March 19, 2015 By: Arie Egozi – FG

Tel Aviv - Israel's defence ministry is trying to create a "formula" that will allow the nation's unmanned air system manufacturers to sell their products in Poland.

Warsaw is soliciting bids for 12 systems of middle-range tactical UAS and 15 systems of mini-UAS for its armed forces. Initial bids were made last month, with further stages to follow. The Polish defence ministry wants to sign a deal in early 2016.

At this stage, the official position of the Polish government is to make an effort to buy systems via local companies, but the armed forces are pressing for proven systems, which will bring Israeli manufacturers into the competition – either directly or indirectly.

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15/03/2015. Portail des Sous-Marins

La marine israélienne a participé avec ses homologues italiens à un exercice destiné à perfectionner les méthodes de sauvetage de l’équipage d’un sous-marin en détresse.

La semaine dernière, l’équipage d’un sous-marin de la marine israélienne a participé à un exercice de sauvetage d’un sous-marin en détresse en haute-mer. Ce type d’exercice est rare, et c’était le premier auquel Israël participait.

L’exercice s’est déroulé au large d’Atlit. Il a duré 3 jours au cours desquels 40 membres d’équipage d’un sous-marin posé par 60 m de fond, ont été secourus. La préparation de l’exercice a duré un an.

Israël ne dispose pas de moyens de sauvetage, principalement parce qu’ils sont très couteux. La faible probabilité qu’un événement de ce type survienne a conduit la marine israélienne à s’associer avec l’OTAN.

« Il s’agit d’un événement international. Seules quelques marines, l’Italie, l’OTAN et les Etats-Unis, ont des moyens de sauvetage, » expliquent des responsables de la marine. 100 marins et des médecins israéliens ont participé à l’exercice. Les conclusions seront partagées avec les autres marines dans le monde.

Au total, 40 marins ont été secourus, 12 à chaque rotation. 2 moyens ont été utilisés : une cloche de sauvetage et le sous-marin SRV300. Chaque rotation dure de 2 à 3 heures.

« Les plus grandes difficultés de ces situations sont les détails techniques, comme la position du sous-marin en détresse : les sauveteurs n’ont aucun moyen de contrôle dessus, » explique le major K. « L’intérêt de conduire ces exercices tient en partie à la nécessité d’agir dans un temps limité. »

« Un sous-marin en détresse peut continuer d’assurer la survie de l’équipage pendant quelques jours. A cause de leur proximité géographique, les Italiens sont les plus à même d’intervenir rapidement, en 2 ou 3 jours. Dans de rares cas, des moyens de sauvetage pourraient être envoyés par avion. »

Référence : Ynetnews (Israël)

10.03.2015 Vered Talala & Eilon Tohar – Israel Air Force

Aircrew members from various combat squadrons participated in a first-of-its-kind training exercise, during which they faced Surface-to-Air missile batteries launched from unknown locations

Combat Squadrons took part this week in a unique workshop during which they simulating sudden ambushes of Surface-to-Air missiles (SAM). The aircrew members dealt with SAM's launched from unknown locations and practiced intense combat against other squadrons standing in as the "red enemy". "One of the goals of the workshop is to create a new instructional platform for training squadrons in dangerous zones", said Major Shai from the "First Combat" squadron who led the workshop. "We created a special platform which we want to use in the future".

"This is a type of training never experienced before in the IAF", added Major Shai. "We gave the aircrew members a free reign, from flying low altitudes to ascending to 50,000 feet. The aircrew members were instructed to do whatever they think is right in order to deal with SAM's. That was never done before".

Among the participating squadrons was the "Red Dragon" squadron which simulated the enemy force for the duration of the drill. "The advantage of the high number of squadrons is the variety of platforms available, each with its own advantage", he said. "When we have F-16Is, F-15Is and F-16C/Ds it gives us different ways of dealing with the threats".

Uncertainties Resolved

Uncertainty is a challenge for the aircrew members from the different platforms of the IAF. "Unlike normal training, we didn't know where the SAM's are exactly", explained Major Shai. "For example yesterday, as part of the exercise, I flew in a relatively safe area and out of nowhere a missile was fired toward me. This is how you learn to deal with such situations and find solutions".

Flying in a dangerous zone also requires the aircrew members to deal with severs mental pressure. "It demands a high mental readiness", said Major Shai. "The workshop approached both aircrew members and other soldiers in the squadron. "We can safely say that our air crews are significantly more prepared for a case of warfare in the Northern region".

Syria Situation Report  March 2-10, 2015 credits ISW

March 11, 2015: Strategy Page

ISIL is having problems with its foreign recruits. Many of them arrive with the intention of simply living in an “Islamic state” not fighting to expand that state. ISIL tried to accommodate the foreigners, lest they return home and report unfavorably about life in ISIL controlled territory. This led to foreign recruits getting better treatment (housing, food, access to “wives” and all manner of creature comforts. This, naturally, led to resentment by local (Syria and Iraq) recruits. That led to more locals deserting, joining the growing number of foreigners who simply walked away. Or tried to walk away as in late 20134 ISIL began accusing those who left of desertion and jailing or executing them. This inspired more (but better planned) desertions and growing dissent within both the ranks and among commanders. ISIL does want skilled foreigners in their caliphate but most of the foreign volunteers have no useful skills and ISIL seeks to use them as fighters or suicide bombers. Few people with useful skills are eager to join ISIL.

