Saab sees its upgraded RBS-70NG missile system as part of a possible solution to the Australian requirement. (Saab)

Jul. 27, 2014 - By NIGEL PITTAWAY – Defense News

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA — Australia plans to include a replacement for its Saab RBS-70 very-short-range air defense missile system in its next Defence Capability Plan.

The Australian Army uses the RBS-70 system, along with the Lockheed Martin PSTAR-ER radar, to fulfill its ground-based air defense (GBAD) requirements, but an Australian Defence Force (ADF) spokesperson confirmed the combination was not considered adequate to defeat future threats.

“It is a dated, line-of-sight system missile that provides very-short-range GBAD and lacks the sensors, range and performance to protect against the likely threats of today’s helicopters, UAVs, stand-off aerial weapons, cruise missiles and rockets, artillery, mortars,” the spokesperson said.

The ADF is developing future ground-based air and missile defense requirements and examining options in the marketplace.

The new system will be acquired under the ongoing Project Land 17 Phase 7B, but has yet to gain much traction.

“The system is planned to provide the Joint Force with persistent defense against advanced threats including aircraft, helicopters,” the spokesperson said. “Land 19 Phase 7B is planned to have wide utility across many types of defense operations, not just application in conventional warlike operations.”

The Australian government will give first pass approval in fiscal 2016-2017, which the ADF says will allow time to initiate formal market solicitation. Acquisition is estimated to be between AUS $500 million (US $469 million) and AUS $1 billion.

Government approval for acquisition would be sought in fiscal 2017-2018.

Army initial operational capability is planned for fiscal 2020 to 2021.

“Land 19 Phase 7B will enhance or replace the existing GBAD system to allow it to function as a complete ground-based force protection system,” the ADF spokesperson said. “In a traditional combat setting it is planned to perform its core functions of airspace surveillance and identification, target tracking, target interception and destruction to provide an enhanced level of protection against current and emerging threats.”

The spokesperson said the project is modeled after the National Advanced surface-to-air missile system used by a number of European nations, and also by the US National Guard in defense of Washington.

“The US chose a ground-based system as the other options of continuous air combat patrols or permanently stationed air-warfare ships were more expensive, manpower-intensive and less persistent,” a spokesman for the project office said. “It was due to this system maturity and broad user group that it was selected as an exemplar to allow the early development work to progress.”

In 2012, the Australian Army took delivery of three Saab Giraffe agile multibeam (GAMB) radar systems under an urgent acquisition process to provide its base at Tarin Kot in Afghanistan with a counter-rocket, artillery and mortar capability.

Since the Australian withdrawal of most of its forces from Afghanistan, the two operational GAMB radars have been returned to Australia (the third had been retained locally for training) but do not have a clear role in domestic operations.

Saab Australia sees the Giraffe AMB, together with its upgraded RBS-70NG missile system, as a possible solution to the Australian requirement.

The missiles used by the RBS-70NG are identical to those in the earlier system already in use with the Army and comprise the third-generation Mk.2, with an effective range of 7 kilometers at heights up to 4,000 meters; and the fourth-generation Bolide round, capable of knocking down targets at distances up to 8 kilometers and altitudes up to 5,000 meters.

The company says the major change is to the sight, which has an integrated thermal imager, an auto-tracking system to improve aiming and guidance, automatic after-action video capability, and 3D visual cueing. This feature receives data from the surveillance radar, allowing the operator to find the target without actually seeing it first.

Saab officials claim that during recent comparative trials in India, RBS-70NG operators were getting their shot away before their competitors systems had even acquired the target.

The RBS-70NG also incorporates an identify friend or foe interrogator system as standard equipment while Saab works to integrate it with land vehicles, delivering a tactical, mobile GBAD system.

The company is proposing to upgrade Australia’s GAMB radars, including provision of a Link 16 datalink, and swap out the RBS-70 launchers for the upgraded equipment at what it claims is a modest cost.

The company has also integrated other missile systems with GAMB, including Raytheon’s I-Hawk and Diehl’s IRIS-T.

“We think it will be attractive to the ADF because Australia is already an RBS-70 user,” explained Jessica Rylander, an engineer with Saab’s Dynamics branch. “And the difference from an operator’s perspective is the increased” kill probability, she said.

The RBS-70NG sight enhances the capability of the Bolide missile by reducing tracking noise, increasing maneuverability and improving performance against small targets at maximum range, according to Saab.

