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BravoZulu · Feb 8, 2023

Israeli armed drones use gravity bombs that produce no noise or smoke as they fall, making them hard for enemies to anticipate or evade, and the largest model of the aircraft can carry up to a tonne of munitions, its military says.

After more than two decades of secrecy, Israel in July went public about its pioneering armed drones developed as part of an array of stand-off surveillance and striking options since it was blindsided by tank incursions during a 1973 war.

In November, an Israeli general detailed the two corps - air force and artillery - that operate the drones, both against Palestinian foes close to home and possibly targets as far away as Iran or Sudan.

Such drones are remote-piloted, relaying video or dropping bombs before returning to base. They are distinct from the kamikaze drones that Iran said were used in a weekend attack on a defence plant in Isfahan, an incident on which Israel has declined to comment.

Briefing Reuters, a senior Israeli military officer said the armed drone fleet includes the passenger plane-sized Heron TP, made by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd , and Elbit Systems Ltd's (ESLT.TA) smaller Hermes.

The former, the officer said, "is the heaviest drone that the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) has, which can carry munitions, with an effective payload of around a tonne".

https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...-falling-bombs-can-carry-up-tonne-2023-02-02/

Soldier35 · Feb 10, 2023

The Iranian authorities announced the commissioning of a new underground base Oghab 44 of the Iranian Air Force. The air base, located underground, can accommodate various types of military aircraft, the video shows one of 70 American-made F-4 Phantom fighters of the Iranian Air Force. The air base is divided into several sectors: a command post, a combat alert zone, aircraft hangars, a repair and technical center, fuel storage facilities, rooms with navigation and airfield equipment. The reason why the base is built underground is the high probability of Israeli strikes against important Iranian ground targets. The Oghab 44 air base is not the first facility of its kind in Iran, earlier the Iranian Air Force disclosed information about the underground UAV base, called Drone Base 313.

Fluff · Feb 10, 2023

Soldier35 said:
The Iranian authorities announced the commissioning of a new underground base Oghab 44 of the Iranian Air Force. The air base, located underground, can accommodate various types of military aircraft, the video shows one of 70 American-made F-4 Phantom fighters of the Iranian Air Force. The air base is divided into several sectors: a command post, a combat alert zone, aircraft hangars, a repair and technical center, fuel storage facilities, rooms with navigation and airfield equipment. The reason why the base is built underground is the high probability of Israeli strikes against important Iranian ground targets. The Oghab 44 air base is not the first facility of its kind in Iran, earlier the Iranian Air Force disclosed information about the underground UAV base, called Drone Base 313.

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Anyone spot a sprinkler system? No me neither......

IDF_TANKER · Feb 10, 2023

Fluff said:
Anyone spot a sprinkler system? No me neither......

That, in addition to the fighter pilot with second trimester sized belly and a 60 years old F-4 upgraded with shoe string and illusions, must be really striking the fear of god into Iran's enemies...

