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21 décembre 2015 1 21 /12 /décembre /2015 08:30
Le Pakistan confirme sa participation à la coalition saoudienne contre le terrorisme


17.12.2015 45eNord.ca (AFP)
 

Le Pakistan a confirmé jeudi sa participation à la coalition de 34 pays majoritairement musulmans contre le terrorisme, dont la création a été annoncée mardi par l’Arabie saoudite, sans en préciser la nature ou l’étendue.

 

« Oui, nous participons à cette alliance destinée à lutter contre le terrorisme », a déclaré à la presse le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères, Qazi Khalilullah.

« Ce qui reste à décider, c’est l’étendue de notre participation », a-t-il ajouté sans vouloir préciser si le Pakistan avait été consulté en amont.

« Nous allons demander des précisions afin de déterminer l’étendue de notre participation dans les diverses activités de cette alliance, » a-t-il insisté, soulignant « cela prendra du temps ».

Islamabad, qui a dénoncé pendant des années l’interventionnisme américain, reste très prudent sur la nature de ses interventions militaires à l’extérieur. Le ministère des Affaires étrangères s’était cantonné dans un premier temps à « saluer la création de l’alliance ».

L’Arabie saoudite, souvent accusée de soutenir des groupes terroristes à l’étranger, a annoncé mardi cette coalition avec pour objectif de « combattre le terrorisme militairement et idéologiquement » dans un contexte de montée en puissance de groupes djihadistes.

Selon Ryad, les pays membres échangeront des informations, fourniront du matériel et de la formation et mettront des forces à disposition si nécessaire.

La coalition doit réunir des pays majoritairement sunnites comme le Pakistan, l’Egypte, la Turquie, et le Sénégal, à en croire la liste diffusée par l’agence officielle saoudienne SPA après l’annonce surprise de Ryad — en revanche, ni l’Iran chiite, ni l’Irak, ni la Syrie n’en sont membres.

Le Pakistan, République islamique dotée de l’arme nucléaire, est un proche allié du royaume sunnite saoudien.

Mais en avril, le Parlement pakistanais s’était opposé à ce que l’armée participe à la coalition menée par Ryad contre les rebelles chiites houthis au Yémen. Islamabad craignait de se retrouver impliqué dans un conflit à tournure confessionnelle, susceptible d’exacerber les tensions entre communautés au Pakistan, où les attaques contre les chiites se sont multipliées ces dernières années.

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27 octobre 2015 2 27 /10 /octobre /2015 12:35
Sept garde-frontières pakistanais tués par des tirs provenant d'Afghanistan

 

27 octobre 2015 Romandie.com (AFP)

 

Islamabad - Sept paramilitaires pakistanais ont été tués mardi par des tirs nourris provenant d'Afghanistan et visant leur poste-frontière à la lisière des deux pays, a annoncé l'armée pakistanaise.

 

Cette dernière n'a pas précisé la nature des tirs, ni s'ils venaient de forces afghanes ou de rebelles de type talibans, très présents le long de cette instable et poreuse frontière.

 

Selon le communiqué militaire pakistanais, les tirs nourris ont visé un poste-frontière de la force paramilitaire des Frontier Corps (FC) près d'Angoor Adda, un village du Waziristan du Sud, zone tribal où l'armée pakistanaise combat régulièrement les rebelles islamistes locaux.

 

Le dernier incident similaire le long de la frontière pakistano-afghane remonte au mois d'août, lorsqu'une attaque rebelle à la roquette contre un poste-frontière de la zone tribale de Khyber avait tué au moins quatre soldats et blessé quatre autres, selon l'armée.

 

Islamabad et Kaboul s'accusent régulièrement de tirs transfrontaliers, et de donner refuge aux rebelles talibans et à leurs alliés de leur côté de la frontière.

 

Les sept zones tribales pakistanaises semi-autonomes qui s'étirent le long de la frontière entre les deux pays sont depuis plus d'une décennies l'un des principaux repaires des rebelles talibans pakistanais du TTP, alliés à Al-Qaïda et en guerre contre Islamabad dont ils dénoncent la proximité avec les Etats-Unis.

 

L'armée pakistanaises y mène régulièrement des opérations militaires pour les neutraliser ou les en déloger. La dernière en date, lancée il y a un an et demi, est toujours en cours dans le Waziristan du Nord, voisin de celui du sud.

 

Le Waziristan du Nord tribale était depuis 2007 le principal repaire dans la région du TTP, auteur d'innombrables attentats sanglants dans le pays, d'Al-Qaïda mais aussi de rebelles talibans afghans, qui combattent eux le gouvernement de Kaboul et ses alliés de l'Otan de l'autre côté de la frontière.

 

A la suite de l'offensive palkistanaise de juin 2014, une partie des rebelles du TTP, dont peut-être son chef le mollah Fazlullah, ennemi public n°1 d'Islamabad, se sont réfugiés du côté afghan de la frontière, selon des sources sécuritaires concordantes.

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8 octobre 2015 4 08 /10 /octobre /2015 07:35
The Pakistani defense market specializes in small arms and ammunition. Photo by Paki90

The Pakistani defense market specializes in small arms and ammunition. Photo by Paki90

 

ISLAMABAD, Oct. 7 (UPI)

 

Pakistan promoted its defense industry on Tuesday as its Defense Export Promotion Organization launched an exhibition center in Islamabad.

The inauguration of the display center showcased the latest products from the country's public and private sectors, with Pakistani military officials, including Defense Production Minister Tanveer Hussain, in attendance, according to IHS Janes.

The government of Pakistan has been active in developing the country's defense industry. Defense News reports the country has experienced mild success with its state-owned conglomerate, Pakistan Ordnance Factories, which produces small arms, ammunition, and explosives. While the country has historically been a top importer of arms, Pakistan's military officials said they are optimistic about the future of defense exports.

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30 septembre 2015 3 30 /09 /septembre /2015 12:45
AGM-114 Hellfire II missile - Lockheed Martin

AGM-114 Hellfire II missile - Lockheed Martin

 

29/09/2015 par African Manager

 

Le Commandement des marchés de l’Armée américaine (USACC) a attribué à Lockheed Martin un contrat pour la fourniture d’un nombre non encore révélé de missiles AGM-114K / R3 Hellfire II à l’Egypte et à la Tunisie ainsi qu’à l’Irak, au  Pakistan et à l’Indonésie pour un montant de  357 800 000 de dollars au titre des ventes militaires à l’étranger. Dans un avis publié le 16 septembre par le ministère US de la Défense, l’USACC a précisé que Lockheed Martin était le seul soumissionnaire pour le contrat, qui devrait être exécuté avant septembre 2017.

 

Le AGM-114 Hellfire (hellfire signifie en anglais « feu de l’enfer ») est un missile antichar à guidage laser semi-actif, ou à guidage radar (de type tire et oublie) en fonction des versions. Il est principalement utilisé sur les hélicoptères, notamment sur l’AH-64 Apache, mais également sur des drones tels que les MQ-1 Predator et MQ-9 Reaper. Très polyvalent, il peut être employé contre tout type de véhicule, mais aussi contre des bâtiments. Sa portée relativement longue permet au lanceur de rester à l’abri, voire invisible.

