International Military Discussion

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sanjchopra
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by sanjchopra »

Sandia's self guided bullet
- US researchers create self-guided bullets
- Dart-like projectile uses laser-guided system
- Can hit a target up to 2km away
Roperia
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Roperia »

'US upgrading F-16s due to delay in production of F-35 jets'

WASHINGTON (PTI): In view of inordinate delay in the production of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets, the US Air Force is being forced to spend USD 2.8 billion to upgrade its ageing F-16 fleet.

"The issue with respect to F-35 is that obviously the planes are not delivering as quickly as we originally anticipated, thus the requirement to posture the legacy force to make sure that we retain the capabilities we need until the F-35 delivers in numbers," Air Force Chief of Staff, General Norton Schwartz, said at a Pentagon news conference.

As a result, Schwartz said, the US has committed to do service-life extension on about 350 of its multirole F-16s -- which will cost USD 2.8 billion.

"As part of a management decision on the F-35 programme, we have determined that we are not ready to ramp up to full rate production. So we've depressed the rate of procurement for a few years while we work through the concurrency issues still present in that programme," Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Donley, told reporters here.

Donley said the US remains fully committed to the F-35 in all three variants. "This is a 'must do' for our armed forces," he said.

Top US air force officials said a number of steps have been taken to protect the distinctive capabilities that the Air Force brings to the table, consistent with the strategic guidance it received, capabilities that joint and coalition partners have come to depend upon from the Air Force: air and space control in particular, global intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, global mobility and recognition of the growing importance of cyber.

"Now, we've also protected along the way the bomber force. Our remotely-piloted aircraft plans are now set at 65 CAPs with the capability to surge to 85. We've resized our mobility forces to match up with the changes in the overall size of the joint force. We've protected space. We've protected cyber capabilities, also nuclear forces along the way," Donley said.

The Pentagon terms F-35 as future of not only the US, but also 12 other international partners.
To dear Ajai Shukla and all proponents who were in favor of cancelling MMRCA for F-35. :rotfl:
Singha
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Singha »

http://aviationintel.com/2011/12/27/sec ... m-the-idf/

an interesting POV. he argues the case that people need a large number of (upgraded) airframes to fight a serious war vs a smaller number of platinum grade new airframes.

I hope we do have a plan and intent to induct large number of Tejas.
NRao
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by NRao »

To dear Ajai Shukla and all proponents who were in favor of cancelling MMRCA for F-35.
I have not read any of what Shukla has to say and I do not know if the JSF is good fit for India.

However,
1) Hope you realize that India is in that very predicament today - when she had to resort to an alternative because of an untimely delivery of a product,
2) The delivery of the MMRCA or the JSF (or even the FGFA) should be around the same time, so from an Indian point of view it should not matter which one is selected. They all should be ready to enter service in 2017ish. And,
2) Would 250 cheaper FGFA (or for that matter PAK-FAs) suffice to cancel the MMRCA?

To be sure, this Rafale based MMRCA deal is not a done deal. At at least $22 billion dollars it could still be cancelled based on cost alone.

Said this before, the Rafale (or other planes too) are not worth $18 billion. BUT, if to fill gaps within the IAF it is worth paying $18 billion, then and only then go for it (knowing the plane is not worth that).
koti
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by koti »

NRao wrote:
However,
1) Hope you realize that India is in that very predicament today - when she had to resort to an alternative because of an untimely delivery of a product,
Rao Saab,
India is not alone in this. US is going for more F18, upgrading its f16s, UK is looking for alternatives. Aus and Israel are highly displeased too. All this is also because of an untimely delivery of a product too.
2) The delivery of the MMRCA or the JSF (or even the FGFA) should be around the same time, so from an Indian point of view it should not matter which one is selected. They all should be ready to enter service in 2017ish.
Said this before, the Rafale (or other planes too) are not worth $18 billion. BUT, if to fill gaps within the IAF it is worth paying $18 billion, then and only then go for it (knowing the plane is not worth that).
The time frame is not credible. Rafa/EF can be delivered as we put it on paper. FGFA or JSF are only expected to join in at that time. They may be delayed or half baked by that time. IMHO India's threat perception justifies the costs associated.
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Kailash »

MoD criticised for £6bn overspend on big defence projects
The committee identifies three large projects bedevilled by long delays and huge overspend. These include the repeatedly delayed Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft, upon which £3.4bn was spent before it was scrapped, to save an estimated £1.9bn in running costs over the next 10 years.

