![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/full-moon-460316_640.jpg\" "\\"Image")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Sea state<\/strong><\/p>\n After a tricky few weeks<\/a>, HMS Queen Elizabeth<\/em>\u2019s cyber security resilience has been called into question<\/a> after photos taken during a tour of the ship appeared to show computer screens running the out-dated Windows XP operating system\u2014the same system targeted by the recent WannaCry ransomware attack. In response, the Ministry of Defence said<\/a> that Windows XP wouldn\u2019t be used \u2018when the ship becomes operational\u2019, but many still criticised<\/a> the claim that the system wasn\u2019t vulnerable to attack. In defence of the carrier\u2019s cyber capabilities<\/a>, Commander Mark Deller said the crew included a specialist cyber team and that, with respect to naval procurement, we should \u2018think more NASA than NHS\u2019.<\/p>\n After Boaty McBoatface<\/em> set off on its maiden mission earlier in the year<\/a>, scientists have reported<\/a> that it has obtained \u2018unprecedented data\u2019 from the Orkney Passage, about 800\u00a0km from the Arctic Peninsula. Water flow speed, underwater turbulence and temperature data collected by Boaty (from as deep as 4,000\u00a0m<\/a>) will improve scientists<\/a>\u2019 understanding of \u2018the complex ways that mixing ocean waters affect climate change\u2019.<\/p>\n Also, Australia may soon get its very own Boaty McBoatface<\/em>\u2014the Australian Antarctic Division is running a competition<\/a> for school students to name Australia\u2019s new Antarctic icebreaker<\/a>. <\/em>Any suggestions?<\/p>\n Flight path<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s likely that we\u2019ve all fantasised about how quick it would be to take a fighter jet to your holiday destination. That was the acting head of the French air force\u2019s thinking as he flew<\/a> a Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet<\/a> from his base in Bordeaux to his home in Provence on more than 10 weekends since August 2016\u2014skipping the six-hour drive and billing taxpayers \u20ac14,000\u201316,000 each time. The defence ministry and air force have launched separate investigations into the allegation. That revelation has coincided with France\u2019s defence funding cuts which limit the use<\/a> of the gas-guzzling Alpha Jet.<\/p>\n As threats proliferate in the Indo-Pacific, Malaysia\u2019s defence spending is dwindling<\/a>. The Diplomat<\/em>\u2019s<\/em> resident Southeast Asia hand, Prashanth Parameswaran, explains why<\/a>, and rounds up the Royal Malaysian Air Force\u2019s capability and acquisition outlook (or lack thereof).<\/p>\n Finally, before boarding her China Southern Airlines flight from Shanghai to Guangzhou last Wednesday, an elderly woman threw a handful of coins<\/a> into the plane\u2019s engine for good luck, delaying its departure for five hours. Flight CZ380 later safely reached its destination.<\/p>\n Rapid fire<\/strong><\/p>\n The People\u2019s Liberation Army has purportedly tested<\/a> a new main battle tank on the Tibetan Plateau in Western China. According to a PLA spokesman<\/a>, the trials were conducted to \u2018test the tank\u2019s performance and are not targeted at any country\u2019. Although the spokesman didn\u2019t reveal specific details on the tank, reports from The Diplomat<\/em> suggest he was referring to the so-called ZTQ light tank<\/a>, dubbed \u2018Xinqingtan<\/a>\u2019. Designed for operations in mountainous and high-altitude regions such as Tibet, the tank will likely be used for reconnaissance and infantry support.<\/p>\n Speaking of infantry, to enhance their ability to fight against the \u2018scourge of terrorism\u2019, the Singaporean Armed Forces announced plans<\/a> to conduct annual counterterrorism training for 18,000 soldiers. The training will cover<\/a> scenario-based simulations, search-and-arrest procedures and live-fire training. According to Singapore\u2019s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, considering that terrorist attacks in Singapore may increase<\/a>, it\u2019s better for the SAF to \u2018change to meet a heightened need, rather than be caught with inadequate resources\u2019.<\/p>\n And finally, Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne and Minister for Defence Marise Payne announced that the ADF will receive $300 million worth of new equipment<\/a> to protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Minister Payne stated<\/a> that the new equipment<\/a> will enhance the ADF\u2019s ability to \u2018detect, identify, monitor and warn others of CBRN hazards\u2019, a key requirement of the 2016 Defence White Paper (PDF<\/a>).<\/p>\n Zero gravity<\/strong><\/p>\n The Long March 5 rocket is meant to be China\u2019s heavy lifter, but its most recent launch<\/a> ended in failure. State media is keeping mum about the incident, saying<\/a> only that it was \u2018unsuccessful\u2019\u2014but careful examination<\/a> of the live feed<\/a> suggests that one of the first-stage boosters gave out. That marks the second failure<\/a> for the rocket. It remains to be seen how that will affect China\u2019s long-term launch schedule<\/a>, but there\u2019s no doubting that plans to launch the Chang\u2019e-5 lunar probe in November<\/a> will be scrutinised.<\/p>\n Japan has announced initial plans<\/a> to put a human on the Moon by 2030. If headlines are correct, Japan will cooperate with international partners to share the cost. NASA is leading a mission to create a moon-orbiting space station, due in 2025<\/a>; if Japan were allowed aboard, that might make it possible to leapfrog from there onto the surface. More intriguingly, China has plans for lunar footsteps by 2036<\/a>, and there\u2019s rumblings<\/a> of an admittedly-unlikely partnership. Could the Asian space race<\/a> be a cooperative venture?<\/p>\n And finally, in the age of fake news, it\u2019s everybody\u2019s duty to remain sceptical. But try this one on for size: NASA has denied<\/a> allegations that it\u2019s responsible for a covert child-trafficking ring<\/a> on Mars. Unsurprisingly, the conspiracy was peddled by the crazy shock-jock-cum-\u2018performance artist<\/a>\u2019 Alex Jones. If, like most of us, you prefer your Red Planet without slave colonies, check out the latest<\/a> from The Planetary Society<\/em>, which explains the Opportunity<\/em> rover\u2019s \u2018sprained ankle\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sea state After a tricky few weeks, HMS Queen Elizabeth\u2019s cyber security resilience has been called into question after photos taken during a tour of the ship appeared to show computer screens running the out-dated …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":597,"featured_media":32701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[199,126,291,577],"class_list":["post-32700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-antarctica","tag-defence-industry","tag-france","tag-peoples-liberation-army"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n