International Military Discussion

The Military Issues & History Forum is a venue to discuss issues relating to the military aspects of the Indian Armed Forces, whether the past, present or future. We request members to kindly stay within the mandate of this forum and keep their exchanges of views, on a civilised level, however vehemently any disagreement may be felt. All feedback regarding forum usage may be sent to the moderators using the Feedback Form or by clicking the Report Post Icon in any objectionable post for proper action. Please note that the views expressed by the Members and Moderators on these discussion boards are that of the individuals only and do not reflect the official policy or view of the Bharat-Rakshak.com Website. Copyright Violation is strictly prohibited and may result in revocation of your posting rights - please read the FAQ for full details. Users must also abide by the Forum Guidelines at all times.
Post Reply
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

The USN will probably not have an operational railgun till perhaps the late 2020s (somewhere in the 2026-2030 timeframe). MDA may get it in by the same time as well so export is years out from that.
vasu raya
BRFite
Posts: 1658
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by vasu raya »

its more about using the EM tech to develop a long range howitzer than as an anti missile system, the latter is what USN wants and I don't think thats ever on the export list to India
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

Quite the latter. The USN's interest started off as an offensive weapon but has now shifted to a mix but probably leaning more towards IAMD. Same with MDA's efforts. My reference for operationalization is for either missions and is more a function of getting the system ready to be inserted into an operational construct. They are not there yet. There is no Army offensive fires interest yet but that stems from the lack of funding. MDA carries the IAMD mission development for the Army so they will continue to go that route. Irrespective of application this won't be exported till well into the 2030s if at all.
Last edited by brar_w on 23 Apr 2017 20:53, edited 1 time in total.
vasu raya
BRFite
Posts: 1658
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by vasu raya »

Maybe they could make it part of the DTTI, better than just portable generators on the list
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

vasu raya wrote:Maybe they could make it part of the DTTI, better than just portable generators on the list
EMRG is a 3rd Offset area of research. There isn't yet any intention to look into export of any of the R&D or S&T efforts that fit this broader research area. Again, General Atomics is a private company so they may want XYZ but at a policy level this has not been really considered seriously.
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

Three “Adir” (F-35I) Jets Land in Israel
About four months after the integration of the first two aircraft, three additional “Adir” (F-35I) fighters landed in Nevatim AFB today
Carmel Stern & Zohar Boneh Three additional “Adir” (F-35I) stealth fighters landed in Nevatim AFB today (23/4/17) and joined the two other jets, which arrived in December 2016. “The integration of the additional three jets is another stage in building the IAF’s capability, as a shield of the State of Israel”, said Brig. Gen. Eyal Grinboim, Nevatim AFB Commander.

The “Adir” (F-35I) is an advanced fifth generation multirole stealth fighter. Its advanced capabilities make it a first rate strategic asset for the IAF, the IDF and all of Israel. “As a young squadron taking its first steps in the operation of the ‘Adir’, this is a significant change”, said Lt. Col. Yotam, Commander of the “Golden Eagle” Squadron.
Image

Image

Another batch of 4 aircraft will be delivered to them later in the year. They plan on declaring the first squadron operational (IOC) this year when they have 9 delivered aircraft along with trained pilots and crew.
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

U.S. F-35A stealth fighters to move to Estonia tomorrow. Meanwhile, the British Typhoons have arrived in Romania.

Image

According to information available to the Estonia ERR media outlet, an unspecified number of F-35s will arrive at Ämari air base, Estonia, on Tuesday, Apr. 25.

“The jets will remain in Estonia for several weeks and conduct training flights with other aircraft of the U.S. and allied air forces.”

Eight F-35s and 250 airmen belonging to the 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing and the Air Force Reserve’s 466th Fighter Squadron, 419th Fighter Wing, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, have deployed to RAF Lakenheath recently (beginning with the first section of 6 aircraft on Apr. 15).
Neshant
BRF Oldie
Posts: 4852
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Neshant »

After US, now Australia wants a logistical agreement with India.

Its a slippery slope from here.

India should play no part in being a maintenance or staging depot for foreign forces invading small countries in Asia or the Middle East.

The above countries have a habit of doing just that under various pretexts.

However there is common interest in preventing a certain bully in the South China sea from claiming it all as their territory.


brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »



Has An RC-135U Combat Sent Signal Intelligence Aircraft “Covered” The Two F-35A Stealth Jets Visiting Estonia?
On Apr. 25, two U.S. Air Force F-35As belonging to the 34th Fighter Squadron, from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, deployed to the UK since mid April, flew from RAF Lakenheath, UK, to Ämari, Estonia.

Based on the information gathered by aircraft spotters, airband listeners and ADS-B monitors, who tracked the mission to Estonia of the F-35s, the two 5th generation multirole combat aircraft , 14-5102 and 14-5094, using radio callsign “Conan 01” and accompanied by “Quid 89”, a 100ARW KC-135 from RAF Mildenhall, departed from RAF Lakenheath at 07.35z.

The trio landed in Estonia shortly before 11.00z and took part in a brief ceremony (at this link you can find some interesting photographs).

Noteworthy, the quick visit to Estonia was “accompanied” by a rather unusual activity of U.S. and British spyplanes in the Baltic region.

In fact, as the F-35s headed towards Amari in formation with their KC-135 tanker, as many as three RC-135s (including a RAF bird) operated in the airspaces over or close to Estonia.

The U.S. Air Force dispatched an RC-135W Rivet Joint 62-4139 “Haiti 79” and an RC-135U Combat Sent 64-14847 “Spool 06” to the Baltic states.

The Rivet Joint positioned off Kaliningrad Oblast, where some of the most active Russian bases in the Baltic region are located, whereas the Combat Sent started a racetrack over Estonia, not far from the border with mainland Russia.

Shortly thereafter, even a RAF RC-135W “Airseeker,” one of the three ex-USAF KC-135 tanker converted to the Rivet Joint variant starting back in 2011, from RAF Waddington joined the scene. The British intelligence gathering plane that, just like the American “RJs” is equipped with all sorts of antennae and sensors, to eavesdrop enemy signals, transmissions, detect frequencies used by radio and radars and pinpoint sites of interest, mobile stations, SAM batteries, etc., maintained a racetrack off Kaliningrad.

At 14.43Z, the two JSFs departed Ämari to return to the UK and shortly thereafter both the U.S. and RAF spyplanes headed back to their homebases.

Although we can’t but speculate here, it appears to be quite likely that the RC-135 missions to the Baltic were somehow related to the deployment of the F-35 so close to the Russian border. In fact, whilst Rivet Joint and Combat Sent aircraft regularly fly to the region and can be daily tracked online as they head towards the international airspace off Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, the presence of three such spyplanes not too far away from one another seems to suggest their missions were coordinated and probably related to something “big” happening there.

And the only “big thing” (Zapad 2017 preparation aside) we are currently aware of is the first presence of the JSF in Estonia. Moreover, not only was the type of racetrack flown by the Combat Sent unusual, but it was also located in a pretty interesting position: east of Ämari, as if the RC-135U, an aircraft designed to collect technical intelligence on adversary radar emitter systems, was there to detect emissions from Russian radars interested in the F-35.

However, there is another possibility: what if the American and British spyplanes were there to deter the Russian from using their radars?

