1.
United Arab Emirates Army
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As part of the military of the United Arab Emirates, the United Arab Emirates Army is responsible for land operations. Armed force is the use of armed forces to achieve political objectives, the study of the use of armed forces is called military science. Broadly speaking, this involves considering offense and defense at three levels, strategy, operational art, and tactics, all three levels study the application of the use of force in order to achieve a desired objective. 22 people were killed and another 12 were wounded before UDF troops were able to impose a ceasefire, during the Gulf War, UAE troops, reportedly numbering several thousands, participated in the conflict as part of the GCC Peninsula Shield force that advanced into the city of Kuwait. United States aircraft bombed Iraqi positions from the UAE, and United States ships operated out of UAE ports along the coast of the Persian Gulf, the UAE Air Force also carried out strikes against Iraqi forces. A total of six UAE combat deaths were reported as a result of the fighting, during the 2015 Yemeni Civil War the United Arab Emirates Army intervened in support of fighters loyal to the ousted regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi against Houthi militants. UAE troops assisted anti-Houthi fighters in the re-taking of the strategic southern Yemeni port city of Aden and also Al Anad Air Base, on 4 September 2015 the army suffered its heaviest loss in modern history, losing 52 soldiers in war in Yemen to a tactical ballistic missile strike. The UAE has since deployed an entire Armoured brigade to Yemen, on June 2016 the UAE pulled its troops out of Yemen bringing an end to its ground campaign in the country. Until the end of its involvement the UAE forces suffered 82 killed, the size of the order and delivery schedule have not been made public but some sources say 600. June 2016, United Arab Emirates has ordered 40 Patria AMV 8×8 armoured vehicles produced by Polish Rosomak S. A. company
2.
United Arab Emirates Navy
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The United Arab Emirates Navy is small force of about 2,500 personnel. It maintains 12 well-equipped coastal patrol boats and eight missile boats, although primarily concerned with coastal defense, the Navy is constructing a six-unit class of blue water corvettes in conjunction with French shipbuilder CMN. The UAE maintains a small battalion-sized marine force called the UAE Marines equipped with BMP-3 armoured personnel carriers, swedish shipbuilder Swede Ship Marine have built four 24 m Amphibious Troop Transport Vessel and one 25 m Fast Supply Vessel for the UAE Navy. Three additional vessels are being built by Swede Ship Marine for the UAE Navy, used for logistics and related activities as part of the ongoing Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, including reportedly in support of amphibious operations. This ship was hit by a Houthi attack and severely damaged during operations in October 2016. Till 2014 will be commissioned 12 Ghannatha Phase II class fast missile landing crafts, first unit was be launched in July 2012
3.
United Arab Emirates Air Force
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The United Arab Emirates Air Force is the air force of the United Arab Emirates. Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule, since then, it has undergone a continual reorganisation and expansion in terms of both capability and numbers of aircraft. Currently, the UAEAF has around 4,000 personnel and operates approximately 368 fixed, the UAEAFs history starts in 1968, when the Abu Dhabi Army Air Force was formed under British rule. After becoming the ALRAMS Air Force in 1972, major investment assured an expansion in terms of capabilities, training and instruction was provided by the Pakistan Air Force. In 2014, the United Arab Emirates Air Force along with the Egyptian Air Force carried out airstrikes in Libya against Islamist factions in Tripoli. In September 2014, UAE air force joined in US-led air strikes against terrorist targets in Syria. These operations were suspended after a Jordanian pilot was captured by Islamic State militants in late December 2014, pending improvements in US search, the UAEAF consists of about 4,000 personnel. In the 1970s and 80s, the UAEAF was instructed by Pakistan Air Force pilots on Dassault Mirage IIIs, even today, many of the personnel are ex-Pakistan Air Force officers and technicians. Most of the instructors at Al Ain are from Pakistan, training pilots using Grob G115, Pilatus PC-7, Aermacchi MB-339. A few officers of No.12 Squadron at Al Minhad Air Base, are also from the Pakistan Air Force, some of these officers are on deputation, but most are on civilian contracts with the Air Force Headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Numerous officers of other nationalities have also trained UAE pilots, among them Pakistanis, Moroccans, Canadians, Jordanians, women have started training as pilots. The first batch consisted of engineers given approval for flight training, so far, only three women have become actual fighter pilots and one a transport pilot. One woman pilot was grounded due to an ejection from a flight in a Hawk 63. Instructors at Al Dhafra Air Base are now mainly from the US, currently there are five main air bases operational, split between the Western and Central Air Command. The Special Operations Command has its own airbase and operates a range of helicopters. Candidates apply to the Khalifa bin Zayed Air College, which is located at the Al Ain International Airport in Al Ain and they first go through a rigorous schedule of academics, fitness and officer training. Those who are selected as cadets then start the phase of academics. Cadets who pass the assessment period of the phase are designated aviation cadets
4.
President of the United Arab Emirates
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The President of the United Arab Emirates is the head of state of the United Arab Emirates. Officially, he is elected every five years by the Federal Supreme Council, but because the ruler of Abu Dhabi customarily also holds the presidency of the UAE, the President is also Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Supreme Council and Supreme Petroleum Council. The current President is Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, sheikh Khalifa became President on 3 November 2004, following the death of his father, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. List of Prime Ministers of the United Arab Emirates Official Website
5.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
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Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the President of the United Arab Emirates, the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the Supreme Commander of the Union Defence Force. He succeeded his father, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as Emir of Abu Dhabi on November 2,2004, as Crown Prince, he had already been acting as president since the late 1990s while his father was in ill health. Khalifa is also chairman of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which manages over $600 billion in assets, the Al Nahyan family is believed to have a fortune of $150 billion collectively. Khalifa was born to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikha Hassa bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and he is the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed and is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. When his father, Sheikh Zayed, became Emir of Abu Dhabi he was appointed as Rulers Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi, Zayed was the Rulers Representative in the Eastern Region before he became the Emir of Abu Dhabi. A few months later the position was handed to Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, on February 1,1969, Sheikh Khalifa was nominated as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and on the next day he was appointed as the Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Defense. In that post, he oversaw the building up of the Abu Dhabi Defense Force, which after 1971 became the core of the UAE Armed Forces. Following the establishment of the UAE in 1971, Sheikh Khalifa assumed several positions in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister, head of the Abu Dhabi Cabinet, Minister of Defense, in May 1976, he became deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, under the President. He also became the head of the Supreme Petroleum Council in the late 1980s, and continues in this position today and he was also the chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency. He succeeded to the posts of Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates on November 3,2004, replacing his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and he had been acting president since his father became ill prior to his passing. On December 1,2005, the President announced that half of the members of the Federal National Council, however, half of the councils members would still need to be appointed by the leaders of the emirates. The elections were set to place in December 2006. On January 4,2010, the worlds tallest man-made structure, originally known as Burj Dubai, was renamed the Burj Khalifa, in 2010, Khalifa was described in a WikiLeaks cable signed by the U. S. ambassador as a distant and uncharismatic personage. In March 2011, Khalifa sent the United Arab Emirates Air Force to support the intervention in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi, alongside forces from NATO, Qatar, Sweden. Later that year Khalifa was ranked as the worlds fourth-wealthiest monarch, in 2013, he commissioned Azzam, the longest motor yacht ever built at 590 ft long, with costs between $400–600 million. In Fall 2011, the Emirates initiated a program to promote allegiance to Khalifa, the program continues, and encourages not only Emirati nationals, but residents from any nationality to register their appreciation, recognition, and loyalty to the Emirs. In January 2014, Khalifa suffered a stroke and was reported to have been in a stable condition after undergoing an operation. Seychellois government records show that since 1995 Khalifa has spent $2 million buying up more than 66 acres of land on the Seychelles main island of Mahé, in 2008, the UAE came to the indebted Seychelles governments aid, with a $30 million injection
6.
Crown prince
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A crown prince or crown princess is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a prince is also titled crown princess. The term is now borne as a title mainly in Asia, Scandinavia, and the Middle East, however, heirs apparent to non-imperial and non-royal monarchies, crown prince is not used as a title, although it is sometimes used as a synonym for heir apparent. g. Former Crown Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, compare heir apparent and heir presumptive. In Scandinavian kingdoms, the heir presumptive to the crown may hold a different title than the heir apparent and it is also the title borne by the heir apparent of Liechtenstein, as well as the heir apparent or presumptive of Monaco. It generally requires a specific conferral by the sovereign, which may be withheld, reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran. Paras, Crown Prince of Nepal Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia, Egypt, Prince of the Said, meaning Prince of Upper Egypt Persia, Pahlavi dynasty and Qajar dynasty, the full style was Vala Hazrat-i-Humayun Vali Ahd, Shahzada, i. e. His August Imperial Highness the Heir Apparent, Prince, the above component vali ahd meaning successor by virtue of a covenant was adopted by many oriental monarchies, even some non-Muslim, e. g. g. He was not necessarily the son, wonja. Southeast Asian traditions, Siam Makutrajakuman in Thailand since 1886, krom Phrarajawangboworn Sathanmongkol or Phra Maha Uparaja or commonly called Wang Na in Thailand prior to 1886. Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Anom in Yogyakarta sultanate and Surakarta, Indonesia, raja Muda or Tengku Mahkota in the Malay sultanates of Malaysia. org- here napoleonic section
7.
