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

09 February

IRAN – SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia (and Bahrain) have banned Iranian-flagged vessels from entering their waters and imposed other shipping restrictions, potentially escalating tensions between Tehran and Riyadh.

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Iran to Purchase Sukhoi-30 Fighter Jets From Russia

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran will sign a contract with Russia for the purchase of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets, Iran's defense minister said Wednesday.

In comments published on the ministry of defense website, Gen. Hossein Dehghan did not specify how many fighter planes Iran will buy, or give a timeline for the signing of the deal. However, he said that under the agreement Iran would also be involved in the production of the aircraft.

Iran needs to "seriously focus on the air force and fighters," he said. "We are moving toward a contract. We told them that we need to be involved in the production (of the plane) as well."

Iran's acquisition is significant given its role as a regional power in the volatile Middle East, where it is backing opposite sides in conflicts in Yemen and Syria to its longtime rival Saudi Arabia.

The fighter jet is believed to be comparable to the American F-15E fighter bomber.
Iran's air force still heavily depends on domestically modified versions of long-outdated warplanes, including former Soviet MiGs and American F14A Tomcats from the 1970s.

Dehghan also rejected reports that Iran has negotiated the purchase of J10 fighter jets from China.

Russia has already started delivering S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran. The advanced defensive weapons system deal was frozen in 2010 due to U.N sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved delivery of the air defense missile system in April 2015, a move that will significantly bolster the Islamic Republic's military capability.

Dehghan said the first Iranian crews, who have been trained in Russia, will return home within the next two or three days and another group will be dispatched for training subsequently.

Iranian efforts to build up its air power is mostly a homegrown project, tweaking older technology or using domestic know-how to build its first generations of spy and attack drones. Iran has also made progress in developing its missile program.

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Saudi Arabia has doubled the number of Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) aircraft it has bought from BAE Systems, with an order for a further 22, it has been revealed in the company's preliminary annual report for 2015.

Released on 18 February, the 40-page document contains a small reference to a hitherto undisclosed new order for the Hawk AJT.

"We reached agreement with the Saudi customer for the provision of a further 22 Hawk [AJT] aircraft, associated ground equipment, and training aids for the Royal Saudi Air Force [RSAF], which form part of an enhancement to the kingdom's training capacity," the report said.
No further reference was made to the deal, and BAE Systems told IHS Jane's that it was unable to provide any additional detail at this stage.

As previously reported by IHS Jane's , the RSAF already operates 24 of the earlier-generation Hawk Mk 65 aircraft that it began receiving in 1987 and 16 Hawk Mk 65A aircraft from 1997. In 2012 it signed a GBP1.6 billion (USD2.5 billion at the time) contract for 22 of the latest-generation Hawks AJTs, plus 55 Pilatus PC-21s, and 25 Cirrus SR22 primary training aircraft, as well as simulators, upgraded training facilities, spares, and support.

Deliveries of the Cirrus SR22 were completed in the second half of 2013, while the Pilatus PC-21s began to enter the inventory in mid-2014. The first aircraft from the initial batch of 22 Hawk AJTs has entered into flight trials at BAE Systems' Warton facility in northern England ahead of the commencement of deliveries later this year.

The Hawk AJTs are being acquired because their 'glass' cockpits more closely resemble those of the Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing F-15SA Eagles onto which the student pilots will transition. Once in service, these latest Hawk AJTs will replace the Mk 65 and Mk 65A platforms that preceded them.

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Russia and Egypt are discussing the details of a contract on the delivery of Russian-made communications and control systems for the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to Cairo, a spokesman for the United Instrument-Manufacturing Corporation told TASS on Monday. A final decision has not been made yet, the spokesman said. The United Instrument-Manufacturing Corporation, part of Russia’s state hi-tech corporation Rostec, is the producer of the equipment of this type.

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US, Israel Start Delivering David’s Sling System to Israel Air Force
By Barbara Opall-Rome 10:55 a.m. EST March 1, 2016

TEL AVIV — Israel’s Missile Defense Organization and state-owned Rafael have started delivering major components of the new US-Israel David’s Sling Weapon System (DSWS) to its intended user, the Israel Air Force.

In a statement Tuesday, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced that the delivery process is taking place gradually, according to the DSWS development plan.

The first phase includes delivery of the multimission radar by Elbit Systems; Stunner interceptors by Rafael and its US partner, Raytheon Missile Systems; and the Golden Almond Battle Management Center by Elbit Systems Elisra.

That phase will be followed “in the near future” by integration testing of all system components prior to a declaration of initial operational capability by the Israel Air Force, according to the ministry.

In the past month, the DSWS was put through multiple operational simulations as part of the US-Israel Juniper Cobra exercise, a biennial air defense drill aimed at honing interoperability between the two nations.

The system completed a series of live-fire development tests last December against heavy rocket and short-range ballistic missile targets at Rafael’s Negev desert test range. At the conclusion of those tests, Shlomo Hess, Rafael’s DSWS program manager, announced that “all the unique technologies that comprise the David’s Sling Weapon System” had been validated and that the system would soon be transferred to Israel Air Force users.

“It’s very rare to achieve all the goals in such a complex test series … against long-range targets with heavy warheads capable of sustaining very big collateral damage,” Hess said at the time.

The jointly funded DSWS is designed to bridge the lower and upper tiers of Israel’s four-layer active defense defense network. It will be deployed above Israel’s Iron Dome and below the upper-atmospheric Arrow-2 and exo-atmospheric Arrow-3.

Israel expects DSWS to be particularly useful in defending against the vast and increasingly precise arsenal of Syrian 302mm rockets and Iranian half-ton warhead-equipped Fatah 110 rockets in the hands of Lebanon-based Hezbollah. It also is designed to defend against Scud B-class ballistic missiles, which can deliver one-ton warheads at ranges of some 300 kilometers.

In its March 1 statement, Israel’s MoD said the hit-to-kill system “is considered the world’s most revolutionary innovation” of missile interceptors.

“David’s Sling will allow Israel to more effectively defend against the wide range of current and future threats to its civilians. It will provide an additional layer of protection against short- and medium-range missiles and rockets, particularly against precision strikes,” according to MoD.

Future planned block developments aim to render the system capable of defending against cruise missiles and other air breathing targets.

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delft said:

From Marine Forum Daily News:

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Saudi Arabia and Bahrain do not believe in Freedom of Navigation. Is anyone protesting?

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Additional Mi-26T2 for Algeria

The Algeria has ordered 8 additional heavy helicopters Mil Mi-26T2, with the Russian agency Rosoboronexport. The country became the first export customer with 6 aircraft of the improved version of the famous Mi-26.

The Mil Mi-26T2:
The Mi-26T2 is designed for both military and civilian customers, the unit resumes some flight control algorithms already proven on the Mi-28N and has a new cockpit avionics which is modernized. This new version features a glass cockpit with LCD screens five inches, a digital autopilot and assisted Glonass navigation system that allows IFR operations. The use of night vision goggles is now possible.

The Mi-26T2 is powered by two Ivchenko-Progress D-136-2 turbines with FADEC, each developing 12,500 shp, with a capacity of 250 shp extra take-off mode with heavy load. This new version requires only two crewmembers of theft against three previously. A rotary STL-1600 camera allows monitoring in standard mode or infrared cargo transported.

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GCC Naval Forces arrive at Mina Salman Naval Base, Bahrain, to conduct Ex Union-18 in the Arabian Gulf, for 10 days

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