Internal criticism is not the only problem ISIL is facing in 2015. ISIL has recently suffered prominent defeats in Iraq and Syria as well as continued rebellions in both countries. Even the Syrian Army is retaking ground from ISIL. The Kurds are defeating ISIL forces outside Kobane in Syria and near the Iraq border. In Iraq Kurds, Iraqi soldiers and Sunni and Shia militias are both stopping ISIL attacks and pushing back ISIL forces outside of Mosul, Kirkuk and Tikrit. An offensive to retake Mosul is expected before June. Meanwhile air attacks not only continue but are more frequent and more damaging. This makes it more difficult to stockpile supplies or move large numbers of gunmen quickly. More leaders are being found and killed by these air attacks. Important economic targets like oil refineries are being destroyed. Inside the ISIL run “caliphate” (eastern Syria and western Iraq) there are growing shortages of everything and ISIL is finding that conquest is easier than running an economy. The economic problems fuel the rebellions and desertions and it’s a vicious circle that is destroying ISIL from within. The problem with ISIL is that so far it has solved its supply (logistical) problems via looting. But there has been no new conquests to loot for over six months and the stockpiles of plunder taken in 2014 is nearly exhausted. It’s another example of the old military maxim, “amateurs study tactics while professionals study logistics.” The accountants always win in the end.

The forces arrayed against ISIL have a better grasp of the logistical problems and have done something with that awareness. Thus Kurdish and Iraqi forces operating along the border with Syria have cut the best supply routes between Syria and Iraq. ISIL can still move between these two areas but with greater difficulty (using more fuel and time to do so). Taking longer to travel puts ISIL more at greater risk of attack by coalition warplanes. Worse, it becomes impractical to move essential supplies (especially food and fuel) between Iraq and Syria. The increasingly effective air attacks have also made ISIL more paranoid. This has led to greater scrutiny of foreign recruits. That resulted in a recent video showing a 10 year old ISIL “cub” shooting a kneeling foreigner in the head with a pistol. The executed man was a 19 year old Israeli Arab accused of spying for Israel. That is not completely unlikely but the Israelis don’t usually recruits men this young or unreliable. The executed man was reported by his family to have joined ISIL in October 2014. His family opposed the move and stayed in touch via sell phone and the Internet. In early 2015 the family discovered that their son had been imprisoned by ISIL for trying to leave. Apparently someone at ISIL thought they could make something of this by accusing the teenager of espionage and executing him on video. ISIL is all about grabbing media attention but in this case they are not doing much to increase recruitment among Israeli Arabs or Palestinians. Other ISIL deserters have even worse situations. Many locals serving with ISIL who desert are already deserters from the Syrian security forces and those with families living in Syrian government controlled areas have nowhere to go and are subject to arrest and execution by both ISIL and the Syrian government. Most of these men join the growing number of Syrians leaving the country and heading for refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan.

The coalition air offensive has carried out over 2,600 air strikes since August 2014 and used over 3,000 smart bombs and missiles in those attacks. Even more worrisome is the increasingly aggressive anti-ISIL actions of neighboring nations. Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan have increased border security and in Lebanon the army has forced ISIL and other rebel groups out of bases they set up in Lebanon and back into Syria. Worse the Lebanese followed up this with more troops on the border in fortified camps. In other words the Lebanese are preparing to confront any attempts by Syrian rebels to move back into Syria. While the Jordanians are enraged and more active because ISIL murdered one of their F-16 pilots in January by burning him to death the Turks are more concerned with Kurdish separatism than any threat from ISIL or any other Islamic terrorists. The Turks have been dealing (often using great brutality) with murderous Arabs for centuries and the Arabs remember all that. As a result ISIL does not make any effort to expand into Turkey. For the Turks, their ugly treatment of Arabs in the past is still useful because many Arabs fear that the Turks would go all old school on them if sufficiently provoked.

Meanwhile the coalition assembled by the United States in mid-2014 continues to have problems because the Arab members cannot agree with each other on how to deal with ISIL. Some countries, like Qatar, have many citizens and leaders who approve of Islamic terrorism (although not ISIL, which even al Qaeda condemns). Arab oil states in the Persian Gulf are more concerned with Iran than with ISIL and criticize the United States for not sending ground troops back to Iraq to take care of ISIL. Many Arabs blame the United States for al Qaeda and ISIL despite the fact that such violent, xenophobic Islamic terror groups have been around for centuries, and the less violence majority of Moslems has never mustered the will to deal with this recurring problem once and for all.

ISIL also has to worry about some of its allies. In the last year ISIL has persuaded many Syrian Islamic terrorist rebels to switch sides. These Islamic terrorists joined the fight against ISIL in early 2014 but eventually agreed to put aside their differences and join ISIL in destroying the Assad government. These new allies still hate and wish to destroy ISIL, and now find that the Assad government has not been weakened much by this alliance and the Syrian Army is again on the offensive. The coalition air strikes, which should be directed at the Assads were instead concentrating on ISIL and those groups associated with ISIL. Thus a major ally of ISIL, al Qaeda affiliate al Nusra, recently lost its leader to a recent coalition air strike. There have been more air strikes this year, after ISIL released a video of a captured Jordanian pilot being burned to death. Groups like al Nusra, which used to get a lot of cash and other aid from wealthy Arab fans in Gulf oil states saw that disappear because of the grisly execution video. ISIL now has to plan for the growing possibility that al Nusra will change sides again, because ISIL is beginning to look like a loser and that is a death sentence for Islamic terrorists. As the popular Islamic saying goes; “God wills it.” This describes fortune as well as failure, the blessed as well as the cursed.

