18. septembre 2011, Thierry Boinet | Le Matin

La ville de Syrte, l’un des derniers bastions pro-Kadhafi, est sur le point de tomber. Au large, les frégates françaises provoquent les troupes du guide libyen.

Dans la chaleur moite et écrasante de l’après-midi, la frégate La Fayette s’approche rapidement des côtes libyennes. Sur la passerelle, l’équipe de quart est tendue. C’est la première fois qu’un bâtiment français engagé dans l’opération «Harmattan» – l’opération militaire conduite par l’OTAN en Libye – va s’approcher, en plein jour, aussi près des côtes libyennes.

Soudain, sonne le branle-bas de combat. Il est 16 h. Les haut-parleurs de bord hurlent: «Nous entrons dans les eaux territoriales libyennes!» Chacun rejoint son poste. Tel un pacha, le capitaine Emmanuel Sagorin s’installe dans son fauteuil de la salle opérationnelle, au centre du bâtiment. Son second le remplace sur la passerelle. Il enfile, comme tous les hommes de quart sur cette plate-forme relativement exposée, un lourd gilet pare-balles et ajuste son casque. A la jumelle, la ville de Syrte, un des derniers bastions des troupes pro-Kadhafi, commence à se détacher très nettement sur l’horizon, tout comme notre bâtiment arrivant par le nord et qui constitue incontestablement une cible bien visible depuis la côte avec la lumière, maintenant rasante, du soleil.

«L’objectif est d’observer, mais aussi, aujourd’hui, de montrer notre présence. Ça a un effet psychologique et stratégique démoralisateur pour les troupes en face», explique le capitaine Sagorin. Pour cette mission, la frégate joue aussi en quelque sorte le rôle d’appât. En s’exposant en plein jour, face à un des derniers gros bastions kadhafistes, elle espère provoquer une réaction qui dévoilerait moyens et positions de l’ennemi.

«Prêt à tirs de riposte»

A plusieurs reprises, les navires battant pavillon tricolore ont essuyé des tirs alors qu’ils venaient en soutien aux attaques aériennes nocturnes. Les tirs sont tombés parfois à moins de 500 m.

«Nous sommes sur nos gardes. Le risque vient d’une pièce d’artillerie ou d’un missile. Ce type (Kadhafi) a passé 43 ans de sa vie à acheter des armes sur toute la planète. Sa marine elle, a été en grande partie coulée. D’ailleurs nos avions ont envoyé par le fond les patrouilleurs jadis vendus par Paris à Tripoli», dit le capitaine Sagorin.

Dans le centre opérationnel, la tension est palpable. «Prêt à tirs de riposte» hurle l’intercom. Tous les capteurs sont activés. Les opérateurs ont les yeux rivés sur les écrans et suivent en silence la progression du La Fayette jusqu’à 8 nautiques de Syrte.

La chute de Tripoli et les avancées récentes des combattants du CNT (Conseil national de transition) ne signifient pas la fin des opérations de l’OTAN. «On ne peut pas dire aujourd’hui que la menace n’existe plus, il demeure des bastions, en particulier à Syrte, où il reste des forces plus ou moins constituées», estime l’amiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis, commandant l’ensemble du dispositif aéronaval français dans le cadre de la mission de l’ONU depuis le «BPC Mistral» au large de la Libye.

Depuis le 23 mars, les avions français ont effectué 4000 missions soit 35% des sorties offensives menées par la coalition et «traité» plus de 700 objectifs. La marine a effectué plus de 1000 jours de mer et les hélicoptères embarqués de l’armée de terre «traité» pas moins de 500 cibles. Cette semaine, le ministre de la Défense Gérard Longuet indiquait que le coût de l’intervention militaire française en Libye s’élèverait à 320 millions d’euros (env. 385 millions de francs). Pour l’amiral Dupuis, «la mission est largement accomplie mais tant qu’il y a une menace qui est représentée par les forces pro-Kadhafi contre les populations, notre mission demeure.»

«Il se passe beaucoup moins de choses lors de nos missions. On sent sur le terrain une certaine confusion. Mais on trouve encore de beaux objectifs» explique le capitaine Brice (en opération, l’anonymat des militaires du rang est de rigueur), pilote au 1er RHC (régiment d’hélicoptères de combat). Il y a quelques jours avec sa Gazelle équipée de missiles, il a détruit un char T72 dissimulé dans une palmeraie. L’effet des frappes du groupe aéromobile de l’aviation légère de l’armée de terre (Alat), engagées dès le retrait du porte-avions «Charles de Gaule», a été décisif. Si les avions de l’OTAN ont «traité» leurs cibles en volant à une altitude d’environ 20 000 pieds, les hélicoptères d’attaque, eux, traquent désormais leurs objectifs tels une meute de loups. Les pilotes sont parfois à 10 mètres d’altitude, dans la nuit noire, pour détruire un pick-up des kadhafistes monté d’une mitrailleuse 14,5. Témoin de l’impact de ces véritables charges de cavalerie: l’interception de communications entre des militaires libyens qui juraient contre «ces chiens de Français».

