DTN News: Lockheed Martin DAGR Rockets Successfully Fired From Airborne AH-6 Little Bird, Strike Targets

DTN News: Lockheed Martin DAGR Rockets Successfully Fired From Airborne AH-6 Little Bird, Strike Targets

*Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin

(NSI News Source Info) ORLANDO, FL, - July 13, 2009: Lockheed Martin has launched DAGRTM rockets from an airborne AH-6 Little Bird helicopter and successfully hit the target in two separate trials. This is the second platform DAGR has fired from in the past few months—Lockheed Martin also fired DAGR rockets from the AH-64D Apache helicopter in March. The DAGR system provides a low-cost precision-strike capability, with minimal collateral damage, against troops in the open, lightly armored vehicles, rooms within a structure and other urban targets that do not require the full effect of HELLFIRE, with minimal collateral damage. In preparation for the tests, conducted at the Yuma Army Proving Ground in Arizona, Lockheed Martin engineers mounted the DAGR four-pack launch canister on the outboard rail of a modified XM299 launcher carried by the AH-6 Mission Enhanced Little Bird test platform. The Little Bird firings were performed as a running fire, using a ground designator, and then self designation using the Little Bird's onboard MX-15D1 targeting system. The DAGR rocket was extremely accurate in hitting the laser aimpoint in both tests. “Not long ago we fired DAGR from an airborne Apache, and we are pleased to add the Little Bird to the roster of platforms that have demonstrated integration with the DAGR system,” said Jerry Brode, DAGR program manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Pilots in theater have expressed a desire for a guided rocket that hits the target and minimizes collateral damage," he added. "With multiple platform firings under its belt, along with the live warhead test we conducted at Eglin Air Force Base last year, DAGR is being qualified to deliver that capability." Because the DAGR system is designed to be compatible with the M299 family of launchers, it offers potential integration on all rotary-wing HELLFIRE platforms, including the Apache, Little Bird, Kiowa, Blackhawk, Cobra, and Tiger helicopters. A mixed loadout of HELLFIRE IIs and DAGRs can be mounted on the same launcher, providing operational flexibility that enables cost-effective multi-mission capability from a single platform. HELLFIRE II has seen extensive action in the global War on Terrorism, with more than 3,000 rounds fired successfully from Apache and Cobra attack helicopters, Predator unmanned aerial vehicles, and other platforms. In 12 successful guided flight tests, the DAGR system has repeatedly demonstrated its precision strike and maneuver capabilities, hitting short- and long-range off-axis targets within minimal distance of the laser-designated aimpoint. This provides Warfighters with increased capability and an expanded engagement envelope. Lockheed Martin has developed the DAGR system with internal funding, and is now making the system available for integration and fielding. Qualification of DAGR products and configurations is ongoing. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Team Lays Keel On Nation’s Third Littoral Combat Ship, Fort Worth

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Team Lays Keel On Nation’s Third Littoral Combat Ship, Fort Worth *Rep. Kay Granger (R-12-Texas), the Ship's Sponsor, Authenticated the Construction Milestone

*Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin (NSI News Source Info) MARINETTE, Wis, - July 13, 2009: A Lockheed Martin-led industry team held a keel-laying ceremony at Marinette Marine’s shipyard today for Fort Worth, the U.S. Navy’s third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Lockheed prepares to lay the keel of LCS 3 as General Dynamics completes builder’s trials of trimaran-hulled LCS 2 Independence (above). (US Navy photo) The LCS is an agile warship designed to operate in the world’s coastal waters and provide the Navy with fast, maneuverable and shallow-draft ships aimed at maximizing mission flexibility. In March 2009, the Navy awarded the Lockheed Martin team a fixed price incentive fee contract to construct Fort Worth, which will be delivered in 2012. The team’s first LCS, USS Freedom, was commissioned in Milwaukee by the Navy in November 2008. “It’s a great honor to serve as the sponsor of the Fort Worth,” said Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-12-Texas), the ship’s sponsor, whose congressional district encompasses the city of Fort Worth. “The keel laying ceremony today is also a great tribute to the tireless efforts by the city of Fort Worth and all those who believed this day would happen. The thousands of letters that were written and the drawings that were done embody the spirit of making this dream a reality. The keel is the backbone of the ship, and the city of Fort Worth has long been a “backbone” of support for our American Military forces.” Navy Capt. James Murdoch, Littoral Combat Ship program manager, Program Executive Office –Ships, congratulated Marinette Marine for the “fabulous job” it has done for the nation, the Navy and Lockheed Martin. He observed, “With USS Freedom, Marinette Marine delivered a fine capability to the Navy, and I look forward to Fort Worth with great anticipation.” The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes naval architect Gibbs & Cox, ship builders Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, and Bollinger Shipyards, as well as domestic and international teammates. In Navy ships, the keel refers to a structural element, or in the case of Fort Worth, a structural block. The keel is generally the first part of a ship's hull to be constructed, and laying the keel, is often marked with a ceremonial event. Modern warships are now largely built in a series of pre-fabricated, complete hull sections rather than being built around a single keel, so the actual start of the shipbuilding process is now considered to be when the first sheet of steel is cut. The term, lay the keel, in shipbuilding language, means the beginning of a significant undertaking, which is the start of the module erection process that reflects the ship coming to life. During the keel-laying ceremony, Cong. Granger authenticated the keel, assisted by Capt. Murdoch and 36-year veteran Marinette Marine welder Jim Renner. The future USS FORT WORTH continues the practice of naming LCS ves¬sels after American midsized cities, small towns and communities. For more than 150 years, Fort Worth citizens have supported the Navy and all men and women in uniform via ranger outposts, training facilities, aviation depots, and defense manufacturing. “We are committed to continuing our partnership with the Navy and providing them the most affordable solution to fill a critical need,” said Dan Schultz, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Maritime Systems & Sensors Integrated Defense Technologies business. “LCS 3’s construction will benefit from lessons learned on USS Freedom. It will be built using Marinette Marine’s modular production process that enables ship modules to be outfitted up to 85 percent complete prior to launch.” In May, USS Freedom successfully conducted its second and final round of U.S. Navy acceptance trials off the Virginia coast. The trials – which were a coordinated effort between the Navy and the Lockheed Martin team – included operational testing of the vessel’s propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems, as well as all related support systems. The Lockheed Martin team design for LCS provides outstanding maneuverability with proven sea-keeping and stability characteristics and innovative design features to support launch and recovery operations of manned and unmanned vehicles. Reaching speeds well over 40 knots, the ship is a highly automated and networked surface combatant with operational flexibility to execute focused missions such as mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare and the potential for a wide range of additional missions, including maritime interdiction and humanitarian/disaster relief. The Freedom-class employs a secure, high-availability ship-wide network that can be controlled from a single workstation and rapidly reconfigured based on mission demands. This system, combined with an Aegis-based open architecture command and control system, went from design concept to delivery in just 18 months. Freedom was delivered to the fleet in only six years from initial concept, half the time of traditional shipbuilding programs. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