“The RBS-70NG and Giraffe AMB solution is designed to address targets such as small UAVs, cruise missiles and helicopters in the 2025 space,” added Mat Jones, Saab Asia-Pacific business development manager.

“We are investing a lot of time, effort and money into GBAD, to ensure the architecture is future-proofed. The RBS-70NG/GAMB combination could provide a step change in capability, within the existing budget,” said Jones.

But much will depend on the final specifications mandated by Land 19/7B when the Defence Capability Plan is made public next year.

August 11, 2014: Strategy Page

Between May and June 2014 the U.S. Navy conducted tests using a Nimitz class carrier off the coast of California to determine if there was any benefit in expanding the EA-18G "Growler" electronic warfare aircraft squadron on each Nimitz class ship from five aircraft to eight. The tests were a success and the navy is trying to use that success to get Congress to provide cash to buy another 33 EA-18Gs to expand the squadrons on all the large carriers. The navy has enough support in Congress to get some additional EA-18Gs but defense budgets are being cut and there are too many worthy (or not) projects seeking cash that is not there anymore. The EA-18G manufacturer would like to keep production going into 2017 but it looks like they’ll be lucky to keep the line going into 2016.

Meanwhile the navy is getting some money for EA-18G upgrades. In 2013 that included new communications technology that allows the EA-18G to share data instantly with other EA-18Gs and other types of aircraft (combat and support, like E-2 and E-3 AWACS). The new capability is JTIDS (Joint Tactical Information Data System). Development (by the U.S. Air Force) of this system began 30 years ago and mature examples of the technology only began showing up in the last decade. JTIDS is a datalink that gives the pilot complete and real-time situation reports, showing what other pilots (and planes like the E-3) are seeing. Pilots who tested JTIDS reported drastic increases in their situational awareness (a “sense of where you are”). For example, during combat training exercises pilots with JTIDS had a 4-to-1 kill ratio in their favor against pilots without JTIDS.

Noting results like this the navy began adopting JTIDS, not only to improve the capabilities of its own aircraft but also to improve data sharing with air force warplanes, which often carry out joint operations with the navy. JTIDs is just one of several new technologies navy aircraft will need to get their “combat Internet” working. The EA-18G was the first navy aircraft to test JTIDS because the EA-18G is designed to work with air force and navy aircraft as the EA-18G now provides electronic warfare support for both services.

 EA-18G saw combat for the first time over Libya in 2011 and got to use a lot of its high tech gear in combat for this first time. This included the ALQ-99 radar jamming pod and an APG-79 phased array (AESA) radar, which also has some jamming capability (via the right software) as well as the ability to fry electronics. It was suggested that the EA-18G might have done this to some Libyan armored vehicles.

It was only in 2007 that the navy received its first operational (as opposed to developmental) EA-18G and in 2008 the first EA-18G squadron entered service. In early 2014 the hundredth EA-18G was delivered and there are only 17 to go on the original order. Meanwhile the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps are planning on developing an electronic warfare version of the new F-35, or use a UAV, if the EA-18Gs are not plentiful or powerful enough to provide all the electronic protection needed in future wars.

The EA-18Gs have replaced the aging navy EA-6Bs that long provided electronic protection against enemy radars and missiles for navy and air force aircraft. The air force retired their EF-111 electronic warfare aircraft in 1998, on the assurance that the navy would get the EA-18G into service before the EA-6Bs died of old age. The older 27 ton EA-6B carries a crew of four, while the highly automated 29 ton EA-18G will have only 2 people on board. The EA-18G carries up to 5 electronic warfare pods, plus 2 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and 2 anti-radiation (HARM) missiles. It may be the last manned aircraft to handle the EW job. UAVs are becoming more capable and will eventually take over this dangerous task.

USS Abraham Lincoln's (CVN 72) levels 010 and 011 being replaced. Photo US Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries

11 August 2014 naval-technology.com

The US Navy's fifth Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) has received the 38ft upper mast section as part of its refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH), at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding.

The installation marks a major milestone in the ship's RCOH programme.

Newport News Navy programmes vice-president Ken Mahler: "Since we began the refuelling complex overhaul, we've been working side-by-side on this project to recapitalise and modernise the entire ship, such that when she returns to service, Lincoln will continue to be one of the most capable and formidable ships in the world."

