Israel Receives Fifth German Nuclear-Capable Submarine

The Israeli regime has received of a fifth submarine from Germany, amid pressure on Berlin to halt the delivery of the state-of-the-art weaponry that is capable of being armed with nuclear warheads. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday welcomed the delivery of the advanced Dolphin-class submarine at the Haifa port north of the occupied Palestinian territories. The submarine, said to be capable of remaining submerged for up to seven days, can be equipped with missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

A German-made Dolphin-class submarine arrives at the military port north of the occupied Palestinian territories on January 12, 2016.

The Tel Aviv regime pursues a 'policy of ambiguity' over its nuclear arsenal, which is widely believed to contain up to 400 nukes. The new submarine has cost Israel about 500 million euros (USD 540 million), with the German government paying one third of the cost. Berlin is also to deliver a sixth submarine in two or three years. Many have criticized Germany for the sales of the modern military equipment to Israel. The administration of German Chancellor Angela Markel claims Germany has an obligation to guarantee the security of Israel.

German media say the delivery of the four previous Dolphin-class submarines have cost German taxpayers over 1 billion euros (USD 1.12 billion). Israel’s ministry of military affairs announced in May 2015 that it had reached a deal with a German shipbuilding company to have four major warships built for the Tel Aviv regime. It said the government in Berlin would pay for one fourth of the deal, which was reported to be more than 400 million euros.

UK Used Brimstone Missiles First Time In Syria

Royal Air Force used Brimstone missiles for the first time in Syria to strike against Daesh. Four attck was carried out by RAF combat jets deployed in the Middle East to fight against Daesh/ISIS/ISIL. Two of the strikes near Raqqa, targeted a vehicle and in the Omar oilfield in the eastern Syria, media reports. Two Tornado jets used a Brimstone missile to destroy a supply truck near Raqqa, and Paveway IV laser-guided bombs to target two IS buildings, including a command and control center. Another two Tornados and a Reaper drone used three Brimstones, as well as Hellfire missiles, to attack a number of mobile cranes brought in by IS to the Omar oilfield to try to repair damage inflicted by previous air strikes.

An MBDA Brimstone II missile 

Brimstone missiles are radar-guided and can be used against moving targets. The RAF has carried out several strikes in Syria since MPs voted in favour of extending UK action into the country on 2 December. The UK and Saudi Arabia are the only two countries to have purchased Brimstones.

North Korea Faked Its Latest SLBM Test Showing Scud Missile Test From 2014

According to the Middlebury Institute's James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), the North used “heavy video editing” to cover up the fact that the "rocket ejected, began to light, and then failed catastrophically." On Friday, North Korean state television broadcasted footage of the December SLBM test, which was unannounced beforehand unlike a previous test in May.

 

A South Korean man at Seoul Railway Station watches a TV news program showing an image published in North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper of the country's ballistic missile test in May 2015. (AP)

Based on the analysis of the California-based think tank, two frames from the footage show the missile actually catching fire with small components breaking away. "They used different camera angles and editing to make it appear that the launch was several continuous launches, but played side by side you can see that it is the same event,” said a senior CNS research associate, Melissa Hanham, on Tuesday.

The analysis shows that Pyongyang used rudimentary editing techniques to splice the footage with and earlier SLBM test and a Scud missile test. On Saturday, South Korea also announced that the footage appeared to be edited with a SCUD launch from 2014. The footage was released just two days after North Korea announced the successful testing of its first hydrogen bomb, an action that was also met by skepticism and widespread condemnation. Pyongyang is under UN sanctions over launching missiles considered by the US and South Korea as ballistic and aimed at delivering nuclear warheads.

Iran Army's An F-4 Phantom II Crashed Near Chahbahar, Both Pilots Killed

 

Crash site of Iran Army's F-4 Phantom II near Chahbahar

Pilot & Co-pilot died when a military jet crashed Chahbahar, a south-eastern Iranian port-city while on a training mission, local media reported. The jet crashed was an F-4 Phantom II of IRIAF bought by Tehran from the US before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

 

IRIAF F-4 Phantom II

The fighter jet, was on a training mission, crashed near the western border of Pakistan's Balochistan. On Tuesday Tasnim News, an Iranian news agency,  reported the news from Ali Asghar Mirshekari, the security and political deputy to the governor general of Sistan and Baluchestan (Iran) Province. “Unfortunately a military training aircraft crashed today due to technical problems,” Mirshekari also told state TV. The pilot and co-pilot both died in the crash, he said. Mirshekari added the jet belonged to the Iranian Army, while the cause of the crash is under investigation.

