Russia to deploy S-400 missiles in Southern Military District

Russia's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is planning to deploy advanced S-400 Triumph air defence missile systems in the country's Southern Military District by the end of 2012, Southern Military District spokesman colonel Igor Gorbul has revealed.
Gorbul was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying that the S-400 systems will replace the existing S-300 PM systems, and are being fielded as part of the district's extensive modernisation programme.
The district has so far received 16 units of military equipment, including the Pantsir-S1 (SA-22 Greyhound) combined short-range gun and missile air defence systems, according to the spokesman.
An additional 60 anti-aircraft and tactical radio communication systems are also expected to be deployed by the end of 2012, as part of the district's rearmament plans.
Developed by design bureau Almaz, the S-400 Triumph is a long to medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, designed to intercept a wide range of ground-based and airborne targets, such as stealth aircraft, strategic carriers and cruise and ballistic missiles.


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Solving the Okinawa Problem

In recent weeks the U.S. Marine Corps has begun to deploy the V-22 Osprey to Okinawa, Japan. The Osprey flies like a propeller plane but can take off and land like a helicopter, providing more speed than the latter but more tactical flexibility than the former. It has also reignited the long-standing debate between Japan and the United States over the future of the Marines' presence on Okinawa. Critics have called the airplane unsafe and demanded its redeployment back to the United States. While flight data do not confirm this specific allegation, policymakers in Tokyo and Washington do need to realize they have an even bigger problem -- and search for a new, less intrusive way of basing Marines on this small island at the southern end of the Japanese archipelago.

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S. Korea urged to have 3 to 4 naval task groups to protect Dokdo, Ieodo

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea should drastically increase its naval task group capabilities in order to more effectively protect its sovereignty over its easternmost and southernmost islets, said a government report released on Sunday.

   According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration's (DAPA) report, the Navy should have at least three to four task groups to safeguard Dokdo in the East Sea and Ieodo in the South Sea from foreign territorial claims.

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2 U.S. carriers deployed to W. Pacific

WASHINGTON--Two aircraft carrier strike groups of the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet have been deployed since mid-September to the Western Pacific in an apparent attempt to keep the activities of the Chinese military in check amid growing Japan-China tension over the Senkaku Islands.
The two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the USS George Washington, based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and the USS John C. Stennis, based on the U.S. west coast. The command of the 7th Fleet is also located in Yokosuka.
It is unusual for the U.S. Navy to simultaneously deploy two strike groups each comprising an aircraft carrier and escort ships to the West Pacific. Analysts believe the move is aimed to hold the Chinese military in check in light of the recent tension between Tokyo and Beijing over the islands in Okinawa Prefecture in the East China Sea. The deployment is also believed to be a response to China's launch of its first aircraft carrier in September.
According to Strategic Forecasting Inc., a U.S. private information firm known as Stratfor, and others, the George Washington Strike Group sailed northwest after training off Guam, arriving in waters east of Taiwan on Wednesday. The Stennis was deployed near the Senkaku Islands on Sept. 26 before passing through the South China Sea, and is currently operating in waters near Malaysia, according to Stratfor and others.

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Russia Warns U.S. Against Deploying Final Phases of Missile Shield

Russia on Friday declared no compromise would be possible over U.S. missile defense plans for Europe should Washington proceed with deployment toward the end of this decade of interceptors capable of defeating intermediate-range ballistic missiles and ICBMs, RIA Novosti reported.
Under the Obama administration's "phased adaptive approach" for European missile defense, sometime around 2018 next-generation Standard Missile 3 Block 2A interceptors are to be fielded in Poland, followed two years later by even more capable SM-3 Block 2B missiles. Moscow opposes the deployment of the sophisticated interceptors as a direct threat to its own long-range nuclear forces.
"When the implementation of the third and then fourth and subsequent stages of the phased adaptive approach on the (U.S.) global defense system begins, the situation could alter for us," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.


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US Osprey military aircraft begin Okinawa base move

The Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that can take off like a helicopter

The US has begun the controversial deployment of Osprey military aircraft to the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, amid protests over the move.