DTN News: AU soldiers Help Somali Forces As Fighting Rages

DTN News: AU soldiers Help Somali Forces As Fighting Rages

*Source: DTN News / AP

(NSI News Source Info) MOGADISHU, Somalia - July 13, 2009: African Union peacekeepers in the Somali capital have directly intervened for the first time to support government forces fighting Islamist insurgents, a spokesman said. A witness reported at least eight people were killed on the second day of fighting. Somali government forces stand next to their battle wagon during fighting between the Somali government forces and the al-Shabaab fighters Sunday, July 12, 2009 in Mogadishu, Somalia. African Union peacekeepers in the Somali capital have directly intervened for the first time to support government forces fighting Islamist insurgents, a spokesman said. A witness reported at least eight people were killed on the second day of fighting. AU spokesman Bahoku Barigye said peacekeepers were drawn into Sunday's fighting by a direct threat to their positions as the insurgents advanced into north Mogadishu. "Our troops were in an imminent danger, so we had to take some limited action," he said. "That does not mean we are fully involved in the combat." The 4,300 beleaguered peacekeepers defend themselves when attacked but generally try to avoid being drawn into the conflict to preserve their neutrality. Their mandate includes the defense of the capital's port, airport and key government buildings. Mogadishu's deputy mayor, Abdifitah Shawey, said the AU was forced to intervene after the insurgents fought their way to just over half a mile (1 kilometer) from the presidential palace. "We lost three soldiers in today's battle and the other side left more dead bodies behind. I do not know their exact number," said Shawey. "Our troops are still pursuing them in the streets and through the residential areas." Government commander Salad Ali Jelleh said there had been fierce fighting as the insurgents advanced into the city in the early hours but the Islamists melted away into the city streets when government and AU forces counterattacked. Local resident Abdi Muhumed said he had seen eight dead fighters. Ali Muse of Mogadishu Lifeline and Nationlink Ambulance said at least 16 people had been injured by shelling in residential neighborhoods but many areas were too dangerous to travel to. There has been heavy fighting in the capital since Friday's expiration of the Islamists' deadline for government troops to surrender. The Islamists intensified their efforts to capture Mogadishu after an exiled leader returned in April and pulled the disparate insurgent factions together into an alliance. Various Islamist groups have been fighting the U.N.-backed government since being chased from power 2 1/2 years ago. The situation is complicated by the continual splintering and reforming of alliances and a tangled web of clan loyalties. Ugandan African Union peacekeepers carry the body of a suspected Afghani national fighting alongside the Islamist insurgents in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, July 11, 2009. Clashes between Somali government forces and opposition Islamists groups in the north of Mogadishu killed at least 20 people including a senior police officer and wounded 41, officials, ambulance worker said on Saturday. The government showed the body of what it said was an Afghani national fighting with Hizbul Islam, an umbrella opposition group led by hardline Sheikh Hassan Dahir. The international community had hoped the election of a moderate former Islamist fighter to the presidency early this year, and his subsequent implementation of Sharia law, would help undercut the insurgency. But the president's former allies in the insurgency have fought on, reinforced by hundreds of foreign fighters, and weapons and support from Eritrea. The impoverished Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning government for 18 years.

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.

DTN News: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's Confession ~ Better Late Than Never

DTN News: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's Confession ~ Better Late Than Never *DTN News: President Asif Ali Zardari Admits Pakistan Deliberately Created, Nurtured Militants/Terrorism For Tactical Use (DTN Defense-Technology News....July 9 2009) Click for link here