Indeed, whilst three RC-135s flying at the same time in the same area is something unusual, it is quite weird that the three spyplanes had their ADS-B transponder turned on during their missions.

“If they wanted to hide, they would do” says the ADS-B / ModeS tracking enthusiast who runs the popular @CivMilAir and @ADSBTweetBot Twitter feeds. “The daily RC-135s flights over the Middle East very rarely show up and even the daily missions to the Baltics can usually be tracked during their transit to the area of operations, where often the transponder is turned off. That’s why I believe they remained trackable on purpose.”

Spyplanes, including the U-Boat (as the RC-135U Combat Sent is nicknamed in the pilot community), usually operate in “due regard” with transponder switched off, with no radio comms with the ATC control, using the concept of “see and avoid” where the pilot flying is responsible for avoiding all traffic conflicts. Even if RC-135s can be regularly tracked online, they tend to keep a low-profile when reaching the area of operations, turning off the ADS-B to avoid being detected at least by commercial ADS-B receivers like those feeding online flight tracking systems such as Flightradar24.com, PlaneFinder.net or Global ADS Exchange.

On Apr. 25, both RC-135s could tracked throughout their missions suggesting they did purposely broadcast their position for everyone to see, to let everyone know they were there.

Russian spyplanes have done pretty much the same in the past: the Tu-214R, Russia’s most advanced intelligence gathering aircraft deployed to Syria and flew along the border with Ukraine with its transponder turned on. In that case it was a sort of “show of force”; yesterday was likely a way to prevent some interesting details about the F-35 to be gathered by the Russians.

By the way, it’s not the first time U.S. stealth jets flying to the Baltics are directly or undirectly “accompanied” by Rivet Joints: on Apr. 27, 2016, two F-22s deployed to Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania. Supported (so to say) by an RC-135W.
Karthik S
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5380
Joined: 18 Sep 2009 12:12

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Karthik S »

Russian naval ship sinks after collision.

https://www.rt.com/news/386326-russian- ... p-crashes/
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

4 still remain in the UK (two arrived in Estonia as noted above). Perhaps a weekend mach loop run is on the cards.

Two U.S. F-35s Have Deployed To Bulgaria Today
On Apr. 28, two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft, 14-5094 and 14-5091, belonging to the 34th Fighter Squadron, from Hill Air Force Base and temporarily deployed to RAF Lakenheath, UK, arrived at Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Bulgaria.

The aircraft were supported by a single KC-135R Stratotanker, c/s “Nacho 81”, from 459th Air Refueling Wing, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, that launched from RAF Mildenhall.

Interestingly, the 5th Gen. aircraft used the very same radio callsigns used by the F-35s involved in the JSF’s first ever visit to Estonia on Tuesday: “Conan 01” flight.

According to the U.S. DoD, today’s training deployment has been planned for some time and was conducted in close coordination with Bulgarian allies. “It allows the F-35A the opportunity to engage in familiarization training within the European theater while reassuring allies and partners of U.S. dedication to the enduring peace and stability of the region.”

“The aircraft and Airmen began arriving in Europe on April 15, and are scheduled to remain in Bulgaria for a brief period of time before returning to RAF Lakenheath to continue their training deployment.”

Already deployed to Graf Ignatievo Air Base, to take part in exercise Thracian Eagle 2017 were also 12 F-15C Eagle jets belonging to the 122nd Fighter Squadron of the 159th Fighter Wing, Louisiana Air National Guard that are in the involved in the drills along with the local-based Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29s as well as Su-25s from the Forward Deployment Air Base at Bezmer, L-39s from the Air Training Group at Dolna Mitropoliya Air Base, AS-532 AL, Mi-24 and Mi-17 helicopters from Krumovo Air Base, and air defence units.

Whilst “Nacho 81” could be tracked during its flight (to and back from) Bulgaria, this time the deployment to eastern Europe was not “accompanied” by any evident activity by U.S. or NATO intelligence gathering aircraft. In contrast, as already reported, on Apr. 25, flight tracking websites exposed the presence of a U.S. Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent, an RC-135W Rivet Joint and a RAF Airseeker over or around Estonia.
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

Lockheed considers modifying JASSM to carry small munitions, UAS
Lockheed Martin is drawing up ideas for ways to turn its Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile into a delivery system for smaller munitions and potentially small unmanned aerial systems, a configuration that could be immediately available with federal funding, a company official told Inside the Air Force this week.

Lockheed is exploring upgrades to the GPS-guided missile, which usually houses a 1,000-lb payload, that would allow it to fly missions other than point-to-point bombing of hard, deeply buried targets. The Air Force is interested but is still focusing on how to improve the existing JASSM extended-range missile's reach of 500 nautical miles, according to Alan Jackson, vice president of strike systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

"We have some design concepts already on the board today that we're sharing with our customer," Jackson said in an April 24 interview. "It's not hard to see that we can use JASSM in different roles and be effective at taking out other types of targets. . . . A single missile could take out multiple high-value targets by dispensing individually targeted munitions."

Using JASSM as a dispenser -- or as Jackson called it, a small aircraft platform -- could "absolutely" carry small UAS as well, he said.

Jackson added that what JASSM would do after dropping its payloads would be up to the Air Force. The missile airframe could still fly a final mission or return to base to be reused, he said.

"The opportunities and applications there are almost endless depending on what the warfighter needs," Jackson added.

The Air Force did not respond to further questions by press time (April 27).

Lockheed has already demonstrated the ability to drop a single munition from a JASSM airframe on a high-speed sled test, which moves the missile nearly as fast as it would normally fly. Live flight testing would occur if and when the Air Force decides to devote research and development money to the program.

Those concepts could become part of a new JASSM variant Lockheed is working on that could be launched even farther than the extended-range version. Jackson envisions that a "rather dramatic" increase in capability could be delivered at a date "not too far in the future."

Lockheed is also exploring upgrades to JASSM's survivability, its ability to fly without GPS navigation, and smaller but equally effective warheads, using internal research and development funds to mature those technologies. Jackson said Lockheed could immediately move toward testing if the Air Force were to fund those programs in fiscal year 2018 or FY-19. He noted the service and company are working together "to make some definitive near-term plans on adding capabilities," but did not elaborate on which capabilities those might be or when they could be fielded.

Grabowski told ITAF the service wouldn't speculate on future budgets but continually looks at how to integrate capabilities across platforms.

Jackson added that combining those improvements with the longer-range JASSM in development would be "absolutely" possible and may be "a more economical means of moving forward."

"The Air Force seems to have a clear vision on how to extend existing JASSM-ER capabilities and these alternate missions," he said. "The technologies that we're talking about inserting are mature and it's just a matter of integrating it into the weapon and flight demonstrating it."

JASSM flies on the B-1B, B-2, B-52, F-16 and F-15E, while JASSM-ER is currently integrated onto the B-1B, according to Lockheed. JASSM-ER was successfully flight tested on the F-15 earlier this year, Jackson said, and the extended-range variant is slated to move to the B-52 late this year and to the F-16 next year. Denney said last year Lockheed is in talks to bring JASSM-ER to the B-2 as well.
jamwal
BR Mainsite Crew
Posts: 5727
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 21:28
Location: Somewhere Else
Contact:

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by jamwal »

North Korea Holds Its Largest Live Fire Artillery Drill

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

http://acidcow.com/pics/89573-north-kor ... -pics.html
Chinmay
BRFite
Posts: 263
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 07:25

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Chinmay »

NoKo with Apaches? Someone somewhere has their Koreas mixed up.
Singha
BRF Oldie
Posts: 66601
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 19:42
Location: the grasshopper lies heavy

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Singha »

footage of jsf flying low and fast in scotland
https://theaviationist.com/2017/05/03/t ... irst-time/
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

DOD Kicks Off F-35 International Block Buy

The U.S. government has initiated a “block buy” of more than 300 F-35s that will enable its international partners to purchase Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter in bulk over three years.