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
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Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Mohammed Al-Nahyan was born on 11 March 1961 and he is the third son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi, and his third wife, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi. He has five younger full-brothers, Hamdan, Hazza, Tahnoun, Mansour and they are known as Bani Fatima or sons of Fatima. In November 2003, his father Zayed bin Sultan appointed Sheikh Mohammed as Deputy Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, upon the death of his father, Al-Nayhan became Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in November 2004 and was appointed Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces in January 2005. Later that month, he was promoted to the rank of General and he also serves as a special adviser to the President of the UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, his older brother. He is also head of the Abu Dhabi council for economic development, Al-Nahyan is also the head of the Mubadala Development Company which, since its establishment in 2002, represents the main investment vehicle for the government of Abu Dhabi. Al-Nahyan is also a Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, in addition, he is the head of the UAE offsets programme bureau and is the head of the Abu Dhabi Education Council which was established in 2005. His efforts in the realm of economic development are aimed at increasing economic diversification in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Al-Nayhan also stated that he was confident that the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi would be able to accumulate a prestigious art collection by the time of its opening in 2012. Al-Nahyan also accompanied the Queen and the Duke on a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at the beginning of their visit, in January 2011, Al-Nahyan received US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He represented the United Arab Emirates in the Nuclear Security Summit of 2012 and 2014, which were hosted by South Korea, in 2017 the Government of India Invited Sheikh Mohammed as Chief Guest for the 68th Republic Day Celebration on 26 January 2017. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan was invited as a key speaker in the government summit 2015 and he gave the opening speech which was the first time he spoke officially to the nation regarding UAE matters. His opening address went beyond communicating to other government leaders and offered a vision for all Emiratis and it was an inspiring speech from someone whose voice is perhaps not heard frequently enough in public. He shared a vision of the UAE post oil age, which inspired everyone, Mohammed Bin Zayed is actively engaged in several projects targeted at increasing the welfare of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He has initiated projects in areas, such as economic development, education. In 2011 Al-Nahyan and the Gates Foundation pledged $50 million each to fund the purchase, another area of interest of Al-Nahyan is the education sector. His activities in this include his role as President of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies. The centre is dedicated to the publication of academic analyses on topics relevant to the region, in the area of school curricula and higher education, Al-Nahyan is also Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Education Council, which was founded in 2005. ADEC monitors and develops the educational system of the Emirate, in addition, Mohammed Bin Zayed is committed to environmental protection
8.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Emir of Dubai. Since his accession in 2006, after the death of his brother Sheikh Maktoum, he has undertaken reforms in the UAEs government, in 2010 he launched the UAE vision 2021 with the aim of making the UAE one of the best countries in the world by 2021. He is responsible for the growth of Dubai into a city, as well as the launch of a number of major enterprises including Emirates Airline, DP World. Many of these are held by Dubai Holding, a company with multi-diversified businesses and he also drove the construction of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. An equestrian, he is the founder of the Maktoum family-owned Godolphin racing stable and the owner of Darley, in 2012, he rode the horse Madji Du Pont 160 km to take the FEI World Endurance Championship. He is a poet in his native Arabic. His mother was Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan al-Nahyan, daughter of Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, from the age of four, he was privately tutored in Arabic and Islamic Studies. In 1955, he began his education at Al Ahmedia School. At the age of 10, he moved to Al Shaab School, in 1966, with his cousin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, he attended the Bell Educational Trusts English Language School in the United Kingdom. He subsequently studied at the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot and he also travelled to Italy to train as a pilot. When the new nation of the United Arab Emirates was founded on 2 December 1971, a period of uncertainty and instability followed the Union of the United Arab Emirates, including skirmishes between tribes over property straddling new borders. On 24 January 1972, the former ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah, Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi led an insurrectionist coup against the ruler. Sheikh Khalid had been killed in the action, leading to the accession of his brother Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi as ruler of Sharjah. In 1973, he was involved in protracted negotiations with the hijackers of JAL404, led by Japanese Red Army member Osamu Maruouka, which landed in Dubai after being hijacked as it departed Schiphol. With more than 50,000 employees in over 100 cities around the globe, the group has real estate, logistics and other investments in the United States, the United Kingdom. The companys investment group operating units include Dubai Group and Dubai International Capital and he was also behind the establishment of government-owned low cost carrier FlyDubai. Through the 1970s, as well as his role as head of Dubai Defence Force and UAE Minister of Defence, the launch budget of the airline was $10 million and its inaugural flight took place on 25 October 1985. Sheikh Mohammed made his uncle, Ahmed bin Saeed chairman of the new company, in 1991, Sheikh Mohammed merged the Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone and Port Rashid to form the Dubai Ports Authority
9.
United States dollar
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The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its insular territories per the United States Constitution. It is divided into 100 smaller cent units, the circulating paper money consists of Federal Reserve Notes that are denominated in United States dollars. The U. S. dollar was originally commodity money of silver as enacted by the Coinage Act of 1792 which determined the dollar to be 371 4/16 grain pure or 416 grain standard silver, the currency most used in international transactions, it is the worlds primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. Besides the United States, it is used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while the country mints its own coins, or also accepts U. S. coins that can be used as payment in U. S. dollars. After Nixon shock of 1971, USD became fiat currency, Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution provides that the Congress has the power To coin money, laws implementing this power are currently codified at 31 U. S. C. Section 5112 prescribes the forms in which the United States dollars should be issued and these coins are both designated in Section 5112 as legal tender in payment of debts. The Sacagawea dollar is one example of the copper alloy dollar, the pure silver dollar is known as the American Silver Eagle. Section 5112 also provides for the minting and issuance of other coins and these other coins are more fully described in Coins of the United States dollar. The Constitution provides that a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and that provision of the Constitution is made specific by Section 331 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The sums of money reported in the Statements are currently being expressed in U. S. dollars, the U. S. dollar may therefore be described as the unit of account of the United States. The word dollar is one of the words in the first paragraph of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution, there, dollars is a reference to the Spanish milled dollar, a coin that had a monetary value of 8 Spanish units of currency, or reales. In 1792 the U. S. Congress passed a Coinage Act, Section 20 of the act provided, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units. And that all accounts in the offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation. In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as the unit of currency of the United States, unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U. S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the form is significantly more common
10.
United Arab Emirates
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In 2013, the UAEs population was 9.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates. The country is a federation of seven emirates, and was established on 2 December 1971, the constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Each emirate is governed by a monarch, together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the monarchs is selected as the President of the United Arab Emirates, Islam is the official religion of the UAE and Arabic is the official language. The UAEs oil reserves are the seventh-largest in the world while its natural gas reserves are the worlds seventeenth-largest, Sheikh Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the first President of the UAE, oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and infrastructure. The UAEs economy is the most diversified in the Gulf Cooperation Council, while its most populous city of Dubai is an important global city, nevertheless, the country remains principally reliant on its export of petroleum and natural gas. The UAE is criticised for its rights record, including the specific interpretations of Sharia used in its legal system. The UAEs rising international profile has led analysts to identify it as a regional. It appears the land of the Emirates has been occupied for thousands of years, there is no proof of contact with the outside world at that stage, although in time it developed with civilisations in Mesopotamia and Iran. This contact persisted and became wide-ranging, probably motivated by trade in copper from the Hajar Mountains, in ancient times, Al Hasa was part of Al Bahreyn and adjoined Greater Oman. Sassanid groups were present on the Batinah coast, in 637, Julfar was an important port that was used as a staging post for the Islamic invasion of the Sassanian Empire. The area of the Al Ain/Buraimi Oasis was known as Tuam and was an important trading post for camel routes between the coast and the Arabian interior. The earliest Christian site in the UAE was first discovered in the 1990s, a monastic complex on what is now known as Sir Bani Yas Island. Thought to be Nestorian and built in 600 AD, the church appears to have been abandoned peacefully in 750 AD and it forms a rare physical link to a legacy of Christianity which is thought to have spread across the peninsula from 50 to 350 AD following trade routes. Certainly, by the 5th century, Oman had a bishop named John – the last bishop of Oman being Etienne, in 676 AD. This led to a group of travelling to Medina, converting to Islam and subsequently driving a successful uprising against the unpopular Sassanids. Following the death of Prophet Muhammad, the new Islamic communities south of the Persian Gulf threatened to disintegrate, with insurrections against the Muslim leaders. The Caliph Abu Bakr sent an army from the capital Medina which completed its reconquest of the territory with the battle of Dibba in which 10,000 lives are thought to have been lost
11.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
12.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
13.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
14.
Germany
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Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a federal parliamentary republic in central-western Europe. It includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres, with about 82 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous member state of the European Union. After the United States, it is the second most popular destination in the world. Germanys capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while its largest conurbation is the Ruhr, other major cities include Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Leipzig. Various Germanic tribes have inhabited the northern parts of modern Germany since classical antiquity, a region named Germania was documented before 100 AD. During the Migration Period the Germanic tribes expanded southward, beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation, in 1871, Germany became a nation state when most of the German states unified into the Prussian-dominated German Empire. After World War I and the German Revolution of 1918–1919, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic, the establishment of the national socialist dictatorship in 1933 led to World War II and the Holocaust. After a period of Allied occupation, two German states were founded, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic, in 1990, the country was reunified. In the 21st century, Germany is a power and has the worlds fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP. As a global leader in industrial and technological sectors, it is both the worlds third-largest exporter and importer of goods. Germany is a country with a very high standard of living sustained by a skilled. It upholds a social security and universal health system, environmental protection. Germany was a member of the European Economic Community in 1957. It is part of the Schengen Area, and became a co-founder of the Eurozone in 1999, Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD. The national military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world, the English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz popular, derived from *þeudō, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewtéh₂- people, the discovery of the Mauer 1 mandible shows that ancient humans were present in Germany at least 600,000 years ago. The oldest complete hunting weapons found anywhere in the world were discovered in a mine in Schöningen where three 380, 000-year-old wooden javelins were unearthed
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South Africa
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South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area and it is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere. About 80 percent of South Africans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, the remaining population consists of Africas largest communities of European, Asian, and multiracial ancestry. South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a variety of cultures, languages. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the recognition of 11 official languages. The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup détat, however, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the 20th century, the black majority sought to recover its rights from the dominant white minority, with this struggle playing a role in the countrys recent history. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation, since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have held political representation in the countrys democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is often referred to as the Rainbow Nation to describe the multicultural diversity. The World Bank classifies South Africa as an economy. Its economy is the second-largest in Africa, and the 34th-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, South Africa has the seventh-highest per capita income in Africa. However, poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about a quarter of the population unemployed, nevertheless, South Africa has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence. The name South Africa is derived from the geographic location at the southern tip of Africa. Upon formation the country was named the Union of South Africa in English, since 1961 the long form name in English has been the Republic of South Africa. In Dutch the country was named Republiek van Zuid-Afrika, replaced in 1983 by the Afrikaans Republiek van Suid-Afrika, since 1994 the Republic has had an official name in each of its 11 official languages. Mzansi, derived from the Xhosa noun umzantsi meaning south, is a name for South Africa. South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human fossil sites in the world, extensive fossil remains have been recovered from a series of caves in Gauteng Province. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has termed the Cradle of Humankind
16.