The MoD will incur further costs from cancelling contracts and substituting alternative capabilities. The committee has asked the National Audit Office to investigate the decision to scrap Nimrod aircraft as well as all of Britain's Harrier jump-jets.

It also wants investigation of the delays surrounding the nuclear-powered Astute submarine fleet, which led to an extra £1.9bn in costs, and of the expenditure on two large aircraft carriers, the cost of which has so far risen by £2.8bn over the £3.5bn estimated when first approved in 2008. The PAC believes the carriers could end up costing as much as £12bn.
An interesting observation below..
The MoD has recently decided to reduce the number of Puma and Chinook helicopters by four and 10 respectively, and it is buying three fewer European A400M transport aircraft. This reportedly has contributed to a 46% increase in the cost of each A400M plane.

Margaret Hodge MP, the Labour chair of the PAC, said: "Decisions to delay or cut programmes to save money in the short term continue to lead to increased costs in the longer term and do not represent good value for money."
sunnydee

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by sunnydee »

http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/marin ... herstories

Tsk Tsk.....shit happens but at least not as bad as them pissing on dead bodies(even if they were the taliban)
uddu
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by uddu »

Don't judge people while sitting in comfort. Also not all people have large heart like you. That's the best they can show revenge for 9/11. Can they nuke the bad old Mullahs?
Also just because India is not doing anything to the Talibs for destroying Buddha statue, for Kandahar Hijacking, numerous attacks on Indians in Afghanistan and enforcing barbaric rules on the people of Afghanistan never means others will also respond so kindly to these barbarians.
sunnydee

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by sunnydee »

uddu wrote:Don't judge people while sitting in comfort. Also not all people have large heart like you. That's the best they can show revenge for 9/11. Can they nuke the bad old Mullahs?
Also just because India is not doing anything to the Talibs for destroying Buddha statue, for Kandahar Hijacking, numerous attacks on Indians in Afghanistan and enforcing barbaric rules on the people of Afghanistan never means others will also respond so kindly to these barbarians.
Are you condoning the urinating on dead bodies ?
uddu
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by uddu »

I'm neither supportive, nor opposing. Just read the news and ignored it. It's an issue between Talibs and Khan. Why should i be bothered about it?
Austin
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

Tracked Pantsir , successor to Tunguska , Picture --> Tracked Pantsir

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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by VinodTK »

Asia shops for aircraft, arms under China's shadow
Asian nations shopped for aircraft and military hardware at the region's biggest aerospace and weapons bazaar on Tuesday as a new report said China's defence spending would exceed the combined spending of all major countries in the region within three years.

Aircraft and weapons manufacturers, military officers, arms dealers and airline executives rubbed shoulders as the 2012 Singapore Airshow kicked off in a vast hangar near the city-state's Changi airport.

Deals worth about $10 billion were announced at the last show in 2010 and the number could well be higher this year as Asian nations ramp up defence spending.

Among the early deals announced on Tuesday was an order given to Raytheon Corp by Boeing Co for advanced radar systems on eight of its P-81 anti-submarine and anti-surface surveillance aircraft being sold to the Indian navy.

India signed a $2.1 billion deal with Boeing for eight P-81 planes in 2009, according to media reports.

The first of the aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to India this year.

On the civilian side, Boeing signed its largest ever order for commercial aircraft, a $22.4 billion deal with Indonesia's Lion Air.

The deal was originally announced in November.

Boeing said Lion Air, Indonesia's largest carrier by passenger volume, has ordered 230 airplanes, including 201 737 MAXs and 29 next-generation 737-900 Ers.

Lion Air will also acquire purchase rights for an additional 150 airplanes, Boeing said.

