Persian Gulf & Middle East Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

FORBIN

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First batch of new T-90 tanks for Iraq spotted at UralVagonZavod’s facility
The new T-90S main battle tanks of Iraqi Armed forces were seen at the UralVagonZavod’s facility in Nizhny Tagil, Russia.

The Russian TV channel released video of visit at the T-90’s production facility in Nizhny Tagil (1,000 miles east of Moscow), where was spotted the new variant of T-90S main battle tanks developed for Iraqi Armed forces.

The improved variant of the T-90S tank with desert camo of the Iraqi Armed forces was spotted at the UralVagonZavod. The new tanks featured a number of survivability upgrades over existing T-72B3 and BMPT tank support combat vehicle. The tank is equipped with an automatic system for locates directions of laser emissions from laser guidance systems and laser rangefinders.

Also, tank fitted with new protection package to counter kinetic threats and a slat armour solution against shaped charge warheads. Slat armour is mounted on the rear portion of the vehicle, providing additional protection for the engine, transmission and other components against shaped-charge weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades.

According to TASS Russia’s Uralvagonzavod defense manufacturer said in its report for 2016 that the corporation intended to implement the contract for the delivery of T-90S/SK main battle tanks to Iraq. Iraq had ordered 73 T-90S and T-90SK tanks.
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FORBIN

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Day 2 for Army Recognition editorial team at GDA 2017, the International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition and Conference in Mishref, Kuwait. In this video we focus on the equipment of the Kuwaiti Army and on the international presence.

 

TerraN_EmpirE

Tyrant King
@ 8:40 Jotov & Sons Ltd
He explains what he calls a Modernized Bulgarian AK he identifies as the M103. I have never heard it called that, but I think I know of the Family, Arsenal is a well Known Bulgarian Arms maker, And AK maker and connected to Jotov & Sons Ltd.
now one of the features one of their AK's have added, in there ( Ironically called) AR series is borrowed a left side thumb safety from the Galil. Like the Galil this feature is in addition to the traditional AK selector/Dust cover.
This feature is unique to the Galil/R4 series the Arsenal AR and the Aborted Prototype AK200 ( Early AK12)
 
Nov 10, 2017
now US Air Force official: Missile targeting Saudis was Iranian
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related:
US: Ballistic missiles fired on Saudi Arabia were provided by Iran
U.S. intelligence has determined that two ballistic missiles fired on Saudi Arabia this year were manufactured and provided to Yemen Houthi rebels by Iran, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced Thursday.

Haley, who stood in front of components from both missile launches, said the evidence behind her proved that Iran is in violation of a UN resolution that supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the agreement former President Barack Obama’s administration signed with Iran to halt its nuclear weapons program.

While the JCPOA itself does not specify ballistic missiles, that resolution called for Iran to also halt its ballistic missile weapons program.

“Iran is defying the international community,” Haley said.

Haley said President Donald Trump and his administration would be working with the international community and Congress on how to increase enforcement of the ballistic missile terms in the UN resolution.

“Everything doesn’t have to be tied to the nuclear deal, but it does have to be tied to the security resolution,” Haley said. “We have to do something about these violations. You will see us build a coalition to really push back against Iran.”

The Scud-class 37-foot-long missiles targeted King Khalid International Airport on Nov. 4 and Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, on July 22.

“Just imagine if this missile had been launched against Dulles Airport, or JFK,” Haley said.

At a hangar on base, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency reassembled components from the two launches to establish that both were Qiam short-range ballistic missiles and in a briefing with reporters, identified the markings that they said proved the missile was manufactured in Iran.

The combined evidence, Haley said, showed “unequivocally that these weapons were supplied by the Iranian regime.”

A defense official who spoke on the condition of not being identified said that some of the wear they analyzed on the missiles, including evidence that the missiles have been welded back together, supported their assessment that at least the Nov. 4 missile had been cut in half to more easily transport into Yemen.