During the RCOH process, the company replaced the original round mast pole with a modified, tapered square pole, to increase strength and keep electrical piping systems enclosed.

The square pole includes waist-high rails and easier access to all areas via internal ladders.

The RCOH process, which is performed as part of the navy's $2.6bn cost-plus-incentive-fee contract awarded in April 2013, also includes the refuelling of the ship's reactors, painting of the hull, an upgraded system and a complete recapitalisation.

Armed with three Raytheon GMLS Mk29 eight-cell launchers for Nato Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, the 317m-long Nimitz-class ships can accommodate more than 6,000 personnel and cruise at a maximum speed of over 30k.

Upon the scheduled redelivery in October 2016, the 102,000t USS Abraham Lincoln will continue to operate for another 25 years.

JOUKOVSKI (région de Moscou), 11 août - RIA Novosti

Les sanctions décrétées contre la Russie n'ont pas dissuadé l'Allemagne, les Etats-Unis et la France de participer au salon international de l'armement et du matériel militaire Oboronexpo-2014 de Joukovski (région de Moscou), ont annoncé lundi les organisateurs de l'événement.

"Les principales entreprises de l'industrie de défense russe participeront au salon", indiquent les organisateurs dans un communiqué précisant en outre que l'Algérie, l'Allemagne, l'Arménie, la Biélorussie, la Chine, les Etats-Unis, la France, l'Inde, la République tchèque et la Suisse prendront en outre part au salon qui se déroulera du 13 au 17 août.

L'exposition réunira au total 250 participants qui exposeront leurs produits sur une surface de plus de 6.000m2 .

11 août 2014 Romandie.com (AFP)

Donetsk (Ukraine) - L'armée ukrainienne a resserré lundi son étau autour des bastions rebelles de Donetsk et Lougansk en coupant les routes entre les deux villes, tandis qu'une centaine de détenus se sont échappés d'une prison à régime sévère touchée par un bombardement.

Des tirs d'artillerie ont détruit une partie des bâtiments de la prison située dans le faubourg Kirovski de Donetsk (ouest), faisant un mort et plusieurs blessés, a indiqué la mairie de Donetsk. Une centaine de détenus se sont échappés et 40 restent toujours introuvables.

Une journaliste de l'AFP a constaté lundi que la porte centrale de la prison était ouverte et que des combattants rebelles se trouvaient également sur les lieux pour aider à la recherche des fuyards.

Un porte-parole des rebelles a indiqué que les insurgés étaient venus sécuriser la zone pour empêcher les fuyards de mettre la main sur des armes.

Une partie d'entre eux sont revenus à la prison dans la matinée de lundi, mais 40 restent introuvables, selon les responsables de l'établissement, qui pensent qu'ils se cachent dans des bâtiments situés à proximité.

A Donetsk, principal bastion des insurgés prorusses victime de violents combats et de tirs d'artillerie depuis plusieurs jours, des bombardements ont été entendus dans la nuit par une journaliste de l'AFP, et des blindés rebelles ont été aperçus traversant le centre-ville.

Un bombardement avait déjà soufflé dimanche les vitres d'une maternité dans le centre-ville de Donetsk, sans faire de victimes, les mères et les nouveaux-nés s'étant réfugiés dans une cave.

Des obus ont endommagé un ancien centre de recrutement de l'armée, des bureaux et un immeuble d'habitation dans le sud de Donetsk.

Il n'y a jamais eu de rebelles ici. Je ne comprend pas pourquoi ils bombardent cette zone, a affirmé Nikolaï, un habitant du quartier.

L'armée ukrainienne a pour sa part bloqué la connexion entre les régions de Donetsk et Lougansk, les deux capitales régionales et places fortes des séparatistes, a affirmé Oleksiï Dmytrachkivsky, le porte-parole de l'opération militaire menée par Kiev.

Dimanche, à 14H00 (11H00 GMT), le drapeau national a été levé dans la ville de Panteleïmonivka, située à 34 km au nord-est de Donetsk sur la route vers Lougansk, a-t-il ajouté.

Les pertes de l'armée ukrainienne se montent désormais à 568 tués et 2.120 blessés depuis le début de l'opération dans l'est il y a quatre mois, dont 6 morts et 24 blessés dans les 24 heures, a annoncé le porte-parole militaire Andriï Lyssenko.