#phantom jet crashed in South East #Iran (photo) #F4 pic.twitter.com/QC7OniTNEB

— Hossein Dalirian (@HosseinDalirian) January 12, 2016

Fars news agency reported that a fighter jet had gone down near the port city of Konarak, in Sistan and Balouchestan province. Fars cited local sources who witnessed the crash. They also said that both men in the jet had died. Other reports suggested the plane went down outside the town of Chabahar, which like Konarak is situated on the coast of Chabahar Bay, but on the opposite side. 

#Pilot and co-pilot were killed in the #crash of #Iran #army's fighter jet in southeastern port city of #Chabahar

— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) January 12, 2016

Iran Captured Two U.S. Navy Riverine Patrol Boat Near It's Farsi Island, Detained 10 USN Sailors

Two US Navy riverine patrol boats captured by Iranian Navy (IRGC) and Ten sailors were detained. Though Iranian authority had originally told the US that the sailors would be returned promptly, but later soldiers had to spent a night in Iran, media reports. Iran say to return the sailors to the Navy today (Wednesday) morning, a US defense official told to the media.

This type of U.S. Navy Riverine Command Patrol Boats were captured by Iranian Navy near Farsi Island in Parsian Gulf.

A senior administration official confirmed earlier they lost contact with two small US naval craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain and claimed the drift of those two boats into Iranian waters as a mechanical defect. The official further said "We subsequently have been in communication with Iranian authorities, who have informed us of the safety and well-being of our personnel. We have received assurances the sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey." Another senior US administration official told CNN that there's nothing to indicate anything hostile on the part of Iran. Administration officials also reportedly said that releasing the sailors at night would be "unsafe."

Though, later, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the 10 American sailors, who are now being held at an IRGC naval base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran said that members of the elite IRGC had confiscated GPS equipment from the boats for the due check whether this drift of US Navy boats were a unintentional technical fault or deliberate sneak-peak. And as per news agency IRGC officials iterates that the data from the equipment would "prove that the American ships [were] 'snooping' around in Iranian waters."

Satellite map

Ben Rhodes, the White House's deputy national security adviser, told reporters that the US is "working to resolve the situation such that any US personnel are returned to their normal deployment." According to a senior US official told the media that US Secretary of State John Kerry immediately called Iran's minister of foreign affairs, Javad Zarif, upon learning of the incident at around 12:30 p.m. EST. Kerry "personally engaged with Zarif on this issue to try to get to this outcome," the official said.

The latest incident comes on the heels of Iran's rocket test in late December near US warships and boats passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The incident also comes hours before US President Barack Obama is due to give his final State of the Union address before Congress. This is not the first time Iran has detained Western navy sailors operating in or near Iranian waters. In 2004, 15 British Royal Navy personnel from a training team based in southern Iraq were detained while delivering a boat from Umm Qsar to Basra, then The Telegraph reported.

Suicide Bombers Targeted The Pakistan Consulate in Jalalabad, Afghanistan

The Pakistan consulate in Jalalabad, an eastern Afghan city, was shut off on Wednesday for a while after a suicide bombing. The provincial governor´s spokesman said this attack killed at least two people and wounds two.

An Afghan Govt. official, Attaullah Khogyani, said the bomber had tried to join a queue of people seeking visas to Pakistan and blew himself up after being prevented from entering the building. Security forces fearing that other attackers may still be in the vicinity of the consulate.

The Pakistan consulate in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad was sealed off on Wednesday after a suicide bomber detonated himself, killing at least two people and wounding two, the provincial governor´s spokesman said.
Attaullah Khogyani said the bomber had tried to join a queue of people seeking visas to Pakistan and blew himself up after being prevented from entering the building.
Police said other attackers may still be in the vicinity of the consulate.
- See more at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/90046-Blast-close-to-Pakistan-India-consulates-reported-in-Afghanistan#sthash.caWqfmqe.dpuf

Two of Minerva Class OPV For Bangladesh Coast Guard Are 'Undergoing Sea Trials'

Two out of four Bangladesh Coast Guard's Minerva-class Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) are seen under sea trials in Italy and expected to join the fleet this year 2016.

