source ynetnews.com

29/09/2011 by Armed Forces International's Global Correspondent

Iran has reportedly started putting its Qader stealth cruise missile into full-scale production and, already, the first examples have entered naval service.

Recently unveiled, the Qader (‘Capable', or ‘Able') is an indigenous weapon with a 124 mile range and it's got the strike capacity to disable targets at sea, including warships. Apparently, it produces such a low radar signal that it can slip under the net of the most advanced detection technologies in service today and, according to elements of the Iranian media, the Iranian Navy got its initial quota of Qaders on 28 September 2011.

The Qader's described as a truly versatile weapon - able to be fired from dry land, launched from platforms at sea or projected from combat aircraft. Its features are said to include anti-jamming radar technology and an autopilot component and it's designed to fly low and strike hard.

Qader Missile Enters Service

In a report on the Qader's missile entry into service, the Ahlul Bayt News Agency describes the comments made by top Iranian military officials, who say that Iran's now part of an elite group of nations with the expertise to manufacture weapons of this kind. They add that, regionally, Iran's got no competition at all in this regard.

Western powers have repeatedly expressed concern over Iran's claimed involvement in nuclear weapons production. Iran, in contrast, continues to allege that its uranium enrichment programme is a peaceful pursuit.

The Qader's entry-into-service coincided with an announcement on the planned deployment of Iranian naval forces in the Atlantic Ocean, with the Islamic Republic News Agency quoting Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayari as having referred to a "powerful presence" set to be built up "near the United States borders."

Qader Stealth Cruise Missile

The Qader stealth cruise missile joins an expanding array of Iranian weapons that, as per previous Armed Forces International News coverage, includes the Shahab-3 missile.

"Today we are witnessing the equipping of the [Iranian Revolutionary] Guards navy and army navy with ample numbers of the Qader cruise missile", defence minister General Ahmad Vahidi said, in a statement published online.

"It has 200 km range and has ability to be launched quickly against warships and costal targets. It flies in low altitude, has high destructive power [and is] lightweight with high precision."

photo by shlomiliss

September 29, 2011 defpro.com

GIVAT SHMUEL, Israel | DSIT Solutions Ltd., a subsidiary of Acorn Energy Inc., has announced the receipt of multiple awards for its recently delivered Submarine Tactical Trainer (STT). DSIT's STT simulator provides a full representation of the spectrum of submarine weapon systems, sonar sensors, and Command and Control application as they are on the Israeli Navy's Dolphin submarines.

DSIT successfully completed the $8 million project several months ago and since then the simulator has been operating around the clock to train submarine crews. Satisfaction with the simulator has made it an integral part of the Navy's training for all levels of tactical submarine operators and led to its recognition by various prestigious bodies.

The IDF Communications and Computer Corps awarded DSIT's Submarine Simulator Project with its 2011 "Prize for Excellence and Creative Thinking". The company also received the highly valued "Chief Naval Officer Award" granted by the Commander of the Israeli Navy. The award was given for the high level of technology and excellence displayed in the project. In addition, the reputable professional journal "People and Computers", which conducts a yearly competition for special projects involving high level computer based R&D, has noted DSIT's project for its technological excellence.

"The high level of realism, technology and precision displayed in all of the STT modules are chief among the many features that have led to its recognition by so many important sources. We believe that this level of recognition provides a strong message to navies and fleets around the world that may be looking to procure similar systems or derivatives of this simulator," said Dan Ben-Dov, DSIT's VP Sales and Marketing. "Our sonar simulators represent one branch of a growing family of advanced sonar and acoustic projects that DSIT has completed for the Israeli Navy, including the supply of a Portable Deep Water Acoustic Range, Hull Mounted Sonar system and others."

Benny Sela, DSIT's CEO, commented that "We are proud to work closely with the Israeli Navy and to have received its recognition as well as that of the software community for our work on this project. Thanks to our talented and experienced technical teams, DSIT was able to provide in a timely manner a highly advanced Tactical Trainer to the Israeli Navy. We have already begun discussions with a number of customers to produce sonar training applications based on the building blocks developed in this project."

