pinaka launcher which underwent extensive user field trials.

IMI's trajectory correction system for the Pinaka.

This new 122 mm rocket is being developed as part of an upgrade package to the Indian Army's BM-21 LRAR MBRLs. The new round which uses a case bonded composite propellant and a low calibre thrust chamber, offering an enhanced range of 35 km compared to the current 20 km range. For the heavier role, the Indian Army has also purchased thirty-six 300 mm 9A52-2 Smerch-M MBRLs along with an equivalent number of 9T-234-2 transloaders based on the same MAZ-543-A1 chasis.

The Akash medium range air defence system consists of a 3D Central Acquisition Radar (CAR) radar for high resolution surveillance upto 180 km in range and 18 km in height, battery level Rajendra (not pictured) phased array radars to carry out target tracking, missile acquisition, guidance and launcher control, and mobile multirole launchers configured on either wheeled or tracked vehicles. At present, the SAM has an intercept range of 25 km, with limited ATBM capability being developed.

The pictured model shows the Radar Sensor Vehicle (RSV) of the 3D-CAR. The S-band radar is a multi-beam planar array which forms a Cosecant square beam in transmit and 6 stacked pencil beams in receive modes. The second TATRA vehicle (not pictured) of the system acts as the Data Center and houses two radar consoles, an IFF control panel, communication equipment and a rest room. A third TATRA vehicle acts as the power unit, with two 25 KVA, 3 phase 50 Hz, Diesel Gensets. The signal processor and data extractor are mounted with the RSV itself. The whole system takes less than 20 minutes to deploy and can be operated at high altitude regions of upto 4000 m above sea-level and temperatures between -20° to +55° C. Designed to operate in an ECM-intensive environment, the system also presents jamming analysis using omni channel and clutter/weather/ECM video maps.

The Airforce version of the Akash launcher configured on a wheeled vehicle built by TATA. L&T also offer SAM launchers configured on TATRA vehicles, all of them implementing embedded control systems.

DRDO's latest experimental tank designated 'Tank-Ex' is an Arjun/T-72 hybrid integrating the weapon system and armor of the former with the automotive system of the latter. Most of the Arjun's features including the 'Kanchan'armor and 120 mm rifled gun, not to mention GPS, NBC protection, Thermal Imager integrated into the gunner's main sight and a standby articulated sight, have been included. The tank has a combat weight of 47 tonnes, a power to weight ratio of 21 HP/tonne, ground pressure of 0.94 kgf/cm² and achieves a maximum speed of 60 km/h on road.

The Tank-Ex will offer a huge leap in ergonomics and compartment space when compared to the conventional T-72, thanks to the implementation of the Arjun's crew station design. A crew of four, including the driver, is now carried. 32 rounds of FSAPDS and HESH ammunition are carried, with 18 ready rounds in the rotating turret. Tank-Ex is yet to enter user trials.

The Bhim implements a self-propelled 155mm/52-cal artillery gun on the Arjun tank hull. It has a high power-to-weight ratio (24.8 HP/tonne), hydro pneumatic suspension and a large onboard ammunition supply of 50 rounds. The vehicle has a combat weight of 56.4 tons, a sustained rate of fire of 3 rounds/min ( 8 rounds/min under intense fire mode or a burst of 3 rounds in 20 sec.) and a max range of 52.5 km (VLAP). Five crew members are carried.

DEFEXPO 2004

2010-01-11T03:19:00.000-08:00

The ADE Nishant UAV has been operationalised by the Indian Army with series production scheduled to begin soon. The drone, with an endurance of 4 hrs in it's primary roles of battlefield surveillance and electro-optical recon, can carry a payload of 45 kg, with it's integrated sensor package (FLIR, laser ranger and 35 mm mini pan camera) and drive electronics contained in the Gimballed Payload Assembly (GPA), weighing 40 kg. The airframe is made of carbon/glass fiber reinforced structure which facilitates for low RCS and the drone is powered by an ALVIS AR-801 55 bhp engine driving a pusher propeller. The Vehicles R&D lab of DRDO offers two engines for generic UAV applications, namely the RE-2-21-P and RE-4-37-P powerplants.

The 380 kg drone requires rail-launching from a hydro-pneumatic launcher. Launches at a velocity of 45 m/sec are carried out in 0.6 seconds with 100 kW power and subsequent launches can be carried out in intervals of 20 minutes. The Mobile Hydro-Pneumatic Launcher (MHPL) system mounted on a Tatra truck weighs 14,000 kg and boasts of a life cycle of 1000 launches before requiring overhaul. Other variants of the UAV in advanced stages of development include a version known as the Nishant Mk.1W(Wheeled) with a fixed tricycle undercarriage capable of autonomous take off and landing from short unprepared airstrips. This will also allow the parachute and landing bag recovery systems to be removed in order to make space for additional payloads. Further developments will include increased endurance and range and a more powerful engine.

Eventually, all versions are to get IRLS, COMINT and ELINT payloads as well as a laser designator. The Nishant was preceded by an experimental mini-UAV by the name "Kapothaka", which acted as the technology demonstrator for validating take-off and transmission capabilities.

The only piloted aircraft at the show was this solitary HAL Dhruv (IA-1105) of the Indian Army. The very same Dhruv was also on display at Aero-India 2003, making it yet another example in the practice of restricting the display of aircraft all over the country, to specific examples. The Indian Army plans to acquire 120 Dhruvs and atleast 9 examples have already been delivered at the time of writing. Army Aviation training which was previously carried out at the School of Artillery, is now carried out in an independent Combat Air Training School at Deolali.

While a cockpit of conventional dial pointer instruments may be sufficient for this version, HAL offer the helicopter with a standard glass cockpit as well (not to be confused with the Israeli package). The Weapon-System-Integrated (WSI) Dhruv will carry Nag ATGMs and a nose mounted gyro-stabilized sighting system incorporating a thermal imager and Laser Range-Finder(LRF). To deploy the Nag ATGM from the HAL Cheetah helicopter, a smaller gyro-stabilized sighting system with a high resolution CCD camera and a Nd-YG LRF would be employed.

The most significant of all recent developments surrounding the Arjun MBT was the test firing of the Israeli Laser-Homing-Attack (LAHAT) missile which qualified the tank as a platform for long range ATGMs. The missile is handled by the gunner as a standard round and with a maximum range of ~6 km, exceeds the capabilities of the Reflex system on the T-90S. 39 rounds the indigenous 20.8 kg 120 mm Fin stabilized Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) and HESH ammunition, are carried. The Indian Army expects to take delivery of all 124 Arjun units on order, by early 2006. The developers claim that the "Kanchan" composite Armour on the tank provides a degree of protection far higher than available on other contemporary tanks. From personal observation, the build does appear to be much stronger than that of the T-72 or T-90S.

It took quite a while to modify the original Arjun to correlate with the Indian Army's stringent specifications but work on an improved follow-on version has already been initiated. The latter, upon completion, will be subject to further evaluation. The Arjun project has already given birth to several spin-offs namely the Tank Ex, Bhim 155 mm SP artillery vehicle and the Arjun BLT (Bridge-Layer-Tank). Thanks to modular construction, conversion from MBT configuration to SP Gun or BLT configuration is possible by quickly switching the turret on the chasis.

Something that should be immediately apparent to the crew are the spacious fighting and driving compartments, in contrast to the T-72 Ajeya's cramped interior, although it must be noted that a crew of four is carried. The ergonomics are designed from the anthropometrical data of Indian troops. With a super charged 1500 HP engine, the tank has a high power to weight ratio at a combat weight of 58.5 tons and a low ground pressure of 0.84 kgf/cm², speed of 70 km/h on road.

Although Arjun's gunnery simulator is designed to be simplistic and compact in order to facilitate for easy transportation in a container, the software is extremely advanced. It features weapons ballistics simulation, Day/Night Thermal imaging simulation as well as a vibration unit to simulate firing and battlefield disturbances. The container consists of two compartments, one housing the gunner and another containing an instructor console with a larger screen to monitor, control, evaluate, debrief and rank the gunner.

DRDO's Armored-Vehicle-Paramilitary (AVP) is still in the concept stage.

The Nag-Missile-Carrier (NAMICA) is essentially a modification to the Russian BMP-2 IFV. A total of 12 ATGMs are carried, with four of them kept in ready state, inside the launcher. The Peleng joint stock company of Russia, now offer a Rubezh-M sighting system upgrade featuring a PNK2-42 combined gunner's sight and night-time target acquisition range of 5000 m plus a night-time IFF range of 3500 m, for all BMP-1 and BMP-2 IFVs in worldwide service.

FRANCE

2010-01-11T03:18:00.001-08:00

French president Jean Pierre Raffarin leading a delegation of french aerospace captains visited the show on February 6,in whose presence, three agreements between HAL,SNECMA Moteurs and Turbomeca were signed. These included an agreement for the formation of a joint venture for the setting up of a centre of excellence for manufacturing key components, investment castings and equipment dedicated to aero engines, an agreement for the codevelopment and coproduction of the Shakti-Ardien high power engine for the ALH and an agreement for the supply for rolled ring forgings and precision blade forgings by HAL to SNECMA.

Thales has been a partiticipant in the Indian defence industry since 1953 and is perhaps the largest foreign contributor in the field of avionics and onboard systems for upgrades as well as new projects.Notably,the HAL HJT-36 IJT uses a number of avionic systems from Thales including the HUD, 3ATI, 4ATI displays, AoA, temperature sensors and accelerometers. Thales has also supplied 'Catherine' thermal imagers for the T-90S MBT of the Indian Army.

The Thales Damocles/NavFLIR pod featured on the Mirage-2000-5 Mk2 is the latest targeting and navigation sensor for the delivery of PGMs in day as well as night in the harshest of weather conditions. In the background is Thale's advanced simulation system for the Mirage-2000-5. Over 160 sets of simulators have been delivered by Thales worldwide, including Mirage-2000H and Airbus A-300 simulators to the IAF and the domestic carrier Indian airlines, respectively.

Several statements about the interest and eventual acquisition of 126 Mirage-2000-5 for the formation of a 7 squadron strategic nuclear strike force arise from official and unofficial sources but actual detailed information has not yet been released and this remains speculative.If such a deal is signed, around 70% of the aircraft fleet would be locally manufactured at HAL which has already established an Overhaul facility for the Mirage-2000 at Bangalore. Approved to the ISO 9000 series of quality systems,it remains the only organization authorized to undertake major inspection and overhaul of the Mirage-2000 series,outside France. While the Rafale is not really being pushed for the IAF, Dassault hope that they will find a potential customer in the Indian Navy. There have been one or two official statements about the Rafale-M as a possible alternative to the Mig-29K but the sheer cost of the former could be a prohibitive factor.

The next generation of a well known family: The Matra Mistral-2 and the EADS Exocet series including the MM-40-block-3 extended range ship launched version, the old AM-39 and the sub launched SM-39. Strangely,the SM-39 is expected to arm the Scorpene submarines to be ordered by the Indian Navy, despite the existence of far superior armament in the inventory.

The Aster 15 SAAM and Aster 30 SAMP/T. Aster is a modular family of vertically launched missiles provided with a single interception stage associated with two different boosters according to the ASTER 15 or ASTER 30 models.

Over 250 Falcon-900 aircraft are in service worldwide, operational with air services of 38 different countries. They are backed by Dassault's legendary support and logistics structure throughout their operating zones. The latest Falcon-900EX offers a range of over 4500 nm, with a flight deck featuring a fully integrated Honeywell Primus 2000 avionics suite and an optional Flight Dynamics HGS-2850 Head-Up Guidance system.

On Feb 5 2003, the Larzac would have logged no less than a million flight hours. Powering the Alpha Jet, the MiG-AT and the HJT-36, the Larzac, of which more than 1000 units are in service worldwide, is widely accepted as the best engine in it's thrust class. Though HAL hopes to eventually replace the Larzac on the HJT-36 with an indeginous engine(derived from a derated Kabini core), the former has been invited by SNECMA Moteur and TURBOMECA to plan an uprated 1500 - 1700 dN version of the Larzac, specifically for the HJT-36.

OTHER

The Airbus family. Some 70% of India's domestic and national carriers comprise of Airbus liners. While Indian Airlines operates the largest A320 fleet in Asia, Air-India operates the world's largest fleet of the A-310s,though the latter is ageing and is need of replacement. HAL is currently executing an order to supply 600 passenger doors for the A320 series. HAL also supplies nose undercarriage parts for the same. The A340-400 competing with the Boeing-777-200ER to secure an order from Air-India. It is expected that 222 new aircraft would be acquired in the next 2 decades. Airbus also sources software and designing work from Indian companies such as Computervision India, Vidyacom and Infosys, titanium parts from Mishra Dhatu Nigam.

EADS is a participant in the Mig-29 Sniper upgrade and also independently offers upgrade packages of it's own. The Mako seems to be a bit of an overkill for an advanced jet trainer. The flyaway cost is not expected to be anything commonly affordable.

