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Pentagon notifies US Congress of missile sale to India WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said on Tuesday it has notified the US Congress of a possible sale to India of two dozen Harpoon air to ground anti-ship missiles. Such a deal would be worth as much as 170 million dollars, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. "India intends to use the Harpoon missiles to modernize its air force anti-surface warfare mission capabilities and improve its naval operational flexibility," the agency said in a statement. Boeing would be the prime contractor. The 84L Harpoon Block II missiles are designed primarily as satellite guided...

The United States does not expect Iran to receive a Russian air defense system this year, a Pentagon official said on Tuesday of the shield that would make any strike on Tehran's nuclear sites more difficult Eric Edelman, the Pentagon's undersecretary for policy, was responding to questions at a Senate hearing about reports that Iran would soon acquire an advanced Russian anti-aircraft missile system. "To the best of my knowledge, I don't believe we think the missiles referred to ... are in fact slated for delivery by the end of this year," Edelman told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "But...

RUSSIA today submitted a draft resolution in the UN security council demanding an arms embargo against Georgia and called for an informal council meeting with representatives of South Ossetia and Abkhazia at the UN next month. "It is in everybody's interest to have an arms embargo against Georgia," Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said while conceding that some council members, particularly the United States, were likely to oppose the move. "Strong opposition from some members of the security council, particularly the United States, can be expected. But we believe it was absolutely necessary to make that political statement by introducing...

The US is considering selling an anti-missile system to the United Arab Emirates, which could be used to defend the UAE against any future aggression from Iran. THAAD is designed to defend against short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and complements the Patriot missile-defense system, which aims lower. The Pentagon is set to notify US Congress of the sale and Congress will then have 30 days to review the matter, sources close to the issue told news outlets on Monday. If approved, it would be the first sale of the THAAD system to a foreign country. The pursuit of advanced defense...

Pak to get 100 fighter jets from China, US Islamabad, Sept 7 (PTI) Pakistan will acquire over 100 fighter jets from China and the US as well as airborne warning and air-to-air refuelling aircraft to maintain numerical parity with the Indian Air Force which enjoys a "qualitative advantage", the country's air force chief has said. Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed said the Pakistan Air Force was "very close" to signing a contract with China for serial production of 42 JF-17 fighter jets. It would also acquire two squadrons or 36 of the FC-20 multi-role fighters from China and 18...

MOSCOW [MENL] -- Russia has approved the sale of the S-300PMU2 air defense system to Iran. Russian government sources said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin approved the sale of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran in 2008. The sources said the two countries have concluded delivery and other arrangements for the export of the air defense platform.

Russia may use nuclear aid to Iran as a method of responding to increased tensions between Moscow and Washington over the conflict in Georgia, the Sunday Times reported. According to the report, a source close to the Russian military told the paper that Moscow is furious over the form of continued US overtures to Georgia and the Ukraine. Since hostilities in Georgia ended two weeks ago, the United States has called for a NATO expansion which would include the two nations, has sent warships to the area to deliver emergency supplies, has promised huge sums of aid to help rebuild...

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney told President Shimon Peres yesterday that Russia is selling arms to Syria and Iran with the clear knowledge that they are being channeled to Hezbollah and terror groups in Iraq. After meeting Peres on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti forum by Italy's Lake Como, the American vice president later reiterated these remarks in his address at the economic conference, saying that "Russian arms dealing in the Middle East has endangered the prospects for peace and freedom in the region." Advertisement Cheney added that the Russian leaders view democracy as a direct threat to their regime....

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney met with President Shimon Peres on the sidelines of the Ambrosetti forum on the edge of Italy's Lake Como on Saturday, telling the Israeli leader that Russia is selling arms to Damascus and Iran with the clear knowledge that they are being channeled to Hezbollah and terror groups in Iraq. The American vice president later reiterated these remarks in his address at the economic conference, saying that "Russian arms dealing in the Middle East has endangered the prospects for peace and freedom in the region." He added that the Russian leaders view democracy as a...

China to provide Pakistan four AWACS aircrafts Updated at: 1510 PST, Friday, September 05, 2008 ISLAMABAD: Air Chief Marshall Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed on Friday said China would provide four AWACS aircrafts to Pakistan for the purpose of aerial surveillance, adding an agreement in this regard has been signed by the two countires. Talking to Geo News, he said talks were also underway to purchase FC-20 aircrafts from China and added 30 to 40 planes would be provided to Pakistan under the agreement signed by China and Pakistan. Air chief Marshall further said four such aircrafts were being also acquired from...

