Current Events in Mideast-Africa

SA’s new generation of submarines Jonathan Katzenellenbogen BusinessDay.SA THE first of three of SA’s S101 new-generation German-made submarines will sail into Simonstown this morning, marking one of the final steps in the creation of the country’s new navy. Four frigates — general-purpose warships which can be armed with guided missiles — have already been delivered and two more submarines will be in service within about two years. Claims of irregularities in parts of the contract for the frigates, the lack of transparency in the industrial offset programme, the fact that it is very unlikely that the fleet will be used in peacekeeping, and just its sheer cost …

From Foreign Affairs, May/June 2007 issue Summary: By rushing into Iraq instead of finishing off the hunt for Osama bin Laden, Washington has unwittingly helped its enemies: al Qaeda has more bases, more partners, and more followers today than it did on the eve of 9/11. Now the group is working to set up networks in the Middle East and Africa -- and may even try to lure the United States into a war with Iran. Washington must focus on attacking al Qaeda's leaders and ideas and altering the local conditions in which they thrive. Read the remainder of the article at the link above.

Source: Naval Open Source Intelligence - http://nosint.blogspot.com/2012/02/iran-ma...hip-cruise.html Here's something to read as you enjoy your breakfast and morning coffee! The Zafar missile, as it is dubbed in the report, "is a short-range, anti-ship cruise missile capable of destroying small- and medium-sized targets with high precision." It can be mounted on speed boats and other light vessels, can withstand electronic warfare, and is able to fly in low altitudes to avoid detection, the report said. (rmks: Zafar (or another cruise missile) was recently tested from a Wellington class ACV during the last round of naval exercises). FWFS, Greg Emers…

From Jane's Intelligence Digest North Korean test emboldens Iran North Korea's apparent nuclear weapons test appears to have strengthened Iran in its defiance of the international community and increased the likelihood of an Iranian-Israeli military confrontation. Iranian leaders have reaffirmed their intention to continue their own avowedly peaceful nuclear programme. They believe that Russia and China, despite differences in their respective bilateral relationships with Tehran and Pyongyang, will resist applying harsh sanctions against Iran. Even if, against expectations, the UN Security Council eventually adopts sanctions against Iran, they would most l…

From Australian ABC news service https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-16/idf-launches-attack-on-syrian-military-headquarters/105540008?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link

The "little crappy ship" is so 'crappy' the Israelis want to study it ... hmmm From DefenseNews The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $5.2 million contract to study adapting the company’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) design for the Israeli Navy. During the nine-month feasibility study, Lockheed Martin will examine its LCS for hull, mechanical and electrical system compatibility with the Israeli Navy’s combat systems and other requirements, according to a company press release. The study could lead to contracts to design and build one or two ships for the Israeli Navy, the company said. The Lockheed single-hull design is one of two LCS versions being built…

From Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Iran and the Gulf Military Balance (pdf)

India ready to export BrahMos The Hindu Special Correspondent Other countries also placing orders for cruise missile: Vice-Admiral Madanjit Singh MUMBAI: India has finally cleared the high-tech supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, and Chile could be among the first buyers. "The export of military hardware is no longer an issue, and we have started exporting the BrahMos," Vice-Admiral Madanjit Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, said on Thursday. He was addressing a seminar on "Navy-Industry Convergence: Challenges and Opportunities" here. Later, he told reporters that Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the CEO of BrahMo…

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

From DefenseNews Posted 08/14/07 16:14 Iran President Denies Arming Taliban in Afghanistan By REUTERS, KABUL Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied on August 14 U.S. accusations his country was arming Taliban insurgents in neighboring Afghanistan. U.S. officials say Iranian weapons are entering Afghanistan on such a scale it is hard to believe Tehran is not aware of the shipments. High-powered roadside bombs, which Washington says Iran sends to Iraq, have also begun to appear in Afghanistan. Asked about the accusations, Ahmadinejad told a news conference in the Afghan capital, Kabul: “I strongly doubt that, there is no truth in it... even in Iraq such cl…

From DefenseNews Posted 10/15/07 20:16 India Working on Sea-Based Nuclear Missiles By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI NEW DELHI — India is drawing closer to a sea-based nuclear strike capacity. The hull of its homegrown nuclear-powered submarine, the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV), is under construction by the Larsen & Toubro (L&T) shipyard and is slated for sea trials in 2009, Indian Navy sources said. Land-based tests of some systems are already completed. The classified program is being run by the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with help from Russia. India also is buying two Russian nuclear-powered subs. The DRDO is developin…

From Reuters [excerpt]

Pakistani Ballistic Missile Test Failed (DefenseNews)

Iranian Unit To Be Labeled 'Terrorist' U.S. Moving Against Revolutionary Guard By Robin Wright, Washington Post Staff Writer The United States has decided to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a "specially designated global terrorist," according to U.S. officials, a move that allows Washington to target the group's business operations and finances. The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the s…

Don't forget to check out the latest Harpoon3 scenario with this exact premise! UNIFIL made with the PlayersDB

Appears to be a good source for video and imagery: Brown Moses blog

From DefenseNews Posted 10/24/06 11:06 Iran Could Have Nuclear Bomb By 2015: Germany By REUTERS, BERLIN Iran is unlikely to be able to develop a nuclear bomb before 2015, the chief of Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency said on Oct. 24. His estimate falls within the 3-10 year range of forecasts given by most international experts. "It is difficult to give an exact estimate of the time," BND head Ernst Uhrlau told a security conference organized by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. "According to the current rate of enrichment, the Islamic Republic will not have sufficient amounts of highly enriched uranium with which to build atomic weapons before 2010. For…

From Haaretz Published 15:40 15.08.10 Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the purchase of 20 F-35 fighter planes for the Israel Air Force on Sunday. The planes, manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin, are expected to be delivered to Israel between 2015 and 2017. Barak's approval of the $2.7 billion deal came after more than two years of tough talks between the Israeli defense establishment, the U.S. Pentagon, and Lockheed Martin. The talks were complicated by the IAF's demand to install Israeli systems on the aircraft and the refusal of the Americans to allow those changes. In the end, the IAF's desire to be the first air force in th…

From http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-09-18/iran-deploys-russian-made-submarine-in-gulf [excerpt]

Source: Air Force Link - Reaper UAV now flying in Afghanistan