Middle East: Peaceful Co-Existence Is The Best Solution For All Sides / Can Rockets Stop Firing From All Sides?

Middle East: Peaceful Co-Existence Is The Best Solution For All Sides / Can Rockets Stop Firing From All Sides? (ALL SIDES SOLUTION)

(NSI News Source Info) January 7, 2009: The Israeli economy grew by 4.1 percent in 2008. The Palestinian economy in Gaza didn't. Hamas blames Israel for the economic collapse in Gaza, because a blockade intended to keep out weapons, for use against Israel, also keeps out other goods. Israel applies economic pressure in much the same way Hamas does (by crippling economic growth in southern Israel with rocket attacks.) But Hamas and Israel have different priorities. For Israel it's survival and growth. For Hamas it's the destruction of Israel and the establishment of a worldwide Islamic religious dictatorship. From a distance, it's easy to ignore the goals of Hamas, but the closer you get, the uglier, and more lethal, Hamas becomes. For example, Egypt has remained very hostile to Hamas, and any ceasefire that does not curb the organizations violent behavior. A recent poll of Israelis shows 95 percent of Jewish citizens support the operations against Hamas. Those are numbers no politician in a democracy can ignore. The Israeli Air Force has been launching about 90 attacks a day on targets in Gaza. Smart bombs and guided missiles have been used extensively. For the last two years, the Israeli Army has been developing new tactics and equipment for fighting Hamas and Hezbollah type gunmen in urban areas. The Israelis have built training areas, with dense urban construction, and run many of its ground troops through special exercises. How well the new tactics and training are will be seen in the next week or so. The new tactics are meant to minimize civilian casualties, while enabling Israeli troops to quickly move through the area and kill or capture enemy personnel and equipment. Reservist units being called up, that have not gone through the special training, are being sent to the new training centers for at least a few days of instruction on the new tactics. These new methods, while officially secret, apparently involve some new fighting tactics, and lots of electronic warfare. Hamas has had to operate with both cell phones and landline communications down. In addition, their walkie-talkies are sometimes jammed, and apparently listened to carefully by Israeli electronic warfare troops. This is causing command and coordination problems for Hamas fighters. In the north, the military has warned civilians that Hezbollah may begin firing rockets if Hamas looks like it is taking too much damage (that is, being defeated in the court of public opinion.) So far, about 550 Palestinians have died, and seven Israelis (including three soldiers killed in a friendly fire incident). Hamas cannot win when fighting Israel, and is determined to win an Information War. That means getting the maximum number of Palestinian civilians killed or wounded and getting images of that onto TV worldwide. While Israel is keeping reporters out of the combat zone (since December 29th), Hamas is not, and reporters from Moslem nations are eager to tell the story as Hamas wants it told (you get expelled from the area, or worse, if you don't, but that's a story that won't get reported until long after this is all over.) Getting enough diplomatic pressure on Israel to force a ceasefire allows Hamas to re-arm and increase its attacks on Israel. You only have to look at the Arab language message coming from Hamas through all this. The destruction of Israel and extermination of the Jews is what Hamas is all about. They make no secret of it, but do play it down in their non-Arabic press releases. That's because Hamas knows that, by playing the victim, they get more sympathy (and threats of sanctions against Israel) from the West, and mode aid (cash, volunteers) from the Islamic world. Hamas believes last year was a victory for them, as terrorist attacks killed 36 Israelis in 2008, up from 13 in 2007. Most of these attacks were not the work, directly, of Hamas, but rather West Bank based terrorists or Israeli Arabs caught up in the "destroy Israel" movement. Although most Israeli Arabs are better off than Arabs anywhere else in the Middle East, many still back calls for the destruction of Israel, because it's (for most Arabs) the right thing to do. Calls for a ceasefire are going unanswered because Hamas and Israel cannot agree on the terms. Israel wants an end to the smuggling from Egypt and an international police force ensuring that no more rockets or mortar shells are fired into southern Israel. Hamas will not accept this, and is urging that Israel stop bombing targets in Gaza, and get its troops out of Gaza. In return, Hamas offers a ceasefire like the one that ended in December (fewer rockets fired into southern Israel, but no restrictions on the smuggling from Egypt). Arab diplomats are demanding acceptance of the Hamas rules, while European diplomats are urging Israel to "be reasonable". January 4, 2009: Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, who just rotated into the presidency of the European Union, has made himself very unpopular in Western Europe by pointing out that Israel is simply defending itself. There's a big split between East and West Europe when it comes to terrorism and dealing with totalitarian governments (like Hamas). East Europe has half a century of recent history living under the rule of tyrants (Nazis and communists) who knew how to spin the media. While Western Europeans have read books like "1984", East Europeans lived it, and they have not forgotten. They will eventually, but they have only been free since 1989. Given another decade or so, and their memories of their despotic rulers will soften, as will their attitude towards modern day tyrants-with-good-publicists. Outfits like Hamas not only learned much from the Nazis and communists, but actually admire these two groups. Arabs were very pro-Nazi during World War II, and Hamas ally Hezbollah, up in Lebanon, has adopted the infamous Nazi straight arm salute as their own. Hamas managed to fire about 30 rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel. This activity is expected to decline even more as Israeli troops physically occupy the areas in northern Gaza from which most of the rockets are launched. Even now, Hamas has taken to launching the rockets from backyards in Gaza City. Palestinian civilians are fleeing the fighting, knowing well the Hamas preference for using civilians as human shields. January 3, 2009: After nightfall, Israeli ground troops entered Gaza, quickly cutting the top third of the 41 kilometer long Gaza Strip off from the rest. This area has about 440,000 people, most of them crammed into Gaza City. The advance was preceded by the first use of artillery against Gaza in two years. A barrage of four Palestinian Qassam rockets left smoke trails in the sky after they are fired from Gaza toward the Israeli town of Sderot. Israel is intensifying its wide-scale ground assault against Gaza in an effort to put an end to Hamas rocket attacks against the Jewish state. In eight days of operations, 430 Palestinians and four Israelis have been killed. Hamas has not been as successful as it hoped in using civilians as human shields, and running up the civilian death toll. Lots of dead civilians are essential to Hamas success (it getting enough Western countries threatening Israel and forcing a ceasefire). Fighting on the ground will cause more Israeli military personnel, but will make it more difficult for Hamas to get Palestinian civilians killed. January 1, 2009: Hamas managed to fire about 70 rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel. Israeli aircraft hit 25 targets in Gaza, including a mosque that was being used for storing weapons and launching rockets. Israel believes that 57 percent of the 390 Palestinians killed in Gaza so far were Hamas personnel, 11 percent were civilians, and, for the remainder, it was unclear. December 31, 2008: Hamas has fired about 60 rockets and mortar shells a day into southern Israel since the Israeli bombing began on the 27th. These attacks have killed four Israelis and wounded several dozen.

