Home Archives for Mei 2018

Turkey says will retaliate if U.S. halts weapons sales

F-35 - spencerhughes2255 YouTube


Reuters 

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will retaliate if the United States halts weapons sales to the country, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday.

In an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Cavusoglu said a proposal by lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives to temporarily halt weapons sales, including F-35 jets, to Turkey was wrong, illogical and not fitting of the alliance between the NATO allies.

U.S. lawmakers released details on Friday of a $717 billion annual defence policy bill, including efforts to compete with Russia and China and the measure on weapons sales to Turkey.

Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Adrian Croft

Source: reuters.com


Turkey says it will retaliate if U.S. halts weapons sales


Tuvan Gumrukcu

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey will retaliate if the United States enacts a proposed law that would halt weapons sales to the country, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday.

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives released details on Friday of a $717 billion annual defense policy bill, including a measure to temporarily halt weapons sales to Turkey.

In an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Cavusoglu said the measures in the bill were wrong, illogical and not fitting between the NATO allies.

“If the United States imposes sanctions on us or takes such a step, Turkey will absolutely retaliate,” Cavusoglu said. “What needs to be done is the U.S. needs to let go of this.”

The proposed U.S. National Defense Authorization Act, which is several steps from becoming law, would ask the Defense Department to provide Congress with a report on the relationship between the United States and Turkey, and would block the sale of major defense equipment until the report was complete.

Turkey plans to buy more than 100 of Lockheed Martin’s (LMT.N) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets, and is also in talks with Washington over the purchase of Patriot missiles.

Turkey signed an agreement with Russia in December to buy S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries as part of Ankara’s plans to boost its defense capabilities amid threats from Kurdish and Islamist militants at home and conflicts across its borders in Syria and Iraq.

The move to buy S-400s, which are incompatible with the NATO systems, has unnerved NATO member countries, which are already wary of Moscow’s military presence in the Middle East, prompting NATO officials to warn Turkey of unspecified consequences.

Cavusoglu dismissed the warnings, saying Turkey’s relations and agreements with Russia were not an alternative to its ties with the West and accused the United States of trying to control Turkey’s actions.

“Turkey is not a country under your orders, it is an independent country... Speaking to such a country from above, dictating what it can and cannot buy, is not a correct approach and does not fit our alliance,” he said.

Relations between Ankara and Washington have been strained over a host of issues in recent months, including U.S. policy in Syria and a number of legal cases against Turkish and U.S. nationals being held in the two countries.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Cavusoglu that the United States was seriously concerned over Ankara’s decision to buy the Russian S-400 missile batteries.

Cavusoglu said he would visit the United States next week to meet Pompeo, but added a specific date had not been set yet.

 Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Adrian Croft

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Russia future aircraft carrier "Storm" Project 23000 can dramatically change the balance in three regions of the world 



Translated by google


Aircraft carrier "Storm" will change the balance in three regions of the world  


The Russian prospective aircraft carrier of the Storm project will become the world's first marine carrier of the fifth generation aircraft, which will give the Russian Navy a  strategic advantage over any other fleet. In addition, the presence of a Russian ship of this class can seriously change the balance of power in three regions of the planet, which are now attracted by the attention of the world's leading powers: the Arctic, the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia.

"If Russia's military-political relations in the Persian Gulf are strengthened, as now, the presence of a large aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean will be a symbol of support for Russian allies and will ensure the safety of cargo delivery for them," the authors of the article published in the journal Military Watch believe. 

The aircraft carrier "Storm" will be adapted to work in the Arctic Circle. His arrival in the Arctic will give the Russian military an indisputable advantage over all other countries claiming natural resources hidden under ice. If the aircraft carrier becomes the key to them, he will undoubtedly pay for his development.