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media By Tanveer Jafri (NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - July 13, 2009: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is the first head of Pakistan who has admitted that militants and extremists had been "deliberately created and nurtured" as a policy for "short term tactical objectives." U.S. President Barack Obama talks to reporters as he meets with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington May 6, 2009. Obama said on Wednesday he and the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed they share a common goal of dismantling, disrupting and defeating al Qaeda and its extremist allies. The terrorists of today were the heroes of yesteryear until 9/11 occurred and they began to haunt us as well, said Zardari addressing a group of former bureaucrats of Pakistan. According to Zardari, this was a part of strategy of his predecessors. In a similar statement in Germany, former President General Pervez Musharraf too admitted that the mastermind behind the terrorist attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, Sirajuddin Haqqani has links with the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). There is nothing new in the above confessions by the two Pakistani heads of state. The thing that matters is that it is the first time a present head of state has made such confessions which the entire world including India has been saying for decades. The analysts of South Asian politics are in confusion about why Zardari took so much time admitting this well known truth? And, why did he select this time for such a confession? It is the fact that Pakistan is the main ally of America in South Asia in "War on terror." So important and so old an ally that three decades ago it was only Pakistan that helped the US to create the terror network, and now it is taking an infinite amount of money from America to crush the same terror network. During the Cold war, America made Pakistan its main pawn against the Soviet Union. Al Qaeda, Taliban, the opium and drugs trade prospering under their supervision, millions of automatic weapons spread from Kashmir to Pakistan, Afghanistan & former Soviet states of South Asia, are all 'gifts' provided by America during the Cold war. Terrorism became a problem for the US only when it became capable of strikes such as 9/11. And Zardari too felt them as 'snakes' when these terrorists openly threatened the Pakistani establishment. Prior to 9/11, when former Afghani President Najib was publicly hanged by the Mujahideen, when the same Taliban were busy destroying Afghanistan with weapons and tanks, when the tribal people were busy struggling with themselves for years, until then it was not called terrorism nor did the US or Pakistan see them as the enemies of humanity. When the same terrorism was destabilizing Kashmir and hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri people were compelled to leave Kashmir, then it was not terrorism but "short term tactics", in the words of President Zardari. But thank god, both America and Pakistan have started seeing them as terrorists, and not as Mujahids or strategic assets. Promotion of terrorism by America is not new. When and where America wants to create tensions at the regional level or disturb peace, it starts supporting and encouraging a terror network there. Apart from Pakistan and Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel are also examples. Iran has accused America of this charge from time to time. Internal rebellion movements of many countries, either relating to the demand of autonomy or independence or separation, usually operate from the US. In these circumstances, how it can be thought that America and Pakistan would eliminate the terror networks easily, which they themselves created & nurtured? However, in the name of fighting terror, Pakistan is receiving money from America, when and how much it wants. On the other side, it is necessary for the US to help Pakistan to eliminate more and more terrorists, to protect itself from another 9/11. India has welcomed Zardari's confession and favoured it as a positive gesture. But after this confession, Zardari seems to be getting trapped himself. Zardari's main targets were Nawaz Sharif and Pervez Musharraf when he raised fingers against the previous regimes. Now it is to be seen whether Zardari's statement can be digested by Sharif and Musharraf. There is also uncertainty about the reaction of the Pakistan Army on this statement. Some analysts are of the view that the Army can take this statement seriously, which would have far reaching impacts. Not only the Army, perhaps the ISI may not tolerate this. From India and other peace loving nations, Zardari deserves a compliment not only for this confession, but also for his commitment to eliminate the blot of terrorism from Pakistan. America and Pakistan understood very late the consequences of the official patronage of terrorism. One understands the other's pain only when he himself passes through that stage. The commitment of Pakistan and America against terrorism is an important step in favour of humanity. But it is also essential to follow complete transparency and honesty in this mission. Not only attacks on the US army, attacks within Pakistan or threats to the political elite of Pakistan should not be the only things treated as terrorism. The terrorist attack on Mumbai on 26/11 should also be seen in that category. And wherever there are people linked with the Mumbai attacks in Pakistan, they should also be treated the same as other terrorists. Otherwise, as the heroes of yesteryear have become terrorists now, similarly today's 'heroes' involved in 26/11 would become terrorists tomorrow, not messiahs.

DTN News: China Claims Uighur Links To Terrorism

DTN News: China Claims Uighur Links To Terrorism

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - July 13, 2009: China has pointed the finger at Uighur separatists and terrorists for the recent deadly unrest in its Muslim-populated far north-west, but experts question how real those threats are. While many of the Xinjiang region's eight million Muslim Uighurs feel anger at perceived repression under Chinese rule, there is very little evidence to show this has created organised, dangerous opposition, they say. Armed Chinese soldiers in riot gear and wearing sunglasses march along a main street in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region July 13, 2009. An uneasy calm continued on Monday in China's riot-hit Urumqi where 184 people died in ethnic violence a week ago, though the official tally of dead could rise, a regional official indicated on Sunday. No sooner had the unrest ended than the government of Xinjiang declared it had solid evidence the World Uighur Congress, led by exiled dissident Rebiya Kadeer, was behind the violence, charges she denies. China's Politburo also blamed the ''three forces'' of extremism, separatism and terrorism for the situation in Xinjiang. Researcher at the Brussels Institute of Contemporary Studies Dr Thierry Kellner said, ''This is a technique that has been used by Beijing for a long time, and that consists in blaming everything that happens in Xinjiang on Uighur exiles. ''It's quite a simple way to absolve one's own mistakes.'' The unrest began on July 5 when thousands of Uighurs took to the streets of Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, in anger over the deaths of two Uighurs in an ethnically charged brawl at a factory in southern China. Beijing says 184 people died in the ''riots'', while exiled Uighurs have accused security forces of over-reacting to peaceful protests with deadly force. China has long linked Uighur dissidents to Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist organisation. In the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Washington finally agreed to a request from China and listed a Uighur group called the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organisation. But, despite the United Nations also listing the ETIM as a terrorist group, Western experts see no signs that terrorist cells operate in Xinjiang, where Uighurs are Sunni and practise a moderate form of Islam. They say that during the unrest in Urumqi, no Uighur was seen holding up a copy of the Koran or shouting ''Allahu Akbar'', and the Government has shown no evidence of Uighurs using bombs or military weapons.