Singapore
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Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, sometimes referred to as the Lion City or the Little Red Dot, is a sovereign city-state in Southeast Asia. It lies one degree north of the equator, at the tip of peninsular Malaysia. Singapores territory consists of one island along with 62 other islets. Since independence, extensive land reclamation has increased its size by 23%. During the Second World War, Singapore was occupied by Japan, after early years of turbulence, and despite lacking natural resources and a hinterland, the nation developed rapidly as an Asian Tiger economy, based on external trade and its workforce. Singapore is a global commerce, finance and transport hub, the country has also been identified as a tax haven. Singapore ranks 5th internationally and first in Asia on the UN Human Development Index and it is ranked highly in education, healthcare, life expectancy, quality of life, personal safety, and housing, but does not fare well on the Democracy index. Although income inequality is high, 90% of homes are owner-occupied, 38% of Singapores 5.6 million residents are permanent residents and other foreign nationals. There are four languages on the island, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil. English is its language, most Singaporeans are bilingual. Singapore is a multiparty parliamentary republic, with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. The Peoples Action Party has won every election since self-government in 1959, however, it is unlikely that lions ever lived on the island, Sang Nila Utama, the Srivijayan prince said to have founded and named the island Singapura, perhaps saw a Malayan tiger. There are however other suggestions for the origin of the name, the central island has also been called Pulau Ujong as far back as the third century CE, literally island at the end in Malay. In 1299, according to the Malay Annals, the Kingdom of Singapura was founded on the island by Sang Nila Utama and these Indianized Kingdoms, a term coined by George Cœdès were characterized by surprising resilience, political integrity and administrative stability. In 1613, Portuguese raiders burned down the settlement, which by then was part of the Johor Sultanate. The wider maritime region and much trade was under Dutch control for the following period, in 1824 the entire island, as well as the Temenggong, became a British possession after a further treaty with the Sultan. In 1826, Singapore became part of the Straits Settlements, under the jurisdiction of British India, prior to Raffles arrival, there were only about a thousand people living on the island, mostly indigenous Malays along with a handful of Chinese. By 1860 the population had swelled to over 80,000, many of these early immigrants came to work on the pepper and gambier plantations
17.
Thailand
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Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country at the centre of the Indochinese peninsula in Southeast Asia. With a total area of approximately 513,000 km2, Thailand is the worlds 51st-largest country and it is the 20th-most-populous country in the world, with around 66 million people. The capital and largest city is Bangkok, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and has switched between parliamentary democracy and military junta for decades, the latest coup being in May 2014 by the National Council for Peace and Order. Its capital and most populous city is Bangkok and its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest. The Thai economy is the worlds 20th largest by GDP at PPP and it became a newly industrialised country and a major exporter in the 1990s. Manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism are leading sectors of the economy and it is considered a middle power in the region and around the world. The country has always been called Mueang Thai by its citizens, by outsiders prior to 1949, it was usually known by the exonym Siam. The word Siam has been identified with the Sanskrit Śyāma, the names Shan and A-hom seem to be variants of the same word. The word Śyâma is possibly not its origin, but a learned, another theory is the name derives from Chinese, Ayutthaya emerged as a dominant centre in the late fourteenth century. The Chinese called this region Xian, which the Portuguese converted into Siam, the signature of King Mongkut reads SPPM Mongkut King of the Siamese, giving the name Siam official status until 24 June 1939 when it was changed to Thailand. Thailand was renamed Siam from 1945 to 11 May 1949, after which it reverted to Thailand. According to George Cœdès, the word Thai means free man in the Thai language, ratcha Anachak Thai means kingdom of Thailand or kingdom of Thai. Etymologically, its components are, ratcha, -ana- -chak, the Thai National Anthem, written by Luang Saranupraphan during the extremely patriotic 1930s, refers to the Thai nation as, prathet Thai. The first line of the anthem is, prathet thai ruam lueat nuea chat chuea thai, Thailand is the unity of Thai flesh. There is evidence of habitation in Thailand that has been dated at 40,000 years before the present. Similar to other regions in Southeast Asia, Thailand was heavily influenced by the culture and religions of India, Thailand in its earliest days was under the rule of the Khmer Empire, which had strong Hindu roots, and the influence among Thais remains even today. Voretzsch believes that Buddhism must have been flowing into Siam from India in the time of the Indian Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire, later Thailand was influenced by the south Indian Pallava dynasty and north Indian Gupta Empire. The Menam Basin was originally populated by the Mons, and the location of Dvaravati in the 7th century, the History of the Yuan mentions an embassy from the kingdom of Sukhothai in 1282
18.
Indonesia
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Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a unitary sovereign state and transcontinental country located mainly in Southeast Asia with some territories in Oceania. Situated between the Indian and Pacific oceans, it is the worlds largest island country, with more than seventeen thousand islands. At 1,904,569 square kilometres, Indonesia is the worlds 14th-largest country in terms of area and worlds 7th-largest country in terms of combined sea. It has an population of over 260 million people and is the worlds fourth most populous country. The worlds most populous island, Java, contains more than half of the countrys population, Indonesias republican form of government includes an elected legislature and president. Indonesia has 34 provinces, of which five have Special Administrative status and its capital and countrys most populous city is Jakarta, which is also the most populous city in Southeast Asia and the second in Asia. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, other neighbouring countries include Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, Palau, and the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Despite its large population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has vast areas of wilderness that support the second highest level of biodiversity. The country has abundant natural resources like oil and natural gas, tin, copper, agriculture mainly produces rice, palm oil, tea, coffee, cacao, medicinal plants, spices and rubber. Indonesias major trading partners are Japan, United States, China, the Indonesian archipelago has been an important region for trade since at least the 7th century, when Srivijaya and then later Majapahit traded with China and India. Local rulers gradually absorbed foreign cultural, religious and political models from the early centuries CE, Indonesian history has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to its natural resources. Indonesia consists of hundreds of native ethnic and linguistic groups. The largest – and politically dominant – ethnic group are the Javanese, a shared identity has developed, defined by a national language, ethnic diversity, religious pluralism within a Muslim-majority population, and a history of colonialism and rebellion against it. Indonesias national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, articulates the diversity that shapes the country, Indonesias economy is the worlds 16th largest by nominal GDP and the 8th largest by GDP at PPP, the largest in Southeast Asia, and is considered an emerging market and newly industrialised country. Indonesia has been a member of the United Nations since 1950, Indonesia is a member of the G20 major economies and World Trade Organization. The name Indonesia derives from the Greek name of the Indós, the name dates to the 18th century, far predating the formation of independent Indonesia. In 1850, George Windsor Earl, an English ethnologist, proposed the terms Indunesians—and, his preference, in the same publication, one of his students, James Richardson Logan, used Indonesia as a synonym for Indian Archipelago. However, Dutch academics writing in East Indies publications were reluctant to use Indonesia, they preferred Malay Archipelago, the Netherlands East Indies, popularly Indië, the East, and Insulinde
19.
Arabic
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Arabic is a Central Semitic language that was first spoken in Iron Age northwestern Arabia and is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. Arabic is also the language of 1.7 billion Muslims. It is one of six languages of the United Nations. The modern written language is derived from the language of the Quran and it is widely taught in schools and universities, and is used to varying degrees in workplaces, government, and the media. The two formal varieties are grouped together as Literary Arabic, which is the language of 26 states. Modern Standard Arabic largely follows the standards of Quranic Arabic. Much of the new vocabulary is used to denote concepts that have arisen in the post-Quranic era, Arabic has influenced many languages around the globe throughout its history. During the Middle Ages, Literary Arabic was a vehicle of culture in Europe, especially in science, mathematics. As a result, many European languages have borrowed many words from it. Many words of Arabic origin are found in ancient languages like Latin. Balkan languages, including Greek, have acquired a significant number of Arabic words through contact with Ottoman Turkish. Arabic has also borrowed words from languages including Greek and Persian in medieval times. Arabic is a Central Semitic language, closely related to the Northwest Semitic languages, the Ancient South Arabian languages, the Semitic languages changed a great deal between Proto-Semitic and the establishment of the Central Semitic languages, particularly in grammar. Innovations of the Central Semitic languages—all maintained in Arabic—include, The conversion of the suffix-conjugated stative formation into a past tense, the conversion of the prefix-conjugated preterite-tense formation into a present tense. The elimination of other prefix-conjugated mood/aspect forms in favor of new moods formed by endings attached to the prefix-conjugation forms, the development of an internal passive. These features are evidence of descent from a hypothetical ancestor. In the southwest, various Central Semitic languages both belonging to and outside of the Ancient South Arabian family were spoken and it is also believed that the ancestors of the Modern South Arabian languages were also spoken in southern Arabia at this time. To the north, in the oases of northern Hijaz, Dadanitic and Taymanitic held some prestige as inscriptional languages, in Najd and parts of western Arabia, a language known to scholars as Thamudic C is attested
20.
Abu Dhabi
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Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second most populous city of the United Arab Emirates, and also capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the UAEs seven emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the western coast. The city proper had a population of 1.5 million in 2014, Abu Dhabi houses federal government offices, is the seat of the United Arab Emirates Government, home to the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family and the President of the UAE, who is from this family. Abu Dhabis rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the high average income of its population, has transformed the city into a large. Today the city is the center of political and industrial activities. Abu Dhabi accounts for about two-thirds of the roughly $400-billion United Arab Emirates economy, Abu Dhabi is the fourth most expensive city for expatriate employees in the region, and in 2014 was the 68th most expensive big city in the world. Abu Dhabi is full of evidence that points to civilizations, such as the Umm an-Nar Culture. Settlements were also found farther outside the city of Abu Dhabi. There is evidence of civilizations around the mountain of Hafeet and this location is very strategic because it is the UAE’s second tallest mountain, so it would have great visibility. It also contains a lot of moisture in its springs and lakes, origin of the name Abu Dhabi The origin of the name Abu Dhabi is uncertain. Meaning Father of the Gazelle, when translated from Arabic. According to Bilal al-Budoor, assistant under-secretary for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, The area had a lot of dhibaa, an old story tells about a man who used to chase deer and was named the father of the animal. Abu Dhabis original name was Milh salt, possibly referring to the salty water of the Persian Gulf, some Bedouins called the city Umm Dhabi, while British records refer to the place as Abu Dhabi. According to some accounts, the name Abu Dhabi was first used more than 300 years ago. The first word of Abu Dhabi is pronounced Bu by inhabitants on the western coast. In the eastern part of the city, the pronunciation is Abu, origins of the Al Nahyan family The Bani Yas bedouin were originally centered on the Liwa Oasis. This tribe was the most significant in the area, having over 20 subsections, in 1793, the Al Bu Falah subsection migrated to the island of Abu Dhabi on the coast of the Persian Gulf due to the discovery of fresh water there. One family within this section was the Al Nahyan family and this family makes up the rulers of Abu Dhabi today
21.