The third region where the emergence of a new Russian aircraft carrier can dramatically change the alignment of forces - the Asia-Pacific. The situation there is not easy: China is increasing the power of its navy to control the disputed islands, and recently adopted anti-ship ballistic missiles DF-21 seriously worried the US military, since they are intended to destroy aircraft carriers. The US and its allies have to demonstrate their strength by conducting naval exercises in the surrounding waters. The appearance in this boiling boiler of a Russian aircraft carrier with a powerful grouping of the newest aircraft is a serious argument in favor of China. 

By the way, the Celestial Empire can become a buyer of Russian aircraft carriers. In China, there are already two aircraft-carrying cruisers of the Soviet model and deck fighter J-15, a copy of the Su-33. With the help of Russian aircraft of the fifth generation of Su-57 Beijing could significantly expand the capabilities of ship aviation. Another potential buyer of Russian aircraft carriers is India .

Reference "WG"
The project of the prospective multipurpose aircraft carrier "Storm" was first shown at the St. Petersburg Naval Salon in 2013. Designed by the Krylov Center, a ship with a displacement of 100,000 tons will be able to take on board up to 90 aircraft and helicopters. The nuclear power plant will remove restrictions on the range of navigation, and the ice class will allow the ship to enter the Arctic. The flight deck will have two trampolines and four electromagnetic catapults. Receiving aircraft will provide an aerofinery. 

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Third (project) 22800 Karakurt corvette Shkval (584) launched at St. Petersburg - Video

Shkval (584) - Twitter Capt_Navy


Телеканал Звезда
Published on May 5, 2018
The third small rocket ship of the project "Karakurt" was launched near St. Petersburg Третий малый ракетный корабль проекта «Каракурт» спущен на воду под Петербургом


'Pantcir-M', a air defense system 1x8 SAM missiles, 2x6 30 mm [32 57E6 missiles, 1000 rounds] on board RFS 584 'Shkval'. ©RussianArms. Twitter Capt_Navy

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China's deploys YJ-12B land-based ASCMs and HQ-9B SAMs on South China Sea outposts

YJ-12 - on Twitter Wolfgang Dressler


Reuters 


China installs cruise missiles on South China Sea outposts: CNBC


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea, U.S. news network CNBC reported on Wednesday, citing sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports.

The installations, if confirmed, would mark the first Chinese missile deployments in the Spratly Islands, where several Asian countries including Vietnam and Taiwan have rival claims.

China has made no mention of any missile deployments but says its military facilities in the Spratlys are purely defensive, and that it can do what it likes on its own territory.

China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest report.

The foreign ministry said China has irrefutable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and that its necessary defensive deployments were for national security needs and not aimed at any country.

“Those who do not intend to be aggressive have no need to be worried or scared,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing.

China “hopes relevant parties can objectively and calmly view this”, she added.

CNBC quoted unnamed sources as saying that according to U.S. intelligence assessments, the missiles were moved to Fiery Cross Reef, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef within the past 30 days.

The U.S. Defense Department, which opposes China’s installation of military facilities on outposts it has built up in the South China Sea, declined comment. “We don’t comment on matters of intelligence,” a spokesman said.

Greg Poling, a South China Sea expert at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank, said deploying missiles on the outposts would be important.

“These would be the first missiles in the Spratlys, either surface to air, or anti-ship,” he said.

He added that such deployments were expected as China built missile shelters on the reefs last year and already deployed such missile systems on Woody Island further to the north.

Poling said it would be a major step on China’s road to dominating the South China Sea, a key global trade route.

“Before this, if you were one of the other claimants ... you knew that China was monitoring your every move. Now you will know that you’re operating inside Chinese missile range. That’s a pretty strong, if implicit, threat,” he said. 

CNBC said the YJ-12B anti-ship cruise missiles allowed China to strike vessels within 295 nautical miles. It said the HQ-9B long-range, surface-to-air missiles could target aircraft, drones and cruise missiles within 160 nautical miles.

  Last month, U.S. Admiral Philip Davidson, nominated to head U.S. Pacific Command, said China’s “forward operating bases” in the South China Sea appeared complete.

