Persian Gulf & Middle East Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

ShahryarHedayat

Junior Member
Iran Successfully Tested Speed Boats with 110 Knots (203km/h) Speed!!!

Iran has successfully tested a fast moving boat with 110 knots per hour top speed, IRGC Naval Force Commander Ali Fadavi said.

Speaking during a conference on speedboats, the Iranian commander added that another model of fast moving boats would be industrially produced by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2016).

That watercraft will be able to move at 80 knots and equipped with 100-km-range missiles, Fars news agency reported May 26.

He also said that a maritime laboratory and testing lake of the Imam Hossein University (belonging to the IRGC) provide the opportunity to make and test watercraft with speeds up to 120 knots per hour.

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Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
The US Navy has tested numerous high speed vessels.

At significantly increased speeds, you run into all sorts of issues with weapons fired from the vessel.

You also have to deal with the issue of the ability for such small vessels to target and control the weapons they might wish to fire. Usually they are going to have to receive any meaningful acquisition and targeting data over a data link form larger vessels or other assets.

Having a naval vessel that will do 100 knots, and being able to effectively use it to attack anything are two different things.

One of the more recent exotic vessels the US Navy has been testing is the Ghost. Highly stealthy, high speed, high maneuverability. The prototype is a supercavitating vessel powered by two
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providing 2,000 horsepower, the plans are to later adopt the
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turboshaft engine.


 
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concerns the cost of the four GOWIND corvettes for Egypt (and is intended mainly for FORBIN :) :
of course we may never know the price ... but I searched Internet, found

in
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and if this was true (I have no idea if it is, or if it is not, though :) it would mean the price of weaponry will be added to 1b already announced ... then it could be about 200m for torps; 200m for Exocets; plus helos and 3" guns ... that's why I'm guessing the total amount would be 2b

P.S. All prices in Euros! LOL

in the newest issue of a Polish naval journal they say this one billion does NOT include weapons, which will cost additional about half of billion (so my estimate was more generous LOL) ... by the way, this info was on the first page -- DCNS is a strong candidate for a new Polish OPV (yes, just one is planned)
 

Miragedriver

Brigadier
Russia-Iran Arms Sales Could Reach $11-13Bln if UN Lifts Embargo – Expert

Full-scale military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Tehran would be resumed if the UN arms embargo is lifted, a Russian military expert opined.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — When the UN sanctions are lifted, the potential market for deals between Russia and Iran for military hardware could be estimated to reach $11-13 billion, Igor Korotchenko, the head of a Russian think tank specializing in weapons sales, said on Friday.

In accordance with Thursday’s nuclear energy deal reached during Iran-P5+1 talks, US and EU sanctions imposed on Iran will be suspended after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifies that Tehran is following through with the agreements. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov added that the UN arms embargo against Iran should also be lifted.

“Our countries have great potential for development of military-technical cooperation, the full scale of possible Russian arms deliveries to Iran could reach 11-13 billion dollars," Korotchenko told RIA Novosti.

Much to the dismay, no doubt, of at least 47 US Republican Senators, a
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of Action (JCPOA) was reached concerning Iran's nuclear program Thursday, after 8 straight days of final-round negotiations, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

He stressed that full-scale military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Tehran would be resumed if the UN arms embargo is lifted.

According to Korotchenko, Russia could become a major supplier of military equipment to the Islamic Republic, as Tehran, planning an ambitious program of rearmament for the country's army and navy, is politically unlikely to buy weapons from Western countries.

On June 9, 2010, the
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passed a resolution implementing sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Many of the sanction were military, including a ban on the sale of modern weapons to the country.

On September 22, 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an executive order enforcing the
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. The document banned all military sales from Russia to Iran and included the transfer of weapons to Iran from outside the borders of Russia by aircraft or vessels operating under the Russian state flag.

In October 2011, Russia delivered a ground-based 1L222 Avtobaza radar-jamming station to Iran. This was the first officially recorded sale following the introduction of sanctions.

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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Kuwait Air Force could be provided with Eurofighter

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(Defensa.com) The Governments of Italy and Kuwait have started negotiations for the sale of a consignment of 28 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter-bombers to Iraq. As usual in offers for sale of Eurofighter each of the four nations that have launched (Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK) program unitary head offers for sale, corresponding in this case to the Azzurri lead the possible sale to Kuwait.

Thus, according to various Italian and US media, a joint delegation of the Ministry of Defense of Italy, the Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI) and Alenia Aermacchi would be in Kuwait since last May 31.

