Current Events in Mideast-Africa

India, Russia may export 1,000 BrahMos [ 24 Jan, 2007 0005hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] NEW DELHI: The US used almost 800 cruise missiles for its attack on Iraq in 2003. Much cheaper and easier to operate than ballistic missiles, cruise missiles are rapidly becoming the preferred option to wage a war. So much so that there are around 80,000 cruise missiles in the inventories of 75 countries at this moment. Keeping this "huge export potential" in mind, India and Russia now obviously want to rake in the moolah by selling at least 1,000 of the jointly-developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to "friendly" countries in the near future. The export version will basic…

From Air Force Times New small bomb dropped in Afghanistan Staff reports Posted : Thursday Feb 1, 2007 9:54:57 EST The Air Force’s newest operational bomb, the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, was dropped in Afghanistan for the first time Saturday. Getting the honors of using the bomb in combat was the 391st Fighter Squadron deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The decision to drop the weapon came when Army soldiers were under mortar fire from a ridgeline, according to an Air Force account. An Air Force joint terminal air controller with the Army unit requested the F-15E Strike Eagle drop the GBU-39 and told the …

From Defence Talk Israeli PM warns of 'severe steps' against Iran Agence France-Presse | Jan 25, 2007 HERZLIYA, Israel: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday warned that if the world's diplomatic efforts to stop Iran's nuclear programme fail, then "much more severe steps" should be taken. "It is clear to everyone that a diplomatic solution to the Iranian issue is the preferred solution. We also prefer such an outcome," Olmert said in a keynote speech on the last day of the annual conference on Israel's national security in the town of Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv. If the world turns "a blind eye now, while ignoring reality... those of us who wish…

From Navy Times Stennis leaves home port for Middle East The Associated Press Posted : Wednesday Jan 17, 2007 7:56:51 EST DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The aircraft carrier John C. Stennis set sail for the Middle East on Tuesday, leaving its Bremerton, Wash., home port to help beef up U.S. forces near Iraq and Iran. The Stennis’ arrival, expected in about a month, will mark the first time since the U.S.-led Iraq invasion in 2003 that the U.S. will have two carrier battle groups in the region. The increase in forces is a show of strength by the U.S. in the face of Iran’s growing regional assertiveness and a perception among adversaries that the U.S. is vu…

Pakistan seems to be REALLY stepping it up! Raytheon Announces AMRAAM Sale to Pakistan By WENDELL MINNICK, TAIPEI DefenseNews Pakistan has signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance to procure 500 AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and 200 AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missiles from Raytheon. According to a Jan. 15 Raytheon press release, this is the first AMRAAM missile procurement between Raytheon and Pakistan. “The combined $284 million procurement augments Pakistan’s established inventory and will provide the bulk of the air-to-air fire power of the Pakistan Air Force,” said the release. “This is the largest single purchase of AMRAAM …

Find it here. Early reports of an interesting naval/GOPLAT situation developing in the Persian Gulf. Scenario seed?

From Defence Talk Report On Israeli Iran Strike Incorrect Says Foreign Ministry Agence France-Presse | Jan 8, 2007 Jerusalem: Israel said Sunday that a report in The Sunday Times that the Jewish state had drawn up plans to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment facilities in a tactical nuclear strike was "incorrect." The story is "incorrect," foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. "Israel is 100 percent behind the international community's efforts to bring about an end to Iran's nuclear program. Israel totally supports Resolution 1737 and the international community must be ready to take even tougher measures against Iran," he said. Earlier Immigrant Absorpti…

From DefenseNews Posted 12/07/06 11:35 Israelis Piqued by Gates Nuclear ‘Confirmation’ By DAN WILLIAMS, REUTERS, JERUSALEM Robert Gates, the incoming U.S. secretary of defense, won plaudits in Washington this week for his candor on the Iraq war. Some Israelis were less pleased, however, to hear Gates mention with equal frankness what U.S. administrations have long avoided saying in public -- that the Jewish state has the Middle East’s only nuclear arsenal. To be fair, it was pretty oblique. During his Senate confirmation hearing on Dec. 5, Gates mentioned why Iran might be seeking the means to build an atomic bomb: "They are surrounded by powers with nuclear …