“The only thing lacking are the deployed forces,” he said. Once these were added, “China will be able to extend its influence thousands of miles to the south and project power deep into Oceania”.

Davidson said China could use the bases to challenge the U.S. regional presence, and “would easily overwhelm the military forces of any other South China Sea-claimants.

“China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States,” he said.

Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Darren Schuettler

Source: reuters.com

China's deployment of YJ-12B land-based ASCMs and HQ-9B SAMs into Mischief Reef, Fiery Cross Reef, and Subi Reef in April increases its military power in the South China Sea. Here's the range circles, courtesy of @googleearth pro.  Dr. Malcom Davis

scmp.com

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Russia have placed 10 MiG-31 armed with Kinzhal Kh-47M2 hypersonic air-to-surface missile complex "Dagger" for combat duty test

MiG-31 armed with Kinzhal Kh-47M2 hypersonic air-to-surface missile - Aleksandr Shukhov


Translated by google


10 long-range interceptors MiG-31 with a hypersonic complex "Dagger" are on duty at the military - the RF Ministry of Defense

05/05/2018 15:32:05

      Moscow. 5 May. INTERFAX-AVN - Ten Russian MiG-31 interceptors of long-range interceptors with a dagger "Dagger" are on the test for combat duty, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov said. 

       "In support of the fact that this is not some kind of exotics: today, ten aircraft are on experimental combat duty and are ready for use depending on the situation," he said in an interview with Zvezda. 

       "This is a modern weapon: a hypersonic missile of increased range, which, in fact, can overcome air defense and missile defense systems." "It is invulnerable and has very serious combat power and potential," Borisov said.

       He stated that the MiG-31 is the most suitable for accelerating the missile to the required speeds at the right altitudes. 

       On March 1, in a message to the Federal Assembly, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the MiG-31 with the Dagger complex among the new Russian weapons. 

       Since December 1 of last year, the complex began to carry out pilot-combat duty at the airfields of the Southern Military District. 

       Glavkom VKS Russia Sergei Surovikin previously said that the aircraft missile system, created on the basis of the modernized MiG-31 aircraft with a high-precision hypersonic aeroballistic missile, will provide strikes against targets for a range of more than 2000 km, without entering the enemy air defense zone.

       He stressed that "rocket maneuvering at speeds several times the speed of sound allows it to overcome all existing and developed air defense and anti-missile defense systems". 

       According to S.Surovikin, a high-speed carrier aircraft will be able to deliver this unique missile to the reset area in a matter of minutes. "A march engine mounted on an aeroballistic missile accelerates the warhead to hypersonic speeds within seconds, and the use of an all-weather homing head in the final section of the hypersonic flight ensures the required accuracy and selectivity of target destruction at any time of the day," the commander-in-chief said. 

       MiG-31 with Dagger will take part in the air of the Victory Day parade in Moscow for the first time.
       
       1ff about + 1 le

Source: militarynews.ru

RT
Published on Mar 11, 2018
RAW: Russia's new hypersonic 'Kinzhal' missile tested


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Russia to supply Egypt with about 20 Ka-52 helicopters in May

Svetapoln - YouTube


Translated by google


Russia in May will supply Egypt with about 20 military helicopters Ka-52 - the source


05/03/2018 9:00:00 AM

      Moscow. 3 May. Interfax-AVN - Russia will supply about 20 reconnaissance-strike helicopters Ka-52 "Alligator" to Egypt by the end of the month, an informed source told Interfax.
       "Until May 30, the next installment of Ka-52 from 18-22 helicopters will be delivered to the Egyptian side," the source said.

       He recalled that in 2017, Egypt was transferred to a party of 15 helicopters, and all under the contract, it is necessary to supply 46 "Alligators".

       Earlier, the head of the holding "Russian Helicopters" Andrei Boginsky said that in 2018 the company will produce about 25 combat Alligators, six of them are intended for the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the rest - for export.

