July 05, 2013 by Shiv Aroor - Livefist

07/02/2013 By Maytaal Angel and Jonathan Saul - thereporter.com (Reuters)

LONDON — Exploiting a loophole in Western sanctions, Iran is importing a high grade of refined alumina ore from several European countries including Germany and France that Tehran could be using to make armor parts and missile components.

Western measures imposed on Iran over its disputed nuclear program have hit many sectors of its economy including steel and other metals, where it is heavily dependent on imports. Tehran says its atomic work is peaceful.

The refined ore has been excluded from European Union sanctions, but tightened U.S. sanctions that came into effect on July 1 seek to close the loophole. According to a U.S. Treasury briefing, the latest measures will cover "raw or semi-finished metals" that include aluminum.

"After July 1, new sanctions will blacklist metals trade with Iran including aluminum, coal, steel, gold, silver and platinum amongst others, and should include alumina," said Mark Dubowitz, who has advised President Barack Obama's administration and U.S. lawmakers on sanctions.

Alumina is a refined version of the raw ore bauxite. It is typically used to make aluminum, but in its high purity or 'chemical grade' form, it has non-metal applications that have sensitive military uses.

Export data from independent firm Global Trade Information Services showed that between January 2012 and March 2013, around 4,000 metric tons of alumina had been sold to Iran mostly from Germany and France, but also from Slovenia, Italy, Hungary and Belgium.

Experts and traders say the high price paid of $700-$1,000 a metric ton (1.1023 tons) and relatively low amounts involved indicated the exports were most likely high purity chemical grade alumina.

Mark Gorwitz, previously with the U.S. Department of Defense and now a consultant specializing in nuclear and missile-related technologies, says Iran is able to manufacture weapons grade ceramic composites using chemical alumina.

"Iran definitely has the ability to manufacture missile parts locally. They've done quite a bit of work on ceramic composites made with alumina, and used for manufacturing armor parts and missile components like nozzles and radomes," he said.

Gorwitz cited an academic paper seen by Reuters on the scientific properties of alumina armor, published in 2011 by researchers at Malek Ashtar University, an entity listed by the EU in 2008 as linked to Iran's nuclear activities.

Chemical alumina, a powder, has to be combined with other materials to make ceramic composites for missiles and armor.

David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector now president of U.S.-based think-tank the Institute for Science and International Security, said Iran had been studying the use of chemical alumina for years, citing three scientific journal papers published by Iranian academics between 2008 and 2009.

"The documents show that there's an interest in mastering the use of chemical alumina for a broad set of uses which include military," he said.

Chemical alumina can also be used to make transparent ceramics used in lasers and night vision devices. But its use in protective cones for missiles potentially links it to Iran's nuclear program.

"In general, Iran has been trying for three decades to develop ballistic missiles," said Michael Elleman with the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"Transparent ceramics are a type of sapphire made using chemical alumina. Sapphire can be used as a missile component. Whether the missile carries explosive or nuclear warheads is not the point; most missiles are dual capable."

A spokesman for Tehran's UN mission in New York said sanctions were "counterproductive in terms of confidence building between Iran and some members of the Security Council who level some allegations against my country".

"Iran has never violated its international commitment and always remains committed to its obligations," he said.

Data from the International Aluminum Institute showed Europe produced 2.38 million metric tons of chemical grade alumina between January and June 2013, accounting for about a third of the total chemical alumina produced globally.

"None of the military and defense-related applications use particularly large tonnages of alumina," a Western specialist familiar with alumina processes said.

Iranian military commanders regularly announce what they say is significant progress in the manufacture of defense systems and missiles, which are tested during regular drills and war games. But western analysts say their real capabilities cannot be independently verified.

A spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the export of all forms of crude aluminum products as well as other aluminum products were prohibited under EU sanctions.

"Whereas the export of aluminum ore - alumina - is not," the spokesman said. "It is an area that may be looked at in the future."

As of July 1, however, the tightened U.S. sanctions might hamper the alumina trade with Iran as companies involved, who also have U.S. interests could be targeted by Washington.

"Any European companies found selling alumina, for example, will face the full weight of U.S. law. Alumina previously has sailed past the radar under previous U.S. and EU sanctions and should not be overlooked again as an important target of pressure," Dubowitz said.

New president

Earlier this year, Switzerland-based commodities giant Glencore Xstrata said it had done nothing wrong when they engaged in alumina-for-aluminum swap deals with Iran. Another Swiss group Trafigura was involved in similar deals.

One industry source said at present alumina made in Europe was reaching Iran via middlemen operating from the Middle East Gulf who transport the cargoes on barges from the United Arab Emirates. Alumina can be shipped in general cargo vessels.