In another display in the hangar, the DIA pointed to the manufacturer logo on the missile actuator, which they said belongs to Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, an Iranian manufacturer.

Houthi rebels, who are in a civil war with Yemen’s government and have been targeted for more than a year during a Saudi-led and U.S.-supported air campaign, claimed responsibility for the Nov. 4 ballistic missile launch.

The agency also reassembled drones and recovered parts of remotely controlled explosive boats it said Iran used to strike the Saudi frigate HMS Al-Madinah in the Red Sea on Jan. 30.

“Several countries will be sending delegations to view this material” in the coming days, Haley said, as the U.S. works to build support to increase pressure on Iran.
source is DefenseNews
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Sep 25, 2017
LOL now noticed a good question Is Political Leverage, Not Capability, Behind Qatar Fighter Orders?
Sep 21, 2017
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and now the question is A huge military buildup is underway in Qatar. But who will man the systems?
Qatar’s launch of a huge air power buildup has raised a series of questions about the country’s ability to incorporate systems into its military amid a crisis faced with the Gulf nations.

On Sunday, Britain signed a deal with the small Gulf country
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after two consecutive agreements with the U.S. to purchase 36 Boeing F-15QA and France to receive
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.

One industrial source with knowledge of the matter stressed expanded capabilities provided by the three new jets, noting that “the air force will now have a total of 96 new aircraft, compared to its current Mirage-2000 fleet of a dozen.

“The problem faced here is the lack of Qatari armed forces personnel to operate three top-line fighter types,” he added. “In order to compensate for staffing shortage, Qatar will inevitably have to recruit foreign forces.”

The Gulf country maintains a military force of approximately 27,500 men, including 2,500 from the air force.

“For decades, GCC states have concluded massive arms deals with the U.S. and other leading western countries as a form of premium insurance: the GCC helps keep western defense industry jobs, and in return the West protects the GCC states from external threats,” said Yezid Sayegh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center think tank.

“Recent Qatari arms deals are a classic demonstration of this. Especially by winning U.S approval to sell the Gulf country major weapon systems at the very start of the dispute with its neighbors, Qatar undermined Saudi/UAE claims that it was a hostile power and underlined U.S support, despite Trump’s public statements against it”, he added.

A BAE Systems official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said winning the export contract for the Typhoon “is important for the long-term sustainability of high value manufacturing and engineering jobs in the U.K.”

“Securing this contract enables us to safeguard Typhoon production well into the next decade,” the officiall added.

Last October, BAE Systems announced it was shedding nearly 2,000 jobs across several of its U.K. operations, with the brunt of the cuts coming at Warton where the company makes and assembles Typhoon fighters and Hawk jet trainers.

Pieter Wezeman, a Senior Researcher on the arms and military expenditure program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), described Qatar’s military power buildup as a “complete transformation from a very small armed forces — as expected from a small country — to armed forces which will be in size and technology amongst the largest and most capable per capita of any country in the world.”

“In terms of deliveries, Qatar has gone from a minor arms importer before 2014 to a significant one in the years since, and based on a series of major contracts signed over the past two years, it is expected that its arms imports will be even higher in the coming years,” Wezeman added.

SIPRI estimates that Qatari arms imports rose by 245 percent between 2007 and 2011; furthermore, 2012–2016 as part of a program that will multiply its military assets several times. However, Qatar is a small country and its arms imports remain substantially lower than those of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to the institute.

On the potential difficulties that Qatar may face, the senior researcher said “the balance between official Qatari citizens and expatriates, and the very high speed with which the country is ordering highly advanced weapons, it remains to be seen how it will be able to absorb these weapons into an effective force and how much they will be dependent on foreign support, including mercenaries.”
source is DefenseNews
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FORBIN

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Jordan Army to Get an Additional 25 Upgraded Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles

The German government has contracted with Rheinmetall to upgrade a further 25 Marder infantry fighting vehicles from surplus Bundeswehr stocks. The vehicles are destined for the Jordanian armed forces. Delivery will begin in the first quarter of 2018. The contract was awarded under a German military aid programme aimed at bolstering the capabilities of the Jordanian armed forces in the fight against international terrorism as well as for border security and stabilization missions. Booked in October 2017, the order is worth over €17 million without value added tax.