John Moore, CEO of Acorn Energy stated, "Once again an Acorn company has demonstrated how a highly skilled and effective management team can create a security product in collaboration with the Israeli Navy which can have broader military as well as commercial applications. The technical challenges posed to us by our customers at the world's leading navies led to our commercial seismic product line at US Seismic and our port security product at DSIT."

29.09.2011 Arie Egozi – Flight Global

Tel Aviv - The advanced dual sensors to be used in future air-to-air missiles developed by Rafael will probably involve the use of the so-called "dolphin head" nose section already employed for its Stunner missile.

Although developed as the interceptor for the David's Sling medium-range rocket and cruise missile air defence system, the company has confirmed that the Stunner is also a next-generation air-to-air missile.

Rafael sources said the dolphin head shape allows the weapon's two seekers to function simultaneously with no interference, even in "extreme conditions".

Around 4.6m (15ft) long, the Stunner uses a multi-pulse rocket motor. Its dual seeker configuration supports its employment in all weather conditions and immunity to deception and countermeasures, Israeli missile manufacturer Rafael said.

U.S. Navy photo

September 29, 2011 defpro.com

The U.S. Navy will commission the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Spruance, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, during a 6:30 p.m. EDT ceremony at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla.

Designated DDG 111, the new destroyer honors legendary Adm. Raymond Spruance, whose calm and decisive leadership at the Battle of Midway contributed to a pivotal American victory during World War II.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mark E. Ferguson III will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Ellen Spruance Holscher, granddaughter of the ship’s namesake will serve as the sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when she gives the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”

Born in Baltimore, July 3, 1886, Spruance graduated from the Naval Academy in 1906. His Navy career was extensive, including command of five destroyers and the battleship Mississippi. Spruance led Task Force 16, with two aircraft carriers, during the 1942 Battle of Midway, where his disposition of forces and management of aircraft was crucial to a victory that is regarded as the turning point in the Pacific war with Japan. He later directed campaigns that captured the Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and defeated the Japanese fleet in the 1944 Battle of Philippine Sea. After commanding the Pacific Fleet in 1945-46, Spruance served as president of the Naval War College until retiring in 1948. In 1952-55, he was ambassador to the Philippines. Spruance died at Pebble Beach, Calif., Dec. 13, 1969.

Spruance, the 61st Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Spruance will contain myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare and be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously.

The ship will be the second ship named for Spruance. The first USS Spruance (DD 963) was the lead ship of Spruance class destroyers serving from 1973 to 2005.

Cmdr. Tate Westbrook, a native of Murfreesboro, Tenn., will become the first commanding officer of the ship and will lead a crew of 285 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton Spruance was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The ship is 509 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet, and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

September 28, 2011 by Galrahn – INFORMATION DISSEMINATION

Iran has come out today with news of a new missile. From PressTV, Ghader anti-ship missile was mass-produced and delivered to the Iranian Navy. There is an associated video at the link.

Ghader missile, an anti-ship cruise missile equipped with technology that makes it undetectable by the best radars. Ghader missile was mass produced and delivered to the both naval forces of Iran, Islamic Revolution Guard Corp (IRGC) and the Military by Iran's Ministry of Defense on Wednesday. The missile has been designed, constructed and mass produced by Iranian experts and engineers to be used against large battleships and aircraft carriers. Iran's President first inaugurated Ghader missile late August of this year. Western media was very skeptical of the event.

Ghader missile can be fired from air, ground and the ship. . It is equipped with digital auto-pilot, anti-jamming radar technology and is programmable. Ghader can detect and find its target in the sea in low altitudes and sink them. Iran's high ranking military officials say that production of such weapons is exclusive and that Iran is the only country with such capabilities.

High ranking naval officials talked of the destructive power of Gahder missile.

Ghader missile has a range of more than 200 Kilometers

This is old wine in a new bottle. The Ghader missile is basically a slightly upgraded Noor missile with an extra 20km range. The Noor missile is an Iranian produced export clone of the Chinese C-802 which uses an inertial and terminal active radar for guidance. The C-802 is a relatively inexpensive Chinese missile design that leverages low cost simplicity, which makes it ideal for Iran whose defensive maritime strategy is primarily intended to be asymmetrical leveraging large quantities of inexpensive equipment for saturation, leveraging mobility and portability for survivability, and is intended to mix just enough stealth precision with mass distraction.