The Defense Department recently awarded Lockheed a $1.3 billion advance acquisition contract to support the production of F-35s in low rate initial production (LRIP) Lots 12, 13 and 14—the first contracting action to support the international block buy, an F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) spokesman says.

The U.S. services will not participate in the block buy; they will buy Lot 12, 13 and 14—or fiscal 2018, 2019 and 2020—F-35s as single-year procurements. Instead, the U.S. plans to contribute money to buy long-lead parts in bulk over Lots 13 and 14, a strategy called “economic order quantity” (EOQ). The services will seek authorization and appropriations from Congress for this funding on a yearly basis. JPO Chief Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan revealed the strategy in December during a media roundtable; previously, the U.S. considered joining the block buy in Lots 13 and 14.

The $1.3 billion contract covers long lead time materials, parts, components and effort for 130 Lot 12 aircraft and 110 Lot 13 and 14 aircraft, according to an April 28 DOD announcement. The Lot 12 aircraft are for the U.S. services, partner nations and foreign military sales (FMS) customers, while the Lot 13 and 14 aircraft are for the international partners and FMS customers only.

The block buy will eventually cover about 450 aircraft and save about $2 billion altogether, the JPO says.


Bogdan lauded the block buy/EOQ strategy in congressional testimony on Feb. 12, saying it gives the international partners and FMS customers the flexibility to buy aircraft over multiple lots in a single procurement. It also enables suppliers down to the component level to maximize production economies of scale, yielding savings, Bogdan said.

“Savings are also achieved due to learning curve improvements on production lines and other government and industry cost reduction initiatives which may not have been otherwise executed, if not for a stable multiple year requirement to procure parts,” Bogdan noted.

Lockheed sees multiyear contracting strategies such as the block buy and EOQ as crucial to driving down the cost of the aircraft over the long term. A single U.S. Air Force F-35A cost just under $100 million in the latest production lot. The company is committed to delivering an $85 million or less F-35A in 2019.

However, several government agencies have warned Congress against the block buy and EOQ. The Government Accountability Office in an April report warned lawmakers against authorizing the EOQ until DOD’s plan is complete. Meanwhile, last year the Pentagon’s top weapons tester raised concerns about committing to the block buy before testing of the aircraft is finished. Lockheed currently estimates the F-35’s development period will wrap up by year’s end.

For its part, the JPO says the risk of the block buy/EOQ strategy for Lots 12, 13 and 14 is “low” because the design of the weapon system will be stable during this period of time.
arun
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10248
Joined: 28 Nov 2002 12:31

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by arun »

The ballistic missile launch was perfectly timed to upstage BARF ie: Belt And Road Forum being held in the Peoples Republic of China leading one to wonder if the missile launch was not a case of North Korea thumbing their noses at their Peoples Republic of China Patrons:

North Korea blights China's One Belt, One Road party with missile launch
arun
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10248
Joined: 28 Nov 2002 12:31

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by arun »

North Korean News media on field guidance for launch of Gangnam Style “Korean Style” “Juche Weapon” Hwasong-12 by Kim Jong Un.

Pretty lofted trajectory. The IRBM hit an apogee of 2,111.5 km.
May. 15, Juche 106 (2017) Monday

Kim Jong Un Guides Test-Fire of New Rocket

A test-fire of new ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 was successfully carried out on Sunday by scientists and technicians in the field of rocket research, who are bravely advancing toward a new goal to be proud of in the world, true to the far-sighted idea of Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, for building a nuclear power.

Kim Jong Un guided the test-fire on the spot.

Looking at Hwasong-12, he expressed his satisfaction over the possession of another "Juche weapon", a perfect weapon system congruous with the military strategic and tactical idea of the WPK and the demand of the present times.

The test-fire was conducted at the highest angle in consideration of the security of neighboring countries. The test-fire aimed at verifying the tactical and technological specifications of the newly-developed ballistic rocket capable of carrying a large-size heavy nuclear warhead.

According to the order of Kim Jong Un, the new rocket Hwasong-12 was launched at 04:58 on Sunday.

The rocket accurately hit the targeted open waters 787km away after flying to the maximum altitude of 2 111.5km along its planned flight orbit.

The test-fire proved to the full all the technical specifications of the rocket, which was newly designed in a Korean-style by defence scientists and technicians, like guidance and stabilization systems, structural system and pressurization, inspection and launching systems and reconfirmed the reliability of new rocket engine under the practical flight circumstances.

It also verified the homing feature of the warhead under the worst re-entry situation and accurate performance of detonation system.

Kim Jong Un hugged officials in the field of rocket research, saying that they worked hard to achieve a great thing. And he had a picture taken with officials, scientists and technicians who took part in the test-fire.

Highly appreciating again their devotion for manufacturing the Korean-style medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket, he gave a special thanks to them on behalf of himself.

He said with confidence that the successful test-fire of Hwasong-12, a demonstration of high-level defence science and technology of the DPRK, is of great and special significance for securing peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the region and is the greatest victory of the Korean people.

He declared that the DPRK is a nuclear power worthy of the name whether someone recognizes it or not. He stressed the DPRK will keep strict control over those engaging themselves in nuclear blackmail with its nuclear deterrence which has been unimaginably and rapidly developed.

The U.S. massively brought nuclear strategic assets to the vicinity of the Korean peninsula to threaten and blackmail the DPRK, but the coward American-style fanfaronade militarily browbeating only weak countries and nations which have no nukes can never work on the DPRK and is highly ridiculous, he said, stressing that if the U.S. dares opt for a military provocation against the DPRK, we are ready to counter it.

The most perfect weapon systems in the world will never become the eternal exclusive property of the U.S., he said, expressing the belief that the day when the DPRK uses the similar retaliatory means will come. He continued that on this occasion, the U.S. had better see clearly whether the ballistic rockets of the DPRK pose actual threat to it or not.

If the U.S. awkwardly attempts to provoke the DPRK, it will not escape from the biggest disaster in the history, he said, strongly warning the U.S. not to disregard or misjudge the reality that its mainland and Pacific operation region are in the DPRK's sighting range for strike and that it has all powerful means for retaliatory strike.

He gave the scientists and technicians in the field of rocket research the order to continuously develop more precise and diversified nukes and nuclear striking means, not content with the successes, and make preparations for more tests till the U.S. and its vassal forces make a proper choice with reason.

Rodong Sinmun
The launch pictures, many of which feature the latest dynast of the Kimdom, Kim Fatty the Third, are available at the below link. The Launch Pictures themselves ava ilable on Picture 2,3,5,6.8,9 to 11 and 16 to 19. Pictures of the TEL from Pic 20 to 27.:

Hwasong 12 Launch Pictures

One of the launch pictures:

Image
arun
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10248
Joined: 28 Nov 2002 12:31

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by arun »

X Posted from the International Military Discussion thread.