ISIL savagery has led many of the minorities (especially Christians) that it loves to torment to stand and fight rather than flee. Thus in the northeast Christian militias have gotten stronger and joined forces with their sometimes (in the past) Kurdish allies to fight the common enemy. This is in response to a sharp increase in ISIL anti-Christian violence in late 2014. Many Christians are sticking around and fighting in part because ISIL has kidnapped over 200 local Christians (and some Kurds as well) in the last few months and is offering to return them for ransoms (cash or captive ISIL men or weapons). The cash ransoms demanded are not large (under $2,000 per person) but ISIL would rather get captives and weapons back. ISIL has growing shortages of cash, recruits and weapons. But many Christians and Kurds who have already lost kin do not want to make any deals with ISIL and would rather just kill the Islamic terrorists. Since the Kurds have air support, they are very good at that and ISIL is increasingly reluctant to get tied down in battles with Kurds. In addition to being skilled and disciplined fighters, the Kurds can eventually depend on help from above if a battle with ISIL drags on too long. But even the Syrian troops are betting better, apparently because of training, weapons and advice they are getting from Iran. The Lebanese Hezbollah are similarly unlikely to run away when they run into ISIL. The good old days of simply terrifying your opponent into fleeing appear to be over. In this case the good old days really were better, at least for ISIL.

On the Syrian border Israel is working more with Syrian rebels (except ISIL) to help stop Iran from establishing a presence in the area so they can launch attacks into Israel. Iranians have been bragging about doing this and Iran has sent more senior officers to work with Hezbollah and the Syrian Army efforts to clear all the rebels away from the Israeli border. Iran is also bringing in thousands of additional Iranian volunteers to join rebel militias in the fight against the rebels. Naturally the rebels oppose this Iranian effort and now see Israel as an ally. Israel has provided support for some rebels with the understanding that the rebels would not attack Israel and would help prevent anyone else from doing so. Thus Israel stays in contact with some Syrian rebels across its border, provides medical treatment (for over 2,000 rebels and civilians so far) and attacks Hezbollah and Syrian Army targets when there is any fire into Israel from the Syrian side. The rebels often provide Israel with data on where hidden Syrian Army or Hezbollah units are, providing Israeli warplanes and artillery with precise and conformed targets. While some of these “cooperative rebels” are Islamic radicals and will eventually turn on Israel if given a chance, for the moment the policy is “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

March 5, 2015:  ISIL ally al Nusra admitted that their supreme leader died of wounds he suffered in a recent coalition air strike on a meeting of al Nusra leaders near the Turkish border. Some lower ranking leaders were also killed.

March 4, 2015: The Hazm Movement, one of the few Islamic rebel groups that were not allied with ISIL or al Qaeda, officially dissolved. Hazm has been at war with al Nusra since late 2014, after years of growing tensions. In the end there were only a few hundred Hazm members left. At its peak in 2012-13 Hazm had ten times that. Al Nusra and ISIL continued to fight Hazm outside Aleppo and near the Turkish border (Idib province). Hazm had long received American weapons although many of these were seized by al Nusra when Hazm was forced to retreat in 2014.  Despite the loss of Hazm the Syrian Army is still holding onto recent gains around Aleppo.

UN efforts to get the army and rebels to agree to cease fires to allow humanitarian aid to get in continue to be rejected, even though the fighting is stalled. The Syrian government was so annoyed at UN efforts to make deals with the Islamic terrorist rebels (without informing the Assads) that they recently expelled three UN officials, just the make the point that the Syrian government is still around. Yet the UN remains quite hostile to the Assads who are seen as little better than ISIL when it comes to mistreatment of civilians. The UN believes that Syrian air and artillery attacks have been the major cause of civilian deaths. The UN estimates that over 7,000 civilians have died in Syria in the last year and over 80 percent of those deaths were caused by the Syrian government (which has lots of artillery and a functioning air force).

March 2, 2015: Israel claims that Syria has transferred some long range (700 kilometers) SCUD ballistic missiles to Hezbollah. These missiles carry a half ton high-explosive warhead. These SCUDs are actually North Korean variants on the original Russian SCUD that have a smaller warhead to enable longer range. Syria is giving them to Hezbollah to free up troops who have been guarding them and to avoid the risk of them getting captured. Israel has an anti-missile defense system that can stop these Scuds, as well as the other long range (about 200 kilometers) rockets Hezbollah has received from Iran and Syria.

March 1, 2015: In February about 1,100 Iraqis died from terrorist related violence. That’s about 20 percent less than January, when nearly 1,400 died. The Iraq death toll for all of 2014 was about 15,600. That’s a big jump from 2013 when the death toll was 8,900 for all of Iraq and only ten percent of those were terrorists while the majority were Shia civilians. Previously the worst year was 2007, when nearly 18,000 died. Then as now the main cause of the mayhem and murder was Sunni fanatics who want to run the country as a Sunni dictatorship. Still Iraq was a lot less violent than neighboring Syria where the 2014 death toll was 76,000. That’s over 91,000 dead in the two countries where ISIL is most active. The death toll in Syria continues to rise, even as it is declining in Iraq.

