Mil News Middle East Military News

[BravoZulu]

Syria:
Despite a total blackout on information and military censorship, a member of the Syrian Kurdish political-administrative body confirmed yesterday a bomb attack on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, at the headquarters of French military intelligence and a branch of the DGSE (Directorate General of External Security) in the city of Raqqa by attributing it to Daesh.
The explosion, heard for miles around and felt as far as the US forward stations, destroyed the entire building occupied by the French services. MSF forces rushed to the scene to rescue the wounded.
US forces would have secured the perimeter of the attack and blocked access to what remains of the complex.

 

[BravoZulu]

Turkey:
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a spending bill that blocks the transfer of the country's F-35 new generation fighter jets to Turkey.

According to spending bill signed by Trump on Friday, delivery of the jets to Turkey will be blocked until the U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense submit an update to the report regarding the purchase of Turkey of the S–400 missile defense system from the Russian Federation.

In earlier report to the Congress in late November, Pentagon said Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile systems could result in Ankara’s potential expulsion from the F-35 program, as well as affecting its acquisition of other weapons including Boeing Co.'s CH-47F Chinook helicopter and Lockheed’s F-16 fighter and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the purchase and stated that there was no turning back from receiving the S-400 air defense systems from Russia in 2019.

Turkey expects the delivery of the defence missiles to start this year with Russian officials promising the delivery within this year.

The Congressional bill requires the U.S. departments to include a detailed description of plans for the imposition of sanctions, if Turkey goes ahead with the S-400 systems pursuant to section 231 of the Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–44).
The Congress asks U.S. secretaries to deliver the report by November 1, 2019.
https://ahvalnews.com/turkey-usa/trump-signs-bill-blocking-transfer-f-35-fighter-jets-turkey

 

[BravoZulu]

Iran:
During a ceremony in the Naval District 1 of Emamat in the Persian Gulf, the medium-class Fateh submarine joined the Army’s naval fleet on Sunday in the presence of President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday.

The home-made Fateh submarine, which is made of more than pieces, took more than 4.200 million working hour of the Iranian military experts.

More than 120 industrial centers, 80 knowledge-based companies and 57 universities as well as 195 research centers worked on the project of building Fateh.

Surface-to surface systems, torpedo launcher, advanced sonar, electrically powered propulsion, battle management systems, integrated electronic security and communications technology are some of the features that the submarine has.

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/142636/Home-made-Fateh-submarine-joins-Iranian-naval-forces

 

[vonFeilitzsch]

“Four F-117s Conducted Covert Air Strikes In Syria in 2017” Reputable Dutch “Scramble” Magazine Says

"Four F-117s Conducted Covert Air Strikes In Syria in 2017" Reputable Dutch "Scramble" Magazine Says

A new theory emerges at the end of a week of F-117 sightings in Nevada. As you probably already know by now, both on Feb. 26 and 27, 2019, an F-117

theaviationist.com

 

[BravoZulu]

Egypt:
According to reports, Egypt signed a $2 billion contract to buy more than 20 SU-35 multirole fighters from Russia.
The delivery of the aircraft, including their weapon systems, will begin as early as 2020-2021.
The deal is yet to be confirmed by official sources.
The SU-35 is a single-seat, twin-engine, supermaneuverable aircraft. With 12 to 14 weapon hardpoints, the SU-35 is able to use K-77M radar-guided missiles that reportedly have a range of almost 200km. The jet is also armed with a 30mm cannon with 150 rounds for strafing or dogfighting. The SU-35 can reportedly carry up to 8,000kg of air-to-ground munitions.
It is Russia’s most advanced operational fighter.
Its first foreign customer was China, which ordered 24 aircraft in November 2015. Indonesia also signed a contract for the SU-35 worth $1.1 billion with deliveries possibly beginning at the end of the year.
Egypt has one of the biggest Armed Forces in the Middle East. Between 1982 and 2013, the Egyptian Air Force received 240 Lockheed Martin F-16s from the US. Egypt ordered and received in FY 2015-2017, 24 Dassault Rafale fighters from France, followed by the MiG-29Ms, which are currently being delivered.