Pakistan and U.S. Rebuild Strained Military Ties

Pakistan And U.S. Rebuild Strained Military Ties (NSI News Source Info) TORKHAM - Afghanistan - January 6, 2009: U.S and Pakistani military cooperation has increased as the two nations push to eliminate militants destabilizing both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border, a marked change from last year's tense relationship.

Senior American military officers say the U.S. is allowing Pakistani officers to view video feeds from unmanned drones flying over Pakistan's ungoverned border regions. The U.S. is also granting access to American intercepts of militant cellular and satellite phone calls inside Pakistan. Unfortunately a fair bit of this will end up being 'fed' straight to the Talibunnies ...The Pakistani military is using the U.S. intelligence to carry out strikes against extremists in its Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which are widely thought to harbor senior members of al Qaeda, the Taliban and other armed Islamist groups. U.S. officials believe Afghanistan is deteriorating because of insurgents based in these "safe havens."

The cooperation is a contrast from earlier last year when Islamabad, reacting to public anger over U.S. ground and air strikes inside the country, withheld military cooperation. The once-solid relationship between Washington and Islamabad deteriorated over the summer after an American missile killed 11 Pakistani soldiers.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, the top U.S. commander in eastern Afghanistan, said the number of insurgents crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan has begun to decrease, reducing a major cause of instability in Afghanistan. Gen. Schloesser said U.S. and Afghan forces, which were hit by up to 20 rockets a day over the summer, are now hit by two or three.U.S. officials attributed the declines to American missile strikes on insurgent targets inside Pakistan and the coordinated military campaign known as Operation Lionheart, which involves U.S. moves against militants in the Kunar region of Afghanistan and a large Pakistani campaign in the extremist stronghold of Bajaur.American soldiers fired a mortar at Forward Operating Base Bostick in eastern Afghanistan. "The operations in Bajaur and the Predator strikes in Waziristan have caused a disruption across the border," Gen. Schloesser said. The general's comments mark one of the first times a senior U.S. official has publicly confirmed the use of U.S. missile strikes in Pakistan.

Pakistan's chief military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said Operation Lionheart had succeeded in pushing many militants out of Bajaur, which had long been the main extremist stronghold in northwestern Pakistan.U.S. officials credit the turnaround in part to Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, the head of Pakistan's armed forces, who has come to believe that militants pose an extreme threat. Gen. Kiyani replaced the head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence, which has long maintained covert ties to the Taliban and other armed groups, and has devoted significant military resources toward the fight in the border regions.

Pakistan's fragile civilian government has also taken a harder line toward the militants than many U.S. officials expected.

William Wood, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul, said in a recent interview that Pakistan was "unquestionably taking more effective action" against militants. "The only reason I wouldn't refer to it as a bright spot is that the problem is such a big one," he said.

