Current Events in Mideast-Africa

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…

I wonder why? I thought that they already field the Arrow SAM which is claimed to be similarly capable.

From DefenseNews UAE Takes Delivery of First F-16s from United States By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ABU DHABI The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 3 took delivery of the first batch of an order for 80 F-16 fighters from the United States, estimated to cost $6.4 billion, the official WAM news agency reported. It did not specify the number of warplanes received at an official ceremony attended by Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The UAE signed a contract for the sophisticated F-16 Falcon fighters built by Lockheed Martin Corp in March 2000 for delivery that was due to have started at the end of 2004 and continued through 2007. …

USS Squall (Cyclone-class) fired warning shots at unidentified Iranian warship: http://uk.businessinsider.com/uss-squall-fired-shots-after-incident-iranian-navy-ship-2016-8

New RSA submarine launched in Germany Johannesburg, South Africa Mail & Guardian 04 May 2005 01:00 advertisementSouth Africa's second of three Type 209 submarines was launched in Emden in northern Germany on Wednesday. The boat was christened "S102". Speaking during the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Defence Mluleki George said the naming and launching of any vessel is a significant occasion, as it only happens once in its lifetime. "The ceremony of today represents but one of the milestones in the life of the vessel, of which there will be many. "She still has to be completely fitted out, trials and tests carried out, and some fine-tun…

Singapore Airshow: Rafael launches Iron Beam (Jane's)

from the November 28, 2005 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1128/p01s04-wosc.html Indian Air Force, in war games, gives US a run Foreign fighter jets performed well against F-16s in recent exercises. By Scott Baldauf | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor NEW DELHI - Mingling over a few rounds of golf, dogfighting a bit over the jungles of West Bengal - this month's Cope India 2005 war games were billed as a standard two-week exercise between Indian and American top guns. But in website chat rooms devoted to the arcania of fighter aircraft, there was a buzz. Arre, wa! Oh, wow! Had the Indian Air Force beat the Americans? Not exactly, ac…

From Army Times Iran deeply involved in Iraq, Petraeus says By Sean D. Naylor - Staff writer Posted : Thursday May 24, 2007 7:38:56 EDT BAGHDAD — The Iranian government has spent the last few years training elite “secret cells” of renegade Shi’a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army, while funding that group and other Shi’a militias in Iraq to the tune of “hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Army Gen. David Petraeus, the senior U.S. commander in Iraq. In an exclusive May 18 interview with Military Times, Petraeus said the involvement of the Iranians is “absolutely nefarious. It is hugely damaging to Iraq. It is fuelling the Shi’a militia side of things and …

From Defense Aerospace New Success for DCNS in Morocco (Source: DCNS; issued Oct. 23, 2007) PARIS --- In the course of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent state visit to Morocco, the Kingdom's highest authorities confirmed an agreement between the two countries to provide the Royal Moroccan Navy with a FREMM multi-mission frigate. This multi-mission front-line fighting ship will expand the Navy's operational capabilities, particularly for anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine missions. In addition to reduced crewing (a little over 100 officers and sailors), the ship will benefit from the many advances arising from the FREMM programme to produce a …

From DefenseNews U.S. Mulls Maritime Interdiction Off Iran By barbara opall-rome Published: 1 March 2010 TEL AVIV - The Obama administration is considering using maritime levers to ratchet up pressure on Iran, from a modest expansion of existing international interdiction initiatives to the more extreme or less likely blockade of the Arabian Sea mouth and the Gulf of Aden. Implemented unilaterally or as part of an upcoming United Nations Security Council Resolution, such moves would complement the diplomatic drive to roll back Iran's nuclear program through sanctions. A senior U.S. government official said Washington was not willing to consider - "at lea…

Interesting site finded researching for the Kill bin Laden scenario, with nice photos, probably tomorrow in the news http://www.bagram.afcent.af.mil/photos/med...?galleryID=6178

India to induct BrahMos into Navy ThePakistaniNewspaper.com NEW DELHI, May 04: Following a series of successful flight trials, the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos supersonic cruise missile has proved its efficacy against ship targets and is ready for induction in the Indian Navy. Giving this information in the Rajya Sabha today, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said a Letter of Interest had been placed on BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited for installation of the missiles on certain ships of the Navy. The BrahMos cruise missile -- believed to be the first supersonic anti-ship missile -- is designed to be able to attack surface targets from a low alt…

An Intensifying US Campaign Against Iran Amid US charges of Iran's hand in Iraq's instability, some counsel caution. By Scott Peterson, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor ISTANBUL, TURKEY -- Somalia, 1993: During the darkest days of the American military intervention, when US troops were taking casualties from drug-addled gunmen wearing flip-flops, US officials pointed to a familiar nemesis. It was Iran, warned Madeleine Albright, then-US envoy to the United Nations, that had forged a "tactical alliance" with a Somali warlord and "terrorists" in Sudan. Intelligence sources for the first time spoke of smuggled Iranian weapons. In Mogadishu, journ…

From Flight Global [excerpt]

From Defence Aerospace Agreement With US to Rescue Submarines In Distress (Source: Indian Ministry of Defence; issued May 4, 2005) NEW DELHI --- India and US have agreed to reach an agreement for American assistance for Indian Naval Submarines which are in distress to facilitate rescue of crew members from a disabled submarine. There are no plans to procure submarine rescue vehicles from US. The agreement is only restricted to utilizing the US Navy’s Global Submarines Rescue Flyway Kit to facilitate rescue of personnel from disabled submarines and not for augmenting the capability of the existing submarines in the Indian Navy No such situation …

Iran Shipping Signals Conceal Syria Ship Movements (Aviation Week)

From Ares An interesting legal question, one in which I suspect Israel (and others) would advise that Iran is due a rather large sum of general and special damages.

Iran tested medium-range ballistic missile: U.S. official (Reuters) In direct contravention of UN resolutions and the Obama 'deal'

Iran displays captured ScanEagle UAV (Jane's)

From US Institute of Peace: Gulf I: Iran's Power in the Air Gulf II: Timeline of U.S.-Iran Encounters Gulf III: Iran's Power in the Sea Lanes Iran's military doctrine