Jean-Philippe Beja, a China expert at the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China in Hong Kong, said Islamic militant groups likely had some tenuous links to Xinjiang's Uighurs. Other analysts point to the presence of some Uighurs in Waziristan in the north-east of Pakistan, while the United States held a group of Uighurs at Guantanamo Bay before declaring them not to be enemy combatants. ''They have contacts, but do they have networks in place? I don't really believe that,'' Mr Beja said. China has also blamed violence in Xinjiang leading up to last year's Beijing Olympics on ETIM, including one incident that saw 17 policemen killed four days before the start of the Games. But Dr Kellner said Chinese authorities had fabricated the dangers of the ETIM. ''We don't know how this movement is organised. Very few attacks can be attributed to it, and possibly none,'' he said. Analysts say China has used its fight against so-called terrorism to justify repressive policies to quash any form of dissent in Xinjiang. In the United States, some lawmakers are pushing for a review of the ETIM as a terrorist organisation, saying US authorities have relied on intelligence from Beijing to make its determination.

DTN News: Boeing Set To Test Unmanned Aircraft In Australia

DTN News: Boeing Set To Test Unmanned Aircraft In Australia *Source: DTN News / Int'l (NSI News Source Info) BRISBANE, Australian - July 13, 2009: Australian scientists and US aviation giant Boeing are set to test unmanned aircrafts, which would share airspace with piloted passenger planes without causing any collision. The A160 Hummingbird Unmanned Aerial Vehicle looks like a helicopter but is unlike any other helicopter on the market today. It can reach higher altitudes, hover for longer periods of time, go greater distances and operate much more quietly than current helicopters. And it features a unique optimum speed rotor technology that enables the Hummingbird to adjust the RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) of the rotor blades at different altitudes and cruise speeds. In a non-descript shed in suburban South Park in Seattle, a team of young Boeing engineers are overseeing an experiment that provides a startling glimpse into the future. Their 30-metre by 15 metre by five-metre-high unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) “swarming” laboratory looks like a small indoor cricket shed with model rotor aircraft parked on the concrete floor. Suddenly the UAVs are airborne and swarming around the shed, their pre-determined tracks, altitudes and collision avoidance mechanisms already programmed in using advanced algorithms that could ultimately spell the end of piloted aircraft, The Courier-Mail reports. The aim of this cutting edge science is to build the mathematical models that will allow uninhabited aircraft to fly safely in controlled airspace. Boeing’s new Australian research chief Bill Lyons talks about the aim behind the experiment: “To allow (unmanned) systems to operate at least as well as human piloted systems.” The algorithms developed in the swarm lab will soon be put to the test in the skies above Kingaroy in southern Queensland in the world’s first ever trial of unmanned aircraft inside controlled airspace. Airspace authorities in both the US and Australia, highly wary of having pilotless drones in potential conflict with airliners carrying hundreds of passengers, will require 100 per cent guarantees before they will allow the two to mix. Senior Boeing engineer John Vian said the major challenge for unmanned aircraft operating in controlled air space is safety. “We don’t know how these systems will develop. For these systems to be viable they have to be reliable and totally autonomous. We develop the technology, how it is applied is up the customer,” Dr. Vian said.