The focal point of the U.S.-Pakistani military cooperation is the small base at Torkham, a strategically vital border town that abuts the Khyber Pass, the main supply route for Western forces in Afghanistan.

The American-built base here opened in the spring, and was meant to house military personnel from the U.S., Afghanistan and Pakistan. During a trip to Torkham over the summer, the barracks rooms set aside for the Pakistanis sat empty, with the mattresses still covered in plastic.

In late December, by contrast, U.S. troops sat in a large tactical operations room alongside Afghan personnel in dark-green fatigues and Pakistani soldiers in flowing tan uniforms. The video feed from an American drone was being projected onto a large pull-down screen at the front of the room.

The Pakistani personnel at Torkham have secure phone and data connections back to their country. A senior U.S. official said the Pakistanis receive access to American "signals intelligence," mainly intercepts of radio traffic, cellular and satellite phone calls.

Maj. Robert Brown, the top U.S. official at Torkham, said the base is meant to "knit together" the U.S., Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The point is to make sure everyone knows all the same information, and can act on it," he said in an interview.

Pakistan Government Covertly Supporting Taliban To Suppress Balochs / Pakistan Uses Taliban As A Proxy Against Balochs

Pakistan Government Covertly Supporting Taliban To Suppress Balochs / Pakistan Uses Taliban As A Proxy Against Balochs

(NSI News Source Info) Peshawar - January 6, 2009: The Pakistan government is providing covert support to the Taliban to capture land in eastern and western Quetta in order to undermine the Baloch nationalist movement and promote Talibanisation in Balochistan. Balochistan National Party (BNP) information secretary and former Senator, Sanaullah Baloch, said that the government is fully aware of these encroachments, but it was deliberately silent because the Taliban enjoy the support of the government and its intelligence agencies who wish to pit the religious elements against the Baloch nationalists.

The Daily Times quoted Baloch as saying that the government had failed to establish its writ in Quetta, where the Taliban and their supporters were consolidating their grip.

Several parts of the provincial capital have become ‘no-go areas’ where the Taliban and their supporters have consolidated their position, he added. “We are surprised why the government does not undertake a military operation against these elements who have openly challenged the writ of the government,” Baloch said.

“Military operations were carried out in Dera Bugti and Sui areas by the government on the pretext of establishing the writ of the government, but the state machinery does not move against the Taliban and their supporters who have illegally and forcefully captured large areas of land in Balochistan,” he said.

Baloch said that the government was trying to patronise the Taliban elements in Quetta and its outskirts in order to undermine the power of the actual democratic forces.

The Afghan refugees, besides being a burden on the economy of Balochistan, have become the biggest cause of lawlessness and terrorism in the country’s largest province, Baloch said. Billions of rupees were being spent on eliminating the Taliban and their supporters in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the NWFP, he said, asking why the government was ignoring the ‘alarmingly dangerous moves’ of the Taliban and giving them protection in Quetta. The BNP leader criticised the government for initiating fresh operations in Dera Bugti and Naseerabad areas, adding that such unprovoked operations were likely to escalate tensions in Balochistan.

India Asserts Mumbai Attackers Were Supported Within Pakistani State

India Asserts Mumbai Attackers Were Supported Within Pakistani State

(NSI News Source Info) January 6, 2009: India confronted Pakistan on Monday with a detailed dossier that it said showed that "elements from Pakistan" were behind the November terrorist assault on Mumbai and said it was inconceivable that no one in the Pakistani government knew of the plans. India's moves added pressure to the already tense relationship between the nuclear-armed rivals over the assault, in which some 170 people died. The evidence handed to Islamabad included the lengthy confession extracted during the interrogation of Ajmal Kasab, the only gunman caught during the attack. McClatchy Newspapers reported Dec. 6 that Kasab had come from Faridkot, a village in Pakistan's Punjab province. Also in the dossier were telephone intercepts between the assailants and their alleged handlers in Pakistan, data retrieved from recovered GPS and satellite phones and details of "recovered weapons and equipment," India's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. India also briefed the ambassadors of more than a dozen countries in New Delhi - including the U.S., Britain, Israel, Japan and Turkey - on the evidence that it said it had gathered. Shiv Shankar Menon, India's foreign secretary, the top bureaucrat in the Foreign Ministry, said it "beggars the imagination" that no one within the Pakistani state knew about the preparations for the attack, an accusation that appeared directed at the Pakistani army and its intelligence agencies. "It's hard to believe that something of this scale, that took so long in the preparation and of this nature, which amounts really to a commando attack, could occur without anybody, anywhere, in the establishment knowing that this was happening," Menon said in New Delhi. Pakistan has said that if anyone in the country were involved, it would have to be "non-state actors." The Pakistani government said it was "carrying out its own investigations and was determined to uncover the full facts pertaining to the Mumbai terrorist attacks." "It is our duty, my duty, to examine the dossier carefully, understand it and be truthful to myself, to my country and the neighborhood," Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said. Up to now, Pakistan had said that it couldn't act without proof, but India had been reluctant to trust its archenemy with evidence. "Frankly, what we have seen so far does not impress us," Menon said. "What we want is ... to bring the perpetrators to Indian justice and to guarantee that there are no terrorist attacks from Pakistan on India. As of now, all we have seen is denial or confusing and contradictory statements." India thinks that the Islamist extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out the Mumbai assault, a claim that Western experts view as likely to be correct. Two of the alleged planners of the attack were arrested in Pakistan and, according to some news reports, have confessed in custody. However, so far Pakistan has yet to accept officially that Kasab or any of the other nine gunmen was from Pakistan. In the past, Lashkar-e-Taiba had ties to Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's premier spy agency. Visiting Islamabad on Monday, Richard Boucher, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for South Asia, said that "It's clear ... that the attackers had links that lead to Pakistani soil." He also said that there was "determination here (in Islamabad) to follow up, find those responsible." Washington is anxious to defuse the crisis, as any escalation probably would lead to Pakistan pulling troops off the Afghan border, where they're deployed against the Taliban and al-Qaida, to the eastern border with India.

