Israel Mengancam Melancarkan Serangan Massif ke Lebanon Selatan

TEL-AVIV-(IDB) : Rezim Zionis Israel kembali mengancam akan melancarkan serangan besar-besaran ke Lebanon jika muncul instabilitas di wilayah selatan negara itu. 

 

Kantor berita Fars mengutip laporan Radio Israel (27/6) menyebutkan, desa-desa di Lebanon selatan disebut Israel dengan nama "desa-desa Ledakan" dan jika kondisi keamanan di wilayah itu kacau, maka Israel akan melancarkan serangan massif ke Lebanon selatan. 

Suber-sumber Israel mengklaim bahwa gerakan muqawama Islam Lebanon (Hizbullah) telah mengubah desa-desa di wilayah selatan menjadi "desa-desa ledakan." 

Diklaim pula bahwa militer Israel telah mengidentifikasi peralatan perang dan pusat-pusat komando, serta bunker-bunker milik Hizbullah di dalam desa-desa di Lebanon selatan. 

Radio Israel menambahkan, seluruh pihak di Lebanon termasuk Hizbullah dan media massa negara itu, mengamati secara terperinci manuver Israel "Turning Point 5" yang digelar pekan lalu. 

Koran Haaretz terbitan Tel Aviv edisi kemarin (Ahad, 26/6) menyinggung kunjungan rahasia Ketua Dinas Intelejen Militer Israel, Aviv Kochavi, ke Amerika Serikat, tiga pekan sebelum peringatan Hari Nakba, untuk beruding dengan para pejabat Washington, serta duta besar negara-negara anggota Dewan Keamanan PBB di New York. Kochavi merundingkan kondisi Lebanon dan Suriah. 

Kunjungan Kochavi ke Amerika Serikat memfokuskan pada situasi di Suriah menyusul aksi protes yang mundul di negara itu.

Sumber: Irib

44 MBT 2000 to Bangladesh Army

BANGLADESH-(IDB) : For the first time in the country's history, the government will purchase 44 new tanks and three armoured recovery vehicles (ARV) for the army as part of its plan to modernise the armed forces.

The government will also buy two brand new helicopters for the army to ensure necessary logistic support for the UN peacekeeping activities.

The Main Battle Tanks (MBT-2000) and the ARVs will be bought from China, and the helicopters from France through government-to-government deals, which were recently signed. According to the deals, the cost of the tanks will be around Tk 1,201 crore, and the helicopters Tk 174 crore. Besides, a process is on to buy 18 brand new cannons.

The purchases would be done from the budgetary allocations for the army, said government sources.

The government increased the allocation for the armed forces to Tk 12,134 crore in the proposed budget for fiscal 2011-12 from Tk 10,918 crore in the current fiscal year.

"The tanks will be bought through a government to government deal ensuring maximum transparency," Master General of Ordnance (MGO) of Bangladesh Army Maj Gen Abdul Matin told The Daily Star yesterday.

"The purchase is being done as a part of modernisation of the Bangladesh Army," he said adding that the tanks will be delivered in phases over a span of 27 months. In the first phase 24 tanks will come within 20 months, and the rest will come in the second phase over the next 7 months.

The payment for the purchase will be made in phases over the next eight years, said the major general.

Maj Gen (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury told The Daily Star that through this purchase, the military of the country will definitely get a boost.

“If the authorities concerned that would supply the tanks share transfer of technologies then it would work.”

Mag Gen Abdul Matin however said the Chinese government will provide training to technicians of Bangladesh Army in China and in Bangladesh for a good period of time so that the tanks and ARVs could be maintained properly. The training will be free of charge, he said adding that the China would also give adequate spare parts of the tanks.

The government in 2003 took initiatives to buy tanks for the army, but that initiative did not see the light of day due to budgetary limitations, said the sources.

The government was supposed to buy seven tanks last year and seven more this year. As only a Chinese company took part in the tender, the government cancelled it, and re-invited tender in which four companies from China, Russia, Ukraine, and Pakistan participated. Chinese company Norinco was selected as the lowest bidder.

Later the army requested the government to buy 44 tanks instead of 14.

A five-member committee headed by Maj Gen Abdul Matin signed a deal with the Chinese defence ministry on June 14 to purchase the tanks. According to the deal, China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) will deliver the tanks.