BravoZulu · Feb 16, 2023

Hostility between Israel and Iran has potentially reached a tipping point. They have been conducting covert operations against each other for years, but Israel’s recent drone attacks on Iranian military facilities in the province of Isfahan were the most daring move yet. Tehran has promised retaliation at a time of its choosing. The two protagonists are now closer than ever to a major confrontation, by design or by accident. A war would not be confined to them. It could easily set off a devastating regional inferno with implications far beyond the Middle East.
US sources have confirmed that Israel was responsible for a series of attacks by bomb-carrying drones on military sites in Isfahan, where Iran’s nuclear facilities are located, on 28 January. The two sides have been at loggerheads since the advent of the Islamic regime in Iran 43 years ago and its denunciation of Israel as an expansionist ‘Zionist state’. But Israel’s latest operation was its first direct air attack on Iranian soil.
Up to that point, the arch foes had largely contended with a shadowy war. Israel acted remotely to diminish Iranian military and intelligence capability. Its actions involved targeting Iranian nuclear scientists and killing several of them, including the father of Iran’s nuclear program, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in 2020, and launching cyberattacks on Iranian nuclear plants, the biggest of which was the Stuxnet computer virus, in 2010, which damaged the Natanz facility. It also assassinated a few top officers of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, bombed Iranian targets in Syria and Lebanon on an ongoing basis, and hit or neutralised Iranian oil or cargo ships. This has all been part of an Israeli strategy to ensure that Iran is prevented from developing a military and nuclear capability that poses a threat to Israel.
In turn, Iran armed allied Lebanese Hezbollah to the teeth and supported the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza against Israel. It also targeted Israeli ships in the Persian Gulf and the country’s Mossad intelligence operatives and embassy personnel wherever and whenever feasible. Many alleged Iranian intelligence operations against Israeli targets were reported in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Latin America. In addition, acting through Hezbollah, it flew drones over Israel and backed operations on the Syrian border of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It also backed Hezbollah’s encounters on the Israeli–Lebanese border. All the while, it sought to obtain intelligence about Israeli capabilities in a variety of ways and means.
In the process, Iran has strengthened its ties with Russia and China to rebuff Israel–US pressure, but in a complicated regional setting. Tehran has operated in alliance with Moscow in support of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, backed Russia’s Ukraine aggression politically and materially, and signed a long-term agreement of strategic cooperation with China.
Israel has endeavoured to have good relations with China, involving intelligence and military cooperation, and to avoid upsetting Russian President Vladimir Putin. It has sought to promote itself as a mediator in the Ukraine conflict, though to no avail, and refused to join the US and, for that matter, America’s European allies, in supplying Kyiv with its Iron Dome air-defence missiles. Its approach is guided by an interest to keep Russia on side so that it can maintain access to Syrian air space to bomb Iranian targets.
Concurrently, the fear of an ‘Iran threat’ has played a critical role in normalisation of relations between Israel and some of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf (the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in particular) with the blessing of Iran’s other regional rival, Saudi Arabia, in a united anti-Iranian front, though at a cost to the Palestinian cause.
However, Israel’s direct drone attacks on facilities in Isfahan, the extent of damage to which is unknown, have taken the Israeli–Iranian enmity a dangerous step closer. It has occurred at a time when Israel is being run by the most right-wing government in its history, led by Benjamin Netanyahu. The new administration has vowed to do whatever is necessary to stop Iran producing a nuclear bomb, thus preserving Israel’s status as the sole military nuclear power in the region. At the same time, despite the public protests that have rocked Iran since last September, the Islamic regime has remained determined to counter Israel and its allies by accelerating its nuclear program and maintaining its regional influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen as central to a broad security architecture in the region.
The scene is set for a potential war, but both sides are also cognisant of the devastating costs of such an event. This is what has deterred them so far, and one should hope that this will remain the case.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/a...erm=Are Israel and Iran on a collision course
AUTHOR
Amin Saikal is adjunct professor of social sciences at the University of Western Australia and author of Iran rising: the survival and future of the Islamic Republic. Image: grynold/Getty Images.

BravoZulu · Feb 28, 2023

The United Arab Emirates splashed out billions on arms from home-grown firms at a defence fair in Abu Dhabi this week, underlining a shift away from Western suppliers.

By the end of the five-day show on Friday, the Gulf state had signed more than 50 deals worth $6.3 billion, the official WAM news agency said.

They include at least $5.9 billion signed with local firms at the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) and the Naval Defence and Maritime Security Exhibition (NAVDEX).

It highlights the UAE’s strong support for domestic firms including EDGE, a consortium that was set up in 2019. The oil-rich monarchy also focused on local companies when it spent $5.7 billion at the biennial arms show’s previous edition in 2021.

The UAE has reduced arms imports by more than 40 percent over the past decade, taking it from the third to the ninth largest importer globally, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The UAE was the second largest recipient of US arms between 2012 and 2016 but dropped to eighth place between 2017 and 2021, SIPRI said.