February 21, 2015:  Hundreds of Turkish troops advanced into Syria to evacuate 38 Turkish soldiers guarding the grave of one of the founders of the Ottoman Empire. The grave site was increasingly threatened by nearby ISIL gunmen. Rather than send more troops to defend the grave site (27 kilometers from the Turkish border) the honored corpse was moved to a site 200 meters inside Syria. The previous site was established in 1973 when the nearby original site was covered by a lake created by a newly built dam. Syria agreed to this arrangement, which is protected by international treaty. This latest move was very unpopular inside Turkey, where disdain for Arabs is not hidden.

February 20, 2015: Russian intelligence officials believe that about 1,700 Russian citizens (mainly Moslems from the Caucasus and Central Asia) are fighting for ISIL in Syria and Iraq. Russia believes this is about ten percent of ISIL strength.

February 19, 2015: Turkey and the United States formally agreed to (and finally signed) a deal that has Turkey hosting and assisting in the training of Syrian rebels. The U.S. has so far screened nearly 2,000 Syrian rebels to be sent to training at camps in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Those selected are believed much less likely to be radicalized and the United States hopes to have 3,000 trained and in action by the end of 2015. Such screening is difficult but the Americans had help from Saudi Arabia, which has had more success in that respect. The American effort is criticized for being too slow and producing too few armed and trained fighters to make a difference. At the moment American government policy limits what U.S. counter-terrorism efforts can do. Under these conditions the Americans plan to use their reliable rebels to call in air strikes and provide accurate information of what is going on inside Syria. This decision is based on the success the U.S. has had with the Kurds. Thus the Americans are trying to find equally reliable Arab rebels in Syria to call in air strikes. Using contacts the Kurds have developed over the years the U.S. is seeking small teams of Arab rebels who can be taught how to call in airstrikes. These teams will be equipped with armed (with a machine-gun) pickup trucks and the special radios and sent them back to Syria. This is risky, as all it takes is one rogue air strike team to get the wrong people killed and cause a diplomatic and media mess. This is considered a worthwhile risk because, as the experience with the Kurds has shown, the ISIL fighters are often sloppy during combat (because so many ISIL fighters have little training or combat experience) and that provides excellent opportunities for a single smart bomb to cause enormous (and demoralizing and often decisive) casualties. This is what happened at Kobane, where even ISIL had to admit they got beat, big time because of all those air strikes.

07.03.2015 sputniknews.com

Selon les statistiques, 92% des postes militaires sont accessibles aux femmes en Israël, mais il n'y a jamais eu de femmes capitaines au sein de la Marine.

La Marine israélienne confiera pour la première fois le commandement d'un navire de guerre à une femme, Or Cohen, a annoncé à Tel Aviv un représentant de la Marine.

"Une femme officier suit une formation de commandant d'un navire, pour la première fois de l'histoire de notre flotte. Elle deviendra commandant d'un bâtiment de guerre dans deux ans", a indiqué le responsable.

Selon les statistiques officielles, 92% des postes militaires sont accessibles aux femmes, mais il n'y a jamais eu de femmes capitaines au sein de la Marine. "Les conditions de vie à bord d'un navire ne sont pas toujours confortables pour les femmes. Mais nous essayons de régler le problème et nous aurons bientôt notre première femme capitaine", a noté l'officier.

03.03.2015 Shani Poms / Eden Sharon - IAF

Aerial terrorism is always on the agenda and demands constant attention. IAF simulated various scenarios as part of a multiplayer training exercise

IAF soldiers took part in a large, multiplayer training exercise, which aimed to simulate a highly sensitive and complicated aerial terrorism scenario. It included a large number of participants, both from the IAF and outside of it. "This is the only training exercise training exercise that combines all units that take part in protecting Israel's skies - the IAF, IDF Operations Division, Department of Transportation and different Intelligence platforms", says Major Ilan from Aerial Defense Department in the IAF Operations Division.

Not once throughout the year, IAF's units and squadrons practice air defense scenarios in the face of aerial terrorism. Nevertheless, this time was different mainly because of the number of participants and the extreme scenarios involved. "The definition of aerial terrorism is actually an attempt to perform a terror attack using a civilian aircraft. It can be a small "Cessna", an executive jet or 400-seat airliner, which is defined as an extreme scenario", he says.

Aerial terrorism poses some unusual dilemmas. "The problem with these missions is the involvement of civilians. When you want to remove that kind of threat, people might be affected. The dilemmas with such scenarios are much more complex and therefore managed by higher-ranking officers".

It took three months of preparations which climaxed with a conference Call of the senior decision-making officers, including IAF Commander, IDF Chief of Staff and civilian government leaders. "The training exercise introduces the decision-makers with the missions, because the real-time decisions are complex and difficult", said Major Ilan. "The exercise was highly successful. Bring these scenarios into awareness is by itself extremely important".