HAL and ATR France had signed a cooperation agreement in January 2001 for the co-production of ATR42 and ATR72 passenger aircraft modified as per customer requirements for the roles of surveillance, maritime reconnaissance, SAR, VIP transport and civil operations. Joint proposals by HAL and ATR have been supplied to the Indian Coastguard, the domestic carrier Indian-Airlines and the Border Security force. The project is scheduled to be launched on receipt of orders only. While the ATR42MP Surveyor is being pushed for the Indian Coast guard, the latter remains undecided on the aircraft. Four ATR42-320s are, however, already being operated by 'Alliance Air', a wholly owned subsidary of Indian Airlines.

Aero India 2003

2010-01-11T03:15:00.000-08:00

The Sperwer is a versatile UAV manufactured by SAGEM and is in service in France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Greece. The UAV has a ROTAX 582 65 hp twin cylinder two-stroke engine and an endurance of 4 hrs. SAGEM offer two new aerodynamically differing variants in the form of the Sperwer-LE (long endurance) and the Sperwer-HV (High Velocity).

An unusual place to find the Honeywell F124. The F124-GA100 variant powers the Aero Vodochody L-159B.

Agusta Westland helicopter family including the NH-90,EH-101 and Cormorant. The NH-90 was named as a potential replacement for the Indian Navy Seakings whose versatility and capabiltiy are very difficult to match.

INDOCHINA DATABASE

2010-01-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

A Failed Experiment
After its return to Indochina in the wake of the WWII, in May 1947 France transformed its protectorate of Laos into a constitutional monarchy, with sufficient rights to form a national parliament. This was a singular experiment that was to serve for defusing nationalistic movements and buy some time while the Vietnamese communists in the Province of Tonkin should have been fought down. The Lao “experiment” was, however, was continued and brought even so far that in July 1949 the Armée Nationale Laotienne (ANL – the Royal Lao Army) was formed.

From the beginning the ANL - which above all served as protection for the Royalist government under King Sisavang Vons - was little more than gendarmerie, completely dependent on French assistance. Consequently, neither the ANL, nor the French did much to suppress the growth of the communist Pathet Lao that – supported by Viet Minh – started rapidly spreading in the north-eastern Laos, in the early 1950s.

Only after heavy defeats against the Vietnamese in Tonkin, in the year 1954, did the French recognize the importance of strengthening the ANL in order for it to form the basis of a fully developed army, needed in the face of the forthcoming Laotian independence.

In May 1954 the first plans for an air unit of the ANL were developed, which was to be equipped with several Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet (French-built Fieseler Fi.156 Storch) liaison aircraft, a few DHC L-20 Beaver light transports, C-47s and some helicopters. Eventually, nothing was done before the armistice in Tonkin, on 6 August 1954, when the Kingdom of Laos also gained independence and the French officially handed over ten MS.500s to the ANL. The Geneva Accords left Laos neutral in principle, but with three factions struggling for power and ready to start a civil war. In the north, the Pathet Lao (“Lao State”) movement, led by Prince Souphanouvong, was supported by the Viet Minh. In Vientiane, the capital of Laos, Prince Souvanna Phouma headed the Royalist-Neutralist government, and there were anti-communist forces within the military establishment. France maintained a small military advisory mission to support the ANL with the right to conserve the Seno military base in southern Laos.

The ANL’s aviation branch, officially called Aviation Laotienne (AL), was founded on 28 January 1955, after nearly five months of additional preparations, around a core of 132 French instructors and some 200 Laotians, based at Wattay airfield, near Vientiane, and a number of primitive runways at Plain of Jars, Xieng Khouang, Luang Prabang and Pakse. The 1st Observation and Liaison Squadron was set up at Wattay with the MS.500s that also served as trainers for the first Laotian pilots. This force was under command of a French colonel, with Headquarters at Vientiane. In a country where the road system was primitive and limited, air re-supply was of the utmost importance. When the cease-fire was implemented many Laotian Army garrisons were cut off from their rear and survived only thanks to air drops: out of a total of 30 000 ANL troops, some 6 500 depended only from air transport support. In order to maintain them in their positions, as well as to drop supplies to anti-communist guerrillas forces set up by French Intelligence Services in northern Laos and even in North Vietnam, the French Air Force in January 1955 handed over four of their C-47s and their crews to the Laotians. Three of the planes were even repainted in Laotian markings and continued to fly the airdrop missions. Nevertheless, they were forbidden to fly outside Laos.

In January 1955 the French Air Force repainted three of their C-47s into the Aviation Laotienne colours. The planes were manned by French crews until the end of 1956 when enough trained Laotians took their places. It would be not the last time that foreign pilots flew alleged Laotian aircraft. (Photo credit: Jacques Lebourg via Albert Grandolini)

A small number of L-20s entered service with the RLAF in 1957. The STOL capacity of the plane was well adapted to the rugged Laotian airstrips. At least one of the Beaver was armed with a 50 Cal machine gun in early 1960s and served as an impromptu gunship. (Photo credit: Albert Grandolini Collection)

The “Special Missions” - meaning secret air drop sorties carried out over North Vietnam - were done only by some contracted civilian companies that also flew for the benefit of the ANL. These contracted airlines were Air Laos and Laos Air Transport, the last owned by one of the most powerful Laotian families. They operated a total of one Boeing 307, two Bristol Freighter 170s, three Dragon Rapides, eight DC-3s and some L-20s as well as Noorduyns, but there were practically no Lao pilots or mechanics. Consequently, some 32 students had meanwhile been sent to France at the end of 1955 for advanced training. Also present in Laos was the CIA’s front company Civilian Air Transport (CAT) that deployed four C-46s and two C-47s.

Fighting at the Plain of Jars
The Royal Laotian Government (RLG) was at the time already involved in negotiations with the Communists, and there was no fighting. However, in early 1955, the situation was about to change as the negotiations failed. The Pathet Lao, already in control of the Sam Neua Province, in the northeast of the country, pushed into the neighboring Xieng Khouang Province.

With the help of CAT’s C-46 transports as well as the “Laotian” C-47s flown by the French, two infantry battalions were brought to the Plain of Jars. Contracted civilian DC-3s soon joined to para-drop the sole ANL’s airborne battalion into Xieng Khouang, and then an air bridge was organized in order to sustain this force. The still in training young Lao MS-500 pilots were also mobilized to fly the first observation missions. The four French Air Force H-19 helicopters still in the country were now not enough to fly MEDEVAC operations, consequently Thailand agreed to supply two Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) Sikorsky H-19 helicopters, in October 1955, to be used by the Laotian government. These Thai machines flew without markings, officially belonging to “Thai Airways“.

The American support was also increasing and there were already some 100 US instructors in Laos. The United States were not only to become involved in supporting the RLG, but they also especially cooperated with the anti-communist Hmong Tribe, which was supplied with weapons and ammunition. Namely, already in 1954 a Programs Evaluation Office (PEO) was organized at the US Embassy in Vientiane, which became responsible for organizing and channeling the Lao defense budget, and delivering US-built equipment to the ANL and the Hmongs. In January 1956, for example, the PEO officially turned over four former French C-47s – the first US-aircraft to be directly supplied to Laos - to ANL. A new Laotian aviation development plan was implemented aiming to bring its strength in the next three years into a “tactical reconnaissance and cooperation squadron” with 12 AT-6s, a transport squadron with eight C-47s, an observation squadron with 12L-19s, and a liaison squadron with four L-20s and three H-19s. The first six L-19As were delivered in March 1956 while the last MS.500s were turned over to the French for scrapping at the end of the year. Nevertheless, the fragile truce that prevailed soon broke off leading to events that curtailed this development scheme.

US Involvement
The coalition government in Vientianne, formed in 1957 and including royalists as well as the Pathet Lao, lasted only until July 1958, when there was a right-wing coup through which General Phoumi Nosavan emerged as a head of state. As an anti-communist, Phoumi was concerned by the spread of Pathet Lao’s influence, and he requested additional help from the USA.

With increased US involvement the French influence gradually disappeared: by 1957 the first Lao officer was put in command of the AL, and subsequently the remaining 85 French instructors were pulled out. This development had little impact on the combat capability of the AL, however, and then already by the time most of the surviving MS.500s and C-47s were grounded for lack of spares and maintenance. Nevertheless, the situation was soon to improve. The Americans immediately started a work on developing the AL and building additional airfields around the country. In the frame of this project the existing airfields were significantly expanded. The building of new airfields went hand-in-hand with first significant reinforcements for the AL, which arrived in form of six C-47s, two L-20s and six L-19s from the USA, as well as a single Aero Commander 560 that was a personal gift from President Dwight Eisenhower to the King of Laos. Two Alouette II helicopters were also bought from France in January 1960 and a De Haviland Dove in 1963.

Instable Government
By 1959 the situation gradually started to improve, with the former CAT – now Air America – being used to furnish additional transports for support of ANL operations, and the PEO planning to reinforce the AL through addition of the first six North American T-28 trainers. Nevertheless, the increasing Air America operations were not enough to fulfill all required Laotian air transport needs. It was then decided to deploy a month-long detachment of USAF C-119G, C-123B and C-130A transports from the PACAF 315th Air Division to Wattay. The American crews operated in civilian cloths and lived at a discrete hotel south of Vientiane. However this very high profile US military intervention in Laos began to raise international oppositions and the operation was suspended on 27 April 1959 after 72 sorties flown.

On urge from the US Ambassador and the PEO a Military Advisory Assistance Group (MAAG) was established in Vientiane, with intention of intensifying the training of Laos’ armed forces and the fighting against the Communists. In the following years, however, the government in Vientiane was to show significant signs of instability. In August 1960 it was removed in a lightning coup d’etat led by Capt. Kong Le, a paratroop officer. Kong Le and his Neutralist Forces – or FAN – opened negotiations with Pathet Lao and started even cooperating with them: the Communists were now able to put enormous areas in the north of the country under their control without any fighting at all, and in turn completely destroying all the gains from the recent fighting. At this time also the North Vietnamese began the building of a logistic corridor inside Laos, along the borders to North and South Vietnam, that later would be known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the areas occupied by the Pathet Lao.

Soviet Air-Bridge
This was something neither most of the ANL nor the USA could tolerate: in December a US-supported coup of the Laotian military – again led by Gen. Nosavan – created a rival government at Savannakhet in southern Laos. After months of preparation, the counter-coup force moved north in November 1960 to try to retake the capital. During the countercoup the AL suffered heavily; Le was able to “evacuate” two operational C-47s and two L-20s to Plain of Jars to form a “Neutralist Laotian Air Force” or NLAF. The offensive was supported by Air America and Bird Air transport aircraft as well as some RTAF H-19 and four Air America H-34 helicopters. At Vientiane Kong Le now openly requested help from North Vietnam and even the Soviet Union. In a bold move, Moscow rushed 44 transport aircraft (14 Il-14s, 20 Li-2s and ten Mi-4s) to North Vietnam in December 1960. It was the first time that the Russians acted on this way outside their traditional areas of influence. The move alarmed Washington when the first aircraft flew into Laos to support Kong Le forces. The Soviet planes landed at Wattay and unloaded military equipment as well as a battery of North Vietnamese-manned 105mm howitzers in some 30 sorties.

In December 1960 the Soviets deployed a mixed transport regiment to North Vietnam to support Pathet Lao and Neutralist forces inside Laos. It was the first time that Moscow operated on this way outside its traditional areas of influence, prompting a swift US response. This Il-14 was photographed over the Plain of Jars by a US reconnaissance plane. (Photo credit: Albert Grandolini Collection)

Nosavan accelerated his advance in reaction: the final offensive against Vientiane took place with a simultaneous armor-led ground assault and an airborne dropping of a battalion of Phoumi’s paratroopers southeast of the town by 15 Air America C-47s and C-46s. After a destructive battle, with liberal use of artillery, the Phoumi troops occupied the shattered city. Meanwhile the Kong Le forces had retreated north of Vientiane in good order, supported by Soviet and VPAF airdrops. By March 1961, the Soviets had already flown over 1.000 sorties while the VPAF 919th Transport Regiment flew an additional 184 sorties into Sam Neua. In April, the Soviets dropped an average of twenty tons of supplies per day to the FAN/Pathet Lao forces while eight VPAF aircraft landed each day at Tchepone. During several occasions the FAN paratroopers were also dropped from Soviet aircraft while the NLAF was reinforced by three Li-2s given by the Soviets.

The United States supported the left-wing forces of General Nosavan who marched north from Savannakhet at the end of 1960. The advancing Task Forces were supported by CIA airdrops. Among the aircraft involved was this Bird and Song C-46 transport that was also used to drop paratroopers over Vientiane. (Photo: Ken Conboy via Albert Grandolini)

This Air America C-46 was repainted in false RLAF markings during the operations that led to the retaking of Vientiane in December 1960. Occasionally, some others Air America aircraft received Laotian markings even they were never part of the RLAF inventory. (Photo credit: Albert Grandolini Collection)

Concerned by the Soviet air bridge for Kong Le, in late December 1960 the USA decided to supply six North American T-6 Texan training aircraft – modified to carry weapons in Thailand - to Laos, in order to enable the ANL to attack the North Vietnamese and Soviet transports at Plain of Jars. This decision was actually based on a Thai proposal to supply Texans from their own stocks: the Americans had naturally enormous interest to stop this air bridge before it could reinforce Kong Le’s forces and the Pathet Lao, just like the Thais had, and have considered different other kinds of actions against the communists, but the deployment of the Texans appeared the best solution at the time. Among others suggestions that were finally put aside were the borrowing of South Vietnamese or RTAF Grumman F-8F Bearcats for CIA use.

