Current Events in Mideast-Africa

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

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

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)

Three services to have BrahMos missiles The Hindu Arunkumar Bhatt The Navy has started inducting the missile, the Army and the Air Force to follow suit MUMBAI: While the Navy has started inducting multi-role, supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, in a big way, the Army and the Air Force are poised to follow suit to be able to `destabilise' critical targets with pinpoint accuracy. "Army is very keen to have the missile and we are working on the `land to land' version of it for the Army," said Dr. A. Sivathanu Pillai, chief controller of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Dr. Pillai is also the managing director of BrahMos Aerosp…

BBC story

Link to a propaganda site

From The Atlantic [excerpt]

From Defence Aerospace Rice Says No Agreements on F-16 Sales to Pakistan, India (Source: Voice of America news; issued March 16, 2005) NEW DELHI --- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's talks with India's foreign minister covered regional defense issues, including the possible sale of U.S. fighter jets to India's long-standing rival, Pakistan. India is the first stop on Ms. Rice's six-nation tour of Asia - her first trip to the region since becoming secretary of state. Secretary of State Rice says she discussed the potential sale of F-16 fighter-jets to Pakistan with Indian officials, who have long opposed the plan. She also talked about selling the …

From DefenseNews Iran Navy Equipped With Four New Submarines AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: 8 Aug 2010 14:11 TEHRAN, - Iran's navy on Aug. 8 took delivery of four new mini submarines of the home-produced Ghadir class, media reports said. The navy already owns seven submarines of this type which weigh 120 tons and were first launched in 2007. Iran has described the Ghadir as stealth submarines, hardly detectable by sonar and aimed at coastal operations in shallow waters, notably in the Gulf. The vessel is based on North Korean models of the Yono class and can shoot torpedoes, but their main tasks appear to be moving commandos, laying mines and reconn…

From DefenseNews New Succession Structure to Emerge in Saudi Arabia By RIAD KAHWAJI, DUBAI The death of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz on Aug. 1 has set in motion a succession process believed to be in place ever since the late monarch’s health started deteriorating following his 1995 stroke. Crown Prince Abdullah was immediately named as the new monarch while his half-brother, Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, was named as the new crown prince. “King Fahd’s death, and Crown Prince Abdullah’s accession to the throne, is unlikely to have any negative impact on Saudi stability and may well help the kingdom move forward in dealing with a number of major…

By Jonathan Saul JERUSALEM, April 1 (Reuters) - Iran is making defensive preparations for what it fears will be a U.S. military attack this summer, Israel's military intelligence chief said on Sunday. Major-General Amos Yadlin also told the Israeli cabinet that Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas and Syria believed they could be targeted in any U.S.-initiated war against Iran, an Israeli government official said, briefing reporters on his remarks. "What we are seeing is their preparation for the possibility of war in the summer. My assessment is that they are defensive preparations for war," Yadlin was quoted as saying, referring to Iran, Syria and Hezbollah. T…

Tales From The A-6 Intruder Cockpit: AGM-84 Harpoon vs Libyan Patrol Craft (Aviationist)

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 …

While Biden gives a green light? ... From Navy Times Mullen cautions against strike on Iran Vice President Biden says U.S. wouldn’t stop Israeli attack The Associated Press Posted : Sunday Jul 5, 2009 14:10:22 EDT WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden seemed to give Israel a green light for military action to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat, saying the U.S. “cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do.” Israel considers Iran its most dangerous adversary and is wary of hard-line Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who just won a disputed re-election. He repeatedly has called for Israel to be wiped off the map and contends th…

From DefenseNews Iran Says It Will Drop Nuclear Pledges if Attacked By AMIR PAIVAR, REUTERS, TEHRAN Iran, a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), would drop all its international nuclear pledges if its atomic facilities were attacked, the outgoing Defense Minister said on Aug. 9. His comments came a day after Iran resumed uranium conversion work, fanning Western fears it may be seeking atomic weapons and defying European Union warnings that Tehran could be referred to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions. Iran insists its nuclear ambitions are limited to peaceful electricity generation. “The day our facilities are attack…

From Defence Talk France may lose Morocco jet deal to US-paper Reuters | Sep 21, 2007 French corporate and combat jet maker Dassault Aviation may lose out on a deal to sell some Rafale fighter planes to Morocco, French newspaper La Tribune reported. In an article due to be published on Friday, La Tribune said the Moroccan government was set to accept a rival offer to buy F-16 fighter planes made by U.S. company Lockheed Martin Corp. La Tribune, citing its own sources, said Lockheed had offered Morocco 36 F-16 planes for less than $2 billion, while France had offered 18 Rafale planes for 2.3 billion euros ($3.22 billion). Officials at Dassault Aviation…