The Ospreys arrived at a US base in western Japan in July, ahead of their deployment to Okinawa's Futenma airbase.
Six of the aircraft have now landed in Futenma, reports say.
Okinawa residents have opposed the move, citing safety fears following crashes in Morocco and Florida.
The Osprey is a hybrid military aircraft that has a rotor and can take off like a helicopter but flies like a plane. A total of 12 are to be stationed at Futenma airbase.

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U.S., Gulf countries seek to advance missile defense plan

By Andrew Quinn

NEW YORK | Fri Sep 28, 2012 5:47pm EDT

(Reuters) - The United States and its Gulf partners are looking to deepen cooperation on missile defense as tensions rise with Iran, and announcements could come soon on new purchases, U.S. officials said on Friday.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) officials in New York as Washington seeks to boost regional defenses against perceived Iranian threats.
"Our aim is to help our Gulf partners with their defense needs ... there is a missile threat that they face, we want to help them face that threat as best they can," one senior U.S. official said, previewing the meeting for reporters.

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China's buildup raises arms race fears

China's recent commissioning of its first aircraft carrier has further heightened tension amid regional territorial rows and sparked concerns over a possible arms race.
The 67,500-ton Liaoning was put into service Tuesday as nationalist sentiment surged in China following Japan's nationalizing of the disputed islands in the East China Sea and ahead of a once-in-a-decade leadership handover slated for next month.
China's bolstered naval might apparently poses a headache for the US as it is refocusing on the Asia-Pacific, apparently to keep the Asian power in check and protect what it calls the "rule-based" order and freedom of navigation and commerce.

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Near To Its 1000th Mission - German Heron

ILA: German Heron UAV unit nears 1,000th mission 

 

Rex Features

Rheinmetall Airborne Systems expects to complete the 1,000th operational flight of a leased Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 unmanned air vehicle in Afghanistan during October, as the German government nears a decision on whether to buy a medium-altitude, long-endurance surveillance system outright.
Flown in Afghanistan under a service provision deal since June 2010 in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, Germany's three Heron air vehicles had logged a combined 10,800 flight hours by the start of this month. Used in conjunction with two ground control stations, the aircraft are flown from Mazar-e-Sharif air base.

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PAC 3 Test Update

Lockheed Martin Conducts Successful PAC-3 Missile Flight Test at White Sands Missile Range

 

DALLAS, Sept. 13, 2012 – Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] PAC-3 Missile successfully detected, tracked and intercepted an aerodynamic tactical ballistic missile (TBM) target in a test today at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. 
The test included a ripple fire engagement, utilizing two PAC-3 Missiles against a single target. The first interceptor destroyed the target and the second PAC-3 Missile self destructed as planned.
“We continue to demonstrate the effectiveness of the PAC-3 Missile in tests that duplicate the kinds of operational scenarios our soldiers and our allies may face,” said Richard McDaniel, vice president of PAC-3 Missile programs in Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control business. “We are constantly improving the PAC-3 Missile, increasing its capabilities and expanding the missile’s ability to handle the growing number of potential threats.”

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US Missile Defence Update

Missile Defence Needs Networking

A report out this morning from the US National Academy of Sciences calls on the nation’s Missile Defense Agency to take a new tack on the age-old problem of stopping ballistic missiles before they fall on the homeland.
The report authors say it is time to abandon airborne lasers and super-fast interceptors that can catch a missile in its vulnerable boost phase (when it is attached to its rocket). Instead, the programme needs to network existing technologies together so that they can actually hit something travelling through the air.
The report backs up a 2003 study by the American Physical Society that essentially ruled out boost-phase technologies. In fact, the United States has been backing away from boost-phase-intercept technology, and it essentially ended its two main programmes in 2010.
Nevertheless, the idea “keeps coming up like a bad penny every spring”, says David Montague, a consultant and former head of Lockheed Martin’s missile systems division, who co-chaired the committee. Congressional supporters continue to believe that a system to catch warheads when they’re still attached to their rockets is the way to go.

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US Delayed Osprey Aircraft In Japan

US Osprey Military Aircraft Deployment In Okinawa May Be Delayed 

 

(RTTNews) - Deployment of the controversial U.S. Osprey military aircraft at an American airbase in Japan's Okinawa island is likely to be delayed in the context of increasing public concern over its safety.

