DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israel Strike On Iran Would Be Disaster: Netanyahu's Ex-Deputy

DTN News - ISRAELI DEFENSE NEWS: Israel Strike On Iran Would Be Disaster: Netanyahu's Ex-Deputy

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 18, 2012:  A former deputy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday a pre-emptive military strike against Iran over its nuclear program could embroil Israel in a "disastrous war".

Shaul Mofaz, a parliamentary opposition leader who quit Netanyahu's cabinet last month where he served as vice premier, said on Israeli television he thought Israel was "planning a hasty, irresponsible event".

The former general and defense minister said he thought Israel could not do anything to force a strategic change in Iran's nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at producing atomic weapons. Tehran says it is for peaceful purposes.

As a member of Netanyahu's security cabinet for two months, Mofaz was privy to deliberations on Iran's nuclear program.

He told Channel 2 television in a studio interview that any Israeli military action "can at the most delay it (Iran's program) by about a year, and it can bring upon us a disastrous war".

Naming both Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, he said he was "very worried at what they are preparing". He added: "I hope very much we don't reach such a war because it would be a disaster."

Days after he quit the cabinet late in July in a dispute about military conscription policy, Mofaz, who heads the centrist Kadima party, cautioned he would not back any Israeli military "adventures".

His comments echoed those of other former Israeli security officials who have spoken against any unilateral attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, with some saying such an assault could spur Tehran to speed up uranium enrichment.

Some officials have also voiced concern that any strike could prompt Iran's proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, to launch rocket attacks on Israel.

Israel, widely believed to be the only atomic power in the Middle East, views Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat, citing threats made by leaders of the Islamist nation to destroy the Jewish state.

There has been an upsurge in rhetoric from Israeli politicians this month suggesting Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities ahead of U.S. presidential elections in November.

Netanyahu is frustrated that Western diplomacy to try to force Iran to rein in its program has so far proved fruitless. Reported intelligence leaks that Tehran has been accelerating rather than scaling back its program have added to tensions.

However senior Israeli officials have said that a final decision about whether to attack Iran has not yet been taken, with ministers disagreeing over the issue and the military hierarchy unhappy about the prospect of going it alone without full U.S. backing.

(Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by Pravin Char)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters
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DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: Female Pilots Trained For New J-10 Vigorous Dragon Fighter Jet In China

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: Female Pilots Trained For New J-10 Vigorous Dragon Fighter Jet In China

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Yuan Xiaowei / for China Daily
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 18, 2012: A group of Chinese female pilots have recently made their first solo flights in the J-10 combat aircraft, becoming the first female air force pilots capable of flying the multirole aircraft - the country's most advanced fighter jet.

The five female pilots completed solo flights and missions navigating the J-10 on July 29 and 30, the PLA Daily reported on Wednesday.

The flights took place in an airfield in North China, the paper said, without identifying the airfield's name.

J-10 is designed and produced by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corp.

The aircraft, called the "Vigorous Dragon" in the West, is a multirole combat aircraft capable of air-to-air combat and ground-attack missions.

The paper said the five women were among China's first group of 16 female fighter pilots. They have served in the air force's combat troops after graduating from flight colleges in 2009.

He Xiaoli, one of the five pilots, has participated in a fly-over of Tian'anmen Square during the National Day Parade in honor of the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, the paper said.

Given the strict training and their diligence, the female pilots can do what men can, Wang Qin, one of the group's instructors, was quoted as saying.

China has trained nearly 500 female pilots since women were first permitted to enroll in flight schools in 1951, the paper said.

Those female pilots have completed various missions, ranging from flying transport planes, conducting air detection to fighting in military exercise or providing rescue and relief work in emergencies.

In 2005, China's air force began to recruit female combat pilots, following the global trend to enable women to enter military service in the air.

In addition to China, 15 other countries have female fighter pilots, including the United States, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Pakistan.

The paper said China will further train female pilots to fly bombers, early-warning aircraft and tanker aircraft.

The special group has became a cradle of and talent pool for the astronaut corps, as Liu Yang, China's first woman in space, served as a female pilot in the air force before she was selected as an astronaut.

 

tanzongyang@chinadaily.com.cn

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Yuan Xiaowei / for China Daily
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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