The anatomy of an attack on Iran

Asia Times ^ | Thursday, July 1, 2010 | David Moon

[SunkenCiv]

The likely route to Iran, beginning at regional dusk preferably in the dark a new moon, is to fly a great circle around Iraq. Only careful planning carried out with precision timing and execution will ensure success. For this route, almost every applicable IAF logistics and support asset would be utilized. The first leg for any F-15I and F-16I fighter bombers is a low-level run up the Mediterranean in the area of the Syrian town of Latakin, where up to three KC-707s (aerial tankers) in race track orbit would top up the tanks of the strike group. This tankage is absolutely necessary for the shorter-legged F-16I (range 1,300 miles). Refueling the F-15I (range 2765 miles) is desirable but not a necessity unless intelligence suggests targets beyond eastern Iran. To skirt Turkish airspace and the ability of the Turkish military to raise an alarm heard throughout the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the strike group with two pairs of Gulfstream G-550s: one of each outfitted as a network-centric collaborative targeting (NCCT) and one each employing Senior Suter technology must fly low across northern Syria. The G-550 is a small package with the range the speed to accompany the strike group round trip without refueling - therefore up to the challenge. The NCCT aircraft ferrets out air defense radars. The Suter partner beams a data stream containing, what in computer parlance is called a a "worm", into air defense radars with the capability of incapacitating an entire air defense network, if such a network is under centralized control. This technology pioneered by the US Air Force and part of the code named the "Big Safari" program is heady stuff said to work wonders over Syria during the IAF's strike on Syria's North Korean-designed nuclear reactor in September 2007...

[Colorado Cowgirl]

The tension between the Sunni and Shi’ite creeds has increased and this tension is considered unlikely to be resolved any time soon. According to Le Figaro, on June 5, 2010, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told Hervé Morin, the Defense Minister of France that “There are two countries in the world that do not deserve to exist: Iran and Israel.” I think the Saudi’s are using the Arabic proverb “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” The little enemy(Israel)of my big enemy(Iran)is my friend, for the time being. Let Israel take out your biggest worry in the region.

[PIF]

“Lieberman didn’t go to the Baltic states to discuss herring.”

Sources reveal that Lieberman was negotiationg the price of caviar....

[happyathome]

Oddly, some people who are pretty smart have projected that in a future world conflict, the Shia countries will ally (for convenience, not ideology) with the West and Russia against the Chinese and Sunnis. I’m not sure I can see that happening. Anyway, the Sunni/Shia split appears to be as raw and determinative as the Protestant/Catholic split in the 1500’s and 1600’s. You’d think that with clever leadership we could find a way to turn that to our advantage.

[SunkenCiv]

;’)