The C-802 is best known as the weapon used by Hezbollah to sink an Egyptian merchant ship in the Mediterranean Sea and slightly damage the low RCS Israeli corvette INS Hanit. As we have discussed before, the C-802 radar guidance is questionable, so it could be that one aspect of the Ghader missile is improved active radar during the terminal phase. In the case of the INS Hanit, the radar focused in and struck the deployed crane that was left extended over the flight deck - basically the only part of the little corvette that wasn't stealthy - and because the C-802 warhead is a 165 kg time-delayed semi-armor-piercing, high-explosive warhead - most of the explosion on the corvette went out over the sea. The fuel from the missile caused quite a bit of damage on and below the flight deck, but for the most part the ship took very little damage relative to the attack, which is why it was back to sea conducting operations before that conflict was over.

The video shows several Ghader missiles have been produced which raises the question, what is the delivery vehicle for this "mass-produced" missile? My theory is we will see these on a new class of PCMs soon, because for years now it has been my impression that Iran's military production has been geared towards a Streetfighter style defensive maritime strategy.

President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

attended the launch of the first nationally designed combat ship,

the Heybeliada, at the Tuzla naval shipyard in İstanbul.

27 September 2011, TODAYSZAMAN.COM, - TRDEFENCE

Turkey on Tuesday announced that its first domestically produced warship, the Heybeliada, is operational in a ceremony held at the İstanbul Naval Shipyard Command amidst ongoing tension over a Greek Cypriot drive to explore gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean.

President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the launch of the first nationally designed combat ship, the Heybeliada, at the Tuzla naval shipyard in İstanbul.

Speaking during the ceremony, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proudly said Turkey has taken its place among 10 countries that can design and construct warships, as he introduced the warship. Recalling that the Heybeliada, a patrol and anti-submarine warship produced by the İstanbul Naval Shipyard Command, was constructed in three years as part of the National Ship (MİLGEM) project, Erdoğan said he is pleased to see that the government did indeed take a correct step with the MİLGEM project.

The delivery of the Heybeliada to the Turkish navy comes amidst the country’s efforts to protect its own interests in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of a gas row with the Greek Cypriot government. Turkey has decided to begin its own gas exploration project in the Eastern Mediterranean and to boost its military presence in the region after the Greek Cypriot government vowed to go ahead with its plans to drill for gas south of Cyprus. Last week, Turkey marked its marine borders with Turkish Cyprus for offshore oil and gas drilling and a Turkish seismic research ship began exploring for gas on Tuesday near Cyprus.

Turkey said Turkish naval ships could escort Turkish energy exploration ships in the Mediterranean, raising the possibility of a naval confrontation. “We will try all channels of peace but we will also protect our country’s interests until the end,” Erdoğan said during the ceremony commenting on the gas row.

Turkey also earlier vowed to take measures to ensure freedom of navigation in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of Israel’s refusal to apologize to Turkey over a deadly raid in 2010 on an aid ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of eight Turks and a Turkish-American. Erdoğan said earlier that Turkish frigates and assault boats might be sent to the Eastern Mediterranean at any time to ensure freedom of navigation, raising the possibility of a naval confrontation with Israel.

Tuesday’s ceremony also marked the sending of the MİLGEM project’s second ship, Büyükada, to sea for trial. The MİLGEM project stands as a turning point for Turkey, as it marks the first corvette-class warship designed by Turkish naval engineers.

Both the software and hardware of the corvette’s war management systems were also developed domestically and much of the equipment was designed by domestic companies. Around 38 Turkish private sector companies were involved in the production of the Heybeliada’s sub-systems. The prototype cost close to $260 million to build.

The construction of the Heybeliada began on Jan. 22, 2007 and it has undergone comprehensive sea trials since 2008. Harpoon missiles as well as RAM PDMS air-guided missile defense systems are among the warship’s features. The systems and sub-systems developed for the ship include 3-D detection and tracking radars, degaussing systems, fire-control radars, hull-mounted sonar, naval guns, navigation radars and torpedo countermeasure systems.

September 28, 2011 ŞIRNAK – Doğan News Agency (DHA)

Tanks from the Cizre Tank Brigade in the southeastern province of Şırnak conducted a military exercise at Kuştepe range for two hours, Doğan News Agency, or DHA, reported Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a military convoy consisting of 40 vehicles carrying troops and supplies left from Nusaybin district in the southeastern Mardin province for Şırnak to reinforce the units there.

