Current Events in Mideast-Africa

From RIA Novosti Admiral Gorshkov contract in jeopardy over lack of funds - paper 14:18 01/ 08/ 2007 MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - The overhaul of a Russian-made aircraft carrier sold to India under a 2004 contract will be delayed indefinitely due to insufficient financing and poor management of the project, a Russian daily said Wednesday. The contract to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier to India, which state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport signed with the Indian Navy in January 2004, covers the modernization of the ship and equipping it with modern weaponry, including the MiG-29K Fulcrum aircraft and Ka-27 Helix-A and Ka-31 Helix-B anti-su…

From Flight International Lockheed tempts India with F-35 access By Siva Govindasamy Lockheed Martin is dangling the carrot of future access to its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme to India, with industry observers saying that the strategy could be a way of enticing New Delhi to choose the company's F-16 for its ongoing F-X competition. The company has long eyed a potential market for the F-35 in India from 2015, possibly to replace its British Aerospace Harriers and some land-based fighters, says Tom Burbage, F-35 vice-president. The F-16 and F-35 will not be formally linked in a package deal, but Lockheed officials are emphasising that the former ser…

From Defense Aerospace NATO Shifts to Civilian-Friendly Tactics in Afghanistan (Source: Deutsche Welle German radio; issued July 30, 2007) NATO soldiers fighting Islamist Taliban rebels will deploy smaller bombs in the future to cut down on civilian casualties after Afghan leaders criticized the military alliance for a rise in collateral damage. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), acknowledged on Monday that efforts in Afghanistan had been hurt because of a recent rise in civilian casualties. Afghan President Hamid Karzai had accused the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) …

From Air Force Times Reports: Iran may buy 250 jets from Russia By Philip Ewing - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Jul 31, 2007 7:42:16 EDT Iran is in negotiations with Russia to buy 250 state-of-the-art fighter jets, an Israeli newspaper reported, in a pointed response to a new American bid to sell billions of dollars’ worth of weapons to potential Iranian adversaries in the Middle East. The English-language Jerusalem Post of Israel reported Monday that top Israeli defense officials are investigating the potential Iran-Russia deal, in which Iran would pay $1 billion for about a dozen squadrons’ worth of Sukhoi Su-30 “Flanker” fighter-bombers. As a part of t…

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. …

From Navy Times U.S. to keep just 2 carrier groups in Gulf By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Jul 10, 2007 17:42:00 EDT Despite a third aircraft carrier strike group steaming toward the Persian Gulf region, the Navy has no current plans to maintain three flattops in the volatile area, a Pentagon official said Tuesday. There are two carriers now in the U.S. Central Command area of operations: the John C. Stennis strike group in the Persian Gulf, and the Nimitz and its escorts in the North Arabian Sea, according to the Navy. The amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard and its expeditionary strike group is also in the region. The carrie…

From Army Times Wars costing $12B a month, analysts say By Andrew Taylor - The Associated Press Posted : Tuesday Jul 10, 2007 6:26:35 EDT The boost in troop levels in Iraq has increased the cost of war there and in Afghanistan to $12 billion a month, and the total for Iraq alone is nearing a half-trillion dollars, congressional analysts say. All told, Congress has appropriated $610 billion in war-related money since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, roughly the same as the war in Vietnam. Iraq alone has cost $450 billion. The figures come from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which provides research and analysis to lawmakers. For the…

From DefenseNews Posted 07/09/07 19:16 Satellite Images Show Work Near Iran Nuclear Site By REUTERS, WASHINGTON Commercial satellite imagery shows Iran is building a new tunnel facility inside a mountain near a key nuclear complex — a possible attempt to protect sensitive uranium enrichment activity from aerial attack, nuclear analysts said July 9. The pictures taken on June 11 were obtained from DigitalGlobe, a commercial satellite imagery firm, by the Institute for Science and International Science, whose president is David Albright, a physicist and former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq. “The construction activity is taking place in the closest mountainous a…

From Navy Times Enterprise departs for deployment to Mideast Group just returned in November By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer Posted : Saturday Jul 7, 2007 17:14:21 EDT NORFOLK, Va. — As the towering aircraft carrier Enterprise slowly pulled away from the pier for at least a six-month deployment to the Middle East, Lori Kaiser, 18, was not happy about her high school sweetheart going away for so long. Somewhere on board was her boyfriend, Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Dexter Ledbetter, but the ship is huge, and when it leaves the pier, she can only see a handful of sailors manning the rails. “I don’t know what to think,” she said. “He kind of got me prepare…

From DefenseNews Posted 06/29/07 08:08 India to Announce Huge Fighter Jet Contract AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI Indian defense officials were meeting June 29 before handing out a contract for 126 war planes potentially worth up to $9 billion, officials said. Indian defense ministry officials and industry sources said the choice appeared to have narrowed down to Russian-built MiG-35 and MiG-29, Lockheed Martin’s F-16 and Boeing’s F-18. The contract, described as the world’s biggest arms purchase in 15 years, will be the first time India’s huge defense establishment has bought fighters after evaluating rival bids through a global tender. “Defence Minister A.…