IHS Jane's said in a report that while all major Asian nations are forecast to increase spending on defence, China's military budget will soar to $238.20 billion by 2015 from $119.80 billion last year, growing about 18.75 percent per annum.

That number will exceed spending by all other nations in the region combined, but compares with a base US defence budget of $525.40 billion for 2013.

In Asia, Japan and India follow China in defence spending, but both may be constrained in coming years while China is likely to steam ahead, underpinned by strong economic growth, analysts said.

"Japan's government debt and the investment needed after Fukushima will impact defence spend.

We will increasingly see budget channelled towards key programmes and equipment," said Rajiv Biswas, chief economist in the Asia-Pacific for IHS Global Insight.

Nevertheless, Japan's defence budget is forecast to rise to $66.60 billion by 2015 from $60.30 billion last year.

India's military expenditure is likely to be $44.90 billion in 2015 from $35.40 billion in 2011.

China itself prefers to indigenously build almost all its military requirements, but it is hawking its planes and weapons at the show as well.

Considerable interest at the show's CATIC pavilion was shown in China's Harrier 1 unmanned surveillance aircraft and the JF-17 fighter jet built in collaboration with Pakistan.

CATIC, or China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp, is the country's biggest company for the trade of aviation and defence products.

Europe's carbon emissions scheme and by defects plaguing the Airbus A-380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are other issues likely to dominate the show.

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme, introduced on January 1, has drawn howls of protest from airlines around the world, with China banning its carriers from taking part.

Europe's plan to charge airlines for carbon emissions could trigger a full-blown trade war with implications for plane deals and Europe's crippling sovereign debt crisis.

Meanwhile, the discovery of hairline cracks on part of the frame inside A380 wings several weeks ago has embarrassed its maker, Airbus Industrie, a unit of EADS.

European safety authorities last week extended inspections for similar cracks to the entire fleet.
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Gaurav_S »

JSF 'no match' for latest Russian fighters or Chinese radar
THE stealth qualities of the futuristic F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on order for the Royal Australian Air Force are overrated and the plane's combat performance greatly exaggerated, a defence lobby group has claimed.

The complaints by Air Power Australia, longtime critics of the $16 billion JSF acquisition, were made last night before a public hearing of parliament's defence sub-committee.

Latest-generation Russian fighters such as the Sukhoi T-50 would easily defeat the F-35 in air-to-air combat, Air Power's Peter Goon said, referring to recent modelling tests by his organisation.

"The aircraft we are planning to buy is carrying over 2000 pounds (900kg) of dead weight," Mr Goon said, referring to the JSF's big jet engines.

New Russian and Chinese air defence radars would also have little trouble detecting the JSF, a craft touted for its stealth qualities, he added.

.The RAAF says it wants 100 US-designed JSFs to replace the decommisioned F-111 strike aircraft, with the first squadron supposed to be operating by 2018.

But the program has been mired in cost overruns and delays.

Last month US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the purchase of US JSFs to be delayed to allow Lockheed-Martin time to resolve production and technical shortcomings.

The company is contracted to deliver the first two training aircraft in 2014 with another 12 scheduled for 2015-17.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith has said he is now considering an option to order additional F/A-18F Super Hornets to fill any capability gap created by further JSF production delays.
Philip
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Philip »

Celebrated US author and WW2 veteran reveals war crimes involvement.

"To the victor the spolis" and re-writing of history,which Napoleon is famously to have said, was a "fable upon which we are all agreed".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/fe ... phy-memoir

Birdy author's memoirs tell of his involvement in a war crime
William Wharton's autobiography describes how his US army unit killed German prisoners in the second world war
The graphic and often painful memoirs of celebrated American author William Wharton – which include an account of his role in the killing of German prisoners during the second world war – are to be published for the first time in English.

Wharton's first novel, Birdy, was an instant bestseller and was turned into an award-winning film by director Alan Parker. Despite the critical acclaim that greeted subsequent books and a legion of admirers that included the Nobel laureate Doris Lessing, he has been largely out of print in the UK. He died in 2008.