In response to the Soviet airlift the United States decided in December 1960 to set up the RLAF first combat unit, or the Reconnaissance and Cooperation Squadron, by delivering 10 T-6G Texans. The planes were drawn from the RTAF stocks and served mainly in ground attack role. In April 1961, Lt Khamphanh even scored the only RLAF air-to-air victory by shooting down a Soviet Il-14. (Photo credit: Albert Grandolini Collection)

This deal illustrated a very interesting kind of relations between Thailand and USA: in exchange for the T-6s, the United States supplied five Cessna T-37 jet trainers to RTAF. The transfer of Texans to Laos was organized within a very short period of time, since there were three Lao pilots that were already trained on the type by the French. Consequently after only five days of training in Thailand, on 9 January 1961 the first T-6s – armed with rocket launchers, gun pods, and hard points for 45kg bombs – arrived in Laos. They formed the Reconnaissance and Cooperation Squadron under the command of Captain Keo Soutsana of the now officially Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF).

The AT-6s were in action for the first time only two days later, and on 15 January 1961 they scored their first confirmed kills – against two trucks. Further reinforcement, however, could not follow so fast for the RLAF lacked the trained personnel and infra-structure to accept more aircraft at the time. The Laotians especially needed trained pilots – a fact that became painfully clear when on 17 January the first T-6 was shot down by the North Vietnamese and the pilot killed. Consequently, a number of Thai pilots from the RTAF 63rd Squadron were recruited to fly the Texans for the RLAF. On 11 March a second T-6G was lost during a bombing run, and only one day later the two remaining aircraft collided in the air. Finally, on 31 March 1961 a Thai pilot had to be saved from the wreck of his T-6G by the crew of an Air America helicopter, after his machine got hit by the Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns.

US Air-Bridge
The American involvement continued to increase but remained limited in scope. In April 1961, President Kennedy authorized an exceptional air bridge to Vientiane for several weeks, using USAF C-130s and C-124s to deliver military equipment while four USAF C-130s were handed over to Air America. These CIA-operated Hercules were also used to fly Royal Thai Army artillery unit to Seno in order to bolster the local defences. In December 1961 also the camera-equipped VC-47A of the US Air Attaché flew the first two reconnaissance missions over Plain of Jars. This brought back the evidence of continued Soviet air bridge, but was damaged during its second sortie by anti-aircraft fire, and had to be replaced by a USAF SC-47D, which flew 38 sorties – until it was shot down, on 24 January 1962. Others reconnaissance assets deployed were an RTAF RT-33 that flew some sorties, in January 1962, a camera-equipped PV-2T Harpoon from Bird&Son, and some U-2s operating from the Philippines. The Thai RT-33A was replaced by another one borrowed from the Philippine Air Force and reportedly painted in RLAF markings in the frame of the Project Field Goal. It was based in Udorn AB, in Thailand and flown by detached USAF pilots.

Despite losses and considerable problems the RLAF remained operational with US and Thai help. The USAF had a number of own advisers and also a large number of contracted Pilipino technicians in Laos, who maintained the RLAF aircraft. The RLAF fleet of 13 C-47s then flew the first significant Lao airborne operation by deploying three battalions to Sam Neua. The Thais were also supplying replacements as needed, so that between January 1961 and spring 1962 a total of ten Texans were delivered. Consequently, additional strikes against the Pathet Lao were flown. In April 1961 four T-6Gs were deployed to Luang Prabang airfield, in order to support an operation by what was now the Royal Laotian Army (RLA) in the northwest of the country. During their patrol, a Lao pilot, Lt. Khamphanh, spotted a Soviet Il-14 over the jungle. Since the plane had no guns mounted, the Laotian pilot aimed his unguided rockets at the transport, one from a salvo of his rockets hitting the right engine. The Il-14 made several wild turns and fell finally into the jungle, killing a crew of two Soviets in the process.

In May 1962, the fortune of the war turned once more time against Phoumi’s forces when a North Vietnamese offensive wiped out the governmental garrison of Nam Tha on northwest corner of the country, close to the Chinese border. The Laotian troops fled southwest in disorder and even crossed the Mekong River into Thailand. Fearing that the North Vietnamese would pursue them across the river, President Kennedy ordered the deployment of the Joint Task Force 116 into the area. The JTF-116 was already activated in 1957, after a North Vietnamese offensive against Sam Nuea. It consisted of two aircraft carriers deployed in the Gulf of Tonkin and a Marine landing party ready to be deployed in Thailand. Since that date, regular SEATO exercises took place with the allied forces in Thailand in order to deter any new Hanoi or Beijing move into Laos. The first notable one was the Operation Airlink in 1957, with the deployment of the F-100Ds of the USAF 35th TFS at Dong Muang. The rhythm and scale of the exercises increased steadily, with French participation in 1959 with some Super Mystère B2 fighters. The Laotian crisis saw a new surge in the allied exercises in 1961 with Operation Air Bull. Simultaneously to the deployment of the JTF-116 in Thailand in May 1962 the exercise Air Cobra took place. It involved RAF Hunters, RAAF Sabres and Canberras, USAF F-100s and F-102s, French Vautours, and RTAF F-84Gs and F-86Fs.

Operation Mill Pond
Despite the fact they were supplied in order to strike Soviet and North Vietnamese transports on Plain of Jars, the RLAF T-6s were never used to attack that airfield. In fact, even the four CIA-controlled (and unmarked) B-26 Invaders, deployed at Takhli AB, in Thailand, in December 1960, which were operating against the Pathet Lao logistic hug in Vang Vieng, were never used for that purpose. CIA’s Invaders were frequently supported by South Vietnamese Douglas AD-6 (A-1 Skyraider), which were already active over Laos, and at one point Saigon even agreed to deploy a “secret unit” to Vientianne, but this idea was eventually dropped.

Instead, the original four B-26s were reinforced by additional 12 B-26B/Cs and four RB-26Cs within the Operation Mill Pond. The aircraft were then prepared to strike targets in Plain of Jars and to bomb the airfields used by the Soviet transports. On 16 April 1961, the Invaders were fully armed with 250lb bombs, rockets and Napalm canisters, ready to be launched. Six USAF F-100Ds were also deployed at Bangkok to fly top cover for the strike. Nevertheless, when news leaked-out that at the same time that the other CIA air offensive that was taking place over the Bay of Pigs in Cuba had failed, President Kennedy cancelled the strike in the last moment. The B-26s remained in Thailand for three further months but no order for attack was ever issued.

One of the twenty B-26s and RB-26s deployed to Takhli AB in Thailand in spring 1961 in the cadre of the Operation Mill Pond. The unmarked aircraft were flown by CIA aircrews. These black-painted B-26Bs were seen armed with Napalm tanks on 16 April 1961, ready to depart for a strike against the airfield used by the Soviet on the Plain of Jars. The strike was cancelled at the last minute by President Kennedy. (Photo: Ken Conboy via Albert Grandolini)

Meanwhile, the RB-26Cs flew regular reconnaissance sorties until the end of 1961 and at least one aircraft was damaged by hostile fire. Vietnamese sources reported that on 6 November, a VPAF Li-2 piloted by Dinh Ton over Laos was “attacked” by an Invader but that the North Vietnamese gunners had damaged it with 12.7mm machine-gun fire. Namely, by that date, most of the VPAF transports operating over Laos or South Vietnam were modified to carry 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine-guns, fired through windows, for self-defense.

Arrival of the JTF-116
The first elements of the JTF-116 (5000 men) arrived in northern Thailand in 16 May 1961, and consisted in the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Unit and the US Army 1st Brigade/27th Infantry Division. Air support was furnished by 20 Douglas A-4C Skyhawks from the VMA-332, 20 USAF F-100Ds and the UH-34s from HMM-261, conveniently deployed at Udorn, only some 35 miles south of Vientiane. This show of force led to an armistice in Laos, on 10 May 1962, and the creation of new coalition government, the involved parties agreeing to have all the foreign forces pulled out of the country. The RLAF nevertheless yielded some profits from the cease-fire by merging its ranks with the NLAF. The departing Soviets also handed over three Li-2s and three An-2s to the Pathet Lao, while the RLAF received three Li-2s and a Mi-4. Nevertheless most of these Soviet aircraft were soon non operational for lack of any logistical support from Moscow.

In May 1962 a new coalition government was taking place at Vientiane, grouping the Royalist, Neutralist and Communist factions. The Soviet then withdrawn from Laos but had handed over some of their aircraft to the RLAF and the Pathet Lao. Nevertheless, the planes were soon non operational due to the lack of any Soviet logistic support. This RLAF Mi-4 was seen at the end of 1960s at Wattay in derelict condition. Note one of the six Li-2s also received by the RLAF/NLAF in the background. (Photo credit: Albert Grandolini Collection)

Although the RLAF got its first air-to air-kill, it became apparent that their combat aircraft had to be replaced by more capable machines if they were to have an effect on the eventual outcome of the war. For this reason, and despite an armistice with Pathet Lao and Kong Le’s forces, a group of RLAF cadets was trained on T-28 Trojans at Lopburi in Thailand in June 1962. The first of them concluded their qualifications by August, and then a number of Trojans was supplied from the stocks of the South Vietnamese Air Force, which at the time was replacing T-28s by much more powerful A-1 Skyraiders. Nevertheless, the armistice in Laos prevented the delivery of the T-28s.

The New Civil War
The peace in Laos was not to last for very long. The coalition government quickly began to fall apart due to the polarized elements within. The Pathet Lao forces that had been inducted into the army deserted with their newly acquired weapons, and by October 1962 it was already clear that a new phase of the civil war was in looming. In order to find out what is going on in the Plain of Jars area the CIA again sent the RTAF RT-33As into reconnaissance missions over Laos. When these encountered strong resistance from the Vietnamese air defenses the USAF was forced to start using more powerful aircraft: the first four RF-101C Voodoos of the 45th TRS/460th TRW were deployed to Tan Son Nhut airport, in Sout Vietnam, already in November 1961 in the frame of the operations “Able Mabel” and “Pipe Steam”, and it took not much longer until they started flying over Laos as much as over other parts of Vietnam. These fighters that absolved up to four reconnaissance flights per day were only a pale announcement for the enormous US air assets that were later to be deployed in Thailand, but they enabled the administration in Washington already at the time to track the developments in Laos very closely.

Meanwhile, in Laos the Neutralist government was concerned that the Pathet Lao forces might attack: the North Vietnamese, on the contrary, reinforced their and Pathet Lao anti-aircraft units deployed in the country in order to protect their supply lines. These have shot down two Air America transports that attempted to drop supplies to Kong Le.

The animosity between the Royalist government and Kong Le, as well as newly developing problems between Kong Le and Pathet Lao – caused by the active North Vietnamese support for the later, and the massive land-grab by Pathet Lao – were to result in the outbreak of the new civil war. The Pathet Lao murdered two of Kong Le’s officers and in turn the Pathet Lao’s foreign minister Quinim Pholsena was gunned down in front of his house in Vientiane. The communists eventually ended in a more powerful position than before, then the North Vietnamese had made a mockery of the cease-fire by deploying considerable forces in Laos without any disturbance from the USA. Concerned with their own safety the leadership of Pathet Lao fled the capital and in the following days the fighting broke out between the communists and the RLG forces again. Simultaneously, supported by the North Vietnamese artillery, the Pathet Lao infantry assaulted Kong Le’s positions on Plain of Jars and wiped them out. In reaction the US President Kennedy ordered the CIA to supply Kong Le – and the Hmong with weapons – and food. The later were led by Vang Pao, who was expected to launch raids against rather exposed Communist supply lines. But, Pao went a step ahead by deploying his fighters to reinforce remaining Kong Le’s forces in the Plain of Jairs area: over the following ten months Le managed to hold his positions, but elsewhere the Hmong have lost some ground to the communists.

Battle for Plain of Jairs
In August 1963 Hmong sappers blew a part of the Route 7, blocking it for North Vietnamese supplies. They used C-4 explosives to effectivelly blow the road off of a mountain: the explosives were dropped to the raiding party from the air once it reached a position near the road. The blockade of the Route 7 dramatically slowed the flow of supplies for the North Vietnamese and Hanoi swiftly dispatched several engineer battalions in order to rebuilt the road, and enable combat units to mount an offensive against the Hmong. However, Vang Pao used the lul in the fighting to let his men hack out several small airfields in the jungle in order to allow Air America’s STOL aircraft to land there, bringing arms and supplies. These supply operations became vital to anti-communist forces in Laos, especially in order to keep their forward units in the field and well-stocked with food and ammunition. Additionally, same of these small airfields were also used to transport Hmong troops by helicopters.