Israel Tests New C4I System in Gaza Fighting / Israel Aerospace Industries' Command and Control System Installed in Urban Situation Room in Ashkelon

Israel Tests New C4I System in Gaza Fighting / Israel Aerospace Industries' Command and Control System Installed in Urban Situation Room in Ashkelon (NSI News Source Info) BEN GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Israel - January 6, 2009: The MC4 System (MLM Command and Control Communication Center) has been activated in the city of Ashkelon's Urban Situation Room since the beginning of operation "Cast Lead" in Gaza. The MC4 is produced by the MLM Division of the Systems, Missiles and Space Group of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The MC4 uses data flow obtained from sensors, cameras and on-the-ground personnel. It is based on a Global Positioning System (GPS), to assist rescue forces and local authorities both during emergency situations and on a day-to-day basis. Benny Vaknin, the mayor of Ashkelon, gave an update from the situation room to Eli Yishay, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment, Yitzhak Cohen, Minister of Religious Affairs and Shraga Brosh, President of the Manufacturers’ Association, during their visit to Ashkelon on Monday, December 29th: "The Situation Room is in use thanks to IAI's system. This is an excellent and accurate system that allows us to immediately dispatch forces to areas targeted by missiles. The situation room has been working very well in real-time during the last few days as missiles hit Ashkelon." Uri Sinai, General Manager of IAI's MLM Division said: "The system was installed in Ashkelon and was checked last week during the Home Front Command's successful drill. It is operational helps municipal personnel find and deal all issues that require their intervention. The Ashkelon municipality teams currently in charge of operating the system were briefed by IAI’s MLM. The system is easy to operate and displays a virtual picture of the entire city, including such basic information such as location of schools, kindergartens, shopping centers and others." In his visit in Ashkelon's situation room said Sinai: "From the moment we are aware of a missile hitting the city, Ashkelon personnel know which relevant teams to send to the area – whether police, engineers, ambulance services, social workers, or others, to ensure that the city can continue to function quickly and smoothly in response to an emergency situation." Yossi Greenfeld of Ashkelon's security office said: "The City of Ashkelon is assisted by computerized .information gathering and processing so that decisions can be made quickly and accurately. The city is split into sections on the map so that during any given situation, everyone involved has the same picture and can refer to the same details. This allows for rapid information transmission, processing, and better execution." In the past few weeks, IAI’s MLM Division has been awarded contracts worth $48 million to supply a command and control system to the Israel Ministry of Defense and to supply an advanced Joint Training Capability System to a foreign customer.