During this period, with Sandhurst-trained air force pilot Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan holding the reins of power since 2014, the US ally dubbed “Little Sparta” has fought in Yemen, trained troops in Somalia and backed forces in Egypt and Libya.

The latest deals signal the UAE’s “growing emphasis on local programmes rather than foreign ones”, said Jean-Loup Samaan, a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute.

“The UAE sees its defence industry as an instrument to strengthen self-sufficiency,” Samaan said, explaining it wants to “decrease its reliance on Western security partners” and diversify its economy away from oil.

The UAE is now the 18th largest global arms exporter and the third top supplier in the Middle East behind Israel and Turkey, according SIPRI.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40228228/uae-spends-billions-on-home-grown-arms-at-defence-fair

BravoZulu · Mar 4, 2023

Iran:
The global nuclear watchdog has found uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity - very close to weapons grade - at Iran's underground Fordo site.

In a report seen by the BBC, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was having discussions with Iran "to clarify the matter".
Iran has said "unintended fluctuations" in enrichment levels may have occurred.
It has been openly enriching uranium to 60% purity for two years in breach of a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
The agreement, which was aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, saw the country limit its nuclear activities and allow monitoring by the IAEA's inspectors in return for relief from crippling economic sanctions.
However, it has been close to collapse since then US-President Donald Trump pulled out unilaterally and reinstated sanctions in 2018 and Iran retaliated by increasingly breaching the restrictions.

Joe Biden's administration wants to rejoin the deal if Iran returns to compliance, but indirect negotiations in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, have been stalled for a year.
Uranium is a naturally-occurring element that can have nuclear-related uses once it has been refined, or enriched. This is achieved by using centrifuges - machines which spin at supersonic speeds - to separate out the most suitable isotope for nuclear fission, called U-235.
Low-enriched uranium, which typically has a 3-5% concentration of U-235, can be used to produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.
Highly enriched uranium has a purity of 20% or more and is used in research reactors. Weapons-grade uranium is 90% enriched or more.
Under the nuclear deal, Iran agreed not to enrich uranium beyond the 3.67% purity and to halt enrichment altogether at Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant.
After the US reinstated sanctions, it first resumed enrichment to 20% and then started producing smaller quantities of 60%-enriched material too - a significantly higher level than it had reached before.

The IAEA's latest quarterly report to member states said inspectors found the 83.7%-enriched uranium particles in samples taken at Fordo in late January.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran played down the significance of the discovery and said he expected it to be "put to rest" soon.

Why do the limits on Iran's uranium enrichment matter?

Mohammad Eslami told reporters on Wednesday that the sample was "just a particle that cannot even be seen with a microscope" and insisted that "the important thing is the volume of product stored" after enrichment, according to the official Irna news agency.
Iran insists that its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful, but experts have warned that the breaches have theoretically reduced the time it would take the country to acquire enough weapons-grade uranium for one bomb if it decided to do so.
Top US defence department official Colin Kahl told a Congressional committee hearing on Tuesday that this so-called "breakout time" had been shortened from 12 months to "about 12 days".
Experts estimate that "weaponization" - manufacturing a nuclear warhead for a missile - would still take another one to two years.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64810145

Soldier35 · Mar 6, 2023

Iran has tested a new Paveh cruise missile with a claimed range of up to 1,650 km, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the Air Force and Aerospace Forces of the IRGC, said. Nothing is known about the Paveh rocket, judging by the video, the rocket is launched from the launcher container with the help of a starting solid-propellant booster, after which the top-mounted jet engine is turned on at the rocket and the wings open. In recent years, Iran has expanded its missile program and is successfully developing it despite the objections of the United States and the concerns of European countries.