John Schiliing writing about North Korea’s Hwasong-12 Missile in 38 North.

Says the missile is capable of covering an Agni IV like 4,500 km. I guess that is possible given the North Koreans have stated in the Rodong Sinmun article posted by me perviously above, that the missile made a 2000km plus apogee.
North Korea’s Latest Missile Test: Advancing towards an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) While Avoiding US Military Action

Posted By John Schilling
On May 14, 2017 @ 11:58 am In Military Affairs | Comments Disabled

North Korea’s latest successful missile test represents a level of performance never before seen from a North Korean missile. The missile would have flown a distant of some 4500 kilometers if launched on a maximum trajectory. It appears to have not only demonstrated an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that might enable them to reliably strike the US base at Guam, but more importantly, may represent a substantial advance to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Given speculation over the past months about the possibility of military action by the Trump administration to prevent Pyongyang from acquiring such a weapons, the possible testing of ICBM subsystems in this low-key manner may be a North Korean hedge against the possibility of such action.

We are still awaiting more details on this test, and if the North Koreans follow their usual practice we can expect photographs soon. But unless Pyongyang is hiding something completely new, there’s only one real candidate for this missile. During last month’s parade, one genuinely new missile was revealed – one that looks very much like a small, two-stage version of their three-stage KN-08 ICBM prototype, on displayed on a mobile launcher previously used for the “Musudan” intermediate-range ballistic missile. We don’t have a name for this missile yet; the “KN-17” designation has been used for both this system and for a Scud-derived short-range ballistic missile with a maneuvering reentry vehicle displayed in the same parade. But whatever the name, it would be expected to have about the same performance as the missile just launched.

While the April 15 parade may be the first time this missile was seen, and yesterday’s test may be its first successful flight, there have been earlier indications that such a missile was under development. In January this year, intelligence sources reported that North Korea had deployed two prototype ICBMs at a test site, just under 15 meters long. All of North Korea’s ICBM prototypes and mock-ups are well over that size, which left us puzzled. But this new missile comes in at just under 15 meters, and while its performance doesn’t quite reach ICBM standards it clearly shares a common heritage with the KN-08 ICBM. Quite likely this was the missile that was reported in January.

It may have been tested on other occasions. Two failed missile tests from Kusong in October were presumed to be Musudans, but there was no solid evidence to confirm that – and the Musudan had recently been tested successfully, so it would be somewhat surprising for it to fail twice in a row. It wouldn’t be at all surprising for a new missile to fail twice, and if the missile were launched from a Musudan TEL, it might well be mistaken for a Musudan. Another failed test, on April 16, was initially ascribed to a new maneuvering reentry vehicle system, but may have been this missile instead – both were initially displayed in the parade the previous day, and a successful test of either one would neatly highlight the propaganda event.

While this missile appears to share a common heritage with the KN-08 ICBM [2], it isn’t simply a KN-08 with the third stage removed. The first two stages also appear to be reduced in scale. Unfortunately, we have little detail about the missile’s design. We do not, for example, know if it uses the same twin-engine propulsion system [3] as the first stage of the KN-08. But the more important question is, what is the new missile for?

One possibility is that it is meant to replace the Musudan IRBM which. represents an attempt to stretch a Cold War vintage Russian missile to reach the US base at Guam, some 3500 km from North Korean launch sites. But the Musudan has proven unreliable in testing, with only one success in at least six attempts, and its performance is marginal [4] for reaching Guam. The Musudan may have been the best North Korea could manage ten years ago, but that level of performance really calls for a two-stage missile. Now, it appears that they have one. But existing North Korean missiles are already capable of reaching targets anywhere in South Korea or Japan, and extending that reach to perhaps 4500 kilometers won’t greatly change the strategic balance – aside from Guam, there aren’t really any interesting targets in that range..

What would change the strategic balance is an ICBM capable of reaching the US mainland. This is not that missile but it might be a testbed, demonstrating technologies and systems to be used in future ICBMs like the KN-08 and KN-14. A full three-stage KN-08 would be very unlikely to work the first time it was tested, and the failure would be both expensive and very provocative. This missile would allow North Korea to conduct at least some of the testing necessary to develop an operational ICBM, without actually launching ICBMs, particularly if it includes the same rocket engines.

If North Korea has already conducted a successful test using the engines and other components of the first two stages of the KN-08, it may be closer to an operational ICBM than had been previously estimated. US cities will not be at risk tomorrow, or any time this year. since some tests have to be done with the full-scale system. With only one test of this reduced-scale system Pyongyang is probably some time from even beginning that process. But given this test and the possible North Korean path forward, a closer look will be needed to see how much progress has been made, and what technologies the North may have demonstrated, as will a reassessment of their ICBM program in that new light.
From here:

38 North
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

Guam has an operational THAAD battery. That gets you 48 interceptors before reloads, which would correspond to roughly 20-24 intercept attempts. There will probably be AEGIS mid course cover at times of heightened tensions but they may wish to add another AN/TPY-2 radar at Guam to enhance AEGIS effectiveness.
Austin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 23387
Joined: 23 Jul 2000 11:31

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

North Korea's missile launch: What do the images tell us?

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/16/asia/ ... index.html
jamwal
BR Mainsite Crew
Posts: 5727
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 21:28
Location: Somewhere Else
Contact:

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by jamwal »

Image


Image
Kakkaji
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3866
Joined: 23 Oct 2002 11:31

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Kakkaji »

Chinmay
BRFite
Posts: 263
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 07:25

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Chinmay »

Kakkaji wrote:End of the road for the Eurofighter?

Germany asks US for classified briefing on Lockheed's F-35 fighter
The F-35s could be a replacement for the Tornados, not the Eurofighter.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Philip »

The NoKo ding-dong's nosecone looks as though they've copied it from our AGNI series.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017- ... 289037.htm
SPore acquiring new German U-boats,U-218s.
[quote]Singapore to purchase 2 new Type-218SG submarines
Source: Xinhua 2017-05-16 17:19:30 More
SINGAPORE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Singapore will acquire two new Type 218SG submarines as part of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)'s modernization effort, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Tuesday in a press release.

The new submarines will replace the older submarines, with an expected delivery from 2024 onwards, announced Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen at the opening ceremony of the International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference Asia 2017.

MINDEF added that the Type 218SG submarines incorporate design innovation and advanced maintenance and engineering concepts to optimize training, operation and maintenance costs.

"They will also be equipped with significantly improved capabilities like modern combat systems and Air Independent Propulsion systems," the statement added.

The purchase is part of the RSN's submarine force renewal program to meet operational requirements. In 2013, Singapore acquired the first two Type 218SG submarines which they are projected for delivery from 2021.[/quote]
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

Chinmay wrote:
Kakkaji wrote:End of the road for the Eurofighter?

Germany asks US for classified briefing on Lockheed's F-35 fighter
The F-35s could be a replacement for the Tornados, not the Eurofighter.
It wouldn't be cheap to create and certify a land attack, nuclear weapon capable variant of the Typhoon, and then it wouldn't be very cheap to buy it in tiny amounts at a time when its production would be on the way down. The F-35 comes with B-61 compatibility and they'll be knocking out close to 200 of these aircraft a year by the time Germany needs to buy its Tornado replacement so from that perspective one can see why it would warrant a serious look. The only 'new' Euro project is a strike UCAV so I'm not sure Germany would wan't to deliver nukes that way if this is a capability they want to retain.