South Korea Spreading It's Wings In Defense Exports

South Korea Spreading It's Wings In Defense Exports (NSI News Source Info) SEOUL - January 6, 2009: South Korea sold more than $1 billion worth of weapons and defense goods overseas in 2008, the largest amount since it began exporting defense articles in 1975, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) here. The $1.03 billion in exports, a 22 percent increase from the previous year's $844 million, is the second consecutive sharp rise following DAPA's creation. "This is very meaningful given the increase in defense exports comes amid a worldwide economic downturn,'' a DAPA spokesman said Dec. 31. "Through active efforts to promote the nation's defense exports since our agency's inauguration in 2006, we were able to increase the amount of the country's defense exports to some $844 million in 2007, up from an annual average of $250 million in previous years and finally achieve the goal of $1 billion." South Korea expanded its arms trading partners last year by 12 to 58 nations, including African and South American countries such as Egypt and Peru, the spokesman said. The sale of world-class advanced weapon systems, such as self-propelled howitzers, aircraft and ships, is a dramatic departure from the rifle ammunition and spare parts that were more common in the past, he said. Last year's exports were boosted by a contract with Turkey over the transfer of tank development technology, he added. Under the deal, valued at $400 million, South Korea is to help Turkey develop a main battle tank by 2015 through the transfer of technology related to the design and development of K1A1 and K2 tanks. South Korea will transfer key technologies regarding engine, guns and snorkeling systems to Turkey, which initially wants to build about 250 advanced main battle tanks, DAPA officials said. Seoul will provide more than 60 percent of the technology required. In July 30, 2008, South Korea and Turkey made a contract worth 400 million dollars for technology transfer of engine, transmission, autoloader, etc. The technology is to be incorporated to Turkey's own indigenous future main battle tank. The K2 Black Panther tank, built by the state-funded Agency for Defense Development and Hyundai Rotem, is armed with an indigenous 120mm/50-caliber smoothbore gun. It can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour on paved roads with gun stabilization and can cross river as deep as 4.1 meters using a snorkel. Other major contracts in 2008 include Korea Aerospace Industries' $170 million contract with the U.S. Air Force for A-10 wing structure and ones for exporting spare parts of the K-9 self-propelled howitzer to the United States, Turkey and others, they said. South Korea aims to reach $3 billion in exports by 2012 amid high expectations of the KT tank and the T-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer. The country is making all-out efforts to sell the T-50 trainer overseas. Potential consumers include the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the United States and Greece, officials said. In a 2009 policy briefing to President Lee Myung-bak Dec. 31, the Ministry of National Defense pledged full-fledged efforts to support defense exports to help revive the economy, setting a goal of $1.2 billion this year. The ministry will launch a pan-governmental council to support defense exports, it said in a news release. To improve cooperation with private firms and institutes, the ministry will raise the ratio of private firm participation in defense research and development programs by 10 percent to 60 percent, it said.