Soldier35 · Mar 12, 2023

Iranian air defense exercises, protection of nuclear facilities. The Iranian army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps held joint air defense exercises throughout Iran. The purpose of the exercises was to assess the effectiveness and readiness of the air defense systems of the armed forces. Scenario of air defense exercises, reflection of a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. During the exercises, the latest medium-range air defense systems Khordad 15, Khordad 3 and Majid air defense systems were tested. According to Second Brigadier General Amir Abbas Farajpour, Iranian troops conducted a simulated attack by cruise missiles and UAVs. The results of the exercises were not reported, judging by the video, Iran has a well-developed system of underground bases not only for aircraft, but also for air defense systems. You can support our project by transferring:

Hiryu2.0 · Mar 12, 2023

Antsy about its aging tanks, Italy is mulling a rush purchase

The move could entail a lease of German-made Leopard tanks from allied nations.

www.defensenews.com

BravoZulu · Mar 15, 2023

Bahraini, American and Lockheed Martin officials today celebrated the first F-16 Block 70 for the Royal Bahraini Air Force today at Lockheed Martin in Greenville, South Carolina.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has a unique history with the F-16: It was the first F-16 operator in the Gulf Cooperation Council beginning in the early 1990s, and now is receiving the first F-16 Block 70.

"Today's ceremony represents the next generation of the powerful and proven legacy of the F-16, and demonstrates Lockheed Martin's commitment to advancing this program and getting this much-needed aircraft and its advanced 21st Century Security capabilities to the warfighter," said OJ Sanchez, vice president, Integrated Fighter Group, which includes the F-16 program. "With the Block 70 iteration, we are transforming 4th generation for the next generation for the Royal Bahraini Air Force and other partners and allies around the world."

This F-16 Block 70 jet is the first of 16 jets for Bahrain, and took its first flight on Jan. 24, 2023. From here, it will begin additional flight tests at Edwards Air Force Base before arriving in Bahrain in 2024.

https://news.lockheedmartin.com/202...ock-70-Aircraft-in-Greenville,-South-Carolina

BravoZulu · Mar 25, 2023

Egypt:
US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) has delivered three Cyclone-class coastal patrol vessels to the Egyptian Navy.

A transfer ceremony was held in Alexandria at the conclusion of training and professional exchanges to bolster interoperability between the US and Egyptian navies.

The ships turned over include the USS Hurricane (PC 3), USS Sirocco (PC 6), and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12).

BravoZulu · Apr 3, 2023

An Egyptian naval special forces unit is the first confirmed export customer for the MBDA Akeron MP anti-tank guided missile system, a video released by the Egyptian Ministry of Defense on 18 March revealed.

The video showed a high-level Qatari military delegation visiting several Egyptian units, including one that identified itself as the naval Special Forces Brigade, which displayed weapons and equipment that included an Akeron MP with a launcher and missile tube in tan rather than the usual green.

Developed for the French Army's requirements under the name Missile Moyenne Portée (MMP), the Akeron MP is a fifth-generation weapon that can be employed in the anti-tank, anti-structure, and anti-personnel role at ranges of more than 4 km.

It has three operating modes: lock-on-before-launch (LOBL), fire-observe-and-update, and lock-on-after-launch (LOAL)/non-line-of-sight (NLOS). Before launching a missile, the operator can select either a low trajectory for a direct attack or a high trajectory for a top attack.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/...n-naval-special-forces-show-akeron-mp-missile

Soldier35 · Apr 9, 2023

The Turkish group Baykar showed a video of the test launch from the Bayraktar Akinci UAV of the Roketsan IHA-230 supersonic missile. The launch was made from the fourth prototype of the Akinci B UAV, equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 series turboprop engines instead of the previously installed Ukrainian AI-450T engines. Supersonic air-to-ground missile IHA-230 - can operate day and night at a distance of up to 140 kilometers. The missile is an effective means against stationary ground and sea targets, radars and air defense systems.