Excerpt - WASHINGTON -- The Iraqi government is seeking to buy 36 advanced F-16 fighters from the U.S., say American military officials familiar with the request, a move that could help reduce its reliance on U.S. air power and potentially allow more American forces to withdraw from the country than had been proposed. ~ snip ~

Ukraine's defense sector has called for a big rise in funding for the military after Russia's war with Georgia but its reliance on Russian supplies of weapons and parts poses a dilemma. Ukraine's leaders backed Georgia in the war over breakaway South Ossetia and expressed anger that Russia used ships from its fleet stationed in Ukraine's Crimea region. Politicians have voiced fears Ukraine could be Russia's next target, although analysts say an imminent invasion is most unlikely. "Russia's actions have compelled our generals to look at the possibility of using force and this has handed them the argument that we...

MOSCOW, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - Russia may proceed with plans to sell advanced S-300 air defense systems to Iran under a secret contract believed to have been signed in 2005, a Russian analyst said on Monday. (Russian mobile surface-to-air missile systems - Image gallery) Commenting on an article in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper saying Russia is using the plans as a bargaining chip in its standoff with America, Ruslan Pukhov, director of Moscow-based Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said: "In the current situation, when the U.S. and the West in general are stubbornly gearing toward a confrontation...

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi on Monday denied reports that Tehran has purchased the S-300 system, an advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft missile, the English-language Press TV satellite channel reported. "No such thing is correct," Qashqavi told reporters in his weekly press conference. Iran's missile and technical capabilities are the outcome of a homegrown technology developed by Iranian scientists, Qashqavi said, adding that "this technology was recently demonstrated." Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) completed military maneuvers in the Gulf called Payambar-e Azam 3 (Great Prophet 3) in mid July to improve combat readiness and capability. Iran successfully test fired new...

Iran denied on Monday it had bought Russia's advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, after Israeli defense sources said the Islamic Republic could take delivery of the weapons by the end of the year.

LONDON, August 29 (IranMania) - An Israeli think tank claims that Iran will install an advanced air defense system the country bought from Russia next year, PressTV reported. The report says the S-300PMU-2 air defense system will be deployed in 2009 and it will be operational by the middle of the next year. The report by the Institute for Contemporary Affairs said the S-300 would complement other Russian air defense systems in Iran, particularly the TOR-M1. ?The S-300 system, which has a radius of over 90 miles and effective altitudes of about 90,000 feet, is capable of tracking up to...

The Olmert-Livni-Barak government is apparently maneuvering to stand down on Iran, and they'd like the US to be blamed for their timidity. A careful reading of a bizarre article in Sunday's edition of Ha'aretz brings this point home clearly. The report details Israel's recent agreement with the US to deploy the X-Band high powered early warning radar system in Israel. The system will be manned by a team of three US military personnel from a trailer somewhere in the Negev. The US's willingness to deploy the system is largely the consequence of ardent lobbying efforts by US Congressman Mark Kirk....

Eastern Europe Can Defend Itself By MAX BOOT August 25, 2008; Page A13 Eastern Europeans are rightly alarmed about the brazenness and success of the Russian blitzkrieg into Georgia. For many living in Russia's shadow, this is reviving traumatic memories -- of 1968 for Czechs, 1956 for Hungarians, 1939 for Poles. It does not help that senior Russian generals are threatening to rain nuclear annihilation on Ukraine and Poland if they refuse to toe the Kremlin's line. Even those states which, unlike Georgia and Ukraine, are already in NATO can take scant comfort. As Poland's foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, says,...

U.S. to give Poland five C-130 Hercules planes 2008-08-26 00:06:58 WARSAW, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Poland will get from the United States five 40-year-old C-130 Hercules transport planes as part of allied assistance, Rzeczpospolita daily reported on Monday. The first one is expected in Poland in October and the last one in 2012. 50 Polish pilots and technicians are being trained in the U.S. to service the planes. According to the newspaper, the planes will be used for soldier and equipment transport for military missions. At present the Polish Air Forces use Spanish CASA C-295M which are not fit for...

The sale of Russia’s arms is another problem. The governments of Western countries and Israel are concerned about reports saying that Russia started the shipments of first components of its S-300 missile system to Iran. The latter may subsequently use the powerful systems to down US and Israeli aircraft. Russia may complicate USA’s and NATO’s supply of the coalition in Afghanistan In April, Moscow gave France and Germany a right to transit non-combatant cargoes via Russia. Russia’s ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the West should not bite the hand that feeds 50,000 servicemen in Afghanistan. Moscow can offer...