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
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The Academys stated aim is to be the national centre of excellence for leadership. All British Army officers, including officers who were previously Warrant Officers. The Academy is the British Army equivalent of the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, Royal Air Force College Cranwell, despite its name, The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is located in Camberley, the boundaries of the academy straddle the counties of Berkshire and Surrey. The county border is marked by a stream known as the Wish Stream. The main entrance is located on the east of the Academy, the nearest railway station is Camberley. The present Royal Military Academy Sandhurst was founded in 1947 with the merger of two institutions, the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. The first Military Academy had been established in 1720 at Woolwich, known as the Shop, this academy moved to a permanent site at Woolwich Common in 1806 and was granted royal status in 1841. In 1806, the Military Academy took on the training of Royal Engineers officer cadets and, later, coincidentally,1802 was also the year of foundation of Saint-Cyr in France and of West Point in the United States. In 1812 the Junior Department of the Royal Military College moved from Great Marlow into buildings designed by James Wyatt at Sandhurst. A few years later, the Junior Department was joined at Sandhurst from High Wycombe by the Senior Department, which in 1858 became a separate institution, in 1984, the Womens Officer Training College Bagshot moved to Sandhurst. In 1992 a new Commissioning Course finally unified the training of male, female, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Collection illustrates the history of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The collection includes the Gentlemen Cadet registers, historic archives, uniforms, paintings, photographs, for the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the newly created Academy hosted the running leg of the modern pentathlon competition. Contemporary training at Sandhurst was the subject of a television series, first broadcast by BBC television in October 2011. In 2012 Sandhurst accepted a £15 million donation from the government of United Arab Emirates for the Zayed Building, an accommodation block, named after the UAEs founding ruler. In 2013 Sandhurst accepted a donation of £3 million from the government of Bahrain for the refurbishment of Mons Hall and it was renamed as King Hamad Hall in honour of the King of Bahrain, which generated some controversy in the United Kingdom. In 2015 Sandhurst appointed Lucy Giles as the first female commander in its history. Potential officers are identified by the Army Officer Selection Board situated in Westbury in Wiltshire, nearly 10 percent of British cadets are female and nearly 10 percent of all cadets come from overseas. More than eighty percent of entrants are university graduates, although a degree is not required for admission, the course is accredited by various academic and professional institutions
22.
Sandhurst, Berkshire
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Sandhurst is a small town and civil parish in England of 7,966 homes and 20,803 inhabitants, primarily domiciliary in nature with a few light industries. Sandhurst is known worldwide as the location of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, despite its close proximity to Camberley, Sandhurst is also home to a large and well-known out-of-town mercantile development. The site is named The Meadows and has a Tesco Extra hypermarket, a large Next plc clothing and homeware store is open on the site of the old Homebase. Sandhurst is located at grid reference SU836618, Sandhurst is situated within the South East of England on the border of the Home Counties of Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey. The town itself consists of four districts, from west to east, Little Sandhurst, Sandhurst and College Town. North of the town are Edgbarrow Woods and Wildmoor Heath, to the east is Broadmoor Bottom, an expanse of heathland together with fir tree plantations. This eventually backs onto the high-security Broadmoor Hospital, Sandhurst is bordered, on the south, by the River Blackwater, and several of the Yateley Lakes along its course are within the parish, notably Trilakes with its country park. This is also the county boundary with Hampshire at Blackwater, the town of Crowthorne is to the north, the village of Finchampstead to the west, and Camberley, across the Surrey county boundary, is on its southeastern side. This is the closest sizeable town, though Sandhurst is also only 9.5 km south of the new town of Bracknell, the soil is sandy, with a subsoil of sand and gravel. Sandhurst lies just off the A30, is close to junction 4 of the M3 motorway and within reach of the M4 via the Crowthorne bypass to Bracknell. Sandhurst railway station is served by First Great Western, on the line between Gatwick, Guildford and Reading, Sandhurst has representation through several tiers of government – town council, unitary authority, parliamentary. Its Town Council is divided into four wards, Central Sandhurst, Little Sandhurst, College Town and Owlsmoor and it is also part of the Bracknell Forest District. The ancient parish of Sandhurst also covered Crowthorne, until this became a parish in its own right in 1874. The current Mayor of Sandhurst is Councillor Philip Wallington, the name of the village is Anglo-Saxon and originates from the sandy soils and the hurst of the area. These lands belonged to the Bishops of Salisbury, there were two manors in Sandhurst, ‘Hall’ in the grounds of what is now the Royal Military Academy and ‘Sandhurst’ on the site of Sandhurst Lodge. Nothing remains of the original buildings, in the early modern era, Sandhurst parish was a small farming community on the very edge of Windsor Forest, Sandhurst Walke being an important forest division subject to forest laws. Locals had the right to cut turf, bracken, heather and these were hunted by Royal parties from a hunting lodge in the vicinity of Harts Leap Road. A number of disputes are on record, showing how Sandhurst people sometimes took more resources than was allowed
23.
United States Military Academy
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It sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River,50 miles north of New York City. It is one of the four U. S. military service academies, the entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites, buildings, and monuments. The majority of the campuss Norman-style buildings are constructed from gray, the campus is a popular tourist destination complete with a large visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States Army. Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a member of Congress or Delegate/Resident Commissioner in the case of Washington, puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. Other nomination sources include the President and Vice President of the United States, students are officers-in-training and are referred to as cadets or collectively as the United States Corps of Cadets. Tuition for cadets is fully funded by the Army in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation, approximately 1,300 cadets enter the Academy each July, with about 1,000 cadets graduating. Cadets are required to adhere to the Cadet Honor Code, which states that a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, the academy bases a cadets leadership experience as a development of all three pillars of performance, academics, physical, and military. Most graduates are commissioned as lieutenants in the Army. Foreign cadets are commissioned into the armies of their home countries, since 1959, cadets have also been eligible to cross-commission, or request a commission in one of the other armed services, provided that they meet that services eligibility standards. Every year, a small number of cadets do this. The academys traditions have influenced other institutions because of its age and it was the first American college to have an accredited civil-engineering program and the first to have class rings, and its technical curriculum was a model for later engineering schools. West Points student body has a rank structure and lexicon. All cadets reside on campus and dine together en masse on weekdays for breakfast, the academy fields fifteen mens and nine womens National Collegiate Athletic Association sports teams. Cadets compete in one sport every fall, winter, and spring season at the intramural, club and its football team was a national power in the early and mid-20th century, winning three national championships. The Continental Army first occupied West Point, New York, on 27 January 1778, between 1778 and 1780, the Polish engineer and military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko oversaw the construction of the garrison defenses. While the fortifications at West Point were known as Fort Arnold during the war, as commander, Benedict Arnold committed his act of treason, after Arnold betrayed the patriot cause, the Army changed the name of the fortifications at West Point, New York, to Fort Clinton. With the peace after the American Revolutionary War, various ordnance, Cadets underwent training in artillery and engineering studies at the garrison since 1794. In 1801, shortly after his inauguration as president, Thomas Jefferson directed that plans be set in motion to establish at West Point the United States Military Academy and he selected Jonathan Williams to serve as its first superintendent
24.
West Point, New York
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West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. West Point was established in 1775 by George Washington who considered it the most important strategic position in America, until January 1778, West Point was not occupied by the military. It comprises approximately 16,000 acres including the campus of the United States Military Academy at West Point and it is a Census Designated Place located in the Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, located on the western bank of the Hudson River. The population was 6,763 at the 2010 census and it is part of the New York–Newark–Jersey City, NY–NJ–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area. West Point, was a site during the Revolutionary War. Originally picked because of the abnormal S-curve in the Hudson at this point, it was founded by military engineer and it was manned by a small garrison of Continental soldiers through the entirety of the war. A great iron chain was laid across the Hudson at this point in order to impede British Navy vessels, the site comprised multiple redoubts, including Fort Putnam, which is still preserved in a Revolutionary-period design. However, Arnolds plot failed when British Major John André was captured as a spy by the Americans, arnold received a decreased cash reward of £6,000 but was commissioned as a Brigadier General in the British Army. The United States Military Academy was established at West Point in 1802 and has the longest continuous service of any United States military installation and is the nations oldest service academy. In 1937, the West Point Bullion Depository was constructed, in 1988, it became the West Point Mint, West Point is located at 41° 23′ N 73°58 W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 25.1 square miles,24.3 sq mi land and 0.7 sq mi water. West Point and the village of Highland Falls, New York, are on the west bank of the Hudson River. West Point lies in the transition between the continental and humid subtropical zones, although lying closer to the former, with four distinct seasons. Summers are hot and humid, while winters are cold with moderate snowfall. The monthly daily average ranges from 27.5 °F in January to 74.1 °F in July, on average, temperatures reaching 90 °F or 0 °F occur on 17 and 1.4 days of the year. Extremes in temperature range from 106 °F on July 22,1926 down to −17 °F on February 9,1934, as of the census of 2010 there were 6,763 people, and 685 households residing in the CDP. The population density was 293.4 per square mile, there were 1,044 housing units at an average density of 42. 9/sq mi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 82. 31% White,9. 09% African American,0. 50% Native American,3. 35% Asian,0. 15% Pacific Islander,1. 64% from other races, and 2. 96% from two or more races
25.