Chinmay wrote:
The F-35s could be a replacement for the Tornados, not the Eurofighter.
The Typhoons won't need replacing for decades.
Last edited by brar_w on 18 May 2017 20:12, edited 1 time in total.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Philip »

https://www.rt.com/news/388749-wannacry ... ttack-nsa/
WannaCry XXL? 2nd even bigger global cyber attack already underway
Published time: 17 May, 2017 20:57

As the world reels from the WannaCry ransomware attack, it’s now emerged that a second, potentially larger attack, is already under way. It seems the widespread proliferation of military-grade cyberweapons has ushered in a new era of digital crime.

Cyber bandits have again deployed both the EternalBlue and DoublePulsar exploits developed and used by the NSA which were released by the ShadowBrokers hackers back in April.

“Initial statistics suggest that this attack may be larger in scale than WannaCry, affecting hundreds of thousands of PCs and servers worldwide: because this attack shuts down SMB networking to prevent further infections with other malware (including the WannaCry worm) via that same vulnerability, it may have in fact limited the spread of last week's WannaCry infection,” wrote a security researcher who goes by the alias Kafeine at cybersecurity company Proofpoint.

This latest attack uses the two exploits to install the cryptocurrency miner Adylkuzz over corporate Local Area and wireless networks but, rather curiously, may actually have helped slow the spread of WannaCry.

READ MORE: Ransomware virus plagues 100k computers across 99 countries

However, in an apparent case of “picking your poison,” the Adylkuzz miner dramatically slows PC and server performance as it extracts cryptocurrency but it does not lock users out of their machines and data, as WannaCry did.

NSA developed #WannaCry 'dangerous attack tools' - Snowden analysis of #WanaCrypt0r #WCry exploit https://on.rt.com/8biz
5:54 AM - 13 May 2017

Researchers at Proofpoint estimate that the Adylkuzz attack may have begun as early as April 24 but was subsequently overshadowed in the hysteria that followed the WannaCry ransomware attacks.

The attack is launched from multiple virtual private servers which scour the internet for vulnerabilities to install the Adylkuzz miner.

The malware infection occurs as follows:

The EternalBlue exploit opens the door for infection with DoublePulsar on a target machine. DoublePulsar then downloads and runs Adylkuzz on the computer.

Adylkuzz then stops any preexisting versions of itself on a target machine, while also blocking SMB network communications with other machines to prevent any further malware infections from disrupting its operations. It initially prevents cybersecurity professionals from identifying that there is a problem.

Once the door has been held open and detection risks have been minimized, Adylkuzz then downloads mining instructions, the cryptocurrency miner itself and a variety of cleanup tools to mask its activities.

Hackers expose #NSA financial spying arsenal, global banking system potentially at risk https://on.rt.com/88ws #SWIFT
10:10 AM - 15 Apr 2017
Photo published for Hackers expose NSA financial spying arsenal, global banking system potentially at risk — RT News
Hackers expose NSA financial spying arsenal, global banking system potentially at risk — RT News
Hacking group Shadow Brokers has released a data dump allegedly stolen from the NSA that details the agency’s ability to hack international banks, as well as the SWIFT network, via Windows PCs and...

While the term cryptocurrency is typically associated with Bitcoin, Adylkuzz actually mines Monero, a similar but more heavily encrypted digital currency. Monero recently saw a significant uptick in usage after it was adopted in the AlphaBay market on the Dark Web.

The three bitcoin wallets tied to #WannaCry ransomware have received 265 payments totaling 42.9251299 BTC ($76,233.26 USD).
1:30 PM - 17 May 2017

As with other cryptocurrencies, Monero expands in market cap through self-proliferation via digital mining. One monero is roughly equivalent to $27 at current exchange rates.

During its research, Proofpoint identified three addresses which had already generated $7,000, $14,000 and $22,000 respectively, before being shut down.

To cover their tracks, whoever is behind the attack regularly changes the online payment address to avoid attracting too much attention.

As in the case of the WannaCry attack, hackers have leveraged the NSA’s weaponized exploits of legacy Microsoft operating systems to infect hundreds of thousands of machines worldwide with malware. Since the Shadow Brokers’ leak of these NSA exploits there have been two high profile attacks with many more expected in the future.
Cosmo_R
BRF Oldie
Posts: 3407
Joined: 24 Apr 2010 01:24

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Cosmo_R »

@Jamwal ^^^ I think cowgirl broke the bronco :)
jamwal
BR Mainsite Crew
Posts: 5727
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 21:28
Location: Somewhere Else
Contact:

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by jamwal »

I just found both funny. Any idea which missile is this ?
Austin
BRF Oldie
Posts: 23387
Joined: 23 Jul 2000 11:31

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Austin »

North Korea New-Type Anti-Aircraft Guided Weapon System

brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

NGC Demos HAMMR Multi-Mission AESA Radar During C-RAM Test

The U.S. Army selected Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Highly Adaptable Multi-Mission Radar (HAMMR) to demonstrate its multi-mission capability at the 2017 counter-rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) test at Yuma Proving Ground earlier this year. HAMMR is a multi-mission sensor that provides the warfighter with situational awareness, counter-fire operations, air defense, early warning and airspace management capabilities.

HAMMR incorporates an active electronically scanned array (AESA) fighter radar mounted on a ground vehicle or towable trailer to provide continuous 360-degree protection against multiple ground and airborne targets — all while operating on-the-move, so soldiers on the ground can maintain their operational pace without sacrificing protection. The modular self-contained system includes on-board prime power and cooling, AESA and radar electronics and operator/maintainer display modules. These modules support multiple packaging concepts, making HAMMR easily adaptable to multiple vehicle types, fixed installations and C2 interfaces.

During the test at Yuma, the system successfully detected and identified Groups I and II unmanned aerial systems, providing real-time situational awareness to the operator. HAMMR also validated its ability to connect to the Army’s Forward Area Air Defense command and control system, which enables the communication of information from the system back to the force.

Roshan Roeder, vice president for mission solutions at Northrop Grumman, said, “HAMMR is the only AESA radar out there today that can support our maneuver forces’ on-the-move multi-mission operation. Since HAMMR shares common hardware with our fighter aircraft radars, our customers realize the cost advantages of high-volume AESA production and benefit from the inherent reliability of this mature, proven technology.”
Chinmay
BRFite
Posts: 263
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 07:25

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Chinmay »