Syria Expected to Reach Arms Deals 22 August 2008 By Oleg Shchedrov / Reuters SOCHI — Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad backed Russia's military action against Georgia at talks with President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday that were expected to cover purchases of Russian arms. A diplomatic source in Moscow told Interfax on Wednesday that Russia and Syria were preparing a number of deals involving anti-aircraft and anti-tank missile systems. Syria, a foe of Israel in the Middle East that stands accused by the United States of supporting international terrorism, became only the second country after Belarus to voice public backing for...

US demands Russia return seized Humvees WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States has formally demanded the return of five US military vehicles seized by Russian forces in Georgia but Moscow has not indicated it will do so, a Pentagon spokesman said Friday. "The United States did demarche the government of Russia with respect to the handful of Humvees," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, referring to the military's all-purpose, four wheel vehicles. "That has not been resolved satisfactorily for us at this point," he said. Whitman said the Russians responded to the demarche, which is a formal diplomatic representation of a...

Assault rifles, rocket launchers, tanks, uniforms... All that stuff the Russians have taken from the Georgian soldiers during the conflict, that lasted several days. Now they're boasting, showing the results of their looting to the tourists. The Russian army have organised an exhibition in Sukhumi (Abkhazia), where they're showing what they've taken from the Georgians. The weapons - mainly from the USA, Germany and Israel - looks, like it's brand new, straight from the factory. Probably its Western origins was the reason, why the Russians wanted to show it - to prove, that the Georgians have been supported by other...

Fears that Russia might sell advanced weaponry to Syria kicked up a mini-storm of concern in Israel on Thursday. Syrian President Bashar Assad, in Russia for talks with President Dmitry Medvedev, has been campaigning to acquire weapons systems that include long-range surface-to-surface missiles, according to Russian media reports. The news of Assad's reported ambitions prompted immediate hand-wringing among Israeli officials and analysts. Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel was "analyzing the ramifications" of Assad's visit.

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Russia on Thursday for a two-day visit during which he is seeking to purchase advanced weaponry from Moscow including the Pantsyr-S1 Air Defense Missile system, the BUK-M1 surface-to-air medium-range missile system and the sophisticated S-300 long range anti-aircraft missile system already purchased by Iran. Syria has also reportedly offered to allow Moscow to deploy its Russian Iskander missile system, an advanced short-range, solid fuel-propelled missile, in its territory. The new Russo-Syrian military cooperation comes in reaction to the recent US-Poland missile deal which positions NATO missile systems on Russia’s western front, eliciting harsh threats...

The US turned down a request by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to purchase the Boeing 767 aircraft, which can be used for mid-air refueling, amid fears that the sale would appear to support an Israeli strike on Iran, Channel 10 news reported on Thursday. Some 1,000 kilometers separate Israel from Iran, a distance that would play a key role in any attack on Iranian nuclear sites. The IAF already has mid-air refueling capabilities and possesses 63 f-16I fighter jets with an estimated 2,100 kilometer range, which would enable them to strike targets deep within Iranian territory without the need to...

The US turned down a request by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to purchase the Boeing 767 aircraft, which can be used for mid-air refueling, amid fears that the sale would appear to support an Israeli strike on Iran, Channel 10 news reported on Thursday.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 22 CFR Parts 122 and 129 [Public Notice 6246] RIN 1400-AC50 Amendment to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations: Registration Fee Change AGENCY: Department of State. ACTION: Proposed rule. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of State is proposing to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by increasing the registration fees, changing the registration renewal period, and making other minor administrative changes. DATES: Effective Date: The Department of State will accept comments on this proposed rule until August 27, 2008. ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments within 30 days of the date of publication by any of...

EVEN as Russia and Georgia continue their on-again, off-again struggle over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a frenzied tea-leaf reading about the war’s global political ramifications has broken out across airwaves and think-tank forums. But as the situation on the ground recedes inevitably to some new form of the pernicious “frozen conflict” that has plagued the region since Georgia’s civil wars of the early 1990s, few are paying attention to a less portentous but equally critical international threat: an increase in the longstanding, rampant criminality in the conflict zones that is likely to further destabilize the entire Caucasus region and at...

Syrian President Bashar Assad was scheduled to leave for Russia on Wednesday for a two-day visit that has been described by analysts as important at a time when Moscow may be considering closer ties with the Arab world. Assad told Russia's Kommersant newspaper on Wednesday that he would use his visit to expand military ties with Moscow, whose arms sales to the Middle Eastern state have angered Israel and the United States. He said that Russia's conflict with Georgia, in which Moscow says Georgia used Israeli-supplied equipment, underlined the need for Russia and Syria to tighten their defense cooperation.