 

 Bien qu’il n’y ait aucune spécification sur le nombre de missiles devant être livrés à chacun  de ces pays, une notification adressée en avril dernier au Congrès américain par le Département d’Etat a sollicité l’approbation de ce dernier pour une  «vente possible à l’Egypte de 356 missiles  AGM-114K / R3 Hellfire II Air-sol  avec des conteneurs, des pièces de rechange et de réparation, des équipements de soutien, outre la formation du personnel et  l’équipement de formation ».

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30 septembre 2015 3 30 /09 /septembre /2015 07:35
UCAV Burraq launching the laser-guided missile Burq

UCAV Burraq launching the laser-guided missile Burq

 

September 27, 2015: Strategy Page

 

On September 7th a Pakistani UAV used laser guided missiles to kill three Islamic terrorists in North Waziristan. This was a first for Pakistan. While Pakistan has officially condemned and opposed similar strikes by American UAVs in North Waziristan, it never banned the American use of armed UAVs in certain parts of Pakistan. The U.S. refused to sell Pakistan UAVs that could carry laser guided missiles, mainly because the Americans don’t trust Pakistan. So Pakistan went looking for other suppliers and eventually bought a similar UAV (the CH-2) from China in 2009. Pakistan was soon producing a local version, Burraq. The earliest CH-2 models were unarmed, but the latest version (CH-3A) can carry a max payload of 180 kg for six hours. China supplies two missiles similar to the American Hellfire. One of these, the laser guided AR-1, weighs 45 kg and has a range of 8,000 meters. This is said to be the one Pakistan is using.

 

Pakistan apparently won’t stop with the Burraq. There is a more advanced armed UAV being offer by China. Called the Wing Loong (that's Chinese for Pterodactyl, a Jurassic period flying dinosaur) this UAV which can be equipped to carry two BA-7 laser guided missiles (similar to the Hellfire) or two 60 kg (110 pound) GPS guided bombs (similar to the U.S. SDB). This UAV has been around for a while but it has taken time to get it working reliably when used to hit targets with laser guided missiles.   Since 2008 Chinese aircraft manufacturer (AVIC) has been showing off photos and videos of a prototype for a clone of the American MQ-1 Predator UAV that tuned out to be Wing Loong. This in 2012 one was seen in flight, over the capital of Uzbekistan, which, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) were the first export customers. It was later revealed that development on Wing Loong began in 2005, first flight was in 2007 and Chinese troops got the first ones in 2008 for testing under more realistic conditions.

 

While Wing Loong is similar in shape to the larger American MQ-9 Reaper, in size it's almost identical to the 1.2 ton Predator. Wing Loong weighs 1.1 tons, has a 14 meter (46 feet) wingspan, and is 9 meters (28 feet) long. It has max altitude of 5,300 meters (16,400 feet) and an endurance of over 20 hours. Payload is 200 kg. The base price of Wing Loong is about a million dollars. But additional sensors and fire control equipment for one able to use laser guided missiles increases that to several million dollars. That is still about half the price of a similarly equipped Predator. Unlike the United States, which restricts the sale of armed UAVS, China will sell to anyone who can pay, no questions asked. The only problem Pakistan has is a shortage of cash. That’s why Pakistan cooperates at all with the United States; billions of dollars in military aid.

 

For several decades a growing number of Chinese commercial firms have been developing military UAVs. China is quite proud of its thriving commercial UAV industry, which produced a wide range of models. For example in mid-2014 China announced that a civilian UAV, used for mapping and land use surveys, recently stayed in the air for 30 hours, setting a record for Chinese UAVs. The previous record for Chinese UAVs was 16 hours.  This long endurance UAV was developed by a government agency (CASM, or Chinese Academy of Surveying & Mapping) and has limited military use. CASM has developed several small UAVs for survey duties. These UAVs all feature lightweight materials and tend to be under 50 kg (110 pounds) with small payloads (usually 5 kg/11 pounds). These take advantage of new lightweight and powerful cameras to economically monitor Chinese farming and natural resources. Some of these UAVs are also believed to be used by the police and security services.  Export customers are welcome.

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11 septembre 2015 5 11 /09 /septembre /2015 11:35
A British soldier learning Counter IED drills. U.K. Ministry of Defense photo by Sgt Ian Forsyth RLC

A British soldier learning Counter IED drills. U.K. Ministry of Defense photo by Sgt Ian Forsyth RLC

 

Sep 11, 2015 by Richard Tomkins (UPI)

 

Britain plans to gift Pakistan spare parts and other equipment to support counter-explosive equipment previously given to the country.

 

The intention to donate more than $1.5 million of equipment was announced earlier this week by Defense Secretary Michael Fallon.

 

"I'm pleased that we are able to offer this support package as our counter-IED work is part of our close partnership with Pakistan and our shared determination to fight terrorism," Fallon said.

 

"By working together, we will make our streets safer at home in the UK and in Pakistan. Pakistan has a rapidly expanding C-IED capability, with over 5,000 of its security forces trained, and more of these IEDs are being defeated across the provinces and lives are being saved. Pakistani battalions, who have benefited from UK support, have been operating for more than a year as part of the military's counter-terrorism operations."

 

Britain last May completed a three-year program to help Pakistan develop a multi-agency ability to counter improvised explosive devices. Counter-IED equipment, including mine detectors, were donated to the country. A new three-year support package was then offered to Pakistan, which borders Afghanistan and which faces its own extremist threat.

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3 août 2015 1 03 /08 /août /2015 16:30
photo EMA / Marine Nationale

photo EMA / Marine Nationale

 

03/08/2015 Sources : État-major des armées

 

Le 30 juillet 2015, après avoir assuré le commandement de la Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) en océan Indien durant quatre mois, la France a officiellement passé le relais au Pakistan, lors d’une cérémonie organisée sur la base navale américaine de Manama, à Bahreïn. Ce neuvième mandat à la tête de cette force multinationale chargée de lutter contre le terrorisme et les trafics illicites qui lui sont associés en océan Indien a été marqué par de remarquables succès, soulignés par le vice-amiral Miller, commandant les Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

 

Le 30 juillet 2015, le capitaine de vaisseau René-Jean Crignola a passé le commandement de la force navale au contre-amiral pakistanais Moazzam Ilyas au cours d’une cérémonie officielle à Bahreïn.

 

Dans son discours, le commandant français a souligné la remarquable coopération entre les différentes nations de la CTF 150 : « Il y a quatre mois, je recevais le commandement de la force du Canada, qui avait travaillé durant son mandat côte a côte avec l’Australie. Je laisse aujourd’hui la barre au Pakistan. Ces quatre pays, séparés par des millions de kilomètres, et qui représentent chacun un continent, sont néanmoins rassemblés autour d’un objectif commun : garantir la sécurité maritime et lutter contre le terrorisme dans cette région stratégique pour la stabilité mondiale ». Le capitaine de vaisseau Crignola a tenu à saluer l’investissement exceptionnel de toutes les unités ayant participé à la CTF 150 au cours de ces quatre mois sous commandement français.

