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Israeli fighter jets, helicopters and possibly a submarine were involved in multiple attacks on targets in Sudan last week, according to local news outlets. The reports say that Israeli jets hit targets in the eastern part of the African country, near its border with Egypt, last Thursday. They hit six Land Cruiser jeeps and killed four people. An earlier strike took place last Sunday and reportedly involved Israeli helicopters. A truck was targeted. Some reports say an Israeli submarine was also spotted at the same time. However, the Sudanese army spokesman, Col. Al-Sawarmi Haled Sa'ad, said that the military's air...

At least two Palestinian Authority Arab terrorists are dead in Gaza following a targeted, surgical air strike on a vehicle by fighter pilots of the Israeli Air Force. One of the two dead was a senior operative who had coordinated numerous attacks against Israeli civilians. Both were members of a terrorist cell belonging to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades organization, according to the IDF, who added the cell had been planning to infiltrate Israel's border to carry out another attack. A Gaza Health Ministry official was quoted by the Bethlehem-based Ma'an news agency as saying that five bystanders were also...

Raytheon keen to supply missiles to IAF N. Ramakrishnan Tucson (Arizona), Nov. 11: Raytheon, the Massachusetts-headquartered Defence and security systems supplier, feels that a number of its missiles can be fitted on the aircraft that the Indian Air Force plans to buy as part of its modernisation programme. “Just last week we got an RFI (Request for Interest – the first stage of the bidding process) from the IAF for a HEAT (High Speed Expendable Aerial Target) missile,” said Mr Jeff White, Senior Programme Manager – Air Warfare Systems Business Development, Raytheon Missile Systems. Submits Request for Interest “Last night,...

IAF will add two more Israeli AWACS to its fleet NEW DELHI: India will order another two advanced Israeli Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems), or the "formidable eyes in the sky'' capable of detecting hostile aircraft, cruise missiles and other incoming aerial threat far before ground-based radars at a cost of over $800 million soon. Top defence ministry sources say the "draft contract'' for the two new AWACS "is now finally in the final stages of being examined'' before it's inked as a follow-on order to the $1.1-billion tripartite agreement among India, Israel and Russia in 2004, under...

South Korea threatens to cancel all defense deals with Israel South Korea threat comes in response to fear that Israel Air Force has decided to purchase a new training plane from rival Italy. By Amos Harel The purchase of the Israel Air Force's new training plane is causing serious diplomatic tension between Israel and South Korea: Fearing that Israel has already decided on a rival plane made in Italy, the Koreans are now threatening in return to cancel all their deals for purchasing Israeli defense systems. In recent years, the South Koreans have purchased an average of $280 million a...

10 rockets, mortal shells explode in Ehskol, Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils, Asheklon; no injuries; Erez border crossing damaged; 2 Islamic Jihad members killed, Palestinian report says. A ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza seemed distant Thursday evening as the violence in the south of the country continued with at least 15 rockets and mortar shells exploding in Israeli territory, and Israeli air strikes that reportedly left two Islamic Jihad members dead. The Code Red siren was heard throughout the Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Councils and in Ashkelon as 15 rockets and mortar shells fell throughout those areas, the IDF Spokesman's...

IDF planes attacked two terrorists in northern Gaza early Wednesday, shortly after terrorists fired two rockets at Israeli targets. The two terrorists were targeted specifically by the planes, an IDF statement said. “The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and will respond with determination to any attempt to use terror against the State of Israel,” the IDF statement said.

Israel Air Force fighter jets eliminated a terrorist squad in northern Gaza late Saturday afternoon. Military sources confirmed a direct hit on the terrorist cell, which had apparently just finished launching a mortar attack on southern Israel. Israeli fighter pilots on Friday night attacked two terrorist tunnels, a weapons factory in southern Gaza and a terrorist training center as well. Direct hits were confirmed on all targets, and all IDF personnel returned safely to their bases. “The IDF will not tolerate any attempts to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers and will respond with determination to any attempt to use...

Copter hunt gets hotter- Race between US & Russian choppers as army, IAF weigh options SUJAN DUTTA New Delhi, Aug. 14: The army and the air force are now totting up the scores in a competition between American and Russian helicopter gunships, one of which will replace the attack copters in the Indian armed forces. The attack helicopter fleet, currently made up of ageing Soviet-origin Mi 25s and Mi 35s, is in the custody of the IAF but is meant to support land operations of the army. The IAF will initially procure 22 attack copters — either the Boeing-made AH64...

The commanders of the IDF, especially those in the Air Force, are making "increasingly loud" demands to strike Iran's nuclear program, a German news source reported Wednesday. According to Der Spiegel, the question of how Israel will eventually deal with the threat of a nuclear Iran depends in part on a battle of prestige between the military and the Mossad – the latter being in charge of assassinations, and favoring them as a result. Mossad is behind the killings of three Iranian scientists in the last 18 months, the paper claimed. A fourth scientist was wounded and subsequently appointed to...