A pleine vitesse, le La Fayette entame sa «manœuvre d’évitement» et quitte le rivage de Syrte. Après 40 minutes de patrouille, la frégate, célèbre pour son apparition dans «Golden Eye», un «James Bond», s’est retirée des côtes libyennes.

Tir de roquette RPG par un combattant du Conseil national de transition (CNT) libyen, dans un village près de Syrte. Reuters/Goran Tomasevic

18/09/2011 Par LEXPRESS.fr avec REUTERS

Les combats ont repris samedi dans les bastions kadhafistes de Bani Walid et de Syrte, assiégés par les forces du nouveau pouvoir libyen.

Les forces fidèles à Khadafi n'ont pas encore baissé les bras. Elles continuent de s'opposer dans quelques poches, particulièrement dans les villes de Syrte et Bani Walid, où les combats ont repris samedi soir.

Une envoyée spéciale de l'agence Reuters présente aux abords de Bani Walid a aperçu une colonne de pick-up du CNT équipés de canons de DCA s'élancer vers la ville au moment du coucher du soleil.

Vendredi, les combattants du CNT pilonnés à l'arme lourde avaient dû battre retraite.

"Les combats sont acharnés. Nous ripostons à coup de mortier. Les hommes de Kadhafi nous ont provoqué (en bombardant le point de contrôle). Nous sommes entrés dans l'agglomération pour les combattre", a déclaré un combattant du CNT répondant au nom de Younis Mohamed.

La veille, après plusieurs heures de combat, les hommes du CNT se sont repliés pratiquement aussi vite qu'ils s'étaient rués à l'assaut de la ville.

Au lendemain de ce revers humiliant, ils s'en sont pris aux traîtres, aux tireurs embusqués et au pétrole déversé, selon eux, par les défenseurs de la ville dans les rues escarpées qui mènent au centre-ville.

Un "gros poisson" à Bani Walid

Selon Abdallah Kenchil, membre du CNT, les fidèles de l'ancien régime retranchés à Bani Walid ont reçu des renforts pour protéger Saïf al Islam, l'un des fils de Mouammar Kadhafi, ainsi qu'un autre "gros poisson".

"Nous savons déjà que Saïf al Islam est là, mais nous pensons que quelqu'un de plus important encore s'y trouve aussi", a-t-il déclaré à la presse. Prié de dire s'il s'agissait de Mouammar Kadhafi lui-même, il a répondu par l'affirmative.

Les combats entamés deux jours plus tôt se sont également poursuivis à Syrte, ville natale du "guide de la Révolution" et autre bastion de ses fidèles, qui auraient reçu l'aide de civils.

"Il y a d'intenses combats depuis le matin", a déclaré Mahmoud Terbelou, membres des forces du CNT. "Il y a une certaine résistance de la part de civils, de volontaires. Ils sont sur les toits avec des kalachnikovs, des canons de DCA, des roquettes et d'autres armes", a-t-il ajouté.

Les forces du CNT ont attaqué la ville sur trois fronts, à l'ouest, au sud et à l'est, mais progressent lentement, a déploré un autre combattant du CNT.

Près de quatre semaines après la chute de Tripoli, le conseil intérimaire au pouvoir en Libye n'est toujours pas en mesure de déclarer le pays "libéré" et de lancer le processus de transition démocratique promis par les nouvelles autorités.

Khadafi est convaincu de la victoire de son camp

Selon Moussa Ibrahim, porte-parole de Mouammar Kadhafi, le "guide" se trouve toujours en Libye et supervise la résistance.

Le porte-parole, qui a contacté Reuters par téléphone satellitaire, a en outre affirmé que les avions de l'Alliance atlantique avaient bombardé un immeuble d'habitation et un hôtel, faisant 354 morts, plus de 700 blessés et 89 disparus, des informations invérifiables car les communications avec la ville côtière sont restreintes depuis la chute de Tripoli le 23 août.

"Nous sommes au courant de ces allégations", a déclaré le colonel Roland Lavoie, porte-parole de l'Otan à Bruxelles. "Ce n'est pas la première fois que l'on entend de telles allégations. La plupart du temps, elles se révèlent infondées ou peu probantes."

Selon Moussa Ibrahim, plus de 2000 habitants de Syrte ont péri dans des raids de l'Otan au cours des 17 derniers jours.

Le porte-parole de Kadhafi, qui a déclaré se trouver lui-même aux environs de Syrte, a assuré que l'ancien dirigeant libyen était convaincu de la victoire de son camp. 

Les insurgés attaquent avec des armes anti-aériennes, vendredi près de Syrte. Crédits photo : ASMAA WAGUIH/REUTERS

16/09/2011 Par Thierry Portes  -.lefigaro.fr

REPORTAGE - Les troupes fidèles à Kadhafi ont perdu vendredi le contrôle de l'aéroport, mais elles résistent dans le reste de la ville.