 

Ce déploiement s’inscrivait dans le cadre de la contribution de la France à la lutte contre le terrorisme et à la sécurité maritime en mer Rouge et en océan Indien. La CTF 150 est l’une des trois forces navales des Combined Maritimes Forces, commandées par le vice-amiral américain Miller. La CTF 150 a pour mission de conduire des opérations de sécurité maritime afin de dissuader et d’empêcher les organisations terroristes internationales d’utiliser la mer pour se livrer à des attaques ou à des trafics illicites susceptibles de soutenir leurs activités (transport de personnel, armes, drogue, etc.).

 

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20 juillet 2015 1 20 /07 /juillet /2015 17:30
Turquie: Coopération avec les géants mondiaux dans l'industrie de défense

 

18.07.2015 trt.net.tr

 

Le centre d'Intégration et de Test des systèmes spatiaux inauguré il y a deux mois dans les sites de TAI, est le produit de ce partenariat

 

Les entreprises turques de l'industrie de défense visent à accroitre leur part de marché avec leur partenaire étranger.

 

Les sociétés nationales TAI, AESLSAN et Yonca-ONU ont proposé de nouvelles solutions au marché mondial en collaboration avec THALES, société d'origine française.

 

Le géant mondial THALES qui opère dans 56 pays et différents secteurs comme les transports, la sécurité, l'aérospatiale, l'aviation et la défense, a produit d'importantes solutions avec les entreprises turques.

 

Le centre d'Intégration et de Test des systèmes spatiaux inauguré il y a deux mois dans les sites de TAI et qui existent uniquement dans certains pays, est le produit de ce partenariat.

 

La société d'origine française et la société nationale turque TAI ont proposé au Pakistan la solution développée pour les Forces navales turques dans le cadre du projet MELTEM-2.

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15 juillet 2015 3 15 /07 /juillet /2015 16:45
photo EMA / Armée de Terre

photo EMA / Armée de Terre

 

15/07/2015 Sources EMA

 

Le 9 juillet 2015, le général de division pakistanais Masroor Ahmed a transmis le commandement de la force de l’Opération des Nations Unies en Côte d’Ivoire (ONUCI) au général de division Lhote lors d’une cérémonie de transfert d’autorité qui s’est tenue sur la place d’armes du quartier général de l’ONU à Abidjan.

 

Suite de l’article

 

 

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29 juin 2015 1 29 /06 /juin /2015 16:35
photo USAF

photo USAF

 

29-06-2015 Par RFI

 

Les frappes aériennes se poursuivent au mois de juin 2015 dans la région tribale du Waziristan, frontamière avec l'Afghanistan où sont basées des poches de résistance talibanes.

 

Les derniers raids de l’armée pakistanaise menés contre des positions des talibans ont causé la mort de vingt-trois rebelles, dont des étrangers. Depuis le 15 mai, l’armée pakistanaise a lancé une offensive majeure contre les rebelles dans le nord du pays et principalement dans la région du Waziristan. Une région montagneuse généralement interdite aux journalistes et où il est donc compliqué de vérifier les informations et de confirmer les bilans. Un dépôt d’armes a également été visé dans la zone de Khyber.

 

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2 juin 2015 2 02 /06 /juin /2015 18:35
WZ-10 Attack Helicopter

WZ-10 Attack Helicopter

 

May 25, 2015: Strategy Page

 

Pakistan has apparently received the first three of twenty Chinese WZ-10 helicopter gunships. Pictures of two of them together have appeared. These first three were announced as a gift and were quickly delivered so Pakistan could try them out. This appears to have led to an order for 17 more. Or not, as the WZ-10 sale has been kept quiet. If Pakistan does buy 17 more WZ-10s it would be the first export customer. The sale is apparently a done deal as Pakistan is to receive two more WZ-10s by the end of the year.

 

China has been developing the 7 ton WZ-10 helicopter gunship since the 1990s. After 14 years of development there were several prototypes and a lot of unresolved problems. Attempts to buy or steal helicopter gunship technology from Russia and South Africa failed. In 2010 some of the prototypes were sent to Chinese Army aviation units for field testing. While not a failure, there were problems and at one point the WZ-10 was in danger of being abandoned. The Chinese persevered and fixed most of the defects by 2012 and put WZ-10 into production. The WZ-10 is armed with an autocannon (23mm to 30mm) and has four hard points that can carry 16 HJ10 laser guided missiles (similar to Hellfire) or even more unguided rockets.

 

Meanwhile China also put the smaller (4.5 ton) WZ-19 armed scout helicopter into production, partly as a backup if the WZ-10 failed. China wanted something more like the American AH-64 Apache and the WZ-10 was equipped to operate like the AH-64 or earlier AH-1 (which Pakistan has been using for a long time). The WZ-19 has been spotted in the air since 2010 and by 2012 was seen painted in military colors, meaning it was out of development and in service. The WZ-19 was earlier known as the Z-9W. The WZ-19 is yet another Chinese helicopter based on the Eurocopter Dauphin (which has been built under license in China since the 1990s. The WZ-19 is a 4.5 ton, two seat armed helicopter. It can carry a 23mm autocannon and up to a ton of munitions (missiles, usually). Cruising speed is 245 kilometers an hour and range is 700 kilometers. The WZ-19 is basically an upgraded Z-9W.

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2 avril 2015 4 02 /04 /avril /2015 11:35
Shaheen III missile - Photo Rafay15

Shaheen III missile - Photo Rafay15

 

April 1, 2015: Strategy Page

 

On March 9, 2015 Pakistan successfully launched its Shaheen 3 IRBM ballistic missile for the first time. This missile, now proven to work, has the longest range (2,700 kilometers) of any Pakistani missile and can reach all of India. Shaheen 3 is a solid fuel missile while most of Pakistan’s earlier long-range missiles were liquid fueled. Shaheen 3 was developed in secrecy, perhaps because Pakistan was unsure if they could perfect the technology for producing large solid fuel rocket motors. Pakistan had to obtain this tech from somewhere else because Pakistan does not have the industrial infrastructure to do it themselves. China was the most likely donor and China would do this largely because Pakistani ballistic missiles aimed at India make Indian anti-missile defenses less effective against Chinese ballistic missiles.

 

Meanwhile Pakistan has continued work on its liquid fuel missiles. In early 2012 Pakistan successfully tested a new version of its Shaheen 1 (Hatf IV) missile. The new one is being called Shaheen 1A and it has a range of 1,500 kilometers. The Shaheen 1 weighs 9.5 tons and carries a one ton warhead, to a maximum range of 700 kilometers. The 10 ton Shaheen 1A carries a smaller warhead and has more rocket fuel. The Shaheen 1A could cover most of northern India. The Shaheen 1A technology is considered more reliable than that used in the longer ranged Shaheen 2.