This was indicated by Japanese Defense Minister Satoshi Morimoto on Wednesday while meeting with Yoshihiko Fukuda, the mayor of Iwakuni city in Yamaguchi prefecture where a dozen Ospreys are currently being held ahead of their deployment in the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.
Operations of the Osprey transport aircraft at Futenma may not begin early next month as originally scheduled, Japanese media quoted Morimoto as saying.
Talks between Japan and the U.S. over the deployment may take another week or two, he said adding that the U.S. would begin transferring Ospreys to Okinawa after about two weeks of trial flights at Iwakuni. Ospreys may start operations in Okinawa sometime next month, but it is unlikely to be early in the month.

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New Russian ICBM Can Carry 5 Ton Warhead

New Russian ICBM Can Carry Bigger Warhead - Expert

 

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Topol-M

Russia’s new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile will have a 5-ton warhead, which is four times that of its predecessors, a former military commander said on Friday.
“The new ICBM will have a payload four times bigger than that of the Yars missile,” said Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin (Ret.), advisor to the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) commander, who served as SMF chief of staff in 1991-93.

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New Russian ICBM Can Carry 5 Ton Warhead

New Russian ICBM Can Carry Bigger Warhead - Expert

 

1 / 2

Topol-M

Russia’s new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile will have a 5-ton warhead, which is four times that of its predecessors, a former military commander said on Friday.
“The new ICBM will have a payload four times bigger than that of the Yars missile,” said Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin (Ret.), advisor to the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) commander, who served as SMF chief of staff in 1991-93.

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NH90 Deployed In Afghanistan

 

FIRST-DEPLOYMENT-OF-ITALIAN-NH90-IN-AFGHANISTAN 

Prince Harry With Apatche

Inside the Prince's killing machine: Prince Harry returns to Afghanistan to fly Apache helicopters in fight against Taliban

Prince Harry has returned to Afghanistan to fly Army attack helicopters in the battle against the Taliban.
The 27-year-old arrived on the front line under cover of darkness yesterday to join the Apache unit which has the highest ‘kill rate’ in the war.
Captain Harry Wales – as he is known in the Army – will be a co-pilot gunner during his four-month deployment, meaning he will fire the aircraft’s weapons.
Scroll down for video

But the prince’s presence in Helmand will mean that the Taliban will likely step up their efforts to kill or injure him to land a huge propaganda coup.
Harry’s arrival at Camp Bastion, where he will serve with 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps comes four weeks after a storm over his antics in Las Vegas.

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Israeli Defence Forces soldiers test the new Namer APC

The 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade of IDF during a drill held with the new Namer APC in the Golan Heights, northern Israel. (Credit photo Israeli Defense Forces)


Last week, soldiers of the Golani Brigade participated in an exercise on the IDF's (Israel Defence Forces) newest and most advanced armored personnel carrier (APC), the Namer (Leopard). The Namer, which is built on the frame of a Merkava IV tank, boasts advanced technology enabling it to travel safely and securely through difficult and dangerous terrain. Specifically, it is protected against explosives, machine guns, and anti-tank missiles. It is equipped with the Trophy active defense system, as well as an internal air conditioning unit that allows it to travel safely through areas contaminated by hazardous materials.
Author: IDF Ground Forces.

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Russian Move Nuclear Submarine To Northern Fleet

Russia: Nuclear Submarine to Serve in Northern Fleet

 

Lead nuclear submarine of Project 955 Borei SSBN Yury Dolgoruky will serve in Northern Fleet (NF); the second submarine, SSBN Alexander Nevsky will be based in Pacific Fleet (PF), said Anatoly Shlemov, head of state defense order department at United Shipbuilding Corporation.
“Pacific Fleet will receive the second sub, the lead one Yury Dolgoruky is meant for Northern Fleet“, reports RIA Novosti citing Shlemov.
As for him, it was decided to station Borei-class nuclear-powered strategic submarines at two fleets, Northern and Pacific ones. At first, crews of the both subs will serve at NF, and then crew of SSBN Alexander Nevsky will start preparing for a transfer to PF via the Northern Sea Route.
“Normally, it takes a year“, specified Shlemov.

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