 

[BravoZulu]

Iran Denies Turkish Claim On Taking Part In Anti-PKK Operation
Hours after Turkey's interior minister was quoted as saying that a joint operation against Kurdish militants was launched together with Iran, an Iranian official denied any role.
Turkey's Anadolu news agency had quoted Soleyman Soylu on Monday saying, "We started staging a joint operation with Iran against the PKK on our eastern border as of 0800 (0500 GMT) this morning". PKK, is listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.
"We will announce the result later," he added.
But Iran's Fars news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guard, quoted a source at the Iranian armed forces saying, "The Turkish army carried out the operation against the militant group PKK, but Iran's armed forces were not part of the operation".
Soylu had not specify precisely which PKK bases the operation targeted but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in the past said it would be against militant hideouts in Iraq.
The Turkish military has often bombed PKK bases in Iraq's mountainous northern regions as part of its decades-long operations against the group.
Iranian security forces have also fought the PKK affiliate, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) in the past. Both groups have bases in neighboring Iraq.
The PKK has waged a three-and-a-half decade insurgency against the Turkish state, initially seeking independence and more recently autonomy for Turkey's Kurdish minority. Fighting has left tens of thousands dead.
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/turkey-...against-kurdish-rebels-minister/29828029.html

 

[BravoZulu]

Iran’s Large-Scale Drone Exercise
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) held a massive military drill last Thursday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, codenamed “Towards Jerusalem 1”. The IRGC flew about 50 “offensive and combat” drones, including the “Saegheh” unmanned combat aerial vehicles based on the RQ-170’s flying wing design, in the Persian Gulf.
The drones allegedly took off from bases between hundreds to more than 1,000 km from the targets on Bani Farur Island, and successfully bombed the targets. It was the first time such a high number of offensive drones participated in a drill.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh of the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division said that Iran has the region’s biggest offensive drone fleet. Much of Iran’s drone development has been driven by the IRGC’s Aerospace division. In November 2018, Hajizadeh said Iran has “the biggest collection of captured or downed American and Israeli drones including the US MQ1, MQ9, Shadow, ScanEagle, and RQ-170 as well as the Israeli regime’s Hermes,” Iran’s Fars news reported. Iranian engineers reportedly used these drones to reverse engineer their own versions.
The drill came as pressure mounts amid re-imposed US sanctions on Iran. Deputy Commander of the IRGC, Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami, said the United States’ sanctions against Iran “bore fruit.” He added that “Despite the empty and satanic dreams of the US and other ill-wishers of the Iranian nation, we witnessed tens of modern and advanced domestic RQ-170s and other types of combat drones in flight during a major drill and unique offensive operation.”
In February 2018, Israel intercepted an Iranian drone it launched from a base in Syria. Israel retaliated by bombing a number of Iranian targets in Syria, including the T-4 base where the Iranian drone operator was located. Israel later revealed the Iranian drone was carrying an explosive device but the intended target was unknown.
An April 2018 airstrike, allegedly conducted by Israel, hit the T-4 base again and reportedly targeted Iran’s entire attack drone systems in the country – prompting soaring tensions between Israel and Iran.

Iran's Saegheh attack drone, modeled after the US-made RQ-170 Sentinel reconnaissance UAV (Photo: AP)
https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/37827

 

[BravoZulu]

Turkey:
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford said Thursday that it will be difficult to proceed with the sale and delivery of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Turkey given Turkey's insistence on acquiring a Russian system designed to shoot them down.
"It's a tough issue," Dunford said, and the U.S. "would have a hard time" justifying the F-35 sale to a nation that has Russia's S-400 advanced anti-air system.
Dunford said he's worked hard to improve relations with NATO-allied Turkey, but the S-400s could be a deal-breaker on the F-35 sale.
"We're hopeful to find a way through this, but it's a tough issue," Dunford said.
In all, Turkey wants to buy 100 of the F-35A variant used by the U.S. Air Force, according to Joint Strike Fighter manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. The country took delivery of its first F-35 last June, amid legislative efforts to halt future deliveries.
Reuters reported earlier Thursday that the U.S. was eyeing a freeze in preparations to deliver the F-35 to Turkey in light of the country's efforts to acquire the S-400.
"The S-400 is a computer. The F-35 is a computer. You don't hook your computer to your adversary's computer and that's basically what we would be doing," Katie Wheelbarger, acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, told the news outlet in an interview.

https://www.military.com/dodbuzz/2019/03/21/sale-f-35s-turkey-trouble-dunford-confirms.html

 

[BravoZulu]

Turkey:
Turkish company YET(Directed Energy Systems and Technologies) electromagnetic railgun systems

 

[BravoZulu]

Saudi Arabia:
Lockheed Martin won an additional $2.5 billion contract for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors for Saudi Arabia as part of a $15 billion deal for the defensive ballistic missile systems.
Lockheed is to provide interceptors and associated one-shot devices to support the US government as well as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The THAAD system is an anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to shoot down short-medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase with a hit-to-kill approach. The THAAD Weapon System is able to intercept incoming missiles both inside and just outside of the Earth’s atmosphere at a range of 200 kilometers, which mitigates the effects of weapons of mass destruction before they reach the ground.
The ability to intercept both inside and outside the atmosphere makes THAAD an important part of layered missile defense concepts.
Lockheed will provide 44 THAAD launchers, 360 missile interceptors, 16 THAAD Fire Control and Communications Mobile Tactical Station Group units and seven AN/TPY-2 THAAD radars for Saudi Arabia.
In November, the United States and Saudi Arabia formalised terms for the sale of the THAAD launchers, missiles and related equipment. Work will take place in Texas, California, Alabama, Arkansas, and is expected to be completed on April 1, 2026.