 

The Shaheen 1 entered service in 2003, and is apparently a variant of the Chinese M-9 missile. Pakistan is believed to have received the solid fuel M-9 in the 1990s, and since then modified it somewhat. Pakistan began producing the Hatf IV in the late 1990s, although it was not tested until 1999. The design appears to be well thought out, for the Hatf IV has had several successful tests. It's not known if Pakistan has a nuclear warhead of equal reliability. Such warheads are difficult to design, manufacture, and test. China has long been selling military technology to Pakistan but it appears that nuclear warhead technology has not been offered.

 

Until the successful test of the Shaheen 3 the largest Pakistani ballistic missile was the Shaheen 2, which is believed to be an upgraded Pakistani version of the Chinese M-18, which was originally shown at the 1987 Beijing air show as a two-stage missile with a 1,000 km range and carrying a half ton warhead. This M-18 missile has the longest range of any of the current M/DF-series missiles. There have been over half a dozen successful test launches of the Shaheen 2 since 2004. These missiles now have a range of 2,000 kilometers and can cover all but the southern tip of India. Satellite photos of a Pakistani factory 30 kilometers southwest of the capital show transporter erector launchers (TELs) being assembled for the Shaheen 2 ballistic missile. It appears that fifty or more of the 16.1 meter (fifty foot) long, six axle vehicles have been built there in the last five years. Shaheen 3 also uses a TEL.

 

Pakistan has a full range of solid fuel rockets. In addition to those mentioned above, there is the 1.5 ton Hatf I, which has a range of 80 kilometers, followed by larger and longer range models until Shaheen 3. In response to all this India has developed, and is about to deploy, an anti-missile system that can knock down some of the long range Pakistani ballistic missiles.

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22 mars 2015 7 22 /03 /mars /2015 13:35
China may get Top Radar, Air-to-air Missile technology through Pakistan

 

March 22, 2015 asian-defence.net

 

According to Britain’s Jane’s Defense weekly, China may get through Pakistan the technology in Franch MICA air-to-air missile and RC-400 radar, which the EU bans sales to China. Such technology may constitute a threat to the Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets that Taiwan has got from France.

 

Pakistan is to get the above-mentioned missiles and radar from France for its JF-17 fighter jets. As JF-17 is jointly developed by Pakistan and China, when Pakistan has got the missile and radar, it is quite possible that China will get the technologies in the missile and radar.

 

MICA is as good as US advanced AMRAAM air-to-air missile. It is well-known for its accuracy and controllability. China may obtain its technology through reverse engineering from a MICA missile provided by Pakistan.

 

In developing its J-10 fighter jet, China has reference to the technologies in American F-16 fighter jet as it was able to study in details an F-16 provided by Pakistan.

 

To prevent China from obtaining French weapon technologies with similar approach, the US will strongly oppose French sales of the weapons to Pakistan. For the same reason India, a major buyer of French weapons, will also oppose.

 

To avoid such oppositions, MBDA spokesman denied what he previously told Associated Press about its competition with others to get an order for MICA. French defense ministry, however, told Associated Press, there were no reasons that France should not cooperate with Pakistan though it had not confirmed the existence of such transactions.

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22 mars 2015 7 22 /03 /mars /2015 08:35
JF-17 Block 2 makes first flight ahead of Block 3 improvements

 

March 19, 2015 by asian-defence.net

 

The first Block 2 JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft made its maiden flight from the Pakistan Aeronautical Company (PAC) facility at Kamra on 9 February.

 

The aircraft (serial number 2P01) made three more successful flights before being taken to the paint shop in mid-February. The test flights came as a boost as PAC continues to look for a first export customer for its platform.

 

Air Commodore Ahsan Rafiq, Deputy Chief Project Director (Operations) JF-17 and a former commanding officer of the JF-17 Test and Evaluation Unit, described the Block 2 version as "an upgraded Block 1 with an air-to-air refuelling (AAR) probe, enhanced oxygen system [to allow the pilot to stay in the air longer], and improved electronic countermeasures system (ECS)".

 

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has a contract for 50 Block 2 JF-17s but as Air Cdre Ahsan pointed out, "the full AAR system will not appear until the 29th jet, which should fly later this year [at Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in China]."

 

In a further development that sends a clear signal that PAC and Chinese marketing partner CATIC intend business in the international arena, the Block 2 JF-17 will also have a two-seater version, which is now being developed at Chengdu according to the PAF's requirements.

 

"We know potential customers would like to see a two-seater, although it is not such a big deal for the PAF, which started flying several types, [A-5, F-6, F-7P and F-7PG] without a training version," Air Cdre Ahsan said. "This will give us the chance to show potential suitors how the jet can perform in the air."

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21 mars 2015 6 21 /03 /mars /2015 17:30
Iran: Advancing On Four Fronts Towards Defeat

 

March 21, 2015: Strategy Page

 

Iranians are feeling pretty ebullient just now. There forces are advancing on many fronts (in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and in defeating the sanctions). The future looks bright, except it isn’t. 

 

The government, and most Iranians are confident that Iran will manage to negotiate its way out of the growing list of sanctions seeking a halt to Iranian nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The negotiations are facing a March 31st deadline and there are still key points of disagreement. Iran takes comfort in the fact that members of the coalition (Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, United States) they are negotiating with are divided with growing willingness among many coalition members to trust Iranian pledges to abide by any treaty. Many in the West (and the Arab world) don’t trust Iran and demand a deal with strict monitoring. Iran rules this out as a violation of their sovereignty, an affront to their honor and so on.

 

The Iranian religious dictatorship sees these negotiations as crucial to its survival. In part that is because most Iranians have decided that the ruling clerics and their Islamic Republic are a failure. This can be seen in the plunging birthrate, growing number of drug addicts and the many small protests against the rule of religious zealots. Young Iranians feel like prisoners serving life sentences in a nightmarish jail run by unpredictable religious fanatics who are also corrupt and unable to manage the economy. The sanctions have made this worse and while the damage has been controlled it is draining Iran’s limited cash reserves.

 

Even with the sanctions lifted Iran still has the problem with the Saudi ability to keep the price of oil so low that Iran cannot maintain living standards or modernization of their military and oil industry. This Saudi price war makes Iranians more eager to get nukes because that would give them a weapon that might be capable of getting the Saudis to back off and let the price of oil rise (by cutting Saudi production). Even then there is the problem with the growing use of fracking to obtain oil and gas trapped in shale formations. These shale formations are found worldwide and production from this source will ultimately lower the value of Iranian (and Arab and Russian) oil fields.

 

But ending the sanctions and producing a working nuke are the only two things the Iranian clerics can do to improve their position. Resigning or allowing free voting are not options because most of the senior clerics (or members of their families) would be vulnerable to prosecution for corruption or abuse of power (having enemies, like reform advocates, killed or falsely imprisoned) if they lost control of the government. The clerics can deceive themselves thinking they are running the country in the name of Islam, but that does not justify the corruption, murder and sundry other bad behavior. Most Iranians have already figured that out.