       "Last year, 27 helicopters were produced (Arseniev Aircraft Company (AAC) Progress-IF), this year the volume is about 25 helicopters," A.Boginsky said while visiting the plant.
     
      He noted that in comparison with 2016 the volume of manufactured products increased more than twofold, as the export contract was added to the supply under the state defense order.

       In November, the press service of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of Russia told Interfax that "the contract for the delivery of Ka-52 helicopters to Egypt is being implemented in accordance with the previously agreed schedule."

       Earlier, Egyptian media reported that in September, Egypt received a new batch of Ka-52 attack helicopters.

       The combat reconnaissance-strike helicopter Ka-52 "Alligator" is serially produced for the needs of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation since 2010. The helicopter is designed to destroy tanks, armored and unarmored combat vehicles, manpower, helicopters and other enemy aircraft at the forefront and in tactical depth, in all weather conditions and at any time of the day.

       The export version of the Ka-52 is a modification of the serial combat helicopter. Unlike the basic model, the Alligator for a foreign customer is manufactured using anticorrosive materials and has a reinforced fuselage design. It is equipped with new chassis racks and wheels, designed to increase the take-off mass of the helicopter.

       The Ka-52 in the export version has a new onboard defense complex and a sighting station, which provides a greater range of detection and recognition of targets. The helicopter is also equipped with an updated complex of on-board equipment, an objective control system, an advanced digital video registration system, and a new cooling system that provides helicopter operation in a hot climate.

       1к вш

AmirPharaoh
Published on Aug 4, 2017
First Egyptian Ka 52 Alligator


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Lockheed Martin has provided the Japanese government with sensitive information on the F-22 Raptor design

AiirSource Military - YouTube


Lockheed Shares Coveted F-22 Designs With Tokyo


Lockheed Martin has provided the Japanese government with sensitive information on how the F-22 Raptor is designed as Tokyo pursues a hybrid F-22/F-35 Lightning II to replace its F-2 fighter fleet.

On Thursday, Nikkei Asian Review reported that the largest American defense contractor forked over technology on the US Air Force's elite F-22 Raptor to support Japan in its goal of building a new fighter program to enter service in the 2030s.

Fighter jet programs can take up to a decade to develop. In some cases, like the F-35, upwards of two decades. Japan already has acquired F-35 aircraft, plans to acquire more, and operates one of two non-US-based F-35 production factories (there is an F-35 plant in Italy as well).

According to Nikkei, Washington and Lockheed Martin's decision to share F-22 technology with the Japanese may be motivated by a change of heart rooted in US President Donald Trump's fixation with reducing the US trade deficit.

Japan is the US' fourth largest trading partner by total value of goods exchanged between the two countries, data from the Office of the US Trade Representative shows. Goods exported to Japan account for about $63.3 billion, while the US imports $132.2 billion worth of goods from Japan. Thus, the US trade deficit with Japan is about $68.9 billion.

"Japan, however, faces a difficult decision over whether to accept Lockheed's offer," Nikkei reported, adding that while Japan wants to produce its next-generation aircraft indigenously, "it would be difficult for Japan to turn down an offer of arms from the US, its strongest ally."

Incidentally, the US Air Force's secret plans to restart F-22 Raptor production were revealed on Friday after a Freedom of Information Act request was made by The War Zone. Restarting F-22 production would cost about $50 billion to produce about 100 aircraft and reconfigure the manufacturing processes to build the Raptors, since subsystems like the F119 engine are no longer in production.

One idea for defraying F-22 production costs is to share F-22 technology with foreign partners. Lockheed Martin built 195 F-22 Raptors in total and the stealthy aircraft was never approved for foreign sales. Even the uber-expensive Raptor restart is drastically cheaper than buying 1,700 F-35 aircraft, which have not shown themselves to be paragons of reliability and performance.
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‘You’re only supposed to buy NATO-compatible weapons’ – State Dept to Turkey over Russian S-400 deal

© Igor Zarembo / Sputnik


RT

Being a NATO member apparently means you can only buy arms and military hardware that the US-led bloc approves. At least, that’s what the State Department said in its latest warning to Ankara over an S-400 air-defense system deal.