WASHINGTON - The chaos in Georgia has forced the United States to halt a high-priority program that was helping the former Soviet republic to identify possible smugglers of nuclear bomb components across its borders, long considered a transit point for terrorists seeking to obtain weapons of mass destruction, according to US officials. A team from the US Nuclear Security Administration was providing Georgian authorities with radiation equipment and training at key border crossings and the Batumi airport on the country's Black Sea coast when Russia invaded two weeks ago. The advisers were forced to flee the country within days, according...

Russia considers nuclear missiles for Syria, Baltic Russia is planning to install Iskander surface missiles in Syria and its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, in a response to United States missile interceptors in Poland and U.S.-Israeli military aid to Georgia, an Israeli news agency reported on Monday. Moscow seems to be eying Poland, the Middle East, and possibly Ukraine, as the main arenas for its reprisals, as Russia is reported to plan arming warships, submarines and long-range bombers in the Baltic and Middle East with nuclear warheads, DEBKAfile reported. The plan includes the establishment of big Russian military, naval and air...

15 August 2008 Serbian defence officials denied selling weapons to Georgia, after Russia said assault rifles made in country’s arsenal Zastava were used in the recent conflict in South Ossetia. A defence ministry official said the weapons were most likely sold to Georgia by one of the other former Yugoslav republics, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. The M70 assault rifle is an improved copy of former Soviet Kalashnikov AK47. Both share the same caliber of 7.62x39 mm, but the Yugoslav version has an integral rifle grenade sight and is of much better quality. --- n 2007, workers from Zastava Oruzje...

Poland's 'Peace Sky' at home in Arizona August 15, 2008 (by Capt. Gabe Johnson) In the transition from Soviet-built MiG-29s and Su-22s to American-built F-16s, Poland takes on one of NATO's most aggressive fighter up-starts known as "Peace Sky". A new generation of Polish Air Force pilots are learning how to fly their country's most advanced fighter, the F-16C/D block 52 "Jastrzab" or Hawk as it's called, from the Arizona Air National Guard. To date, the Central European country has received 41 of the 48 F-16s it has on order, and is rapidly increasing its number of qualified pilots with...

Conventional wisdom has rapidly hardened around the proposition that there is no practical military response to the Russian invasion of Georgia. In fact, if the Georgians were inclined to fight, there is quite a lot they could do militarily, and in a way that would not directly involve U.S. or NATO forces. To understand how this military option would work, some background is required. Most people have been grossly exaggerating Russian military strength and prowess in this exercise, obviously one long in the planning, and actually involving relatively small forces. By all accounts, the Russian "58th Army" has invaded Georgian...

Excerpt- MOSCOW, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday its forces had seized U.S.-made weapons from a Georgian military base near the town of Senaki, but added there had been no gunfire in Georgia in the past 24 hours. "Our forces have seized 1,728 arms in Senaki," Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, deputy head of Russia's General Staff, told a news conference. ~ snip ~

Gori/Tbilisi - The troopers of Russia's 58th Army, fresh from chasing their US-trained Georgian opponents out of South Ossetia, are just in love with their NATO-issue loot. 'Check out this war trophy,' a T-62 tank commander named Viktor proudly pointed out to a Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reporter. 'A real NATO-standard bayonet!'

Text of report in English by Russian state news agency ITAR-TASS Moscow, 14 August: Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev has criticized countries that supply Georgia with arms. "As Russian president, I am counting on a constructive position from [our] partners; otherwise, all they can do is to supply Georgia with arms," Medvedev said at a meeting with South Ossetian and Abkhaz leaders.

U.S. analysts are beginning to address the question of why the Israeli Air Force was able to penetrate Syria’s Russian-made air defenses, while the Russian Air Force was not able to finesse Georgia’s Russian-made air defenses. That Russian-built and designed air defenses are exploitable was shown in the Israeli Air Force’s total shutdown of Syrian air defenses prior to bombing a suspected nuclear site last year (Aerospace DAILY, May 2). But Russia apparently didn’t have or didn’t use the digital keys to unlock the Georgians’ network. There are indications from U.S. analysts that the relative simplicity – meaning far less...

August 14, 2008: While Georgian ground forces have been pushed around by the recent Russian invasion, Georgian air defenses have been noticeably more effective. The Russians have admitted to losing four aircraft (three Su-25 ground attack bombers and a Tu-22 bomber flying a reconnaissance mission.) Most, or all, appear to have been brought down by the SA-11 BukM1 surface-to-air missile systems (obtained from Ukraine). The SA-11 is the successor to the SA-6, which did so much damage to the Israeli Air Force during the 1973 war. The SA-11 launchers are self-propelled and carry four 1,500 pound missiles. The missiles have...

