Current Events in Mideast-Africa

Four Israeli F-15s Dodged Syrian Missile Fire to Attack Urgent Targets (War is Boring)

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

Army records first UAV kills kosborn@defensenews.com - kosborn@defensenews.com Posted : Saturday Sep 15, 2007 7:58:53 EDT When Army scouts in Iraq spotted two men planting a roadside bomb Sept. 1, they called in a nearby Hunter unmanned aircraft, which dropped a laser-guided bomb and killed the two men. “We had the first confirmed use of an Army weaponized UAV,” said Col. Don Hazelwood, project manager for Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. The Army is mounting precision-guided weapons on hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hazelwood said. The MQ-5B Hunter will carry the laser-guided GBU-44/B Viper Strik…

From RIA Novosti Israel proposes naval blockade of Iran 13:34 | 21/ 05/ 2008 TEL AVIV, May 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Israeli prime minister has proposed that a U.S. naval blockade be imposed on Iran to stop the Islamic Republic from moving ahead with its uranium enrichment program, an Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday. According to the Haaretz daily, at a meeting in Jerusalem with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Ehud Olmert said, "The present economic sanctions [against Iran] have run out of steam," and proposed "a naval blockade of Iran," using the U.S. navy to limit movement in and out of the Islamic Republic by Iranian mercha…

As if there was any doubt ... From RIA Novosti Ahmadinejad links Iran's nuclear program to Israel MOSCOW, October 27 (RIA Novosti) - Iran will move forward with its nuclear program as long as Israel possesses nuclear weapons, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying on Tuesday. Ahmadenijad's comment came during a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "When an illegal regime possesses nuclear weapons, the other countries' rights for peaceful nuclear energy cannot be denied," he said. Israel does not admit having nuclear weapons. Four UN nuclear inspectors arrived in Iran on Sunday…

Source: Tactical Reports http://www.tacticalreport.com/view_news/Li...rocurement/2442 Recently appointed Chief of Staff of the Libyan Armed Forces Major-General Yusef Al-Manqoush is said to have no intention of putting any obstacles before any European country trying to place offers with the Libyan Air Force (LAF) for fighter jets. He provided his views regarding the Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Mirage 2000-9. (rmks: It looks like the reconstituted LAF will court EU aircraft suppliers - almost a no-brainer in defense circles. These procurments will likely act a shot-in-the-arm for European aircraft companies). What are the thoughts of the forum? FWFS, …

From Defense-Aerospace Saudi Arabia Launches Huge Arms Buying Spree; France to Net Most Orders (Source: defense-aerospace.com; issued July 22, 2006) By Giovanni de Briganti Saudi Arabia will buy 142 helicopters from France, including 64 NH-90 helicopters such as the one shown here, as well as tanker aircraft and other weapons in the largest arms export deal ever signed by France. PARIS --- The Saudi government last week agreed to purchase a total of 142 helicopters from France, in a deal that will modernize its military helicopter fleet at a single stroke and that, together with additional contracts to follow, firmly establishes France as the kingdom’s main …

From DefenseNews U.S., India Sign New Defense Agreement By GOPAL RATNAM The United States and India have signed a new defense cooperation agreement intended to strengthen military ties during the next decade and set up a bilateral working group that would guide India’s purchase of U.S. arms. Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is visiting Washington ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit in July, announced the new cooperation agreement and said although the two countries have different world visions on some key issues, the growing strategic partnership will continue. For example, “the United States considers Pakistan an effective ally” i…

Call made for China to battle pirates By Christopher Bodeen - The Associated Press Posted : Thursday Dec 4, 2008 9:17:56 EST BEIJING — A Chinese general has called for the country’s navy to join the fight against Somali pirates, saying the mission would boost China’s international stature and give its sailors valuable experience in fighting open ocean combat operations far from their home ports. Chinese ships have been among those seized in a wave of pirate attacks this year, including the fishing vessel Tianyu No. 8, seized in mid-November. International warships from NATO and countries including Russia patrol the Gulf of Aden and have created a security…