Entrées dans Syrte pour la première fois, jeudi, les forces rebelles de Misrata ne semblaient pas, vendredi en fin d'après-midi, en mesure de contrôler entièrement la ville avant la nuit. Il faudra sans doute le week-end pour que les thuwars (combattants révolutionnaires) parviennent à se rendre définitivement maître d'une agglomération qui s'étend sur des dizaines de kilomètres. Dans l'oasis de Beni Oulid, cependant, où subsiste une autre poche de résistance kadhafiste, les troupes rebelles ont également lancé l'assaut vendredi, avant de se replier en fin de journée. «Il y aura des attaques de l'Otan sur les villes qui résistent telles Syrte, Beni Oulid ou Sebha», a toutefois lancé vendredi un porte-parole du Conseil national de transition (CNT), prédisant la défaite imminente du dictateur déchu. À Syrte, les thuwars ont d'abord concentré leur offensive sur l'aéroport de la ville de Mouammar Kadhafi, parmi les dernières encore à résister à l'autorité du CNT. Sur le coup des 11 heures, une importante colonne de pick-up, accompagnée de plusieurs lanceurs de roquettes Grad et d'au moins un char, utilisé en appui tactique, a fait mouvement depuis la base où les combattants avaient dormi la veille. L'aéroport a finalement été pris. Poussant leur avantage, les troupes commandées par Ibrahim Halbous sont ensuite parties à la conquête du quartier d'Abouhadi, où étaient retranchés en nombre leurs adversaires. Juste à côté, le quartier de Jalaf, d'où sont originaires Kadhafi et sa tribu, les Kadhafa, n'était pas non plus prêt de se rendre.

Tout l'après-midi, les combats faisaient rage également dans la ville même de Syrte, qui longe la Méditerranée. Plusieurs dizaines de pick-up sont arrivés en renfort de Misrata pour tenter de venir à bout des forces pro-kadhafi, qui opposaient une défense acharnée. À coup de Grad, de canons et RPG, les soldats du dictateur semblaient prêts à vendre chèrement leur peau. Les forces armées du CNT auraient essuyé de lourdes pertes lors de cette première journée de combats, le Conseil militaire de Misrata évoquant un bilan de 11 martyrs et 34 blessés. L'issue du combat est pourtant certaine, et les partisans du dictateur déchu ne font que la retarder.

Misrata est à 250 kilomètres de Syrte par l'autoroute. Les troupes kadhafistes l'ont coupée en plusieurs endroits, faisant sauter le bitume, et disposant de ridicules monticules de terre pierreuse. Ces maigres défenses ne font que ralentir la vitesse des 4 × 4 rebelles. La porte de la cité natale du dictateur en fuite enjambe cette même autoroute à 40 km de la ville proprement dite. À 30 km, les thuwars ont établi leur camp de base. C'est vingt kilomètres plus loin environ, que les combats ont débuté vendredi.

Boucliers humains

Les rebelles assuraient que leur progression était également freinée par la présence d'otages de Misrata, enlevés au début de la guerre et retenus là comme boucliers humains. Ces scrupules ne leur ont toutefois pas interdit de lancer l'assaut en avançant sur l'autoroute. Un premier accrochage a retenu la colonne. Des tirs nourris de mitrailleuses 23 mm ont eu raison de quelques soldats embusqués. Un prisonnier en habit militaire, qui dit être originaire de Syrte, a été capturé. La position a été tenue par les thuwars. D'autres check-points ont été établis de part et d'autre de l'autoroute, à mesure que la colonne s'approchait de l'aéroport. C'est à coup de missiles Grad que les rebelles ont ouvert leur chemin vers ce lieu stratégique, où se concentrait la résistance kadhafiste.

De courtes incursions

La médina de Syrte est située à l'opposé, sur le flanc gauche de l'autoroute. La veille, jeudi, les rebelles n'y avaient conduit que de courtes incursions. Selon un de leurs commandants, «des combattants favorables à la rébellion se chargent de tenir le centre-ville». L'âpreté des combats semblait pourtant prouver le contraire. L'autoroute divisant en deux Syrte, dont les rebelles avaient pris vendredi le contrôle, relie toutes les grandes villes libyennes. Elle sera bientôt sous le contrôle exclusif du CNT. C'était déjà le cas entre la frontière tunisienne, à l'extrémité ouest du pays, et la ville côtière de Misrata, et de l'autre côté, à l'est, de la frontière égyptienne, via Benghazi, jusqu'à une vingtaine de kilomètres de Syrte. Il ne semble pas que les troupes de Benghazi se soient de ce côté avancées plus avant dans les faubourgs de Syrte. L'offensive, qui a été précédée par plusieurs frappes de l'Otan ces jours derniers, paraît être surtout, pour ne pas dire uniquement, l'œuvre des forces rebelles de Misrata.