Now his war memoirs are to be published in English for the first time, along with his complete works – eight novels and two non-fiction books. Curiously the memoir, entitled Shrapnel: Tales Not Told, had been quietly published only in Polish, in the country where he had somehow retained popularity. It includes memories so painful he could not share them with his four children. Among them was his indirect involvement in killing German prisoners of war in his charge. He writes: "I still have a hard time facing up to it inside myself. I'm having a hard time trying to get myself to write it. I guess that's why I put it off till last. I want to tell it as honestly as possible."

Scott Pack from HarperCollins, which begins publishing the books this summer, described the war memoir as "one of the finest" he has read. He could not believe it had languished forgotten for so long.

Having joined the army after school, Wharton survived D-day and the long campaign across France and the Low Countries, despite being seriously wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. A carpenter's son from "a poor, hard-working, ignorant Catholic family in Philadelphia", as he once put it, Wharton later studied art at the University of California and moved to Paris, where he lived with his family on a houseboat, selling expressionist paintings.

In 1978, aged 53, he published Birdy, a Kafkaesque story of a wounded soldier, traumatised by the war, who takes refuge in the world of birds, prompting the British writer John Fowles to describe him as "exceptionally gifted". Two other novels were made into films, one with Jack Lemmon.

Pack developed a passion for Wharton's writing as a teenager. Parker's 1984 film inspired him to read all of Wharton's books. When he became a publisher, he resolved to bring the neglected writer to a new generation. "He's one of my all-time favourite writers," he said. "I'm a fan of writers who are great storytellers. I'm not a fan of people like Salman Rushdie or Martin Amis, who are great linguists and I think show off. I realise they're hugely acclaimed and have won lots of prizes, and that's fine, but personally I want a storyteller."

Pack's enthusiasm led him to Wharton's agent, who told him: "There's this unpublished memoir, do you want to take a look?"

In its introduction, Wharton relates: "One evening … I had dinner with Kurt Vonnegut [writer of Slaughterhouse Five]. He asked me, 'How was your war?' I flippantly responded by recounting the … court martials in which I'd been involved … War for me, though brief, had been a soul-shaking trauma. I was scared, miserable, and I lost confidence in human beings, especially myself.

"When dug up, the buried guilts of youth smell of dirty rags and old blood. There are many things that happened to me, and because of me, of which I am not proud, events impossible to defend now; callousness, cowardice, cupidity, deception."

He recalls Germans whom his men had captured being shot in the legs before they were executed, arguably in revenge for an SS massacre of American soldiers at Malmédy in Belgium. He describes a German pulling out his family photo and crying. He writes: "Some of [the Americans] are feeling guilty about it all, but the worst of them are proud of themselves, consider themselves avenging patriots." He remembers vomiting when soldiers dug the Germans from shallow graves where their executioners had hidden them. On being told by the Observer of Wharton's revival, Alan Parker told the Observer: "He's terribly underrated and I was astonished his books were out of print for so long. Not many authors have three films made from their books. He eschewed the literary celebrity thing, which was not his personality at all. The film was fortunate enough to get a prolonged standing ovation. Sitting next to me, he was most embarrassed at the success."
Ravi Karumanchiri
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Ravi Karumanchiri »

X-POSTED NOTICE RE: STRATFOR “Strategic Forecasting” // “Global Intelligence”

Rakshaks,

I’m not sure how much “play” this story got – I’ve had my head down for a few weeks now – but perhaps this event provides an opportunity you’ll want to avail yourself of:

It recently made the news that one of America’s “thought-leader” think tanks “STRATFOR” was badly hacked, probably by the Chinese, and a list of all their subscribers was revealed, including a virtual “who’s who” in the US Government’s Departments of State and Defense. Indeed, STRATFOR stuff has been required reading for this lot since forever.

Well, in response to this enormous security breach, STRATFOR has removed the (completely compromised) password/login rigmarole and is now offering all of its web content for free.

Go to http://www.stratfor.com/ where the top line reads “Temporarily offering all content for free”. The “Geopolitical Diary” and “Analysis” sections are particularly interesting.

