Current Events in Mideast-Africa

Now, with ever deadlier Adobe Photoshop stealth technology ... New York Times

From Stratfor Mediterranean Flyover: Telegraphing an Israeli Punch? June 23, 2008 By George Friedman On June 20, The New York Times published a report saying that more than 100 Israeli aircraft carried out an exercise in early June over the eastern Mediterranean Sea and Greece. The article pointed out that the distances covered were roughly the distances from Israel to Iranian nuclear sites and that the exercise was a trial run for a large-scale air strike against Iran. On June 21, the British newspaper The Times quoted Israeli military sources as saying that the exercise was a dress rehearsal for an attack on Iran. The Jerusalem Post, in covering these events, …

From RIA Novosti India, Russia develop airborne supersonic cruise missile 16:49 | 20/ 06/ 2008 NEW DELHI, June 20 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian-Indian BrahMos Aerospace joint venture has finished the development of the airborne version of an advanced supersonic missile, the company's managing director has said. Established in 1998, BrahMos Aerospace designs, produces, and markets supersonic missiles, whose sea-based and land-based versions have been successfully tested and put into service with the Indian Army and Navy. "For the airborne version...we had to reduce the mass of the missile and to ensure aerodynamic stability after its separation from the airc…

From Defense Aerospace Royal Navy Submarine Declared Safe After Grounding Incident (Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued May 27, 2008) The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the Royal Navy submarine HMS Superb struck an underwater pinnacle whilst on dived passage through the northern Red Sea yesterday, Monday 26 May 2008. There were no casualties and the submarine remains watertight, is safe on the surface and able to operate under its own power. The submarine's nuclear reactor is completely unaffected, and there is no environmental impact. Notwithstanding this, from the initial assessment onboard the submarine, it is clear that there is some damage…

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,…

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 Navy Times Kitty Hawk leaves Japan By Eric Talmadge - The Associated Press Posted : Wednesday May 28, 2008 14:39:04 EDT YOKOSUKA, Japan — The oldest active ship in the Navy, the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, made its final departure from Japan on Wednesday to be decommissioned after nearly a half-century of service. The Kitty Hawk, with sailors lining its decks, pulled away from Yokosuka port just south of Tokyo to the cheers of hundreds of schoolchildren and the sounds of brass bands. It flew the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, which designates it as the oldest ship in the Navy. The Kitty Hawk, the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier in the N…

From RIA Novosti Israel proposes naval blockade of Iran 13:34 | 21/ 05/ 2008 TEL AVIV, May 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Israeli prime minister has proposed that a U.S. naval blockade be imposed on Iran to stop the Islamic Republic from moving ahead with its uranium enrichment program, an Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday. According to the Haaretz daily, at a meeting in Jerusalem with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Ehud Olmert said, "The present economic sanctions [against Iran] have run out of steam," and proposed "a naval blockade of Iran," using the U.S. navy to limit movement in and out of the Islamic Republic by Iranian mercha…

From DefenseNews Iran Hits Back After Ejection From Arms Fair agence france-presse Published: 30 Apr 16:33 EDT (12:33 GMT) KUALA LUMPUR - Iran on April 30 expressed regret it had been thrown out of an international arms fair last week even after removing items deemed to break United Nations resolutions. Iran's display at the fair in Kuala Lumpur was shut down when Malaysian deputy premier Najib Razak said that the host nation would not allow "lethal and offensive equipment in violation of the U.N. resolutions" to be put on show. On April 30 Iran complained that organizers of the Defense Services Asia exhibition had refused to let its display re-open desp…

From Stratfor The Shift Toward an Israeli-Syrian Agreement April 29, 2008 By George Friedman The Middle East, already monstrously complex, grew more complex last week. First, there were strong indications that both Israel and Syria were prepared to engage in discussions on peace. That alone is startling enough. But with the indicators arising in the same week that the United States decided to reveal that the purpose behind Israel’s raid on Syria in September 2007 was to destroy a North Korean-supplied nuclear reactor, the situation becomes even more baffling. But before we dive into the what-will-be, let us first explain how truly bizarre things have gotten.…

From DefenseNews U.S. Charges North Korea-Syria Nuclear Link By OLIVIER KNOX, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: 24 Apr 15:54 EDT (11:54 GMT) WASHINGTON - The White House and the CIA told key lawmakers in secret April 24 that North Korea helped Syria build a nuclear reactor at a site destroyed by an Israeli raid in September, officials said. Washington also took its case to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), alleging that Damascus violated its obligations under the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a U.S. official said. In Congress, top U.S. officials laid out the charges - which Syria flatly denied - behind close…