"There's a number of small-time traders in Dubai dealing with alumina from Europe. They buy it from Europe and ship it to (Iran's major cargo port) Bandar Abbas," said a Europe-based alumina player familiar with the trade.

"It's a lucrative market ... these small guys have not got that much reputation to lose even if they get caught."

The surprise victory of moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani in Iran's presidential election last month has raised hopes for an easing of tension in the decade-old nuclear dispute, although he is not expected to opt for dramatic change, given his ties with the religious leadership.

"It seems unlikely that the presidential elections will have a significant effect on Iran's military program - at least in the short term," said Hannah Poppy at consultancy Risk Advisory.

"Military spending is a long-term budgetary issue, and the President's control over the military is limited. Also, Iran has invested a considerable amount to support its regional allies Syria and Hezbollah, so a major reduction in military aid or rhetorical support would be counter-intuitive."

June 28, 2013: Strategy Page

Saudi Arabia and South Korea recently ordered over 150 AIM-9X Block 2 air-to-air heat seeking missiles. Both nations have used this missile for decades and are satisfied customers. They are not alone. The AIM-9X Block 2 is the latest version of the Sidewinder, a missile that has come a long way since it first appeared in the 1950s. In the last 25 years these short-range heat-seeking missiles have accounted for some 90 percent of losses in air-to-air combat. Sidewinder still dominates the market, despite a lot of competition from the likes of IRIS-T, ASRAAM, Magic, Python, Molinya, and several Chinese clones of foreign designs.

There are not only a lot of different heat-seekers out there, they offer a wide variety of features. Sidewinder has managed to dominate the field by concentrating on the most useful, workable, and popular features. For example, the 9X-2 can lock-on-after-launch. That is, the missile can be fired and then directed to a target via a datalink. That means it can be fired at ground targets or at an enemy aircraft behind you. The X-2 version also makes improvements in the warhead fuze and other components. As impressive as all these features, most are already found in similar missiles made in several other countries (including Russia and China). In effect, the X-2 version is just keeping up. What the U.S. sells, in addition, is an impressive track record of reliability and the high probability of actually performing as expected in combat. Over 4,000 X model Sidewinders have been built since it entered service in 2003. Block II (X-2) entered service four years ago.

The AIM-9 is a heat seeking missile and the heat sensors have become much more sensitive since the first AIM-9s. The current versions of the missile work by detecting a heat source at the point where the pilot is looking. This is done using the JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems), which allows a pilot to see, displayed on his visor, critical flight and navigation information. Sort of like a see-through computer monitor or HUD (Head Up Display). Most importantly, the pilot can turn his head towards a target, get an enemy aircraft or ground target into the crosshairs displayed on the visor, and fire a missile that will promptly go after the target the pilot was looking at. For Sidewinder the pilot has to be looking at something giving off enough heat to catch the attention of the missile's heat sensor. With the X-2 the pilot can launch the missile before he has located the target via the JHMCS, saving a critical few seconds.

Mr. Yuval Miller, VP and Head of the Air and C⁴ISR Systems Sector

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 28 (UPI)

As the Middle East descends deeper into conflict, Israel's military is set to deploy its sixth Iron Dome counter-rocket battery, produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and is preparing to take delivery of the first unit of David's Sling, another Rafael anti-missile system.

The new Iron Dome battery, intended to shoot down short-range missiles like the Soviet-designed Grads used by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, has been upgraded and its range extended. That means the system, the only combat-tested weapon in the multilayered anti-missile shield Israel is building, can intercept hostile rockets earlier in their trajectory and minimize damage and casualties.

Iron Dome, heavily funded by the United States, became operational in early 2011.

The fifth and sixth batteries received by the air force, which has control of all air defenses, are improved versions of a system that currently has a kill rate of around 85 percent of those rockets it engages. The sixth battery is expected to be deployed within two months, and could be delivered as early as July.

The Jerusalem Post reported that two further batteries could be deployed by January 2014.

Military planners have said they need 20 Iron Dome batteries to cover all of Israel, although the new-model systems, which can cover wider areas than the earlier variants and intercept multiple targets coming from different directions, may mean that fewer batteries will be required.

Israel's Defense Ministry, hit by budgetary cuts, has had to turn to Washington for funds to buy the batteries, which cost more than $50 million apiece.

The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency included $220 million in its annual budget in March for Israel to buy more Iron Dome batteries in fiscal 2014. That was the first time the MDA had specifically sought funds for Iron Dome, underlining the U.S. Defense Department's commitment to maintain military aid for Israel, outside the $3.1 billion it gets every year, despite major cuts in U.S. defense spending.