DTN News: Iran's Missiles: Facts Vs. Fancy

DTN News: Iran's Missiles: Facts Vs. Fancy

*Nation's Weapons Remain a Real Menace

*Source: DTN News / By Uzi Rubin

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - July 13, 2009: On Nov. 18, Iran flew its new Ashura missile for the second time. Although the test was less than a complete success, Iran Defense Minister Mustafa Najjer was sufficiently satisfied to release impressive video footage showing what was clearly a previously unknown large multistage ballistic missile roaring off a mobile launcher. A military truck carries a long-range Iranian Shahab-3 Ballistic missile during the annual military parade in a suburb of Tehran, 22 September 2006. Iran announced 27 November 2007 it has built a new missile, "Ashura", with a range of 2,000 kms (1,240 miles), sufficient to put Israel and US bases in the Middle East within easy reach. There has been considerable confusion in recent months about the capacities of Iran's longer-range missiles. Iran in September at its main military parade unveiled a missile labelled Ghadr-1 (Power), which was said to have a range of 1,800 kms (1,100 miles). Some Western military experts claimed that the Ghadr-1 was no more than a Shahab-3 under a different name. In a series of interviews after the test, Najjer stressed that the new missile, renamed "Sajil," had a range of more then 2,000 kilometers and that it was a two-stage design, powered by composite solid-propellant rocket motors. Nevertheless, when six months later a group of prominent U.S. and Russian academics released a detailed assessment of Iran's missile and nuclear capabilities, their report made this astonishing statement: "There is no reliable information at present on the state of Iran's efforts to develop solid-propellant rocket motors and therefore no basis on which to make an assessment." Incredibly, both the unambiguous photographic evidence and the corroboration of Western sources were simply ignored in the May report, "Iran's Nuclear and Missile Potential, a Joint Threat Assessment by U.S. and Russian Technical Experts," by the East West Institute in New York. Discarding any evidence to the contrary, the report judges that Iran's missile industry is incapable of advancing on its own beyond rudimentary Scud-level technology. While grudgingly accepting that "Iran … has qualified engineers who are able to make good use of the technology that is available to them," the report holds that "this does not show that Iran has made a fundamental technological breakthrough." Pontificating on the "tremendous intellectual and material effort" that the United States and Russia have had to invest more than half a century ago to develop and produce what were at that time modern ballistic missiles, the authors decree that "Iran does not have the infrastructure ... or the scientists and engineers to make substantial improvement in basic rocket components." As a result, they condescendingly state that Iran's putative global-range missiles will be "large, visible and cumbersome"; in other words, pretty useless. Perhaps irked by the disparaging assessment and patronizing tone, and with the ink still wet on the report's print, the "nonexistent" Iranian scientists and engineers quickly fired off another of the Sajil missiles, the third in a row, on May 20. To dispel any lingering doubts, they released color video footage of the entire boost phase, clearly showing the full burn of the first stage, the tricky "fire in the hole" stage separation cum second stage ignition, the discarding of the empty casing of the exhausted first stage and what looked like an activation of a thrust termination system. One was reminded of the early 1960s newsreels of the first Minuteman flight tests. But there is more to this than meets the eye. The very existence of the Sajil is living testimony that Iran has secured access to the high-strength steel and specialized precursor materials needed for large-diameter solid rocket motors, and that it now possesses the specialized industrial infrastructure, such as large mixers, casting pits, X-ray machines and test stands, without which such 10-ton-class rocket motors cannot be manufactured, inspected or tested. All those precursor materials and industrial machinery are strictly controlled by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and by right should have never been available to Iran. Yet, the report cheerfully observes that "there appears to have been some success in recent years in improving the MTCR", and recommends without any hint of sarcasm that "this improvement be maintained and strengthened." Was there ever a barn door slammed shut so hard after the horses were miles away? By its own charter, the East West Institute focuses on critical challenges that endanger peace. Nothing endangers peace more than refusal to face the facts and underestimation of the adversary. Iran's scientists and engineers are as bright, as capable and as innovative as any others. Hence, Iran's putative long-range missiles, if and when deployed, will be neither large nor visible nor cumbersome, but as deadly as whatever the established missile powers deployed at early stages of the Cold War - in other words, a real menace. Wishful thinking will not help here, and the United States would do well to base its policy on cold facts rather than on selective fancy. Uzi Rubin is president of the Rubincon consulting firm and founder of the Israel Missile Defense Organization.