Royal Military College, Duntroon
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The Royal Military College, Duntroon, is the Australian Armys officer training establishment. The Royal Military College, Duntroon, was opened on 27 June 1911 by the Governor-General, the Australian Government first rented the Duntroon homestead for two years and finally acquired the freehold to the estate and 370 acres of land after the creation of the federal capital. The first Commandant of the college was Brigadier General William Bridges, under his recommendations the college was modelled on aspects from the Royal Military College of Canada and the military colleges of Britain, and the United States of America. Several British officers, including Lieutenant Colonel Charles Gwynn as Director of Military Art, were assigned as faculty to the newly established college, during Bridges frequent absences, Gwynn served as acting Commandant. The First World War provided the college with its first chance to demonstrate its worth, however, when the war broke out in August 1914, there had not been enough time for the first class to complete the full Duntroon course. During the war 158 Duntroon graduates had been sent overseas on active service, of whom 42 were killed or died of wounds, in 1927 the Kings Colour was presented to the Corps of Staff Cadets by His Royal Highness, The Duke of York. In the beginning, the college offered a course, during which the first two years focused upon civil subjects and the last two years focused upon military subjects. Over the entire course, however, there was military training, including physical training, drill, signalling. Over the years, however, with the impact of the two World Wars, the duration and focus of the changed as the requirements of the Army dictated. The college was forced to relocate to the Victoria Barracks, Sydney between 1931 and 1936 due to the economic downturn caused by the Great Depression. Of these 122, three went on to have distinguished careers, with one rising to the rank of brigadier in the Australian Army, another to brigadier in the New Zealand Army. McCay, reaching the rank of lieutenant general and serving in the British Indian Army, following the war, the length of the course was set at four years again and efforts were made to increase the level of academic rigour in the colleges programs. This culminated in 1967 when the college affiliated with the University of New South Wales to offer Bachelor courses in Arts, under this program, the first degrees from RMC were awarded in 1971. In order to graduate, cadets had to achieve passes in both military and academic studies and leadership, the inquiry resulted in at least one army career ending, while other personnel were severely punished. A further bastardisation scandal was exposed in 1983, shortly after this, the role of the college changed again with the establishment of the Australian Defence Force Academy in 1986. As a result of change, Duntroon ceased to offer university degrees as ADFA became responsible for the academic training of Army cadets, as well as those from the Air Force. The same year, the college celebrated its 75th anniversary, as an acknowledgement of this,33 cent stamps featuring the head of a male officer cadet were printed, the first day of issue was 27 June 1986. RMCs purview was expanded in 1995 as it became responsible for the military training of all full-time, part-time
26.
Operation Odyssey Dawn
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Operation Odyssey Dawn was the U. S. On 19 March 2011, several countries prepared to take military action at a summit in Paris. The goal of coalition forces was to impose a zone for Libyan government forces. The U. S. but passed complete military command of the operation to NATO, however, NATOs objectives did not include aiding the rebel forces efforts to take control of territory held by the government. The British name for its support of Resolution 1973 is Operation Ellamy, the Canadian participation is Operation Mobile. Sixth Fleet, assumed responsibilities as the Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander, major General Margaret H. Woodward was commander of US Air Force aircraft involved in the operation. On 21 March 2011, President Obama stated the U. S. military action would be scaled back soon and was considering handing over command of the operation to either France, the UK or NATO. On 24 March 2011, NATO took command of enforcing the zone in Libya and was considering taking control of the rest of the mission. Kaiser-class oiler USNS Lewis and Clark, a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Robert E. C, deployed as the Air Contingency Battalion, on 1 March 2011 to serve as the new Battalion Landing Team for the 26th MEU. The ACB was attached to the 26th MEU on 5 March 2011 at NAS Souda Bay and this was the first time ACB has been used in almost a decade. Two MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft from the 26th MEU participated in the pilot rescue, two CH-53E Super Stallions from the 26th MEU participated in the pilot rescue. One KC-130J Hercules from the 26th MEU participated in the pilot rescue. S. the U. S. Department of Defense reports that the dismantling of Libyas ability to hinder the enforcement of the UN no-fly zone was only the first of multiple stages in the operation. USMC Harriers participated in an air strike against a military convoy outside Benghazi. Day 2,20 March 2011 Sustained anti-aircraft fire erupted in Tripoli at around 02,33 EET, Three B-2 Spirit bombers targeted 45 hardened aircraft shelters at a Libyan airfield near Sirte. At the same time, U. S. Air Force fighter jets conducted missions searching for Libyan ground forces to attack, U. S. Navy EA-18G Growlers jammed Libyan radar and communications. No U. S. aircraft were lost during the missions, the warplanes included Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier IIs, Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter jets. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, states that there would be continuous allied air cover over Benghazi, and that the no-fly zone is effectively in place. An EC-130J was recorded warning Libyan shipping If you attempt to port, you will be attacked and destroyed immediately in Arabic, French
27.
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
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The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft, over 4,500 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976. Although no longer being purchased by the U. S. Air Force, in 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which in turn became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The F-16 has an internal M61 Vulcan cannon and 11 locations for mounting weapons, the F-16 has also been procured to serve in the air forces of 25 other nations. As of 2015, it is the second most common operational military aircraft in the world. Experiences in the Vietnam War revealed the need for air superiority fighters, boyds work called for a small, lightweight aircraft that could maneuver with the minimum possible energy loss, and which also incorporated an increased thrust-to-weight ratio. Air Force F-X proponents remained hostile to the concept because they perceived it as a threat to the F-15 program, however, the Air Forces leadership understood that its budget would not allow it to purchase enough F-15 aircraft to satisfy all of its missions. The Advanced Day Fighter concept, renamed F-XX, gained political support under the reform-minded Deputy Secretary of Defense David Packard. As a result, in May 1971, the Air Force Prototype Study Group was established, with Boyd a key member and this was the region where USAF studies predicted most future air combat would occur. The anticipated average flyaway cost of a version was $3 million. This production plan, though, was only notional as the USAF had no plans to procure the winner. Five companies responded and in 1972, the Air Staff selected General Dynamics Model 401 and Northrops P-600 for the prototype development. GD and Northrop were awarded contracts worth $37.9 million and $39.8 million to produce the YF-16 and YF-17, respectively, with first flights of both prototypes planned for early 1974. To overcome resistance in the Air Force hierarchy, the Fighter Mafia, the high/low mix would allow the USAF to be able to afford sufficient fighters for its overall fighter force structure requirements. The mix gained broad acceptance by the time of the flyoff, defining the relationship of the LWF. The YF-16 was developed by a team of General Dynamics engineers led by Robert H. Widmer. The first YF-16 was rolled out on 13 December 1973, and its 90-minute maiden flight was made at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California and its actual first flight occurred accidentally during a high-speed taxi test on 20 January 1974. The test pilot, Phil Oestricher, decided to lift off to avoid a potential crash, the slight damage was quickly repaired and the official first flight occurred on time
28.
Dassault Mirage 2000
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The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a fighter based on the Mirage III for the French Air Force. The Mirage 2000 evolved into an aircraft with several variants developed. The variants include the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5, over 600 aircraft were built and it has been in service with nine nations. The first production Mirage 2000C flew on 20 November 1982, deliveries to the AdA began in 1983. The first 37 Mirage 2000Cs delivered were fitted with the Thomson-CSF RDM and were powered by the SNECMA M53-5 turbofan engine, the 38th Mirage 2000C had an upgraded SNECMA M53-5 P2 turbofan engine. The Radar Doppler Impulse built by Thales for the Mirage 2000C entered service in 1987 and it has a much improved range of about 150 km, and is linked to Matra Super 530D missiles, which are much improved compared to the older Super 530F. Look-down/shoot-down capabilities are improved as well, but this radar is not usually used for air-to-surface roles. By the late 1980s, the Mirage 2000 was beginning to age compared with the latest models of F-16 fighters, in particular, attention was drawn to the aircrafts inability to engage multiple target simultaneously and the small load of air-to-air missiles it could carry. Consequently, Dassault in April 1989 announced that it would be working on a privately funded update of the Mirage 2000C which was to be named the Mirage 2000-5. A two-seat Mirage 2000B prototype was modified as the first Mirage 2000-5 prototype. A Mirage 2000C prototype was reworked to a similar standard. The first front-line aircraft variant to have been designed specifically in response to the market, Taiwan was the first country to order the type in 1992. The type was first delivered in 1996 and entered service in 1997, the upgraded aircraft were redesignated Mirage 2000-5F, and became operational in 2000. They retained the old system with the Serval/Sabre/Spirale units and did not receive the ICMS2 system. A two-seat version was developed as well, whose rear seat has a HUD but not an associated head-level display and lacks a built-in cannon, at the urging of the United Arab Emirates, Dassault worked on a further modification of the Mirage 2000-5. The aircraft uses retractable tricycle landing gear by Messier-Dowty, with twin nosewheels. A runway tailhook or a fairing for a parachute can be fitted under the tail
29.
Multirole combat aircraft
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A multirole combat aircraft is a jet-powered combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. The main motivation for developing multirole aircraft is cost reduction in using a common airframe, more roles can be added, such as aerial reconnaissance, forward air control, and electronic-warfare aircraft. Attack missions include the air interdiction, suppression of enemy air defense. Multirole has also applied to one aircraft with both major roles, a primary air-to-air combat role, and a secondary role like air-to-surface attack. Some aircraft are called swing-role, to emphasize the ability of a role change, either at short notice. According to the Military Dictionary, the ability to employ a multi-role aircraft for multiple purposes during the same mission, according to BAE Systems, an aircraft that can accomplish both air-to-air and air-to-surface roles on the same mission and swing between these roles instantly offers true flexibility. This reduces cost, increases effectiveness and enhances interoperability with allied air forces, capability also offers considerable cost-of-ownership benefits to and operational commanders. Although the term multirole aircraft may be novel, certain airframes in history have proven versatile to multiple roles. The USAF F-4 Phantom II built by McDonnell-Douglas also fits the definition of an aircraft in its various configurations of the basic airframe design. The various F-4 Phantom II configurations were used in air, fighter bomber, reconnaissance. The design was aimed to replace a multitude of different types in the air forces. The project produced the Panavia Tornado, which used the basic design to undertake a variety of roles. Air superiority fighter Tactical bomber Interceptor aircraft Interdictor Fighter-bomber Attack aircraft Strike fighter Lead-in fighter trainer
30.
Gulf War
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The Iraqi Armys occupation of Kuwait that began 2 August 1990 was met with international condemnation, and brought immediate economic sanctions against Iraq by members of the UN Security Council. US President George H. W. Bush deployed US forces into Saudi Arabia, an array of nations joined the coalition, the largest military alliance since World War II. The great majority of the military forces were from the US, with Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia paid around US$32 billion of the US$60 billion cost, the war was marked by the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, principally by the US network CNN. The war has also earned the nickname Video Game War after the daily broadcast of images from cameras on board US bombers during Operation Desert Storm. The initial conflict to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait began with an aerial and naval bombardment on 17 January 1991 and this was followed by a ground assault on 24 February. This was a victory for the coalition forces, who liberated Kuwait. The coalition ceased its advance, and declared a ceasefire 100 hours after the campaign started. Aerial and ground combat was confined to Iraq, Kuwait, Iraq launched Scud missiles against coalition military targets in Saudi Arabia and against Israel. The following names have been used to describe the conflict itself, Gulf War, a problem with these terms is that the usage is ambiguous, having now been applied to at least three conflicts, see Gulf War. The use of the term Persian Gulf is also disputed, see Persian Gulf naming dispute, with no consensus of naming, various publications have attempted to refine the name. Other language terms include French, la Guerre du Golfe and German, Golfkrieg, German, Zweiter Golfkrieg, French, most of the coalition states used various names for their operations and the wars operational phases. Operation Desert Storm was the US name of the conflict from 17 January 1991. Operation Desert Sabre was the US name for the offensive against the Iraqi Army in the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations from 24–28 February 1991, in itself. Operation Desert Farewell was the given to the return of US units and equipment to the US in 1991 after Kuwaits liberation. Operation Granby was the British name for British military activities during the operations, Opération Daguet was the French name for French military activities in the conflict. Operation Friction was the name of the Canadian operations Operazione Locusta was the Italian name for the operations, in addition, various phases of each operation may have a unique operational name. The US divided the conflict into three campaigns, Defense of Saudi Arabian country for the period 2 August 1990, through 16 January 1991
31.