15 September 2011 by defenseWeb

Denel Integrated System Solutions (DISS), a business unit of the state arsenal, has been awarded a R6 269 924.98 order to develop a missile range safety set for the Thales Starstreak very short range air defence missile system. The deal takes the first phase of the long-running ground-based air-defence system (GBADS 1) project a step closer to completion.

GBADS 1 last month successfully completed its Level 5 System Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), clearing the way for the achievement of an interim operating baseline for the system. DISS, the Project Guardian prime contractor, said in a statement the tests were conducted at Mobile Deployment Wing and Swartkop Airfield over a four week period with support from both the South African Air Force and the Army. The tests were completed July 21.

The equipment is currently being prepared for the final training of the crews in Kimberley and then on to the Operation Test & Evaluation (OT&E) at Combat Training Centre in Lohatla from next month after which the system will be delivered into service.

SA ordered two 20km-range Thales Page continuous-wave (CW) low-observable battery air defence local warning radars, eight Lightweight Multiple Launchers (LML) as well as about 100 VSHORAD (very short range air defence) high-velocity missiles in December 2002. The entire system can be parachute dropped. Denel credits the VSHORAD missiles with a range of 5km (Thales says 7km). At the time (2002) state arms acquisition agency Armscor in a statement said the cost was R796 700 389 and deliveries would be complete in 36 months. It was reported in October 2007 that Starstreak missiles cost about R1 million each and that GBADS Phase I, also known as Project Guardian, had by then cost R801 million. defenceWeb has not been able to verify the figure. Since then a further R83 541 538.98 has been spent according to the Armscor Bulletin System.

104 Battery of 10 ADA Regiment fired an undisclosed number of Starstreak at a firing camp at the Overberg Test Range near Cape Town last year November to allow its operators to develop experience in firing live missiles. The missiles were fired against the indigenously manufactured BAE Systems Land Systems Dynamics Locats (low-cost aerial target system) aerial targets. Thales Defence Systems, which supported the exercise, says in a media statement the ADA “took the opportunity to conduct day and night firings, introducing their new Starstreak thermal imager to provide a full 24-hour air defence capability.

“The success of the camp, underlined by an unprecedented number of target kills, is even more impressive given that the Locats targets destroyed were totally un-enhanced, proving Starstreak’s capability against unmanned air vehicle targets,” the statement added. Locats has a maximum speed of 310 km/hr, a wingspan of 3.2m and length of 2.9m.

Starstreak was designed to counter low-flying high-performance aircraft and helicopters. It employs semi-automatic command line of sight guidance consisting of a stabilised tracking system and an automatic guidance system. While the operator tracks the target using the stabilised tracking system, a laser beam for missile guidance is transmitted along the target sight line. The system compensates for crosswinds and low-level targets and a lead-angle is automatically generated to launch the missile ahead of crossing targets.

In its simplest form, Starburst is a man-portable, shoulder-launched system consisting of an aiming unit and a missile. The missile is contained in a canister that acts as a recoilless launcher when firing takes place. The aiming unit is clipped on to the canister and together they provide the firing and guidance control for the missile. At the end of the engagement, the aiming unit is quickly detached, the used canister discarded and a new canister fitted for the next engagement. The system can be operated by a single person. However, a second person reduces reaction time.

Armscor in March 2007 told Parliament that when finally delivered at the end of November 2009, the project would be 54 months over deadline. Armscor told MPs the project was extensively delayed by problems with subcontracts with local suppliers, by challenges in translating systems specifications and by design shortcomings affecting the thermal imager, radar power supply and radio interface module. As a result, Denel was to pay a R80 million penalty.

Noteworthy is that the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms records SA imported 96 Starstreak missiles in 2005. There are no previous or subsequent references to the Northern Irish-made VSHORAD.

In May 2008 Denel Dynamics CE Jan Wessels said about 30 companies were involved with the project. “The missile and radar are European and the software was written by five companies, some in SA,” says Wessels. “Our job [as prime contractor and systems integrator] is to put it all together to make it work.” (At the time DISS was still part of Denel Dynamics.) Wessels added the delays and problems encountered have made the project one “where you have to grind your teeth”. “There are 32 entities that must deliver. We'll just have to take the pain until they all do so satisfactorily. Although there is a lot of contractual baggage, we are quite chuffed about progress with the programme.”