Russia's Su-35BM/T-10BM : The Last Flanker

Russia's Su-35BM/T-10BM : The Last Flanker (NSI News Source Info) January 6, 2009: The Sukhoi Su-35BM alias Su-27BM or Su-27SM2 is a heavy class, long-range, multi-role, air superiority and strike fighter. It is an improved variant of the Sukhoi Su-27 and is considered to be 4++ generation. The Su-35M was unveiled at the MAKS-2007 airshow. The latest version of the Su-35, Su-35BM, is an advanced capability multi-role air superiority fighter developed from the Su-27. The aircraft has high manoeuvrability (+9g) with a high angle of attack and is equipped with high-capability weapon systems that contribute to the new aircraft's exceptional dogfighting capability. The maximum level speed is 2,390km/h or Mach 2.25. The Su-35BM was unveiled at the Aerosalon MAKS air show in Moscow in August 2007 and its first flight was in February 2008. The aircraft will enter service with the Russian Air Force in 2010 and Sukhoi has announced that the aircraft will be available for export deliveries in 2010. The aircraft is being developed, tested and introduced into serial production by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, based in Moscow, and will be manufactured by KNAPPO of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Both companies are part of the Sukhoi Aviation Holding Joint Stock Company. Su-35 cockpit The Su-35 is being developed, tested and introduced into serial production by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. The cockpit has a central control column and is fitted with a Zvesda K-36D-3.5E zero-zero ejection seat which allows the pilot to eject at zero speed and at zero altitude. The aircraft has a quadruplex, digital fly-by-wire control developed by the Avionika Moscow Research and Production Complex JSC (MNPK Avionika). The cockpit is fitted with two 230mm×305mm high-resolution MFI-35 liquid crystal displays with a multifunction control panel and a IKSh-1M head up display with a wide 20°×30° field of view. The pilot has two VHF/UHF encrypted radio communications systems and a jam resistant military data link system between squadron aircraft and between the aircraft and ground control. The navigation system is based on a digital map display with a strapdown inertial navigation system and global positioning system. Fighter construction Compared to the Su-27 design from which it is derived, the front fuselage diameter of the Su-35 has been increased to accommodate the larger 900mm-diameter antenna of the Irbis-E radar. High-strength, low-weight, composite materials have been used for non-structural items such as the radomes, nose wheel, door and leading-edge flaps. Some of the fuselage structures are of carbon fibre and aluminium lithium alloy. Weapons The aircraft has 12 hardpoints for carrying external weapons and stores. Each wing has four hardpoints – one on the wingtip and three under-wing stations. There are two hardpoints on the underside of the fuselage on the centreline and one under each engine. Missiles The Su-35 can be armed with a range of guided bombs. The aircraft's air-to-air missiles can include the Vympel R-27 (Nato designation AA-10 Alamo), the Vympel radar-guided medium-range R-77 (AA-12 Adder) and the Vympel short-range infrared-guided R-73E (AA-11 Archer). The aircraft's air-to-surface missiles include the Molniya Kh-29 (AS-14 Kedge) tactical missiles, the Kh-31P (AS-17 Krypton) anti-radiation missiles and the long-range Kh-58UShE (AS-11 Kilter) anti-radiation missiles. The Su-35 anti-ship missiles include Kh-31A, the long-range Kh-59MK (AS-18 Kazoo), the long-range Kalibr and the NPO Mashinostroenia heavy long-range Yakhont missile. Ordnance The Su-35 can be armed with a range of guided bombs, including the KAB-500Kr TV-guided bomb, KAB-500S-E satellite-guided bomb, LGB-250 laser-guided bomb, Kab-1500Kr TV-guided bomb and KAB-1500LG laser-guided bomb. The aircraft can also be armed with 80mm, 122mm, 266mm and 420mm rockets. Guns The Gryazev-Shipunov 30mm GSh-30-1 gun is fitted in the starboard wing root with 150 rounds of ammunition. Sensors The X-band multimode phased array Irbis-E radar is supplied by Tikhomirov Scientific-Research Institute of Instrument Design (NIIP), based in Zhukovsky. Irbis-E is a high-performance radar designed for the Su-35 aircraft. Irbis-E is a high-performance radar designed for the Su-35 aircraft. The 900mm passive phased array antenna is mounted on a hydraulic actuator for mechanical steering. The electronic steering provides azimuthal and elevation coverage of 60°. With both mechanical and electronic scanning the coverage is 120°. The radar can detect low-observable and stealth aircraft, unmanned air vehicles and missiles with a radar cross section of 0.01m² at ranges to 90km. Radar modes include air-to-air, air-to-ground, air-to-sea, mapping, Doppler beam and synthetic aperture radar modes. It can detect and track up to 30 airborne targets with a radar cross section (RCS) of 3m² at ranges of 400km using track-while-scan mode. Infrared search and track The infrared search and track fire control system, OLS-35 IRST, includes an infrared sensor, laser rangefinder, target designator and television camera. The accuracy of the laser rangefinder is 5m CEP (circular error probability), to a maximum range of 20km against airborne targets and 30km against ground targets. The OLS-35 is a high-performance system with ±90° azimuthal and +60°/-15° elevation coverage. The system's acquisition range against a non-afterburning target is 50km forwards and 90km rearward. The Su-35 can also be fitted with a UOMZ Sapsan targeting and laser designation pod. Countermeasures The aircraft's electronic warfare suite includes a radar warning system, radar jammer, co-operative radar jamming system, missile approach warner, laser warner and chaff and flare dispenser. Engines The aircraft is powered by two Sturn /UFA AL-31F 117S turbofan engines with thrust-vectoring nozzle control, each supplying 86.3kN thrust or 142.2kN with afterburn. The engines were developed jointly by Sukhoi, Saturn and UMPO. The total fuel capacity is 14,350l. In order to increase the unrefuelled range and endurance compared to earlier models the Su-35 incorporates additional tailfin and fin-root tanks. The fuel tanks are of aluminium lithium construction and are located in the wings, fuselage and in the square-tip twin tailfins. The unrefuelled range on internal fuel is 1,580km. For in-flight refuelling the aircraft is equipped with a refuelling probe on the port side of the nose. Two external fuel tanks, type PTB-2000, provide an additional 4,000l of fuel. The ferry range with two external tanks is 4,500km.

Pakistan Afraid To Hand Over Militants To India, As They May Spill The Beans Of Their Mentors

Pakistan Afraid To Hand Over Militants To India, As They May Spill The Beans Of Their Mentors / Pakistan Took Actions Against Militants Due To USA's Pressure