- Moscou demande une trêve -

L'armée ukrainienne a annoncé dimanche avoir resserré au maximum l'étau autour de Donetsk, théâtre depuis plusieurs jours d'intenses combats et de tirs d'artillerie ayant tué plusieurs civils.

Le Premier ministre séparatiste Alexandre Zakhartchenko a reconnu samedi que Donetsk était encerclée et au bord d'une catastrophe humanitaire, se disant prêt à un cessez-le-feu si l'armée ukrainienne stoppait son offensive.

Face à cette situation qui se dégrade pour les civils dont 300.000 ont déjà fui vers la Russie et les autres régions de l'Ukraine, Moscou a insisté dimanche sur un cessez-le-feu, indispensable pour apporter une aide humanitaire aux populations victimes des combats.

Nous estimons que cette question est urgente, qu'elle ne supporte pas de retard, a indiqué le chef de la diplomatie russe Sergueï Lavrov, assurant que Moscou négociait avec Kiev, la Croix Rouge et l'ONU dans ce but.

L'idée d'une mission humanitaire russe est toutefois fermement rejetée par les Occidentaux qui accusent Moscou d'alimenter la rébellion en Ukraine en lui fournissant des armes et craignent une intervention déguisée sous prétexte d'une mission d'assistance aux civils.

Le président Barack Obama, le Premier ministre britannique David Cameron et la chancelière allemande Angela Merkel ont estimé que toute incursion russe en Ukraine serait injustifiée, illégale et inacceptable.

Le président ukrainien Petro Porochenko, après des discussions avec des dirigeants du CICR, s'est dit prêt à accepter une mission humanitaire à Lougansk, une autre capitale régionale, à condition qu'elle soit internationale, non armée et passe par des postes-frontières contrôlés par Kiev.

Les autorités de Lougansk, inaccessible à la presse, dénoncent un blocus et une situation critique depuis neuf jours, alors que la ville n'a plus d'électricité, d'eau courante ou de réseau téléphonique, et que l'essence et les réserves de nourriture s'épuisent rapidement. Les salaires, les pensions et les aides sociales ne sont plus versées depuis près d'un mois.

11 août 2014 Airbus DS

August 11, 2014: Strategy Page

The fighting in Gaza has left nearly 2,000 dead, over 96 percent of them Palestinian. Hamas says it won’t stop fighting until the Israeli-Egyptian blockade is lifted. Israel and Egypt refuse to do that until Hamas drops its support for terrorism and disarms. Since Israeli troops left Gaza (and Hamas took control in 2007) Gaza has become a sanctuary for Islamic terrorists. Most seek the destruction of Israel but a growing number seek to establish a religious dictatorship in Egypt. Hamas does not expect to get the blockade lifted but does see itself gaining respect (and cash donations along with more diplomatic support) in the Moslem world. At the moment Hamas is still designated an international terrorist organization by the UN, most Western nations and even some Moslem ones.

Israel has plenty of electronic and video evidence of Hamas using ceasefires to move weapons and personnel and prepare to continue firing on Israel. Broadcasting this evidence is opposed by Israeli intelligence officials because putting the evidence out there enables Hamas to see where and how they are vulnerable to detection. With this knowledge Hamas can better hide its activities in the future.

Hamas has fired over 3,300 rockets since July 9th. Some 70 percent landed in Israel but less than four percent hit populated areas (killing three and wounding 85 civilians) . Iron Dome intercepted about a quarter of the rockets fired at Israel as the Iron Dome computers predicted these would land in or near a populated area. About 20 percent of the rockets fired towards Israel were defective and landed inside Gaza or were aimed at targets in Gaza. This included some of the 11 percent of all rockets were fired at Israeli troops inside or near Gaza. Some 69 percent of the rockets were fired from northern Gaza (where most of the Israeli counterstrikes have been) while 13 percent were launched from central Gaza and the rest from southern Gaza. Over 80 percent of the rockets were fired from unpopulated areas but at least 18 percent were fired from locations that were clearly civilian (including schools, Mosques and medical facilities.) Hamas was believed to have had about 10,000 rockets in early July. Since then over 3,000 have been fired and over 4,000 destroyed before they could be fired. Israeli aircraft, helicopters, ships, armored vehicles and ground troops have attacked nearly 5,000 targets in Gaza since July 9th and about a third of those attacks were against rocket launching sites, often while rockets were being prepared for launch. Hamas rockets have killed three Israeli civilians and 64 military personnel (and 670 wounded) so far. Some 82,000 Israeli reservists have been mobilized and most have been sent to the Gaza border. Hamas considers each Israeli they kill a victory and plays that up in their media. The Israeli military casualty rate is about the same as the U.S. suffered at the height of the fighting in Iraq. In other words; historically quite low.

