DTN News - AFRICA DEFENSE NEWS: Africa Increases Imports of Ukrainian Arms

DTN News - AFRICA DEFENSE NEWS: Africa Increases Imports of Ukrainian Arms

**Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo have bought a total of 250 T-55 and T-72 tanks. The T-72, first produced in the Soviet Union in the 1970s, has been widely exported to many African, Asian and Middle Eastern nations.

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ukrspetsexport

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 20, 2011: Africa imported $956.7 million of Ukrainian armaments in 2010, an increase of about 20 percent over the previous year, Ukrainian government figures indicate.

"The portfolio of contracts signed by state-run arms exporter Ukrspetsexport increased in value from $799.5 million in 2009 to $956.7 million (in 2010)," said Ukraine's State Service for Export Control.

The 2009 figures represented a 14 percent increase over Ukrspetsexport's 2008 sales.

Africa's leading purchasers of Ukrainian weaponry are Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kommersant-Ukraine newspaper reported Monday.

The two countries bought a total of 250 T-55 and T-72 tanks. The T-72, first produced in the Soviet Union in the 1970s, has been widely exported to many African, Asian and Middle Eastern nations.

Oil-rich Sudan, currently fighting a number of insurgent groups along with Khartoum's campaign in Darfur, also bought Grad multiple rocket launchers, 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, 152-mm 1S3 Akatsia self-propelled howitzers, D-30 howitzers, 82-mm mortars and a masses of small arms, including 10,000 Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles.

Last month Ukrspetsexport signed a $100 million contract with the Ethiopian Defense Ministry on the delivery of more than 200 T-72 tanks, one of the largest contracts Ukrspetsexport has signed in the last 15 years. Ukrspetsexport is expecting the contract to generate additional business in the form of further orders for the repair and upkeep of the tanks.

The Ukrainian arms sales to Africa have aroused criticism as they are seen as fueling Africa's rampant civil wars. Former Ukrspetsexport Director Sergei Bondarchuk criticized the State Service for Export Control data as unrealistic.

"I don't trust these figures," Bondarchuk said. "As far as I know, we only signed an option for a previous contract with Sudan last year and the rest are ongoing deliveries under contracts signed by the previous team."

Documents released by WikiLeaks indicate the U.S. government expressed concern about Ukrainian arms exports to African nations.

One leaked document stated that during U.S.-Ukraine non-proliferation talks in Kiev in November 2009, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Vann Van Diepen claimed that Ukrspetsexport had sold tanks to South Sudan, despite assurances to the contrary and provided the Ukrainian negotiators with evidence of the sales.

Another leaked cable noted, "Van Diepen showed the Ukrainians clear satellite imagery of T-72 tanks unloaded in Kenya, transferred to rail yards for onward shipment, and finally in South Sudan. This led to a commotion on the Ukrainian side."

Ukrspetsexport not only sells the products of the Ukrainian arms industry but also the excess weaponry of the armed forces of Ukraine inherited from the Soviet army.

The T-72 Ural main battle tank was developed as a cheaper and more reliable, however less capable alternative to the T-64. It entered service with Soviet army in 1973. A total of 30 000 tanks of this type were produced in the Soviet Union, China, Czechoslovakia, India, Romania and Yugoslavia. It was exported to about 30 countries. At the end of 1990s Russia operated around 9 000 of these main battle tanks.

The T-72 is protected by composite armor. Some sources claim that front armor of the T-72 is equivalent to 500-600 mm. Side armor provides protection against IFV and helicopter cannons. Later production models were fitted with side skirts. The T-72 is completed with NBC protection system and automatic fire extinguishing equipment.

This main battle tank is completed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun, fitted with new carousel-type autoloader. Previous autoloader on the T-64 was unreliable and had a number of other drawbacks. However autoloader of the T-72 was slower than that, used on the T-64. Rate of fire is 8 rounds per minute, or 1 - 2 rounds per minute, when loaded manually. A total of 39 rounds for the main gun are carried. Effective range of fire with APFSDS round is about 2 000 - 3 000 day and 850 - 1 300 m at night. Armor penetration is about 590 - 630 mm at 2 000 m range.