The new warning came on Thursday from US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, who said that Washington has “serious concerns about Turkey’s potential acquisition” of the S-400 anti-aircraft systems. 

“Under NATO and under the NATO agreement, which of course, Turkey is a NATO member, you’re only supposed to buy, they are only supposed to buy, weapons and other materiel that are interoperable with other NATO partners. We don’t see that as being interoperable,” the State Department spokeswoman said during a press briefing.

The hotly discussed Turkey-Russia deal may signal closer relations between both nations, as well as a growing rift between Ankara and its NATO allies, mainly the US. Washington has repeatedly relayed its “concerns” to Turkish officials regarding the S-400 potential purchase. On one occasion, US Defense Secretary James Mattis noted that S-400s are “not going to be interoperable with NATO systems.” 

Earlier in April, Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell warned that Ankara’s decision to buy Russia’s advanced complexes exposes Turkey to possible US sanctions and may bar it from getting F-35 jets. “Ankara claims to have agreed to purchase the Russian S-400 missile system, which could potentially lead to sanctions” under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), he said. The document was signed back in August 2017 and is mostly aimed at hindering Russian arms exports. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to Mitchell, describing the US threats as “a typical example of attempted blackmail” with the intention of giving American companies “an unfair advantage in market competition.” 

Supplies of the ambitious S-400 systems to Turkey are scheduled to start in 2020. However, after Lavrov’s talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in March this year, he revealed that Moscow was ready to speed up delivery of its sophisticated systems. 

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US Army to speed up UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter conversions from Lima models to the new Victor model

UH-60 Black Hawk - Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky


Defense News 


US Army looks to speed up V-model Black Hawk conversions


NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Army is looking at ways to speed up UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter conversions from Lima models to the new Victor model, which would replace the older variant’s analogue cockpit with a new digital one. This replacement better matches the capability of the UH-60 Mike model, the most up-to-date version of the helicopter, according to Col. Billy Jackson, the program manager for the service’s utility helicopters.

As of now, the plan is to partner with Corpus Christi Army Depot, Texas, (or CCAD) to convert L models into new V models at a rate of 48 aircraft per year. But “unfortunately, it’s going to take us about 15 years to do all 760 aircraft,” Col. Billy Jackson told an audience at the Army Aviation Association of America’s annual summit on April 26.

“We are looking at opportunities to speed up velocity there and funding opportunities. The goal would be to modernize the UH-60 fleet in a timely manner and give all [components] similar capability in terms of Black Hawk,” he said.

The Army needed to use innovative means to afford and develop a new cockpit for L models because buying more Mike models would have been too expensive.

While there are currently no funded options yet, as the recapitalization plan is in the concept phase, the Army has pushed out “quite a few” L-model recaps through CCAD over the last four or five years, Jackson noted,

Those newly recapitalized aircraft would enter the tail end of the UH-60V conversion, so Jackson said one idea would be to take those aircraft that will be in the best shape and allow for a competition for facilities outside of CCAD to perform the conversions.

“We would like to go ahead and leverage those aircraft as early as possible to do that,” Jackson said. “Like I said, this is an idea, I think it’s very important, it’s going to rely on finding available funding to do that.”

The Army is still in development for the Victor model, but it has logged 140 flight hours on two platforms at Redstone Arsenal Test Center, Alabama, that is “going extremely well,” Jackson said, adding that the program is “on track.”

That means the service will hold a limited user test this summer to inform low-rate initial production. It will then hold a follow-on test in the summer of 2019, which will inform full-rate production.

The Victor model first flew in January 2017. The version could be the springboard for the Army’s Future Vertical Lift “backbone” which will allow mission systems to plug seamlessly into the architecture of the aircraft.