Some Israeli leaders want the ground troops to go back in and shut down Hamas once and for all. But that would involve a lot of combat and if Gaza were to be completely cleared of Islamic terrorists hundreds of Israeli troops would die and thousands wounded. Most Israeli politicians do not believe Israelis in general are willing to pay that high a price. Instead Israel will continue using its intelligence capabilities to find Hamas personnel and weapons and attack them with smart bombs and missiles. Other Islamic terrorist groups in Gaza are also being hit. But the Islamic terrorists are hiding among the 1.8 million civilians in Gaza. There are several hundred thousand buildings and hundreds of tunnels and bunkers. Less than one percent of these structures holds terrorist weapons or personnel and the Israelis already know that they cannot watch all of Gaza in great detail all the time. Israeli military leaders point out that there would be a lot of Palestinian civilian casualties because Hamas deliberately surrounds its weapons and key personnel with civilians. While some Palestinians answer the Hamas propaganda and volunteer for this duty, most do not and will flee if given a chance. For Hamas victory is simply surviving and still being able to issue victory statements. Israeli victory is suppressing terrorist capabilities. Ultimate victory is eliminating the terrorist threat but given the massive support for destroying Israel in the Arab world, ultimate victory remains a long term goal, not one that can be won right now in Gaza. Right now most media in the Arab (and Moslem) world portray Hamas as misguided but valiant fighters for a cause (the destruction of Israel) that still has a lot of popular support in the Moslem world. Most Westerners, especially journalists, don’t grasp that aspect of the situation and try to portray Gaza as a humanitarian disaster that only Israel can fix. Most Israelis are exasperated at the attitude of so many non-Moslems overseas and attributes it to ignorance, greed (oil-rich Arab states have spent billions to push the Arab point of view towards Israel) or anti-Semitism.

Despite the continued hostile attitude in the Arab world, Israel is seeing some progress. A growing number of Arab states officially classify Hamas as a terrorist organization. The most obvious of these is Egypt. This influences media coverage of the fighting in Arab media. This time around there is more emphasis on the suffering of Gaza civilians and not the Hamas fighters. Many Egyptian journalists and pundits openly call for Israel to destroy Hamas once and for all. A growing number of Arabs are giving up on Islamic radicalism as a solution for anything and many are calling for more international efforts to crush this latest round of Islamic terrorism.

Israel also wants to kill the military leadership of the Qassam Brigades (the military/terror portion of Hamas), who are believed to be the prime proponents of constant rocket attacks on Israel, despite ceasefires that the political leaders of Hamas have negotiated. The key Hamas official here is the head of the Qassam Brigades; Muhammad Deif. Israel see Deif the way the Americans did Osama bin Laden, as the one guy responsible for many attacks. There are at least ten key Qassam Brigades personnel Israel consider largely responsible for the persistent (despite five ceasefires) rocket attacks as well as the effort to send Islamic terrorists through tunnels into Israel. A growing number (up to a quarter) of the Hamas rockets are either damaged or launched incorrectly. This indicates the cumulative damage on the rocket supply and the personnel trained to launch them. In addition to a few remaining tunnels into Israel, Hamas is also believed to have several thousand rockets left and hundreds of Qassam Brigades fanatics willing to anything to launch them.