Matin said Eurocopter, a global helicopter manufacturing company in France, will supply the two helicopters by July next year.

The two helicopters will be used in UN peacekeeping missions, he said.

The committee chief said they have signed a draft deal with the countries concerned to purchase 18 new cannons. The agreement will be finalised next year, he added.

Bangladesh first got tanks in 1974 during Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's trip to Egypt. The then Egyptian president Anwar Sadat presented Bangabandhu with 44 tanks that were in good shape, said government sources.

Some refurbished tanks have also been bought for the army over the years.

Source: ChinaDefense

Iran to stage missile wargames

TEHRAN-(IDB) : Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards are to launch military exercises on Monday with the firing of different range ballistic missiles, the state news agency IRNA reported.

The exercises, codenamed Great Prophet-6, are to start on Monday, said a Guards commander, General Ami Ali Hadjizadeh, quoted by IRNA, without specifying how long the maneuvers will last.

"Short-, medium- and long-range missiles will be fired, especially the Khalij-Fars, Sejil, Fateh, Ghiam, and Shahab-1 and -2 missiles," he said.

The general, whose force carries out wargames each year in the Gulf region, said the latest exercises were "a message of peace and friendship to the countries of the area."

In late May, Iran said it had equipped the Revolutionary Guards with a new surface-to-surface missile, the Qiam-1, which was built locally and test-fired last August.

Iran says it has a wide range of missiles, some capable of striking targets inside arch-foe Israel as well as US bases in the Middle East.

The Islamic republic regularly boasts about developing missiles having substantial range and capabilities, but Western military experts cast doubt on its claims.

Iran's missile program is under the control of the Guards.

Its space and missile programs have been a concern in the West, which fears Tehran is developing a ballistic capability to launch potential nuclear weapons which it suspects Iran aims to develop under the guise of its civilian atomic program.

Iran has steadfastly denied these Western charges, saying its nuclear and space programs have no military objectives.

Source: Defencetalk

NASAMS Live-Fire exercise a success

NORWEGIA-(IDB) : The Royal Norwegian Air Force conducted a successful tactical live-fire exercise of its National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), a surface-launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile system, earlier this month at the Andoya Rocket Range in Northern Norway.

This annual live-fire exercise, called Silver Arrow, was attended by both Raytheon and KONGSBERG, along with several potential international customers.

"The conduct of our annual tactical live firing exercise is of greatest importance for the RNoAF GBAD community," said Lt. Col. Bjorn Stai, Royal Norwegian Air Force's (RNoAF) head of the Ground-based Air Defense branch.

"It serves as a test of the weapon system's operational status, and in addition, as a proof to the warfighter that NASAMS can detect, identify and destroy targets."

"NASAMS has been fielded by the RNoAF for more than a decade, and this successful test proves the capability of the system," said Sanjay Kapoor, vice president for Patriot Programs at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS).

"We are proud to work alongside our partner KONGSBERG to provide this superior integrated air and missile defense capability to Norway and all other countries where NASAMS is operationally deployed."

This is the same NASAMS system that is currently protecting assets in the National Capitol Region.

Source: Defencetalk

First NH90 NFH Helicopter Delivered to Italian Navy

ROMA-(IDB) : AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Italian Navy has taken delivery of its first NH90 NFH helicopter. The Italian Navy has ordered a total of 56 NH90s (46 NFH and 10 TTH units) which will replace old helicopters for a variety of roles including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and utility.

The NH90 NFH will give the Italian Navy a major increase in operational capability and mission effectiveness due to its outstanding technology and performance. This achievement is also the result of the strong cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Defence in the development of the NFH variant for the Italian Navy.

The Italian Navy is the second customer to receive the NH90 in Italy, following the Italian Army which has a total of 60 NH90 TTH helicopters on order. Italy is one of the nations selecting the NFH variant together with The Netherlands, Norway, France and Belgium. A total of 111 NH90 NFH naval helicopters have been ordered by these nations.

The NH90 NFH variant is primarily designed for autonomous and joint Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti Surface Warfare (ASuW) missions. The comprehensive mission equipment packages allow a wide range of additional missions to be performed including Search and Rescue (SAR), maritime patrol, vertical replenishment, troop transport, medical evacuation and amphibious support roles.

The helicopter is designed for day and night operations in adverse weather conditions from the decks of ships. Because of its optimal weight and dimensions, the deck-lock system, the deck traversing system and the automatic blade and tail folding system, it can operate from small frigates even in high sea states.