An AirAmerica C-123 Provider transport aircraft seen on a dirt strip somewhere deep in Laos. Over the time no less but 200 such strips were established around the country, many of them being little more but tight and short clearings in the jungle, or on the side of some mountain, where only so-called STOL ("Short-Take-off-and-Landing") aircraft could operate. (source unknown, via Troung)

Waterpump
The RLAF now became active over Laos again when the USA finally decided to start supplying six T-28 directly to Vientianne, even as the surviving T-6s – all of which were inoperational by now – were airlifted back to Thailand. All the T-28s were in Laos by the end of August 1963, together with amount of unguided rockets and bombs: the last could not be used, however, as the US embassy held back their fuses. Despite some training on aircraft, the RLAF soon lost two of them: one crashed in the suburbs of Vientianne, but another disappeared under – at the time – unknown reasons.

The RLAF received its first T-28s in 1963 and the type would become the cornerstone of the Laotian combat units. This Lao pilot was posing over a pile of 500lb bombs at Savannakhet AB in 1965. The T-28 in the background carried the insignia associated to the fighter squadron of this base, a stylized white eagle on a black background, painted on under the cockpit and on the tail. (Photo credit: Albert Grandolini Collection)

Namely, one of the RLAF T-28 pilots at the time – and one described by the US instructors as the “most aggressive” of all – was Lt. Chert Saibory, a former RTAF-pilot, who defected to Laos in 1960. Chert initially offered his services to Kong Le, but was turned down. Remaining in Vientianne, Chert then joined the RLAF - once Gen. Phoumi returned to power - and flew many combat sorties but was never promoted in rank. For unclear reasons, in September 1963 Chert decided to defect once more and during an airshow that was to be staged over Savannakhet he flew his T-28 away from the rest of formation – to North Vietnam. Instead of commissioning him in their air force the North Vietnamese imprisoned Chert: several months later his T-28 was refurbished and – serialled “963”, in commemoration of the date when it was acquired – became the first fighter aircraft of the Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF).

One of the first six T-28s delivered to Laos was a reconditioned T-28B with an unknown serial, which was brought up to T-28D standard (three others were reconditioned RT-28Cs). This aircraft was flown by Lt. Chert Saibory, a former pilot of Royal Thai Air Force, to North Vietnam, in September 1963. While Chert was imprisoned, the North Vietnamese have after some times refurbished his aircraft, repainted it and put it into service. Thus a US-built T-28 Trojan - serialled "963" in memory of the month and the year in which it was "delivered" - became the first fighter aircraft of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Air Force. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)

Concerned by the prospect of communist encroachments on Thailand, but also the lack of activity on the part of the RLAF in the face of communist provocations, the Americans decided to re-start their operations in Laos. The CIA continued its secret support for the Laotian junta and its specialists had in the following months and years built some 200 small runways around the country, from which the aircraft and helicopters of Air America could operate in order to support RGL troops. While building these remote airfields the CIA operatives found remnants of several shattered RLG Army battalions who had been living behind enemy lines for months. These men were recruited and put under command of Maj. Khamsao Keovilay, who was promoted to the post of the deputy governor of Sam Neua City, with intention of supporting the Hmong in their struggle against the Communists, and the capture of this town. Air America aircraft and helicopters were used to bring arms, ammunition and new uniforms for Kamsao and his men in preparation for the assault, enabling organisation of four infantry battaliions. The plan for attack on Sam Neua City saw deployment of three RLA battalions in a massive diversionary attack outside the city, in order to cause the Pathet Lao to send their reinforcements, and the fourth battalion – consisting of Vang Pao’s Hmongs – then to go into the town through the “back doors”, and capture it. The plan worked: while the RLA was causing problems to the Communists outside Sam Neua City, the Hmong were brought by Air America UH-34 helicopters to the town, which was swiftly captured. It was a big victory for the Hmong and quite a “blue-eye” for the RLA, but some within the Army still saw it as their success as well, then they were at least involved. Gen. Phoumi, however, wanted the glory for himself and the RLA, and in November 1963 he launched several RLA battalions into an attack against Phatet Lao further to the north. The battered and demoralized RLA troops made some advance as the Communists were taken by surprise: the Pathet Lao fell back under the onslaught, but then the North Vietnamese deployed three well-equipped and trained infantry battalions and mauled the advancing Laotians. As Phoumi’s force fell back the Pathet Lao ambushed it and most of the unit was wipped out.

The CIA used a variety of STOL aircraft to support its paramilitary operations in Laos, including this Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer from Continental Air Services, Incorporated (CASI). Note the Air America UH-34 helicopters in background. (Photo credit: Albert Grandolini Collection)

Meanwhile, the then US Ambassador to Laos, Leonard Unger, urged the administration in Washington to reinforce the – still quite small – RLAF. This was still suffering from a – meanwhile latent – lack of trained personnel, and in February 1964 the USAF began organising training courses for RLAF pilots on T-28s in thailand. This operation was codenamed Waterpump and run by 38 USAF instructors, led by Maj. Barney Cochran, based at Udorn AB. Equipped with four T-28s, the Waterpump received its first RLAF students from May of the same year.

In the meantime, however, the Pathet Lao launched a lightning offensive accross the Plain of Jars, and there was now an urgent need for the T-28s in Laos, regadless how many pilots were trained on the type. Consequently, Maj. Cochran had to deliver his four Trojans to the RLAF on 13 May. Only two days later the CINCPAC ordered the US Military Assistance Command in Vietnam to transfer five additional T-28s, as well as five reconnaissance-configured RT-28s from the surplus stocks of the South Vietnamese Air Force to Waterpump as well: four of thesse were retained on Udorn, while the others were sent directly to Laos.

The A-Team
The mentioned Pathet Lao offensive on the Plain of Jars was already launched actually on 16 March 1964 – and highly successful in forcing government troops away from the area. Consequently, Prince Phouma was forced to officially request help from the USA. The RF-101Cs of the 45th TRS from Tan Son Nut were meanwhile joined by Vought RF-8A Crusaders from USN aircraft carriers underway off of the Vietnamese coast. It appears, however, that nothing of the intelligence they gathered during extremely risky operations over Laos reached Vientianne, then despite dozens of reconnaissance flights over the area – all of which met fierce AA-fire – even in the mid-May 1964 the Laotian government was still of the opinion that the Pathet Lao is nowhere near the Plain of Jars. Consequently, both the US and the Laotian governments were now under a sudden pressure to do something

On 13 May 1964 the RLAF T-28s flew their first strikes against the communist forces. Due to the lack of qualified Lao pilots, the PEO in Vientianne became active in recruiting volunteers from Air America: within few weeks twelve of these were gathered in Udorn, where they were organized into a unit called “A-Team”. The A-Team launched its first strike – including all five T-28s that were available to them at the time – on 25 May, against a bridge east of Plain of Jars. The attack missed completely, and what made this premiere even a more bitter one was the fact that two aircraft were damaged by anti-aircraft fire.

The lack of Lao pilots led the CIA to form in May 1964 the A-Team. That was a pool of Air America pilots trained to fly on the T-28s. This unmarked T-28C, brought up to D standard, was seen taking off for a reconnaissance sortie with an Air America crew. The A-Team was disbanded in 1967 when sufficient Lao and Thai pilots were available. (Photo credit: Albert Grandolini Collection)

Since the capture of Americans in Laos would be considered a blamage for the USA, the PEO had to stop for the moment any further combat operations of the A-team and look for an alternative. Therefore on 27 May five Thai pilots from the RTAF 223rd Squadron were sent to Udorn to supplement the pilots of the A-Team. They flew heir first combat mission on 1 June 1964, thus starting the Project “Firefly”.

Still to supplement the Lao pilots, it was decided to create the B-Team within the Project Firefly in May 1964. The Thai pilots flew a great part of the RLAF operations until the program was suspended in 1973. Each detached RTAF pilot was required to operate a six-month tour, or to fly 100 sorties, in Laos before rotating home. The high wages paid by the CIA, several times those in attendance in Thailand, attracted a lot of volunteers. This Thai pilot celebrated his one-hundredth sortie in 1966 before going home. (Photo: Ken Conboy via Albert Grandolin)

Significantly, two US pilots only narrowly evaded capture by the Pathet Lao or the North Vietnamese in this period of time, albeit while flying US aircraft. On 6 June 1964, the RF-8A (BuAerNo. 146823) from USS Kitty Hawk was hit by AA-fire while underway over the area meanwhile known as “Lead Valley”, in reference to the heavy flak concentrations, and Lt. Klusmann was forced to eject. Shortly after landing he was indeed captured by the Communists, but these obviously had no clue what to do with him and after three months of being held captive in one of the small Pathet bases, he eventually managed to escape – and was then lucky enough to be swiftly extricated with the help of Air America aircraft. The next day of Lt. Klusmann shot down, another RF-8, flown by Cdr. Lynn was also lost while on a reconnaissance mission over Laos. This time a massive rescue effort resulted in the pilot being found and recovered on the same day. In reaction for the loss of two Crusaders the USAF F-100Ds launched an attack on the AAA-sites near Xieng Khouang, but the results were inconclusive.

Road Watch
In parallel to the aerial reconnaissance, it was also decided to infiltrate “road watch” commandos into the communist held areas. The CIA quickly set up a number of units in Laos, using recruits from hill tribes that operated fairlly well throughout the conflict. They were usually inserted by Air America helicopters near the main enemy logistical corridors and relayed to orbiting electronic gathering aircraft what they saw. The South Vietnamese also tried since 1959 to infiltrate their own special forces. In June 1964 five ARVN commando teams were dropped into the Ho Chi Minh Trail sector by unmarked VNAF C-47s during the Operation “Leaping Lena”. This enterprise ended in a resounding failure, then most of the commandos were intercepted and killed. Undaunted by the setback the South Vietnamese infiltration-operations evolved in 1965 into Project “Prairie Fire”. Operating with US Special Forces, the South Vietnamese commandos penetrated up to 12 or 15 miles inside Laos. They operated mainly in cooperation with the VNAF 219th Helicopter Squadron, an elite unit that gathered the most experienced crews and the helicopters of which were usually escorted by USAF Air Commando UH-1Ps.

In the meantime the RLAF started deploying T-28s from Pakse, Luang Prabang, and Savannakhet. Covert operations by the Air America were intensified as well, and with the employment of the Fireflies the areas of operations inside of Laos had to be divided. Due to heavy concentrations of AAA in the north, and the lack of experience of the Lao pilots, it was decided that the RLAF would operate mostly over southern part of Laos while the Fireflies were deployed mainly in the northern sector. Meanwhile, Kong Le had regrouped his forces at Moung Soui, in the southwestern part of the Plain of Jars. The town was near the Route 7 and easy to keep supplied per truck. However, after the victory at Sam Neua the Americans had slowed the flow of supplies, ammunition and uniforms to Le’s troops so in many areas they had to pull back because they were out of ammunition. One of the reasons was that Kong Le was still bikering with the central governmen. In June 1964, in order to send a clear message to the Neutralists, a flight of T-28Ds flown by the A-Team was sent to bomb the new Neutralist headquarters at Khang Khay. After this action, all new break-away ideas were dropped by the Neutralists that decided to side difinitivelly with the Royalists.

RLA Offensive
The CIA now attempted to further intensify its operations in Laos, and for this purpose Air America was to be reinforced. The US Marine Corps was ordered to transfer four more UH-34s to Air America, and then a mixed fleet of Air America Helio Couriers, C-47s, C-123Bs, C-46s, and PC-6s were used to hastily fly in reinforcements and supplies for the rest of Le’s force, including some 500 or 600 new rifles, dozens on machine guns and two-month worth of ammunition. To raise the stakes the North Vietnamese cut Route 7 and 13 to prevent road bound supplies from reaching Kong Le at Muong Soui from Vientiane. They deployed a blocking force of three battalions of Pathet Lao to keep the roads closed and to starve out Le’s forces in the Plains. If the siege continued the Neutralist forces would be defeated within a few months.

In reaction the Americans forced the RLA to act in a concerted effort and to reopen Routes 7 and 13. The RLA put together a task force of three full infantry regiments, supported by 105mm and 75mm howitzers, and sent them to remove the communists. To coordinate close air support, each infantry company had big white arrows they carried around with them. They would point the arrow in the direction of the enemy and an air borne FAC would then send in T-28s to attack with bombs, machine guns, free flight rockets and napalm. The tactic worked to allow the RLA to push the Pathet Lao away and allow them to shatter the blocking forces and reopen the roads. The outnumbered and outgunned Pathet Lao blocking force melted away under the aerial and artillery bombardments. The RLA then moved in on Sala Phu Khun, where there was another road-block. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Pathet Lao forces retreated again: as they were leaving, Vang Poa moved one of his battalions – with help of Air America’s helicopters – to take the city before the RLA could. This left a bad taste in the mouths of RLA soldiers on the operation.