The potential $110 billion box of American toys for the Saudis
$13.5 billion for seven THAAD batteries, with an estimated delivery time of 2023-2026.
$4.46 billion for 104,000 air-to-ground munitions, divided amongst five types (GBU 31v3, GBU-10, GBU-12, GBU-31v1, GBU-38).
$6.65 billion for enhancements to Saudis’ Patriot anti-missile system, with a scope of work from 2018-2027.
$2 billion for “light close air support” aircraft, with the aircraft and delivery date still unknown. It is possible that the winner of this contract could be related to the U.S. Air Force’s OA-X close-air support study.
$2 billion for four new aircraft, of a to-be-determined variety, for “TASS & Strategic ISC.” TASS stands for “tactical airborne surveillance system,” similar in concept to the U.S. Air Force JSTARS system. It's possible the replacement could be the same as the JSTARS replacement currently being considered by the Pentagon. Those would be delivered in 2024.
$5.8 billion for three KC-130J and 20 C-130J new aircraft, along with sustainment through 2026. Those planes would start delivery in 2022.
$6.25 billion for an eight-year sustainment deal for Saudi Arabia's fleet of F-15 fighters, with another $20 million for an F-15 C/D recapitalization program study.
$2 billion for an unknown number of MK-VI Patrol Boats, with an unknown delivery date.
$6 billion for four Lockheed Martin-built frigates, based on the company’s littoral combat ship design. That order falls under the Saudi Naval Expansion Program II (SNEP II) heading, with planned delivery in the 2025-2028 timeframe.
$2.35 billion to modify 400 existing Bradley fighting vehicles, along with another $1.35 for 213 new vehicles.
$1.5 billion for 180 Howitzers, with an estimated delivery time of 2019-2022.
$18 billion for C4I System and integration, with no further details given on what that means, nor with a delivery date offered.
The document also shows a focus on space capabilities for the Kingdom, with two “Remote Sensing Satellites” estimated at $800 million and two satellite communications & Space Based Early Warning Systems estimated at $4 billion. It also includes a notably high $40 million mark for a “SATCOM Definitization” meeting with the Office of the Secretary of Defense-Space policy team.
13.5 billion for seven THAAD batteries? What sort of sustainment is offered? That sounds fantastically expensive.
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

Chinmay wrote:
13.5 billion for seven THAAD batteries? What sort of sustainment is offered? That sounds fantastically expensive.

THAAD battery is going to be significantly more expensive than say a Patriot simply given the dedicated BMD radar and the fact that Saudi Arabia has been known to be shopping for a customized Command and Control suite designed to control its unique THAAD and AMD configuration after failing to get other Arab countries to agree on a common architecture. They were rumored to be looking at a C2 suite from Lockheed which would essentially mean a completely new system since the US systems are being designed by Northrop Grumman and aren't yet export cleared (nor fully developed).

The Saudi's have been negotiating for THAAD for a number of years, but very little has been revealed on their configuration. There were some hints dropped at a recent Military Radar Summit session that it was their interest to seek an upgraded system that drove the US MDA to go ahead and pursue changing the AN/TPY-2 baseline to essentially include all GaN radars from 2017 onwards something that the MDA planned to only do starting 2021 just a few years ago. The current baseline AN/TPY-2 that goes into production in 2017 and beyond (2018 and beyond deliveries) is a 25,000+ GaN X-Band Module ballistic Missile Defense Radar with likely significant performance and discrimination improvements over the baseline radar. This is likely to also add a fairly good amount of cost over the baseline TPY-2's that use Raytheon's 3rd Generation GaAs modules. Baseline TPY-2s run around $200 Million. So its pretty safe to assume that a significantly upgraded radar with completely different TRIMMs and FMS and export (support, training, and logistics etc) cost will run at least twice the US flyaway cost of the baseline set.

What we have also not heard is the overall system configuration and how many radars they want to buy. Unless they want to operate the THAAD as a purely organic BMD system, they are likely to seek either interoperable Early Warning systems, or buy additional AN/TPY-2s so that they can be used in forward-based mode for EW. Qatar for example ordered the massive UEWR as its EW radar system to track all Ballistic Missile targets and provide Early Warning. So that could help explain the overall deal.

Then comes the interceptor..the cost of the deal will largely vary by the number of interceptors they order as part of the main deal. This could range anywhere from 500 interceptors (A full up THAAD battery carries 48 interceptors without requiring reloads) to closer to a 1000. Saudi Arabia is known to order its interceptors in bulk and spread deliveries over a long duration. So factoring in all these unknowns and their known habits of seeking customized solutions, and extensive prolonged support and training $13 Billion for 7 batteries that should be sufficient to cover their population centers and provide dedicated upper tier SRBM-IRBM defense with likely significant growth prospects (radar, C2 and Interceptors) is actually a fairly good deal.

But this case hasn't advanced far enough for an FMS notification yet so we will have to wait and see. This was just an announcement of intention. FMS announcement will follow, and then they will embark on additional negotiations. This isn't a very fast process, particularly not so when bespoke variants are being crafted.

7 THAAD batteries, if they do end up buying that many will make them just about the largest THAAD operator in the world, nearly at par with the US in terms of deployed full up batteries is concerned.
Chinmay
BRFite
Posts: 263
Joined: 15 Aug 2016 07:25

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Chinmay »

brar_w wrote:
Chinmay wrote:
13.5 billion for seven THAAD batteries? What sort of sustainment is offered? That sounds fantastically expensive.

THAAD battery is going to be significantly more expensive than say a Patriot simply given the dedicated BMD radar and the fact that Saudi Arabia has been known to be shopping for a customized Command and Control suite designed to control its unique THAAD and AMD configuration after failing to get other Arab countries to agree on a common architecture. They were rumored to be looking at a C2 suite from Lockheed which would essentially mean a completely new system since the US systems are being designed by Northrop Grumman and aren't yet export cleared (nor fully developed).

The Saudi's have been negotiating for THAAD for a number of years, but very little has been revealed on their configuration. There were some hints dropped at a recent Military Radar Summit session that it was their interest to seek an upgraded system that drove the US MDA to go ahead and pursue changing the AN/TPY-2 baseline to essentially include all GaN radars from 2017 onwards something that the MDA planned to only do starting 2021 just a few years ago. The current baseline AN/TPY-2 that goes into production in 2017 and beyond (2018 and beyond deliveries) is a 25,000+ GaN X-Band Module ballistic Missile Defense Radar with likely significant performance and discrimination improvements over the baseline radar. This is likely to also add a fairly good amount of cost over the baseline TPY-2's that use Raytheon's 3rd Generation GaAs modules. Baseline TPY-2s run around $200 Million. So its pretty safe to assume that a significantly upgraded radar with completely different TRIMMs and FMS and export (support, training, and logistics etc) cost will run at least twice the US flyaway cost of the baseline set.

What we have also not heard is the overall system configuration and how many radars they want to buy. Unless they want to operate the THAAD as a purely organic BMD system, they are likely to seek either interoperable Early Warning systems, or buy additional AN/TPY-2s so that they can be used in forward-based mode for EW. Qatar for example ordered the massive UEWR as its EW radar system to track all Ballistic Missile targets and provide Early Warning. So that could help explain the overall deal.

Then comes the interceptor..the cost of the deal will largely vary by the number of interceptors they order as part of the main deal. This could range anywhere from 500 interceptors (A full up THAAD battery carries 48 interceptors without requiring reloads) to closer to a 1000. Saudi Arabia is known to order its interceptors in bulk and spread deliveries over a long duration. So factoring in all these unknowns and their known habits of seeking customized solutions, and extensive prolonged support and training $13 Billion for 7 batteries that should be sufficient to cover their population centers and provide dedicated upper tier SRBM-IRBM defense with likely significant growth prospects (radar, C2 and Interceptors) is actually a fairly good deal.