DTN News: MEND Nigerian Rebels Claim They Attacked Oil Tanker Dock

DTN News: MEND Nigerian Rebels Claim They Attacked Oil Tanker Dock *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) ABUJA, Nigeria - July 13, 2009: Nigeria's most prominent militant group said on Monday it had sabotaged a loading dock for oil tankers in Lagos state, widening an offensive against Africa's biggest oil sector. Fighters of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), speed away from the militia's creek camp in the Niger Delta. Armed Nigerian militants who have declared an "oil war", in response to what it said was an unprovoked attack by the army, claimed to have blown up a major pipeline in their latest attack on oil installations in the region. MEND, the most prominent of the groups operating in the creeks and swamps of the Niger Delta, said it blew up a pipeline it believes is operated by Royal Dutch Shell and Italy's Agip. The rebels moved in with speed boats, dynamite and hand grenades in their attack on the Orubiri flow station, the army said. MEND says it is fighting for local people to get a greater share of the huge oil revenues. Since MEND took up arms in early 2006, Nigeria's oil output has been cut by at least one quarter due to kidnappings and sabotage in the Delta. Hurricane Barbarossa is the code name MEND has given to its new offensive against foreign majors. "I derive satisfaction in destruction of oil installations in the Niger Delta", said Boy Loaf, leader of the militants.* The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said its fighters launched an attack on the Atlas Cove Jetty in Lagos state overnight, the first in the area since the group began its latest campaign of violence in late May. "The depot and loading tankers moored at the facility are currently on fire," MEND said in a statement. It was not immediately possible to independently verify the attack. A police spokesman said authorities were investigating. MEND has rarely attacked sites outside the Niger Delta, focusing mainly on oil facilities in the Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states in southern Nigeria. The militant group has claimed a series of attacks against the oil sector following the military's largest offensive in the Niger Delta for years in late May. The violence has forced Royal Dutch Shell, U.S. oil company Chevron and Italy's Agip to shut down around 300,000 barrels per day of production in the last seven weeks. This has put some upward pressure on global oil prices. President Umaru Yar'Adua has offered a 60-day amnesty programme to militants and criminals in hopes of restoring peace to the region. MEND's suspected leader Henry Okah, on trial for gun-running and treason, has accepted the amnesty programme and is expected to be released early this week, his lawyer said on Sunday. Although some militants have said they would lay down their arms if Okah was released, analysts believe violence will not subside. Oil theft is a lucrative business in the region and politicians would continue to hire armed gangs to secure power in the run-up to 2011 elections, analysts said.

DTN News: Dhaka Tells Boeing Will Honor $1.27 Billion Buy Deal

DTN News: Dhaka Tells Boeing Will Honor $1.27 Billion Buy Deal

*Source: DTN News / Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) DHAKA, Bangladesh - July 13, 2009: Bangladesh told U.S. aircraft maker Boeing on Sunday that it would implement a $1.27 billion deal to buy eight aircraft signed last year, a Bangladeshi government official said. Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Boeing announced the airline's order for four 777-300ER (Extended Range) and four 787-8 Dreamliner airplanes at a signing ceremony in Dhaka on 22 April 2008, the capital of Bangladesh. The airline also has purchase rights for four 777s and four 787s. Boeing's 787-8 Dreamliner (top) and 777-300ER are depicted here in Biman's livery. Under the deal, which was signed in April 2008 under the army-backed interim government, Boeing is to supply four 777-300ER aircraft to the state-owned Bangladesh Biman Airlines by 2013 and four 787-8s Dreamliner aircraft by 2020. So far, Bangladesh has not placed an order. Miguel Santos, a Boeing sales director and James F. Moriarty, U.S. ambassador to Dhaka, discussed the deal when they met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy told Reuters. "They (Santos and Moriarty) asked Bangladesh to implement the deal of buying planes," the spokesman said. An official from the prime minister's office said that Hasina had told the two men that Bangladesh would honor the agreement. "Bangladesh has assured Boeing of buying the aircraft as agreed," the official said. He said that Hasina also told Santos and Moriarty that the country needed more planes than eight in the contract, but did not give any further details. When the deal was signed for the eight aircraft, Biman also said it was willing to buy two more Boeings, worth nearly $110 million, by 2015 to boost the frequency of its flights. Santos and Moriarty also met Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith to discuss the agreement, the U.S. Embassy spokesman said. Biman, which will fund the purchase through bank loans, became a public limited company in July 2007, with 100 percent state ownership. The airline was forced to halt its flights to New York, Paris, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Brussels, Yangon and Mumbai in 2006 due to a shortage of funds and aircraft.

DTN News: Five Iranians Freed By U.S. Military In Iraq Back To Iran

DTN News: Five Iranians Freed By U.S. Military In Iraq Back To Iran *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - July 13, 2009: Five Iranian diplomats who were freed by the US military in Iraq last week after 30 months in detention arrived back home to a hero's welcome in Tehran on Sunday.Crowds hold Iranian officials, detained by the U.S. military in Iraq, on their shoulders as they arrive in Tehran's Mehrabad airport July 12, 2009.