The Iranian destroyer Jamaran sails in the Persian Gulf in 2009. Top naval officials in Iran said Sept. 27 they plan to have a presense as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. (Ebrahim Nourozi / AFP via Getty Images)

28 Sep 2011 By ANDREW TILGHMAN DefenseNews

Iranian officials say their navy will deploy ships to the Atlantic Ocean near the U.S. coastlines, but Pentagon officials say they are not concerned.

Top Iranian navy officials said their ships may go as far as the Gulf of Mexico, and Iran may for the first time seek to establish a direct military hotline with the U.S. military, according to reports in the Iranian press.

"We should have a strong presence in all open seas," Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told the Tehran Times Tuesday.

Rear Adm. Ali Fadavi said, "When we go to the Gulf of Mexico, we will establish direct communication with them," according to the Iranian newspaper.

A Pentagon spokesman appeared skeptical.

"We'll have to see what they do or don't do after these statements," Pentagon spokesman George Little told reports in Washington on Wednesday. "Whether they can truly project naval power is a question in itself."

Also, Iranian officials said Wednesday that Iran has begun large-scale production of a domestically developed cruise missile designed for sea-based targets and capable of destroying warships.

Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said the missile, which has a range of 124 miles, can travel at low altitudes and "can sink giant warships." The comments appeared to suggest that the new missile could potentially counter the U.S. naval presence in the Persian Gulf.

The West is already concerned about Iran's military capabilities, especially the implications of the country's disputed nuclear program. The U.S. and some of its allies, and as the U.N. nuclear agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, fear that Iran is trying to produce a nuclear weapon. Tehran denies the charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

MOSCOW, September 28 (RIA Novosti)

Russia has returned to Iran a prepayment it received for S-300 surface-to-air missile systems it ultimately refused to deliver, the IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said his country is also demanding compensation for breach of the $800 million contract.

Earlier this month Iran complained to the International Court of Arbitration over Russia's refusal to implement a contract for the supply of the S-300 systems.

In June 2010, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1929, imposing restrictions on the supply to Iran of conventional weapons, including missiles and missile systems , tanks, attack helicopters, warplanes and ships .

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree banning the transfer of S-300 missiles, armored vehicles, combat aircraft, helicopters and ships to Iran on September 22, 2010.

source defensetech.org

September 28th, 2011 John Reed - DEFENSETECH

Well, this is interesting. After recently sending its ships through the Suez Canal for the first time in decades, the Iranian Navy will apparently send ships to establish a “powerful presence” off the East Coast of the United States.

Here’s CNN quoting Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency:

“Commander of the Navy of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran broke the news about the plans for the presence of this force in the Atlantic Ocean and said that the same way that the world arrogant power is present near our marine borders, we, with the help of our sailors who follow the concept of the supreme jurisprudence, shall also establish a powerful presence near the marine borders of the United States,” the story said. The reference to the “world arrogant power” was presumably intended to refer to the United States.

No word on what type of ships Iran will send to establish this “powerful force.” Keep in mind, that this light frigate known as the Jamaran, is one of Iran’s most modern and powerful ships. It carries four Noor class anti-ship missiles with a range of about 125-miles along with four SM-1 anti-aircraft missiles, light torpedoes and a 76 mm gun. Not exactly an Aegis destroyer.

Iran's first domestically-built destroyer, Jamaran, launched in the waters of the Persian Gulf in February, 2010

Wed Sep 28, 2011 presstv.ir

Iran's Deputy Navy Commander Captain Mansour Maqsoudlou has announced the country's plan to design and manufacture aircraft carriers.

The initial designs for building the carriers have been approved and the process of research, design and manufacture will start soon, Captain Maqsoudlou told IRNA on Wednesday.

The Iranian commander pointed to the Navy's capacities to accomplish the task despite the time-consuming nature of aircraft carrier building.

The Navy has set an agenda to produce vessels of different classes, some of which are being mass-produced and others being under study, Maqsoodlou pointed out.

He reiterated the Navy's ability to upgrade the equipment and systems in its fleet.