Persian Gulf
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The Persian Gulf is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Hormuz, the Shatt al-Arab river delta forms the northwest shoreline. The Persian Gulf was a battlefield of the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War and it is the namesake of the 1991 Gulf War, the largely air- and land-based conflict that followed Iraqs invasion of Kuwait. The gulf has many fishing grounds, extensive coral reefs, and abundant pearl oysters, the body of water is historically and internationally known as the Persian Gulf. Some Arab governments refer to it as the Arabian Gulf or The Gulf, the name Gulf of Iran is used by the International Hydrographic Organization. The Persian Gulf is geologically young, having been formed around 15,000 years ago. Its length is 989 kilometres, with Iran covering most of the northern coast, the Persian Gulf is about 56 km wide at its narrowest, in the Strait of Hormuz. The waters are very shallow, with a maximum depth of 90 metres. Various small islands lie within the Persian Gulf, some of which are the subject of territorial disputes between the states of the region. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the Persian Gulfs southern limit as The Northwestern limit of Gulf of Oman and this limit is defined as A line joining Ràs Limah on the coast of Arabia and Ràs al Kuh on the coast of Iran. The Persian Gulf and its areas are the worlds largest single source of crude oil. Safaniya Oil Field, the worlds largest offshore oilfield, is located in the Persian Gulf, large gas finds have also been made, with Qatar and Iran sharing a giant field across the territorial median line. Using this gas, Qatar has built up a substantial liquefied natural gas, the oil-rich countries that have a coastline on the Persian Gulf are referred to as the Persian Gulf States. In 550 BC, the Achaemenid Empire established the first ancient empire in Persis, consequently, in the Greek sources, the body of water that bordered this province came to be known as the Persian Gulf. In the travel account of Pythagoras, several chapters are related to description of his travels accompanied by the Achaemenid king Darius the Great, to Susa and Persepolis, and the area is described. This water channel separates the Iran Plateau from the Arabia Plate, has enjoyed an Iranian Identity since at least 2200 years ago. Before being given its present name, the Persian Gulf was called many different names, the classical Greek writers, like Herodotus, called it the Red Sea. In Babylonian texts, it was known as the sea above Akkad, the name of the gulf, historically and internationally known as the Persian Gulf after the land of Persia, has been disputed by some Arab countries since the 1960s
32.
Norway
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The Antarctic Peter I Island and the sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island are dependent territories and thus not considered part of the Kingdom. Norway also lays claim to a section of Antarctica known as Queen Maud Land, until 1814, the kingdom included the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland. It also included Isle of Man until 1266, Shetland and Orkney until 1468, Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres and a population of 5,258,317. The country shares a long border with Sweden. Norway is bordered by Finland and Russia to the north-east, Norway has an extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. King Harald V of the Dano-German House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway, erna Solberg became Prime Minister in 2013, replacing Jens Stoltenberg. A constitutional monarchy, Norway divides state power between the Parliament, the Cabinet and the Supreme Court, as determined by the 1814 Constitution, the kingdom is established as a merger of several petty kingdoms. By the traditional count from the year 872, the kingdom has existed continuously for 1,144 years, Norway has both administrative and political subdivisions on two levels, counties and municipalities. The Sámi people have an amount of self-determination and influence over traditional territories through the Sámi Parliament. Norway maintains close ties with the European Union and the United States, the country maintains a combination of market economy and a Nordic welfare model with universal health care and a comprehensive social security system. Norway has extensive reserves of petroleum, natural gas, minerals, lumber, seafood, the petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of the countrys gross domestic product. On a per-capita basis, Norway is the worlds largest producer of oil, the country has the fourth-highest per capita income in the world on the World Bank and IMF lists. On the CIAs GDP per capita list which includes territories and some regions, from 2001 to 2006, and then again from 2009 to 2017, Norway had the highest Human Development Index ranking in the world. It also has the highest inequality-adjusted ranking, Norway ranks first on the World Happiness Report, the OECD Better Life Index, the Index of Public Integrity and the Democracy Index. Norway has two names, Noreg in Nynorsk and Norge in Bokmål. The name Norway comes from the Old English word Norðrveg mentioned in 880, meaning way or way leading to the north. In contrasting with suðrvegar southern way for Germany, and austrvegr eastern way for the Baltic, the Anglo-Saxon of Britain also referred to the kingdom of Norway in 880 as Norðmanna land. This was the area of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, and because of him
33.
Camp Mirage
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Camp Mirage is the codename for a former Canadian Forces forward logistics facility located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The facility was established in late-December 2001 and, though not officially acknowledged by the Canadian Forces, is considered an open secret, according to CTV sources, the base was closed in November 2010. It was established in December 2001 to support Canadian Forces operations in southwest Asia, Camp Mirage was originally used by the Long Range Patrol Detachment Southwest-Asia using CP-140 Aurora maritime-patrol aircraft, starting in December 2001, a time later CC-130 Hercs arrived. Strategic airlift aircraft in the form of C-17 Globemaster III and CC-150 Polaris operated from CFB Trenton and other air bases in Canada to Camp Mirage to drop off and pick up cargo. This cargo was transferred onto tactical airlift aircraft in the form of C-130 Hercules. The base also included aircraft maintenance facilities, sleeping areas, a cafeteria, the annual throughput at the base was reported to be 3,600,000 kilograms and as many as 32,500 personnel per year. The Canadian garrison at Camp Mirage ranged between 225 and 250 personnel, with ground personnel rotated every six months and CC-130 Hercules aircrew replaced every eight weeks. Al Minhad Air Base is also believed to be used as a facility by the Australian Defence Force, the New Zealand Defence Force. These militaries likely have their own codewords for their logistics operations based there, a Canadian Forces military police non-commissioned member was found dead on July 4,2008 in the sleeping quarters of Camp Mirage. CTV News disclosed on October 6,2010 that the Canadian Forces might be closing a facility at a base near Dubai, the Government of Canada source continued by stating that Canada was essentially a pawn in a heavy-handed blackmail scheme and the demands were unacceptable. It was announced on October 11,2010 that the facility would be closed, operations at Camp Mirage were officially ended on November 3,2010
34.
Mirage 2000
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The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a fighter based on the Mirage III for the French Air Force. The Mirage 2000 evolved into an aircraft with several variants developed. The variants include the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5, over 600 aircraft were built and it has been in service with nine nations. The first production Mirage 2000C flew on 20 November 1982, deliveries to the AdA began in 1983. The first 37 Mirage 2000Cs delivered were fitted with the Thomson-CSF RDM and were powered by the SNECMA M53-5 turbofan engine, the 38th Mirage 2000C had an upgraded SNECMA M53-5 P2 turbofan engine. The Radar Doppler Impulse built by Thales for the Mirage 2000C entered service in 1987 and it has a much improved range of about 150 km, and is linked to Matra Super 530D missiles, which are much improved compared to the older Super 530F. Look-down/shoot-down capabilities are improved as well, but this radar is not usually used for air-to-surface roles. By the late 1980s, the Mirage 2000 was beginning to age compared with the latest models of F-16 fighters, in particular, attention was drawn to the aircrafts inability to engage multiple target simultaneously and the small load of air-to-air missiles it could carry. Consequently, Dassault in April 1989 announced that it would be working on a privately funded update of the Mirage 2000C which was to be named the Mirage 2000-5. A two-seat Mirage 2000B prototype was modified as the first Mirage 2000-5 prototype. A Mirage 2000C prototype was reworked to a similar standard. The first front-line aircraft variant to have been designed specifically in response to the market, Taiwan was the first country to order the type in 1992. The type was first delivered in 1996 and entered service in 1997, the upgraded aircraft were redesignated Mirage 2000-5F, and became operational in 2000. They retained the old system with the Serval/Sabre/Spirale units and did not receive the ICMS2 system. A two-seat version was developed as well, whose rear seat has a HUD but not an associated head-level display and lacks a built-in cannon, at the urging of the United Arab Emirates, Dassault worked on a further modification of the Mirage 2000-5. The aircraft uses retractable tricycle landing gear by Messier-Dowty, with twin nosewheels. A runway tailhook or a fairing for a parachute can be fitted under the tail
35.