Secondary armament consists of coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun and 12.7-mm machine gun, mounted on top of the roof in the opened mount.

Vehicle has a crew of three, including commander, gunner and driver.

The T-72 is powered by a V-46 diesel engine, developing 780 horsepower. This main battle tank is completed with a self-entrenching blade and can dig trench during 12-40 minutes, depending on the ground type. When not in use this self-entrenching blade provides additional protection for the front of the hull. Vehicle is fitted with a deep wading kit and can ford water obstacles up to 5 meters deep.

Variants

T-72 Ural-1 with improved armor protection;

T-72 Ural-K command tank with navigation equipment and additional communication equipment;

T-72A has a number of improvements;

T-72AK command version of the T-72A;

T-72AV fitted with explosive reactive armor;

T-72M export model of the T-72A;

T-72B with thicker turret armor;

T-72BK command version of the T-72B;

T-72B1 has no capability to launch anti-tank guided missiles;

T-72S export version of the T-72B;

T-72S1 export version of the T-72B1;

T-72BM fitted with second generation explosive reactive armor;

T-90 further development of the T-72. It uses a well-proven hull of the T-72 and turret with all weapon systems of the T-80U. Also it has a number of other improvements. It was accepted to service with the Russian Army in 1993;

PT-91 Twardy improved Polish version of the T-72;

TR-125 Romanian version of the T-72;

M-84 former Yugoslavian version of the T-72;

Other variants are:

BREM-1 armored recovery vehicle;

BREM-2 armored recovery vehicle;

MTU-72 armored bridgelayer;

IMR-2 combat engineering vehicle;

BMR-3M mine clearing vehicle;

BMPT tank support combat vehicle;

BMO-T specialized heavy armored personnel carrier;

2S19 Msta-S 152-mm self-propelled howitzer.

Current operators of T-72 MBT (Wikipedia)

T-72 operators in bright red, former operators in dark red.

Hungarian T-72 tanks.

This list does not include operators of the Yugoslavian M-84.

• Abkhazia – 40
• Algeria – 500
• Angola – 22 T-72M1 bought from Belarus in 1999.^[1]
• Armenia – 160^[2]
• Azerbaijan – 180 T-72A en T-72B in 2003.^[2]
• Belarus – 1,465 T-72B.^[3][4]
• Bulgaria – 160 T-72M2 and a large number (some 270) in reserve.^[5]
• Cuba – About 50 Т-72М1 ^[2]
• Czech Republic – 543 inherited from former Czechoslovakia in 1993. 179 T-72 main battle tanks in service as of 1 January 2008.
• Djibouti – 42 bought from Yemen.
• Ethiopia – 50 bought from Yemen, 200 reportedly ordered from Ukraine in 2011.^[6]
• Georgia – 50 T-72A and T-72M1 in 2004. 140 T-72A, T-72M1 and T-72B in 2005. 170 T-72M1, T-72B and T-72Sim1 in 2007. Approximately 200 T-72B1 and T-72Sim1 in 2008, 169 Т-72B1 and T-72Sim1 as of 2009.^[7]
• Hungary – 195 T-72M and T-72M1 in 2009. To be retired after 2010.^[2]
• India – 1,900 T-72M and T-72M1 as of 2008^[8]
• Iran – 480 T-72M1 and T-72S since 2002.
• Iraq – 1000 T-72s, T-72Ms, T-72M1s, Lion of Babylon and Saddam tanks were in service with Iraqi Army in 1990. 375 T-72s, T-72Ms, T-72M1s, Lion of Babylon and Saddam tanks were in service with Iraqi Regular Army in 2003. Only 120 T-72M1 are in service as of 2009 with the new Iraqi Army.
• Kazakhstan - 980^[9]
• Kenya – 77 T-72AV from Ukraine in 2007. 33 delivered in Feb 2009 may bring total to 110.
• Kyrgyzstan - 215^[10]
• Libya – 150 in 2003.^[2]
• Macedonia – 30 T-72A and 1 T-72AK from Ukraine.
• Morocco – 200
• Myanmar – 139 T-72S
• North Korea – Probably a T-72S was sold to the North Koreans in the early 1990s.^[11]
• Poland – 586 T-72M1 and T-72M1D^[12] (2006, 2007 - 597,^[13] 2005 - 644, 2004 - 649 ^[14] ) and 135 T-72M1Z^[12][15] (T-72M1 upgraded to PT-91 standard) (Also 98 PT-91 in service) Plans to withdraw the T-72M1 in 2018.
• Russia – 1,200 in active service, 8000 in reserve^[16]
• Slovakia – 272 T-72M and T-72M1.
• South Sudan – 32 T-72s from the MV Faina as well as 67 T-72s from previous arms shipments.^[17]
• South Ossetia – 10 Used during in the 2008 South Ossetia War.
• Syria – 1,600^[18]
• Tajikistan - 44^[19]
• Turkmenistan - 702^[20]
• Ukraine – 1,180^[21]
• Uzbekistan – 70^[22]
• Venezuela – 92 T-72BM ordered
• Vietnam – 480 T-72M1 in the 2005, supplied by Poland.
• Yemen – 39 in 2003.^[2]