Soldier35 · Apr 20, 2023

Iran's new drone Meraj 532 may become Russian. Iran has tested a new kamikaze drone Meraj 532. According to Tasnim, this kamikaze drone can fly at a distance of up to 450 km and at an altitude of up to 3660 meters, with a flight duration of up to 3 hours. Drone warhead up to 50 kg. The drone is launched from a car, most likely it can also be launched using a starting accelerator. After the appearance of the novelty, Western circles began to say that the new Meraj 532 drone could also appear in Russia, for example, as a new version of the Geranium drones, of course, this is not officially commented on. It is not reported how the drone is controlled at such a distance, it is possible that a communication repeater drone is used. According to General Ali Kuhestani, the drone is easy to set up, which reduces the time of its preparation and increases the speed of reaction and use. The drone is equipped with piston engines and apparently can be produced in huge quantities. Western engineers generally appreciated the novelty, one of the advantages of Iranian drones, the low cost of manufacture.

Soldier35 · Apr 20, 2023

Iranian drones at the parade in honor of the Army Day. Traditional parades were held in Iran in honor of the Army Day, the main one was in Tehran. The parade is held annually, but this parade was held without foot columns, only military equipment and aviation. The military parade in Tehran was held in the presence of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. A lot of equipment was shown at the parade, we show a selection of Iranian drones shown at the parade. Among them were the Ababil-4 UAV and the Ababil-5 UAV. Arash kamikaze drone, Kaman-12 UAV and Kaman-22 UAV. Drone kamikaze Omid, UAV Mohajer-4 and UAV Mohajer-4B.

Soldier35 · Apr 30, 2023

The first torpedo drop by Turkey's MIR SIDE maritime drone. The Turkish military company ASELSAN, showed the first firing of torpedoes without a crewed military boat MIR SIDA. Details about a military boat that can be used as a marine drone are not reported. It is known that the MIR SIDA boat can be equipped with American Mk 44, Mk 46 and Mk 54 torpedoes. In the background, you can see that the boat is escorted by the Turkish MARLIN SIDA naval drone

Soldier35 · May 12, 2023

Israel's BlueWhale unmanned submarine. The state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries showed the Blue Whale unmanned submarine under development. The autonomous underwater vehicle uses sonar and electro-optical systems to detect targets. According to the developer, the unmanned submarine has already completed thousands of hours of autonomous operations. The ELI-3325 boat is equipped with a towed array sonar. The submersible can conduct acoustic passive intelligence gathering, covert mine detection, and other mine protection operations. Blue Whale can detect and track targets underwater and on the surface. The boat communicates in real time via a dedicated secure satellite channel through a retractable mast. Autonomous submarine Blue Whale can stay at sea for up to 30 days, the battery charge is enough for 10 days of active work. Boat speed from 2 to 7 knots in submerged position. The underwater drone is 10.9 meters long and 1.12 meters in diameter. Weight 5.5 tons.

BravoZulu · May 23, 2023

Qatar has received the fourth Al Zubarah-class corvette from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri at the company’s Muggiano shipyard.

The “Semaisma” is the final corvette delivered under a $4.3 billion contract signed in 2016 for seven different surface vehicles.

The latest Al Zubarah vessel was launched in March last year. The class’ first and second corvettes were delivered in 2021, while the third was handed over in 2022.

Soldier35 · Jun 4, 2023

Tests of 155 mm automatic self-propelled guns Sigma Israel. The German company Rheinmetall and the Israeli Elbit Systems conducted live firing from a 155-mm Sigma wheeled self-propelled howitzer. The demonstration of the new self-propelled guns took place in March at a training ground in southern Israel. There are no details on the new howitzer yet. It is known that the new self-propelled guns are equipped with a fully robotic loading system. The Sigma ACS is controlled from the cockpit by a crew of two or three people. The cabin of the L52 self-propelled guns has anti-fragmentation protection, a system of protection against weapons of mass destruction and air conditioning. The self-propelled guns are equipped with a 155-mm L52 Rheinmetall cannon and are located in the Elbit robotic artillery turret.

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