There are literally hundreds of articles on all sorts of (security/defense/geopolitical) topics, many of which will greatly interest Rakshaks.

Certainly, it is interesting to read what those folks are reading – it provides a window on their world, which after all, we all share.

Enjoy!
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Prem »

Army’s New Hybrid Tank Targets Our Enemies and Soaring Oil Prices
All the military funding in the world won't be able buy fuel when the world's oil supplies are depleted. So the U.S. Army has commissioned a new hybrid electric tank that's not unlike a war-friendly version of the Prius.It's being designed and built by BAE Systems working with Northrop Grumman who just released some renderings of the GCV, or Ground Combat Vehicle, confirming that it does still indeed look like a badass tank.Like the Prius, and other vehicles that use a hybrid electric drive, the GCV should provide longer operating times between fill-ups, which is particularly important when the vehicle is deployed in remote areas, away from readily-accessible supply lines.Full sizeIt also takes advantage of the high-torque benefits of an electric drivetrain, but also puts the military on track to eventually adapting all electric vehicles one day when, you know, batteries don't suck. [
http://gizmodo.com/5888644/armys-new-hy ... oil-prices
Gurneesh
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Gurneesh »

That IFV weighs more than a MBT (M1A2). There was a thread in milphotos.net a few days back.
mikehurst
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by mikehurst »

Jhujar wrote:Army’s New Hybrid Tank Targets Our Enemies and Soaring Oil Prices
All the military funding in the world won't be able buy fuel when the world's oil supplies are depleted. So the U.S. Army has commissioned a new hybrid electric tank that's not unlike a war-friendly version of the Prius.It's being designed and built by BAE Systems working with Northrop Grumman who just released some renderings of the GCV, or Ground Combat Vehicle, confirming that it does still indeed look like a badass tank.Like the Prius, and other vehicles that use a hybrid electric drive, the GCV should provide longer operating times between fill-ups, which is particularly important when the vehicle is deployed in remote areas, away from readily-accessible supply lines.Full sizeIt also takes advantage of the high-torque benefits of an electric drivetrain, but also puts the military on track to eventually adapting all electric vehicles one day when, you know, batteries don't suck. [
http://gizmodo.com/5888644/armys-new-hy ... oil-prices

EMP, here we come. An electric vehicle, is just so much more of a juicy target for a EMP grenade, or an EMP bazooka, how about an EMP panzerfaust.... 8)

Mike.
Kailash
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Kailash »

WikiLeaks: Russia Gave Israel Codes for Iran’s Missiles
Russia gave Israel codes for breaking Iran’s missile defense system in return for codes of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Israel sold to Georgia, WikiLeaks claims.
Poor Georgia and Iran. Shows how buyers are always at the mercy of sellers.
AdityaM
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by AdityaM »

Interesting link on decoy vehicles
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,5796289,00.html
bharath_a
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by bharath_a »

^^^ similar decoy are being worked on by russians
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11511886 (2yr old link). add a emitter you can draw enemy forces into trap.
srai
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by srai »

Kailash wrote:WikiLeaks: Russia Gave Israel Codes for Iran’s Missiles
Russia gave Israel codes for breaking Iran’s missile defense system in return for codes of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) Israel sold to Georgia, WikiLeaks claims.
Poor Georgia and Iran. Shows how buyers are always at the mercy of sellers.
It sounds familiar to the Israeli airstrike on a Syrian nuclear reactor where there were rumors of Syrian air-defense network deactivated during the airstrike.
Operation Orchard
...
Israeli intelligence may have used technology similar to the Suter airborne network attack system to neutralize Syrian radars. This would make it possible to feed enemy radar emitters with false targets, and even directly manipulate enemy sensors. In May 2008, a report in IEEE Spectrum cited European sources claiming that the Syrian air defense network had been deactivated by a secret built-in kill switch activated by the Israelis.
...
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by NRao »

So much for discussions on this and that.

However, there is a decent chance that Iran has managed to change just enough. Remote perhaps, nonetheless.