The current war between Israel and Hamas was only partly about the persistent rocket attacks against Israel. Israel made it clear, soon after the fighting broke out in early July, that  one of its primary objectives was to find and destroy all the tunnels Hamas had dug into Israel over the last few years. This could only be accomplished if Israeli troops were inside Gaza and able to search for the places where the tunnels started. Hamas boasted about how it had lots of these tunnels and planned to use them to get terrorists into Israel to capture or kill Israelis. So far Israel has found and destroyed 32 tunnels that extended into Israel and several more that were just used inside Gaza. Israeli intelligence, because of the several weeks Israeli troops were inside Gaza, has a better idea where additional tunnels are and Israel is hustling to come up with more effective detection methods. Currently the best method is using a large mobile drill (normally used for digging wells) to go deep dozens of times in an area where a tunnel is suspected until it is found. That method is being used now on the Israeli side of the border but it is slow work. The most obvious opportunity here is for better sensors. One idea is a series of wireless sensors buried a few meters down all along the Gaza border that will broadcast the unavoidable sounds the Hamas men would make as they dug towards the surface to “open” a tunnel on the Israeli side. For obvious reasons the Israelis are giving out any details on this sort of thing but at the moment it’s one of the best potential solution for the tunnel threat. Meanwhile Israel is trying to make the UN and other major Hamas donors (like Arab oil states) understand that a large chunk (over $10 million in the last few years) of their aid money has gone to this enormous tunnel project and that better management of aid to Gaza could reduce the amount being spent on tunnels and terrorism in general.

The tunnels are not a new problem. The Palestinians in Gaza have been building tunnels (mainly into Egypt for smuggling) since the 1980s. The Egyptians long tolerated this because the local Egyptian police and soldiers got bribed and that kept everyone happy. But tunnels into Israel were another matter, because these were not for smuggling but for killing or kidnapping Israelis. No bribes involved here, just murder and abduction (for ransom). Israeli combat engineers had been trained to destroy discovered tunnels, which was not easy because Hamas had booby-trapped some of them.

Lost amidst all the other stories is the fact that Israeli negotiators are trying work out a deal to get back the bodies of two Israeli soldiers that Hamas made away with. Israel is offering to release 25 Palestinians from prison for the bodies but Hamas wants a whole lot more. Earlier negotiations over the remains of dead Israelis went on for years.

Another story that does not get covered is the fact that most of Gaza is unharmed. Despite the thousands of Israeli bombs, missiles  and artillery shells fired into Gaza in the last month over 96 percent of the structures in Gaza are intact. Israel is using smart bombs and guided missiles meaning that most of the attacks destroy or damage individual structures, not entire neighborhoods as in the past (before smart bombs became standard). Images of all those intact Gaza towns and neighborhoods do not attract a lot of eyeballs and are not considered newsworthy. Another bit of non-news is the 40,000 tons of humanitarian aid (most of it food and medical supplies) Israel has allowed into Gaza since July 9th. Also non-news are the thousands of Israeli attacks called off at the last minute because civilians were detected in the target area.

In Egypt several thousand additional soldiers and dozens of armored vehicles have been sent to the Libyan border in the last week. This is all to deal with the growing smuggling activity there, much of it involving Islamic terrorist groups bringing in weapons stolen from army warehouses left unguarded during the 2011 revolution. Those weapons have been selling briskly on the black market in Egypt. The customers are gangsters, Islamic terrorists and people seeking some illegal protection. Meanwhile the military revealed that since the end of July soldiers and police had killed 61 Islamic terrorists in Sinai and arrested more than a hundred known or suspected Islamic terrorists there. The raids had also captured large quantities of weapons, ammo and bomb making material. Also seized was 650 kg (1,430 pounds) of marihuana. In the last year over 500 soldiers and policemen have died fighting Islamic terrorists.

August 10, 2014: Israel and Hamas agreed to another 72 hour ceasefire to begin at 9 PM GMT (11 PM local time). Hamas has fired over a hundred rockets since the latest ceasefire collapsed on the 8th.

August 9, 2014: Hamas managed to fire five more rockets into Israel, but there were no casualties or damage. Israel responded with attacks on at least 20 targets in Gaza. A bomb that hit a mosque killed three people, including a senior Hamas leader. Hamas has fired at least 70 rockets since the latest ceasefire collapsed on the 8th.

In Egypt a court dissolved the political wing of the Moslem Brotherhood (which was outlawed last September). This cuts off Moslem Brotherhood members from an legitimate participation in Egyptian politics. Earlier this year Egypt elected another military man, who replaces one who was overthrown in 2011. The government has arrested over 10,000 people since the coup a year ago but now the military is in charge legally. The newly elected president (Abdul al Sisi) is a former general and is determined to crush the Moslem Brotherhood and other more radical Islamic terrorist groups. Hundreds of Islamic radicals have been sentenced to death or long prison terms in the last year. This is all a repeat of what happened twenty years ago during the last Islamic radical uprising against a corrupt and inefficient government. The army promises it will be different this time, but they always do that and it never is. President Sisi has made it clear that he sees Islamic terrorism as the greatest danger the region faces. At the same time Sisi is making moves to get the economy going although it’s doubtful he will do anything about the corruption.