(NSI News Source Info) January 5, 2009: Pakistan has again arrested, Ustad Mohammed Yasir, the former spokesman for the Taliban. He was last arrested in 2005, and handed over to Afghanistan. But he was freed two years later, in order to get a kidnapped Italian journalist released. The Pakistani government is under a lot of pressure from India and the United States to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the Mumbai massacre. Pakistan does not want to cause domestic unrest by jailing Islam terrorists who are considered heroes to many Pakistanis (for killing Indians, which is a big deal since India has beaten Pakistan in several wars over the last half century, and is doing much better economically.) Nationalist media in Pakistan insist India is about to invade. But Pakistani troops sent to the border, find that there are no Indian troops on the other side. India has planned operations against Pakistan, but from the air. These would be attacks on Islamic terrorist training camps that operate openly in Pakistani (northern) Kashmir. In Kashmir, troops and police have been shooting at each other for five days, in forests near the Pakistan border. So far, four terrorists and three soldiers have been killed. The army is unsure of how large a force of Islamic terrorists it has cornered. Troops of the Pakistan army and security forces gathered in Pakistan's tribal area of Khyber near Peshawar, Pakistan to carry out operations Thursday, Jan. 1, 2009. The Pakistani military launched an operation Tuesday in the Khyber tribal region to secure the major supply route to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, which has been repeatedly attacked by militants. Maoists in eastern India have a new problem; religion. While technically atheist, the communist Maoist fighters can still be sensitive to religious issues. In eastern India, Maoists killed a Hindu religious leader, for opposing them. At first, local Christians were blamed for the killing, and dozens of Christians were killed in retaliation. When the Maoists admitted to the murder, over a hundred Hindu Maoists spilt off and formed a Hindu Maoist organization, which is now at war with Christian Maoists. The Khyber Pass highway has been reopened, as local tribesmen, warily eyeing newly arrived army tanks, promise to keep the bandits away from the several dozen trucks that roll down the road every hour. January 4, 2009: Another suicide bomb attack took place in northwest Pakistan, killing five policemen and two civilians. Meanwhile, in Kashmir, Indian patrols are running into a higher than usual number of Islamic terrorists trying to sneak across the border from Pakistan. January 3, 2009: Troops patrolling the Khyber Pass highway seized a van loaded with 900 pounds of explosives and suicide bomb making components. Seven terrorist suspects were arrested as well and turned out to be Taliban. January 2, 2009: The Pakistani effort to clear bandits from the Khyber Pass ran into no resistance, the hostiles apparently fled the area. Troops arrested 28 tribesmen, and killed three others, but no one fired on the soldiers and police. Tribal leaders in the area promised to keep bandits off the road in the future. But they always say that when the army shows up. January 1, 2009: Pakistan is in a difficult position regarding the November Mumbai terrorist attacks. Pakistan would like to blame it all on Indian militants. But one of the ten attackers, Mohamed Ajmal Amir Kasab, was captured alive. Recently, the father of Kasab appeared on Pakistani television, admitting that his son was Pakistani and mixed up with terrorists. The U.S. FBI gave Pakistan recordings of satellite phone calls between the Mumbai attackers and known Islamic terrorists in Pakistan. Some of these men were arrested and admitted to their role in the Mumbai operation. India wants these men turned over to them, but Pakistan insists on prosecuting them. India rejects this, because in the past, Pakistan has only gone through the motions of prosecuting and punishing Islamic terrorists. India and Pakistan exchanged lists of their nuclear facilities. This was done in accordance with a 1988 treaty, whereby both countries promise not to bomb nuclear facilities in the event of a war (as this would spread radioactive material over a wide area). Each year, an updated list is exchanged. In South Waziristan, along the Afghan border, a U.S. UAV fired a Hellfire missile at a vehicle carrying seven Central Asian Islamic terrorists, killing four of them. December 31, 2008: As Pakistani troops pulled out of the Swat Valley (which is only 160 kilometers from the capital, Islamabad), some of the 2,000 Islamic radicals who have been terrorizing the region, left their mountain hideouts and began murdering people and looting ("collecting taxes.") December 30, 2008: Pakistani troops and helicopters began advancing along the highway that runs through the Khyber Pass and into Afghanistan. This is a vital supply line for foreign troops in Afghanistan, and several gangs of tribesmen have been attacking the trucks lately. Some of the attackers claim to be Taliban. The road will be closed for several days as the army attempts to hunt down and kill the men responsible for the attacks. December 29, 2008: Four months of heavily protected (by army and police) voting in Kashmir resulted in pro-India parties winning 45 of 87 seats. The northern, Moslem districts, voted for separatist candidates, but enough Moslem voters supported pro-India candidates, along with Hindu voters in the south, to gain a majority. Islamic terrorists urged Moslems not to vote, and many anti-Indian voters stayed away from the polls, but a higher-than-usual number of voters came out, and most of these were pro-Indian. This puts pro-Indian Moslems firmly on the side of the government and is a major defeat for the separatists. December 28, 2008: Pakistani troops have left North Waziristan, along the Afghan border. To the north, a suicide bomber killed 26 people near a polling station, after saying his car had broken down and asking bystanders to help push it to get it started. Troops are also pulling out of the Swat Valley. December 27, 2008: Pakistan has ordered about a third of the 120,000 troops fighting the Taliban, to move to the Indian border. This is a victory for the Islamic terrorists, who launched the November attacks in Mumbai to create tension between India and Pakistan. This technique has worked before, but it was hoped that the Indian and Pakistani leaders would not fall for it this time. But the defensiveness of Pakistan, in trying to deny that the terrorists came from Pakistan, and the insistence of India that Pakistan hand over terrorists operating in Pakistan, caused a media frenzy on both sides of the border that led to halting combat operations against the Taliban. Pakistani leaders consider it more important to pretend to be preparing to defend against an Indian invasion.

Arabs Candidly Are Fed Up With Pro-Iranian Hamas

Arabs Candidly Are Fed Up With Pro-Iranian Hamas

(NSI News Source Info) January 5, 2009: The current fighting between Hamas and Israel is only big news because the Israelis are trying to defend themselves. Months of Hamas rocket attacks on Israel, or years of Palestinian terrorist attacks inside Israel, were not news.