BAE Systems Hawk
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The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft. It was first flown at Dunsfold, Surrey, in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk and it has been used in a training capacity and as a low-cost combat aircraft. Operators of the Hawk include the Royal Air Force and a number of foreign military operators. The Hawk is still in production in the UK and under licence in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited with over 900 Hawks sold to 18 operators around the world, in 1964 the Royal Air Force specified a requirement for a new fast jet trainer to replace the Folland Gnat. Accordingly, in 1968, Hawker Siddeley Aviation began studies for a simpler aircraft, the design team was led by Ralph Hooper. This project was funded by the company as a private venture, the design was conceived of as having tandem seating and a combat capability in addition to training, as it was felt the latter would improve export sales potential. The RAF selected the HS.1182 for their requirement on 1 October 1971, the prototype aircraft XX154 first flew on 21 August 1974 from Dunsfold piloted by Duncan Simpson, Chief Test Pilot of HSA, reaching 20,000 ft in a flight lasting 53 minutes. All development aircraft were built on production jigs, the program remained on time, the Hawk T1 entered RAF service in late 1976. The first export Hawk 50 flew on 17 May 1976 and this variant had been specifically designed for the dual-role of lightweight fighter and advanced trainer, it had a greater weapons capacity than the T.1. In 1981 a derivative of the Hawk was selected by the United States Navy as their new trainer aircraft, all airframes are planned to undergo avionics upgrades to a common standard. By early 1998, a total of 734 Hawks had been sold, military customers often procured the Hawk as a replacement for older aircraft such as the BAC Strikemaster, Hawker Hunter, and Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Malaysia and Oman cancelled their arranged Tornado orders in the early 1990s, on 22 December 2004, the Ministry of Defence awarded a contract to BAE Systems to develop an advanced model of the Hawk for the RAF and Royal Navy. In October 2006, a GB£450 million contract was signed for the production of 28 Hawk 128s, the aircrafts maiden flight occurred on 27 July 2005 from BAE Systems Warton Aerodrome. According to BAE Systems, as of July 2012 they have sold nearly 1000 Hawks so far, in May 2015, Indian aerospace manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics revealed that it was examining the prospects of performing its own Hawk upgrades, including armed light attack variants. Missile developer and manufacturer MBDA may provide their ASRAAM and Brimstone missiles to arm the new attack type, the Hawk is an advanced trainer with a two-man tandem cockpit, a low-mounted cantilever wing and is powered by a single turbofan engine. Unlike many of the trainers in RAF service, the Hawk was specifically designed for training. Hawker had developed the aircraft to have a level of servicability. The Hawk has been praised by pilots for its agility, in particular its roll, the design of the fuselage included a height differential between the two seats of the cockpit, this provided generous levels of visibility for the instructor in the rear seat
36.
Helicopter
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A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and these attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft and many forms of VTOL aircraft cannot perform. English language nicknames for helicopter include chopper, copter, helo, heli, Helicopters were developed and built during the first half-century of flight, with the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 being the first operational helicopter in 1936. Some helicopters reached limited production, but it was not until 1942 that a helicopter designed by Igor Sikorsky reached full-scale production, with 131 aircraft built. Though most earlier designs used more than one rotor, it is the single main rotor with anti-torque tail rotor configuration that has become the most common helicopter configuration. Tandem rotor helicopters are also in use due to their greater payload capacity. Coaxial helicopters, tiltrotor aircraft, and compound helicopters are all flying today, quadcopter helicopters pioneered as early as 1907 in France, and other types of multicopter have been developed for specialized applications such as unmanned drones. The earliest references for vertical flight came from China, since around 400 BC, Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. This bamboo-copter is spun by rolling a stick attached to a rotor, the spinning creates lift, and the toy flies when released. The 4th-century AD Daoist book Baopuzi by Ge Hong reportedly describes some of the ideas inherent to rotary wing aircraft, designs similar to the Chinese helicopter toy appeared in Renaissance paintings and other works. In the 18th and early 19th centuries Western scientists developed flying machines based on the Chinese toy. It was not until the early 1480s, when Leonardo da Vinci created a design for a machine that could be described as an aerial screw, that any recorded advancement was made towards vertical flight. His notes suggested that he built flying models, but there were no indications for any provision to stop the rotor from making the craft rotate. As scientific knowledge increased and became accepted, people continued to pursue the idea of vertical flight. In July 1754, Russian Mikhail Lomonosov had developed a small coaxial modeled after the Chinese top but powered by a spring device. It was powered by a spring, and was suggested as a method to lift meteorological instruments. Sir George Cayley, influenced by a fascination with the Chinese flying top, developed a model of feathers, similar to that of Launoy and Bienvenu. By the end of the century, he had progressed to using sheets of tin for rotor blades and his writings on his experiments and models would become influential on future aviation pioneers
37.
MIM-23 Hawk
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The Raytheon MIM-23 Hawk is a U. S. medium-range surface-to-air missile. It was designed to be a more mobile counterpart to the MIM-14 Nike Hercules, trading off range and altitude capability for a much smaller size. Its low-level performance was improved over Nike through the adoption of new radars. Hawk was originally intended to attack aircraft, especially those flying at medium and it entered service with the Army in this role in 1959. In 1971 it underwent an improvement program as the Improved Hawk, or I-Hawk. Improvements continued throughout the twenty years, adding improved ECCM, a potential home-on-jam feature, and in 1995. Janes reported that the original systems single shot kill probability was 0.56, Hawk was superseded by the MIM-104 Patriot in US Army service by 1994. The last US user was the US Marine Corps, who used theirs until 2002 when they were replaced with the man-portable short-range FIM-92 Stinger, the missile was also produced outside the US in Western Europe, Japan and Iran. Although the U. S. never used the Hawk in combat, approximately 40,000 of the missiles were produced. Development of the Hawk missile system began in 1952, when the United States Army began studies into a medium-range semi-active radar homing surface-to-air missile. In July 1954 development contracts where awarded to Northrop for the launcher, radars and fire control systems, the first test launch of the missile then designated the XSAM-A-18 happened in June 1956. By July 1957 development was completed, by time the designation had changed to XM3. Very early missiles used the Aerojet M22E7 which was not reliable, the missile was initially deployed by the U. S. Army in 1959, and by the US Marine Corps in 1960. The high complexity of the system, and the quality of tube-based electronics, the improved Hawk system increased this to 130 to 170 hours. Later Hawk versions improved this further to between 300 and 400 hours, Improved Hawk or I-Hawk The original Hawk system had problems engaging targets at low altitude—the missile would have problems picking the target out against ground clutter. The U. S. Army began a program to address issues in 1964 via the Hawk Improvement Program. This involved numerous upgrades to the Hawk system, A digital data processing central information coordinator for target processing, threat ordering, an improved missile with a larger warhead, smaller and more powerful M112 motor, and improved guidance section. The PAR, CWAR, HPIR, and ROR were replaced by upgraded variants, the system entered service during 1972, the first unit reaching operational status by October
38.
BMP-3
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The BMP-3 is a Soviet amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The abbreviation BMP stands for Boevaya Mashina Pehoty, the design of the BMP-3 or Obyekt 688M can be traced back to the Obyekt 685 light tank prototype with 100 mm gun 2A48-1 from 1975. This vehicle did not enter production, but the chassis. The Ob.688 weapons configuration—an externally mounted 30 mm gun and twin Konkurs ATGM launcher—was rejected, the resulting BMP-3 was developed in the early 1980s and entered service with the Soviet Army officially in 1987. It was shown for the first time in public during the 1990 Victory Day parade and was given the NATO code IFV M1990/1, the BMP-3 is designed and produced by the Kurganmashzavod some variants however are built by the Rubtsovsk Machine Building Plant, for example the BRM-3K. In the process of the BMP-s serial production, the design underwent 1,500 amendments. The BMP-3 saw action in several conflicts, the BMP-3 saw action with the Russian forces during the First Chechen War. The BMP-3 also saw action with Emirati forces in the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, the BMP-3 is one of the most heavily armed infantry combat vehicles in service, fitted with a low-velocity 2A70100 mm rifled gun, which can fire conventional shells or 9M117 ATGMs. 40 100mm-rounds and 8 ATGMs are carried, a 2A7230 mm dual feed autocannon with 500 rounds and a rate of fire of 350 to 400 RPM, and a 7. 62mm PKT machine gun with 2,000 rounds, all mounted coaxially in the turret. The main gun elevates from −5° to +60°, there are also two 7. 62mm PKT bow machine guns, again with 2,000 rounds each. The BMP-3 is capable of engaging targets out to 5, 000–6,000 meters with its ATGM weapon system 9K116-3 Basnya, the minimum engagement distance, flight time and vulnerability of the launcher are typical of command-guided, rather than fire-and-forget, ATGM systems. With conventional ammunition, such as the HE-Frag shell 3OF32, the 2A70 gun has a range of 4,000 meters, according to the manufacturers web-site, all weapons can be fired from the halt, on the move, and afloat with the same effectiveness. The ability to hit targets on the move with missiles was successfully demonstrated during competitive evaluations in the UAE in 1991, the commander has a combined optical sight 1PZ-10, a day/night vision device TKN-3MB and an IR searchlight OU-3GA2. Since 2005, the BMP-3 can be fitted with a new control system from the Peleng Joint Stock Company from Belarus. The vehicle has an unconventional layout, the engine is in the back of the vehicle to the right. As a result, the driver is seated forward in the hull together with two infantrymen, the vehicle has a double bottom and the engine is located under the floor of the vehicle. The remaining five infantrymen are seated aft of the two-man turret, early models were powered by a 450 hp engine UTD-29, but most BMP-3s are now equipped with the 500 hp UTD-29M version. The engine was developed at the Transmash Diesel Engine Plant in Barnaul, the BMP-3 has a range of 600 km, an altitude of operation of up to 3,000 m and it is transportable by train, truck, sea, and air
39.
Dassault Mirage III
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The Dassault Mirage III is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft produced by Dassault Aviation for the French Air Force and widely exported. Prominent operators included Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and Israel, though an older design, the second-generation fighter is a fairly maneuverable aircraft and an effective opponent in close-range dogfighting. In French service it was armed with air-to-ground ordnance or R.550 Magic air-to-air missiles, the versatility of the design enabled production of trainer, reconnaissance and ground-attack versions, as well as the Dassault Mirage 5, Dassault Mirage IIIV and Atlas Cheetah variants. A Mirage III was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizontal flight.3 in level flight, the aircraft had a tailless delta configuration, with 5% thickness and 60° sweep. The tailless delta configuration has a number of limitations, the lack of a horizontal stabilizer meant that flaps cannot be used, resulting in a long takeoff run and a high landing speed. The delta wing itself limits maneuverability and suffers from buffeting at low altitude due to the wing area. However, the delta is a simple and pleasing design, easily built and robust, capable of speed in a straight line. The first prototype of the Mystère-Delta, without afterburning engines or rocket motor and with a large vertical stabilizer. After a redesign, the stabilizer was reduced in size, afterburners. In late 1955, the prototype attained Mach 1.3 in level flight without rocket assist, the small size of the Mirage I restricted its armament to a single air-to-air missile, and it was decided during flight trials that it was too small for a useful armament load. After trials, the Mirage I prototype was eventually scrapped.2 kN, the Atar was an axial-flow turbojet, derived from the German World War II BMW003 design. The new fighter was named the Mirage III, like the Mirage I, the Mirage III had provision for a booster rocket engine. The success of the Mirage III prototype resulted in an order for 10 pre-production Mirage IIIA fighters. These were almost 2 meters longer than the Mirage III prototype, had a wing with 17. 3% more area, a chord reduced to 4. 5%, and an Atar 09B turbojet with afterburning thrust of 58.9 kN. The SEPR841 rocket engine was retained, it was fitted with Thomson-CSF Cyrano Ibis air intercept radar, operational avionics. The first Mirage IIIA flew in May 1958 and eventually was clocked at Mach 2.2, the tenth IIIA was rolled out in December 1959. One was fitted with a Rolls-Royce Avon 67 engine with thrust of 71.1 kN as a test model for Australian evaluation and this variant flew in February 1961, but the Avon powerplant was not adopted. The first major production model, the Mirage IIIC, first flew in October 1960, the IIIC was largely similar to the IIIA, being less than a half meter longer and having a full operational fit
40.