From Reuters FEATURE-Could Israel use submarines against Iran? Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:04am EDT By Dan Williams HAIFA, Israel, April 17 (Reuters) - Anticipating a showdown with Iran, Israel decides secretly to deploy a submarine off its arch-foe's coast. But how? The quickest route from Israel's Mediterranean coast is via the Suez Canal, which runs through Egypt and which the classified vessels shun. So the submarine is hidden in the belly of a commercial tanker, which delivers it to the Gulf. Such is the plot of an Israeli thriller, "Undersea Diplomacy". Does it hold water? Perhaps not. Then again, the author, Shlomo Erell, is no mere novelist. He's an ex-ad…

From Defence Talk Israel says will connect to US missile early warning system Agence France-Presse | Apr 15, 2008 Jerusalem: The United States has agreed to connect Israel to its ballistic missile early warning system to warn of any missile attack from archfoe Iran, a senior Israeli defence official said on Monday. "Israel asked the US to connect to its ballistic missile early warning system as part of its efforts to defend itself from missile attacks, first of all from Iran," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The US has agreed to the request," he said. Israel first benefited from the worldwide radar system, which was built in the 1959…

From Flight International DATE: 21/03/08 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com Cancer-causing substance halts F-16I training flights By Stephen Trimble Fears about a cancer-causing substance in the cockpit has prompted the Israeli Air Force (IAF) to suspend training flights for its 62-aircraft fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16I Sufas. “According to tests the substance is formaldehyde that recently was defined as causing cancer above certain concentration,” says the IAF spokesman. Formaldehyde is a known by-product of jet engine exhaust, but it’s not clear if the IDF detected uniquely high levels in the cockpit of the F-16I. By contrast, the IAF’s fleet of 125 F-16C/D…

An interesting and timely story, particularly in light of today's elections (see BBC News link), though in many ways the outcome has already been decided by the Guardian Council ... From Jane's Evidence emerges of Iran's continued nuclear weapons research By Mark Harrington 14 March 2008 Documents shown exclusively to Jane's indicate that Iran is continuing its pursuit of the advanced technologies necessary to develop a nuclear weapon, regardless of Tehran's claims that its nuclear programme is purely peaceful. Jane's was shown the information by a source connected to a Western intelligence service, and the documents were verified by a number of reliable…

From Flight International DATE: 11/03/08 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com Boeing's P-8I Poseidon close to India deal By Siva Govindasamy Boeing's P-8I Poseidon is close to winning India's competition for eight maritime patrol aircraft, providing further evidence of the country's growing defence ties with the USA. New Delhi has been in price negotiations with Boeing for the $2 billion, eight-aircraft requirement since December, while officials from EADS Casa - which is leading a rival bid based on the Airbus A319 - have not heard from Indian officials. With the bids due to expire on 31 March, sources close to the defence ministry expect a deal with Boeing to …

From DefenseNews India, Russia End Spat Over Soviet-Era Aircraft Carrier AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: 28 Feb 09:46 EST (04:46 GMT) NEW DELHI - India and Russia have ended a protracted dispute over the cost of a Soviet-era aircraft carrier which will be now sold at a higher price to the Indian navy in 2011, officials said Feb. 28. Indian Defence Secretary V. K. Singh, returning from Moscow, said a new undisclosed price had been agreed upon for the 44,570-ton Admiral Gorshkov. Russian export firm Rosoboronexport in 2004 signed a deal to refurbish the carrier for $970 million but last year demanded India pay an additional $1.2 billion. Singh declined…

From Flight International DATE: 20/02/08 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com Singapore 2008: India to induct two squadrons Tejas Light Combat Aircraft from 2010 By Siva Govindasamy India is to induct two squadrons of the long-delayed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft from 2010, with up to six squadrons possible if the first batch impress in operations. The decision is a shot in the arm for the programme, which national research organisation Aeronautical Development Agency developed and state-owned contractor Hindustan Aeronautics is responsible for production. The long-delayed and much derided aircraft was to enter service early this decade, but design and performanc…

From Stratfor The Strait of Hormuz Incident and U.S. Strategy January 14, 2008 | 1955 GMT By George Friedman Iranian speedboats reportedly menaced U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Jan. 6. Since then, the United States has gone to great lengths to emphasize the threat posed by Iran to U.S. forces in the strait — and, by extension, to the transit of oil from the Persian Gulf region. The revelation of an Iranian threat in the Strait of Hormuz was very helpful to the United States, coming as it did just before U.S. President George W. Bush’s trip to the region. Washington will use the incident to push for an anti-Iranian coalition among the Gulf Arabs, as we…

Iranian ships 'harass' U.S. Navy, officials say CNN report here