August 8, 2014:  Another ceasefire ended with Hamas firing 61 rockets at Israel. These resulted in two Israelis wounded by rocket fragments. Israel promptly responded with attacks on 70 terrorist targets in Gaza. The resumption of fighting was disappointing to Egypt, which is trying to persuade Hamas to make a long-term peace deal. While the Egyptian diplomats can appeal to Hamas as fellow Arabs, Hamas tends to have difficulty of hiding their contempt for Egypt, which Hamas considers traitors for classifying Hamas as a terrorist organization and cracking down on Islamic terrorist groups inside Egypt. Many Egyptians believe Islamic terrorism is a dead end strategy, but Hamas believes just the opposite.

In Egypt (along the Gaza border) several army raids left eleven Islamic terrorists dead and several smuggling tunnels destroyed.

August 5, 2014: Israel pulled its ground troops out of Gaza as another 72 hour ceasefire went into effect. Hamas announced that former Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha was found dead in a bombed building. Several days later rumors began coming out of Gaza that Taha had been executed. Medical staff and others saw his body at the hospital and morgue and despite orders to keep quiet, began talking. Taha was apparently being punished for secretly supplying Egypt with information on Hamas activities. Unwilling to admit that such a high-ranking official was a traitor, Hamas went with the “killed by an Israeli bomb” angle after putting Taha in front of a firing squad.

In Egypt (North Sinai) soldiers killed three Islamic terrorists and captured six others who were being sought. One raid also seized an SUV and sixteen motorcycles used for terrorist attacks. Elsewhere (outside Alexandria) five policemen and four Islamic terrorists died in a clash on a road to the beach.

August 4, 2014: Iran openly boasted of sending long range rockets to Gaza and ordered that an effort be made to get modern surface to air missiles into Gaza so Hamas can shoot down Israeli warplanes and helicopters. Actually, the shoulder fired missiles have been in Gaza for some time but Israeli aircraft have effective defenses against these missiles. Iran apparently wants to get larger and more effective anti-aircraft systems into Gaza. Iran has not commented on the fact that the Hamas use of rockets this time around has been a complete failure, with only three Israeli civilian (the main target for these rockets) deaths resulting mainly because of the Israeli Iron Dome anti-rocket system.

August 3, 2014: Israel pulled most of its troops out of Gaza.

August 2, 2014: Israel announced that one of its soldiers might have been captured. It later turned out that the soldier had been killed in combat while cut off from other troops.

August 1, 2014: A ceasefire in Gaza collapsed hours after it began when more rockets were fired at Israel.

11 Aug 2014 Pacific Sentinel
 

The chairman of the US House Armed Services Committee said Thursday in Taipei that he supports Taiwan efforts to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC) and to obtain a transfer of US technology to build its own submarines.

"We have some influence and we will push to see that they (Taiwan's armed forces) are invited next time" to take part in RIMPAC, Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif) told CNA in an interview just before he and his congressional delegation wrapped up a two-day visit to Taiwan.

He said Taiwan's participation in the US-led RIMPAC, the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise, will help build a stronger relationship between Taiwan and the United States.

McKeon said the issue was raised during his meetings with Taiwan's defense minister, Yen Ming, and the National Security Council Secretary-General King Pu-tsung.

RIMPAC 2014, held June 26 to Aug. 1 in and around Hawaii, marked the first time that China took part.

McKeon, who arrived in Taiwan Wednesday as part of a trip to East Asia, also met with President Ma Ying-jeou Thursday. During the meeting, Ma reiterated Taiwan's desire to have diesel-electric submarines to strengthen the country's defense capabilities.

Read the full story at Want China Times

10/08/2014 Par Samuel Forey – LeFigaro.fr

Des milliers de familles chrétiennes sont contraintes de fuir les djihadistes. Dans le quartier d'Ainkawa, chacun vit où il peut. Dimanche soir, les forces kurdes ont annoncé avoir repris Makhmour et al-Kouaïr.