The NH90 is the most successful European helicopter programme ever. A total of 529 firm orders have been placed by 19 armed forces in 14 countries including The Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Greece, Spain and Belgium in Europe, as well as Australia, New Zealand and Oman overseas and 76 NH90 helicopters are already in service today.

The NH90, developed in the TTH utility transport and NFH naval versions, proves the ideal solution to meet requirements from many potential additional customers worldwide for a number of duties.

The NH90 programme is managed by NAHEMA (NATO Helicopter Management Agency) representing France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and Portugal, and by the NH Industries industrial consortium comprising AgustaWestland (32%), Eurocopter (62.5%) and Fokker Aerostructures (5.5%). In the framework of the NH90 programme,

AgustaWestland is responsible for the production of the main transmission, tail drive shafts, hydraulic system, automatic flight control system, rear ramp, rear fuselage, the T700/6E1 engine solution installation and on-board computers. 

Furthermore, AgustaWestland is also responsible for the overall integration of the NH90 naval mission system for all NFH variants. AgustaWestland's Venice Tessera plant is the new final assembly line for the NH90s ordered by Italy (Army and Navy, 60 and 56 helicopters respectively), the Netherlands (20), Norway (14) and Portugal (10) giving a total of 160 helicopters so far.

Source: Defencetalk

Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2012 Shipbuilding Plan

DT-(IDB) : Since 2006, CBO has performed an independent analysis of the Navy’s annual long-term shipbuilding plan at the request of the House Armed Services Committee. 

The latest in that series, a CBO report released today summarizes the ship inventory goals and purchases described in the Navy’s 2012 plan and assesses their implications for the Navy’s funding needs and ship inventories through 2041.

CBO’s Key Findings

The Navy currently envisions buying a total of 275 ships during the next 30 years at an average annual cost of about $15.5 billion (in 2011 dollars) for new construction alone, totaling $465 billion over 30 years (about 6 percent less than its estimate for the 2011 plan). 

Those figures are solely for the construction of new ships, the only type of costs reported in the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plans. Total shipbuilding costs—which include new construction, refueling of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and some other items—would average about $17.3 billion per year.

By comparison, using its own models and assumptions, CBO estimates that the cost for new-ship construction under the 2012 plan would average about $18.0 billion per year, or a total of $539 billion through 2041, about 16 percent more than the Navy estimates. Including the expense of refueling aircraft carriers as well as outfitting new ships raises that average to about $19.8 billion per year.

The total costs of carrying out the Navy’s 2012 plan, in CBO’s estimation, would be less than those for the 2011 plan, but they would still be much higher than the funding that the Navy has received in the past—about $15.6 billion a year on average over the past 30 years.

CBO’s Analysis

Through 2011, at the direction of the Congress, the Department of the Navy issued annual reports that described its plans for ship construction over the coming 30 years. Recently relieved of that annual requirement, the Navy described its intentions for shipbuilding in stages, through documents that can be combined with one another and with the plan of the previous year to yield a new 30-year plan comparable to earlier ones. CBO used that plan as the basis of its study.

CBO’s analysis provides further insight into the Navy’s shipbuilding plans. Specifically:

• The Navy’s documents constituting its 2012 shipbuilding plan pertain to the service’s battle force: aircraft carriers, submarines, surface combatants, amphibious warfare ships, and some logistics and support ships. Those documents present the service’s inventory goals for various categories of ships in the battle force, and generally the goals take effect immediately, although for large surface combatants the goal is for 2024 and beyond. In cases where the goals are higher than in previous years, it is understood that they cannot be satisfied for a number of years (if ever) because ship construction is staggered and each ship takes several years to build. The Navy’s 2012 plan implies that the service’s current goal for its inventory of battle force ships is 328—up from 322 or 323 under the 2011 plan (that plan was unclear as to whether the inventory goal for carriers was 10 or 11) and 313 in the Navy’s three previous long-term plans. The battle force fleet currently numbers 286 ships.

• Under the 2012 plan, the Navy would buy 205 combat ships and 70 logistics and support ships, totaling 275 ships over the 2012–2041 period. Given the rate at which the Navy plans to retire ships from the fleet, that construction plan is insufficient to achieve a 328-ship fleet. However, the fleet would number at least 313 ships—within 15 of the goal—for a nine-year period starting in 2019.