Still the RLA celebrated one of their few battlefield victories to date when – near Muong Soui - their fortune reversed again, as the retreating Pathet Lao forces counterattacked and mauled several RLA battalions. The RLA retreated and left Kong Le dangerously exposed to the communists. In the end, the North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao were able to put Muong Soui under a siege, and the US President Johnson ordered the USAF to counterattack. The first to arrive over the area were USAF RF-101Cs, tasked with gathering information needed for an assessment of the situation and finding potential targets: two Voodoos, however, were shot down by communist anti-aircraft fire. One pilot was rescued but unfortunately the Pathet Lao captured the other pilot. The Americans responded with F-100 Super Sabre strikes on communist AA-positions which – along with heavy air strikes by the RLAF’s T-28s – eventually forced the communist forces to end the siege.

The A-Team was still active as well, and end of June 1964 it was tasked with fullfilling a – politically – sensitive mission: the bombing of the “Chinese Cultural Centre”, a Pathet Lao training camp in Plain of Jars staffed by Communist Chinese instructors.

INDOCHINA DATABASE 1954 - 1999

2010-01-08T01:23:00.000-08:00

The growing capabilities of the AVNK and a large number of combat sorties flown could not suppress the activities of the North Vietnamese, especially as Lon Nol saw the reinforced AVNK – exactly like Sihanouk before him – foremost as a threat for his regime. Consequently, in the following years he was foremost interested to slow down the development of the air force. This was directly opposite to what the USA wanted to happen: even more so, Lon Nol’s decision came exactly at the time the AVNK was to suffer its worst blow ever.

In the night of 21 January 1971, 97 sappers of the 367th North Vietnamese Dac Cong Group attacked Pochentong: operating in six groups the Vietnamese cut several corridors through the barbed wire and fought down the security guards of the Cambodian Army before saturating most of the installations on the airfield with heavy fire from automatic weapons and multiple rocket launchers. A group of Vietnamese climbed even to the roof of the commercial terminal at Pochentong and started firing at the ammunition depot – full of napalm bombs. Before anybody could react the Vietnamese disappeared back into the jungle.

When the smoke cleared on the following morning, the Cambodians could count their casualties: 39 officers and other ranks were killed and 170 injured. Fortunately for the AVNK no pilots were killed: the pilot's quarters were not hit by the Vietnamese sappers, as these mainly targeted the aircraft on apron, and also all the pilots were evacuated to some irrigation dikes near the runway during the attack. However, ost of the AVNK aircraft were destroyed, including all MiG-17s, all except six T-28s (these were deployed to Battambang), and UH-1Hs, as well as three O-1s of the SVAF. The catastrophe was so immense that it was later seen as the most influential factor for the demise of Lon Nol's regime. The Pochentong airfield remained closed for almost a week: the tarmac, ammunition depots and the runway had all to be repaired and new equipment brought in from the USA: only days earlier the Congress in Washington decided to supply equipment worth $175 million, but now the Americans were forced to further increase their deliveries in order to completely rebuilt the AVNK. Especially the White House felt compelled to do something: it could not send any troops officially to Cambodia, but it could organize a Military Equipment Delivery Team – Cambodia (MEDTC), which was officially to control the flow of supplies to Pnom Penh, but actually to become deeply involved in training of the Cambodian military.

Among the victims of the North Vietnamese sapper attack against Pochentong in 1971 were these Cessna T-37Bs. Cambodia had received four of them that were used not only as trainers but also as light strikers - together with Fouga CM.170 Magisters. (Ken Conboy via A. Grandolini)

T-28D (5)0-17735 seen destroyed on the tarmac in Pochentong, together with a Cessna O-1 in the rear. (Ken Conboy, via A. Grandolini)

These two KAF T-28Ds seemingly escaped major damage during the North Vietnamese sapper attack. They were among the few survivors of an attack that had completly wiped out the Cambodian air power. (Ken Conboy via A. Grandolini)

Another victim of the Pochentong attack was this Antonov An-2 transport aircraft. The last An-2s were withdrawn from service in 1971 - parked outside their hangars and nearly without spare parts left, they were destroyed during a storm. (Ken Conboy via A. Grandolini)

So Satto was actually requesting jets fighters – especially to replace the destroyed MiG-17Fs. He hoped for new F-5As but the Americans proposed instead former F-86Fs – at the time in the middle of the process of being withdrawn from service with the 4th Wing RTAF. An inspection of the airframes by a Cambodian delegation, however, showed that they were in a very bad shape and so nothing became out of this plan. Nevertheless, in part due to the help of MEDTC members the AVNK was completely rebuilt from its own ashes, in the course being renamed again – this time into Khmer Air Force (KhAF). Its first new aircraft were two AC-47s, the crews of which were trained in Udorn, in Thailand. By the end of 1971 also 16 new T-28Ds were delivered, together with a complete fleet of UH-1Hs, partially supplied from the South Vietnamese stocks. Under these circumstances, already in November 1971 the Cambodians were capable to launch the Operation “Chenla II”, with the task of supporting the their troops on the ground. Some 24 UH-1Hs and eight South Vietnamese UH-1Gs were deployed, together with few SVAF AC-47s and AC-119s, many of which had Cambodian pilots in the cockpit, to learn and act as observers. From early 1972 also some Taiwanese and Australian instructors were deployed to Pochentong.

T-28D (5)0-38183 seen while ferried to Bangkok by an Air America pilot for overhaul by the THAIAM company. Note the marking of the 1st Operational Group on the engine cowling. (A. Grandolini)

The same T-28D as seen on the photo above. This aircraft should have survived the attack on Pochentong or was supplied afterwards to the AVNK. It saw combat service during the early 1970s. AVNK T-28Ds proved highly effective in combat but their operations were hampered by many elements, starting with restrictive orders from the Cambodian regime, right to the US limitations about the amount of ammunition they could spend per single day! (Artwork by Tom Cooper)

On 15 Devember 1971 the KhAF became a fully independent service, separated from the Army, and with its own budget, and by February 1972 it boasted 23 T-28Ds, three AC-47s, nine own UH-1Hs, and several T-41s. Several pilots were meanwhile qualified to fly FAC-missions. In general, however, the problem of the elack of trained flying crews was still persistent, and several pilots were killed in accidents, while others were shot down and killed by the North Vietnamese. Early in 1972 the KhAF lost four T-41s and four pilots in different mishaps. In March the Khmer Rouge attacked Pochentong again, destroying at least three U-1As. In August the North Vietnamese shot down one UH-1H using SA-7s, and by the time the KhAF suffered also a loss of 14 T-28Ds, of which eight crashed due to pilot mistakes. No air force – and especially not the KhAF – could sustain such a rate of loss, and consequently drastic measures to improve the situation were needed.

The most crucial problem for the KhAF at the time was the lack of personnel to fullfill its rapid expansion program. The Air Academy, meanwhile transfered from Pochentong to Battambang, was forced to reorganize its training syllabus: instead of a French-inspired training program, a new crash-training program was put into practice. Pilots were trained in a hurry; attack pilots received only a 100-130 basic flight hours program before being posted to an operational T-28D squadron. The new student then received was was called an “on job traing” in combat situation. The losses were heavy, with many young inexperienced pilot killing themselves in accidents. The same thing happen with all the transport, observation and helicopter pilots. The technical personnel training was more thorough but the standard syllabus was also cut short. The departure of the French instructors caused further problems to the Air Academy: they were partly replaced by Taiwanese instructors, but - contrary to many rumours - no Thai or Australian ever served as instructors in Cambodia. Australia indeed had delivered some six C-47s in 1971 but no personnel were send to support the KhAF. Some Taiwanese transport pilots flew with the KhAF C-47 squadron to replace Khmer aircrafs needed for the AC-47 program.

In general, however, the KhAF was an organization independent from Thai and US advisors: the MEDTC role was meanwhile limited only to logistic support. Contrary to the situation in South Vietnam or Laos, no US officers were directly involved even in the planning of operations.

By October, reinforced by five new T-28Ds and additional O-1Ds, the KhAF considerably improved the training of remaining crews, mainly with help of six Taiwanese instructors for C-47s and T-28s. To support the training program, the Air Academy's 16 Gardan Horizon trainers, as well a half a dozen surviving MS.733s and Yak-18/BT-6s were reinforced and later replaced by a dozen of Cessna T-41Ds as well as 12 T-28B/Cs. The later were painted in light gray with engine cowling and wings and tail tips in orange-dayglo, while the T-41Ds were painted in an olive-drab scheme. Additional students were sent to the USA for training, and the KhAF was able to increase the number of combat sorties flown by up to 60 percent.

Just as it appeared as if the Cambodian Air Force would finally recover, on 17 March 1973 Capt. So Patra, a son-in-law of Prince Sihanouk, defected with his T-28 and took a course ono Phnom Penh. After doing several turns around the Presidential Palace he finally attacked, dropping several bombs, killing 43 and injuring 35 in the process. Lon Nol, who was not in the palace at the time, immediately ordered all the members of the royal family and their relatives to be imprisoned. The KhAF was grounded for three days, until an investigation ascertained that So Patra organized his action alone: nevertheless, So Satto was removed from command, and replaced by his vice, Penn Randa.

In long term, the attack against the Presidential Palace was to have tremendous effects on the KhAF, however: the US Congress forbade any additional involvement of the US military in Cambodia and ordered a complete pull-out of all US troops by 15 August 1973. This meant that the KhAF was now left with barely five months to become an air force completely independent from any foreign help: a task that was to prove exceptionally problematic because of described problems. Nevertheless, in the final months of their direct involvement the USA managed to reinforce the KhAF by addition of five C-123K Provider transports, 12 T-28Ds, and six UH-1Gs.

AVNK UH-1H "213" seen during combat operations in 1973. (USAF, via Tom Cooper)

AVNK UH-1H "208", as seen in 1973 or 1974. Some Cambodian "Hueys" - including this one - carried prominent insignia on the nose: sadly, not much is known about the one carried on this helicopter. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)

The US Pull-Out

With the US pullout it was generally expected that Lon Nol’s regime would collapse almost immediately. However, what happened was exactly the opposite. Especially the KhAF – even if not completely developed, and most of its crews lacking training and experience – was in high spirits and ready to continue the war. Already by the end of August its T-28s flew no less but 700 combat sorties, while the new C-123s flow 94 transport missions. Some mistakes could were not corrected, however: the KhAF was still using the old operations centre in Pochentong, and therefore flew mainly missions against fixed targets instead of using the FAC-tactics. Consequently the T-28 were often too late to find their targets, or missed – sometimes by kilometres.

All US military operations in Cambodia ceased on 15 August 1973. Sensing the victory at hand, the Khmer Rouge launched an all out offensive against Phnom Penh with over 75 000 men. Lon Nol requested a last minute effort from the US airpower, and in response all the USAF aircraft still deployed in South East Asia - including over 400 B-52s, F-4s, F-111s and A-7Ds - launched repeated strikes against enemy targets on the outskirts of the capital. At times, crowds gathered on the west bank of the Mekong River to watch them hit Khmer Rouge targets on the opposite shore. This massive air campaign thwarted the Communist offensive. At one point, when it appeared the Khmer Rouge might block river traffic again, the USAF launched an emergency C-130 airlift from U-Tapao to Phnom Penh’s airport. It delivered munitions, rice, and military equipment. The USAF transports also parachuted supplies to several towns under siege by enemy. By mid-August 1973, the C-130s had flown some 666 sorties.

As the deadline drew near, the USAF was involved in a tragic accident. On 6 August 1973, a B-52 mistakenly dropped 20 tons of bombs on the friendly city of Neak Luong, 38 miles southeast of Phnom Penh. The town was situated on the Mekong River bank and served as an important base for both the Cambodian and South Vietnamese Navies. The raid killed or wounded more than 400 people.

The last US air strike in Cambodia occured on the morning of 15 August 1973 with a last bombing mission carried out by a flight of A-7Ds. According to official statistics, the USAF had flown some 39 999 tactical sorties from March 1970 to August 1973 in Cambodia, dropping 78 154 tons of bombs. The B-52s flew an additional 5 979 sorties during the same period, and dropping 125 706 tons of bombs. Exact figures about USN operations over Cambodia remain unknown, but it is known that the carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) made a combat cruise in the Gulf of Siam, in 1973, and that her aircraft flew combat sorties over Cambodia as well.

The US fixed-wing losses in Cambodia were considerable too: the USAF alone lost 39 aircraft, including eight F-4 Phantom IIs, one F-111A, six F-110s, two A-7Ds, and five A-37Bs. Numerous reconnaissance aircraft were shot down as well, including two RF-4Cs, six OV-10As, six O-2As, and two O-1s. A lone USAF C-123K was also destroyed while in Cambodia.

US Operations after August 1973

If after August 1973 all US combat operations ceased in Cambodia, air resuply missions continued. At the year’s end the air bridge brought to Phnom Penh an average of 7000 tons of fuel and amunition per month, against 4900 tons brought in by ships sailing up the Mekong River. The aircraft belonged mostly from the USAF 317th Airlift Wing of Pope AFB that operated rotational detachments from U Tapao in Thailand and used the radio-code name of “Klong”. The USAF transport missions continued until summer 1974, with many paradrops made in profit of the Cambodian garissons of Kompong Thom, Takeo and Kampot as well as dozens other small drop zones (DZ) scattered throughout the country. These DZs were located and their status assesed by reconnaissance flights of USAF RF-4Cs that also flew intelligence sorties in profit of the Cambodians. The aircraft now faced increasing anti-aircraft oppositions, notably several firing of SAM-7s. From April to August 1974, the Klongs were supplemented by some MC-130s from the 1st Special Operation Group with specially equipped aircraft allowing independant precise navigation and high altitude droppings.