<p>Fighter jet purported to be one of most advanced jets in world with ability to fly undetected in enemy territory; IAF pilots to train in US.</p> <p>The Israel Air Force plans to purchase a second squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters during the upcoming IDF multi-year procurement plan that is currently under review within the General Staff.</p>

India's Mirage upgrade: a prelude to a Rafale MMRCA win? It looks as if India is serious about upgrading its Dassault Mirage 2000Hs to Mirage 2000-9 standard. This is a major upgrade that will affect most systems in the aircraft. The bill, estimated at $2.2 billion, is staggering, working out to about $43 million an aircraft. One wonders if India would be better off buying new aircraft. In his MMRCA report earlier this year Ashley Tellis pegged the flyaway cost of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (with APG-79 AESA radar) at $60 million. Anyway, the timing of the upgrade (first mooted...

China Among Indian Air Force Concerns May 31, 2011 By Asia-Pacific Staff NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force (IAF) has long had big ambitions, and the pending arrival of a new service chief with a broad agenda indicates there will be no easing up in efforts to improve the breadth of the service’s capabilities. The first major restructuring of the IAF’s order of battle, a revival of border air bases to counter Chinese air force deployments and quick acquisitions of weapons and systems to plug capability gaps will be the operational priorities of the IAF’s next chief, Air Marshal...

U.S. disappointed over IAF deal, but respects process PTI With its fighters losing out in the bid for India’s multi-billion dollar deal, the U.S. on Thursday said it was “deeply disappointed” over it but was “respectful” of the procurement process. In a statement in New Delhi, Ambassador Timothy Roemer said he had been assured at the highest levels in the Indian government that the procurement process for the fighters “has been and will be transparent and fair”. He said the U.S. looked forward to continuing to grow and develop defence partnership with India. “The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi was...

IAF losing edge over PAF Shiv Aroor & Durga Nandini New Delhi, April 20, 2011 The Pakistan Air Force is stronger than ever. Since the last Indo-Pak air war of 1971, the Pakistan Air Force has with steely determination built up numbers, lethal capabilities and a combat force now counted as one of the most disciplined and well-trained air forces in the world. Headlines Today has a disturbing proof that all this has made India worried. A recent presentation by the defence intelligence establishment paints a morbid picture of how the numbers and capability advantage that the Indian Air Force...

IDF spokesperson says attack aimed at terrorist group planning to kidnap Israelis over Passover; 3 bodies, critically injured man, reportedly brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital near Khan Younis. GAZA - Israeli aircraft killed three Palestinian gunmen, a critically wounded one, in the southern Gaza Strip early on Saturday, medical officials and the Israeli army said. Residents said the planes fired on a car in which the three men were traveling in the town of Khan Younis. According to Palestinian news source Maan, local residents of Khan Younis reported to both hearing and feeling the single-missile strike. An Israeli military spokesman...

They will stop at nothing… The International Association of Firefighters is using tasteless images from the Oklahoma City Bombing to fight a state bill which changes how public safety labor unions and cities handle contract disputes. Posted by Jim Hoft on Thursday, March 24, 2011, 12:02 PM They will stop at nothing… The International Association of Firefighters is using tasteless images from the Oklahoma City Bombing to fight a state bill which changes how public safety labor unions and cities handle contract disputes. NewsOK reported: A state senator today blasted a firefighter union television advertisement as “horrific and tasteless” for...

Israelis debating value of F-35s amid problems affecting delivery TEL AVIV — Israel expects additional delays in the Joint Strike Fighter program. The Institute for National Security Studies asserted that problems in the U.S. F-35 program would affect the delivery schedule for Israel. In a report, author Yiftah Shapir pointed to a U.S. decision to postpone the target date for the F-35A and F-35C to at least 2016. "This change will undoubtedly affect the date of delivery of the planes to Israel," the report, titled "The F-35 Deal: An Enlightened Purchase?" said. Authored by Yiftah Shapir, the report questioned the...

US pushes deal, secrecy hitch on IAF screen SUJAN DUTTA New Delhi, Feb. 21: The US’s strong pitch to sell its fighter aircraft to India for an estimated $12 billion has run into a hurdle with the Indian Air Force telling the government that it does not favour the signing of agreements that risk compromising its operational secrecy. Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik said in Yelahanka earlier this month that price negotiations for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal could start as early as next month and a contract would be signed by September. The setting of a...

EMBRAER UNVEILS THE NEW EMB 145 AEW&C PLATFORM DEVELOPED FOR THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT It is the first of three aircraft that will incorporate the DRDO-developed surveillance equipment São José dos Campos, February 21, 2011 – Embraer presented the first of three EMB 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platforms, today, to representatives of the Indian government at a ceremony held at its headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Based on the proven Embraer ERJ 145 regional jet, the aircraft features an in-flight refueling system, SATCOM capability, a significant increase in electrical and cooling capacities, and a comprehensive set...