 

[BravoZulu]

US personnel stationed in Tripoli were evacuated from the city in the wake of the advance of Libyan National Army forces, led by General Khalifa Hifter, towards the Libyan capital.
LNA forces started their push on April 5.
The UN-backed government says that 21 people have already been killed in fighting near the capital.
The US evacuation occurred on April 7, according to a statement from US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The evacuated personnel were a contingent of US forces supporting the command whose mission in Libya involves military support to diplomatic missions and counter-terrorism activities.
“US Africa Command is conducting prudent military planning while continuing to assess the security situation,” AFRICOM further said in the statement.
“The command is making the personnel adjustments in response to the evolving security situation. US Africa Command will continue to monitor conditions on the ground in Libya, and assess the feasibility for renewed US military presence, as appropriate.”
“The security realities on the ground in Libya are growing increasingly complex and unpredictable,” said U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander, US Africa Command. “Even with an adjustment of the force, we will continue to remain agile in support of existing US strategy.”
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo on April 8 warned Khalifa Haftar’s forces to halt their offensive.
“We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital,” Pompeo said.
“Forces should return to status quo ante positions. All involved parties have a responsibility to urgently de-escalate the situation, as the UN Security Council and G7 ministers emphasized on April 5. This unilateral military campaign against Tripoli is endangering civilians and undermining prospects for a better future for all Libyans.”

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https://navaltoday.com/2019/04/08/video-shows-us-navy-hovercraft-evacuating-us-personnel-from-libya/

 

[BravoZulu]

Israel:
IWI (Israeli Weapon Industries), a SK Group member, an Israeli producer of combat-proven small arms for law enforcement agencies, governments, and armies around the world, Unveiled at the LAAD 2019 exhibition which took place in early April in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a new assault rifle, the Carmel.
The Carmel in 5.56x45mm caliber is a conventional configuration rifle, unlike the two previous assault rifles developed and manufactured by the company, the Tavor and the X95, which are assault rifles in the configuration of a Bull-pup. "IWI as being one of the world's leading small arms manufacturers in the world, is committed to maintain the existing markets and develop into new markets," said Ronen Hamudot, IWI's VP Marketing and Sales. "We have the Micro Tavor (X95) which is one of the best weapons in the world in the Bull-pup configuration. The company constantly adjusts and changes weapons, and in order to meet the demands of modern warfare and to meet the needs of existing and potential customers, we have developed a new weapon in a conventional configuration."
Ideally suited for extended combat duration, the CARMEL features special steels, aviation grade aluminum and high impact polymers for high performance in small unit operations across a wide range of environments and different combat scenarios. The rifle has a rotating bolt system that ensures maximum safety for the user, and is fully ambidextrous, equipped with "picatinny" rails on all sides to allow 100% compatibility with any available sights, devices or accessories. According to the company, the rifle was designed for minimum maintenance and thus reduces operational costs and allows the use of any NATO \ MIL STD 5.56 Steel, aluminum or polymer magazines.
The Carmel is offered with 4 different barrel lengths: 267mm, 305mm, 368mm and 406mm. To ensure maximum accuracy, IWI adopted the "Free Floating Barrel" solution, a quick detachable system having also been used to provide maximum modularity, which according to the company ensures barrel changing in a matter of seconds. The weight of the rifle without a magazine or sight is 3.3 kg.

https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/38058

 

[BravoZulu]

Turkey:
Head of Russian Defence Export firm (Rosoboronexport) Aleksandr Mikheev has shared that Turkey is showing interest in Russian weaponry apart from the S-400 air defence systems ordered by Ankara in December 2017. According to him, Ankara is also interested in other Russian air defences of various ranges, as well as anti-tank weaponry and other weapons stations.

Mikheev added that the two countries also have several joint ventures aimed at developing new state-of-the-art jets and helicopters, modules for armoured vehicles and maintenance for the equipment, previously sold to Ankara. He further stressed that due to the "constructive dialogue between the political leadership" of the two states, Russia and Turkey have managed to thwart foreign rivals' attempts to meddle in their bilateral military cooperation.
Rosoboronexport's CEO earlier reacted to reports that Turkey might be interested in buying Russian jets instead of American F-35s, saying that Moscow is ready to discuss such procurements with Ankara.