Lire l’article

August 2014 Deloitte Views for Aerospace & Defense


2014 Global aerospace and defense sector financial performance study

Tech. Sgt. Lynn Morelly, 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, C-17 Globemaster III loadmaster, watches bundles of halal meals parachute to the ground during a humanitarian airdrop mission over Iraq, Aug. 9, 2014. To date, in coordination with the government of Iraq, U.S. military aircraft have delivered more than 52,000 meals and more than 10,600 gallons of fresh drinking water, providing much-needed aid to the displaced Yazidis, who urgently require emergency assistance. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)

WASHINGTON, 11août - RIA Novosti

Des avions militaires américains ont largué de nouvelles cargaisons d'eau et de vivres destinées aux civils bloqués dans les monts Sinjar (nord de l'Irak) par les djihadistes de l'Etat islamique,  a annoncé lundi le Pentagone dans un communiqué.

"Un C-17 et trois avions cargo C-130 ont largué 88 cargaisons de vivres qui fourniront de la nourriture et de l'eau pour des milliers d'Irakiens piégés sur les monts Sinjar", a indique le communiqué.

Selon le Pentagone, les Etats-Unis ont fourni depuis jeudi soir "plus de 74.000 repas et plus de 56.780 litres d'eau potable" aux membres de la minorité yézidi pourchassés par les djihadistes.

Appuyé par des sunnites irakiens et par d'anciens militaires de l'armée de Saddam Hussein, le groupe terroriste Etat islamique a envahi une vaste région irakienne englobant les provinces de Ninawa, de Salah ad-Din et d'Al-Anbar.

Le 29 juin dernier, l'EI a annoncé la création d'un "Califat islamique", le titre de calife étant attribué au chef de file de ce groupe djihadiste, Abdullah Ibrahim al-Samarrai, connu également sous le nom d'Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Dans la nuit de jeudi à vendredi, le président américain Barack Obama a autorisé des frappes aériennes ciblées en Irak "pour aider les forces irakiennes qui se battent pour protéger les civils".

7 août 2014. Portail des Sous-Marins

La marine bulgare a besoin de 2 ou 3 nouveaux navires multi-fonctions, a déclaré son commandant, le contre-amiral Dimitar Denev.

Les navires devraient être construits dans des chantiers navals bulgares, parce que les navires actuels sont vieux, de construction russe et ne respectent pas les standards OTAN. S’ils sont construits en Bulgarie, ils seront moins chers et l’entretien sera plus facile, a expliqué l’amiral Denev.

Selon Denev, les nouveaux navires doivent être multi-fonctions : pour la défense d’autres navires, des plateformes pétrolières et des convois. Ils doivent aussi pouvoir embarquer un hélicoptère.

Il a indiqué que la marine avait aussi besoin de nouveaux sous-marins. Actuellement, l’entrainement de l’état-major de la marine bulgare a lieu à bord de sous-marins turcs, parce que la Bulgarie n’a aucun sous-marin.

Référence : Novinite (Bulgarie)

10 août 2014 20minutes.ch

Contrairement à ses déclarations d'intention, la Banque nationale suisse détient toujours des participations auprès de fabricants d'armes controversés.

La Banque nationale suisse (BNS) détient toujours des actions dans plusieurs entreprises de défense américaines d'une valeur supérieure à 250 millions de francs, rapporte l'hebdomadaire Schweiz am Sonntag.

Dans son rapport annuel 2013, la BNS avait pourtant annoncé ne plus vouloir miser dans des titres controversés liés à l'armement. «La Banque nationale a décidé en 2013 de ne plus investir dans des actions d'entreprises qui produisent des armes interdites à l'échelle internationale», avait-elle énoncé. Depuis, la BNS a confirmé, durant le premier semestre de l'année, ses participations dans les entreprises américaines de défense Honeywell International et Lockheed, en les renforçant même à 66 millions de francs, respectivement 43 millions de francs. Les deux sociétés sont notamment accusées par des organisations des droits de l'homme, mais aussi par l'Etat norvégien, de fabriquer des armes nucléaires.

Les participations de la BNS dans Raytheon et General Dynamics sont encore plus controversées. Les deux firmes sont toutes les deux suspectées d'être impliquées dans la fabrication de munition. La Banque nationale n'a pas voulu s'exprimer sur ces participations. Elle affirme se baser sur des analyses de titres effectuées par des institutions bien établies. Elle se serait néanmoins quand même séparée de participations au sein de la firme Textron active dans la fabrication de munition.

Les actions des sociétés actives dans l'armement ont la cote ces derniers mois avec la hausse du nombre de conflits militaires et les incertitudes géopolitiques.