 

Inflation is still high but not rising. It has been about 16 percent for nearly six months. Iranian smuggling efforts have prevented oil shipments from declining . These sales are currently bringing in about $1.4 billion a month, which is less than the government is spending.  In addition to the reduced oil income the government is forced to spend nearly 8 percent of the $62 billion sovereign wealth fund (the government savings account) in the next year for long-delayed modernizing of oil and natural gas fields. Maintenance and updates have been delayed for decades because of sanctions (that prevented foreign firms who do this sort of work or supply necessary equipment from doing business with Iran) and other spending priorities. So the maintenance and upgrades were put off year after year. Now the vast collection of wells, pipeline and other facilities are falling apart and so is the ability to pump much oil, even if there were no sanctions. Because of the sanctions the upgrades to equipment will be somewhat limited but a lot of deferred maintenance can be performed. China produces a lot of the needed equipment and that can be smuggled in. China can also supply manufacturing equipment to help Iran create some of the needed equipment. Iran is smuggling more oil out, but with local forecasts of prices declining to $40 a barrel, all Iran can do is ship even higher quantities.

 

On the Syrian border Israel is working more with Syrian rebels (except ISIL) to help oppose 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. It appears that Iran is trying to gain control of the area opposite the Israeli border and hang onto it. This would provide Iran with “Iranian controlled territory” on the Israeli border. The Syrian rebels that long controlled this border are being pushed away and Israel is uneasy about what might happen next.

 

The Iraqi offensive to take Tikrit (a Sunni Arab city 125 kilometers north of Baghdad) is basically an Iranian operation. The offensive began on March 1st and is halted outside the city center to allow most of the civilians to get away and avoid the bloody and destructive final battle. Most of the attacking troops are Iraqi Shia militia organized, trained, armed and advised (in some cases led) by Iranian officers. A senior Iranian general (head of the Quds Force, officially an international terrorist organization that organizes pro-Iran armed groups outside Iran) is on hand to supervise the operation. No American air support is being used and the Americans say that is because Iraq did not request any. The real reason for no U.S. air support is the fact that this is an Iranian operation and if American smart bombs and missiles were used the Iranians would blame the Americans for any civilian casualties. Iraq fears there will be a lot of civilian casualties because most of the 200,000 residents of Tikrit are Sunni Arabs. This is the hometown of Saddam Hussein, who is still considered a hero here. Iran considers Saddam Hussein a war criminal and arch enemy of Shia Moslems. The advance was slow but steady, thanks to Iranian training and supervision. ISIL deployed lots of mines, remotely detonated bombs, oil wells set on fire and snipers to hinder the advance. The Shia forces have found mass graves of Shia (or Sunnis working for the government) slaughtered by ISIL. There is fear that the Shia troops and militia will do the same to Sunni gunmen and civilians. Officially the Iraqi government is against the murder of Sunni civilians, but that tactic is what led to the collapse of the last Islamic terror offensive in 2008. Since then the Sunnis have maintained their disdain for Islamic terrorists and fear of another round of Shia reprisal killings. So this time around there is official prohibition of retaliation against Sunni civilians and an understanding among many (but not all) Shia that these mass murders are counterproductive this time around.

 

Iranian officials have repeatedly assured Iraqis and the West that Iran will not send combat units to Iraq. The rumors that Iranian combat units are in Iraq are largely because there are so many individual Iranians who have volunteered to fight ISIL. While Iranian Arabs might not be noticed the ethnic Iranians often look like Europeans and are easier to spot before you hear their accent. While Iran encourages Shia from anywhere to come volunteer to defend the Shia holy places in southern Iraq, there do not appear to be any Iranian military units in Iraq.

 

The attack on Tikrit (which ISIL has held since mid-2014) began March 1st when 27,000 troops and militia advanced in three columns. After three days the attack force has moved into the suburbs of Tikrit and recaptured some villages. The main battle will be in Tikrit itself. American advisors say most Iraqi troops are not yet ready to handle large-scale urban warfare. The militias are trained for a more primitive style of combat that means taking a lot more casualties to advance. Iran has trained these guys to think of this as a religious war, of Shia against fanatic Sunnis who see Shia as heretics to be murdered on sight. Iran has trained the militia to see this as a very personal battle in which death is martyrdom and as much a reward as victory. The problem is that ISIL trains their people the same way so the U.S. (and many Iraqi Army commanders) expects an epic bloodbath made even more horrific by mass murder of Sunni civilians. Neither has occurred. ISIL did not put that many gunmen into harm’s way and the Iranian advisors taught the militiamen to at least be careful, cautious and keep moving forward. Iran has supplied artillery (usually rocket launchers) and some armored vehicles (plus mechanics to get Iraqi ones operational) and this has turned the Tikrit Offensive into a slow, boring but relatively bloodless operation. The good news is that eventually ISIL will lose and the Shia will have bragging rights and positive press for a while. Iran will take credit and that will put more pressure on Western nations to get moving with an effort to take Mosul.

 

An Iranian freighter recently docked at Yemen’s second largest port (al Saleef) and unloaded 185 tons of weapons and military equipment. The Saudis could blockade this port and monitor Red Sea shipping to make it very difficult for Iran to keep delivering supplies to the Shia rebels. But that would risk an undeclared naval war with Iran and the Saudis try to avoid that sort of thing, Until recently Iran officially had nothing to do with what is going on in Yemen but now they have signed aid and support agreements with the Shia rebels who are still fighting the Sunni majority for control of the entire country. Arabs know that the “victory” in Yemen is being celebrated in the streets of Iran (at least in conversation) and increasingly in Iranian media as well. This is humiliating for the Gulf Arabs and Sunnis in general. Iran has not directly intervened (but is now openly supplying the Yemen Shia with cash, goods, advice and some commandos to rescue kidnapped Iranians) but is definitely enjoying the situation. The best Sunni hope for military intervention is the Saudis, but that’s not the Saudi style. The Saudis don’t want to see their armed forces tied down in Yemen, not when Iran remains a major, and growing, threat.

 

Then there is the ISIL threat in Syria and Iraq (and, to a lesser extent, inside Saudi Arabia itself). There is no easy way out of this mess for anyone. The customary way these things are settled in Arabia is by making deals. The Yemeni Shia feel an affinity for Iran, considered the “leader” of the Shia world and expect help from that direction. Most Yemeni Shia don’t want the religious fanaticism of Iran but are willing to accept aid from Iran and work to make Sunni majority Yemen a “friend“ of Iran (much like the Shia minority has done in Lebanon and Syria). The Saudis and the other Gulf Arab states are very hostile to this sort of thing but reluctant to go to war over it. That may change now that the Yemeni Shia rebels have officially declared themselves the rulers of Yemen even though they control only the capital and the north (about a third of the country).

 

March 17, 2015:  This year even more Iranians defied the religious dictatorship and celebrated Nowruz (Festival of Fire) a tradition that began nearly 4,000 years ago and was a part of the New Year (which started in Spring, as it did worldwide until Christians changed that) festivities under the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian religion. This ancient faith dominated what is now Iran for over four thousand years until most Iranians were converted at sword point by invading Moslem armies. As with new converts to any religion some aspects of the former religion remained and were tolerated. However this was always a problem for conservative Islamic clergy who usually lose out when they attempt to completely extinguish ancient religious customs (like the Christmas tree, Halloween and so much more). The Iranian religious dictatorship has been trying to suppress Nawruz for over two decades and have been losing during the last decade and will not admit defeat.