Develop a starstreak missile range safety set

EBEB/2011/52 8 Sep 2011 R6 269 924,98 Denel Integrated System Solutions

Provisioning of industry support during preparation and execution of operational test and evaluation up to the establishment of the interim operating baseline

EBEB/2011/78 18 Aug 2011 R9 866 184,24 Denel Integrated System Solutions

Staff support during the project study for project fellowship which addresses the integration, command, control and sensor needs for the Ground Based Air Defence - extension of EBEB/2008/425

BEB/S2011/2470 4 Aug 2011 R227 552,00 CSIR t/a DPSS

Industry support for the local warning segment of the Ground Based Air Defence Systems for the operational test and evaluation and products system commisionning phase - extension of EBEB/2001/421

BEB/S2010/2388 29 Jul 2010 R349 202,48 Denel t/a Denel Dynamics

BEB/S2009/2321 29 Oct 2009 R4 970 000,00 Denel t/a Denel Aerospace Systems

BEB/S2009/2317 29 Oct 2009 R4 945 391,16 Denel t/a Denel Dynamics

BEB/S2009/2307 3 Sep 2009 R4 942 400,64 Denel t/a Denel Dynamics

BEB/S2009/2300 6 Aug 2009 R1 113 636,00 Denel t/a Denel Aerospace Systems

BEB/S2008/2220 2 Oct 2008 R1 035 496,02 Denel t/a Denel Aerospace Systems

BEB/S2008/2213 4 Sep 2008 R533 520,00 Denel t/a Denel Aerospace Systems

BEB/S20082192 12 Jun 2008 R96 672,88 Denel t/a Denel Aerospace Systems

BEB/S2007/2140 1 Nov 2007 R1 828 530,70 Denel t/a Denel Aerospace Systems

Supply of Starstreak missiles

EBEB/2009/459 10 Mar 2010 R34 216 705,88 Thales Air Defence Limited

Staff support during the Project study for the integration, command and control and sensor needs for Ground Based Air Defence System

EBEB/2008/425 12 Jun 2009 R4 493 000,00 CSIR t/a DPSS

Evaluation of new generation digital radios performance as Air Defence Control network provider for the mobile Air Defence System

EBEB/2008/218 26 Mar 2009 R8 482 410,00 Denel t/a Denel Aerospace Group

Staff support for local warning segment - extension of EBEB/2003/461

BEB/S2007/2118 16 Aug 2007 R170 912,00 Armscor Defence Institutes (Pty) Ltd

t/a Defence Decision Support Institute

15 Sep 2011 By MARCUS WEISGERBER DefenseNews

The Pentagon has been able to fast-track weapon sales to nations supporting NATO operations in Libya, allowing partner countries to purchase equipment much more quickly than by traditional methods, according to a senior U.S. military official.

"When requests came in under foreign military sales from some customers [that] support parts of [Libya operations], we were returning those in days, not in weeks and months," said Adm. William Landy, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). "We have really seen significant improvement in the way that we've done that."

Between April 1 and Sept. 1, the Pentagon sold allies about $225.2 million worth of ammunition, repair parts, fuel, technical assistance and other support, specifically for operations in Libya, according to a Pentagon spokeswoman.

Aside from these purchases, the approval time for foreign military sales has decreased. In the past, it would take roughly 120 days between a letter of request and a letter of offer and acceptance.

That time frame has been reduced significantly, according to a DSCA spokesman.

15/09/11 Angola Press

Luanda – La Marine de Guerre d'Angola (MGA) constitue une branche importante des forces armées pour la défense des eaux territoriales et des zones riveraines, a affirmé, jeudi, à Luanda, la présidente de la Fondation António Agostinho Neto (FAAN),Maria Eugénia Neto.

La responsable  intervenait à l'ouverture du séminaire sous le thème "La contribution du président Agostinho Neto dans la création de la MGA, importance de la mer dans le domaine économique et environnemental, inséré dans les commémorations du 17 septembre,

Journée du Héros National.

Selon elle, depuis sa création, lors de la clôture du premier cours de spécialistes navaux, en 1976, par le premier président Agostinho Neto, la Marine de Guerre a formé des centaines de spécialistes, qui contribuent actuellement à sécuriser notre côte maritime.

Maria Eugenia Neto a rappelé qu'Agostinho Neto était un guerrier, diplomate et lutteur infatigable, dont la plus grande oeuvre est

l'aboutissement des aspirations du peuple angolais, notamment la proclamation de l'Indépendance Nationale, le 11 novembre 1975.

L'activité assistée par des officiers-amiraux, généraux, entre autres promus et effectifs des Forces Armées Angolaises, a prévu un

programme culturel, animé par la danse et déclamation de poème, principalement ceux d'Agostinho Neto.

14 September 2011 by Jonathan Katzenellenbogen - defenceWeb

After years of rising defence budgets, most countries now plan major cuts in spending in the face of the economic and financial crisis. It is this background that heavily dominates Britain's and one of the world’s largest defence exhibitions, the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEi) being held in London this week.

With dim economic prospects and the Great Recession behind a rolling wave of financial and sovereign debt crises, the prospects for additional cuts in defence spending across most major economies except China, India, and Japan are real.

The UK has already announced cuts of eight percent over the next four years and is laying off personnel and has cancelled or delayed a number of major programmes. In a sign of the times, rather than come up with any grand vision for the future, UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox announced at the exhibition that his ministry would name and shame contractors that are beset by delays and that overshoot budgeted costs.