Sinking of INS Khukri: Was it avoidable? Rediff December 03, 2006 16:01 IST It has been thirty-five years since INS Khukri sank in the Arabian sea after being torpedoed by a Pakistani submarine. A new book believes that the incident could have been avoided had the naval top-brass been a little more careful. Questions are being raised over the very idea of forcing Khukri to face a submarine that was far superior and not allowing the anti-submarine Seaking helicopters to give cover to Khukri despite the Pakistani threat. Even the strategy that Capt Mahendra Nath Mullah adopted on the sea is probed. The book, The Sinking of INS Khukri: Survivors' Stories by …

From Defence Talk Iran to reply 'destructively' to any Israeli attack Agence France-Presse Nov 13, 2006 - 5:58:08 AM Iran has vowed it would deliver a "destructive" response to any Israeli military attack on its atomic sites and said it would continue trying to boost its capacity for sensitive nuclear work. Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Iran was still seeking to install 3,000 centrifuges by March 2007 at an atomic plant to enrich uranium, a process the West fears could be diverted to make nuclear weapons. His comments came after a top Israeli official refused to rule out a strike on the Islamic republic to halt the progress of its…

From DefenseNews Posted 11/01/06 09:51 Iran To Fire Ballistic Missiles In War Games By AGENCE FRNACE-PRESSE, TEHRAN Iran’s Revolutionary Guards will fire ballistic missiles with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) during war games this week, state television reported Nov. 1. The air, land and naval maneuvers will take place in 14 provinces starting Nov. 2 “with the focus on the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea,” army chief General Rahim Safavi was quoted by the television as saying. ”Missiles Shahab-2 and Shahab-3 with cluster warheads and range of over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) will be shot as well as hundreds of rockets and other missiles such as F…

From Defence Talk Bushehr Nuclear Plant Exempted In UN Sanctions Draft Agence France-Presse Oct 27, 2006 - 5:24:37 AM The Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran is specifically exempted from nuclear and missile-related sanctions against Tehran proposed by three European powers, according to their draft resolution seen here Thursday. The draft, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, was crafted by envoys of Britain, France and Germany in consultations with the United States and presented to their Russian and Chinese colleagues late Tuesday. It calls on UN member states to "take necessary measures to prevent the supply, sale or transfer directly or indirect…

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…

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

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…

Hez Hacked Israeli Radios DefenseTech This is downright shocking, if true. "Hezbollah guerrillas were able to hack into Israeli radio communications during last month's battles in south Lebanon, an intelligence breakthrough that helped them thwart Israeli tank assaults," Newsday reports. Using technology most likely supplied by Iran, special Hezbollah teams monitored the constantly changing radio frequencies of Israeli troops on the ground. That gave guerrillas a picture of Israeli movements, casualty reports and supply routes. It also allowed Hezbollah anti-tank units to more effectively target advancing Israeli armor, according to the officials... T…

Find it here. Harriers Complete Combat Runs in Afghanistan Marine Corps News | Capt. David E. Nevers | September 25, 2006 Aboard USS Iwo Jima - The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s AV-8B Harriers flew the last of 136 combat missions over the skies of Afghanistan Sept. 21, ending a short but productive stint in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Using just four of its jump jets per day, the MEU’s Harrier detachment dropped a total of 17 precision-guided bombs over 13 days on behalf of NATO forces battling a resurgent Taliban in southern Afghanistan. With the MEU and the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group positioned in the Arabian Sea, and with NATO…

From Jane's Defence Weekly Ukraine sells Kolchuga to Iran By Robert Karniol JDW Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief Bangkok The Kolchuga is intended to detect the take-off and formation of aircraft groups at ranges beyond those of existing radar, as well as determine the course and speed of targets while designating them for air-defence systems. It can identify aerial targets through their emissions and identify the mode of aircraft weapon control systems. Three Kolchuga stations would normally operate along with a command vehicle to provide accurate triangulation on a target. The system is claimed to have a range of 600 km (narrow beam) or 200 km (wide beam) along a …

From Aviation Week U.S., Israel Ponder How to Slow Iranian Nuclear Weapons Development By David A. Fulghum and Douglas Barrie 09/10/2006 04:47:58 PM BUSTING THE BOMB The fighting in southern Lebanon revealed Iran's willingness to supply sophisticated weaponry to Hezbollah, and one of its ships was intercepted trying to do just that for Hamas in the Palestinian territories. A continuing series of tests has demonstrated Iran's growing arsenal of ballistic, tactical and sea-based weapons, and Western intelligence officials anticipate its fielding of locally built versions of fighter-launched, long-range, air-to-surface missiles. But the real fear is Iran's deve…