Turkey has been experiencing trouble in obtaining the F-35 jets it ordered since Ankara inked a contract with Moscow on the procurement of Russian S-400 air defence systems. The US authorities claim that the Russian system could gather info about the American jet and reveal its weaknesses to Moscow.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly stated that Ankara will not abandon the S-400 deal despite US pressure. He recalled that Turkey was willing to buy Patriot defence systems instead of Russian-made systems, but Washington had failed to provide a better deal than Moscow.
For its part, the US has reportedly halted all supplies of F-35-related parts to Ankara and threatened it with sanctions in case it obtains Russian S-400s. The situation has been further complicated by the fact that some of the F-35's parts are exclusively produced in Turkey, with the US reportedly considering plans to shift their production to Europe.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201904291074550665-turkey-interest-russian-weapons/

 

[BravoZulu]

Fire breaks out aboard Turkish landing helicopter ship Anadolu in shipyard
z
A fire broke out aboard the Turkish Navy’s future landing helicopter dock (LHD) Anadolu at a shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, on April 30.
Fire aboard the ship, which is being constructed by shipbuilder Sedef for the Turkish Navy, was contained by shipyard workers and firefighters.
No injuries or fatalities were reported in the incident, according to Turkish reports. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
TCG Anadolu is currently in dry dock and was expected to be launched in 2019. Depending on the extent of the damage sustained in the fire, the launch could potentially be delayed.

The contract for the design and transfer of technology agreement for the TCG Anadolu (L-408) was signed between the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries and Navantia in 2015.
While based on the Spanish LHD Juan Carlos I and Australian Canberra-class landing helicopter docks, TCG Anadolu will be registered as a light aircraft carrier by the Turkish Lloyd and is expected to be delivered to the navy in 2021.
With a displacement of 28,000 tonnes at full load and a length of 225 meters, the ship will have 6 landing spots on its deck and will carry up to 12 F-35B aircraft and 12 helicopters, depending on configuration.

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https://navaltoday.com/2019/04/30/f...-landing-helicopter-ship-anadolu-in-shipyard/

 

[BravoZulu]

Turkey:
With the contract for the Special Purpose Tactical Wheeled Armoured Vehicles (SPTWAV) Project that was signed between the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) and FNSS, the company shall supply PARS SCOUT 8x8 and 6x6 vehicles both for the Turkish Land Forces and the General Command of Gendarmerie.
The first stage of the project will involve the development of five different vehicle configurations, and production of a total of 100 vehicles. The project will cover the delivery of Command and Radar Vehicles as well as Sensor and CBRN Reconnaissance Vehicles for the Turkish Land Forces, and Armoured Combat Vehicles for the General Command of Gendarmerie.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/ide..._will_enter_in_service_with_turkish_army.html

 

[BravoZulu]

Turkey:
Turkish Aerospace Industries introduces its new dual engine heavy UAV system dubbed the TAI AKSUNGUR.
The TAI AKSUNGUR Block 1 has a payload capacity of 750 kg and an endurance of up to 40 hours.
It can carry precision strike weapons such as the SOM Cruise Missile and Wing Guidance Kit Mk-82 bombs.
Due to low observability, SATCOM connection with TurkSat Satellites and its ability to fire long range precision strike missiles from stand-off ranges Turkey intends to use them for SEAD missions in swarms.

 

[Moro]

State Dept. clears $2.5 billion sale of Patriot missile defense system to Bahrain

State Dept. clears $2.5 billion sale of Patriot missile defense system to Bahrain

Bahrain plans to buy the Raytheon-manufactured Patriot air-and-missile defense system.

www.defensenews.com

 

[Chazman]

“Four F-117s Conducted Covert Air Strikes In Syria in 2017” Reputable Dutch “Scramble” Magazine Says

"Four F-117s Conducted Covert Air Strikes In Syria in 2017" Reputable Dutch "Scramble" Magazine Says

A new theory emerges at the end of a week of F-117 sightings in Nevada. As you probably already know by now, both on Feb. 26 and 27, 2019, an F-117

theaviationist.com

Interesting...

 

[BeNder]

Live Updates 3 Israelis Dead in Rocket Barrages, Israel Kills Key Hamas Operative

With 600 rockets launched at Israel, onslaught of Gaza fire not letting up ■ Four Israelis wounded from shrapnel ■ Israel strikes hundreds of targets in Strip, 16 Palestinians reported dead ■ Killing of Gazan who funneled Iranian funds is first targeted hit since 2014


https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news...i-dead-six-palestinians-said-killed-1.7199036

 

[BravoZulu]

UAE:
The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to United Arab Emirates of four hundred fifty-two (452) Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missiles Segment Enhanced (MSE) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $2.728 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

The Government of the United Arab Emirates has requested to buy up to four hundred fifty-two (452) Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missiles Segment Enhanced (MSE). Also included are tools and test equipment, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, spare and repair parts, facility design, U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics, sustainment and program support. The estimated cost is $2.728 billion.

https://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sal...-missile-system-and-related-support-equipment