From Defence Talk Israel air force training for distance missions: report Agence France-Presse | Jun 25, 2007 Jerusalem: Israel's air force is training for long distance missions, after agreeing a timetable with the United States for sanctions against Iran's nuclear programme to work, a report said on Friday. Israel's tabloid-style Maariv daily, which said the military censor had authorised its report, said the training included long-range strikes as well as in-flight refuelling. The newspaper gave no further details of the flights but said Israel and the United States would hold joint assessments at the end of the year of the effectiveness of economic sancti…

Aussie sailors repelled Iran attack, BBC says By Philip Ewing - Staff writer Posted : Friday Jun 22, 2007 12:11:06 EDT Iranian naval forces tried to capture an Australian boarding team in the Persian Gulf — even before they seized and held 15 British sailors and Marines — but where the British sailors were taken captive, the Australian sailors repelled their attackers, BBC News reported Thursday. The Australian and British incidents were very similar, according to what British military sources told the BBC: An Royal Australian Navy team had been searching a cargo ship in the northern Persian Gulf when Iranian operatives approached in small boats. But the Auss…

From Defence Talk Iran Threatens Longer Stride For Nuclear Drive Agence France-Presse | Jun 22, 2007 Washington: Iran warned Thursday it would take a "longer stride" in its hotly contested nuclear program if it is slapped with a third set of United Nations sanctions. The comment in a Newsweek interview by Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, came as Larijani prepared to discuss the row with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Portugal this weekend. Iran has been hit with two sets of UN Security Council sanctions and faces a third for its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment work, the process which makes nuclear fuel and the fissile c…

Russian Planes Sold To Syria JERUSALEM — Israel is concerned about reported Russian deliveries of advanced MiG-31 fighter planes to its enemy Syria as part of an armaments drive, the topselling Hebrew daily reported yesterday. The MiG-31, considered one of the best fighters in the world, can carry guided missiles with a range of more than 125 miles and is capable of striking 24 targets simultaneously, Yediot Aharonot said. A Russian newspaper reported yesterday that Russia has begun delivering five MiG-31E interceptors to Syria and that Moscow also plans to sell Damascus its MiG-29M/M2 dual-role fighters.

San Diego Union-Tribune June 15, 2007 Vietnam-Era Aircraft Combatting Roadside Bombs In Iraq By Jim Krane, Associated Press ABOARD THE CARRIER NIMITZ IN THE GULF – A secret aircraft that debuted in Vietnam and usually protects U.S. fighter jets has taken on a different and crucial task over Iraq – trying to stop roadside bombs by jamming ground signals from mobile phones and garage door openers. The EA-6B Prowler is thought to be one of the most effective U.S. weapons against the bombs, the biggest killer of U.S. service members in Iraq. But no one can be sure: Even supporters say its effectiveness is hard to measure. The aircraft had its debut at th…

From Defence Talk Iran warns US: your Mideast bases in our range Agence France-Presse | Jun 11, 2007 Iran has warned that US military bases in the Middle East are within the range of its missiles, amid increasing tensions with Washington over the Iranian nuclear programme, media reported Sunday. "All the American bases in the region are within the reach of our weapons," said Mohammad Baqer Zolghadr, the deputy interior minister in charge of security issues. "If the United States attacked Iran, US interests would be in danger everywhere in the world," added Zolghadr, a former deputy chief of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. Iran has an array of mediu…

Commanders in Gulf keep in touch with Iran By Jim Krane - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Jun 8, 2007 5:58:39 EDT ABOARD THE USS NIMITZ IN THE GULF — Even as Iran and the U.S. face off bitterly, Navy commanders in the Persian Gulf are working quietly to keep communications open with Iran’s military, hoping the contact will avert an accidental stumble into armed confrontation. Most of the talk takes place over the crackle of radios, using the standard international bridge-to-bridge communications network, Rear Adm. Terry Blake, commander of the strike group led by the aircraft carrier Nimitz, said aboard ship this week. Other contacts are between Iran…

From Defense Aerospace Experts Say Iranian Missile Program Poses Little Threat to US and Europe (Source: Voice of America news; issued June 7, 2007) WASHINGTON --- The U.S. says its proposal to base ballistic missile defense systems in eastern Europe is designed to deter what U.S. officials label as "rogue states," particularly Iran. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, Western analysts believe Iran's missile program is still far from posing any threat to Europe or the United States. Iranian National Security Council Chairman Ali Larijani labeled the U.S. assertion that the proposed missile shield is aimed at Iran as a "joke" because, he said, Iranian …

From Navy Times Gator gets some against Somali pirates By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Jun 5, 2007 17:25:15 EDT The dock landing ship Carter Hall shot flares, fired warning bursts and unleashed a volley that set fire to three skiffs towed behind a hijacked Danish cargo ship off Somalia on Tuesday, but it could not prevent the freighter from slipping out of international waters and towards a known pirate camp, the Navy said. The Danica White, a Danish-flagged merchant vessel with a crew of five, was hijacked by pirates early Saturday in view of a French warship that could not cross into Somali territorial waters to offer help. The Danica Whit…

From Stratfor GEOPOLITICAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT 05.16.2007 The United States, Iran and the Iraq Negotiation Process By George Friedman and Reva Bhalla At long last, the United States and Iran announced May 13 that they will engage in direct public bilateral talks over Iraq. From Washington, it was the office of Vice President Dick Cheney and the National Security Council that broke the news. From Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirmed that the two sides will meet in Baghdad in a few weeks, most likely at the ambassadorial level. That makes these talks as officially sanctioned as they can be. Already there have been two brief public meetings -- al…