Nevertheless, the US open military air transport operations over Cambodia was now facing growing political oppositions. Washington then decided to swicth to a more discrete type of missions. It was envisaged initially to use Air America aircraft but at that date the CIA connection to this company was too well known. Instead, a contract was passed with a former CIA conected air company entrepreneur, William Bird, who had run paramilitary operations in profit of the Agency in Laos in the early 1960s with his Bird and Sons Inc airline.

On 28 August 1974 a contract was signed with the Bird Air Company to run the transport air ressuply operations in Cambodia. The USAF handed over five of its own C-130Es to the Bird Air, in addition to the company own DC-6s. The Hercules were “satinazed” with all the national and military marking removed but retained the camouflage scheme! Only a tiny serial number is painted on the tail. Officially the planes were considered as being “US government furnished” but not “leased”. The first Bird Air mission took place on 26 September 1974 while all USAF airlift missions were suspended on 8 October.

In September 1974 the CIA contracted Bird Air for flying re-supply missions to Cambodia. At least ten C-130Es were furnished by USAF - with their national insignia and military markings removed - for this purpose and based at U-Tapao, Tailand. From July 1975 - two months after the fall of Phnom Penh - all were returned to the USAF. Birdair also used some DC-6 transports for this operation, and these served mainly as logistic support for the C-130 used in the Phnom Penh airbidge. (A. Grandolini collection)

Beside the C-130 operations from Birdair, the US Government also contracted several civilian companies to fly in rice to the besieged capital of Cambodia, by using at least seven DC-8s. A flying Tiger Line is seen taking off from Saigon airport for a new trip to Phnom Penh, despite that the local Pochentong airbase being subjected to severe Khmer Rouge artillery fire. (A. Grandolini collection)

Fighting the Lost Battle

While the USAF B-52s could be dangerous for Cambodian civilians, KhAF attacks sometimes went off as well: in October 1973 the T-28Ds hit a unit of the Cambodian Army and killed 20 troops. As if this would still not be enough, on 19 November there was another incident with a disaffected KhAF pilot, when Lt. Lim Khun bombed the Presidential Palace.

The AVNK has got also four or five cmouflaged T-28Ds, one of which is known to have carried the well-known "Playboy Bunny" insignia on the engine cowling. The example seen here, (5)1-480, lacks the national marking as it was photographed during the flight from Bangkok to Pochentong, after being refurbished by THAIAM. (A. Grandolini)

The South Vietnamese deployed a substantial number of helicopters in Cambodia during the period 1970-1972. They were progressively withdrawn when the KAF was able to develop its own helicopter asset. These UH-1Hs from the VNAF 217th Helicopter Squadron from Binh Thuy maintained regular detachments at Pochentong. (Robert C Mikesh via A. Grandolini)

The furious Lon Nol then ordered the CO KhAF to be replaced, and in the future every KhAF formation that took off for a combat sortie had to be lead by a pilot considered “loyal”, the aircraft of which was armed with smoke rockets and guns only, and who had a standing order to shot down any member of his formation that might turn towards Phnom Penh. In the end this order had a very negative effect on the KhAF, as now its best pilots were limited to leading their formations and forbidden to bomb the enemy – and this happened just at the time the Khmer Rouge encircled almost the whole capital, putting it under a siege in the process. Only trust in the KhAF and the US support could now save Lon Nol’s regime – but the amount of both was permanently decreasing.

T-28D (5)0-13714 seen fully bombed-up at Pochentong, in 1973. In 1975 KhAF was supplied also with a number of CBU-55 Fuel-Air Explosive bombs, which were used - with devastating effect - against the Khmer Rouge infantry. (Albert Grandolini)

Contrary to Lon Nol, the Cambodian Army felt no distrust to the KhAF, and continued calling for close-air-support at a high tempo. By the late January 1974 the KhAF T-28s flew up to 40 combat sorties a day. This was in part possible because of its new commander, the French-trained Brigadier Ea Chhong, that introduced very high standards of leadership and command. Under Chhong’s leadership the KhAF was to see its best times in the spring of 1974, with the precision of air-drop sorties of the C-123s reaching 98%, while a number of AC-47- and helicopter-pilots began flying by night as well. Thanks to intense KhAF support, for example, the Army was capable of holding the city of Takeo. The FAC-tactics was reintroduced, and the T-28s improved their precision considerably as well: in July 1974 ten T-28Ds lead by a single O-1D attacked a North Vietnamese truck park in the Kratie Province, destroying no less but 125 vehicles in the process.

At the time, the KhAF was organized as follows:
1st Intervention Group
- 3 Attack Squadrons with 45 T-28Ds
- 1 Gunship Squadron with 14 AC-47Ds
- 1 Gunship Squadron with 14 AU-24As

1st Transport Group
- 1 Transport Squadron with 12 C-123Ks
- 1 Transport Squadron with 20 C-47s
- 1 Light Transport Squadron with 8 U-1As
- 1 VIP Transport Flight with 1 DC-6, 1 DC-4, 2 UH-1Ns

1st Observation Group
- 45 Cessna O-1s

1st Helicopter Group
- 38 UH-1Hs
- 13 UH-1Hs (gunships)

Air Academy
- 12 T-28B/C
- 13 T-41Ds
- 10 GY-80s

The US strike missions over Cambodia were directed by the Rustic FAC, a long-time secret unit that operated with Cambodian pilots mostly from Bien Hoa (South Vietnam) and Ubon (Thailand). (Rustic Association via A. Grandolini)

The KAF also run its own FAC operations with great sucesses. This Cessna O-1D from the AVNK 1st Observation Group was seen at Pochentong in 1974. (A. Grandolini Collection)

By September 1974 the KhAF was flying more than ever, with T-28s mounting 127 combat sorties a day on average in order to support the Army in the defence of a Khmer offensive in the Kompong Chhong Province. However, like already several times before, just in the moment the KhAF started to function better than ever before, something happened that changed the whole situation again. Namely while the KhAF air strikes finally started showing their effects, in October 1974 the USA decided to stop supporting Lon Nol, by limiting the worth of ammunition the Cambodians were permitted to spend daily to $82.000. This meant that from that moment the KhAF would not be able to fly more than 49 combat sorties with T-28s, six with AC-47s, and ten with AH-1Gs every day, even if it was clear that much more was needed if the Khmer and the North Vietnamese were to be held under pressure, and all the besieged enclaves supplied from the air.

AVNK AC-47 Gunship: the KhAF received its first AC-47Ds in 1971, but a number of airframes rose to 14 by 1974, and a full squadron was organized that became known as "Loup Garrou" (Werwolf in French) because of its call-sign. Contrary to AC-47s in USAF, VNAF, RTAF, or RLAF, Cambodian AC-47s were not armed with mini-guns, but instead had three M-3 .50 Cal machine-guns. (Ken Conboy via Albert Grandolini)

The situation was immediately exploited by the enemy, and in the late 1974 the Khmer and the North Vietnamese – after recovering from the blows of the previous summer – put the Cambodian Army under heavy pressure. The KhAF was now to start suffering from poor communications with the Army too: the Army was meanwhile counting with air support for most of its operations, but all too often Chhong was not informed in time. Under such circumstances, the Khmer Rouge was able to organize a large offensive in the early 1975, hitting the Army heavily in several places. When this happened, the KhAF was forced to fly intensively and spend more ammunition than officially assigned from the USA. The US President Nixon was not to give up supporting Nol that easily however. In the Operation “Fly Catcher”, in January 1975 over 100 USAF technicians were flown in to Pochentong to service and refurbish all the remaining T-28s. Simultaneously also six C-123Ks were supplied to the KhAF, and there were plans to increase the number of Providers to 18 by July of the same year.

An AVNK AU-24A Stallion seen on a patrol over Cambodia. This little-known type came into existence from a "mini-gunship" competition of the USAF, during which two types were evaluated: Fairchild AU-23A, and Hellio AU-24A. Fifteen aircraft of each type were built and donated to allied air force: AU-23As, derived from the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter, were supplied to the RTAF, while 14 AU-24As were given to Cambodia in November 1972. Cambodian Stallions served mainly as night gunships as well as FACs, armed with M-197 20mm canons (the barrels of which can be seen in the foreground low), and unguided rocket pods, but also with CBU-25s and Mk.81 bombs at a later stage. By early 1975 they were deployed to escort convoys of supply ships sailing up the Mekong River to supply Phnom Penh. (A. Grandolini collection)

A KAF C-47 transport seen in 1972. The dependable C-47 was used in various role by the Cambodians, including transport, airborne command post, gunship, flareship and even as bomber! (Norman Taylor via A. Grandolini)

The End of Lon Nol

With the KhAF being limited in the amount of ammunition it could expend every day, its capability to support different branches of the military decreased considerably. One of the most problematic issues was that of escorting boats that were moving supplies to isolated forwards posts along the Mekong River. Without the support from the air these boats became exceptionally vulnerable and no less but 19 were lost within a single month.

The last convoy to reach Phnom Penh arrived after suffering heavy casualties on 19 January 1975. With the supply route via Mekong River being effectivelly cut off, it was decided to increase the Bird Air number of sorties to 13 per day. This, however, were clearly insufficient, even if five C-130Es from the USAF 374th Airlift Wing were then handed over to Bird Air. Simultaneously, another contract was granted to Flying Tigers Lines for the use of three DC-8-63s to transport rice to Phnom Penh from U Tapao. The first DC-8 sorties took place on 15 February 1975. From 27 February, the DC-8 operations were transfered to Tan Son Nhut in South Vietnam. By early March the number of DC-8s involved had been increased to seven with aircraft from Airlift International, World Airways and Trans International joining those of the “Tigers”. The air bridge continued despite now appaling working conditions at Phnom Penh, since the Khmer Rouge had brought in 105mm howitzers and 107mm MRLs to pound the Pochentong airbase.

The KhAF continued to operate and tried to protect the airbridge despite constant artillery fire: over three thousands artillery rounds hit the airport perimeter in February and March 1975. Each transport plane arrival and departure was protected by a flight of T-28Ds or AU-24As patrolling overhead and dive-bombing each detected artillery positions. Thanks to this gallant effort the daily average quantity of rice delivered to Phnom Penh rose from 2.300 tons in January to 8.200 tons in March, allowing an eleven-days stock inside the city. Some days the shelling was so intense that the operations were suspended.

Meanwhile, the Army garrisons outside Phnom Penh were left without supplies, and - one after the other - had to give up, in turn enabling the Khmer to tighten their grip on the Cambodian capital and surrounding areas. By 13 March the Communists reached the Pochentong area. Their first attack with multiple-rocket-launchers calibre 107mm hit the ammunition and supply depots, both of which were blown sky-high as a result. The defenders of the airfield, however, held out and were able to keep the Khmer Rouge and the North Vietnamese outside the perimeter.

Nevertheless, when the KhAF struggling to defend its own bases it could not fight the Khmer elsewhere. Consequently, during the rest of March 1975 some 150 supply flights to Phnom Penh were cancelled due to artillery shelling and eight aircraft damaged. The KhAF T-28Ds now often operated from a road outside the airbase in Pochentong that was less targeted by the enemy artillery. On 22 March, one DC-8 and one C-130 were badly hit and the airbridge completly suspended for two days. The situation was so desperate that President Gerald Ford ordered to use some USAF “Kong” C-130s to reinforce the airbridge. From 18 March and for a week they flew some 5 sorties per day to Phnom Penh.

Without any support from the air or chance to be relieved, on 2 April 1975 the last Army garrison on Mekong River fell to the Khmer. In his final radio message the commander of the unit in question explicitly requested a T-28 to strike his command post.

Although the USA started delivering T-28Ds to Cambodia already in August 1962, the type did not see any prominent service before the early 1970s. In fact, by 1969 most Trojans of the AVRK were inoperationall due to the lack of spares. After Gen. Nol came to power all were brought to operational condition by USAF technicians, and have got new markings: the exact position and size of these remains unconfirmed, however. 5(1)-2693 was destroyed by Vietnamese sappers in January 1971 attack on Pochentong, together with (5)0-13699, (5)0-17735, and (5)0-17833. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)

With the situation becoming desperate Lon Nol has lost nerves and left Phnom Penh. The KhAF continued fighting nevertheless: several C-123Ks were modified to carry up to 21 Mk.81 or CBU-25 bombs, that were then rolled over the rear loading ramp. They flew at least 36 combat sorties in the final days of the fighting, before the Khmer Rouge advanced into the suburbs of Phnom Penh, on 7 April 1975.