The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee approved a $284 million funding increase June 6 for Israel's anti-missile shield, including an additional $15 million for the Iron Dome program.

The United States provided $205 million in 2011 for the Israeli air force to buy the first four Iron Dome batteries.

Iron Dome is the bottom tier of the four-level anti-missile shield the Israelis call "Homa," the wall, which will protect the tiny Mediterranean state against the short-range Grads, the longer range Iranian-built Zelzals and Fateh-110s possess by Hezbollah and Iran's strategic Shehab-3 intermediate–range ballistic missiles -- with more advanced Sejjil-2 weapons in the pipeline -- and Syria's Scud-D weapons.

David's Sling, being developed by Rafael and the Raytheon Co. of the United States, was unveiled at the Paris Air Show this month. Until then, all that Israelis been seen of it was a brief video of a secret test in the Negev Desert of southern Israel in November 2012.

Also known as Magic Wand, David's Sling is designed to intercept medium-range missiles at a range of 100 miles.

It's the next layer in the shield above Iron Dome and underwent its first test-flight in February. It's scheduled to become operational in 2014. Each missile costs $1 million.

After that comes Arrow-2, developed by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries. The $1 billion program was heavily financed by the Americans. Two Arrow-2 batteries are known to have been deployed to intercept ballistic missiles at high altitude and long range.

A more advanced variant, Arrow-3, is currently being developed by IAI and the Boeing Co. of the United States. It will be more powerful, capable of intercepting missiles at altitudes of 70 miles or more outside Earth's atmosphere earlier in their trajectories than Arrow-2.

The primary function of the road-mobile David's Sling system in Israel's current threat environment is to counter the medium-range missiles like the Fateh-100s that Hezbollah now has in considerable numbers north of Israel and which can reach pretty much anywhere inside the Jewish state, including all its cities and major towns.

David's Sling will be able to backstop the two Arrow variants against ballistic and cruise missiles that get past them. It can cover all of Israel from a small number of launch sites around the country.

MOSCOU, 28 juin - RIA Novosti

Le ministère russe de la Défense entend équiper toutes les brigades de missiles de l'Armée de terre de missiles tactiques Iskander-M d'ici 2018, a annoncé vendredi aux journalistes un porte-parole du ministère se référant au ministre Sergueï Choïgou.

"Nous entendons équiper de ce système de missiles (Iskander-M) toutes les brigades de missiles de l'Armée de terre", a déclaré le ministre.

Les missiles opérationnels tactiques Iskander-M de haute précision sont destinés à détruire différentes cibles terrestres, qu'il s'agisse de missiles, de l'artillerie à longue portée ou de systèmes antimissiles et de DCA. Ils  ont une portée de 280 km.

Jun 24, 2013 Spacewar.com (UPI)

Tel Aviv, Israel - The U.S. Congress is pushing for U.S. participation in developing Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system and, if it succeeds, make the Americans partners in all the systems that constitute the Jewish state's missile defense shield.

The House of Representatives this month tripled U.S. President Barack Obama's request to boost U.S. funding of Israeli missile defense systems from $96 million to $284 million.

This followed earlier increases in U.S. support, which began in the 1980s with the high-altitude Arrow program for which the Americans have paid the lion's share of the $1 billion development costs.

All this is separate from the $3 billion in military aid Israel receives from the United States every year.

The House Armed Services Committee approved the $284 million funding hike June 6, including an additional $15 million in funding for Iron Dome.

That system was developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Haifa. It's the only one of the Jewish state's anti-missile weapons that's been tested in combat, with a claimed kill rate of 85 percent.

It's also the only one of those programs in which U.S. defense companies have not participated, and thus had no access to the advanced technology involved.

Iron Dome, the bottom tier of the Israeli anti-missile shield, is designed to intercept short-range missiles and rockets, the only such system in service in the world.

Its unique feature is its computerized fire-control system, which can determine the trajectories of hostile missiles. It only engages those that will hit populated areas and ignores those that won't.

U.S. defense contractors, and members of Congress, have wanted to participate in Iron Dome for some time.

The House committee's funding increase stipulated, in an amendment proposed by Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., that "it may be obligated or expended for enhancing the capability of producing the Iron Dome system program in the United States, including for infrastructure, tooling, transferring data, special test equipment and related components."

In March, the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency for the first time included in its annual budget funding of $220 million for Israel to buy more Iron Dome batteries in fiscal 2014.

That was the first time the MDA has specifically sought funds for Iron Dome, underlining the U.S. Defense Department's effort to maintain military aid for Israel despite major cutbacks in defense spending.