But this time around it's different. In the past, the Palestinian terrorists were given a pass, because the media in the Moslem world, and many parts of the West, consider the Palestinians victims of Israeli aggression and, therefore, victims no matter what they do.

But this time around, it's different. Many Arab governments are openly criticizing Hamas for bringing on the Israeli offensive. Even public opinion in the Arab world is hostile to Hamas, and not as sympathetic to their plight as during past Israeli military operations. Hamas appears to have used up all its "victim" cred due to their long history of aggression, and unwillingness to negotiate in good (or any) faith.

Smoke rose from central Gaza as Israeli soldiers crossed the border on Sunday.

This all began back in 1994-96, when Hamas suicide bomb attacks inside Israel derailed peace negotiations with the Palestinians, and began turning Israeli public opinion against the idea of a peace deal with the Palestinians. Then, in 2000, when a peace deal seemed at hand, Hamas took the lead in launching a massive campaign of terrorist attacks on Israel.

These were defeated after a few years, as Israel developed new tactics that kept the terrorists out of Israel. But not before Hamas carried out about 70 percent of 150 suicide bombings that killed a thousand Israelis (mostly civilians, although Hamas didn't care who they killed, even if they were Arabs, as long as it was inside Israel.) For many Arabs, the line was crossed in 2007, when Hamas launched an attack on its Fatah rivals in Gaza. Nearly 200 Fatah members were killed. In the past, Fatah and Hamas would arrest each others people for a few days. But deliberately killing rivals was considered something only the Israelis did. Finally, Hamas angered the majority of moderate (culturally) Arabs by attempting to impose lifestyle rules on Palestinians. This was done in the name of Islam, a Hamas effort to impose their vision of how a Moslem should live.

While this plays well in places like Saudi Arabia and Iran, it was never what Palestinians believed in, not most Moslems in general. Finally, Hamas has angered most Sunnis (who comprise 80 percent of all Moslems) by accepting military aid, and guidance, from Iran.

At the moment, there is growing hostility to Shia (ten percent of all Moslems) Iran because of an increasingly hostile atmosphere between Iran (which believes it should lead the Moslem world) and Arabs (who believe Sunnis should bow to no one in terms of religion).

It doesn't help matters that Iran is not an Arab country (they are Indo-European) and have dominated the region for thousands of years. Iranian encouragement of Hamas aggression is seen directed at Arabs as much as Israel. Many Arabs, while voicing some support for Hamas, are not-so-secretly hoping that Israel will smash this arrogant, pro-Iran organization.

U.S. Navy Signs Major Virginia Submarine Contract

U.S. Navy Signs Major Virginia Submarine Contract (NSI News Source Info) January 5, 2009: A major new U.S. Navy production contract for eight more Virginia-class submarines marks the most successful year yet for the high-profile submarine, as well as the importance of its Washington and New England advocate communities. The U.S. Navy has signed a five-year, $14 billion contract with Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics Electric Boat for eight Virginia-class submarines (Aerospace DAILY, Dec. 23). In official statements late Dec. 22 and a teleconference call with reporters early Dec. 23, executives and lawmakers were ebullient with the milestone. General Dynamics Electric Boat’s press conference on the announcement drew congressional heavyweights. Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) were joined by Reps. James Langevin (D-R.I.) and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.). Dodd said the Navy’s contract announcement is the “culmination of decades of work. This didn’t happen miraculously.” The contract immediately provides for $2.4 billion to fund construction of SSN-784, to be the USS North Dakota, as well as advanced procurement for SSN-785 and funding to purchase materials and parts for multiple boats at one time. The Navy said that to reach its cost-cutting goal, the program followed a three-prong strategy. The first element, which accounts for half of the supposed savings, involved increasing production to two ships annually in a multiyear procurement (MYP) contract to spread the shipyards’ overhead costs over more ships. Industry has long argued that they could achieve more savings per sub if the Navy and Congress ordered more subs sooner. Meanwhile, the rest of the savings stem from a $600 million investment to redesign portions of the ship for more efficient production and to improve construction processes, thereby reducing the construction span from 84 to 60 months, the Navy said. Along those lines, the most extensive cost-reduction modification involves the replacement of the traditional sonar sphere with a Large Aperture Bow (LAB) Array and the 12 vertical launch tubes with two large Virginia Payload Tubes (VPT). The LAB and VPT, along with more than two dozen associated modifications, save $40 million per submarine, beginning with the FY ’12 ships, according to the Navy. In a Dec. 18 announcement, Rear Adm. William Hilarides, the Navy’s program executive officer for submarine, said all Virginia subs now under construction are on track to be delivered between eight and 12 months early compared with their the contract delivery dates.