Under the contract, Rheinmetall will supply Jordan with twenty-five fully modernized, former German Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles, painted in a desert camouflage pattern. The package also encompasses spare parts, ammunition, documentation, special tools, customer support on location as well as training for operators and maintenance personnel.

In addition to Germany, Chile and Indonesia, Jordan is the fourth nation to deploy the enhanced-performance Marder.

Rheinmetall already supplied the Hashemite Kingdom with 25 vehicles of this type in 2016/2017. The Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicle weighs about 35 tonnes. Its 600 HP-engine enables a top speed of around 65 km/h, and the fighting compartment is roomy enough to seat nine soldiers. A 20mm RH-202 automatic cannon serves as the vehicle's main armament.

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FORBIN

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Qatar’s Leopard 2A7+ main battle tank

Qatar displayed for the first time it’s new Germany-made Leopard 2A7+ main battle tank during National Day.

Qatar’s Leopard 2A7+ tanks are the most advanced of the breed built to date and will be optimised to meet the high ambient conditions encountered in the Middle East.

According to the contract signed in 2013 with an overall value of USD2.2 billion, Qatar ordered 62 Leopard 2 tanks. The Leopard 2A7+ battle tank is built based on the Leopard 2 MBT and employs digitised technology and multifunctional user concept for improved sustainability. The turret and chassis of the Leopard 2A7+ are fitted with a cooling system.

The Leopard 2A7+ MBT is powered by an MTU MB 873 diesel engine, which generates a power of 1,500hp. The Leopard 2A7+ equipped with the Rheinmetall 120mm L/55 smoothbore gun, a computerised fire control system coupled to day and thermal sights for the commander and gunner, the latest armour package, an air-conditioning system and a roof-mounted FLW 200 remote weapon station (RWS) armed with a .50 M2 HB machine gun (MG) to provide a close-in self-defence capability.

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Qatar’s Leopard 2A7+.jpg
Qatar’s Leopard 2A7+ - 2.jpg
 

FORBIN

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Israel Is Treating America's Throwaway F-15D Eagles As New Found Treasure

The Israel Air Force is working hard to regenerate and drastically upgrade nine ex-U.S. Air National Guard F-15Ds that previously served with the
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in Klamath Falls, Oregon. As
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of 2016, these aircraft were donated as part of a still active, multi-billion dollar aid package to Israel that was enacted by the Obama Administration. It may seem odd at first that the IAF would want surplus two-seat Eagle models that were originally manufactured in the late 1970s. But these aircraft provide a totally different mission set and value proposition for the Israeli Air Force than they do for the USAF. Today, Israel's uniquely configured F-15Ds are among the IAF's most flexible and capable multi-role fighters.

Israel turned their air superiority focused F-15s into long-range strike platforms long before the F-15E Strike Eagle entered service with the USAF (read all about this and the unique evolution of the F-15 in Israeli service in
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). Since then, the "Baz" as it is known locally, has become increasingly "Israelized" with indigenous avionics, munitions, sub-systems, and structural upgrades.
..
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Saturday at 8:46 PM
...
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(huge price drop of F-15s for Qatar described inside)
LOL! let's wait and see how many F-15s and for how much they'll actually get:

"The contract follows an agreement that was signed by Qatar and the United States in June for the latest variant of the Boeing-made. Although that agreement was also reported to be for 36 aircraft, the value was given by the Qatari government as USD12 billion. This suggests that either a follow-on procurement for another 36 fighters might be possible, or that the initial agreement also covers an as-yet-unannounced major weapons purchase to accompany the Advanced Eagles."

according to Jane's
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