For South Africa the downturn in international defence spending, the strong rand, as well as the political turmoil in some of its most lucrative markets in the Middle East, has severely dampened export prospects. SA has yet to make any major inroads into the large Asian markets, although officials say there are good prospects in Malaysia. In the face of recession, SA will have to keep up a presence at the big defence shows to push for new markets, as it is often wise to keep up advertising spending in a recession.

In the face of recession and a strong currency, SA's defence industry will have to rely more heavily on its other sources of competitiveness. Simphiwe Hamilton, Executive Director of the South African Aerospace Maritime and Defence Industries Association speaking at the launch of the latest SA Defence Industry Directory said these advantages were based on its position as a non-aligned reliable, and affordable supplier. The ability of SA industry to manufacture short-runs into niche markets has also helped in the past and could be increasingly important.

SA’s Department of Trade and Industry makes a heavy annual commitment to helping defence companies show their wares at the major international defence and security shows around the world. It is estimated that the cost of the SA show participation to the Department of Trade and Industry came it at around R6 million this year.

Any defence company that wishes to show it is serious about international marketing needs to be at DSEi. The shows numbers and visitor profiles are impressive and despite the downturn, the exhibitor and visitor numbers are expected to keep up with those of two years ago. This year there are close to 1400 exhibitors from 46 countries. And the number of visitors are expected to keep up with those of two years ago – 25 000 from nearly a hundred countries.

Many of the same 23 companies were on the SA stand two years ago, but there were a few new offerings. These included Simonstown based Nautic Africa, which builds a range of small and medium sized fast boats that can be used for patrols and anti-piracy operations. Expecting greater interest since its recent qualification, Denel placed its Neopup (Paw-20m) grenade launcher in a prominent position. The weapon is a good sign of South African inventiveness, but one that has yet to find a market, as it was not built to a specification and therefore has yet to fit into any military’s existing requirement.

Another new South African offering was Less Lethal Africa’s range of rubber bullets and ammunition for shot guns. With the growing international focus on public order policing, the Johannesburg-based company reported a strong interest in its stand. One of the company’s innovations is a transparent shot gun shell, which allows police forces to immediately identify the cartridge.

Benoni based BAE Land Systems OMC had its recently blast-tested eight wheeled RG41 armoured combat vehicle on display. It is positioning the vehicle as one that offers good value for a developing country.

At its briefing on SA as "a hub for future innovation" the DTI show-cased SAAB SA's LEDS-150 armour self- protection system, Zeiss SA's TLS40i Day Night Target Locator, Denel's M6 Long Range Mortar System, and Pretoria based Rapid M's RAPTAWC RT5 Tactical Data Terminal.

While it is gleaming new products that dominate the show, the pressures on defence budgets, mean companies are having to put greater effort into marketing their service offerings. Defence forces will increasingly be forced to keep equipment for longer and ensure lower life time cost with improved maintenance options.

14/09/11 By Dominic Perry SOURCE:Flight International

An Embraer aircraft operated by the Angolan air force has crashed in Huambo, Angola, killing as many as 30 people, according to local reports.

Angolan press agency ANGOP said that no details of the victims or the cause of the accident have been released, but it is understood that three army officers are among the dead.

Several crew members are also reported as fatalities, ANGOP said, however, there could be as many as six survivors.

Reports suggest that the aircraft involved bears the registration T-500. Flightglobal's MiliCAS database lists this as an Embraer EMB-120ER, manufactured in 2004.

The Angolan air force only operates two Embraer aircraft, the EMB-120ER and a Legacy 600 business jet.

A Tornado GR4 pilot prepares to take off from Gioia del Colle air base

in southern Italy for a mission over Libya - Picture: Sergeant Pete Mobbs RAF.

14 Sep 11 UK MoD - A Military Operations news article

During an armed reconnaissance patrol over Sebha in southern Libya yesterday morning, Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s located a number of former regime armoured vehicles occupying dug-in positions near the town.

Three of the vehicles were destroyed by RAF aircraft.

NATO was also maintaining an intensive presence over the coastal city of Sirte, and during the afternoon an RAF patrol identified one of Gaddafi's multiple rocket launchers to the east of the city.

A Brimstone missile destroyed the vehicle.

Major General Nick Pope, the Chief of the Defence Staff's Communications Officer, said:

    "At sea, Royal Navy vessels, including HM Ships Liverpool and Bangor, remain on patrol off the coast ensuring the free movement of shipping, especially the humanitarian supplies needed by the coastal communities after months of conflict."

UK missions over Libya are undertaken as part of NATO's Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973 and protect Libyan civilians at risk of attack.

14 September 2011 by defenceWeb

The new Libyan authorities are not planning to buy Russian weaponry, according to National Transitional Council chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil.