The agency is also expected to seek $520 million to fund other Israeli anti-missile systems, including the David's Sling and the high-altitude Arrow-3 currently in development.

The House of Representatives and the Senate indicated in 2012 they wanted to approve spending as much as $680 million for Iron Dome through 2015.

The U.S. has long sought access to the Israeli-developed technology and is clearly using military aid to the Jewish state as leverage.

The Raytheon Co. has been working with Rafael for some time on developing David's Sling, designed to counter medium-range missiles.

Arrow-3, being developed by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and the Boeing Co., is intended to intercept Iranian and Syrian ballistic missiles outside Earth's atmosphere.

Neither participation involves co-production.

The Israelis, although concerned that joint development of these systems with the Americans, could inhibit export sales -- India and South Korea are interested in Iron Dome and Arrow -- would seem to have little choice but to accept U.S. participation.

In 2012, the House Armed Services Committee called on the MDA to "explore any opportunity to enter into co-production" of Iron Dome, given the scale of U.S. funding, even though Washington had no legal rights to the Israeli technology.

Israel initially opposed that and ruled out co-production. It offered Washington data on the technologies used in Iron Dome's Tamir interceptor rockets, provided intellectual property rights were observed.

But this was not enough for the House, or U.S. companies that saw the prospect of blunting the impact of the cutbacks in U.S. defense spending and the layoffs these would cause.

However, in March, possibly because of Israel's own defense budget cuts, Brig. Gen. Shachar Shohat, a senior officer in Israel's missile forces, said setting up a parallel U.S. factory to make Tamirs could be a "win-win situation for both countries."

He stressed this would allow the Americans to benefit from their financial support for Israel.

June 26, 2013: Strategy Page

There was recently a SINKEX (sinking exercise) in which Norway fired one of their locally made Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) at a decommissioned 2,100 ton Oslo class frigate. The NSM, fired from a smaller missile boat, hit the frigate, did a lot of damage but did not sink it. If the frigate had been loaded with fuel and ammo, the NSM would have started fires and probably put the ship out of service and possibly caused it to go down.

Despite the many lightweight (under a ton) anti-ship missiles on the market, NSM still gets sales because it is effective, reliable and affordable. It is also offered for use on ships, aircraft and on trucks (as part of a mobile coastal defense system). The 409 kg (900 pound) NSM anti-ship missile has a 125 kg (275 pound) warhead and a range of 185 kilometers. NSM uses GPS and inertial guidance systems, as well as a heat imaging system (and a database of likely targets) for picking out and hitting the intended ship. Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg allows buyers to easily install their own radar and control systems.

There is lots of competition, the main ones being the U.S. Harpoon and similar missiles from Russia and China. The Russian Kh-35 anti-ship missile is similar to the American Harpoon but lighter (610 kg/1,340 pounds, compared to 728 kg/1,600) and has less range (130 kilometers compared to 224 for the latest version of Harpoon). The Kh-35 (also known as the SS-N-25 or Switchblade) can be fired from helicopters, aircraft, ships, or shore batteries.

China sells a lot of C-801 and C-802 anti-ship missiles. The C-801 is 5.81 meters (18 feet) long, 360mm in diameter, has a max range of 42 kilometers and weighs 636 kg (1,400 pounds) each. The C-801 is similar to the French Exocet, and is believed to have been based on that missile.

The C802A is a 6.8m (21 foot) long, 360mm diameter, 682kg (1,500 pound) missile, with a 165kg (360 pound) warhead. The C802 has a max range of 120 kilometers, and moves along at about 250 meters a second. The French Exocet missile is the same size and performance, but costs twice as much (over a million dollars each, but the manufacturer is known to be flexible on pricing.)

The new Exocet MM Block 3 has twice the range (180 kilometers) because of their turbojet engine. This is a 670 kg (1,500 pound) missile that has been around for over three decades, has been proven in combat and is known to be reliable. The C802 is known to be less capable than the Exocet, but it looks similar.

Russia pioneered the use of larger (up to three ton) supersonic “carrier killer” anti-ship missiles. The most common example is the Yakhont which is an 8.9 meter (27.6 foot) long, three ton missile with a 300 kg (660 pound) warhead. Russia has been building missiles like this since the 1970s but they are only popular with the few nations that have a need to destroy American aircraft carriers.

TOKYO, 26 juin - RIA Novosti

Le ministère japonais de la Défense étudie la possibilité de mettre au point des missiles balistiques d'une portée de 400 à 500 kilomètres pour empêcher une éventuelle invasion des îles Senkaku/Diaoyu qui font l'objet d'un différend territorial sino-japonais, rapporte mercredi le journal Sankei Shinbun.