March 6, 2015: Strategy Page

Over the last decade a growing number of weapons used by African rebels, warlords and nations under arms embargoes have been traced to Sudan. A lot of ammunition (especially grenades and bullets for AK-47s) has been made in Sudanese factories and shipped all over Africa, to anyone who could pay or whose goals coincided with those of Sudan. Many more weapons were from China and Iran but shipped via Sudan. A lot of this stuff ended up in Gaza. Some of this stuff made headlines when Israel intercepted shiploads of it being smuggled into Gaza and put the captured material on display for the world to sea. Sudan denies everything but has become notable as the only nation on the planet run by a man who is an indicted war criminal.

Sudan was also found to be the source of weapons purchased by Qatar and delivered by Sudan to rebels in Syria. This gives Sudan the distinction of being an ally and arms distributor for Iran as well as some Arab nations on the other side of the Persian Gulf who are threatened by Iranian aggression.

Israel always saw this Sudanese effort as a direct threat and has attacked Sudan several times in an effort to stop or slow down the arms smuggling going through Sudan. Thus in late 2012 Sudan reported that one of their ammunition factories blew up and blamed an Israeli air raid. Many Sudanese believe the bombed factory actually belonged to Iran. Sudan says they have proof it was an Israeli attack, in the form of fragments of Israeli missiles. Israeli officials refused to comment. Earlier in 2012 a local businessman in Port Sudan, Sudan died when his vehicle exploded. The dead man turned out to be a major arms smuggler (to Egypt and eventually Gaza) and the Sudanese government blamed his death on Israel. Sudan denies that it allows weapons to be smuggled into Egypt, but the Egyptian government believes otherwise. Israel denied any involvement with the Port Sudan explosion, as well as with similar events in the past. Egypt has since made it more difficult for Sudanese weapons to travel through Egypt.

Israel has been attacking the Iranian weapons pipeline via Sudan since at least 2008. The 2012 attack was documented by subsequent satellite photos showing large craters, like those made by large (one ton and half ton) bombs. The Israelis were apparently aiming for specific targets, like a number of shipping containers that had recently arrived from Iran. Two buildings in the factory compound were destroyed and 21 structures damaged. Not only are the Israelis bombing Sudan, but they are getting good information about what is where and when. This sort of thing has been going on for some time.

For example, in January 2009, Israel sent warplanes down the Red Sea to attack a convoy of trucks, near the Egyptian border in Sudan, carrying Iranian long range rockets destined for Gaza. Iran brings the rockets (and other weapons) in through Port Sudan, and then trucks them to Egypt. Sudan does not interfere. Egypt is not a friend of Iran but the border police can be bribed. The 2009 attack destroyed 17 truckloads of weapons and killed the 39 drivers. Since then the smugglers resorted to individual trucks and the use of small boats moving up the Red Sea coast.

In a 2011 incident a car travelling north, from Sudan towards Egypt, exploded. One of the dead was a Hamas official. Sudan blamed Israel for this, claiming that an Israeli aircraft must have fired a missile. No proof was offered, other than fragments from a Hellfire missile. But these could have been obtained from any number of Islamic terror groups who have lost members to Hellfire attacks. The Sudanese claimed that a U.S. AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship was used for the attack. The helicopter was said to have flown in from the sea.

In November and December 2011, Israeli aircraft bombed truck convoys carrying weapons from Sudan to Egypt. The Sudanese military refused to admit that Israeli aircraft were operating over northern Sudan but the Sudanese don't really have the means to prevent it.

In 2012 Israel and the newly independent South Sudan became allies, an arrangement sealed by a visit by the South Sudan president to Israel. For years Israel quietly aided the South Sudan rebels, who are largely Christians or animists. In 2011 South Sudan became a separate state, and Israeli aid, via Kenya, increased as a result. Israeli has long been on good terms with Kenya and most non-Moslem African nations. Israel and non-Moslem African nations have a common enemy in Islam, and especially radical Islam. As Islamic radicals have become more active in the past four decades, these alliances with Israel have become more popular in Africa.

Sudanese weapons and ammunition were recently found in use by Moslem rebels in the Central African Republic and by Moslem rebels in other nations all the way to the Atlantic coast. Islamic terrorists in Somalia have often been caught using Sudanese made ammunition. Libyans complain of Sudanese aircraft flying in with tons of munitions on a regular basis. These transports have been seen all over Africa for years and the cargo was often weapons or ammunition. While the Israeli attacks on Sudanese weapons movements gets a lot of attention, all these other Sundanese weapons smuggling activities do not. Overall Sudan has become a major source of weapons for terrorists and others who mean to do bad things to a lot of people. Sudan, as always, denies all and if the evidence is too compelling blames that on Israel.

05.03.2015 David Greenwald - Eden Sharon -IAF

An advanced GPS system, which allows accurate navigation of airdrop equipment to ground forces, will soon enter IAF service

The system consists of a parachute, GPS device and the airdrop equipment, can navigate supply in the weight of up to one 1 ton to a pre-set destination. The mission is pre-planned by a computer and the system can also be controlled by a remote control which allows piloting and tracking of the cargo.

With the system it will be possible to track the exact location of the cargo while in air, perform location adjustments or even set up a new destination point. The engineers of the IAF Flight Test Center are now conducting final inspections prior to the system's operational activation.

The testers examine the factors that can affect the ability of the cargo to reach the pre-determined destination: preferable altitudes for airdrop, weight limits and the effect of strong winds on performances.