“Libya will not need weaponry [from Russia] in the future," Jalil told RIA Novosti. Gaddafi’s regime signed arms contracts with Russia worth billions for armoured vehicles, air defence systems and other equipment.

The rebels said they would diversify their arms sources and that the Russian prices were too high.

"We will honour any agreements concluded with other states before, but they will be checked and reviewed because some were based on corruption," Jalil, said, adding that all the international contracts concluded by Gaddafi's government will be reviewed by the new Libyan authorities.

Russia banned weapons sales to Libya in March, suspending its arms contracts with the Gaddafi government in line with moves by other nations.

Russia's arms exporting monopoly Rosoboronexport said that it may have lost some US$4 billion in existing and potential arms deals with Gaddafi's government.

Russian experts said that the refusal to buy Russian weaponry by the new Libyan authorities was predictable because Moscow did not play an active part in the support of the Libyan rebels and was too slow to recognize the NTC as the legitimate power in the country, according to Afrique Avenir. Russia only recognised the NTC as Libya’s legitimate authority on the first of this month.

Earlier in the year Rosoboronexport said it had lost US$2 billion worth of arms contracts with Gaddafi's government due to the UN sanctions against Tripoli. In addition, Russia had also been near to closing deals to sell military aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles worth another US$1.8 billion.

Then Libyan Defence Minister Yunis Jaber in January last year went on a major spending spree during a visit to Moscow, signing 1.3 billion euros worth of deals, including for six Yak-130 fighter-trainers. Libya had also been expected to become the first foreign buyer of Russia's Sukhoi Su-35 fighter and a contract worth US$800 million for 12-15 aircraft had been ready for signing.

A range of other contracts for helicopters and missile systems were also being discussed. Libya had also shown great interest in Russia's new S-400 missile defence system, its T-90S tanks, submarines and rocket launchers.

The Soviet Union had delivered a huge amount of military hardware to Libya before the collapse of the USSR, including 350 fighter jets between 1981 and 1985 as well as 4,000 military vehicles and tanks.

Other countries delivering weapons to Gaddafi’s regime have also had business disrupted. The German Deutsche Welle radio reported European Union figures showing that in 2009 member states granted export licenses worth 343 million euros to Libya. Italy approved exports worth 112 million euros, largely in the form of military aircraft. Malta was second on the list after it authorised the resale of a 79 million euro consignment of light and small arms originating from Beretta in Italy. Germany was third on the list, with 53 million euros of licenses, mostly for electronic jamming equipment that may presently be the cause of the mobile phone and Internet communications disruptions in the country.

AFP notes missile systems maker MBDA Italia signed a deal worth 2.5 million euros in May 2009 to supply Libya with "material for bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles," according to an Italian interior ministry report. Helicopter maker AgustaWestland signed two contracts with Libya in October 2010 worth 70 million euros. Also last year, Selex Sistemi Integrati signed a 13 million euro deal to provide Libya with gun targeting equipment. Artillery company Oto Melara reportedly last November also begun talks with Libya in November 2010 for "weapons or weapons systems with a calibre of more than 12.7 mm, as well as material, spare parts, know how and equipment." This year military shipmaker Intermarine Spa started negotiations with Libya for contracts worth a total of 600 million euros.

Deutsche Welle adds YouTube footage posted in Belgium allegedly showed semi-automatic FN 303 anti-riot guns seized by anti-Gadhafi protesters. They were reportedly supplied by FN Herstal in a 11.5 million euros deal that included rifles, pistols, rifle grenades and ammunition. The radio station adds that in 2008 Britain blocked a license to ship 130 000 Kalashnikov assault rifles to Libya because of fears they could be resold to warlords in Sudan, but in the same year, Romania sold Gadhafi 100 000 of the guns.

Between 2003 and 2009 South Africa exported military equipment worth some R80.9 million to Libya, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Jeff Radebe in March confirmed. Radebe, speaking replying in his capacity as chairman of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), said this included shotguns, military vehicles, ammunition, parachutes and night vision equipment. A further question regarding the export of 100 sniper rifles and 50 000 rounds of ammunition last year was not answered. However, in May and June, evidence emerged of Truvelo sniper rifles in Libya.

Earlier this year it was revealed that Denel was busy finalising a deal with Libya to sell billions of rands worth of military hardware to the country, including G6-52 artillery systems, missiles, grenade launchers and anti-material rifles.

The Mail & Guardian obtained an internal Denel memo outlining a successful trip to Libya last year, which the newspaper says describes the negotiations as ‘close to a done-deal’.

"The MOU is initiated and will be signed in due course. The trip received the blessing from both the presidencies. The Brother Leader also stressed the importance of having Africans trading within the continent," the memo reads. "The president of Libya and his South African counterpart will sign within the coming year.” The memo added that the Libyans were willing to pay half the contract in advance.

The value of the weapons Libya would have received amounts to R6.289 billion, City Press reported.