Un projet détaillé devrait être présenté en juillet dans le cadre de la révision du programme japonais de sécurité nationale. Si le document est approuvé, la conception de nouveaux missiles pourrait commencer dès 2014. Les futurs missiles devraient être déployés à Okinawa, l'île japonaise la plus méridionale.

Selon des experts du ministère japonais, les nouveaux missiles seront capables de couvrir une distance de 500 kilomètres en cinq minutes, ce qui permettra d'empêcher toute tentative d'atterrissage sur les îles contestées. Si ce projet est réalisé, les Forces japonaises d'autodéfense seront pour la première fois dotées d'armes offensives à longue portée.

Les îles inhabitées Senkaku/Diaoyu sont au centre d'un litige sino-japonais depuis les années 1970. Le Japon affirme qu'il contrôle les îles depuis 1895 et qu'elles n'avaient appartenu à aucun pays avant cette date. La Chine insiste sur le fait que les îles contestées faisaient partie de l'Empire chinois il y a 600 ans. Les Etats-Unis ont administré les îles après la Seconde guerre mondiale. En 1972, les Américains ont remis les îles Senkaku et l'île habitée d'Okinawa au Japon. Taïwan et la Chine continentale contestent la souveraineté japonaise sur les îles Senkaku.

En septembre 2012, les tensions sont montées d'un cran entre le Japon et la Chine suite à l'achat par Tokyo de trois îles de l'archipel Senkaku à leurs propriétaires privés. Une vague de manifestations antijaponaises a alors traversé la Chine, tandis que Pékin s'est déclaré prêt à employer tout moyen pour défendre l'intégrité territoriale du pays et la souveraineté de la Chine sur les îles litigieuses.

June 24, 2013 by Think Defence

We have been discussing Brimstone / Sea Spear recently.

MOSCOU, 22 juin - RIA Novosti

Moscou est prêt à livrer à Téhéran des systèmes de missiles sol-air Antey-2500 afin de régler le différend autour du contrat sur la livraison de systèmes S-300, rapporte samedi le quotidien russe Kommersant.

"Il s'agit de possibles livraisons de systèmes Antey-2500 à Téhéran. Ils constituent la version modifiée du système S-300B développé à l'époque pour les forces terrestres", a indiqué le journal citant des sources proches du dossier.

La Russie a signé un contrat d'environ 800 millions de dollars avec l'Iran sur la livraison de cinq unités complètes de missiles sol-air S-300 en 2007. En 2010, Moscou a rompu le contrat en application de la résolution 1929 du Conseil de sécurité de l'Onu interdisant la livraison d'armes conventionnelles à Téhéran. Le ministère iranien de la Défense a porté plainte auprès de la Cour internationale d'arbitrage de Genève contre l'exportateur d'armes russe Rosoboronexport. La République islamique cherche à obtenir 4 milliards USD de réparations. Selon les médias, Téhéran est prêt à retirer sa plainte si Moscou honore le contrat.

Le directeur du holding russe de hautes technologies Rostec Sergueï Tchemezov a déclaré fin mai que la Russie avait peu de chances de gagner le procès et que Moscou cherchait à régler l'affaire à l'amiable, mais "en vain".

Le système Antey-2500 est quant à lui capable de détruire des avions et des missiles balistiques de moyenne portée à une distance de 350 kilomètres.

MOSCOU, 22 juin - RIA Novosti

Washington comprend l'approche adoptée par Moscou en matière de réduction des armes stratégiques offensives, a déclaré samedi le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères Sergueï Lavrov dans une interview à la chaîne Russie 1.

Selon le chef de la diplomatie russe, en marge du sommet du G8 en Irlande du Nord, le président US Barack Obama a estimé qu'"il était encore possible de procéder à une nouvelle réduction des armes stratégiques offensives à condition d'être sûr que la Russie ferait de même".

"En réponse, le président russe Vladimir Poutine a réaffirmé notre position selon laquelle il est nécessaire de prendre en compte tous les facteurs relatifs à la stabilité stratégique, dont la défense antimissile, les armes dans l'espace et les armes stratégiques non-nucléaires. Il faut en outre prendre en considération le déséquilibre qui se maintient dans le domaine des armes classiques", a expliqué M.Lavrov.

"Le président Obama a annoncé qu'il comprenait qu'il était nécessaire de tenir compte de tous ces facteurs", a-t-il poursuivi.

Le 19 juin dernier, Barack Obama a déclaré que Washington était disposé à négocier avec Moscou une réduction d'un tiers de leurs arsenaux nucléaires respectifs et s'est prononcé en faveur d'une réduction d'armes tactiques russes et américaines en Europe.