And, I thought spare were the only headache.
Austin
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

The wikileaks news of Russian giving this code and that code to Israel are just information by some one who is not even remotely related to this and thats called intelligence.
Philip
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Philip »

Rape "epidemic" in the US Military!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... demic.html

Panetta, Gates, Rumsfeld Face New Suit Over U.S. Military Rape ‘Epidemic’
by Jesse Ellison Mar 6, 2012
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the U.S. military’s top brass are accused of refusing to take action on sexual assault in the ranks and ignoring congressional mandates. Jesse Ellison reports.

Within days of a female joining,she was being called by US Marines,"slut and whore".
despite more than 20 years of claims to the contrary, military leadership not only has refused to take action to address rape, sexual assault, and harassment within its ranks, but also has unlawfully failed to comply with congressional mandates pertaining to the issue. “Each plaintiff suffered directly from Defendants’ unlawful conduct,” the suit states, “which created and maintained a hostile environment for servicemembers reporting rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment.”
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by chackojoseph »

Austin
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

Zoltan Dani: I shot down US stealth fighter

NATO’s military operation against Yugoslavia has already gone down in history. The 1999 Operation Merciful Angel specifically saw the shooting down by Serbia of an F-117 stealth fighter which was billed as an invulnerable aircraft by the United States. The F-117 was downed by Colonel Zoltan Dani, former commander of the 3rd battery of the 250th Missile Brigade in Belgrade, on March 27, 1999.
In an interview with the Voice of Russia broadcast on Friday, Dani, who retired in 2004 and now owns a small bakery outside Belgrade, elaborated on the March 27 events:

“At about 18:00 local time, we were ordered to turn on the system. We checked out the functionality of the missile defense system, reporting that the 3rd battery was on combat alert. After 20:00, a NATO airstrike began which prompted us to turn on the radar that tracked down an approaching target. We asked the mission control center to act against this aircraft, and at 20:41 we got the go-ahead. At 20:42, the target was destroyed. It took us 18 seconds to do so.”

How did you manage to spot the stealth fighter?

To that end, we used the Soviet-made P18 meter band radar which is capable of tracking any warplane irrespective of the configuration of its fuselage. The radar started to emit and we discovered a target at a distance of 15 kilometers – something that our operators were distinctly seeing on a display. I was quick to order the launch of a missile which destroyed the target.

You mean that you managed to shoot down the sophisticated aircraft with the help of the vintage S-125Neva anti-aircraft system?

I don’t quite agree with you. Of course, Russia has more advanced missile defense systems, but I proceed from the assumption that a cat’s color does not contribute to its ability to catch mice. At the time, the S-125Neva was believed to be a rather advanced system, and we had no other systems to tackle NATO airstrikes.

Is it true that you subsequently got acquainted with a pilot of the downed F-117?

I only want to say that a relevant documentary, the Second Meeting, is due to be released before the end of this year. It took us almost four years to meet – an occasion that was held in a positive atmosphere and that helped us to bolster our communication which is still under way. Our project aims to hammer home how important world peace and family values are…
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Shrinivasan »

Austin wrote:Zoltan Dani: I shot down US stealth fighter

NATO’s military operation against Yugoslavia has already gone down in history. The 1999 Operation Merciful Angel specifically saw the shooting down by Serbia of an F-117 stealth fighter which was billed as an invulnerable aircraft by the United States. The F-117 was downed by Colonel Zoltan Dani, former commander of the 3rd battery of the 250th Missile Brigade in Belgrade, on March 27, 1999.
No doubt out AF has persisted with its arsenal of old SA-2 and SA-3 systems even today... they probably would solider-on even after we induct SQ after SQ of Akash SAM and other XXXSAMs
Austin
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

On a lighter note may be we need such weapons to control our netas :rotfl:

Putin allows high-tech gun that hits nervous system
LONDON: Russian president-elect Vladimir Putin has given the go-ahead to a gun that uses electromagnetic radiation to attack a victims' central nervous system, a British media report said.