"This system has an utmost operational value. It will allow airdropping equipment and food from much higher altitudes, an ability which will improve the stealth capabilities of the cargo plane and the accuracy of the parachuting", says Lieutenant Y, an engineer from the IAF Flight Test Center, in charge of the tests. "We expect a correlation between the defined waypoint and the results in the field without any particular difficulties".

March 3, 2015 By John T. Bennett – Defense news

WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday warned a joint session of the US Congress that an emerging deal over Iran's nuclear program would "inevitably" trigger war.

Netanyahu was interrupted numerous times by US lawmakers' wild applause. Though the Israeli leader said his appearance and remarks were not political, Republicans clearly appeared more receptive and enthusiastic about his hawkish tone on Iran.

At times, Netanyahu sounded like a political analyst, arguing why the terms of a potential deal that would essentially freeze Iran's nuclear arms program would threaten Israel.

"This deal will not change Iran for the better," he said. "It will only change the Middle East for the worst."

Netanyahu said if Tehran agrees to the deal reportedly offered by the United States and other global powers, it would not bring about "a farewell to arms," but rather "a farewell to arms control."

Israeli officials would support existing and potential new sanctions and restrictions on Iran to be lifted only if Tehran "lifts its aggression on the region and the world."

Facing a re-election vote back home in mere days, Netanyahu warned US lawmakers that even while dealing with sanctions, Iran is interfering in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

He challenged those in the chamber to imagine what else Iran would do if sanctions were lifted.

“One path leads to a deal that curtails [the program] for a while. The other leads to a nuclear-armed Iran … that inevitably leads to war.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

"The world should demand that Iran do three things: stop its aggression against its neighbors in the Middle East," he said. "Second, stop supporting terrorism around the world. And third, stop threatening to annihilate my country, Israel, the one and only Jewish state."

That was among the many lines that drew a standing ovation from many in the House chamber, especially on the Republican side.

"If Iran wants to be treated like a normal country," Netanyahu said, "let it act like a normal country."

At other times, Netanyahu channeled his inner nuclear physicist.

He told the joint session that the emerging deal would allow Iran to retain too much of its existing nuclear infrastructure. And he warned that US and other Western powers are proposing to allow Iran to develop too many nuclear centrifuges, a key component to one day fielding an atomic weapon.

"If anyone thinks this deal kicks the can down the road, think again.

"The alternative to this deal," Netanyahu said, his voice booming as he pounded the podium with his left hand, "is a much better deal.

"A better deal that doesn't leave Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure and short breakout times," Netanyahu said. "A better deal that doesn't give Iran an easy path to the bomb. … This is a bad. A very bad deal. We're better off without it."

That line, too, was met with loud applause.

Netanyahu was very much a politician mindful that his political future is on the line. As he turned toward the speech's climax, the prime minister seemed to be preparing both voters back home and one of his country's closest allies for a possible war.

And his message to the domestic audience was clear: I am the man to lead it.

"We must now choose between two paths: One path leads to a deal that curtails [the program] for a while," he said. "The other leads to a nuclear-armed Iran … that inevitably leads to war.

"Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand," he said to raucous applause.

For the latest national security news from Capitol Hill, stay with CongressWatch

"But I know that Israel doesn't stand alone. I know that America stands with Israel. I know that you stand with Israel," he told the US lawmakers, who erupted in wild applause.

The day before, Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's national security adviser, told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference "the bottom line is simple, we have Israel's back, come hell or high water."

In a slightly less hawkish tone, Netanyahu advised US lawmakers against viewing the Shiite regime in Tehran as an ally in the fight against the Islamic State, a violent Sunni group.

"Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam. … They just disagree among themselves who will be the leader of that empire," he said, adding under an Islamic "empire" there would be "no room" for Americans, Israelis, women, nor any "freedom for anyone."

"When it comes to Iran, the enemy of your enemy," Netanyahu said in another applause line, "is your enemy."

At the start of his remarks, Netanyahu attempted to tamp down talk on both sides of the Atlantic about a deepening rift with Obama and his top aides.

"We appreciate everything that President Obama has done for Israel," Netanyahu said at the top of his speech.

He expressed appreciation for Obama's moves to bolster US-Israeli intelligence sharing and his pro-Israel actions at the United Nations.

Netanyahu said some things Obama has done for Israel is "less well known," including forest fire aid, and military assistance last year against Hamas.

Though some speculated during the run up to the address that he was there to criticize Obama, Netanyahu said: "That was never my intention."

The prime minister, who considers himself an expert on US politics, thanked Republicans and Democrats alike for what he described as their joint support of Israel "year after year and decade after decade."

"I know that whatever side of the aisle you sit, you stand with Israel," he said, banging the podium as he delivered the last four words to polite applause.

He also praised Congress for increasing funding for the joint American-Israeli "Iron Dome" missile defense system, which his military used to great fanfare in its conflict last year with Hamas.

"This Capitol dome," he said, "helped build our Iron Dome."

But the remarks were not met with wild applause from every member.

Reporters who watched the speech from the House press gallery reported a visibly angry House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

"The unbreakable bonds between the United States and Israel are rooted in our shared values, our common ideals and mutual interests," Pelosi said in a statement.

"As one who values the US-Israel relationship, and loves Israel, I was near tears throughout the prime minister's speech — saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5+1 nations," Pelosi said, "and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation."