But this case hasn't advanced far enough for an FMS notification yet so we will have to wait and see. This was just an announcement of intention. FMS announcement will follow, and then they will embark on additional negotiations. This isn't a very fast process, particularly not so when bespoke variants are being crafted.
Thanks for the info brar_w. What I also found curious was the $4 billion for 'JSTARS-like' aircraft as well as the 'light attack aircraft'. The Saudi's could buy a great light CAS aircraft (Super Tucano) today, but they are riding on the US's coat tails just to maintain commonality with the Americans.

Also, presumably the JSTARS like aircraft would be a bespoke variant? They could order something like the RAF's ASTOR, assuming that the tech is cleared for export. But it seems they are holding on to a US decision in order to lower costs from a bigger US production run.

And this is to say nothing of the 18 billion black box of C4I equipment....
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

It could be ASTOR, or it could be the current US JSTARS replacement where RFP's were recently submitted and that intends to field operational capability by 2025. For all we know it could be an AWACS replacement that delivers them an E-7+ with an upgraded sensor.

Some of these deals are short term, but many are medium to long term. The FMS process is quite long, and Congressional passage isn't going to be quick either. Some may even end up never materializing given the long negotiation timelines etc.
Philip
BRF Oldie
Posts: 21538
Joined: 01 Jan 1970 05:30
Location: India

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Philip »

Kashoggi: Perhaps the most notorious arms dealer in modern times.The man with many freiends including one R.BHandari,former For. Sec.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_ ... 78031.html
Adnan Khashoggi: the 'whoremonger' whose arms deals funded a playboy life of decadence and 'pleasure wives'
Despite a fortune amassed through involvement in the some of the biggest arms deals of the 20th Century, Adnan Khashoggi died peacefully at the age of nearly 82

Adam Lusher
Arms deals brought Adnan Khasgoggi a personal fortune estimated at £2.4 billion, a superyacht later sold to Donald Trump, and a personal bodyguard nicknamed Mr Kill Getty
It was the end that the most extravagantly wealthy arms dealer of the modern era would have wished for.

Adnan Khashoggi died peacefully, surrounded by his loving family, just days short of his 82nd birthday.

His family spoke of him being able to live out his final days “with the same elegance and dignity that characterised his remarkable life”. It hailed him as a “pioneer who achieved global recognition through his extraordinary business achievements and renowned generosity.”

READ MORE
Britain is now the second biggest arms dealer in the world
Because this was no time to go into the details of those “extraordinary business achievements” or to list the weapons sales that helped fund the “elegance and dignity” in which the arms dealer lived out his life.

Instead, the family declared, “Our father understood the art of bringing people together better than anyone.”

How crass it would be to mention that the weapons he helped sell perfected the art of blowing people apart.

And Adnan Khashoggi helped sell enough of these weapons to become one of the world’s wealthiest men: a fortune once estimated at £2.4 billion, friendships with Saudi and Hollywood royalties, homes all over the world, a superyacht later sold to Donald Trump, a personal bodyguard nicknamed Mr Kill.

He started young, helped by the contacts that come from having a father who was the court doctor to King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia.

Aged 21, about a year after enrolling at Chico State College, California, he earned a commission of $150,000 dollars for assisting in a deal to sell $3 million of trucks to Egypt.

He never returned to finish his college degree.

Instead, as the Saudi royal family began to plough its oil wealth into weaponry in the 1960s and 1970s, Khashoggi became the perfect “Mr Fixit”, linking his old friends in Saudi Arabia with his new friends, the American and British arms manufacturers.

One Lockheed Martin director described him as a one-man marketing department. Others whose deals he helped facilitate included the British firms Marconi and Westland Helicopters.

As his reputation spread, Khashoggi’s commission rates increased to as much as 15 per cent, on deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

And as his fortune grew and grew, the settings in which Khashoggi fixed the deals became ever more congenial.

“He went through yachts the way you or I go through cars,” said his biographer Ronald Kessler.

By 1980, he could afford Nabila, named after his daughter, 281ft (86.6 metres) long, the largest private yacht in the world at the time, on which it is said Khashoggi “lavished money with utter abandon”: sundeck with bullet-proof glass, solid gold sink in the master suite.

They didn’t just use any old onyx in the bathrooms of the chamois leather-lined cabins. It was hand carved onyx, sculpted by “the finest craftsman from the hills of Italy,” as described by the next owner, Donald Trump, who in 1987 bought her for nearly $30m.

Never one to miss an opportunity to flaunt his wealth, Khashoggi let his yacht be used for the 1983 Bond film Never Say Never Again. It appeared as the floating HQ of international supervillain, SPECTRE agent Maximillian Largo.

That, of course, was fiction.

The reality, though, was almost as exotic.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses
10
show all
“His whole modus operandi was to influence clients with his opulent lifestyle,” the biographer Mr Kessler told New York magazine in 1988.

And Khashoggi did not confine his attempts at influence to just businessmen. At one point, it is said, he simultaneously entertained five heads of state including three kings on board his yacht.

His ability to charm was legendary. Khashoggi became friends with Richard Nixon in the 1960s, helping fund both his US Presidential election campaigns, at one point reportedly presenting Tricky Dicky’s daughter with a $60,000 dollar bracelet.

It has been alleged that one of his first weapons deals was providing weapons to David Stirling, founder of the SAS, for a covert operation in Yemen in 1963.

Forty years later, in March 2003, the New Yorker claimed that Khashoggi had met with Richard Perle, the chairman of the US Defence Policy Board shortly before the invasion of Iraq. Like many of the fine details of Khashoggi’s encounters with the powerful, however, exactly what may have passed between the two men remains unclear.

On board the yacht Nabila, visitors included at least one US ambassador. But the most frequent guests were as New York magazine put it, “Arab princes, Third World officials, and shadowy European and American businessmen.

“Ensconced in its suites, they used the 150 telephones and the satellite communication system to arrange arms sales and commodities trades.”

trump-princess1.jpg
Donald Trump later renamed the yacht (AFP/Getty)
On occasion Khashoggi would go from cabin to cabin, keeping as many as 16 different deals going at the same time.

And whatever was needed to smooth the deal, the client would get.

“He would give them anything they wanted: girls, food, cash,” said Mr Kessler. “He had quite a variety of occasions on the boat. Some were very formal, some were orgies”.

One of the “girls” used in this way, Pamella Bordes, later spoke of being “part of an enormous group … used as sexual bait.”

In 1989 Vanity Fair magazine bluntly described Khashoggi as “one of the greatest whoremongers in the world.” Very few of his business associates ever complained.

And when the time came to sign the contract, the yacht could slip into international waters, where sovereign restrictions on their business deals did not apply.

At least some of Khashoggi’s commissions, meanwhile, are alleged to have been directed towards front companies in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Despite such discretion, his name had a habit of appearing in connection with some of the world’s most controversial arms deals.

adnan-khashoggi.jpg
Khashoggi's private jets were said to contain two wardrobes: one with Savile Row suits, the other containing traditional Saudi dress (Getty)
In the Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s, Khashoggi was named as one of the key middlemen between Oliver North in the White House and Iran.

As such, he was claimed to have been caught up in the Reagan administration’s secret plot to secure the release of hostages by selling arms to Iran, with the money paid to the US being diverted to right-wing Contra rebels in Nicaragua whose alleged human rights abuses included rape and torture.