 

March 16, 2015: Pakistan revealed that earlier this month Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan to join a Sunni Arab coalition against Iranian aggression and send a brigade of troops to help deal with the Shia rebellion in Yemen. Pakistan declined, for now, apparently not willing to antagonize Iranr. Pakistan got a similar request in 1979 when Shia clergy led a revolution against the Iranian monarchy and talked of attacking the Sunni Arab states. For most of the 1980s Pakistan had an armor brigade stationed in Saudi Araba and served as a threat to eastern Iran, which borders Pakistan. Since then Pakistan and the Shia religious dictatorship in Iran have learned to get along. About 20 percent of Pakistanis are Shia and Pakistan has its hands full trying to halt Sunni Islamic terrorists from attacking those Shia. Those attacks anger Iran and Pakistan does not want to make that worse.

 

March 14, 2015: Iran and Russia worked out details and signed an agreement on forming a joint supervisory board for a joint bank which would enable Iran to evade sanctions, at least with Russia, by gaining access to the Russian banking system. While this subterfuge could expose Russia to more international banking sanctions, Russia apparently sees that coming anyway and is seeking to build a separate international banking system for outcast nations. Iraq has become an unofficial member of this new banking system with a growing number of Iranian firms establishing themselves in Iraq. Afghanistan is also a growing trade partner but because Afghanistan relies so much on Western aid to stay solvent, Iran cannot get as involved in manipulating the Afghan economy to help Iran beat the sanctions. If China can be persuaded to join this arrangement it will be a formidable competitor for the existing international banking system. That said there are numerous pitfalls to get around before reaching that goal. Meanwhile Iran is playing up (in Iraqi media) the aid Iran is providing to defeat ISIL. This makes Iraqis more eager to do business with Iran.

 

March 8, 2015: China has declined to get involved in Yemen. The Shia rebels there have declared themselves the legitimate rulers of Yemen, but they only control about a third of it. Shia militiamen occupy nearly half the country but in central Yemen the majority Sunnis are resisting with demonstrations and armed violence. The last elected leaders have set up a new capital in the southern port of Aden. The Shia rebels are trying to obtain aid, investment and diplomatic support from Russia and China, two countries that have long supported Iran, the primary supporter of the Yemeni rebels. China does a lot of business with Iran because of the oil and some export business to Iran. But Yemen has nothing of interest to China.

 

March 6, 2015: A second air freight flight from Iran landed at the airport outside the Yemeni capital (Sanna). Both of these transports were said to contain “humanitarian cargo.” Yemeni Shia envoys in Iran asked Iran to set up cultural centers and a museum of Persian art in Yemen.

 

March 5, 2015:  An Iranian diplomat captured by AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) Islamic terrorists in Yemen in 2013 arrived back in Iran. He was freed by Iranian commandos who now operate openly in Sanna. The Yemeni rebels denied that Iranian commandos are in Yemen.

 

March 4, 2015: Iran executed eight Kurds it had prosecuted on various charges. The Kurds are rebellious, Sunni and not ethnic Iranian, which makes them very vulnerable. Iran has always been an empire, and still is and only half the population is ethnic Iranian. What gives the ethnic Iranians control is that they share power with the quarter of the population that are ethnic Turks (mainly Azerbaijanis) and this power sharing can be seen by the many senior clerics who are ethnic Turks. There is one big problem with empires and that is that there tends to develop a sense of "Greater Iran" which includes, at the least, claims on any nearby areas containing ethnic Iranians. Hitler used this concept to guide his strategy during World War II. Thus internal ethnic or religious opponents are dealt with harshly. There are still 25 other Sunnis (Kurds, Baluchis, Arabs and others) on death row in Iran and all are expected to be executed eventually. Iran routinely ignores foreign criticism of its mistreatment of its ethnic and religious (Sunni, Sufi, Bahai, Christians and the few remaining Jews) minorities.

 

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.

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20 mars 2015 5 20 /03 /mars /2015 12:35
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region - source orientalreview.org

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region - source orientalreview.org

 

March 20, 2015: Strategy Page

 

China is placing increasing pressure on nearby countries like Pakistan, Thailand, Burma (and so on) to arrest and return Chinese Uighur Turks who show up illegally. China accuses these Uighurs of being Islamic terrorists. While a few are most are economic refugees fleeing Chinese oppression in their homeland that has the misfortune of being part of China. Northwest China has long been the home of the Uighur Turks but in the last few decades China has encouraged Han (ethnic Chinese) to migrate to the area (Xinjiang province). Most Uighurs are found in Xinjiang province. There the nine million Uighurs are now less than half the population and most of the rest are Han Chinese. Chinese officials have been publicly urging soldiers and police to be more aggressive against uncooperative Uighurs.

 

The Uighurs are increasingly aggressive in attacking the growing Chinese presence among them. In Xinjiang province what angers the Uighurs is growing pressure from Han Chinese soldiers and intrusive Han government officials. Because of that many Uighurs continue to support anti-Han activity and this makes it possible for Islamic terrorists to survive and operate. The government accuses Uighur activists of endangering state security and tries to keep the unrest out of the news. The same thing is happening in Tibet, where the government is using the same tools to keep everyone under control.

 

While China is obsessed with the few Islamic terrorists fleeing Xinjiang most of these Uighurs are simply fleeing China. Many are showing up in Turkey, via smugglers who specialize in getting Uighurs out and as far away from China as possible. Turkey refuses Chinese demands to return any of these Uighurs unless they are caught engaging in Islamic terrorist activities.

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17 mars 2015 2 17 /03 /mars /2015 12:35
Pakistan Successfully Tests Its First Armed Drones

A Pakistani Army Burraq unmanned aerial vehicle fires a Barq laser-guided missile during a March 13 firing demonstration near Rawalpindi. This photo was probably circulated by Pakistan’s Inter-Service Public Relations. (Pakistan MoD photo)

 

Mar 14, 2015 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Sputnik News; published Mar 13, 2015)

 

Drones are taking on a more ever-present role in the world and changing the way wars are fought. On Friday, Pakistan successfully tested its first military UAV.

 

According to a statement released by the Pakistani army, its military has just tested its own indigenously developed, armed drones. The unmanned aircraft come equipped with laser-guided missiles and will be deployed against terrorists along the country’s northwestern border with Afghanistan.

 

While the republic had already acquired surveillance drones, the new armed models highlight a major leap in technological achievement. The UAVs have been named Burraq, after the flying horse familiar in Islamic tradition.

 

Asim Bajwal of Inter Services Public Relations witnessed the test with Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, and according to Bajwal, both men were very satisfied with the results. Raheel called the event "a great national achievement."

 

Despite repeated requests for the United States to supply the Pakistani military with armed UAV’s, the American government has consistently denied the appeals.