Meanwhile, KhAF T-28s were ordered to cover the Operation "Eagle Pull" - the evacuation of the US embassy and all the US citizens, starting with 3 April 1975. Instrumental for this operation was the helicopter carrier USS Okinawa (LPH-3), that operated two squadrons of helicopters, as well as the remaining Cambodian UH-1Hs, most of which were based on the football stadium in Phnom Penh. DC-8s and C-130s were also used to evacuate, and both the American and Cambodian personnel were involved in the air bridge. Eventually, over 1.000 people were evacuated, including 52 orphans. On 11 April the airbridge was suspended. Throughtout the operation, an average of 1.100 tons of supply were landed each day at Phnom Penh but at a heavy price: at least nine Cambodian personnel of the Pochentong Airport had been killed and several dozens wounded. Amazingly no aircraft were lost!

Until the fall of Phnom Penh on 18 April 1975, the Bird Air C-130s continued to drop an average of 83 tons per day of supply to various Cambodian garissons, while the KhAF C-47s and C-123Ks also flew supply missions until the bitter end.
However, when on 16 April the guerrilla penetrated the Pochentong AB and captured the control centre, the remaining T-28 crews could only drop their last napalm bomb on the building – obliterating it completely – and then fly out to Thailand.

By 18 April the last 18 KhAF aircraft were evacuated to Thailand, where already dozens of other were flown: a total of 97 Cambodian aircraft and helicopters eventually ended in Thailand, while exactly 100 others – including 22 T-28Ds, six AC-47s, nine C-123Ks, and some 24 UH-1Hs and UH-1Gs – were captured by the Khmer Rouge. With this, the early history of the Cambodian Air Force – an air arm that grew to a considerable size, capability, and effectiveness in the final five years of its existence - came to an end.

The last US air strikes into Cambodia took place on 15 August 1973. American airpower saved the Cambodian regime during that summer. This USAF A-7D was seen while flying toward a target in the vincinity of Phnom Penh, in July 1973. (USAF via A. Grandolini)

The Mayaguez Incident

Upon bringing Phnom Penh and most of Cambodia under their control, the Khmer Rouge – led by their secretive leader Saloth Sar, better known by his “nom de guerre” Pol Pot – immediately embarked upon developing one of the most radical, merciless, and dreadful regimes of our times. In his “Reconstruction” project, Pot searched to “re-built” the entire Cambodian society: any contact to the outside world was severed; education and religion were considered subversive, no modern technology was permitted and all the cities were emptied, the entire possession of all citizens was confiscated and thousands forced into labour camps. For the next three and a half years Cambodia was plunged into a bloody hell. Out of a population of some seven millions over two millions were killed: many perished due to exhaustion, malaria, and malnutrition while being forced to work on huge agricultural construction projects entirely reliant on manual labour. Cambodia’s economy – the country was once considered a “rice bowl” of south-east Asia – was completely ruined in this giant and tragic failure.

Even before he managed to ruin the country, however, Pol Pot was already to collide with the USA. On 12 May 1975 Khmer Rouge seized the US container ship SS Mayaguez, while this was underway in the Gulf of Thailand. The crew of the ship managed to issue an SOS in the last moment, and the USN immediately dispatched several Lockheed P-3A Orions to search for it, finally localizing the ship underway at a very slow speed off the Koh Tong Island. In contrast to the Pueblo Crisis, when the North Koreans seized the USS Pueblo, a USN ELINT/SIGINT-gathering ship, this time the White House ordered an energic action for the recovery of the captured crew: SS Mayaguez was not a military ship, but the Americans wanted a clear message to be delivered to Pol Pot. Consequently, a rescue operation was immediately staged, mainly involving USMC and USAF units based at U-Tapao, in Thailand, as well as the USN aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43). The last had aboard the aircraft of the CVW-15, including F-4N Phantom IIs of the VF-51 and VF-111, A-7E Corsairs II of the VA-22 and VA-94, A-6A Intruders of the VA-95, RF-8Gs of the VFP-63 and E-1E Trackers of the VAW-11. On the following day the SS Mayaguez was detected by several AC-130 Gunships, encircled by a number of Cambodian patrol boats. In order to prevent the Khmer to bring the ship deeper into their territorial waters, the Gunships were ordered to attack: approaching at a level of 1.000m, the lead AC-130 opened fire on the boats bellow the crews of which could not effectively respond. Within minutes all the Cambodian boats were heavily damaged: five of them were finished in a strike by USAF A-7D Corsair IIs, flown on the morning of 14 May.

Meanwhile, the preparations in Thailand were finalized. Around 0700hrs of 15 May 1975, eleven CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters approached Koh Tong at a very low level, and disgorged a party of the US Marines. The helicopters and the Marines immediately came under dreadful defensive fire and as more helicopters arrived, additional were hit: by the end of the day, eight of eleven involved CH-53s were either shot down or badly damaged. Nevertheless, three other CH-53s were meanwhile used to deploy additional Marines aboard the frigate USS Harold E. Holt (FF-1074), which has got the task of intercepting SS Mayaguez.

US Marines seen disembarking from a USMC CH-53 helicopter on Koh Sang Island. (USMC via A. Grandolini)

Since it was assumed that the Khmer were holding the hijacked crew there the Koh Tong Island was not hit by any air strikes. However, a full “Alpha-Strike” from the USS Coral Sea was launched to neutralize the Khmer Air Force. Around 0845hrs the Corsairs and Intruders hit the Ream airfield, claiming destruction of 17 T-28 Trojans: this was quite an overclaim, as barely 12 T-28s were expected in the place. Besides, the post-strike reconnaissance revealed that indeed only five Trojans were destroyed. Nevertheless, in the same strike also the fuel depot and the smaller runway at Kompong Son were hit and badly damaged, as well as a nearby oil refinery. Despite this success, the situation was now rapidly becoming precarious: even if the USS Holt was able to take SS Mayaguez under a tow, the crew was still not found, and the Marines at Koh Tong were still pinned down under tremendous fire of the Khmer. This changed in an obscure way around 0945hrs, when a Cambodian patrol boat approached the destroyer USS Henry B. Wilson (DDG-7), announcing that all the 39 Mayaguez-crewmembers were aboard and free to leave!

Now the Americans have got the free hands to act on Koh Tong: with support of a series of heavy strikes by USAF fighters, around 1215hrs the first recovery attempt was launched. This was beaten back, however, just like the second attempt, launched around 1430hrs. It was obvious that a much better planned and executed action was needed if the Marines were ever to be picked up from Koh Tong. From 1600hrs the first OV-10A Bronco aircraft arrived over the place, to act as FAC: from that moment they started to direct an increasing number of USAF A-7Ds, F-111As, and F-4Es against selected targets: finally, the air strikes began to show results. Around 1730hrs a MC-130 of the USAF dropped also one of the 7.000kg (15.000lbs) heavy BLU-82 “Big Blue” bombs, causing a shock and confusion on the Khmer side. At 1745hrs, finally the third recovery attempt was launched, and this time the remaining three operational CH-53s managed to pick all the Marines. The expensive operation costed the USA eventually 15 killed, three missing, and no less but 50 injured.

INDOCHINA DATABASE

2010-01-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

The situation in Cambodia complicated soon after the country became independent from the French rule, in 1954: this, foremost because of a poor work and inconsistence of the new government, which took little care to improve the living standards of the population. Quite on the contrary, chaos became widespread and different actions by the government were only increasing it.

The Cambodian air force, the Aviation Royale Khmere (AVRK), was founded in April 1954, and for the first 15 years was suffering from the fact that its commander, Maj. Gen. Ngo Hou – Sihanouk’s personal friend – couldn’t care less about his job. Hou was foremost busy pursuing his own interests and, whenever it happened by accident that he brought any kind of a decision in connection with the AVRK, this was usually a mistake. It was thus little surprising that by 1963 the air force was equipped with no less but 83 aircraft and helicopters of 15 different types. Of course, the technical personnel was completely unable to keep all of these operational, and the number of intact airframes was rapidly declining. As if this would not be enough, Hou then also refused to authorise the retirement of remaining North American T-6G Texans, even if four of these were lost in accidents within a relatively short period of time.

The situation was not to improve any soon. In June 1958, the South Vietnamese invaded the Cambodian Stung Treng Province, supported by F-8F Bearcat fighters. The feeble AVRK did not react. Under Washington pressure, the South Vietnamese withdrew their forces but the humiliation pushed Sihanouk to seek aid from the Communist countries. By early 1960s tension rose again when Saigon closed the Mekong to the Cambodian boats. Phnom Penh in reprisal welcomed any South Vietnamese political dissidents on his territory. In the turmoil of the early 1960s in South Vietnam, any plotters involved in numerous coup attempts fled to Cambodia to seek political assylum. By this way, AVRK could secure unexpected aircraft. On 26 February 1962 for example, two VNAF A-1Hs attacked the Diem’s Presidential palace at Saigon. One was shot down by anti-aircraft fire while the other escaped to make a crash-landing at Pochentong. Although heavily damaged it was subsequently repaired and became the first AVRK Skyraider to enter service. In 1963, it was the turn of Cessna U-17 defecting to Cambodia, followed by a C-47. The U-17 was returned to Saigon but the C-47 was retained by AVRK. In 1964, another A-1H defected and was qickly put into service. A civilian South Vietnamese Do-28A, suspected to be involved in some heroin smugling, was impounded at Phnom Penh and handed over to AVRK. Finally, in 1966 two VNAF UH-34Ds also defected to Cambodia, one during a commando inserting mission on the Ho-Chi-Minh Trail. Both of them were also turned over to AVRK.

For the Cambodians the presence of the South Vietnamese troops on their ground was most troublesome. Throughout the 1960s Sihanouk therefore continued to tolerate - if not encourage - the Communist presence in return, in so far that with the time this could not be stopped any more. He even allowed Communist freighters to dock at Sihanoukville harbour to deliver military equipment to Viet Cong, in turn retaining part of their shipments for Cambodian armed forces, as a compensation. North Vietnam had even created a “civilian truck transport company” to drive the supply to the logistical border stations - along the Ho-Chi-Minh Trail. The trucks of the Cambodian army were sometimes involved in these deliveries. The Cambodians also did nothing to prevent the North Vietnamese transports to over Cambodia and support their troops along the Ho-Chi-Minh Trail: the USAF intellignece reported that VPAF Il-14, Li-2 and AN-2 were using occasionnaly the Cambodian Mimot airstrip. In few occassions Sihanouk even ordered the AVRK C-47s to be used for dropping supplies - foremost rice, but no weapons - to the North Vietnamese forces. However, most of these drops, if not all of them were only rice and not weapons (Cambodia was also selling rice to Viet Cong in considerable quantities, but at very high prices).

Clearly, such a situation had to lead to a series of quarrels with the USA. In reaction, the South Vietnamese and Thailand, as well as the USA started supporting the Khmer Serei (KS) - or "Free Khmer" - guerillas, a nationalist and republican movement opressed by Sihanouk. The CIA is known to have used the KS to infiltrate the Ho-Chi-Minh Trail for reconnaisance and sabotage operations. The US troops also became involved in the war in Cambodia: in a series of operations known under the code-name "Daniel Boone" the US and South Vietnamese special units were infiltrated into the country, usually by the means of VNAF 219th Sqn UH-34s or USAF 20th SOS UH-1F/P. During 1967 alone, for example, no less but 14 USAF and VNAF helicopters were lost in Cambodia: five more Hueys were shot down in the first months of 1970.

Mid through one such series of quarrels between the USA and Cambodia, in August 1961, Sihanouk announced that AVRK would soon be equipped with the first three MiG-17s, a single MiG-15UTI, and several Yak-18s, supplied from the USSR. At the same time, he also cancelled cooperation with the US military assistance delegation (MAAG), and ordered these to leave the country by the 1 January 1964.

The Soviets delivered all the ordered MiGs but these were not to improve the situation at all: quite on the contrary, even if 20 additional MiGs, eight Yak-18s, two Il-14s, eight An-2s, and two Mi-4s were supplied not only by the USSR but also by China the number of operational airframes was not to increase..

At the time the USA were not ready to supply any fighter jets to Cambodia, even if immensely interested to bring Sihanouk to act aggressively against the Vietnamese, who increased their activities along the Ho-Chi-Minh Trail. Consequently, the area along the Vietnamese border became the focus of the US activities in Cambodia for the next ten years. Once Prince Sihanouk cooled down a bit, in August 1962, 16 T-28Ds were delivered by the USA. Nevertheless, regardless how much the members of the MAAG tried to keep them flyable and used against the Ho Chi Minh Pad, within only a few weeks no less but 15 were inoperational and had to be stored. The stories explained until today indicate that Sihanouk was actually not the least interested in keeping the AVRK in operational condition: right until today the legend about the "Phnom Penh Royal Flying Club” - as the AVRK was frequently called by the Americans and the Vietnamese at the time - remains intact. The supposed reason for such behaviour of Sihanouk was that the examples from neighbouring countries were teaching him that he could not trust his own officers very much: in Indonesia the air force played a prominent role during the coup of 1965; in Laos it was also the air force the members of which lead the failed coup attempt in 1966; and in the same year the aircraft of the South Vietnamese Air Force several times attacked the Presidential palace. Those knowing more about the Cambodian Air Force at the time, however, strongly opose the AVRK to be named that way. Even if it is true that the AVRK was suffring from lack of spares parts for some US built aircraft, it could still maintain a fairly sufficient training level, while technical support was given by France for American equipment.