Also in the 1980s it seems Khashoggi was, at least initially, on the side of France in the battle with Margaret Thatcher’s Britain to secure the massive, ironically named al-Yamamah (meaning ‘Dove’) arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

In 1994 there were allegations that Britain got the multi-billion deal thanks to bribes to members of the Saudi government and royal family.

At the same time, Khashoggi claimed that the success of his rival Wafic Said in securing the deal for Britain had been aided by the involvement of Mark Thatcher, the former Prime Minister’s son.

The Sunday Times quoted Khashoggi as saying: “Wafic was using Mark's intelligence. His value to Wafic was his name.”

pg-10-mark-thatcher-rex.jpg
Mark Thatcher seen here with his mother and his wife Sarah in 2012 has always denied making money from the al-Yamamah deal (Rex Features)
Where the truth lies, though, remains uncertain. Mark Thatcher has always strenuously denied making money from the deal signed by his mother in 1985.

In 2006 a Serious Fraud Office inquiry into alleged bribes to Saudis was dropped, with the Blair government saying it was not in the national interest, and BAE Systems raising fears it was about to lose out on the third phase of the al-Yamamah deal.

As for Khashoggi, he was never convicted of any crime, in any of his dealings – although he had a few anxious moments.

In 1989, while in Switzerland, he was arrested at the Schweizerhof, Bern’s most luxurious hotel.

Khashoggi was wanted by the US government in connection with allegations that he had conspired with Ferdinand Marcos, former dictator of the Philippines, and his shoe-loving wife Imelda, to hide wealth that the couple had stolen from their country.

His three months awaiting extradition in a Swiss jail on charges of racketeering, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and mail fraud were not, however, overly arduous.

It was reported that someone ensured the arms dealer had gourmet food from the Schweizerhof brought to his cell.

Imelda-Marcos.jpg
Khashoggi was accused, but then cleared over his dealings with dictator's widow Imelda Marcos (AP)
Even better, when Khashoggi got to America, the authorities dropped all but the less serious charges of obstruction of justice and mail fraud. And then in 1990 a federal jury in Manhattan cleared both him and the by-now-widowed Imelda.

Towards the end, looking back on his life, Khashoggi had insisted: “What did I do wrong? Nothing. I behaved unethically, for ethical reasons.”

Perhaps this is what his family meant when in their statement they praised “his over-riding loyalty to his country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His work always furthered the interests of his country.”

Khashoggi himself chose to characterise his work to at least one bemused interviewer as “marketing”.

If it was marketing, it was the kind of marketing that was conducted in palaces, luxury properties and a superyacht that never went anywhere the zones of war and ‘collateral damage’ that were the ultimate destination for some of the weapons being sold.

And it was the kind of marketing that brought with it enough money to ensure that for Khashoggi “there were no laws, no skies, no limits” - to quote his friend Prince Alfonso Hohenlohe-Langenburg of Spain.

Thus Khashoggi ensured that on his yacht, the owner’s suite – separate from his wife’s accommodation – had not just a 10ft-wide bed, but a secret passageway.

It allowed for discreet exits to be made by the women he called his “pleasure wives”. One woman, brought into the orbit of the 5ft 4in, 14-stone billionaire as a naïve young model in the 1980s, described falling in love with him, becoming a member of his ‘harem’.

“I want you to be one of my pleasure wives,” he told her. “By Saudi Arabian law, I'm allowed to have 11 pleasure wives and three legal wives.”

The legal wives began in 1961 with Sandra Daly, half his age, double his height, who grew up on a Leicester council estate and who met him while visiting Paris with her mother.

After they divorced in 1974, Mrs Khashoggi, now converted to Islam and renamed Soraya, eventually received a divorce settlement of $875 million, which at the time was the largest ever.

His second wife, an Italian named Laura Biancolini, whom he married in 1980, was only 17 when she met him. In 1991, he also wed Iranian-born Shahpari Azam Zanganeh, although this marriage was later dissolved.

Romantically, Khashoggi did not always have everything his own way.

In 1999 it was revealed that he was not the biological father of Soraya’s daughter Petrina. The real father was Jonathan Aitken, ex-Conservative minister for Defence Procurement, at the time awaiting court proceedings that would lead to him being jailed for perjury.

40906.bin
Petrina Khashoggi (Getty Images)
It also has to be said that in business as well as pleasure, not everything worked out as Khashoggi planned.

By the mid-Eighties, he had homes in London, Paris, Cannes, Monte Carlo; a 10,000-acre ranch in Kenya; a sprawling two-floor Manhattan residence created by buying 16 separate apartments and knocking them all together.

He owned a stable of Arabian horses, 100 limousines, three private jets, and could call upon the services of a South Korean bodyguard trained in martial arts and rejoicing in the nickname Mr Kill.

It was said Khashoggi spent $250,000 a day to keep himself in the luxury to which he had become accustomed.

To celebrate his 50th birthday, in July 1985, he treated 400 guests to a five-day extravaganza at his 5,000-acre seaside estate in Marbella, Spain. Khashoggi’s brother reportedly gave him a lion cub. Shirley Bassey sang ‘Happy Birthday’, and he danced with the Hollywood star Brooke Shields.

A fleet of refrigerator trucks were brought in just to cool the champagne.

The birthday cake, was said to have been a “work of art”, topped by a 3ft long sugar recreation of the coronation crown of Louis XIV, the French ‘Sun King’.

khashoggi-cannesfilmfestival-premier-2008.jpg
Khashoggi and his wife on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 (EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO)
Khashoggi was, in the telling comparison of one commentator “the Gatsby of his time”.

The downfall was never as complete or as theatrical as Gatsby’s, but soon after that 50th birthday party, Khashoggi started to be hit by the fall in oil prices that prompted the Saudis to cut back on arms buying.

Creditors – the Sultan of Brunei among them - started to circle.

In 1987, Triad America Corporation, his American company which was involved in a $400 million development in Salt Lake City, filed for bankruptcy after it was unable to pay its debts.

READ MORE
Trump signs $110bn arms deal hours after landing in Saudi Arabia
Secret files show Thatcher’s role in controversial Saudi jet deal
'Khashoggi is addicted to gambling- I'm glad he was brought to court'
​Khashoggi’s gambling, it was said, was making things worse. There were unproven rumours of him taking money from his businesses to pay for his losses at the gaming tables, and failing to pay bills, or his servants.

In 1998 he suffered the embarrassment of having the High Court hear claims that his cheques, written to the value of £3.2 million, had bounced when he tried to settle losses incurred at the roulette wheel of the Ritz Casino in London.

He eventually agreed an out-of-court settlement with the casino, but not before the court had heard how he had made repeated promises to pay back the money, while claiming that he was having financial difficulties.

The private jets eventually went, Khashoggi having to slum it on commercial airlines. Mr Kill the bodyguard was also told his services were no longer affordable.

It seems the creditors chased him for the rest of his life.
brar_w
BRF Oldie
Posts: 10694
Joined: 11 Aug 2016 06:14

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by brar_w »

First pictures of the L-Band Gallium Nitride upgraded TPS-77 MRR Surveillance radar for Latvia ( Lockheed )

Image

Image
Surya
BRF Oldie
Posts: 5034
Joined: 05 Mar 2001 12:31

Re: International Military Discussion

Post by Surya »

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s ... an-n773521

khan warship collides with a container vessel
Post Reply