Photo: Bangladesh Defence

Fincantieri has been awarded the contract with the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) for the supply of four ex-Italian Navy “Minerva” class corvettes to be upgraded and converted into Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), and to provide the related logistics support services. On 29 June the two units arrived at Fincantieri’s dock in Genoa, where the upgradation and conversion activities has been done and the task had finished at the naval shipyard in LaSpezia. Currently two of upgraded ships are following extensive sea trials after which the units will be handed over by Fincantieri to the Coast Guard of Bangladesh.

Fincantieri is already working to refurbish and modify the first two of four former Italian Navy corvettes that have been ordered by Bangladesh. The ships are being converted into Offshore Patrol Vehicles. (Fincantieri photo)

Name: 

• BCGS Syed Nazrul - Pennant number: PL-71
• BCGS Tajuddin - Pennant number: PL-72

Bangladesh Coast Guard had placed an order for four off-the-shelf Minerva-class corvette of Italian Navy last year. After extensive refitting process those are converted to Offshore Patrol Vessel as per the needs of Bangladesh Coast Guard. These units are the decommissioned Italian Navy corvettes. These 4 large OPVs surely increase the operational capabilities of Bangladesh Coast Guard.

Ships Specifications:

Length:             87m
Displacement:  1300 tonnes
Beam:              10.5 m (34 ft)
Draught:           3.2–4.8 m (10–16 ft)
Propulsion:       2 Diesel Motor

                        GrandiMotori Trieste BM-230.20 DVM  

                        Output 11.000 hp (8.203 kW)
Speed:             25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range:            3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 18 knots

                       (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement:  7 officers, 113 men
 

Sensors and systems:

Radar: AA/ASu-Radar Selenia SPS-774 (RAN 10S) E/F Band 1 SMA SPS-728 Navigation radar
 

Sonar: Raytheon/Elsag DE-1167

North Korea Tested It's First Thermonuclear Device (Hydrogen Bomb)

North Korea declared that it has successfully tested a thermonuclear device for first time in an underground test facility; basically called a hydrogen bomb - a more powerful weapon than an atomic bomb. This declaration of detonation of Hydrogen Bomb last Tuesday ( January 6, 2016) creates world condemnation about this state's arrogance about ignoring world community's anger.

Quake magnitudes detected near the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test range of North Korean Nuke Test site. Photo: BBC

A quake magnitude of 5.1 detected just near the N. Korea's nuke test site in the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test range by the USGS. Hours after the test North Korean state TV announcement cleared that the isolated communist state tested its first H-bomb, which it calls "the H-bomb of justice". Though Analysts & experts are skeptical whether it's a full-scale thermonuclear device or not, North Korean military sources advice the media that it was a "miniaturized H-bomb".

A picture from North Korean state TV showing leader Kim Jong-un signing the document for the hydrogen bomb test. Photo: BBC

On October 9, 2006, North Korea tested its first atomic device in a site of Punggye-ri Nuclear Test range, Kilju County. After that in 25 May, 2009 & 12 February, 2013 N. Korea tested another two low-yield devices in the same test-range. Those two tests was of, respectively, 2.95 & 6-7 kilotons of TNT strength.

Egypt Set to Get 46 Kamov Ka-52K Navalized Attack Helicopters from Russia for it's Mistral Helicopter Carrier

Ka-52Ks were designed for French-made Mistral helicopter carriers that were to join the Russian Navy last year, before France cancelled the deal over Ukraine. The warships are now being bought by Cairo. "In the outgoing year, new contracts were signed with Russian and foreign helicopter users," Russian Helicopters Director-General Alexander Mikheev said in a statement published in the corporate magazine.

Kamov Ka-52 Water Hover Profile

He added that a major sale of Kamov naval helicopters were part of the deals that Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport had inked in 2015. The Ka-52K is a naval modification of the Kamov Ka-52 Alligator. It has reinforced landing gears intended for ship-borne attacks.

Russia and France officially terminated the 1.2 billion euro (some $1.28 billion at current exchange rates) contract on the delivery of the warships in August following French President Francois Hollande’s suspension of the supply late last year over the Ukrainian conflict. In October, Cairo and Paris signed a contract for Egypt's purchase of the warships originally built for Russia.