The Victor cockpit design, which has an open architecture suitable for quick integration, will also allow the Army to test how effectively and quickly it can integrate systems onto the aircraft based on vendors designing to a specific standard.

Northrop Grumman won a U.S. Army contract to design and develop the upgrade in the spring of 2014.

Three prototype helicopters spent more than two years in the Prototype Integration Facility at Redstone undergoing integration.

Northrop has trademarked the name of its newly developed mission computer, the heart of the Victor-model cockpit, as the FlightPro Gen III, which could be used in any other airplane, rotary-wing or fixed-wing aircraft.
AMRDEC
Published on Jun 20, 2016
UH-60V Prototype


UH-60V Digital Cockpit
Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky

UH-60V Black Hawk: Details
UH-60M: Details
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China's Future Stealth Bomber Fleet

What a Chinese aerospace magazine cover tells about China’s future stealth bombers.


By Rick Joe

May 03, 2018

In the last few weeks, a magazine cover for prominent Chinese aerospace magazine Aviation Knowledge featured a pair of stealthy bomber aircraft concepts. A small number of English language articles have commented on this aircraft, speculating whether its presence on the cover of Aviation Knowledge may indicate some subtle official Chinese military backing for this concept, and what its relationship to the future Chinese stealth bomber – commonly referred to as H-20 – might be.

This piece will seek to explore the current body of understanding towards the H-20. The potential role of the aircraft concept shown in the magazine will also be discussed.

Stealth Bomber Background

The world’s first true stealth bomber is the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit, an aircraft that first entered service in the 1990s. To today, the B-2 remains the single lone stealth bomber type in service among any military in the world.

The United States is looking to develop a new stealth bomber dubbed the B-21 Raider to enter service in the mid 2020s, and Russia is also known to be pursuing a stealth bomber of its own, commonly dubbed the PAK DA. China is the third nation developing a stealth bomber.

Official Chinese interest in a stealth bomber like the B-2 cannot be ascertained, however it is likely the PLAAF would have been informed of the B-2 through military intelligence well before the B-2 first deployed on its public mission. The B-2 first demonstrated its capabilities in the 1999 NATO intervention in Kosovo, and it was a B-2 that bombed the Chinese embassy in the country — an event that China maintains was deliberate, and which the United States maintains as an accident. If the Chinese leadership were not aware of the capabilities of the B-2 before then, they would certainly have been conscious of it afterwards.

Official Chinese interest in a stealth bomber was also muted, and some cases of espionage acquiring B-2 related technologies only suggested China had interest for the applied technologies behind a stealth bomber. The extent of research and development, and political will, could not be ascertained.

Therefore, from the early 2000s up to 2010, it was generally assumed that research and development into a stealth bomber was being conducted, and China would one day develop and produce such an aircraft. But whether it would emerge in the immediate future or longer term future was unknown. No official designation for this bomber existed, but in popular circulation it was referred variously as H-8, H-9, H-10 and H-X.....


From my research the H-20 is a subsonic stealth bomber more like the B-2 the representing picture in some Chinese sources is called the H-18 stealth bomber and by its shape should be able to achieve supersonic speed would likely be come after the H-20.  See link below for H-20 stealth bomber.


H-20 Strategic Stealth Bomber: Details
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Su-30SM Flanker crashed into the Med Sea after take off

Su-30SM Flanker


Russian Su-30SM Crashes In Syria. Both Pilots Dead.




A Su-30SM Flanker has crashed into the Med Sea shortly after taking off from Hmeymim airfield.

On May 3, 2018, at 06:45 GMT, a Russian Su-30SM belonging to the contingent deployed to Latakia, in northwestern Syria, crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Hmeymim airfield. Both aboard the Flanker-derivative 4++ Gen aircraft were killed in the accident.