 

As such, the development of unmanned aerial vehicles has been a longtime goal of the Pakistani military, which has complained about US drones targeting jihadists through its airspace. Many of these strikes have killed civilians.

 

According to an analysis conducted by human rights group Reprieve in January, US drones searching for four terrorists killed as many as 221 innocent civilians. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism claims that the CIA has conducted 413 strikes in Pakistan since 2004.

 

Pakistan stepped up its efforts to combat terrorism within its borders after a brutal attack by the Taliban last year. Over 130 children were murdered in a school in the northwest region of Peshawar. That assault also led to a reinstatement of the death penalty in Pakistan.

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13 mars 2015 5 13 /03 /mars /2015 08:45
Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF) weapons

Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF) weapons

 

12 March 2015 by Oscar Nkala - defenceWeb

 

The Ugandan parliament has turned down a request from the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF) to borrow $170 million for the acquisition of new military equipment, saying the military needs to account for previous emergency defence budgets.

 

The UPDF request came as a high level Ugandan government delegation led by Foreign Affairs and Regional Co-operation minister Asuman Kiyingi visited Pakistan and toured the Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF), whose products include assault rifles, machineguns, mortars, artillery pieces and ammunition. The POF also produces tanks and anti-tank ammunition, bombs and grenades and has exported its products to more than 40 countries around the world.

 

According to Ugandan media reports, the UPDF's request for emergency funding was presented by its commander General Katumba Wamala and defence minister General Jeje Ondongo. The two generals told parliament that the army needs new equipment to deal with a 'volatile' national security situation and regional instability caused by militia activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Al Shabaab militants.

 

The defence officials also cited the recent discovery of oil in the country saying this was also likely to attract new national security threats. A member of parliament who spoke to the media on condition of anonymity said the request was turned down because the defence officials refused to provide details of the equipment requirements.

 

“They told us that they must secure the country and the equipment they have does not match modern technology. They are asking for $170 million to acquire modern equipment because of the volatile situation within the country and the region, especially in Congo and Somalia.

 

"They refused to disclose the type of equipment they want to purchase under the guise of classified expenditure, but some of us said no to this classified expenditure because under the current fiscal year, we passed a lot of classified expenditure but they have not given us the status report on how they used it,” the MP said.

 

Gen Wamala reportedly told parliament that the army could not disclose the types and quantities weapons sought because doing so could compromise national security. However, Pakistani media reports said the Ugandan delegation which visited the POF demonstration lounges and armaments factory units showed 'keen interest' in acquiring several weapons for the UPDF.

 

The delegation was taken around the POF complex by chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Ahsan Mahmood, who is also the company director of exports. “I was very much impressed by the capacity and capabilities developed by the government of Pakistan in the armament industry. Uganda should collaborate and cooperate more with Pakistan so that we can tap into each others potentialities," Kiyingi said.

 

In a statement released after the Ugandan tour, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two countries agreed to further strengthen co-operation with Uganda in fields of defence and security among others.

 

"During the official talks both sides emphasized the need for high-level political contacts and enhancing cooperation in the fields of agriculture, industry, defence and security. It was agreed to conclude, at an early date, a new MoU on bilateral political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Pakistan and Uganda," the statement said.

 

The Ugandan delegation's tour will be reciprocated with a visit to Pakistan by President Yoweri Museveni in the second half of this year. Both countries will be seeking to expand relations based on the existing bi-lateral Technical Assistance Programme, through which 21 Ugandan diplomats have been trained at the Foreign Service Academy of Pakistan.

 

Early this year, the United Nations Security Council's Panel of Experts (PoE) monitoring the implementation of sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said there are indications the Uganda wants to acquire 'non-lethal' military equipment from the reclusive communist state following the visit of a high-level military delegation to Kampala in October last year.

 

North Korean instructors have over the past few years trained the Ugandan Police Special Force, Police Construction Unit, Criminal and Forensic Investigation Unit in specialised martial arts, marine policing and sharp shooting.

 

Ongoing programmes include the training of a special paramilitary police unit known as the Field Force Unit on the use of AK-47s and pistols. It also remains unclear if the UPDF's equipment needs include provision for regional ally South Sudan.

 

In October last year, the two countries signed a military procurement agreement in terms of which Uganda will buy weapons on behalf of its neighbour which has come under a UN arms embargo following the outbreak of the ongoing civil war in December 2013.

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11 mars 2015 3 11 /03 /mars /2015 12:35
Shaheen III missile (Photo Rafay 15 Wikimedia Commons)

Shaheen III missile (Photo Rafay 15 Wikimedia Commons)

 

March 9, 2015 Defense News (AFP)

 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile on Monday, the military said, less than a week after the first high-level talks with arch-rivals India for nearly a year.

 

The military said the Shaheen III surface-to-surface missile had a range of 2,750 kilometers (1,700 miles) and can carry nuclear and conventional warheads.

 

"The test launch, with its impact point in the Arabian Sea, was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system at maximum range," the military said in a statement.

 

India and Pakistan — which have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 — have routinely carried out missile tests since both demonstrated nuclear weapons capability in 1998.

 

Pakistan's most recent missile test came last month with the launch of a low-flying, terrain-hugging cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

 

Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Islamabad last week for talks with his Pakistani counterpart.

 

It was the first senior-level dialogue between the nuclear-armed rivals since their prime ministers met in New Delhi last May.

 

Relations between the two countries, always fraught, soured further last August amid a rise in clashes along their borders and a row over a Pakistani diplomat meeting Kashmiri separatists.

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7 mars 2015 6 07 /03 /mars /2015 23:35
source komplettie

source komplettie

 

March 6, 2015: Strategy Page

 

The U.S. recently revealed that in October Afghan and American commandos raided a remote village where a much-sought al Qaeda leader was reported to be hiding out. The raid was a success, but even more important than the al Qaeda leader was the capture of his laptop computer, intact. After years of fighting Islamic terrorists the U.S. has learned the importance of quickly examining such finds and exploiting information found.

 

For over a decade now the U.S. Department of Defense has urged American firms for help in developing better tools for quickly analyzing captured electronic data (cell phones, storage devices, and specialized military electronics). Since 2006 the military has been using similar tools developed for police departments. For example, in 2007 troops began taking a hacker analysis tool (COFEE, or Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor) with them on raids in Iraq. Microsoft developed COFEE for the police and military, followed by a similar tool that enables a non-hacker to analyze wireless network activity and determine which targets can be attacked with a variety of hacker tools and weapons. Since the late 1990s DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has been developing similar technologies. Details don’t get released, as that would aid potential targets.

 

In addition to data extraction and analysis devices the troops can carry with them on raids, there has also been an increase in the intel analysis capabilities at all levels (battalion up to the very top). This was the result of adapting tools (mainly software) and techniques from the commercial BI (Business Intelligence) industry, which has developed a lot of powerful research and marketing tools that have direct military application. This is all very geeky but the simple description is software that can quickly find patterns to huge quantities of data or activity. Thus the urgency with which troops grab enemy laptops or even large piles of paper records (even al Qaeda keeps lots of records). The troops know that quickly putting this stuff through a scanner followed by translation and analytics software will usually produce some new suspects to go after and often a current address as well.

