Current Events in Mideast-Africa

Pakistan Pins High Hopes on New Chinese Fighter Jet By TAHIR IKRAM, REUTERS, KAMRA, Pakistan eDefense Pakistan, which has been seeking high technology aircraft for the last two decades, said May 9 it hoped to start joint production with China from 2007 of multi-role fighter jets. The first four JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft are expected to be introduced into the air force some time in 2006, said Air Vice Marshal Shahid Latif, project director for JF-17 planes. The medium-technology aircraft matches the Mirage in performance but has better avionics and weapons, Latif told a news conference at the Kamra Aeronautical complex, 80 km (50 miles) west of Islama…

Jihadists Moving Into Lebanon From Syria By Christopher Allbritton, Washington Times NAHR EL-BARED, Lebanon -- Heavily armed foreign jihadists have been entering Lebanon from Syria from around the time Western authorities noticed a drop in the infiltration of foreign fighters from Syria to Iraq, Lebanese officials say. Syrian authorities, hoping to disrupt Lebanon so they can reassert control of the country, "have stopped sending [the jihadists] to Iraq and are now sending them here," charged Mohammed Salam, a specialist in Palestinian affairs in Lebanon. "They sent those people to die in Lebanon." Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, commander of Lebanon's Internal Sec…

Musharraf's Grip Falters In Pakistan Nationwide protests push the U.S.-backed general into a corner. By Laura King, Times Staff Writer ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — When President Perez Musharraf survived back-to-back assassination attempts in 2003, he might have thought the worst was behind him. But now, after easily quelling any threat to his power during eight years of military rule, the general appears trapped in a labyrinth of his own making. His attempt 2 1/2 months ago to sideline Pakistan's independent-minded chief justice touched off nationwide protests that have coalesced into a full-blown pro-democracy movement. Islamic militants have established a firm…

MRAPs going to Iraq on Russian cargo planes By Erik Holmes - Staff writer Posted : Friday Oct 26, 2007 17:29:47 EDT The Air Force has been forced to use Russian commercial cargo jets to rush mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles from the U.S. to Iraq because it does not have enough C-5 and C-17 planes to do the job, the service’s top civilian official said recently. Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said at an Oct. 24 House Armed Services Committee hearing that American reliance on Russian Antonov jumbo jets to move critical war supplies indicates that the Air Force may need more than its current 300 C-5s and C-17s. “We are now sharing the mission o…

After succesful test, Israeli medium-range anti-missile missile System to enter service near July 2015: http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-successfully-tests-new-anti-ballistic-missile-system/

Mideast Militants Gain Footholds Lebanon Standoff Shows Spread Of al Qaeda-Style Extremism By Bill Spindle and Cam Simpson The standoff in Lebanon between a group of armed extremists and the Lebanese military, now in its second week, vividly shows how political turbulence in the Middle East has helped a new breed of al Qaeda-style militants gain footholds where they had rarely been active on such a scale. In Lebanon, the Fatah Islam militant group now holed up inside a Palestinian refugee camp has capitalized on the crosscurrents of conflict in the region -- from Iraq to Lebanon and the Palestinian territories -- to recruit followers, cultivate support and…

Indian Fighter Copies Costlier Than Russian Originals By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NEW DELHI, India DefenseNews A federal watchdog May 19 blasted Indian military plane-makers for spending more on copying Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jet than it would cost to buy them. Some of the copied Sukhoi-30MKI interceptors are also flying without critical airborne systems, the Controller-Auditor General (CAG) said in a hard-hitting report about India’s military hardware manufacturers. Moscow allowed New Delhi to locally build Sukhois in the late 1990s as part of a bilateral pact to save India using up foreign exchange reserves. But the national watchdog said the deal ha…

Tehran officially launches production of first Iranian-made submarine CanadaEast Tehran launches production of Iranian-made submarine TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran officially launched production of the country's first Iranian-built submarine, a craft capable of operating stealthily, state-run television reported. Defence Ministry spokesman Mohammad Imani was quoted as saying "the enemy would not be able to detect the submarine." He did not elaborate. One submarine has apparently already been built and was shown on television Tuesday, cruising at sea level. The Defence Ministry has commissioned an unspecified number of the craft, dubbed Ghadir in honour of a site…

While no one would entirely discount 'flying telephone poles', Tehran should take note that a version of the S-200 (NATO SA-5 Gammon) is not a version of the S-300 (NATO SA-10 Grumble family), and to say otherwise does nothing for one's credibility ... From RIA Novosti Iran's domestic air defense system is upgraded version of S-200 Iran's domestic air defense system reported to be an analogue of the Russian S-300 is a mere upgraded version of the obsolete Soviet-made S-200, Iran's Press TV website said referring to top military officials. The S-200 was officially accepted into service in 1967. Iran acquired several systems from the Soviet Union in the la…

UAE Backs out of Typhoon Discussions (DefenseNews)

First Egyptian Type 209 sub arrives in Alexandria (Jane's)

French Leader Raises Possibility Of Force In Iran By Elaine Sciolino PARIS, Aug. 27 — In his first major foreign policy speech as president, Nicolas Sarkozy of France said Monday that Iran could be attacked militarily if it did not live up to its international obligations to curb its nuclear program. Addressing France’s ambassadorial corps, Mr. Sarkozy stressed that such an outcome would be a disaster. He did not say France would ever participate in military action against Iran or even tacitly support such an approach. But the mere fact that he raised the specter of the use of force is likely to be perceived both by Iran as a warning of the consequences if…

Saudi Arabia Eyes Buying German Submarines (DefenseNews)

From Stratfor The Strait of Hormuz Incident and U.S. Strategy January 14, 2008 | 1955 GMT By George Friedman Iranian speedboats reportedly menaced U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Jan. 6. Since then, the United States has gone to great lengths to emphasize the threat posed by Iran to U.S. forces in the strait — and, by extension, to the transit of oil from the Persian Gulf region. The revelation of an Iranian threat in the Strait of Hormuz was very helpful to the United States, coming as it did just before U.S. President George W. Bush’s trip to the region. Washington will use the incident to push for an anti-Iranian coalition among the Gulf Arabs, as we…

Israel Will Be First Partner Nation To Fly F-35s (Aviation Week)

Egypt reportedly to buy 46 MiG-29s (Jane's) The EAF has never been shy of operating multiple types from multiple sources.

From Jane's Intelligence Digest A partnership between Israel and NATO ? In a rapidly changing strategic environment, Israeli policy makers are recognising definite advantages, especially in security affairs, in developing closer ties with NATO. The present Israeli government's enthusiasm for this project can be seen in an ambitious set of proposals submitted to the Alliance. Highlighting the desirability of upgrading relations with NATO, the document proposes closer co-operation on counter-terrorism; combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; joint military training; in the field of logistics; and in the future joint development of weapons systems…

From Aviation Week's Ares Blog Sea Sparrow versus Kormoran Posted by Nicholas Fiorenza at 3/22/2010 12:09 PM CDT The Bundeswehr has produced a video of the live firings which took place during Exercise Good Hope IV held between the German and South African navies and air forces on 15 February to 15 March. The film begins with the German task group commander, Capt. Marco von Kölln, saying the Cape of Good Hope is one of only two or three areas where missiles can be tested safely because of the low traffic of what is also known as the Cape of Storms. How stormy the seas are as well as the wind state has to be checked before the firings, the narrator says. The v…

The Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula (pdf, Center for Strategic and International Studies)

Is This the Secret U.S. Drone Base in Saudi Arabia? (Wired, Danger Room blog)