Dassault Mirage 5
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The Dassault Mirage 5 is a supersonic attack aircraft designed in France by Dassault Aviation during the 1960s, and manufactured in France and a number of other countries. It was derived from Dassaults popular Mirage III fighter, and spawned several variants of its own, the aircraft is capable of nuclear weapons delivery. The Mirage 5 grew out of a request to Dassault from the Israeli Air Force, in September 1966, the Israelis placed an order for 50 of the new aircraft. The first Mirage 5 flew on 19 May 1967 and it looked much like the Mirage III, except that it had a long slender nose that extended the aircrafts length by about half a metre. A pitot tube was moved from the tip of the nose to below the nose in the majority of Mirage 5 variants. The Mirage 5 retained the IIIEs twin DEFA guns, but added two additional pylons, for a total of seven, provision for the SEPR rocket engine was deleted. Rising tensions in the Middle East led French President Charles de Gaulle to embargo the Israeli Mirage 5s on 3 June 1967. The Mirages continued to roll off the line, even though they were embargoed, and by 1968 the batch was complete. The French government became suspicious when the Israelis also tried to obtain long-range fuel tanks, the Israelis finally gave up trying to acquire the aircraft and accepted a refund. Officially, Israel claimed to have built the aircraft after obtaining complete blueprints, like the Mirage IIIE, the Mirage 5 was popular with export customers, with different export variants fitted with a wide range of different avionics. While the Mirage 5 had been oriented to the clear-weather attack role. Reconnaissance and two-seat versions of the Mirage 5 were sold, with the designation Mirage 5R, however, a little consideration of the differences between a Mirage III and a Mirage 5 quickly shows that these designations were simply for marketing purposes. There was no dividing line between the configuration of a Mirage III reconnaissance or trainer version and that of a Mirage 5 equivalent, and were one. The Mirage 5 was sold to Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Pakistan, Peru, Venezuela, the Belgian aircraft were fitted with mostly US avionics, and Egyptian aircraft fitted with the MS2 attack avionics system from the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet. In 1978 and 1980, Israel sold a total of 35 of their Neshers plus four Nesher trainer aircraft to Argentina, south Africa purchased five Nesher trainers for trials during its own Atlas Cheetah fighter programme. All the aircraft were upgraded to Cheetah D standard. Chile incorporated some Mirage 5s under name Mirage Elkan, a total of 582 Mirage 5s were built, including 51 Israeli Neshers. In 1968, the Belgian government ordered 106 Mirage 5s from Dassault to re-equip No 3 Wing at Bierset air base, all aircraft but the first one were to be license-built by SABCA in Belgium
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Hawker Hunter
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The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine and the swept wing, on 7 September 1953, the modified first prototype broke the world air speed record for jet-powered aircraft, achieving a speed of 727.63 mph. The all-weather/night fighter role was filled by the Gloster Javelin, successively improved variants of the type were produced, adopting increasingly more capable engine models and expanding its fuel capacity amongst other modifications being implemented. Hunters were also used by two RAF display teams, the Black Arrows, who on one occasion looped a record-breaking 24 Hunters in formation, and later the Blue Diamonds, the Hunter was also widely exported, serving with a total of 21 overseas air forces. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary roles with the RAF, sixty years after its original introduction it was still in active service, being operated by the Lebanese Air Force until 2014. Overall,1,972 Hunters were manufactured by Hawker Aircraft and its successor, Hawker Siddeley, in British service, the Hunter was replaced in its principal roles by the Lightning, the Hawker Siddeley Harrier and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. During 1945, the Second World War came to a close, Aviation author Derek Wood refers to this policy as being, a fatal error of judgement which was to cost Britain a complete generation of fighters and heavy bomber aircraft. By this time, it had become apparent that newly developed jet propulsion would form the future of fighter aircraft development. Many companies were quick to devise their own designs to harness this means of propulsion, Hawker Aviations chief designer, Sydney Camm, had proposed the Hawker P.1040 for the RAF, but the demonstrator failed to interest them. Further modifications to the design resulted in the Hawker Sea Hawk carrier-based fighter. However, the Sea Hawk possessed a straight wing and was powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engine, both features that rapidly became obsolete. Seeking better performance and fulfilment of the Air Ministry Specification E. 38/46, Sydney Camm designed the Hawker P.1052, which was essentially a Sea Hawk outfitted with a 35-degree swept wing. As a private venture, Hawker proceeded to convert the second P.1052 prototype into the Hawker P.1081 with swept tailplanes, a fuselage. In 1951, the sole P.1081 prototype was lost in a crash, in 1946, the British Air Ministry issued Specification F. 43/46, which sought a daytime jet-powered interceptor aircraft. Camm promptly prepared a new design for a fighter that would be powered by the upcoming Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet. Initially fitted with an air intake in the nose and a T-tail. The intakes were moved to the roots to make room for weapons and radar in the nose. On 20 July 1951, the P.1067 made its flight, flown by Neville Duke, from RAF Boscombe Down
42.
Rapier (missile)
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Rapier is a British surface-to-air missile developed for the RAF Regiment and the British Army. It replaced Bofors guns and Tigercat missiles in RAF service and it remains the UKs primary air-defence weapon after almost 35 years of service, and its deployment is expected to continue until 2020. Rapier began development in 1961 as a venture at British Aircraft Corporation known as Sightline. The project was to combat supersonic, low level, high manoeuvrability craft, the operator would keep the telescopic gunsight centred on the target, and the automated systems would guide the missile to that point. BAC joked that the system was a hit-ile, as opposed to a miss-ile, the weapons system had entirely originated from research carried out by Bradfords Colin Baron and John Twinn at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in the 1960s. At the time the British Army was planning on purchasing the advanced American MIM-46 Mauler system for its air-defence needs, when Mauler ran into problems in 1963, the Ministry of Defence issued requirement ET.316 and started funding Sightline as a backup in case Mauler did not deliver. That eventuality came to pass, and ET.316 was completely developed as Rapier, complete systems were tested in 1968, which led to a production contract issued in 1969. On a parallel track, the RAF Regiment had Tigercat developed for it in 1967 from the Seacat naval surface-to-air missile system, in 1972 a trials unit known as the Rapier Pilot Battery was formed jointly by No 63 Squadron RAF Regiment and 9 Light Air Defence Battery Royal Artillery. Comprehensive trials ended in 1973 and the first Rapier unit in British service - No 63 Squadron - deployed to its station in Germany in mid-1974. The original Rapier took the form of a launcher with four missiles, an optical tracker unit. The search radar was of the pulsed Doppler type with a range of about 15 km, the aerial, located at the top of the launcher, rotated about once a second, looking for moving targets that are visible due to their doppler shift. When one was located, a lamp would light up on the Selector Engagement Zone, the radar operator could also blank out returns from other directions, providing jamming resistance. The optical tracker unit was made up of a lower section. The lower section housed the controls, while the upper section housed the tracking optics. The operators optical system was a modified telescope containing a Dove prism to prevent the image toppling as the optics rotate in azimuth and this system meant that, unlike a periscope, the operator did not have to move in order to track the target. The upper section contained a separate missile tracking system that was slaved to the operators optics. Upon detection, the tracking system would then be slewed to target azimuth. The operators field of view would depend on the target range, when the target was found the operator switches to track and uses a joystick to keep the target centred in the telescope
43.
Crotale (missile)
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The Crotale EDIR is an all-weather short-range anti-air missile, which can be used to intercept low-flight anti-ship missiles and aircraft. It has been developed by Thomson CSF Matra and exists in two versions, a mobile land-based version and a ship-launched one, originally the Crotale R440 system was developed by Rockwell International and Thomson-Houston in France for South Africa, where it was named Cactus. However, the achievements of the system impressed the French Armed Forces, the firing system includes the main sensors of the ship, the firing system of the turret, and a central coordination system. The turret holds eight missiles ready for launch in watertight containers, the magazine behind the turret holds 18 missiles. The French army first utilised a 4x4 wheeled vehicle, armed with four launchers, in order to ensure higher mobility, it was decided to mount the system on the chassis of the French AMX-30 main battle tank. At the same time, the number of launchers were increased to six, in Finnish Army service, the Crotale NG system has been mounted on Sisu Pasi vehicles. Here the number of launchers is eight, the Crotale system has also been installed on various military ships. For instance the French Navy La Fayette class frigates have a Crotale 8-tubed launcher near the flight deck. A modernized version, the Crotale NG, entered production in 1990 and this version used the new VT-1 missile with Mach 3.5 speed, load factor to 35G,11 km range,13 kg warhead and 6,000 m ceiling. The system includes a S-band Pulse Doppler radar, Ku-band TWT tracking radar, Thermal camera, Daylight CCD camera, and an IR localiser. In 1999, the Republic of Korea Armed Forces awarded a contract to Samsung Thales to jointly develop a South Korean-augmented Crotale NG system for the K-SAM Pegasus short range air defense system. A new sensor system was developed by Samsung and Thales to meet the required operational capability of the upcoming K-SAM Pegasus. The electronics and radars were developed by Samsung Electronics, doosan DST integrated this modified Crotale NG system with a K200 vehicle. 48 units were produced for a price-tag of 330 million Euros. A second batch of 66 units was ordered in 2003, valued at 470 million Euros, Thales revealed an updated Crotale NG system with Shikra radar at the Paris Air Show in 2007. The system combines Crotale Mk3 VT-1 missile and Shikra multi-beam search radar, Thales has demonstrated that the systems VT-1 missile has extended range to 15 km. The Crotale missile system consists of two components, a vehicle for transport, equipped with 2-8 launchers, a radar is located between the launchers. A second vehicle carries the surveillance radar, the radar surveillance vehicle can be connected to several launcher vehicles, in order to achieve an effective air-defence system
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This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2003 edition".