But, in fact the AVRK was very active during the 1960s, and it did not took long until it became infovled in several serious incidents with the South Vietnamese. The first of these occured on 21 March 1964 when two Cambodian T-28Ds surprised a VNAF O-1 inside the Khmer airspace. The Cambodian flight leader, captain (Prince) Sisowat Monirak took a position behind the South Vietnamese and shot it down two miles inside South Vietnamese territory, killing the Vietnamese pilot and the US observer. Despite Cambodian propaganda presenting Prince Monirak as a hero, Sihanouk ordered the AVRK in the future not to pursue intruding aircraft over the border.

Tension remained high and VNAF send several flights of Skyraiders deep inside Cambodia to seek revenge. Two Skyraiders even reached the Phnom Penh suburbs before turning away. Each time, the AVRK avoided escalation, but anti-aircraft artilley batteries were deployed on the border. A flight of AVRK A-1Ds was even fired on by Khmer guners mistaken them for Vietnamese A-1s.

After this incident it was decided to paint a red band, outlined by blue, like the coulors of the national flag, on the fuselages of the AVRK A-1Ds.

For better border protection, small detachements of four T-28Ds or T-6Gs each were regularly deployed on several advanced airstrips, at Kompong Chnang, Ream, Kompong Cham and Cabasiek. From this last-mentioned base, the T-28Ds regularly encountered USAF and VNAF A-1s operating out from Pleiku. So, Cabasiek was regularly overflown by USAF RB-57Es which tried to monitor the AVRK activities. In the same area - after a ground incident involving the ARVN troops confronting those of the Bu Krak outpost, this latter position was heavilly bombed by USAF F-100s, which killed 24 Cambodian troops. Another US strikes took place against suspected Viet Cong positions in the Mondol Kiri Kompong Cham and Ratana Kiri Provinces. Some air encounters occured on these occasions, often involving the AVRK MiG-17Fs and the USAF RF-101s and F-100s. The A-1Ds also encountered VNAF A-1s and time and again USAF F-102As were noticed over the Svay Rieng Province. But, as usualy, each side broke off and departed without opening fire.

The AVRK Skyraiders often flew as escort for reconnaisance sorties flown by the MD-315 configured with aerial cameras. The plane was usually sent to take pictures of bombed areas hit by US air or artillery as proof of border violation to emit diplomatical protests.

The Cambodian anti-aircraft artillery units several times engaged intruding aircraft: on one occassion they damaged a South Vietnamese or USAF F-5 fighter, causing it to jettison its external loads. One of the drop tanks was found and brought to Pochentong to be shown to AVRK pilots. In 1968 the Khmer AA gunners claimed have damaged a C-123 that crashed inside South Vietnam; the USA denied any such loss.

On 1 April 1968, another serious incident occured between Khmer Navy and South Vietnamese vessels in the Gulf of Siam. While gunfire was exchanged between gunboats, a US Navy P-3B from VP-26 was sent to investigate and was shot down by the Cambodians. The US sources reported that one Orion was missing this day from a patrol on the area after being hit in the starboard wing. The plane crashed near the Phu Quoc Island near the Cambodian maritime border with the twelve crew-members killed.

The area of Preak Vihear was known not only for its Angkorera Temple but also as a zone of permanent tension between Cambodia and Thailand. Briefly occupied by Thai troops in 1953, it was the scene of renewed combat in 1964. In a show of force, the AVRK 1st Transport Group was committed to the dropping of two paratroop battalions in less than two days. An improvised landing strip was qickly cleared at Choam Khsant to accomodate the C-47s and AN-2 which were used to resuply the Khmer Troops in the area. The Thai reacted by making numerous intrusions into the Khmer airspace, ranging from O-1 to F-86 fighters. To counter these penetrations the AVRK deployed a detachement of MiG-17Fs to Battambang: these proved a sufficient deterrent, but the Cambodian MiG-pilots subsequently often reported the presence of F-86Fs flying parallel with them along the other side of the border. Later, the MiG-17 detachement was replaced by T-28Ds and A-1Ds. During the most tense moments up to three patrols of T-28s or A-1s took off from Battambang each day.

On 28 Auguts 1965, Cambodian AAA engaged a group of eight Thai aircraft, curriously identified as being “Skyraiders”, over the town of Pailin. In a News Conference, Sihanouk even stated that two of them had been shot down. The next focal point arose in the area of Trad, a small town on the coast of the Kong Peninsula, another contested area. As Thai artillery repeatly shelled the Cambodian positions, AVRK was preparing to conduct reprisal strikes. The plan, devised by Lt Colonel So Satto, commander of the Tactical Group, called for the A-1Ds to bomb the Thai positions while the MiG-17Fs were flying to cover. Fortunally, a cease-fire was concluded before either side engagded its aircraft. The RTAF nevertheless continued occasional intrusions, sometimes using the reconnaissance RT-33s.

According to official Cambodian documents the country suffered the following airspace violations from both South Vietnam and Thailand borders:
- 164 in 1962,
- 272 in 1963,
- 412 in 1964,
- 621 in 1965,
- 1018 in 1966,
- 1635 in 1967,
- 781 in 1968 and
- 247 in 1969.

This last figure does not include íncursions caused by the US Oeration “Menu” carried out by the B-52 bombers.

girl tibetan

2010-01-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Yudron สาวทิเบตวัย 22 ปี ชูรางวัล หลังจากชนะเลิศการประกวด "ทูตภาพลักษณ์การท่องเที่ยวแห่งทิเบต" ไชน่าเดลี่ - Yudron สาวทิเบตวัย 22 ปี ได้รับคัดเลือกให้เป็นทูตภาพลักษณ์ให้แก่เขตปกครองตนเองชนชาติทิเบต หลังจากเอาชนะ 25 สาวงามในการประกวดรอบสุดท้ายเมื่อวันเสาร์ที่ผ่านมา (19 ก.ย.) ได้สำเร็จ Yudron สาวน้อยจากเขตซันหนันในทิเบต ชนะเลิศการประกวด "ทูตภาพลักษณ์การท่องเที่ยวแห่งทิเบต" ซึ่งจัดขึ้นโดยสำนักงานการท่องเที่ยวประจำภูมิภาค กินระยะเวลาการประกวดนาน 4 เดือน ก่อนหน้านี้มีผู้สนใจจาก 7 เขตและเมืองของทิเบตสมัครเข้าประกวดไม่ต่ำกว่า 1,000 คน หัวข้อการประกวดได้แก่ ประกวดแต่งกายชุดประจำชนชาติทิเบต, ร้องเพลงและเต้นระบำพื้นบ้าน รวมถึงการแนะนำสถานที่ท่องเที่ยวสำคัญ โดยทางการท้องถิ่นให้สัมภาษณ์ว่า

ทูตภาพลักษณ์นี้จะเข้าร่วมกิจการต่างๆ เพื่อช่วยประชาสัมพันธ์การท่องเที่ยวของทิเบต อนึ่ง ช่วงที่ผ่านมาทิเบตพยายามเร่งฟื้นฟูภาพลักษณ์และการท่องเที่ยวของเขตเป็นการใหญ่ หลังจากเกิดเหตุความไม่สงบในทิเบตอยู่เนืองๆ โดยภาคการท่องเที่ยวของทิเบตซบเซาอย่างหนักหลังจากเกิดเหตุจลาจลครั้งใหญ่เมื่อเดือนมีนาคมปีที่แล้ว กระทั่งกองทัพจีนตัดสินใจใช้กำลังปราบปรามผู้ประท้วง การแสดงระบำทิเบตในระหว่างการแข่งขัน ผู้เข้าประกวดสวมชุดประจำชาติทิเบตขึ้นประชันความงาม

Kaleidoscope of recent events…flooded streets, Palau World News & Snow Leopard with Aperture 2 from our Photo Workshop in Cambodia.

2010-01-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

Since arriving back from Cambodia things have been very hectic…I really needed a good break, but no such luck, plus all this rain doesn’t make it any easier.

© Gunther Deichmann - Buddhist Nun at Preah Khan,
Angkor Siem Reap Cambodia Sept.'09

"I hope she is praying for good weather."
Please take a few moments and think about those people who
are stranded and their homes are underwater or lost.

It is raining Cat and Dogs in Manila, the worst I have seen in a very long time, then yesterday Palau in the Limelight with an extraordinary achievement declaring at the UN in New York the Worlds first Shark Sanctuary, a little update on Snow Leopard, Aperture 2.1.4 & slowly drifting back to my recent Photo Workshop in Cambodia.

Wow what a mix today… a Kaleidoscope of recent events.
But then it is raining or should I say pouring non-stop, nobody dares to go outside into the flooded streets of Manila including myself. A friend of mine tried to visit me today, but no way... he couldn’t get out of his Hotel...

Manila is flooded, period! The only way to commute today is by Boat !

I just made it home last night…& now we lost power too...nice to have a Mac BookPro with a fully charged Battery and what better way to recap the past few days in a few sentences on today’s Blog, the only question is when do I get this post uploaded, your guess is as good then mine...

© Gunther Deichmann - this Butterfly landed right in front of me,
getting salt from the stones inside Preah Khan,
Siem Reap, Cambodia Sept. 2009

Lets start with Snow Leopard and the things I discovered during my recent trip to Cambodia.
Encountered a small problem in Aperture 2.1.4 whereas the Original images took time to appear after they had been modified, the version showed up but the Original Raw file took some time to show.
That small problem has now gone away after I upgraded to the latest Version of Snow Leopard 10.6.1 upon my return from Cambodia.
Everything else worked just flawless and I encountered no other glitches with SL and Aperture 2.1.4 dealing with over 3000 plus images on location. ,

I also notice that there is no more Software update via the Desktop, (Download Only) now you have to go direct into the system, which is fine, but if you have a slow connection or get interrupted that could cause a problem. Why Apple has removed this I don’t know, maybe it is a Copyright/Piracy issue, who knows!

Otherwise I am extremely happy with Snow Leopard, fast and efficient a great operating system and definitely worth every cent, as a matter of fact, great value for US$ 29.95. BTW the battery life on my new MacBook Pro is just awesome. Some of my students in Cambodia also used for the first time SL and encountered no problems either.

© Gunther Deichmann - reflections of the Sure Prot Angkor Thom Ruins
at Sunset,directly opposite the Elephant Terraces,
Siem Reap, Cambodia Sept. 2009

Back from Cambodia only a couple of days, I had already a session at the Power Mac Center on iWork ’09 with Keynote and Pages.

vacations in Cambodia

2010-01-06T07:05:00.000-08:00

Cambodia in 2012

2010-01-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

MOTOR SHOW

2010-01-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ambassador in Thailand calls Nation Editor ‘stupid

2010-01-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

The Cambodian acting ambassador in Thailand Ouk Sophoin on Wednesday sent a letter to The Nation Newspaper to protest a story that claimed that Hun Sen’s vanity is a danger to regional solidarity.
The protest came after the newspaper’s editor criticized Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in an editorial published on December 29, which said that “Hun Sen should know for a fact that the person who is really capable of toppling him is his recently appointed economic advisor -Thaksin Shinawatra. In the early 1990s, everybody knew that Thaksin, as a business tycoon, was invol- ved in a short-lived plot to dislodge Hun Sen because of a conflict of interest over mobile telephone contracts.” “Hun Sen’s growing power, as well as his arrogance, has jeopardized the regional grouping’s solidarity,” the Nation wrote. “If Asean is really a rules-based organization, since the Asean Charter came into force, then Hun Sen should be the first Asean leader to be reprimanded because he has thus far broken all the rules of good neighborliness and Asean customs.”
“This editorial is very cheap and unreasonable as this newspaper showed that it has become the present Thai government’s political tool and this editorial story is not professional journalism,” the Cambodia acting ambassador said in the letter. “This editorial is lowering the two parties relationship for more trouble.”
The ambassador’s letter confirmed that PM Hun Sen was elected as Cambodia’s leader by legal election, a vote that was a landslide victory.

Happy Khmer New Year2010

2009-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Khmer New Year !!!!!

I wish all the best Success in this New Year Happiness in your family and get everything that wish,

Your best Friend

Thailand and Cambodia will sign a single visa agreement enabling visitors to use only one visa for the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said yester

2009-12-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram would sign the agreement with this Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong when he makes an official visit to Phnom Penh on Monday.

The pact is a pilot project under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).

Set up since 2003, ACMECS is a joint development scheme that includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Under the initiative of "Four countries, One Destination", the ACMECS Single Visa pact is aimed at facilitating tourism in the region.

Foreign ministers of the four countries agreed in Siem Reap in August 2005 to allow Thailand and Cambodia to implement the scheme first

and the remaining members might join later if it proves successful.

Visitors could apply for an entry visa at the embassies of either Thailand or Cambodia for both countries, said the ministry's spokesman Tharit Charungvat. The arrangement would benefit tourism and visitors would only need one visa for both Thailand and Cambodia, which have many different attractions, he said.
However, the pact would not come into force until the Interior Ministry and concerned agencies issued related regulations, Tharit said. It was not know when the regulations would be ready.

Bangkok's Independent Newspaper