The "psychotronic" can effectively turn people into zombies -- a dead person that can be given the semblance of life and controlled at will.

The futuristic weapons developed by Russian scientists could be used against enemies and Russian dissidents, the Daily Mail reported.

Sources said Putin described the guns as "entirely new instruments for achieving political and strategic goals".

"Such high-tech weapons systems will be comparable in effect to nuclear weapons, but will be more acceptable in terms of political and military ideology," he was quoted as saying.

Precise details of the gun have not been revealed. But previous research has shown that low-frequency waves can affect brain cells, alter psychological states and make it possible to transmit commands directly into someone's thought processes.

High doses of microwaves can damage the functioning of internal organs, control behaviour or even drive victims to suicide.

Plans to introduce the weapons were announced recently by Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

"The development of weaponry based on new physics principles -- direct-energy weapons, geophysical weapons, wave-energy weapons, genetic weapons, psychotronic weapons, and so on -- is part of the state arms procurement programme for 2011-2020," Serdyukov said.
Surya
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Surya »

:)

if the weapon was developed by the west then its a non lethal safe weapon developed by the good decent folks of the West

but if it is the Russians it makes people into zombies
Singha
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Singha »

I imagine the KGB has long had suitcase sized EMP/microwave weapons. they planned to disrupt western airbases and naval ports using such means

the kind of guys who could cook up Burya (90t, 20m long brahmos-mki) in 1954 are truly out of the box thinkers, unbound by any textbook :mrgreen:
Austin
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

Top Ten Countries by Military Spending, 2011

Image
Austin
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

Nice write up on US Hypersonic Global Strike Program
Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW), United States of America

Design and capabilities of the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon

The AHW hypersonic glide body (HGB) vehicle has a conical design with winglets. It was designed to fit within the payload assembly. The structure is made of aluminium, titanium, steel, tantalum, tungsten, carbon fabric, silica and other alloys, including chromium and nickel.

HGB is powered by one lithium-ion actuator battery, two lithium-ion and five nickel manganese hydride batteries. Pressurised nitrogen gas is used as a propellant for the vehicle. Other equipment includes radio frequency transmitters and small electro-explosive devices.

The AHW is designed to provide a 6,000km range with 35 minute time-of-flight and achieve less than ten metre accuracy. It delivers a conventional payload at medium and global ranges, using a hypersonic glider.

The weapon's high manoeuvrability allows it to avoid flight over third party nations when approaching the target. It employs a precision guidance system to home in on the target.
Austin
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Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

Israel Establishes Strategic Covert Operations Force
The Israeli military has established a “depth corps” force to coordinate and execute multi-disciplinary missions far from the country's borders. The primary task of the corps, says Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, chief of the general staff, will be to extend joint operations into strategic theaters.Modeled after the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command

creation of the depth corps force indicates Israel's military envisions that long-range, largely clandestine and multi-service missions will have a much higher priority than the conventional operations that have been the main focus of its activity for decades. It also suggests that Israel expects future wars to be long, difficult and not winnable only by fighting along its own borders.

The decision to establish the command stems from an assessment of the strategic shifts resulting from popular revolutions in the Arab world and Middle East, where moderate or predictable countries could become dominated by Islamic and even jihadist elements, as well as from the threat posed by a nuclear Iran.

Defense minister Ehud Barak and Gantz created the corps after recommendations from a team headed by Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot. Eizenkot was tapped for the task last summer, after he completed his assignment as commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Northern Command, which is responsible for the border with Lebanon and the Golan Heights.

The new corps will be commanded by Maj. Gen. Shai Avital, 59, a former chief of the elite Sayeret Matkal commando force, veteran covert operations expert and close associate of Barak. Avital was recalled to active duty to head the corps, which is unusual. Gantz and Barak thought that the leader of such a command based on various special forces, each with their own capabilities and fighting traditions, would have to be a commander with the unique authority and experience to gain the confidence of subordinates during missions.