From Flight International Rafales go to Afghanistan as French commitment grows By Helen Massy-Beresford Air force and navy to deploy six aircraft to Tajikistan in support of ISAF mission France is in the process of sending six Dassault Rafale C/M fighters to support ground troops serving as part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Three air force and three navy F2 software-standard aircraft were scheduled to leave for the region on 10 March as part of France's Operation Serpentaire. Their deployment follows the recent completion of ground and flight tests and crew training activities at the air force's CEAM test centre at …

Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B7D...90095339D5A.htm Thursday 17 February 2005, 16:54 Makka Time, 13:54 GMT An Iranian official has said a key agreement with Russia on the return of spent nuclear fuel will be signed by the end of the month. The deal will pave the way for Iran's first nuclear power plant. Asadollah Sabouri, a deputy head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation, was quoted by state television as saying that the agreement would allow Russia to provide Bushehr's power reactor with fuel, and would be signed on 26 February. The signing of the agreement, which obliges Iran to return spent nuclear fuel to Russia, will …

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…

Well, that's a breath of fresh air ... http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/14/oba...ates/index.html

From Ares IAF and Greek Air Force Conduct Joint Exercise Over Mediterranean Posted by Noam Eshel at 5/28/2010 8:20 AM CDT The Israeli Air Force began joint training exercises with the Greek Air Force on the island of Crete in the Aegean Sea. The exercise, codenamed "MINOAS 2010", includes training for aerial combat, attacks on terrestrial targets, long-range missions and mid-air refueling. The exercise will also include search and rescue missions from Souda air force base up to the Aegean island of Aghios Eftrastio. "MINOAS 2010", is scheduled to continue through the weekend. 10 IAF aircraft are participating in the exercise – five F-15I 'Rams' and five F16I …

From http://www.defensenews.com United States, Europe Consider Penalties Against Syria By ADAM ENTOUS, REUTERS The United States and European allies are considering joint measures to punish Syria if it fails to take concrete steps to withdraw from Lebanon, officials said March 3, as President George W. Bush renewed his demand that Damascus get out now. Stepping up public pressure on Syria for a second day in a row, Bush said, "The message is loud and clear -- from the United States and France and many other nations -- that Syria must withdraw not only her troops, but her secret service forces out of Lebanon now." The president said he would discuss the is…

From Air Force Times Israeli jets come close to firing on airliner Staff reports Posted : Wednesday Apr 11, 2007 16:57:10 EDT Israel air force fighter planes scrambled Wednesday to intercept a U.S. airliner after it lost communications with air controllers, security officials said. The Continental passenger plane was flying in from the U.S. when it lost contact. Following anti-terror procedures, two Israeli warplanes intercepted the plane and guided it back over the Mediterranean Sea until communications were restored, Channel 10 TV reported. When it was determined that there were no problems on board and the pilot was in control, the plane was allowed t…

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…

How the Nuclear Deal Enriches Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (pdf, Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

India says no to US P-3C Orion aircraft Rahul Bedi (IANS) New Delhi, February 4, 2006 HindustanTimes In a rare 'no' to Washington, the Indian Navy has called off the leasing of two US Navy P-3C Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft (MRA) on grounds they are too expensive. The 18-24 months it would take the US Navy to retrofit the two aircraft to the Indian Navy specifications once the lease had been finalised also contributed to New Delhi opting out of the deal. "The lease (of two P-3C Orions) is timed out. It was expensive and time-consuming," a senior Indian official associated with the lease negotiations said. The US Navy is believed to have d…

Source INDIADEFENCE 29/07/2008 The INS Sindhuvijay diesel-electric submarine will set sail for India on August 5 to rejoin the Indian navy after an extensive overhaul at a shipyard in northern Russia, the company said on Tuesday. The Project 877EKM Kilo-class submarine had been undergoing a refit at the Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk since 2005. The overhaul was delayed for six months due to the unacceptable performance of its new SS-N-27 Club-S cruise missiles. In six consecutive pre-delivery test firings in September - November 2007, the Club missiles failed to find their targets and India refused to accept the delivery until all the problems had been fixe…