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Ukrspetsexport

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News: Congo Wants Russian Mini-Submarines To Help Research Lake Tanganyika

DTN News: Congo Wants Russian Mini-Submarines To Help Research Lake Tanganyika

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - July 13, 2009: Congo authorities want Russian mini-subs involved in deep-water research into Siberia's Lake Baikal to assist in a study of Lake Tanganyika, a senior official for Russia's Metropol investment company in Congo said. Tanganyika is the world's second deepest freshwater lake after Baikal. The lake is divided between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi. "I arrived here with the hope that experience in the studying of Baikal would help us," Sammi Kimbata said. "We would like Russian Mir mini-subs involved in the search of Baikal to participate in the study of Tanganyika." The Mir-1 and Mir-2 mini-subs, which carried out 52 dives in Lake Baikal last summer, have recently resumed a study of the lake. Research earlier discovered evidence that most of Lake Baikal is much younger than its widely accepted age of 25 million years. The study and preservation of Tanganyika, whose over 2,000 forms of life are threatened by pollution, may be hampered by the fact that it stretches across four countries, Kimbata said. "We should agree how to study and save the lake. If one nation stops the pollution this must be done by the others, or it will be senseless," he said.

Congo-Kinshasa: FDLR On Rampage In DRC - UNHCR

Congo-Kinshasa: FDLR On Rampage In DRC - UNHCR

(NSI News Source Info) May 1, 2009: The UN continues to conduct “follow operations” in North Kivu province to prevent the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) from reassembling. Congolese Army units are participating in the sweeps.

Two Rwandan Hutu rebels of the FDLR (Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda) stand in dense forest outside Pinga, 150kms north west of Goma. Rwandan soldiers of the RDF (Rwandan Defence Force) have advanced into previously held rebel positions. A joint operation between Congolese and Rwandan soldiers has forced the rebels to retreat into the bush.

Results are decidedly mixed. Aid workers in the area have called the UN-Congolese operation a failure. Refugee agencies report that at least 100,000 people have been forced to temporarily flee the fighting. There are also reports of FDLR militiamen murdering civilians. This echoes reports of reprisal attacks by the FDLR in early April.

FDLR militiamen blamed Congolese civilians for giving away their hiding places when the Rwandan Army and the Congolese Army were conducting their joint offensive in January and February 2009 against the FDLR (which are the remnants of the Hutu mass murderers who fled Rwanda in 1994). April 28, 2009: UN commanders are once again asking the Security Council to provide MONUC (UN operation in Congo) another 3,000 troops, in addition to the current force of 17,000 soldiers in the Congo. Operations in North Kivu aren’t the only reason. MONUC has promised to position more peacekeepers in northeastern Congo, where Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) cadres are still active. Meanwhile, an FDLR faction appears to be in the vicinity of Kirumba (North Kivu province), intending to attack the town. April 27, 2009: FDLR militiamen have attacked several commercial vehicles on roads leading to the city of Goma (North Kivu province). Likely the militiamen are after supplies, but in the aftermath of the Congo-Rwanda offensive they also want to send the political message that they have not been defeated. April 18, 2009: FDLR militiamen attacked the town Luofo (North Kivu province). They burned down 250 homes and killed seven people. Five of the dead were children. Luofo is fairly large, with a population of 14,000. The UN responded to the attack by sending a detachment of peacekeepers. The UN mission in Congo, or MONUC, early Saturday sent peacekeeping troops to Luofo and the Red Cross dispatched a team to bury the victims. April 17, 2009: FDLR militiamen attacked several villages near the town of Lubero (North Kivu province, north of the capital, Goma). The FDLR struck the towns of Kirumba, Kanyabonga, and Kayna.