An Israeli government official dismissed claims that the United States was withholding arms from Israel to dissuade the Jewish state from attacking Iran. The official told JTA on Wednesday that U.S.-Israel negotiations over arms sales are taking place independently of any considerations over Iran. "They're two separate things," the official said, referring to a Ha'aretz report that the United States was withholding arms from Israel for fear they would be used in an attack on Iran. Similarly, the officials dismissed Ha'aretz' speculation that the United States was intensifying its missile defense cooperation with Israel as an incentive against an attack...

The bizarre remarks and actions of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez continue to concern anyone who is interested in the peace and security of the Caribbean region. Chavez has recently purchased $4 billion worth of military equipment from Russia, including 24 Sukhoi combat aircraft with missiles, Main battle tanks, transport aircraft, air defence systems and Kalashnikov AK automatic assault rifles. This latest purchase follows a 2005-2006 agreement with Russia to buy over 50 combat helicopters, 12 Tor-M1state-of-the-art defence anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missile systems and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles. Having purchased all this heavy-duty weaponry, Chavez boasted that his air force could...

The American administration has rejected an Israeli request for military equipment and support that would improve Israel's ability to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. The Americans viewed the request, which was transmitted (and rejected) at the highest level, as a sign that Israel is in the advanced stages of preparations to attack Iran. They therefore warned Israel against attacking, saying such a strike would undermine American interests. They also demanded that Israel give them prior notice if it nevertheless decided to strike Iran.

President Bush's reaction to the invasion of a pro-Western, democratic nation isn't going to cut it. This is what he had to say today: I said this violence is unacceptable -- I not only said it to Vladimir Putin, I've said it to the President of the country, Dmitriy Medvedev. And my administration has been engaged with both sides in this, trying to get a cease-fire, and saying that the status quo ante for all troops should be August 6th. And, look, I expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn bombing outside...

TEL AVIV — Israel has acknowledged the sale of unmanned aerial vehicles and other Israeli security support to Georgia which has prompted complaints and threats from Moscow. Officials said the Defense Ministry approved the sale of several tactical UAV systems to Georgia in 2007. They said Georgia has used the unidentified UAVs for border reconnaissance missions. Georgia has credited Israeli military assistance after claiming the destruction of at least 11 Russian combat aircraft and 50 main battle tanks. "Israel should be proud of its military, which trained Georgian soldiers," Georgian Reintegration Minister Temur Yakobshvili told Israel Army radio on Aug...

Iran received Russian weapon. Belarus under suspicion Iran has received first components of Russian S-300 ground-to-air radar systems. As The Cutting Edge News reports referring to its sources, they are still disassembled in boxes and undeployed. It’s not impossible that the weapon has been delivered via Belarus. In the meantime, the situation around S-300 radar systems is more than knotty, and experts’ forecasts on possible terms of their installation vary much, Lenta.ru notes. So, according to Pentagon’s information, the Iranians will not be receiving that Russian anti-aircraft system this year. Israel in its turn says the anti-aircraft batteries can be...

Israeli defense officials have declared the Jewish State would do "everything possible" to prevent Russia’s potent S-300 anti-aircraft from reaching Iran. The remarks were made to the Jerusalem Post and reported by its veteran military affairs correspondent, Yaacov Katz.

'We'll Neutralize S-300 if they're Sold to Iran' August 10, 2008 The Jerusalem Post Yaakov Katz If Russia goes through with the sale of its most advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Iran, Israel will use an electronic warfare device now under development to neutralize it and as a result present Russia as vulnerable to air infiltrations, a top defense official has told The Jerusalem Post. The Russian system, called the S-300, is one of the most advanced multi-target anti-aircraft-missile systems in the world today and has a reported ability to track up to 100 targets simultaneously while engaging up to...

The fighting in South Ossetia and Abkhazia had stopped over a decade ago, because Georgia could not muster sufficient military force to regain control of the two breakaway border areas. Then a UN brokered peace deal brought in several thousand Russian peacekeepers. About ten days ago, there were were reports of gunfire and mortar shells exploding in South Ossetia. In the last few days, Georgian Su-25 ground attack aircraft were seen hitting targets in South Ossetia. Artillery shells were reported to have hit a Russian peace keeper barracks. Russia announced that it was sending more peacekeeping troops to South Ossetia....

f Russia goes through with the sale of its most advanced anti-aircraft missile system to Iran, Israel will use an electronic warfare device now under development to neutralize it and as a result present Russia as vulnerable to air infiltrations, a top defense official has told The Jerusalem Post.