• The difference between CBO’s estimate and the Navy’s estimate of the costs for new-ship construction in the 2012 shipbuilding plan—about 16 percent overall—varies considerably over time: CBO’s estimates are 7 percent higher than the Navy’s for the first 10 years of the plan, 10 percent higher for the following decade, and 31 percent higher for the final 10 years of the plan. Those differences result partly from different estimating methods and different assumptions about the designs and capabilities of future ships.

• If the Navy receives the same amount of funding (adjusted for inflation) for ship construction in the next 30 years as it has over the past three decades, it will not be able to afford all of the purchases in the 2012 plan. CBO’s estimate of the full cost of the Navy’s 2012 shipbuilding plan is about 27 percent above the average funding that the Navy has received over the past three decades.

Source: Defencetalk

Su-37 Terminator Ultra Manuevrability

SUKHOI-(IDB) : The Su-37 multirole, all-weather fighter aircraft demonstrator is derived from the family of aircraft based on the Su-27, which was developed in 1977 by the Sukhoi Experimental Design Bureau in Moscow and is in service with the Russian Air Force and a number of other countries. 

This family also includes the Su-27UB, Su-30, Su-33, Su-32FN and Su-35, and has the Nato codename Flanker. The Russian Air Force is currently operating two Su-37 aircraft. The new feature of the super-manoeuvrable Su-37 fighter is the two-dimensional thrust vector control engines, which allow the aircraft to recover from spins and stalls at almost any altitude, while it is also equipped with full digital fly-by-wire controls. 

The first flight of the Su-37 prototype was in April 1996, with a public appearance at the Mosaero show. This was followed by a demonstration flight at the Farnborough 1996 Airshow. 

The aircraft demonstrated new manoeuvres, such as the ability to point the nose away from direction of flight for sustained periods, rotating the nose through 360° and recovering from tail slide by rolling into an entirely different plane. 

State funding for the aircraft was withdrawn for a time, but it was restored in 1999 and Su-37 is undergoing flight testing. The Su-37 all-weather multirole fighter aircraft can fly at a maximum speed of 2440km/h. The range and service ceiling of the aircraft are 3700km and 18000m respectively and the aircraft weighs around 18500kg.

Source: Youtube

Siap Hadapi Serangan Asing, Iran Gelar Manuver Militer

TEHRAN-(IDB) : Korps Pengawal Revolusi Islam Iran (IRGC) meluncurkan manuver militer rudal untuk meningkatkan kesiapan angkatan bersenjata Iran melawan setiap kemungkinan agresi asing. 

 

Panglima Divisi Zona Udara IRGC Brigadir Jenderal Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Ahad (26/6) mengatakan manuver militer "Nabi Besar 6" akan dimulai pada Senin. 

Brigadir Jenderal Hajizadeh menambahkan bahwa rudal pendek, menengah dan rudal jarak jauh, yaitu Khalij Fars (Teluk Persia Teluk) , Sejjil, Fatih, Qiam, rudal Shahab-1 dan Shahab-2 akan dipergunakan selama latihan perang. 

Brigadir Jenderal Hajizadeh menekankan bahwa manuver militer Nabi Besar 6 bertujuan benar-benar defensif dan akan dipentaskan dengan mengusung pesan "perdamaian dan persahabatan." 

Sebelumnya, digelar manuver militer gabungan angkatan laut, udara dan darat IRGC pada bulan April 2010 lalu.

Sumber: Irib

Militer Korsel Berlatihan Dekat Perbatasan Korut

SEOUL-(IDB) : Korea Selatan akan menyelenggarakan latihan militer dekat perbatasan Korea Utara pekan depan saat ketegangan meningkat dengan tetangga komunisnya itu, kata seorang pejabat, Minggu.

Militer Korea Selatan (Korsel) akan melakukan latihan lapangan di Kota Paju mulai Senin sampai Jumat, kata juru bicara kementerian pertahanan Seoul, sebagaimana dinyatakan AFP.

"Latihan itu adalah sesuatu yang telah kami lakukan secara reguler untuk memperbaiki kesiapan tempur kami," katanya tanpa menjelaskan lebih jauh.

Ketegangan lintas perbatasan tetap tinggi sejak Korea Utara (Korut) dituduh menenggelamkan sebuah kapal perang Korsel yang menewaskan 46 awaknya dan penembakan satu pulau perbatasan Korsel yang menewaskan empat warga Korsel tahun lalu.