Since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the country has embarked on a campaign for self-sufficiency in the defense industry and launched numerous military projects.

Last year in February, the Iranian Navy unveiled its first domestically-manufactured destroyer, Jamaran, in the waters of the Persian Gulf.

The 1,420-ton destroyer, equipped with modern radars and other electronic warfare capabilities, patrols the southern waters of the Persian Gulf.

In January, Iran successfully test-fired the mid-range, surface-to-air Hawk missile, and the Iranian Defense Ministry delivered new cruise missile systems to the Navy.

The systems, designed and manufactured by Iranian experts, are capable of spotting and destroying different targets at sea.

Turkey’s first drone airplane called Anka is seen during a roll out ceremony at the Turkish Aerospace Space Industries, or TAI, near Ankara.

September 27, 2011 ÜMİT ENGİNSOY – Hürriyet Daily News - TRDEFENCE

ANKARA  - Despite accidents, the domestic Anka drone will remain key to fighting terrorism. Erdoğan’s remark that Turkey would get Predators from the US comes after Ankara’s decision to host a radar for NATO’s missile shield.

Turkey is striving to bolster its unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, fleet through international means, as domestic work to develop large pilotless aircraft has been faltering.

Turkish Aerospace Industries, or TAI, has been developing the Anka UAV, a medium-altitude, long-endurance, or MALE, aircraft, but the platform has crashed in all of its test flights over the past year. MALE UAVs can fly at an altitude of up to 30,000 feet (9 kilometers), carrying 200 kilograms for more than a day.In late December, the first Anka completed its debut flight with 14 minutes of cruising. In early May it flew for 90 minutes. Last week the aircraft flew even longer. But the authorities have faced landing problems. In all three cases, the vehicles crash-landed, partly destroying the aircraft. One defense analyst suggested that while landing the wind under the aircraft’s vast wings disturbed its balance and, as the landing gears are so close to each other, forced the vehicle to land on one of its wings.

“We will definitely resolve this problem and definitely make the Anka operable,” one procurement official said. “In the future, the Anka definitely will become the most useful asset in fighting terrorism.” The present versions are Tiha-A, a surveillance vehicle, and Tiha-B, an armed version also known as a combat drone. As success has been delayed in the Anka program, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced last week in New York, after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a U.N. gathering, that Washington would provide Turkey with advanced Predator drones. Turkey first asked for both unarmed and armed versions of the Predator nearly three years ago. The MQ-1 Predator is the surveillance version and the MQ-9 Reaper is the armed version. The United States extensively uses the Reaper in attacking al-Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorist and insurgent groups in Afghanistan. The number of drones to be given to Turkey is not clear, but they will be among the UAVs to be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of this year. One potential problem is that they will be based in Turkey’s southern airbase of İncirlik, and would continue to remain at least partially in U.S. control. The U.S. has sold the Reaper only to Britain for use in Afghanistan. Turkey last year bought 10 Heron IAI drones from Israel for $183 million, but relations with that country are continuing to worsen.

One of the drones crashed, a few of them are back in Israel for structural upgrades and the rest are operational. Some analysts suggest that Turkey would like to replace the Herons in the short term with the Predator as trust is low with Israel. In addition TAI in May signed an agreement with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company consortium to take part in the group’s planned Talarion UAV. “Among them, our top priority will be the full functioning of our own UAV, the Anka,” the TAI official said.

The Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari

Sep 27, 2011 presstv.ir

The Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the Navy plans to deploy vessels in the Atlantic Ocean near the US sea borders.

“Just like the global hegemony that is present near our marine borders, we … also plan to establish a strong presence near US marine borders,” IRNA quoted Sayyari as saying on Tuesday.

The US has deployed several fleets in the Persian Gulf.

He said that the deployment of Iranian naval fleets in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea as well as the presence of its submarines in the Red Sea marked an honor for the Iranian nation and other Muslim countries.

He said that Iran's Navy planned to have a strong presence in international waters.

This comes as Iran plans to dispatch its 16th fleet of warships to the Gulf of Aden as part of efforts to provide security for Iranian vessels and oil tankers in the piracy-infested area.

In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 in order to safeguard merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is a strategic energy corridor, particularly because the Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.

Despite international patrols, Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships in recent years and have taken in tens of millions of dollars in ransoms.