House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., through a spokesman, told CongressWatch before the speech that he "remains troubled by the timing of the speech and the lack of coordination with the White House."

Initial reaction from senior Republican members was much the opposite, however.

"Despite the sobering nature of the remarks themselves, Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered an important message that all of Congress, indeed all of America, needed to hear," Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said in a statement. "At this critical juncture in history, the prime minister's warnings should also be heeded by President Obama, who appears to be on a dangerous and reckless path in negotiations with Iran.

"Even though the administration believes that a deal with Iran is possible, I remain deeply skeptical that the country will abide by any sort of agreement reached," Cole said. "As Prime Minister Netanyahu conveyed today, Israel shares that same concern and distrust of Iran. A nuclear armed Iran is a threat to the safety of the entire West, but also poses a direct threat to the very existence of Israel, as well as to the Sunni states of the Middle East."

24.02.2015 Talya Yariv - IAF

Blue-Green Cooperation: Representatives from the IAF Cooperation Unit arrived at the IDF Paratroopers Training Base last week in order to train the infantry commanders for helicopters-involved missions

Commanders from the IDF Paratroopers Brigade took part in a training course conducted by the IAF Cooperation Unit representatives despite the heavy rain last week. The training course was attended by officers between the ranks of Second Lieutenant and Captain, and precedes the three months of training in which the paratroopers will also practice IAF-related scenarios.

Speaking the Same Language

The training began with an overview on helicopters and attack helicopter in order to familiarize the commanders with their missions and the pilots' ability to assist during battle. Afterwards, the commanders donned full battle gear and assembled at the firing ranges of the base. There they were trained in several different scenarios: directing attack helicopters during attack missions, directing helicopters for evacuations and loading stretchers onto helicopters while in enemy territory.

Directing a helicopter requires that each side have a clear understanding of situation, and the synchronization between the pilot and the soldiers on the ground is of the utmost importance. "This training is vital for the commanders", said Major A, Head of instruction Department in the IAF Cooperation Unit. "They must be familiar with the aircraft that could help them in times of need".

Learning While Experimenting

The relatively small number of participants - 20 for each battalion - allowed for a more personal approach. Each Platoon Commander or Company Commander was given the chance to direct or witness the process of directing an attack helicopter to a chosen point. The attack helicopters then flew to the indicated waypoint, while other "Black Hawk" helicopters practiced evacuations from enemy territory.

The IAF makes sure to draw conclusions from each and every operation, and the lessons that were learnt from Operation "Protective Edge" were included in the training. The organizers of the course utilized various videos from the operation and screened them throughout the practice.

22.02.2015 Dan Rosh (Tel Aviv) – Israel Valley

Le géant israélien des missiles Rafael va transférer, au travers d’un accord de joint-venture, ses technologies en Inde. La firme partenaire des israéliens est Kalyani (12 000 employés). Rafael sera minoritaire dans la nouvelle société (49% des actions).

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, connu sous le nom RAFAEL (acronyme hébraïque de «Autorité pour le développement de l’armement ») est l’autorité israélienne pour le développement d’armes et de technologie militaire. Rafael conçoit, développe, fabrique et distribue une large gamme de systèmes de défense de haute technologie pour les armées de l’Air, de Terre, la Marine ainsi que des applications spatiales. Plus de 9 % de son chiffre d’affaires est investi dans la Recherche et Développement. RAFAEL collabore avec différentes sociétés américaines (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon) et européennes (Thales, EADS, BAE) sur plusieurs projets de missiles, drones et systèmes d’armes.

Selon L’Express : “La société commune Rafael-Kalyani fabriquera (..) des systèmes d’armement et des solutions avancées de blindage pour les clients indiens et mondiaux de Rafael”, a dit B.N Kalyani, directeur opérationnel du groupe indien, à des journalistes.

L’Inde, premier importateur mondial d’équipement militaire, veut renouveler son matériel d’armement, dont une partie risque l’obsolescence. En ouverture de ce salon de la défense, M. Modi a assuré vouloir mettre fin à ce titre de premier acheteur mondial, voulant fabriquer 70% de son équipement sur son sol d’ici cinq ans.

Le ministre israélien de la Défense, Moshe Yaalon, qui a rencontré jeudi M. Modi, a dit vouloir travailler en coopération avec l’Inde dans la production et le développement de l’industrie militaire indienne. “Cette visite nous donne l’occasion d’améliorer et de renforcer notre relation”, a dit le ministre israélien lors d’une conférence.

“Nous coopérons de manière ouverte dans tous les domaines mais nous avons aussi trouvé le moyen de coopérer discrètement dans la sécurité”, a-t-il ajouté sans plus de précision. Le salon de Bangalore réunit des centaines de groupes de la défense et de l’aéronautique pendant cinq jours. Le premier contingent d’exposants est représenté par les Etats-Unis, avec 64 entreprises, suivi par la France, la Grande-Bretagne, la Russie et Israël".

22.02.2015 i24news.tv (AFP)

Cette acquisition est financée par Washington dont l'aide atteint plus de 3 milliards de dollars par an

Le ministère israélien de la Défense a annoncé dimanche avoir conclu un accord avec les Etats-Unis pour l'acquisition de 14 avions de combat furtifs de type F-35 supplémentaires.