The Russian MoD said “a bird strike may have caused the crash”. According to journalist Babak Taghvaee, local witnesses said the aircraft was one of 43rd OMShAP examples (hence belonging to the Russian Naval Aviation) recently deployed to Syria to protect Russia Navy assets in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

A Syrian journalist also snapped some shots of the aircraft impacting the sea:



Previously, on Mar. 6, 2018 a Russian Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name “Curl”) crashed near Hmeymim Air Base in Syria; 33 people died in the accident.

Source: theaviationist.com


fall of a #Russian plane in the sea off the port city of #Jabla in #Syria MOHAMMED GHORAB

Su-30SM/Su-30SM1: Details
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Reports indicate Israeli F-15s carried out attack on Syrian Base Storing Iranian Anti-Aircraft Missiles

Ofer ZidonFlash90


Israeli F-15s Hit Syrian Base Storing Iranian Anti-Aircraft Missiles - Reports


Arms depots in the vicinity of the Syrian cities of Hama and Aleppo were attacked in the early hours of Monday with "hostile rockets," a Syrian military source told Sputnik. The Israeli military has declined to comment on the strikes.

Three US officials told NBC News on condition of anonymity that Israeli F-15 jets attacked the military facilities after Iran had transported its weapons there. According to them, Tehran had been delivering weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, small arms and anti-aircraft missiles for two weeks. 

Two officials alleged that the weapons were delivered to Syria for Iranian ground forces for a subsequent attack against Israel. 

The media outlet earlier reported that Syria's 47th Brigade base in Hama district, a military facility in northwestern Hama and a facility north of Aleppo International Airport were targeted in the strikes. Local media outlets reported that 26 Shiite fighters under the leadership of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had been killed in the airstrikes.

The Israeli Defense Force has refused to comment on the issue; the Syrian government has also fallen short of commenting on the attacks.

Israel has attacked military facilities in Syria dozens of times, explaining its actions by the need to prevent sophisticated weapons from falling into the hands of groups that Israel deems hostile, including the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.

Source: sputniknews.com
F-15E / Advanced F-15 (2040c): Details
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Tough bargain may halt Rs 2,000 crore IAF deal of 20 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer planes



A defence deal expected to cost over Rs 2,000 crore to buy 20 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer planes is likely to be called off by the Air Force as the negotiations for it have been stuck for almost three years now over steep price hike by the vendors.

The Air Force is also not interested in the upgrade of its fleet of over 120 Hawk planes that were inducted into service after a deal with Britain in 2004. The HAL is offering to upgrade the Hawk fleet of the Air Force to Hawk India jets by adding combat capabilities, government sources told Mail Today.

"The benchmark price of each aircraft was around Rs 90 crore but the initial price offered by the vendors including the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was more than double," the sources said.

"In the contract negotiations, the vendors have cut down the price but even now, the price offered is more than 60 per cent of what the defence ministry is willing to pay for the planes," they said.

Another reason over which the deal may be called off is that due to government's directive for utilising the funds optimally, the priority of the ministry is to buy more of war fighting equipment rather than go in for systems that do not fit that bill, the sources said.

On the newly-developed Hawk India jet showcased by HAL recently, sources said there was not much logic in going in for upgrade of IAF fleet of Hawk planes which have been inducted not long back. "The last of the Hawks were inducted only around three years ago in the force and the upgrades are not required at this moment," the sources said.

The IAF had moved the proposal to buy these 20 planes from a British firm during the UPA regime as it wanted to replace the Kiran Mk 2 planes with the Hawk Advanced Jet Training jets to be equipped with smoking pots to fly with the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT).

The contract for the last batch of 57 planes was done between India and the British firm in 2010 to help in the training programmes of the Air Force and the Navy to add to the existing fleet of 66 planes bought in 2004.

The deal for the 20 airplanes has gone through many problems earlier also as the file related to the procurement case had mysteriously gone missing from a department under the defence ministry in 2014 leading to a delay of more than a year in completing the lapsed process.

Advanced Hawk: Details
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Langganan: Postingan (Atom)