 

The October raid was apparently rapidly exploited using these analysis tools in conjunction with huge databases of known Islamic terrorists and their methods. This led to a noticeable increase in similar raids for the rest of 2014. The military kept quiet about what was behind this spike and were relieved when most media pundits decided this was the result of a decision by the U.S. government to “unleash” American special operations troops in Afghanistan. When the military finally revealed the real reason behind all those additional raids they also described the October laptop as nearly as valuable as the computers and documents seized in the 2011 Osama bin Laden raid.

 

After October the data in that laptop led to more raids on al Qaeda and Taliban targets, mainly because the data identified a lot of key al Qaeda people and what they did. That provided links to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations. The people identified were usually already known and there was existing data on where they were. By using the BI tools on the new data a lot of new connections were uncovered which also provided a list of people who had key jobs (and probably carried around valuable information in their heads or in their electronics devices.) Capturing these people alive was particularly important because the October laptop contained data that made it easier to interrogate the captured terrorists (because the interrogators already knew the answers to many of the questions they were asking and thus could quickly determine if the subject was lying.)

 

Finally, the capture of this laptop came right after a new president was elected in Afghanistan, who quickly lifted all the restrictions his predecessor had placed on night raids. The laptop also contained a lot of data on al Qaeda operations in Pakistan and that led to more UAV reconnaissance and missile attacks on key al Qaeda personnel there.

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13 février 2015 5 13 /02 /février /2015 12:35
Resolute Support - photo Nato

Resolute Support - photo Nato

 

12.02.2015 Le Monde.fr

 

La Chine est prête à jouer les intermédiaires entre les talibans et Kaboul, a annoncé jeudi 12 février le ministre des affaires étrangères chinois, Wang Yi. Pékin est un acteur économique majeur en Afghanistan, notamment dans les mines. Il y est cependant resté jusqu'ici politiquement effacé. L'annonce a été faite non à Kaboul, mais au Pakistan, qui abrite les bases arrière et les principaux dirigeants des talibans afghans.

« Nous soutiendrons le gouvernement afghan dans sa recherche de réconciliation avec plusieurs factions politiques, y compris les talibans », a dit M. Wang, qui s'exprimait à Islamabad au côté du conseiller à la sécurité pakistanais Sartaj Aziz. M. Wang a également annoncé que le président chinois, Xi Jinping, effectuerait sa première visite au Pakistan « bientôt cette année ».

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5 février 2015 4 05 /02 /février /2015 17:35
A soldier walks out of the Army Public School that was attacked by Taliban gunmen in Peshawar. photo AP

A soldier walks out of the Army Public School that was attacked by Taliban gunmen in Peshawar. photo AP

 

16-01-2015 SEDE

 

Further information Briefing: The Peshawar Army Public School Attack

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2 février 2015 1 02 /02 /février /2015 17:35
Pakistan flight tests Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) Ra’ad

 

February 2nd, 2015 defencetalk.com

 

Pakistan on Monday conducted a successful flight test of the indigenously developed Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) “Ra’ad”, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release.

 

The Ra’ad missile, with a range of 350 km, enables Pakistan to achieve ‘strategic standoff capability’ on land and at sea.

 

“Cruise Technology” is extremely complex and has been developed by only a few countries in the world. The state of the art Ra’ad Cruise Missile with stealth capabilities is a low altitude, terrain hugging missile with high maneuverability; can deliver nuclear and conventional warheads with pin point accuracy.

 

Director General Strategic Plans Division, Lieutenant General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, while congratulating the scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of historic significance, termed it a major step towards strengthening Pakistan’s full spectrum credible minimum deterrence capability. Pakistan’s strategic pursuits are aimed at achieving strategic stability in the region, he said.

 

He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed whole heartedly to make this launch a success.

 

He showed his full confidence over operational preparedness of strategic forces including employment and deployment concepts, refinement and training of all ranks in operational and technical domains.

 

The successful launch has been commended by President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who have congratulated the scientists and engineers on their outstanding achievement.

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7 janvier 2015 3 07 /01 /janvier /2015 17:35
Z-10 anti-tank and air-to-air Attack helicopter.

Z-10 anti-tank and air-to-air Attack helicopter.

 

2015-01-07 wantchinatimes.com

 

China's reported decision to present Pakistan three Z-10 attack helicopters as a "gift" this year has raised suspicions of ulterior motives, says Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet.

 

Citing unconfirmed Russian media reports, Duowei claims that although Pakistan had shown an interest purchasing the Z-10s, which are designed by Russia's Kamov Design Bureau under contract from Beijing, China decided to give the helicopters to its "closest friend" for free.

 

The Z-10s, designed primarily for anti-tank missions with secondary air-to-air capabilities, will reportedly be added to the Pakistan Army aviation fleet and be deployed in the ongoing fight against terrorism in the country. The helicopter is said to be capable of targeting the enemy in the air or on the ground with a range of 3-4 kilometers without appearing on radar.

 

Some military experts have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the Z-10 on counterterrorism operations, saying that its WZ-9 operation engine has relatively low power as well as a smaller payload and weaker defensive capabilities in comparison to other attack helicopters.

 

Even if the reports of the gift are true, Duowei said, the new Z-10 helicopters will only enhance Pakistan's position against India, which is about to pair its domestically produced light combat helicopters with newly imported AH-64 Apache attack helicopters manufactured by Boeing. Though there is still a sizable gap between the power systems of Z-10s and Apaches, the Chinese aircraft's body design and weapon system configurations are comparable to the world's most advanced attack helicopters, especially because of the excellent performance of its TY-90 air-to-air missiles.

 

For China, the "gift" to Pakistan could serve as a gift for the givers as well, as it might allow the PLA to see how the Z-10s perform in actual combat situations, providing valuable data for further research and development, Duowei said. China may have already been collecting information on its domestically produced weaponry acquired by Pakistan in recent years, including the MBT-3000 tank, the JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft and the F-22P general purpose frigate. The decision to make the Z-10s a gift instead of selling them could therefore stem from Pakistan's limited defense budget and China's relatively robust arms industry, Duowei added.

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15 novembre 2014 6 15 /11 /novembre /2014 21:35
Chinese Troops Training Pakistani Soldiers Along India Border, Says BSF

 

November 15, 2014 By Mugdha Variyar ibtimes.co.in

 

In a startling revelation that should raise the hackles of Indian authorities, the Border Security Force (BSF) has claimed that Chinese troops are training Pakistani forces in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, and has issued a report to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

 

The report states the Chinese troops are imparting weapon training to their Pakistani counterparts near Rajouri in Jammu & Kashmir, and that the former were seen in Pakistani forward posts in the area of 3rd and 4th PoK brigades, according to Press Trust of India.

"Chinese troops are seen in some of the Pakistan forward posts in the general area of 3rd and 4th PoK brigades, opposite Rajouri sector. Reportedly, they are imparting weapon handling training to Pakistani Army troops but the description of weapon could not be ascertained," the BSF reports says.

 

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