"Le montant de cette commande va atteindre près de trois milliards de dollars avec un prix moyen pour chaque appareil de 110 millions de dollars", a précisé le ministère sur Twitter.

Selon les médias israéliens, l'acquisition des F-35 sera financée par l'aide militaire des Etats-Unis à Israël qui atteint plus de trois milliards de dollars par an. Les appareils sont censés être livrés sur deux ans à partir de la fin de 2016.

La correspondante militaire de la radio publique a précisé que ce montant incluait des équipements, de l'armement, l'entretien des avions ainsi que l'entraînement de leurs pilotes. La radio a ajouté qu'Israël avait l'intention de commander 17 autres F-35 dans les prochaines années.

Israël avait signé il y a quatre ans un premier accord de 2,75 milliards de dollars pour l'achat de 19 F-35, fabriqués par le groupe américain de défense Lockheed Martin, a rappelé la radio.

L'entreprise israélienne Elbit Systems est partie prenante de la fabrication des casques pour les pilotes des F-35, et les industries militaires israéliennes produisent certaines des pièces des avions.

Le F-35 qui, selon son constructeur, permet d'échapper aux radars et de voler à une vitesse supersonique, a accusé une série de revers, contretemps techniques, années de retard et explosion des coûts.

Ces chasseurs sont destinés à remplacer une grande partie de la flotte de l'armée américaine, le programme militaire le plus cher de l'histoire des Etats-Unis qui a connu de nombreux contretemps avec un budget ayant explosé pour atteindre 390 milliards de dollars, pour 2.443 avions, et quelque sept années de retard.

February 10, 2015: Strategy Page

 Israel has formed a new UAV unit to improve cooperation between combat brigades and their supporting artillery. This new unit uses Hermes 450 UAVs operated by soldiers trained to act as a very effective link between ground units, especially infantry, and any artillery units within range. The object of this is to speed up the time between which a target is spotted and an artillery can hit it with shells or rockets. Tests showed the UAV operators linked to infantry and artillery units and familiar with how both services operated could not only spot potential targets and call in artillery fire very quickly but also confirm targets the infantry wanted hit and get fire on those targets within minutes. In the past troops on the ground could call in fire on targets they could see, but over the last decade infantry have gotten their own small UAVs which often spotted targets beyond the view of the artillery spotters and unless an artillery spotter was looking over the shoulder at the UAV operators control console, he could not confirm the target and call in fire. After trying several alternatives it was decided that the Hermes 450s, using operators trained to call in fire and linked electronically to both infantry and artillery units, was the best solution. The artillery UAV operators can also share what they see with nearby infantry commanders, if that is needed to confirm a target only visible from the air.

The artillery UAVs are only the latest Israeli use of UAVs. For example in 2014 Israel replaced the last of its AH-1 helicopter gunships with armed UAVs (Hermes 450s), There was already a plan in place for the AH-1s to be replaced by AH-64 gunships, which Israel already has 44 of but even the AH-64s are facing competition from the UAVs and was decided that replacing the AH-1s with UAVs was more affordable and effective.

Israel currently has a fleet of over 70 large (more than a quarter ton) UAVs. Israel is, next to the United States, the heaviest user of large (Predator size) UAVs on the planet, mainly because the aircraft are regularly used for border security and counter-terror operations. The AH-1 and artillery UAV decision makes it possible to further expand the UAV force.

The most common large UAVs used by Israel are Heron, Hermes and Searcher. The Hermes 450 is the primary UAV for the Israeli armed forces, and twenty or more were in action each day during the 2006 war in Lebanon. That led to an expansion of the Hermes fleet. The Hermes 450s is a 450 kg (992 pound) aircraft with a payload of 150 kg. It can also carry Hellfire missiles and is 6.5 meters (20 feet long) and has an 11.3 meter (35 foot) wingspan. It can stay in the air for up to 20 hours per sortie, and fly as high as 6,500 meters (20,000 feet). The Hermes 900 UAV is similar in size (and appearance) to the American Predator (both weighing 1.1 tons), but the Israeli vehicle is built mainly for endurance. It has a 10 meter (31 foot) wingspan. The Hermes 900 can stay in the air for 36 hours, and has a payload of 300 kg (650 pounds). The Searcher 2 is a half-ton aircraft with an endurance of 20 hours, max altitude of 7,500 meters (23,000 feet) and can operate up to 300 kilometers from the operator. It can carry a 120 kg (264 pound) payload.

Heron I is a 1.45 ton aircraft similar to the American MQ-1 Predator. Israel also has a few (less than six apparently) very long range UAVs. These Heron TP UAVs are 4.6 ton aircraft that can operate at 14,000 meters (45,000 feet). That is, above commercial air traffic, and all the air-traffic-control regulations that discourage, and often forbid, UAV use at the same altitude as commercial aircraft. The Heron TP has a one ton payload, enabling it to carry sensors that can give a detailed view of what's on the ground, even from that high up. The endurance of 36 hours makes the Heron TP a competitor for the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper. The TP is used for long range missions, most of which are not discussed in the media.

In the last few years infantry units have been receiving the 7 kg (15.4 pound) Sky Rider. These are battery operated and can only stay in the air an hour or so per sortie. At first it was planned to equip the artillery with Sky Riders but field testing showed that the longer endurance Hermes 450 was a more practical choice. Israel exports most of these UAVs, largely because they are all very much “combat proven”.