According to some sources the cooperation agreement between Italy and Kuwait entail training two groups of Kuwaiti pilots in the Academy of AMI situated in Lecce. Kuwaiti spent two years evaluating various fourth-generation fighters and a half with the intention of buying a round for retrofitting its two fighter squadrons, which would be between 24 and 28 devices, also would hire timely maintenance, logistical support and training.

In any case, the issue has not been officially confirmed, as is usual in this type of sales. At this point remember that last May it was announced that Kuwait would acquire the purchase of a similar number of Boeing F / A-18E / F Super Hornet, to replace its current fleet of just under forty Hornet, more specifically the version F / A-18C / D with equipping squads Nos 9 and 25. It seems logical from the purely technical point, retrofitted with devices in the same US company, but greater control of sales and after logistical support that makes the United States through the DSCA, and the possible pursuit of greater European political support could be an important reason to opt for the European fighter-bomber.

In any case most of the nations in the region are in full process of resetting to the crisis that has befallen linked to the threat of the Islamic State, the Air Force of Kuwait, in this scenario, is providing its base, besides participating with its F / A-18C / D in the campaign of airstrikes against Shiite hutíes that toppled the government of Yemen, supporting the Sunni nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

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navyreco

Senior Member
Kuwait in talks with France to purchase 24 Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal helicopters
Kuwait wants to purchase 24 H225M Caracal utility helicopters, the office of French president François Hollande officially announced on Wednesday, June 10. "The contract will be signed as soon as possible" between the French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his counterpart Sheikh Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah said the official release. Airbus Helicopters has not yet reacted to the announcement.
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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Peshmerga Fighters Take Key Ridgeline in Iraq - US Central Command

The United States Central Command said that Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters assisted by the international anti-ISIL Coalition cleared an important ridgeline in Northern Iraq and took back 70 square kilometres of land.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters assisted by the international anti-Islamic State Coalition cleared an important ridgeline in Northern Iraq and took back 70 square kilometres of land, the
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(CENTCOM) said in a statement.

“Peshmerga Fighters supported by Combined Join Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve, seized a key ridgeline in Northern Iraq west of Kirkuk,” the statement, issued on Thursday, said.

The offensive pushed the Islamic State militants away from the Kirkuk oilfields.

“These forces overcame
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[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] resistance in this section of Iraq, and denied the terrorist group its freedom of maneuver in the area,” the statement explained.

The Peshmerga fighters took control of important positions on Route 80 within Iraq during the operation, three-to-five kilometers over a large front, taking back 70 square kilometers, according to the statement.

The statement added that Operation Inherent Resolve military forces utilized air strikes in support of the Peshmerga forces, destroying ten
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fighting positions, five tactical units and weapons systems.

Peshmerga fighters are poised to retake more territory from IS after the gains they made in Northern Iraq, according to the statement.

Operation Inherent Resolve is a coalition of nations whose goal is to defeat the IS and eliminate the threat the militants pose to Iraq, Syria, the Middle East and the world.

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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Kurds Maintain Independence Ambitions With Top Priority to Defeat
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Kurdish Regional Government representative to the United States Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman claims that KRG will eventually gain full independence, but the top priority is the fight against ISIL.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) will eventually gain full independence, but the top priority is the fight against the Islamic State (
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), KRG representative to the United States Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman told Sputnik on Monday.

“I think every day we get nearer to independence,” Rahman said. “I believe we will have an independent Kurdistan, the question is timing.”

Rahman explained that independence is “not the immediate priority,” because at present the Kurdish forces have to deal with the
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.

“The house is on fire, and we have to put the fire out,” she said.

In July 2014, KRG President Massoud Barzani announced his intention to hold an independence referendum in the coming months. The measure was delayed shortly after the announcement as the KRG became embroiled in the fight against the ISIL militants.

“We will have a referendum at some point,” Rahman stated, adding that the “vast majority of people will vote in favor of independence.”

The KRG has been encouraging members of the international anti-ISIL Coalition of more than 60 nations to provide direct arms and training to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, rather than going through the central Iraqi government in Baghdad.

Rahman noted that the US Congress is currently considering a bill that would provide direct military aid to the KRG, and other coalition members including Germany, Italy and France are actively considering the possibility of
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.

“If the US takes the lead, the others will follow. That’s the reality,” she said.

The Kurdish Peshmerga is part of the international anti-ISIL Coalition and have largely expelled ISIL from their territory in northern Iraq, taking back 90 percent of the territory seized by the extremists in August 2014, according to reports from the KRG.