La frégate Mohammed VI est directement dérivée de l'Aquitaine, ici en photo

crédits : DCNS

13/09/2011 MER et MARINE

C'est demain que DCNS doit procéder à la mise à flot, sur son site de Lorient, de la frégate multi-missions (FREMM) commandée par le Maroc. Le Mohammed VI quittera la cale de construction pour gagner le quai d'armement, où il recevra notamment sa mâture et son armement. Plus grand navire de combat de la marine marocaine, le Mohammed VI sera livré en 2013 par DCNS.

Dérivée des FREMM françaises de la classe Aquitaine, cette frégate de 142 mètres affichera un déplacement de 6000 tonnes en charge. Elle mettra en oeuvre des missiles Exocet antinavire MM40 Block3, des missiles surface-air Aster 15, une tourelle de 76mm, des torpilles MU90 et un hélicoptère.

Il s'agit de la première FREMM vendue à l'export par DCNS, qui propose sa nouvelle frégate à plusieurs pays, comme le Brésil, l'Arabie Saoudite et la Grèce.

September 12th, 2011 MDAA

NIAMEY, Niger — The defeat of Muammar Gaddafi will lead to a proliferation of arms and fighters in the desert areas of West and Central Africa turning the region into a “powder keg,” according to regional experts who met to discuss the growing security threat this week.

“The repercussion of the Libyan crisis on the … region has become palpable, particularly with the arrival of large amounts of weapons and four-wheel drive vehicles and the return of armed individuals involved in the Libyan crisis,” Mohamed Bazoum, the foreign minister of Niger, told a two-day conference in Algiers that ended late on Thursday.

Top of the list of concerns is that Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a resurgent Islamist militant group, will get its hands on surface-to-air missiles that have disappeared from Libyan stockpiles raising the threat of passenger planes being shot down over the Sahara Desert.

Thousands of shoulder-launched heat-seeking missiles were found to have disappeared from looted warehouses in Tripoli this week, according to Human Rights Watch.

“If these fall into the wrong hands they could turn all of North Africa into a no-fly zone,” Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at the New York-based pressure group, told reporters after discovering the missing munitions.

AQIM has kidnapped Westerners in recent years executing some and extracting hefty ransoms for others. A year ago this month AQIM abducted seven foreigners from a French-run uranium mine in Arlit, northern Niger.

Originally an anti-government insurgency limited to Algeria, AQIM now operates in Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal and has stated its ambitions to expand its operations across the Sahel, the name given to the thick strip of arid land that stretches across Africa along the southern fringe of the Sahara.

Gilles de Kerchove, the European Union counterterrorism coordinator, echoed other observers when he warned the Algiers meeting that AQIM was building closer ties with Islamist militants in Nigeria and Somalia.

“This is something that the intelligence services are following very closely. There is still nothing structural [but] there are efforts at contacts, and some small transfers of money,” Kerchove said.

“It seems that some members of Boko Haram and Al Shabaab were trained by AQIM,” he said.

AQIM pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in 2006 and Al Shabaab followed suit in 2010.

In recent months Boko Haram, an Islamist group in northern Nigeria whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” has stepped up its campaign of deadly bombings and has launched its first suicide attacks.

In August a suicide bomber crashed his car through barriers outside the United Nations headquarters in the capital Abuja before detonating his explosives, bringing down part of the building and killing at least 23 people and injuring around 80 more.

Suspects arrested in the days after the attack have been linked to both Al Shabaab and AQIM by Nigeria’s security services.

Easing the increased flow of arms from Libya’s stockpiles and battlefields will be the return of perhaps thousands of mercenaries and Tuareg desert nomads who fought on behalf of Gaddafi but have now lost their paymaster.

Gaddafi backed Tuareg rebellions against the governments in Mali and Niger so their return is thought to pose a threat to the shaky stability of these impoverished nations.

A convoy that arrived here in Niamey from Libya this week was led by Gaddafi’s security chief as well as a prominent Tuareg leader, Rissa ag Boula. Mansour Dao, the head of security, is now under house arrest in a well-guarded mansion on the banks of the Niger River.

The Tuaregs are adept desert-dwellers and command the traditional caravan trade routes across the Sahara that are nowadays used to smuggle arms, cigarettes, cocaine and people.

Analysts worry that these unemployed guns-for-hire will become a ready pool of recruits for AQIM which has boosted its coffers with ransom money and has in the past outsourced abductions to other mercenary armed groups in the desert.

“Immediately Gaddafi’s defeat leaves the region less secure because of the increased flow of weapons and fighters,” said J. Peter Pham, Africa director at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.

But Pham told GlobalPost that, despite the serious immediate concerns, so long as regional governments can keep a lid on things in the coming months the region will, in the end, be safer without Gaddafi.

“There is no one else who aspires to Gaddafi’s role as a regional hegemon and troublemaker which means in the longer term security will improve,” he said.

SOURCE: CBS News