British Commonwealth Nations Provide Bulk Of The UN's Peacekeeping Forces

British Commonwealth Nations Provide Bulk Of The UN's Peacekeeping Forces

(NSI News Source Info) March 8, 2009: The UN's peacekeeping army of 112,000 troops, would be much less effective, were not for the British Empire. About a third of those peacekeepers come from nations that were formerly part of the British Empire (mostly from what used to be British India; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal.) To maintain and protect is empire, the British recruited lots of local troops, and trained them as they would British soldiers. While most of the officers were British, most of the NCOs were locals.

The Indian Army's participation in the UN peacekeeping operations spans a period of 57 years covering 43 UN Missions, in which over ninety thousand Indian soldiers have served in various parts of the world. In support of UN peacekeeping endeavors, the Indian Army has contributed outstanding force commanders, elite military contingents, impartial observers and dedicated staff officers. Their devotion to duty and excellent performance has been widely acclaimed.

Before the British relinquished its colonies after World War II, it also trained many locals as officers. Much of this Western training and military traditions took hold, especially in South Asia. The British encountered some formidable local armies when they moved into India three centuries ago. But the British had better technology and more advanced military doctrine. The Indians noted this, and some of the local rulers quickly, but not quickly enough, adopted the superior British practices.

When the British left, the South Asian armies remained very British in the way they trained and operated. That meant well trained and well led troops, but without all the gadgets that Western nations lavish on their soldiers. For peacekeeping, the disciplined and reliable South Asian soldiers are excellent peacekeepers.

Those from other less affluent nations often lack the discipline and good leadership, and account for most of the peacekeeping scandals. Meanwhile, corruption, casualties and lack of success are discouraging countries from contributing their troops for peacekeeping. The corruption angle is interesting, as it pertains both to the corruption within the UN bureaucracy, and the corrupt atmosphere the peacekeepers operate in, and often succumb to. Casualties are expected, but the contributing countries feel a lot of their troop losses are the result of restrictive UN rules that limit what peacekeepers can do. This, in turn, is believed most responsible for a lack of success for the peacekeeping missions. India, Bangladesh and Pakistan (who contribute nearly a quarter of the UN force) are not happy with the lack of volunteers from other major nations. The chief reasons for that are the same ones annoying the current peacekeepers (corruption and restrictive rules of engagement). In addition, the major military powers (with the exception of China and Russia) feel they already contribute quite a lot in the form of money to pay the peacekeepers. And the contributors are also upset at the lack of results. The UN will spend about $8 billion on fifteen peacekeeping operations this year. This pays for a force of over 112,000 troops and support staff. It's actually a pretty cheap way of keeping some conflicts under control. The causes of the unrest may not be resolved by peacekeepers, but at least the problem is contained and doesn't bother the rest of the world too much.

This is an increasingly unpopular approach to peacekeeping, except in the UN bureaucracy. Many UN members would rather send peacekeepers to where they are not wanted (by the government, usually a bad one, that is often the cause of the trouble in the first place.) Most of the money is going to a few large peacekeeping operations. Three of the largest (Congo, Darfur and south Sudan) get over half the cash. Africa has the largest number of "failed states" on the planet and, as such, is most in need of outside security assistance. The Middle East is also a source of much unrest. But there the problem isn't a lack of government, just bad government. Most Middle Eastern nations are run by tyrants, who have created police states that at least keep anarchy at bay.