Hubungan memburuk kembali setelah Pyongyang akhir bulan lalu mengumumkan pihaknya menghentikan semua kontak dengan pemerintah konservatif Seoul, yang menuntut Korut meminta maaf menyangkut dua serangan itu.

Kedatangan sembilan warga Korut di Korsel menumpang perahu bulan ini semakin meningkatkan ketegangan setelah Seoul menolak permintaan Pyongyang untuk memulangkan sembilan orang itu.

Satu kelompok pembangkan Korut yang tinggal di Seoul menyebarkan 100.000 pamplet anti-Pyongyang melintasi perbatasan itu, Sabtu mendesak penggulingan rezim komunis itu, kendatipun ancama-ancaman dari Korut untuk menembak balon-balon yang membawa selebaran-selebaran itu.

Balon-balon raksasa itu bertuliskan slogan-slogan anti-Pyongyang termasuk satu menyerukan penggulingan pemimpin Korut Kim Jong-Il dan putra bungsunya Kim Jong-Un yang akan mengantikannya.

Sumber: Antara

AS Akan Tingkatkan Kemampuan Intelijen Filipina

MANILA-(IDB) : Amerika Serikat berjanji akan meningkatkan kemampuan intelijen Filipina di Laut China Selatan, tempat ketegangan dengan China meningkat menyangkut klaim wilayah yang disengketakan itu, kata pejabat pemerintah Filipina, Sabtu.

Janji itu diungkapkan setelah Amerika Serikat, yang cemas dengan situasi di Laut China Selatan, Kamis mengatakan pihaknya siap memberikan perangkat keras untuk memodernisasi militer sekutu dekatnya tetapi miskin itu.

Direktur Intelijen Nasional AS (NDI) James Clapper mengemukakan janji itu dalam satu pertemuan dengan Menteri Luar negeri Filipina Albert del Rosario di Washington, lapor AFP.

Del Rosario berada di AS untuk meminta bantuan bagi militer Filipina yang peralatan militernya tidak memadai.

"Pejabat AS itu berjanji akan meningkatkan pemberian laporan intelijen NDI kepada Filipina untuk meningkatkan kesiagaan maritim Manila di Laut Filipina Barat,"kata sebuah pernyataan Departemen Luar Negeri Filipina.

Clapper mengatakan "kami akan melakukan segala usaha yang dapat dapat kami lakukan untuk membantu" sementara dia menyatakan cemas atas kejadian baru-baru ini di Laut China Selatan.

"Laut Filipina Barat" adalah nama yang diberikan pemerintah Filipina untuk Laut China Selatan untuk menekankan lebih jauh klaimnya pada sebagian daerah itu.

Del Rosario mengatakan ia telah "menjajaki satu opsi" yang akan memungkinkan Filipina memperoleh peralatan militer yang lebih baru dengan harga rendah.

Akan tetapi ia tidak mengatakan tentang opsi ini.

Setelah pertemuannya Kamis, Menlu AS Hillary Clinton mengemukakan kepada del Rosario bahwa pemerintahnya akan mempercepat bantuan militer untuk meningkatkan kemampuan Filipina.

"Kami memutuskan dan berjanji akan mendukung pertahanan Filipina," kata Hillary dalam jumpa wartawan bersama.

Filipina telah berusaha memodernisasi militernya setelah serangkaian insiden dengan China di Laut China Selatan, terutama di Spratly, satu gugusan pulau yang diduga kaya akan sumber-sumber mineral.

Akan tetapi seorang juru bicara Presiden Filipina Benigno Aquino mengatakan hubungan antara AS dan Filipina jangan mengagitasi China.

"Kami memperbarui komitmen kedua negara bagi lingkungan yang damai dan menegaskan kembali keinginan kami bagi satu pendekatan multilateral untuk menyelesaikan masalah-masalah," kata juru bicara Abuigail Valte di Manila.

"Itu adalah hanya satu penegasan komitmen kami bagi perdamaian dan stabilitas di kawasan itu."

Selain dari China dan Filipina juga mengklaim seluruh atau sebagian Laut China Selatan yang termasuk kepulauan Spratly di Laut China Selatan itu adalah Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Taiwan dan Vietnam.

Sumber: Antara