The US military freed the five on Thursday after arresting them in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil on January 11, 2007, accusing them of arming militias in Iraq and inciting anti-US attacks in the war-torn country.

Iran insists that the five men are diplomats and protested that they were arrested in violation of international diplomatic conventions. "Iran reserves the right to legally follow this savage action by the government of (former US president George W.) Bush," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said at a press conference after greeting the men.

The five flew in to Tehran's Mehrabad airport where they were welcomed with garlands of flowers and cheered by a crowd of people including Mottaki and other officials. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the release of the five was in line with a security accord between Baghdad and Washington under which all detainees in US custody should be transferred to the Iraqi authorities.

The detention of the five had long been an extra bone of contention in the decades of hostile relations between Iran and the United States, which accuses Tehran of stoking unrest in Iraq. US officials maintained the men had no diplomatic status and the White House also denied the five had been freed as a diplomatic gesture to Iran.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi has said the five were "innocent" and had been arrested in breach of international rules covering privileges and immunity for diplomatic missions.

Iranian officials, detained by the U.S. military in Iraq, and Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki (C) pose for a picture after arriving at Mehrabad airport in Tehran July 12, 2009.

Soon after taking office in January, US President Barack Obama called for dialogue with Iran after three decades of severed ties and years of international tensions over Tehran's nuclear drive.

But relations took a turn for the worse again after Iran cracked down on massive public protests over the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June.

DTN News: U.S. ~ No Objections To Russian Base In Kyrgyzstan

DTN News: U.S. ~ No Objections To Russian Base In Kyrgyzstan

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - July 13, 2009: The United States has no objections to Russia opening a second military base in Kyrgyzstan, a senior U.S. diplomat said July 12 during a visit to the Central Asian nation. The comments came two days after a Kyrgyz government source said the country had agreed to let Russia open a new military base, a move that has been seen as a response to Kyrgyzstan's decision not to close a U.S. airbase. "Any such decision is obviously the sovereign right of the government of Kyrgyzstan," U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns told reporters, when asked about the possibility of a new Russian base. "Our view is that any step that strengthens the sovereignty and independence and security of Kyrgyzstan is a sensible one," Burns said at a press conference in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. A Kyrgyz government source told AFP on July 10 that Russia had won permission to open a base in Osh, a city in southern Kyrgyzstan, which would operate under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). The CSTO is a security grouping of Russia and six former Soviet republics that Moscow has touted as a counterweight to NATO. The decision to host a new Russian base came shortly after Kyrgyzstan agreed to let U.S. forces remain at the Manas air base outside Bishkek, used to support operations in Afghanistan, effectively reversing a previous decision. In February, Kyrgyzstan ordered Manas to close in a decision widely believed to have been made under Russian pressure. Moscow has long been uncomfortable with the presence of U.S. troops in ex-Soviet Central Asia. Some media reports have suggested that Moscow was angered by Kyrgyzstan's reversal, and Russia's Kommersant newspaper wrote July 11 that the Kremlin hoped to save face by opening the new base in Osh. "Moscow's ambition to open a new base in Kyrgyzstan is something of a response to the actions of the United States, which recently managed to maintain its military presence in Manas," Kommersant wrote. If Moscow opens a new base in Osh, it would be the second Russian base in Kyrgyzstan, after the Kant airbase outside Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan is the only country in the world to house both Russian and U.S. bases. Neither Moscow nor Bishkek have confirmed the reports about the new base, which emerged after a high-level Russian delegation led by Defence Minister Anatoly Serdykov and Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechon visited Kyrgyzstan. Separately, Russia's RIA-Novosti news agency reported that the government of Kyrgyzstan's neighbor Uzbekistan opposes the creation of a new Russian military base in Osh, which is close to the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. "Tashkent is categorically against the creation of new foreign military bases in border states," an unnamed senior Uzbek government official told RIA-Novosti on July 12, singling out reports of the new Russian base in Osh. The border region of Uzbekistan close to Osh has seen violent attacks in recent weeks, including a suicide bombing and shootouts, which the Uzbek government blamed on militants that crossed over from Kyrgyzstan.