The KRG currently relies on the Iraqi central government in Baghdad to allocate military equipment and to allocate funds for the regional government.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi addressed the KRG budget dispute in a Monday press conference during his first visit to Iraqi Kurdistan since taking office in August 2014. Al-Abadi explained that Iraq’s government is suffering a financial crisis affecting all regions.

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Miragedriver

Brigadier
Libya looks to Russia for arms

Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni has confirmed the widely held belief among Libyans that Turkey and Qatar are the main supporters of the militias in control of Tripoli since August, after overrunning the capital in a bloody 40-day war, and opposed to his internationally recognized government.

Disillusioned with the West, the Libya government is exploring opportunities in Russia and says it is willing to accept limited participation by
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that agree to play by the rules.

In an April 15 TV interview with RT's Arabic channel during his first visit to Moscow, Thinni said, “[C]ountries are trying to impose fanatical Islamic political views on the Libyan people.” He added, however, “Libyans do not want Islamists to dominate government,” but “welcome their participation” in the political process as long as they play by the rules. Thinni then went further, charging Qatar and Turkey with being the main weapons suppliers of the Islamist-backed militias running the Tripoli-based rebel government.

Many Libyan officials, including the army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Khalifa Hifter, as early as last June accused Ankara of arming and politically supporting the Tripoli-based militias while Doha took care of finances. Thinni also accused the West of turning its back on Libya after helping destroy it when NATO intervened in the 2011 civil war, which led to the fall of the Moammar Gadhafi regime in October that year. He said that Libyans are “disappointed by those who supported us in the beginning and let us down when we most need their help.”

France, the United Kingdom and the United States, among other countries, have so far refused to allow the UN Security Council to lift the arms embargo imposed on Libya in Resolution 1970, passed on Feb. 26, 2011. The Tobruk-based government has repeatedly asked the United Nations to lift the embargo so it can rearm its struggling military to try to counter the increasingly more powerful Islamists, particularly in Benghazi (in the east), Sirte (in the middle of the country) and Tripoli. Jordan, currently a non-permanent member of the Security Council, along with Egypt, sponsored a draft resolution to this end, but the idea was struck down by the major powers, including the United States, arguing that the UN-sponsored mediation led by Bernardino Leon is approaching a turning point, and the two sides in Libya should therefore refrain from activities that might jeopardize the talks currently underway in Skhirat, Morocco. According to Leon, both sides have agreed to a draft agreement he described as “something that the parties can agree [on].”

In lashing out in Russia, Libya’s prime minister accused Western states of being “contradictory” in their approach to the Libyan conflict, engaging in a double standard. While they accept him and his government as Libya's legitimate representatives, they deny his administration the kind of help it needs to exercise full sovereignty and counter the increasing spread of terror organizations in Libya. In an unexpected turn, it appears that US President Barack Obama is now concerned about the role some Gulf states are playing in Libya, echoing Thinni's assessment. On April 17 Obama told the media: “In some cases, you've seen them fan the flames of military conflict, rather than try to reduce them.”

Thinni's RT appearance was the first time he had spoken out by singling out certain countries that played a central role in bringing down the Gadhafi regime, ultimately handing the country over to their own enemies, namely, extremist Islamists. NATO's eight-month air campaign destroyed much of the Libyan army, and its rebuilding is what took Thinni to Russia in search of arms and training. Moscow has so many problems on its doorstep, however, it cannot offer much assistance unless the embargo is lifted.

Thinni also traveled to Moscow in an attempt to soothe ties with Russia, which have been strained since 2011, when Russia was accused of supporting the Gadhafi regime in the civil war. Indeed, Russia did not support UN Security Council Resolution 1973, which authorized the use of force against Libya at the time. Furthermore, in December 2011 President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of involvement in the killing of Gadhafi.

The Libyan army had been equipped with Russian-made weaponry in the past, and as Thinni noted, tens of thousands of Libyan officers trained at Soviet military academies in the 1970s and 1980s. After Libya was welcomed back into the international community, the Gadhafi regime signed large military and energy sector contracts with Moscow. On his visit, Thinni sought to reactivate contracts concluded during a 2008 visit by Gadhafi to Moscow that some described as a “shopping trip.” Contracts signed then included one to build a railroad from Sirte to Benghazi and major investments in energy and infrastructure.

If Moscow decides to respond to the Libyan cry for help, it will first need to go back to the UN Security Council to pass a resolution suspending the arms embargo or completely lifting it, both of which are unlikely to happen any time soon, unless the talks in Morocco reach a conclusive agreement, another unlikely possibility despite Leon’s optimism.

Until then, Thinni must make do with what is available to his government without expecting much from the international community.

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