Predictably, some are calling the corps “the Iran Command.” Israel has a command for Iran affairs—namely, the Mossad intelligence agency—which has been doing the heavy lifting in the campaign against the Iranian nuclear threat. If there is any unit within the IDF that deals with Iran specifically, it is the Israeli air force (IAF), the service that will be called upon in the event of an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Gantz instructed Eizenkot to assess recent developments and strategic shifts in the region to determine whether the IDF needed to make changes in its planning. In reviewing past assessments, Eizenkot's team, which comprised high-ranking officers and one senior Mossad official, discovered that the need for a deep-strike force had been identified as far back as 1982, when a decision was made to create a depth corps at the general staff level. Implementation was delayed until 1986 as a result of the First Lebanon War, which took place in 1982. Maj. Gen. (ret.) Doron Rubin was named head of the unit, but fallout from the raid it orchestrated against a base in Lebanon of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command in December 1988, code-named Operation Blue and Brown, shut down the command. During the operation, which took place in Nueimeh, four Golani Regiment soldiers were left behind and had to be rescued under fire by IAF Cobra helicopters. The soldiers, clutching the skids of the Cobras, were flown out to sea for pickup by Israeli navy boats. Rubin stepped down afterward and the special operations unit was absorbed into the Northern Command.

The mission concept will be split into two categories. The corps will work primarily with special forces and at times oversee their covert operations, or operate directly, but covertly, against targets—for example, Iran and its nuclear facilities—on the ground, should an air attack take place. The corps will have the authority to deploy special operations units when necessary, but under normal circumstances each unit's chain of command will remain unchanged.

The rationale behind the unit is that long-range operations require extensive cooperation between different parts of the defense establishment. To effectively combat Iran's nuclear ambitions, arms smuggling to Hamas, Hezbollah and worldwide terror organizations, certain units must work together, such as military intelligence, the Mossad and others. Military branches need to join forces (especially the air force and navy), and commanders and their subordinates need to coordinate activities. The corps will oversee training and operations by special forces in an effort to enable each unit to retain its unique capabilities, while operating with better coordination and less competition with each other.

Units tapped for missions will be placed under the corps' control according to mission function, and perform pre-planned or ad-hoc operations during war and inter-war periods. The corps itself is subordinate to the IDF chief of staff.

If a mission requires taking control of a sector in an enemy's rear zone, the command could be assigned responsibility, for example, to secure an area where strategic weapons are being smuggled.

For the IDF, the depth corps is a new concept for special forces. “Until now, few operations were carried out by more than one special forces unit,” says Brig. Gen. (res.) Ilan Paz, former air force special forces commander. “The establishment of the new command will be justified only if it succeeds in achieving the synergy between the various units and becomes a force multiplier capable of implementing their special capabilities.”

Experts warn that this synergy will be difficult to achieve. Each IDF special operations unit has its own fighting tradition gained over decades of clandestine actions and has been almost entirely self-sufficient during missions. Sayeret Matkal, for one, arguably the most storied special forces ground unit, has conducted extremely complex and spectacular missions over the years, most of which are still classified.

“At the end of the day,” says Brig. Gen. (ret.) Dov Sedaka, former commander of Sayeret Matkal, the command's success or failure will depend on the authority it displays over subordinate units, each with unique training and capabilities. “If it coordinates them wisely, taking account of their characteristics, it could become a tremendous force multiplier.”

While Israel's special forces have had spectacular successes, there has been a sense within the general staff since the Second Lebanon War in 2006 that the units could do more if they worked together more closely and there was better coordination between their respective branches. The corps could assist in mobilizing special forces for missions. More important, it will have the job of planning and leading operations in areas far beyond Israel's borders, operations that are connected to the covert war against terror organizations and thus indirectly against Iran. These operations would be similar to those that have been ascribed to Israel, such as alleged IAF strikes and special forces missions in Sudan against terror networks.

“What is happening today is that actions in the strategic depth area are largely the result of some momentary flash,” a senior officer who helped draft the recommendations told the newspaper Haaretz. “An officer goes to military intelligence with an idea, and they start working on an operation. The corps, headed by a major general, would consider the threats methodically and continuously, and we hope it will lead to solutions and results,” he said.
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