Current Events in Mideast-Africa

U.S. launches show of force in Gulf Aircraft carriers, warplanes feature in maneuvers off the coast of Iran The Associated Press Updated: 8:17 a.m. ET March 27, 2007 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The U.S. Navy on Tuesday began its largest demonstration of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by a pair of aircraft carriers and backed by warplanes flying simulated attack maneuvers off the coast of Iran. The maneuvers bring together two strike groups of U.S. warships and more than 100 U.S. warplanes to conduct simulated air warfare in the crowded Gulf shipping lanes. The U.S. exercises come just four days after Iran’s capture of 15 Brit…

Oman retires Jaguars (Jane's)

BBC News

US offers warships to India for first time NEW DELHI, JULY 22 (PTI) OutlookIndia For the first time, the United States has offered India military hardware including warships like minesweepers and big landing ships, Chief of Naval staff Admiral Arun Prakash said here today. "The new defence framework being worked out between the two countries provides, for the first time, sale of military hardware," Prakash said as he pointed out that a high-level Naval delegation would visit the US soon to look at American Naval minesweepers and troop and equipment landing ships. According to military experts, the US gesture is significant as so far Washington's defence dea…

Here's some scary scenario fodder. India fighting a nuclear war on two fronts. After Testing China-Specific Missile, India Eyes ICBMs By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI DefenseNews Buoyed by the successful test of a missile that can hit China, India says it can extend its nuclear range beyond Asia, but experts say it is unlikely to take such a step for fear of upsetting the West. The launch on April 12 of the intermediate-range Agni-III missile capped New Delhi’s drive to produce a device capable of striking targets 3,500 kilometers (2,170 miles) inside China, which has an unresolved border dispute with India. The government’s Defence Research and Devel…

U.N. OKs foreign ships to fight Somali pirates By John Heilprin - The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Jun 3, 2008 7:50:07 EDT UNITED NATIONS — Foreign ships gained authorization Monday to enter Somali waters when fighting piracy and armed robbery — rampant problems along the African nation’s lawless coast. The U.N. Security Council’s 15 members unanimously adopted a resolution intended to combat the attacks and hijacking of vessels along the country’s 1,880-mile coastline, the continent’s longest. More than a dozen pirate attacks have occurred this year alone, creating concerns for shipping along routes that connect the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea. Tw…

From Times Online From The Sunday Times July 5, 2009 Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Sarah Baxter The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites. Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility. The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with…

France Sells 24 Rafale Fighters to Qatar (DefenseNews)

From Aviation Week Japan Wants Electronic Attack In Next Fighter Jun 3, 2008 David A. Fulghum/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report TOKYO – Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor still appeals to Japan’s leadership, but there’s an implacable demand for Japan’s industrial participation in any aircraft it operates, which appears to be diminishing demand for the Raptor. “We must have the capabilities within Japan for technical support, maintenance and upgrading to meet changing circumstances during the F-X’s lifetime,” says Maj. Gen. Hidetoshi Hirata, director of the Defense Planning and Policy Department in Japan’s Defense Ministry air staff. As far as F-X capabilities,…

From DefenseNews Iranian Military Planes Crashes in Annual Parade By THOMAS NEWDICK Published: 22 Sep 2009 18:49 TEHRAN - Iran's sole Simorgh AWACS aircraft was lost during a military parade Sept. 22, one of two Iranian military aircraft that crashed in Tehran while participating in a display to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force operated a single Simorgh, a former Iraqi Air Force Adnan. The Adnan AWACS was in turn a modification of a Soviet-built Ilyushin Il-76 transport. The Simorgh collided with one of the Air Force's Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighters over the area of the Imam Khomeyni …

Satellites Show Mystery Construction at Iran’s Top-Secret Military Site (Daily Beast)

Could al-Qaida take over Pakistan? Terrorists would inherit nuclear arsenal, delivery system This excerpt is from the latest issue of Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. Asia Times and the Times of India both report today the Taliban and al-Qaida already have taken "virtual control" of the entire North Waziristan province of Pakistan and "declared" the establishment of an "Islamic state" in the area, gaining a major base for their operations against the U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden may be the most popular figure in the nation. Just one man's life is preventing bin Laden or his allies from getting their hands not on nuclear weapons, which th…

I saw some vague news reports today of a new indiguous Iranian DDG? Anyone more in tune with this?

From DEW Line blog [excerpt] (ignore the title)

White House fact sheet (DefenseNews, Intercepts blog) Two sides already interpreting it differently (DefenseNews, Intercepts blog)

U.S., Iran do Persian Gulf squeeze The stakes are big and the waterway is small, so communication between the two sides is a must to keep a lid on tensions. By Borzou Daragahi Times Staff Writer July 11, 2007 ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS — Iran and the United States remain so far apart on so many issues that they refuse to talk about them. But in the cramped sea routes of the Persian Gulf, U.S. and Iranian warship sailors and fighter pilots speak to each other daily. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR THE RECORD: U.S. warship: A photo caption accompanying an article in Wednesday's Section A about U.S. …

To the victors the contracts?

Pirate Threat Grows Worse off West Africa (DefenseNews)

Breaking news: British government loses a vote on the principle of military action in Syria.